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#coming from Texas this place is great
whatamicrobiallife · 2 years
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This is your sign to work for a biotech company in the Bay Area
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arihi · 6 months
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The difficult thing about openly blogging about healing and going through a long period of growth publicly is the feeling of “I’m not doing super great, and it’s worse than it has been before” springs to mind, but for the X number of times you’ve said it in the past, it feels more trivial. And maybe that’s a sign that things have always been an up and down sort of pattern, and that it will pass again, but maybe it also serves to feel more isolating in not having the words or energy anymore to describe how it is *this* time. And it is a position that changes day to day, and on better days it feels more passable, and on worse the void feels more vast. The mere fact that it changes is probably a good sign, that nothing ever has to be set in stone. But boy are some days so, so dreadful.
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luveline · 4 months
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hey baby! happy christmas eve <3 i was wondering if we could get more shy!reader x spence, i know the people love bombshell (and i love her too!) but shy reader has such a special place in my heart :)
ty for requesting!! ♡ fem
The universe puts Spencer Reid so close to you and so often as a punishment for something. You thought you were getting a great gig, selected for the BAU younger than most, surrounded by the top agents in the field, top agents willing to forgive your inexperience just as long as you don't impede the flow. 
Well, you're impeding things. Badly. 
“What are you doing?” Emily asks. “You're not listening to a word I'm saying. I need your help on this.”
Her tone is kinder than her unimpressed stare. “Right. Right, sorry, I'm distracted.” 
“You think?” She frowns. “What's with you?” 
Spencer crouches just outside of your eyeline by the door. The police precinct the BAU dominates today is small and underfunded, leaving Spencer to map his geographical profile on the floor. This is fine, but the precinct is in Texas, where the weather is sweltering, and the way to survive is to strip. He wears a simple blue-white button up without a tie, his sleeves bunched above his elbows, and his hair clings to the damp back of his neck. 
“Nothing. Sorry.” 
Emily hums unhappily. You can't blame her for not believing you. 
You throw yourself back into your work, bouncing theories and details off of each other with Spencer's ear skewed your way. It's harder to talk while he's listening. Worse when Morgan arrives with lunch and insists that Spencer sit beside you so he can hog the vent above. 
“Did they have your diet coke?” Spencer asks. 
You gesture to your cup clumsily. Spencer opens the bag on the table to pull out your polystyrene boxes. He knows without asking what food you've ordered and places it neatly in front of you, passing you a plastic knife and fork before he so much as glances at his own meal. He's sickeningly thoughtful. 
“You okay?” he asks. “You're being really quiet today. Quieter than usual.” 
“I'm fine.” 
“Yeah? You sure?” 
You nod with a tight smile. You're worried if he keeps looking at you that you might burst into flames. 
Spencer puts his hand on your arm and squeezes. The warmth of his palm pressed to the flank of your arm, the gentle pressure, the pat before he pulls back. Your brain melts in your skull and the rest of the team arrive just in time to watch. 
“You look like you've seen a ghost,” JJ says, dropping her jacket on the table. Hotch gives you a concerned squint. 
“I'm fine.” 
“She keeps saying she's fine,” Spencer says, hand on your shoulder now, the lightest of touches. 
“But you're not really fine,” Rossi says, sitting across from you with a knowing look. He always looks like he knows everything. "What's wrong, bella?"
“I'm fine, I'm–” Spencer's touch becomes more insistent on yout shoulder, heat rushes to your face and chest, and suddenly you've lost sight of what you're doing, where your hands are, and you've knocked your soda over in a rush of ice. 
Spencer grabs it before it can tip entirely. Emily throws napkins at the mess. Your hands come up to your face suddenly, embarrassed, but the team laugh and hum their sympathies. 
“I got it,” Emily says. 
“Maybe you should try drinking some of that,” Morgan teases. 
“I'm really sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me today.” 
“Well, don't get stressed about it. Just take a minute,” Hotch says. “Is that mine?” 
Spencer closes in, hand flat on your shoulder, inching down to the small of your back. He stops somewhere on your spine, his every touch like a bruise. He can't not know how nerve wracking it is to be near him, but of course he doesn't. He wouldn't put you through this if he did. 
“Your food's gonna get cold,” he says. 
You rub your eyes and promptly put your hands in your lap. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I just had a hot flush, I think.” 
“Loverboy's not getting to you, is he? Just ignore him,” Morgan says. 
“I'd prefer if you didn't ignore me,” Spencer says quietly, charmingly. 
“Reid, eat.” Hotch meets your eyes. In a room of profilers, he's the best. He's the shark. He probably knew how Reid made you feel before you did, and he's the boss, so he redirects his attention. “Y/N, you're alright?” You nod. “Then let's eat and talk about what we know so far.” 
You give up half way through your meal when Spencer's knee rests against yours and you can physically feel your heart at the contiguity. 
“Are you sure you're okay?” he asks you softly. 
His deodorant smells like mint. “I promise, I'm fine. I think it's just too hot.” 
He makes you a fan with a menu from the takeout and fans you with it. It works at first, but his smile prolongs your agony and it eventually prompts an adverse effect. 
Hotch has to send Spencer out to canvas with Rossi to get you to function again. 
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adriennebarnes · 3 days
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Can You Be My Boyfriend?
Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Hispanic/Latina! Reader
Summary: Y/N is Ferrari’s social media manager and when one of the mechanics doesn’t take no for an answer, she pretends she’s dating a certain Ferrari driver.
Warning: grammatical and spelling errors cuz I don’t proofread
A/N: i just wanted to say thank you so much for the love y’all gave “Prince of Ferrari”, it means a lot to me as a new Charles Leclerc writer. I hope y’all like this one too, just like Olivia Rodrigo, I am so American,
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Y/N walked into Fred’s office.
“Mr. Vasseur, I had an idea for a new C2 challenge.” Y/N said.
“What did you have in mind, Y/N?” Fred asked.
“I was thinking we make dishes from each place we go to. Like Cuban food from Miami, Texas barbecue ribs, paella from Spain, and we have Charles and Carlos match the dishes to their flag. I personally think it would be fun, you know? Or we could do a video where the drivers tell us from which Grand Prix the photo was taken.” Y/N suggested.
“Those are very good ideas, Y/N, see if the boys are up to it, will you? Figure out when the best time is to film that.” Fred said.
“Yes, will do.” Y/N said and left his office. She walked to the living room (does the hospitality have a living room? I don’t know) to see Carlos and Charles chatting to away.
“There she is! Como has estado, hermosa?” Carlos asked Y/N, hugging her and kissing her on the cheek.
“Ha estado súper bien, un poquito cansada, pero nada que no se puede arreglar con un café.” Y/N said, her and Carlos laughed.
“I understand half of that.” Charles said.
“Now you know how I feel when you speak French.” Y/N said. “Anyway, as your social media manager, I had an idea for an upcoming challenge, we have to make the most of this season.” Y/N said.
“We hear you, mon ange, what’s the idea?” Charles asked.
“Can you guys guess what Grand Prix this is based off the picture?” Y/N asked, showing them a picture on her phone.
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“That’s when I won in Monza.” Charles answered.
“Good, this is your challenge, guessing Grand Prixs based off a photo.” Y/N said putting her phone away. “It’s not much, but it’s different from what you guys have done in the past. You could also match dishes to their countries.” Y/N said.
“Sounds like a fun challenge.” Carlos said.
“Good to hear. I’m gonna be with the photographer, he’s taking photos of the new livery and I need to approve them before I post them on Instagram. See ya later, okay?” Y/N said, stepping into the garage where she sees the photographer looking over the photos on his camera.
“Y/N! You’re here, tell me what you think, and be brutally honest. Do you think they came out to blurry?” The photographer, Daniel, asked. Y/N started looking them over.
“They look great, honestly, it matches Ferrari’s instagram feed, you did a good job. Can you upload them to the computer?” Y/N asked and Daniel said that he could. He left Y/N alone on the garage and that’s when one of the mechanics, Ruggero, approached her.
“Sei bellissima, a more mío.” Ruggero told her. Y/N rolled her eyes,
“Grazie, Rugge, what do you want?” Y/N asked.
“You are very hostile towards me, you know? I might be able to forgive you if you go out with me.” Ruggero said.
“Not gonna happen, Rugge, aren’t you tired of getting rejected?” Y/N asked.
“I bounce back. Come on, amore, why won’t you let me take you out? You think you’re too good for me?” Ruggero asked.
“What are you talking about? Oh my god, I don’t think I’m too good for you, where the hell did you get that from?” Y/N asked, so confused at the turn this conversation took.
“Well that’s the only thing I could think of, you come from the states, you clearly think you’re better than Europeans.” Ruggero said and Y/N had enough of this nonsense.
“I have a boyfriend! Que pesado eres, me cae.” Y/N said.
“Really, who’s the boyfriend?” Ruggero asked. Y/N saw Charles walking into the garage.
“Muñeco, there you are!” Y/N said loudly, walking up to Charles and kissed him. Charles widened his eyes in shock but kissed her back and they both pulled away, Y/N wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his chest and Charles rubbed her back.
“Congratulations, does Fred know?” Ruggero asked.
“It’s private right now, we’re just seeing how this goes.” Y/N replied and as soon as Ruggero left, Y/N pulled away from Charles. “I am so sorry! Ruggero wouldn’t leave me alone so I had to tell him I had a boyfriend and honestly whoever walked through that door was going to be the victim of my lie but I am glad it’s you and not Carlos, mainly because Ruggero knows Rebecca is dating him.” Y/N explained quickly but Charles was still distracted, thinking about the kiss Y/N gave him.
“I’m sorry, what?” Charles asked.
“Can you be my boyfriend?” Y/N asked.
“I Don’t think we could pull this off, Y/N. We work together.” Charles said.
“We would only have to pretend we’re dating around Ruggero, no one else has to know, I promise.” Y/N said.
“Okay fine.” Charles said, him and Y/N were walking back to the main area (I don’t know how this works) and Carlos was standing next to Fred and Ruggero with a smile.
“Congratulations, cabrón,” Carlos told charles, hugging him. “You two are adorable.” Charles turned to look at Y/N with a look that said ‘no one will know, yeah right’
“I didn’t know you two were dating.” Fred commented.
“It’s still new.” Charles replied, putting his arm around Y/N.
“As long as it doesn’t interfere with the social media posts, it should be fine.” Fred said before walking away. Ruggero smiled before going back to the garage.
“Now I know why you always called her ‘mon ange’, que coqueto saliste, eh charles.” Carlos said, leaving Y/N and Charles alone, Y/N pulled away to face Charles.
“Well so much for that plan, I really am sorry, Charles.” Y/N said.
“You know what? It’s alright, it’s okay, pretending around here should be easy enough, this can’t get worse, right?” Charles asked.
“I Don’t think it can. How about I buy you lunch for getting you into this situation? I swear I did not mean for this to happen.” Y/N said.
“Yeah, sure let’s get lunch, where do you want to go?” Charles asked.
“Well since this lunch is my treat, you choose where we should go.” Y/N said. Charles and Y/N walked to the parking lot together and Y/N was walking towards her car when Charles grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards his car. “Seriously?”
“Well what kind of boyfriend would I be if we went to lunch in different cars?” Charles asked.
“Yeah, makes sense, Ruggero is watching through the window too, let’s go.” Y/N said. Charles opened the passenger door and Y/N got in, he close the door behind her, ever there gentleman, and he got into the driver seat. He turned on the car, and gave Y/N his phone so she can choose the music.
They arrived at the restaurant and like always, there were fans recording Charles and Y/N in the car, leaving the car, eating at the restaurant, talking, laughing, within the hour, Charles and Y/N were trending on Instagram, Twitter (X), and TikTok. As they waited for the check, Y/N was scrolling on TikTok when she found a video of her and Charles in the car.
“Charles, i think our ‘relationship’ went public.” Y/N said, showing him her phone. Charles’s eyes widened.
“Cant say I’m not surprised, I just thought videos wouldn’t be posted until later, you know?” Charles said and Y/N put her phone away.
“We haven’t even been ‘dating’ two hours and now everyone knows. You have no idea how sorry I am, I feel so bad for dragging you into this.” Y/N said.
“None of this wouldn’t have happened if Ruggero understood the word ‘no’ so you are fine, I’m glad I was able to help. But what was that thing you called me? ‘Muñeco’? Why did you call me that?” Charles asked.
“So ‘muñeco’ means ‘doll’, you have a pretty face, everyone says you’re good looking, you know you’re good looking. So muñeco just suits you, okay, especially with those dimples.” Y/N said, Charles smirked a little.
“You think I have a pretty face?” Charles asked teasingly.
“Great, I boosted your ego, like your head wasn’t big enough already. You literally said in one of those C2 challenges when Carlos had your photo that if you were a woman, you would be in love with yourself.” Y/N said. The waiter came in with the check and Y/N was going to take it but Charles was faster. “Dude, I told you I was gonna pay.”
“It would look good if you paid, there are cameras everywhere apparently.” Charles said, placing his credit card with the check. The waiter took the check.
“Then I’ll Apple Pay you. You gonna train today?” Y/N asked.
“Yes actually, come with me? You could post it to my story.” Charles asked. The waiter came back with Charles’s card.
“Yeah, I can do that. But we gotta go to Scuderia Ferrari for my car.” Y/N said, getting up from the table, Charles getting up as well.
“I think it can stay there overnight.” Charles said.
“You want me to spend the entire day with you? You’re insane.” Y/N commented as they were leaving the restaurant.
“Maybe, but it is to keep up appearances.” Charles said.
“I guess, but how long do we say we’ve been dating?” Y/N asked, getting into Charles’s car, he does the same.
“4 months seems good, don’t you think?” Charles asked.
“I guess that’s plausible.” Y/N said, Charles starts the car and drives off.
“Do you miss New York?” Charles asked.
“What do you mean?” Y/N asked.
“You travel a lot with us and you moved to Monaco for work, but do you ever miss New York? Your family? I know I miss my family when I’m away for races.” Charles said.
“I miss the food in New York, I can’t get decent tacos al pastor in Monaco, I gotta wait til the Mexican Grand Prix for them.” Y/N stated. “But yeah, I do miss New York.”
“You should ask for vacation time so you could go.” Charles said.
“I Don’t think they’ll give it to me, but thanks.” Y/N said.
For a week, Y/N and Charles have been spotted together everywhere, at races obviously, with Joris, Andrea, Doni, and Victoria, even with Charles’s family. Right now Y/N was with Charles at a club in Monaco. Y/N was at a table with Charles was at the bar getting drinks. Y/N noticed a girl flirting with Charles, touching his hand, before he pulled away with two drinks for him and Y/N.
“Charles, can we talk for a second?” Y/N asked.
“Sure, what’s on your mind, mon ange?” Charles asked, the nickname still causing butterflies in Y/N’s stomach.
“If you wanted to hook up with that girl, you can. I don’t want to have you tied down for a fake relationship.” Y/N said.
“I wasn’t interested in her at all, you know.” Charles commented.
“Really? What happens when the next girl that hits on you is more your type? I don’t want to hold you back, we are friends after all.” Y/N said.
“I have a confession to make.” Charles said, Y/N nodded her head for Charles to continue. “I’ve liked you for a while. Before you kissed me, it was a little crush, I thought it would have went away, but being with you this past week made my crush grow stronger. You don’t have to feel the same way, I just wanted to get this off my chest.” Y/N was shocked. Charles usually went for Instagram models, but he actually likes her, this was her dream come true.
“I’ve liked you for a while too, I just never thought you would see me that way.” Y/N said.
“I’m going to kiss you right now, okay?” Charles whispered, getting closer to Y/N, looking at her lips then back into her eyes, Y/N nodded, leaning in until their lips touched. It was a soft, gentle kiss, until Charles gained more confidence to do more. They pulled away. “Will you be my girlfriend? For real, this time?” Charles asked.
“Yes I will.” Y/N responded, they kissed again.
The End
Was this good? I think it was good, the pacing is weird, but I had no idea where this was going, just saying. Was it just as good as “prince of Ferrari”? Probably not, but I hope y’all liked it, should I keep writing Charles Leclerc fanfics?
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fangirl-dot-com · 5 months
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Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris - It's not Orange, It's Papaya
Welcome to the second instalment of my spinoff series – Besties for the Resties! I really thought that I could maybe have made a single chapter for each driver, BUT I feel like Oscar and reader would be too introverted together and the story would be a bunch of lines about silence and them staring at each other. They really needed Lando to be able to get talking and to banter. 
I myself am very introverted and I freeze up around people that I don’t know. But when I’m with my extroverted friends, I have a completely different side! I don’t explicitly say this but I do base the reader off of myself most of the time. I am a Virgo, I am from Texas, and I just turned 20, so many of the lines I give the reader are things that I have said or would say. That being, do you think that the reader is a bit all over the place or is she a good solid character who acts in very realistic ways?
I hope you enjoy and please don’t forget to comment! I love reading everything that you all have to say about the story! It makes me happy to see that you’re enjoying it! (Also comment if you want to be added to the tag list!) Much love – author! 
Of course the elevator had to be broken, on today of all days. You sludged up the stairs, leaving puddles to follow where you stepped. Once you hauled yourself to the top of the stairs, you stomped over to your apartment door. Why Christian wanted you to come to London for an extra training session during rainiest week of the break, you didn’t know. 
You were supposed to be at Max’s house right now, eating dinner with his family. But noooooo. Max didn’t even have to come either. Something about how your test time was deleted, or something like that. You could barely hear Christian over the ocean when he called you in the middle of a beach day. 
Your hand dug through your pocket, searching for the keys as you approached your door. But, your fingers never came into contact with the smooth metal piece. You flipped your pocket inside out, and all that fell from it was lint. 
“Great. Just perfect,” you muttered as you looked at your door. You turned your head. Maybe Logan was here. You shuffled over and knocked. Tiredly, you rested your head against the nice wood. 
After a few moments, you didn’t hear anything, which brought out another sigh. Of course he wouldn’t be here. He was probably back in the states for the break. 
You were definitely making a statement by dripping all over the floor. Maybe you should lay down, floor time always helped. As you were about to lift your head, the door suddenly opened up. 
You didn’t have enough time to react and found yourself sprawled in between Logan’s flat and the door frame. 
“Logan am I so glad that you’re…You’re not Logan,” you looked up and were met with the sight of none other than Oscar Piastri. 
He looked down at you, “Good to see you too Y/n.” He put out a hand for you to take. You gently placed your hand in his and he hauled you up. There was now a massive you-shaped puddle on the ground. 
You looked down at it, “Sorry for the mess.” Oscar crossed his arms. 
“Why are you knocking on Logan’s door at,” he looked over at the clock on the wall, “5 p.m.?” 
You sheepishly grinned, “Well, I may or may not have forgotten my keys back at Milton.” Your hand scratched your head. 
Oscar just stared at you. You stared back. 
“Why are you here?” you quizzed. You knew that Logan and Oscar were best of friends, but didn’t realize that Oscar had a key to the flat. 
He sighed, “Lando invited me to be in the Quadrant Christmas video and the filming is this week.” He ushered you to come more into the room so that he could close the door. “But Lando graciously forgot that Max Fewtrell only has one extra bed. So Lando took it and I called Logan to see if I could stay here.” 
“Ah,” you nodded and looked down at yourself. 
Oscar suddenly sputtered, “I will go get you a towel and then see if Logan has something in his drawers.” He quickly left, but then turned back around. You raised an eyebrow. 
“Yes?” 
“Do you know where everything is? I guess you’d be over here more than me.” You gave him a reassuring smile and walked deeper into the house. You had taken your shoes off before stepping on the carpet as to try to not drench everything. 
In the bathroom, you found some towels. “Here,” you handed one to Oscar. “Could you wipe the puddle I left at the front while I change?” He nodded and disappeared down the hallway. You closed the door behind him and peeled of your soaked outfit. 
You took some sweats and a random t-shirt from a drawer and put them on. You bundled your wet clothes and threw them in the wash as you walked towards the living space. It seemed like Oscar had already cleaned everything up since the towel was now hanging on the back on a chair. You ran another towel over your hair, drying it to the best of your abilities. 
Oscar walked back in. The two of you stood in silence before you fished out your phone. You pressed on the uber app, but a notification told you that the roads were flooded and you’d have to wait until the morning. You sighed, which peaked Oscar’s interest. 
“Everything ok?” he asked, Australian accent filled with concern. 
You showed him the screen. “Everything is flooded. I can’t get back to get my keys.” Oscar looked deep in thought. 
“You could always stay here?” It came out more like a question. 
“I don’t want to trouble you,” you fiddled with your fingers. Before now, you had never said more than ten words to the Aussie. Sure, he was Logan’s friend, but he wasn’t your friend. You were about to say something, when a knock resonated in the small entrance. The two of you whipped to look at it. You both waited in silence before another knock sounded. 
You raised an eyebrow and mouthed, “Are you expecting anyone?” Oscar shook his head. He quickly moved you behind him before looking out the peephole. He groaned before opening the door. 
There, standing in the doorway, was a soaked Lando Norris. You wanted to laugh. 
So you did. 
The two boys looked at you while you tried to calm yourself down. Lando brushed past Oscar and made his way into the flat. 
“By all means, welcome in,” Oscar sarcastically said. He locked the door and turned to look at him. You had finally been able to calm yourself down. 
“Hi Lando,” you greeted before turning around to enter the kitchen. 
“Uh, hi?” 
Oscar hit the back of his head, “What happened to you staying at Max’s?” 
Lando shrugged. “His girlfriend was over and I wasn’t about to watch them suck faces.” You snorted. 
“Aha, felt.” The three of you kind of just watched each other. You were the first one to talk. “Lando, do you want a towel?” 
He breathed a sigh of relief before answering, “Yes please.” 
You turned and headed back into the direction of Logan’s bedroom. Thankfully there was one more towel. You also grabbed another pair of sweats and a t-shit. You reemerged from the hallway and handed the items to Lando. 
“Bathroom is down the hallway to the left.” Your head jerked in the direction. Lando went around you and disappeared. You looked back at Oscar. 
“So. Sleepover?” A smirk grew on your face, before your cheeks got hot and you panicked. “Unless you’d rather me go see if I can find the landlord to get another key. I wouldn’t want to make you or Lando uncomfortable?” You continued to ramble until Oscar lightly hit your face. That shut you up. 
He rubbed his face. “No, Y/n it’s fine. Besides it’s getting late and I don’t think Logan would like it if I told you to leave.” You nodded as Lando finally came back, clothes in a heaping wet mess in his arms. You told him to put them next to the washer and that you’d start his clothes when yours were done. 
Lando clapped his hands. “What’s the plan?” 
You went to respond but Oscar beat you to it, “Sleepover.” You watched as Lando’s lips turned upwards. 
“Hold on!” you yelled and watched Oscar and Lando jump in their place. 
The two boys watched as you made your way to the kitchen. You leaned down to look what was in the fridge. “Jackpot. Bless you and you Americanness Logan.” You brought out three dark red cans and handed them to each boy.  
They looked at the cans with the white font. 
“What is this?” Lando asked, popping the can. 
You gawked at them and smacked you head. “You’re telling me. You’ve been friends with Logan and he hasn’t given you Dr. Pepper!” They both shook their heads. “Well, it’s about time you tried it.” Two more pops sounded as you and Oscar opened your cans. 
“Is it alcoholic?” Oscar asked, taking a sip of the sweet drink. 
You looked at the both of them, “Guys, I’m twenty. And where I’m from, you have to be at least 21 to partake in such adultish things such as drinking alcohol.” You took a sip and closed your eyes. You could feel the freedom seep into your veins. 
The boys looked at you strangely before Lando spoke in a childish voice, ‘Aw so you’re just a baby.” 
“Says the one who acts like a 5-year-old,” you quipped. Oscar choked on his drink while Lando stared at you. Oscar quickly wiped his face. “Do you like it?” 
Lando nodded, “It’s very sweet.” 
“That’s the taste of freedom boys.” 
“Y/n, none of us are under communism,” Oscar pointed out. 
“But you both have a monarchy who makes all the decisions.” 
“That’s Parliament,” Lando coughed, a smirk adorning his face. 
“Tomato, tomato.” You waved your hand. “I think Logan has a severe addition to frozen pizzas. I could make one real fast?” Their stomachs answered for them. 
You got to work by preheating the oven. When that was done, you carefully took off the plastic (not wanting to melt it onto the pizza), and placed the circle on a baking sheet. By now, the two McLaren drivers had moved to the couch. After setting the timer, you also joined them, but sat on the floor. 
You looked them up and down at you sipped. “It’s weird seeing the two of you not in orange.” 
Oscar slapped his face. “Here we go.” 
Lando looked like you had insulted him, his whole family, and his cow. He sat up straighter and crossed his legs. 
“It’s not orange, it’s papaya,” he emphasized the syllables. 
“It falls into the orange category of colors,” you bit back. 
“Then it would be called orange then. Oh wait, it’s not.” 
“Aren’t you a sassy little dude,” you peered at him. “It’s giving Scorpio.” Lando lit up like a Christmas tree. Oscar again, face palmed. 
“Please let’s not start this,” Oscar groaned. However, you and Lando didn’t listen to him. The two of you began to discuss star signs and what characteristics came with them. He was surprised when you told him that you were a Virgo. 
“Aren’t they shy?” 
You looked down at your fingers, “I’m shy until I get comfortable. Believe me, when I first saw you guys, I was shaking like a leaf. I still do. And if you put me into a room full of strangers I will find a way out so help me.” 
Lando dramatically brought you into a hug, his face pressed against yours. His hand came up to pat your head as you shot help-me-eyes at Oscar. “It’s ok little introvert, your extrovert is here to protect you.” You shoved him off when you heard the oven beep. The pizza had turned out perfectly. 
Not wanting to do dishes, you three ate off of paper towels. You picked up the remote as you ate a bite. “What movie should we watch? Logan has Disney Plus.” 
Oscar rolled his eyes, “Yeah I know. You two finished Cars without me.” 
“It’s not like we can’t start it over.” You turned to Lando. “Have you seen Cars 2?” 
Lando scoffed, “Of course I’ve seen Cars 2.”  
You held up your hands in mock defeated as you turned the movie on, “You seem uncultured.” You missed the look that Lando gave you. 
Like it always is, Cars 2 was fabulous. Lando was the first one to speak during the movie. His finger was pointed at the large TV. 
“Look its Charles.”
You thought he was pointing at Lightning McQueen, but Francesco. You and Oscar wheezed at the revelation. 
“But Charles is Lightning though,” your hands now pointed at the flashy red car now on screen. 
Oscar took a sip from his Dr. Pepper, “Lando would be the Volkswagen.” 
You gasped, “You’re right. He’s such a Filmore. Logan would be Sarge.” The two boys laughed out loud. 
The three of you screamed as you saw Lewis’s car come up. Lando quickly took a picture and promised to send it him. 
The movie continued before Lando spoke again, “Yeah, Max is definitely Mater.” 
“I know right,” you said, munching on another slice of pizza. “What car is Oscar though, none of them really fit him.” Oscar gave you an offended look. 
“He’d be Axelrod.” 
“I beg your pardon,” Oscar whipped his head around to look at Lando. 
“Well you would. I swear, if you were planning our demise, no one would think it’d be you.” 
You jumped in, “Either him or the Professor.” Oscar grimaced and shook his head. 
“I’ll take Axelrod.” 
“Y/n you’d be McMissile.” You fist pumped. 
“Why does she get to be the cool character?”  
“Because I’m better than you?” That earned you a scoff from the Aussie. 
“Sure. Just because you’re going to be driving a rocket ship doesn’t mean you’re better.” 
“Ladies, ladies, ladies, can we quiet down, the movie is still going on,” the Brit complained. You and Oscar leaned back and continued to watch the movie. You’re pretty sure that Lando was in tears at the end, and you and Oscar couldn’t help but tease. You went to change the movie to another one, when yet another knock sounded on the door. 
The three of you froze and slowly turned to look at the door, as if it would move. The knock sounded again. You and Oscar pushed Lando closer to the entrance. He gave you both a stink eye before looking opening the door wide open. 
“Christian!” you squealed and ran over to the older man. He was smart enough to have brought a rain coat and jacket. 
He held out your keys, “I think you forgot something.” He looked over your shoulder and stared at the two McLaren drivers. “Giving our secrets away Y/n?” 
You looked over a smirked, “As if they could use them properly in their tractor.” The two boys rolled their eyes in sync. Christian bid you goodbye and closed the door behind them. You noticed a sad look on the guys’ faces. 
You shrugged and sank down into the couch once again, a blanket over your lap. You looked at them as they continued to stand. With your eyebrow raised, you questioned, “Why are you two still standing there?” 
They shrugged and joined you. 
Lando looked at you, “I think we thought that you’d want to go to your flat now.” 
“Well boys, I was promised a sleepover. And a sleep over I will get. Now, what movie are we going to watch? I say Spider-man Homecoming. Lando is it true that Tom Holland is going to play you in a movie?” 
“My lips are sealed.” 
“That’s ok. He’s not called the Spoiler King for nothing!”    
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So we have met the tag list maximum of 50 people - does anyone know how I could add more??
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katemartinismywife · 1 month
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senior night - p.b
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☺︎ paige bueckers x texas women's basketball player ☺︎ ☺︎ fluff ☺︎
"So you actually aren't coming?" Ryan asked her long term girlfriend Paige. "I can't make it mama, i'm so sorry" Paige was grateful that the two weren't on facetime. She was trying so hard to not tell the truth. Paige wasn't the best at lying, but she really wanted to give Ryan this special gift.
Ryan and Paige have been dating for over a little of four years. The two met while they were both at Overtime headquarters. After their first time talking they were inseparable. They had agreed to make long distance work and hope that one day their lives would settle, so they could move in together and start their lives.
Since basketball season has started they have barely seen each other since they were on different schedules. The last time they saw each other was when Ryan flew to Storrs for their game against Maryland. But that was back in November, it is now February.
Ryan had missed her girlfriend so much. It was beginning to hit her hard. All she wanted was to see her especially on her big day. "Are you at least going to watch?" Ryan sighed walking into the locker room. "I'm going out with the team tonight, but if it is on somewhere you know I will" Paige spoke trying to not break her heart more.
"I love you" Before Paige could respond Ryan hung up the call. Paige knew she was upset, but really hoped that this would work. She hated when her baby was unhappy. Paige was currently on her flight to Texas texting Ryan's sister about how much she hated hurting her.
Of course Paige couldn't do this big surprise by herself, so she allowed for KK and Auzi to come with her. Ryan loved the two girls, so it would be great for her to see them too.
Ryan slipped on her bose headphones and changed into her warm ups. "Ryan you okay?" Jordana asked her. Jordana Codio was her best friend on the team. "I'm good" Ryan smiled, but it never reached her eyes.
jordana: pb you got my girl stressing lol
pb: i love her sm
jordana: i'm excited for y'all 😭
It was officially time for senior night to begin. Ryan met up in the tunnel with her mom and her sister. Ryan was an a very emotional person, so she immediatly began crying. "Stop crying crazy, nothing has happened yet" Her sister laughed giving her a hug"
"Ryan Andrews"
Ryan began walking wiping her tears off her face and smiling as the crowd cheered. Finally being able to clear her eyesight, what she didn't expect to see was her girlfriend standing beside her head coach.
She stopped in her tracks with her hand over her mouth. Paige laughed walking up to her giving her a tight hug as Ryan broke down into tears. The love stricken crowd began to "aw". "Stop crying mama" Paige spoke wiping Ryan's tears off her face. "I want to kiss you so bad right now" She spoke quietly releasing her from the hug and holding her hand.
Coach Schaefer walked over to Ryan hugging her and giving her the microphone. "This is so awkward. Um, I just want to thank Coach S and all the rest of my amazing coaches for helping me improve throughout these four years. I have loved playing for this team. A huge thank you goes out to my mom, sister, and paige for helping me through all of the mental and physical breakdowns. I love you guys so much and I am not a cute crier, so I'm going to stop talking now" Ryan laughed hugging her coach again.
The crowd busted out into cheers and claps. "I am so proud of you" Her mom told her wiping her tears. "Thank you mommy" Ryan walked off the court hand in hand with her girlfriend. "You made me cry meanie" Ryan smiled nudging her girlfriend. "I'm sorry baby, but I wanted to surprise you on your big day" Paige pulled the girl into a hug placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Go win" Paige told her smiling at her.
TEXAS LONGHORNS W, 71-46
Right after the last buzzer Ryan ran right over to her girlfriend engulfing her into a hug. Ryan wrapped her legs around Paige's waist and secretly kissed the side of her neck. "You did so good mama" Paige smiled rocking the two side to side.
"Don't leave! I'm going to go take a quick shower and then I'll meet you out here" Ryan jumped off of her. Looking around making sure the coast is clear. She threw her hands around her neck kissing Paige's soft lips. "I love you" Paige spoke between kisses rubbing her hands up and down Ryan's back.
"don't go anywhere okay?"
"i'm not going anywhere" Ryan walked off smiling and throwing her arm around Jordana's shoulder. Paige watched the now overjoyed girl skip off to the locker room.
She really did find her person.
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toournextadventure · 1 year
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our little secret
Summary: You're the preacher's daughter with the perfect boyfriend. Lorraine is a rancher's daughter with a less than perfect boyfriend. You were both the best of friends. If only anyone knew what went on behind closed doors.
Word Count: 7.4k Warnings: 18+ smut (fingering, oral), swearing, religious talk (talk of sin, seminary, Christian/Baptist views), religious trauma, mentions of homophobia, angst Pairing: Lorraine Day x Fem!Reader Taglist: @aahdiieb (our little secret i) (our little secret ii) (our little secret iii) (our little secret iv)
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There was something relaxing about spending a day outdoors on someone else's farm. Well, you had a farm; they had a ranch. It was quite the different beast to take care of, but you were more than happy to assist in whatever they needed you for, and they were always more than happy to ask for your assistance.
A benefit of being the preacher's daughter, you supposed.
It wasn't the first time you had found yourself crawling under Mr. Day's truck, and it wouldn't be the last. Piece 'a shit is broke, he grumbled before immediately following it up with don't tell your daddy I swore. You had just laughed at him and promised your lips were sealed.
But now that you found yourself tearing it apart, you had to agree with him. His truck was a certified piece of shit.
You slid out from under the truck and sat up with a sigh, your arms resting on your bent knees. It was going to take far more than one day's worth of work to get it fixed. That was mighty fine with you, though, you liked the Day family. They came to church dutifully and your parents almost always had them over afterwards for lunch. Just a nice, genuine Texas family. That was why you liked them.
Certainly not because of Lorraine.
"She's broke, huh?" Mr. Day asked, bringing you out of your thoughts. You glanced up and saw him leaning against the door frame of the barn.
"She ain't broke," you said with a shake of your head. "She just needs some love." You gave him a teasing smile. "Which you ain't givin' her."
"S'pose not," he huffed.
"Hope you been givin' your family more love than your truck," you continued as you pushed yourself up to your feet. Oil covered hands tried to brush stray pieces of straw off your jeans and left black stains in its place. "Ain't nothin' more important than family."
"Well now you sound just like your daddy," Mr. Day chuckled. You turned your head so he couldn't see the grimace his words caused.
"Sometimes he's right," you managed to chuckle back. If he picked up on the double edge of your words, he didn't acknowledge it. It was better that way.
"Well, he can be right again," Mr. Day said as he stretched his hand out in your direction. "Come on in, now, Mrs. Day made lunch."
You walked forward, suddenly focused on trying to wipe the oil off your hands. Mr. Day's hand rested lightly on your lower back, guiding you back to the house while you were now otherwise distracted. His other hand reached out to hold your forearm, helping you not trip up the stairs. By the time he opened the front porch door for you, you had managed to get absolutely no oil off your hands.
"Afternoon, Mrs. Day," you said with a smile and a little wave.
"Better wash those hands off 'fore you touch anything in this kitchen," she said with a pointed look that then directed you to the kitchen sink.
"Yes ma'am," you said with a sag in your shoulders. It made you feel like a child getting scolded for playing in the mud.
Only once she had declared your hands "good enough" did she have you sit down at the table for lunch. It was the perfect lunch, in your opinion; sandwiches, chips, and an ice cold coke. Mrs. Day really knew how to put the charm on.
"How are your brothers holdin’ up?" She asked once everyone had started eating.
"They're…" you hesitated. Perfect Christian family, your father's voice echoed in your head. "They're great," you finally said with a polite smile. "Just goin’ ta classes.”
“And that fella of yours?” Mr. Day asks.
You almost laughed. Instead you took a bite of your sandwich and took the time to chew before answering.
“Beau is fine,” you said with a small smile to yourself. “He should be back from the rodeo tomorrow mornin’.”
“How’d he do?” Mr. Day asked around his own mouthful of food. “Calf ropin’, wasn’t it?”
“Team ropin’,” you said with a nod. “Think he said him and his partner got third?”
“Well that ain’t half bad,” he mumbled. “Lorraine and RJ are s’pose to get back from that film thing tomorrow, too.”
The mention of Lorraine got your heart pounding in your chest, threatening to rise up out of your throat. Everything about her got your body reacting in ways you couldn’t quite describe. The mere mention of her name got your palms sweaty, your thoughts foggy, and your mouth dry.
But then the mention of RJ made you feel sick to your stomach, like when you drank warm milk after it had been sitting on the counter all morning. The thought of him touching Lorraine, or kissing her, or even talking to her made you irrationally angry. It wasn’t something the good lord would want from you.
Too bad you didn’t really care.
“The four of you should go down to the lake tomorrow,” Mr. Day mused aloud. “Give you all a day or two to relax before gettin’ back down to business.”
“Only if y’all behave,” Mrs. Day scolded. She didn’t wait for either of you to finish your lunch before taking the plates to the sink. You quickly got up to help.
It was the Southern thing to do.
“Go on home, sugar,” Mr. Day said when you finished drying the plates.
“I need to finish your truck,” you said as you leaned your hip against the counter. “She’ll never get fixed if you keep sendin’ me home after feedin’ me.”
“I think she can last a little longer,” he said with a light chuckle. “Go home. I’ll tell ‘Raine y’all can meet up around 2.”
“When the sun’s shinin’ down?” You complained.
“It’s good for you. You’ve been locked in that chapel for so long you’re gettin’ mighty ghostly-”
“-John,” Mrs. Day interrupted. You had to turn away from her so she couldn’t see you laughing. “That’s blasphemy.”
“Preacher’s daughter is here, she’ll forgive my transgressions,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Won’t you?”
“In a heartbeat,” you replied.
“You’re both blasphemers,” Mrs. Day huffed before walking away.
You and Mr. Day tried to stifle your laughter to avoid getting in trouble again, but you couldn’t help it. Only when Mrs. Day beat you both with the hand towel did you both stop, shouting your “sorrys” as you ran outside. You called out your goodbyes and hopped into your daddy’s truck before going back home.
“You’ve gotta be quiet,” you mumbled against Lorraine’s lips. Her fingers scratched against the back of your neck in response before pulling you back to her.
You let her lead, pulling you with her until her back hit the wall with a *thud*. You tried to tell her to be quiet again but she didn’t let you pull away. Her arms tightened around your neck. Your own hands slid under the hem of her shirt, resting on her waist. She shivered, giving you all the approval you needed to trail your fingers up her sides, stopping right below her breasts.
"Please," she whimpered against your lips.
Oh, how that gave you such unholy thoughts.
You didn't bother removing her bra; there was too much risk involved. But you had no shame in pushing it up just enough for your hands to cup her breasts. The smallest moan fell from her lips and you had barely brushed your thumbs against her nipples.
"Quiet, 'Raine," you whispered.
But before she could answer, you softly squeezed one of her nipples between your fingers. She moaned into your mouth that time, and you couldn't help your little chuckle before doing it again. Her back arched, pushing the rest of her closer to you. All you needed to do was put your knee-
-you shoved Lorraine into the coats when you heard the door click and open. You spun around just in time to see Jimmy looking in, quickly meeting your eyes.
"I'm goin' to see Liz," he said. "If Pap asks, I'm out studyin' with Blaine."
"You better not get her pregnant, Jim,” you said quickly, almost forgetting why you were in the chapel closet in the first place. “I can’t protect you from daddy forever.”
“I ain’t gettin’ her pregnant, god,” he huffed. “You know too much.”
“It’s on account ‘a I’m your big sister,” you said with a pointed finger, “and if you get her pregnant before you marry her, I’m gonna tan your hide.”
“You got me shakin’ in my boots,” Jimmy taunted with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll see you later.” He turned to walk out but leaned in through the doorway once again. “Bye Lorraine.”
You locked eyes with Jimmy and froze. There was a small smirk on his lips that you wanted to smack off. But then you heard rustling behind you, and his smile grew when you felt Lorraine’s hands on your waist as she leaned out from behind you.
“Bye, Jimmy,” she said sheepishly.
“Not a word, Jim,” you said with a slight shake of your head.
“You scratch my back, I scratch yours,” he said with a smile. “I’ll tell Liz y’all said hi.”
Both you and Lorraine mumbled goodbyes as Jimmy finally shut the door and left. You let out a shaky sigh and turned around to look at Lorraine. By all accounts she looked embarrassed with her flushed cheeks and guilty smile. But the flush could still be from the fact that she was turned on.
You would be in the same boat.
“I told you to hush,” you mumbled.
“Then keep me quiet,” Lorraine said before she wrapped her arms around your neck and pulled you in for another kiss that had your stomach twisting into knots.
Oh this girl would be the death of you.
You were still remembering that day at the chapel while you watched Beau finish clearing out the trailer. It was a tough job, watching your fake boyfriend clear out the trailer with his fake friend. The way they laughed and couldn’t keep their eyes off each other was almost embarrassing. They were disgusting, truly. They needed to learn the definition of discretion.
“Howdy, beautiful,” Beau said with a smile when he finally approached you after cleaning back up.
“Afternoon, handsome,” you teased back.
When he was close enough, you wrapped your arms around his neck as he gave you a kiss on the cheek. It was simple, much more conservative than most couples. But it was a line you both had settled on. After all, it wasn’t like either of you were interested in each other. You both had… other fascinations.
“Bye, Huck,” you called out to Hucksley when you started climbing into your daddy’s truck. “I’ll bring him back in one piece.”
“Have fun, you two!” He shouted back with a big ‘ole grin and a wave.
“He likes you,” Beau said when he started driving over to the Day ranch. At the rate you were going, you would both get there just before 2. And then you could finally see Lorraine again.
“Y’all able to get some alone time this trip?” You asked. You didn’t bother looking at him, instead opting to look out the window.
“Little bit,” he said. “You get to see Lorraine yet?”
“No,” you sighed. “She went off with RJ. Again.”
“You know he is her beau,” he said with far too much gumption. “It’s almost expected she go with him.”
“That don’t mean I have to like it,” you said quietly.
“Now you know how Huck feels when I'm with you,” he said. “It ain’t easy, but it’s what we gotta do.”
You didn’t bother answering him. You knew he was right, he was always right. Hell would freeze over the day your daddy found out Beau was nothing more than a front so everyone thought you were both having normal relations. If anyone found out about your feelings for Lorraine, or his and Huck’s relationship, your lives would be over.
But that didn’t make it any easier.
What did make it better was seeing Lorraine standing on the porch with Mr. Day. She was staying out of the sun but that didn’t hide the brilliance of her smile. The scarred side of her face was turned away from the road - a habit she had picked up recently - but you didn’t care. She was home, and oh so close. It made your palms sweaty.
You didn’t wait for Beau to park the car before throwing the door open and jumping out. The ground was still rushing underneath you and you stumbled, but quickly regained your footing. All you wanted to do was run up the porch and hug her, letting her know just how much you had missed her over the past two weeks.
But your feet slowed to little more than a walk when RJ came out of the house with a bag in hand. Right. He was there too. Your smile fell into little more than a grin as you forced yourself forward and up the porch. Lorraine turned and gave you those soft, pitiful eyes that made your knees weak.
And the moment was ruined when RJ wrapped an arm over her shoulder.
“Thought you’d never make it,” RJ said with an irritating grin that had you grinding your teeth.
“My fault,” Beau answered as he finally stood behind you. He dutifully put his hand on the small of your back, just like any good boyfriend should. He always did play the part exceptionally well. “Huck and I took a bit to unload the trailer.”
“Congratulations by the way,” Mr. Day said.
“Thank you, sir,” Beau replied. “Coulda done better, but ain’t half-bad.”
“Would you let me film you some day?” RJ asked. “It’d make a good movie.”
“We’ll see, camera boy,” Beau said with a chuckle.
How he could be so casual around RJ was beyond you. The man caused you to want to do un-Christianly things to him. Whether it was his obnoxious smirk, or his stupid hair, or his dumbass glasses. Every single aspect of him got your blood boiling, and him wanting to film Beau was just the icing on the cake.
“Y’all should skedaddle before it gets too late,” Mr. Day said. “Should be plenty of daylight left to pitch the tents.”
“We can take my daddy’s truck,” you said. Lorraine’s eyes were broken, and butterflies instantly erupted in your stomach. "Plenty of space for everything."
Everyone agreed before grabbing their things, telling Mr. and Mrs. Day goodbye, and loading up the truck. Two tents, food, sleeping bags, and small backpacks with some extra clothes and necessities. It was as if you were all professionals. And you were, if you were being honest.
Well. Everyone except RJ.
"In the cab, pardner," Beau said to RJ once everything was loaded. "We'll let the ladies ride in the bed."
"Yeah, alright," RJ mumbled. He gave Lorraine a quick kiss on the lips before getting in the cab.
It made you sick.
Lorraine was perfectly capable of climbing into the bed of the truck all on her own, you knew that. But you couldn't stop yourself from holding your hand out to help her up. She flashed you that smile that you loved so much and climbed in, sitting on the left side. Her bad side.
You didn't bring it up as you climbed in next, sitting down directly beside her and immediately grabbing her hand. It wasn't like anyone could see, you were both surrounded by gear and the truck was already pulling away. She twisted her hand just enough to interlock her fingers with yours and suddenly things weren't so bad anymore. Things almost felt right.
"How was the shoot?" You asked even though you didn't exactly want to know.
"Rocky," Lorraine said; her first word to you in two weeks. "Nothin' went right so we gave up for the weekend."
"Did you join this time?" You continued.
She didn't answer. Her face was turned away from you and your fingers ached to pull her back. To make her look at you so you could see her eyes, caress her scars, kiss her soft lips. But all she ever did nowadays was turn away from you.
It had started after that very first film they did, when she had gotten shot. All you remembered was Mr. Day calling in the middle of the night to let you know she was in the hospital. Nothing had ever put the fear of God into you quite like that night.
Now she always did her best to sit on your left side so you couldn't see her face. It didn't matter how much you kissed her or tried to comfort her, she always turned away from you. The only time she didn't was when she was coming undone beneath you and had plenty of other things on her mind.
"How's Roy?" She asked instead. It was answer enough; she had done a scene or two for the film.
"Can't eat, can't sleep, hootin' and hollerin' cause he thinks he's still in 'Nam," you said with a shrug. "Daddy says we can pray it out of him."
"I'm sorry." Lorraine squeezed your hand lightly before pulling it into her lap and playing with your fingers.
It was your turn not to answer. You didn't want to talk about your veteran brother, or her smut film, or your preacher daddy. Nothing about Beau or RJ or Huck or anything else. You just wanted to talk about her; anything and everything you could possibly find out.
Not like you, Lorraine, Beau, and Huck had all been friends since you were in diapers and knew each other inside and out. That meant nothing.
Lorraine leaned over and rested her head on your shoulder as the truck continued to bounce down the dirt road to the lake. It was hot and humid and you were sweatin’ like a whore in church. But you still let your own head fall on hers and pulled her closer. You could handle the uncomfortable weather if you had her with you.
“I missed you,” Lorraine said softly before practically cuddling deeper into you.
“Missed you too,” you answered. 
There was a desperation to kiss the top of her head, tell her you loved her again. A desperation to pull her into your lap and kiss away the frown that you knew she had on her lips. To show her how much you loved her and give her something to take her mind off of whatever was bothering her.
But the truck pulled to a stop at the lake and she pulled away. It put a lump in your throat when RJ came around and helped her out of the back of the truck. Beau did the same for you, of course, shooting you a sympathetic smile in the process. It didn’t make you feel any better.
“Wanna help me pitch the tents?” He asked you while RJ took Lorraine to the lake, ignoring all the bags in the back.
You nodded and started to grab everything you could. If you “accidentally” left RJ’s bag in the back of the truck, you could be forgiven. Things happened, you know? The Big Man in White would forgive you for any transgressions. Beau started up a conversation for nothing more than to pass time.
It helped.
The sun was just starting to kiss the horizon when RJ and Lorraine came back, a smile on his face and a slight frown on hers. But that frown turned upside down when you admitted “oh I’m sorry, RJ, I must have forgotten your pack.” He grumbled and left to grab it while Lorraine turned around to hide her smile.
It was the little things in life.
“Hey ‘Raine,” Beau called out while RJ was still gone. She turned around to look at him. “Why don’t you and sweetness over there go get some firewood?” He gestured his head to where you were finishing putting the cooler down on the ground.
Oh that sneaky bastard.
She nodded once and waited for you to join her before walking away. You both knew where the firewood was, you had grown up around this lake. It just gave you a nice opportunity to be close to her; you thanked god for Beau every day of your life.
“Beau’s not very sneaky,” Lorraine said once you were both out of earshot of the boys.
“No he ain’t,” you laughed, “but I love him anyway.”
“RJ doesn’t like him,” she continued. “Thinks he’s fake.”
“Bold words,” you grumbled. You didn’t like talking about RJ; he always seemed to be the topic of conversation during the few moments you got alone with Lorraine.
It seemed Lorraine picked up on it because she reached over and grabbed your hand, slotting her fingers between yours and stepping closer. Her skin was just as sweaty as yours thanks to that Texas sun, and your hands were sliding against each other and were all clammy. And it was perfect.
“How’s seminary?” Lorraine asked. You didn’t necessarily like that question either, but you could at least talk about it.
And you did. You both started talking, going over what all had been happening since Lorraine had started traveling with RJ more often. How you and Jimmy were primed and ready to go to seminary, just needed to find out which one. How Lorraine was really starting to enjoy filming, and even sometimes being in the films. You teased her about the promiscuity, which she promptly shoved you for.
“Better watch out, ‘Raine,” you continued, “the flames of Hell might devour you for your sin of the flesh.”
“Oh shut up,” she huffed, but there was a smile on her face. “I think you commit the same sin.”
“I’m not at fault,” you said. You stopped abruptly and Lorraine was yanked back by your hand. With only a little bit of finesse, you pulled her into you until she had to look up at you. “I fell victim to a temptress.”
“Is that what I am?” She asked. “Your temptress?”
You looked down at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She went to turn away, to hide the scars covering the entire left side of her face. But you cupped her cheek instead, keeping her still and looking at you. It broke your heart to see her desire to hide away. Did no one remind her how beautiful she was?
“No,” you said softly, eyes trailing over every scar and freckle on her face. “You’re my whole world.”
You didn’t have to make the first move; Lorraine was more than willing to stand on her toes and kiss you. Just a peck, always just a peck at first, almost as if daring the other one to pull away. But it always led to the same thing. You bent down and cupped both of her cheeks, pulling her into another kiss that had butterflies crawling over every inch of your insides.
The moment her hands gripped your shirt collar, you knew you were done for. That needy, whiny grab that was so full of want and desperation, pulling you closer until you threatened to topple over. It gave you that little push to go a bit further, gently biting her bottom lip to draw out the tiniest moan from her.
You thanked God for whoever had invented the little snap buttons on your shirt. Lorraine's slender fingers could pop them open instantly, and you shivered from both the sudden brush of air and her fingers on your chest. Her skin was hot on yours, scalding like hellfire, and it felt heavenly.
A coyote howled in the distance and you quickly straightened, pulling Lorraine closer to keep her safe. It was getting far darker than you had expected and you knew better than to get caught in the open by a pack. You knew she could hear your heart racing in your chest, and she placed a comforting hand on your now-bare stomach.
"We should get back," you said quietly; you certainly didn't want to alert any coyotes to your location.
"We didn't get firewood," Lorraine said just as quietly. Her breath tickled against your chest.
"Beau and I got some while you were gettin' indecent with RJ," you said before immediately stiffening up.
You weren't supposed to admit that.
"And what, pray tell, are we doin'?" Lorraine asked in what you, Beau, and Huck had dubbed her Scolding Mother voice.
"Sinnin'," you said without hesitation. You were already in trouble, no use trying to get out of it.
"Y'all are bastards," she said with a huff and an elbow to your stomach. You coughed and doubled over, giving her the perfect opportunity to start walking back to camp without you.
"Be careful," you whisper-shouted as you ran after her, your fingers trying desperately to button your shirt back up. “Lorraine!”
You were in a state of complete disarray when you both got back to camp. RJ and Beau were already building the fire; well, Beau was forcing RJ to try and do it. He was failing miserably and you wanted nothing more than to laugh, but the look Lorraine gave you shut you up.
“Need some help, RJ?” You asked when he failed for the fifth time to get the fire started.
“I’ll let you try,” he said with a shake of his head and a shrug. The three of you knew it was his way of saying I can’t do it.
You knelt down and got the fire started in one go. You had to stay on the ground for a few minutes too long so you could stop yourself from looking so smug about it. By the time you stood up, convinced the fire would stay steady, Beau and Lorraine were finishing up preparing for dinner and RJ was messing around with his camera.
“You always have that with you?” You asked him, gesturing your head to the device in his hands.
“Never know when you’ll stumble across the perfect shot,” he said with a smile.
Laughter had you turning your head to see Beau and Lorraine with large smiles on their faces. She looked at peace, like she was actually happy to be there with him. There was no intent to hide herself, or keep quiet, or act a certain way. She was just laughing and pushing him around and talking ceaselessly.
It was the perfect shot, and RJ was missing it.
“Quit it,” you told Beau, who was waving a knife around all willy nilly. “You two go sit down before you hurt somebody.”
“Yes mother,” Beau said with a roll of his eyes. Lorraine said nothing but smiled and walked away to sit beside RJ.
Everyone kind of did their own thing after that; you cooked the stew for dinner, Beau got his guitar out and started picking a few tunes, and Lorraine and RJ were sitting together, whispering about something. Every now and then she would look up and meet your eyes for a moment before focusing on RJ once again.
Beau noticed, as he always did, and decided to make light of the situation. He started strumming a tune, singing horribly off key and inviting you to join. You shook your head and protested and did your best to ignore him, but how could you when he was giving you that smile? It was no wonder he had managed to pull Huck in.
You both continued to sing as terribly as possible, laughing when the coyotes started howling in harmony. He cracked open a lukewarm beer and handed it to you before grabbing one for everyone else and then himself. It was disgusting, but you couldn’t complain too much because it was about the camaraderie, not the taste. About knowing you were all just out having fun, enjoying the reprieve from the real world.
For a moment you could almost believe you were out there with Lorraine, free from the prying, judgmental eyes of the world. When you handed her a bowl of stew and her fingers brushed against yours, sending a shiver down your spine and a heat in your belly. When she smiled at you while RJ and Beau were talking, as if you were the one she was with.
But then RJ would kiss her on the cheek, or wrap his arm around her, and you felt sick to your stomach. The world certainly knew how to play its sick jokes. You knew what your daddy would have to say about it. It's a temptation from the Devil himself to lust after another woman. Guilt started gnawing at your heart, piece by piece until it was beating wildly and you feared you would pass out.
“We should get some sleep,” Beau proclaimed once talk had died down. Maybe he had noticed you starting to lose every ounce of sanity you had left. You hoped he didn’t. “Plenty more fun to be had tomorrow.”
Everyone mumbled their agreements - you just stared off into the fire - before standing up and stretching. Sitting on the hard ground was always tough on the joints no matter how young you were. Once everyone started getting ready, you cleaned up and put out the fire, your mind still dwelling on the guilt your daddy continued to instill in you even from afar.
“RJ, you’re in the tent with me,” Beau said quickly. “I ain’t invokin’ the wrath of a man of god.”
He didn’t look happy about that proclamation at all, but what could he do? He had grown up a Southern man too, he knew how seriously people took such a thing. So he nodded once, grumbling an agreement before climbing into the tent with Beau hot on his heels. Beau gave you one look before zipping up the tent and leaving you alone with Lorraine.
Alone with Lorraine.
Oh god.
You took far too long gathering your things before heading to the tent. Double and triple checking that the fire was out, looking out for coyotes, checking for rattlers, making sure the food was properly put away. Only when you could no longer find anything to do did you finally venture into the tent where Lorraine was already waiting.
Your breath caught in your throat when you saw Lorraine sitting in the tent, lantern on and book in hand. She had her chin resting in one small hand as the other turned the page. Her hair fell over her face, creating a sheer curtain that you could barely see through. The tanned skin of her shoulder was bare to the world as her too-large sleep gown hung off her arm.
Just the sight of her was enough to make you want to praise the heavens, singing her gospel until God felled you from heaven himself. You would give up the very promise of heaven if it meant you could go to bed seeing her like that every night. The deepest pits of hell could not persuade you from loving her with every beat of your heart and every breath that she pulled from your lungs.
"You're starin'," Lorraine mumbled in her sleepy voice, the one you would die for.
"You're plum wore out," you said as you finally managed to get your body moving again. You zipped the tent up behind you and moved to get on the small pallet beside her.
"Long trip home," she said with a sigh. Slender fingers placed the bookmark in its spot before placing the book beside the lamp and blowing it out.
You laid down in silence, staying as still as possible so as to allow her to go where she pleased. You're acting like you've never slept with her before, your mind taunted you. And it was right, but there was a guilt that was still gnawing at your heart, chomping at the bit to devour you, body and soul.
"You ain't gonna face me?" Lorraine asked, her mouth so close to your ear that it sent a shiver down your spine.
"Sorry," you whispered as you turned on your side and ended up face-to-face with her.
"You're thinkin' real hard tonight," she said. You couldn't really see her in the dark, but you heard shuffling before you felt her hand resting on your cheek.
It felt like the touch of god himself.
"I'm alright," you said. Part of you hoped she would believe you.
Part of you hoped she wouldn't. 
"It's just you and me tonight," she said. Her fingers scratched gently against your skin, just enough to keep you grounded.
Tonight, your mind emphasized. It was just you and her tonight. When the sun came up she would go back to RJ, and you would go back to Beau, and no one would think twice. It would be as if nothing had ever happened, as if she hadn't made you want to prostrate yourself at her altar.
"You and me," you said to yourself. If you said it enough, you could believe it.
"I don't wanna fuck tonight," Lorraine said, making you blink in the dark at her complete 180.
"You… you don't?" You asked. "May- may I ask why?"
"All I ever do is fuck," she said, her lips now brushing lightly against yours. “I want you to remind me what love feels like.”
Oh. Oh, you could do that. It was all you ever wanted to do. There wasn't a single thought in your head when you felt her lips press against yours. No thoughts as you wrapped your arm around her waist, pulling her body flush against yours. She was warm and soft; she was yours.
You rolled over onto your back, gently pulling her with you until she was laying on top of you. It always amazed you how small she was, how her weight on you meant nothing as she straddled your stomach. Both of her hands made their way to your neck while yours went under her shirt and to her hips. Her skin was already slick with sweat thanks to the summer heat.
She bit your bottom lip as your hands slid up her sides, caressing every inch of skin they could find. Gentle touches until you reached the sides of her breasts. Her breath caught in her throat when one of your thumbs lightly brushed against her nipple, immediately followed by a shiver down her back.
“Don’t tease,” Lorraine mumbled against your lips. 
You hummed your acknowledgment and leaned up into another kiss, but continued to leave the lightest of touches. Brushing a knuckle against her nipple, softly kneading her flesh. Only when she was least expecting it did you do anything more, rolling a nipple between your thumb and forefinger and swallowing her moan.
The simple touch had her rolling her hips against your stomach. Even with her panties on, you could feel her arousal on your stomach. Just the knowledge that you had such an effect on her was enough to convince you that she had too many clothes on.
She whined when you removed your hands from her breasts. A needy, breathy sound that quickly disappeared when you pulled her gown up. Her lips parted from yours just long enough to get the gown over her head before she leaned down, instantly kissing you again.
Your hands rested on her hips, just tracing patterns on her skin as she continued to roll her hips. Her movements were slow, methodical. She was working herself up, not trying to get off just yet.
"Take it off," she mumbled as her hands fidgeted with the hem of your shirt. Well, it was Beau's shirt, but no one cared.
"Yes ma'am," you answered before sitting up.
Lorraine slid into your lap while her hands tugged at your shirt, attempting to assist you. But you could tell she was already too desperate, too distracted to be of any genuine help. As you pulled your shirt off, her own hands quickly replaced it, running over every inch of skin she could reach.
"I missed you," she said breathlessly. Her hands trailed from your neck down to your breasts, giving them the same teasing treatment you had given her.
"I missed you too " you answered just as breathlessly before her lips closed around one of your nipples and drew a moan out of you.
She loved to do that. She loved to interrupt your thoughts with her actions, whether it was a gentle bite here or the scratching of her nails on your back. And she did just that, biting down just hard enough to pull a gasp from you before soothing the sting with her tongue.
You let her continue for a few moments; it was one of her favourite things to do. All the while you massaged her hips, her thighs, could practically feel the heat from her core. She was still working herself up.
"Come here," you said, gently pulling her face back up to yours.
You couldn't see her in the dark but you could imagine the lust-drunk look she was giving you as you laid her down on the pallet. Both of your hands were on either side of her head, caging her in. Your thigh strategically placed itself between her legs and she took no time in rutting against it.
Her arms wrapped around your neck, pulling you into another kiss. One thing about Lorraine, she loved to be kissed. To taste you, feel your tongue on her lips, your lips on her skin. If you were kissing her then you loved her, and she couldn't have been more right.
"More," she said with another desperate grind against your thigh.
You lowered yourself down to your elbows before shifting your weight. Your body was tilted ever so slightly so as not to crush her while one of your hands finally made its way back down her body. If the sweat was anything to go by, you knew exactly what you would find when you slid your hand in between your thigh and her panties.
The wetness on your thigh and stomach had already told you how worked up she was, but when you actually felt how soaked her panties were, you couldn't help but sigh. She just made it so easy to tease her, to run your fingers over her so lightly that all she could do was whine and squirm.
"Stop teasin'," Lorraine whined, pulling a smile from you.
"Take these off too," you said in reply.
She had never moved so fast in her life, you reckoned. But almost within an instant she had kicked her panties off and laid bare beneath you. You wished the lantern was on so you could see her. See her kiss-swollen lips and her freckled skin, the blush on her cheeks or the almost bashful look in her eyes. You wanted to see her; all of her.
But she clearly felt you were taking too long, because she grabbed your hand and placed it exactly where she wanted it. You dipped your finger into her arousal and up to her clit once. She threw her head back with a moan at the same time as you.
"Jesus, Lorraine," you said as you bent down to kiss her neck. "You're so fuckin' wet and I barely touched you."
You could feel the vibrations of her moan against your lips as you continued to kiss down her body. Your fingers slowly circled her clit, putting the lightest amount of pressure just to keep her worked up. You kissed her collarbone, her chest, left little love bites on her breasts. Her hips rolled with your fingers as you kissed lower, across her stomach and to her hips. Extra kisses for her hips, one love bite on each before being soothed with your tongue.
"Please," Lorraine whimpered just loud enough for you to hear.
How could you say no to that?
The first swipe of your tongue already had her back arching and her fingers tangling themselves in your hair. She tasted like the nectar of heaven, something you could only ever find from her. Any semblance of self control dissipated and you dove back in like you had been parched for a thousand years.
Her hips wriggled below you with every touch on her clit. Flat broad licks always brought out the low moans from her while the quick kitten licks had her whining and her thighs shaking.
"You gotta be quiet, 'Raine," you said when you picked your head up for a moment to try and see her face.
Her fingers removed themselves from your hair before cupping your cheeks and pulling you back up. Part of you was upset you couldn't taste her anymore, but then she pulled you into another kiss. This one deep and slow. She liked your bottom lip and you quickly parted your lips, allowing her to taste herself on your tongue.
"Then keep me quiet," she said before immediately kissing you again.
She was going to be the death of you.
With your mouth now preoccupied, your fingers went back to work. Rubbing slow, wide circles on her clit to make up for the few seconds of lost contact. Lorraine sighed through her nose, the air tickling your cheek. But you were tired of teasing her. It had been too long for you to tease her all night.
You pressed two fingers against her entrance lightly, giving her time to tell you no. One of her hands left your face and grabbed your wrist, pushing you completely into her. You both moaned into each other, her at the feel of your fingers and you at how tight and warm she was.
Sometimes she liked it harder, faster, but not tonight. Tonight you went with slow, deep strokes. Every time you would pull out, you would curl your fingers just enough to hit that sweet spot that had her toes curling. Her hips rolled to meet your hand, pushing your fingers just that extra bit deeper to have her a sweaty, moaning mess below you.
You didn't stop kissing her when you moved your thumb to her clit, adding that extra sensation. Her nails dug into the back of your neck and your wrist, but you didn't care. She would bite your lip every time your fingers thrusted into her deeper than usual. She was coming completely undone.
All it took was one more circle on her clit before she came, clenching around your fingers and moaning into your mouth. You kept thrusting slowly, softly, helping her ride it out until she could gently come back down. You could feel the welts on your neck and wrist, but it didn't hurt. You stayed completely still until you could feel her body start to relax again, only then removing your fingers slowly.
"I love you," she whispered with a husky, exhausted voice. "I love you."
"I love you too, Lorraine," you whispered back before laying down beside her and pulling her until you could curl your body around her.
She interlocked her fingers with yours and pulled your hands tight to her chest. You felt her lips press kisses into each fingertip, the kisses getting slower and slower until you could feel her even breathing. Part of you wanted to laugh; she always fell asleep so quickly.
The other part was screaming. Reminding you that she wasn't yours. That come morning, she would go back with RJ like nothing had ever happened, and you would be alone again. You would never get the girl, and one day he would even take her away from you.
You closed your eyes and pulled her impossibly closer, feeling the warmth from her skin. The Texas heat was unbearable even in the dark, and it was humid and you were both sweaty. But the touch of her skin on yours was worth it. You left lingering kisses to the back of her bare neck as she continued to sleep.
"I love you, Lorraine," you whispered into the dark for no one but god to hear.
At least for now you could pretend she was yours. Just for one night.
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staytinyville · 4 months
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Kiss a Girl
↣ Summary: When Bang Chan is finally over a break up, he comes across someone that seemed to make things feel like he was a high schooler again.
↣ Characters/Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader
↣ Genre: fluff
↣ AU/Trope info: idol!au, webtoon artist!reader, foreign!reader, post break-up, song inspired fic
↣ Word Count: 2.9k
↣ Warnings: none
↣ A/N: I am from Texas where country songs are just a must. I grew up on like 2000s country songs and will always go back to them lol. But I heard Keith Urban while I was in the store the other day and was like. This is giving Bang Chan. Could it be because they are both Australian? Quite possibly. But TBH I do wanna hear Bang Chan sing one of Keith Urban’s songs. 
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↣ Affiliates: @cultofdionysusnet , @k-labels , @k-vanity
↣ Special Thanks: Thank you @saradika-graphics for the amazing banners! Please go check her out if you have specific banners in mind. She is great!
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You have been in Korea for the past month doing some things for a work project you would never have thought to be possible. You were just a simple college kid a couple years ago who enjoyed making comics about a couple OC you created years ago. When the story became a hit around the world it garnered a lot of attention. 
Especially TV companies that were asking you if they could create your story into a series. 
You, being someone who was studying in the entertainment industry, agreed they could use it so long as you were allowed to work on the project with them. Your credits in college really help to put them along for the ride. Now you were going to be living in Korea for a bit until production finished and the whole series came out on the TV. 
In the past month, you had made some good friends with the people you worked with. There were A-list actors who enjoyed your company and sometimes would invite you out to go drinking with them. While you did enjoy going with them, you found yourself attached to your translator a lot more compared to them. 
It was easy to find people who spoke English, especially in the area you were working in. But the way your translator had to stick closer to you than others, you both found yourselves becoming close friends. And for them, as someone who worked closely in an industry that called for a lot of high ends, they were the ones who often took you out to fancy places where normal people would only wait years to get reservations. 
“This is a very classy spot.” You told your friend as you looked around the club. 
“It's a very high end club.” Your friend/translator told you. “Like only a select few people can get in.”
You laughed out loud. “How did you pull it off then?” You asked. 
“Did you forget where it is that we work at?” They laughed. “Of course we are going to get the best stuff. Just gotta be careful because they will make us sign NDA.” They deadpanned at the end. 
You laughed even louder. You glanced around for a moment to find where the bar was, easily spotting it along with a crowd. Just as you were about to head in that direction, you froze for a moment just as someone passed in front of you.
You let out a polite excuse me, bowing your head just a bit. The person looked at you oddly for a moment before giving you a small smile and telling you it was alright. When the man began to walk away, you tried to keep a neutral face, but were secretly panicking inside over you had just ran into. 
“Bro!” You gasped quietly, smacking your friend’s arm. “Did I just see Yugyeom? Like the idol?” You gushed. 
“Probably.” They looked over your shoulders, frowning as they nodded. “This is a popular club for idols because it's so exclusive.”
“Why would you bring me here?” You looked at them wide eyed, feeling like you were going to make a fool of yourself and risk a lot of things. 
“This is where a lot of people in the entertainment industry come when they want to experience normal things. Like a club.” They explained to you. “This place is also really popular with the younger generations. You’ll probably come across a couple of people winding down from promotions and stuff.”
You did in fact see a couple of more idols. Your friend was the one who explained to you who was in attendance at the club for the ones you weren’t able to pick out right away. There was a good amount of older people as well, at least at the bar. 
Once you got a drink in, you dragged your friend out to dance, laughing as songs you weren’t able to make out the words to blasted on the speakers. WIth how much your smile seemed to stretch across your face, other people began to notice you. Many of them were much to shy or reserved to go out and dance along with you but there were a few who wanted to feel your excitable energy. 
“Hello.” A girl smiled while talking in English, coming into your closer circle. 
“Hi.” You beamed, holding your hands out to grab onto hers. “Come dance!” You swung her arms around as you tried your best to not look like a fool. 
But it seemed the more others drank and the night went on, you didn’t have to worry much about that. Things would never change once people had alcohol in their systems to make them let loose just a bit. 
With you dancing along with the girl, a lot more came to join your side as your contagious positive attitude had an effect on others around you. 
“Like this.” The girl laughed, trying to copy your silly jumps.
“Yes!” You laughed, trying to get others to dance as well. 
Just as a large crowd was beginning to form on the dance floor, there were others going around and enjoying their time with friends. There was an idol who had just arrived after finally getting out of his post-break-up slump. He was ready to get back out there and mingle with new people after being in a mental blockage when it came to friends. 
His bandmates had gotten him to agree to going out with his closer friends that weren’t any of them. They had other things to do, which did make him a bit upset but as they had told him, he had a life outside of them as well. 
“Chan!” Yugyeom hugged the man’s side. “Look at you! Finally out.” He said, showing him towards where the others of the group were. 
“I don't know.” Chan nodded to himself. “I'm ready to be out.” He said. 
“For once and it's not in the studio.” Another one of their friends teased, lightly punching Chan in the arm. 
The Australian laughed, looking around the club he had not been to in a while. He took in the large crowd that was going on around the dance floor. 
“There's a foreigner?” He furrowed his eyebrows, turning to the others. 
“She's cute!” A friend called out. “Been dancing and getting others to join. Seems social.” He added. 
“I'm going to go ask her to dance.” Yugyeom called out, going to join the crowd. 
Once others saw the boy coming down to stand next to the floor, everyone else seemed to join as well, having you get sucked into the crowd that was chanting as songs continued. Yugyeom came up to you giving you a smile as he caught your attention. 
“Dance?” He asked you.
“Oh, sure!?” You nodded your head, moving to turn and face him as his song started to play. You laughed watching as he tried to explain to you the dance moves that came along with it. 
You kept laughing, cheeks hurting from the fun you were having. You hadn’t really gotten the chance to experience something like this back home. You have been to bars but the energy isn’t the same as a club that was meant to pump people full of adrenaline. You enjoyed the atmosphere, it helped your need to be social. 
“Yes.” Yugyeom gushed in English that had an accent. “Like that. Good!” He gave you thumbs up to show that you were correct. 
You laughed at his way of trying to speak to you. You waved him off, telling him thank you in Korean which made him laugh even more. He tried to have a conversation with you, but you laughed most of it and tried to explain to him he needed to speak slowly in order for you to understand just a bit more. 
When a new song came on, you hadn’t noticed someone else coming up to your side. All you did was turn to face the DJ stand as you began to sing to Stray Kids TOPLINE. You laughed as those around you began to do the same, in your own world. You turned to the person next to you, shouting out lyrics as you both gave off the same energy. 
You started singing louder when you noticed it had been Bang Chan singing along with you. The chorus came around and you fully turned to give him your attention, trying to keep up. Bang Chan felt something in his chest as he danced with you to his own song. It wasn’t that he was proud, it was just that he seemed to be content with how you didn’t seem phased with who he was. 
When the song came to an end, you clapped for Bang Chan, giving him a dazzling smile that made him turn his lips up. 
“You know Stray Kids!?” He asked you, shouting over the speakers. 
“No, who are they!?” You shouted back, face looking serious. 
You almost laughed at how Bang Chan’s eyes went wide and he looked at a loss for words. “I'm just kidding. It's really nice to meet you.” You gushed, bowing your head.
“Oh, you don't need to bow.” Chan awkwardly giggled. “It's okay.”
“I got used to it here!” You told him, coming to stand up straight. 
“Would you like to sit with me?” He asked you after a moment.
Your eyebrows raised, eyes wide as you took in his question. Looking just around him, you noticed your friend quickly nodding their heads, telling you to accept the offer. 
“Am I allowed to?” You laughed.
He thought about it for a moment, looking over at his group of friends. “Ah, if you don't tell anyone.” Chan chuckled. 
“Sounds like a risk.” You hummed. “I'll take it.” The smile you had made Chan a bit dizzy.
It had been so long since he had seen someone look at him that way. He had a ton of people look at him that way actually, but never to someone who made it seem like they just wanted to be friends. Chan had no problems with hookups, but it was refreshing to meet someone who wasn’t over him because they knew him. 
You did know him–sure–but you were taking into account who he was which made you a bit cautious. While it was normal for others to be that way, you weren’t scared of talking to him like you had been friends for years. 
When he showed you where his friend group were, you laughed a little at how they seemed to begin hollering when Chan brought you over. 
“Don't listen to them.” He shook his head. 
“Even if I did, I don't think I'd understand much.” You told him honestly. 
“Are you visiting then?” Chan asked, allowing you to sit down first before he sat in front of you. 
The music was much quieter in the area, but you figured it had to do with the fact that the table was sectioned off in the VIP. They had their own bar as well, classy stuff. 
“It's for work. I'm going to be here for a few months.” You answered him. “I did study what I could but I still need people to talk slowly.” You explained. 
“Ah, I see. I see. Lucky you, I speak English.” He laughed. 
“Even if you didn't, I'd try my best.” You nodded your head. “Miss the chance to speak with Bang Chan? Mega producer who’s part of 3RACHA?” You gushed, making his face turn red. 
“I wouldn't say mega.” Chan shrugged, getting bashful. 
“I mean I don't know.” You pursed your lips in thought. “The Scoville scale is out here close to blowing up.” You laughed. 
Chan bursted out laughing, cheeks hurting from how much he was stretching them. “You're cool.” He told you. 
“Why thank you!” You waved him off. “I pride myself on being cool.” You said.
“Han would like you.”
“Just going to drop bandmates on me as if I'm not freaking out on the inside.” You suddenly said, making him laugh. 
“You and I both.” Chan answered truthfully. 
“No! Please don't! It's all cool!” Your eyes went wide hearing his confession.
You both spent a good hour sitting at the table laughing about stories that would come up or just things about the other’s life. Chan hadn’t noticed when his friends would get up to get more drinks or when they would go out to dance. And they didn’t want to disrupt you two either, eyeing each other with smirking as they teased the poor boy behind his back. 
Before you knew it, you were telling your friend that you would be heading back to your temporary home with Chan as company. They gave Chan a thankful smile, bowing down in respect for someone of higher standard. But they told you to be careful, having gotten used to you always telling others that whenever they would leave. 
You found yourself outside some plaza eating Tteokbokki from a small restaurant outside on the sidewalk. The night was nice and cool, leaving you in a refreshed feeling after having danced in the hot club. Chan was laughing at you struggling to get the rice cake on your chopsticks. 
“Why would you eat it like that!?” He laughed, covering his mouth.
“I can't pick it up with the chopsticks!” You exclaimed, stabbing the rice cake treat with both chopsticks so it looked like you were at least eating them correctly. You managed to put it in your mouth before looking up at Chan who was pursing his lips. 
“Don't look at me like that!” You gushed, smile on your face. 
“It's like this.” He moved closer to you, trying to get you to hold the chopsticks correctly. 
It wasn’t that you didn’t know how to use them, it was just that trying to pick up slippery food proved to be harder than you cared to admit. 
“I'm trying!” You exclaimed, moving closer to him as he kept trying to put some food on your chopsticks. 
As you were moving to place it in your mouth, the slippery cake fell from your utensils and onto the floor. “My Tteokbokki!” You cried out.
“Ok fine. Keep stabbing it.” Chan laughed, giving up.
Next thing you knew the night had come to an end and Chan had walked you to the building you were staying at. He had his hands in his pockets, looking up at the tall apartment building before giving you a kind smile. 
“This is me.” You told him. “I had a great time.” You confessed. 
“Me too.” Chan smiled softly. “Thank you for coming out with me.” He added. 
You laughed as your face flushed red. “Of course. Thank you for inviting.” You told him. 
“Ah. I guess I'll see you.” Chan nodded his head, shoulders dropping for just a moment. 
“Yeah.” You nodded your head, soft smile on your face. “I had a really great time. I mean it—thank you for taking me out. Only could ever dream of something like that.” You told him honestly. 
“Yeah.” Chan thought about something for a moment, which made you stop from going in completely. “Ah, is it okay if I ask for your number?” He asked you.
“I mean for me it is but is it for you?” You joked once more. 
“Sounds like a risk. I'll take it.” He mocked you from earlier.  
“You know though, I really don't want to make you sign an NDA.” He quickly added after you both traded numbers. 
“To kiss and tell is just not my style.” You sang off, grinning from ear to ear. 
Chan laughed for a moment, understanding your joke. “But the night is young and it's been a while.” He played along. 
“Ah, you know it! Wasn't expecting you to honestly.” You told him.
“I'm a music producer—I listen to a lot of things. Besides, it's kinda relatable.” He smiled a little, looking down as he took in a calming breath. 
You weren’t going to ask about it, it wasn’t your place. You knew what the song was about–it was one you had heard since you were a little kid. Besides, Chan was an idol who had secrets to keep from the public. That was one of the first things you had to get used to when moving to Korea and working in the entertainment industry. 
“Then I'm happy to be that girl you wanna kiss.” You joked, thinking about the rest of the song.
“I wouldn't go that far.” He laughed, shaking his head. 
You gasped, eyes going wide at the scene you had just made. “Making me sound like a fool then. Ah, forget about it.” You said in a rush, face red from actual embarrassment this time. 
“No, I don't think I will.” Chan hummed, stepping closer to you. 
You watched him step closer, feeling your heart stop for just a moment as he placed his lips against your cheek. “Goodnight, (Y/N).” He told you softly.
“Goodnight Chan.” You smiled. 
You waved him off, turning around when a cold breeze blew past you. He continued on his journey towards his car parked in the front of the building. 
“I wanna kiss a girl. I wanna hold her right. Maybe make a little magic under the moonlight.” You sang to yourself, nodding your head along to the nonexistent beat you were playing in your head. 
“Don't wanna go too far just to take it slow. But I shouldn't be lonely in this big ol world. I wanna kiss a girl.” Chan quietly sang to himself as he walked home. 
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Permanent Taglist: @hecateslittlewitchling , @ldysmfrst , @rln-byg , @vampcharxter , @angieskzzzz , @puppyminnnie , @marvel-potter-1d-korea , @smilingtokki
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18 Seasons
A Joel Miller baseball player AU.
Pairing: Baseball player Joel Miller x Female Reader Rating: Explicit. 18+ (Minors DNI) Summary: Joel Miller has only ever known playing baseball for his hometown team, and they’ve just announced they’re not resigning him. He heads to a fancy hotel bar to drink alone and wallow. He doesn’t except to find you, the team owner’s daughter, there.  Warnings: smut, baseball talk, drinking, banter (reader has a smart mouth and Joel’s got that asshole voice), unprotected p in v (but a discussion on testing and reader has an IUD), F receiving oral, Joel’s 42, reader’s in her late 30’s.  Words: 4,900 A/N: Happy 2024 Baseball Season! I’ve always thought Joel Miller would make a good baseball player, though I’m not sure if I just want to see him in tight baseball pants and that’s why I think that. 🤔 Anyways, this might be a bit of an adventure in me coping with the fact that my current favorite ballplayer is over 40 and only signed a minor league contract to play this season. Also, shout out to said favorite baseball player’s arm for being part of the cover of this, feels very Joel Miller to me. Hope you enjoy!
Masterlist Playlist
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"The Austin Capitals thank first baseman Joel Miller for his time and dedication to the team for the past 18 seasons. Miller is a six time All-Star, two time batting champion, and two time Gold Glove winner. He signed with his hometown team in the second round of the draft twenty three years ago and has been a great contribution both on and off the field. The organization will not be able to provide Miller with the proper playing time, with the current roster and plans for the upcoming season. We thank him for his years of service and he will forever be a part of the Capitals family."
Joel knew it was coming, it was inevitable. He had been warned of it multiple times, his agent straight and to the point about his chances, his brother and Maria more analytical and sympathetic, and his sweet Sarah so chipper and hopeful for him. 
For twenty three years he’s only known the Capitals. The only thing he’s ever been good at, baseball… he’s never been so good at anything else really, save maybe for wood working or fishing, but those were hobbies. Baseball was his job, he knows he’s a lucky son of a bitch who got to do this full time, and now it’s all over, he’s unemployed.
Joel needs a drink. The stronger, the better. 
DING. DING.
DING. DING. DING.
DING. DING.
He also needs to turn off his phone.
“What can I get you?”
“Gin martini, dirty please.”
“Should I charge it to your room?”
“Ye–“
“No, you can put it on my tab." You turn towards the deep voice, you’re used to the southern accent, you grew up around it, but this timbre is different and yet so familiar. 
“Joel?” What the hell?
He lifts his glass towards you, his dark brown eyes shining at you from across the bar.
You haven’t seen him in quite a few years, ever since you got the hell out of Texas, moving to New York and betraying your home state for packed subway cars and better politics. 
He stands and walks towards you, he looks just as good as you remembered. Broad, strong, and too damn handsome to be alone on what you know might be the worst night of his life.
“Figured you wouldn’t waste your time on any of that fruity drink stuff,” he nods towards your drink as it’s placed in front of you.
“Too much sugar gives me a headache.” 
“Mm,” Joel gulps down the rest of his drink and signals the bartender for another. 
“…How are you holding up? I’m really sor—“
“M’fine. Was expected.” 
He doesn’t want to talk about it. Understood. 
Joel Miller was never one for talking, or the media. He’d give them a nod and a quick answer before moving on to the next nuisance. Talking was never his job, you know this. Your dad would sometimes complain about how his star player couldn’t play nice with the reporters. You always admired Joel’s candidness, it’s one of the things that you found most attractive about him. He was always honest, whether it was a good thing or a bad thing depended on how high the team was in the standings. You’re going to miss him on your team, but you can’t let him know that.
“So, why exactly are you back here in Texas?”
“It’s my Mom’s birthday, she’s tired of visiting me in New York, was guilted back here as part of her present.” 
“Mm. New York, hate playing in New York.”
“Likely thing to hear you say. Guess I should ask you what you’re doing in a fancy hotel bar in the city you live in?”
“S’quiet here, it’s the fanciest hotel ‘round here, nobody who stays here cares about baseball. Not a lot of people recognize me without the hat on.”
“Ouch. I care about baseball.” 
“Yeah, and you don’t belong in a place like this,” Joel pivots to look at you, his arm resting on the bar top.
“Where do I belong, Joel?” You angle your body to look at him and swallow down the last bit of your drink.
“Some place cozier, not as cold and… corporate as this place. Some place… hip.”
Your head tips back in laughter. “Hip?! I have a phone case with ducks on it, I cried at the same part I always cry at during Paddington 2 last night. I’m far from hip, what a funny word.”
“Dunno, always got the idea you’re cooler than me.”
“Okay pro baseball player.”
“Not so pro now,” Joel scours.
“Hey, sorry,” you place your hand on his forearm, a perfunctory touch. You had zero decision on the matter, and yet you feel so much guilt over it. You know what this game meant to him and you know he made it known he wanted to return. 
“S’alright. Just weird to know I’m done for.” He looks down and focuses on his hand rubbing back and forth on the rim of the glass. A nervous tell. Your hand remains on his arm, Joel makes no attempt to move away.
“You’re not done for, I’m sure another team would like you.”
“Don’t want another team. My daughter grew up here. Hell, I grew up here. My brother’s here. Sarah just started college here. I couldn’t move away.”
His daughter. The big story of Joel’s first year was how the star rookie, was also a father to a newborn baby girl. Juggling a .300 average and fatherhood.
“Wow, she’s in college, huh? I remember seeing her at the stadium all of the time, reminded me of how I grew up there too.”
“Time flies,” a wistful smile on his face as Joel signals the bartender for another round of drinks for the two of you. 
Goodness he’s gorgeous. You’ve always found him attractive, ever since he was signed right out of high school. All tall, golden skinned and muscular, now his form is a little more filled out, his muscles less defined but still fully there. His arms and thighs thicker now, a small gut protruding, but still solid and muscular. His speed to round the bases is a lot slower these days but his power and batting eye are stronger from years of playing. He was a school girl crush for you, a stadium give away bobble head of his still sits in your office under the ruse that he was your team’s biggest player. Now you don’t know what to call it, you’re long past school girl crushes. All you know is now, over twenty years later, he’s still one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen. Time sure does fly.
“Are you staying here tonight?” You cut the silence between the two of you, both of you facing the bar and quietly sipping your drinks. Joel’s eyes looking a little heavier, the alcohol taking its effect on him. You feel good, a lot lighter, but happy to sit and allow Joel to ponder.
“Planned on it. Booked a room. Figured I’d get drunk and go pass out, take care of everything I have to tomorrow. Just don’t want to deal with it tonight.” 
“I understand that, just didn’t know if you needed car service home, I could have ordered you one.”
“Dad’s money, right?” Joel bites out condescendingly. 
“Or, my money, you asshole,” you bark back. You know he’s pissed off at the world but there’s no need for his tone to be so mean towards you. 
“Sorry, still kinda pissed off at your family.”
“My family? You mean my dad? I had nothing to do with it, my mother had nothing to do with it. You can be pissed off at him, but you’re also not getting any younger and believe it or not our farm system and minors are stacked with talent waiting to play.” You try to calm your voice as you gulp a drink down from your newly made martini. You don’t want to be pissed off and drunk but goodness the cold gin cools your heated body. “You’re old Joel, and you know it.”
“Of course I know it sweetheart, but I know I’m still better than most of those kids.” 
“Yeah, well, stop getting injured and batting .220 and prove it.”
“Damn, you got a smart mouth,” Joel leers at you.
“Not to mention all the time and effort spent on keeping your body in playing shape. I’m sorry, you’re ancient in sports standards.”
“Real fuckin’ smart mouth, huh?” Joel leans in and whispers, “I like it.”
You fight the urge to moan, to give an audible to the feeling that’s now coursing through your body from those three words snarled into your ear. 
You feel the same feelings you felt those few years ago, while out with the team celebrating their playoff series win. Drinks flowing, cigars puffing plumes of smoke into the air, conversations shouted above music, bodies sweating and glowing different hues under the lights on the dance floor. The Capitals were heading to the World Series for the first time in twenty years, thanks to Joel Miller’s walk-off home run. Teary hugs shared with your family and friends as you watched him round the bases, it may have been the happiest you’d ever seen your dad. Hell, it may have been the happiest you’d ever been. You didn’t think the night could get any better, until Joel backed you into a corner of the club and stuck his tongue in your mouth and his hand up your dress. You don’t know if you’ve still forgiven him for pulling his fingers out of you and wiping the wet of your orgasm on his jeans before slurring out, “Fuck, I shouldn’t have done that,” as he backed away and left, leaving you all weak kneed and blissed out panting for air. 
You did agree though, he really shouldn’t have, the scandal that could’ve been brought on if the owner’s daughter was spotted in that position with the team’s star baseball player. He’s one of the reasons why you moved away, he was off limits and it drove you crazy. You casually dated, you slept with strangers, you spent three years with your ex who you thought you’d settle for and marry, but that night never escaped you. Sometimes you’d reach your hand between your legs and touch yourself while you remembered the look in his eyes as he nodded his head to signal you to follow him into that desolate space. Like he always wanted you as much as you always wanted him and he was seizing the opportunity. 
“I’m just letting you know what we’re all seeing. Trust me, I don’t want to see you in any other colors than the Capitals color. Red suits you.” If you’re being honest, you really prefer him in the olive green button up shirt he’s wearing tonight. The top few buttons of it unbuttoned to relieve the stretched seams around his large shoulders giving you a peek of the gold chain he always wears resting against the bronzed skin of his neck and chest.
“Mm, whatever the color you want to call this is,” Joel grabs the shoulder of your shirt and rubs the fabric between his fingers, “suits you.”
“I call it aquamarine, most would just call it light blue.” 
“S’pretty, s’soft.” You wonder if he can see how rapid your heart is beating or the swallow of air you gulp down as his eyes linger on your chest and neck. “Fits real well.”
“Thanks, bought it at one those real fancy stores they have in New York,” you lift your shoulder causing Joel to pull his hand back. 
“Do the boys in New York like you in this color?” Joel’s words drip with the sarcastic tone he’s famous for. 
“Worked a couple of weeks ago with a guy. HUGE New York fan,” you emphasize huge, two can play that game. “Like, big, real big.” 
“Mm,” Joel’s nostrils flare. “He your last? This… New York fan?” 
“Yep,” you smile through your glass taking a drink and licking your lips.
“Mm,” Joel’s eyes don’t leave your mouth. “And why’s that?”
“Been busy, haven’t found anybody that’s piqued my interest, I guess.” 
“And what was so special about him?” 
“Not sure,” you shrug, “he was good looking and paid for my martinis. I wanted him, he wanted me, the classic hook up.” 
“Talk to him since?”
“Here and there, he seems nice enough." “Mm,” Joel licks his lips as he leans forward placing his arm on the back of your chair and turning it to swivel towards him, his other arm rests on the bar, caging you in between. “You want nice?” You can feel the heat radiating off his body, see the freckles on his skin from years of playing ball in the sun, smell the whiskey on his breath mixed with the soap on his skin. You’re so close you can almost count the gray hairs just beginning to tint his dark hair lighter. You want him.
“Not really. Plus, he was younger than me, I’m pretty sure I like older men.” You challenge him. You can compete with the best of them, and Joel’s one of the best, he’s made millions of dollars over the years just from being competitive. 
“Mm,” Joel moves the hand from the back of your chair to your shoulder, rubbing his thumb back and forth, his touch igniting your core. 
“How long has it been for… you?” Your words come out a little too nervous than you’d like them to be. 
“Few months, not sure. Don’t like that type of distraction during the season.” 
“A celibate?”
“No, not that, just don’t have the time with deal with all that, between Sarah’s senior year ‘n me having to focus more on my regimen, ya’ know since I’m ancient.” 
“Mm,” you copy Joel’s sound. He smirks. 
“Never been my scene to meet someone, fuck them, and leave the next morning.” Your body tenses at his words. “I prefer to know someone before I touch ‘em. Too many people out there just want to say they slept with a ballplayer and move on. Not for me.”
The hushed tone of Joel’s voice and his proximity to you begins to take its toll on you, you feel so hot and quite flustered. “I understand that.”
“You ever been with a ballplayer? Ya’ know since you’re involved in the business.”
“I haven’t… just what we did in that club after the playoff win,” you blink at him, willing him to tell you he wants more.
“You want to do more than just that with a ballplayer?” Joel’s accent dropping an octave as he whispers the question out. 
“I do,” you just as quietly confess. 
“You want to do more than just that with me?” he leans in closer.
“I do.”
“Alright sweetheart, your room or mine?”
“I have the suite, so mine.” 
“Should’ve charged the drinks to your room then.” Joel turns and gets the bartender’s attention.
It’s becoming real. You calm your nerves as Joel signs the check and moves off the stool, you following him through the bar and lobby before reaching the elevator.
All you expected to do tonight was have a couple of drinks while reading a book in a quiet corner of the bar before ordering room service and watching whatever movie you can find on hotel TV. You’re now headed up to your room with Joel Miller.
The elevator doors ding open, empty with nobody following behind you. It’s just you and him in the mirrored oasis of the lift. You go in first and stand with your back against the wall.
“What number?”
“The P at the top, I have to scan my card,” you lift your key out of your pocket and hand it to him. 
“Of course. You got the suite.” 
“I did, wanted to treat myself on my return home.”
“Mm,” Joel scans the card and tucks it in the back pocket of his jeans. The doors close and your stomach anxiously drops as the lift speeds upward.
The vision of Joel surrounds you, his reflection repeated in every panel, you could stay right in this small room forever, seeing every angle of his handsome face. Aquiline nose, creased eyebrows, dimple tucked between a dark mustache and beard, plush lips, deep brown eyes, wavy hair.
“You’re staring.” You’re shocked out of your concentration by Joel’s whisper. “This whole elevator’s mirrors, I can see you as much as you see me.”
A blush creeps across your face. 
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Joel turns around and steps towards you, standing in front of you. “You look beautiful.” His hand rests against your cheek, his head angles down, his lips resting right in front of yours. “It’s hard to look away from you.” 
You close the gap between the two of you, your lips meeting his. It’s a soft kiss, both of your tongues gently licking into each other’s mouths. You’re both savoring the first taste of each other in years, it feels like he also would think about your last kiss as much as you did. Joel pulls away first, turning his head to look in the mirror, you follow his gaze. His hand on your cheek, your hand resting on his bicep, far too big for you to be able to wrap your hand around it. This reality you’re in right now feels like something out of one of your wildest dreams. The alarm goes off, the elevator dinging your arrival to your floor. Joel turns away and you follow behind him as he unlocks your room door.
“Nice room, pretty big for just you, don’t you think?”
“It is. Maybe I figured I’d be sharing it with someone else. Maybe someone older who needed more space to get around on account of his old knees and hurt shoulder.”
“That mouth is going to get you in trouble one day, sweetheart.”
“I welcome it,” you look up at him as you bend over to untie your shoes. 
“Where’s the bedroom?” Again, you like Joel’s bluntness. You appreciate how he doesn’t mince words, he knows what he wants and he tells you what he thinks. 
You point, he nods, and turns towards it as he begins to unbutton his shirt. 
“What? You got somewhere to go?” You shout still standing in the middle of the living room. 
“No,” Joel peeks his head out of the doorframe, shirt half open, his hands paused on a button. “I just really want to see you naked on your bed.” 
Your knees feel weak, your pussy clenches, your body breaks out in goosebumps. You love his mouth and the way he always sounds like an asshole, even if he’s telling you he wants to see you naked. 
You hurry to the bedroom, taking your shirt off and tossing it behind you. 
Joel stands with his shirt unbuttoned next to the bedside table, the only light source of the room is the lamp he’s turned on next to him. His skin might be your favorite color, sun bronzed with a patina of dark freckles across his chest and neck. His body standing in front of the dark wood paneled wall glowing in the aureate glow of the lamp takes your breath away. Maybe you should come home more often.
“Take your pants off,” Joel turns to you, his eyes lighting when he sees you without your shirt. 
He sheds his shirt before unbuckling his belt and removing his jeans. Your own clothing removal pauses as you stare at the trail from his belly to the black boxer briefs bulging with his erection. This man could never survive without spandex, his thick thighs strain the tight fabric.  “Like I said, take your pants off darlin’,” he chuckles. You don’t think you’ve ever heard him chuckle. 
“Oh, sorry, yes,” stammers out as you remove your jeans. 
You can’t help but not look away from him. You’ll never get over just how handsome and large he is. Other men with his features on their bodies would look ridiculous but Joel is perfectly put together. You can’t get over the fact that he wants you as much as you want him. 
“How’d you know navy blue was my favorite color?” Joel asks as he stares at your panties. You wonder if he can see how soaked they are. 
“Didn’t. Lucky you.” You’re not sure who’s luckier at this point, maybe you’re both ready to share each other’s luck. 
“Very. Get on the bed for me.”
You lay down on the soft sheets, the bed and cover are so plush you sink into it. Your hands by your sides pet the silky sheet and your legs rub against the fabric, it feels so divine and smooth.
“God, you look good like that,” Joel reaches down to palm himself through his briefs. “Might be the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Your body lights on fire at his praise, your pulse quickening, your almost naked body feeling overheated. “Spread your legs for me.” 
You follow his instruction, bending your knees and spreading. Joel climbs on the bed to kneel in between, his palms rest atop of your knees, you can feel the calluses on his hands from years of gloves and bats on your smooth skin. 
He runs his hands down your legs before stopping right at the edge of your panties. You moan as he takes a hand and runs it back and forth along your drenched panties. “This all for me?” His cocky smile making his dimple even more apparent. 
“Yes, fuck… yes,” you struggle out. You’re so turned on right now, aching all over. Joel’s barely even touched you and you feel like he’s already devastated your whole body. You’ve never felt this way with anybody else before. 
“Want to see all of you, take your bra off ’n I’ll take these off,” Joel says as he cups your cloth covered pussy. 
You lean up to unsnap your bra, quickly getting naked as Joel takes off your panties. He sits back on his heels, his eyes mapping your body. “Jesus baby, you’re so fucking pretty ’n soft looking.”
His voice, his accent, his praise, it causes a whimper out of you. 
“I know baby,” Joel leans down, his hands grab your ass cheeks and pulls your whole body towards him, easily lifting your ass up. Your pussy rests now right in front of his face, you can feel the heat of his breath against your sensitive folds. He’s supporting your whole lower half in his hands until you lift your legs to rest atop his wide shoulders. He licks a long stripe up from your opening to your clit and back again. 
“Taste so fucking good, so fucking sweet, knew you’d be this good. Can’t believe I didn’t taste you before.” Joel’s words of devotion are spoken straight to your cunt. 
He devours your pussy like it’s never been ate before, fucking into you with his tongue, sucking on your clit, rubbing the bristle of his thin beard against your sensitive folds. Your thighs and legs beginning to shake against Joel as your whole body burns with pleasure. His hands are gripping your ass so tight, his strength and support the only reason why your whole body hasn’t collapsed as your orgasm quickly ripples through you.
Joel moans against you as you spill into him. He doesn’t come up for air as your hips writhe against him. He flicks his tongue against your pulsing clit, a scream escaping your mouth as he begins to press his tongue down on your too sensitive bundle of nerves. 
“Holy fuck,” you struggle out. “Fuck. Joel, Joel. Fuck.” 
“Mm,” Joel lifts his head up out of in between your legs, your wet glistening on the lower half of his face, his eyes resting under his furrowed brows staring right at you. You unwrap your legs from around his head as Joel gently helps your legs drop to the bed. 
Joel rubs your legs and thighs as he stares down at you longingly. His actions are so sweet, actions you never thought you’d see. You don’t think a lot of people get to see this side of him, his features relaxed, mouth slacked open a bit, eyes softened, this isn’t competitive Joel, this is bedroom Joel.
“Let me fuck you baby, don’t think I’m going to last long, wanted to prove to you I can fuck you all night but I’ve waited a long time for this.” 
Your core clenches at his words, you wanted to challenge him tonight too, but you can’t fathom the idea of waiting any longer for Joel’s cock inside you. He gets up off the bed, removing his briefs, his cock springing free. Fuck, he’s big and beautiful, the perfect size and shape to match his broad and athletic body. 
Joel climbs back on the bed, his body resting in between your spread legs again, this time he leans forward, putting his weight on his two arms as he looms above you. You feel his cock resting against your wet cunt. 
“You got a condom or should I have grabbed mine from my wallet?”
“No— can I ask you something?”
“Now?” Joel huffs. "I guess."
“Yes, yeah,” you gather your nerves before you confess. “I want to feel you, all of you. I have an IUD and I always use protection with… others, I just, I want to feel your cum inside of me.” 
Joel's jaw drops at the shock of your blunt words. “Fuck, yes. Of course. Jesus Christ.” His dick twitches against you as he answers. “I’m tested and clean.”
“I’m clean too.”
“Fuck baby, I’m so glad you asked.” Joel plants a kiss to the top of your head as he pushes himself into you. 
“Holy fuck,” you rasp out at the feel of Joel’s cock stretching you. He’s slow to enter, mindful of how tight your cunt is squeezing around him. It stings so good, you’ve never been this stretched before. 
You shut your eyes and focus on taking his length, anchoring yourself in this moment. 
“I can feel you clutching me, fuck you feel so good,” you open your eyes at Joel’s words. The glimmer of Joel’s gold chain catches your eye as he moves inside you. You’re mesmerized by how it moves between the two of you, the pendant swinging back and forth like a metronome of Joel’s cock entering and exiting you. “Look at me baby.”
You move your gaze from Joel’s necklace to his eyes, all big and brown and blown out with lust. He begins to increase his pace, your whole core beginning to build another orgasm. Joel cranes his neck down to kiss you, the way his mouth languidly moves against your mouth contrasts the brutal speed of the way he’s now fucking you. You move your hands up to cradle his head, gripping his messy curled hair, left longer during the offseason.
Years and years of pining over Joel culminating in this one night, a surprise encounter at the bar turning into the shared moans and groans you and Joel trade back and forth as your bodies move together.
He’s simply too beautiful, your eyes watching his heavy eyes disappear behind the crinkles on the side of them as he half smiles at you. Like he also can’t believe the two of you are doing this. 
You move your hips to meet his thrusts, the softness of the bed cradling you as Joel fucks you harder.
“M’close baby,” respires out against your mouth. Your cunt tightening even more around him as you both begin to reach the apex of your orgasms. “You gonna cum with me?”
You can only nod and blink hoping that your whimpers and moans let him know you’re right there with him. 
“Fuck, you’re so pretty and tight, can’t believe how fast you’re gonna make me cum. Fuck baby, just talking about it— gonna fucking cum.” 
You feel Joel’s cock throb as his spend fills you, your orgasm following, pumping Joel’s cock as you pulse around him. 
He drops down to rest on his forearms, his body landing on top of you. You welcome the feeling of his burning hot body smothering yours. He kisses you as he languidly still fucks into your cunt with his softening cock. Your pussy drips a mixture of your intermingled cum out as Joel pulls out and lays next to you on his back. 
You turn and rest your head against his chest, his breaths slow and relaxed. Your hands run up his chest, stopping at the gold chain around his neck.
“Never took you for a necklace man, why do you wear it?”
“My daughter got it for me, when I won that playoff game.”
“Like THAT playoff game you hit the walk-off?” Your question implying it’s the same game you celebrated together in the back of the club. 
“Yeah, that one,” Joel wraps his hand around yours. “Sometimes I still think of you and I that night when I see it. Thank you for tonight. You made a bad day into the best night.”
A/N: I adore these two. This stands as a one shot right now, since I'm currently working on my multi-chapter story Elks, but I might revisit them later. Go sports!
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tangledupinyellow · 14 days
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A Little Bit of Texas Fun | Chapter One: Late Night Rides
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authors note: this is something that's been in the works for quite a while now and i'm so excited to finally get it started!!
series summary: The night of your wedding, you sneak off with your new husband’s best friend. What was supposed to be a one time thing ends up being a two time thing, to a three time thing, to a once every week sort of thing. When you thought you had mastered keeping everything a secret, your husband finds the pregnancy tests.
series warnings/tags: pregnancy, no use of y/n, infidelity, husband’s best friend, no outbreak au, age gap (Joel is 36 and reader is around 25)
chapter summary: Your wedding night, which is supposed to be the best night of your life, ends up being your worst. Joel Miller finds a way to fix that.
chapter warnings/tags: 18+ only, no use of y/n, infidelity, very traditional wedding, mentions of drinking and alcohol, misogynistic comments, nicknames (sweetheart, darling, baby), truck sex, unprotected piv, slight breeding kink
word count: 7.3k
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This was a moment you had dreamed of ever since you were a little girl. You would watch movies and read stories of women getting married to the love of their lives and having the perfect wedding. It was supposed to be a magical day that would always hold a special place in your heart. You were hoping that you would get the same kind of happy fairytale on your wedding day.  
You had spent months preparing this wedding for you and your fiance. You worked your ass off, making sure that everything was perfect. And for the most part, it was. Your dress was gorgeous, your hair was beautifully styled, the decorations were up to par with your expectations, everyone you had hired showed, and your entire family was there. Everything was falling into place. Everything would have been perfect, only if your fiance was about half as interested in the whole thing as you were. It was infuriating, but this was supposed to be a day about happiness and love. You weren’t going to let anything ruin it for you.
Now, standing at the altar, you stood face to face with your fiance, Daniel, who was about to be your husband in only moments to come. You could feel your nerves start to act up, but you couldn’t necessarily pinpoint the reason for them doing so. Your palms were sweaty, and your face felt hot. You brushed it off, thinking that it was just normal wedding nerves. After all, you weren’t going to be a single woman anymore. You were about to commit yourself to Daniel. Everybody gets at least a little nervous on their wedding night. You were sure of it. It wasn’t like this was something out of the ordinary.
Throughout the entirety of your vows, you found it hard to look at Daniel right in the eyes. You couldn’t express why that was the case, but you went back to blaming it all on your nerves.
“Do you, Daniel, take this woman in front of you to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, to love and cherish her in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” The priest standing in the center of the altar spoke, directing his eyes to Daniel.
Daniel stared at you with a smirk, but the gentleness and love that you usually see in a groom in the movies were absent in his eyes. “I do.” 
The priest then moved his attention over to you, going over the same old same old, repeating everything he had said to Daniel but to you instead.
You were barely paying attention to the words as you stared at Daniel. Your heart was pounding, and you felt like a nervous wreck. You didn’t understand how he was so calm and collected, but you envied that. You hesitated slightly and took a deep breath, preparing yourself to make the commitment as you looked around. As you did so, you caught the eyes of the best man who was just standing feet from Daniel.
Joel Miller was a great friend of yours personally, but he was Daniel’s best friend. You had met him when you first began dating Daniel. He was Daniel’s best buddy when they were growing up and had been a part of his life ever since they were kids. Daniel was always going on about some crazy shit that he and Joel would get into back when they were in high school. And with the two of them being so close, it was no surprise that Joel became a big part of your life, too.
Whenever you and Daniel had an argument that seemed pointless now but was near relationship ending back then, Joel was always there to help you through it. He always told you everything that you wanted to hear. 
Joel held a special place in your heart, for sure. Maybe a bigger place was reserved for him than you’d like to admit. 
But for somebody who was his best friend’s girlfriend, he was always there for you. He made sure that he was just as much your friend as he was Daniels.
Your eyes locked for a short moment with Joel’s before you tore them away quickly, looking back over at Daniel with a smile that you couldn’t tell was genuine or forced. “I do,” you whispered out, your voice more breathy than you intended it to be. It seemed only quiet enough for Daniel and the priest to hear. Not even the people in the first row were able to hear you.
The priest gave you both a kind smile filled with hope and fulfillment. It almost seemed like he was more excited to be here than you on your own wedding day. You cursed yourself for thinking in such a way. This was the night of your wedding, you should be overjoyed.
But you weren’t. Not even in the slightest.
You have heard numerous stories of getting cold feet on your wedding night, and so you assumed that was what was going on when you first started having second thoughts. It was normal, you thought. Everybody gets nervous on the night of their wedding, and that’s all it was—just your nerves getting the best of you.
You had hoped that all that would disappear when you met him at the altar. But the feeling never went away. You still had that dreadful feeling in your gut that made you feel like you were going to throw up. It was the biggest lump in your throat.
Saying ‘I Do’ at the altar has been a dream of yours since you were a little girl. So you couldn’t understand for the life of you why you weren’t more excited to be standing in front of your now husband, the love of your life, on the most important night of your life.
The rest of the priest’s words were a blur to you. You were too lost in your thoughts to pay attention to any of it. The next thing you knew, Daniel’s lips crashed into yours as his arms hugged you to his body while your friends and family clapped and cheered for you.
You quickly brought yourself back into reality and closed your eyes, returning the kiss. You were officially married. There wasn’t anything you could do about those restless nerves now.
You slowly opened your eyes while Daniel’s lips were still on yours in a passionate kiss, and through your squinted eyes, you could see Joel, his best man, standing right beside him, clapping for the two of you. And there it was again, that terrible, massive lump in your throat.
┉┉┉
You take a rather large sip of champagne as you look around. You see your friends getting drunk and partying on the dance floor, having the time of their lives. At least they seemed to be enjoying your wedding more than you were. With another large swig of champagne, you take a deep breath in hopes that it will soothe your nerves.
You were never a huge fan of crowds, so you assumed that could be a possibility for your anxious behaviors tonight and that when you went back to the hotel room with Daniel, the reality of you two being married would hit and you would be in complete euphoria.
You could hear your mother try to start a conversation with you beside you, but you couldn’t hear a word she said. Swirling the champagne left in your glass, you caught the eye of your newly found husband in the crowd. He was holding a glass of amber liquor in hand, chatting it up with his close buddies. But Joel was nowhere in sight in that little group.
You’ve lost count of how many little glasses of whiskey your newly-found husband has drunk. After the third one you didn’t bother to keep count anymore. You didn’t need to keep track to know that he was absolutely wasted. Looks like you won’t be getting that relaxing cool down in the hotel room with him later tonight. But instead having to deal with a drunk husband who can barely stand up on his own two feet.
It wasn’t your first time seeing Daniel drunk, but it still annoyed you just as much as when you first saw him so intoxicated. He wasn’t a violent drunk or an aggressive one, either. But he irritated the hell out of you whenever he had one too many drinks. He was loud, obnoxious, made jokes that weren’t even close to being funny just to make him look cool around his friends and make you look like a complete idiot. You couldn’t stand it. And you were hopeful that he wouldn’t get so drunk on your wedding night. But while you were disappointed that he was already drinking so much when the night was still young, you couldn’t say you were surprised.
You thought you were doing the right thing by staying away from him for the time being, trying not to get pulled in as the butt of the joke along with him and his friends. You didn’t want to be put in a shitty mood by his shitty and, quite frankly, misogynistic jokes. It was your wedding night, and you couldn’t deal with that at any moment during what was supposed to be a special night not only for you, but for both of you. Clearly, one nice night was too much for you to ask of him.
However, with how drunk he was and how loud he tended to get during these times, you could practically hear him from the other side of the room. And while there was chattering and laughter from all around you from the other desks, his voice and obnoxious howls of laughter were all you could tune into. 
“Can’t believe I have myself tied down to one woman for the rest of my life. One pussy for the rest of my life, goddamn, can you imagine?” He yapped loudly with a laugh, followed by a chug of his whiskey.
The comment made your stomach turn up into knots. It felt like a blunt knife straight to the heart. Although his little comment hurt, it wasn’t something you weren’t used to. You’ve heard him slip comments occasionally, but you always took it on yourself to ignore them, trying not to look into it too much. You loved him. You didn’t want a couple of stupid comments ruining a relationship that took years for you to build up with him.
“You looked stunning up there, baby doll.” Your mother’s voice chimed in beside you. She had a glass of champagne in her hand as well. Except hers was freshly poured, and you only had less than a sip left.
“Oh, thank you.” You smiled at her. You weren’t in the mood to talk to anyone, even your own mother, but you still wanted to accept her compliment. You didn’t want to seem rude in any way, even though your glum mood was telling you otherwise. You were supposed to be happy and ecstatic on your wedding day, and you didn’t want your mother to know that you were feeling the complete opposite.
But she was your mother. She was the one who raised you for the past 25 years of your life. She could read you like the back of her own hand. She could sense when something was wrong with her daughter.
However, she decided to keep her thoughts hushed. She didn’t want to pry, not tonight at least. Instead, she gave you a reassuring smile and a rub on your arm. And with a whisper, she gave your hand a loving squeeze, “I’m proud of you.”
┉┉┉
Joel’s eyes scanned the wedding venue with an old-fashioned in hand, taking sips here and there. He was there with Daniel and a few other of his friends. Despite them being deep in conversation and full of laughs, Joel was in a world of his own, deep in thought while people-watching around him.
He wasn’t really the biggest fan of weddings and would much rather be back at his home with Sarah and Tommy, watching whatever movie Sarah wanted to watch that night.
But, he was a friend of Daniels and a friend of yours. He was there to support you two coming together in marriage. However, he definitely had a social battery when it came to Daniel.
There were times when he could only be with him for so long until he got too much to be around. And he could feel that he was currently in one of those moments.
It had already been a long night, and he could feel a headache creeping on. He was already looking forward to returning home and passing right out into his bed.
Joel rolled his eyes as he listened to Daniel and the others make little comments here and there about you and marriage in general, ones that didn’t necessarily sit right with him. He tried his best to ignore them and took a sip of his old-fashioned, a larger one this time, while scanning the venue again.
As he did so, he caught sight of you, standing there with a nearly empty glass of champagne. He couldn’t deny that you looked gorgeous in your white dress, falling down right by your feet. He chuckled quietly to himself, knowing that his young daughter would describe you as a “real-life princess” if she were to see you.
You looked over at Joel when you felt a pair of eyes on you and gave him a small smile, one in which he kindly returned. With that simple exchange, you went back to talking with your mother, and he went back to trying to talk to Daniel about something different.
It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Joel looked around once more. This time, he noticed that your mother was left standing talking to somebody. Somebody other than you. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly and looked around a little more, keeping an eye out for you.
But you were nowhere to be found. It was as though you disappeared.
With a sigh, Joel set down his glass and looked over at his small group of friends. “I’ll be right back.”
┉┉┉
You took a deep, shaky breath, hoping that the fresh night air would help you clear your mind. You needed a moment outside of the venue, away from Daniel, your family, and people where you had to pretend that you were so happy and so head over heels.
You sat alone on a bench outside, ignoring the stares you would get from people crossing your path here and there. You just wanted to take the moment to be by yourself and attempt to clear your thoughts.
However, your short moment of silence didn’t last too long when you heard a voice come from right next to you.
“Needed some fresh air too?”
It was Joel.
You looked up, pushing your hair out of your face to make eye contact with him. You let out a quiet, half-assed chuckle and shook your head, your hair falling back into your face despite your previous attempts.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” You finished the sentence off with a deep breath.
Joel chuckled quietly along with you before sitting down on the park bench with you. You noticed that he sat closer to you than usual, but you weren’t in a place to bother to care. You were too tired and drained from all the wedding excitement and an obnoxiously loud Daniel to care. All you wanted to do was go home, even though this was supposed to be your wedding. You were the bride. You were supposed to be the center of attention, Yet all you wanted to do was leave and be away from everything.
“You seem tired.” Joel piped up, his voice soft and warm. It reminded you of a crackling campfire under the night stars.
Turning your attention over to Joel, you nodded in response, “You too?”
Joel pursed his lips for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, his hands folded in his lap. “Tired of a few people, more like,” he said with a gruff laugh and a shake of his head.
You couldn’t help but smile and laugh a little as well, knowing full well who he was talking about.
“Well, you’re the lucky one out of the two of us. You get to go ahead and leave whenever you want. I, on the other hand, have to wait for everyone else to start heading out so I can leave with Daniel,” you muttered with an eyeroll.
Joel remained silent for a moment and stroked his mustache before leaning back on the porch seat with a deep sigh. “Y’know, I could bring ya home if you’d like,” he offered, turning his neck slightly to face you.
You furrowed your eyebrows and quickly shook your head, brushing him off with your hand, “No, you don’t need to do that. The night is still young, and all my friends and family are still here. I really should stay and thank them for being here. Would look kind of bitchy of me to just leave Daniel here all alone, don’t you think?” You forced out a laugh, even though humor was the last thing you felt.
Your chest was tight, and there was nothing more you wanted to do than to leave. But deep down, you knew that you couldn’t. Yet, maybe if you were to leave, would Daniel even notice your absence? He barely even talked to you after the ceremony and ran off with his friends. Hell, Joel noticed that you were outside before Daniel did. And you knew that he was still in there, completely oblivious to the fact that you weren’t inside anymore.
However, you couldn’t care less if he noticed you were gone or not. Because Joel noticed. Joel seemed to care.
“Y’sure?” Joel questioned once more, wanting to ensure you were alright with staying later.
You hesitated briefly before giving him a nod, your lips pressed into a forced smile, “I’m sure.”
Joel patted his hands on his knees and nodded before slowly standing up from the porch, “Alright then. Call me when ya get home, alright? Wanna make sure you get there safe.” He gave you a smile, a genuine, kind smile.
Your heart was racing in your chest from the anxiety. You wanted him to give you a ride so you could get an easy way out of here. But you knew that would cause questions in the end that you wanted to avoid. At the same time, this was a solution for the time being. The questions about your whereabouts could be dealt with later. You didn’t want to spend the rest of your wedding night sitting outside on a splintered bench, withering away in your anxieties and doubts.
You watched him walk off with a hint of regret tearing at your heart. You felt the lump in your throat. Letting him leave felt like the wrong decision, at least for now. What you thought was the right option wasn’t seeming so good after all. The inkling of regret moved from a nauseous feeling in your throat to a deep pit in your stomach.
Questions of “what ifs” came into your head. You knew that in the long run, you would regret not going back with Joel and staying here in your misery. You would spend the rest of the night wondering how it would be if you just said yes to Joel and went home, somewhere you felt comfortable and safe. Staying here wasn’t going to make you feel any better.
Swallowing that lump in your throat and ignoring the pit in your gut, you stood from the bench and called out his name, “Joel?” You were grateful your voice wasn’t shaky, considering the anxiety you had built up from just thinking about staying at this wedding.
Joel stopped walking and turned to face you, a slight grin already on his face, “Yea?” he called back out, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Hearing his voice washed away your anxiety and worries nearly instantly. 
“A ride would be nice.”
┉┉┉
“So, talk to me.” Joel spoke up after a while of nothing but quiet, classic rock playing from his truck radio, Eagles Lyin’ Eyes.
You blinked a couple of times before looking over at him. You were lost in your own mind, drifting off as you watched the world go by as Joel drove past tree after tree on this long and winding dirt road. You weren’t expecting him to speak at all.
“Hm?” Was all you could muster, completely expecting this entire ride to be silent.
“Talk to me,” Joel repeated, as if you had missed him the first time. You heard him crystal clear. “What happened tonight? Everythin’ alright?” He glanced over at you for a quick second before looking back at the road in front of him.
You stayed silent for a moment, trying to process the question. Now, this was the last thing you had expected. You stared at the road before you, only illuminated by Joel’s headlights. You ran your thoughts through your head before looking over at Joel.
“Course I’m alright. I’m finally married to the love of my life, and we’ve got to celebrate it with my family. I just got tired.” You shrugged, lying through your teeth, whether consciously or subconsciously. You wanted to believe that it was the truth. And maybe by saying it, putting it out in the world, it would become the truth, even if you haven’t felt happiness quite yet.
Joel raised an eyebrow and looked over at you for another brief moment, taking a look between you and the dirt road. “And that’s why I found ya mopin’ around outside?” He chuckled and shook his head. He didn’t believe it for a second.
“I was tired.” You tried convincing yourself.
He sighed, “Darlin’, I saw you in there. You looked miserable. Now, if ya don’t want to talk about it, we don’t gotta-”
“I guess I was overwhelmed,” You cut him off with a shaky breath. He kept his eyes on the road as he listened to you solemnly, with a slight frown on the corner of his lips. “After the ceremony, I kept feeling like I just made a big mistake I can’t undo. Like I fucked up. I love Daniel, I do. I’ve loved him for so long,” You ignored the sour taste in your mouth as the words left your lips, “But I can’t help… I can’t help but feel he doesn’t love me as much as I love him. I mean, he got drunk not even two hours after the ceremony like the asshole he is.” You let out a scoff and a laugh, looking up to keep the tears from falling.
Joel noticed the change in your voice as you ranted on, and he looked at you with concern. “It’s nothing you did. He clearly had too much to drink..”
“And when you get drunk, you talk about how much you hate being tied down to your girlfriend or wife and that she’s nothing but a pain in the ass?” You scoffed sarcastically, trying desperately not to let the tears roll down your cheeks.
Joel felt a tightness in his chest as he listened to you carefully. He was very much single. Hasn’t been on a date in years, not since he’s had Sarah. Even though he’s been single for quite some time, that didn’t mean he lost his senses. He could never imagine himself talking so poorly about someone he was supposed to love, through sickness and in health, to death do us part.
“He’s an asshole. He may be a friend o’mine but an asshole. He doesn’t know what he’s got, how good he has it.” Joel shook his head as he stared at the road, the irritation clear in his voice.
Throughout his years, Joel hasn’t had much experience with love and relationships. He’s had a few here and there, but nothing too serious. The only serious relationship he had ever been in was with Sarah’s mother, but that didn’t end too well for either him or his daughter. 
Despite all of this, he still knew how someone was supposed to be treated and how to treat someone well. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Daniel wasn’t the best at it. But it wasn’t Joel’s place to overstep.
There was a lump in your throat and a boulder on your chest. You knew that Joel was right. You had always had that feeling that Daniel was nothing but an asshole. But Daniel was all that you had. Daniel was the only choice for you. It seemed as though Daniel was the only way for you to get married and have children. It had always been Daniel. 
“M’sorry,” Joel said, breaking the short silence between the two of you with a deep sigh. I shouldn’t be talkin’ ’bout one of my friends like that, ‘specially to his wife.” He let out a pitiful chuckle, the same boulder on his chest.
“No. You’re right,” You stopped him from his apology, “I married an asshole. Fuck, I married an asshole..” You repeated as if reality had finally hit you, “Can I.. Can I be completely honest for a second?”
“I’m all ears.”
You took a deep breath, feeling your palms starting to get sweaty before you began to talk, “I don’t know if I made the right decision, if this marriage was even ever a good idea. I felt like I had to marry him. He was all I had, the only person who’d shown me any kind of love. And maybe I was just scared of being so alone that I married him. But it doesn’t feel right now that it’s done, Joel. It really doesn’t.”
You felt like you could throw up, knowing this was your life now. You chose to have this life in fear that you could never find anything better. Daniel had you believing he was all you had and the only one you would ever have. It was a huge mistake, you knew that. But there was no reverse button. You would just have to learn how to live like this.
Joel stayed silent through your little rant, keeping his eyes on the road. With every word, his grip on the steering wheel grew tighter and tighter, but he remained silent.
You took a deep breath and ran a hand through your hair to get the fallen pieces out of your eyes. “But I don’t know. I guess it’s okay. It doesn’t feel right complaining on my wedding day.” You forced out a laugh.
Joel stayed silent other than a quiet groan as he glanced over his shoulder before pulling over to the side of the dirt road.
You furrowed your eyebrows as you watched him, confused.
“Is something wrong?” you asked, looking out your window and through the rearview mirror, worried that there could possibly be an issue with his truck.
Joel put the car into park and turned to look at you, “Course there’s somethin’ wrong. It’s your damn wedding night, and look how miserable you are right now. Ain’t too fair, don’t ya think?” He shook his head, “Just because you were dating him for a long time doesn’t mean you should feel pressured into marrying him, ain’t right.” He mumbled and rubbed his eyes and then his temples, almost as if this whole situation was giving him a headache. You couldn’t help but feel a slight ping of guilt, “Answer me this, did you really want to marry him?”
You frowned and nodded, “I did. I married him, didn’t I?”
Joel looked at you unconvinced as he said your name in a stricter voice, “You wanted to marry him? That’s why you were outside by yourself on the verge of tears, just wanting to leave? That’s why you’ve been complaining about him this whole drive t’me? I don’t know what your definition of love is, sweetheart, but that definitely ain’t mine.”
You kept silent, hating the fact that he was absolutely right. Love shouldn’t feel this way. Love shouldn’t be bringing you down as much as it was.
Biting the inside of your cheek, you took a deep breath and admitted your defeat, “I know, I know. I just, I never thought I would be able to find someone. I’ve been with Daniel forever, I don’t know anyone but him.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. There’s someone out there for everybody. And I can tell you right now that Daniel’s not for you. Someone who can be such an ass doesn’t deserve someone like you.” Joel shook his head, meaning every word that he said.
You stared at Joel, your eyes burning into him. He seemed to know you well, saying the things you had always been so terrified of saying. 
For years, you’ve been under the impression that Daniel was the only one who would ever find the heart to love you. He was the only one you would ever be able to get. But now, Joel is starting to change your whole perspective. Maybe this marriage was a mistake. Your entire relationship with Daniel was a mistake. And maybe he wasn’t the only one in this world who would want you.
There was a thick silence between the two of you, the sound of his engine running and his soft breathing all you could hear. You didn’t know what to say, and Joel had already said everything that he needed to.
“Darling...” Joel whispered and, after a minute of silence, placed a hand on your thigh to grab your attention.
“You’re right. You’re fucking right.” You felt breathless, and there was a huge lump in your throat, keeping you from saying much.
Joel frowned when he heard you and squeezed your thigh gently, a touch of reassurance to remind you that he was here to help.
Your mind was loud and quiet all at once. There were so many thoughts floating around but nothing you could understand. 
“Joel?” you whispered, glancing down at his hand resting on your thigh before looking back at him to meet his eyes. Your temples were nearly throbbing from this entire conversation, and you didn’t know what to do about it.
“Yes?” His voice was soft and caring, wanting nothing but to help you in this moment.
You weren’t entirely sure if there was a way that he could even help you. But, there was one thing and one thing only that came to mind.
You kept eye contact with him for a moment longer, your thoughts still swirling around in your head. Without saying another word, you moved in closer to him and pressed your lips against his in a deep kiss, closing your eyes.
Joel widened his eyes in shock for a split second before closing them, cherishing the kiss as he returned it.
While your mind was woozy and none of your thoughts seemed clear, you knew this felt right. With his lips on yours, your mind was finally clear. The throbbing in your head was gone. And you didn’t want this to end.
Joel’s heart was racing as he kissed you, his hand slowly moving from your thigh to your waist to get a better hold of you. There were still thoughts of Daniel in the back of his mind, knowing he was currently kissing his best friend’s new wife. But yet, he didn’t find himself feeling guilty and pulling away. He wanted the kiss to continue just as badly.
He hummed against your lips and gripped onto you gently, a soft squeeze to your hip. Your hands moved up into his hair, messing up the curls he had worked hard to maintain for the wedding. But neither of you seemed to care. 
His tongue entered your mouth and swirled around your own, wanting to taste you as much as he could. For years, ever since he’s known you, he’s been imagining a moment like this. But he knew he would never be able to act upon his wishes for you, who had been with Daniel the entire time. But as your relationship came crumbling apart, Joel was happy that he could be there for you, the one you would come to when needed.
Right now, Joel was the only person you wanted. This one kiss had so much more feeling and passion than any kiss you and Daniel ever shared. You had never wanted Daniel as much as you had wanted Joel at this very moment.
Joel pulled away from you slightly, much to your dismay. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked, panting just a little against your lips. His lips were so close to yours that you wanted to pull him in and smash your lips against his yet again.
“Yes.” You said simply before pulling him back into you. Your arms wrapped around him as his hand moved down to your thigh, rubbing your leg gently while he focused on moving his lips with yours.
Your hands moved down his shoulders, feeling how big his arms were underneath his suit. You were dying to see how he would look without it. You parted lips again to quickly remove his tie and rid him of his suit jacket.
He took that moment as an opportunity to kiss down your neck, trying to find your most sensitive spots. He ached to make you feel good.
Daniel wasn’t even in the back of either of your minds. All you wanted was each other. Nothing else seemed to matter.
His lips remained on your skin as you undressed him from his top, revealing his muscular arms and chest covered in brown hair. He was even sexier than you would have ever imagined.
As you undressed him, he moved his hand up underneath your dress, reaching up to unhook your bra, all while his lips continued to kiss down your neck. He wanted to savor this moment with you. But at the same time, he didn’t know how much longer he would be able to wait.
He’s always wanted you but was always forced to stay on the sidelines because of Daniel. He was yours, and you were his. Joel was a good friend and didn’t want to get in the way. But after seeing how you were being treated on your wedding day, he couldn’t just sit around and watch anymore. He needed to take action. He needed to show you how it truly feels to feel cared about, to be with someone who actually wants you back.
He moved his hands up your back slowly before slipping your sleeves off of your arm, revealing your bare chest to him. You kept your eyes on him as you watched him stare at you, looking at you with such lust and admiration. 
You blushed, a smile appearing on your lips. You couldn’t even remember when or if Daniel had ever looked at you like that, but you didn’t care anymore. All you cared about was Joel.
Biting your lip, you moved your hands down to his belt, eager to rid him of them. Your fingers removed them with ease, pulling his pants down at the same time so he was now left in only his underwear in his truck. 
Without skipping a beat, he returned the favor and slipped your dress down to your feet. Having you like this in front of him, naked in just your panties, made his dick twitch in his underwear. He didn’t want to waste another second without making you his.
“God, you’re so damn gorgeous.” Joel shook his head and looked at you like he had just seen an angel on earth. He couldn’t understand why Daniel would treat someone as incredible as you the way he was.
But now, you were all his. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to have you for long, so he wanted to make this time count.
Joel’s eyes were glued onto your body as he slipped down his boxers, revealing his aching and throbbing member, precum leaking out of the tip, desperate to be inside of your wet pussy.
You gasped quietly when he revealed himself, a gasp that was shortly followed by a moan. He was a sexy man already, but this just made things even better. You’ve never seen a dick with the length and girth as his, and you couldn’t wait for it to be deep inside you.
“C’mere,” Joel mumbled, stroking his dick a few times while his eyes bore into you.
You did exactly as you were told and quickly moved over to the driver’s side of the truck, the seat already pushed all the way back to give you room. You moved onto his lap, wrapping your arms around him so you had something stable to hold onto.
Joel placed his hands on your waist to keep you in place. He lined himself up to your entrance, grabbing onto the base of his cock and teasing your clit with his tip. You bit down on your lip as you rubbed yourself against him, impossibly wet for him.
Slowly and gently, he pushed his length into you, a deep groan releasing from his throat, “Fuck.” he mumbled as he pulled you down onto his cock.
It felt like your voice was stuck in your throat, just a small string of moans coming out. He kept himself deep inside of you for a moment, not moving to allow you to get used to the feeling of him.
“You feel so fuckin’ amazing, sweetheart.” Joel whispered in your ear and rubbed your hips soothingly, cherishing the way your pussy hugged around him.
Digging his fingers into your waist gently, he began to thrust into you, keeping his pace slow and easy.
You leaned your head back, letting your eyes flutter close. All thoughts and regrets of marrying Daniel left your mind in a flash as Joel thrust into you, filling you up in a way you never have before. 
“Didn’t know you would be so wet for me, darlin’,” Joel smirked slightly as he quickened up his pace just a bit, “M’able to just slip right inside ya.” He groaned, rubbing your hips.
You nodded quickly and moved your hands up to his broad shoulders, holding onto his strong arms. You didn’t know that your body would react this way to Joel, but you couldn’t say you were surprised. You never knew how deprived you really were, how neglected your needs had been. “You do something to me, Joel,” you said between your moans.
Joel smiled when he heard you, a minor boost to his confidence as he moved one of his hands up to grab your breast, the other staying on your waist to keep you in place while he thrust in and out of you.
You leaned your head forward, your forehead resting on his shoulder. Gentle scratches were being made on your hip, only adding to the sensual experience. You didn’t want him to stop.
Joel was a man who knew who he was doing, something that Daniel had always lacked. You had never finished when you were ever in bed with him. But with the way things were going at the moment, you were confident that Joel would bring you to your climax.
“If you were mine, if I were able to have you every night,” Joel mumbled in between grunts and groans while thrusting into you, “I would be the happiest. Fuckin’. Man. Alive.” he moaned between his thrusts.
Small beads of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead while he lifted his hips to thrust into you. He wasn’t as young as he used to be and didn’t have the stamina he did when he was in his twenties, but he always aimed to please. Especially for you.
His breaths gradually grew into gasps and pants as he kept a quick pace with his thrusts. The moans of his name leaving your lips gave him more than enough motivation to make you finish. He wanted to put all of his focus on your orgasm rather than his. He wanted to see the look on your face, the way your eyes would roll in the back of your head when you reached your climax. Knowing that it would be him as the cause of you crossing the finish line made him feel a certain way.
He needed to make you feel good.
He lifted your hips up before pulling you back down on his cock, filling you up all the way so he was deep inside of you.
“Fuck!” You screamed out in pleasure, your nails digging into his shoulders. Still, he didn’t slow his pace. He was hitting exactly the right spot, the spot that made your head feel woozy.
Your eyes stayed closed, solely focused on reaching your climax.
Joel groaned as he watched you, thrusting inside of you deeply, wanting to get as deep inside of you as he possibly could.
“M’close baby..” Joel grunted and bit down on his lower lip, and grabbed onto your waist in a tighter grip.
Those words made you feel like jello in his hands, knowing that you had such an effect on you. Not even Daniel showed you this much pleasure.
“Fill me up, Joel..” You moaned and began riding his dick slightly, bouncing up and down on his cock, desperate to reach your own climax as well.
Joel groaned as those words left your lips before he grabbed onto your hips even tighter, thrusting one last time into you to get even deeper when he came. Stammering strings of breaths and moans were all that he could make out as he finished inside of you. He held you onto his dick as he finished, keeping you down.
The feeling of him being so deep inside of you, his hot breath panning against your bare skin, and his nails digging into your waist all helped to send you over the edge. You could barely speak as you came, your mind feeling as if it was a separate entity from your body. Your mind felt hazy, as if you were in a daze. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you came. You couldn’t remember yourself having an orgasm this intense with anyone else in your life.
Joel kissed your neck as you slowly came down from your orgasm, his chest still heaving from his own climax. Beads of sweat were visible on his forehead and chest as he tried to catch his breath and get his heartbeat back to normal.
A sense of guilt washed over him, but he tried to ignore it. He didn’t regret what he had just done, not in the slightest. But he knew the consequences would be hell if anyone ever found out.
Clearing his throat, Joel slowly slipped out of you before kissing your forehead.
Your chest felt tense, knowing that it was more than wrong. But just like Joel, you didn’t regret that it happened. You wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Joel actually made you feel cared for, and he handled your body with such care.
He looked into your eyes for a moment and you gave him a small smile, one that he returned. It puts those thoughts of guilt in the back of your head. His smile made your heart skip a beat.
The two of you got dressed in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. The rest of the drive back to your place was silent as well. Your head rested on the window, staring outside as the trees passed you by with his hand on your thigh.
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leclerc-s · 2 months
Text
paint the town red - part ten
THE GREAT ADMIN WAR
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series masterlist
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HUNGARY 2024
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charles leclerc i'm sorry seb! you can't be mad at me.
sebastian vettel charles, you told the internet i had a crush on mark
charles leclerc but you did?
carlos sainz and you told them about his almost make-out with max.
ollie bearman we all saw that coming. i was around for mexico last year.
tony stark are you sleeping with the enemy leclerc?
charles leclerc no.
harley keener oh boy wait until this guy finds out who he is sleeping with
charles leclerc shut your fucking mouth keener!
tony stark i promised pepper i would stop being annoying
arthur leclerc WAIT- IS HE- OH MY GOD!
tony stark WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GET FROM THAT?
ollie bearman OH MY GOD! HOW IS HE THE GENIUS?
bianca stark-potts oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.
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biancastark_potts posted new stories
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me & bae
for context, this is what he sent me at 7:30 in the morning.
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carol danvers added one person
wanda maximoff so he's bae now?
bianca stark-potts no? yelena belova she loooves him
kamala khan oh my god this is the best day of my life.
yelena belova that is a child.
carol danvers kamala is not a child.
queen shuri how old is she?
kamala khan i'm 16!
riri williams by the way, who's bianca seeing?
queen shuri charles
riri williams HER DRIVER?
natasha romanoff now that i think about he is exactly her type.
pepper potts goofy? michelle jones will most likely blush when she calls him a pet name? wanda maximoff flirts with his childhood rival? queen shuri green eyes? natasha romanoff exactly.
bianca stark-potts when have i ever dated someone like him?
yelena belova SO YOU ARE DATING?!
bianca stark-potts NO STOP IT!
kamala khan but she likes him!
bianca stark-potts WHO LET THE CHILD IN HERE?
carol danvers i have never been this interested in someone's love life before.
kamala khan that's because you were in space for the longest time and are now dating an asgardian. carol danvers KAMALA! kamala khan i'm getting the feeling that no one knew that.
natasha romanoff WHAT? WHO?
bianca stark-potts 10 bucks it's valkyrie
carlos danvers 10 bucks bianca's dating charles but won't admit it because she's afraid that natasha and wanda will do what they did last time.
wanda maximoff it was something perfectly normal to do.
bianca stark-potts YOU BROKE INTO HIS HOUSE! natasha romanoff and he ended up cheating on you so really, no regrets.
michelle jones does charles know that harry was the one who gave you the dog? the same dog who loves charles very much and that charles adores?
kate bishop OSBORN?
bianca stark-potts not my brightest moment
kate bishop EVERYONE KNOWS OSBORN IS THE BIGGEST DICKHEAD AROUND!!
bianca stark-potts HE WASN'T A DICKHEAD WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DATING!!
kate bishop HE'S ALWAYS BEEN A DICKHEAD! HE JUST TRICKED YOU!
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peter parker heeyy, guess what i just found out talking to red bull's media admin.
isaiah atkins peter if this another genius idea to wage war against the other teams i will tie you against our hospitality.
peter parker that is aggressive. but no bianca's going to hate this.
harley keener oh this is gonna be good.
peter parker guess who red bull invited to the next gp.
tony stark oh no. bianca stark-potts i knew this was going to bite me in the ass when carol brought him up.
charles leclerc what are we talking about?
harley keener oh boy, i can't wait to see how this one will go down.
bianca stark-potts HARLEY SHUT THE FUCK UP!
tony stark seriously hungary of all places? why not miami or monaco? hell texas or vegas would be a better place.
tony stark can't believe the dickhead said yes.
sebastian vettel what the hell is he upset about now?
peter parker oh it's great, bianca's ex boyfriend is attending the hungarian grand prix with red bull. peter parker the same one who gave her the dog we all know and love
bianca stark-potts PETER!!
ollie bearman i thought you said a friend gave you that?
harley keener oh it gets better. he asked her out with the dog as a gift.
charles leclerc oh.
charles leclerc would you look at that i suddenly have something to do with my brother.
arthur leclerc we do? charles leclerc yes we do
tony stark what's wrong with him?
sebastian vettel how do you not get it?
peter parker i'm also confused.
ollie bearman you're both hopeless.
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ex-boyfriend huh?
harry and i dated but i never brought him up because he cheated on me. it's just- it's not important
he gave you a dog when he asked you to be his girlfriend.
i asked you out using a lightning mcqueen meme that you posted on your story.
and it was very adorable charles. i wouldn't change it for the world.
i'm not asking for you to do extravagant things like harry did. usually when he did them it meant he was cheating on me again.
a dog is not extravagant.
and what do you mean again?
it happened like four or five times each time with the same girl. the only reason i found out was because nat and wanda broke into his apartment.
they won’t do that to me right?
they might?
my apartment is a mess! they can’t break in with it like that!
glad to know those are your priorities.
are you kidding me, it’s black widow and the scarlet witch, they can’t see my messy apartment!
charles, it'll be fine. i doubt they'll break into your apartment.
but if they do?
they won't.
what if they do?
i'll talk to them.
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bianca stark-potts
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kamala khan that's so adorable.
michelle jones and they call this man a terror?
yelena belova he was a terror. i've seen the videos
natasha romanoff now i want to break into his apartment to see how messy it is.
wanda maximoff this is all the confirmation i needed to know that they are dating.
maria hill she warned him about you two breaking into his apartment. they're dating.
queen shuri i can't wait to see tony lose his shit over this.
riri williams i can should've seen this coming. he's exactly her type. america chavez you've been around less than me HOW DO YOU KNOW HER TYPE? riri williams i read the groupchat america!
hope van dyne i was in a meeting what did i miss?
hope van dyne OH MY GOD!! SCOTT OWES ME SO MUCH MONEY!!
bianca stark-potts YOU BET ON ME?
hope van dyne we bet that you would end up with a driver and we were right! scott thought it would be logan or lando. my money was on verstappen or charles.
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alex albon all those in favor of max releasing the mad dutchman on this osborn guy
max verstappen why would i do that?
lando norris isn't it obvious? because she's dating the platonic love of your life
pierre gasly he's the platonic love of my life! yuki tsunoda do i mean nothing to you? pierre gasly yuki, no, it's not what it looks like!
george russell max just do as we ask! take him out!
oscar piastri as a date or murder? lando norris either works.
lando norris notice how he didn't argue that charles is the platonic love of his life.
max verstappen charles is not the platonic love of my life. it's daniel.
daniel ricciardo i'll take him out. i'll do it for vegas 2019!
charles leclerc NO! NO ONE TAKE HIM OUT!
charles leclerc WHAT'S THE FASTEST WAY TO CLEAN A MESSY APARTMENT?
pierre gasly WE'RE IN HUNGARY YOU IDIOT!
charles leclerc I AM IN DANGER OF IT GETTING BROKEN IN BY BLACK WIDOW AND THE SCARLET WITCH!! SOS!!
george russell WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?
carlos sainz according to harley it's ritual to do with all of bianca's boyfriends.
max verstappen wait what does that have to do with harry?
charles leclerc oh so he's harry now? max verstappen christian said i have to be nice to him. something about him being some good investor but i couldn't care less charles leclerc take him out. max verstappen and why should i do that charles? charles leclerc ARE YOU KIDDING ME VERSTAPPEN!! HE- YOU KNOW- HE CHEATED ON BIANCA!! max verstappen and why is that important charlie? charles leclerc THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND YOU IDIOT! THAT'S WHY!
max verstappen BOOM! I WIN! PAY UP LOSERS!
pierre gasly NO YOU CALLED HIM CHARLIE! YOU CHEATED!
max verstappen I TOLD YOU LOSERS I COULD GET HIM TO CONFIRM THAT THEY WERE DATING!
charles leclerc YOU MADE A BET ON ME?
carlos sainz it's not fair, they didn't let me participate because i'm your teammate
oscar piastri can i let it be known that i didn't want anything to do with this?
logan sargeant LIAR! YOU WERE THE BOOKIE!
charles leclerc I TRUSTED YOU OSCAR!
oscar piastri it was either bookie or they were going to make me flirt with peter and figure out if he knew something.
daniel ricciardo i'm back what did i miss?
daniel ricciardo OH COME ON MAX GOT HIM TO SPILL THE BEANS BEFORE ME??
alex albon there is no getting in the way of lestappen daniel. it's time we accepted that. bianca should too if she's going to date charles.
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charles sat in his room, frowning down at his phone nothing was worse than a 'we need to talk text.' his stomach currently felt like there were a million bees buzzing around in there. the knock at his door startled him and he rushed to open it, being met with the sight of of bianca. she smiled brightly at him, causing the bees to subside a bit.
"you wanted to talk?" charles asked. bianca noticed the scared expression on charles' face and her eyes widened, quickly understanding what charles thought there talk was going to about.
“no! this isn’t that kind of talk, i swear,” bianca quickly said.
“then what is it about?” charles questioned.
“can i come in?” charles nodded, stepping out of the doorway and opening the door wider, allowing her in. bianca gave him a slight smile, before moving to sit on the couch in his room. she sighed, “i owe you an explanation about harry.”
“no, you don’t,” charles said, as he sat next to her. bianca laid her head on his shoulder. charles intertwined their hands, “i do, and it’s the least i can do. besides, if i learned anything from that relationship it’s that honesty is always the way right thing to do.”
“okay,” charles whispered. bianca sighed again, “i met him at some charity event my dad was holding, when i was a little girl, before he was iron man. os corp was stark industries biggest rival, it still is. but somehow we were friends growing up.”
“romeo and juliet,” charles muttered. bianca laughed, “funny, my mom said the same thing. we- we didn’t start dating until we were 17, both of our dads were against it, but norman. norman saw it as an opportunity to show the public that he and my didn’t hate each other. i was a business opportunity to him.”
charles frowned, "that's not very nice of him."
"well he turned out to be a supervillain on another earth who hated peter. so fingers crossed he doesn't turn out like that here."
"what?"
"that's a wild story for another time," bianca explained, "but i loved harry. he was my first everything, except kiss. i lost that one in a game of truth or dare at a party when i was 13."
"hmm, i was kissed in front of a swing set when i was 9."
bianca laughed, "i loved him charlie, and he used it against me. the girl's name isn't important, although, she was very much aware that harry was in a relationship with me. the entire time we were together he was with her. 3 years of my life down the drain, wasted on someone who was never even worth it."
"i'm sorry chérie (dear) ," charles whispered as he hugged her, bianca burying her head in the crook of his neck, "you should've never gone through that with someone like him. maybe it was a good idea to convince max to take him out."
"like a date? or like murder?"
charles shrugged with one shoulder, "it doesn't matter, either works. although, i think kelly might be upset over the date one."
"and christian would upset when max ends up in prison for murder."
charles laughed and bianca giggled softly, "he's such a connard," charles said.
"i don't know what that means," bianca admitted.
"asshole. it means asshole."
"good," bianca said, "because he is one."
"we should- non c'est bête (no, it's stupid)," charles cut himself off. bianca pulled away from him, "no, what were you going to say?"
"it is dumb," charles said as he dismissed his own thoughts.
"it's not," bianca argued, "what is it?"
"we should- we should go somewhere over break. like as a couple. that is what we are no?"
bianca smiled widely at him, "yes we are, and we should. where are we going?"
"oh," charles said, surprised, "i did not think you would say yes. i have not thought that far ahead."
"it's okay. we can go anywhere. i don't mind."
"well i'm glad we are a couple because i accidentally told a few other drivers we were dating."
"charles, i called you bae, and wanda immediately caught on."
charles laughed and bianca smiled at him. she curled into him, laying her head on his chest. the stark-potts girl yawned, "can i take a nap?"
"yeah," charles whispered, "you can take a nap. i think i'll nap with you."
"i'd like that." bianca whispered as she closed her eyes.
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SPA 2024
biancastark_potts posted a new story
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il mio cuore, i do speak italian, despite what people think. (my heart)
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liked by biancastark_potts, olliebearman, joaquintorres and others
scuderiaferrari it's a rainy one here in spa but we're glad to end the first half of the season on such a high note. it's another double podium for the ferrari boys. see y'all after the break! next stop: zandvoort!
tagged: charles_leclerc, carlossainz55
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username this has literally been the best mid season ending ferrari has had in who knows how long.
username LET'S GO FERRARI!
username FORZA FERRARI SEMPRE!
harleykeener LET'S FUCKING GO!
↳ harleykeener is this what red bull felt like last year?
charles_leclerc that's caption is not written by peter and i know it.
↳ peterbparker ISAIAH GROUNDED ME AFTER THE INNOCENT WAR I WAGED!
↳ charles_leclerc at least he didn't tie you to the hospitality like he threatened.
redbullracing free peter! he did nothing wrong but have some fun!
mclaren free our boy! he did nothing wrong!
mercedesamgf1 free our fellow admin! we were having fun!
username isaiah let our boy out of prison!
biancastark_potts and we've got another amazing half to go!!
joaquintorres can't believe i wake up so early to watch men go vroom in odd shapes.
↳ samwilson you're literally in the air force
↳ joaquintorres literally shut up samuel!
username this has been the highlight of the season besides charles winning monaco and carlos winning spain.
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series taglist: @elliegrey2803 @bingewatche @arkhammaid @sunflower-golden-vol6 @lorarri @ironspdy @mypage-myfandoms @be-your-coffee-pot @celesteblack08 @vellicora @enchantedthoughts @stopeatread @hobiismyhopeu @lilsiz @alessioayla @niniluvsainz @au-ghosttype @six-call @embrosegraves @justtprachisblog @bionic-donut @nichmeddar @landonorizzz @unluckyyoshi @jamie-selwyn @cool-ultra-nerd @kami10471633 @int3rnetgf @fernandoswarcrimes @skynel09 @arieltwvdtohamflash @brekkers-whore @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @chiliwhore @nothaqks @nataliambc @jensonsonlybutton @octopussesarecool @trouble-sistar @raizelchrysanderoctavius @meadhbhcavanagh @emilyval1 @67-angelofthelordme-67 @mgmoore @blushmimi @vroomvroommuppett @scarletwidow3000
strikethrough means i couldn't tag you
click here to be added to the paint the town red taglist
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¡leclerc-s speaks! okay, i needed to give bianca an ex but i could not be bothered to come up with a face claim or name for him so i just went with harry osborn. i know technically the osborn family doesn't exist in the main mcu universe but in my world they do. i also googled a fan cast for harry osborn and the most popular one was timothee so i went with him. please ignore any typos in this, i made this on no sleep because insomnia is a bitch.
¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!
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197 notes · View notes
Note
Hangman x female reader
Hangman falling in love with wolfmans daughter,she was so overly sweet and gentle,she couldn’t ever stay mad at someone and he didn’t understand why but she was the one girl who truly made him feel weak to his knees.They we’re best friends and she never once judged him for how he held himself around others,through the arogence and the cockyness somehow she saw straight through it all an when he was having a really hard night and nobody seemed to know because he was great at hiding that,she ended up just sitting in his lap after he finished playing pool and running her hand through the back of his hair not saying anything at all,it was her just trying to relax him though jake found himself making getting excited about something else.
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southern belle
pairing: jake “hangman” seresin x fem!reader
warnings: none
wc: 1.5k
a/n: i hate to be THAT person but sorry this took so long, i had this uncompleted in my drafts and i scheduled to post it last week but a hurricane deadass annihilated my state but anyways i decided to make jake and the reader in an already established relationship i hope that’s okay!
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“I’ve been hearing some talk about you around base, Bagman,” Natasha said while finishing her turn in pool.
“Well, what can I say? Pilots are big talkers,” he responded, bending over the table to take his shot.
“Saying you’ve got someone back home,”
Jake looked up at her, “Yeah, you didn’t know that?”
“So it’s true?”
“Yeah,”
“Are you fucking with me, because it’s not funny.”
Bob, Javy, Bradley, and Mav walk up to the area where they normally hang out in the back of the Hard Deck.
“What’s Jake doing this time,” Bradley asks, handing a beer to Natasha.
She takes a sip of her beer and looks around at everyone, “Is Jake actually married or is he fucking with me?”
“He’s married,” almost everyone says in unison.
“Bagman? Like Jake Seresin? Is married?”
Maverick laughs, “Yep, his high school sweetheart if I’m correct,”
“Yes sir,”
“How do you know that? How did everyone know he’s married?”
“He’s married to my Goddaughter,” Natasha’s mouth dropped open and it was like her jaw was going to hit the floor.
“And one of my childhood friends,” Bradley added.
“What?”
“Yeah. None of us have met her but Jake’s said things here and there about her,” Javy says, taking a seat and pointing in between himself and the rest of the squad, excluding Jake, Bradley, and Maverick.
“This is unbelievable. How is Jake Seresin married and I’m not?”
This weekend was one that wasn’t too busy for the aviators, so you decided to come up to go house hunting with Jake. You wanted to be with him, but you also wanted him to stay at his base in San Diego. So you compromised and decided to move out to California.
Of course you were going to miss your little place in Texas, but it was worth moving if it meant you would be with Jake again. You had been apart for almost 3 weeks while he worked and you got the moving details sorted out.
You flew in around 7 and texted Jake that you were there. He told you to come down to a little bar called the Hard Deck. You heard your stomach rumble, yeah, you could eat.
You managed to get a rental car and drive yourself out there. When you arrived, you couldn’t help but to feel nervous. You hadn’t met any of his fellow pilots or friends in California, well except for Maverick and Penny.
You grabbed your phone and hopped out of the car. Walking in, you spotted Jake across the bar, and you felt like you had butterflies in your stomach. Even after 6 years, he could still make you feel like a high school girl with a crush.
You divert your attention away to behind the bar where you spot Penny. You walk over to her and lean against the bar. She’s pouring a beer, “I’ll be right with you,” she slides the beer down the bar and turns to you.
She gasps and smiles widely, exclaiming your name. “What are you doing here?” She tells someone to cover for her and walks out from behind the bar. She engulfs you in a big hug.
“I’m up here for a while to look for houses with Jake. I mean he’s got a place but we just figured we would rather have a bigger place with a yard, you know, just in case,” you winked.
“I see,” Penny smiled back. She worked her way back behind the bar, “Well what can I get for you tonight?”
“Get me one of whatever Jake is having,”
“I’m on it,” she winked and smiled while going to pour your drink. You kept yourself leaning against the bar.
Jake spotted you from across the bar and got butterflies. Even after 6 years, you could still make him as flustered as the day you met. He set down his cue stick and walked over to Natasha, “Hey, Trace, how much do you bet that I can get that girl’s number,” he pointed over to you.
She looked at him confused, “I thought you were married?” I mean, he had to have a little fun tonight. Jake pretended to slick back his hair and made his way over to you. Natasha watched with a shocked face, but Maverick knew exactly what was happening, this wasn’t the first time he had pulled a stunt like this.
He finally got to where you were standing and leaned against the bar next to you, “Hey, Darlin’, what are you drinking tonight?”
You turned and smiled at him, “You know, I’m havin’ whatever my husband is havin’,”
“Shame you’re married, we could’ve made a good match,” he pretended to pout. You giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck and he leant down and kissed you softly.
Across the bar, Natasha dropped her pool cue in disbelief. She watched Penny come back with a beer and talk to Jake and the mysterious woman. The woman grabbed her beer and Jake grabbed her hand, leading her back to the group. Natasha’s mouth was still wide open.
The pair came over, laughing. “This is my wife,” he introduced you to the Dagger Squad. Natasha shut her mouth, which was now dry and she watched your interactions with the rest of the team. You walked over to Maverick first and he engulfed you in a fatherly-like embrace. “It’s good to see you kid,”
“You too, Uncle Mav.” Okay so Maverick wasn’t lying about you being his Goddaughter. This was unbelievable for Natasha Trace. How in the world is Jake “Hangman” Seresin, married to a sweet thing like you?
You made your way around the area, introducing yourself to all of Jake’s friends.
“Bradshaw,” you smile.
“Wolfe,” you squint your eyes at him, “Not anymore, Bradshaw, I’m a Seresin now, I have been for a while too,”
“Really? You’d rather take on this dip’s name, rather than keep the cool one?”
“Alright, Bradshaw, that’s enough slander on my humble family name,” Jake cut in. Natasha watched the interaction between the three of you, well I guess Bradley wasn’t lying about you being childhood friends.
Maybe she’s in some sort of nightmare, this can’t be real. You walked over to Natasha last, “Hi,” you tried to introduce yourself to her, but Jake interrupted you, “This is the Mrs.,” he said proudly.
You rolled your eyes at him and introduced yourself to her in the way you wanted, “You must be Natasha, I’ve heard so much about you from Mav. He says you’re an amazing pilot,” you smiled at her and she smiled back, in a forced kind of way. She wanted to reach out and touch your face to make sure you were real.
“So you’re married to Jake?”
“Yes, ma’am,”
“Like, you?”
You giggled, “I am,”
“Natasha, seriously–”
“Jake, this is your wife? But she’s so sweet and you’re so… not,”
You gasped, “My Jake? He could never even hurt a fly, his momma raised him better than that. He’s the sweetest man I know!” You knew he wasn’t, but you had to have a little fun. You’ve been with Jake for 6 years, of course you knew he had a temper, teasing tendencies, and a bit of an attitude, but you’d never admit it out loud.
“See, thank you, sweetheart. At least someone has my side,”
“Of course, baby,”
You spent the rest of the night trading stories and sipping beer. The bar began to empty and soon enough it was only your group in there.
Jake was sitting across from you, watching you tell stories of when you two were in high school. He didn’t know how you did it, but just the looks you gave him made him weak in the knees. He began to get more tipsy and more emotionally overwhelmed.
He came over to you and sat down, he laid his head on your shoulder and you didn’t even think twice. You ran your hand through his hair as he lay down, you didn’t even blink when he came over, you just continued to tell your story.
When you were finished talking, he pulled himself up to your ear and whispered to you, asking to go home. You nodded and waited for Bob to finish his story.
When the end of the story came, you stood up and grabbed Jake’s hand, “I think it’s time for us to head out. It was wonderful to meet you all tonight, we should do this again soon.” You all said your goodbyes and you dragged Jake out to the rental car.
“Baby, my truck,” he pouted.
“We can come back for it tomorrow, honey, right now let’s get you home,”
He nodded and followed you to the car, you helped him in and you got into the driver’s seat, you having had much less to drink than Jake. You pulled out of the parking lot of the Hard Deck and began to make your way home to the apartment.
A perfect ending to a perfect night.
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gg-pedro · 4 months
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can you hear the music (ch. 1) - joel miller x reader
masterlist
even here, at the end of all things, some things persisted. one thing in particular, throughout all the places you had been. music.
summary: everyone in jackson is trying to distract themselves from something. you teach ellie piano and find yourself trying to help more than one miller settle into their new world.
warnings: post outbreak!joel, jackson!era, platonic!ellie x reader, implied age gap, joel x reader, AFAB!reader, they kiss lolz, smut to come, pining, feelings.
words: 1.8k
a/n: a little sweet, a little bitter, a little self indulgent. I'm planning on this being a series! I hope you enjoy. warning tags only apply to this chapter.
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-
Two knocks. Three. More knocking, hushed squabbling from outside your door. You got up from your seat at the kitchen table, a piling mess of sheet music and scribbled notes.
Opening the door revealed your newest student, Ellie, looking very much like Joel was leading her to the gallows with that scowl on her face. 
“Can we just get this over with? I’m fucking hungry.” Ellie pushed past you, shrugging off her coat and kicking off her boots. 
“I’m sorry… ‘bout her. She likes doin’ this, I swear. Always comes back talking about it. Just give her some time to warm up to you.”
Joel had this particular look on his face whenever he talked about that little girl. His dark eyes would soften and he’d push a hand through his graying hair, his thoughts seeming like they were somewhere else entirely from his surroundings. The most he ever said to you was about Ellie. Everything you knew about Joel was from Ellie, naturally.
He was from Texas. He was fairly older than you– you didn’t have much experience from when it was before the end of the fucking world. He sounded tightly wound. He could play the guitar, and he’d taught Ellie a few things. Once, she’d said that he only liked piano music if Billy Joel was playing it, whoever that was. That made you laugh.
You gave him a thin smile, crossing your arms over your chest to ward off the draft that was blowing through the open door. “I know. She’s a great kid, I can tell she wants to learn. I think it helps her– you know, keeping busy.”
Joel met your eyes for the first time since the conversation had started, something painful and poignant seeping into his expression. 
“Yeah. I think so.” He was quiet for a few seconds before looking straight over you to grab Ellie’s attention. “I’ll be back in an hour. I’m down the street helpin’ Tommy with that old building. Be good,” he warned, before giving you a grateful nod and turning back. 
And that was your routine. Joel was usually short with you, a little quiet, a little shy. You thought he was a sweet man– and a painfully attractive one at that. All southern and rough, broad shouldered, puppy-dog eyed. He seemed like he would do anything to keep that girl safe. You were glad the community had someone like him.
You had started teaching Ellie a few weeks after they had settled into Jackson. It was mostly because of Maria’s recommendation, who you were fairly close with. Ellie had hated taking lessons from you more vehemently in the beginning, but the more you worked at it, the more comfortable you saw her get. 
“Come on, kid. This is good for your brain,” you would say, beckoning her to sit next to you on the piano bench. 
She scoffed, but yet she obliged. “This is dumb. I could be doing something useful. Like shooting guns.”
“Art is as important, Ellie. More important than shooting guns. For you, anyway."
Her fingers tapped gingerly on the keys and she played a scale they had learned the week before. “How would you know? You aren’t even old,” she countered. “How long have you been playing?”
You glanced over at the clock. You two were wasting time, but at least she was talking. “My whole life, give or take. I tried to hold onto it whenever I could. It was my favorite thing in the entire world.”
She nodded, seeming to understand. “That’s cool. I get why Joel likes you.”
You didn’t think Joel was someone who particularly liked you. He didn’t dislike you, clearly, but if he had given any hints, they had been falling on deaf ears. You tried your best to keep your expression neutral. “And why’s that?”
She giggled to herself as she flipped through the pages of her sheet music booklet. “‘Cause you’re both fucking weird.”
You laughed too, punching her gently in the arm. “Fair. Now stop stalling and play me whatever you remember.”
Life was special nowadays. More precious than it ever had been. You would have to cherish moments like these. Loss was all around, and loving always risked the hurt. You were really, really fucking tired of hurting. 
-
Walking back to your home, trudging through the snow, you were tired. Working in Jackson’s small clinic was easy enough, but it was draining. You saw to children mainly, bandaging up wounds and dosing out rations of antibiotics when needed. The kids liked you, the parents liked you, and that was rewarding, but plastering on a smile and a light-hearted tone all day sometimes felt like too fucking much. 
So naturally, you were ready to pick a fight when you felt a broad hand consume your shoulder. 
You turned around to match the disembodied hand to a face, only to see Joel Miller. He looked tired, more tired than you, and a little sad. 
“Sorry, I wasn’t tryin’ to scare you. I saw you, and I…” He paused, looking down at the two sets of footprints that had outlined both of your paths. “Ellie isn’t feeling well. I think it’s best she skips y’alls lesson tomorrow.”
She released the breath she'd been holding. For some reason, he had the tendency to precede the things he said as if he was about to tell you that the world was ending. Again.
“That’s fine, don’t worry about it. Is she alright?” 
“Yeah, she’s alright. This whole things a big fuckin’ adjustment, and I… I worry she’ll push herself too much if nobody stops her,” he explained. “She’s been with Maria all day. But yeah, she’ll be okay.”
Ah. He was worried about her. It seemed like he was always worrying about her. “I understand. Can’t imagine what it must be like for her. And you.”
She’ll push herself if nobody stops her. Who stopped Joel? Who looked out for him? His brother, surely, but was it like that? Did those two, hardened and stretched thin, have the time to be concerned about things like that? How long had he just been… going?
You reached a hand out to touch his upper arm, rubbing it a little before pulling away. “You’re a good man, Joel. I really think that, and I hope you know it.”
He laughed a little at that. “I haven't done any good, trust me on that.”
You dropped your gaze and looked away. You knew that everyone here, without a shadow of a doubt, had done things they weren’t proud of. Things they never would’ve done if not at the end of the world.
You were maybe 20 steps from your front door, standing out in the Wyoming cold with him. You tried to meet his eyes before speaking again, but he wouldn’t face you. 
“Come in. Please, I insist. Warm up, I just traded for coffee.”
He looked like he was fighting with himself for a few seconds, raising his head and looking off to the side. “Yeah, alright. Why not.”
-
Joel Miller was sitting in your living room, sipping from a mug so carefully that you’d think he was afraid he’d break it. The fire was lit and casting warm shadows across the dim room. It was endearing. You hadn’t felt like this in a lifetime. 
“I couldn’t do it. What you do. Dealing with all those kids,” he said after a long lapse of quiet.
You shrugged, sipping on your own cup. “I love it. I never thought I’d have the chance to play music again, much less teach. It’s not perfect, but it's something,” you said. “Ellie tells me you play guitar.”
Joel rolled his eyes and finally sunk back into his chair instead of hunching over. He groaned a little as he did it, as if he stored all of his tension in his back. “Yeah, used to. I ain’t good at it anymore.”
“But you used to be?” You pried.
He finally looked at you, his eyes infinitely more dark in this light. “Maybe. Don’t think I’d be able to forget how to play even if I tried, so might as well put it to some use.”
You smiled. “I know. Funny how things stick with you. Muscle memory.”
He nodded. “Somethin’ like that.”
And it was true. There were lots of things neither of you would forget how to do, no matter how much time had lapsed in between the before and the now. And sure, most of what you had learned happened after the world had ended, but that was irrelevant. The most important things had always been there. You’d known how to love for your entire life.
His eyes wandered over to the old upright piano situated on the wall in the living room. “Is she any good on that thing?” He asked.
You thought about Ellie, who would curse everytime she slipped on a scale, who would argue fervently about how that squiggly shit on the sheet music could possibly mean anything, who learned faster than any of your other kids.
“She is. She’s impressive. She picked up Old McDonald Had a Farm like that.” You grinned, snapping your fingers for effect. 
He smiled thinly, his mind clearly somewhere else. “Explains why she won’t stop humming that shit. Thanks for that, by the way.”
“My pleasure, Joel.” You laughed. “You finished with that?” You gestured to his empty mug.
“Yeah. Hey, I’ll help you.”
You were elbow to elbow with each other at the sink, cleaning out the liquid and the scattered coffee grounds from the bottoms of your respective cups. Joel took yours and placed it on the drying rack, wiping his hands off with the towel you passed to him.
You leaned back against the island as he turned his back to the sink. He was so tall, so rugged, so handsome. His age only added to it. He had a softness around his eyes now, his features slightly obscured by the absence of much light.
“Should probably take off… Thank you. For the drink,” Joel began.
“Don’t thank me, I’d do it anytime. Tell Ellie that I hope she’s feeling better soon.”
He nodded, and he swallowed. He wasn’t making any moves to leave, save for his eyes on the door. They flicked back to you, watching you, scanning you up and down until he finally said, 
“You’re gonna kill me, sweetheart, lookin’ at me like that.”
You weren’t really sure of how it all happened, but in an instant your bodies were pressed together with your lower back digging into the dull edge of the island counter, Joel’s lips pressed to yours like he was seeking oxygen.
His free hand felt up your body, and your skin was on fire. A match thrown onto a pool of gasoline. Everything was electric. He kissed you like he’d learned it in another life, back when love was free, when forever was a tangible thing, when strings weren’t attached. You felt it all on your lips and tongue, in the bonfire that was being fanned in your abdomen.
When he stepped back, you pulled him in for more. The opposite reaction to the Earth pulling down on you is you pulling the Earth back up. You tangled your hands in his soft hair, and his dug into the fabric of your jeans on your hips.
You both came up for air after a while, having migrated to the entrance of the kitchen. He had you backed up against the beam of the open doorway, tucking both sides of your hair behind you ear to see your face.
"Shouldn't be doing this," he mumbled, nipping at the warm skin on your neck.
"Maybe not," you conceded. I didn't mean you couldn't want it– what he could give you. You'd all done wrong things. "You could still stay."
"Yeah," he responded, pressing his body against yours and sweeping a hand over to cradle your lower back. "Still could."
Maybe it wasn't a lie. Maybe that glassy, far off look wouldn't be permanent. It could be like this. You could have a reason.
And yeah, maybe Joel knew more than he let on. Some things never really left him.
-
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clanwarrior-tumbly · 9 months
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hi! can i request ken x (male) reader who’s from texas and breaking ken’s idea of the patriarchy (mostly the realities of cowboy life lol) thank you!!
"Now what're you supposed to be, a cowboy or somethin'? Because it looks like you're goin' to a fashion show upstate."
Blinking owlishly, Ken spun around on his heels, coming face-to-face with you. He looked at your clothing up and down, noting you had a hat similar to his, along with ripped jeans, cowboy boots, and a buttoned plaid shirt.
His eyebrows furrowed with confusion, not seeing an apparent difference.
Nevertheless, he realized you were another human male who was trying to talk to him, and he was excited! This was his big chance to learn more about the patriarchy of the Real World!
But he didn't wanna let his eagerness show too much, so he leaned against a nearby pillar, keeping the books tucked against his side.
"Nah, I ain't goin' to no fashion show....partner..." He made a poor attempt at mimicking your accent, which he noted was heavily Southern, and it took all your willpower not to laugh your ass off.
Yet you couldn't help chuckling anyways, which made the blond pout as he adjusted the brim of his hat. "Awh I'm only teasin'." You shook your head. "I will say it does fit ya pretty good. Haven't seen anything like that back in Texas."
"...oh really? Thanks!" He put a big smile back on, trying to sound cool and casual. "Sounds like a fun place. I'm just here..seeing what this world's all about...getting accustomed to the patriarchy. Man, I wish Barbie told me about-"
"Hold on..." You stopped him in his tracks, being perplexed by several things he just said. "What about the patriarchy? You act as though it's a lifestyle-"
"Is it not? Because I see it all around us!" He spread his arms out. "It's incredible! Everything's backwards but yet...I'm just amazed! This world caters to us men!" Then he stepped closer, showing you the books in his hands depicting studies of horses and patriarchy, a sparkle in his eye. "Look, these books have already taught me so much!"
You blinked, taking one of them and frowning as you recognized the barcode as being from the school your cousin attended. "Ya realize you stole these from a school library, right-?"
"Back in Barbieland, we Kens had none of this stuff!!" He ignored your remark, yanking the book from your hands as he continued to babble on and on and how "awesome" the patriarchy is while pointing to a nearby horse statue.
He's acting as though this was the first time he's ever heard of it, firmly believing that it's all about men and horses.
That would've convinced you that this guy was either insane or living under a rock all his life....had he not mentioned "Barbieland", "Barbie", and "Ken".
'As in...the dolls my little cousins played with?' You pondered. 'Well it would certainly explain the outlandish outfit..and how it doesn't look like any lights are on upstairs...'
"So.." You cleared your throat, he was quick to shut up and let you continue, blinking as you offered your hand. "Before I forget...the name's [y/n]. A pleasure to meet ya."
He studied your gesture intensely, before putting forth his manliest handshake possible, his eyes lighting up when you laughed and complimented his strong grip. "And I'm Ken, the pleasure's all mine."
"Yeah, I figured."
"Well, [y/n]. You seem to embody everything a human man is, so...you got any advice for a fellow man who only just recently learned of all these great luxuries?" He raised an eyebrow.
You thought about it for a few moments, letting his hand go as your gaze went back to the books tucked under his arm. "Yeah, uh..for one, ya seem to be holdin' onto this "idea" that patriarchy's all about the horses. I hate to break it to ya....but it ain't that simple."
"....wait, it's not..?" He blinked in bewilderment, looking to the books and frowning. "Are you sure? Because these books told me-"
"They're outdated an' used for history projects at school. They don't accurately showcase modern cowboy culture, which is what ya seem to be enthralled with."
"...these don't???" His voice became higher-pitched, becoming utterly devastated that he was lied to. "But if it's not about horses..then...then what about the statues, hm? And those officers riding them?!"
"Ken..in this world anybody can ride a horse if they wanted to. You just happen to see more guys than gals doin' it."
"Oh..."
"Look, it's true that more men are in charge of stuff here in LA, but the patriarchy is really just a messy system that harms both sides." You frowned slightly. "It ain't somethin' I'd wanna idolize."
"...but why?"
You sighed, unsure of how you could possibly dumb it down for him even further. "'cuz it's turned some of my own friends and family into vile dirtbags who think the world owes them everything. I'd hate to see ya fall down that same pipeline."
He nodded in slight understanding, but seemed rather sad as he hugged the books to his chest, feeling like his dreams were shattered just as he began to realize them..
"I thought it was just like Barbieland..."
"Ya'll got a matriarchy there?"
"...I guess..? They write all the constitutions and stuff."
"And...how do they treat ya?"
"Like we're accessories." Ken huffed, eyebrows knitted together in frustration. "They aren't terrible, but...I only have a good day when Barbie looks at me..which...hasn't been happening lately. I was thinking if I could show her the cool horses and stuff...she'll see me differently. See me for the man I can be."
You never expected for this conversation to derail into you trying to resolve a doll's identity crisis, but it's clear he was holding onto the misconception that the "Real World" was just opposite of Barbieland--where men had it all here and ruled without flaw.
That was far from the truth.
"Now changin' yourself for a lady isn't what ya wanna do, son." You patted his shoulder, causing him to look up at you in astonishment. "You're good enough as you are. But I take it that deep down...ya just care about the horses?"
He nodded again.
"Then..how about instead of reading this misleading garbage--" You tapped the binder of one of the books "--ya talk to someone who's lived the authentic cowboy life? Somebody with experience?"
Looking all around, he seemed confused for a moment, before his gaze returned to yours. "Like....you?"
"Yup."
"Isn't being a man and wearing this not enough?"
"It's a wee bit more complicated than that. It's hard work. But if you're interested in that sort of life, I can tell ya all about it." You offered, smiling as you watched the grin return to his face.
"I'd love that. Now if I don't need these stupid books, then I'll just--" He went to toss the stack into the nearest trash bin, but you were quick to intervene.
"Hey, hey, hey! Ya can't just throw away school property like that!"
"...but you just called this "garbage"."
"It's a figure of speech, Ken." Sighing, you just shook your head, taking the books off his hands. "You'll learn a lot about that here. Let's just go return these and I'll tell ya all about my life back in Texas. Whatever ya wanna know, I'll do my best to answer."
Ken's eyes shimmered at the prospect of hanging out with another guy..like all the other humans he's seen. That's all he truly wanted, really--just to bond with someone and not be in some aggressive rivalry unlike what he had with the other Kens.
He's lucky he ran into you.
"Can I ask something now?"
"Sure..if it's less than ten words." You humored him.
"Do..you..own..horses..? That's four." He grinned, counting on his fingers just to be sure of it.
"I do. Poor things couldn't take the dry heat of Texas, so they came along with me in a truck. I'll show ya pictures after we return these books."
Ken nodded eagerly, unable to hide his excitement as he followed you back to the library, ready to learn more about your culture.
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avastrasposts · 5 months
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A Baker's Dozen - Three
Twelve Pedro boys, twelve stand alone short stories, all set in the same bakery.
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Hi!
Look at all the love you guys gave Din last week! I'm completely overwhelmed and flustered and I'm so happy you guys love this little series of Pedro boys and, apparently, the luckiest woman in the world. I love exploring their voices and aaaaall the fluff and sweetness I want to cram into these stories. But before we meet Pedro boy number three I have to give a few shout outs: First to @maggiemayhemnj because of certain fashion choices in this story... Secondly to @trulybetty and @for-a-longlongtime who actually made Dieter's Millionaire's Shortbread from the first part! Dieter would be very proud of you both and then steal half the pan.
Series Master List
Now, enter Pedro boy number three, and look who it is...
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You almost drop Mrs. Levinson’s bag of cardamom rolls when you see him stepping through the door with a hesitant look on his face. The tool belt sits low on his narrow hips, the faded denim shirt stretches tight over his shoulders and he’s looking around the bakery with a cautious frown. It’s like he’s stepped out of the pages of a calendar of sexy construction workers, and you mentally pick your jaw off the floor as he looks over at you.  
“Here you go Mrs. Levinson,” you say, adding the last cardamom roll to her bag and forcing your eyes away from the man. 
“Thank you dear,” she replies, giving you a sweet smile as she puts her hand on top of yours, “Have you seen Mrs Morales lately?” 
“No, Mrs Levinson, I haven’t.”
“Ask her about her son the next time she comes in, he’s such a sweetheart,” she pats your hand a few times, taking her bag. 
“Thank you, Mrs Levinson, see you next week,” you wave as she makes her way to the front door, the man with the construction belt holding it open for her with a polite, “Ma’am.” 
As he closes the door, you take a few steadying breaths, and smile as he comes over to the counter. 
“How can I help you?” you ask, trying to keep your eyes on his face and not let them stray to the freckles that disappear under the V of his shirt. 
He rubs his hands together, wiping at a stain that won’t budge, and gives you a small smile. 
“I’m wonderin’ if you offer baking lessons here? 
His Texas drawl is smooth and low, a pleasant lilt to his baritone voice and it just adds to his attraction. You wonder if he’s aware of how good looking he is, he doesn’t have that air or attitude. Instead he shrugs his shoulders and puts one hand into his pocket, the other one twitching nervously at his side as he waits for your answer. 
“I don’t do regular baking lessons but I’m sure I can arrange something,” you reply, “what did you have in mind?” 
“Well, my daughter, her birthday’s comin’ up and I’d like to make her a cake or a pie or…or somethin’ that’s not just a supermarket cake,” he says, “But I don’t know the first thing about baking and I reckon I might need a bit of help or I’ll burn the kitchen down.” He furrows his brow as he talks, looking up at you with chocolate brown eyes, his hand still twitching by his side. 
“That sounds like a very good reason to learn some baking, I'd be more than happy to help,” you smile at him and his forehead smooths out as he smiles back at you. 
“Really? That’d be great, I really appreciate it.” 
“No problem, and I’ll only charge you for the ingredients, not the lesson,” you say as you bend down and get your calendar out from under the counter.
“No, I can’t let you do that,” the man protests, “I have to pay you for your time.” 
“How about you pay me with time?” you ask, looking at the tool belt around his waist, “I have a couple of small jobs around the place that are probably pretty easy, but I don’t have the right tools, maybe you can help me with that?” 
“Yeah, sure, I'd be more than happy to help you out with that,” he nods and sticks out his hand, “I’m Joel, Joel Miller.” 
“Nice to meet you, Joel Miller,” you smile back at him as you shake his hand, “How about next Monday? I’m closed on Mondays so I can give you the lesson then.” 
“Umm….” he squints his eyes as if he’s thinking hard, “I think that works, afternoon alright for you?” 
“Yeah, whenever,” you reply, “come by at one and I’ll be here.” 
“Thanks, really ‘preciate it,” he grins at you, running his hand through his hair, making the dark curls stand on end as you resist the urge to reach up and touch them. 
“Do you have a preference for what to bake? Or does your daughter have a preference?” 
“As long as it’s easy and contains chocolate, we’re both happy,” he says, “It’s got to be easy, I’ve never done any baking in my life.” 
“Easy, gotcha, I’ll make sure it’s fool proof,” you laugh, “I think I have some ideas already, I’ll make sure you don’t burn down the house.” 
“Thanks,” he chuckles, “I’ll see you on Monday then.” 
He gives you a wave and a smile as he leaves. 
You can’t help but spend some extra time on your hair on Monday morning, picking out your cutest apron as you get to the shop and telling your reflection to get a grip as you apply some make up. But the man is just…you shake your head, focus now!
You’re putting the ingredients out on the workbench in the kitchen as you hear a knock on the front door. Joel is right on time and as you walk across the front of the shop he gives you a wave through the window. He’s got his tool belt slung over his shoulder and a toolbox in one hand. 
“Afternoon,“ he smiles and you bite the inside of your cheek, trying to keep your eyes from drifting over his wide shoulders, the green plaid flannel shirt he’s wearing hugging them tight. It looks as if he’s just showered, his dark curls are damp and brushed away from his face and his scruffy beard looks a little bit neater today. 
“Afternoon, you’re right on time,” you smile at him, leading him back into the kitchen where he puts his tools down in a corner. 
“Nice kitchen you’ve got,” Joel says, looking around the utilitarian workspace, “I never knew baking included so much equipment though.” He’s looking into your large dough mixer on the floor, the one used for big batches of bread. 
“Baking is a very equipment heavy sport,” you laugh, “I’ve got so many gadgets with only one use, it’s ridiculous. But don’t worry, you’ll only need three things.” 
“Sounds good,” Joel smiles at you and comes over to the counter where all the ingredients are laid out, “What are we making?” 
“Texas Trash Pie,” you say, looking at him for his reaction and it doesn’t disappoint, he furrows his brow and looks thoroughly confused. 
“Did you say ‘Trash Pie’?” 
“Yep, a Texas Trash Pie,” you laugh, “Don’t worry, it tastes a lot better than it sounds. And it’s one of those ‘use whatever you feel like’ pies so you can adjust it to your own taste.” 
“Ok, I see pretzels and pecans and chocolate, all things I like, so I’d say I’m good with that.”  He smiles at you, “What’s first?” 
“First we wash our hands,” you wave him over to your sink and let him clean up.
“So I’ve got two options for you, I’m going to teach you how to make the pie crust now, but you can buy a ready-made one too if you’re worried about making it from scratch,” you say as you point him to the recipe sheet you’ve printed for him, “Go on, follow that and I’ll help you out if you need it.” 
“Ok, throwing me in the deep end, huh?” he chuckles and starts rolling up the sleeves of the flannel shirt. 
“It’s sink or swim, Joel”, you grin, leaning next to him by the workbench, glancing down at how the sleeves of the shirt hug around his forearms when he’s got them folded up, you swear he’s flexing them on purpose, but he just leans down on the bench and picks up the paper.
He carefully reads the recipe in silence for a few minutes before he grabs the flour and gets to work. He doesn’t need any help from you in the first few steps, putting all the ingredients in the bowl and working them all together as you add cubes of cold butter. You don’t want to distract him so you stand next to him in comfortable silence while he consults the recipe every other minute to make sure he’s got all the steps. 
“Alright, I think that’s holding its shape right?” he asks you after working the ingredients together into a dough ball. 
“Looks very good to me,” you say, “Now, flatten it into a disc and wrap it in plastic, we’re going to let it chill for a bit.” 
“Right, boss,” Joel replies, and it makes your cheeks heat up, as you try to suppress a giggle.
“We can get the filling done now but then we have to wait for a bit,” you explain as he puts the dough in the fridge. 
“Ok, let’s do that and then I’ll see what you need help with around here.” Joel replies, double checking on his dough before closing the door, “Didn’t think pie dough was that easy, people make it sound real complicated.” 
“No, once you’ve got a good recipe it’s easy. And this next part is foolproof.” You hoist yourself up to sit on the workbench. 
“Don’t tempt me, I could still burn down your kitchen,” he chuckles, coming to stand next to you and you catch a whiff of his warm cologne. His eyes are level with yours now and you can’t help but reflect on how much like chocolate they are as he smiles at you. 
“Lucky thing I know a contractor who can rebuild it then,” you smile back at him and he gives you a wink. 
“Lucky you indeed. Do I know him? I could tell you if he’s any good,” he replies, picking up the recipe card. 
“You might know him, he’s tall, dark hair, cute smile, built like a barn door,” you smirk, feeling your butterflies erupt up as his own smile widens. 
“Cute smile huh? Must be from out of town, I don’t know any contractors with cute smiles in this place.” 
“He’s really bad at baking, but he’s got potential, might be an alternative career path if his construction thing doesn’t pan out.” 
Joel’s grins and glances down at his hands holding the recipe, a pink shade creeping up his neck under the shirt. 
“Yeah, I might know him,” he chuckles, looking up at you again, “Is he getting lessons from a real pretty baker girl, kinda makes her customers nervous with her own cute smile?” 
“Yeah,” you giggle, “that’s the one.” 
“Alright, good to know,” he smiles and your eyes are still locked together, both of you trying to contain your grins. 
Finally Joel breaks, clearing his throat and tapping his finger on the recipe card. 
“So, this is foolproof, even for me?” he asks, bending down to read the recipe as you nod.
The kitchen is quiet for a few minutes as Joel checks that he has everything he needs and then he looks up at you again. 
“Really?” he asks, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline, “That’s it? Dump all the stuff in a bowl and mix?” 
“Told you it was foolproof,” you reply, “and you can mix in other things if you prefer.” 
“Ok, but I’ll follow your recipe for now,” he says, “ ‘one cup semi sweet chocolate chips’.” He  grabs the measuring cup and the chocolate chips. 
You watch him as he carefully measures out the ingredients in the bowl and then mixes it all together. 
“That’s it?” he asks and you nod. 
“Yup, that’s it, now grab the dough from the fridge and roll it out to fit that pie form,” you point him to the form you’ve placed on the bench for him. 
“Alright, never used a rolling pin, but I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Joel grins as he unwraps the dough. You watch him weigh the rolling pin in his hand as he cocks his head and looks at the dough, as if he’s sizing it up, figuring out how he’s going to tackle it.
“Any special tricks I need to know?” he asks, looking over at you. 
“No, just keep even pressure and try to roll it out into a circle but don’t stress too much, it doesn’t have to be perfect.” 
“Ok, here goes then,” he laughs and starts rolling. He’s tentative at first, squinting at the dough every other time he rolls over it. 
“Put your weight behind it, Joel,” you smile at him, “it won’t break.” 
“If you say so, you’re the master baker,” he replies, adjusting his stance and putting more force into it. The green plaid of his flannel stretches across his back as he starts rolling in earnest across the dough, and you can’t help your eyes flitting between the way his hands grip the rolling pin and the tight seams of his shirt. 
Far too soon Joel’s got the dough nice and smooth, rolled out into a neat circle. 
“You’re a natural at that, Joel,” you laugh and give him a quick pat on the back that makes him puff up a little. 
“Tell my daughter, she’s never going to believe me when she sees her old man with a rolling pin in hand.” 
“I’m sure she’ll be very impressed,” you say, handing him the pie form, “So next step is to roll the pie dough onto the rolling pin and drape it over the form, then we bake it.” 
You tell him how to move the dough into the pie form and he gives you a proud smile as it settles neatly. 
“Now cut away the overhang and we’ll get it in the oven.” 
While the pie crust bakes you make Joel a coffee and treat him to some of your leftovers. 
“It’s not fresh but they’re still good,” you say, handing him a pain au chocolat, his large hands dwarfing the pastry. 
“I’m really not complaining,” he chuckles, biting down into the flaky dough, “I’ll bring my daughter next time I come, she's got an even bigger sweet tooth than me, but not until after her birthday, or she’ll catch on to my surprise.” 
“If you find out her favorite I can teach you how to make that next time,” you say, leaning against the counter with your coffee while Joel smiles at you. 
“You’re being far too nice, you’re gonna ruin your business if you keep giving away baking lessons.”
“Who said I’m giving them away, I’m charging you next time,” you laugh, “this first time freebie was just to get you suckered in, now I’ve got you hooked.” 
“You’ve sure got me hooked, darlin’,” Joel drawls, winking at you, and heat rushes to your cheeks. 
“You’re a real flirt, Joel,” you giggle, trying to contain the butterflies that have erupted in your stomach again as he keeps his eyes on yours, looking up through his dark eyelashes as he smiles at you. 
“Just being honest, honey,” he says, taking another sip of his coffee and finally taking his eyes off you. You feel like you can breathe normal again, resisting the urge to fan yourself with your hand as you sip your from your own mug. 
In the kitchen you hear the oven ping and you set your mug down as Joel looks up, “The crust is ready, time for the last step.” 
“I feel like you’re going easy on me,” he chuckles, “shouldn’t baking be harder than this?” He follows you into the kitchen as you smile at his comment. 
“You’re on beginner level, Miller. You’re not gonna let me build a house the first time I use a hammer right?” 
He laughs at that, his eyes squinting as his shoulders jump. 
“Alright, point taken, darlin’,” he chuckles, taking the oven mitts from you, “I’ll stay on the easy stuff for now.” 
“And I’m actually giving you a challenge,” you point out as he carefully lifts the pie crust from the oven and sets it down on the workbench, “I could’ve given you a recipe that required no oven.” 
“Wait, you’re telling me I could’ve done this lesson with no oven?” 
“Sure, but here we are, and your pie is ready to be baked,” you smile, “Just dump the mixture into the crust and smooth it out as best you can, it’s going to even itself out in the oven anyway.”
Joel does as you say, dolloping the sticky mixture into the pie crust and pressing it down lightly. 
“All done, but, there’s one extra addition I like to do that’s not in the recipe,” you say, nodding as he puts the final touch to the pie. “You can sprinkle just a little bit of sea salt over the top, it’s a nice contrast to the sweetness of the pie, especially with the caramel and the condensed milk.” 
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Joel says, “if you say it’s good, I’ll trust that.” 
You hand him the container and he grabs a pinch, “Just a sprinkle?” 
“Just a sprinkle, try to get it evenly over the top.” 
“And now in the oven?”
“Yep, just in the oven and then we wait.” 
As you watch, Joel carefully slides the pie form back into the oven and closes the door and you set a timer. 
“Alright, let me clean up and you can show me what needs fixin’, I’ve already seen that shelf in the corner,” he says, nodding over to your bookshelf that doubles as an office, holding all the paperwork for the bakery. 
“What’s wrong with it?” you ask and Joel walks over to it and gives the corner of it a gentle kick, making the whole thing sway. 
“Oh, ok,” you say as Joel grabs the shelf to steady it, “please fix that.” 
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it stable, but you might want to consider replacing it, that cheap Ikea stuff will always start to wobble after a while,” he says, washing off and moving his tool box in front of the bookshelf as you start to remove some of the contents. 
“Actually,” Joel says, looking around the bakery’s kitchen, “You don’t have an office, do you? Where do you do the paperwork for the business?” 
“On the workbench,” you say, pointing to where Joel’s bowl still is, “or I just take it home with me.” 
“You know, I did a job a few months ago, built a small fold away office set for a bedroom,” he says, giving the kitchen an appraising look, “If you get rid of the bookshelf, I could build you a new one and include a desk that you can fold away, it basically works as a door for the shelf when you put it up, and a desk when it’s down. Here, let me show you.” 
He pulls out his phone and shows you a picture of what he means, the office set up is a sleek custom build in a small bedroom. 
“Wow, you built this?” you ask, “It’s beautiful, but I could never afford something custom built like that, I’m sorry.” 
Joel gives you a warm smile, putting his phone back, “I’ve got plenty of material left over from that job, and my time is free for you, I’d be happy to build it for you,” he says but you shake your head. 
“Really, Joel, that’s too much, you’ve already offered to fix things around the kitchen, I can’t let you build that too.” 
“Please, stop being so infuriating and just accept the damn thing,” Joel chuckles, bending to pick up a screwdriver from the toolbox, “Plus, it gives me an excuse to come back here after we’re done with this pie.” 
“You don’t need an excuse to come back, Joel,” you smile as you watch him begin tightening the screws holding the old bookshelf together. 
“I don’t?” he asks, still focused on the screws but you see him glance over as you pull out what you need to make the foundations for a wedding cake for next weekend. 
“Of course not,” you smile, “you’re welcome anytime, baking lessons or not.” 
“I might take you up on that then,” he says with a grin, giving the bookshelf a shake. “Ok, it’s sturdy now but I’m going to take some measurements for your new one.” 
“Thanks Joel, I really appreciate it,” you reply as you begin measuring the ingredients. 
“You’re welcome, and it’s no bother, really,” he smiles as he comes over to you and looks over your shoulder, his arm touching yours as you move back, but he doesn’t back up, the warmth from him seeping through the layers of clothes. 
“What are you making?” he asks and you tilt the bowl towards him. 
“Sponge cakes, they’re the bases for a wedding cake I’m delivering on Saturday.” 
“That must be the master level of baking,” he says, looking at the sketch of the cake you’ve made alongside the recipe, “It looks complicated.” The cake has four layers, each layer decorated with different coloured macarons and intricate flowers made from sugar and Joel traces his finger over the pattern, “Incredibly beautiful, I’d love to see it when it’s done.” 
“I’ve got pictures of a similar one on the bakery’s Instagram page,” you say but Joel shakes his head. 
“I don’t have Instagram, but my daughter keeps buggin’ me about it, says it’d be good for business if I had pictures of the stuff I make on it. But I don’t know…” he shrugs as if the very idea of social media is beyond him and it makes you laugh. 
“She’s right though, it would be good for business,” you say and he shrugs again. 
“I might get an account just so I can see your cakes though,” he grins and you smile up at him. He’s still standing very close, leaning his hip against the bench, his eyes flitting down to your lips and back up. Your head fills with the image of him leaning closer, soft looking lips parted as his hand finds your waist. 
But he bites down on his plush bottom lip instead, the faintest shade of pink tinging his cheeks, turning to face the kitchen, “I’d better get a start on paying you back,” he says, grabbing hold of his tool belt. 
“Ok,” you breathe out, momentarily flustered as you turn back to the cake batter, pulling your eyes away from the way he tightens the belt around his waist, hanging low on his hips. 
Joel quickly spots a few other things that need fixing around the kitchen, things you hadn’t even noticed, and gets them sorted in quick succession, a wonky wall shelf, an exposed wire, the squeak on your back door and the glitchy handle on the inside of the fridge. 
“Alright, no more getting locked into the fridge,” he says, testing the handle while you dust off your hands. 
“Thanks, Joel, really, that one’s been giving me trouble for a while,” you say and he gives you another warm smile. 
“Anything else you need help with?” he asks, “Maybe the AC? It’s boiling in here now.” He unbuttons his green plaid flannel and shrugs out of it, the gray t-shirt below is showing sweat stains as he hangs the shirt on your coat hanger. 
“Uhm…” your brain stalls as he turns around and looks at you with a hand on his hip, “No, no, the AC works fine, it’s not on though, makes the kitchen too cold.” 
“Alright, you’ll just have to put up with my sweat stink then,” he says, “Should we get back to the pie or does it need more time?” His cheeks are pink and he absentmindedly rubs his hand over his scruffy beard as he waits for your answer, his lips curving up in a smile as he catches your eyes drifting over his shoulders, the t-shirt pulled tight over the width of them. 
“Ah..umm…no, I don’t think so,” you stutter, attempting to slap your brain back into shape. As a means to distract yourself you walk over to the tall shelving system that holds all your bigger equipment, reaching up to lift down your biggest cake container, “It probably needs about twenty more minutes, I set a timer.” 
The container catches on something out of sight up on the shelf and you tug at it but it’s still stuck. 
“Oh c’mon, don’t make me get the ladder,” you grumble, tugging at it again. 
“Hang on, let me help you,” you hear Joel behind you just as you give the container another pull, and the whole shelf creaks, starting to tilt towards you, a metal bowl clanking onto the floor, hitting your shoulder on the way down. 
“Oh!” you gasp, putting up your hands to stop the whole thing from falling on top of you, the heavy Husqvarna shifting and sliding above your head. Suddenly Joel is right behind you, his chest pressed up against your back as he grabs the shelf on either side, pushing it back up against the wall, making the equipment rattle. 
“You ok, honey?” he asks, still pressing the shelf back, trapping you between his arms as you exhale. 
“Yeah, thanks, I’m good,” you huff, “Fuck, that scared me,” you give a shaky laugh as Joel carefully releases his grip on the shelf and takes a step back, letting you turn towards him, “Thanks for catching it, that could’ve been bad.” 
“That could’ve been really bad,” he nods, looking at you with concern, “If that thing hit you, you wouldn’t be walking away. I’ll get it secured to the wall for you right now.” 
“It was attached to the wall, at least the guys who remodeled this space said they attached it,” you say as Joel steps to the side of the shelf and looks up at the brackets attached to the wall. 
“Yeah, they might’ve, but the screws are coming out of the wall now. Do you have a ladder?” he asks, turning back to you but he frowns as he sees you. “Darlin’, you’re looking a bit pale,” he puts his hand on your cheek, his warm palm making nerves of another kind shiver inside you. 
“C’mon,” he says, gently leading you back to the workbench, helping you hoist yourself up to sit on it, “looks like you had a bit of a shock, can I get you somethin’, water maybe?” 
“No, I’m good, thanks,” you say, giving him a small smile. The shelf tipping had scared you but now it’s his closeness that’s making you jittery. He smells so good, even with his sweaty t-shirt you can smell his cologne, and when he smiles in return, your stomach clenches and you glance down at his lips. 
“Darlin’,” Joel says, his voice low as he sees your eyes move back up to his, “if you don’t stop looking at my lips, I’m going to have to kiss you.” 
You almost lose your words as his hand finds its way to your cheek again, the thumb caressing across your heated skin.
“Please,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper. 
His eyes are dark as he leans in, searching yours, and when you put your hand on his arm, his skin is warm, flexing under your fingertips. The scruff on his chin tickles your lips as he brushes his nose over your cheek, prolonging the moment before his eyes slip closed, and he takes a shallow breath. 
You don’t know what to expect, a soft peck maybe, a careful first kiss, but not this. His lips finally land on yours with a gentle press, warm and plush. But his hand on your cheek holds you close as he slowly parts his lips and you feel the hot tip of his tongue lick across your bottom lip, begging you to open up. You let him in with a low moan, your hand slipping up his arm, over his shoulder, and you tangle your fingers in his hair. His tongue is gentle but insistent, letting you open up for him, but he doesn’t hold back when you do, every bit of space you give him, he claims. One hand lands on your hip, pulling you closer before he slides it up to your back and you mimic him, feeling his muscles move under the thin cotton of his t-shirt as you run your hand over his shoulder blades. When he steps in between your legs, the full length of his warm chest pressed up against yours, you’re almost embarrassed by how loud your moan is in the quiet kitchen. But Joel licks into your mouth, pulling you closer as if he wants to pull another one from you, letting you swallow down his own groans. 
Minutes pass, your face feels hot, flustered, your body weightless as your lips tingle under his. You can hear his heavy breaths into your mouth, his pulse thrumming under your fingertips as you caress his neck, rake through his soft curls. And you can feel his excitement in the way he’s pressed himself against you, you’re just one bold move from hooking your legs around his waist and pulling him back onto the workbench with you. 
You don’t know who pulls back first, maybe it’s the sheer lack of oxygen that makes you both separate just a little, foreheads leaning together, your eyes still closed as he runs his fingers across your cheek, tracing your lips.
“Darlin’...” he whispers, his voice low and breathless, “Open your eyes.” 
You look up at him, he’s smiling softly, almost in stunned wonder, and you know he’s mirroring the look on your face. 
“Will you let me take you out for dinner some time?” he asks, still letting his thumb trace the outlines of your face, “I would very much like to do this again.” 
“Any day, Joel,” you reply, leaning into the warmth of his hand as he cups your cheek again. 
“Alright, darlin’, then let me get that shelf secure so that you don’t end up killing yourself before I get a chance to do more of this.” He bends to your mouth again, and you part your lips in anticipation, his tongue slipping eagerly into you with a low groan. 
Your head spins when he pulls back with a sigh after too short of a time pressed against you. 
“You’ve got a pie to take care of too I guess,” you smile at him and he chuckles. 
“I’d all but forgotten ‘bout the pie, honey.” 
Right on cue the timer goes off and Joel reluctantly pulls away, grabbing the oven mitts from the counter. 
“Let’s see this masterpiece then,” he grins, stepping over to open the oven door and pulling out the pie. He puts it down on the counter and gives a low whistle.  “That’s a mighty nice pie, if I do say so myself,” he chuckles, looking very proud of himself. 
“It’s a fantastic looking pie, Joel, you did great,” you smile and he grins at you. 
“Couldn’t have done it without you, darlin’. And I’m really looking forward to trying it but I should get that shelf attached to the wall first.” 
He smiles at you again, giving your thigh a quick squeeze before he turns and crouches down over his tool box, digging through it. 
“You said you have a ladder?” he asks, looking back at you over his shoulder.  “Yeah, out in the back room, I’ll grab it for you;” you reply and jump off the workbench. The ladder is tucked away in a corner and as you pull it out you hear Joel start up his power drill. 
“Here you go,” you say, putting the ladder next to the shelf and Joel gives it a shake, testing the stability. 
“Might wanna invest in a new ladder too, honey,” he says, “these cheap ones are not too stable. I’ll pick you up a new one at the hardware store, I get a good professional discount there, save you some money.” 
“You’re coming in here and just fixing everything, Joel,” you smile and he gives a little chuckle, shrugging as he gets up on the ladder. 
“I just like to make sure everything’s working, don’t wanna see you get hurt over something I could easily fix,” he says. 
“I really appreciate it, Joel,” you say and he winks down at you. 
“Now, cover your ears, darlin’, this is gonna get noisy.” 
You do as he says and he gets to work. It doesn’t take him many minutes to make new holes in the wall, fill up the old ones and make sure the shelf is securely screwed to the wall again. When he gets back down onto the floor he gives the structure a hefty shake and it doesn’t budge. 
“Alright, there you go, no more death traps in your kitchen, honey.” 
“Thanks Joel, really,” you say, “I feel like you’ve done way much more than I could ask of you, just for teaching you one pie.” 
“Make it up to me then,” he smiles, “I’ll get a babysitter and you let me take you out for that dinner on Saturday.” 
“How is that me repaying you?” you laugh as Joel steps closer, capturing your chin between his thumb and finger. 
“Because it gives me the chance to kiss you some more,” he smiles, bending to find your lips again. 
“You’re a very cheap contractor, Joel,” you mumble into his mouth as he brushes his nose against yours while he teases your lips. 
“Your kisses are worth a lot more than you think, darlin'.” 
Part Four
If you want to try out Joel's Texas Trash Pie, here you go!
Tag list: @harriedandharassed @inept-the-magnificent @sheepdogchick3  @readingiskeepingmegoing @noisynightmarepoetry @survivingandenduring @vabeachazn
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talaok · 9 months
Text
Chapter one: The perfect life
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Pairing: No-outbreak!Joel x married!reader
Series summary: You moved to Austin Texas with your husband due to his job, but your already troubled marriage is about to get more complicated when the contractor remodeling your home, Joel Miller, will enter both of your lives.
Chapter summary: Moving to Austin was the right decision, but you can't shake the feeling that something's wrong.
warnings: hints to the reader's unhappy childhood, and a very short smut moment
Next chapter
New city, new home, new life.
You should have been happy, you really should have been, but the weight that had sat on your chest as you got on the plane had lingered.
You wanted this. You had to.
You had the perfect life.
A big house with an even bigger lawn, more money than you ever thought possible, and a loving husband.
A loving husband of two years, a loving husband who had to move to Texas for work, a loving husband who you followed across the country, leaving everything and everyone behind, because it's him, and you love him. 
Yes. You love him, just as he loves you.
You just needed time, time to adjust, and find a way to start new.
And Austin seemed as good a place as any.
It's warm and sunny here, and the city has an aura you had never quite encountered in any other place.
It's different from New York, yes, but different is good, different means change, and you needed a change.
"I smell burnt"
"oh- shit" you hissed, your gaze finally dropping from the window and down towards the pan where bacon was frying.
You turned the stove off and opened the window, trying to get some of the smell out. 
"You ok?" 
You looked at Richard, his deep blue eyes, perfectly slicked-back hair, and the tailored suit hugging his body like a second skin made him look as if he had come straight out of a commercial.
He wasn't watching you anymore, his attention had moved to the coffee maker.
"yeah I'm fine, I'm just a little tired I guess"
"you should rest today," he said, pouring some coffee into a cup
"I will" you nodded, glancing at the pan "I should probably make more bacon"
"don't worry" he stopped you "I'll just eat something on the way"
"you sure?"
"Yeah" He took a sip from his mug and set down on a stool 
"So..." you walked to the opposite side of the kitchen counter to face him "Are you nervous?"
He raised his eyes from his phone to look at you.
"Why would I be? I'm the boss"
"yeah, but it's still your first day"
He shrugged "I just want to get it over with, today's only gonna be meetings and people introducing themselves, tomorrow's gonna be my actual first day"
"right," you offered him a small smile "And have you talked to Francis?"
"Yeah, he said he'll show me around today" 
He stood up to place the cup in the sink.
"and about the remodeling?"
"Right, yeah he gave me a number, I'll text it to you"
"great"
Silence fell, and with it, a spell seemed to turn you both to stone
He broke it first
"Right" he glanced at his watch "I better go"
"Right," you said, taking a step closer to him.
His lips were on and off of yours so quickly you wondered if you had imagined it.
"Have a great day" you managed, as he walked out of the room
"you too"
__ __ __
The shelves had finally started to come to life.
"Why do we have to bring all your books, it's a waste of time" you recalled Richard saying "It's not like you're gonna read all of them again"
It infuriated you how he didn't get it, how completely baffled he was by your decision.
Like hell you were leaving such an important part of you back home.
Some of the volumes filling the living room you've had since you were a child, some of these stories raised you when there was no one else bothering to do the job.
A small, unexpected smile pulled at your lips as your gaze fell to the last remaining book in the box.
'scary stories to tell in the dark'
You were only 12 years old when you read it. You had found it in the school library, and tempted by a bravado that didn't belong to you, you had picked it up and stuffed it in your bag, carrying it all the way home as if it were the most precious treasure ever known to man.
It had helped silence the screams down the hallway, but it also made it impossible for you to sleep for a whole week.
A quiet laugh climbed your throat as you remembered watching every shadow in your room mutate into a horrifying monster.
You had never given it back.
The barely-together copy in your hands was the same one you had held 22 years ago.
For some reason, out of all the books you've read, this one you held closer to your heart.
Perhaps it was the rebellion behind the act, or perhaps, it was the feeling that that book had given you, the courage, the proof that you could do it, that you were gonna come out the other end, the proof, at last, that monsters can be fought, and at times even defeated.
You sighed, as you settled the book onto the now overflowing shelf, taking a step back to admire the living room.
That's it.
Piece by piece, you were gonna make this your home.
The next hours passed in a frenzy and by the time only a box was left on the floor, it was two in the afternoon.
You had been so caught up with your work you had forgotten to eat.
And now that you realized... god if you weren't hungry.
It's just one more box though, you thought as you peeked at it.
Yeah, c'mon I can do this
Only the stuff for the coffee table remained, and as you took the first item-
Fuck.
The shattered lamp rested on the floor like paint on a Pollok.
Fuck me, man, that was expensive.
You cringed as you bent to try and pick up the sharp pieces, but of course, as a ringing sounded across the room, you gasped and lost your focus, cutting your finger on the glass.
A stinging pain shot through you and you winced loudly, stumbling backward while trying hard not to look at the blood.
This really wasn't the time to be fainting.
Your phone was still annoyingly ringing.
"What?" you picked up without bothering to look
"I'm sorry is this a bad time?" what sounded like a confused male's voice spoke through the phone.
"Richard?" you frowned as you realized it was an unknown number "I'm sorry who's this?"
"I'm Joel, Joel Miller, from the contracting company" he paused "Your husband gave me your number"
"oh" you breathed "I-I'm sorry, he didn't tell me"
"Ma'am if this is a bad time I can call you later"
"no, no please don't worry I just- Now it's fine"
"ok good, your husband has told me you want to do some remodeling?"
"Yeah, we have a big room on the second floor that's unutilized and I'd like to build up a wall and make it into two rooms, perhaps a guest bedroom and bathroom"
He hummed, considering your words "That shouldn't be a problem, I'd like to come to your house one of these days so I can see the space firsthand"
"Yeah sure" You nodded, wrapping a paper towel around your finger once you walked to the kitchen "Would tomorrow be alright?"
"Absolutely, how does 10:30 sound?"
"perfect" you smiled 
"Alright then, if you just give me your address we're gonna be all set"
"of course"
__ __ __
he didn't come home for dinner.
"I'll eat out with some of my colleagues"
That's all he said.
And before you knew it you were heating a frozen pizza in the oven, and watching the sun disappear on the horizon through the kitchen window.
It was good that he stayed out, that's what you kept repeating in your head.
It's good that he's already getting to know his colleagues, and it's good that he's already settling in, it's perfect.
It's what you should be doing.
And yes you would have liked to spend more time with him today, but there's still tomorrow, and the day after that... there's still the rest of your life, one day certainly won't make a difference.
And it's not like you didn't enjoy the quiet, it gave you time to think, to look around the bare walls and ponder what you should fill them with.
A painting there, a mirror there, photos there... it was all coming together in your head.
The house had started to look more like a home, your home.
It was 9 pm by the time you decided to go to bed, it was early for your standards, but you'd had a long day.
He wasn't home yet.
You didn't know what time it was when you heard the front door open, but you were still awake, having tossed and turned hoping to tire yourself out for what felt like an eternity.
"hey" you murmured, once he entered the bedroom
"What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep"
He only nodded, as he started undressing
"So how did it go?"
"well," he said "Everyone seems nice enough"
"I'm glad" you smiled, turning on your side to look at him better "I unboxed everything for the living room today"
"cool," he sighed, hanging his suit and walking into the bathroom.
You laid there, listening to the toilet flush and the sink being shut on and off.
He emerged from the door again and made his way into the bed.
"And the contracting guy called" you continued, as he made himself comfortable "He'll come by tomorrow"
"that's good" he breathed, turning the light off 
"I told him what we wanna do and he said it shouldn't be a problem"
"yeah?" he asked, as you felt him shuffle closer to you
"Yup, he said he's done stuff like that before and he just needs to-" Your words got lost in your throat once you felt his hand travel to your chest.
"Richard?" you murmured, while his mouth moved to your shoulder and slowly up your neck.
The smell of his two hundred dollars aftershave hit your nostrils immediately.
"mh?" he hummed, letting his hand sneak down to find your ass through your shorts.
"Richard... I'm tired" you whimpered
"C'mon baby, you don't have to do anything I'll do all the work"
His hands on you felt inexplicably wrong right at that moment.
"I just-" you tried to slowly shift away from his grip "I've unpacked all day, I don't feel like it"
He emitted an audible groan "Y/n it's been like a month since you've last felt like it"
Your mouth closed as quickly as it had opened.
It was the truth, you hadn't been in the mood for a while now. 
"I'm sorry, I don't know- maybe tomorrow..."
He sighed, pushing himself off of you
"Whatever"
A small gust of air sent a shiver up your spine as he got up.
"where are you going?" you asked, watching his shadow move around the room.
"I'll just watch some tv or something"
"oh- alright," your voice was so small you almost didn't sound like yourself.
He didn't seem to hear you as he closed the door behind him, casting a veil of darkness over the room.
Once again, you were alone.
You turned towards the window, the moon's soft glow split the ocean of blue in the sky, shily lighting the neighborhood.
You felt a knot in your stomach, a sudden urge to cry, but as you watched the wind glide through the leaves and trees and grass, you were able to breathe, breath with each gust, slowly willing your heart to stop racing and your eyes to dry.
There was nothing to cry about.
Everything was good, great, fantastic even.
You had the perfect life.
Everything you had ever dreamed of was right in your grasp.
You just needed time, and everything was gonna work itself out fine.
Next chapter
...
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