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emmafrostyyy · 5 months
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y'all sleeping on Astarion/Lae'zel bc this moment is so...the way the flippant demeanor drops and he doesn't hesitate to call her out for sticking with her version of Cazador like their relationship is so underrated fr...
sitting down writing this bullshit like let me peel it like an onion a bit and elaborate why this pairing is fascinating to me
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It's really interesting how during the most cathartic, life-altering moment in Astarion's questline, the reactions of the other companions are more about the moral wrongness/guilt of sacrificing innocent lives. Lae'zel doesn't do that and instead relates to his hurt.
She knows what's he's feeling, the lack of control, the unfairness of being powerless for too long. This is a woman who just found out her entire life purpose was built on lies, discarded and hunted by her own people after outliving her usefulness, and groomed to basically die for an insane power-hungry lich queen. She knows all too well that power isn't always real freedom. Her first instinct is to empathize with Astarion to steer him away from his hate and resentment.
Astarion/Lae'zel is so interesting to me because they're such a classic "can we make each other worse or make a better person out of the other?".
They both have genuine appreciation for violence and respect each other's ruthlessness. Astarion was used as a weapon of seduction while Lae'zel was of warfare. Sex with people is meaningless and not real intimacy for them, and while both have little understanding/experience of interpersonal relationships beyond the physical, they still feel and love very deeply. They have no frame of reference for things like friendship and warmth, but they badly want all of that and more, even if they don't know it yet.
In-game they can sleep with each other, which is basically the foundation of the normal Tav/Astarion romance. Lae'zel saw him during combat and got horny, who knows. Astarion who's used to luring people with his charms, takes up Lae'zel's blunt offer because she's a strong hardened warrior that can provide protection and be a worthy ally, and he doesn't know how to say no. Navigating the complications between one who wants to be seen beyond as a sex object, and one who comes from a totally alien culture with no concept of love/family/connections and only sex is honestly really compelling to me. It's a transactional, mutually beneficial thing with no emotional expectations. Once you get past the skeevy rockiness of their early relationship, I really like the idea of them slowly seeing something past the exterior and realizing they may have harshly misjudged the other, an unspoken friendship blooms, and in comes the realization that they are essentially loners longing for kindness and a comforting touch in the most desperate of situations.
Lae'zel is prideful, direct, has no sense of courtship talk, and doesn't hold back her thoughts the slightest--she's not sweet/agreeable and what you see is really what you get, which I imagine would be disarming for Astarion who's used to vacuous flattery and has difficulty trusting others. But she's also insanely protective, passionate, loyal, and an initiator-- every romance scene is triggered by her first and she's always showing effort towards her relationships, which would mesh well with Astarion who does need someone to nudge him.
She doesn't purposely suppress her feelings, she's just simply at loss at how to express them sometimes due to her wildly different upbringing. She stops the sparring match you agree to and an easy vulnerability slips instantly out of her: "I don't want to hurt you. I want to protect you, and for you to protect me." and "Thus far I've taunted you, devoured you, battled you. Now I want more than anything to soothe you." are romantic as fuck and Astarion of all people really needs to hear that tbh.
Astarion is also someone who struggles with reinforcing his boundaries, and a key theme in Lae'zel's romance is that she encourages and wants you to challenge her and learn to stand your ground. It's not gentlest method, but hey, relationships are about having to make an effort to learn each other's language.
I think he also would take pleasure "educating her on the matters of Fay-run" (I believe there's a whole banter with him teasing her and teaching her pet names) and would get a kick out of coaxing Lae'zel out of her shell with her shyness at showing public affection, and making her blush. Also it simply would be fucking funny to see Astarion who's used to easy seduction, trying to pass a persuasion check just to get a smooch and generally having to work to earn regular kisses from Lae'zel lmfaooo
Lae'zel also initially struggles to see her chains as chains. When she learns about Vlaakith's betrayal, she copes instantly through denial and shuts it down. Astarion is NOT having it and calls her out, he knows her well enough to recognize that she would value blunt honesty above all.
I imagine he also despises her lack of self-preservation, the way her entire identity is tied to duty and being in service of others, and doesn't understand her desire to still help/liberate the people that want her dead and are hunting her down. He wants to make this duty-bound soldier realize that looking out for herself, and putting herself first may not be the worst thing in the world.
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They're so similar to each other but are also polar opposites in some ways that make a more equal, balanced romance I think. It's not a simple, one-sided, feel-good "she/he can fix her/him" fantasy because both of them have to earn each other's love, actually cut through the other's flaws, and actively motivate each other to be better versions of themselves.
They're not at all the other's ideal guiding hand. It's rough, jagged, and imperfect, but that's how healing goes. It's so far from being the healthiest relationship -- but even if their belief systems differ, their moral compass does often align. I imagine it's a slight relief for them to have a partner where there would be less shame and judgment when they expectedly, occasionally slip up and fall into their bad habits.
Also, man, the "You showed me the betweens and beyonds. Beyond war and peace, beyond passion and obsession, most importantly, you showed me freedom.", "First you were my wound, now you were my cure.", "But you saw something else in me - someone else I could be. Someone who could break the cycle of power and terror that started centuries ago.." lines really hit hard when applied to them.
Of course, they can also make each other worse, feed into the other's negative traits that will bring out the worst part of themselves. It's this duality of their pairing that is very interesting to explore, the way it can steer in either direction because it's an intense, fraught relationship at its core.
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sunnebeam · 8 months
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"i always get the job done."
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A 'PERKS OF BEING A HOUSEHUSBAND' DRABBLE.
pairing: min yoongi x reader
plot: the (mis)adventures of retired gangster min yoongi as he leaves behind the life of the mafia and navigates the way of the househusband.
warnings: the way of the househusband au, marriage au, crack, domesticity, yoongi being unironically romantic
masterlist + disclaimers.
note: tysm for all the love in the first drabble! here's more of househubby!yoongi & his badass wife,, as always, lemme know ur thoughts :>
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You're stepping off the bus, having clocked out of work earlier than usual, when you see your husband strolling along the sidewalk with his signature apron on and a mesh tote bag on his shoulder.
"Yoonie!" you call out to him.
Your heels clack against the pavement as you run towards him. The bits of impact hurt your soles but you forget all about the pain when Yoongi kisses you on the forehead as soon as you reach him.
"You're early," he remarks, grabbing your hand and placing it on his bicep before walking the two of you to the direction he was going.
"Boss let us leave early," you explain, oblivious to the looks that other passersby are giving you and your husband.
("Is he a gangster?"
"He looks so scary!"
"What is he doing with that woman?"
"Is he kidnapping her?!")
It's when Yoongi leads you to a secluded alley that you realize you're not heading towards your home.
"Uh, Yoonie? Where are we going?"
Your husband smiles radically.
"You'll see."
He leads you through a bunch of twists and corners before finally arriving at an equally secluded shop. The dim lighting does nothing to deter him as he opens the squeaky door and leads you both inside.
"Ah, Yoongi," a deep rumble echoes as soon as you walk in. "You're back."
"Of course," your husband responds. "I did everything you told me to do."
Huh?
"Did you, now?" the voice taunts, and you can finally match a face to the voice when he steps into the light. "Are you sure you did everything?"
"I always get the job done. You know me, Seokjin."
The job?
The man called Seokjin sneers before nodding and heading to his shop's backroom, leaving you and your husband alone.
"Yoonie?" you call his name. "What's going on?"
"A gamble, darling," he tells you. "I'm making a gamble."
Your eyes widen. "What?! Are you—"
"Yoongi, are you ready?"
Seokjin emerges from the backroom with a big cork board in tow. The board is brightly decorated, divided into three sections each showing different...
"...prizes?" you think out loud. "Yoonie, what is all this?"
"A stamp scavenger hunt, darling," your husband explains in a no-nonsense tone as Seokjin hands him a dart. "I've collected ten stamps from ten different stores like Seokjin told me to."
Oh. Oh.
"Why didn't you just say so?" you laugh, nerves vanishing as you take a good look at the cork board. "Well, what's the prize?"
"Third place gets a cute plushie," Seokjin gives you the rundown. "Second place gets a self-cleaning robot vaccuum—"
("That's what I was hoping to get.")
"—and first place gets an all-expense paid trip for two to Jeju."
("Yoonie, forget the vaccuum. Get this!")
And so the gamble begins.
The three of you wait with bated breaths as Yoongi positions himself. His eyes are closed and he blows air on the blunt end of the dart as if it'll help. Opening his eyes, he takes a deep breath, swings his arm back lightly, then throws the dart.
It lands on third place.
"Oooooh! It looks so cute!" you squeal, taking the cute plushie from Seokjin and hugging it to your chest. "It looks like Holly!"
Your happy giggles flood the shop.
"Well, Yoongi," Seokjin tuts. "Sorry but..." He smirks. "Looks like you lost."
Your husband looks at you nuzzling the plushie in delight.
"You fool," Yoongi says, "haven't you realized by now?" Now he's the one smirking. "The true prize is seeing my beautiful wife's smile—"
"Yoonie! Stop embarrassing me!"
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COPYRIGHT 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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samkerrworshipper · 2 months
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between thighs
short little thigh riding quickie smut blurb lol
warnings: thigh riding, soft smut, porn without plot lol
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Quickies are kind of a rite of passage when you become a professional athlete.
You claw for every single moment in which you can find time to spend with your partner, especially when your schedules are so jam packed.
That’s how you and Alexia got yourself into this position, the two of you jammed against the wall of Alexia’s bedroom with five minutes before she has to leave for an event.
You’re still in the first few months of your relationship, still navigating how to balance work and life, having Alexia looking all dolled up to go out on her night off for the week did things to you, things that had ended up with you pushed up against the plaster with Alexia’s lips mouthing at your neck.
“Ale-Ale, not fair, you have to leave soon.”
You’re mad that you don’t get to accompany her, that you don’t get to galavant around with Alexia. Actually you’re more mad that you won’t get to fully appreciate Alexia in her current outfit. She’s in a skintight pink dress, a piece that you aren't even aware was in her closet until she walked out of the wardrobe with it clad to her body. Whilst you aren’t a big fan of events, you’d push past your social anxiety for the opportunity to ogle at Alexia for the night.
No words would describe just how wet your panties had suddenly become when Alexia waltzed out of her wardrobe, dressed to the nines and looking mouth-watering, your cunt all of a sudden soaked with the sight.
“Lex, what the hell?”
Alexia’s head cocked, a little smile in the corner of her mouth whilst she toyed with the hem of her dress. Your eyes are dragging up and down the pink mesh kind of material that sinches Alexia everywhere.
“This little thing? It’s from my clubbing days.”
You roll your eyes at the way that Alexia implies that she is beyond her partying days, your summer in Ibiza would argue that claim heavily.
“Little is definitely a way to describe it, not leaving a lot to the imagination Lex.”
Alexia blushes, her awkward self shining through as she tries to pull the hem down, all for it to stay put where it was.
You stood up from your seat on the edge of your bed, walking your way towards your spaniard.
“No need to be shy, I’m just jealous that I don’t get the opportunity to appreciate this number fully.”
You bite down on your lip, closing in on Alexia with your voice dropping a few octaves as you speak.
Alexia’s brow lifts in questioning, her hair tilting with her head as she looks you up and down. Whilst Alexia is completely done up, you are quite the opposite, your hair is scruffily mounted on top of your head in a bun, instead of a tight dress you are in a tank top and a plain pair of silk pyjama shorts.
“Jealous? You know I’m only going because it’s opening night and I promised Alba I’d be there. A night that you had an invite to.”
You roll your eyes, groaning at Alexia’s explanation.
“I might have reconsidered had you given me a sneak peek to your little outfit earlier on, are you sure you can’t be a little bit late? I’ll make it worth your while.”
Alexia stares down at you, as you try your hardest to convince her with your pout. She brings her hand up to your cheek, her fingers are long enough to stretch from one end of your jaw to the other, she traces the soft lines of your bones and face, her eyes following her fingers.
“I won’t be late, there are a couple of minutes until Mapi is supposed to be here.”
You nod your head dutifully, standing up on your tiptoes so you are able to pull Alexia into a kiss.
For a few seconds it’s soft, the two of you falling into your normal rhythm, Alexia is pushing you up against the wall of the bedroom, her hands pinning your hips to the wall and slotting her knee in between your legs whilst her tongue explored your mouth and lips.
“Ale-Ale, not fair, you have to leave soon.”
You tried your hardest to grind down on Alexia, but her two hands were big enough to keep you pinned to the wall, unmoving completely.
“You’ve got three minutes, that’s all you’re getting, you can’t touch me and you can’t mess with my outfit, you touch or mess with anything and we stop, understood?”
You nod your head, your mind now completely set on how to achieve your own release.
“Go ahead then babygirl.”
Your hands are nudging at Alexia’s almost immediately, pulling them from your hips so you can slip your shorts off of your ass, leaving you naked in front of Alexia.
There isn’t time for you to be insecure, you instead push yourself off the wall, nudging your way away from Alexia’s knee up to the muscular part of her thigh.
You leave a trail of wetness as you move up and down, your desire spreading up and down Alexia’s olive skin.
Alexia’s lips move to your neck, allowing your mouth to gape open, big deep guttural moans exiting your mouth as you grind up and down Alexia’s skin.
You’ve done it before, but every single time you are once again met with Alexia’s thigh you have to rediscover and locate the different ridges and muscles that felt best against your sensitive clit.
It’s not as good as how fingers or a toy would feel, but it’s something, and something is definitely better than nothing.
“Lex, please, more.”
Alexia’s lips continue at your neck, it’s helping with getting you close but you aren’t sure that you are going to be able to get off solely just from Alexia’s thigh.
“My thigh or nothing, two minutes bebita.”
You nod your head, it’s not the answer you wanted but the upside is that once Alexia is done murmuring against your neck her lips return to your pulsepoint, sucking down hard and undoubtedly leaving a deep red mark.
You force yourself down as hard as you can, allowing gravity to take the reins as you remove the pressure from your feet, relying on Alexia’s muscly quad and your core balance to hold you up.
It’s not the best thing you’ve felt, but with the mixed sensation of Alexia’s mouth, leg muscles and hands on your hips, her fingernails gripping into the bones resting below your skin.
You know that you are on a clock, so you hone in on the sensations, focusing on all of the different things you are feeling.
Raking your eyes up and down Alexia’s outfit of choice seems to be enough, it’s like a rush of endorphins hit your bloodstream as you look at Alexia’s body and all of the features that are being displayed to you.
Your thoughts of lust are shattered by the sound of knocking at the door, Alexia’s lips lit from your chest.
“Are you close, bebita?”
You nod your head furiously at Alexia, pressing yourself down as you nudge your clit hard against one of the particularly accentuated muscles in Alexia’s thigh.
“Quick, Maria’s here and I don’t want to keep her wanting, or walking in and seeing something that belongs to me.”
The possessiveness definitely sends you directly towards the edge, the urgency of your situationship coming to light.
“Ale, fuck, going to cum, Lex I’m coming.”
Alexia’s mouth presses itself to your own, silencing your moans whilst your body spasms against her own body, your pussy pulsing against her warm and wet skin.
As soon as your cunt has stopped spasming and your limbs are reconnected to your brain Alexia lifts you off of her, dumping you unceremoniously onto the mattress of her bed whilst she rushes into the bathroom to clean herself up.
“Drink some water bebita, you don’t have to wait up for me, I'll be back late.”
The pool between your legs is enough of a motivation to stay awake for Alexia, even if it means suffering for a couple of hours.
“I’ll be up, have fun, you look amazing Lex.”
The banging at the door has only grown louder, Alexia is tugging on her shoes aggressively whilst trying to make it out of the door. You enjoy the sight from your spot sitting on her bed, your body covered in the sheets.
“I will, text me if you need anything and no touching without my permission, wait up or sleep, I love you.”
You nod at her, snorting as Alexia clips the corner of her doorway whilst trying to make it out of the room. A string of curses leave her mouth, her body lurching forwards and out of your sight, undoubtedly towards the door to stop Maria’s insistent banging.
You think about the feeling of her cold, big, stong hands on your hips, the heat still spreading from the marks she’d sucked into your neck and the pleasure spread across the apex of your legs from Alexia’s thigh that had fit so perfectly between your own thighs.
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slay-classy · 10 months
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ronwestbreeze · 3 months
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neteyam’s twin sister is the twin that came second but carried equal responsiblity.
neteyam’s twin sister is alot more outgoing and charming compared to the quiet and more reserved half of her.
neteyam’s twin sister is a mama’s girl. always wearing her emotions on her sleeve, always so expressive. she was the sylwanin and the tom out of the twins.
neteyam’s twin sister is his best friend. his other half. spiritually bonded for life the two of them. while different they somehow mesh as well as an oiled machine. she is the one person he could go to, the one person he could express himself freely without having to be a warrior first. or the older brother first. with her he is just a child, like her.
neteyam’s twin sister is jake sully’s first baby girl and that was never going to change. his little princess that reminded him so much of tom and him at the same time. the good parts of him, that is. and there was a certain innocence to her. one that af ather should protect with his last breath.
neteyam’s twin sister sometimes came at odds with lo’ak. the two had very hard headed and stubborn personalities. so much so, they would always clash and fight as siblings do. kiri would often be in the middle of it, calling them both immature. their fights wouldn’t last long, not with neteyam interfering and making them apologize to each other. neteyam was always the one to get her to listen. only him.
neteyam’s twin sister always had little tuk following her around and copying everything she did. she is her role model after all, tuk couldn’t help but look up to her and kiri.
neteyam’s twin sister doesn’t like the amount of responsiblity he puts on himself. always offers to share the burder as they technically already shared the title of older siblings. but neteyam always refused her, always reminded her that their paths were meant to be different and that she didn’t have to follow him everywhere. she was free to be her own person.
neteyam’s twin sister doesn’t like when their father cracks down on both neteyam and lo’ak. the sky people have made their return and everything had become so tense. neteyam is constantly training, lo’ak wants to be like their father. she keeps offering to help her twin brother, keeps telling him to stop taking on so much responsibility but neteyam just smiles and assures her things are going to be okay while their grandmother bandages his recent wounds.
neteyam’s twin sister cries and cries and cries when they are forced to go into exile from their home. their shared grief brought them closer again, after a year of feeling like they were too far away from each other.
neteyam’s twin sister isn’t fitting in well with the metkayina clan. she’s not used to their world and feels out of place, out of her element. neteyam and her are back to being inseparable, navigating this whole new world together.
neteyam’s twin sister starts getting along better with lo’ak because they both shared their insecurities about being outsiders. neteyam is glad.
neteyam’s twin sister feels helpless every time neteyam and lo’ak are yelled at by their parents. but she sticks up for them the best she can, even if her parents discourage the behavior. and whenever she does, jake and neytiri always wore looks of disappointment. as if they expected better.
out of bitterness, neteyam’s twin sister is called “the perfect princess” by lo’ak and she utterly despises it and gets into another fight with him, this time neteyam nowhere in sight to break them up.
in the end their fight didn’t matter…
neteyam’s twin sister is scared to death when her stubborn yet sweet younger brother goes to save payakan. she doesn’t hesitate to go along with her twin, tsireya, and the others to help him save his new friend.
neteyam’s twin sister doesn’t hesitate to save her little sister and brother from the sky people. nor does she hesitate to go with tuk to try and save kiri. it didn’t matter if she ended up captured with the two of them. as long as the two were protected by her, then it was okay…..
neteyam’s twin sister feels a sudden hole in her chest. she doesn’t know where this feeling had come from but she dreads it. as if something was wrong. as if something bad had happened….
neteyam’s twin sister feels her heart sink when quaritch mentions loosing one of his boys. she wonders right then which brother she lost. she wonders if this hole in her chest had already given her an answer…
neteyam’s twin sister reunites with her family on stray debris, allowing them to pull her in to a tight hug. but she doesn’t bother to respond to any of it.
you don’t bother to respond to your father’s cautious yet gentle calls of your name. you don’t bother to acknowledge your mother’s tears as she cups your cheeks.
you’ve….
you’ve lost him.
you find your twin lying still on the piece of rock, right where your family had left him to come and save you.
you never could imagine loosing your twin. nor the pain that came with it. the silence that settled around you. the emptiness of it.
lo’ak’s older sister falls to her knees.
and cries.
and cries.
and cries.
and cries.
he had never seen her cry. not like this.
lo’ak’s older sister is quiet as stone when she watches her twin lay with eywa. leaving her behind for good.
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honeytonedhottie · 16 days
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starting and managing ur blog⋆.ೃ࿔*:・🍰
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so you wanna start a blog? in this post i’ll break down effective ways to start, manage and maintain a blog (from my own experience of course) i hope u find this helpful ✨
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TOPIC AND IDEA ; 
to have a blog you need an idea or concept about what your blog will be about. make your blog about either something that you know a lot about/are proficient in.
or blog about something that u are learning about as a way to track ur progress and learn new information. you could blog about something that you love a lot etc etc. 
AESTHETIC ; 
what is your aesthetic? for me it’s hyper feminine and pink and just DIVINE. when u choose and stick to an aesthetic it’ll give ur blog kind of a signature which is important for the rest of this post. 
when u have an aesthetic in mind for ur blog make sure that you have plenty of pins on pinterest that mesh nicely with ur aesthetic so u can find things like headers, dividers, photos and emojis that suit the aesthetic of ur blog. 
RESOURCES ; 
pinterest is my holy grail for resources. there u can find headers and photos to use in ur posts to give ur audience something visually pleasing to look at while they read ur post. 
what ur gonna want to start off ur blog aesthetic and theme is ; 
a header 
a color scheme (for coloring/bolding words. and the colors for ur blog page in general)
an informative bio 
a pfp 
dividers 
START OFF POST IDEAS ; 
if u want to run a well organized blog there are a couple posts that i think are beneficial for u to make. in fact the most important post that i think any blog should have is a MASTERLIST.
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master lists are great for a multitude of things. they help ur audience to navigate ur blog easier and see all that you have to offer in one convenient tap of their finger. plus when u make navigating ur blog easy, more people will experience ur content which will mean more interactions with ur post.
not only does it help the audience but it also helps u to know what u did and didn’t post, so that u can plan effectively for the future. it’s also a fun way to see how much u posted. i recommend making a new masterlist every year or when you can’t put any more links onto it 💀. if u want a reference for a good masterlist you can check out mine right here.
CONSISTENCY ; 
consistency is key in anything and everything and blogging is no exception. i recommend not blogging in a competitive nature, rather i think in order to be consistent with something like a blog you should genuinely just do it for funsies/passion and as a way to have ur own authentic creative outlet.
i don’t have a set posting schedule bcuz i don’t want blogging to feel like a chore when in reality it’s just a hobby that happened to gain an audience because people enjoyed it. and because people enjoy what i write, it in return makes me happy and wanna write more.
SIGNATURE ; 
i cannot stress this enough but when u have a platform whether it’s small or big individuality sets you apart! have something that sets u apart like personalized hash-tags, a way that u talk, etc etc. 
personalize hash-tags with things like emojis. also, USE UR HASHTAGS because when someone looks up something like “self improvement” your post will be what they see if u add those hashtags.
furthermore if u personalize those hashtags it sets u apart and gives ur blog a kind of brand and individuality in a way. like a signature at the end of a post.
THINGS TO KEEP TRACK OF ;
what posts you’ve done/want to do
upcoming projects or ideas that u have
how your following/interactions are growing or shrinking
how much $ u get from tips
inbox questions or dms to answer
your plans and goals
your personalized hashtags
i hope this post was helpful to anyone who has been thinking about or wants to create their own blog, i encourage you to do so ✨
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ovaryacted · 1 month
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CANDY HEARTS
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PAIRING: RE2!Leon x fem!reader
SYNOPSIS: It was Valentine's Day at the precinct and everyone was giving out candy grams for their secret admirers. Who knew that one piece of candy would have so much of an impact?
CONTENT/WARNINGS: FLUFF. Mutual pining. Alcohol consumption. One kiss. Flirting and confessions at the end. Canon-adjacent. Modernized era (they have cell phones). The og gang is together and are all above the age of 21. Leon being silly and not knowing about social cues. Chris plays matchmaker & Claire is a jokester. Jill likes margaritas and Rebecca is the mom of the group. They are all friends and live happily ever after cause I said so.
WC: 3.7k
NOTES: I am back from the dead, and I come bearing gifts. This was just something I wanted to write for Valentine's Day, and I don't even know how the idea came along the entire way. Here’s some nice fluffy stuff with a bit of added corniness, something new from me. Hope you all enjoy and like it! Comments, likes, and reblogs are greatly appreciated!
✰ ── 《 Navigation ⟡ Main Masterlist ⟡ AO3 》
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February, supposedly the month when red and pink mesh together to signify the one thing that couldn’t be explained. Love. Romance. Companionship.
It was a silly thing really, something that Leon didn’t understand, mostly because to him, it couldn’t be real. That didn’t mean he wasn’t curious, that he always wondered what it would be like to be so attached to another person it felt like being two parts of one whole. 
It was another full week of the month, the days passing by as quickly as they started. Another day, another patrol, that was what he knew as part of his routine. Heading toward his locker to grab his gear, he was surprised to see a small heart-shaped lollipop wrapped in a red bow. He raised a brow at the strange object, curious fingers reaching out to inspect it closer.
“What do you have there?”
His head turned to the side at the sound of your voice, more so feeling your breath on his neck as you peered over his shoulder. Holding up the red lollipop for you to study, you took it from his grasp, the very tips of your fingers barely touching his before you held the wrapped candy.
“Leon, do you even know what this is?”, your eyes held that same mischievous gleam it always did when you were with him, and simply gave you a shrug. “It’s a candy gram silly”
“What? Someone just put a lollipop in my locker?”, Leon didn’t get why someone would even bother putting something like this for him to find.
“It’s for Valentine’s Day, something that the precinct wanted to do to celebrate. If you get one of these, it means someone is your secret admirer”, the way you described the entire ploy was almost comical to him, and he only chuckled.
“So it’s like a crush type of thing?”
“Sort of. Did you even read the note?”, and from the way he looked like a deer in headlights you knew he didn’t. You motioned over to the small red note that was hidden underneath the piece of candy. Carefully, he went to unfold it and read over the words that were written in cursive black ink.
I can’t turn water into wine, but I’m hoping to turn you into mine.
You watched as Leon quickly became flustered at the funny pick-up line, rolling his eyes and trying to hide the subtle blush he got from reading the words over and over again.
“I don’t like this game”, Leon grumbled under his breath, trying to shake off his embarrassment and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Oh cmon, it’s supposed to be funny. But listen, if you don’t want your lollipop I’ll gladly take it”, you smirked as his eyes met yours, pink lips curling up to match your grin.
“What? You didn’t get any candy grams of your own so you have to steal mine?”, he unwrapped the lollipop, popping it into his mouth and humming as he approved the taste. Cherry, his favorite.
“For your information, I got three. I just munched on all of the candies already I wanted another”, you placed your hands on your hips, the uniform only accentuating the curvature of your figure that Leon tried his hardest not to notice.
“Really? You got notes too or were you too busy eating your lollipops you forgot to notice”, he was teasing you now, going into his locker to put on his tactical belt and wrapping it around his hips. It fit snugly on his body, the leather belt he wore underneath to hold up his cargo pants seemed to add to his slim figure. Not that you were paying attention either. 
“I did, but didn’t pay too much attention. I got a nice one though, said something like My candy heart is all yours. Real cute stuff”, you leaned against the wall as you waited for Leon before going on patrol. He was one of the only good things working at the R.P.D. had to offer, and coincidentally it just helped that he was also your friend. Having known each other for a while now, being like this came naturally, remembering how easy it was to be with him when you two first clicked. 
“Sounds corny”, he said with a shake of his head, closing the metallic door and gesturing the both of you to start walking out of the room and into the main hall.
“Yeah, you’d know everything about being corny wouldn’t you?”, you taunted him back as you walked through the halls of the precinct, keeping track of all the patrols you had on the board today.
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Are you coming on this patrol with me or what?”, he already knew the answer, didn’t have to so much as second guess to know that you’d be riding along with him.
“Of course I am. Who else will bother you with their favorite pop songs?”, you walked ahead of him, and his gaze went down your back to look at the handcuffs that jingled every time you took a step.
He definitely wasn’t looking at anything else.
-
It was a long day of work patrolling the city before Leon finally had some time to himself to relax. Thankfully, he didn’t have to work the overnight shift and could lounge at home to watch some shitty reality TV or whatever tickled his fancy. Of course, that was before he got a text message from you, ever the pest constantly wondering what he was up to. Not that he complained.
There’s a whole theme night going on at the local bar. Free shots at 10:30 pm. Bring your ass over here, and wear red!
Drinks? With you? That wasn’t anything out of the ordinary considering how familiar it felt to be around you, but he still couldn’t think of anything else he wanted to do for the night. So, he pretended like he didn’t want to be dragged out of his small apartment as he trudged his feet toward the shower to get dressed. He shouldn’t have cared so much about being presentable, usually, he never did. But for you, he was willing to try new things.
For the first time in probably ever, he’s forgone his usual color palette and took out a red button-down, rolling the sleeves up towards his forearms. Leon was always more fond of shades that reminded him of the sky, blues, greens, and white. Red was out of his comfort zone, but going out on Valentine’s Day night was enough to make that ball of anxiety tighten in his gut. Topping it all off with a bomber jacket, he left the keys to his jeep behind and took a cab instead, playing it safe if he ended up drinking something that would surely knock him off his feet.
He seemed to be counting down the minutes to the moment he walked into the bar. Scanning the area, he looked for any sight of you amongst the crowd, walking past several pairs of people lip-locking and downing shots in groups. The energy was electric, the music was lively, and as he continued to trek further into the bar that’s when he spotted you.
There you were, sporting a red deep-cut blouse and leather pants that were tight along your thighs. He caught the glossy red lipstick you put on for the occasion that only brightened your teeth as you laughed with those around you. And when you turned your head to find him standing there, he gulped down the pang he felt in his chest.
Yeah. He’s screwed.
“Finally, I’ve been waiting for you for so damn long. Good to know you listened to me for once”, you walked up to him, grabbed a hold of his wrist, and pulled him toward a corner of the bar where your other friends were sitting. Unless you cared to look for it, his pulse spiked when your fingers wrapped around his wrist. Maybe you felt it, maybe you didn’t, but that brief touch was cut short when Leon was brought to the table.
Most of the newfound gang was there, Chris and his sister Claire were there sharing a beer, while Rebecca was forcing Jill to be a bit more social. It was supposedly a normal night even though you were out of your uniform, forcing Leon to find a point on the wall to avoid peeking over in your direction. Chris kept him occupied, offering him a drink that he sipped to ease the nerves he felt, all while Claire teased him about wearing red instead of his usual navy. This wasn’t so bad, I’ll make it through the night, he thought to himself. 
It only took a few drinks for everything to spiral out of control. The blame is to be put on tequila. It was always tequila, but thank god it was the weekend. 
Just like you warned him, 10:30 pm rolled around and the bar burst into cheers as servers carried shot glasses filled with red liquid. Everyone at the table had one, and Leon watched as you downed the shot with ease, a wild grin on your face as you did. With your encouragement, and Claire’s taunting, he drank the shot and winced at the stinging of the liquid going down his throat. He hated taking shots, that you knew, but he’d do it so long as it made you happy.
This is why you leave the clear liquor to me and you stick to your beer. He remembered hearing you say that to him one night when you made him drink vodka, the raging hangover he got in the morning only further proved your point.
He’s lost count of the number of shots you consumed, splitting them between Jill and Claire, and an extra you forced Chris to take despite him sticking to his beer. Rebecca remained as the group chaperone, making sure nobody did anything too embarrassing tonight. Hearing a particular song that brightened your mood, you brought Claire towards the middle aisle where others seemed to follow you to dance in the small space.
Propping his elbow up against the wooden table, Leon leaned back to simply watch you move to the music. His whole body felt warm at the sight, seeing how you swayed your hips to the beat of the song and Claire did the same. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, his eyes ran up the stitching of your leather pants, over the deep v-line cut of your blouse, and again towards your face. Sure, you were attractive, he wasn’t blind. But what he was the most fond of was your smile, all cheery and wide to the point where the corners of your eyes crinkled.
He could see that look all the time and never get sick of it. The only thing he’d change was that he was the reason why you beamed like that.
“You’re doing it again”, Chris said out loud with a smirk, knocking Leon out of his little fantasy before meeting eye to eye again.
“I’m not doing anything”, he challenged in denial, Chris only chortled and shook his head.
“Unless you’re watching Claire dance, you know exactly what you’re doing”, the brunette matched his sister in humor, Leon exasperating in disbelief and took another sip of his beer. “You like her. You should do something about it”
“Chris…”
“C’mon, man. How much longer are you going to stand on the sidelines and just watch? Even I’m getting tired of the tension, it’s killing me”, ever the dramatic man, he wrapped a thick arm around Leon’s shoulder, bringing him in closer as if he were telling him a secret.
“You had a chance with the candy grams you realize that right? Sure, free candy but why not make it special?”
“Who says I didn’t do just that?”, the blonde said before it could be filtered out properly, sighing and downing the rest of his bottle.
“You’re joking. Seriously? She got like three of those things”, Chris’s brown eyes widened the slightest bit, not wanting to believe the truth.
“Does it look like I’m laughing right now?”, Leon chuckled incredulously at the realization that these feelings he’d been harboring for so long were starting to pour out of him the more he drank. “I don’t know how to talk to her. Besides, it doesn’t matter anyway, she’s not into me”
“Leon, you must be an idiot or something because she is into you. Who do you think gave you the candy gram?”, Chris muttered, probably not meaning to say it the way he did but it sounded like a confession.
Leon didn’t have time to ask for more details when you came back to the table on his side, an energetic Claire going towards Jill who was down three margaritas and growing sleepy. He could practically smell the perfume off of you, jasmine and soft vanilla, things that he found comfort in and sought after through his day-to-day.
“I think that’s enough dancing for me, I got dizzy”, you said, finishing the last bit of your watered-down drink and slamming the glass down on the table. From the way you were standing, your body almost leaned against Leon’s, ever inching closer toward him.
“Do you want to leave?”, Leon asked you, ever the concerned friend and partner despite the fact the alcohol was starting to get to him too.
“Nah, I’ll stay a little bit. Do you want to go?”, the way your eyes were hazy when you spoke to him brought that same twitch in his chest he usually ignored when he was around you.
“If you’re good, then I’m good. I’m not leaving without you”, he didn’t mean to say it in a different context outside of friendly, or maybe he did, but when he avoided a visceral reaction from you he figured he was in the clear.
“You got it boss”, you joked with him, but your hand lightly skimmed against his by accident, a shock running through you from the light touch. You didn’t meet his eye, instead, you felt the way his pinkie came closer to your own, discreetly curling around the digit.
It was a shy touch as if to gently test the boundaries of what was other than a cordial relationship. Leon started to grow anxious, thinking maybe he messed up, his mind beginning to spiral until you squeezed his finger back in silence. He tried not to make it obvious, but he looked over at you to see you smiling, and for that second he thought his small dream had come true.
“Another drink and then we’ll call it quits”, Chris’ voice popped the bubble that you were both in, but your hands didn’t move from where they were.
Yeah, one more drink couldn’t hurt, so long as you two remained like this for the rest of the night. 
-
Leon regrets having that one last drink. The world around him was spinning, and his feet were lugging across the floor as if he was going to sink into the Earth any minute now. He nearly forgot that he wasn’t going home alone, that you were beside him, doing your best to support his body as you brought him over to your place like you had done a few times before.
Unlocking the door to your apartment and walking inside, Leon was hit with the same scent of jasmine and soft vanilla that he recognized as your own, faint layers of cinnamon engulfing him when you brought him over to your couch in a slump.
“I’m never letting you drink that much again”, your voice sounded almost distant, but it was comforting nonetheless. You walked away from him, your footsteps growing faint until you came back with a glass of water he graciously chugged.
“Wasn’t so bad, I can handle my liquor”, he slouched further into your couch, his head beginning to whirl from everything he drank.
“Leon, I had to carry you inside. You’re drunk”, you glanced at him with that same mischievousness you always had reserved just for him. Even if you had a better alcohol tolerance than he did, your pupils being dilated told him that you were in the same predicament
“Not complaining”, he was damn near mumbling now, his head pivoting to look at you fully. You were right there next to him, all dolled up in a way he hadn’t seen before. In the back of his mind, he imagined you did it just for him.
So pretty.
“You think so?”, your voice brought him out of his current haze, watching as he blinked once or twice before realizing he said his inner thoughts out loud.
“I-I…huh?”, Leon was stuttering now, looking towards the floor and growing embarrassed at the slip-up. You couldn’t help but giggle under your breath, and he prayed to God it wasn’t at him.
“Leon…I don’t know if you can tell but I’ve been trying to send you signals that I like you for months now. You’re a tough nut to crack”, you were speaking, but your words stopped filtering through his brain the moment you said the words ‘I like you’.
You like me?
“Yes, you cornball, I do”, you answered him anyway, catching him off guard at the response. At this rate, he’ll spill his deepest darkest secrets because he can’t tell the difference between what he’s thinking and what he’s saying. “The candy gram, that was me. Thought it might register in your head but it didn’t”
Leon looked like he had uncovered the biggest truth known to man. It was astonishing to witness, how he couldn’t process the thought that you were actually interested in him. You could see the gears starting to turn in his head, and once the revelation settled in his mind his lips were formed in a gentle smile. 
“That was a really bad pick-up line”, Leon said, making you laugh even harder. Your hand made contact with his chest, patting against his body with every sound that slipped past you. 
“And yours was any better?”, your hand didn’t move from where it sat on his chest, mindlessly caressing the material of his red button-down. 
“Yeah, I think ‘my candy heart is all yours’ is one of my best works”, he was almost cocky when he talked, but his facial expression was anything short of dorky. You both looked like a bunch of love-drunk idiots waiting for one to say what the other wanted to hear. 
“Hmm, that sounded like you. Is this you admitting that you gave me that candy gram?”, you were leaning on him, shifting so your body was closer against his. The tequila still running through your system heightened your senses, the natural scent of Leon’s cologne was enough to make your heart flutter. 
“Something like that”, he grinned bashfully, blue eyes looking at you intensely. He took in every detail of your features he could get, moving some of your hair out of your face and curling it behind your ear. His hand didn’t move too far, resting his palm against your cheek and running his thumb against the warmth of your skin.
“Would it be bad to kiss you?”, he whispered his words to you, as if his feelings would only be safe in the four walls of this room. 
“No, I’ve been waiting for you to ask me”, you moved so your chest was pressed against his, hands moving up towards his neck and caressing the hair at his nape. 
Leon didn’t have to wait too long to feel your lips meshing with his, sighing in what he could only describe as pure satisfaction. A shiver rushed down his spine and broke off into the rest of his body, blood pulsing through his veins at rapid speed the more his heart pumped in his chest. He pressed your body against him, wrapping an arm around your waist and keeping his other hand on your cheek.
Leon felt drunk, both literally and figuratively off of you and everything that you were. Things made sense for the first time, having you like this here with him. It was all he wanted, all he needed, and he doesn’t think he’ll ever get enough. Against his wishes, he pulled away for air, staying close by to rest his forehead against yours. 
“About damn time Kennedy”, you teased him again, but your expression was tender. You noticed how your red lipstick stained his lips, no doubt leaving barely any left on your mouth. “Red looks good on you”, you put a thumb against his lips, rubbing at the plush skin you just felt for the first time.
“Does this mean I get to ask you to be my Valentine?”, he looked so cute when he asked you, rolling your eyes at his question, but you found it endearing.
“You’re two hours too late, but I’ll happily be your Valentine anyway”, you gave him one more smooch on the lips, and the happiness on his face was damn near palpable. “But you owe me a better one next time, you hear me?”
Next time.
“Loud and clear. I’ll have a better pick-up line to use on you”
“If you start getting corny, I will leave you on the couch”, the playful threat didn’t worry Leon in the slightest, his smile getting wider with every passing second he spent with you.
“Awe come on, I meant what I said. My candy heart is all yours”, his nose nuzzled into your neck, kissing your soft ticklish skin and breathing you in, marking your scent into his memory.
This time around, he thinks he’ll thank the tequila instead. Perhaps Cupid is real, a little overdue, but he still got the job done in the end.
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©️ ovaryacted 2024. Please don’t repost, copy, translate, or feed into any AI. Support your fellow creators by reblogging, commenting, and liking!
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feralpoodles · 4 months
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Instant LODs script for CC Makers!
Making CC LODs is super tedious, especially if you have a lot of cut numbers, so this is a script I wrote for Blender to help with making them! It's basically like a photoshop action, it just takes the meshes you have selected and runs through the commands as many times as you need.
To use it, just open up the text editor window in blender, navigate to where you've saved the script on your computer and open (or copy the text from the dropbox and paste it into the editor), then follow the instructions in the script. It's super simple to use and it's saved me a ton of time (especially while I was making simblreen gifts lol!) Send me a dm if you have any trouble or questions!
Download here :) (Dropbox)
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riverianepondsims · 25 days
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The Sims 4 to The Sims 3 - LittleDica Rise & Grind Coffeehouse Set
Quite some time ago, I mentioned that a café themed set was on the horizon - here it is now! ☕ Important info and download 💾 below:
About a year ago, I worked on several projects, but many things happened that prevented the release of them. This set was one of them - primarily, I make things for myself and my own use and post later. However, when it came to posting these, some items needed a little extra attention as I wanted them to look a little better, and I ended up adding more than I originally had. It's here now, so it all worked out in the end :) Some of you may have spotted some of these items in my Target set previews 🧐 bonus points to you. Most of LittleDica's sets are my absolute favorite from TS4, and I'm already working on more. Plan to see more of these and others soon! Here's what's included: Aroma Sensations Mural - Wall Deco Professionally Scribbled Chalk Drawing - Wall Deco Dracaena Lemon Lime Plant - Deco Splash of Coffee Mural - Wall Deco Artist's Café Mural - Wall Deco Napkin Holder - Deco Café Bar - Deco Surface with many slots Counter Straw Holder - Separated deco from café bar mesh Counter Menu Sign - Separated deco from café bar mesh Coffee Shop Wall Sign (Text) - Wall Light Coffee Shop Wall Sign (Round) - Wall Light Coffee Shop Wall Sign (Large Backlit) - Wall Light Preparation Station - Display/Miscellaneous Surface, has many deco slots for holding items Coffee Beans Bin - Floor Deco Coffee Bags Bin - Floor Deco Coffee Bean Silo - Deco Wall Menu Sign - Wall Deco Iced Drink Tumbler - Deco Coffee Machine Pods - Deco Coffee Mug - Deco Espresso Powder - Deco Corporate Window Stickers - Wall Deco Syrup Bottle - Deco Spice Shaker - Deco Reusable Hot Coffee Cup - Deco H&B Smooth Pro Blender - Functional food processor appliance Barista Professionista Coffee Grinder - Functional coffee machine appliance Functional EA Edit by Me - Separated Barista Bar - Fully functional version of the barista bar coffee machine without the counter. It is "floating" and does not require placement on a counter or surface. May want to use moveobjects and/or alt placement to place around objects and surfaces, but is very versatile and works just like the original! Dunkin' - Lot file, modified version of TKL4EVR's Great American Eateries Baskin-Robbins Lot. Around this time last year, Dunkin became my favorite go-to coffee, and mocha cold brew has got me through the rollercoaster of this last year! ☕️ I edited this lot for me, but figured I'd share. Place in: The Sims 3 > Library Collection File - collection file to find the items easy in build/buy mode. Place in: The Sims 3 > Collections > User 🔍 Search: You can search for riverianepondsims, LittleDica, or 2023 to locate the items conveniently using a catalog search mod.
- You can find all of my previous uploads conveniently by clicking “Navigation” on my blog and going to “Downloads” or visiting riverianepondsims downloads
My downloads will always be free, but if you would like to say thank you: Ko-fi ☕
💾 Download: SFS - Archive file ☕️🍩🥐
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souliebird · 7 months
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[[and then I met you || ch. 2]]
Series: Daredevil || Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader || Rating: Explicit
Summary:
A one-night stand years ago gave you a daughter and you are now able to put a name to her father – Matthew Murdock. Everything is about to change again as you navigate trying to integrate your life with that of the handsome and charming blind lawyer’s and Matt realizes he needs to protect his new family from not only Hell's Kitchen but from the world.
pt: 1
words: 6.3k
tag list:
@midnightreids @cloudroomblog @yeonalie @thychuvaluswife 
@dorothleah @mattmurdocksstarlight @mars-on-vinyl @mywellspringoflife @sleepdeprived-barelyalive @simmilarly @soupyspence @darkened-writer @akila-twt
@murc0ckmurc0ck @groovycass @sumo-b98 @just3rowsing @tongueofcat @zoom1374@theclassicvinyldragon @aoi-targaryen
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"Mommy, look!" 
Minnie calls out from the living room and you look up from finishing up an invoice. She is plopped on the ground, surrounded by a sea of crayons, proudly holding up her latest masterpiece: a series of different colored overlapping circles. You, as usual, have no idea what you are supposed to be looking at, but that doesn't stop the support you give your daughter.
"That's so good, Mouse. You picked such pretty colors." She beams at you and you return the smile, your heart feeling so full. You love her so much and you want only the best for her and you hope - pray - bringing her father into her life is the right choice. 
Your meeting with Matt went so much better than you ever thought it could go. He wants to be in Minnie's life and that makes you nervously excited. You have absolutely no inkling of how things are going to change moving forward, and a huge part of you is terrified but another part can't wait for Minnie and Matt to get to know each other. You keep going over your admittedly short conversation trying to remember all the little tics you saw that reminded you of Minnie. You want to know what else she inherited from him. 
You tell yourself those thoughts are for later and force them away so you can get back to work. It is getting close to bedtime and you have a few things to tidy up before you can clock out. 
Luckily, Minnie has gone back to her drawing, scribbling away while Scooby Doo plays silently on the television and you are able to work in peace. Ten minutes later, you close out your VPN and leisurely stretch out in your chair, watching your little angel do her thing. 
You are worried about her reactions to the change. Unfortunately, one of the things she got from you is your anxiety - your little one's nickname is Mouse for a reason. She is a quiet timid little thing who loves to watch and observe - like a little church mouse. You joke you need to put a bell on her because she can walk right by you without making a single noise. Her quiet nature doesn't mesh well with strangers. 
You've been taking her to daycare more, hoping socializing will help, and it has, but that is worth other kids. You don't know how she'll react to a new adult in her life who she would have a more casual relationship with. You have no family and the few friends you have have known her since she was a baby. 
Minnie knows what a dad is but she's never asked where hers is and you certainly haven’t brought it up to her.
But now you have to. 
You need to figure out what the best approach would be. You know it has to be slow and steady, but you don't know if you should introduce Matt to her as her father or not. The biggest change she's been through is going to daycare and that took ages. She hated it.
She hates being around strangers for extended periods. 
Out and about? She is okay. She's shy and likes to hide behind your leg instead of talking to people, but she doesn't complain.
But when she has to sit and interact with someone new? She can get fussy. It's not just her being shy, she gets physically uncomfortable. 
She has no problems if it's just the two of you or someone she knows, but strangers? It can turn into a tantrum, depending on her mood. 
You've discovered a few methods to make her more comfortable. You have about fifteen pairs of child sized noise canceling headphones, your bag is full of little things to distract her, and she has her Pig. 
You think introducing her to Matt where she can sit and color and block him out if she wants is the best course of action and to achieve that, you don't think you can tell her the truth right away. She might feel some pressure to Behave because Dad is an authority figure. Not to mention what she would feel if she started asking questions; like why he hasn’t been around.
She's curious but she's also three and unpredictable. 
She could immediately go into tantrum mode. 
She could not care at all and want to color instead. 
You hope Matt understands all of this and doesn't want to jump right into being a Father.
Whatever that entails. 
A change in colors and tones on the television catches your attention and you push yourself away from your desk.
"Okay, sweetie, Scooby is over, time to get ready for bed." 
Minnie finishes her scribble then drops the crayon on the ground. You wait as she climbs up into her feet and starts to pick up her mess - her crayons go into a pail one at a time. You don't know what goes on in her mind, but as long as she's doing what she is supposed to be, you don't rush her. 
There's no lollygagging with your sweet girl, anyways. Once the crayons are in their bucket, she puts that under the coffee table, then picks up her drawing pad and brings it to you. You scoop her up and start towards the bedroom, as she admires her drawings. 
"What do you want to read tonight?" You ask. 
"Spot!" is the instant reply and you should have guessed that. You've been reading the same book for over a week now, but you don't mind. You'd rather read the same thing over and over than hunt for something she does want to read for an hour. 
Getting ready for bed is something that usually goes smoothly and you are lucky tonight is no different. Minnie is already in her pajamas, so it's just turning down the sheets and getting her all tucked in before you start to read. You keep an eye on the time as you do - you have a half hour before Matt said he would call. 
If he does call. 
He said he would and you are trying to be hopeful that he will. You've been disappointed so many times in the past - not just by lovers but everyone. People promise to call, to text, to follow up and they never do. They say you can do something together then cancel at the last minute. You are used to that disappointment, but you don't want Minnie to experience that. You want her to feel loved and wanted.
You know it's not fair to Matt, but to you the call is a sort of test he doesn't know he is taking. 
Will he call? Will he call on time? 
The more you think about the call, the more anxious you get. There's too many thoughts starting to gather. 
The meeting could have been a fluke and now that he's thought it over, he doesn't want to be a dad.
Or he wants to be a dad but not with You. What if you are the problem? 
"Mommy," Minnie shakes you out of your thoughts, looking up at you with big brown eyes. "Next page!" 
You nod and force your focus back to the book, turning the next page and letting your daughter open and close all the flaps that hide different elements to the story while you read. It's hard to get lost in the simple words and story, but Minnie is used to her routine and by the time you reach the last page, she's leaning heavier into your side.
You place the book on her nightstand, trading it for her sleep headband. She tilts her head forward and you help get the band on and snuggly over her ears. 
"How's that feel, Mouse?"
"Quiet," Minnie replies, like she does every night, sliding down under her blankets. Her little hands tug at the band so the sleep mask part is over her eyes. You smile, forever grateful your little one likes to sleep. You wait while she settles, then kiss both of her cheeks. 
"Sweet dreams, my little angel." 
"Sweet dreams, Mommy," she replies, voice full of sleep. You triple check she's tucked in nice and snug and that Pig is within reach, then turn off the light. You leave the door open a crack, just in case, then return to the living room. 
There's a small mess leftover from dinner and you start cleaning that up. Usually, after you put Minnie down for bed, you'd enjoy a few hours of television or catching up on whatever you needed to, but after finishing the dishes, you don't know what to do. 
There's only a handful of minutes until the promised call time and all you can do is just stand in the kitchen. You debate going to get a notebook so you can keep notes, but you don't want to have the whole conversation about how you want to move forward over the phone. Maybe you jot down ideas of what you two want to cover in person? Matt might have questions you haven't even thought of yet. 
You should find a pen and paper. It's better to be prepared than not. You tell yourself that but you still don't move. You just stare at your phone.
As the seconds creep by your throat starts to get tight.
What are you going to do if he doesn't call? 
Would it be awkward to call him instead? Or is that overbearing? You don't want to come off as overbearing - that might make Matt view you in a negative light and that would definitely have consequences in his relationship with Minnie. You desperately want that relationship to be good and not be influenced by any issues the two of you might have. You would hate yourself if the reason Matt didn't want to be around Minnie was you. 
The thought makes your stomach twist. 
You're definitely not going to call him tonight if he doesn't call you. You can send a text in the morning - something with no pressure.
But he said he preferred calls instead of text. 
Would a call be accusatory? You feel like a morning call would be accusatory. 
You can push it to the afternoon, that would give him time to call in the morning, as well.
You're ripped from your paranoid thoughts as your phone screen lights up with Matt's name. Shock overtakes your system and it takes a moment before you scramble to answer.
You state your name as your greeting, totally trying to pretend you weren't just spiraling.
"Hey, it's Matt.. Matt Murdock." 
His words are soft spoken, on the edge of shy, and it throws you. You understand why his nerves would be rattled but you didn't think he'd advertise that. Your brain screams at you to comfort him and you focus on that instead of your own panic.
"Hey…um, how are you doing?" 
Matt chuckles into your ear, low and throaty, making the knot your stomach has become loosen a bit, "Adjusting." He pauses a beat, then adds, "I can't stop thinking about you and Winifred…Minnie."
Your cheeks burn.
You can't tell him you haven't stopped thinking about him either - that feels like a very weird thing to admit, even if it is the truth. 
You don't know what to say, so your mouth decides for you, blurting out, "I didn't think you'd call…"
"You didn't…?" The undercurrent of hurt in his voice makes you feel like you've kicked a puppy. You quickly backtrack.
"I have a tendency to overthink and get in my head," you say, hoping you aren't coming off like an idiot. "I worked myself up." 
You turn your back to the kitchen counter, then slide down the cabinets until you are sitting on the ground. You bring your knees up, using them to prop up your elbows. 
"I'm glad you did call," you admit, asking your mind to please stop, "I'm sorry, this is awkward, can we start over?"
"Of course," Matt's voice is soft in your ear, but you can hear him smiling, "Should I hang up and call back?"
"No, no, not that far back," you practically mumble, biting your lip. "How about…was your meeting okay? Can I ask that or is it attorney - client privilege?"
Matt hums, sounding like he's thinking over the answer, before answering, "No, that's not covered. It was pretty standard for that client - whether that means it went okay is up for interpretation. No one is in jail, so I would consider it a win." 
You aren't sure what that means, but you want to be supportive. "That sounds like a win." 
"What about you, how was your evening?"
The question makes you laugh a little, only because you think you live a very boring life, "Very quiet and calm. No one ended up in jail on this end either."
"So not a family of trouble makers?" Matt asks, a slight tease in his voice. 
You smile into your knees, replying with a shy, "No, I'm afraid we're rather boring. I hope that is okay."
"I think it's a win."
Oh, you forgot how charming he was. 
He carries on, voice dropping back to a softer tone, "What does a quiet and calm night mean for the two of you?"
You consider the question with a little smile before answering, "We usually start with a nice walk to the park. Minnie likes to play in the afternoon, there's less kids to hog the see-saw."
"She likes the see-saw?" 
"She loves the see-saw," you say, smiling at the memory of your daughter on the playground. "She likes to…bounce? The see-saw lets her go high. She's too small for bounce houses, so she gets her fix where she can." Matt huffs a laugh into your ear and you continue on, "After the park, it's standard toddler afternoon stuff. Dinner and a bath. Playtime and television before bed. I work from home, so I usually get a few hours in before Minnie gets put down for bed. Then, um, more work for me. Or paying bills. Online shopping. Adult things I can do from the couch." 
"You work from home?" Matt asks and you can't remember if you had previously mentioned that. Your whole previous conversation is now suddenly a total question mark. 
"Yeah, um, I work in billing. The company is in international shipping, so time zones aren't really an issue. As long as I log forty hours a week, I can break it up as I want. It makes being a working mom a lot easier." You nibble your lip, unsure about what to really say, so you say the obvious, "You have your own law firm?" 
"I do. You met my partners earlier, Foggy and Karen," he sounds proud, just a little bit, and that warms your heart. 
"I read about a few of your cases last night," you admit, "The papers said you help a lot of people."
Matt doesn't respond right away, but when he does, you find yourself smiling more. "We try to. People here are getting by paycheck to paycheck, they can't afford a lawyer when their landlords try to push them out so they can get someone in to pay higher rent. They need someone to fight for them, and this is our community - Foggy and I grew up here. This is our city." He pauses and you can picture him scrunching up his brow, "You said you saw the interview last night. You had time to read over our cases?"
Embarrassment courses through you. 
"Only what was in the news and I didn't read in depth. I just…" You shrug, even though you are talking over the phone, "I wanted to make sure it was in Minnie's best interest to reach out." You bite your lip again then, wanting to be honest with Matt, you add, "I mean, we only spent one night together and we didn't really discuss…much. I knew you were a lawyer, but you could have been like…a lawyer for some awful celebrity or something. If you were out there and the papers were saying you were vile I wouldn't have just…shown up at your doorstep. Metaphorically. I only have your work address." 
"That makes sense," Matt replies and you have the feeling he really does get it, "you want to keep her safe, to keep both of you safe. I'd do the same in your position. Actually…I guess I do need to do the same, because we don't really know anything about each other." He pauses, then teases, "Unless there's news articles about you I need to catch up on?"
You huff at the thought, "No, nothing that I am aware of." 
"Then we will have to do it the old fashion way."
"Lunch." The words tumble out of your mouth and you resist the urge to bang your head against the cabinets. "We, uh, mentioned lunch. We could use that as a starting point? Give each other our People Resumes."
Matt laughs a little and it's warm, not mocking. You still bury your face into your knees. 
"People Resumes - I like that. I have some pretty good references, if you need."
"I only have the one," you mumble, keeping your face hidden despite being alone. He laughs again.
"I think it's a pretty good one, though."
That makes you smile, "The best one around."
There's a beat where neither of you talk and you wonder what else to add.
"Will she be coming to lunch?" He asks, voice switching from confident and charming to slightly timid. Once again you are reminded of a kicked puppy and it makes your heart ache.
"I would like that," you start slowly and Matt seems to sense you have more to say, as he waits for you to continue. "I wanted to discuss it with you, first."
"Of course," his reply is so eager. "Anything."
"I was thinking…I think it would be best if Minnie gets to know you first before we tell her who you are. It's been the two of us for so long, I don't know how she'll react to a big change. I can introduce the idea to her over time, start talking to her about family and stuff while you two bond?" As you talk, the words start coming out a little faster as your nerves start to come back. "I think telling her up front might make her uncomfortable because like, you'll have a Title and Authority and that would override other things. I don't want to push her into anything she's not ready for yet." 
You press your face into your knees and wait for Matt's reaction. You can hear him breathing and the slight clinking of what sounds like ice in a glass and you hope he understands your concerns. 
He says your name so very softly and a shiver goes through you. You dig your teeth into your bottom lip and wait for the ax to fall.
 "I think that would be a really good way to do things," Matt practically breathes into the receiver. 
You squeeze your eyes shut tightly and relief just washes over you. "I…don't want to scare her." He hesitates, then starts in a stronger voice, "did your articles mention that I grew up in an orphanage?" They did and you say as much. "I was older than a lot of the kids and the little ones were scared of that. Scared of being adopted by strangers. I remember being scared of that. I got placed in a few foster homes and I hated being around people I didn't know." He takes a breath and it's a little shaky, "I want her to want me as her father." 
Your heart skips in your chest and you bury your face into your knees more. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Matt. You have a good heart, that's what matters. You just have to get to know each other, spend time together."
Matt hums softly into your ear, "Not just her, you as well."
"Me?" You ask, confused. 
"You," he repeats. "I want to know the mother of my child. Of course I want to get to know you. You're the most important person in her life."
You just hadn't thought of that at all - your concern has been over Minnie. It completely makes sense that he would want to get to know you. He isn't just now in Minnie's life, but in your life.
You chew on your lips in thought, "Is…um.. Is there anything you'd like to know?" 
"How about," he says, after a moment of thought, "the equivalent of what you read about me? That way we are on an even footing."
That wasn't the answer you expected but it makes a bit of sense in your head. You think about what you learned in the papers about Matt Murdock.
You start off by saying where you were born then move onto simple facts, "We moved to Long Island when I was about five and I lived there until I was eighteen. I moved into the city for school - Empire State University. I didn't know what I wanted to do so I got a degree in business. I figured I'd have a good foundation with that, you know? I got a pretty decent job in accounting - I'm still there actually. I uh…am a billing administrator…"
"Your parents?" Matt asks tentatively, like he already knows the answer.
"Gone." You say quietly, but firmly. Your parents aren't something you want to talk about and you hope he understands that. "It is just Minnie and I. And now you..."
"And now me…"
You can hear the smile in his voice and it makes you start to smile. 
"I have no idea how to be a father," he admits after a beat.
"It's okay, I didn't know how to be a mother. I'm still learning - I've read stuff and some things don't apply to Minnie. Or the opposite, she does something and I can't find anything that applies? And it's not like I'm just gonna drop her on you and disappear. It's…I want you to be comfortable as well? That's why I think just meeting each other will be a good start. We can go from there? Do little hang outs and stuff and build up, if that's what you want," you know you're starting to ramble but you keep going. "I think somewhere she is comfortable would be good? There's a diner in Hell's Kitchen she really likes - we could meet there for lunch? If she gets too overwhelmed, I can give her something to distract her, but you can still interact with her? She's a bit shy around new people and pressuring her to really…um.. engage might be a lot? A big thing for her is parallel play, so I'm hoping maybe just hanging out around you if she's nervous might help until she's more comfortable?"
You close your eyes tightly, a little embarrassed at your dumping of ideas, but Matt takes it all in stride, giving a curious, "What is parallel play?"
You lick your lips before answering, "Being in the same space, but doing your own thing? Like two kids coloring together but not talking."
"Ah, I got it. I didn't know there was an actual name for that." There's another pause and you can hear ice clinking against glass again. You wonder if you should get up off your kitchen floor and get yourself a drink, but you decide against it. The only thing you should be drinking is water. "What is the diner?"
You tell him the name of the diner and to your surprise, he chuckles, "I know the place. It's on the same block as Foggy's parents' butcher shop. She has good taste."
"When she gets fussy and doesn't want to eat anything, it's something I know she'll always eat. She'll have her own booth by the time she's five."
Matt laughs again and you can feel all the anxiety you had before the call bleeding away. He's been open to everything you've had to say so far and there's been no hint of negative feelings. 
Maybe things will be okay.
"She can share Foggy's booth," Matt says, no idea your mind keeps trying to freak out over nothing. "We went there for lunch almost every day when we were working out of the shop."
"You worked out of a butcher's shop?" You ask,  thinking you must be misinterpreting something. 
"We did," he says, sounding a little sheepish, "I took a hiatus from…everything really and Foggy went to work for another firm. While we were reestablishing, his parents graciously allowed us to work out of their shop."
Part of you wants to ask about his hiatus, but the way he says it gives you a feeling you should leave it alone, so you do. You focus on another aspect instead. "So we've been going to the same diner, we just kept missing each other."
It is sobering to say - the father of your child was always right there, but fate let you skirt around each other for years. It hurts to think about, your mind whispering at you if you had just tried harder to look for him, you would have found Matt. If you had just seen him earlier, how different would things be? What if you had been there at the same time, but you just hadn't been paying attention to your surroundings? It isn't like he knew to be on the lookout for a fling from years ago - how would he have even noticed you? 
You wonder if he is thinking the same thing - that you probably missed each other because you weren't paying attention.
"Don't do that," your attention is yanked away from your guilt by Matt's strong voice, "I can hear you thinking, blaming yourself."
"Is it that obvious?" You ask quietly, cringing just a little bit. Are you really such a mess he can tell over the phone?
"You said you overthink and work yourself up. You got quiet, so I assumed and I guess I was right. There's no way you could have known and why would you have been looking there?" He sounds so sure you feel guilty over feeling guilty. 
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. There's nothing to apologize for."
You bite your lip then force your head up and away from your knees. You should get up and get a drink - change how your body is. Maybe it will help in keeping your mood from dipping back down. You take a breath and start to get up.
"Thank you…um.. What day would you want to meet?" You ask, trying to push past the awkwardness and into another direction. You hear him take a drink and decide you do want some water. You start to look around your living space, trying to locate your water bottle.
You spy it across the room in all its rainbow sticker glory and make your way across the room as Matt starts to speak, "I wish I could say tomorrow, but we have to meet with the D.A. tomorrow and I can't miss it. I hate that I can't miss it. But Saturday? Can we meet Saturday?"
You'd have a day to prepare. You would definitely need a day to prepare. "Saturday is perfect. Is 11:30 okay? That's when we try to have lunch."
"That is perfect," Matt replies, mirroring your own. "Saturday at 11:30." 
A giddy little shock goes through you - it's not just an idea anymore. Minnie will be meeting her father and he wants to be in her life. He's eager to be in her life. 
You never thought that would be the case. 
"Saturday at 11:30," you repeat, just to confirm and because you can. It feels good to say. 
"I feel like I should dress to impress," he says with a chuckle and you wonder if he is feeling giddy as well. 
"I don't think she will care, unless you have a shirt with a cartoon character she likes on it." 
There's a few seconds of silence, then Matt's soft curious voice is back, "What characters does she like?"
The question makes you laugh a little because your little girl changes her preferences at the flip of a hat, like any other kid.
"Right now? Scooby Doo and Oscar the Grouch."
"I don't think I have anything with those characters," he says with an amused huff, "but I'll see what I have."
You bite your lip, then let yourself be a bit teasing, "Do you have a lot of graphic tees?"
There's a long moment of quiet before Matt laughs. It's a deep rumble and you find yourself grinning as you grab your water bottle.
"I actually don't know. I don't wear a lot of t-shirts. I think a few have designs on them - at least a few Columbia ones. I wouldn't put it past Foggy to give me something with a cartoon on it, though," he muses. 
"I'm sure she will not judge you on your fashion choices," you point out, "She's three and doesn't understand what fashion is. If she did, I would be in trouble."
"Do you have a lot of graphic tees?" Matt asks, throwing the question back at you. It is your turn to laugh.
"I'm the proud owner of many graphic tees. It's practically the only thing in my wardrobe, top wise. The benefits of working from home."
"Unfortunately, court has a dress code. Or so I'm told. I don't think I've ever read it."
"Jury duty has a dress code," you point out, "It was mostly show up clean and not in athletic wear. I didn't get a good look at the lawyers, but I'm pretty sure I remember suits."
"Would you trust a lawyer in a graphic tee?" He asks and you have to pause to think it over.
"Going into their office? I don't think so, unless it was like casual Fridays. But if I met a lawyer in the street on their off day and they had on a graphic tee? I suppose so. Depending on what they are telling me."
"Do you often get your legal advice from random lawyers on the street?" You can practically hear his eyebrows raising up and your cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling.
"Of course not. I get it from Google. I can't afford a lawyer."
That earns you another bark of laughter. "I don't think that will be an issue any longer."
That sets off a little anxiety in your stomach. You don't want to think about needing a lawyer, whether it be Matt as your lawyer or a lawyer against Matt.
He doesn't seem to notice your dip in mood, not that it is particularly obvious, and moves to the next topic. 
"Speaking of, I haven't gotten the chance to look at the packet you gave me. It's there anything I need to get done before Saturday?"
You turn your mind away from the thoughts of lawyers and legal battles to something much more manageable: medical history.
"No, no, there's nothing that urgent. It's mostly just medical information - she's got some sensitivities and I want to make sure I'm prepared for anything in the future. The rest is just information for you."
Matt doesn't respond right away and you chance taking a swig of your water. 
"Sensitivities…?" There is a thick undercurrent of concern in his voice and you feel a little guilty for making him worry. 
"Fabrics and dyes and scents, that kind of thing? I haven't gotten her tested, but certain things just make her itch. Some foods, too. I try to stick to organic stuff and it seems to help a little. It isn't anything major, just a few changes when she lets me know there's something bothering her." You set your water bottle down as you talk, starting to walk around your small living room. "I read it's becoming more common in kids, because all the chemicals and stuff used in everything now. Some of the other moms at daycare have given me tips - laundry soap was the best one." 
You are reminded you actually need to do some laundry and as you walk, you grab the various throw blankets littering your apartment. 
"I see," Matt says slowly, still sounding concerned. "I actually prefer organic myself, I have some sensitivities as well."
"Any allergies?" You ask. You didn't have any yourself so it has always left you guessing what your little girl might react to.
"No, nothing that I know of. I'm not completely sure about family history, but it is something I can look into."
"I would appreciate it. I'd rather be overly cautious than not have anything," you say casually like you aren't completely obsessive about keeping your daughter healthy. 
As you make your way to the bathroom to grab dirty towels, phone between your shoulder and ear, he hums into your ear. "I think that is a good way to do things. I'll try to get the information back to you as soon as possible."
You don't want to chide him, but you can't help but frown a little, "Matt, you don't need to rush. I…was worried you wouldn't be…interested. That is why I put the packet together. I thought you'd want to deal with that instead of going to a doctor's office?"
"I'll go with you to the doctor's," he says instantly, "And I'll fill out the paperwork. It's something I want to do." 
You can't argue with that because you would be the same way. Still, you push, "I don't need it by Saturday. Please take your time?"
"Ok," he concedes but it feels like he is only doing so to appease you. But you will take it. 
You dump your laundry into the basket stored in the hallway with a little grunt. Almost immediately Matt is saying your name and asking if you are okay.
"Yup, yup, just trying to get some cleaning done while I can. Sorry for doing that in your ear."
"Do you need to go?" 
Your heart pangs with guilt at the question. You can feel the disappointment through the phone and you're quickly reassuring him, "No, I'm just picking up a few things, tidying up, you know. I will try to not -"
You are cut off as the door to the bedroom pushes open and Minnie shuffles out. Her headband is pulled down around her neck and she's rubbing at her eyes with one hand, the other limply holding Pig. You only just put her down so you are instantly concerned.
"Mouse? Is everything okay?" 
Matt says your name again, "what's going on?" 
You ignore him in favor of going to your daughter. She holds up her arms and you scoop her up, cradling her to your chest. 
"There's a monster outside," Minnie mumbles, burying her face in your neck. 
"There's a monster outside?" You confirm with her, still speaking into your phone.
"A monster?" Matt repeats, clearly confused, as your little one nods against you. 
"Okay, let's go check," you tell her, before finally answering the questions coming through the speaker, "Something woke Minnie up. I'm sorry, I do think I need to go now." 
"Is everything okay?" Matt sounds worried and something stirs in your chest at his concern. 
"It will be, we just need to go tell a monster to go home," you say, gently bouncing Minnie in your arms to soothe her, "Isn't that right, baby? We gotta tell him to go home."
She nods against you again, parroting in a sleepy little voice, "Go home."
You hear some rustling on the other end of the phone, the clicking of a door opening and the rush of wind. Matt must have stepped outside.
"Are you sure?"
His distress is sweet, in a way. You remember being terrified of every little upset when Minnie was a baby, but now you have gotten your groove.
"Yeah, we will be okay. It's just gonna take a bit to get her back to sleep," you say, carrying her into the bedroom. "I'll…um..we'll see you on Saturday? At 11:30?"
"Saturday at 11:30," Matt confirms. "I…" he trails off, then clears his throat. "Have a good rest of your night."
"Good night, Matt."
Minnie mimics you again, mumbling, "Good night, Matt" just as you hang up. You wonder if he heard it, or if it was cut off. 
You hope he did. 
You drop your phone off on the bedside table and bring Minnie over to the window. You are a few stories up and your bedroom overlooks an alleyway, as most do in the city. You hold your toddler with one arm and carefully unlock the window to open it about halfway. On the windowsill, there is a yellow mini spray bottle, covered in stickers like everything you own - you pick it up and offer it to Minnie.
She takes it, turning her little body to face the window. She aims it at the window screen and squeezes the trigger, sending out a little stream of Monster Repellent. 
"Go home, Monster," you say together. She gives another squirt before looking up at you.
"Is it gone?"
"Give him a few minutes and he'll be gone," you promise, taking the spray bottle and putting it back in its spot, "He's gotta pack up his Monster Suitcase before he goes home, but he won't bother you." 
She flops her head back down on your shoulder as you turn to bring her back to bed. 
"Do you want me to stay until you're asleep?" She makes an affirmative little noise 
You start the process of tucking her back into bed with Pig, kissing her forehead before helping to pull up her noise canceling headband. 
"Good night, Mouse."
"Good night. I love you, Mommy."
"I love you, too, baby. Sweet dreams."
902 notes · View notes
1-800-cuupid · 1 year
Text
How To: Auto Height for Shoes
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Haiii! As promised, here is the tutorial to make it so your custom shoes no longer require a shoe slider!
Thank you to the bestie who took the time to pick through Madlen's package file to figure out how it worked. And of course, thank you to Madlen who did the majority of the work figuring out how to make this possible in the first place!
♥ Tut below cut ♥
~~~
Set Up Your Blend File:
We're going to add a plane that will act as the mesh for the SlotRay which will allow for you to adjust the height of your shoes!
Open your blend file that contains the shoes your wish to adjust. In the 3D View, press Shift + S and in the menu, select “Cursor to Center” In the 3D View, press Shift + A and in the menu, hover over “Mesh” then add a plane.
Now size this plane down as small as you can get it. You don’t want this plane visible in game.
Double check to make sure the plane has not moved from the center!! Your sim won't be centered in game if it has! If you see that it's moved:
Press "Shift + S" and click "Cursor to Center".
Then Select your plane and press "Ctrl + Shift + Alt + C", click "Origin to 3D Cursor".
Press "Ctrl + Shift + Alt + C" again and click "Geometry to Origin".
Navigate to the “Object data” tab and under “UV Maps” add a new one then name it “uv_0”.
Next, navigate to the “Scene” tab and under “S4Studio CAS Tools” set the cut number.
Depending on how many cuts your shoes have, you’ll want to adjust this number. For example, if your shoe has 3 cuts (0000, 0001, 0002) then this plane would have a cut number of 0003. Since my boots only have one cut, I will put the number as 0001. Now select your shoes and enter Edit mode. Select a face/vertice/edge on the very bottom of your shoes. Look to the panel on the left side of the screen (if it’s not open, press “N”). Under “Transform”, note down the number next to “Z” After that, save your blend file under another name so you can distinguish which is which. I’ll name mine “Boots_3_Height Cut”
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~~~
Add a New Cut to your Package File:
We're going to add an additional cut in your package file for the new plane!
Open Sims 4 Studio, make a new package file for your shoes and import them. Go to the Warehouse tab and select your LOD 0, it will be the geometry with the largest file size. Sometimes you have to close then reopen the package to see the geometry. Duplicate this geometry and in the box that pops up, change the last character of the “Group”. It can be any number or letter as long as it’s not the same as the duplicated geometry. On the duplicated geometry, note down the Group, Instance & Type values. Find the “Region Map” and next to “Entries” click “Edit Items”. Add a new entry and in the “Layer” box, type the number you used for your cut. Since I used the cut number 0001, I will type 1. Keep the “Region Type” as “Base” and move to “Models” then click “Edit Items”. Add a new Model entry and paste the Group, Instance & Type values you noted down before. Save and close each box. Find your “CAS Part”, this is your swatch.
If you have additional swatches, it is a good idea to remove them and add them back once you are finished with this process.
Scroll down until you find the “Lods”.
Click “Level: 0” and next to "LOD Models", click “Edit Items”. Add a new entry and paste the Group, Instance & Type values again. Save & close each window and return to the Warehouse.
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~~~
Adjusting SlotRays:
We are now going to edit the SlotRays for the new cut which will adjust the height of the sim for your shoes!
Return to the new duplicated Geometry and in the “Data” tab, find the “SlotRay Intersections” and click “Edit Items”. Add a new entry and find the “OffsetFromIntersectionsOs” box.
You'll want to change ONLY the middle coordinate number. That will be the height of the sim.
You want to take the “Z” coordinate that you noted down from blender and replace middle coordinate number.  If the number you wrote down is negative (i.e -0.01234) make it positive (i.e 0.01234).
In the “SlotHash” box, change the value from “00000000” to “FEAE6981”. This is the hash for the b__ROOT__ bone in the Sim's Rig.
Save and close the dialogs then return to the warehouse. Next, reimport your mesh and save your package file. You can now test your shoes in game!
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Please keep in mind:
You have to do this for every LOD of your mesh
You can freely replace the mesh of your shoes and adjust the height since the cut with the plane has the SlotRay data
Animations may be off since EA hasn't made the game to support taller sims
CAS windows may move slightly if your sim is using poses/animations where they are leaning to the side. This won't affect gameplay
I recommend using Helgatisha's Stand Still in CAS mod to make sure your sim is absolutely centered
Hope this helped :)
1K notes · View notes
sacredthethreadgvf · 25 days
Text
Limelight | Jake Kiszka x Reader | Part 1.
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Word Count: 13.7k
Prologue
Chapter Warnings: Smoking the herb, Jakes kind of an asshole, kissing and making out. Slight mentions of poor mental health that could be triggering for some. Mentions of self pleasure (f).
A/N: Thank you for being patient with me while I put this story together for you meticulously. I cannot wait to continue to share this story with everyone and I truly hope you all enjoy the slow burn that is only part 1 of our dear series. Buckle up, we have quite the journey together. I have to give the biggest shout out to @joshym, my dear Elisabeth, this story would truly be nothing without your insight. Thank you for your undying support while I navigate this story and for helping me button it up to share with everyone. 
Dear readers, as always, if I have forgotten to add something to my warnings or if there is anything that is triggering, please mention it so I can add such to my warning label. 
Enough of me rambling, I hope you enjoy!
****
July 28th 
STARCATCHER
Houston, TX.
Your alarm blared wildly at 3 am on a Monday morning to your dismay. You had barely slept unfortunately due to the dread of getting on a plane and meeting your new boss in about 13+ hours. Normally, when you are contracted with a new artist there’s a meet and greet between you to see how you would mesh together, to understand what your new boss is looking for in their assistant, what was a big no and what was a necessity. You took this part of your job very seriously. 
When Brian informed you that the boys were already on the road and you could not meet in the safe haven of the office with Brian one seat away from you, your heart sank. 
You were going into this new job knowing nothing about your boss other than what you were able to research on your own.
Jake Kiszka. A young guitarist seemingly at the height of his career with his brothers and his friend.
Your flight to Houston had ultimately gone faster than you wanted it to. Your anxiety grows more and more as you watch the time tick by on your phone screen. You tried your best to distract yourself with music and reading but found that trying to force your brain to not think about something only made it mock you and remind you about it more. Once you landed, you were immediately meeting with the band's current assistant Rose, who was coming to pick you up from the airport with a “runner”. You were going to be thrown to the wolves quite literally tonight. There was a show and you were told to be ready to go to the best of your ability. 
Grabbing your bags off the carousel you walked to the doors in the busy airport, your lungs begging for fresh air after sitting in a stuffy plane for a few hours now. Stepping out you felt the Houston heat invade all your senses and looked to your left to see a short brown hair girl waving you down with a big smile in front of a white van. That must be Rose. 
As you approached closer you got a good look at her features. You could describe her as a cute “mousey” looking girl. Small nose, adorable little smile, and a short bob with bangs which she tried her best to tie up and away from her neck. 
“You must be Y/N!” She said, greeting you with a wider smile. 
“That would be me!” You smiled back at her. 
“Here let me help you with your bags.” You helped her pick up your very full suitcase and lay it in the van. You followed her into it shortly after you got your luggage situated. “Alright Chris, were ready to go!” She said, patting the headrest of the driver's seat. She turned to you and gave you a soft smile. 
“So, Y/N! Tell me about yourself. I already know a bit from what Nick told me about you after connecting with your agency but tell me more!” 
You softly giggled at the energy Rose was giving off. You knew you two would be fast friends. 
“There's not much to tell honestly!” You really hated questions like this. 
“Oh cmon, how did you get into the industry!” She sat a little closer to you as the van made a sharp turn. 
“Let's just say my love for music really attracted me to this career choice. I have zero musical talent but I do love being around it. So I figured I would settle for the fun life of knowing what goes on backstage and working with artists one on one.”
“Ah, you're chasing after the limelight huh?” Rose grinned at you.
“The limelight scares me.” You both laugh. 
After a few beats of silence and a quiet moment of watching the bustling city streets from your window Rose spoke up again. “You'll love the boys. They really are the most genuine down to earth men I have ever had the pleasure of working with. And you'll love Jake,” She winked at you once she had your attention. “He's a looker and a sweetheart.” 
You blushed a bit thinking back to your wine fueled night when you went down a spiral into Greta Van Fleet on the internet. 
“So,” Rose pulled out a little notebook. “Your main focus is Jake tonight, don't let any of the other boys try and con you into helping them out, they're probably going to ask you to do some ridiculous favors just to test you and get under your skin. Especially Joshua.” She rolled her eyes and smirked. 
“I thought you said they were all sweethearts.” You snorted. 
“They are, but they also all have an affinity for trouble. It seems to follow them everywhere.” She giggled. “I'll try to introduce you to Jake when we get to the venue and he can take it from there. I do apologize I cannot show you around much, we are a couple of hours away from the show now and my attention needs to be on Joshua as he can be quite the diva.” 
You raised your eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes. “Don't ask.”
***
You had a brief moment to drop your bags off at one of the tour buses, which you watched immediately get placed into one of the compartment bins on the side. ‘There goes the promise of a shower and a comfy bed tonight’ You thought to yourself. You were running behind Rose attempting to keep up with her speed walking through the back doors of the venue into the noisy white brick halls, clearly on a mission. 
“Were later than expected,” Rose said, her tone alarming as she glanced at her phone. “Were already past soundcheck, gosh I hope it went okay.” She muttered to herself.
“Here I got you a pass so you don't get thrown out of the venue.” Her tone lightened a bit but you could still see a hint of anxiety in her eyes. “You could easily pass off as one of the boys’ fans and we cant have security throwing out a newbie on day one.” 
You took the little lithograph pass and hung the lanyard from your neck observing its intricate details in the picture. Rose had then given you her phone number and directed you to sit in a dressing room and wait to meet Jake, she apologized profusely that she had to go run off to tend to Josh and you waved her off, understanding that you were the one that was in the way today. 
Sitting on the little loveseat in the room you took your time to observe your surroundings. The typical food and drink set up in an artist's dressing room caught your eye. So he likes wine,  you noted that to yourself for future reference. You noted the neatly placed hairbrush, dyson air wrap, little make up bag. Your eyes finally settled on the silver suit hanging from the back of one of the doors in the room. You pulled your phone out of your little bag and sent a text to your roommate and parents letting them know you at least made it to the venue and you would catch up with them at a later time as you now had to prepare yourself for work mode. 
Your silent moment was interrupted as a tall gentleman who you recognized as the boys’ manager Nick, walked through the door followed by the young guitarist himself. They clearly were in the middle of cracking a joke back and forth as the sound of laughter filled up the once peaceful room. 
“Miss Y/N!” Nick waved towards you with a gesture. “Glad to see you made it here in one piece! Thank you for coming on such short notice, I understand this is moving quite quickly for you. Probably more than you're used to, no?” 
You stood from your spot and extended your hand to shake Nicks. “It's no problem at all. I am a fast learner.” 
“Love to hear that!” He stepped aside briefly and gestured towards the other man occupying the room. “And here is Jake!” 
Jake. Everything you didn't expect and more, although you shouldn't have been surprised. You had only seen photos of Jake on stage when you were doing your “homework”.  As you two got closer to one another, his bergamot cologne overpowered your senses but not in an unpleasant way. He was dressed casually. Almost too casually. A cut off shirt with another button down and jacket laid on top and a pair of way too baggy slacks hanging off of him and a pair of sunglasses hiding his eyes from your view. His hair having a slight wave to it hung from his head.
“Hello Y/N.” He smiled softly at you and extended his hand out for you to shake. You just met the man and yet you already loved the way your name sounded coming from his mouth. 
“Hi.” You heard your own voice squeak in your ears. Why am I like this? You internally rolled your eyes at yourself. 
“Well,” Nick said. “I will leave you both to it. Show time soon Jake. Be ready.” 
Jake nodded and saluted Nick as he walked out the door leaving you both alone. Timidly you watched as Jake waltzed around the dressing room comfortably, grabbing a corkscrew and picking up a bottle of wine from the selection displayed on a table in front of him. 
“You drink?” He asked as he began to pour himself a gracious cup of the red liquid. 
“Uh, yeah I do sometimes.” 
“Would you like a glass?” He reached across the table in front of him to grab another plastic cup and gestured to you. 
You waved him off immediately, “Oh no, no I'm okay thank you.” 
“Cmon, have a bit of wine with me. It's customary when I meet someone to break into a bottle.” His sunglasses still hide his full face from your view.
“Maybe another time,” You sat down on the couch in the room and pulled a notepad out from your back pocket with a pen. “What do you need me to do for you tonight?” 
Jake's eyebrows raised. “Suit yourself I guess.” He approached the vanity opposite where you were sitting and leaned back against it, one ankle crossing over the other. 
“I suppose since we don't have much time I will get myself ready tonight as usual.” You could almost hear the hint of distaste in his mouth.
You watched his Adam's apple bob as he took a big gulp of wine. “I'll just need help with side stage stuff.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you writing that down?” 
While his tone had a hint of curiosity you easily picked up on the scoff that passed his lips. What a prick.. 
“Just want to make sure I dont forget anything important is all. That a problem?” You challenged. 
You watched as his eyebrows rose slightly over his sunglasses. “No.”
“So what is it that you need assistance with at the side stage this evening Mr.Kiszka.” 
He smirked slightly. “Just need to make sure my towels are swapped out every few songs, make sure I have water nearby, and make sure this,” He gestured across the room to the display of wine. “To stay pretty full at all times.” 
“Seems simple enough.” Your pen lifted off of the paper. “Anything else?” 
Jake shook his head no and smirked at you. “Wanna read that list back to me or what?” 
What a douche..
“I'm good thanks. Hey, you good here for a moment? I want to go grab something from my bag on the bus.”
He took another gulp of wine and you watched as his demeanor changed. “All good.” 
You felt like you couldn't get out of that room fast enough, your anxiety taking over. But for what? Why exactly were you feeling like this? Was it the fact that you felt like you couldn't handle the workload given to you? The very minimal workload at that. That couldn't be the case. You had done so much more before this job, juggling multiple members of bands before as a stagehand. Maybe it had something to do with the rather attractive guitarist that you were now working for. 
No no, stop thinking like that you just met him 
He definitely was not what you had expected to be in person. 
***
The countdown for show time came faster than you really wanted it to. You felt like you weren't even close to being prepared for what was ahead of you for the evening. Rose met back up with you again and pulled you along with her to the greenroom where the rest of the band had gathered to say a little prayer before walking to the stage. You picked up on a few things that were said, “May Josh's vocals shine bright, may Jake's guitar never fail, may Danny's drums not break, and let's pray that Sam's bass and mellotron carry us along for a journey.”
“Alright boys!” Rose said rather loudly next to you. “Time for stage!” 
You were not yet prepared for all eyes landing on you at once and for some reason it made you feel rather small all at once. 
“Boys, this is Y/N! Jake's new assistant. Be nice, we want to keep her around.” Rose gestured to you. You watched as chocolate eyes all were focused on you. 
“Hey Y/N!” Everyone but Jake said in unison. 
“This is Josh, Danny and Sam. You will have more time to chit chat and get to know them later on,” Rose said. “For right now, we are cutting it a bit too close for comfort so lets get a move on!” 
Following the boys, security and Rose through the hallway that led to the venue you could hear the screams of anticipation in the background mixed in with the sound of classical music. You could feel a hint of nervousness and tension fill the air as the boys got their cue to enter the stage. This venue was huge, bigger than the ones you were used to seeing. The sound of screams from loyal fans going up an octave once they saw the boys enter the stage which prompted the rest of the venue to follow suit. 
Nothing at all could have mentally prepared you for this moment, nor the events that followed.
***
Everything had gone terribly wrong. 
You had managed to miss every one of Jake's stage cues. To your defense though, you didn't even know what those cues even were or what he had wanted. To further your frustration and embarrassment, you even had a roadie get mad at you and take over grabbing Jake a fresh towel and placing it within reach for Jake. By the time Jake had come off the main stage to go to B Stage in the back of the venue, he was glaring at you. 
“Why don't you just go sit in the dressing room, you're clearly just in the way!” 
You wanted nothing more than to hide away but Rose had come up to you after watching the little incident between you and Jake and encouraged you to stay, just stand stage side on the main stage and let Jake breathe it out. Your heart had been beating wildly in your chest and you couldn't wait for the show to finish to have a moment to yourself.
Rounding the corner your mind felt like it was a mess, buzzing away at a rapid pace with anxious thoughts. Were you made out for this? Smaller bands it was a breeze helping out and working for them, but this felt bigger than you anticipated. Jake seemed to get more and more frustrated with you as the show went on until that moment before the encore. You're praying to the heavens that your face doesn't give away the fact that you were crying, thankful you had packed your mascara into your little purse you had. 
Backstage was buzzing with people. Everyone was currently packing up bins and rolling them to the buses, others shouting orders to one another and pointing in many different directions. The chaos was unnerving compared to earlier before the show. Walking down a long hallway you passed through a few curtains hung up for privacy between the dressing rooms when you heard him. 
“This might have been a mistake.” Jake softly spoke to someone. “She managed to ruin every single thing that I needed tonight.” 
Just let it go, you thought to yourself. It’s not worth getting upset over. He just had a long night.
You just tried to keep yourself busy, helping out in any way you could that didn’t leave you in everyone’s way.
But just as you had decided to pretend as though you were oblivious to his harsh words, it was what he said next that had you throwing that sentiment clear out of the window. 
“I mean, Jesus. You’d have to be some kind of an idiot to not be able to handle something so simple.”
Idiot?
That was most definitely not going to sit comfortably with you. At that point, it wasn’t about “letting it go,” it suddenly became necessary to defend yourself to your new boss who felt the need to say such horrid things about you on your first fucking night.
Your eyes burned with tears of frustration and exhaustion after your long day. You burst through the black curtain and marched up to Jake. 
“First of all, I just fucking got here and had no time to adjust to anything or learn anything about you or what you needed or where to find it.” Your arms crossed in front of your chest. “Second off we don't even know each other and you expect me to know you like the back of your hand? New flash Jake, I dont. So don't just blow me away and throw me to the curb because of one bad night and give me a damn chance.” Your chest was practically heaving by the time you were done speaking. Both Jake and the roadies eyes were wide as saucers staring at you. 
Jake's mouth opened a few times but no words came out. 
“How about instead of undermining me we sit down and actually talk about what you need from me and how I can actually do my job and in a week if I dont ‘have a grasp’ on anything and Im still fucking up? I'll leave you without a word and you won't have to hear from me again. Deal?” 
The roadie Jake was speaking to failed to cover up a laugh with a fake cough and you shot him a glare. He glanced briefly at Jake whose eyes were locked on you with an unreadable expression and then turned away and left you two alone. 
“Y/N, I-” Jake seemed to find his voice just as you started to walk away. 
“Save it.” You shot back at him over your shoulder and muttered under your breath. “Fucking prick.” 
Walking through the same black curtain you had burst through not moments ago you collided with someone who must've been standing close by. “Oh my god Im so sor-”
“That, that was fucking awesome.” Frontman Josh Kiszka himself was grinning wildly at you. 
Your heart leapt out of your throat. “Jesus! Eavesdropping much?” You clenched a hand to your chest. 
Josh laughed and wrapped an arm around your shoulder and began to lead you down the hallway, far away from Jake. “No one other than myself or my other brothers really stand up to Jakey boy. You're really giving him a run for his money. I like you!” He flashed you a wide grin.
“Im s-so sorry,” You stuttered. “That was so unprofessional of me to say-”
“No! It was not unprofessional, dont worry about it.” Josh's arm dropped from your shoulder. “Trust me, he's been such a prick these last few weeks he really needed someone to stick it to him other than his own family.” 
You weren't listening to Josh and you were letting your anxiety get the best of you for the second time tonight. You could not lose another client due to a complication. As much as your boss stuck it out for you, you knew he was also not thrilled with your recent issues with the last band you worked with. 
You broke away from Josh and sat in a rouge chair in one of the hallways and held your head in your hands to shield the tears that were beginning to bubble up again in your throat. 
“Hey, Y/N right? That's your name?” Josh asked, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. You nodded but refused to look up at him until he pulled your hands back from your face. “Give him some time. Like you suggested, just have the sit down with him and figure out what the hell he needs from you. But maybe save it for tomorrow? No offense, but you look like shit.” 
You huffed a laugh and wiped the rouge tear that slipped down your cheek. “Gee, thanks.” 
“Just trying to lighten the mood,” Josh's voice rang like a song and you felt him reach for your hands. “You seem like you've had quite the day my dear. Here, let me show you to the tour bus and your bunk! I'm assuming you will be riding with us since you're going to be hitched to Jake.” 
“Your assumptions are correct, unfortunately.” You gave him a soft smile to which he returned. 
“My twin definitely has quite the temper sometimes, let me tell you.” Josh sucked a breath between his teeth. “But I promise he's nice. Underneath all the mystery he likes to pretend he holds, he's easy going.” 
“You're twins?” You were surprised. 
“I'm five minutes older so I'm superior.” He threw you a wink.
“A superior pain in the ass.” Jake's voice rang out behind the two of you. Your breath caught in your throat again as you took a glance at the man who you had raised your voice at not nearly 15 minutes prior.
He had apparently showered in a short span of time and his hair was dripping onto his soft beige button up he was now sporting. His eyes were hidden by the same pair of sunglasses from earlier and you watched as he slung the backpack he was carrying over his shoulder. 
“Don't you have somewhere else to be?” Josh rolled his eyes. “Come now Y/N, were almost there.” 
“Don't go stealing my assistant now.” Jake shot back at his twin and Josh just shook his head. Clearly there was some twin telepathy that you were missing as you felt the tension between the two rise.
For a moment there was uncomfortable silence held between the three of you and you did not have the heart to speak up. That silence was quickly broken by the sound of diesel engines roaring in the distance and the footsteps of the twins as you walked in between them. Your arms crossed against your chest again, a sign of defensiveness and protection around the strangers you had just met only hours prior. You three walked through a wide entrance into a huge garage lined with at least 8 buses. Chaos was ahead as you watched workers and roadies buzz about getting things packed into different compartments and wheeled to their respective places. 
Jake's pace sped up and he weaseled his way around you and Josh who were now walking side by side. You watched as Jake got on one of the tour buses and disappeared deeper into it without another word to either of you or the workers around. 
Josh sighed next to you and grabbed your hand briefly and you both stopped walking. “Listen, if he gives you a lot of trouble, come find me. Or Sam. Or Danny. We will keep Jake in check. You seem like a really nice girl and already a great addition to the team. Don't let him get under your skin. He will come around.”
“But Josh, you barely know me. I feel like I messed up big tonight and-” 
Josh held a hand up to stop you from talking which you obeyed. “I don't believe that. Give yourself a chance. I can tell you have the vigor and the right attitude to do this job and I expect we will see great things from you. Plus we have all the time in the world to get to know each other” He winked at you and bumped you with his elbow. 
“Thank you Josh.” You smiled softly. 
“Anytime.” He held his arms open for a hug which you graciously accepted. “Now let's get you settled on the bus yeah?” 
***
July 29th. 
Denver, CO.
You awoke to the sound of multiple voices talking back and forth and the sound of shuffling feet and bags. The clear ring of Josh's laugh falling through the tight hallway of the tour bus bunks. You rubbed your eyes and reached for your phone out of the side pocket of the bunk. 
10:44 AM
Your moment of peace in your secluded bunk was disrupted by a small pull on the drapes of your bunk and you shielded your eyes from the bright light coming from the overhead lights. 
“Rise and shine sleepy head,” Rose smiled at you softly. “Duty awaits.” 
Rose was gracious enough to re-close the drapes to your bunk to shield you from the prying eyes of anyone walking past to exit the bus. You quickly gathered your water bottle phone and charger and pulled the curtains back, still feeling groggy and not processing your surroundings. You realized pretty quickly that having a moment to sit in peace and quiet was not an option as you made eye contact with Jake's reflective sunglasses lenses and Danny's smirk, the aisle of people sitting at a stand still similar to the aisle of a plane. 
“Well well, looks like someone got a good night's sleep.” Danny said, smiling at you and gesturing to your head. 
You felt your hair with your hands, a clear rat's nest on one side of your head and then noticed the feeling of drool on the side of your mouth. Your eyes widened, horrified and you pulled the curtain closed again to hide from the men standing eye level right next to you. An absolutely horrifying experience as you heard the two giggle and mutter something along the lines of ‘I remember when I used to crash in bus bunks like that.’ ‘I remember when I had my first real night's sleep.’
You wished at that moment that you could curl up and cease to exist. 
What a way to start a day. 
Voices and the sound of feet got further away in a few moments and you peeked your head out of the curtain and saw the coast was clear enough for you to finally crawl out of your tour bus coffin and seize the day ahead of you. 
After gathering your necessities and locating your bookbag tucked away in a random corner on a couch, you walked off the bus which was located in a back parking lot of a hotel and you were met with Rose once again awaiting your arrival. “Here, I grabbed your suitcase for you. I'm sorry, I should've told you to keep your book bag stocked last night, at least for small items like your hairbrush for the bus. That was my fault.” 
You grimaced as you were trying to work out the knots in your hair with your fingers. “It's no worries, I think I was too tired to properly function anyways yesterday to even consider it.”
“Get used to it kiddo,” She began walking towards the hotel. “You will have to learn how to thrive on no sleep with these hooligans. They will surely give you a run for your money.” 
“Were not all that terrible!” Danny had caught up with you and Rose.
“That might be the best joke I have heard all week!” Rose said.
Danny covered his heart with his hand. “I'm wounded Rose, I'm wounded real deep.”
Rose rolled her eyes and looked back at you as she approached the front doors of the hotel. “I already gathered everyone's room keys and checked the team in, something one day you and I will hopefully switch off on because it can be a lot of work.” You watched Danny grab a hotel key from Rose's hand, you weren't even sure where she pulled it from. 
“You will be rooming with me for most of this tour so we can assist each other with duties. Even though you primarily work with Jake it will be easier for me to help you with things from time to time to make sure we are all on the same page with the band.” 
You nodded at her in agreement and followed her into the hotel elevator. 
“I wanted to apologize for last night. I really did throw you to the wolves and that was my fault. I told Jake to come by our room in about an hour so we can sit down and discuss your duties in further detail so what happened last night doesn't happen again.” She threw you an apologetic look as you grimaced.
“I feel bad about last night.” The elevator dinged announcing your arrival onto your designated floor. 
“Seriously Y/N, don’t. Shit was all whacky and all over the place and you had no clue what to expect. I should've had you shadowing someone, I should've had you shadowing me for the night so you could see how the boys work. I blame myself for this one.”
You arrived at your room and Rose swiped the keycard for entry. The room was modest, two queen beds, tv, little desk and table in the corner and bathroom. The beds white linens looked rather inviting for a nap later on if you had the time to take it. Just as both of you were getting settled into the room, you for a shower and Rose unpacking a few of her personal items you heard her sigh rather loudly. 
You paused what you were doing, “What's up?” 
“Hmm? Oh nothing,” Her head softly shook. “Just Josh needing a multitude of things. I will be back shortly, I must go tend to the king of vocals.” 
You both laughed. “Enjoy your shower!” She said, and with that she was out the door and you were left alone in peace.
Your shower was not living up to your standards with the dang water pressure being practically nothing but the warmth of the water, the smell of your favorite soap, and the normalcy of your shower routine put a satisfied smile on your face. 
Hopping out, you wiped some of the steam that had collected on the mirror and stared at yourself. Thank goodness for showers giving you and your hair a fresh start. That rat's nest had been worse than you expected this morning on the side of your head, understandable why the boys smirked at you.
You heard a soft knock at the door, assuming it was Rose you didn't bother to put on any clothes and just clung the towel closer to your body. Unfortunately for you, when the door swung open you were met with the young guitarist whose eyes seemed to bug out of his head at the sight of you wrapped in a skimpy white towel. 
“Oh my god I am so sorry,” You panicked and pulled the towel tighter around yourself. “I thought you were Rose.” 
Jake cleared his throat and attempted to maintain eye contact with you. “It's, uh, its not a problem.” 
“Uh, come on in, I just need to grab some clothes really quick.” 
You stepped aside to let Jake into your room, heart in your throat out of embarrassment that your new boss has seen you in your current state. You quickly grabbed a tshirt and leggings from your bag while Jake made himself comfortable at a little table that was in the room, pulling out a notebook and setting it in front of himself. You locked yourself back in the bathroom and took a deep breath to ground yourself. 
You made your way out of the bathroom to find Jake now across the room looking out of the window at the view of Denver, Colorado and its bustling streets below. His damn outfit makes your head feel fuzzy. His half unbuttoned shirt half tucked in his pants.
“Hey.” You said softly. 
Jake turned around and you watched as his wandering eyes traveled across your now fully clothed body, briefly meeting yours as his lips curled in the smallest, barely there smirk. “Hello,” he uttered, the corner of his mouth still upturned.
“Listen, I want to apologize for raising my voice at you yesterday. I totally understand if you want to drop me as your assistant, that was highly unprofessional of me .” 
Jake waved you off quickly. “No, it was unprofessional of me to even be talking that way about you. If anything, I’m the one who should be sorry. You were right, I haven't even given you a chance.” He gave you a soft smile, his chestnut eyes glimmering as they peered into yours. “How about we start over. Forget about last night, yeah?” 
“I think I’d be okay with that.” You gave him a soft smile back, finding it hard not to at his contagious charm.
“Great,” he says, offering you a firm hand for a more professional greeting.“Hello I am Jake,” 
“Hi Jake, Im Y/N.” You took his hand in yours, fighting back a giggle as the blush began to rise on your cheeks. The goosebumps instantly began to prickle your skin at the feeling of his touch. You gasped softly at your own body's reaction and tried to cover it up. You were unsure if you were successful or not but Jake did not acknowledge it so you were hopeful. 
“Y/N, it is nice to meet you. I look forward to working together.” He gave you a wide toothy grin now which naturally, you should've guessed, was breathtaking. 
No wait, stop. Don't think like that. This is your boss, your job. Remain professional dammit..
Jake gestured to the table behind you, “Why don't we get started.” 
You nodded and grabbed your own notebook, pen and planner from your bookbag and joined Jake at the little table. 
“I'll go easy on you I swear.” He flashed you another dazzling smile, this time with an added wink and a sweet chuckle under his breath. Why God..why.. 
“Rose might have some more things for you, I know she's excited there will be someone else around to assist but you are first and foremost my assistant so you'll be handling my things primarily and then I may share you with the rest of the crew as needed. You okay with that?” 
You clicked your pen, “Of course!” 
“Fantastic.” He opened up his little notebook which had a little bullet point list written down. You glanced at it and were able to read out most of it but averted your eyes out of respect. You didn't want him to think you were nosey. At least not yet. 
“I know we already talked about most of this last night so it may be repetitive, my apologies for that. I'll keep things pretty simple for you and just reiterate some things,” Jake wiped the corner of his mouth. “Pre shows Im just looking for help with getting ready. Making sure my suits are ready to go, my boots that I need are clean of scuffs. Might need help with make up here and there,” He cleared his throat. “Just some eyeliner nothing fancy like Josh. Maybe some things with my hair but I'm not sure.” 
 “I can definitely help you explore some ideas.” You gave him a soft smile that he returned. 
“Rose usually handles the food and drinks and making sure the venues have everything we need, I'm not sure if she wants to keep it that way or not but we will have to ask her.” 
“Might be easier for her too but yes, we will discuss.” You said. 
Jake turned a page in his little book, “Okay now on stage stuff, I know you also got a brief idea of what that would be for me.” 
You grimaced slightly at the memory of Jakes harsh tone at last nights show telling you to ‘fuck off’ when you were so clearly in his way and not helping. At least now that you're sitting down, hopefully that won't happen again.
“Basically I just need those fresh towels ready, need my drinks to stay topped off like I mentioned, making sure the roadies follow the schedule for which guitar for which song, yada yada. Making sure I have guitar picks ready to go.” He paused to turn the page again and read down the list. “Then I guess just tending to my basic requests throughout the tour. I promise I'm really not that high on maintenance even if it didn't seem that way last night.” He gave you another soft smile. 
“This is all very doable for me. My only request is to keep an open communication with me and work with me, not against me if things go a little haywire while I get used to the flow of your tour.” 
Jake nodded. “Deal.” 
“So I guess Rose is not making this little meeting of ours.” You giggled softly and began packing up your notebook and pen.
“I'm not surprised,” Jake said, mirroring your actions. “Josh can be very demanding of attention you'll learn that pretty quickly.” 
You giggled. “I think I already have.” 
***
August 4th.
STARCATCHER
Seattle, WA. 
“Damn, you really have some dedicated fans.” You said, looking out the van window at the fans lined up on the street along the venue. 
Jake pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. “We really do, they're awesome.”  
You subconsciously twisted the rings on your fingers in your lap from the feeling of anxiety creeping up in your throat. Jake was the biggest artist that you have worked for so far. Even after your conversation with him the other day where he laid out everything he needed from you in detail once again, you still felt unsure about how tonight would go. 
You felt Jake's hand on your shoulder pulling you back to reality. “You okay over there? You're a million miles away.” 
You glanced over at him and smiled softly, “Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a little nervous I guess.” 
“No need to be Y/N, things will go smoothly! I promise not to be an asshole tonight.” You both shared a soft laugh.
Things did not in fact go smoothly…
When you and Jake had initially arrived at the venue you were met with a very frazzled looking Rose and others bustling around. 
“Rose, what the fuck is going on?” Jake had sat her down on the couch in one of the green rooms. Josh on the opposite end of the couch, threw his arm around her for comfort as tears streamed down her face. Across the room Sam and Danny stood unusually quiet and still. 
“One of the runners,” She blew her nose. “Dropped off your stage outfits at the dry cleaners too late and I don't know if we will even have your stage outfits ready to go, let alone everything else adding up. Were missing mic packs somewhere and-and..” She hiccuped. Across the room you saw Danny give Sam a slight nudge with his elbow. 
“Okay deep breaths Rose Bud, remember like we practiced the other day?” Josh said, pulling her closer to him. “We will get this figured out. Don't forget Y/N is here, maybe she can help out a bit.” 
“Yeah, Y/N can help out.” Jake spoke up, volunteering you. “I don't really have much on my list today and I don't need her until later.” 
Rose sniffled and looked up at you. “Would you be able to help?” 
All eyes were on you and the panic you felt in the van crept back up in your throat. “Yeah, uh yes I can see what I can do.” 
Rose jumped up off the couch and gave you a tight hug, “Oh thank the heavens!” 
Shortly after Rose had calmed down a bit, everyone dispersed for the most part. You followed closely behind Sam and Danny as they exited the green room. You picked up on their quiet whispers shared between each other as you turned the corner, your presence apparently going unnoticed. 
“Dude, you gotta go get those mic packs.” Danny whispered, bumping Sam with his elbow like he did in the green room. 
“I know, I know!” Sam responded, squeezing past a few dolly boxes. “I have to go dig them out from my case.” 
“Okay,” You spoke up. “So am I to assume that you two had something to do with the disappearance of those mic packs?” Both of the boys' heads turned quickly in your direction and their eyes grew wide. They had been caught. 
“I do not know what you are talking about Y/N.” Danny gave you a sly grin, turning around to face you. 
You rolled your eyes, “Of course not. You know, you two have some impeccable timing it seems.” 
“Well it's not like we knew everything would go to shit today!” Sam threw his hands up defensively. You couldn't contain your giggle as a smile broke across both of their faces. 
“You two are terrible and you're officially on my radar,” You pushed on both of their shoulders lightly. “Lets go get them. At least then maybe Rose will stop crying.” 
To your luck, the boys had not so sneakily hid the mic packs in plain sight in Sam's wardrobe case and you had them returned to Rose who swore up and down that you were a good luck charm. She had directed you to give them to Dale who was managing sound and tech for the shows. Walking through a little passageway you made your way into the arena where the beeping sounds of heavy machinery seemed to bounce off the ceilings. Techies and roadies alike were bustling around hanging lights, hooking up mechanicals and wires. The stage was being built and even chairs were already being set up on the floor. You had found Dale pretty quickly who seemed relieved to see the mic packs in your hands and thanked you before turning back to a few other workers and continuing directing them on where things will be going.
You took a moment before reentering the winding halls of Denver's Ball Arena to admire how big the venue was from where you stood on the floor. You couldn't begin to imagine playing to an arena packed full of people like this night after night. The empty seats reaching as high as the ceiling made your stomach churn at the thought of sitting up that high. You wondered how many people would pack in tonight to see the boys play their music. You then noticed a small movement out of the corner of your eye as you panned the rest of the arena in awe. 
Was that? No..
Your lips separated with a low gasp. Jake was running. He must've been doing laps around the arena. You stood frozen in your spot watching him closely as he rounded the corner of the venue furthest away from you. His hair was tied back in a low bun against his neck, he had abandoned his usual attire and was sporting a pair of running shorts (something you couldn't picture him wearing) and the skin of his bare torso so clearly glistening in the lighting from the sweat on his body. 
You hadn't realized how hard you had been staring until he rounded the corner and was running towards you. He smirked at you as you locked eyes and your heart leapt in your chest at the realization that you had been caught ogling him. You quickly turned on your heel before he got any closer and booked it down the hall. 
What the hell is wrong with me..snap out of it..
“See something you like?” You heard his voice ring out behind you. Cocky bastard.
You turned around and looked at Jake, it was even worse having him up close to you now. Subconsciously you waited until he caught up to you to continue walking down the hall. 
“Cat got your tongue or something?” He smirked at you as he wiped his sweaty face with a towel. His cologne became ever more powerful as it was radiating off of his hot skin. It was intoxicating. The scents of bergamot and vanilla create a sensual aroma that clouded your mind. Your mouth ran dry and you tried so hard not to steal glances at his sweaty chest. You probably looked like an idiot screaming at yourself mentally to respond to him. 
“What would you like for lunch Jake?” You cleared your throat finally. “Anything specific you like for your post run ritual?” 
“Mmm, a hot shower.”His tone caught you off guard.
Was he doing this on purpose? 
You took a chance and looked his way and you caught what you thought was the tail end of a wink sent towards you. Was he fucking flirting with me? No, no…no way. 
He let out a booming laugh, “I just usually have some sort of chicken wrap. Rose should have it already somewhere if you don't mind grabbing that for me.” He wiped the back of his neck and let his hair down as you two got closer to his designated dressing room. 
“Sure.” 
His fingers grazed your lower back as you cut the corner to the dressing room and your skin felt like it was on fire.
***
The rest of the day ended up running a lot more smoothly than the morning did. Rose was able to get the dry cleaners to expedite the cleaning of the stage outfits and they were back at the venue right as the boys finished their soundcheck and you and Rose hastily worked together to get Josh's jumpsuits laid out for the evening after hanging up suits in other dressing rooms. You had written down a small list in your phone of everything you needed for Jake to have a smooth show tonight. 
Towels by his guitar case. Check. 
One towel on the amp. Check.
Check with Tim to make sure Jakes guitars are all tuned and ready. Check. 
Snacks and drinks in the dressing room. Check. 
Wine bottles in guitar case. Check. 
Water. Big check. 
You felt really prepared for tonight and mentally ready for his cues on stage. Luckily for you, Jake said he had a handle on getting himself ready for tonight and you found him laughing along with something Danny and Sam had apparently said as you walked into the green room for final checks before the walk to the stage. 
“Alright boys!” Rose clapped her hands together. “Everyone has their wireless packs all charged and ready to go?” 
Everyone nodded collectively.
“Let's have a show!” 
***
August 10th
STARCATCHER
Los Angeles, CA.
The morning had gone smoothly thanks to your multiple alarms set to ring every 5 minutes no matter how many times you snoozed them. You were exhausted. Everyone was exhausted actually. The last week of what felt like back to back shows, sleeping in tour bus bunks and arriving at venues, the first thing at the crack of dawn was catching up to everyone. You wanted nothing more than to keep your head buried underneath the soft white linens of the hotel bed sheets with the AC blasting on full, but duty calls and you had to get your adult child to the venue sooner rather than later. Rose of course was up at the crack of dawn and out of the room already tending to the frontman of the band who unfortunately for her, was an early riser regardless of the time he went to bed the night before.
As you did your morning routine and applied some concealer underneath your eyes you were thanking the universe that you were heading home tomorrow. Just one more day, you thought. One more show after this and I can sleep in my own bed and shower in my own home. 
Getting yourself moving in the morning was not bad after you had a few sips of your favorite caffeinated drink, however, getting Jake moving in the morning was another thing. He had a tendency to sleep in until the last moment possible. Not to mention actually getting him ready and out of the hotel room on time was like trying to put a coat on a toddler, near to impossible without some sort of fight. Yet, to your surprise today, he was already up and waiting for you to meet him. He had even called a runner for you two already and was waiting with a breakfast sandwich ready to go. 
“When the hell did you get this?” You asked Jake as you buckled up in the white van. 
“Shortly after I woke up and decided I was hungry.” He smirked. 
You rolled your eyes and decided not to press any further. Thankfully, it seemed as if everything at the venue was in working order. You and Rose caught up on administrative things for the band throughout the day, made sure everyone had their plane tickets booked and ready to go for a quick and easy trip home to Nashville tomorrow. Naturally of course, just because the morning and afternoon had gone smoothly, this meant something had to go haywire before the show. 
Rose had finished Josh and Sams make up for the night. You had been giggling to yourself listening to Josh and Sam. You officially learned what a “Rhinestone Diary” was as the bands social media manager, Kaiya, helped put it together. While the Rhinestone Diary offered a moment of fun for a few, for others, tensions were high after so many shows. Lack of sleep and being cooped up together for a period of time was really taking a toll on everyone's emotions. 
You were typing away on your computer next to the main green room meant for the band to hang out when raised voices pulled you out of your focus. 
“Thats fucking stupid!” 
“Jake,” Josh raised his voice. “You cant just make changes like that last fucking minute because you dont want to play Frozen Light.” 
“Jake,” Rose spoke softly. “We already sent out the setlist to the sounds and light guys.” 
“Okay and?” He snapped. “It's not the first time we've made a last minute change.” Your typing paused and you closed the lid on your laptop. 
“Were not fucking playing Highway Tune!” Josh practically screamed. You had never heard Josh raise his voice that loud. You had heard stories of how bad fights between the Kiszkas could get before but nothing could have prepared you for witnessing it in real time. 
You had abandoned your laptop and you leaned up against the door frame just as Jake seemed to be exiting the room. 
“Fucking selfish prick you know that,” He turned around and looked at Josh. “You know this is just as much my band as it is yours, its called fucking compromise.” 
“It's not much of a compromise when we completely change something that I do not want!” Josh's arms crossed and Jake glared at Josh, you and Rose. 
Greaaat, now I'm caught in the crossfire.  
“What fucking ever.” Jake threw his hands up and brushed past you in the door frame. He began walking down the short hallway towards his dressing room before turning to you. “You coming?” 
Without a word you pushed off the door frame and walked over towards him. Your arms had been crossed against your chest in defense from the rising tensions between the boys. Following Jake closely you watched as he yanked his jacket off and set down on the chair in front of his mirror, he seemed defeated. 
Your arms uncrossed, “Anything I can do for you Jake?” 
“Uh, yeah, I could use some help with my eyeliner pencil,” He let out a breath. “Im shaking so damn bad I can't sharpen the thing.” 
You nodded your head and dug through the little makeup bag that was set aside for Jake specifically and located the little black eyeliner pencil that was more than halfway used. The sound of you sharpening the little pencil was the only noise that you heard in the room as you felt Jake observing you. 
Unfortunately for you, the soft tip of the pencil kept crumbling in the sharpener as you kept twisting it and twisting it. 
“Fuck.” You muttered and felt Jake's eyes glance up at you. “God dammit.” You muttered again as the tip broke for the third time.
“That's the only one I have, stop sharpening it!” Jake snapped at you.
“It's fine Jake we're going home in a day or so, we can get another one.” You kept sharpening the pencil. 
“Youre fucking wasting it!” He snapped at you again. This time, he had snatched the pencil and the sharpener out of your hand. “Just go fucking get my phone charger off the bus Y/N.”
“Huh?”
“Go fucking get my charger from the bus. Its not that fucking hard to follow directions.” 
You instantly recoiled at his raised voice and your head dropped, you felt like you haad fucked up again. When you took a chance to glance at Jake his back was turned to you and your shoulders slumped. You watched as he examined the pencil in his hands and then threw it forcefully into the garbage can across the room.Great, there I go again. It was a usual occurrence for you to blame yourself for others emotions even if you were not consciously aware of it. 
The walk to the tour bus gave you a breath of fresh air at least and allowed you to clear your mind. 
By the time you got back into the arena it was already showtime and the boys had been walked to the stage by security. You plugged Jake's phone in and set it on the vanity in the green room, briefly glancing at his notifications but not trying to pay any real attention to them as you saw a list of texts and a few other notifications. Not my business….
Grabbing a bottle of Cabernet off of a nearby table you began your descent to the stage just as you heard the opening lines of what you quickly learned as The Falling Sky and slowed your stride. You knew Jake was angry but you hated that the anger was directed towards you. He had no right to take his frustrations out on something that you didn't cause and you made a mental note to put him in his place another time. Right now, your focus and your job was on Jake putting on a good show for his fans. 
Walking up to the side of the stage you checked in with Brian, Jakes “right hand” roadie, that all of his guitars were ready along with additional strings and made a note to tell Rose that you needed more nylon strings for Jakes acoustic as he had already broke a few since the last few shows. Standing near the side stage you observed as the crowd went wild for any little movement the boys seemed to make. Josh's voice echoing like siren through the venue echoing off the same walls you had observed in other venues still made your heart stand still 
These boys had talent, talent beyond comprehension, and though you had only known them for a short while you were mesmerized by the craft they created for as young as they were. You found your eyes closely following Jake and while you tried to convince yourself it was because of your job, having to know what he needed at all times, deep down you knew it was because he was the most mesmerizing of them all..
Watching Jake play guitar was like a drug, something you didn't think you needed until it was right in front of you. The raw talent and animalistic way that he played the guitar, the way he made it sing, the way he made it moan and bend to his every need..
Your thoughts were cut short as Rose came up beside you and signaled to the break in the setlist in front of you. Almost simultaneously Jake looked back side stage and signaled to his amp where his cup of wine lay hidden. That was your cue. Staying out of sight you twisted the cap and graciously poured his cup half full. He gave you a half smile and a small thumbs up as a thanks but you returned his gesture with a frown because fuck his attitude earlier. Even if he was feeling better from the energy from the fans in the room doesn't mean that you had forgotten how he had snapped at you. 
You made your way back down the stairs side stage and stood by with your arms crossed thinking about how much you wanted this show to end so you could go lay in your hotel room bed and forget about today. You took a deep breath as you heard Jake's guitar wail again, You'll be in your own bed in a few days time, you'll be in the quiet of your apartment, just keep hanging on Y/N..
You watched in horror as Jake approached you, his red gibson swinging on his hips. He stepped down the back stairs with confidence and handed you the white rose he was carrying, “I'm sorry I was a dick to you tonight.” 
Oh. 
You stood frozen holding the long stem with the white flower delicately on top as Jake gave you a small smile and walked back up the stairs. This was definitely something you were not expecting. 
***
August 20th
HOME SWEET HOME…
Nashville, TN. 
It had been a little while since the day Jake presented you with his apology. You had accepted the rose willingly when he handed it to you, but you felt in utter shock over it. That evening after the show Jake had sat you down and told you he was really going to work on his attitude towards you, that it was unfair you were taking the brunt of it when his anger had been all towards his brothers. You had parted ways on good terms after coming home to Nashville and you were enjoying your quiet time away from the limelight, and the chaos. You had just sat down on your couch and cozied up for the night when your phone screen lit up next to you unexpectedly.
Jake Kiszka
Hey, you busy tomorrow? 
Oh. This is unexpected. 
You were snuggled up with a glass of your favorite beverage in hand and your roommate's cat, Beans, purring against your leg as you pet him softly. You had the tv on in the background but you were curled up with your favorite book at the moment, rereading it for the fourth time. Seeing Jake's name across your screen caused your heart to jump in your chest. You haven't heard from him in a few weeks, since the day you parted in the airport to head home when your roommate Addison came to pick you up. 
You 
Nothing planned, what's going on? 
You laid your head against the couch pillow and felt as Beans stretched his paws against you, you smiled in content at the small animal. Your phone vibrated again. 
Jake Kiszka 
I could use your help cleaning out and re packing my cases for tour in a few weeks. We always make it into a party too with food and drinks and music too so I promise I won't work you too hard :) 
You caught yourself smiling a bit. Even though this was going to be work related, the thought of seeing Jake again made your stomach fill with butterflies. Fuck no, stop smiling like that..this isnt right this is your boss for crying out loud…
Yet, you couldn't deny it anymore. You were so clearly lying to yourself.
You were crushing on Jake Kiszka whether you wanted to or not. You couldn't deny how your heart felt at the thought of him and to your demise, you couldn't help but think about him constantly since you ended the first part of the tour. Especially, it seems, at certain moments late at night when your vibrator had fully charged.
Okay, whatever, you were “down bad” according to Addison. You felt ashamed for feeling this way towards your boss but as long as you kept yourself professional around Jake what was the harm in a little crush..right?
****
August 21st
GVF, LLC OFFICE.
Nashville, TN.
You swore you didn't pick out this outfit because you were seeing Jake today. No definitely not the flowy powder blue sundress that was hanging in your closet begging to be worn. You had simply forgotten about it being in there and today was so hot, it was perfect weather for a dress, yeah. 
You swiped on a little bit of your favorite lip gloss and fluffed your hair when you caught eyes with your roommate in the reflection of the mirror and yelped. “What the hell is a matter with your Addison?! Don't you know how to knock?” You clenched your heart over your heaving chest trying your best to calm your erratic heart. 
Addison wore a proud smirk as she leaned against the door frame, steaming cup of coffee in hand. “Who are you getting all dolled up for? Is it your sweet Jaaake?” 
“Mind your business” You turned towards your reflection one more time. One last look to make sure everything was in place. “Don't you have something to do today? Somewhere to be?” 
Addison was barricading you in the bathroom. “Nope. Cmon, just admit that you have a crush on him already and I'll leave you be!” 
You pushed past her not wanting to acknowledge the feelings growing in your heart and naturally, she followed you as you walked into your room to grab your purse to head out the door. “Keep denying it to yourself and it'll get worse.” 
“Yeah well, there's nothing there to begin with, so I don't know what to tell you.” You slipped your favorite comfy shoes on near the front door of the apartment. 
“Mhm, suuure.” 
At that, you walked out of the door with a dramatic eye roll. 
***
The Kiszkas sure knew how to throw a party it seemed. 
What had started off as an innocent afternoon unpacking and repacking crates and boxes while listening to music, quickly turned into what Jake deemed “a shit fest” as soon as Sam had located a bottle of tequila hidden in one of his crates. 
“Woah!” He had announced to the room, waving the bottle around like a prize. “Lookie what I have here. Who wants shots?!” 
Rose stopped packing the box of Tide To-Go sticks in Josh's case. “Sam, were not even finished yet!” 
“Why should that stop us? We just struck gold!” 
You and Jake made eye contact as you were standing near his dolly box and you both smirked at one another. “Let's go Sammy boy!” He turned and yelled across the room. 
“Yes! Jakes in! Now who else?” 
One shot turned into, well, several in a short matter of time. You realize the energy had shifted from work to party mode once the music in the room had picked up in volume. To Rose's dismay, the tasks at hand had been long abandoned and swapped in for everyone mingling with each other. The glow of the afternoon sun had settled into darker hues of pink and orange as the sun began to set on the city of Nashville and you had a nice little buzz flowing through your veins. You felt yourself actually relax and let loose and have fun for once, without worrying about being too professional. You were growing quite comfortable around here. Around your little tour family.
You had been perched up against the pool table across the room watching the shenanigans of Jake and Sam fighting each other with plastic swords dramatically. Josh had taken it upon himself to be the ref and Jake had been on and off yelling about how Josh was terrible at his job. You smiled in content as you watched others scattered around the room, watching the childish display or talking amongst themselves. 
“What are you smirking at?” Danny approached you. 
“Oh, nothing, just uh, feeling happy for the first time in a little while. Grateful I'm here.” 
“We're very grateful to have you. Jakes is very grateful, I know.” Danny shot you a small wink over the rim of his cup. Oh?
You were in the middle of talking with Danny about one of your favorite albums to listen to on your self dictated “Vinyl Sundays'  in your apartment when you felt a nudge on your shoulder and heard a soft ‘hey’ in your ear. You turned around and were met with Jake, sunglasses on now of course even though the sun had just fully set and a playful smirk resting on his face. A hint of a British accent grazed past his lips when he spoke. “Cmere, wanna show you something.” 
Your heart skipped a beat, did you mess something up? No, you couldn't have, not with his body language. You smiled softly at Danny. “Excuse me, it seems my attention is needed elsewhere.” 
“Not a problem Y/N, it's been nice getting to know you. You'll have to bring me that vinyl so I can listen to it before the tour starts up again.” He smiled softly back at you. 
“I will make sure that I do!” 
You followed Jake through the hallways of their management office, both of you silent for a beat before Jake threw a smile over his shoulder at you. 
“What were you and Danny talking about?” 
“He was asking me about my vinyl collection actually.” You said proudly.
“Vinyl collection huh? Anything good?” He tipped his sunglasses down to throw you a quizzical look. 
“Quite a bit actually,” You nodded. “Between my parents collection and my own I would say I have a couple hundred lying around. I try to listen to a new album every Sunday even if it's an album I know or have listened to on a streaming service.” 
“Couple hundred?” You couldn't see it now that Jake's sunglasses found their rightful place once more on his nose, but his eyes practically bugged out of his head. You had caught him off guard and you didn't even know it.  “Thats, that's quite impressive actually.” 
You sighed, “I take pride in my collection but I really owe it to both of my parents, mostly my father, for having quite the exquisite rock and roll and folk collection.” 
Jake hummed and flashed you a gut wrenching smile. “I might have to come and listen with you sometime.” 
“I'd like that Jake.” 
“Which one were you talking to Danny about?” You turned yet another corner in what seemed to be a maze of hallways. 
“Oh, I was just going through another box in my parents basement the other day and found quite the gem. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll. One of my favorite songs is on there, Crimson and Clover.” 
Jake smiled to himself, “Crimson and Clover, hmm.”
“What..” You were fully ready to defend yourself. 
“Oh nothing, seems fitting. Seems very you, you remind me of a little clover. A little good luck clover. You've made my life so much easier on tour lately; it's like you're my little good luck charm. My little Clover.” Jake's fingers played with the stubble on his chin and you felt your cheeks grow warm with blood. “Ahh, and there's the Crimson to go along with it.” 
You couldn't hide the smile any longer. The tension was so thick you felt as though you could cut through it with a dull knife. 
“Jake?” You asked softly.
He turned towards you, eyes still hiding behind his RayBans. “Yeah?” 
“Where are you taking me?” You couldn't help the infectious smile that broke across your face yet again. He was simply electric. 
Jake stopped walking and you followed suit. “Ah fuck, Im sorry, I probably should’ve asked this before I pulled you away but do you smoke?” 
“What?” You weren't sure you heard him correctly.
“You know.” He pinched his pointer finger to his thumb and raised it to his lips, eyebrows lifting simultaneously in question. 
“Oh,” Your arms crossed against your chest. “Yeah uh, sometimes. Not often though.” 
“Hmm,” He hummed and reached into the front pocket of his button down shirt. “Well, there's this secret room here that I like to hide away in sometimes and take the edge off after a meeting with the hooligans. Figured I could show you and we could, you know.” He trailed off and his head tipped down towards the ground. 
“I'm down I think,” You smiled. “It's been awhile since I smoked though so I might not smoke all that much.” 
Jake grinned at you, “Fantastic. No worries, we don't have to smoke it all. Cmon were not far.” 
You followed Jake down yet another hallway towards a solid door with a bright exit sign hanging overhead. As he pushed through the door the August humidity engulfed you for a moment but it was short lived as Jake opened another side door from the outside of the white brick building and gestured to you to enter. You were surprised as you stepped into what looked like a, possibly still used, darkroom. Red lights were shining through the room, you could see bins on tables and clotheslines hung up along the walls. At the present moment though, no photos were hung up to dry.
“Woah.” You whispered as you heard Jake close the door behind you. “Is this?”
“A darkroom? Yeah,” He smiled at you softly, his sunglasses finally coming off of his face. “We like to come here and develop the film that we capture. Well, mostly Sam and Josh but I dabble with it sometimes as well.”
“This is really cool.” You said as you walked further into the room. “Kind of disappointed that there's no film developing right now, honestly.” 
You heard the click of a lighter behind you and the sound of Jake inhaling. “Yeah, we wouldn't be able to do this though if there was.” He blew the smoke out of his mouth and you watched it engulf his face for a moment in the red light. 
Damn these red lights, you thought. Jake somehow looked even sexier than he normally did in the low red lights. He looked like he was damned to steal your soul from you, like he was put on this earth to bewitch you into falling in love with him. He smirked as he blew out another big hit. “Are you just going to keep staring at me or would you like to take a hit of this?” 
Your eyes widened with fear and you felt your face flush hot. Okay, thank god for these red lights actually… 
You reached out to take the blunt from Jake and pulled it to your lips. You took in a generous hit, not aware of how much you had actually inhaled. But your lungs made sure to point that out to you pretty quickly though as a coughing fit began to wrack through your body. 
“Woah Y/N, take a breath if you can.” Jake came up beside you and began rubbing your back, pulling the blunt from your fingers and holding it away from your body. Thankfully, you had carried a small water bottle with you and you were able to stop coughing enough to finally take a few deep breaths. You felt the instant head buzz from the high settling into your body. It wasn't alarming or anxiety inducing, you felt calm. Like your worries had no longer room in your mind. 
“There we go.” Jake said softly, his strong hand still rubbing comforting circles along your back that definitely awoke a different type of feeling low in your stomach. “Ready for another?” 
“Hell no.” You choked out a laugh and his throaty laugh followed suit. His laugh was music to your ears. How could it be possible that a damn laugh could sound sexy?
“Fair enough Y/N.” 
You watched as he lifted the blunt to his soft looking lips that were glistening even in the red light. His eyes flicked to you again as the smoke began to leave his lungs and float through the air. Your eyes snapped to the ground out of embarrassment for being caught staring at him yet again. You hated how his lips tilted up in a little smirk as he realized, as well, that he had caught you again.
Clearing your throat you broke the silence, and the tension “What kind of film do you all usually produce here?” 
Another cloud of smoke engulfed the space around you, the red lights showing that the room had a slight haze to it now. “Mostly pictures from the tour. I know Sammy boy is more into this than anything, surprisingly. He constantly carries his camera around with him.” 
You hummed and pretended like the clotheslines with hooks were suddenly the most interesting thing in the room rather than the man who was dripping with sex appeal next to you. 
“Want one last hit before it's done?” Jake asked, gesturing to the now very small blunt. 
“Uh, I'm probably okay, I'd like to avoid another cough attack if possible.” You giggled softly as you waved him off.  
“Hm,” His lips pressed into a tight line for a moment. “You ever shotgun before?” 
“What?” Your eyes widened. 
“You ever did a shotgun with someone while smoking?” He tilted his head at you. 
“I uh, don't think so no.” You fidgeted with your fingers as nervousness crept up in your throat. 
You watched as he moved a little closer to you, closing the space and making your throat constrict. “‘S pretty easy, I take a hit and then blow it in your mouth. It makes it so the smoke isn't as harsh.” 
The spicy bergamot of his cologne rolling off of his skin began engulfing your senses and coaxing you into yet another intoxicating cloud of lust that was Jake. Now, of course, this sense was heightened with your current state of mind. 
“Wanna try?” He whispered as he moved even closer to you again. You watched as he stepped in front of you so you two were facing each other head on now.
You slowly nodded your head in fear that your voice would fail you if you tried to speak. You bit your lip in anticipation of what was going to happen next. Jake sucked in a soft breath between his lips and brought his hand up to your chin.
 “Don't do that,” He whispered. “Drives me crazy when you do.”
Your lips parted slightly as his calloused thumb swiped along your mouth, that very thumb catching the fullness of your bottom lip for just a moment as you released it from your teeth before he pulled away. 
Your mouth was undeniably dry as he smiled down at you and you felt the buttons of his shirt graze softly against your skin. The heat coming off of his body was noticeable and by God did you suddenly wish he would just press himself fully against you. 
“Okay, s’easy. Trust me yeah?” He brushed your hair away from one side of your face and your heart leapt out of your chest. You didn't have time to fully comprehend what was happening as you watched him bring the blunt to those perfectly soft looking lips and inhale a deep cloud of smoke. What happened next was simultaneously going too slow and too fast all at once. Your brain struggled to keep up with what was happening as his fingertips dipped into your hair and pulled you closer to him by the back of your neck. Holy shit.  
You finally felt Jake's body meld with yours as best it could, the feeling of being pressed between the man you desired most and a shitty little table was instantly the most intoxicating feeling you had experienced in a long time. You didn't feel like you could have prepared yourself for the set of events that unfolded shortly after. 
You felt that same thumb from earlier brush softly at the bottom of your ear as he tipped your head up towards him slightly. You wanted to close your eyes but your couldn't bring yourself to find the strength to do so. You watched as he leaned in and gasped softly as you felt his lip softly against yours. Your heart sank to your stomach at the feeling of finally being close to him in ways you only had wished for the last few weeks. You suddenly remembered what got you into this position in the first place as you felt Jakes nose nudge softly against yours. Your mouth parted slightly to accept the smoke tucked away in his lungs currently.At your acknowledgement that you were ready to accept what he was giving to you, you felt Jakes lips press a little harder against yours and you felt the hot smoke flood your mouth. You inhaled as best as you could but you also were frozen in place.
Instead of pulling away immediately as you exhaled the smoke from your own lungs, Jake took a chance and softly closed his lips against yours to which you softly reciprocated as well. This kiss was cautionary and you confirmed how both of you felt in the moment as Jake pulled slightly away, hand still tucked in your hair. You couldn't read his facial expression all too well but his eyes had a determined look. 
You made the first move to fully kiss him at this point. You tipped your head up and pressed a more determined kiss to his lips. Jake welcomed the kiss. His lips engulfing your own in a soft, pillowy dream of lust. You felt goosebumps spread across your body as you melted further into him, wrapping your arms around the back of his head and you pulled him impossibly closer to you. As your mouths moved back and forth a little less cautiously at this point you made a mental note for yourself how Jake's bottom lip was most prominent in the kiss. His mouth was warm, and so soft but rough against your own as the sexual tension built up in the room. You felt his hands rubbing down the sides of your body and settling on your hips giving them a soft squeeze as you two deepened the kiss further and your tongues touched for the first time. 
Inhibitions clearly out the window, you felt him lift you up onto the table behind you without breaking the heated make out that was now happening. As his tongue dipped further against yours, you couldn't help but moan softly. He seemed to appreciate your reaction as he squeezed your hips tighter and dragged you closer to the edge of the table, your clothed core making slight contact with the buckle of his belt. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing mattered other than Jake and how he felt. Your fingers found their way into his soft hair and you pulled slightly releasing a moan he had been hiding away from you. It didn't feel like enough. More. You needed more….
The shrill sound of an iPhone ringtone broke through the silence in the room making you both jump. 
“Dammit Josh,” Jake swore as he looked at the screen of his phone and lifted it up to his ear. “What!” His body was still pressed up against yours and his fingertips were dragging along the exposed skin on your hip. From this position you were in, he looked fucked out and by God he looked delicious. 
“I just ran out to my car to grab something dude,” Jake spoke angrily into his phone and rolled his eyes. “No im not in the fuckin, whatever man. Im coming back now anyways chill the fuck out.” 
You heard the three beeps of a call ending and Jake sighed and glanced at you, “Sorry Clover” 
His fingers grazed across your cheekbone. “Here, let me help you down.” 
You felt his hands squeeze your hips again and you felt like you were out of breath. The weight of what happened between you and Jake now settling slowly into your consciousness. Before you could think much further, his fingertips tipped your chin up and he softly pressed his lips to yours one more time. As he pulled away he smiled softly at you and you couldn't help but reciprocate. 
He was like a drug, and now that you've had a taste, you weren't sure you were going to be able to give it up. You pressed your fingertips softly to your tingling lips to hide your smile as Jake walked his way out the door, turning around to blow a kiss to you and wave his fingers. His sunglasses take their natural place sitting on his perfect nose once again. You followed shortly thereafter and giggled as you watched the remnants of the smoke pour out the door. 
“Cmon darlin,” Jake wrapped an arm around your shoulder. “Let's go have ourselves a party, yeah?”
You smiled and wrapped an arm around Jake's torso, “Lets!” You'll deal with whatever just happened tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow is good.
Remember that harmless little crush you thought wouldn't get in the way of anything?
Yeah, well you might've been wrong but you definitely won't be telling anyone about it.
****
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taglist: @brujamagik @anythingforjtk @jakesguitarsolo @do-it-jakey-baby @vanfleeter @violetstarcatcher @myownparadise96@ignite-my-fire @nina-23-45
A/N: If you would like to be added to the taglist let me know :)
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sunnebeam · 6 months
Text
"i'm protecting my turf in my own way."
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A 'PERKS OF BEING A HOUSEHUSBAND' DRABBLE.
pairing: min yoongi x reader
plot: the (mis)adventures of retired gangster min yoongi as he leaves behind the life of the mafia and navigates the way of the househusband.
warnings: the way of the househusband au, marriage au, crack, domesticity, yoongi unintentionally adopts an apprentice :O
masterlist + disclaimers.
note: in case u didn't know, i'm still currently on my aug-oct vacation (see details in pinned post!) and this post was scheduled in advance :> i has fun with this one 😂 hope u enjoy it and leave ur thoughts about it <3
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Yoongi hates Wednesdays.
Wednesdays are usually when his favorite grocery store gets deliveries for fresh produce, and since they're freshly restocked, they tend to price them incredibly high. He usually counters this by using a gift card but then he remembers how he gave away his last remaining gift card to the two policemen from before.
So, yeah, Yoongi hates this particular Wednesday. But he carries on because your fridge is running low on food and he needs to do his weekly grocery run.
He's strolling down the sidewalk, signature 'poodle' apron on and mesh tote bag on his shoulder. He's about a block away from the store when he sees a familiar face.
A face from his past. With blonde hair and a boxy smile.
"Taehyung?"
"Hyung-nim?!"
Taehyung looks at him in shock, his face roughed up and bruised, before practically bursting with tears in relief. He runs up to Yoongi and wraps him in a hug.
"Hyung-nim! It's really you!"
"Don't hug me."
Taehyung pulls away. "Where are you going?"
"On an assignment."
Yoongi pats him on the back before moving to continue his walk to the grocery store. Curious and excited, Taehyung follows him, chatting his ear off.
"Where've you been, hyung? Since you disappeared, the gang's practically in shambles. I've tried looking for you everywhere. Oh, and what's this assignment you're talking about? Is it important—"
Yoongi cuts him off when they arrive at the store's entrance.
"It's very important. And I'm gonna need your expertise."
Taehyung gulps.
"Of course, hyung-nim. Let me help."
Yoongi smiles manically.
"Good. Now let's get to work."
Taehyung fully expected to do some dirty work. In the past, Yoongi always used to ask for his expertise with the computer and other tech stuff. What he didn't expect was for Yoongi to ask him for his expertise on fruit.
"Choose the freshest ones, Taehyung. I trust your judgment."
They stand before the strawberries section, and after a quick discussion about how a strawberry's leaves help tell whether they're ripe or not, Yoongi tells him to choose the best strawberries that can be made into homemade jam.
Taehyung rubs his eyes, looks at his former gangmate, then rubs his eyes again. He stares at the grocery cart full of fresh produce, toilet paper, scented candles, fabric conditioner, and dog food, among others. His eyes then move to his former gangmate's 'poodle' apron and the mesh tote bag on his shoulder.
"What the fuck is this?" he asks, his blood boiling.
"What are you talking about?"
"What the fuck are you doing, hyung-nim?" Taehyung's voice starts to rise. "What's all this? What are you doing playing house?"
He grabs Yoongi by the collar and tries to shake him but his former gangmate remains sturdy.
"The Agust D we know would never be caught dead doing all this, so what the fuck are you doing?!"
And the Agust D that Taehyung knows would've blown up and retaliated by now with how the younger man is treating him. But this Yoongi just grabs Taehyung's hands and pulls them away from his collar.
"Taehyung," Yoongi says calmly, "I'm done with all that."
"W-What?"
Yoongi fixes his top and straightens his apron out.
"I'm a househusband now."
Taehyung gapes at him.
"I'm protecting my turf in my own way," he continues. "You can't protect what's sacred to you through violence."
What?!
Then Taehyung still doesn't understand even when Yoongi makes him help put everything away in the different cupboards. And Taehyung still doesn't understand even when Yoongi makes him help cook up some homemade strawberry jam.
Taehyung doesn't understand.
But Yoongi doesn't give him time to understand before he's finishing up the grocery run and making the younger man help him carry the grocery bags back to the apartment.
But Taehyung finally understands everything when you arrive.
"Yoonie! I'm home!"
Taehyung sees you walk through the front door, greeting your husband hello and asking him where your poodle is. He sees you, all pretty and charming, being doted on by your ex-gangster husband. He sees you, a goddess with ethereal beauty, make someone like Yoongi, who he thinks of as a god, cater to you and respond to your every whim.
Taehyung understands now.
Agust D never really disappeared. He just found a new master to serve.
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COPYRIGHT 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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whatitshouldvebeen · 4 months
Text
Scream Three Times
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[Part 1/2] [Part 2/2 (smut)]
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Synopsis: You didn't think you had a chance at Billy or Stu's affection, but one night at Stu's Halloween party proves otherwise.
Pairing: MMF Ghostface (Billy Loomis & Stu Macher) x reader
Word count: 2,852
Warnings: None so far
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Thanks to the surge of murders in your hometown of Woodsboro and the newly enforced curfew, your mom spared you from your usual duty of accompanying your younger sibling for trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.
Your best friend, Jenna, invited you at the last minute to Stu Macher's Halloween party instead. However, her excitement waned when you stumbled upon an old Ghostface mask in the closet and answered the door wearing it.
"It's in really poor taste," Jenna said, crossing her arms over her nearly exposed chest. She was wearing a skimpy cheerleader outfit, likely to appease her new boyfriend, Anders.
"Well, it isn't like Ghostface wears skirts, fishnet tights, and knee-high boots. I think she's safe from being mistaken for the killer," Anders commented, his dark eyes appraising you. Your response was a scrunched nose and a disdainful glare he couldn't see past your mask.
Anders—the latest object of your best friend's affection—attempted to pull off the dark-haired, leather jacket bad boy look. But you easily saw through it. He was nothing more than a tool.
However, Jenna made you promise to be nice, so you refrained from telling him off for ogling you. You wrapped your dark robe around your cut-off black top sporting cute little glow-in-the-dark ghosts before following Jenna to her boyfriend's truck and climbing into the back seat.
The gathering was taking place at Stu's big farmhouse, and plenty of people were coming, so it did seem like the safest place to be. When you arrived, you hopped out and followed Jenna and Anders up the front porch.
"Well, hey there." Stu's delighted grin greeted you at the door as he held it open. "Great costume."
"Thanks, Stu," you replied, grateful that the mask concealed your flustered expression. He was wearing a velvety red robe over a beige sweater, but it was always his smile that he wore best.
Though you were aware of Stu's relationship with Tatum, you couldn't deny the magnetic draw of his outgoing personality. Still, you weren't the type to go after other girls' men.
Because if you were the type to tread that path, Billy Loomis's bed might have been your destination. Poor Sidney had to have some idea how much of a player her boyfriend was, but she was unaware of the fact Billy had come onto you on more than one occasion. Resolute in avoiding the same bad-boy trap your best friend fell into, you steered clear.
Squeezing past Stu, whose blue eyes shamelessly traced your every move, you navigated into the party. While Jenna and Anders settled on the couch for the scary movie marathon, you made your way to the kitchen to get some beers.
With your back to the room, you heard your name and spun around, coming face to face with Stu.
"I knew that was you under that costume. Damn, you look really cute," he said, his eyes lighting up as he bit his lip.
Ducking your head slightly, a nervous giggle escaped as you thanked him.
"Whassamatter?" Stu leaned in so close that your black mesh-shrouded vision was consumed by him. "You gettin' flustered, girly?"
Shoving him back with a hand still clutching a beer, you playfully muttered, "Quit it, Stu. You have a girlfriend."
"Yeah? And what if I told you I'm planning on leaving her for you?" he said in a low tone, capturing your hand on his chest. His head dipped, and piercing eyes seemingly locked onto yours through the mask.
"Uh-" Your mouth went dry, and your thoughts scattered into the far corners of your mind.
Fuck. A little flirting and you could already feel your body heating up. Stu would leave his girlfriend for you? You hated the fact your thoughts were already consumed with the idea of stealing another girl's man.
But was it really stealing when he suggested it? Attempting to maintain the façade of a good, mostly innocent girl, you grappled with the growing heat in your core.
"There you are!" Tatum's voice cut through your brain fog.
"Thanks," Stu said, taking the beer from your hand and winking before turning to face his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and leading her back toward the living room. He glanced over his shoulder before disappearing from view, blowing a kiss.
You grabbed the last beer in the fridge and reentered the living room, passing two bottles to your best friend on the packed couch and opening one for yourself before settling on the armchair in the only available seat, beside Tatum. There were at least twenty people sitting around the TV, which was playing the movie 'Halloween,' but the moment you felt the back of the chair settle, the only thing you could focus on was the warmth of Stu's body radiating from behind you.
His girlfriend was beside you, but she knew how Stu was. She didn't think anything of it when he set his arm—still holding the beer—around your shoulder. Your breath caught. Your best friend shot you a look, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. The tension between you and Stu was building, and you weren't sure how much more you could take.
"You're lucky Sidney couldn't make it," Tatum said from beside you, gesturing to your mask. "You and the others would have scared her shitless. Honestly, it's pretty rude."
You were about to respond when Stu interjected.
"Don't be a bitch, Tatum," he chided. "It's my party, and I'm not gonna enforce a dress code because Sydney is paranoid."
The doorbell rang, and Stu yelled, "I'll get it!" before unceremoniously falling off the back of the chair and popping his head up over the back. "Yo, babe, mind getting us some more beer?" He handed her his empty bottle with a charming smile.
She huffed. "What am I, a beer wench?" Despite her complaint, as Stu headed for the door, she stood up and left for the garage, leaving you alone on the armchair. 
Stu returned shortly, Gail Weathers and Deputy Dewey in tow. You glanced down at your almost empty beer worriedly before Dewey waved it off. "Nah, I'm not gonna bust you guys for having fun."
Gail stood suspiciously by the TV before going back to Dewey, her best reporter smile plastered on her face. Stu approached the armchair and plopped down beside you, grinning. You wanted to reprimand him for the way he cuddled up next to you when his girlfriend could be back any minute, but Stu was known for being touchy-feely, and no one said anything when he wrapped his arm around you with an exaggerated sigh of contentment.
You immersed yourself in the remainder of the movie, nestled against Stu's side, momentarily forgetting Tatum as you tried to quell the racing beat of your heart. As the credits rolled, another knock echoed through the door. Stu gently brushed your hair with his hand before standing and answering it.
"Has anyone seen Tatum?" You heard Dewey ask. You shrugged, still collecting your things. 
Jenna approached you, looking suspicious. "Did you only agree to come cause you think Stu's hot?" 
"What?" You acted like you had no idea what she was talking about, but she saw right through you. 
"You two were so cuddled up I thought you'd climb onto his lap and start making out any second," she said. "He's taken, you know."
"Not for much longer," you said. 
She shoved your arm. "No way?" She whisper-yelled, her eyes growing wide.
You shrugged. "He said he was going to leave his girlfriend for me. They're over with."
"Shit," she muttered, rubbing her arm. "Then… Well, congrats, I guess. I can't judge. Anders left his girlfriend for me."
"Girlfriends, you mean?" You said, your lip curling. Anders had been dating two girls and Jenna before he finally "settled" on her, but not before sleeping with all the girls to 'see if they were compatible'. This fucker was playing games with your best friend, and you never trusted him for a second. 
"Speaking of Anders, where is he?" You asked, trying to change the subject before she could start defending him.
Jenna looked over her shoulder. "I dunno. I'll go find him. Wait for me?" She said, to which you nodded. You kept your mask in hand and approached the front door, spotting Stu talking to Billy. 
"Is Sydney here?" Billy asked Stu, who shook his head. "Fuck. Well, at least she wasn't here to kill the party. She's such a drag nowadays." 
You figured Billy was not the type to dress up for Halloween, and you were correct; he was wearing a plain white shirt with a blue plaid dress shirt.
Billy's eyes slid to you as the rest of the partygoers filtered out around him. "You didn't tell me she was coming," he said to Stu, shoving his chest and stepping through the doorway. 
"Ow! Jesus! I didn't know she was coming, I thought she had to babysit!" Stu griped, holding his chest with an affronted expression. Billy ignored him, coming to a stop in front of you. 
His dark eyes glinted behind strands of black hair as he looked over your costume, grinning when he spotted the mask gripped on your hand. "Not worried that the killer is gonna get ya for stealing his look?" He teased. 
"The killer could be a girl," you countered.
"You think so? Is it you?" He inquired, his smile growing as he leaned closer, enjoying the way you flustered under his gaze. 
You shook your head. "No way. I'd pick different targets if I were to kill people." 
"Yeah? Like who?" Stu asked, peeking over Billy's shoulder. 
You thought for a moment. "I dunno, maybe someone like… Gail Weathers?" You said. "I can't think of someone I'd be happier to see gone than her."
Stu giggled, and Billy nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good one." 
"She was here with Dewey earlier," Stu said offhandedly.
"Dewey was here?" Billy said, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yup. Guess they're amping up security." Stu makes an exaggerated shocked face from behind Billy, causing you to laugh. 
"What the fuck!" You heard Jenna yell from the back yard. Billy, Stu, and yourself all whipped to attention, and headed for the back door. Not wanting to reveal yourselves yet, you peeked around the corner, with Billy over your shoulder, and Stu leaning over him. 
What you saw was Jenna with her hands on her hips, looking out onto the porch at her boyfriend with a very drunk girl still hanging off his arm despite his efforts to loose her from his bicep. 
"It's not what you think!" Anders said, finally shoving the girl away. "She came onto me!"
"And you had your hand down her pants to what? Help her find her keys?" Jenna scoffed, then threw the rest of her drink at him. A sopping wet Anders continued to appeal to Jenna, but she wasn't having it. "Just get out of here," she spat, pushing Anders's soaked chest until he gave up and retreated around the side of the house, the drunk girl following him. 
"What's going on here?" Dewey asked from behind you and the boys, making you all jump. 
"Jenna found Anders knuckle-deep in another girl," Billy said with a wry grin. 
"Shit," Dewey said under his breath, leaving the group and heading to Jenna. You broke off from the boys and followed him. 
"You okay, Jenna?" Dewey asked, snapping her attention to him.
"I'm fine," she growled, clearly not. Her eyes flicked to you. "There you are," Jenna said, grabbing your arm. "I don't want to be here another second. Let's go home," she said.
"Wait, before you go, has anyone seen Tatum?" Dewey asked. 
"She was a lil upset when I broke up with her," Stu said, shrugging. "I think she left."
Dewey gave Stu a confused look. "What? You broke up?"
Stu shrugged. "Yeah. I realized I have feelings for someone else. It wasn't her fault, I just didn't want to break her heart," he said, his eyes drifting to you. 
You heard a truck start up and peel off the asphalt.
"Fuck," Jenna groaned. "I don't have a way home, we came here with Anders."
"That's alright. I can take you home," Dewey offered. "You need a ride too?" He asked, turning to you. 
"I can take her home, officer," Stu offered. 
"Uh…" You bit your lip and looked at your best friend, at Stu, then Billy. You didn't want to leave Jenna if she needed you, but Stu had been working you up all night, and now that you knew he was single, you didn't really want to go.  
Mercifully, Jenna caught on. "It's fine. Stu, you take good care of her okay?" She said, to which Stu gave a thumbs up, nodding enthusiastically. 
"Alright, I'll drive you home. You'll call me if Tatum turns up, right?" Dewey asked, still sounding worried. 
"Scouts honor," Stu said, his hand over his heart. 
Dewey and Jenna went to the front, and Billy closed the door behind them before turning to face you. The partygoers were all gone by now, leaving you alone in the house with Billy and Stu. 
"So. Stu, huh?" Billy said, stepping closer to you. 
You nodded a little, unable to meet his eyes. 
"What makes him better than me?" Billy asked, pouting. 
"Everything," Stu interjected, wrapping an arm around your waist with a smug look. 
You laughed. "Well, for one, he broke up with his girlfriend."
"Is that all it takes?" Billy tilted your chin up and captured your gaze. "Consider it done," Billy said, a dark intensity in his eyes. 
"What?" You loosed a nervous laugh, unsure if he was fucking with you. Your eyes flicked to Stu, who's nostrils flared. 
"Hey! You knew I wanted to date her for months, now you're gonna try to swoop in and take her from me? Not gonna happen, bro." Stu pulled you possessively against his side. 
Billy looked back at you. "Why don't we let her decide? After all, you haven't officially asked her out yet anyway, right?"
Stu rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, no, but I was gonna-" 
"Then she's free to pick between us," Billy said, crossing his arms and waiting expectantly. Stu kept his hold on your waist, but watched you with anticipation. 
You felt a wave of uncertainty wash over you. You'd been drawn to both of them at different points in your life, but you never expected that you'd get a chance with either of them. You chewed on your bottom lip anxiously. 
"Poor baby," Billy said with a pout. "We're putting too much pressure on you, huh? You need help making your decision?" 
He stepped closer while Stu watched him with curiosity, still holding onto you. You shrunk under Billy's scrutiny, warmth pooling in your core. 
"I know," Billy said, taking a step back and clapping his hands. "Whichever of us fucks you better gets to keep you."
"Ooh," Stu said gleefully, squeezing your side. 
Your heart skipped a beat. "W-what?"
Billy chuckled. "Don't act innocent. I can tell you want it."
You blinked rapidly, your eyes flicking to your feet. You did want it, but you were not prepared to be in this situation whatsoever. 
"Don't worry, I've got a way better dick," Stu said proudly. "You'll definitely be mine by the end of the night." 
"Longer doesn't equate better," Billy scoffed. "I'll prove it."
Your face was on fire, and your hands were trembling as you wrung them. You couldn't believe the situation you'd gotten yourself into. 
"Aww, she's nervous," Stu said, rubbing your shoulder comfortingly. "It's alright babe, if you don't want to you don't have to."
Billy shrugged. "Don't worry about it, I just thought it'd be fun."
You took a deep breath, finally mustering the courage to speak, though your voice trembled. "It would be fun," you admitted. "But… won't you both think I'm a slut?" 
Stu snorted. "If you plan to date either of us, and we both are cool with it, then you're no more of a slut than anyone who participates in a threesome." 
"Besides," Billy said, "sluts can be hot, especially when they're trustworthy." He paused, his gaze intensifying. "We can trust you, can't we?"
You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded. 
Stu beamed. "Fuck yeah," he said, pulling Billy in with his other arm. "You wanna go to my room, or my parents? My parents bed is bigger, but my room has a better vibe-" 
"Your room smells like weed," Billy griped. 
"Duh," Stu said, giving Billy an incredulous look. "That's part of the vibe."
"Your parents room, maybe?" You offered, still feeling some trepidation. 
"Cool, let's go!" Stu said, letting go of you both and turning toward the stairs, tripping up them in his rush to lead the way. Billy sighed and held out his arm, gesturing for you to go before him. When you reached the top of the stairs, Stu had opened the door, and bowed exaggeratingly low. "Ladies first."
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slay-classy · 11 months
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sprout-fics · 7 months
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❝  you don’t have to pretend to be fine,  if you need me to stay i will.  ❞ (fix saying this to ghost?)
I fucking love Fix and Ghost and how they deal with hurt/comfort with the other. Fuck it's so good.
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“He’s smoking.” Soap says as you walk past him after your shower. The Scot is still inventorying his kit under the faulty light of the safe house, steady hands appraising the contents beside his vest. He pauses to throw you the barest glance over his shoulder, brow scrunched with something akin to worry before he goes back to his task. 
“On the fire escape.” He adds, and there’s meaning in the scarce words he offers you, meaning that has you quietly slip away in the direction he’s offered you. 
Soap doesn’t question the thing between you and his lieutenant, if it can be called that. You’re not sure if he knows the full scope of your relationship with Simon and is strangely quiet on it, or if you both have managed to keep him as carefully in the dark as you intended. Either way, Soap knows Ghost well enough to recognize his mannerisms just as you do, and you both know that Simon slinking off for a cig means something is weighing heavy on his mind. 
You knock on the pane of the window that leads to the fire escape, making out Ghost’s looming figure just beside it, concealed carefully in the shadows. The only indication he’s there at all is the slant from the light inside catching across his boot, the glow of the cigarette in his hand as he lifts it to his lips.
When you knock you see him make room for you to climb out, and even though he doesn’t welcome you, it’s a clear indication that he at least tolerates your presence. You lean on the wall beside him, catching the light where he sidles further into darkness, boots scraping the metal mesh of the platform under you. The wisp of nicotine curls around you both, an acrid smell to fill the silence. 
You don’t press him. You know better than that. You learned long ago that saccharine sweet words to Simon will only throw his guard up just as it does yours, make him bristle and bare his fangs in a paradoxical effort to protect himself. 
❝ You don’t have to pretend to be fine, if you need me to stay I will.❞ You told him once, remembering how Simon’s head had snapped in your direction hard enough to make his neck crack. 
“I don’t need anything.” He told you flatly, scarcely hiding his hostility. It had startled you then, this whiplash of emotion from him. Yet when you looked at him, saw the look in his eyes, you understood.
You’re both feral, untamed creatures. There’s beauty in the wildness of you, an understanding of the untouchable spirit that resides in the other. You wander the wilderness in search of someone just the same as you, something more fit for savagery than gentleness. Like a beast howling at the sacrosanct moon, you hear the other's lonely call and dare to challenge it with your own. 
Yet wounded, injured, the proximity of others summons flashing fangs and snarling gazes even as you desperately want to be anything but alone.
So you only stand beside him, cross your arms and brace on the wall until you gesture at him for a cigarette, smiling to yourself when he simply offers his. His lighter flicks as he lights a new one for him, and the orange of the flame reveals the grim set of his jaw in the shadows. 
You try and think back on the day, try and discern the things that could have gone wrong to warrant this sudden heaviness and withdrawal of him. Ghost had been set up in a sniper nest all day, navigating you and Soap through the city in your plain clothes, tailing a contact. You’d been waiting for him to make an exchange, information hidden in his briefcase. Yet the person he had handed it off to was not another gangster.
Instead, it was a boy. 
Blonde. Brown eyes, looking up at his father and smiling as the man had cupped the child’s face when he spoke.
Ghost didn’t take the shot.
You take a long drag of your cigarette, wincing at the taste. You never had a penchant for smoking, picked it up only to find excuses to linger beside the man next to you. Simon is silent, ruminating, and you tumble the image of the boy in your mind, trying to find the tether that connected him to Simon’s heart. 
It hits you all at once. A kid, roughly the same age, blonde, brown eyed, rosy cheeked, looking up at his father with stars in his eyes. 
Joseph.
You close your eyes, pained realization rippling through your chest. Joseph, the smallest one lost to that deadly night that took Simon’s family. The one he had spoken of only once and then never again. A secret locked in the deepest parts of his heart, something he trusted scarcely few people with. 
Including you.
The gift and responsibility of Simon’s trust of you isn’t wasted in its meaning. You know how difficult it is for him to allow even the smallest sliver of someone that deep inside, and you tread carefully, knowing that there’s things that you haven’t told Simon either about your own family. 
You fight him tooth and nail for every meager scrap he gives you, and it’s enough. It’s always enough- because every single truth you unspool from him ties its threads into your own stitches atop your fractured heart.
You both stand in the long silence of the night air, letting the curl of smoke wind between your two forms before you deign to speak. 
“He looked nothing like him.” You lie.
Simon goes still beside you, coiling a telltale inch as you finally speak the truth of it into existence. You think maybe he’ll go back inside without another word, and will leave you out here in the aftermath of your feigned declaration.
“No.” He replies flatly, not moving from where he stands, voice firm in a way that tells of what he is trying to hide underneath- something you know you’ll see eventually when he comes to you with desperate touches and hushed words, trying to escape the weight of the world in the feral familiarity of you. 
“He didn’t.”
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