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casifer-is-king · 3 years

Text

Private Investigator

Pairing: Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales x fem!reader

Rated: T

Warnings: some language, infidelity.

A/N: This is my first piece of writing in like five years.... I'm gonna warn everyone right now that this is probably not great hahaha. But it was impossible for me to get this idea out of my head and once I started writing it just kind of kept going.... And since it's all written out now, I might as well post it. So if you read this, thank you so very much 🥺💜 This is cross posted on AO3 under my username BlondiMarie.

You always gave your husband the benefit of the doubt. Even when all of your friends warned you about their suspicions. So, when it came down to you telling them you weren't going to confront him about anything without proof, they took it to heart and got planning.

That is how you found yourself in a crowded coffee shop during the lunch rush. Your two best friends, Ashley and Erin, sit across from you as you all wait for the Private Investigator that they had found who knows where. Supposedly, though, he was very qualified. And prompt, you noted, as the man you assumed was here to meet you walked up to your table three minutes before the appointed time.

"You must be my 12:30 meeting?" he asks."I'm Frankie Morales."

"It's nice to meet you," Ashley speaks up, then goes around introducing you all.

Frankie shakes hands with each of you before taking the empty seat next to you. In the crowded room, his chair is set close to your side and you can feel the heat of his body next to yours. He's definitely a cute guy you notice, in a rough, outdoorsy kind of way. His hair curls out from under a worn baseball cap and his facial hair is scruffy, but kept short with a patch along his jaw that doesn't seem to grow.

“So how can I help you ladies?” he asks.

“Well it's really for our friend here,” Erin states, gesturing to you. “It's her husband. We are pretty certain he's cheating on her.”

Frankie glances over at you. “Pretty certain, huh?” he asks as the waitress brings a cup of coffee over and places it in front of him. You find yourself suddenly distracted as he tears open two sugar packets with long, deft fingers, then picks up the spoon to stir it in.

Realizing that he's probably waiting for an answer, you feel yourself blush faintly. “They are pretty certain. I just want to be sure either way. I don't have any specific proof that he's cheating,” you say, finally tearing your eyes away from his hands. He's thoughtlessly twisting the spoon between his index finger and thumb. It's somehow entrancing, the way his fingers move.

“But he's definitely pretty shady,” Ashley steps in. “Suddenly he's working long hours at work, coming home late from the bars and claiming he's with his friends. Plus when is the last time he even took you out?”

The question is pointed at you, but you ignore it by looking into your tea cup instead. It had been months since the two of you had gone on a real date. It's something you both enjoyed a lot in the early years of your relationship - going out to a new restaurant every weekend and ordering three course meals just for the fun of it.

"Yeah, I see this shit all the time," he assures, saving you from having to answer. "If he's doing anything he shouldn't be, I'll find out."

Your friends and him discuss his rates and when payment is due before they rush off, both having to get back to work.

"Did you have to get going too?" Frankie asks you when it's just the two of you left at the table.

"Not yet," you reply.

"That's good." He ducks his head a little so you can't see his eyes anymore, "I was wondering if I could ask a few more questions. Like about your husband's schedule and where he likes to spend his time."

“Of course. He works at an architecture company downtown. It used to be a Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 type of job. But the past few months he's been working late, sometimes he's even going in on Saturdays. Says it's some big project and he's expecting a promotion by the end of it.”

Frankie takes note of your husband's workplace on one of the tiny napkins. When he sees that you're watching him, he ducks his eyes from view again. “Forgot my notebook,” he says sheepishly.

You crack a smile at his embarrassment, but don't say anything, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable. You continue on like nothing happened. “He goes out with his friends a lot, but he's always been that way. I stopped going with him a while ago. He said it brings their team spirit down when he always has to explain the game to me.”

“Not big into sports?” Frankie asks, and you can detect a bit of teasing in his tone.

“Not even a little bit,” you laugh openly.

Frankie makes a little bullet point on his napkin and writes, ‘X sports,’ on it. “Any specific places your husband goes to watch the games?”

“Usually Sally's, over on 7th street,” you provide.

“Yeah, I know it. They do the karaoke after the game,” Frankie states nonchalantly.

“Yes! That's why we agreed on that bar. I'm a sucker for bad karaoke,” you laugh.

“You should see my friend Pope after he gets a few drinks in him,” Frankie chuckled. “Man can't even sing when he's sober, let alone drunk off his ass.”

“Those are just the best performances, though,” you say with a smile.

“It's definitely something,” Frankie nods with a snort.

Your phone chimes an alarm, alerting you off your next meeting you need to get to. "I'm sorry, I actually do have to go now," you apologize, actually feeling sorry that you had to leave this conversation. Frankie is easy to talk to, and an attentive listener.

"Oh, right. Well maybe I could get your number? Ya know, just in case I have any other questions as I go?" Frankie asks quietly, dipping his head again and fiddling with his long-empty coffee cup.

"Of course!" You agree readily, taking his offered phone and adding your details into his contacts. "And thank you again for doing this. It may end up being nothing, but my friends are very overzealous."

"It's not a problem. Just doing my job. I'll let you know what I come up with either way," Frankie replies with a small smile.

As you walk out together, he holds the door open for you and your turn to him once you both come out onto the sidewalk. "Does it often end up ending well? For people you've looked into in the past..." you ask.

Frankie squints a little and his eyes show flecks of warm caramel in the sunshine. "Not often," he replies finally.

You nod, your heart dropping faintly. His honesty is appreciated though, so you grace him with a small smile. "Thank you again."

You don't hear from Frankie for the next few days, but you do think of him. Especially any time your husband does something that makes your gut do that little tug of dread.

It's five days later that you get a text.

Game night tonight. Did your husband happen to say if he was going out? Frankie asks.

You reply maybe a bit too quickly, of course he is. He's leaving here soon to meet up with the guys.

You feel a little less self conscious when it's barely a second later and Frankie is already typing back. Well let's hope that's where he'll actually be.

He'd never miss a game XD, you reply. Sports are like religion to those guys. So you get to just go to the bar and watch them watch the game? Sounds fun hah.

No one ever said it was a glamorous job, Frankie sends back. But it's always a perk when I can drink and watch some football while I'm at it.

You send back some laughing emojis, and set your phone down to heat up some dinner.

Your husband sweeps through the kitchen, grabbing his keys and jacket. “I'm meeting the guys now,” he says.

“Ok, have a good time,” you reply, turning to face him. He nods, pulling on a hat. “I love you.”

“You too,” he replies briskly, dropping a faint kiss on your forehead and walking out the door.

You sigh, plating your food and wandering back to the living room to watch something on TV while you ate.

Your phone flashes a notification and you look down to see Frankie had sent another text.

How have you been doing? He asks.

As well as can be expected, you text back.

Try not to stress too much. I'll let you know if I find anything out, he replies.

It makes you smile, even if you know there's no way you'll stop stressing at this point.

The weeks went by and texts from Frankie became more frequent. He'd ask a few questions about your husband, then branch off into asking about your day. Those conversations then opened up to you both telling stories about your jobs, which would lead to talking about other aspects of your life. You talked a lot about your pasts - he tells you about how he grew up, some funny and interesting stories from his time in Delta Force, and about his best friend's MMA fights.

You tell him about your family, tell him stories about all the ridiculous people you come across at your job, and do a lot of venting about your crumbling marriage and husband.

You feel bad every time you bring it up, but it's always so much easier to talk to Frankie than it is even Ashley and Erin. At least with him, each of your concerns weren't met with a look of pity and “I told you so,” retort.

The marriage has been spiraling for several months now, and maybe hiring a private investigator was the push you needed to really bring the issues to light. You noticed more often when your husband chose to spend nights out “with the guys” and when he'd go into the other room to check his phone. And when you finally point out the lack of time he spends with you anymore, he gets automatically defensive.

You felt alone in your relationship and it was starting to make you feel bitter. He was definitely hiding something, and you trusted that Frankie would find out for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frankie had been working this job for a few weeks now. He'd worked a ton of infidelity investigations since he'd lost his pilot license and finally got clean. But this one was different. He wasn't sure what drew him to her, but he couldn't help but want to know her.

Was it professional to text your client every day asking her if Sally from the overnight shift left a pile of work behind for her to deal with for the fourth day in a row? Probably not. But that didn't stop him from trying to glean any little piece of information about her that he could.

He kept it friendly, though, trying not to cross farther from that line between client and something more. But she was a sweet woman, and she had seemed so quiet at that first meeting in the coffee shop. And sad. Like she didn't want to get caught up in the things her friends were saying, but somewhere deep down knew what they were saying was true.

And, dammit, Frankie always had a soft spot for sweet, sad women.

Which is why he is spending his seventh night in a row sitting in his car across the street from her husband's workplace. During their earlier conversation she had mentioned that her husband claimed he was working late tonight. But in the weeks that Frankie had been on this case, the man never worked late once.

Right on time, his target exited the building. He was not alone this time, though, having his arm around a brunette that Frankie recognized as one of his co-workers that he had gone to lunch with a couple times.

Frankie snapped a few pictures of them together, the target’s arm pulling the brunette closer than appropriate, in Frankie's opinion. They both got into his car and Frankie began to follow behind.

Just as they parked at some restaurant across town, Frankie's phone rings and Benny's name lights up the screen.

“Hey,” Frankie greets.

“Dude, where are you?” Benny asks, his voice pitched a bit higher than usual.

“I'm working,” Frankie replied, keeping a close watch as his target is sat conveniently at a window table.

“Come on, Fish, it's Friday night! Will and I are already at the bar drinking.”

Frankie checks the clock and scoffs a bit when he sees it's only 1830. “Sorry, Benny, but I have to work late tonight.”

“You make your own hours. Isn't that why you chose that damned job? So you can decide when you do and don't work. So just decide you can't work tonight and get your ass over here!” Benny all but whines. “What's the deal with this case, Fish? I thought it was a simple cheating husband. You're not usually so obsessive over these ones.”

And leave it to Benny to call him out on his abnormal behavior. “I'm gonna close this case tonight, I have a feeling. Sorry, brother, but I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for practice,” Frankie placates his best friend.

“Sure, ok man. See ya then,” Benny finally gives in.

It's another boring hour of staring at his target before they are finally on the move again. Back to what Frankie assumes is the brunette's house, where they both go inside and Frankie adjusts himself in his seat to find a comfy position for the foreseeable future.

It's another two hours later when the door finally opens and Frankie scrambles to get his camera up, keeping his head down. He hopes for a little luck and is rewarded when both parties enter the doorway and embrace with a final, passionate kiss.

Frankie's camera keeps clicking away, even as his anger continues to rise. He has to hold himself back from throwing himself out of the car and punching his target in the face. He wants to know why her husband would bother with another woman when he has her at home waiting. Wants to know why her husband would throw away everything he has with the sweet woman who was so trusting at the start of all this. But that would definitely be crossing a line, and Frankie has never felt the need to go that far before. So he reins himself and waits until the target has driven away and the brunette has closed the door behind her, before he drives home himself to develop the pictures and complete his paperwork.

Developing pictures at home can be time consuming, but Frankie usually finds comfort in the task. It's a hobby he took up to distract himself from his cravings, and the darkroom usually brings him comfort after particularly stressful days. Tonight, though, watching these images fade onto the photo paper, he is angry. He knows this news is going to crush her, regardless of her suspicions. And while this is usually the case with clients, Frankie isn't sure that he could handle it if you broke down in front of him as some women have in the past.

He's learned so much about her in the past few weeks, from her favorite color to her favorite song when she was 10, and all of these things have endeared her to him in a way no other person has before. And he's opened up to her in return; in a way he hasn't any other woman in his past. But she makes it easy.

It's late when Frankie has finished compiling the file, so he decides not to text her yet and strips down for bed and drifts off, hoping for at least a few hours of restful, dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You got a text from Frankie late the next morning, hey, dulzura. What are your plans today?

Finally my day off lol, you text back.

Think you could pencil me into your busy schedule? Say in an hour?

Frankie had yet to schedule another meeting, opting to ask any questions he had between texts about their days. With a sinking feeling, you quickly type out, definitely. How about the same café as before?

Sounds good. I'll see you then.

You got ready with a sense of dread. You knew that this meant Frankie had found something. There was that small chance that he came up with nothing in these past few weeks, but the more realistic side of you knew how this would end.

The drive to the coffee shop was short, and the parking lot was thankfully much less crowded than last time. Walking in, you spotted Frankie right away at the same table by the windows. You placed your order before heading over to the table. He was stirring a cup of coffee again, but quickly turned his whole focus toward you as you sag across from him.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Frankie asked. “Your friends couldn't make it?”

“I'm good. It's nice to see you again,” you answered. “I actually didn't tell them. I kinda wanted to find out the truth privately. I'll tell them as soon as I've processed whatever you have to tell me. I'm assuming that's why you wanted to meet? You found what we were looking for?”

Frankie's hand moves to the back of his neck as he gives a slow nod. He pulls a yellow envelope from the chair next to him and places it on the table between you. “Yeah. I have some pictures here.”

You begin to reach out, but stop short before touching the folder. You know if you look now, in the middle of this café, you'll just break down when you see the proof of your husband's affair.

“Please just tell me,” you implore, eyes looking up, but not quite reaching his.

Frankie is quiet for a moment, studying you with his chocolate eyes. Finally he lets out a short sigh and responds, “Andrew's having an affair with a coworker. Looks like it's been around five months.”

The news hits you directly in the chest. It makes it hard to breathe. Knowing it was likely that he was cheating and having picture proof of it are two different things. You feel like it shouldn't hurt this much, but can't help the way your body collapses into itself.

“I know it's not the news you wanted,” Frankie starts, but you cut him off.

“No, but it's what I needed to know. So thank you. I appreciate all the work you put into it. I'm really sorry, but Ashley just went out of town and she won't be back for two weeks. I can get Erin's half of your fee, then get the rest as soon as Ash is back.” You quickly switch to the business end of the meeting, hoping to delay having to come to terms with this new information.

Frankie looks a little whiplashed at the sudden change in topic, but catches up quickly. “It's really not a big deal. I'm not too worried about two weeks. How about we just meet up again once you all have everything together. No stress.”

His hands are fiddling with his coffee cup again, and you focus on them as one index finger absently caresses the handle of the cup, the thumb of his other hand moving up and down the opposite side of it. You're caught off guard again by the movement of his fingers. It's sensual, how his large hands and long fingers massage the warm ceramic.

You're distracted from your observation of those hands when the barista sets your to-go tea in front of you. Finally looking up again, you see Frankie's brows have pinched together, forming a little worry line between them.

“I'll get it to you as soon as possible,” you finally fall back into conversation.

“That's fine. Really, don't stress about it,” Frankie reiterates.

“Can I ask you something?” You ask softly after a brief pause.

“Of course, hermosa.”

“Why did you become a private investigator?”

The question catches Frankie off guard for a second time; you can tell by the subtle widening of his eyes followed by a brief knitting of his brows. Then he quickly hides his eyes behind the bill of his baseball cap, feigning stirring his coffee a couple times. Not used to being able to see his face when the two of you have conversations, you realized he's actually quite expressive. He must know it too, because you note his hidden eyes as something you'd seen him do the first time you met him.

“You don't have to tell me,” you extended a way out for him, noting his sudden discomfort.

“No, it's fine. Um, remember when I told you before how I moved on from being a pilot to this?” At your nod, Frankie continued on slowly, like he was forming each word in his head twice before speaking it. “Well, it was less that I moved on and more that I lost my license. Uh, addiction issues. I know how that sounds! But I swear I'm clean now and -”

You can sense Frankie spiraling, so you impulsively reach out and place one of your hands on his large one. “You don't have to plead your case with me, Frankie. I'm not judging you.”

Frankie freezes momentarily, then relaxes. You feel one of his long fingers twitch on the tabletop under yours and quickly remove your hand. There's a little sigh from him before he continues, “well, anyway, this was kinda just something that fell in my lap. My friend, Ironhead, works with enlisted still and heard it's pretty easy to get into if you have the background and patience for sittin’ around and waiting. Well, I had the experience with my past in Delta Force, figured the patients would come along as I go. Never did like surveillance gigs.”

The last sentence seems like an afterthought, but you catch the mild disdain in his voice and it makes you smile to see the man in front of you sounding so petulant. “Ok, but Ironhead is an interesting name,” you comment.

Frankie huffed a laugh. “His call-sign actually. Most of us had one on my squad.”

“Oh really? And what was yours?”

“Catfish,” Frankie responds immediately.

“Catfish?” You repeat. “Where did that one come from?” you laugh a little bit.

“And that's a story for a different day,” Frankie responds with a laugh of his own.

After another small pause, your eyes drift back down to the inconspicuous envelope sitting on the table in front of you. With another small smile and a nod, you reach for the envelope. “I better get going. Lots of errands to get through on my day off.” It's a lie, but you figure a swift exit is necessary in this moment.

Frankie nods, then shifts his hat to run a hand through his already messy curls. Hat back in place, he stands and gestures that he'll walk you out.

Back outside, in the bright afternoon sun, Frankie looks down at you as he walks you all the way to your car. His eyes are caramel again, but they hold a bit of something akin to sadness in them. He drops his head, those eyes disappearing behind the bill of his cap, and slides his hands into his pockets, shoulders curving inward. “I really am sorry,” he begins. “I had hoped it would be different this time. You deserve better than some cabrón who can't see that he already has something great right in front of him.”

Frankie sounds so sincere that it stops you short. You look up at him as he peeks from under his hat. His mouth is twisted into a frown under his mustache. And that's all it takes for your eyes to begin to fill with tears.

In an instant, Frankie's arms are around you. He doesn't hesitate to pull you into a loose hug. One you could easily step away from if you had the care to do so. Instead, you step forward and accept the comfort. In a second, his arms close around you tighter and you're wrapped in his warmth, face pressed into his brown jacket. Trying not to fall apart right here in the parking lot, you catalog how his arms feel around you, and how warm his chest is.

His jacket smells like an auto garage, faintly like oil, but his shirt underneath smells woodsy - probably whatever cologne he sprayed on this morning - and, underneath that, clean like fresh linen. It's a comforting scent, and you breathe it in for a second longer than probably necessary before you finally lean back. He drops his arms immediately and takes half a step back.

“I am so sorry,” you apologize instantly.

“No, don't be. You have no reason to be. Just, um, get home safe ok?” That worry line is present between his eyes again. “Text me when you get home.”

“I'll be ok,” you assure him. You climb into your car and allow him to close the door gently for you. He steps back and gives a tiny wave before he turns and walks over to his own truck.

The drive home is a bit of a blur. You call Erin and Ashley on the way to tell them the news. Erin is instantly in her car and on her way over. “We are gonna change the locks and have ourselves a movie night,” she proclaims.

Ashley frets over not being there, but you assure her you're okay and she should enjoy her vacation. You only called because she'd freak if you told Erin before her.

Erin gets to your house 30 minutes later with a box of cheap wine and a bag full of snacks. You talk her out of changing the locks, but it doesn't matter either way because when you text Andrew to tell him you're having a girls night he tells you he's going to be out late anyway and not to wait up.

Your heart drops the way it always does when you suspect a lie. This time, though, it's not just speculation. You have the proof right in front of you, in an unopened manila envelope partially covered in chip bags.

“So is that them?” Erin speaks, noticing your gaze on the offending envelope.

“I guess so. Pictures and proof of my husband's affair with some front desk girl at his office.” Your tone is mild, but you feel a pressure building behind your eyes once more and that crushing weight settling over your sternum.

“Have you looked yet?” Erin asked.

“Nope.”

“Are you gonna?”

“We can open them together,” you suggest.

But before she can answer, your phone beeps to alert you that you got a new text message.

Hey, bonita, is everything ok? You never texted me… You safe?

His words bring a small smile to your face. Frankie always has a way of making you feel like he truly cares. Checking in often, but never overstepping into being overbearing. It's a warm welcome compared to the icy breeze of you and your husband's cohabitation of the same home, but never really living together.

You type out, yes. Sorry. Erin insisted on a girls night, and hit send.

That's good. Did she bring the salsa verde doritos?

Your smile grows at the mention of your favorite chips. Of course he'd remember something as silly as that. Frankie had a knack for remembering little details. Things you sometimes even forgot to had ever mentioned he would bring up weeks later in a random conversation. It's probably just a Frankie Morales thing, but it still always made you feel just a little special that he remembered such details.

“What has you suddenly shining like the sun?” Erin questions with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing,” you know you're blushing, but you try to play it cool. “Just Frankie checking in. Making sure you're taking care of me.”

“Um, of course I'm taking care of you! Who else is gonna do it?” Erin jokes, pushing your shoulder teasingly. “Unless Mr. Morales was trying to volunteer for the job?”

“He's just being kind,” you roll your eyes at Erin's implication. “He's been very supportive through this whole thing.”

“Supportive, huh? And what kind of support might he be offering?” In a swift motion your phone is suddenly in your best friends hands and she's danced off to the other side of the room. Ignoring your protests and attempts to claim back your property, she starts swiping through weeks of conversation between you and Frankie. “Holy shit! Have you two even stopped talking since you met?”

“Come on, Erin,” you beg, “he’s just been asking for more information for his investigation and making sure I'm okay.”

“Two days ago you told him about the goldfish you got in college that died within the week. Was that pertinent information to his investigation?”

Seizing an opportunity, you snatched your phone back, clutching it to your chest. “Shouldn't you be trying to cheer me up?”

“Looks like your new bestie Frankie should be here instead,” she snarks with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh shut it and pour me some wine,” you reply with an exaggerated eye roll.

While your friend is busy you quickly type out a response to Frankie. She's pretty much the worst. Brought bbq instead even though she knows I hate them.

Frankie's reply is quick, or maybe that's why she brought them. So she wouldn't have to share with you, avara.

I don't know what you just called me, but I know I'm offended.

Frankie's reply is a long string of laughing emojis.

With the photos forgotten, you let Erin put on some 80’s movie and tried your best to enjoy the night. The envelope would still be there tomorrow, so for tonight you just relax.

It will probably be the last time you'll be able to in a while anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frankie hasn't heard from her in a few days. She doesn't text as often and it doesn't feel like his place to bother her.

Today, though, he woke up late after being out late on a surveillance job to a text from her. I'm kicking him out. I can't stand to live here with him anymore. I just want him gone and out of my life.

Squinting down at the bright screen if his phone, Frankie replies, is there anything I can do for you, bonita?

Recommend me a great divorce lawyer? Is her response. He knows it's sarcasm, but he shoots her a list of a few lawyers he knows of and trusts anyway.

Frankie was glad she wasn't going to stick around with the bastard. He'd seen that enough times to know it never works out anyway, and always makes things worse in the end.

You're amazing Frankie. Thank you for everything. I also have your payment in full btw. Do you have time this weekend to meet and grab it?

You really don't need to thank me, dulzura. I just want to help. This Sunday is good for me. At the café?

Her reply takes a little longer this time, so Frankie finally drags himself out of bed. A quick look at the time tells him he barely has time for a shower before he has to meet Ironhead and Benny for their planned fishing trip. Once Frankie is back, she had finally replied with a simple, yes.

She had rarely been short in her texts before, and it made Frankie's stomach sink a little. Shooting off a quick, let me know if there's anything you need, he pockets the phone and heads out.

A few more days pass with minimal texts. Frankie makes a point to text at least once a day. Maybe it's intrusive, but she never complains about it. And, if he's honest with himself, he misses her too much to stop now.

He realizes that she has become a fixture in his life. Going from texting multiple times throughout the day to barely a good morning text over his morning coffee makes him twitchy and he feels like he's always wondering what she's doing.

Sunday finally comes and Frankie is at the café ten minutes early, ready to finally see her in person. Ready to hold a conversation with her, even if only for a moment. But the ten minutes pass, then another ten and his leg starts to bounce under the table. She's never been late before, and Frankie checks his phone for a 20th time to make sure she hasn't texted to tell him she's had a change of plans. He decides to shoot her a text himself to make sure she didn't forget about their meeting.

Twenty more minutes with no response to his text and Frankie is back in his truck. He's already talked himself out of driving to her house and just knocking on the door several times. But as his truck rumbles to life and he exits the parking lot, he ends up turning left instead of right. Going to her house would be viewed as crossing some line in Frankie's eyes. He's never gone to a clients home without invitation before. Generally it's best to go about as if you don't even have that information, just to keep people from getting creeped out.

Frankie justifies his actions now by telling himself he just needs to see that she's okay. That her not showing up is abnormal and thus deserving of investigation.

When he pulls up to the curb across from her house, he notes the two cars in the driveway. His heart drops as he sees that one of them is her husband’s, parked neatly behind hers. Frankie knows she had told him she was kicking Andrew out, but his heart drops as he realizes maybe she had reconciled with him and he moved back. Frankie wonders if that's why she had been so distant lately.

He's about to just pull away when he notices the front door open and there she is. She has her arms full of boxes which she unceremoniously drops onto the sidewalk outside. She looks frazzled, but unharmed, Frankie takes a mental note. But she's yelling back into the house, her face red with anger.

Andrew shows himself in that moment, coming outside to scream something in her face. In the next moment, he's grabbing her roughly by the arm and trying to force her back into the house.

Frankie is out of his truck before he really has time to think. He's across the street and reaching them with quick, efficient steps in only a moment, which causes a pause in the fighting for a second. Frankie takes advantage of their confusion to gently pull her away from Andrew's loosened grip and moving her so that he is between the fighting couple.

Andrew, for his part, still has a look of surprise that has rendered him frozen in his spot. Whether that's from the way Frankie had barged into the situation or the pure anger that is radiating off Frankie's body, it's hard to say. But it gives Frankie the window he needs to pull back his fist and firmly plant it into Andrew's nose. Frankie hears the snap and feels the familiar give of a nose breaking under his knuckles.

“Get the fuck out of here,” he growls. “And I suggest not coming back around. Don't come near her, don't call her, don't even think about her.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once Andrew has run off, finally taking the remainder of his belongings with him, you're left alone with an angry Frankie, his fists still clenched and his shoulders tense.

Honestly, he's sexy as hell and you definitely notice. Anybody would be blind not to, you think to yourself.

You usher him inside, through to your kitchen, and pour two glasses of whiskey, sliding one over to him.

“I'm sorry I barged in,” Frankie apologizes after he takes a large gulp of his drink. “I didn't hear from you today and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Shit, your money! I am so sorry.”

“It's fine, hermosa. I'm not worried about the money. I was worried about you.”

His declaration freezes both of you for a moment, before you lift your own cup to your lips and take a sizable sip.

“He was supposed to come by while I was out today, but he showed up early. I guess he's been trying to get ahold of me,” you finally break the silence.

“You guess?” Frankie repeats back.

“Well, I blocked his number cuz I got tired of his constant calls and texts. He thinks I'm being irrational and we should work this out. But I've also heard that he's been staying with his side piece ever since I kicked him out, so….”

Frankie shoots back the rest of his alcohol. “I can get you paperwork for a restraining order,” he offers.

You smile at that because of course Frankie would offer you more help. “I think you already did enough for me,” you reply.

Frankie's hand goes to the back of his neck and his head dips low, “I shouldn't have hit him. That's just gonna cause you more trouble.”

“Don't worry about that,” you chastise gently. “He got what was coming to him and he knows it. It's just that, you have done a lot for me in general these past few weeks. A lot more than I think I can pay you back for.” Speaking of which, you turn to your purse on the counter, digging through it to pull out the check written out to Frankie.

“Maybe you can pay me back with dinner,” Frankie aims for nonchalants.

It draws a breathy laugh from your throat. “It would take a lot of dinners to cover your fee.”

“Well, we could start with one and see where it goes from there.”

✨✨Part 2✨✨

#triple frontier #triple frontier imagine #pi!frankie #francisco morales #francisco catfish morales #frankie morales #frankie catfish morales #francisco morales x you #francisco morales x reader #frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader

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yyparkq · 4 years

Text

hooked

characters: park sungjin x reader

word count: ~3.2k

summary: park sungjin is almost a perfect boyfriend for you...until he abruptly starts being emotionally withdrawn from you a few months into your relationship.

genre: fluff, smut

tw: mentions of anxiety, unprotected sex, slightly toxic relationship

requested by @parksungjinsfan

a/n: had tons of fun writing this really warm and cozy sungjin, thank you for the request!! tbh, i always see him as someone i’d be comfortable to share everything that’s on my mind. and i feel like he’s one of the very few people who will never judge you for your stupid mistakes but is also someone who needs to be taken care of. im blabbering too much. enjoy the story! :)

There was nothing special on the day you first met Park Sungjin. Like any other normal college student, you were able to find yourself a small circle you can trust and have fun with. Because of them, you have encountered the seemingly quiet and mysterious guy from the engineering class. He was best friends with the guy your close friend, Erin, was dating.

If first impressions last, like how they say it does, you’re fairly sure you would barely get more acquainted with a Park Sungjin. Unlike you, Sungjin is more reserved with a constant hang of serious air around him, like the type of person who barely laughs when someone makes a joke in front of him. He doesn’t always hang out with a lot of people but when he does, he’s always got an earphone dangling in one of his ears as if saying he’s only halfway present. He dresses neatly albeit casually—oftentimes in a plaid or button-down shirt and faded jeans with his dark, wavy hair falling shortly before his dark brown eyes.

He’s a pretty decent guy but not really the type you see yourself to be dating. But when you accidentally met him at the movie house alone and decided to grab dinner after, you two hit it off so smoothly. Turns out you both share the love for the book that was recently adapted onto the big screen. You two talked over dinner nonstop about the movie, how it varies against the book, the great and bad parts that were changed, the cast that played the role, the cinematography, the lines. Your exchange that night was nothing but informative and honestly, you craved more to be with him after that night so you asked him to hang out with you again. Sungjin already had a perfect proposal to invite you the second time if you didn’t ask. His mind worked extra hard trying to keep up with the conversation with you while thinking about how to ask you out for the second time at the back of his mind.

It was a ticket to an international classical play that he had up his sleeves which you gladly accepted.

One impromptu date was followed by a few more. After classes, you will meet over snacks or spend time in the library, reading and studying together. On weekends, you will try to watch movies you find interesting or go to museums.

You dating each other has not been a complete secret from your friends and you’re glad at how supportive they are to your new relationship. Somehow, you learned that Sungjin is actually an easy-going person, he talks and laughs a lot when he’s comfortable with the people he’s with. He’s knowledgable and he knows how to listen and strike up a healthy argument when needed even though sometimes he could be a little awkward and even seem standoffish.

Your friends think that your relationship is pure and innocent—almost platonic as one could say—but they couldn’t be any more wrong. Yes, you and Sungjin maintain a totally discreet relationship when you’re in public and with friends. It’s not like you have to tell anyone but you laugh inside when some of your friends ask about the status of your sex life. You never responded to such questions positively, not too comfortable in sharing such intimate details about your life with anyone, and somehow it painted an idea in their heads that you and Sungjin have never had sex yet.

The thing is, you two are fairly active in that regard. There is an unbelievably strong bond between you and Sungjin after the first date that is almost impossible for either of you to resist.

It was after the third date when you first give in to your desire. After spending time looking at ancient monarch artifacts and roaming around the museum, you were met with heavy rains the moment you stepped out of the museum building. Being in the middle of the summer, neither of you had attempted to check the weather that day for any sign of impending downpour that day. Your thin, white button-down shirt styled as a dress stuck to your skin as you both ran for his car across the parking lot, rendering your clothes almost transparent the moment you climbed into the passenger seat. The sight of you being wet and in close proximity with Sungjin didn’t help him control himself either.

“Would you like to come over to my place?” he asked coolly after giving you his spare jacket from the backseat to cover yourself. Even with his imaginations going wild, he’s still a gentleman in your eyes.

“Sure,” you nodded, well aware of what’s about to come next. It could be seen as taking things too fast but frankly, you didn’t care. You wanted this and it seemed like he did too.

You blushed when he flashed you that warm smile that reached his eyes before starting the car and driving away.

Sungjin refused to let you go home that night until you practically cannot walk. He fucked you senseless until you’re almost out of your wits, one orgasm after another until you’re quivering uncontrollably.

It has been five months since you started dating. Everything’s going pretty well in your relationship except that you are in no exception for fights and misunderstandings. Everyone says it’s normal in every relationship but for you who has barely had a serious relationship like what you currently have with Sungjin, it’s a foreign feeling trying to make amends with someone you’re romantically involved with and had to choose the next move.

This is the first major fight with him. The last five months of dating have been wonderful until weeks ago when you noticed that your boyfriend started withdrawing himself from you, physically and emotionally. This stressed you out though you still tried your best to be there for him. Whenever you two are alone, you couldn’t really talk to him about anything for more than five minutes. His mind obviously wandering off and he never realizes it when you stop mid-sentence until you’re parting ways. Whenever you try to ask what’s been bothering him, he just easily dismisses it off, saying he’s tired and he lacks sleep—which is also why you tried to limit your meetings after classes and dates, thinking it would help him a bit to spare a few more hours to rest. This side of Sungjin is completely new to you as you’ve known him for being so straightforward in telling what he thinks or feels and is usually logical with his actions. The fact that he no longer shares what’s bothering him makes you think of a hundred different reasons for being cold towards you.

Has he had enough of you? Did he realize you were too plain and boring for his liking? Were you not good in bed? Did he find someone else?

The blood on your face drained at the thought of Sungjin going out with some other girl. But you can’t stop him if that’s what he wants, can you? You can’t tell him how to feel. Of all the things, to be an obsessive girlfriend is one you’re dreading the most and after all the sacrifices and adjustments you made to try to help him with whatever burden he’s lifting, you’re determined to let him find the answers to his troubles himself. It’s not that you no longer want to help him, you love him too much, after all, but how can you help someone who refuses to help himself?

“Sweetie, have you tried talking to him again lately?” your friend, Yejin asked.

You glared at her and disappointment crossed your face. Has she really been listening to ask that question?

“No, I mean, I thought the last real conversation you had personally was like, what, almost two weeks ago? Did you try seeing him after class again after that?”

The three of you sat at your usual place in the coffee shop when your class was canceled by the professor to attend some personal matters.

Shaking your head, you reached for your cup and took a sip before answering. “I haven’t. He kept saying he’s tired and needs sleep so I gave him time to rest. And it’s been four days of merely receiving a text message from him. He won’t text me unless I text him first. I have no idea what’s happening to him,” you looked at Erin’s direction. “Did JB say anything?”

“That motherfucker doesn’t tell me any of his friends’ business, Y/N, but let me see if I can get anything.”

Even your friends who got closer to your boyfriend can’t think of him as someone who would cheat or be entertained by other girls. After a whole hour at the coffee shop trying to guess the possible reasons for Sungjin’s actions, they suggested a silly plan of making him jealous to see how he responds when you’re on the brink of being taken away from him.

You did not like the idea. It was ridiculous and manipulative. You’re no longer in high school.

“Come on, that could be a wake-up call for him. Just think of it as a social experiment and you’ll be fine,” Yejin tried to persuade you.

Ridiculously scary. Deep down, you’re also scared of how he will react to this plan. What if the situation worsens instead of getting better? He could just not talk to you again forever and you'll be dwelling in your own pain alone because of a stupid idea. But doing something is better than sulking and doing nothing, right? You’re young, and when you’re young, you can be stupid for free.

So you agreed and you started planning your own little scheme with your friends, hoping not to cause any further damage to your entire relationship.

For days, Erin made up stories about a guy from your class who is making a move on you and told her boyfriend about the plan to make Sungjin jealous. When JB said his best friend interrogated him about the innocent guy, she knew the plan will be going well so she came up with another without telling you.

As a celebration for the nearing end of the finals, your seniors decided to throw a grand party. Such parties should be considered a tradition already since almost everyone finds an excuse to get wasted after studying hard for the whole semester. You’re not one to miss such a celebration, especially when you ever really party during after the hell week.

Overhearing JB’s conversations with his girlfriend about some dude lurking around you has brought him back to his senses. For the last couple of days, he contemplated and reflected on his attitude towards you. He’s been a jerk to you lately and frankly, he didn’t know how to approach you again after that. He’s been too occupied in his own head that he forgot he actually has you now, someone who’s more than willing to share his troubles. Before he knew it, he was dashing through his car to the party where Yejin told him you’d be.

You came to the party to try to not overthink the problem between you and Sungjin. After surviving the finals week with emotional baggage, you know you deserve some booze to celebrate walking out of at least one thing alive. the last thing you hear about your little scheme with your friends is that Sungjin fired questions to JB. But he didn’t talk to you after that. Thankfully, you were also too busy to worry about your grades and it’s been a great distraction so far. Now that the finals are over, you’ll be damned again.

Sungjin found you scooping from a large tub of ice cream from the kitchen, bottles of beer and half-filled party cups surrounding you in the little space. There is a guy beside you laughing at the way you’re trying to scoop a frozen solid treat using a regular spoon. You’re too focused on what you’re doing that you didn’t see him come right in front of you.

To your surprise, Sungjin snatched the tub out of grasp and grabbed your hand. You needed a second to process what just happened but you are elated to see your boyfriend after nearly three weeks.

You let Sungjin pull you but were shocked when the guy beside you grabbed on your other wrist. What the hell? You didn’t even know his name. You saw Sungjin squint at the nameless guy and you immediately yanked away from him, wincing at the sudden jerk of your own hand immediately after.

Sungjin kept you to his chest as he waded through the sea of drunk people. All the while, you kept looking at his face. It felt months since you’ve been this close to him and at that moment, you were just ready to feed on whatever excuse he could say. He could lie to your face at that moment and you’d still be happy to welcome him back into your arms.

Merely a few feet from his car, you stopped walking and tugged on his arm. You slowly closed the distance between you two and encircled your arms around his shoulders when he turned to look at you.

Sungjin looked at your face closely, noticing you’ve lost some weight by the way the dimple on your left poked your cheek a bit deeper than the last time he saw you. His hands automatically found their way at your sides.

“I miss you so much,” you whispered while searching his eyes.

Sungjin leaned forward and kissed you feverishly. He guided you on your back until you are leaning toward his parked car. He pressed his body against you and you continued kissing until you both needed to gasp for some air. After resting for a few seconds, he began nipping and sucking on the sensitive area on your neck.

Proper communication be damned—you need him to touch you and you need it as soon as possible. You squirmed beneath him to try to close your legs when you felt wetness pooling in your panties but Sungjin’s left leg was pressed between your thighs.

He understood what you’re trying to do and immediately pressed a thigh against your core, amused to feel your wetness even through the material of your panties. His cock twitched inside his pants.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m sorry,” he repeated as he embraced you tightly and kissed your temple before opening the door and letting you inside his car drove away.

Sungjin's hands quickly reached for the zipper of your dress, letting it pool around your feet, as soon as you reached inside his apartment. In an instant, his mouth was back against yours. He lifted both your thighs to circle his hips and your arms circled his broad shoulders for support.

You felt his hard shaft poking your entrance and you reached down to undo the fastening of his pants, pulling the waistband down just enough to free his throbbing cock.

Sungjin hissed when you grabbed his cock and spread the leaking precum over his tip. “Shit-”

You bobbed your hand up and down his length until you felt being laid down on the mattress, your boyfriend hovering over you.

He bucked his hips lightly to your touch and buried his head on your shoulders, to suppress his sinful moans.

You felt his body shake and he peeled himself off of you. “Baby, stop.”

Sungjin lifted his body and kissed the side of your head before reaching out to remove your soaked panties. He kissed and occasionally nipped the inside of your thighs before nudging the tip of his nose along your slit.

“Fuck, Sungjin stop tea—” you shrieked and were cut short when he licked a stip between your folds. Your hands immediately found purchase at his hair, tugging at it every time he licked your core and sucked on your clit.

“Language, baby,” he groaned hoarsely before inserting a finger into you. He continued his ministrations to your core, adding a second and third finger shortly after. “Need to stretch you up a bit more, baby. Damn, you got tighter without my cock deep inside you huh.”

You tried to stop Sungjin’s hands when you felt your release nearing. But he didn’t budge. He even picked up the pace and encouraged you to let go.

“Are you cumming, baby?”

You bit your bottom lip and nodded, unable to stitch words at the pleasure of having him between your thighs again.

“Words, baby. Use your words. Did you miss this? My hands and cock working on your pussy?”

“Sungjin—fuck, yes, I missed you and your cock inside me” you breathed and struggled to look him in the eye. “I missed you fucking me after classes.”

The memories of Sungjin fucking you in the most boring places brought you easily over the edge. In a few seconds, you are shaking uncontrollably and you felt your juices streaming out of your core deliciously.

Sungjin smirked as he leered at your pussy leaking out of cum. His hands didn’t cease its movements and continued to fuck you with his hands. Your whole body is almost quivering.

When he sensed you’re nearing your second orgasm, he grabbed his cock and positioned himself at your entrance. He coated himself with your juices before slowly pushing inside of you.

You stiffen for a short moment, trying to adjust to his size, and then slightly rolled your hips.

“I love you,” Sungjin whispered against your ear. “I love you, Y/N,” he repeated, this time against your lips, before bottoming out and sheathing himself inside you again.

You cried out in pleasure as he started to thrust into you harder and chased your orgasm.

Sungjin remained sheathed inside you even after shooting his load, his cock warming itself pretty nicely inside your pussy as he cuddled you on the bed.

Neither of you attempted to strike a conversation. You were not sure about him but the activity rendered you rather tired. A sound sleep while being cuddled would be much appreciated at that moment. Until you heard Sungjin sigh loudly. You looked over at him and saw his eyes being distant again.

“You have that look again,” you started slowly. You propped yourself in one arm, looked at him with adoration, and stroke his cheek. “Babe, you don’t have to tell me everything all at once. But please, don’t push me away. I love you and it’s hard for me to see you suffer on your own.”

He was fazed by the sadness in your voice. How could he ever deserve a girl like you? The last thing he wanted is to disappoint and burden you with his own problems and he thought at first he’s been doing a great job with it.

Sungjin took a deep breath. He reached for your hand on his cheek and kissed it, bringing your torso against his once again. All the major problems that took the most space in his mind were spilled. He told you the pressure his family is bestowing upon him with the graduation and board exams around the corner and also their expectations for him to continue the business his father started.

You listened to his troubles. At that moment you knew you just needed to understand him, to try to perceive things in his shoes.

Sungjin isn’t the type of person who openly shares every little trouble he has as he’s afraid to burden other people. He believes everyone already has problems of their own and own demons to fight and dumping his worries could just add to that. But, oddly enough, hearing himself talk about it kind of helped to look at the situation again and evaluate his feelings and actions. As he continued to tell you his worries, he realized that it isn’t so bad to share the burden with your most trusted person.

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derekcasey · 4 years

Text

He Knows | Dasey Fic

Derek and Casey haven’t spoken in 7 years, but they meet once again at a bar where Casey’s friends are trying to hook her up with someone.

Read on FF.net

For Best Formatting Read on Ao3

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Haley: Casey. Come out with us! It’ll be fun!

Lindz: Not gonna happen Hale. The last time she came out was like… freshman year. And that was only because she was trying to impress us.

Haley: Pleeeeeease Caaaase.

Casey sighs, looking at her phone. She doesn’t want to go out. What’s the point? She’s aware her standards are pretty high. If they weren’t she’d be married already. She just wishes she knew what her standards were. It just seems that every man she meets fails some sort of internalized test that she doesn’t even know the questions to.

But they’re right. It has been a while. Not as long as Linz said, but it had definitely been a few years. And maybe there’s a different crop of men to choose from. So she agrees to go with them. Nearing 30 years old, they aren’t really in the “go out every weekend” stage of their lives. Haley is actually married already and Linz is in a long-term relationship with her girlfriend. So Casey knows that this outing is really just an excuse for them to try to hook her up.

She puts on a tight red dress, curls her hair in loose curls, does her make-up to impress. But her heart isn’t in it. Maybe she’s just meant to die alone, an old spinster with ten cats.

When she hears the horn of Haley’s car sound, she puts on some strappy heels and heads out.

“Open yourself up, Casey.”

“What do you mean? I’m open!” She argues.

Haley raises an eyebrow and gestures to Casey’s arms that are crossed over her chest. Casey huffs, letting her arms fall to her side.

Linz comes back to their table with their drinks and hands them out. "Your seltzer m’lady.” She smirks, giving it to Haley.

Haley rolls her eyes, “Did you scope the place out?”

"Yes. A few potentials… there-” Linz flicks her head to the left of them where a group of three guys are huddled at the end of the bar. Casey takes them in, they’re cute… but… missing something. Haley looks at Casey for her reaction. Casey grimaces.

Linz nods, lowering her voice, “Then there’s him.” She tilts her head just slightly to the right and backwards. Casey looks over her shoulder to see a mess of reddish-brown curls. Her heart stops. She could only see the back of his head but it was unmistakably, regrettably him.

Her lack of response seemed to spur the girls on and as some other guy comes up to his right to talk to him, Haley gets a glimpse of his profile.

“Didn’t he go to Queens?”

Casey feels her breath leave her body. This can’t be happening.

Linz turns to take another look at him. “Looks familiar. Maybe.”

“Yeah, I think he was the captain of the Gaels for a couple years.”

And then they’re all looking at him and Casey still hasn’t said a word, but someone scoots past him and he turns around to see and catches Casey’s glance. It’s only for a second, but it feels like an eternity and her cheeks are burning when he looks away.

Linz turns back quickly, laughing. “Shit. Whoops.”

Haley is elbowing her. “You have to go talk to him.”

Casey finally finds her voice, though she clears her throat first, “No- I mean. You said it yourself. Hockey. We’d have nothing in common.”

Linz supplies, "No one’s saying you have to marry the guy.” She pauses, noting the pink of Casey’s cheeks, “Case. You’re blushing, and the dude looked at you all of one millisecond.”

“I am not blushing.” But the blood rushing to her face betrays her even further.

“I’m going over there.” Linz announces before turning on her boot-clad heel and walking over to him.

Casey is mortified. She gets up from her stool and runs after her but it’s too late. Linz taps him on the shoulder and gives a smooth, “Hey there.”

She’s not his type, but he still gives her a once-over and smirks, “Hey to you too.”

“My fri-” Casey clears her throat, garnering the attention of them both.

“Lindsay, hey. I- uh- Haley needs- you at- over at the table.” Casey says, and his smirk grows wider, watching her flounder for words. Linz is confused, but seems to view this as Casey taking it upon herself to start a conversation with him, so she shrugs and walks back to the table.

“Casey.”

And she can’t breathe again. She hasn’t seen him in… who knows how long (she knows, it’s been 6 years, 9 months, and 3 weeks). He looks different but the same. And he looks at her differently but also the same way.

“Derek.”

The eyebrow raise, and the smirk, and she wants to punch him.

“Who’s your friend?”

Yeah, she’s gonna punch him.

“A lesbian.”

Both eyebrows go up at that point. “Hmm. I guess that checks out. Not married at 30, so you decide to switch teams?”

She rolls her eyes. “As fun as this little reunion has been, I’m going to go back to my friends and pretend you don’t exist.” Casey turns to leave.

“You are a pro at that.” She stops in her tracks. He’s baiting her, she knows it. She takes a breath and keeps walking.

“Nonono, you go back there right now!” Haley demands.

“He’s a jerk.” Casey explains, grabbing her drink and taking a large sip.

“Was he a jerk? Or was he just sexually interested in you, Case?” Linz asks. Casey scowls at her. “What?" Sometimes you have trouble deciphering the difference.”

“He did watch you walk away.” Haley points out and okay. That’s… information she didn’t need.

Casey folds her arms on the table and lays face-down onto them. Haley tries, “Come on, Case. You gotta get out there and have some fun.”

“But at what cost?” She whines.

“Hey…” Linz says, softer. Casey lifts her head a bit to look at her. Linz is smiling at her, “Let’s take a shot, and get on that dance floor. You can stun all these fuckers with your rhythm and they’ll be falling all over you.”

And something in her, some primal desire, lifts her from her stool and heads to the bar for the aforementioned shots. The music is pounding and as the alcohol courses through her veins, she feels emboldened. The three of them get lost in the music, the bodies on the dance floor weaving in and out of each other. She’s not drunk, but her inhibitions are definitely falling to the wayside.

After a few songs, a hand snakes around her waist. When her head falls back against the person’s chest, she expects to see Linz or Haley. Instead she sees his familiar brown eyes. It’s not the first time they’ve danced with each other. It’s not even the first time they’ve been this close to one another, but something about it is different.

She tries not to overthink it, just moves with the music. When he breathes, she feels his chest expand. His hand is gripping her waist at just the right pressure. She sees Haley in her peripheral and her wide-eyed glee is almost enough to take her out of the moment but this might be the only time she gets to enjoy this with him. So she shuts her eyes, and leans closer against him, wrapping an arm around his neck, hand nestling in his hair.

She can feel his breath on her neck, and it sends a shiver of delight down her spine. She can’t bring herself to face him, but just for these few minutes, she allows herself to feel him, to be close, to touch, to be touched. When the song shifts, the rhythm is stagnant but the variance brings her to reality. She slows her movements. His grip tightens on her waist. “Case.” He breathes. The music is loud, but his mouth is so close (too close) to her ear that she feels the vibrations of the word, rather than hears it.

She pulls away from him, turning to see the look in his eyes. She can’t read him, which seems impossible. She always can. But it has been seven years (6 years 9 months and 3 weeks). So who is she to say she can read him? She barely knows him, really. She thinks he looks disappointed, but he can’t be, shouldn’t be.

She doesn’t say anything else and neither does he as she walks away. She keeps walking until she’s outside. It only takes Linz and Haley 30 seconds to find their way out as well and get to Casey, who is leaning against the brick of the building, eyes shut tight, hand on her chest.

“You okay, Case?” Haley asks, and Linz rubs Casey’s shoulder soothingly.

“I’m fine. I just- I needed some air.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“About what?” Casey asks, because what is there to talk about? They won’t ever understand the scope of how badly she just monumentally screwed up.

“I mean… how seriously into each other you and that dude are?”

“Honestly, I thought I’d have to hose the two of you down.”

“No, I would not like to talk about it. What I would really like is to go back three hours in time, politely decline your offer to go out, put my pajamas on and watch grey’s anatomy for the 20th time like I normally do on a Friday night.”

“You are just a barrel of fun, aren’t you?” And he’s back. Her head falls back against the brick, knocking it just enough to ground her, not enough to hurt.

“Would you just leave me alone?” She whines, and her heart isn’t in it.

“Is that really what you want?” And he already knows the answer.

She looks at him. “Stop it. I don’t know what- what you think is going to happen here, but-”

“Fine.” His jaw is set. Maybe it’s anger…

“Good.”

He looks like he’s going to say something else, but he just turns, shows his stamp to the bouncer and goes back into the bar. She watches the whole thing, and there’s a part of her that wants to follow him, flow with the music again and get lost in him, just for tonight.

Haley must notice the forlorn look on her face, “Let's… let’s get you home, Case.”

So… are we gonna talk about last night?

No.

You knew each other, didn’t you?

She doesn’t answer. She doesn’t have it in her right now.

There’s a knock on her door, she expects Linz. She’s the type to not let things fester. She goes to couples’ therapy with her girlfriend Erin even though they were already the most functional and healthy couple to begin with. She’s always saying “We need to address our feelings as they come up.” and it’s just… exhausting. After running from her feelings for over a decade, she’s thinks she has that whole process under control, thank you very much.

But it’s not Linz.

It’s him.

“Got your address from George.”

She pinches the bridge of her nose. She might kill George, and then this whole issue will be moot. Because then they’d no longer be step-siblings. So there’s that.

“Kinda sad, if you think about it, sis."

She takes a deep breath, fire in her eyes. “If I wanted you to know where I live, I would have told you.”

“You’re really gonna keep going with this ‘I hate Derek’ schtick?”

“Oh, it is sincerely not a schtick.”

“Your hips say otherwise, Case.”

And she wants to say her hips are dirty liars. But that’s really lame and Derek would never let her live it down (let’s not forget it’s also, of course, untrue), “Why are you here, Derek?”

“Not even gonna invite me in?”

She sighs but steps aside for him to enter. He looks around her living room. She notices him eyeing her pictures. She has pictures of Nora & George. Lizzie. Marti. Edwin. Of Emily, of Haley and her husband, of Linz and Erin. But none of him.

“You were always quite the decorator. Take after Nora that way.”

“Can you just get to it, Derek?”

He sits on the couch, making himself at home in a ways that makes her furious. “No pleasantries?” He puts a foot on the coffee table. She raises her eyebrow at it and he puts it back down on the floor.

“Okay then. Let’s start with, what the fuck, Casey?” He lets out a laugh but it’s not funny and the laugh seems to know that too. She looks at the floor, hoping that it would open up and swallow her into it.

“I don-”

“Seven fucking years. You sure have gone to a lot of trouble just to cut me out of your life.”

She’s pictured this moment a thousand times. She didn’t know it would hurt this badly.

“What do you want me to say?”

He laughs. “God. You really - you hate me that much? Won’t even give me a proper explanation?”

“Things change. People grow apart.” She lies. He stands up, and they’re close (too close).

“No. What you did was purposeful.” He takes a step toward her, “And I know I can be a piece of shit sometimes, but I thought-” He searches her eyes, for what? She looks away. He’s right, but she can’t admit it.

“We’ve always hated each other, Derek. Why should we put the family through our fighting? It was easier to-”

“Yeah, that’s just it isn’t it. It was easy. Easy for you to just-” He takes a breath, shakes his head. Why is he even this angry? “We don’t fucking hate each other, Casey.” He’s looking at the wall of photos, “I don’t hate you.”

“I don’t hate you either.” It’s small. So small, she hopes he doesn’t hear it, but he does.

He looks at her. Even though he seemingly knows this is true, it looks like her admission just saved his life.

“That’s- that’s why I had to. Do what I did.”

“You’ve avoided me at all costs because you don’t hate me?” He looks confused, but why? He knows already. They’ve both known it. For years. But admitting it… giving it breath and letting it sit out in the open between them… that’s a whole other beast.

“You should go.”

“Fuck that. We’re finally getting somewhere. I haven’t seen you in 7 years and then- then we meet at a club we fucking dance together like that and-”

“I was drunk.”

“Buzzed, maybe. Come on, Case. You were always a terrible liar.”

“We can’t do this.”

“Do what?” And why is he making her say it. He knows what.

“You know what.”

“Say it.”

She doesn’t.

“You should go.” She tries again.

“I’m not leaving until you fucking say it, Casey. Tell me the real reason you want me to leave, and I’ll go, if that’s what you really want.”

She doesn’t know when she started crying. It’s a silent cry. The tears just well up and slide down her cheeks. He’s still close and he’s still staring at her and she can’t take it. She shuts her eyes, tears getting caught in her eyelashes.

He reaches a hand to her face and thumbs away some of the tears.

“I love you.”

It spills from her mouth, and his thumb moves from her cheek to her lips.

“Do you want me to leave?” He asks, simply, patiently, and it’s so unlike Derek, but so like him. In his moments of softness, of kindness.

She shakes her head, opening her eyes. He’s staring back at her, eyes her lips momentarily. It’s a question, she knows, and she nods minutely before he leans in and captures her lips with his own.

It’s everything. All of their pent-up aggression and rage towards one another, all of their love, all of their desire. It’s in this kiss. It’s in their hands as they hold each other. Finding balance within one another. They breathe and kiss and bite, and gasp and they move together. And he returns the I love you into her skin.

It ends with them on the floor, like many other times in the past, their bodies tangled together, just with less clothing than normal.

“What do we- what do we tell them?” She asks, when it’s over.

“Casey, they already know.”

#dasey #derek venturi #casey mcdonald #life with derek #tw stepcest

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365days365movies · 3 years

Text

January 28, 2021: The Fugitive (1993) (Part 1)

Ahem. A reading.

Objectively, there’s only one good movie, and it’s The Fugitive. The Fugitive is the only good movie. Now, if you think I’m capricious, know that I have had this feeling before about other things - I remember when I first read Island of the Blue Dolphins, I was like, “Shut it down, no need to write more book.” Ditto with “The Sign” by Ace of Base - but those feelings didn’t last because eventually I heard “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe and read a little story wou might have hear of called THE BIBLE? But when t comes to The Fugitive, I have never wavered. The Fugitive is the only good movie.

- Lindy West, Shit, Actually

That was the first paragraph of the first essay of Lindy West’s book, Shit, Actually, the book that, you may recall if you’ve been here from the beginning, started on this exciting, over-ambitiously dumb project of mine. And, no...I have never seen The Fugitive. I didn’t even finish this essay, because I knew I’d wanted to watch this movie for a bit. So, what better way to finish this action-packed journey, than to watch this film?

Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, two of modern Hollywood’s most legendary curmudgeons, in a movie together! I am excited. I love both of these guys, and this movie is a major hallmark in their careers. It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, with Jones WINNING for Best Supporting Actor, and is called one of the greatest action films of all time, especially for the decade. AND, it’s based on a television series from the 1960s, just like another entry in this month, Mission: Impossible! Look, I’m excited, so let’s do this, huh?

Gonna find out if Lindy West was right. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

As the credits roll, and views of Chicago flash by us, a murder is also taking place. A woman struggles with an unseen assailant, until eventually being shot. The woman is Helen Kimble (Sela Ward), and her newly-bereaved husband is Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), a respected vascular surgeon in the area. As he’s taken to the police station, he flashes back to the last time they were together: a fundraising benefit.

The two seem like a very happy couple, and drive home as Richard is called in to perform an emergency surgery. As he remembers that night, the police question him on the fight and struggle. Apparently, Kimble was there and fought with a one-armed man with a prosthetic arm. And as he answers various probing questions, two things become overly clear: that the cops suspect Kimble of killing his wife, and also that these are really shitty cops.

I don’t know what it is with movie cops, but they’re always absolutely the worst during questioning. Not that it matters, because Kimble would appear to be the only suspect. At the trial, a tape is played that seems to directly implicate Kimble...I guess. Kimble, as a result, is...like, IMMEDIATELY sent to the chair! WOW. That’s...that’s a little extreme there, your honor, don’t you think? Dear God.

Now going to jail, Kimball’s put on a prison bus with other prisoners However, those other prisoners don’t want to stay that way, and orchestrate a breakout on the bus, leading to a crash. One of the guards is injured, and another card asks Kimball to help, and hands him the keys to his handcuffs at his request. However, there isn’t enough time to save him, as the bus has landed in an...inopportune location

Lot of damaged property today. Not a good day for the state of Illinois, I tell you what. Kimble and another prisoner make it out, and flee the scene quick-as-they-can. Arriving soon after them is Deputy U.S. Marshall Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones). There, one of the guards (who ran away and abandoned his partner) is claiming to have saved his partner, when Kimball’s the one who pulled him out of the bus. He also claims that all of the passengers, Kimball included, are dead.

Although the sheriff is inclined to believe this story, Gerard is less inclined to do so, and takes over the investigation. He basically almost immediately finds out that the guard is lying, and the guard recants his story. Gerard then makes the following speech:

youtube

Iconic. Absolutely iconic.

Kimble’s on the run, and skillfully makes his way into a hospital. He treats his wounds from the crash, then shaves his beard and changes his clothes. He passes by a cop who’s SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR HIM, and the cop doesn’t even slightly recognize him, even though his dialogue points out that he fits LITERALLY EVERY PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION, except for the beard.

Wow. Cops are NOT smart in this movie, huh? Gerard and his coworkers, Cosmo Renfro (Joe Pantoliano), Erin Poole (L. Scott Caldwell), Robert Biggs (Daniel Roebuck), and Noah Newman (Tom Wood) go over Kimball’s file, and discover that the injured guard recognized him at the hospital. Kimball’s also stolen an ambulance, resulting in a chase between Kimball in the ambulance, and the Marshals in a helicopter. He finds himself trapped in a tunnel.

Somehow, he manages to weasel his way out, escaping from right under their noses into a storm drain. They chase him into the tunnel, with Gerard following in the lead. However, Kimble, who’s armed, manages to get the drop on Gerard, grabs his gun, and the following exchange takes place.

ICONIC ONCE MORE.

Kimble runs, and Gerard chases him to the top of a spillover above a dam, AND THAT MOTHER FUCKER JUMPS

GUY DID A PETER PAN RIGHT OFF OF THE DAM (to quote Gerard). AWESOME.

Gerard ain’t playin’ around, despite the likelihood of Kimble’s death. He gets them to turn off the damn dam water, and to get a team to search for Kimble’s body. Which is gonna be hard, because HE SURVIVED THAT MASSIVE ASS FALL. SICK.

But he understandably collapses a few minutes later, after climbing onto shore. In his sleep, he dreams of Helen. Said dream seamlessly transitions from peacefully romantic bliss to the night of the murder, and Kimble’s struggle with the mysterious one-armed man.

The Marshals, in the meantime, find Kimble’s fellow prisoner, and Gerard takes him out without a second word. When questioned by a fellow officer why he didn’t bargain with the guy, he simply says, “I. Don’t. Bargain.” Tough man. But I like him? Whaaaaaat?

Kimble wakes up and hitches a ride back into Chicago, on a mission to search for the one-armed man. He calls his lawyer, Walter Gutherie (Dick Cusack), who tells him to turn himself in. He refuses, and tells Walter that he’s in St. Louis. Doesn’t fool the Marshals, though, who’ve procured a recording of the call (probably by bugging Walter). They recognize from the background that the call is coming from Chicago.

In Chicago, Richard gets in contact with another friend, Dr. Charlie Nichols (Jeroen Krabbé), who provides him with some money, allowing him to get a temporary place to stay. Kimble, meanwhile, gets in contact with the stupid...STUPID cops from the interrogation scene, and they inform the rest of the department of Kimble’s escape.

Kimble isn’t acting overly intelligent himself, as he goes RIGHT BACK to his old hospital to go to the prosthetics lab, to try and discern the type of prosthetic, as well as the source. The Marshals head there, too, to speak with Charlie. While he admits that he saw Kimble that morning, he doesn’t have any other information to give him. They go around interviewing everybody at the hospital who knew him, including...Jane Lynch?

...Huh. Neat! Anyway, they investigate Kimble, and Kimble takes up an identity as a hospital worker, teaching himself about prosthetics all the while. But one day, as he’s sleeping, the police raid the apartment that he’s staying in, as her son is a drug dealer. A narrow escape for an anxious Kimble.

Having now remembered what the prosthetic looked like, he poses as a janitor and makes his way into the prosthetics lab. On the computer, he searches for the model of prosthetic arm. He finds 5 matching records for prosthetic limbs.

But Chicago is busy tonight. While the landlady’s son is spilling the beans on Kimble to the cops, a bus crash has happened, sending several young kids into the hospital as Kimble’s about to leave. And one boy appears to be in a lot of trouble. The doctor in charge, Anne Eastman (Julianne Moore), asks Kimble to take him to a waiting room, believing that the boy is stable. They’ve written the boy off as stable, but Kimble, being a brilliant doctor, knows that something seems wrong. Covertly, he fills out a chart, then saves his life by getting him to surgery.

Eastman figures out that Kimble’s saved his life, and figures out exactly who he is. On her way to report him, he escapes the hospital just as the Marshals arrive.

Halfway point! See you in Part 2!

#the fugitive #andrew davis #harrison ford #richard kimble #dr. richard kimble #tommy lee jones #sela ward #joe pantoliano #action thriller #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #user365 #samuel gerard #movie challenge #action january

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joetatoeheads · 5 years

Text

“If he wanted you he’d make an effort if he missed you he’d make time” X David Dobrik

Word Count: 1.6K

Warnings: None

Masterlist

There was an unspoken thing and you and David. There were obvious feelings but David’s schedule had made it impossible for you two to have any type of relationship. David sometimes barely had time for friends, if it didn’t involve content some days.

You, on the other hand, had nothing to do but hang out with the other members of the vlog squad. You appeared on some vlogs with Zane and Heath and appeared on some of Carly and Erin’s videos too. You were another Matt but were treated better because David had a soft spot for you.

The simple fact that David would never pull a prank on you was the first sign. Then every day he would ask where you were and if you wanted to hangout. This constant need to be with each other was overwhelming in the beginning. He cared for you, you cared for him, and then things changed.

Just as quickly as David wanted you by his side, he didn’t want you anymore. The vlogs became his concern and you had no objections. The vlogs took precedence before you met David and they would still take precedence after you were gone. It was a slow change that slowly broke your heart.

Missed hangouts, unanswered text messages, and apologies as David left you all alone some nights were just the beginning.

“What are you doing here?”

Y/N turned around to find Zane, Heath, and Mariah by the door.

“David canceled again. I was already here before I got the text.”

“Oh baby girl,” Mariah’s sad voice had made things worse.

“Come out with us.”

“What are you guys doing here?” asked Y/N.

“Zane forgot his camera when he was pregaming earlier,” explained Mariah.

“Mariah’s right, come out with us! If Zane gets drunk enough then maybe you’ll get to see David.”

Y/N agreed and she did end up seeing David for a couple of minutes. They said hello and exchanged a couple of sentences. David even apologized and promised to make it up. A movie night was arranged later in the week and when the day finally came David barely paid attention to you.

Either he was trying to edit or doing a brand deal and was trying to post. You didn’t mind the lack of attention because Youtube was his life and how he made a living. When the movie ended you turned to David who was on his phone as he was before.

“David?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?” asked Y/N.

“I am. Why?”

“It’s just that we’ve barely had time to hang out that’s all. I could help with some things if you like.”

David gave her a big smile, “I’ve been busy but I’m not going to bother you with my stuff.”

“I could see you more if I started helping.”

“Thank you for offering but I have everything under control.”

“I just want to hang out with you. I never see you anymore,” said Y/N.

“We’re hanging out now,” observed David.

“The first time in weeks.”

“Look, I like you, you know that but I can’t spend every second with you.”

Y/N nodded and let things go and David never knew how much his words hurt. So slowly the drift widens as the days went by. Everyone noticed but no one could do anything about it. David cared for Y/N just not enough to make things official nor enough to prioritize her above other things.

From seeing David less and less, things changed once again when Y/N wasn’t invited places anywhere. Parties and hangouts never included Y/N and the rest of the vlog squad started to notice. The vlogs stopped featuring Y/N but she was still being in Zane, Heath, Carly, and Erin’s videos. So of course gossip stirred.

David didn’t care for gossip but when Corinna and Natalie finally mentioned something, David realized he was toying with Y/N. Keeping her close enough to have someone, but keeping her far enough so it wasn’t anything serious. David wasn’t interested in anything serious and that wasn’t his fault.

Days after being confronted, Y/N went to David’s with chipotle and was met with tired eyes and mumbles. The guys had a late night and Y/N was more than happy to cheer up David and things were fine until David wanted to talk to alone. It was in his bedroom that David confessed his feelings. He didn’t want a serious relationship with Y/N and all she could do was nod even if she wanted to cry.

“Are you okay?” asked David.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” smiled Y/N.

“Everyone made it seem like you would cry and hate me.”

“I could never hate you.” But Y/N did cry when she went back to her apartment.

The smile was gone from Y/N after that. Her routine was still the same. Film some videos, appear in some vlogs, and bring over food to David’s. The first sign that David was annoyed with Y/N spending less time with him was when he found out she was spending more days with Zane, Matt, and Jeff. His little side comments didn’t alert anyone in the beginning.

Then the food stopped coming. No more chipotle or homemade cookies from Y/N. One night Zane was passing around cookies and David could recognize them from a mile away.

“Hey where you’d get these?”

“Y/N she made them this morning and I thought I’d bring what’s left of them.”

“I missed them so much! I can’t get them at David’s anymore,” said Carly as she tried to get as much as possible in her hands.

Then there was getting food. Y/N didn’t come by with Chipotle or Jimmy John’s. David had to find out that Y/N was stopping by to eat with Carly, Erin, and Matt. Y/N was ignoring David and he didn’t like it. After a missed phone call and unanswered text messages, David was trying to find out where Y/N was.

“Dude she’s at Jeff’s. She helping him out with a video,” said Zane

“She never does that,” replied David.

“Ya she does man. Jeff thinks she has a crush,” added Matt.

“On him?” asked David.

“No on Oscar.”

“Y/N doesn’t have a crush on Oscar.”

“Why because she can only have a crush on you?” asked Erin.

Everybody had uncomfortable faces. David found an excuse to go to Jeff’s finding Y/N talking to Jeff. Oscar was on his phone and David went up to him first. He introduced himself to the group of people in Jeff’s apartment and finally made his way to Y/N.

“Hey man what’s going on?”

“I came to pick up Y/N,” smiled David.

“Me? Why?”

“Movie night,” answered David.

“Oh. Okay… like right now?”

“Well I was thinking of getting some food.”

Y/N nodded but Jeff gave David a weird look. After picking up chipotle and going back to an empty house, Y/N turned to David.

“Where is everybody?”

“I thought you’d appreciate just the two of us.”

“It’s been so long since we’ve ever been alone like this,” laughed Y/N.

“I asked them not to come tonight,” confessed David.

“Okay, what is going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have never done anything like this before. If you think I’m mad at you, I’m not, I could never be.”

David looked at Y/N, with a small smile, “Are you sure about that?”

Now Y/N was confused, “What are you talking about?”

“You ignore me now. You don’t come around anymore and now you’re helping Jeff film videos?”

“I’m not ignoring you. I just stopped putting you at the top of my list now. Besides, I’m helping Oscar more than I’m helping Jeff since he does most of the prop work.”

“Let’s go on a date,” suggested David.

Y/N laughed at the bluntness, “Are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You have never shown interest in me like that.”

“That’s not true.”

“David yes it is.”

“I don’t treat you like Natalie or Corinna. I treat you differently because I like you.”

“What happened to not liking me that way? You told me that to my face.”

“I did like you. I do like you but I just never have enough time to put effort into any relationship. If I’m going to be your boyfriend I want to put all my love and time into it and not give you this half-ass version of me,” explained David.

“Wow didn’t realize there was a whole you, that I had yet to see,” joked Y/N.

“I’m serious. You’re too pretty, too smart, and too everything for me just to drag you around to stupid parties and dangerous stunts. I like you too much for that.”

“Say I say yes to the date where would we be going?”

“I would take you to the fanciest restaurant in LA and buy you 100 roses. I would try and show you I’m in this for the long run.”

“This can be our first date.”

“What?”

“This can be our first date. We’re both already here and all alone. We can just watch a movie and order Chipotle,” suggested Y/N.

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Well no, you don’t, but things happen” Y/N walked over to the couch and started going through movies, “Also you’re paying for chipotle. This is a date after all.”

#david dobrik imagine #vlog squad imagines #vlog squad imagine #David Dobrik Imagines #david dobrik fanfiction

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corpse--diem · 4 years

Text

Bad Beat | Felix & Erin

Summary: “In poker, bad beat is a subjective term for a hand in which a player with what appear to be strong cards nevertheless loses.” Date: Present Featuring: @streetharmacist

Felix Doyle liked to stay in touch with people. He was a talker. Liked to know how people were doing, what they were up to, when they were going to pay him back. Whether it would be sooner rather than later. If they even could or not, which was always a particularly fun discussion. Lately, however, someone he had been in constant conversation with had upped and apparently died on him. Doing a thing like that often left a debt unsettled and when it came to Jack Nichols, it left a particularly large debt behind.

A large enough debt that it warranted a house call.

He didn’t make a habit of visiting funeral homes. Not unless he wanted to be warmed by that confirmation that, most certainly, an old enemy was dead. He approached the Nichols’ funeral home with a very different mindset. Just wanted to talk, that was all. He adjusted his violet tie before he slipped through the dark and found a window obscured entirely in the dark. It occurred to him that he hadn’t exactly checked the business hours. Then again, death hardly ever did that either, which he thought over as he slipped open a window at the back of the house with a straight-edged knife.

He stayed in the dark as he shut it behind him, more shadow than anything human shaped as he looked over the main room. Didn’t seem there was anyone near. Time as it existed stopped for the fae as soon as the sun stopped showing its face. He took a moment to knock on the inside of the door before he took a seat in the reception area. In the dark, he adjusted his glasses and waited.

For the first time in nearly a month, things were running normally. Smoothly, she’d even dare to say. Almost as if things hadn’t come to a grinding halt for far longer than she’d have liked, and for reasons she liked even less. But that was over. Thank fuck, that was over, and Erin could finally pour those frustrations out in the constant stream of death that ran through this town more consistently than the rivers that found Dark Score Lake.

A full day’s work was coming to an end. The rest of the staff had gone home for the night, and she was getting ready to close the books when she heard the knocking from her office. Loud knocking. Echoing like it was coming from inside–which was impossible, right? She’d locked the doors hours ago. Fucking awesome. Erin truly loved when people just showed up mysteriously in her home. Pulling out the knife Nic had left behind from her drawer, suddenly very grateful for his forgetfulness, she stashed it in the side pocket of her blazer, easing her way out into the reception area.

“Hello?” She called out, stopping to a halt when her eyes landed on the man in sunglasses. Fuck. Was this a bossman thing? “Can I help you?” She inquired carefully, trying to stay friendly should this be an actual customer in need of her services.

Funny how the funeral home didn’t feel as sterile and emotionless as a hospital did. Guess something had to be warm after a body emptied itself. Other than the crematorium, of course. Felix tapped his fingers against his dark grey dress pants as he waited. It was a bit of an unorthodox house call to make, but considering the circumstances, it was the only type of call he wanted to make. Phone calls didn’t suffice for the important questions. Like where his money was.

He picked his head up as she entered the room and straightened himself up slightly. A businessman’s smile curved his mouth as he stood up. All business with no soft edges to be readily found.

“Hi,” he said, a smile around the words. He made no move to go towards her, instead pocketing his hands and putting his weight onto one foot as he crossed it behind him. “I’d say so, yeah. Erin Nichols, right? There’s this little problem I got, you could say. You see, there’s just a little something I’d like to get settled. Worked out, even! Its sorta outstayed its welcome and I wanted to check in. Keep a finger on the pulse and all.”

His head tilted slightly.

“It’s a matter of wanting to lay something to rest? You know how it is.”

Something was off about this guy. His smile was sharp and his answers circled slowly around her questions. It was already getting on her nerves. Whatever this guy wanted, everything in Erin’s bones told her this wasn’t an above board visit. Did her best to keep her smile friendly despite the confusion that touched her narrowed brows. “I do,” she nodded, making sure to remain a good few feet from him. “Better than most." Her eyes flickered past him to the door. The lock was still firmly in place and no visible signs of tampering from the advanced alarm system she’d spilled a considerable amount of money into installing. Seemed to mean fuck all these days, apparently. That knife was burned a warmer hole in her side pocket.

"Well, I can’t tell you how sorry I am if you’re here about a recent loss,” she started, braving a few steps forward. “But it’s a little late and we’re closed to the public for the night.” Not entirely true but she gestured towards the door anyway. “How about you stop by tomorrow morning and we can talk then, Mr.–Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name?”

“I had a feeling you might,” Felix said. “See, I had a really good feeling that you would. That’s why I wanted to come here. It’s looking like I made the right call.” She seemed a little nervous, maybe even a little on edge. He supposed that was fair. A stranger for all intents and purposes had broken into her business. It was fair to be alarmed. As fair as it was to check on investments long overdue, or so he thought. There were some things where fairness didn’t play too large a role.

“It’s not so much a recent loss,” he said as he adjusted his cufflinks. “More the kind that’s been accumulating and it takes a real toll when it gets to a certain point. The point that has brought me here to you.” When he smiled, it was a small and quick flash. “Mr. Doyle will work just fine for this, Ms. Nichols, and unfortunately, mornings don’t work for me and I don’t think this can wait. It’s a matter of debt that I’d like to discuss.”

Erin did her best to follow this man--Mr. Doyle--as he spoke. The longer she listened, the more she appreciated the way he weaved his words like he was telling a story. Careful consideration given to every syllable and each word placed with intent. He clearly thought highly of himself for this show he was putting on.

It's a matter of debt.

Those words set off ever alarm bell in her mind into a shrieking mess of panic. Her back stiffened and her body stilled, hoping he couldn’t see the noise building behind her eyes. Panic quickly gave way to anger. God, did these assholes ever let up? She was a funeral director for Christ’s sake. It was very simple and here he was, no doubt asking for me. How and why this continued to get more complicated was completely beyond her but she could feel that pit in her stomach burning hot and bright. Her eyes didn’t match the smile she forced back onto her face, arms crossing across her stomach. Fingers hovering inches from the knife there.

“And what debt is that, Mr. Doyle?” She spat out, tilting her head slightly to the side, trying not to let the irritation in her tone completely swallow her own words. “If you’re here on behalf of your associate, you do know Dale’s already popped his cheery little head in here, right?

The fae laced his hands together. Something Felix had said elicited a quick reaction. It seemed that he might have hit a nerve. The right one too, at that. Good. That meant that he and Erin were likely on the same page. Any smile he had faded back into the dark from whence he had come. His face was still water.

“A rather large one, Ms. Nichols,” he intoned with a lifted brow. His thumb moved idly along the skin of the back of his hand. His posture shifted languidly, both feet flat on the ground. “Guns and drugs are pricey, sure, but other things cost a little more. Like blood. And bones. In the end, it all costs. It adds up. It spills over. Things get owed.”

He adjusted his glasses.

“It’s the one you just so happened to have inherited,” he continued. “I offered your dad a hand when he got himself in too deep and oddly enough, even with that particular clock stopped, the numbers are still ticking up. May he rest in peace.”

He shifted. Cocked his head.

“Dale? Can’t say I’m all too familiar with a Dale.”

Oh, this guy had a lot of nerve. It occurred to Erin suddenly--was this him? The him? The man who hid in the shadows and whose name she hadn’t earned the privilege of obtaining. Always demanding more. One thing after the other, a slow escalation. First it was organs, then supernatural parts, andj ust last week Dale had shown up with a body. Pointed to the cremation room and a Don’t make me spell this out for you, dear. And Erin just had to hop to it. No questions asked. And while she’d seen glimpses of what the man was capable of, fear wasn’t the emotion scratching at her insides. It was anger. Expanding, needling and poking uncomfortably and uncontrollably under her skin.

“I’m aware of how businesses operate, Mr. Doyle. Even unconventional ones like yours,” she seethed. The debt. The fucking debt that was going to haunt her until the day she was in one of these fucking caskets. Her eyes watched his body language, waiting for some tell that’d let her know it was time to run. “Dale,” she repeated, barely hiding her annoyance now. “The mouth breather you send traipsing through my house and business every week for collection.”

She watched him, waiting for that recognition to flicker across his features. It never came. Dread and uncertainty fighting for attention above her anger. “...Who are you?”

“So I’ve been assured. The place is lovely and it would be a shame for it to go under.”

His own voice lacked any of the prior pep he had at the beginning. It wasn’t the first business conversation he had and he was confident that it wouldn’t be the last. That confidence coalesced with mild annoyance. Something didn’t add up. Felix didn’t like that. Not. One. Bit. His hands unwound and slipped into his pockets, his head cocked. Mouth breather. Did he look like he was interested in putting mouth breathers on his payroll? Not dang likely. He bristled at the accusation. There were plenty of things he could be rightly and unquestionably accused of but this--

Wait.

“Collection? I have barely collected a dollar, let alone a cent, in weeks. That’s why I’m here. Because the money hasn’t been showing but it sure as hell has been spiriting itself away, Ms. Nichols. Isn’t that odd for a dead man?” He said, head tilted downward as his brows raised. Then he shook his head, his smile one with teeth before he spoke. His words didn’t match the smile as he seethed. “Who the fuck is Dale?”

It was better before you got your grubby hands on it, Erin thought, her sense of self-preservation reeling her in. If this was her boss, something she was quickly beginning to doubt, mouthing off to a man who likely magicked his way in could be the last thing she did. “It is. We’re a damn pillar of the community,” she answered dryly and left it at that.

There was a noticeable shift in Mr. Doyle’s mannerisms. Now he seemed agitated and his confusion was on par with her own. “Dale, uh--” she faltered for a moment, shaking her head. She didn’t even know his last name. “Bald guy, Hawaiian shirts. Wears those chunky gold necklaces you just wanna--” she gestured towards her neck and pulled on an invisible chain. She’d fantasized about that one more than once. Exasperation had her stepping closer, shaking her head. “No--I’ve been paying you, or whoever, on time, in full, every week,” she insisted, her eyes frantically watching. Still waiting for something to dawn on him.

That’s when she paused, planting her feet again, realizing she’d stepped closer to this stranger than she suddenly felt comfortable with. “You didn’t answer my question,” she stood firm on this, shaking her head. She’d had enough. “My dad was an idiot, so if I do owe you money? Fine. Add it to the pile. Why not, right? But you’re not going to just waltz into my business--my home--and start demanding things without a better explanation here.”

“With the pillar that it is, it makes you wonder what might happen without it. I’ve certainly wondered.”

The fae nodded some, a look of the very slightest appreciation on his face. He would be even more appreciative of such banter if he had his fates damned money. But he didn’t and his appreciation ran shallow like a nick from a razor. His patience ran just as thin too but he waited. Felix listened. As she explained what poor fashion choices this Dale figure made, he looked away in thought. A hand slipped out his pocket as he rubbed at his jaw. His teeth clicked together. Something was more than wrong.

It was fucked.

“Ah, but you haven’t,” he said. “I’ve been getting breadcrumbs in comparison to what I should be getting. I don’t know who the hell Dale is but I know a Big Carl and that sounds a lot like Big Carl. He’s the reason I’m here. He’s the one that’s supposed to get the stuff from you.” The last time he had seen Big Carl, the guy was in and out. Fast enough that Felix hardly got a word in as he looked at the sad amount of money that had been thrown on his desk. He had been bitter ever since. Felix had thought little of it at the time, about as much as he usually thought of Big Carl.

“On that, you and I agree. Your dad wasn’t so money smart, bit off a little more than he could chew, and I was there to help a guy out. That’s what I do. I help people. Communities, even.” He didn’t smile. “But not without the expectation that at the end of it all, I get what I’m owed. That’s how this works. Your dad knew that but he just kept chewing.”

Erin only entertained his thinly-veiled threat with an eye roll. There were bigger issues at hand. And, apparently, a Big Carl. The thought of there being another fashion-dense ogre of a man sliding through Mr. Doyle’s circles was as unlikely as it was nightmarish. “That’s Dale, then,” she confirmed. “Or Big Carl. Whatever.” That fuck. What had he done now? “I don’t know what he’s doing, and I don’t have any proof he’s actually doing anything, but something stinks, and it’s not coming from the basement. Think we can agree on that much.”

He knew her father. Of course he did. “My dad was an idiot,” she huffed in response. Even this guy knew it and more than likely took advantage of his desperation and stupidity. A new kind of worry built in her gut as she ran a hand over her mouth. “Whatever's going on, it’s not me and I swear I can prove it. Wait here--” she nodded, backing up slowly as she moved down the hall, still in his line of sight. She was sure he trusted her disappearing into a room alone right now as much as she trusted turning her back to him. After digging briefly through her desk, she was rushing back with a small, leather ledger.

“My dad must have gotten rid of or just didn’t write any of his transactions down. Which, I get. Paper trail. But it’s probably partly to blame for how fucked over he was at the end,” she said, giving pause. A flash of his blue eyes nestled between decayed flesh jumped in her mind’s eye. She cleared her throat to shake it off before handing it over. “All of our transactions. Every penny since I’ve taken over.” It was mostly in code, and probably easily decipherable to even the most basic cop. But a book of scribbles and numbers held less weight in comparison to the very solid, frozen evidence under their feet. If she was going to go down, it sure as shit wasn’t going to be because she couldn’t keep track of her books.

Felix’s stance shifted and he started to move. To pace. A habit of his when he started to consider the most efficient yet lesson-learning way to dismantle someone. Big Carl. Dale. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t a stranger to names upon names. He had taken more than a few himself. His lip curled slightly as he took in a slow breath. Stopped walking. The anger was laced with excitement. How long had it been since he had been two-timed? By a man that willingly wore Hawaiian shirts no less? He looked at Erin from the corner of his eye.

“I don’t mind the stink of a few dead bodies,” he finally said. He faced her and cocked his head to the side, his expression less than pleased. “But it appears that we can agree on that. For now.”

As she told him to wait, he nodded and set about to his idle pacing as he lined up his thoughts. When she returned, he took the offered ledger. Shifted his glasses up to look at it with bare eyes. What was written on the ledger in regards to lighting, to him, was the full amount of what he should be receiving. Reality differed. His smile grew, teeth visible.

“I’m getting maybe a tenth of this,” he said as he slid his glasses back on. “That’s funny. That’s really funny. This hasn’t happened to me for a very long time.” He had underestimated Big Carl. Maybe he had lost his touch. He was bubbling with fury. “I’m thoroughly entertained. What do you know about him?”

He believed her. He was pissed, and everything about that sharp smile still made Erin’s blood run cold, but it wasn’t for her. It was for the bald-headed asshole who got nothing but pure joy out of pissing her off on a weekly basis. Her fury towards Felix suddenly veered course, finding a new home. She wasn’t this guy’s biggest fan but common ground had settled her some.

“Not much,” she shook her head, crossing her arms. “I know he corresponds directly with our boss. He’s the money guy or something. Makes all the pick-ups throughout town, however that works. But he comes through the back, same time and day every week. Which is incredibly stupid, by the way. Told him that much too, but the guy’s got the most fragile ego I’ve ever seen. He was waving his gun in my face to shut me up like I’d just insulted his entire bloodline.” She ground her teeth together, trying to recall any other small details. Most of the time she did everything in her power not to think about Dale.

“Flashy. Braggy. Loves to show off whatever new watch or jacket he’s got that week like I give a shit.” Fuck. Seemed stupid obvious in hindsight. She just figured a guy in his position got paid a hell of a lot better than her. Rolled her eyes and scoffed bitterly. God, this guy was stupider then she gave him credit for. “Guess he doesn’t think of me as a threat.” That was putting it lightly.

Felix listened to every word she said carefully. White Crest wasn’t a particularly large town. Not in his eyes. Small towns had this capacity to suffocate that intrigued him. Constricted yet somehow more freeing than a city could be. It was charming the way a coral snake could be if one confused it for a milk snake.

“So he keeps to a schedule,” he remarked. That was good. Very good. Nothing made a job easier than a predictable idiot too puffed up to notice he was sinking. “I like that. We can most certainly work with that. And I am awfully curious about this boss of yours.” He huffed a dry laugh at the mention of an insulted bloodline. If Felix had his way, there wouldn’t be enough blood left in the man to determine which line went where. Now that their ire had changed from being directed towards each other to someone else, someone far more worthy, the tension in him unwound. Erin’s hatred for Dale was near tangible like heated iron. It wasn’t something he could wield. But she certainly could.

“It’s good that he doesn’t, you know.” His smile bordered on serpentine. “See you as one. People like that never realize it until that curtain comes down and they’re left to wonder where everyone went.” He looked at Erin for a long moment before he extended a hand. “I’m glad we’ve met, Ms. Nichols. Circumstances and all. Would you let me know the next time you see Dale?”

“I’m pretty curious myself,” Erin agreed, casting a quick look his way. “And I could say the same about you, Mr. Doyle.” Her immediate fears were calmed for now, she assumed. He wasn’t gunning for her throat and he seemed nearly as convinced as she was about the true culprit. Still--that borderline insidious smile of his knew he was handing her a gift. Dale was the kind of guy who couldn’t see past himself. Didn’t want to, didn’t care to. She wasn’t even a speck on his radar. Two birds, one bald, ugly stone. All she had to do was accept it.

Felix extend his hand towards her and she just watched, hesitant, like this was some sort of trick. Maybe they’d built trust on a more solid foundation. Maybe she’d never see this guy again. But considering it was the professional thing to do here, she shook his hand firmly in return.

“I don’t think he’s going to bother you much anymore,” she said simply. The words came out so easily, so confidently, it surprised even herself. The implication was pretty clear. This one was hers and fuck it--she was taking it. Nerves buzzed beneath her skin and something in her felt just that much lighter, but stronger. Like she’d reclaimed a sliver of the power she’d lost the moment she found her father’s half-assed note and a bag of frozen hearts. “I’ll remind him I’m still around.”

There was still a debt to be paid, after all.

#chatzy #wickedswriting #chatzy: felix #bad beat #//here we goooo

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dirtydobrik · 5 years

Text

getaway - d.d.

plot: you’ve been secretly dating david for a couple months, keeping your relationship a secret from everyone including your friends, and one day you go on a “business trip”/beach vacation to spend time together and a fan sees you out together and shares pictures, essentially outing your relationship

requested: yes, by anon! Reader going on a business trip and being in a secret relationship with david and its like that episode of friends were monica and chandler are hiding their relationship and they go on a “business” trip but its only to spend time together and thats how their friends find out theyre dating.. if that makes sense :) lol

author’s note: hi! i’ve been writing a lot of sad/angst fics lately so here’s another fluff piece. this was requested anonymously so hopefully it was something similar to what you wanted. if you want to send in a request for an imagine, send me a message! (i have been so behind on requests lately but i am trying to get caught up, so i’m trying to post 1-2 times a day so people don’t have to wait ages for me to write their requests)

this picture just radiates boyfriend vibes i’m in love

word count: 1695

masterlist

"Babe, can we please go on a vacation," you begged. You were tired of being cooped up in LA, hidden from the world. You had to sneak over to David's late at night just to spend time with him since none of your friends knew you were together yet.

"How are we supposed to get away from our friends from an entire week?" he questioned, and you sighed. The idea seemed impossible.

"What about just a couple days?"

"I'll see what I can do," David answered and you grinned. You two were in desperate need of some serious alone time. The hardest part of planning this trip would be figuring out how to hide it from your friends.

A few days later David dropped two planes into your lap while you were sitting on the couch in his living room and your eyes widened. They were for a trip to North Carolina from Tuesday to Friday.

"A beach vacation?" you asked, a huge smile on your face. David nodded, and you gave him a hug.

"I'm going to tell everyone that I need to go to New York to go over some things with my publicist and you can say you have to go on a business trip for work. I think that should work."

"It's a perfect plan," you agreed, mentally reminding yourself to take the days off from work.

Tuesday afternoon, you were on your way to the airport. Natalie was dropping you both off, and although she knew you two had something going on, she didn’t think anything of it. You went checked in and went through security, settling into a seat and waiting for your flight. David had a baseball cap on and his hood up so people wouldn’t recognize him.

Seven hours after boarding, you touched down in North Carolina. You got to your AirBnB, a small house right on the water and you couldn’t stop smiling.

"I can’t believe we're here!" you exclaimed gleefully. You were bouncing off the walls with excitement to just have time to enjoy being David.

Wednesday morning you woke up next to David, and he begged you to not get up yet. You rolled over, draping your arm over his chest and leaning up to kiss him.

"Good morning," you grinned, still not over the fact that you were on vacation and alone for the first time since you started dating two months ago.

"Hi, baby," he smiled, kissing your forehead. "What do you want to do today?"

"Anything, everything," you sighed, running your fingers through his hair. You were just excited to spend uninterrupted time with your boyfriend.

"How does breakfast sound?"

After finally getting out of bed and getting ready for the day, you were walking hand in hand to a small café down the street from where you were staying. You sat at a table outside and you thanked god that Carly and Erin had gotten David hooked on coffee since you both needed some type of caffeine. You snapped a photo of him with his coffee, having to stop yourself from posting it.

You were almost in the clear during your outing, until David was recognized while paying the bill.

"Oh my God! You're David Dobrik!" a voice shrieked form inside the café. "Can I get a picture? I'm a huge fan," she asked, and when David agreed, you feared your cover would be blown. You pushed your hat down to cover most of your face and looked down in case she knew who you were too.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, giving David a hug before leaving.

Once the girl was far enough away, David came back outside and sat down with you.

"That was close," he sighed.

"Maybe it's a sign that we shouldn't leave the house," you giggled. "No one will find us if we hide out."

You two decided to lay out on the beach, leaving your phones inside, which turned out to be a bad idea. When you went back inside a couple hours later, your phones were blowing up.

"Shit," David muttered, scrolling through his texts. He had gotten sent pictures of you and him walking together and some of you at the café.

"Babe, this is not good," you groaned. You felt like this was your fault. You had just wanted a few days alone with him and now everyone knew you were on vacation together. You both didn’t want to face your friends, having no clue how they would react, and judging by the texts in the group chat, they weren't too pleased.

David was pacing around the kitchen as he talked on the phone with his publicist asking what, if anything, he should do. Your phone continued to ring but you didn't want to answer.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, when David rejoined you in the living room.

"Hey, no. This is not your fault, babe."

"I wanted to go on a getaway, so yes, it is."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. This easily could've happened in LA," he tried to reassure you.

"But people would expect to see us in LA, since that's where we live. The two of us being alone in North Carolina is unexpected and people are going to make a big deal about it and it's my fault," you rambled, David interrupting you by kissing you.

"Look, I love you, and yeah, it's partly your fault, but that doesn't matter. People know we're dating, how it happened doesn’t matter. We need to figure out what to do next."

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" you asked, looking him in the eye. This was a decision for David to make, since he was the one in the public eye.

"I think the only right thing to do is tell people that we're dating. Our friends are already pissed that we hid it from them for two months, we might as well just announce it to everyone," he shrugged, and you nodded in agreement.

David shared an post introducing you as his girlfriend across all of his social media platforms, and you didn’t feel anxious like you thought you would've.

"Sorry we had to announce it so soon," he frowned, feeling bad that you were now going to be the focus of most of his interviews and that you were going to be publicly thrown into the public eye.

"It's okay, Dave. I'm more worried for how our friends will react when we go home, though," you admitted, breaking eye contact and looking down.

"They already know and love you, so there's nothing to worry about, I promise."

You felt David's arms pull you into a tight hug and you let out a long exhale, relieved that he had handled the situation with such grace and ease.

For the rest of the trip, you were able to go out and about, not having to worry about hiding from fans that you might run into. But you were still dreading going back to LA and talking to your friends.

You had texted a few of the girls, giving them all of the details they were begging for, and none of them seemed upset that you didn't tell them ahead of time. They understood the difficulties of dating within the friend group and wanting privacy, although most people tried to keep their relationships a secret from David so he wouldn't exploit them on the vlog.

You and David landed in LA on Friday night with Natalie there to pick you up.

"I should've known something was up when you didn't bring Jason or me with you on your fake trip to New York," Natalie laughed when David opened the door to the passenger seat and slid in.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you and Jason didn't question it. Like I knew no one else would've, but I expected questions from you and Jase," David chuckled.

"Jason said he's known about you two for a month, or at least that's what he's telling everyone."

You racked your brain trying to think of how or when Jason could've found out, but couldn’t think of anything.

Back at David's, your friends were awaiting your arrival, with a list of questions they wanted answers to, starting with why you would pick David when you could've gone for literally any other guy in the entire world.

"I knew something was up when you two had to go to New York together on the same day for the exact same length of time," Carly insisted.

"I knew something was going on when no one else got an invite to New York, not even Jeff, and he's from there," Zane added.

"I knew something was up when David wanted to record the podcast on Monday night when usually he'd have me come out if he had to travel to record the podcast," Jason said.

“Yeah, I knew something was wrong when neither of you posted about going to or being in New York,” Erin piped in.

"Okay, okay, we get it. You all knew about us before we told you," David muttered, rolling his eyes. They had all come up with theories after they saw the pictures since no one said anything or suspected anything until the pictures were leaked.

“We’re happy for you guys,” Erin smiled, everyone else agreeing.

“Thank you,” you replied, giving her a hug.

The rest of the night was spent sitting on the couch with you finally being able to cuddle and be close to David without people asking any questions about it. It was such a relief to have your relationship accepted by your friends. It wasn’t that ever doubted them, you were just nervous telling anyone that you were dating him since you weren’t a YouTuber and didn’t want to take anything away from David and his future.

And while this wasn’t the way you had planned to tell everyone you were together, it didn’t matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was the fact that you two were confident enough in your relationship to tell the world, even if it had come a lot sooner than you anticipated.

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

National Enquirer, February 1

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Conspiracy Exposed! White Supremacists Caused Capitol Riot

Page 2: Friends of scandal-scarred Shia LaBeouf fear he is sliding off the rails now that galpal Margaret Qualley has suddenly dumped him and Shia feels deserted and completely alone since Margaret walked out on him and he was blindsided when the actress took off in the wake of abuse accusations by his past girlfriends and colleagues labeled him difficult -- Shia thought he could count on Margaret to be at his side while he defended himself but she’s been warned by friends and family he’s toxic in Hollywood and that staying with him could ruin her career

Page 3: Siegfried Fischbacher’s sad last days have been full of tears and regret as the ailing entertainer prepares to be reunited in the afterlife with cherished partner Roy Horn -- the German-born illusionist has been fighting pancreatic cancer but after having a malignant tumor removed during a 12-hour surgery last month, Siegfried left the facility to die at Little Bavaria which is the Las Vegas home he long shared with Roy

Page 4: Angelina Jolie has been digging up dirt on ex-husband Brad Pitt’s pals in a desperate bid to get the upper hand in their toxic divorce war -- Angie and her team are still looking for whatever they can get on Brad but he’s so squeaky clean these days they’re turning their attention to the rockers and grungy types that he hangs with in L.A. and it’s all very twisted but Angie is willing to try anything at this point -- Angie and Brad’s custody battle is at a standstill with Angie refusing to budge with her demand for full custody of the kids while Brad wants more visitation rights -- Angie is likely to be barking up the wrong tree because Brad’s friends are sober clean-living types who have been a huge influence in helping him turn his life around but she’s leaving no stone unturned in this divorce fight

* Consciously unconventional Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Brad Falchuk are taking mini-breaks to prove that absence makes the heart grow fonder -- the love is there but Gwyneth is suggesting they try mini-me breaks to keep the embers burning in their relationship and she believes separating from time to time will stir up the passion ad anticipation between them -- Gwyneth often slips off for short trips without Brad and feels no guilt or remorse for it and she encourages Brad to do the same and says it makes her miss him when he’s away

Page 5: Sandra Bullock has become buddies with Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith and is reaping the benefits of the longtime couple’s hard-earned advice and Sandra’s five-year romance with photographer Bryan Randall has never been better -- the new friendship blossomed after Sandra appeared on Jada’s Red Table Talk show to celebrate frontline workers during the pandemic and Sandra and Jada have gotten really close since then and Jada’s been giving Sandra tips about how to handle the highs and lows of a relationship and learning to appreciate her man

Page 6: Newbie twosome Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles are already shopping for a love shack and they want to be with each other all the time and they both need permanent places to live because Olivia’s been staying at a temporary place and Harry’s been staying with friends and they both want someplace where they can be together in private -- Olivia wants two places which is one where she can be a mother to her kids with ex Jason Sudeikis but she also wants a love nest to share with Harry and they’ve been looking in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu areas because they’re in love but they don’t want to flaunt their relationship in front of her kids; Olivia has too much fondness and respect for Jason to do that

Page 7: Carrie Underwood and husband Mike Fisher have been gushing all over each other but they’ve worked 24/7 for months to avoid a divorce -- they had very real problems that stretched back years because Carrie was either working too hard in the recording studio or on the road or in their home gym and their issues never really got addressed head-on and they were even talking divorce but lockdown has done them both a world of good by forcing them to get to know each other all over again

* Covidiot of the Week -- Bruce Willis got booted from a Los Angeles Rite Aid rather than put on a mask to protect his freaked-out fellow shoppers -- Bruce was wearing a bandana around his neck as he strolled the aisles of the pharmacy but he apparently lacked the strength to pull it up and over his nose and mouth because he refused to wear a mask and he walked out of the store leaving his intended purchases behind rather than respond to a manager’s plea to have some respect for other people

Page 8: Love-starved Kelly Clarkson is having a little “Office” romance with one of the beloved sitcom’s former stars Craig Robinson -- a recent flirt-fest on Kelly’s chat show has left the newly single mother of two singing the comic actor’s praises to pals and he totally swept her off her feet and she thinks he’s cute and one of the funniest guys she’s ever met -- the mutual attraction between the two was immediate and obvious and she’s been reaching out to him on the phone and they’ve been continuing their funny and flirty repartee -- Kelly thinks he’s the perfect catch and wants to start 2021 off on the right foot after all the hell she’s going through in her divorce from Brandon Blackstock

* Embattled Ellen DeGeneres has cooked up a new plan to save her troubled career and marriage: a baby -- last year was the toughest year of her life let alone her career and she’s hoping a baby may be the answer to all her problems -- it was hell at home for wife Portia de Rossi because Ellen was blasting her about anything and everything and Portia declared she had no intention of being Ellen’s personal punching bag and Ellen has now realized how harsh she had been on her spouse of 12 years and that’s when Ellen cooked up the concept of having a baby to bond over and Ellen is convinced that sharing a child will bring them closer together again and is willing to go the surrogate route to make it happen -- she also believes bringing a baby into her life will improve her image and it’s a can’t-lose scenario in her mind

Page 9: Kelly Ripa is pushing pal Ryan Seacrest to find new romance online -- Ryan spent the holidays alone after being dumped by his on-off galpal Shayna Taylor but Kelly believes he can find lasting love with an age-appropriate partner -- Ryan is 46 and he’s dated some of the most beautiful women in the world but Kelly thinks he’d do a lot better if he looked for women closer to his age and Kelly has been pushing him to try a dating app like Raya which caters to a star-studded clientele -- Kelly has been happily married for 21 years and wants the same happiness for Ryan and she thinks he can find that by using an app where he can find a woman in his age bracket with similar interests and attitudes

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Malin Akerman hit the road on her bike in L.A., shirtless Justin Bieber hitting the shore in Hawaii, Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts smoothed back her hairdo on the morning show set, Larsa Pippen posed on her Porsche outside her Miami mansion, dapper dresser Chris Pine shot scenes from the upcoming thriller All the Old Knives in London

Page 11: Dustin Diamond has been hospitalized with searing pain and is undergoing tests to pin down the cause of the mystery ailment but he feared prognosis is cancer which is said to have a history of the disease in his family

* Carol Burnett is overjoyed her temporary guardianship of grandson Dylan Hamilton-West has been extended but remains heartbroken her troubled daughter Erin is not yet prepared to resume her role as a parent -- Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deborah L. Christian extended the guardianship until November 30 and praised Carol and her husband Brian Miller saying that everything seems to be going along swimmingly -- the judge also ruled Erin will be allowed supervised weekly visits with Dylan

* The house that tragic Glee star Naya Rivera shared with her son Josey in Los Feliz, California is up for sale for $2,695,000 -- Naya purchased the four-bedroom, three-bath home in May 2018 for $1,660,000 just a month before her divorce from Ryan Dorsey with whom she she shared custody of Josey

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Katie Couric desperately hopes her guest host stint on Jeopardy! will turn into a full-time job replacing the late Alex Trebek -- it will be positioned that Katie is guest-hosting for a week but it’s actually an audition; all the upcoming Jeopardy! guest hosts are being tested out and depending on how they do and how the audience responds one of them will get the gig full-time -- the show is moving very carefully to replace Alex because they get one shot at this and if they hire the wrong person the show is over

* Kathy Griffin won’t ever be able to mend fences with former BFF Anderson Cooper after she posted a gruesome image of Donald Trump’s decapitated head -- Anderson holds a grudge like no other and once you upset him it’s for life -- he isn’t rude and he’s not vindictive but he has zero interest in ever being friends with Kathy ever again

* Image-obsessed Tom Cruise has boosted security since audiotapes were leaked of his meltdown on the Mission: Impossible set -- all phones and non-official recording devices have been banned from the set and Tom has become increasingly annoyed at anything being leaked from his closed set and he’s very controlling when it comes to his image and he’s upped his security to make sure a breach in protocol like that never happens again

* Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn glams it up for a photo shoot in Bel-Air (picture)

Page 13: Sylvester Stallone is ready to relinquish his title as Tinseltown’s reigning action champ to enjoy the final rounds of his heavyweight career at his new Florida mansion surrounded by his family -- he isn’t hanging up his gloves in the movie business just yet but is content to coast to the final bell at the $35 million West Palm Beach estate with Jennifer Flavin his wife of 23 years -- Sly’s been working his butt off for decades and he’s finally got the perfect place where they can settle down and host their children whenever they want a proper family gathering

* Jennifer Garner hasn’t even moved into her $7.5 million home yet but she’s already installed a state-of-the-art security system to keep it safe -- the safety-conscious mom of three is building her Los Angeles dream home from scratch right around the corner from where she lived with ex-husband Ben Affleck and while the finishing touches aren’t complete she has made serious security arrangements like motion detectors and lights and safes and up to 20 surveillance cameras around the posh pad to keep intruders away from her and the children she shares with Ben: Violet, Seraphina and Samuel -- it’s costing her a fortune but she’ll spend whatever she needs to keep her family safe

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Accused rapist Danny Masterson could be dumped by the Church of Scientology to protect its leader David Miscavige -- the Church of Scientology is not loyal to anyone but itself and it has no interest in its parishioners even Danny Masterson and if their leader is going to be exposed they will take out Danny in a heartbeat; he’d be excommunicated -- Masterson faces criminal charges he raped three women and he’s also battling a civil suit filed by four women who accuse him of rape and Scientology of intimidating them into silence and not reporting the crimes to police -- attorneys for the fourth woman Marie Bobette Riales are trying to serve a subpoena on Miscavige in a bid to expose the ruthless tactics used by Scientology to hide the twisted secrets of its celebrity members -- the controversial church will do anything including dumping Danny to prevent Miscavige from being dragged into court but if Scientology turns on Danny he could spill all their secrets on the stand

Page 16: Hollywood kid Rumer Willis has rewarded herself for four years of sobriety with a plastic surgery tune-up -- in a photo she recently posted to Instagram her face appeared more streamlined and her new look is likely due to cosmetic enhancements

* Nagging allegations that Kanye West is gay and had affairs with two male beauty gurus could not have come at a worse time for the troubled rapper -- Kanye is furious at the salacious accusations just as his marriage to Kim Kardashian is hanging by a thread and although Kanye is far from homophobic but the last thing he needs right now is to try and fight off rumors about his sexuality just when he’s desperate to save his marriage and he thinks the accusers are just trying to capitalize on his current problems and trying to crush any hope he has of staying together with Kim -- TikTok influencer Ava Louise dropped the first bomb in early January when she claimed Kanye slept with male YouTuber Jeffree Star and that it played a role in the current fractured state of his marriage and less than 24 hours after Ava shared her shocking claims she received a cease-and-desist letter from Kim’s mom Kris Jenner’s communications company -- Jeffree Star took to YouTube to deny the affair -- another male beauty influencer Cole Carrigan then jumped on the bandwagon and claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Kanye at Hollywood’s W hotel and said he had receipts and texts between him and one of the rapper’s bodyguards adding he didn’t want to say too much because he didn’t want a lawsuit from Kim Kardashian West but two days later Cole posted a video of himself with a cease-and-desist letter from the bodyguard’s attorney

Page 17: Only a week after Larry King was hospitalized with a life-threatening COVID-19 diagnosis his estranged wife Shawn splurged on a three-hour shopping spree -- Shawn didn’t seem to have a care in the world when she was snapped browsing for beauty supplies and home furnishings in L.A. while at the same time her soon-to-be ex-husband remained hospitalized in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after being transferred from the intensive care unit

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Kim Cattrall’s feud with Sex and the City co-star Sarah Jessica Parker just won’t die -- Kim who played Samantha Jones recently liked a tweet from a fan praising her for not joining her former castmates in an upcoming SATC reboot -- Kim and Sarah reportedly clashed behind the scenes for years

* Amber Heard splashed out more than $1 million in donations toward fulfilling her pledge to give away her $7 million divorce settlement from Johnny Depp -- one of Amber’s attorneys challenged charges from Depp’s legal team who claimed Amber had pocketed the princely sum -- Amber has been delayed in that goal because Johnny filed a lawsuit against her and consequently she has been forced to spend millions of dollars defending his claims against her

Page 20: Daring Duchess Sarah Ferguson has written a racy romance novel and she’s taken inspiration from her very own love life -- the ex-wife of Britain’s Prince Andrew who was scandalously snapped having her tootsies sucked by a suitor in 1992 penned Her Heart for a Compass which is set to be released this summer -- Sarah said the page-turner was inspired by the life of her great-aunt Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott and the work incorporates research into the duchess’ heritage and draws upon her own unique life journey and experiences -- the historical saga is set in the late 1800s

* Hollywood Hookups -- Luke Evans and boyfriend Rafa Olarra split, Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly move into together, LeToya Luckett and husband Tommicus Walker split

Page 21: Prince Harry’s sporting a new crowning glory which is a ponytail -- that’s the dish from Rob Lowe who spotted Harry’s new ‘do while driving in their California neighborhood -- Rob said it looked that his hair had grown very long and was pulled back very tightly in a ponytail and he even followed the car to Harry and wife Meghan Markle’s mansion to make sure it was him -- Rob said Harry lives about a mile from him and he’s been very reclusive and seeing him is like seeing the Loch Ness Monster

* George Clooney’s face has blown up like a balloon -- he looked painfully gaunt for months after rapidly dropping 28 pounds to play an ailing scientist in his latest movie The Midnight Sky but once the sickly star has bounced back and judging from his mug he’s apparently been pigging out in a bid to regain the weight he lost

* Brendan Fraser is gearing up for a big career comeback as a 600-pound recluse in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale -- the choice of the role is ironic as the once-chiseled star seemed to fall out favor with Tinseltown bigwigs when his own weight ballooned -- Brendan is poised to make a whopper of a return to leading man status with meaty character Charlie who is a grief-stricken compulsive eater who seeks to reconnect with his estranged daughter

Page 22: Explosive evidence reveals Earth is in great danger from attacking space aliens but despite a 3000-document cache released by the CIA, the government is still finding ways to classify extraterrestrial information -- the CIA dossier was obtained by John Greenewald Jr. and published on his Black Vault website -- the documents were likely released because of a new law that is part of the recent $2.3 billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress requiring government agencies to spill the beans on the UFO data they’ve amassed over 70 years

* Agonizing health woes threaten to push long-suffering Lisa Marie Presley over the edge -- Lisa Marie has been in a lot of pain and years of drug and alcohol abuse have devastated her body -- she’s recently battled liver ailments and an abdominal muscle tear and suffered a hernia and had to have two teeth removed -- in addition to being in physical torment Lisa Marie had to move out of her Los Angeles home while workers addressed a problem with toxic mold -- Lisa Marie was already close to rock bottom after her son Ben Keough killed himself in July and amid her grief she’s still embroiled in a lawsuit with her former manager and locked in an ugly divorce and custody battle with fourth husband Michael Lockwood the father of her twins Harper and Finley

Page 23: As more shocking details emerged from Armie Hammer’s former girlfriends about what they claim are his sick and twisted fetishes for rape, bondage and cannibalism his career is crumbling before his eyes -- although many had trouble believing the depths of depravity allegedly revealed in private messages an anonymous woman claimed the actor sent her, even his estranged wife is shocked and sickened by Armie’s tawdry reported sexual tastes -- this is not the kind of scandal any actor would want to be linked to -- his pals are urging him to get counseling as the scandal could kill the trust-fund actor’s career

Page 25: Cover Story -- It’s just the beginning! Capitol riot conspiracy exposed -- Proud Boys led blood-soaked siege -- 5-page investigative special

Page 29: Outspoken Arnold Schwarzenegger likened the recent attack on the U.S. Capitol which left 5 dead to Nazi violence -- the former California governor and staunch Republican compared the January 6 riots by protestors, who refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, to German’s Kristallnacht in 1938 -- in a video address Austrian-born Schwarzenegger who’s held U.S. citizenship since 1983 said Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States

Page 32: Health

Page 38: Tormented actor Gabriel Byrne confessed he finally confronted the priest who abused him when he was 11 years old and it didn’t go well -- Byrne phoned the pedophilic priest in 2002 but the sicko said he has no recollection and even thanked Gabriel for reaching out -- Gabriel wanted in those last seconds to say that even though he doesn’t believe in Hell he hopes the priest did because he wanted him to be terrified and burn forever but he said nothing because some part of him did not want to hurt an old man with a kindly voice stuck in a retirement home

* Miley Cyrus decorates her home with X-rated doodads -- she said in an interview that she likes sex toys and she buys them for herself but ends up using them for interior design

Page 40: Sleazy sex creep Jeffrey Epstein was nearly snared in a To Catch a Predator-style sting almost five years before the pedophile’s suspicious death in a Manhattan prison dished journalist Chris Hansen -- the former NBC host recently claimed in 2014 or 2015 after Epstein’s first jail stint for soliciting a minor he met with lawyers for some of the sex offenders alleged victims who claimed the financier was abusing underage girls -- they had a big file on it according to Hansen and he was trying to fashion a Predator-like sting operation in which they could catch him but he gave up on his quest because security at Epstein’s NYC and Florida homes made it very difficult to come up with something -- Hansen admitted not nailing Epstein was his biggest career regret

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Taylor Swift at the Grammys

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Mayim Bialik on the premiere episode of her sitcom Call Me Kat

Page 47: The Odd List

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munchkinxcop-blog · 6 years

Text

Erin

She was forever wanting to stay in that bed. She was nearly impossible to get up in the mornings and the man was no different, making it even more difficult day in and day out to get their day started, but this morning would be different. She was up and out of the bed before the alarm had gone off, having waited all night for this morning and it was about to kill her. She made her way through the bedroom quietly, getting dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before she’d go out of the room to find coffee for the both of them. Returning twenty minutes later, she had two cups of coffee in her hands and a piece of paper tucked under her chin. Placing his coffee on the bedside table, she’d shift her own in her hands to place the piece of paper upside down under his coffee cup for him before returning to her side of the bed where she’d climb back in to take a sip of her coffee before it would find her side table as well. Leaning over him, her lips found the shell of his ear where she’d whisper softly. “Good morning.”

C.J.

Feeling the woman to his ear when he was in the throws of lightening sleep, he didn’t want any parts of it. He wanted to lay there and become one with the bed. Never feeling like he had enough time in it but never crawling in it particularly early either making him a complete contradiction at best yet once he was in, it was hard to get out. Groaning softly as he saw nothing good about that morning as he reached down for the blanket at his chest as he began to pull it up to show he was closed for business as it was pulled above his chin.

Erin

As the blanket began to move, she knew that maneuver all too well as he was usually tucking her in under those same covers with him, demanding that they find a way out of work and to stay there for the rest of the day. Sometimes it worked. But most of the time, someone had to be an adult and drag them from the bed. “C.J.,” she whispered, her hand reaching for those covers to stop him from burying himself under them. “Would you get up if I were naked?” she asked, knowing she had been when they went to sleep and that now she wasn’t, though he didn’t know that yet, but her words would prove she’d already left the room at least once.

C.J.

“Not my name.” he decided groggily, just as J.J. did when told he needed to get out of bed too and it wasn’t entirely wrong considering it wasn’t /really/ his name. Feeling her at his blanket as he’d whine. Not taking that question too deep as she wasn’t naked. He’d know if she was. “You’re not naked.” he’d remind her simply as he remained pulling at his blanket.

Erin

“I didn’t say I was, I said what /if/ I was… and C.J. is your name…” she argued, shaking her head as this was going to prove more difficult than she’d imagined, though she should have known better. “Okay, okay, what if I told you that I brought you coffee and I will get naked?” she asked, attempting anything she could at this point as every minute that passed was another minute that they’d wind up being late seeing as she’d wanted to spend a few minutes alone with him that morning before the boys got up and the day started.

C.J.

Technically speaking, it was not his name as he kept his eyes closed. Head tilted to the side as he heard her speak. Exhaling a deep, huffed breath as she wouldn’t need to get naked for him to get up as that would only end one way here as he’d keep his eyes closed for another minute. Slowly opening up where he’d know any time laying down would put him right back to sleep again.

Erin

With that breath, she knew she was getting somewhere, yet she wouldn’t realize he wasn’t exactly taking her up on her offer. Bringing her hands to the lower hem of her shirt, she’d slip it up and off as he started to open his eyes. Though it wasn’t entirely naked, it was naked from the waist up and half of her promise there met. “Good morning,” she whispered again, her rasp always strongest in the mornings as she sat beside him, turned towards him, thinking he might not mind waking up to his wife already awake and not having to be drug from the bed kicking and screaming, sure to already be saving them a few minutes to begin with.

C.J.

Though not getting up for that, he wouldn’t be too upset by the visual as she shed her shirt. The quickest way to lure a dimpled smile from him. Authentic through and through as he heard her whisper. “Morning.” he’d state in return, leaning in where he stole a kiss to her cheek before his hands found the bed to pull himself into a seated position beside her now in attempt to stay up.

Erin

Feeling that kiss to her cheek, her own dimpled smile would make itself known though her own held nothing on his and they both knew it. As he sat up, she’d give him the room to do so, though she really just wanted to climb on top of him. “How’d you sleep?” she asked, entirely too awake that morning as was completely uncharacteristic for the woman as her eyes drifted to the nightstand on his side of the bed. “Your coffee is there,” she offered, gesturing to where it sat overtop of a piece of printer paper.

C.J.

“Good.” he answered honestly as his arms lifted, stretching out as he heard her mention his coffee where he’d take his time getting there. Not quite sure why the reason for the change of pace. Figuring maybe she couldn’t sleep or just got up early. Not thinking much of it as he nodded at her mention of the coffee before giving up a loud yawn and reaching for that same coffee.

Erin

As he yawned, she was reaching for her shirt, turning it right side out where she could easily slip it on again. “So the boys are out from school early today and I thought we could surprise them and pick them up on lunch and take them out to eat. You think you can swing it?” she asked, getting right to the days list as her brain was already firing on all gears that morning, marking it to be completely unlike her, and yet it felt amazing for her all at the same time. Almost making her think that if she’d get up a little earlier every morning, she’d have more time before she was thrust into the day the way she normally was.

C.J.

"Yeah." He'd state with ease as nothing seemed too daunting about that allowing they had a good day collectively. Hearing her already several paces ahead of him due to the coffee in her veins as he reached for his own. Drowsily rubbing his eyes as he looked down towards the paper under his coffee cup. "What is this?" He'd ask curiously as he eyed the woman.

Erin

As he reached for his coffee, her smile would grow just a little more than it had already been. “It’s a little something I did on the computer last night,” she confessed, without being too descriptive. It wasn’t uncommon for her to come up with something that pieced something together a case the unit was working, but this time it wasn’t work related at all. “Oh wait, you’ll need a pen,” she offered, suddenly realizing her attempt there hadn’t been as smooth as she meant it to be, also proving it had some type of work attached to it. Slipping over to her side of the bed, she opened her nightstand drawer to find one of her own pens there, of which she’d present to him a moment later. “And you’ll have to put your coffee back down before you do this,” she stated as she finally worked out her own shirt and was drawing it back over her head and into place again.

C.J.

"Okay..." taking his coffee as he waited for the pen, watching her find as he took a strong mouthful. Not sure what she was working up here as he drew the paper onto his lap and out the coffee down. Willing to play along nervous as he was.

Erin

Once his coffee was placed down and he was drawing the paper into his lap, he had control of the pen and now all she had to do was sit back and watch. Reaching over for her own coffee, she’d take a sip before placing it back down, never keeping it there on the bed with her for more than a moment as the fear of spilling it was just too high and her hands were a little too unsteady that morning. “Alright, turn it over,” she offered, giving him the go ahead to see what it was she had done for him and just why that pen would be so important.

C.J.

Having to laugh as he looked at what she had worked up. Eyes finding hers as she was truly something else and he enjoyed these little things more than he ever had the right to. Proof that things between them would never get stagnant. "You...I love you." He stated with ease; reaching for the pen as he reached down to steal a kiss. Not even sure he'd have the ability to start it without the need to kiss her.

Erin

As he reached over to press his kiss to her lips, her smile wouldn’t fade. Getting such a reaction from him before he’d even done the puzzle, her hand found the side of his face. “I love you too,” she promised as it was the easiest truth in the world to let pass her lips. “Hope it isn’t too hard,” she offered, teasing the man as she leaned back against the headboard of the bed, her head coming there to his shoulder where she’d make frequent glances between the paper and his eyes, biting gently against her lower tier.

C.J.

"I think I'll be alright." Finding a magazine to lean the paper on as he scratched his chin as if this was at all difficult. 2,3 and 5 all coming easily. "1 across...partners?" Trying it to see if it fit which it would, he'd find number four.

Erin

Turning her head, she pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, settling back in to rest her head against his shoulder as he made his way through, a nod of her head as he asked if his answer was right as it was honestly the one that she wasn’t so sure was easily figured out. “Mhm,” she offered, her hand slipping over against his thigh as she watched.

C.J.

Feeling her against his thigh as he found the second to last one, reading the wording where his eyes would scan. Finding there to be no available clues and only gave up a letter to the last one. Free arm sweeping around her shoulders as his hand would slip under her shirt to rub her back. "Detective?" He'd ask, filling it in and seeing it fit as he'd glance down towards her for help with the last one.

Erin

Hearing his question, she’d nod her head, her eyes scanning down to the list of clues at the lower part of the page, reading each one over with a building anticipation of her own as he found himself on the last one. As he glanced down towards her for help on the last one, all he’d find was a smile as she was going to be absolutely no good for him here, wanting him to do it himself. Biting at her lower tier, she leaned up, stealing his lips for a moment before he’d be allowed to return to the paper once again, no help offered aside from the encouragement of her kiss.

C.J.

Watching her smile suggesting he wasn't getting any help, brows furrowing as he might have gotten it. Looking back towards it where he traced the letters. Seeing it. Inhaling evenly as he drew out that first letter as a "D." Seeing if he was right and he looked back at her to see if he was on the right track after her kiss. "Am I..." too buzzing with anticipation to even finish it.

Erin

As his pen met the paper, she bit harder and harder against her lower tier as she kept her head rested against his shoulder, glancing from him to the paper and back to him again, watching the profile of his face throughout as he placed the first letter before looking down to her to check his progress there. Her eyes would say it all as she gave up a gentle nod of her head, confirming that the first letter was ‘d’. “Am you what?” she asked, barely able to get the question out as her own excitement was evident there in the smile to her lips and the light in her eyes.

C.J.

Seeing her excitement which reflected his suspicions, his teeth at his bottom lip as he'd give up the next letter. "U?" He asked, waiting for confirmation. After that, it was easy but the woman seemed to be telling him without telling him anything.

Erin

Hearing him with the next letter, she’d pause, meeting his eyes for a long moment before giving up a nod of her head. She knew he had it by now and was just making sure, but she was playing along at every step here. She was barely holding herself together there, which explained why she couldn’t sleep the night before, wanting to surprise him, but finding herself anxious through the night to do so.

C.J.

As she gave up the next letter in confirmation. Not needing anything further as he'd lower the magazine and crossword puzzle and the pen. Hand finding the side of her face as his eyes took to hers. Taking in the sights of her in that moment before his smile finally took. Leaning in and pressing his lips firmly and deeply to hers with this all exchanged as he still didn't believe it. Wouldn't believe it. It couldn't be real until he had the details but for now, the emotions were far too high and moving to do anything but kiss the woman.

Erin

As he dropped the items there on his lap, she felt his hand there to the side of hers, feeling his lips find her own a moment later to kiss away a smile that she wasn’t sure could possibly fade. Shifting slightly out from his shoulder where she had remained throughout, she brought one hand to the side of his neck, pressing her lips just as deeply to his as he did to hers. Holding this secret for even eight hours had been nearly enough to kill the woman, but this? This made it all worth it to see his reaction as it was.

C.J.

Not sure how long she had known, he wouldn't bother with the details. Keeping his lips firmly to hers as his hand remained to the side of her neck and face. Holding her to him as she did the same for him. Inhaling evenly as he had never lost faith in this event or her. Yet, it still seemed surreal as the two had privately been coming to realizations that he attempted to quell in her every step of the way. Finally drawing back after a slow moment where his forehead would find hers. Lips to her nose before he found the side of her neck to breathe her in.

Erin

As he drew back from her lips, she could have kissed him for the rest of the morning, somehow knowing they’d need that extra time that morning before work to get ready as this was too big to be rushed or said in passing. After all that they had been through and all of the disappointments dating back well over a year now, they deserved to enjoy this entirely. As she felt his forehead find hers, his lips to her nose before he was finding the side of her neck, she drew her arms around him to hold onto the man, her own face finding the curve of his neck. “I love you,” she promised easily in a raspy whisper as the core of all of this was summed up in those three words, as it was only through that love that they were there in that moment. From the days where she couldn’t stand him, to the flirting, to secretly dating, through every step the two had been through, she wasn’t sure this day was ever going to come, but now that it had, and now that they were there in the middle of it, it was worth every disappointment and bump in the road along the way.

C.J.

“And I love you.” he answered as he remained to her neck, literally pulling her into his senses with the need to feel her, smell her and see her. Arms slipping around her as he was pulling her in closer if at all possible though skin always felt too far away. Still holding into her though he had questions. God knows he had plenty but for now, this would simply be enough.

Erin

As he drew into her, she did the same, finding the blanket and the items at his lap to be in her way entirely, but she couldn’t be bothered with it. Moving one hand to his lap, she’d aim to save that piece of paper, thinking he might like to keep it, gripping it gently in her hand as she drew one leg over him, finding a way to maneuver her way onto his lap to straddle against him where they could find a closer place as she felt they both wanted. “I love you more,” she offered, knowing it to be a point of contention throughout the entirety of the relationship and yet she’d inject it here and now as well as her face remained there in the side of his neck, reaching her hand over to return that piece of paper to the nightstand where it had begun.

C.J.

Feeling her at his lap as she pulled over him. Hands finding her sides and hips even as she moved to save the piece of evidence like the true detective she was. Hearing her offering where he’d shake his head. “Impossible.” he’d conclude simply as his lips pressed to her shoulder before drawing his head back. “It is impossible for any living person to love another living person the way I love you."

Erin

As his lips found her shoulder before she’d find his eyes again, his words had brought a smile to her face, as if it wasn’t a permanent fixture already that morning. Hearing him continue as her eyes met his, she brought one hand to the side of his face as his hands settled against her sides. Leaning in, she’d steal his lips again, unable to not kiss the man after the words he offered her, knowing it was true and she’d spend her entire life trying to show this man just how deeply she loved him, all while knowing that he would have always loved her longer, though she’d argue that her own love for him was as deep as humanly possible.

C.J.

Always holding that advantage which came with it that maybe since he loved her longer, he loved her more. Regardless, he’d use it as a selling point at every available opportunity and she knew that well by this point. Feeling her find his lips which he would offer up happily and willingly to the woman who was never too far off from being kissed herself. Humming low as his hands passed up her back.

Erin

In the midst of the kiss, her smile took over once again, severing the exchange of her lips to his no matter how much she wanted to continue kissing him in that moment. Drawing back, she met his eyes as his hands passed up her back, one of her hands there at the side of his face while the other arm was draped behind his neck. “We’re having a baby,” she whispered, her forehead finding his. Even though she’d had a little more time to wrap her mind around that positive test that would change everything there, those words had yet to be spoken out loud from the woman until this very moment, her smile wide and emotions on high as she met the eyes of the man she loved.

C.J.

Hearing her speak those words for the first time and breathe it into existence, he’d draw in as his brows drew briefly. “You took a pregnancy test without me?” he’d tease, as usually he was right there on the other side of the door considering that was as close as she’d allow him though in reality he’d be in the bathroom with her if he could. Clearly not too upset with her but just wondering what had sparked her to leave their routine or whether it was her routine to break routine.

Erin

Biting against her lower tier, it was there that there would be confessions of all that she’d been doing for the last few months. “I didn’t always do it,” she confessed as she drew a breath, realizing he wasn’t too upset with her, but he deserved to know the truth. “But I felt like you had to hold me together after each one. I didn’t want to be a burden like that, because I felt like it might be weighing on you the way it did on me. And so I started taking a few here and there in between, just when I was too curious to wait until Friday. Always hoping, but forever wondering, knowing that it could change at any time. When I took one after dinner last night while you were kissing the boys goodnight, I didn’t really think it would be anything different from all of the other times and then I’d just get in the shower and get rid of the evidence of the tears,” she continued on as not one single negative test had been met without tears, drawing another deep breath as her eyes met his again. “But it was positive. So I took the other one in the box and it was positive too. But then I thought it could be a faulty box, so I got out the last box in the cabinet and took those two as well and, well, they were all positive.”

C.J.

“My job is to hold you together.” he reminded her, not quite agreeing with her rational even if it was very much like herself to think such a thing. To put him above her and her own concerns and worries though C.J. loved being there for her in this. Despite the tears, the bad parts about it; it brought them closer. It made him love her more if at all possible that the two could be there for one another through these vulnerabilities. Hearing her conclusion about the pregnancy tests, he’d smile softly. “You did good."

Erin

As he heard her out and assured her that he’d been doing his part there, she nodded her head. She knew he wanted to be there for the good, the bad, and the ugly, but after enough ugly, she just wanted a bit of that on herself where he wouldn’t have to see it, where he could hold his wife simply because she wanted to be held on a Tuesday night and not because she’d peed on another stick that delivered news they didn’t want to hear. As he smiled softly, telling her she’d done well, her smile was there at her own features as she nodded her head softly in return. “We did good,” she promised as she’d take none of this on herself and all of it on them as it was theirs. Theirs. A living, breathing someone that was theirs.

C.J.

Hearing her assure him that it was a two way effort, he’d shrug softly. “Nothing different than what I do normally anyway.” he’d remind her, hands slipping under her shirt to again access her skin. Something that didn’t have the meaning as it would with many people as he literally just wanted that contact in whatever capacity he could find bare skin to bare skin. “You’re the one that doesn’t have to prop up on the body pillow anymore after.” he’d tease as he knew there was still a doctors appointment in their near future but this was definitely good and wanted news.

Erin

As his hands slipped beneath her shirt, she felt the contact of his skin to her own, something that had been missing since she’d woken up and left that bed that morning. Feeling the warmth of him there against her as she straddled over his assured bare body with a layer of covers there between them, she couldn’t help but let that laugh come through as she hadn’t thought of the positions she wouldn’t have to take after sex. The night before, she’d fallen asleep immediately after, exhausted from the day and that which the two spent their nights within, not even realizing that she normally would have been on that body pillow or with her legs straight up against the headboard. It was out of true exhaustion that she’d forgotten entirely, yet now she’d never have to do so again. “Damn your bad luck, having to get stuck holding me after again,” she teased as she’d missed that so much over the last year.

C.J.

“Shucks.” he’d tease, as he’d miss her in that time and would be glad to have it back until a different sort of use for the body pillow would be introduced as he leaned up. Stealing her lips back for another gentle kiss as his lips would pass over hers upon conclusion. “I think this is the true meaning of a ‘good’ morning, huh?”

Erin

Meeting his lips again as neither of them seemed to be able to keep away from one another’s lips, both needing to feel one another as they enjoyed the quiet celebration between them for a life created, though the idea of a person being inside of her was still yet to settle on her entirely. “Oh, definitely,” she agreed as this was the best morning, maybe ever, getting the opportunity to surprise him with something she knew they had both been wanting. “Just be glad I didn’t wait until our anniversary to tell you,” she teased as it had definitely crossed her mind to wait another month and a half, though she knew she couldn’t keep it a secret that long.

C.J.

“Yeah, because that would have happened.” snorting at the possibility as he would have known something was up when he didn’t get their weekly pregnancy test results. Right then and there she would have been set off as he was something difficult to trick. Sometimes. “When you gonna’ call the doctor?"

Erin

Smirking, she knew it couldn’t have worked. Even if she hadn’t thought of the tests that would have given her away, she just couldn’t bring herself to hold that information back from him as she felt he had been through just as many trials here, if not more, than she had. “I was thinking after we get the boys off to school. On our way to work. See how soon they can get us in,” she offered, her hand smoothing over the side of his face as she admired the man there before her. “Gonna go with me?” she asked, already knowing the answer to that as a smile swept her features yet again.

C.J.

Nodding as that sounded like a good idea to him, hearing her question. His eyes would lock with hers. “Because I’d miss that?” he’d ask, a shake of his head as she knew better. “Sorry, but you’re stuck with me.” he’d return apologetically. Not one to pull himself from the hook so easily as he felt her hand to his face. “Good timing too since if I grew anymore I might have had to reconsider having a kid of my own and waiting until J knocked someone up.” he’d add, stealing another kiss from her.

Erin

Feeling another kiss to her lips, she hated the thought of J getting someone pregnant. It didn’t work for her. It couldn’t work. C.J. seemed to tease about this regularly and Erin would never understand it. In truth, if J did do that, then his kid and his brother or sister could even be close in age, a thought that would have her drawing back from that kiss. “Need to stop talking about J.J. having kids,” she reminded him as the thought didn’t settle well with her at all, as she’d made no secret of it. “I’m not okay with it at all. I think we should just tell him that if he has sex before he’s eighteen, then he is gonna get cancer or some shit.”

C.J.

Hearing her having a harder time with his son having children then he did, he’d have to smirk lightly. “He’s his father’s son.” he reminded her, as J was a lot like C.J. in many ways and this probably would be no exclusion. Especially with the approaching years as the kid was developing quick. Laughing softly at her, he’d shake his head. “Good luck with that one.”

Erin

His statement would earn him a cut of her eyes as she drew back, shaking her head no. “I can’t, C.J. I can’t. Just, no,” she argued, unable to wrap her mind around it and much preferring to think about their own baby instead. “Drink your coffee and leave me be with that mess,” she teased, though in all truth she’d never want to be left be and he well knew it by now since she was making no effort to get off of his lap there as she remained straddled against him.

C.J.

“Mhm.” he’d return, feeling her still to his lap showing she wasn’t being entirely truthful as he reached out for his coffee. Thinking it tasted a whole lot better now as he took in a warm mouthful and idly glanced over towards the clock to see that they wouldn’t need to be running around like usual. Maybe this waking up a bit earlier thing wouldn’t be a horrible idea considering but knowing he was a pain in the ass to wake up and she was even more of one.

Erin

As he took to his coffee, she couldn’t reach her own on the other bedside table, but it wasn’t honestly doing much for her since she’d made the switch to decaf a few weeks back in preparation for a time that the pregnancy test would be positive. “I soooo miss real coffee,” she confessed, leaning in towards his cup. “Just let me smell yours,” she requested, swearing the two smelled completely different, though no one believed her in the matter.

C.J.

Lifting the cup to just under her nose to let her smell some. “You can have some, baby. Just can’t have anything else with caffeine.” he stated simply, offering her some of his own as he knew what the doctors said and he knew what he knew and somewhere they’d have to reconcile in between.

Erin

Hearing him say she could have some, her eyes shot to his with more hope in them than should have been there over a simple cup of coffee. “Are you sure though? I thought no coffee, no cigarettes, and no alcohol?” she asked, missing both desperately as she’d been on that straight and narrow for some time now, nearly detoxing her body for that baby she now carried within. “What if it hurts the baby? I don’t want to do anything that could fuck up anything here,” she offered, knowing he’d feel the same.

C.J.

“No cigarettes, no alcohol…no more than 10 ounces of coffee or caffeine a day.” he returned, still enough to get her a morning cup and started off well and without complaint. A shake of his head as she wasn’t doing anything harmful. “You’re not doing meth, Erin…it’s just a little bit of coffee.” he reasoned. “I can look it up in that pregnancy book if you want.”

Erin

Before he could finish offering to look it up, both of her hands were there to his cup, bringing it into her own control and there to her own lips. Tilting it back unapologetically as she let the warmth fill her mouth. Her eyes closed as though she were in worship, she lowered the cup and swallowed that which she’d taken within. A satisfied hum passed her lips as a slow smile took her features, tasting the difference immediately, more than willing to go on just his word in that moment. “That’s amazing,” she whispered, taking a slow breath as she opened her eyes to meet his.

C.J.

Seeing her take to it without needing anymore proof, smirking softly as the experience seems somewhat orgasmic for it. Having to laugh softly as she returned to life. “Now I know what face you make when it’s happening so I can tell when you are lying…” going with his own thought process, his brows would lift as it was his own joke that only he was in on and she’d probably be confused but that was alright as he let her hold onto that cup.

Erin

“When I’m lying?” she asked, meeting his eyes as she held on to the cup. “I never lie about good coffee,” she assured, looking from him to the cup and back to him again before she’d bring that cup to her lips once more, the reactions falling exactly in line as they did the last time as it had been weeks since she tasted real coffee as opposed to that fake shit sitting on her nightstand getting cold. Lowering the cup again, she let off a breath of relief before she was guiding his cup back into his hands, knowing she’d be dumping hers and filling it with something stronger very soon, at least for that first cup of the day.

C.J.

“Exactly.” proving his point as he’d let her be confused though finding himself quite funny in his own respects as he took the cup. Bringing his own to his lips as he’d let it drop yet forming his own theories. Placing the coffee back on the sidetable where it was attainable by either of them for the moment as he leaned back against the headboard. Whistling in amazement.

Erin

As he leaned back, whistling to himself, she tilted her head to the side as she eyed him. A pout there at her lips as she knew he was keeping something to himself there, knowing already that he was drawing great amusement from it at her own expense, yet she couldn’t be sure what it was. “What do you think I lie about?” she asked, her hands finding his bare stomach as that comforter had fallen down a bit, giving her a much better view now. Letting her hands ghost up his stomach to his chest, making a slow progression there that could easily get them into a time restraint that morning, she leaned down to press her lips to the center of his chest.

C.J.

Feeling her at his stomach like she was going to pull up the blanket for modesty’s sake but doing quite the opposite as he felt her find his chest. Inhaling evenly underneath of her hands as she found his chest. Hand finding the back of her head where his fingertips were gently rubbing against her scalp. “Just looked like you were having an orgasm…” he remarked, letting her peace together the rest.

Erin

A smirk took her features as she pressed her lips to his chest, working her way to a place that was so commonly marked by her where her hands would slip beneath the blanket as she lifted her hips from him to allow her hands to draw down within. Locating him where she would wrap her hand around his length as she lifted her eyes to find his once again. “You think I lie about orgasms?” she asked, a smirk to her features as though she were up to something, yet he already knew all she was up to in that moment.

C.J.

Feeling her hands draw down where she was seeking him out to her own accord. Feeling her hand find him and seek out a quick reaction that she’d no doubt get. Meeting her smirk as he knew what that smirk meant all too well. “Well, not if you are going to do that.” he defended, knowing this woman of his a little too well and the things she was capable of as she’d be seeking vengeance.

Erin

Letting her hand smooth up and down his length, she sustained herself against her knees, risen up to allow herself that full range to feel him harden within the palm of her hand. “Not if I’m going to do what?” she asked, a smirk to her lips remaining as she was nothing but trouble and they both knew it, feigning innocence at every turn. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to the side of his neck as her hand remained between her own thighs to access him beneath that blanket. “Please don’t ever sleep with clothes on,” she whispered, liking that easy access the morning brought, though now she’d be up against a time clock that would not play well in her favor.

C.J.

“/That/“ knowing she knew what /that/ was as it was what she was doing with her hand as he felt her to his neck, humming low at her whisper as he could make no such guarantees as he couldn’t. His own hands slipping back to the bottom of her shirt where he was pushing up the fabric in a touch a little more heated considering what she was starting. Feeling himself steadily take form within her hand as his lips found her still clothed shoulder.

Erin

As his lips found her shoulder and his hands were pushing up at her shirt, she knew she was going to have to let go of him, at least for a moment to allow that shirt clean off of her, and yet she could barely imagine stopping what she’d started there. A whine passed her lips as she resisted the urge, her hand continuing against him as her kiss found the purchase of flesh just below his ear before her teeth gently nipped at the lower curve there, feeling her need to feel him already mounting, yet two pieces of fabric stood in their way; that comforter and her own shorts.

C.J.

Feeling her not giving up that shirt, it was fine. He’d play along. Hand slipping back down her thigh as he’d grip her firmly. Drawing that leg closer against him and locking his hand there as he felt her underneath of his ear. Warming him through and through. His own lips desperate for some of her skin yet all he could access was there above the collar of the shirt. An opportunity he couldn’t quite take to as his free hand would travel to grip her ass.

Erin

Beneath that thin layer of shorts under his hand, she was still as bare as he had left her the night before, never bothering in the morning with undergarments, as clothes over top were enough to get her out of the room for coffee and back in that bed without separating herself from him with too much hassle for them to deal with later should things take this route. Feeling gripping her as her need to feel the pressure of him became too strong for her to resist. Drawing her hand out from within the confines of that blanket, yet not before attempting to push it back a bit, she lowered her hips against him, a slight grind to her hips against his as she pressed a kiss to the curve of his neck.

C.J.

Feeling her draw her hand from him and pushing back the blanket to access him. Feeling her grind against the problem she had started for him as his hands were returning to that shirt. Not taking no for an answer this time as he pushed it up for her and waited for her inevitably to cooperate before those shorts were going next one way or another.

Erin

Her cooperation was instantaneous as she lifted her arms and allowed him to pass the fabric up and over her head to discard it where he would find her bare to him once more. Leaning in immediately, she pressed her lips to his as her hand took to the back of his neck, a firm kiss from her lips to his as her hips grinded against his, needing to feel him in that moment more so than anything, to truly celebrate their news together, even if they might not be able to take their time there as much as they might like to.

C.J.

Arms slipping back around her as she found his neck, lips finding hers as he felt the grind of her hips. Inhaling impatiently as they both now knew what it would take. It would hardly be what their nights most often looked like but entirely fitting for the morning and nothing new. Needing rid of those shorts now as his fingers gripped the hem and pushed at them in attempt to work them off.

Erin

As her hips shifted against his, she’d feel his hands there to the sides of her shorts, knowing what he wanted there, knowing she wanted it as well. Her heart raced as he found the curve of her neck, her own trailing off to the place against his shoulder that was so often marked by her. Unable to bring herself to lift her hips free of him, she remained straddled over him, that grind ever present as she depended solely on him to find a way to get rid of those shorts as it was clear that so long as she was left in control there, she couldn’t will herself to help him.

C.J.

As he saw her not making any forward motion, he understood then that it would all be on him. Taking up her waist, he was turning them around with ease. Getting her back against the bed as he took a position of control if only for the moment as he reached down to guide down her shorts with both hands. What happened from there was on her but for now, he needed those shorts off.

Erin

As he shifted them both so easily, her back finding the headboard where he had just been sitting, a full smirk took her lips as his hands were there to her shorts. Bringing one hand to the side of his face, her eyes sought out his as she lifted her ass to help him with her shorts now that he’d taken away the pressure she’d been so enjoying. “Gonna be making that up to me?” she asked, eyes speaking volumes in the moment as she let her fingertips ghost down the side of his face until they’d disappear from his flesh entirely to find the curve of his shoulder where she knew soon a fresh mark would lay, remembering all too well that first time when she’d asked for that permission while sitting against her own apartment’s kitchen counter top in what seemed like a million years before.

C.J.

“Nope.” he’d remark honestly as he didn’t owe her anything as he dragged off her shorts. Tossing them off the bed before his arm was sweeping up from under her under the bed to pull her back against him. Placing her just back to him where she had been as if nothing had changed with a satisfied smile. “Better.” he’d remark, feeling her seeking out the fresh mark she had left upon him that could never match the one she had left upon his heart.

Erin

“Yep,” she instantly argued, but before she could attempt a single thing, he was picking her up and switching places with her once more, bringing her right back where she had begun, yet entirely bare to him now. The smirk that took her features was that of an impressed woman as she looked to the man who still had every bit of his charm that he had the day she’d crossed that line with him. “Mmm, look at you. Tell a man he’s gonna be a daddy again and he’s suddenly picking you up and putting you wherever he wants you,” she teased, loving every minute of it, far more than she had that first time when she was literally panicked at the fact that he’d picked her up at all. Remembering that fear and yet now she knew there was no one in this world that she could trust more than she trusted him. Feeling the heat of him there to her without any fabric in the way now, she shifted against him as she sat straddled over him. Her eyes set to his as she drew her lower tier within her own bite, knowing what would feel even better than this, but wanting him to want it first.

C.J.

C.J. was a well of charisma and charm that would never run out. It wasn’t just to get the girl. It was embedded in him and something innately natural as clear though how she would be impressed by this, he’d never know. Was merely him being him as he smirked softly. His kids were now at the point where he was no longer getting that “Daddy” name. Just Dad now. But god, he looked forward to getting that again in the form of a tiny voice running towards him like he was the best thing in their world while he assuredly knew that child was the best in his. Feeling her shift to him as he met her eyes, his hand reaching to find the side of her face as his lips found hers.

Erin

Feeling his hand there to the side of her face, she’d lean in to meet his kiss without a moment of hesitation as her hips shifted against him. Letting him get that feel of her while she got the same of him, flesh to flesh contact, so close to what they both wanted there. Letting her lips pass against his, her hand lifting to grip at his wrist, encouraging the touch of his hand there to the side of her face. Leaning into that touch as her free hand found the side of his neck, tiny fingertips pressing firmly against his flesh, unable to hold herself back as she felt her heart racing within her chest, driving the rock of her hips against him. A whine passed her lips as she spoke without retracting from his kiss entirely. “I want you,” she offered, words that would forever make things happen there, knowing all she had to do was concede and it was hers. Her lips fused back to his as though the spoken words had never happened, yet the hunger in her kiss would back up their meaning pound for pound.

C.J.

“Have me.” he encouraged her as he was right there before her in every capacity. He was all hers and she knew it as never was there a place more custom and made for her than he was. Forever giving to her bends and pulling for her indents. Arm wrapped around her as his other remained to her face. A heavier touch at her encouragement that he knew she could feel all too well. Lips back to hers as he tasted the hunger in her kiss as she literally teased herself.

Erin

The words that passed his lips there within the kiss, much as her own had, brought an instant sigh from the woman as she lifted her hips from his. Releasing the hold on his wrist, her hand slipped down between her own thighs, wrapping her hand around him where she’d stroke his length several times before bringing the head of his cock against her. Parting herself as she guided him against her, her kiss falling lazy for the moment against his lips, yet she’d make no attempt to part from the kiss entirely. Having the freedom to truly express herself in this manner with him, knowing nothing was off limits with the man, she’d take that moment, stolen from him entirely, a temporary selfishness before she’d finally bring him to her entrance. Lowering her hips slightly against him, enough that she’d take only the first inch or so the man had to offer, her lips were back at his as her hand held him stable beneath her, tempted to take all of him in one swift maneuver, impaling herself with him as she had done so many times before. Pressing her lips firmly to his, returning to that kiss with a renewed passion, she’d give him a moment to just feel her walls around the head of his cock before she fell to temptation, forcing her own hips down all at once as it would be the tone here on their limited time. The cry that would leave her lips would echo directly into the man’s mouth as her hand tensed at the side of his neck while her free hand gripped at her own inner thigh.

C.J.

Feeling her getting right to it as both were ready, knowing that with another moment’s notice he would have been working to assure that she was. He trusted her by this point and what she was after as the woman was entirely in control by this point. Feeling her find him once more as he was brought to her heat. Tasting of her as she seemed to set the pace as his lips found hers. Inhaling deep at just that feeling alone as the tightness of her walls had always impressed him as she pressed around him. Always attempting to not seem so pleasured by her discomfort yet it would be difficult. Even more so at the sudden action, not having expected it at the least as his hand remained to the side of her face. The other at her side as her own cry was matched with the sound of his low groan from the warmth of her engulfing him. A little too good as his own hand at her side slipped down to remedy the action. His thumb pressing over her clit where rotations would find her.

Erin

On the rare occasion that she did take him in that manner, all at once with no delay, he was forever on the ready to ease her discomfort that was assured in those moments. Her lips parted to his, her head leaning back slightly, falling out of that kiss without a moment of closure as she felt the rotations he’d bring to her. Her cry had faded off into a low whine as she would not give herself a single moments peace there before she was returning to that grinding motion of her hips against him that would have him experiencing the full tightness her walls had to offer as she felt every ounce of the tension his intrusion would provide. Her nails gripped to her own inner thigh as her eyes fell closed, focusing on the shift of her hips against him, her chest rising and falling heavy before him as her hand drew at the back of his neck, literally guiding him to the canvas of her flesh, silently pleading with him to taste of her as she held no pause in taking him entirely, forever against a clock for those early morning encounters, yet there was never any shortage of pure passion from the woman when he was buried deep within her.

C.J.

Watching her reaction as she grinded her hips against his. Now having to trust her with her when he didn't trust her with anyone but him. Feeling her at his neck as he'd stop at nothing to continue turning her on and making this better for her as his lips found the base of her throat. Trailing down over her bare breasts as his free hand would travel up her own thigh. Taking that hand of hers as he redirected her nails to him.

Erin

The moment she felt his lips to her skin, a wave of warmth rushed over her just as she’d known that it would. Feeling him explore her, she would not guide him here as her body was literally there for his pleasure as her hips continued against his. Feeling his free hand leave her side to find her hand, bringing her hand to his flesh, she knew he knew what he was doing, and even if he didn’t, she couldn’t think straight to work that one out. Bringing her hand against his shoulder, her nails instantly dug against the back of his shoulder, dragging up to the curve where her mark forever resided. “Fuck,” she complained, rolling her hips deep against him, feeling her walls only give the slightest amount of space to him as that tension radiated through her.

C.J.

Hearing her speak which sounded more of a complaint than anything else, he’d hum low against her throat as his fingers laced with hers. Encouraging that touch that veered off the side of them as his free hand remained working over her clit. Lips tracing down against her chest and over her breasts. Seeing his tongue pass over the peak of one of her nipples. Mouth surrounding her utterly as he made the most of her sensitivity as she still rolled her hips to him.

Erin

The combined efforts of his lips to her flesh and the rotations of his thumb against her, she’d arch her back as her walls gave little by little until finally she’d find a full breath of air. Her hand gripped his tightly as her other hand found the back of his neck, pressing against him as his lips surrounded her, encouraging the strength of his mouth there against her as she found a fluid motion of her hips against his. The whine that had existed at her lips faded as she found her stride there against him, her discomfort easing moment by moment until all she felt was pure pleasure from everything he offered her, finding their way through her constant need to overachieve here, to a place where they might both thoroughly enjoy the feeling of one another.

C.J.

Feeling her tight to the back of his neck as his mouth worked against her. Getting somewhere as her walls seemed to tense before releasing and allowing a little something there. Lips traveling to her other nipple where he repeated the same only slower. Teasing his tongue over her as he still didn’t quite give in as he was not done with this yet and wouldn’t be until the two had their fill of one another that morning.

Erin

Feeling him shift from one space to another, the tension in her hand would remain as constant encouragement to the man as her hips shifted against his. Bringing their hands back in towards them once more, she’d press their joint hands against his chest, using that hold to pull against him, deepening the roll of her hips against him. For what might have been the first time that she was able to be with him like this without thinking at all about the possibility of getting pregnant, or the fact that this position was not conducive to conception, or her need to elevate her hips afterwards, there was a certain enjoyment there that had only been seen in glimpses from time to time throughout the last year as the thought of procreation between them wasn’t ever far from her mind. But now, it didn’t hold a single moment of her thought as all thoughts were entirely of him and in some ways, he’d get his wife back entirely. Her worries were gone. Her stress was gone. And all at once, everything was finally coming together for them entirely. Lowering her head, her lips found the curve of his neck, her own participation here speaking to her overall relaxation as well as the end of her discomfort within. “I want you to fuck me the rest of the day,” she whispered, fantasies that would be difficult to pull off, and yet her statement was as honest as they came.

C.J.

Definitely being able to note a change in her in this experience, it would be a change in them both. Letting go, letting it all happen normally with no worries of reminders or helping her after or assuring they were a certain way when he did climax. This was just entirely on her as she was on him and they were thinking of one another respectively as his lips would draw from her flesh. Lips drawing back up the center of her chest as he quite loved that idea. Wishing he could. Wishing they had no other place to be but in that bed but knowing they’d have to make that happen one of these weekend days once they got an empty house.

Erin

Her fingers slipped through his as she felt his lips trailing up the center of her chest as both of her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, drawing back from where her lips had found the side of his, eager to find the man’s eyes as she lifted against him, lowering her hips a moment later, finding another way to take him where she could feel his length escaping her before she was taking him once again. Feeling him deep within her core when her hips would meet his, heated breaths falling from her lips in every moment in between. “You didn’t say no,” she whispered, nearly taking it as a yes as she’d find a way if she needed to, needing that day with him, needing this more than her words could ever say. To experience him without any other thoughts in her mind, able to simply enjoy him the way he was meant to be enjoyed, to let him have her in return in any way he should want her. “Please, baby,” she’d beg, a whine there at her lips as she pleaded with him to help her find a way to make it work.

C.J.

"Make it happen and I'm here." He'd remind her as he wouldn't deny her of anything, but not knowing how this would ever work. Not needing to beg as he'd give her everything and anything as his lips would seek out hers. Only thinking once upon a time, he would have killed to hear these words from her lips but even now, he was still aware of how incredible they are and had not begun to take her or these things for granted.

Erin

Hearing him tell her to make it happen, she couldn't think straight enough to pull it off in that moment, though her intention and desire had to mean something. Drunk on the passion flowing freely between them, feeling completely in tune with him in that moment as though they had found something they had put aside unintentionally for far too long. The stresses of trying for a baby were far more trying than she could have imagined, yet there on the other side of it all, she felt completely reunited with her husband on levels she couldn't begin to explain. The rise and fall of her hips was thorough as she would rise slowly before falling rapidly, forcing him deep within the warmth of her aching inner walls. Each fall was met with the whine at her lips, feeling the tension within her core warning her of the release that wouldn't be too far away. Her breath was jagged as her arms drew tighter around his neck, her forehead finding his.

C.J.

Now knowing with her the effects and toll it had taken as what was happening here was something different all together as he took her in. Feeling her at his neck as her forehead found his. Thumb still rolling at her clit. Allowing her to watch as he'd draw free his digit. Applying it to his thumb to both taste her and father the moisture he was returning to her with as he felt each sweep of her walls driving him half mad with heat.

Erin

Her eyes took in that which he would provide to her as he brought his thumb against his own tongue. Loving nearly nothing more than the sight of the man tasting her, she drew a sharp breath as she drew back from his forehead. As his hand returned to her, she instantly squirmed under the rotation of his finger, feeling as though he knew she was on that edge, not trusting her to jump on her own as he seemed to demand she not remain in that space for long. "I'm so close," she complained, feeling the need for that release pulsing through her. Returning to the initial grind if her hips, where she could feel all of him buried deep within her.

C.J.

Feeling her reaction to his return, her complaint one that he was dying to hear. Loving to make her cum for him as was evident in every encounter as he kept to. Letting her hips direct her pleasure here as it was hers to take as she saw fit. His free hand finding the back of her thigh. Gripping tightly at her as she drew from his forehead where his eyes would watch her. Teeth to his bottom lip to refrain the desire to kiss her as he just wanted to watch her in that moment.

Erin

The feeling of his hand there to her thigh had her rolling her hips forward, drawing forward only to return back a moment later. Feeling him within and all around her at the same time, her eyes closed as she rocked against him. Her breathing grew more rapid with every shift of her hips as her hand gripped the back of his neck, tighter and tighter as she felt the tension rising within her. Knowing her hips would still once she gave into that release, she’d nearly fight to hold it off as she didn’t want a moment to pass without feeling him just as she did in that moment. Her lips parted as she searched for her next breath, a whine there at her lips, before all at once she would lose all grips on her own release, becoming a victim to it and giving it to him entirely. Her walls pulsed around him as her hips failed her, the warmth of her release to follow a moment later.

C.J.

Watching her as he wouldn't be going with her but left able to watch her entirely in that moment. True intimacy without it being awkward telling him he was exactly where he needed to be. Feeling her giving in and coating him in her heat as he kept to her. His finger only slowing when he was sure she had come utterly and thoroughly for him.

Erin

Leaning back from him slightly, she’d give into that release entirely as she’d have no other choice. Feeling it coursing through her before it was coating him, she felt his finger finally slowing against her as it seemed to nearly keep her release alive, though she somehow knew that would forever be his desire in the moment, to make her cum entirely for him. As her walls slowed around him, she drew into him, her face finding the curve of his neck where her attempts for breath would be interrupted by the press of her lips to his flesh as a soft whine was hummed against him. One hand slipped up into his hair, running her fingers through short strands as her lips followed the structure of his jaw to finally find his lips where her kiss was pressed firmly to his lips as her hips remained stilled over him.

C.J.

Watching as she drew her hips still before she was at his lips. Humming low. Impressed with the show as he always was when allowed to take her in entirely. "You are...the most breathtaking thing..." pausing between kisses. "I've ever laid eyes on." He promised her as his hands passed up her sides with gentle intent knowing how sensitive she was to his touch.

Erin

As her lips found his, the interruptions of his words were of no inconvenience to her as she nearly waited for the next break to hear just what it was the man would say. A smile took her features in the middle of that kiss, making it nearly impossible for her to wipe it away and focus in on his lips once more, and yet she’d somehow manage. Humming softly there to his lips, she would never quite see it as he did, but she’d appreciate what he saw just the same. Feeling his hands pass up her sides, her fingers slipped through his hair at the back of his head before she was drawing back from his lips entirely to meet his eyes. Pausing there for a long moment, she’d simply look at the man as she continued to keep her hips stilled, words there at her lips that had been surely spoken a million times over, yet their truth would remain ever constant. “I am completely in love with you, Luciano.” A soft smile followed her statement as there was a time when that was all she’d ever call him, yet now she would rarely do so, recalling all too easily the night he informed her the difference in how he saw her as Lindsay and as Erin, something that had taken her time to work out.

C.J.

Feeling through his hair which had luckily remained just as thick and strong as he’d hoped it would while the color went by the wayside. Having to pick his struggle by this point, hearing her speak which drew a smirk out of him. “Leave it to you to make that finally sound sincere.” he teased, as once it had sounded anything but yet now he believed her.

Erin

A smirk took her lips as those words had always been sincere, never spoken without it being so, though his name had been spoken in a variety of ways. Now wearing that name herself, she’d never say it quite the same way again. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his once more, slightly shifting her hips against him before whispering there against his lips, “it’s your turn.” Giving him that go ahead to take her as he pleased, promising that she’d do her part there to get him to the same release that he had given her.

C.J.

Hearing her return, it had been his turn all the while as he truly didn’t see it like that. Like a give and take in hopes of that ultimate release. A gentle shake of his head. “It’s our turn.” he’d specify, loving to see her in the throws just as much as he liked being in them himself as his hands traced her sides. Not wanting something so particular that he needed to toss her over and take it as he was simply enjoying this moment with her.

Erin

His answer, as usual, was sheer perfection. The man was a breed all his own and she’d never quite understand what it was that he was doing with the likes of her, yet she’d find herself more and more grateful with each passing day. His statement didn’t leave her feeling bad for her previous statement as she understood entirely what he’d meant, leaving her to feel like the luckiest woman in the entire world for having the love of a man such as him. Pressing her lips to his once more, her arms drew tighter around his neck, knowing there would never be a day that she didn’t feel this strongly for him, as it seemed her love for him only grew stronger by the day.

C.J.

Feeling her arms tighten around him, his hands would pass down her arms to her shoulders. From there, still evolving against her to take on a life all their own. Lips pressed back to hers as this had never been a selfish process. This was always about the two rather than one single entity.

Erin

The day held plans that they both knew were waiting for them, yet as her lips pressed to his, she couldn’t think beyond this moment. Work could wait. Waking the boys up for the last week of school could wait. Everything could just simply wait for when she was with him in this capacity, she couldn’t think responsibly, nor did she hope to ever be able to do so. A soft hum passed her lips as her hips remained stilled against his, allowing the two to be one without the necessity to move past this moment quite yet. As his hands passed over her arms to her shoulders, she felt his affection within the touch as she simply let herself kiss the man, knowing it had surely been a kiss much like this that had brought them to this place where they now knew they were expecting, something she never thought would truly come to pass, and yet they were there, celebrating just that together.

C.J.

He had never really touched someone the way he did her. He loved the feel of her with nothing more needed. A touch that didn't always have to be provocative or sexual. Just to touch her made him happy enough. Hands passing down the backs of her shoulders as he'd hum against her lips. Lips pressing to hers with no hopes of stopping or seeing a way out.

Erin

As his hands smoothed over the backs of her shoulders, her own arms drew tighter around his neck, her chest pressed fully to his as her lips formed to his in the heat of the kiss time and time again. Feeling as though time had stopped for them entirely, she took her time here, without worry for what was to come later. All in all, the woman was relatively responsible, but she couldn’t be held to such things here. Never quite knowing what she’d done right in her life to have this man for her own, she’d feel grateful for him at every turn as he had surprisingly turned out to be the greatest thing that ever could have happened to her. From forced partnerships to this, she never could have seen it coming, and as she drew back from that kiss to open her eyes, to look to him, the faintest smile stole the corners of her lips as she looked down at him.

C.J.

Watching as she drew back as his eyes would slowly open to the sight of her smile. Wishing he could see that smile a few million times over. His hand finding the back of her neck where he'd guide her forehead to his. Simply taking her in in that moment.

Erin

As his hand slipped to the back of her neck, she’d easily press her forehead to his at his guiding, her smile only broadening as each moment passed by. One of her hands found the side of his face, soft fingertips against the scruff as she softly stroked against him. “I wish we could stay like this for the rest of the day,” she confessed in a raspy whisper that was filled with nothing but honesty. Her head spinning at the idea of checking out for the day, wanting nothing more than to spend this time with him, alone. “Might be time for another staycation,” she whispered, speaking to a similar trip they’d made a few times over now, disappearing for a weekend into the city of Chicago where neither of them would see the outside of a hotel room until it was time to check out.

C.J.

"Of course..." he returned at the suggestion of a staycation. Even the sound of which was enough to launch him back to all the pleasantries and memories that surrounded those times. Their relationship had always taken leaps and bounds in those spaces and he was none too shy about his affection for her. "Going to have to plan one soon before..." he'd remind her, as sometime soon, travel would be a different beast all together as he gave her a soft smile at the reminder.

Erin

With her arms still wrapped around his neck, her body pressed close to his as the two seemed to pause in their physical expressions with one another for a moment of stillness, she’d smirk at the suggestion. Things were changing and her body would be one of those things that was changing, yet she couldn’t even imagine what it must feel like. “Gonna love me when I’m forty pounds heavier?” she teased, already knowing the answer to that. “When a shower for two doesn’t quite work so well any more?” she asked, the thought slightly sad in itself, but it was what it was and would surely be worth it in the long run.

C.J.

"Baby, I'm going to love you until there is no air left in my body." He'd remind her honestly and maybe even still then for surely if there were souls and spirits and humans were more tangible than just sacks of meat and skin, his spirit would bare her imprint. Knowing nothing could turn him off from her as it would all be worth it. Every second, every hour.

Erin

As he assured her that he would love her even then and still beyond, her smile could not be contained. Meeting his eyes, her hand found the side of his face where she’d lean in to press her lips to his once again. A soft hum there against her lips as she was warmed thoroughly at the promise of that which she already knew. He’d never kept his affections from her and she knew the answer to her own question before asking it, yet there wasn’t anything quite like hearing his reassurances in his own voice there before her, knowing the sincerity that rested behind it.

C.J.

Feeling her lips back to his, she’d have to believe him by this point. He’d do anything to make her believe it as his intentions were so pure and so honest that it was terrifying for a man who was used to being able to hide such things behind a smile and some charm. Yet, now that charm was only used as an addition for the truth and it was all right there before her. His hand still to the back of her neck as he’d press his lips back to hers with no doubt in his convictions as she was it for him.

Erin

As his hand found the back of her neck, her arms tightened around his neck where she remained sitting over him, feeling him there all around her. It was almost as though the morning had been paused for the two to enjoy one another, yet the rest of the world still moved outside of that room, still waiting for them to step to their responsibilities, yet neither one seemed to be too bothered by it. Losing track of time entirely, it was as though it were a weekend, and the two did not have work or to get the boys off to their last full day of school. It would nearly take an act of congress to bring her lips back from his, which wasn’t happening. Her lips pressed softly to his, an intimacy held onto throughout even though she knew just how easy it would be to turn it up a notch here. Yet this was the truest expression the woman held in that moment as she simply kissed her husband, as though she had nowhere else to be.

C.J.

Knowing that the two were on a timeline, he lacked the ability to push it along as he wanted this far too much. An encounter without intimacy for them was never an option and the severity of his love for her could never be doubted. Anyone with eyes knew it and it was a small miracle they had hidden it though part of him wanted to ask Voight if he knew. He had never hid it well much less from another detective. Humming low as his thumb grazed her jawline. He’d keep his lips meshing consistently to hers.

Erin

There had always been the need to be public for her as the feelings were much too loud to be hidden. Though it meant an end to their partnership, there had been no way to continue keeping their relationship behind closed doors. With nearly a year passing since the two were married, the fire in their relationship had yet to fade, and somehow she knew it never would. Marriage wasn't something she ever really saw for herself, but ever since he had asked her, and maybe even before that, she knew she was meant for this life with him all along. "We're having a baby," she whispered against his kiss, her smile sweeping her features at the statement although it had already been made before. The sound of it was foreign to her, prompting the need to say it over and over again, even within the throes of intimacy.

C.J.

Hearing her whisper, he’d never get tired of hearing that phrase as he felt her smile slightly disrupting the kiss. If hers would not finish it then his certainly would as he gave up a full smile and a light laugh. “We are.” he’d agree. Eyes opening to glance up towards hers as he inhaled that breath. Containing it. Holding it. Exhaling it. “And hopefully this one can whoop some ass on the genetic lottery and come out looking like his or her mom.”

Erin

As his smile broke the kiss, she couldn't be upset as hers had begun that break. The flash of dimples exchanged between the two, a promise of the destiny of their child just as he had promised her nearly three years before. "I don't know about that. You are battle tested, remember? I want a little you that has a bit of me in him or her," she assured, sealing her request to his lips with a soft kiss. "It doesn't even feel real to be talking about this," she confessed, not sure when it would become real, but knowing it was far from it right now, only able to think it must be even more so for him. "You ready to be a father of three?"

C.J.

“I am battle tested.” he assured, a shake of his head as that was not what he had meant about battle tested. His own genetics were strong but he hoped hers to be stronger as his sons looked like he himself had made them from the ground up with no additional help. Hearing her question, he’d sigh low. “A middle aged father of three.” he continued, as clearly he had put some thought into it.

Erin

"A very sexy father of three," she assured with another kiss to his lips, always knowing what his battle tested remark had been, though she had twisted it to fit her needs this morning. Bringing one hand to the back of his head, her fingers ran through his hair as her lips seemed more than satisfied to find his again, unable to hold conversation for long in this position, still not rushing even if she should have been. Her tongue traced the part of his lips before withdrawing, teasing, inviting him to something more as the racing beat of her heart dictated.

C.J.

Seeing her cleverly attempt to see her way out of that one, his eyes narrowed. Knowing exactly what she was doing as he pressed his lips back to hers. Feeling her to the part of his lips as he’d draw open to find nothing. Drawing forward to invade that space and take it up himself.

Erin

Feeling him give the chase she was after, her own lips parted to him, giving up the space he sought as her hand tensed in his hair. Intensity raced through her at the smallest alteration there between them, tasting him there within her mouth. Her lips pressed firmly to his, creating that space where she could feel his tongue against her own. Shifting her hips slightly against him, she would blame him for starting this again, yet she knew it had been her own doing. Drawing in a breath through his lungs, feeling as though they were one once more.

C.J.

Feeling the shift of her hips as a reminder of what was going on between them, as if the two could ever forget as he felt her against him. His hands sweeping down towards her hips where the urge to shift over and take control was strong. Growing stronger. Hands growing stronger and rougher to her with the desire ebbing forward.

Erin

As his hands passed down her sides, she felt his grip there against her. Not knowing yet what it was behind that force, yet more than willing to wait and find out. For the moment, it would seem as though he were guiding her hips, encouraging that shift of hers against him. Her hips would continue there against his as her lips pressed firmly to his, her tongue smoothing over his as her hand tensed at the back of his head, matching that increasing intensity she felt within his own possessive grasp.

C.J.

Finally the dam would break and he was pushing himself forward and her back as a result. Getting her entirely backwards against that bed without the headboard to fear as he slipped her down to it. Lips pressing firmly back to hers as that kiss deepened with the fresh position. Managing to remain within her as his hips pressed to hers to assure not an inch of space was lost though the dynamics had changed entirely.

Erin

The shift had been quickly achieved, and yet nothing had been lost in the repositioning. His taste flooded her mouth entirely, clouding her thoughts to the point she couldn’t even remind him how they had gotten here in the first place as he took her over to levels unmatched. Her legs wrapped around him as she felt him finding a depth within her that was all his own, stealing her breath in the middle of that kiss, her heart now racing within her chest. Knowing his potential when he was in control and knowing she’d never walk away from such an encounter without feeling the full weight of his love and adoration for her in the midst of the intensity.

-June 7, 2017

#dimplesfordays #lindsayxquitxlollygagging #2017 #ohbaby #lincianolife #addicteddetectives

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