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rosewaterandivy · 1 year

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sugar & mint

masterlist - steve

Summary: Lazy summer evening with your ol’ man Steve.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x fem reader

WC: ~2K

Warnings: NSFW 18+, drinking, cursing, fingering (Steve performing & reader receiving), kissing, & cumming quick (!!!)

A/N: Inspired by “Julep” by the Punch Brothers; some domestic summer!steve. Likes, reblogs, & feedback are appreciated - reposting is not. Enjoy! 💜

🎵🎵 Heaven's a julep on the porch, you and me rocking, a grandfather clock is tick, tick, tocking to time 🎵🎵

A warm breeze blew through the early summer evening, the light scent of magnolia trees in bloom wafting to his nose as he sat on the swing of the wraparound porch. The sun continued its slow crawl toward the western horizon, painting the sky in hues of candy pink bleeding into blues and lilacs.

Soft music played from the kitchen, sailing through the open window accompanied by bare feet padding on the worn wood floor. The water turned off, plates going in the dishwasher interrupted by giggles. Childish laughter recedes and replaced by the creak of someone going upstairs. A muttered, “Gotta fix that step,” and then nothing, save for the cicadas in the yard.

Steve sighs content, but tired, back resting against the porch swing as it sways lazily to and fro. His skin prickles with beads of sweat in the heat, idly wonders if it isn’t worth it to just head back in for the night.

A brief stumble down the stairs, “Damn it,” and the whine of the screen door as it’s pushed open. Your beaming face behind the mesh screen, stepping onto the porch with an ice bucket and cocktail shaker. “Hey you.” Your voice is soft in its greeting, accompanied by that sweet smile you save just for him.

Setting the bucket and shaker on the table, you join him on the swing. His hand finds your legs to drag them to his lap, allowing you to recline against the bench. “Hey baby,” Steve says, thumb working in circles against your knee. “How’s that trick step treatin’ you?”

Your laugh is glorious and bright, head thrown back to expose the column of your neck damp in perspiration. He eyes the pulse of your throat, would like nothing more than to get his mouth on it and suck until you make those pretty high-pitched noises he loves.

Instead, he pulls you closer on the swing so that you’re sitting in his lap. Your arm drapes casually around his neck, hand threading through his hair, ends curling up in the heat. “S’fine,” you say, nails scratching lightly at his scalp, “I’ll fix it tomorrow.”

Steve laugh as that. “Babe,” his eyes cut to yours mischievously, “You’ve been saying that for years.”

“And I’ve meant it,” you tease back, “For years.”

It’s an old argument between you now, the consistent creak of the step serving as both burden and reminder of that never-ending ‘to-do’ list. Twisting in his grasp, you begin to mix the drinks. “D’you bring the whiskey?” Muddling the mint, you add some ice and measure the simple syrup.

“Depends,” he muses, “Did you bring the sugar and the mint?”

A snort. “Uh, obviously.”

Fingers brushing against his when you take the bottle from his grasp, deft and warm. A healthy pour of Kentucky's finest followed by two handfuls of ice and you’re off to the races. Capping the mixture, you shake it vigorously, condensation building on the silver cup in beads and cascading down your wrist.

Two glasses hooked in a hand, ice and mint slosh against one another as you pour. Steve observes intently, still marveling after all these years at your finesse and ease. Though, he supposes tending bar would do that to a person. Regardless, he adores it.

Another stretch to set the shaker back on the table with the ice. A cool glass thrust into his hand, the clink of glasses as your tip yours to his. “Sláinte.”

Silence settles between you, comfortable and welcome. His arm around your hip, yours draped over his shoulders, a couple of sweethearts enjoying a summer’s evening. He sets his drink to the side in favor of palming your thigh. Rucks up the hem of your shirt, overly large and hiding summer hued skin.

A small noise of surprise before you toss back the rest of your drink. Setting it down on the porch, you pull yourself back up to straddle him—thighs settling on either side. Half-lidded eyes fix him on the spot, “See something you like Steve?”

He huffs, mildly perturbed and wholly impatient. Grips the hem of your shirt and gives it a tug, “I would be, if it weren’t for this monstrosity you’re wearing.”

Mouth dropping open in offense, you push back against his chest playfully. “What are you talking about? This shirt is a collector’s item!” Pulling at the fabric to display the faded Corroded Coffin logo and Munson’s dumb mug.

“Well, it’s blocking my view. So.” His hands grasp the swell of your hips, thumbs circling the jut of bone there.

Laughter rings out once more, spilling from your mouth in a cheerful crescendo. He continues to sip from his drink, ice all but melted in the glass. Prompted by the push of his heel, the swing rocks slowly in the fading light. His glass joins yours on the porch as your lips work up and down his throat.

Steve drags you closer, hips flush against his, the scratch of worn-in denim against the silk smooth of your legs. He grunts lowly as you press against the bulge in his jeans. His fingers find your chin, pulling you from an extended perusal of his neck to face him. Lips glistening and full, pupils blown wide.

Breath coming in puffs and pants from your sweet mouth, teeth nipping at his bottom lip. Hand cradling the base of your skull, Steve draws you in for a kiss—honeyed and filthy. You groan, lips slotting against his, tongue caressing him, hips bucking impatiently.

“Gonna give it to you good, baby.” He promises, fingers meandering to leg of your shorts and making quick work of your current state.

Slick and inviting, your heat welcomes the intrusion, finger sliding in easily while the pad of his thumb presses against your clit. With a groan, your lips part from his, foreheads resting against each other as your eyes fall to where you’re joined. “S’good,” you breathe, watching when he quickly adds a second and plunges back in.

His lips chase you down as he works you open in his lap. Shorts and panties shoved to the side, shirt rucked up and falling against your tummy. Steve encourages the punishing pace of your hips, soft murmurs echoing around you as you chase your peak.

Already wound tight and near breaking when he, impossibly, works in a thick third finger. Rasps, “Such a good girl,” and bites the hollow of your throat. Shuddering as his tongue lovingly laves at the bruised skin, you moan.

Wet sounds of his fingers fucking in and out of you join the soft music from the house and chorus of cicadas and crickets. Frantically, you work your hand in an attempt to find and pop the button of his Levis.

“Later.” He says placating you, thumb circling your clit just as he brushes against that one spot just right. Suddenly, your hurtled headlong to your climax, vision nearly whiting out as the taut chord behind your belly button snaps.

Mouth dropping open in a breathy whine of “Fuck,” Steve works you through it and plays you for all you’re worth. Knows which buttons to press and when to render you near boneless in pleasure. You shiver in his hold and gush into the cup of his hand.

Fuck indeed.

He lathers you in praises of how well you did for him, how pretty you look in his lap, how sweet you taste. Once he’s satisfied that you’re alright, he reluctantly draws his fingers out of you and brings one to your lips.

With a suck, you bring it to your mouth and glide your tongue against it, savoring the familiar musk. Steve groans at the sensation of it, eyes drinking in the image of you—perfectly sated and sunk into his lap, eyes heavy-lidded while your wicked mouth sucks your slick from his fingers.

How did he get so lucky?

Reverie broken by the telltale sound of the trick step, his fingers drop from your mouth while you quickly move your shorts back into place. A brief kiss to his lips before you’re up and off his lap to investigate.

“Hey munchkin,” you coo. Your gaze softens as the screen door is slowly pushed open, a sleepy girl toddling onto the porch. Crouching down from the swing, you scoop her into your arms as she rubs her eyes. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

Head nuzzling against your throat she nods, letting out the cutest yawn you’d ever seen. Blanket clasped in one fist, she grabs at your hair with the other, settling against your shoulder.

Steve smiles as you absentmindedly rock her on your way back inside, second nature at this point. Warm fondness washes over him as you whisper sweet nothings into her hair. He sighs and scrubs a hand down his face, surveying the glasses and bottle on the porch as the door clatters closed.

He picks up and sets it down in the kitchen, leaving the rest for tomorrow. Pushes the window shut and locks the door. Treads carefully on the stairs, expertly avoiding the trick step to see you slowly close her bedroom door—leaving it open just slightly.

You tip-toe back to him, a playful smirk pulling at your lips. Hooking your fingers through his belt loops, you pull him into your shared bedroom and nudge the door closed with your hip. He presses you closer, arm winding around your back, to drop a kiss to the crown of your head.

You hum contently and push him back onto the bed. “So,” you whisper, voice raspy and worn. “Later, is what I believe you said.” Your fingers deftly pop the button of his jeans, tighter now from earlier activities.

“Is that right?”

“Mmhm.” You slowly unzip his fly, fingers trailing on the fabric of his boxers.

He bites back a groan. “No,” he drawls, voice low. “Think I’d remember something like that.”

“Pfft.” You settle on his lap once more, hands resting on his chest. “We both know you can’t remember shit Harrington.”

He laughs, fingers tangling in the hem of your shirt. “Touché.” Sits up on his elbows and pulls you close, “What did I say about this shirt, hmm?”

“That it’s a collector’s item?” You squirm on his lap purposefully.

Shakes his head and scrunches up his nose, “Nah, pretty sure that was you.”

“Huh, lemme try again.” You kiss his nose. “Was it that this shirt would look better on the floor?”

He arches a brow in interest. “Y’know, that sounds like me.” His hands cup your hips, securing you in place as you peel the Corroded shirt off and toss it behind you. “One of these days,” Steve says, fingers caressing your skin, “You’re gonna misplace that shirt and I’ll have a new rag for the windows.”

A gasp, “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Wouldn’t I though?”

His mouth tugs at the corner, eyes light in jest. Steve smiles up at you, bright and wonderful. You fall into him with a fit of laughter and teasing, fingers snaking up and around his chest to find that spot that makes him lose his breath under your relentless assault of tickles.

Down the flight of stairs, dodging the trick step (“Gonna fix that!”), the night birds sing their tune. Summertime cicadas screech, crickets hum along in the yard cluttered with toys and a tricycle. Front door pulled tight against the wood trim, magnolia blossoms decorating the roof of the veranda. A dull golden glow shines from the upstairs window, a pair shadowed silhouettes disappear from view.

It’s a midsummer’s night, and he’s just getting started.

#steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington smut #steve harrington #steve harrington fic #stranger things fanfiction #Spotify

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ishgard · 2 months

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— B A S I C S

Name: Ahru Hiraeth Nicknames: Not a lot of nicknames actually, occasionally "Ru" Age: Early-Mid Thirties Nameday: 21st Sun of the 4th Astral Moon Race: Seeker/Keeper Gender: Female Orientation: Bisexual / Biromantic Profession: Adventurer, Warrior of Light

— P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: Naturally blond, light corruption left it bleached white. Eyes: Blue with a gold ring around the pupils Skin: Pale with warm undertones, tans easily Tattoos/scars: No tattoos, but many superficial scars and several less. A thin scar on the side of her face from sahagins when she was child. An 'overlapped' scar from Zenos and Elidibus across the chest. Lichtenberg scars along her left arm, old burns down her right leg, hip-to-knee.

— F A M I L Y

Parents: Both living. Ahnia Hiraeth, mir'amna ('mother') of the Hiraeth. X'rehn Tia, ex-Garlean assassin. Siblings: Nia'to Hiraeth (twin brother), Fianah Hiraeth (younger half-sister) Grandparents: Amazingly I haven't thought about them too much. In-laws and Other: X'rhun Tia (uncle), X'yehnia Rehl (cousin), X'vehl Tia (cousin, retainer) Pets: Arrow (chocobo), Grani (…Grani), Caesar (wolf 'pup'), Mochi (fat cat - King of the Rising Stones), Ardbert (black hayate - lives with Ryne and Gaia now), Baby (baby opo opo - not a pet this is her son)

— S K I L L S

Abilities: BRD/RDM main, MNK is always one broken weapon away from showing you why it's a bad idea to disarm her. Omniclasses p much everything but is worst at SMN/SCH. Her music weaves aether in such a way that it enhances her magical abilities, so even when utilizing her healing or destructive magics, she often weaves her bardwork into it. Hobbies: Traveling, making music, journaling, reading (in the past study of the Void has been her speciality and passion - but she's always had a soft spot for epics, romances, and such), knitting, cooking.

— T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: She's got way more love to give than you might expect, she just sometimes has a hard time showing it. Open-minded/flexible, she's not often put-off or caught off guard and is very accepting (at times forgiving, to a fault). Most Negative Trait: Still getting over the trauma of 'people who get close to me tend to suffer terribly', which leads her to distancing herself. Really prone to wanderlust and violence (as in, loves a good fight). Good luck slowing her down and good luck getting her out of it if you got her in 'fight mode'.

— L I K E S

Colors: Red and Black (omg she's a gamer) Smells: Campfire smoke, cloves, leather, amber/incense, rarer but often enough the frosty fresh air of colder climes. Textures: Broken-in leather, furs (silky, soft and the more coarse), the smooth and sharp edges of a crystal. Drinks: Water, tea (specifically mulled tea), wine, ale. Partial to mint lassi's.

— O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes: Very occasional, with growing rarety. Drinks: Historically was your pretty average social drinker, swore off the stuff for a long period after being drugged multiple times, but more recently has started enjoying the occasional drink - her tolerance has dropped significantly to fun/humorous effect. Drugs: No; somnus in particular is a touchy subject. Mount Issuance: Arrow (chocobo) was a gift from Thancred welcoming her to the Scions. Grani was a gift from Emet-Selch, and is her primary mount esp. in places where Arrow can't go. Been Arrested: Amazingly not.

Tagged by: @ardberts, @gatheredfates, @sealrock, @myreia, @shroudkeeper - thank you all so much!!! I might honestly do more and use the tags as an excuse 😌 Tagging: @twelveswood, @thewitchofelpis, @eorzeanflowers, @thefrostflower, @allyennah, @mrlarkstin, @koijikido, @ubejamjar, @ungrateful-cyborg - and anyone else! (if you've already done it or don't want to ignore me <3<3<3)

#tag games #ahru hiraeth #thank you all again so much!!!

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fourmarkdove · 4 years

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Fawn.

Title: Fawn.

Words: 2.8k

Summary: Geralt stops into ye locale brothel expecting one the ladies to soothe his battle weary soul. You aren’t meant to be there and have no idea how to handle his needs.

Paring: Geralt x reader

Warnings/Triggers: Smut.

A/N: This is a multi-chapter beasty. I’m already up to 10k so I’ll be editing and breaking it up into chapters to post in the next couple days. I’ve held onto this for 3 months (?) and I still can’t figure out where I’m going with it past chapter like 8, so I may be asking y’all what you think when we get there. (Also, I need to go back and tag some folks.) Comments welcome. Thanks for reading!

It had been weeks since the Witcher had been through town, so when his massive frame darkened the doorway of the inn, the women who worked there scattered to put on their rosy lips and tighten their bodices just a bit more. In truth, none of them would have even asked him for a single coin. Being the one chosen to bed the Witcher later that night would have been more than enough payment for keeping his plate full, his drink topped off, and some easy company with curves to fondle while he consumed and brooded.

By dusk, the leather clad man was served enough of a steady stream of ale to just barely soften the lines across his troubled brow. His demeanor was still altogether sullen, leaning over his mug, shoulders rolled forward, silver strands of hair fallen around his weary features. The hunt had not gone well.

He needed food, a bath and a hard fuck. Emptying himself out in the tight cunt of a pretty little thing would help clear his head. It might even afford him the chance to get a little bit of rest.

Mathilde, one of the more experienced women, saw Geralt always had proper company to suit his mood. Settling in next to him with a mug, she let out a labored sigh and sipped on her ale. His heavy lidded gaze glanced her way and an acknowledgement “Hmm” rumbled from his chest.

“You look tired, Witcher,” she noted, leaning heavily into his shoulder armor. “Why don’t you stay more than a night or two, my darling? Let Mathilde look after you a bit.”

“Hmm.”

That was usually enough to get him headed into a room upstairs but instead he sat back and downed the last third of his drink.

Mimicking his motions, she sighed and turned away from the room to whisper into his ear.

“Anyone caught your eye tonight, darling?”

Geralt looked in a drunken citrine haze around the room, but took pause at your figure sitting at the hearth, tending to the fire.

“Hm,” he grunted, motioning with his chin, before sipping on the fresh pint just delivered.

Mathilde pressed her lips together and slipped her hand under the table to touch his knee. Lazily lifting an eyebrow at her advances, he waited in silence for more information.

“She is new since you been here last, darling. Might not be exactly what you’re in the mood for tonight though love. Let’s maybe try Larissa? She can be bent over a sack of potatoes in the kitchen in about two minutes if you want an early night in.”

The slightest downward tick of his mouth indicated he was not pleased with her proposition. Returning his gaze to your outline seated by the fire, he grunted,

“Send the doe-eyed one up with soap.”

You’d barely seen the shadowy figure dragging his weary frame upstairs before Mathilde crossed the noisy room to where you were seated.

“You’re up, girlie,” the mistress instructed without a drop of honey in her tone. “Take a bar of soap up to the Witcher.”

Willing your hands to stop trembling, you paused and pressed your back against the wall just outside his door. Shaky breaths felt like they could have rattled your body to pieces and left you collapsed on the floor.

You’d been saved the humiliation of participating in the activities all of the other girls were involved with by staying in the kitchen for the last few weeks you’d been at the inn. Knowing absolutely nothing about cooking, you still tried to make yourself useful. Carrots were cut in odd sizes at an achingly slow pace. Onions made you weep so much that you closed your eyes while cutting and sliced your knuckles by mistake. Collecting potatoes, you’d managed to get tangled in a thicket of thistles and stumbled back to the kitchen empty handed and covered head to toe in burrs.

Having absolutely no training about local flora and fauna, you assumed all herbs were created equal. You’d never have known the herbs next to the parsley were in fact poisonous had you not washed and cut them to put in the soup yourself. Just a few sprinkles of green on top of a spoonful of broth made you immediately sick. Your body revolted and cast up everything you’d eaten that day, over and over.

So you were sent out of the kitchen. Potentially poisoning patrons was apparently the last straw. You knew it was only a matter of time before you would be sent upstairs to perform other activities. And it made your hands sweat and breathing quicken so much that you started to see stars.

Just as you were feeling your legs might give out from under you, the door swung open.

The white haired man stood as a broad shouldered wall of muscle, leather pants undone low around his hips, shirt crumpled in his hand.

You were absolutely dwarfed small by his impressive size. Upon one last shallow inhale, the soap dropped from your hand and your eyelashes fluttered closed.

Catching your waist, he tossed his shirt at the foot of the bed, swept you over his forearm and sighed. He’d heard your rapid heartbeat, like a frightened deer hiding under a brush pile, from the other side of his closed door. Of course, he was used to a cool reception wherever he went, but making you faint dead away was not his intention.

Dragging you to the bed, he hummed a thoughtful sound. He’d felt the kind of expensive green fabric you wore under his rough hands many times, but never in a place like this. Dresses this soft came from fabric woven from far away places, which meant you’d come from money and belonged in a court somewhere not collapsed on his bed in a brothel in the center of nowhere.

Fortunately, he had more knowledge of courtly dresses than most men, particularly their quick removal.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he let you fall forward so your head rested against his shoulder as he reached for his silver dagger and slipped it right up your spine, slicing the ties laced across your back. Roughly tugging apart your dress, your body responded with a desperate gasp.

With a shuddering exhale, your fingers grasped onto his thick biceps, trying to ground yourself as the dizzying sensation passed.

He made quick work pulling you free from the binding garment, slipping it down your shoulders, letting it pool around your hips.

“I’m… sorry… I don’t know… what happened,” you stilted, pressing your forehead into the crook of his neck.

“Why you ladies tie yourselves up in these fucking dresses I’ll never know,” he grumbled almost imperceptibly low. Slipping a hand under your hair, he stroked along your jaw and lifted your head with his thumb. “Better?”

You straightened up a bit and released your fingertips from their death grip into his upper arms.

“Better,” you lied. “How may I… please you?”

Regarding you with amusement, he lifted a brow. “Please me? Keep breathing for a start.”

You bit your lip, and his golden eyes followed. You were uncertain how to say the things out loud that you were supposed to say. Even moreso, do the things you were in his bed to do.

You frowned in confusion when he reached around your hip and pulled back the covers.

“You can stay here tonight,” his voice resonated deep in his chest. “I’m going to wash up.”

“Can I help?” you asked meekly.

He tugged your bitten bottom lip from between your teeth with his thumb. “You can stay right here.”

Decision made, his weight lifted from the bed making the old frame creak. He went to the fireplace to add more wood before heading to the bath in the main part of the room.

Pushing your heavy outer dress down your hips, you remained in your underclothes and slipped your cold feet under the covers, pulling the wool blanket up to your neck.

Geralt groaned as he sank down into the bath. Every muscle in his body ached.

Resting his heavy arms along the sides of the bath, his tired eyes finally closed and he rested his head back against the hot water basin.

Still alert like a snoozing cat, he didn’t move a muscle when you padded over, undressed and carefully held onto the edge of the bath to climb in with him.

You settled a long moment opposite him, drawing your knees up to your chest in the warm water. Fairly certain he was sleeping, you were allowed a longer look at him without those keen eyes flashing at you. He really was stunningly beautiful. Somehow that made what you were about to do even more difficult.

You were just inches away from touching his large hand holding onto the edge of the tub but he sensed your reach and grumbled, “What are you doing, little fawn?”

You gasped and froze, glancing at his still reclined and resting form.

“I… um…” you stumbled, pushing forward despite your racing heart shooting up into your throat. Wrapping your hand around two of his massive fingers, you pulled it underwater and his palm around your waist.

“You paid for this... room…” came your breathy voice, collecting every last bit of courage left in your body. Slipping over to him, you rose onto your knees before him, letting the water just skim the underside of your breasts.

His gaze became dark, pupils dilated, as he followed the water droplets rolling down your flushed skin.

He licked over his lip and flicked his gaze back up to yours after drinking in all of the soft flesh you were offering. His hand you’d wrapped around yourself flexed and pulled you flush to his chest. You could feel the steady thump of his heart pounding like a horse’s canter under your palms. Nudging his nose to yours, you could feel his warm breath against your lips when he parted his and waited.

It was so close and quiet and intimate and it surprised you.

A man like him could take what he wanted. But he was stalled out, stroking your neck with his thumb and the curve at the small of your back, while you decided. Leaning just that tiny bit more forward, you gave his full lips a chaste kiss, long and lingering, before backing off, still just inches from his face, and gazed at him through your dark lashes.

It was more than enough encouragement for him to stretch his long neck and tilt his head just a degree, capturing your mouth with his. He kissed you like a man starved, filling all of his senses with your sweet, soft presence, inhaling deeply your scent and needing to taste your lips, feel your soft tongue, breathe the same breath with each kiss that he dipped to receive from you.

It filled your body with such heat, from your cheeks to your toes, overwhelmed with the sensation.

Dropping his head, he pressed his lips to your neck, leaving little nips down to your collarbone. Nuzzling your chest there he huffed in appreciation and lifted his gaze again, arching a brow. He had a mischievous glint in his amber eyes which you couldn’t help but smile softly at. It was then that you felt him cup your breast, massaging it gently in his strong hand. His thumb found the sensitive nub of your hardened nipple and you bit your bottom lip to stifle a whimper.

Your eyelashes fluttered closed when your foreheads touched. He nudged his nose to yours and told you in a gentle rumble, “I want to hear you.”

Pawing your fingertips at the rock hard muscle atop his shoulders, you whined and let your head fall back, your hair spreading across the water as he lifted your body inches more out of the bath, kissing down your sternum, delivering hungry kisses to your warm flesh until his mouth finally found that nipple he’d been teasing.

Your whine turned into a moan as he hugged your hips to his chest. He caught behind one of your shaky knees and helped you wrap your squirming legs around his middle, never pausing for a second on the attention his open mouthed suckling kisses were giving your breast. Once it seemed he’d gorged himself on one breast, he shifted your body slightly and dropped his head down again to capture the second nipple in his mouth.

You dug your heels into his muscular back and threaded your fingers through his hair, arching and whimpering sounds you didn’t know you could make. Flattening his tongue along the swell of the underside of your breast, he lifted it past his lips and into his hollowed mouth, drawing you deep into him and suckling at such a slow even rhythm, rubbing your sensitive nipple into the roof of his mouth. Something like lightning shocked from your nipple down to your clit, making your hips jerk foreword violently.

“Hmm,” he grunted approvingly, feeling the swell of the hood of your clit nudge against his stomach when your thighs tightened again. Even underwater he could feel your slick heat smearing against his taut skin.

The slightest flutter of gentle fingertips near your core made you gasp his name. Wrapping both arms behind his neck, you rutted into him, trying desperately to get more friction.

Thick fingers slipped along your folds, coating you in your own sex, and a desperate ache pooled in your belly. Your hips rocked making waves in the bath and some spilled onto the floor.

“Careful there,” he teased, spreading two fingers around your core to stretch your center from outside. His thumb pad completely covered and deliciously circled your almost too sensitive clit. It made you cry out when he sped up thumbing over the tip of your swollen nub and then curled a thick finger over your clit hood, drawing down to his circling thumb. It was a motion and sensation and pressure you’d never even thought of to try yourself and it made your inside walls tighten and become thick with want.

Your fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck, not meaning to pull his hair hard as you writhed into his hand and panted into his mouth. Your eyes were shut, and an almost pained expression tensed your features as you moved into his rhythmic ministrations.

His expressive eyes never closed for a moment, however. Black dilated pupils caught in the light and he gazed at you like a hunter to prey. He wanted to see the heave of your breasts and how they shuddered against his chest at the pleasure he was giving you. He wanted to see how your eyebrows lifted and furrowed as if you were singing a song of ecstasy whose melody could only be heard by watching your beautiful features as he stroked your most sensitive parts of you. It was a melody you were writing together with every caress, kiss and muscle twitch.

You wrapped one arm behind his neck and pressed the other’s palm to his shoulder, giving you a bit of push and pull leverage against his anchored body. Your core was tightening and not willing to relax even if you willed it to.

“Fuck! Please don’t stop!” you cried trembling all over.

He growled a pleased sound, snaking his tongue into your mouth which you licked at wildly. He was doing things to your body you’d never felt before. How were you supposed to tell him it felt better than the best feeling ever without having any words fully formed coming from your brain?

“You like that, little fawn?” he purred as your mouth crashed against his again.

“Ah-hah…” you mumbled into his mouth, coveting more of his strong tongue. You wanted to taste him, every inch of him, have his scent all over your body. The need was incredible.

The forearm holding around your hips eased tension and his free hand slid down to caress over the curve of your behind. You cooed and nibbled at his swollen lower lip, still slipping into his thumb and fingers at your front.

His one strong palm pressed under you from behind almost made a seat for you, and you were able to relax your thighs’ grip on his sides.

You gasped and dropped your head down against his shoulder, shuddering when you felt his thick fingers from behind slicking along your tensed up core and began circling with increased pressure where he’d been working to stretch you before.

Falling silent, your hips stilled and warm breath panting against his neck caught in your throat.

He could no longer see the impending orgasm written across your features when you buried your face in his neck, but he could definitely still feel the hard heartbeat between your legs kissing at his bare stomach.

One slickened middle finger traced your opening, swirling over it gently at first and then pressed his fingertip into you.

His heightened hearing caught your mouse-sized whisper into his shoulder, “Please don’t…”

#Henry Cavill #henry cavill imagine #henry cavill fanfiction #the witcher #geralt of rivia #geralt x reader #geralt x you #smut #fourmarkdovewrites

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stardew-vxlley · 4 years

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now or never

summary: Shane’s crush on the farmer isn’t much of a secret around Pelican Town--even the farmer knows. What is a secret, is that the farmer feels very much the same for him. In a fleeting moment of courage, the farmer decides to ask him out.

pairing: shane x reader

word count: 2.1k

warnings: mentions of food/alcohol

a/n: requested by @dontletyourchildrenwatchthis !! full of fluffy adorable love and shy, nervous shane. enjoy!

―

The chilly morning autumn air blew the orange and brown leaves in a flurry around Pelican Town Square. The village was just waking up--Pierre was posting the daily Help Wanted sign in front of his shop, Evelyn was pushing George in his wheelchair across the cobblestones to his monthly check-up at Harvey’s clinic, and Mayor Lewis was walking briskly back to his house, coming from the suspicious direction of Marnie’s ranch.

These mornings were always your favorite. You waved to Mayor Lewis as you made your way to Pierre’s--and the mayor hastily returned the wave and disappeared into his home with a flustered expression. You chuckled to yourself as you recalled fetching his purple shorts from Marnie’s room not too long ago.

“Good morning, farmer [Y/N]!” Pierre greeted you warmly as you entered the general store. Sliding the scarf from around your neck, you grinned at him.

“A good morning indeed,” you replied, eyes traveling over the colorful boxes and jars of various assortments. “I’m all out of wheat flour--trying to make a batch of cookies for everyone.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” he exclaimed, pointing to the aisle closest to you. “Up there on the top.”

“Perfect, thank you!”

You studied each of the boxes of flour, trying to decide how many you should buy. You were so deep in thought that you didn’t hear the jingle above the door chime cheerfully, but you registered Pierre’s greeting to who walked in.

“Shane! You’re up early today,” he remarked.

You nearly dropped the boxes in your hands, a red tinge creeping into your cheeks. Peeking through the merchandise stocked on the shelves, you saw Shane heading towards the snack aisle. His usual tired expression was as clear as ever, scowling at the rows of chips on the shelf. Biting your lip, you tried to be as discreet as possible as you hurriedly decided that one box of flour was enough for your cookies--and headed directly towards Pierre to pay for it.

“Just one box today?” Pierre asked, punching a few buttons on his register. “Will it be enough?”

“Oh, um, yeah--yeah, one box should be plenty,” you rushed out, keeping your eyes trained on the old counter top. Out of your peripheral vision, you noticed Shane was looking in your direction--earning an even deeper blush in your face.

“Just the usual price, then,” Pierre said, and you handed him the bag of coins. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Nope, nope, thank you!” you said hastily as you quickly gathered the flour in your arms, turning on your heel to make a beeline for the exit. Unfortunately, you hadn’t been paying close enough attention to see that Shane had gotten in line behind you, holding a bag of chips and a jar of sugar. You collided into him, sending everything flying in every direction.

“Oh, Jesus, I’m so sorry!” you cried out as you scrambled to clean the mess up.

“N-no, it’s okay,” Shane said, his cheeks flushed with matching embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.”

“I shouldn’t have been moving so fast,” you sheepishly admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

Luckily nothing had been harmed. You reached down and retrieved his bag of chips, holding it out to him. He took it from you, and there was a beat of awkward silence.

“Well,” you uncomfortably cleared your throat. “I’m--I’m gonna go now.”

“Sorry again,” he offered, passing by you to place his things up on the counter, where an impatient Pierre had been waiting.

“N-no problem!” You nearly tripped over your own two feet as you walked out of the general store. Once you were outside, you took a deep breath of autumn air and fanned your flushed cheeks.

Truth be told, you knew Shane had feelings for you. He wasn’t the greatest at keeping secrets--but it’s not like he had to try very hard to keep his mouth shut. It was his actions that gave everything away--you caught him gazing at you from across the saloon on more than one occasion, he sent you heartfelt notes in the mail (along with a smushed frozen pizza), and every time you were near him, he became a blubbering, flustered mess. It was adorable.

However, what Shane didn’t know, is that you had feelings for him too. Strong ones, at that. You found yourself taking the long way to town, past Marnie’s ranch, in hopes of maybe catching him while he was on his way to work at the Joja Mart. You also would steal glances at him on Friday nights in the saloon, brooding and mysterious in the corner.

But you could never bring yourself to say anything to him. You had tried, but each time you handed him a plate of pepper poppers as a token of love, you always chickened out and ended up running away. Like--literally running away. At full speed. There was just something about him that made you nervous, but in a good way--with butterflies and giddiness.

Later that evening, you were pulling the last batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. The warm and inviting smell wafted through your farmhouse, reminding you of the ones that your father used to bake for you as a child. Evelyn had been so kind and generous as to share her secret recipe with you, but you remained convinced yours would never come out as delicious as hers.

You packed them up tight in a container and set off to the saloon to deliver them. An enormous harvest moon was high up in the sky, illuminating Pelican Town with its celestial radiance. The stars twinkled cheerfully around it as you walked across the square.

You pushed the heavy wooden door open, the warm glow of the saloon washing over the steps of the stoop. The sound of the jukebox echoed across the town, the sound of silverware and drinks joining it in a pleasant symphony.

“Those look like cookies,” Gus called out from behind the bar, a twinkle in his eyes. “Freshly baked?”

“I literally just took them out of the oven an hour ago,” you laughed, stepping up to the bar and placing the container down. “You’ll keep them safe and make sure everyone gets one, right?”

“I’ll guard them with my life,” Gus promised, taking the container and lifting the lid. He inhaled deeply with a satisfied grin. “Smells like Evelyn’s recipe.”

“You have an incredible nose,” you chuckled, and turned to leave the bar. Your eyes couldn’t help but search for Shane, quickly darting to his usual spot by the fireplace. And...he was there. You locked gazes, that old familiar blush creeping back into your cheeks.

He awkwardly lifted the beer he was drinking in acknowledgement to you, to which you responded with a little wave.

“Won’t you have a bite to eat, [Y/N]?” Gus’ voice pulled your attention back to the bar. “I just made some of my classic spaghetti, hot off the pot.”

You opened your mouth to decline, it was getting late and you needed to get some rest. But on a whim, you smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll take a plate.”

“Wonderful,” he grinned, and disappeared to fetch it. You nervously tapped your fingers against the wooden bar, feeling Shane’s eyes boring a hole in the side of your head. You suppressed the urge to look at him again, focusing on the various bottles and dishes stacked along the wall.

Gus returned with a steaming plate of spaghetti, and your worries were placed on a temporary hold as you drew in the mouth-watering scent of homemade tomato sauce and pasta.

“Thank you so much, it smells divine,” you said graciously, looking up at Gus. “How much do I owe you?”

“On the house tonight,” he replied, picking up a glass and cleaning it with a dish rag. “For that little favor with the lobster.”

You beamed at him, and began eating your dinner heartily. It was as delicious as it smelled, and pretty soon you were fighting the urge to lick the sauce off the plate. Emily came by and took the dirty dish away, exchanging pleasantries with you while she did.

A moment passed where you were alone at the bar, full of pasta. A bolt of courage surged through you and you lifted your eyes to where Shane stood, watching him stare at the floor and drink his beer. His mop of hair fell into his eyes, making him look young and vulnerable. The hand that wasn’t holding the beer was shoved into the pocket of his jeans, sleeves of his sweatshirt pushed up.

You bit your lip in anticipation. Now was your chance--Gus and Emily were tending to other patrons, no one was in your way--all you had to do was get up and move.

Forcefully exhaling a breath, you pushed away from the bar and started walking over to where he stood. His focus turned to you, locking on your eyes as you neared him. You almost tucked tail and ran away--again--but something in you told you to just suck it up and get on with it this time.

You came to a stop just a few feet in front of him. Your mind raced to figure out just what exactly to say, mouth falling open with no words coming out. He stared at you, beer paused just halfway to his lips.

“Uh,” Shane said, “hi.”

“H-hi,” you stumbled over the word. You anxiously fiddled with your hands, blushing furiously.

His eyebrows raised in question. “C-can I help you?”

You laughed nervously, trying to refrain from tugging on your ear--something you did in any nervous situation. “I--I have something to ask you.”

You had his full attention now. He set down his beer on the counter before turning back to you and crossing his arms, the muscles in his forearms flexing.

“What is it?”

This was it. Now or never.

“Do you want to go out sometime?” you rushed out, squeezing your eyes shut in humiliation.

When he didn’t answer right away, you slowly cracked one eye open to peek at him. He was in shock--his whole face was red and his mouth was hanging open in surprise.

“You don’t have to say yes!” you reassured him, holding your hands up in defense. “I just--I really like you, and I want to--uh--ya know, get to know you better.”

Shane looked around, as if trying to find someone. His gaze landed back on you, brow furrowed in confusion. “I d-don’t get it.”

Now it was your turn to look confused. “What--what don’t you get?”

“You’re asking me out?”

“Ye-e-es?” you replied slowly, not liking where this conversation was going.

“And it’s--it’s not a prank? Sam didn’t put you up to this, did he?”

“No!” you exclaimed as you waved your hands. “It’s not a prank--that would be a horrible thing to do. No, I...I just really want to spend more time with you.”

Shane stared at you, until his adorable cheeks split into a grin. “Alright. Yeah--actually, I got two tickets to the Tunnelers game this weekend, do you want to go with me?”

“I would love to!” you said, all-too excitedly, and winced at your enthusiasm. “Sorry--I’m, ah, really nervous.”

“I know the feeling,” he replied, picking up his beer again. “So--gridball game, this weekend. I’ll meet you by the bus stop.”

“It’s a date,” you said cheerfully, and immediately blushed again. “I’ll see you then.”

“See you then,” he said.

Your heart was so full in that moment, that you didn’t realize you were staring at him in silence again, until he cleared his throat.

“Sorry! I’m gonna--” you gestured to the door with your thumbs, “--gonna get home now. To the farm. That I live on.” Smooth.

“It’s getting late,” Shane remarked as he glanced at the clock. “Can I--can I walk you home?”

“That would be really nice of you,” you replied shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Thank you.”

He led you out of the saloon and into the autumn night, and the two of you talked the entire walk home about anything and everything. And long after he had given you a sweet, nervous goodnight kiss on the cheek while the two of you stood on the porch, you lay awake in your bed and wished with all your might that this next week went by quickly, so you could steel your nerves and kiss Shane for real.

#shane #shane stardew valley #shane stardew #shane x farmer #sdv #shane sdv fanfic #shane x reader #stardew valley #stardew valley fanfiction #stardew valley fanfic

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stenbrozier · 4 years

Text

Mornings of Tranquility (Teen!Mike Hanlon x Reader)

Plot: You sleepover Mike’s, and he wakes you up for an early morning around the expansive farm property. While you guys eat breakfast, you take a breath and just savor the time you have with him.

Warnings: none :)

A/N: I love Mike with all of my being. What a soft man 💕 (Also I’m ahead of schedule!!!!)

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You were awoke by Mike moving out from underneath you, one of his hands on your back steadying you as you flopped softly onto the grey sheets. He moaned slightly as he sat on the edge of the bed, standing up and stretching. He tucked you back underneath the dark blue blanket as he stood up and walked to the bathroom, and you slowly grasped it and threw it over your shoulders, opening your eyes and squinting them as you looked at Mike’s angelic silhouette in front of the bathroom door. He had just turned on the light, looking back at you briefly with a fond look on his face before he walked in and shut the door behind you. You slid yourself up the bed, the blanket falling from your shoulders as you puffed your chest out and reached your arms up so that you could stretch your back properly. Leaning back against the headboard, you brought the blanket around your shoulders again, staring blankly at the stack of books on Mike’s desk that were outline by the early morning moonlight. The sun should be rising soon, you thought. That’s probably why Mike got up so early.

You had never slept over his house, he had always been at yours, but since his grandpa had to leave town for a few days and needed Mike to tend to the animals and the crops, you were invited to a weekend full of sleepovers, all day dance parties, and sheep. Lots and lots of sheep. You turned your head as you heard the bathroom door creak open, Mike smiling when he saw you up. The light went off, and he bolted to the bed, wrapping you in his arms and tucking himself back underneath the blanket with you.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” he whispered with a smile, planting a kiss on your temple. “You wanna help me this morning? I have to feed the animals and maybe water the crops if they’re dry. But it just rained yesterday, so I think they’ll be fine.”

Your eyelids were still heavy with sleep as you shrugged and planted a kiss to Mike’s neck. “Depends if I fall back asleep or not.”

“We’ll watch the sunrise,” he added with a sultry tone, trying to entice you to wake up and help him. He tugged you onto his lap, and you laughed at his puppy dog eyes. “Pleaseeee?”

“Fine,” you sighed out, faking exasperation as you booped his nose with your pointer finger. “But only cause I wanna watch the sunrise. Not because I actually wanna help you.”

Mike rolled his eyes and tried to undo himself from your now entangled bodies, your legs wrapped around his hips and your arms on his shoulders, messing with the kinkier curls that laid on his neck. His hands lay at the curve of your lower back, his finger tips barely grazing the top of your ass. He tried to push you off of him again, but when you grasped onto him tighter, he chuckled, standing up with still in his grasp. His hands were now on your ass cheeks, squeezing as you laughed, leaving kisses on his cheekbones as he smiled back at you. It all felt so domestic. The waking up together, the tending to the animals. This entire weekend had given you a taste of what living with Mike was going to be like, and you wanted to hold onto it as long as you possibly could. You guys had made it to the kitchen, Mike setting you down onto the cold tile as you whined softly, making grabby hands as he went to the fridge to take out some eggs for you guys to have for breakfast.

“We’ll cuddle after breakfast and we do some work outside,” Mike explained as he ran a hand over your shoulder and down your arm. His humongous hand found your tiny one, running his thumbnail softly down the lines on your palm. “We’ll eat, feed the animals, watch the sunrise-“

You groaned with a pout. “So much stuff before cuddling.” He grinned at your need behavior, finding it endearing because he had never seen you act this way before. “Why can’t we just feed the animals a little later?”

“Because they need to be fed at roughly the same time everyday,” he said matter of factly, pulling away to actually get the eggs out of the fridge. “They live on a schedule, (Y/N). Now, go sit at the table while I get your eggs.”

He planted a kiss on your lips, nibbling on them slightly when you refused to kiss back for a split second out of brattiness. You laughed, your lips still pressed against his as you kissed back. Mike pulled away first, sending you a wink and nodding towards the small little breakfast table that sat by the big window. The window looked out on the farm, and with the dim moonlight, you could only see the chickens and ducks because their coops were right outside the window. You turned slightly, looking at the wall beside the window and noticed all of the baby pictures of Mike and what looked to be his parents. There were ones with him sitting in a little bassinet, a big smile on his once chubby cheeks. You looked back over at him, once again relishing in the domesticity of that weekend, and looked at his face. His face had thinned out since then, obviously, forming a beautiful jawline and high and prominent cheek bones. His smile added to the beauty of the moment as he looked over you for a split second with a smile.

“You’re burning holes into the side of my face, Love,” he joked with a smile, diverting his eyes back to the task at hand and flipping over the egg in the pan. It sizzled, and he looked back over at you. “If you’re gonna stare, at least try to hide it.”

“I don’t have to hide it anymore,” you giggled back. “You’re mine and I can stare all I want.”

He shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head, putting on one of those “hmm I guess you’re right” faces where he rose his eyebrows and thinned out his lips. You rolled your eyes playfully, causing him to smile and bring his attention back to breakfast. He played the egg, bringing it to the table and setting it down in front of you. He punctuated his movements with a kiss to your temple. You got up and raced to grab the forks and cups, laughing when he got pouty.

“I want to do everything,” he whined with his bottom lip sticking out. “You were supposed to sit there and look pretty.” You stood on your tippy toes and kissed his cheek before you gently smacked his ass, causing him to jolt forward.

“Make your breakfast,” you said as you went to the fridge and grabbed the apple juice. “I can handle getting utensils and pouring you a drink.” Mike shrugged, cracking his egg onto the skillet and chucking the shell into the garbage can.

“You can do anything and still look pretty anyways,” he flirted, smiling as your cheeks tinted red and you dropped your head to the floor. You picked up the glasses of juice, taking them over to the table. The egg was still a little warm, and you shoveled a forkful into your mouth.

You continued to stare outside and watch as more came into view, the sun coming up slowly over the horizon. You dropped your fork softly as you watched it come up, placing your hand onto the table. Mike sat down across from you, reaching across and taking your hand in his. He squeezed it tight, cutting some of his egg with the side of his fork and shoving it in his mouth as he watched your face take in the sunrise.

“Have you never watched the sunrise?” he asked in disbelief, scrunching his eyebrows together as you shrugged, not taking your eyes off of orange, pink, and purple tinted sky. “Come on. Let’s go watch it in the truck.”

He pulled you out of your seat, abandoning your dishes on the table as you both ran out barefoot to his old truck. Mike had grabbed the keys on the way out and started it immediately. You took off through the dirt roads that weaved through the farm before ending up in the big meadow clearing at the edge of the property right by the small lake that some of the quarry ran off into. He parked the truck, grabbing your waist and pulling you out into the bed of the truck. There were always a few blankets back there, so you wrapped yourself in one after he lifted you up. Mike climbed in beside you, snuggling up beside you with his own blanket around his shoulders.

The sky filled up with an orange glow, the pinks and purples slowly fading away as orange and blue started to take over. You leaned your head on Mike’s shoulder, feeling a gentle pair of lips in the crown of your head as you did so. You tucked your legs under yourself, wrapping the blanket further around you as you shivered from the cold morning air. The oranges started to fade as well, joining pink and purple in hibernation as the big, yellow sun settled into a spot high above you. The blue sky around it illuminated itself, clouds slowly moving as you continued to snuggle into Mike. You could feel your eyes becoming droopy after a while of just staring at the sun’s reflection off of the lake. Mike noticed and nudged you slightly, peppering your head with kisses.

“Okay, Princess,” he mumbled softly when you didn’t respond. He dragged himself out of the bed of the truck, going around to the side you were closest too and lifting you out with ease. You started to stir in his arms during the short walk to your side of the car.

“Can we do this everyday forever, Mikey?” you asked innocently, your tired voice making Mike melt. He smiled, using the hand he has underneath your knees to open the car door and slip you in.

“Anything you want, Baby,” he whispered back, kissing you softly on the lips, getting a small pucker back. “I will watch as many sunrises and sunsets as long as I’m with you.”

You slowly opened your eyes, squinting at him as you brought your hand up to cradle his cheek. “Then I guess we’ll try to catch them each day.”

#mike hanlon headcanons #mike hanlon x reader #mike hanlon smut #ben hanscom x reader #bill denbrough x reader #richie tozier x reader #eddie kaspbrak x reader #stanley uris x reader #beverly marsh x reader #it chapter one imagines #it chapter two imagines #masterlist

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geesecannotlove · 3 years

Text

I figured I'd keep up the trend of firsts, so here is my very first and so far only ShinKami thing, I'd like to do more so we shall see. It's a little no quirks cat cafe au, I hope you enjoy.

•Comfort Zone•

It was hard to believe that someone so full of life they were buzzing with energy could draw in the attention of a half dozen of old cats living out the rest of their days in a little cafe tucked away in a bustling city, just out of sight. But there he was, artificial yellow hair with a cheesy black bolt of lightning laid face up, talking to the old cats as of they were casual friends catching up over lunch. They didn't open for another 30 minutes and this had become routine. The electric blond would lay face up, bowls of wet food abandoned in favour of attention that was a little too rough but filled so full with love and adoration. The oldest, Mama Cat, curled up and his chest and purred quietly as he let out all the words most people couldn't stand to listen to for long.

"I feel like I'm the only one not living Mama cat. You know?" He hummed, it was always some iteration of the feeling of standing still on a race track. The elderly cat rubbed her face against his knuckles, oblivious to the question she'd been asked a million times.

"Okay, let's get going." Kaminari concluded finally, drawing himself up to his feet and dusting off the hair that remained on his black shirt.

It all started as a college job, something to pay the bills and a relaxing oasis in the constant thrum of a city running through life. But here he was 2 years graduated, still clinging to the little cafe with everything he had. The little heard of cats followed him diligently into the main room of the cafe, spreading out to relax once they realized Kaminari wasn't going to pamper them any longer that early monday morning. It was just him now. The familiar faces from his childhood long gone to live the next chapter of their lives. Racers who didn't stand in fear at all the eyes watching. Now faceless kids just as he'd been filtered in out nearly weekly.

But with golden eyes looking for an adventure and a dopey smile on his face it was hard to not love him. And even easier to look past how deeply the longing shot through his veins and curled in his heart. The face of the little cafe. He hummed off tune as he whipped down the cafe windows and flipped the small neon sign just above the door. It's starchy red shining through the morning fog. It was quiet, the city still dragging itself from the beds they found too late, or maybe too early.

The little bell above the door chimed with a subtle finality as a man with weightless purple hair stood slouched slightly in the entry way. Eyes disinterested and tired, a heavy sigh still pent up in his shoulders as he took in the blond too happy to be awake this morning. He'd heard about the place from a friend as a joke. They'd given him a 30 dollar gift card, and he saw no reason to waste it, joke or not.

"Hey good morning!" Kaminari sung where he was just flicking the coffee machines to life. Their warming smell curling around them like fog over a forest.

It was empty, having only just opened, but Monday mornings were always slow. Everyone running through their day too caught up to sit back and enjoy the hum of life.

"My name's Kaminari, what can I get started for you?" The blond buzzed with excitement, his voice just a little too loud for such a small room.

The cat nearest to him twitched her ears but otherwise remained stretched out in a sunny patch, a lazy yawn and a final stretch before falling asleep, completely unphazed after all this time. The commotion made Shinso's lips twitch an almost amused look in his tired eyes.

"Just a black coffee." Shinso drawled out, pausing before reluctantly adding, "Decaf please."

"Sure sure." Kaminari laughed, skeptically watching as the sleepy looking man sank into a yellow over stuffed chair. Mama Cat sitting on it's armrest, her tail flickering. She'd grown cranky in her old age. Tending to sprawl out in the fluffy faded chair and glare at anyone who walked by. The new costumer stared curiously as she tracked his every move with cautious eyes.

"That's Mama, she bites sometimes but I think she just believes in tough love, she's missing her left canine anyway so it doesn't actually hurt." Kaminari smiled, placing the cup on the table a bit hard and it sloshed almost dangerously inside the ceramic orange cup.

"The toys are in a basket over there but the gangs getting old and they prefer a good cuddle session these days." Kaminari sounded almost sad as he patted Mama's head, "Let me know if you need anything."

"Mhm." Shinso grumbled beneath his breath.

There wasn't much else to clean after he'd refilled the cat bowls and replaced their water. He bent down to stroke the youngest and loudest of the group his sleek black coat sprinkled with white as he'd aged. Kaminari found himself leaning on the front counter, scrolling through his phone and dancing to a tune no one else could hear. Occasionally he'd glance up, locating all of the cozy cats and the purple haired man before going back at his social media feed.

His college buddies were all doing the things they'd dreamed of as stupid kids, and most had moved away, leaving Kaminari alone in their sprawling college town. He'd turned down Kirishima's going away party last month, too worried he'd make a scene and embarrass himself. The redhead and his hot headed boyfriend showed up at the Cafe an hour until open the next day and just talked. And if they cried over stupid memories it was between them and Kaminari's cats.

Empty promises of future visits and hugs that squeezed the air out of Kaminari's lungs, and then they were gone and their remaining trio was down to one. The electrifying man craved an adventure of his own.

Shinso, sipped on his coffee, stroking Mama's head and flipping through a book from one of the bookcases that lined the shops far wall. His face pinched in a frown as he skimmed more than read. Occasionally he'd glance up to find the blond looking over the room, seemingly satisfied with the shops state and then back down to his phone.

Every once and a while Denki would clean the surface of the counter even though there was nothing there, and the blond had downed at least 6 cups of something before Shinso decided he couldn't draw out the visit any longer. The quiet moment filled only with the purring of the little cats and Kaminari's random bouts of humming. Shinsou doubted the man even realized he was doing it for how much of a stop and go affair it had become.

Kaminari watched as Shinsou stretched much like Mama cat as she jumped from his lap. He was struck with how beautiful the man was suddenly and his face warmed ever so slightly, his eyes fixed down at his now dark phone screen. He was frozen in his spot even as the other approached and dug through his worn leather wallet.

"What's your problem, short circuiting?" Shinsou mocked from across the counter, a cat rubbing against his leg as he held out the plastic pink gift card.

"Ah sorry." Kaminari laughed, a pretty blush clashing with golden irises.

One arm darted out to take the card, the other reaching up to pull nervously at the little hairs at the back of his neck. His loose armed black sweater sliding up and showing off the beginnings of a tattoo.

"What's it of?" Shinsou was asking despite his better judgment.

He'd found himself more fond of the cat cafe and bubbly blond then he'd first believed he would be that morning.

"What's what of?" Kaminari asked indignantly, swiping the gift card with unnecessary force, his embarrassment coming off too harshly.

"Your tattoo."

"Oh." A strangled laugh barked through his lips, "Long story, I was struck by lightning doing something stupid while I was drunk with some old friends, figured why not make it permanent?"

"That's weird. Why would you want to make it permanent?" His monotone voice clipped at the end and his brows raised ever so slightly.

"Life's short man, I try to take everything in stride." Kaminari shrugged, golden eyes crinkling with amusement as he watched the purple haired man mull over the words.

It became a sort of routine, even after Shinso had burnt up the money on the plastic pink card. He never ventured in on the weekends, once Kaminari had seen him hesitate outside the door but the small crowd inside lead to him casually continuing on his way. Eventually it got to the point Kaminari already had his large black decaffeinated coffee sitting at the booth Shinso had moved to after the first time. There he would set up his sleek laptop decorated with a single sticker and type away. Occasionally he'd draw a small black note book from his bag and scribble away.

"So," Kaminari drew out the word obnoxiously as he slid into the booth right next to Shinso as if they weren't strangers, "Why no caffeine if you're always such a sleepy head?"

"You're not supposed to drink caffeine when you have insomnia." Shinso rolled off casually, subtly slinking away from the blond and continuing to type.

"Oh icky." Kaminari stuck out his tongue childishly, "What ya working on?"

"Aren't you working?" Shinso deflected stifling another yawn that bubbled in his throat, "Why are you bothering me?"

"You see anyone else in here?" Kaminari whinned.

"That's why I come here, I like the quiet."

Kaminari huffed, his head bumping loudly against the table as he let out an exaggerated sigh. Nonetheless the blond in his all black uniform and pink server's apron disappeared into the small kitchenette area. He came out with a pout and a stale blueberry muffin in hand. The muffins were only fresh every other day and by the end of the second day they were too crumbly to sell. Kaminari let himself at them when they got like that.

"You're a writer right?" Kaminari asked around the muffin falling apart in his mouth.

Shinso wrinkled his nose in frustration and stilled his rapid fingers, "If I indulge you, will you let me finish in peace?"

"Yes!" The words tumbled out of Kaminari's mouth even though he probably wouldn't run out of things to ask the man and then, in the end, he wouldn't be able to finish like he'd hoped.

Kaminari had another mug of coffee he didn't need and slid in the booth across from the other this time. Shinsou closed his laptop, a sigh itching it's way into his heavy shoulders. With a sideways glance and nimble fingers reaching across to pick at Kaminari's muffin he sighed.

"Yes, I'm a writer of sorts you could say. Ghost writer is the actual job though." Shinsou watched the blond come to life before him.

"That's so cool! What have you written?"

"I'm not supposed to say, ruins the illusion of being someone else."

"You're right, you're right. But one has to be that book you kept frowning at when you first came in. Right?" Kaminari smiled brightly, his cheeks flushed.

"Again, I can't tell you."

"So yes."

"Believe what you want." Shinsou sighed but his lips quirked up ever so slightly in a smirk of a smile. Everytime Denki was on the receiving end of the little half smiles, his heart beat rapidly and his mind seemed to slow to a near stop. He both wanted nothing more than for Shinsou to smile fully and hoped he'd never see it in fear of dropping dead.

A woman and her child slipped into the cafe to hide from the gentle rain that had begun to fall and Kaminari slipped away from the booth, leaving his half eaten muffin and coffee. An unsung promise that he'd come back. But Shinsou frowned at the sloppy tears the little girl shead and her wails peirced the bubble he craved. He packed away his things and hesitated only slightly when he saw the blond's shoulders fall and his smile grow with forced effort. Golden eyes tearing themselves away to address the mother once more explaining they were out of chocolate chip muffins.

"It's on me." Kaminari called from the cash wrap, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"Thank you." Shinsou called back, feeling stiffly awkward with all his things packed away and a free pass to leave without crossing paths with the bratty girl.

He'd slipped it under the muffin's plate in a moment of laps of judgment. His number. A handful of digests that quietly suggested despite his complaining he didn't mind the endless flow of words Kaminari had to offer. Maybe he was ready for an adventure too. He'd been mundane for so long and never realized it until he pretended to ignore Denki's long winded tales of who he wanted to be when he grew up. A childish notion, but one that twisted his heart and made him ask himself of he was really everything he wanted to be.

/\/\/\

Idk just a little thing I did, still trying to get a feel for their characters.

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fangirlxwritesx67 · 4 years

Text

Cross Timbers

Dean Winchester x Donna Hanscum, Sam Winchester x Jody Mills, no warnings, mildly PG-rated Chapter 1 - 1830 words Chapter 2 - 2265 words Chapter 3 - 1885 words

A/N: This story was just a passing idea until I brought it up in my Slack chat and got a ton of great ideas from the folks there! Friends, I hope I have remembered everyone’s ideas and done them justice. Thanks for this and everything else!

@boondoctorwho

@cherry3point14

@cracksinthewalls

@dawnie1988

@fookinghelljensensthighs

@icemankazansky

@itmighthavebeenintentional

@justcallmeasmodeus

@lastactiontricia

@littlegreenplasticsoldier

@mskathywriteswords

@rockhoochie

@there-must-be-a-lock

@thoughtslikeaminefield

/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

Jody woke up early the next morning. She reached out and grabbed Sam's discarded flannel from the night before. She pulled it over her shoulders, wrapping herself in warmth and the smell of him. She bent down and brushed a kiss to his lips, and he murmured her name in his sleep, before she slipped out of the tent.

She made a pot of coffee, enjoying the cool morning air and the sunlight warming her bare legs. She chopped apples, getting them ready to mix into oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar. She was bending over to tend the fire when she heard a low voice right behind her. She stood up and saw Sam striding towards her.

“Good morning,” she called softly.

"Well, it’s definitely a good morning for me." A smile creased his face, pushing dimples into his cheeks. He held out his arms and she slipped into them, leaning in for a kiss.

“Where are you headed so early?” she asked. Her fingers slipped under the waistband of his shorts, and then down over the curve of his ass.

“Well, I was going running,” he murmured. A mischievous glint lit his hazel eyes. “But I can think of a more enjoyable way to get some exercise.”

“Oh yeah?” Jody sighed, as his lips trailed over her jawline, down her neck, and towards the buttons of her -his- shirt.

“Let me show you.” He tugged her back towards the tent. /\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

When Sam and Jody exited the tent, hand in hand, he started. Next to his SUV was- what? An inflatable slice of pizza almost as tall as him. He blinked, and it was still there. He shook his head and decided to figure it out later.

Dean and Donna were lounging by the fire. They had helped themselves to oatmeal, and coffee, and made more coffee. Sam and Jody got their own mugs and bowls before they sat down too.

Dean waited until they were settled to speak. “So, what should we do today?”

“I thought we could hike?” Sam spoke up with an eager look on his face.

Dean laughed as he took a big gulp of coffee. “Didn’t Jody give you enough of a workout? Do you two need more time in your tent?”

Sam rolled his eyes at his older brother before turning to Jody with a smile and a soft kiss.

“Today we should go to the lake. We’ve got the pizza float,” Donna chimed in.

Sam’s eyebrows went up, furrowing his brow. “The … pizza float?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t see it.” Dean gestured back. “When we went supply shopping for this trip, Donna just insisted that she needed it.”

“Stuff you, Dean,” she sassed back, dimples popping in her cheeks as she grinned. “You’re the one who loves pizza.”

“I love you,” he answered with a kiss. “

Well, the lake sounds good to me,” Jody spoke up.

“Oh, yeah.” Dean returned to the moment. “I already went to the store down at the park entrance, got some ice. We can pack the cooler full of beer and snacks.”

/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

Everyone changed into swimsuits. Jody insisted on sunscreen all around before they headed out, the boys carrying chairs and the cooler between them. She had the towels, while Donna wrangled the pizza float.

The lake was a short easy walk away. Tall trees opened onto a sloped beach, pebbles mixed with gritty sand. The lake itself was wide and clear, sun sparkling bright. A gentle breeze swept waves across the surface, stirring the air damp and cool. In the distance, ducks paddled on the water, quacking softly.

The four of them dropped everything on the sand and headed straight for the water. Sam and Dean jumped in headfirst, racing each other to some invisible point far out in the lake. Jody and Donna waded in more slowly, but the water was warm and inviting, and they soon joined the boys.

In the lake, they were weightless, free. The worries of land slipped away, leaving them to enjoy the embrace of sun and water. The four of them stayed for a long time, talking and laughing and splashing.

Finally, Sam and Dean headed towards shore. They settled into their folding chairs and cracked open beers. Both of them looked out across the lake where Jody and Donna had their arms on the pizza float, heads together in conversation.

“Looks like trouble for us.” Dean chuckled.

“They’re the best damn thing that has ever happened to us and you know it,” Sam responded, scoffing. Dean tipped his beer wordlessly towards him in agreement. Both took a long cool drink, savoring the moment.

Finally, Dean spoke again.“You know, it’s not quite the toes in the sand vacation I envisioned.”

Sam looked at his sweating beer with a mock sad face, turning down the corners of his mouth. “And sadly lacking in umbrella drinks.”

“Hah!” Dean turned to look at his younger brother. “Anyway, I’m happy. I think you’re happy. For two fucked up ex hunters, we have it pretty good.”

Sam met his gaze with a bright, genuine smile. “We have each other. We have Jody and Donna. Yeah, I’d say I’m happy.”

Before the chick flick moment could drag on, the aforementioned ladies splashed in from the lake, dragging the pizza float behind them.

Once they dried off, they opened the cooler. Both took beers before digging into the snacks. There were crackers and pretzels, hummus and different kinds of cheese, green olives and red grapes. Everything was cool and tasty.

The four of them splashed in and out of the lake, basked in the sun, sat around talking, ate, drank, and ducked into the water again. The sun was golden bright, low in the sky, before they gathered up their things and headed back to camp.

/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

Dean built a fire while Donna made sure the grill packs were ready to go. Sam and Jody hung around making sure dinner got into the coals. Then they left, hand in hand, to refill the collapsible water jug from Sam’s stream-fed irrigation system.

The sun was sinking behind the trees, filling the campsite with golden bands of light, before dinner was ready. Everyone felt the chill of evening on sunwarmed skin.

Sam pulled on a lightweight running shirt, while Jody returned to his button-up flannel. Dean grabbed a soft henley. Donna had the coziest solution of all: wrapping herself in a blanket, tossing the ends over her shoulders.

Around the fire, they ate and drank, laughed and talked. That night they didn’t have to worry about anything else. They just enjoyed the moment.

The fire had burned down to embers again when Dean cleared his throat. “You know, I think I might take Donna for a drive in Baby, show her where I’ve been fishing.”

“Ooh, yeah,” Donna cooed, running her fingers through Dean’s hair. “You got something to show me?”

Dean winked at Sam before he turned his attention fully to her with a deep warm kiss.

/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

Dean drove in silence, Donna’s hand resting on his thigh. It took moments to arrive at the spot where he had been fishing the day before.

The moon shone a silvery path from the dark sky onto the deep water. He put the car in park and rolled down the windows. Donna snuggled up against him.

“Oh yeah,” she breathed. “This is nice.”

“Just you and me, sweetheart,” he answered with a suggestive tilt of his brows. “Alone, together.”

She didn’t need to hear any more before she landed in his lap, pushing his shoulders back against the car door.

/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

“Hasn’t Dean been walking to the fishing spot?” Jody wondered, back at the campsite.

“Well, yeah,” Sam answered, as if it was obvious. “But he’s not gonna take Donna out and make love to her on a splintery old dock.”

“Oh. OH.” Jody’s big brown eyes widened.

“Sex under the stars,” Sam continued as he reached out, and she slipped her hand into his. “Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

“Until you mentioned splinters,” she retorted.

“Wait.” He got up and took the blanket that Donna had discarded and spread it over one of the picnic tables. Then he sat down on the bench and held out his arms. Jody slipped eagerly into his embrace before he pulled her onto his lap.

The moon and the stars in the velvet dark sky seemed to hang low over the trees. Kisses and whispers drifted into the night. Everything was close and stripped bare and perfect.

/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

It was long past midnight. The chorus of night sounds had settled to the whisper of running water and the occasional enthusiastic frog. Somewhere close, an owl hooted gently, keeping watch.

Jody was in a camp chair, Sam at her feet beside a low but warm fire. He leaned his head on her knee as she gently stroked his hair.

Dean and Donna drove up, holding hands as they got out of Baby. Her curls were more riotous than usual, his hair soft and all on end. They settled in a pair of chairs.

For a long time, everyone was still and no one spoke. Eventually, Dean got up and went to the cooler and handed out beer all around.

They were still again, enjoying the moment, when finally Donna spoke.“S’mores?”

Sam laughed, actually laughed out loud. Of course that was what this moment was missing. Never mind that it was well past 1am. Never mind that he and his brother were grown men. What a camping trip needed was s’mores.

He got up and dug around until he found the basics: marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. Jody appeared at his side with long roasting sticks.

Dean stoked the fire higher before he settled back into his seat. When Donna came up to him, he cupped a hand under her ass and then pulled her onto his lap.

Some marshmallows were burned to a crisp and others were toasted perfectly. More chocolate was eaten than made it onto graham crackers. They stayed up long after the snacks were gone, poking the fire now and then, casting a burst of sparks upward.

Sam gathered the blanket off the picnic table and settled on the ground, his back against a cooler. Jody sat between his knees, her back against his chest. He wrapped her in the blanket and held her close.

Sam and Jody, Donna and Dean - they deserved so much more. But for one night, under the light of the stars, the Winchesters were happy. They would hold on to that moment as long as they could. Afterwards they would treasure the memories of their camping trip at Cross Timbers.

/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_

SPN First Last and Always: @boondoctorwho @dawnie1988 @deanwanddamons @defenderrosetyler @divadinag @emoryhemsworth @fookinghelljensensthighs @idreamofplaid @kalesrebellion @kickingitwithkirk @maddiepants @magssteenkamp @onethirstyunicorn @there-must-be-a-lock @tloveswriting Sam Girl For Life: @awesomesusiebstuff @lilsylvia @winchesterxfamilybusiness Dean Curious:@adoptdontshoppets @awesomesusiebstuff @deangirl7695 @deans-baby-momma @mrsjenniferwinchester @stoneyggirl @wayward-gypsy @winchesterxfamilybusiness Cross Timbers Tags: @deangirl7695, @elliloumom, @meeshw777

#cross timbers #dean x donna #sam x jody #winchester camping trip

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jbbarnesandnoble · 4 years

Text

Something Borrowed: Part One

Pairing: Teacher!Steve x SingleMom!Reader

Summary: Steve is your attractive neighbor, who happens to be daughters 3rd grade teacher. You’re a single mom with two kids, trying to balance work and raising your children. But never have time for yourself or a relationship. What could go wrong when you’re finally ready to date?

Chapter Summary: it’s the sunday before school starts at your kids new schools. And special occasions require special pancakes.

Warning(s): fluff, an intro to this little family, and a bit of motherly worrying. Warnings will change throughout the series.

Word Count: 1,604

Prompt: Teacher AU

A/N: This is my submission for @marvelfulxbabes writing challenge. I hope you all like this fully little fic of mine! This is my first series for Steve and I have to say I’m very excited about it!! We’re off to a but of a shaky start with this first part. Seeing as this isn’t exactly how i wanted to start this fic off. But i had to stuck with it. This has been a chaotic week to even find the time to breathe, let alone write. I’m sorry:( Feedback is very much appreciated, but never expected and definitely not mandatory!! Hope you enjoy it!

(this isn’t my gif)

The early morning sun peaks through the small spaces in the curtains. Pouring into your room, giving it a warm glow. Sunday’s are your favorite day. They’re peaceful, quiet, and slow paced. At least, that’s how they’re meant to be. With two kids, it makes it hard to find a quiet moment. But today, you found that peaceful -much needed- quiet.

Stretching your arms above your head, pointing your toes out. Your joints crack and pop in a delightful way. You sigh, content when your body relaxes back into the soft mattress. A few moments pass you by. While you enjoy the feeling of staying in bed a little longer today. Another sigh, your feet hit the cool wood of your bedroom floor. When you finally force yourself out of bed. Your feet guide you down the hall, through your home.

It’s a short walk to your kitchen, where your glorious, well loved coffee pot calls to you. A few scoops of coffee grounds and two cups of water later. And your kitchen already smells of coffee. The warm aroma floods your lungs, waking you up. While you wait for the coffee to brew, you take out a few ingredients out for pancakes. Your favorite breakfast food.

Once the coffee is done, your poor yourself a generous amount. Seeing as you’re the only caffeine drinker in the house. You drink it black. Not bothering with cream or sugar.

With a long sip, you feel yourself becoming less sluggish. Now that, that’s done, you focus on the pancakes. Mixing together all the ingredients you need. Throwing in blueberries and lemon zest to make them more special. A couple minutes later and they’re cooked, ready to be eaten. The only problem? You’re missing your two favorite sleepy heads to help you eat them.

Making your way through the livingroom and back down the hallway. You stop in front of your daughter’s door first. Managing to slip in without waking her up. Crossing her room, you stop next to her bed. Crouching down next to her little face. You whisper three little words you know she’ll wake up to. “I made pancakes.” You whispered into her ear, in a sing songy voice. As expected, her green eyes snap open. As wide as ever. “You made pancakes? Blueberry lemon pancakes?” Mary asks, her voice still groggy from sleep. You nod, a smile on your face. Without missing a beat, she sits up. Her blond hair sticks every which way. Wild from her nights sleep.

By the time you stand up, she’s racing down the hall. The sound of her small feet running gets farther and farther away. Then they stop altogether. Before they come racing back towards you. “Did you wake up Harley?” She asks, bouncing on her toes. Her big eyes look up at you, mischief swirls through the green of them. Her toothy smile is a playful one. You shake your head slowly. Mirroring her mischievous expression.

Without saying another word, the two of you ‘sneak’ to the door at the end of the hall. Tiptoeing down the dark hallway. Muffled giggles bounce off of the walls, as you try your best to be sneaky. Easily failing. Her eyes meet your own, both of you whisper as you count down from three. Before opening the door, the room is dark. Except for a sliver of light that peeks through the bottom of the blinds.

Tired of wasting any more time, you turn on the light. Mary runs into the room hopping onto the bed, placed against the wall. Giggles and screams flood the small room. You can’t help but laugh at the sight in front of you.

Mary is sitting on top of her older brother who is yelling, angry the two of you woke him up. Despite the chaos and noise, you feel your heart warming at the sight of your kids. Your kids who you love more than anyone, and anything. In the entire world. “All right, that’s enough. Hop down girly.” Clapping your hands together, you hold them out. Mary pouts, but jumps into your them anyway. “What was that for?” Harley grumbles, pushing his curly brown hair out of his face.

Still holding Mary in your arms. Who’s wrapped around you like a baby koala. You move closer to your son. “I made pancakes.” You smile down at him, giving him a wink. His face softens a bit. “Mary and I didn’t want you to miss out. Isn’t that right?” She nods. You continue. “By having us eat all of them.” turning on your heel, you move towards the door of his room. “But if you would rather sleep-”

“No!” He cuts you off. The excitement for pancakes evident in his voice. Clearing his throat, he continues. “I’m awake now anyway…” he says, trying to put back his facade of disinterested, moody teenager. Not that you believe it for a second. Of course you would never tell him that. For now.

The three of you make your way into the kitchen. You serve up three plates of still warm pancakes. Piled high with extra berries and whipped cream. Extra special toppings for an extra special day. Every year on the Sunday before school starts, you make special, lemon zest and blueberry pancakes. Your kids all time favorite breakfast. It isn’t exclusively for the day before school. It’s for any special occasion. Because special occasions deserves special pancakes.

Grabbing your coffee, you join your kids at the kitchen table. With Mary to your right and Harley across from you. You smile wide at both of them. Before directing a question towards them. “Who’s excited for the first day of school?” The reactions you get from them are both very fitting for their characters. Mary all but bounces up and down. Harley on the other hand looks as if someone ate his pancakes.

His reaction is only fair. It’s their first day of school at their new schools, in a relatively new town. It’s been three months since you moved them here at the beginning of summer, and your kids still haven’t made many friends yet. Mary you aren’t worried about. You wouldn’t be surprised if she became friends with half the class by lunch.

Harley on the other hand, he’s never really fit in. Usually because people tend to misjudge him upon meeting. They don’t take the time to get to know him, or see how kind he can really be. And that scares you. A lot

Monday mornings are a lot different from Sunday’s. It’s a busy, hectic blur as you try to get your kids ready for school and yourself ready for work. Double and triple checking that everyone is ready and has all of their things. You head out the door. The three of you pile into your old truck. You pray it starts. You’re pretty sure Hayley prays it doesn’t. You breathe out a sigh of relief when it does. After a couple tries.

It’s a short, mostly quiet drive. Except for Mary’s excited ramblings. First it’s Mary’s stop. Planting a kiss on her forehead, she hops out of your truck. Her red polka dot dress twirls as she spins around to wave bye. Next is Harley’s school. Glancing over your heart breaks. He’s as close to the door as possible. Staring at the floor. “Har, what’s wrong?” You ask, despite knowing the answer. With him, even if you know what’s going on in his mind. It’s best to ask, otherwise he’ll clam up. Stop talking all together.

A few minutes pass in silence. When you pull up to his school. He finally speaks. “Can’t I just stay home today. It’s not like we’re learning anything important. Just intro to classes.” He mumbles, you almost don’t hear what he says. “Ok,” you state plainly. When he looks at you, his hazel eyes stare at you with gratitude. “Really?” He says louder this time. You nod. “They’ll teach you things you already know. So why go. Right?” He nods again.

Then you look at him fully, face serious. But not angry or upset in anyway. Your eyes remain soft. “But, you can’t do that. No you’re Harley y/l/n and you love school. You love to learn. To build new things.” Pausing, you make sure he’s still listening. He is. You watch as his once hopeful eyes changes to something else. You continue to look at him, despite his eyes shifting towards the ground. You continue. “And sure, people suck. But I hear they have an awesome math and physics teacher. And don’t even get me started on the science lab.”

When his eyes meet yours again, you wink. It pulls a smile from him. It’s tiny, barely even there. But a smile nonetheless.

“Thanks ma.” Saying in the tiniest of voices, he grabs his bag off of the floor, placing it in his lap. “You’re gonna crush it, Har.” Your words are genuine. You mean it. He’s the smartest kid you know. He’s already built three robots and you know he’ll build more. Which is why the school isn’t the part that worries you. But you don’t say that. He doesn’t need to know you worry about that too.

A soft click of his seatbelt and a hand hovering over the door handle. He hesitates. “I love you.” Turning around, he wraps you in a hug. Whispering his words in your ear. “I love you too.” With that he disappears as he enters the small brown building. You head to work. Trying not to worry about your kids.

———

Taglist: @emmandhercoffecrisp // @imma-new-soul

#marvelfulxbabeswritingchallenge #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fanfic #teacher!au #teacher!steve rogers #single mom!reader #something borrowed series #something borrowed part one #steve rogers fluff #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #writing #rae writes

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vcdanvers · 5 years

Text

Subway Girl (Carol Danvers x Reader)

Summary; Reader x Carol Danvers. R is out late and witnesses Carol being bothered by some stranger on the subway. Not knowing the blonde is Carol Danvers, better known as Captain Marvel, R comes to the rescue and insists on walking her back to her hotel. Soft. One shot.

Word count: 2100 something

Warnings; Mentions of harassment on public transportation

A/N: (21-7-2019) HIIIIIIIII what’s up, how are you doing? I promised @mcgrathandwives I’d write a soft Carol fic and then I randomly had this idea- for some reason it just kept getting longer, so here we are. I hope you like it!! If you do, it would be super awesome if you left a like (or whatever the cool kids call it) and if you’re feeling extra generous, some feedback would be amazing. Thank you for being here and have a great day (: Remember to stay hydrated! Love, Alie

Your seemingly endless shift had finally come to an end, or more so you decided it was over. You were left to close down by yourself and the past hour had been incredibly slow. One customer. Purchasing one bottle of water. You had had more thrilling shifts and ending this one a little early wouldn’t hurt anyone. Fifteen minutes was harmless and if someone really wanted to buy something still, they should have come earlier. You had been here all day on exactly three hours of sleep- you had other things to worry about than some customer complaining about having to pay 5c for a plastic bag, like getting home to your hamster and catching up with the newly released season of How To Get Away With Murder. Those were things to worry about.

You had finally managed to kick the backdoor shut- the thing desperately needed fixing- when you realized you had left your bag inside. ‘Goddammit’ you muttered under your breath as you now had to break open the obstacle once again and would surely miss the bus you had been hoping on catching. An agonizing wait of about 20 minutes later- 20 minutes you could have spent doing anything but sitting around waiting for some tragic, 50ft long, smelly vehicle- you were ready to start your journey back home. You supposed this was karma coming for you for closing down early, or for your lack of sleep leading to you being forgetful at times. Either way, you were finally on the move. Deciding to put a positive spin on things you admired the stars blinking up in the night sky. ‘At least there’s something pretty out there’ you thought to yourself as you were nearing the subway station. The neighborhood you worked in was rather rough so you had to be on guard at all times, especially being a woman roaming the streets alone at night.

Thankful to have made it to the right platform and in time for the train, you leaned against the wall and plugged in your headphones, blasting whatever came on shuffle first. Outside it had been chilly, it being dark outside and with fall approaching. The climate inside the station was a harsh contrast, the air felt clammy and the wind coming from the tunnels was oddly warm. You hummed along to the melody of the song as you entertained yourself by doing some people watching. Not in a creepy way, you just liked to make up stories for the people you saw. An older man and his dog, a gorgeous blonde and a rough-looking guy who you would not want to encounter in a dark alleyway. Perhaps that was just you being biased though, besides anyone you encounter in a dark alleyway was one person too many, but better be safe than sorry. You looked over to the blonde again, she was busying herself clicking away on her phone screen. Standing with her legs crossed and without any awareness for the outside world, you worried about her safety. Did she not know she was not in the pretty part of town? Tourists don’t tend to stray this far from the center so she was a local most likely. A poorly informed local, that is. Your sense of responsibility kicked in and you decided you’d keep an eye on her. Rolling your eyes at your own plan you sighed, odds were that you were not going to get the peaceful night in you both deserved and needed so desperately.

As the train approached you got in after the seemingly clueless blonde, keeping your distance but remaining close enough to observe the woman. She had sparked an interest inside of you, with the way she was dressed she fit in perfectly but her behavior was what made her stand out just as much as the clothes blended her in. The part of the train you were on was nearly empty, you sat down on one of the seats and checked your phone for any new texts. There weren’t any. You opened the Instagram app as some means of distraction, looking at the highlights of people their lives and scrolling past ads of products you definitely do not need sure was fun. You glanced up every 30 seconds or so to see what the blonde was up to. She was still tapping away on her phone, clearly finding more entertained in the small device than you could. After the third stop some tall, dirty blonde guy had gotten on. Having been born and raised in the neighborhoods that had quite the reputation for high crime rates, you had developed some sixth sense for trouble and it was going off now. He laid eyes on the blonde and sat closer to her than was needed, considering a lot of seats were still free. The blonde, however, paid no attention to the imposing stranger, continuing her activities on her phone. You noticed the unknown man eyeing her up and down before he put his hand on her thigh and started talking to her, the disturbed look on her face indicating it was definitely unwanted. By now you had missed your stop but the safety of the blonde woman was your main priority here. You had to do something.

Giving yourself a second to gather your courage, you made your way over to the blonde with a huge smile on your face and with what you hoped to be an excited expression. ‘Oh my gosh, Zoe is that you?! It’s been so long!’ you cringed at your own voice and the slight look of confusion on the blonde’s face did not help your case. You bent over to embrace her so you could whisper your plan of escape, thankfully she stood up making the encounter less awkward. ‘Sorry about that, I noticed the guy. We’re getting off next stop. It’ll be fine’ You whispered quickly. It was then that the doors dinged open and you grabbed a hold of the blonde’s hand, pulling her along with you. You quickly scanned your surroundings and noticed one of the coffee corners was still open. You looked over to the woman whose hand was still in your grasp, ‘Let’s go over there, he might have followed us and he might not be alone.’ you spoke. The blonde was about to open her mouth to speak when you, once again, pulled her along with you. The sooner you got inside the better. Besides, it was cold. In your hurry, you tripped over the uneven tiles that were supposed to resemble some sort of pavement. Again, it was not the pretty part of town.

Bracing yourself for impact, you were surprised to feel yourself come to a stop and pulled back up. With your heart still racing from the fall you looked up at the blonde, you breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you…’ ‘Carol, the name’s Carol.’ You smiled up at her ‘Thank you, Carol’ your cheeks turning red upon realizing you were still clinging onto this Carol’s arm. You quickly let go of her ‘I didn’t notice, I’m sorry.’ God, why did you have to make a fool out of yourself at every given opportunity? Carol spoke up, her voice sounding confident ‘So, how about that coffee…’ It took you a second to realize she was asking for your name, ‘Oh uh, Y/N’ you managed to stammer out.

Inside the coffee shop, you finally regained your composure, you were cold and tired and this hot liquid was going to fix both of those things, or so you hoped. Carol her drink was now ready as well and she made her way over to the table you were sitting at, sliding into the booth across from you. She wore a curious smile on her face before asking you what you were doing out so late all by yourself. You snorted at her question before noticing she was serious, ‘You’re asking me that? You do realize that you were the one that was basically an open target out there, right?’ As Carol shrugged in reply you continued, ‘To answer your question though, I was late because I had to lock up for work. Which is not a problem because I was raised here, I know the area. You’re clearly not from around here, so what were you doing, straying so far from the safe and touristy area? It can’t be for your enjoyment, surely. Wait- did you get lost here?’ you asked, your voice now laced with concern. Upon noticing your genuine concern the blonde tilted her head to the side, giving you a small smile- you really did not know she was a member of the Avengers and, in fact, perfectly capable of defending herself. ‘Not lost, just out exploring.’ You nearly burned your mouth at her answer from taking a too large sip, she could not be serious right now. ‘Out EXPLORING? It’s nearly midnight! You should not be out at this hour and especially not in this neighborhood. Where are you staying? I’m walking you home.’ You internally groaned at this Carol, exploring at fucking midnight in just about the shadiest part of town imaginable. Damn you and your sense of responsibility. The frown on your face must have been more present than you had thought it would be when Carol spoke up, ‘That’s alright. I can handle my own, trust me.’ You sighed and were about to speak up before she added ‘Feel free to tag along though.’ and raised her brows at you in a rather triumphant way. You drank the last bit of your coffee, your brows furrowing when realizing it was the last bit. It was a great cup after all. You got up and were about to bring your now empty mugs back to the counter, Carol was faster than you were though. ‘Got it.’ She said, sending you a smile. You grinned to yourself. Perhaps this walk wasn’t going to be all that bad.

‘Alright, so where are you staying?’ You were stood in front of the subway map, trying to figure out how to get the blonde back to, what you presumed, was her hotel. Carol looked doubtful for a second before looking as though someone had actually put a lightbulb over her head, ‘The Venetian!’ she replied sounding almost cheerful. You laughed at that, ‘That’s in a friendlier area. Alright, so we have to take the yellow line and get out at the fifth stop. That’s not too bad.’ Making your way over to the right platform you found yourself looking over at Carol, noticing how she played with the ends of her sleeves and how she walked fast. ‘It’s okay, you’re not alone now- it’s safe.’ You said in hopes to make her feel more at ease. Carol looked at you with wide eyes and a faint hint of a blush creeping onto her cheeks, not because she was scared- of course not, but because you had caught on to her nervousness.

Carol was tapping away on her phone again, probably texting someone you figured. You didn’t mind, you were tired and the peace that came with not having to talk for a moment was something you embraced. You nudged her shoulder to alert her that you had reached your stop and when she looked up looking a little confused, you giggled and explained, ‘This is us.’ At that Carol smiled and got up, offering you a hand, which you happily took. The hotel was, thankfully, only a three-minute walk from the station. Having made it into the lobby you guys, or well, Carol was greeted by a slightly scary looking redhead who eyed you curiously, ‘Brought somebody, Danvers?’ You opened your mouth to explain ‘No, actually-’ before you were cut off by Carol, ‘Don’t try me, Romanoff. Hey, Y/N, can I see your phone?’ Oblivious to the underlying question you handed her your phone with a black screen while bearing a confused expression. The redhead laughed and commented ‘She’s asking for your number.’ You felt your cheeks heat up and silently wished for the floor to just disappear from underneath you, ‘Oh, uh, of course’. You grabbed your phone and punched in the code to unlock it, allowing for Carol to add herself in your contacts as you did the same on her phone. ‘Thank you, Y/N. I’ll text you to buy you a coffee soon?’ You smiled up at her, ‘Sounds good. Have a good night, Carol! And your friend too!’ You said before turning to leave. ‘Goodnight, Y/N.’ Carol replied, smiling. As soon as you were outside Natasha started prying, curious about your identity, ‘Who was that?’ To which Carol just smiled- keeping the story of a very human girl on the subway coming to her rescue between the two of you just a little longer. The teasing about that could wait, she decided.

#carol danvers x reader #carol danvers #captain marvel #captain marvel x reader #carol danvers x you #mcu fanfiction #x reader #reader insert

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suplex51 · 5 years

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[ROSA USED SURF!]

Funny how, even after so much had changed for Travis Touchdown over his year in Spirale, so much else had remained the same. Case in point: another large-scale pool party, just like the one immediately preceding Hive City’s end. And just like then, Travis still only went to see a beautiful woman in swimming attire — even if he’d seen this particular one naked more times than he could count (“It’s a different kinda fanservice,” he’d argue). Just like then, even faced with blazing summer sun, and even with Rosa enjoying herself in the pool... Travis was still totally content with watching, squatting on wet cement…

Because Travis still hated the water.

Ever since the otaku assassin had first swung a beam katana, water had almost become synonymous with pain. I mean, the water supplies in Santa Destroy were always all sorts of dangerous — highly contaminated, with some even suspecting it to have been the cause of their superhuman biology. But theories aside, at least drinking it never sent the equivalent of lightning coursing through Travis’s veins, courtesy of his battery-charged, constantly-equipped weaponry. It was irrational, it was sometimes inconsistent (here’s to you, writer), but with the exceptions of required bathing, and a certain magical-massage hot tub that pretty much dispelled his anxieties the moment his thighs sunk in? Travis very much liked to keep his liquid submersion to a healthy minimum of none.

Meanwhile and on the other hand, as the otaku quickly found out, Rosa Cervantes absolutely adored the water. There, she was comfortable. There, she was peaceful. There, she moved with utter grace — oh-so out-of-character for Rosa, but oh-so captivatingly so. Watching her dip and dive, with her wild mane of hair straightened out and trailing behind her… Watching her shark-like features truly come to life in their element... It all but forced Travis to move right up to the pool's edge, made him forgo his caution, lest he miss a moment of this.

In the water, Rosa Cervantes was like a bewitching siren. Well, minus the songs, and man-eating tendencies.

And suddenly, she was inches away, looking up at Travis, close enough for him to feel her breath; Legs and tail allowed her to effortlessly tread in place, as she offered up her singular hand… in a wordless invitation.

One that took our wide-eyed hero a moment to process.

“... Wha-?” He began eloquently.

“You don’t even have to swim,” Rosa replied. “I can ferry you on my back, if that makes it easier. Or… You can keep yourself dry. The choice is 100% yours, and I’ll be fine, whatever you pick.” Each and every word was said with breathtaking gentleness, the kind Travis knew his girlfriend only reserved for her life’s V.I.Ps.

“... You know water tends to treat me like it treats oil… with added electrical torture.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“...” Caution was fading fast, getting swallowed up into the heavenly void of Rosa’s dark-and-gold eye. “You must really want this, huh.”

And then, after a pause of her own, and with (unless Travis’s sight deceived him) a slight blush... Rosa delivered the wham line. “You expand my horizons every day. I guess I want a chance to return the favor.”

It was done and done. Travis didn’t have to think much else over. He supposed he did expose Rosa to movie after movie, video game after video game… pop culture media, in general. More importantly, he got her to open up, to try new experiences, new ways to approach life.

But couples were supposed to share in that regard, weren’t they? No matter how much Rosa had done so, already… Enough couldn’t be enough.

Besides, there was no saying “no” to that face.

“... Okay,” Travis said, reaching out and taking Rosa’s hand in his own. “I trust you. Show me that new horizon, babe.”

Cue the Surf theme.

It was a good thing they’d arrived to SpiraleFES so early, that day. Not too many pool patrons there to potentially interrupt — or rather, disrupt — this impromptu, piggy-back cruise. Rosa kept to her word, kept total control. Travis was able to sit atop her, cling to her toned back and broad shoulders, without nary an issue — without his waist even touching the water. Lap after lap, Rosa swam. And the more laps taken, the more Travis began to relax.

… And, perhaps paradoxically, feel silly.

This all felt nice. All of it. Rosa’s muscles moving beneath him, for starters. But less obviously, and much further to the point… the water felt nice. Not too warm, not too cold… and when Travis worked up the nerve to scoop some out, splash it onto his side? Painless.

Of course, it felt nice. Of course, it was painless. There wasn’t any danger, here — Rosa had never needed to subtly promise to keep Travis safe.

“It’s just fucking water.”

And with that quiet statement of resolve, and a shutting of his eyes… Travis let go.

----------

Rosa reacted the moment she felt her boyfriend’s weight fall off her back. She turned around, reached out to grab him, like she had to do—

“Baby—”

Both her actions and words stopped on a dime, for what Rosa saw forced them to. Travis wasn’t frantically trying to climb back on her. Travis wasn’t flinching, freezing up, expecting a painful shock from weapons that weren’t even there.

Travis was treading the water.

“...”

The smile that soon found itself on Rosa’s face—

----------

It was the best thing Travis could have possibly opened his eyes to, in that moment. Rosa Cervantes, smiling, overflowing with warmth, softness… pride. All directed at him.

One of his absolute favorite sights.

“... Whaddaya know?” Travis remarked, beaming and blushing. “The-the water feels fine.”

“...” Rosa nodded. “I knew you could do it, honey.”

“Because you know I can do anything with the right motivator.” A not-so-subtle Look at the landshark.

“Damn straight, baby.”

More than half an hour, Travis spent in that pool. He dog-paddled slow circles around Rosa. He rode her underneath the water’s surface. He raced her from end-to-end (lost, of course). He performed a 51-foot cannonball off of a vertical leap.

Sure, that last one wound up getting Travis (and Rosa, by self-imposed extension) banned from the premises. But you know what, dear reader? Travis didn’t care. There was more than one body of water in Spirale. And now, thanks to Rosa Cervantes?

Things had changed, yet again.

Inspired by and built together with @landsharkbite!

#landsharkbite #SpiraleFES #no more drabbles #((Devon hit me with this idea and it was the CUTEST FUCKING THING-))#((had to get it out ASAP!!))#((Hope you all enjoy! I'll try to get on replies and stuff soon!))

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sugagimmesugar · 5 years

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Sunshine Dancer Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Pull me closer, cause I changed my mind.

CW: Alcohol, some strong language, some sexual subjects

Masterlist here

It takes him a while to tear his eyes away from yours, instead trying to find his phone. As he picks it up, the ringing stops, the call already dropped. Smiling up at you, he opens his mouth, as if to say something, before being interrupted by the ringing, again. Laughing, you motion for him to pick up.

“Yes? Already here…… Great. Yea, I’ll buzz you in gimme a sec.”

It’s a very short call, his eyes never leaving you as he talks to his friend on the other end. The guys are early. For once. Of course, the one night where being late would be ok, or even good, that’s the one night were Jimin isn’t late. It almost feels like the universe is sabotaging your impure intentions. Hoseok moves towards the door, buzzing in his classmates and friends. In the meantime, you decide to pump up the music volume and get the guys their usual drinks ready, might as well make yourself useful while you wait for them to come up. The elevator is out of order and you live on the fourth floor, so you should have a few minutes.

*I wasn’t really sure about us But now I’m pretty sure about us Ooh, pull me closer Cause I changed my mind*

As you take some beers and ciders out of the fridge, the chorus of one of your favourite songs hits and you can’t help but swaying along, your eyes closed as you put down the drinks on a table. Suddenly, there’s hands on your hips, a forehead against yours, someone joining in your slow dance around the apartment. Your bodies pressed against each other, you can feel his breath against your skin, smelling the drinks he has already had as you wrap your arms around his neck, your hand in his hair. In time with the song lyrics, he pulls you closer, a small smile on his lips as he meets your eyes. You see the way his eyes flit between your eyes and your lips, the question almost audible. But before either one of you can actually make a move, Jimin and his friend Taehyung burst through the door, laughing and breathless, looking like they actually raced up the stairs.

“Oh! Is it finally happening? Y/n and Hobi? Friends to lovers? After all these years of pining?” Jimin laughs as the two of you rip apart as quick as lightning. Your eyes on your best friend, you ignore the younger man’s joke, just trying to figure out how to actually move on from what just *almost* happened. All of a sudden, Hoseok is refusing to meet your eyes, instead he barks out a laugh, greeting his friends as the rest of the group starts pouring in. “Just shut up and get your drinks, I wanna go out dancing and we all know you need some alcohol to actually function at a club.” He slaps Jimin’s shoulder, a bit too hard for it to be just friendly, his eyes confirming your suspicion. Hoseok is mad. And as soon as Jimin sees it, he turns to you, to where the drinks are, a mild panic now in his eyes.

All in all, there’s 6 friends other than you in Hobi’s closest friend group. There’s Jimin and Jungkook who go to the same programme as Hoseok does. They’re dancers. Then there’s Taehyung, as far as you know he’s an art student and Jimin’s best friend, so he always gets dragged along. He is sweet and quiet and seems sometimes overwhelmed by the energy of the dance-hoes (as they call themselves), while other times he just joins in, a giggly mess of shenanigans when he is the mood. Somehow, Hoseok met Namjoon, Jin and Yoongi, even though they run in very different circles. Namjoon a history major, Jin a professional chef and Yoongi a music producer in his first year out of Uni, they somehow ended up in this mess of a clique.

Tonight, only the chaotic one’s came. Namjoon stayed home with some essay while Yoongi just straight up refused. They rarely join in the dancing and going out part of the friendship. You send Yoongi a quick text, jokingly annoyed with him for leaving you alone with a bunch of chaotic drunks. You hear Tae and Jimin giggling at some Dad-joke Jin said as you, for the second time this night already, get surprised by someone’s hands on your waist. You turn to face what you expect to be Hoseok, but are even more surprised to find Jungkook, his eyes dark as he is obviously already drunk. “I love this dress on you, y/n. You look tasty as all hell.” He says, his eyes focused solely on your lips as he pulls you a little closer. With a small laugh, you pinch his cheek: “Aw, thank you, Kookie! I bought it today and I think it’s already one of my favourite dresses.” Looking over the younger man’s shoulder, you see Hoseok, slowly meandering towards where the two of you are standing, an angry frown on his face. You’ve seen Hoseok angry many times, but he’s never been this… possessive about you. So you decide to save Jungkook from your old friend’s wrath. With a featherlight touch and a big smile, you remove his hands from your waist and decide to show off your favourite part of the dress. Twirling a little to show off the flowy skirt, you bump into Hoseok, his muscular arm suddenly on your shoulder. “How ‘bout some water for the baby? I don’t want them to not let him into the club.” He smirks at you, teasing his friend with the loathed nickname. “Oh come on, you know he hates that nickname. Don’t be a dick just cause the alcohol has you feeling possessive all of a sudden.” A playful hit against his side, a smirk and you leave Hobi alone too. You don’t know what’s gotten into you as you sit down next to Tae instead, his calm energy a much needed relief from the tension between you and Hoseok as well as Jungkook and Hoseok, who are still in the kitchen, lowly arguing it seems. A few minutes later, the boys come to join the rest, Hoseok with an almost triumphant looking smile on his face as he winks at you, the younger one avoiding your looks as he plops down next to Jin, a glass of water in his hand. Hoseok takes his place standing behind you, one of his hands lightly massaging your neck, as he tends to do so often. As you lean in to the touch more, ignoring the looks from your friends, Hoseok suddenly speaks: “Okay my dudes and dudette. Next bus downtown goes in 15 minutes. I wanna go to a new club, is everybody ready?” The guys whoop with excitement in answer, already moving to chug their drinks or fix their outfits and hair. You just lean back further, smiling up at Hobi, who in turn winks at you, letting go of your neck to boop your nose. “Get your stuff, I don’t wanna miss the bus. I need your help herding these idiots.” You decide to borrow Hoseok’s leather jacket since you’re dressing for coverage rather than warmth. It’s early summer so the nights are warm but walking around in a revealing dress is still not a great idea, even if you’re accompanied by 5 men. As he sees you adjusting your bag over the bulky jacket, the look in his eyes is anything but platonic. His eyes full of hunger, a blush creeps on your cheeks, making you have to turn away from him before you make your way to the apartment door. “Ok fellas, is everyone ready? Then let’s go.” You hold the door open as they all make their way out, each with a drink for the way to the club in their hand as you hear their conversations and laughter sound through the corridor while they make their way towards the stairs. Last one out is Hoseok, who waits until everyone has disappeared into the staircase to pull you back into the flat and slam the door shut. Before you can say anything, his hands are cupping your cheeks, his eyes suddenly soft. “Please don’t go home with anyone else tonight, y/n. I like you. Just come back home with me. Please.” He’s… begging you. The surprise must be written on your face, a dry laugh escaping his throat as he continues: “You didn’t know? I have liked you for years…. You know, they say alcohol makes you stupid or brave. I guess it’s made me stupid tonight.” He pulls away, running his hands through his hair as he turns his back to you. “I never meant to ruin our friendship, I am so sorry. Just... forget what I said… I just thought.. After today...After the song earlier... And then the dancing… That maybe I am not completely delusional in hoping you might see me as more than just a friend. I am sorry, y/n.” He rambles on, clearly distressed by your silence. “Alcohol makes you stupid or brave. That’s what you said, right? Then look at me Jung Hoseok. Don’t just assume you know my answer after dropping a bomb like that on me.” With a sad laugh, he turns to you, his hands on the back of his neck as his eyes are wide with emotions and alcohol. You take a step towards him, a tentative smile on your lips before you pull him towards you by his T-shirt. Your lips crashing into his, you feel a smile spread across his lips and his hands grabbing at your waist. Finally pulling apart, both of you laugh. And then his phone rings, which only makes you laugh harder. With a small peck on your lips, he accepts the call, a broad smile still on his lips. “What is it Jimin?” You can hear the other man’s answer as he must be yelling into the phone. “If y’all wanted to get us out of the flat so you could fuck you could’ve just said so. Now come down so we don’t miss the damn bus. I am not waiting a half hour for the next one.” Hoseok's eyes widen, the realization of the time already stressing him. “Oh crap, we’re on our way.” Hoseok grabs your hand as he shoves the phone in his pocket with the other hand, takes out the keys and locks the door behind the two of you without letting go of your hand for a second. After a quick look at your shoes he grins at you. “Good, you can run in those. We only have 5 minutes until the bus comes, and I really wanna dance with you at the club as soon as possible.” You laugh and after another quick peck, the two of you are almost sprinting down the stairs.

#sugagimmesugar #sunshine dancer #bts jin #bts jimin #bts rm #bts jhope #bts v #bts jungkook #bts suga #bts hobi #bts hoseok #bts imagine #bts fanfic #bts imagines #jhope x reader #jhope x y/n

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whatwewrotepodcast · 5 years

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Character Profile - Ithuriel

Basic Statistics 

Name: Ithuriel Age: 6 months or eternity, depends how you look at it Nationality: Currently American, formally Divine Socioeconomic Level as a child: N/A Socioeconomic Level as an adult: Low Hometown: Heaven Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York Occupation: Enforcer for Raif Income: N/A Talents/Skills: Proficient with a range of hand guns, good aim, also competent in hand-to-hand fighting, and the use of a spear in both ranged and hand-to-hand combat. Salary: N/A Birth order: 3rd of 7 Siblings (describe relationship): Technically the other 6 Arc Angels are his brothers and sisters. Previously a good relationship with most of them, though he was closest to Gabriel, Amitiel and Raphael, however his relationship with Gabriel suffered after his fall. Spouse (describe relationship): N/A Children (describe relationship): N/A Grandparents (describe relationship): N/A Grandchildren (describe relationship): N/A Significant Others (describe relationship): N/A at commencement of TSC Relationship skills: Ithuriel’s relationship skills are not the best. He has a tendency to be prickly and overreactive, and often blows things out of proportion. He can be shy and reserved and hard to get to know. He makes up for these deficits by being a genuinely kind, warm person who never intends to hurt anyone, and generally feels guilty when his actions adversely affect those he cares about.

More beneath the cut

Physical Characteristics:  Height: 6’2” Weight: 110kg Race: Caucasian Eye Colour: Golden Hair Colour: Dirty/Dark blonde Glasses or contact lenses? No Skin colour: Fair, but with a bit of a golden hint, tans easily Shape of Face: Sharp, strong jawline, high cheekbones, long, straight nose. Overall impression of hard, clean lines, very little softness. Distinguishing features: Two large, nasty scars down his back, from shoulders to hips. A pair of stylised Angel wings tattooed on the inside of his left wrist and a tattoo of an ornate spearhead on the inside of his right forearm. How does he/she dress? Jeans, usually fairly loose cut, blue. Black or grey long-sleeved shirts or t-shirts. Black trench coat, military style boots, a scarf if it’s cold. Always muted tones though, never wears colour, always black/white/grey. Mannerisms: Often runs his fingers through his hair when he’s troubled. Pinches the bridge of his nose when he’s thinking hard or when things are driving him to frustration. Habits: (smoking, drinking etc.) Has a fondness for chocolate, but nothing that really counts as a habit per se. Health: About as good as can be. More than human. Doesn’t suffer from most human illnesses or diseases, has improved healing from injury and is able to survive with less food, water and rest than the average human. Hobbies: Currently doesn’t really have hobbies, though he does like to people watch. Favourite Sayings: N/A Speech patterns: Tends towards overly formal language, doesn’t use a lot of contractions, does have a New York accent but it’s towards the more upper class end of the scale, and sometimes veers into a very generic, hard to locate sort of American accent. Disabilities: N/A Style (Elegant, shabby etc.): Professionally broody chic. Tends towards the shabby side though. Greatest flaw: His short temper. He had a propensity to explode over minor issues, has a very short fuse, and often says things in fits of anger that he later regrets. Best quality: A genuine kindness and love for humanity. Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes and Attitudes  Educational Background: None Intelligence Level: Technically very high – he’s an Angel and so has divine intelligence, but his lack of experience in the world means most of the time that intelligence is of very little use to him as it hasn’t got anything to back it up. Any Mental Illnesses? Technically no, though it could be argued he has a bit of PTSD about his Fall. Learning Experiences: Everything is a learning experience for Ith. He’s been living on earth for just over 6 months and so everything, from learning how to safely cross the road to making toast are learning experiences of him. Character's short-term goals in life: Work off his debt to Raif and be able to live his life free of debt and restrictions. Character's long-term goals in life: Get back to Heaven. How does Character see himself/herself? Ithuriel has a pretty complicated relationship with himself. On the one hand, he’s quite proud. He was an arc, and as such had quite a high opinion of himself. He was very powerful, there were few who could tell him what to do or how to do it. He was convinced of his own righteousness. However, since his Fall, his sense of worth took a bit of a hit. He still sees himself as ‘better’ than most humans, more moral, more ethical, but he also fell, and that took some of the wind out of his sails. He is now conflicted about who he is and what his existence means, and where he stands in the world. How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others? Ithuriel doesn’t think much of how other people see him, especially at the start of the story. He doesn’t think much about other people’s internal worlds. However, as he develops, he does start to worry that people think of him as a bit stuffy, a bit uncool, and a bit overly righteous. How self-confident is the character? Initially very, but he lost a lot of faith in himself and his ability to make the right decisions when he Fell. Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or some combination thereof? Definitely ruled by emotion – probably one of his greatest flaws is letting his feelings get in the way of making the sensible, logical decision. What would most embarrass this character? Any reference towards sexuality or sexual activity, especially towards the start of the story. Emotional Characteristics Introvert or Extrovert? Introvert How does the character deal with anger? Very, very badly. Mostly by letting it explode all over the place. He has a short fuse. With sadness? He lets himself feel it, but only within himself. He doesn’t tend towards being demonstrative about his emotions. With conflict? Again, not well. He tends to shout first and think later. With change? He’s gone through a lot of changes recently and considering the magnitude of them, he coped remarkably well. That said, he did struggle a lot with readjusting to his new role in life. With loss? By suppressing it until it bursts out of him in explosions of jealousy towards those who have that which he has lost. What does the character want out of life? At the moment, he’s just trying to do with best with what he has. What would the character like to change in his/her life? He would go back to Heaven and get his wings back. What motivates this character? Partially the desire to get back to Heaven, though he rarely admits it to himself. Mostly a deeply in-ground sense of what is right and what is wrong and the desire to correct the wrongs and do the right thing. What frightens this character? The idea of dying alone, in a strange world, and going to Hell. The thought of becoming corrupted and evil and losing the parts of him he sees as ‘good’. What makes this character happy? Simple things such as chocolate, watching people who are happy, the feeling that he has made the right decisions, Merry. Is the character judgmental of others? Oh boy yes. Incredibly judgemental, though often he feels a bit bad about his original impressions once he gets to know people. Is the character generous or stingy? Generous. Is the character generally polite or rude? He likes to think he’s polite, but often he can be a bit rude, in part because he doesn’t understand social cues very well and in part because he’s just a bit brusque and too self important to worry about the ‘niceties’. Spiritual Characteristics Does the character believe in God? God literally created him and he knows Him personally, so yah he does. What are the character's spiritual beliefs? He doesn’t have beliefs, he has knowledge. Is religion or spirituality a part of this character's life? Not really, because Ith doesn’t need to ‘believe’ in things. He knows and understands the truth of the world and the Heavens so it’s not a spiritual experience for him, it’s just his reality. If so, what role does it play? N/A How the Character is Involved in the Story  Character's role in the novel (main character? hero? heroine? Romantic interest? etc.): Hero/Romantic interest Scene where character first appears:

Ithuriel shifted his weight, pins and needles tingling down his legs. He sighed, a brief allowance of impatience.  He was crouching uncomfortably on the edge of a low building, his gaze fixed on the dark street below. It was nearing dawn and the streets were empty with the early morning hush. A biting breeze was whistling around the edges of the stout brick buildings, its prying fingers reaching under coats, lifting hats, and chilling blood. He turned the collar of his heavy trench coat up against the cold, but didn’t dare shift his position. In the quiet, even the slightest of sounds would carry. He’d been hunched on the exposed rooftop for hours now, and he was damned if he was going to risk startling his quarry for the sake of a moment’s release.  

Relationships with other characters: 1. Merry -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).

Ithuriel initially sees Merry as a bit of a helpless human in need of rescuing, though it doesn’t take long before he begins to see her as more of an important tool to use against Moloch. He’s bemused by her and the often flippant attitude she takes towards life. She’s the first human he’s had prolonged contact with and she forces him to re-evaluate the way in which he perceives humans and accept them as individuals rather than one sort of mass that he can judge all together. As they get to know each other better, Ithuriel starts to respect Merry’s independent nature and her bravery in the face of a world that’s much bigger than anything she ever knew before. This respect soon turns to friendship before developing into something deeper.

2. Belial: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).

Ithuriel’s relationship with Belial is initially antagonistic. Ithuriel fears becoming what he sees in Belial and as a result tries to push Belial to be better to assuage his own fears of losing himself without hope of return. It quickly becomes important to Ithuriel that Belial choose the right side though this is primarily a reflection of his insecurities. Belial becomes a proxy through which he tries to convince himself that he can still be saved. Over time, this attitude shifts towards a genuine desire to see Belial save himself, and an appreciation for who Belial is as a person. How character is different at the end of the novel from when the novel began: 

Ithuriel’s arc is one of coming to accept his new existence and appreciate the grey areas that make life so interesting. He begins to see the value in people and the ways in which they can be good and worthwhile without having to adhere to a strict sense of morality. By the end, he has come to realise that humanity is worth saving because of the intrinsic value of life, and all the beauty and wonder that humanity has created.

#character profile #ithuriel #revelation #character #writing #am writing #writers of tumblr #writer #writeblr #angel #fallen angel #character sheet #wip #novel #YA #new adult #young adult #contemporary fantasy

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lilcutieana · 6 years

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Forget Me Not

Warning » lots of fluff

Synapse » You're a university student struggling to pay rent and decide to enjoy the cool spring weather in the woods . Little do you know, you aren't alone in the same plan.

Forget- me- not is a wild flower that grows all round the year, almost. It's small yet not at all delicate. Just as the name suggests, it signifies a relationship that lasts forever. A hope that you never forget them, and keep them in your heart.

It was spring after all, the birds singing cheerily, looking for their mates; bunnies hopping around gleefully, and trees in full bloom. The fragrance from the flowers as it filtered through the open window made me inhale deeply. It was heavenly. Yawning and stretching my muscles, I opened the curtains and closed my eyes, feeling the warm sun dance across my skin. A low rumble interrupted my morning date with the sun. Pouting, I rubbed my complaining tummy and headed to the kitchen to prepare some sandwiches, coffee and some fruit. That should make for a good meal.

My apartment was tiny, me being still just a student, this was the best I could afford. A bedroom, with a bathroom attached, a tiny kitchen to the side and the hall that connected the foyer to the kitchen and bedroom. The only source of entertainment was the woods close by, the internet and my second-hand laptop.

I loved to cook and had a blog about it with about a hundred subscribers. A particular subscriber by the name 'pinkmochi' loved my posts and often sent requests and little gifts. He was my favorite and I always waited for his comments after every update.

Opening the fridge to a wide colorful assortment of veggies and fruits, I forgot why I even opened the fridge in the first place. Picking a strawberry and plopping it in my mouth, I closed the door and stared at it for a minute. Oh! Right. Sandwiches.

Picking out cucumbers, dill, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, Turkey, ham and mayonnaise I closed the door once again, with my butt, since both my hands were full to the brim. Now the task was to get these to the counter safely. Quite the Herculean task if you asked me.

Stumbling over the little carpet by the door, I made it to the kitchen counter and carefully placed all the ingredients, preparing for a hefty brunch.

Some strawberry lemonade, six kinds of sandwiches, two slices of cheesecake and a bunch of juicy grapes. I was set to eat.

Just then, a lark sat on my kitchen windowsill, singing beautifully and when another joined, they flew away together. I wished to be in the wilderness too, maybe with a certain someone who would keep me company, make my heart race and my lips constantly smile. Deciding now is better than never, I started looking for things I'd need out in the woods.

It's not every day you get such an amazing weather. Picking up a basket, I set everything into order inside it, added some plastic cutlery and plates to the mix. A camera, my laptop, a blanket and an umbrella, just in case, and I was set to go.

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Setting up the blanket neatly, I decided to set the things prettily on it and take a picture. After four shots that didn't come out as pretty, a cute cat came and sat on my picnic while I was focused on my laptop editing the picture. She was beautiful and healthy. A white cat with yellow patches, I just wanted to cuddle up to her.

Should I..? But what if she ran away? I then decided to take a picture of her as the model. Taking a few steps behind, I snapped a picture of her sniffing the grapes on display. This was just perfect! I didn't waste a minute and instantly jumped into my blanket, making the cat screech and jump a meter away. Oops.

"I'm sorry. Here, you can have the cheese slice." Opening the turkey sandwich, I slid out the cheese slice from within and handed it to her on a plate. Slowly, she tilted her head to the side and sniffed the air, her whiskers vibrating. Swishing her tail side to side, she jumped on the blanket and bit the cheese.

Carrying it to the edge of the blanket in hurried backward steps, she turned to the side, eyeing me up warily and started nibbling on the cheese. "Don't worry missy, I won't steal from you." I raised my hands in surrender. I had enough food to last the whole day. I definitely won't.

"Mreow", with that, we continued living in peace. For now. I still wanted to hug her though. Pouting, I shrugged. Maybe one day, she will let me.

Picking up my laptop again, I connected the camera to it, this picture didn't even need retouching. I decided to just add my watermark and post it on it my blog while taking tentative bites of the turkey sandwich, just without the cheese slice. It still tasted delicious.

'An assortment of sandwiches brings kittys to the yard'

As soon as I had posted it, I received a comment from pinkmochi.

Is that my cat? I thought I lost her! Where are you? Weird. We were from the same area? He was here? No... couldn't be. I doubt it. Maybe the cat was lost for days? And wandered in here. Or he could have come this far on a trip to the woods. Boys tended to do that. Just then my laptop pinged with a new notification. It was from him once again.

I think she didn't go too far, the trees behind look similar, can you respond if you hear my voice, please, don't let her run away. Wow. He was fast. And he was here. What do I do? Do I even look presentable? A pale blue top and white shorts, I guess I was okay.

No. Stay where you are. I'll find you. I'm used to these woods.

There. That should do it. Turning off my laptop, I jumped up, dusting my pants. The cat got startled and started backing away slowly with her tail high up and ears pushed back. The cheese slice, half eaten, lay on the grass. One step forward, and she bolted.

I followed her in a slow jog. She'll surely return to wherever her owner was. Whoever he was, must have been very worried. From what I knew, he was a gentle soul.

After every few steps, she would stop and look back, as if she wanted me to follow her. Strange. Shrugging it off, I slowed down my jog to a fast-paced walk.

Soon the dense woods thinned out to bushes and shrubs, and I could faintly make out the heads of seven boys. Wow. Okay. Danger.

At the crunch of a branch under my feet, I stood still. Wide-eyed, windblown hair, scratches on my arms. I must have been quite the sight to see.

As if on a tune, every single eye turned to where I stood. Raising my hand, I waved at the boys. Oh. I knew them. They were all over the news lately. Really talented, had music for all sorts of ages and genres. They were exceptional and the world liked that about them. The bulletproof boys. Me? I was too broke and relied on internet.

A movement from beside me, caught Jimin's eyes and he lurched forward, "Sun-hee, why'd you run away?" The cat leaped into his waiting arms and I cooed at the adorable sight. I wasn't alone, the rest of the boys, heaved a sigh of relief as Jimin finally found his lost feline.

Wait... this cat belonged to pinkmochi, does that mean... Jimin was pinkmochi?!? Shocked at the new revelation, I backed away a couple steps and turned around to leave. It's better if I don't get involved. I'm a nobody anyway, not to mention, I left all my food at the picnic I set up before, in the middle of these woods. What if it got stolen by other animals?

Walking at a faster pace, bending and curving around lower branches, I was a woman on a mission. A very hungry mission that ended with me blissfully full of sandwiches and iced drinks. Hearing some muted footsteps behind me, I stopped alerted. Surely, I wasn't just hearing things?

Instead of turning around, I bolted from the spot, running in zig zags. I had read online, it confused wild animals from chasing you if you didn't follow a straight path.

But, somehow, instead of losing them, whatever they were, it gained speed behind me and had started to sound more humane like. Panting heavily, with sweat running down my back and neck and heart about to leap out of chest, I stopped as I almost reached my own picnic.

Oh no. I brought the enemy to the holy food. Hearing the same heavy panting behind me, I turned around slowly, by heart almost leaping out of my chest, it was beating so fast. Hands fisted by my chest, my eyes frantically looked for any possible weapon and coming up short. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and completely turned around.

It was now or never. Opening my eyes, I gasped out loud to see the seven gorgeous boys leaning on the trees and trying to catch their breath. So much for me giving them space on their vacation. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you follow me?" I asked softly, scared my voice would give away how nervous I was in front of them.

"We got lost hiking up the hills early this morning and ended up in the woods. Jimin thought the cat would lead us to food and water and let her run, but it actually ran away." Jin, the guy with a calm expression but chaotic hand gestures glared at the cat.

"And it actually ran away, like I predicted. Well, it did find food for itself." Suga quipped from behind, slumped under a tree with his head resting over the palm of his left hand. He looked bored out of his mind, or maybe tired. At my puzzled expression, he pointed towards my picnic I had set up earlier, spread out prettily behind me, with his chin.

Feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment, I looked down at my feet, covered in dried up mud on all stars. " Would you guys like some lemonade and sandwiches? I have some spare." I mumbled slowly. When I don't hear any response, I looked up to find the boys gone.

Was it all my imagination?

Maybe the heat was getting to me. It was almost noon, the sun beating down on my back. That's when I heard the crunch of papers being unwrapped. Startled with wide eyes, expecting to find a bear on my picnic, I turned around to see Jimin looking sheepish with a mouth full of cheesecake that Jin fed him.

Jimin sat in the far right with Yoongi and Jungkook on both of his sides. Then there was RM, Jin, Jhope, and Taehyung on the left. Well, that explains not answering. They were hungry and thirsty after all, since they had been lost all morning, going everywhere and arriving nowhere.

I went to sit beside Jungkook, since he seemed calmest of the bunch, focusing only on the turkey sandwich and eating it as if it were his last meal.

I was almost close enough to sit down when Jimin pulled on my arm and made me sit next to him, almost on his lap. Yoongi hissed from beside him, on our sudden movement and the whole crew laughed aloud, making the two of us sport matching red cheeks.

"You're cute when you blush" whispered Jimin from beside me, making my cheeks burn hotter. Turning to him with a sharp glare, I replied. "At least I don't call myself 'pinkmochi'"

His eyes widened at the retort and he sputtered on his lemonade jar. Hitting his shoulder to ease his choking, my eyes met Suga's amused ones. He winked at me and turned to the other boys. "I think it's time we introduced ourselves.I'm Yoongi."

"Jungkook"

"Taehyung"

"I'm your hope, Hosoek"

"Namjoon"

"I'm the most handsome, and the best cook, we should share recipes! Oh! And I'm Jin and that's Jimin beside you." With that, they all smiled brightly at me.

"I'm Y/N., nice to meet you all. I do enjoy some of your music. It's all so unique, so inspiring!" I said enthusiastically. Well, I hoped I did. They were indeed incredible. And that's when Jimin had calmed down from his coughing fit. Smiling softly, I handed him some grapes to munch on since most of the sandwiches were now gone.

"Thanks Y/N. You know, we are a fan of yours too. We love your recipes!! And I even tried some of your easiest ones." Jimin said proudly with rounded cheeks as he was stuffing grapes into his tiny mouth. He was just as adorable as a chipmunk. "Yeah! Your desserts are the best." Seokjin nodded in agreement from beside Taehyung opposite us, who looked at Jimin and then at me, weirdly. Jimin taking the hint, got a handful of grapes and tried feeding me.

Flabbergasted, I opened my mouth and let him push three grapes past my lips at the same time. Satisfied, he smiled back and smirked at Tae. "Aw, look at the cute couple!" Cooed Namjoon in front us, making me hide my blush face into Jimin's hoodie. He smelled so good. Something citrusy with floral undertones.

"Are you sniffing me, Y/N?" Whispered Jimin from above my head teasingly. Mortified at being caught red-handed, I jerked away from him, wide-eyed. Patting my head, he looked at me fondly while I turned my head smiled at the grapes shyly. This was all too much!

"Okay guys, I think we should head out. Jimin, you should accompany her to her home, the clouds are gathering, it might rain." Nodding, Jimin took a deep breath. RM, Jungkook and Hosoek stood up and started walking in the direction of my appartment grumbling about themselves. Taehyung And Jin seemed to smile conspiratorily towards Jimin , before getting up and joining them followed by Suga.

“Do you guys even know the way?" I hollered behind them. What if they got lost again? Shouldn't I be the one to show them the way? "I can hear cars from here, I'm sure the highway is close by. And we have phones, it's okay" Declared Hosoek waving at me with a bright smile.

"Thanks for the food, Y/N, come to visit us sometime!" Jungkook hollered from far ahead of the group. Waving at the boys, I turned to Jimin bashfully. "Why'd you stay behind? It's definitely not going to rain soon."

"That was just an excuse. I never had the courage to meet you in real life, I'm thankful today, you came to me." He said with a slight smile, raising his hand, he swiped my hair behind my ears. "You're so much more beautiful in real life." His hand lingered in my hair and then he caressed my ears, finally cupping my cheek. I leaned into his Palm. It felt so soft and warm.

"Th-thanks, you too." I stuttered out softly, unable to look into his intense eyes anymore. He was too close. It was a miracle I hadn't passed out from the way the blood was rushing through my veins, my legs trembling. Hearing him chuckle softly, I was mortified. He thinks I'm silly, doesn't he? An idiot, a dunce, that's what.

Stepping back, I started piling up the plates and cutlery. Wrapping up the leftover food and placing them in the basket in a daze. I just had to react like every fangirling out there. Even though he might have meant what he said about me being pretty, but that doesn't mean he likes me! Folding up my blanket neatly, I collected everything and nodded to myself.

Looking behind me, I saw Jimin cuddling up Sun-hee with a soft smile that made me want to squish his cheeks and join in the cuddle fest. How can I not react like a fangirl when he was this cute, cuddly bean half the time, and a man after my heart the rest of the time? I wanted to get to know him, the real him, before assuming things and judging him. That wasn't me. I shouldn't do that.

"Let's go home, then." With that, I took his hand and intertwined our fingers. His hand was quite soft and warm, his fingers lean and only a tad bit bigger than my own. Hand in hand, we walked the rest of the way to my apartment. Sun-hee walking behind us leisurely, Jimin took the food basket from my hands' and left me to only carry the blanket and the laptop bag.

Smiling gratefully, I knocked shoulders with him. Soon enough, we reached my apartment. The five minutes of walk, we were silent, yet it felt so exhilarating and warm. It wasn't just the sun, it was his presence. He was warm, and comforting, I liked being around him. I didn't want him to leave yet. But I knew the boys were waiting for him.

"So... it's time for me to go. It was nice to get to see you in person." I said looking him into his eyes. They were a mesmerizing shade of caramel, shining as if the whole galaxy was hiding in its depth. Scratching behind his head, he smiled faintly.

"Me too, I'll miss you. Here."He handed me a loosely tied bouquet of forget-me-nots. They looked so pretty. But... "When did you even get these?" I asked astonished.

"When you were packing up. I didn't want to leave without giving you something to remember me by." He said with a bright smile as I accepted the flowers, smelling it's sweet aroma.

"They're beautiful, thank you." "Now that I know where you live, I'll drop by again soon. Don't forget me, Y/N!" With that cheeky comment, he bent forward and kissed my cheek. Instantly making me squeak in surprise and hold my cheek in awe. He then turned around and jogged across the street where the boys were standing in a group leaning against a black van hollering and cheering him.

I hadn't even noticed them waiting for us across the street! Waving at them goodbye, I kissed the flowers in my hand. "I definitely won't ever forget you, Jiminnie"

#bts #bts imagines #bts fluff #park jimin #park jimin fluff #bts scenarios

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myneighborhood-thelake · 3 years

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Davis Double Century, May 2001

The short of it:

Two hundred miles is a really, really long way to ride a bike.

Ride: Davis Double Century (http://www.davisbikeclub.org/ddc/2001/index.htm)

When: Saturday, May 19, 2001.

Route: Loop course from Davis, through Napa, Solano, Lake and Colusa counties, back to Davis

Distance: 197.6 miles (by my computer)

Time: 16 hours 34 minutes total clock time, 12 hours 35 minutes bike time

Average Speed: 15.7 MPH

Max Speed: 46.5 MPH

Weight Loss: 14 pounds (195 pre ride, 181 post ride)

This was my first double century, and it was a great and incredibly tough experience. The Davis Bike Club puts on a great ride. It’s very well supported and well marked. Compared to other California doubles, the Davis Double has less climbing and more frequent rest stops which makes it a great first time double, so they say.

That said, it was still 200 miles in the saddle on a very hot day.

Lesson Lived: Slow and steady.

Lesson ‘I would like to’ Learn: I need to train for these things. With only 157 road miles under my belt in 2001 and about 50 in 2000, this was a big jump in miles.

I started in the dark at 4:50am and finished in the dark at 9:34pm. I always knew that ultra-cyclists were a tough breed, but this gave me some new respect. There is a series in California called the Triple Crown where you have to finish three double centuries in one year. Per the Triple Crown website Davis is listed as a good beginners double century “with only three moderate hills.” If those hills are moderate, then I don’t want to see anything tougher! I salute anyone who has accomplished the Triple Crown. One 200 miler was tough enough for me. Three or more in one year is amazing.

About the course: the first 45 miles are flat, the next 90 are hilly with three tough climbs and the last 65 are supposedly downhill. By the time I hit mile 135 I needed much more than a 1% downgrade to help me along. My cadence had slowed dramatically, and everything was focused on staying hydrated and fueled in order to have the energy to finish. At that point it all felt like an uphill to me. I was very glad that it was downhill, but it just didn’t feel like it.

For the most part I only thought about 2 minutes ahead at all times. I focused on the here and now, and that really helped. The hills were going to come no matter what, so why worry about them?

I only got worried once, around mile 167, when I saw a line of hills in the distance. I could only think, “please, don’t make me try and climb those hills. I won’t make it.” Luckily I was able to forget about the hills because at mile 167 I had the attention span of a gnat. By the time I started worrying I forgot about what was causing me grief. And the road turned before we had to do any severe climbing

The day was very, very hot. The forecast high was for 90deg, but there had to be a couple of sections on the course that got close to triple digits. By the end of the ride both my jersey and shorts had a coating of white on them from all of the salt that I had sweated out. The fluids on the course were Gatorade and water, and I took one Thermotab per hour. I don’t know if the salt tablets actually help or not, but I tend to do much better when I use them.

I did my best to stay within myself and hold a pace that I knew I could handle. I rode the first 100 miles in about 7 hours and 10 minutes and the second 100 in 9 hours and 24 minutes. I took naps at rest stops 5, Lunch (6.5) and 9, and I pulled of the road and took a break several times during the ride.

The only “low” point came at mile 170 when I wanted to keep riding but my legs had absolutely nothing left in them. I took a break by the side of the road, watched a bunch of people go by, ate some Gu, drank a bunch of water and recovered for a while. Other than that I just kept plugging along. It wasn’t pretty, but it was fairly steady, and I got the job done.

The weirdest part of the ride came at Rest Stop #7, mile 133, the top of Resurrection which is the toughest hill on the course. I was sitting on the ground and I noticed that my calves were moving. Both calf muscles were pulsing and twitching all by themselves. They almost looked like a heart pumping away. I have no idea what it meant as I never cramped and they pulsated for the next 4 rest stops and 67 miles, but I made damn sure to keep my fluids and electrolytes intake up. If anyone knows why muscles just start pulsating at will, I would love to hear the answer. It was very disturbing to watch.

After Rest Stop #10, mile 178, I got a bit barn sour and pushed pretty hard to get to the finish line. I just wanted to get it over with. This is probably where I did the most damage to myself as I forgot to drink for almost an hour. For most of the ride I could eat and drink, but at the end I could not even stomach solid food which for me is a major sign of dehydration. The post-ride shower felt incredible even if it was hard to stand up for more than 5 minutes at a time.

I knew that I couldn’t make it home that night, so I found a hotel and passed out cold. I think that the waitress at IHOP was a little shocked when I asked for extra sour cream with my omelet, but I deserved it!! What’s a few grams of fat when you have just lost 14 pounds……..

The long of it:

Goals: - complete as much of the ride as possible - stay within a manageable pace - don’t bonk, or at least don’t bonk hard

I have thought about the Davis Double Century (DDC) for several years now. For some reason it sounded like a good challenge, and after last weekends incredible century, the I Care Classic, I chose to take the plunge. My road miles over the last two years totaled 157 pre-DDC, and my MTB miles probably ran about 100 or so. I had to reset my computer, so I lost count of my annual total. Basically, by completing the DDC I almost doubled my total mileage for the year.

NOTE: undertraining for a double century is not cool.

I left work at about 4:30pm on Friday to drive up to Davis. I figured that it would take me about 2 hours, but with SF Bay Area traffic I was on the road for 3 solid hours arriving at the check-in at 7:30pm. I had planned well for the drive and did my best to eat and hydrate. The forecasted high for Saturday was 92deg F, and I knew that I would need to be well hydrated.

Check-in took all of about 15 seconds. The Davis Bike Club is extremely well organized. After picking up my registration envelope I drove out to my hotel, checked in, unloaded my gear and turned on the room air-conditioner. It was about 8:15pm and even though the sun was setting it was still very warm. Tomorrow was going to be a challenge.

Time for dinner, and where else to eat but Denny’s? For some reason I was looking forward to the processed hamburger that they call chicken fried steak. My pre-race meal was deep fried battered chicken fried steak and instant mashed potatoes smothered in gravy and a side of peas (soaking in butter). It may not sound like the best choice, but I was going to need the salt and calories in the morning. Plus it tasted pretty darn good.

Saturday morning.

The alarm went off at 3:30am. According to the literature the ride starts from 5:15am to 5:45am, and I want to be there right when we can start. I knew that it was going to be a long, hot day, so I wanted to get a few miles in before the sun comes up. I grabbed a cup of coffee at Denny’s, ate a banana and a Gu, packed up the car and drove the 9 miles to the starting line.

I arrived at the ride HQ, Davis Senior High School, at about 4:35am, and there were people already heading out. It turns that ride morning registration is open from 5:15am to 5:45am, but if you check in the night before you can head out anytime you want. On the course I met a tandem couple who had started out at 4:15am, and after the ride I talked to a volunteer who said that people were riding as early as 3:00am. You can start anytime that you want just make sure to bring lights and remember that the first rest stop (22.9 miles) opens at 5:30am.

Clothing had been a big concern for me. What should I wear? How much extra should I bring? The sun was not even up yet, and I was very comfortable in my sleeveless bike jersey (read: already warm).

Oh man, it’s gonna be hot today, so I chose to go with my sleeveless jersey. I put a pair of arm warmers into a jersey pocket just in case. That would be “just in case” I wanted to carry some extra weight around the course because I wasn’t going to need any cool weather gear today. I hustled to pump up my tires and clip on my lights, and I was rolling at 4:50am.

4:50am – the beginning:

Miles 0 to 2

The first mile or two is through town, and I was grouped up with about 5 other riders. This was OK because they were holding a decent pace, and they had better lights than my cheap Cateye. I don’t like riding in pacelines with people I don’t know, but I relaxed my rule for a little while. Soon we were out into the farmlands.

Miles 2 to 23

The first few turns are well marked and there are volunteers out (even at 5:00am) to waive you in the right direction. I carried a course map with me, but that was more for general info and knowledge of upcoming terrain because I never looked at it for directions.

After about 8 miles I chose to peel off of the paceline, and they dropped me in short order. The sky was getting lighter and the course is really well marked, with volunteers at most of the morning intersections, so I was fine alone.

I did hear talk on the course that there was a major crash (possibly a fatality) in the early morning before rest stop #1. It’s very dark, the pacelines are moving fast and there are some heavily trafficked roads. If you do choose to do this ride, please exercise some caution.

I soon learned the ‘secret’ of the DDC. After several pacelines screamed by me, I started noticing a trend. Very few of the pacelines were led by single riders. At the DDC if you want to make time – get behind a tandem. Over the course of the morning I must have seen 10 or 15 tandems pulling about 30 riders each. By the afternoon, the course hits the hills and the pack break up.

Right at about mile 20 I was cruising along peacefully and it dawned on me that the hardcore folks doing IM California hadn’t even hit the water yet. I made a mental note to watch the time and when 7:00am hit, send out a mental “Good Luck” to everybody pulling a full IronMan today.

Other than that little epiphany, I was content to motor along in my little chainring until rest stop #1.

Rest Stop #1 (which also doubles as Rest Stop #10, but we’ll get to that later…)

I stopped only long enough to pull on my sunglasses. As soon as I started rolling again a semi-truck blew by me. Actually it was a paceline being led out by 4 tandems. Speaking with some riders later it turns out that the lead tandem was hoping to break 9 1/2 hours on the course. I cannot even imagine averaging over 20 MPH on a double century. Wow!

Miles 26 to 40

Rest stop #2 was 19 miles of gradual downhill and 3 miles of climbing ahead. A nice portion of the first 19 miles was on a newly paved farm road with wide shoulders. I was riding South and the sun was just coming up which made for some great roadside shadows. I was able to use the shadows to critique my bike positioning, and I have to say that I didn’t look too bad with a flat back and extended legs. I was looking quite good!

Then again, it was only mile 30…… and speaking of mile 30, it was right around here that the clock hit 7:00am. I sent out my mental “Good Luck” and hoped that it would reach down to San Diego. As silly as it sounds I was more concerned about the people doing IM Cali, especially the Iron-Virgins, than I was about myself. Granted I only had 157 road miles under me in the last two years, but my mental state was already dialed in.

- I had 200 miles to ride (now only 170). - It was going to get very, very hot. - I was totally under-trained.

And, most importantly, there was NOTHING that I could do to change any of those facts!!!

Just ride baby, ‘cause there’s nothing else to do today.

Cruising along a creek just before the climb into rest stop #2 brought a nice chill to the air and more than a few pickups pulling boats out to Lake Berryessa. The road was packed with cyclists, but there didn’t seem to be much of that “pickup versus cyclist” animosity, and that was nice to observe.

The climb into rest stop #2 was a good wakeup. I geared down and pedaled on up mainly because there wasn’t much else to do. It was really early in the ride, and I had no desire to push my pace.

Rest Stop #2, Mile 40

Rest stop #2 was packed. I find it amusing that where the riders are grouped up the most (early morning) there are the fewest porta-potties. The line was easily 50 riders long for the one or two units that were available. I didn’t need the facilities, so I filled my water bottles, grabbed a couple slices of nut bread and headed out. I had a handlebar bag full of Gu which I was planning on eating at least hourly, but for an event of this length I needed some solid food too. I also took a Thermotab (salt tablet).

It may have been early in the day, but I was already sweating profusely.

Miles 40 to 58

The ride from rest stop 2 to rest stop 3 has a big climb called Cardiac Hill. As I pedaled my way to the top I was passed by a couple of guys who wanted to know what my race schedule is for the year. I wish that they had asked that question because I was going so darned fast but it was because my Km40 tri-bike stood out like a sore thumb in the 99.95% roadie crowd. The 0.05% was me…. ;-)

My unscientific study showed only one 650c wheeled bike doing the DDC – mine!

Overall I think that I did fine on my steep-angle frame, but I can’t help but wonder if it would be better to take on distance rides with a more traditional geometry. One of these days perhaps.

Other than that there isn’t much to report for this 18 mile stretch. I just kept those pedals turnin’, drank a bunch of water and ate a Gu. Slow and steady.

Of course I couldn’t miss the fact that the sun was now up, and the temps were rising fast!

Rest stop #3, Mile 58

It’s already getting warm.

Scratch that. It was warm at 5:00am.

It is now starting to get hot!

I grab a couple more slices of nut bread and fill my water bottles. I am feeling a bit tired, but I don’t have any desire to hang out in the rest stop so I move on.

Miles 58 to 75

As I rolled along I looked at my watch and saw that is was about 8:50am. I’ve been riding for about 4 hours now, but more importantly the swim leg of Ironman California is reaching its cutoff time. I again sent out a silent “good luck” to everybody who I hoped would be well onto the bike leg by now.

The ride from rest stop 3 to rest stop 4 is actually pretty fun. There are no major obstacles, and we are rolling along through some great foothills. The only major problem for now is my hands. With my TT bars, there are not too many hand positions to switch around to. I hadn’t felt the fingers on my left hand for most of the morning, so I road right-handed for a while and shook my left hand vigorously. After several minutes I finally get some blood flow back into my left hand.

Fingers are good to have, and I would like to keep mine.

Rest Stop #4, Mile 75

Can you say “hot”?

Can you say “no shade”?

Rest Stop #4 is at the Pope Valley Grange Hall, and it’s rural California at it’s finest – a dirt parking lot with very few trees around. At this point riders are starting to get serious about the heat. Almost everybody is filling water bottles and soaking their heads with the hoses. The water will evaporate quickly, but it sure feels nice for a couple of minutes.

Again I fill up my water bottles, but I don’t grab any solid food at this stop. It’s Gu from rest stop 3 to rest stop 5. I don’t feel like hanging out in the rest stop for long with the lack of shade, so after a minute or two I start riding again.

Miles 75 to 95

There is one hill between rest stop 4 and 5. I make it up OK, but it takes a bit out of me. Somewhere near the 90 mile mark, just past the Guenoc winery, I pull off and down a Gu. I am breathing way too hard to eat, and I am starting to feel weak, so I take a break on the side of the road. I drink, eat the Gu, catch my breath and start rolling again.

It does dawn on me that I have ridden over 90 miles, and I’m still not even to the halfway point of the ride.

Slow and steady. Slow and steady. I just keep making sure that my pedals keep going round and round.

Rest stop #5, Mile 95, Middletown High School

It is almost amusing how different rides can be so completely opposite. On my century last weekend I was hammering at mile 95. Today I can barely feel my legs, and I still have another 100+ to go.

In addition, I am craving solid food, but I know that I cannot eat and ride immediately afterwards. The temperature is way up there, so I decide to make this a long stop.

I eat one and a half peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and three Oreo cookies. I usually try to avoid cookies because of the sugar high, but they looked really good. They tasted good too. After I ate I laid out on a concrete bench for a power nap. I give myself 15 minutes to relax, digest the food and just rest my legs.

It was a bit of an odd scene at the rest stop/high school. There was an “invasion” of multi-colored, lycra clad cyclists eating, drinking and sleeping, and in the school’s gym there was some sort of dance rehearsal going on. There was a constant stream of girls running back and forth from the gym to the coke machine and payphone and back to the gym. All of the young ladies were wearing dancing dresses, complete with sequins, tiaras, etc. I am not sure who looked weirder to whom.

My 15 minute power-nap was most refreshing, but getting my legs back would be tough.

Miles 95 to 105

Although it is only 10 miles between Rest Stop 5 and 6, it is a very tough 10 miles.

OK, in all honesty, it was tough for the first mile as my legs got used to riding again. Then it was fun for the next 6 miles, and then it was Hell for the next 3 miles.

No wind. No shade and a monster climb up through Big Canyon. By now it was full-blown hot! This section was easily pushing the 100degF mark.

The 10 miles still took me about an hour to cover.

For some odd reason, I could not guess the average speed at which I was traveling, but I could precisely estimate the time at which I would arrive at the next rest stop. From rest stop 3 all the way through the end of the ride I would roll out of a rest stop knowing how far I had to ride before my next break. I would then say, “I’ll be there at 2:40pm” and I would arrive exactly on the mark. For some I rode straight through, and for some I stopped several times on the way, but I would always arrive exactly at the mark that I had set.

Big Canyon is the second hardest hill on the course. It would probably be the hardest hill on the course as it is the longest climb, but the hill at mile 125 is much tougher – mainly because nobody wants to climb a hill at mile 125.

….. and now back to Big Canyon.

The entrance into Big Canyon is a deceptive downhill. As I coasted along, getting my cycling legs back, one of my water bottles fell out, or so someone told me later. I had started off with three bottles, and I thought that I could get by with two given the frequency of the rest stops. Also, that bottle had fallen out about three times by now. I was tired of turning around to pick it up, so I let it be.

Had I been aware of the bottle falling I would have stopped. This was my favorite water bottle, a big blue QR bottle that I picked up at the ½ Vineman in 1998, but I was already down the road a ways. There was no way that I was going to backtrack in this heat.

Somewhere along the way I crossed the halfway point. 100 miles down and 100 more to go.

Up I climb into the canyon. It’s hot, and I am moving slowly. I do have my climbing cassette, a 13x26, installed today, but I did not swap out my chainrings. I am riding with a 56/42 front end, and at 7MPH I am grinding out at a cadence of less than 60 RPM’s.

Slow and steady. Slow and steady. Normally, that would have been my mantra, but on a hill like this with my current gearing it’s more like “Grind baby, Grind.”

Did I mention that it is really hot?

Actually it is getting to the “brutally hot” stage as “hot” and “very hot” are no longer adequate adjectives for this temperature.

Surprisingly I was able to catch and pass several people on the climb up Big Canyon. No matter how slow you are there is usually someone who is even slower.

By this time, full strength Gatorade is almost unpalatable, so I stick with water. I drink as the road curves left, and I drink as the road curves right. It’s incredibly hot, and I do not want to get dehydrated. I wish that I could bring in some drama to make this story more interesting, but, in truth, it was a grind, a long grind, a really long and really hot grind.

Almost at the top of Big Canyon I started feeling dizzy, and I had a hard time collecting my thoughts. Luckily there are a few trees around, so I pulled of to the left to take a break, slam a Thermotab and drink some more. An older couple pulls up on a Seven tandem to enjoy a bit of shade. Wow, what a sweet bike! A custom made titanium tandem. We chat for a couple of seconds then I mount up and head off to rest stop #6.

Rest Stop #6

It turns out that #6 was only about 1/4 mile away, just around a blind right corner. I could have been resting where there was fresh water instead of just on the side of the road, but it didn’t really matter. I really needed that roadside break.

It had only been 10 miles since the last rest stop and I was feeling hammered. Luckily this rest stop had a new food item – watermelon. Sweet and juicy watermelon is as good as it gets. I wolfed down 3 slices, filled up my water bottles, sucked down a Gu and started riding again.

Miles 105 to 114

Did I mention that Rest Stop 6 is NOT at the top of Big Canyon?

Nooooo, there’s still another 2+ miles of uphill to go! Luckily I feel better with my new found love of watermelon and I actually have cool water in my water bottles, so I am content to sit and grind my way to the top.

The next rest stop is the lunch stop, and it is only 9 miles away. On the way up I chat with a guy who is a nursing student and a father and he also rides the Davis Bike Club Brevet series. I am not too sure where he finds the time to get all of that done. A couple of years back he qualified for Paris-Brest-Paris which is way out of my league. My first 200-miler is the only goal for the day. The 750 miles of PBP is not even on my horizon. It is more than a little amusing that he feels compelled to tell me how little he has been able to train this year, only 100 miles per week on average. I chose not to clue him in that having just ONE 100 mile week would have been great for me.

We chatted about components and life until we hit the downhill that comes just after the Top of the DC right at mile 110 or so. I picked up some well earned speed and left him behind.

The downhills in the Davis Double Century are really nice. Good, non-technical turns that you can carry some nice speed through. My Km40 handles like a pig, but I am not even on my brakes once.

The last time that I rode this far was at Ironman Canada in 1998. It’s been three years since I have ridden 112 miles, and I cruise through mile 112 today with a smile on my face!

Rest stop #7, Mile 114 LUNCH!!!!

As I wait in line to make myself a sandwich I start talking with the guy in front of me. It is almost comforting to know that no matter how insane your non-athlete friends may think you are you can always bump into someone who is far more mentally unbalanced than yourself at an event like this.

Last weekend I rode a century – 100 miles. Last weekend the guy in front of me road a double century, and today he is riding another double century. That’s two double centuries in two weekends. Compared to him I feel relatively normal.

Sandwich and Sprite in hand I find some shade underneath a big tree, pull off my shoes and take on whole bite. My stomach rebels at the solid food.

I manage to pack in a couple of bites, but there will be very little solid food for me at this stop. I just can’t eat, so I sip my Sprite and lie down for a little while. The conversations drone on around me:

“How many Death Ride’s have you done?” “This will be my third Triple Crown” (at least 3 200-milers in one year). “Where are riding at next weekend?”

It’s mile 114, and there are people contemplating their next ride. I’m just contemplating some sleep. I pop up at my appointed time, gear up and start riding again. It has not cooled off any over the last 30 minutes or so that I was at the lunch stop.

In fact it has probably gotten just a bit hotter.

86 miles to go.

Miles 114 to 133

The course turns left and crosses over a stream leading into clear lake. Normally one can hope for some cool air near a stream.

Yes, one can hope, but it is not going to happen today.

Mile 115.4, take a left at the entrance to Wal-Mart. How nice, Wal-Mart has invaded the rural town of Clear Lake too.

The hill called Resurrection starts at mile 126, and I wind up pulling a paceline halfway there.

This is ludicrous! I am probably the least trained rider on the course, and people are stupid enough to suck my wheel. Do these guys know anything about me? Why do they trust me so much? No offense intended, but I think that it is pretty stupid to get that close to someone you don’t know. It’s almost worse than tailgating in a car.

I swerve left to let them by and they won’t budge. I swerve right and they follow blindly. Finally I give up and ignore their existence. If they take me down due to stupid riding I am going to be really pissed off. At the base of a short uphill they finally pull away.

POINT OF ETIQUETTE: If you draft off of someone for 5 miles, at least say “Thank You.” It’s not that hard to do considering that someone else has just helped you along – not that I’m bitter…..

And now back to the ride……

This is a monumental point for me. I have never ridden more than 120 miles.

At the base of another exposed, treeless hill I switch my computer from speed to distance to see when I break my personal distance record.

120 MILES !!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are now entering uncharted waters. Only these waters are hot and steep not dark and deep. I slowly make my way to the top of the hill. The downhill onto Resurrection is a blast. I max out at 46.3 MPH without even trying, but that all comes to an end at the base of Resurrection.

From the elevation chart it looks like Resurrection climbs about 1000 feet in about 4 miles which only averages out to a 5% grade. In spots it is probably steeper, but let’s take a little quiz.

What is more fun than climbing a 5% grade? Climbing a 5% grade that comes at mile 125!

What’s better than that? Throw in temps that are well above 95degF and probably pushing 100degF.

What’s even better than that? Why yes, a headwind is just the thing!

I would like to say that I felt miserable, but I wasn’t feeling very much at all. I couldn’t feel my left hand, and my legs were just plain tired. I keep promising myself that if I saw a shade tree then I was going to stop and rest. After I pass a couple of trees I finally stop where another guy has taken refuge.

Soon a sag wagon comes along. It turns out that the other guy is toast – he’s heading in. I get some cold water from the sag and sit down for a break. A couple more riders pull in too. Soon I am back on the road, going uphill. After a few minutes my water bottles have been sun baked and I’m drinking warm water again.

Has anyone noticed that “uphill” is a common theme here?

I stop again a few miles down the road. Only this time I stop next to the guy who is riding the beach cruiser. That’s not too good for the ego – here I am on my multi-thousand dollar ultra light racing bike, and lo and behold, some guy on a beach cruiser is keeping pace with me. Ouch.

In all honesty, it didn’t really bother me at all. We were both out here for our own reasons, and it was incredibly impressive to see this guy hammering along on a 35+ pound 5-speed.

Rest Stop #7, Mile 133, almost the top of Resurrection

I dropped my bike, grabbed my water bottles and lined up for a refill. The line was at least 25 riders deep, and I was not looking forward to the wait. One of the young volunteers is asking each person if they would like her to fill their bottles for them and most declined.

I may be insane, but I am not stupid.

“Yes please, one bottle with water and one with ½ Gatorade, ½ water.”

If she is willing to let me sit down while she fills my bottles then I am more than willing to let her. I grab some watermelon and a coke while my water bottles are filled for me. That’s really nice!!!

There are no trees at this highway pullout, so I find a spot underneath an umbrella and sit my butt down. At this point I took a look at my legs. My calves had taken on a life of their own. I was not moving, but my calves were. They were pulsing and twitching almost like a heart muscle. I wasn’t cramping and they were not in pain, but that was the first time that I have ever seen any of my muscles moving of their own accord.

After a few short minutes I realized that it was too hot to get much relief, so I saddled up and hit the road, pulsating calf muscles and all.

Miles 133 to 147

After a miniscule rise to the top of Resurrection, it’s all downhill to Rest Stop #8.

That’s not totally true.

From the profile map, it looks like it’s completely downhill, but there are a couple of flat sections thrown in. After climbing Resurrection and Big Canyon it’s really nice to get in a gravity assisted ride.

I was basically alone for this 14 miles, and it was awesome. I was actually able to catch one other rider, but other than that it was just me on a two-lane country road. I was able to hit my big chainring for a few miles of what one could almost call “hammering” (if you wish to be charitable). I wasn’t riding fast, but I felt pretty good. And it is awfully nice to feel just a little good when one is over 130 miles into a ride.

Unfortunately this feeling didn’t last too long. About a mile away from Rest Stop #8 I could feel the energy draining from my legs. I hadn’t overtaxed myself in the last few miles even though I had been riding a bit faster than before. Then again, this was mile 147, and I had been out here for over 12 hours by now. Loosing a little bit of steam was just to be expected. I often find it amazing that the highs and lows during a long event came occur almost simultaneously. One second I was feeling like a million bucks, and the next second I was struggling to keep the pedals turning.

Mile 147 Rest Stop #8

By this time I was sitting down at every rest stop, if only for a few minutes. This one even had chairs and the shade of a big old oak tree.

I loaded up on Gatorade and water and a few cookies, took a few minutes rest and got back on the road. My mental state was incredible. I was tired, I had over 50 miles to go, it was still very hot and I could have easily sagged it home, but that wasn’t even a consideration. There was riding to do, and I needed to get it done.

Miles 147 to 165

Fatigue was really pushing me down in this section. While it is slightly downhill it still took some pushing on the pedals to keep the wheels turning. Mentally I was feeling really good. I knew that I was tired and my legs had almost no energy left in them, but I also knew what I had to do.

I kept to my plan which was to drink as much as possible, eat often, take a salt tab or ibuprofen as needed and keep those pedals turning round and round.

By my standards this was a beautiful section of the course, and that helped a lot. I grew up in a rural section of California in the foothills, and this section was exactly that. True, the few trees that were around were oaks and not pine, but the effect was similar – a two lane country road cruising through the foothills under a wide open sky. I was in a good frame of mind.

Also the sun had reached its zenith some time ago and was heading down. It was still hot, but relief was in site. I was hoping to be back at the start/finish by the time it got dark, but I wasn’t too sure that was going to happen. In the past the knowledge that I had would not meet a goal – being done before dark – would have frustrated me to no end. But not today. There was nothing I could change about where I was, how far I still had to ride and how much energy I had to get it all done, so why waste energy on negative thoughts?

Although it wasn’t as hot, the air was incredibly dry. I had to drink constantly to keep my mouth from feeling like a dust storm. This was a good thing as it forced me to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Rest Stop #9, Mile 165, what used to be a one room schoolhouse

Since I was fatigued I knew that this was going to be a long stop.

I laid my bike down and walked over to the food line. Yet again the spread was amazing. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salted potatoes, cookies of all sorts and a new treat – Cup o’ Noodles soup!!! Normally I would avoid Cup o’ Noodles because the sodium content is high enough to kill a Clydesdale (the horse, not the triathlete), but today was definitely NOT normal. Noodles submerged in salt broth sounded like just the ticket.

I gathered up my food just as the perfect resting spot came open, one of those folding beach lounge chairs. I plopped my butt down and started to feast.

I had been holding pretty much to myself for most of the ride, but the crowd here was very engaging. One rider was a double century junky with the Terrible Two (16,000 feet of climbing) and the Devil Mountain Double (18,000 feet of climbing) to his credit. After chatting for a bit I nodded off for some needed rest.

Have I mentioned that doing a double without training is very taxing on the body????

I woke up later and one rider was making his decision to pull out of the ride. He’d had enough. I found it most comical to listen to him.

“Two years ago, I spent 45 minutes in this very rest stop and then continued on. I ain’t going to do that again.”

Cool, I had only been here for 35 minutes – I had another 10 minutes to go…. ;-)

Soon those 10 minutes were up, and it was time to hit the road again.

Miles165 to 178

It took me a couple of miles before my legs felt like pedaling again, and shortly thereafter they didn’t want to pedal at all. I did what I had to do. I stopped, pulled off the side of the road and sat down for a few minutes. Two sag wagons came by, but I waived them off. This was just a tough spell. I knew that I could finish. I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t make it home before dark, so I just listened to my body and took a needed break.

One water bottle and one Gu later and it was back to the bike.

At one point the two lane country road widened and improved considerably. There was now a real bike lane and the pavement was great. A couple of miles later the local casino came into view. If you want people to gamble I would guess that you better have some good roads for them to drive on. Yes, the casino’s parking lot was full.

There was one little rise in this section, and it really hurt to ascend what could only have been about one hundred feet. Mentally I was doing great. I was setting the appropriate expectations, but they were very, very low expectations. What at one time in my life might have been “let’s try to break 20MPH” became “let’s try to pedal this bike.”

Slow and steady. Just get the job done.

Finally we were back in the farmlands and it was time to make some right and left turns. After being on essentially the same road for about 60 miles it was great to have to pay attention to the course markings again.

Rest Stop #10, Mile 178

I know this place!!!

Well, OK Rest Stop #1 doubles as Rest Stop #10, and I had been there once before in my life some 15 hours ago.

By now you probably know the drill – fill water bottles, grab a bit of food (this time a banana), sit for a spell and then get back on the road. Yet again the volunteers were awesome, arranging chairs, delivering food, checking on general well-being. This ride is a class act.

I only had 22 miles to go, and I knew that I would make it. It gave my ego a bit of a boost to see someone who had dropped out drive out to the rest stop to meet some friends who were still riding. I was sitting near them, and I listened to him describe how tough it had been for him with today’s conditions. This was not a competition by any means, but it felt good to know that I had done a great job of listening to my body and pacing myself. Coming into this event undertrained could have been a disaster, but I was doing great and only had 22 miles to go.

22 dark miles as the sun was now gone, but at least it was cooling off.

Miles 178 to 193

Since we were now back into the farmlands we had the added benefit of evaporative cooling from the irrigation canals. It was starting to feel quite pleasant other than the fact that I couldn’t feel the fingers in my left hand and my legs were hoping to jump ship to a new body.

Through the fields.

Earlier in the day I had enjoyed my shadow as it revealed a very nice aero-position. Now, the sun was down, so I didn’t have to see my shadow in what had to be a less than stellar hunchback impersonation.

Surprisingly I made a pretty big mistake once the weather cooled off. With the cooler temps and moisture in the air from the irrigation canals I forgot about drinking. In the last 20 miles of a 200 mile ride, I let myself get dehydrated because I quit thinking about one of the most important aspects of ultra-events – Hydration. The air was cool. I felt OK. Why drink?

Luckily it was no big deal this time, but I cannot forget this lesson in the future (especially when I try to ride more than 200 miles).

Rest Stop #11, Mile 193 or Where I Really Didn’t Want to Stop but Had no Choice

The Davis Double is well supported, well marked and has very few rules. One of those rules is, in my opinion, a good idea.

- After dark, riders must leave rest stops in groups of 5.

This increases the cyclists chance of being seen by motorists on the unlit two-lane farm roads that surround Davis. OK, this sounds like a great rule, at least logically, until you are the one who just wants to get the hell back to town and get off of your bike!!!

At the Plainfield Fire Station I was waived in by a volunteer and told to wait for 4 more riders. Two came in shortly after me, and they were raring to get back on the road, but since we had to wait for two more one of them decided to use the rest room. Soon two more riders came in and we had our five-some. As is usual in any cat-herding situation the second two-some decided to use the rest room because we had to wait for the first guy. After they left, the woman from the first two-some decided that it was finally a good time to hit the facilities.

During this interlude the volunteer in charge of headlight enforcement took a break to deal with some medical issues that were occurring on the course, and a tandem and a lone cyclist were able to cruise by without stopping.

Aaaaaargh, can we just get going now?

Miles 193 to 200

Not being a good team player I dropped the hammer when we hit the road again. It wasn’t much of a hammer, but I could see the lights of Davis and I was ready to be done.

I have no idea how fast I was riding because it was pitch black by now, and I could not see my computer except when the occasional big truck went by and shared his bright headlights with me. Who cares how fast I was going? To me it felt like I was flying!

I caught the tandem and the lone cyclist and left them in my wake, or so I thought. As usual they jumped onto my wheel for a free ride. I gotta look back more often.

I backed off the pace about 2 miles outside of town. Soon I started seeing streetlights. Civilization and the end of the ride coming up! A few left and right turns and there stood the Davis Senior High School.

SWEET!!!!

Home Sweet Home.

I parked my bike, checked in and rode the two blocks down to my car where I called my wife to let her know that I had finished the ride safe and sound. I love cell phones for calls like that.

After packing up my bike I drove back to the high school for a well-deserved shower. I just wanted to go to sleep, but I held myself up long enough to wash off a serious layer of salt deposits. Both my jersey and my shorts were well coated with a white layer of sweated salts.

I tried to eat some of the post-ride Mexican food, but due to dehydration my stomach could not tolerate any of it.

So I drove off into the night……. only to call my wife minutes later to tell her that I was going to find a hotel room for the night. There was no way that I could make it the two hours back to home without falling asleep at the wheel.

I drove around a bit and found a Budget Inn or Comfort Inn or Beside the Freeway Here’s a Bed Inn that had a vacancy. I further validated my choice to find a place the crash when I fell asleep while resting my head on the counter at the check-in desk. I was one tired puppy.

I was also one very satisfied puppy!

200 miles in one day. That feels pretty good.

On a down note, it took me about 5 weeks to recover. Losing 14 pounds in 16 hours is not a recommended diet for anyone. While I usually never get sick, I caught the flu a couple of weeks later that had me laid out for several days.

I’m pretty sure that better preparation (read: training) would have resulted in a much shorter recovery period, but then again……

that was one of the coolest things that I have ever done!

A double century without training.

Epic! Truly epic!

0 notes

sundrenched-smilez · 6 years

Note

What sort of world do Strumm and Shiver live in? What race (species?) are they? Do they have magic? Are they native to the world/city/plane they live on? I assume they know each other or are related to each other, if they're new at the same time -- how do they know each other?

What sort of world do Strumm and Shiver live in?

i want to make this a world where recovery is encouraged. it’s a magical and powerful place, and so many people can do all of these extraordinary things, so why can’t we bring them up when they’re trying to function, to get better? they deserve that chance, and we should give it to them. this is an affectionate world, that teaches love and mercy. it can still have it’s cruel moments, and we’ll explore that thru strumm, but only after the matter, while they’re recovering, and trying to move past what happened. which is why i’m calling it “a delicate tale of recovery” bc i think that these things require a lot of attention, and care. it certainly isn’t an easy road to getting better, but thru the brambles and briers, there is a path, and u can make it thru.

aside from that, magic is everywhere, it’s a near-constant, and it’s beautiful. people make elaborate shops that r so custom-designed that u recognize them as much as u would a person. no two shops r the same!! like magic, they have their own spin on them. it’s something i’m excited to explore as i flesh out this world. :~))

What race (species?) are they?

i’m not sure on this yet tbh!! not human, and i think there’s multiple, but that’s something i’ll have to explore. I think that bodies can be shaped depending on what kind of magic they manifest, if it’s powerful enough. there are probably examples of metal Base witches that r made out of metal, in part, or entirely. or by choice!! you embody your magic, and reap what u sow!! there are some ppl who can change parts of their bodies at will, and some that are completely embodying their magic, like plant ppl, or those who have rough earth-skin, and can change the material. this isn’t for sure yet, but is a possibility. maybe corruption from magic is a thing!! we’ll have to see where the story goes :~)) it’s mostly going to focus on recovery as a main theme. i have the first few panels thought out, and then i’m going to play it a bit by ear until i get some time w the characters to hear what they need to go thru, u kno!!

Do they have magic?

they do!! they have rly diff magic from each other, and i think everyone does, really; some ppl get water manipulation, others can make clay sculptures from mud, and marble from ordinary stone. i like to imagine there’s as many magics as there r ppl. some correlate, but it’s more common that two people will have differing magics than the same, and ofc, even if u get two with the same power, they’ve had different upbringings, so they’ll have different styles and flavor to them. someone who can summon and wield water could use it like a whip, while someone with the same power might summon water-constructs shaped like animals to attack. it’s all about training, and how creative they can get with it!! the more imagination u have, the stronger u are as a witch. witches can have more than one magic, but typically they’re born with one, and then train others under witches’ wings. (sometimes literally)

strumm’s base magic is creation. at its root, their magic can b used to create anything they can imagine. it’s really powerful, but has its setbacks. it takes a lot of focus, and concentration to make something complex. they don’t need to know exactly how things work to make them, but it goes a long way. I think people have a Base, and then their Spin on it. strumm’s Spin is mainly life, but also dreams. their ability to create is typically used to make their thoughts and dreams come to life; whether this be storms coming out of nowhere, candles popping up into existence, or giving ordinary things life. I think they made one of their blankets into a cat, and it eats yarn when it’s getting a little rough for wear to patch itself up. they made a bear for their friend joyce (who i’ll also talk about) that dispenses cough/cold medicine. it also works for situations, sometimes, and they can gently push fate into play. they were thinking of a song all day, and then heard it on the radio; or miss a person, and a few hours later, they run into them/get a message. little things like that. it’s an unreliable way of forecasting, and is a result of their imagination being pretty active. they can’t control it, and honestly they shouldn’t even be able to do these things with creation as their base, but it’s such a strong spin that they can. they can’t super control it yet tho, so it’s more of a subconscious thing when forecasting happens.

shiver’s base is food control, and her spin is sweets, usually. she can cook really well, and hasn’t ever burnt anything, nor had it undercooked. if she wants to, she can create some foods, but the process can toy with her emotions, depending on what food. so, as a result, she usually sticks to chocolate, and desserts, bc they’re sweet, and that’s something she can live with being. she’s got thermal manipulation over any food she chooses, and can also dictate its form. so she could make a chocolate bar into a cup of hot cocoa if she wanted, and she usually does, bc it’s less work than dispensing it. she’s rly upbeat, comforting, and warm, and a bit of a mess. sometimes she withdraws for a few days to focus on her, and her friends r understanding of this. in dealing w others’ emotions, she tires herself out. she can move food around by concentrating on it, as a form of telekinesis. her favorite to move around is drinks!! they’re a lot of fun, and it’s good practice on maintaining diff forms w/o having to worry abt botching things up.

joyce!!!! i’ve not thought abt her a lot yet, aside from a few traits, and appeance. they’re like the mom friend, and relentless abt teasing and “calling out” their friends, and joking. if anyone even hints toward being uncomf, she’ll stop immediately, tho. i think they use she/they bc i can’t decide on one. their base is weaponry, and their spin is stained glass and metals. there are many magics that can aid in fighting, and some witches will spar with each other regularly to hone their skills, and compete. joyce loves this. they can make any weapon they think of out of glass or metal, or a mix of the two. her favorite to use is stained glass, bc it’s pretty, and bc it’s a glass cannon!! it’s sharp as hell, and powerful, but breaks in one hit, but since they have manipulation of it, they can just reform it into a different weapon if they want!! the only requisite is that (for now) she has to be holding some of the original piece. so she’s got a pair of earrings that they never take off!! :~)) same goes for metal, but that’s a lot easier not to shatter. but just in case, they have some piercings from a big pole of stainless steel. they’re able to use other materials, but they’re rly protective, and choose to focus on these two. they could make a sword, and once it hits someone else’s weapon/construct, etc., change it into a ball and chain, and trap them. their fighting style is really fluid, as a result. they’re also vry strong bc they metalwork, and like the physical toll of it, and being a bit sore after a job well done, and it helps them wield heavier weapons.

Are they native to the world/city/plane they live on?

i think there r different worlds, bc that’s so fun, and how could i not do smth space related,, it’s me. joyce is from another planet, pyrrh (like peerh), shiver and strumm live in the same town, but strumm is from a neighboring one. they don’t have guardians, so they take care of themselves. (houses dont cost money!!! in this world!! bc fuck that. there’s just an application process, and it’s all formality, like ok yeah, u want this house?? sure, sure, just dont break it, and also mail us smth once u get settled in ok to make sure ur livin there, so we dont repurpose it or anything) i’ll explore how they travel thru diff worlds at some point!! but atm i’m gonna have 2 think on it.

they all live on the same plane!! one where they can harness the inherent magic of existence to fit their own expressions, their own worlds. there r multiple planes, tho

I assume they know each other or are related to each other, if they’re new at the same time – how do they know each other?

strumm met joye one rainy afternoon, as they were coming home from grocery shopping, and kept wishing they would get a ride from someone, and joyce, being the sweetheart that they r, had to save this poor thing from being soaked further than they were. strumm was trusting enough to get in their car, and joyce hasn’t left them alone since. gave them their number, name, and a charm to keep them safe, and went “this person is under my protection now, they’re entirely too kind, and i want to see them grow.” n they hit it off and became fast friends. every tuesday, they get coffee, and sometimes hold hands. there’s probably going to b a relationship between them?? but also, platonic handholding is important, and joyce does this with all her friends. joyce loves physical affection, and is a big (very buff) softie, n is expressive abt her feelings.

shiver and strumm r childhood friends!! they met in a park, and napped together when they were 5-6, and started hanging out and showing each other their magic, and bonded over being able to create things!! i think base magic manifests at a very early age, and is developed over the course of several years, and never rly stops growing. they like to eat blue foods together, and will bake all the time, it’s fun!! shiver has blue hair, and grey eyes like rain, and the warmest smile you’ll see. they’re pretty cold all the time, and love curling up under blankets, and will tend to cling to ppl if she’s comf w u. also affectionate, a bit quiet at first, but once she knows u, she’ll go on n on abt life w u, and talk til she’s blue

shiver and joyce met each other thru strumm!! they’re friends, and will talk every so often, but hang out less than they each do w strumm, but they’re getting there!! they’ve had a few sleepovers, n r comf enough to sleep all over each other, n cuddle and watch movies!! im making this a vry affectionate world bc i don’t see enough of it, and i’m going 2 make it more prevalent!!!! joyce made a ceramic mug for shiver as a witching day present once, and it gets a lot of use, it’s shiver’s fav thing that they own.

witching day is a holiday where u use ur abilities to make gifts for ur loved ones, n spend time w them!! there’s also competitions for fun, and matches that u can fight in, and it’s like a big fair, and everyone gets a paid weekend off.

this was incredibly helpful in shaping the world a bit, thank u for asking!!! i super appreciate it!! lmk if u have any followups

#dtor #cassette tapes #strumm #joyce #shiver

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