#ralph penbury x reader | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pollenallergie · 5 months

Text

the favourite

Word Count: 4k

Description: Ralph checks in on his favourite maid.

A/N: as always, all credit for Ralph’s canon surname goes to @mypoisonedvine!! <3

CW/TW: nothing to see here, just good ole fashion comfort fic. some brief mentions of vomiting/stomach issues, but that’s all. just good ole wholesome fluff. reader is referred to as a woman, and she/her pronouns are occasionally used to refer to her… i’m sorryyyy i really meant to make this more gender-neutral, but there was some wording that sounded really clunky when written to be gender neutral, and i couldn’t find out how to get around it, so i caved. i’m sorry :/

Ralph paces outside the maids’ quarters, fretting about what sort of state you must be in. He’s not seen you all day, and that, in and of itself, is quite unusual.

From the moment he’d noticed that you were missing at breakfast, he’d begun to worry. However, his anxiety only increased tenfold when he’d overheard a couple of the other servants discussing how you’d fallen ill in the late, late hours of last night. Now that Ralph knows the true reason for your sudden absence, he debates whether he should pay a visit to the maids’ quarters to check in on you.

On the one hand, he cares for you deeply, probably more than a man should care about one of his maids, and wants to support you in your time of need. However, on the other hand, Ralph is quite squeamish and he worries that he will not be able to handle seeing you in such a compromised state. Or, rather, he fears that any reaction he may have to your sickly plight will only make things worse for you.

“Ralph,” his sister, Victoria, shouts from the other room, “Would you stop pacing? I can hear your feet pitter-pattering, it’s driving me mad! And you’re creating a draft,” she scolds him harshly.

“R-right, of course,” he stutters, now forced to make a choice. Shall he go in and check on you or should he simply wait for you to come out on your own, once you’ve recovered?

Suddenly, it occurs to Ralph that you may never recover, that this mysterious ailment may well be fatal. Should that be the case, then Ralph would lose you forever. That thought stirs an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

It’s decided then, Ralph thinks, I must go check on her.

So, he peeks down the hall, ensuring Victoria is far enough away that she won’t notice him sneaking into your room. Once he’s confirmed to himself that his sister is too far from him to be aware of his clandestine activities, Ralph slowly and quietly opens the door to your rooms, calling out your name to ensure that he won’t startle you.

“It’s me, Ralph. Are you decent?” He inquires politely.

“Yes,” you hum out pathetically as one of your cold hands snakes under your duvet to gently cradle your aching stomach. At this point, you can’t tell if your chills are the result of the frosty winter weather that roars on just outside the thin glass of your bedroom window or of the illness you’d awoken with last night.

At the sound of your pitiful tone, Ralph swiftly enters your room and softly shuts the door behind him. He then promptly makes his way over to you before coming to kneel at your bedside, his brow furrowing with concern.

“Oh, dove, what’s happened to you?” Ralph asks frantically with his eyes flitting back and forth as he takes in your sallow appearance. Your heart thrums at the term of endearment he’s used.

Perhaps it should be concerning that one of your employers has invaded your space, the only comfort you are owed as a domestic servant, this realm of so-called privacy that you share with two other young ladies and one very pious older lady. Not to mention that he’s referred to you in such an inappropriate manner. However, you’ve come to expect such behaviour from Ralph, who has never much bothered with upholding social customs.

Surprisingly, he frequently pays even less mind to cultural standards than his twin sister, Victoria, a woman known far and wide for her eccentricities. Victoria, for example, certainly doesn’t make a habit of fraternising with the help beyond the typical daily exchanges that take place in the home. Ralph, however, is quite chummy with all of the staff of the Penbury House.

Though, recently you’ve become his favourite, most likely because you indulge his odd little whims more than the others and more than you probably should. Although, now you’re hardly in the right state to properly accommodate such spontaneity.

“My stomach,” you pathetically whimper your response as you look up at him with sorrowful, glassy eyes.

Ralph feels his heart break at the sight. Only then does he notice the empty bin positioned precariously by your bed, and he begins to feel a nervousness flutter about in his belly.

“Are you- Have you gotten sick?” He asks, his voice having gone up an octave from all of his worrying.

You nod before attempting to provide verbal confirmation, only to then be cut off by a sharp, cramping pain shooting through your abdomen. You wince at the horrid feeling, causing Ralph to frown.

“Is it painful?” He asks softly.

“Yes,” you whimper out, an unintentionally adorable pout taking over your features.

You cannot help but feel ashamed. A member of the household staff should never make their discomfort known to their employers, even if your master did ask you directly. Perhaps, if anyone overheard you, you can simply blame it on your fever-addled mind. Certainly that seems reasonable, right?

You’ve heard of men at war having delusions of grandeur as a result of incredibly high fevers, caused by infected wounds, warping their minds. Certainly then it must be reasonable to suspect that your mild fever is at fault for your current inability to properly think things through before you say them aloud.

Oblivious to your mental plight, Ralph lifts his hand to rest near your temple, the tips of his fingers gently stroking the damp, wispy strands at your hairline as he coos, “Oh, poppet, I shall call for a doctor at once.” It’s a comforting touch accompanied by words that speak of a kindness someone like you simply will never deserve from someone like him, you are well aware of that, yet you cannot help but lean into the touch all the same.

“I’ll be alright, my lord,” you reply, giving your polite, indirect refusal.

Ralph tsks in disapproval, “Sweetling, you know that I will not know peace until you’ve recovered. Please, let me help you,” he begs sweetly.

You sigh, your resolve swiftly melting under the heat of the pleading gaze that his coffee brown eyes fix you with.

“Thank you, my lord,” you say, simultaneously accepting his aid and articulating your gratitude for it while your lips curl up into a small, shy smile.

In turn, he rewards your reluctant acceptance with a big, beaming grin. He then gingerly takes one of your clammy hands, the only one which is not currently cradling your aching stomach, into one of his own before placing a chaste kiss to the back of it.

“Rest up, dove. I’ll be back shortly,” Ralph informs you giddily, oddly excited by the prospect of caring for you. He then swiftly departs, rushing off to ring up their local physician.

Only an hour or so later, you're suddenly awoken by the sound of the door to your quarters opening with an eerie creak. You huff and roll over without opening your eyes, presuming it to be one of the other maids.

“Darling, I have returned,” Someone calls out in a singsong tone as they enter your room, “I apologise for being away for so long. You would not believe how difficult it was to get in touch with our family’s physician.”

“Ralph?” You ask, momentarily forgetting your manners due to the lingering exhaustion, as you roll over and open your bleary eyes to look at the person.

“Yes, ‘tis I,” he confirms theatrically, just as energetic and campy as ever, as he sets down a glass of water and a cup of tea on your night stand.

Ralph then gracelessly plops down on your bed, a canvas bag filled with various bits and bobs still loosely tucked into the crook of his elbow as he comes to sit just by where your feet rest under the blankets.

“Oh, how I do love it when you simply call me by my name,” he remarks cheerfully as he gently boops your nose.

“It’s improper,” you grumble, “I should always refer to you by your title.”

“Perhaps it is, but I love it all the same,” Ralph replies, still sporting his cheerful smile as he busies himself with setting out all of the things he’s brought with him on top of the wooden trunk that sits near the foot of your tiny bed.

Now that Ralph thinks about it, he really should arrange for you to get a bigger bed, maybe he should arrange for all the staff to get bigger beds; he can’t imagine these are very comfortable. You’re a grown woman, a lovely, amazing, kind, unfairly beautiful grown woman, you deserve to sleep in a bed befitting a grown adult.

“Now,” Ralph begins to explain once he’s arranged everything to his liking, “It would seem that Dr. Wycoff has already stepped out for the day, so he won’t be able to come until tomorrow morning. However, you needn’t fret, for I had one of our footmen go out and fetch you some things that might ease your discomfort, at least until we can get you proper medical attention.”

“My lor-” you attempt to interject, most likely to remind Ralph that his fretting over you is both completely unnecessary and entirely inappropriate, though the attempt is in vain as your master continues with his ramblings.

“Now, let’s see, I’ve got some ginger tea to help calm your stomach, a hot water bottle for the cramping, a glass of cold water with some mint leaves in it, a couple pieces of toast, and a collection of poetry that I can read to you. What shall we start with first?” He asks eagerly, looking at you with those wide, kind eyes of his. There’s a spark of determination present in his warm gaze and it lets you know that any further attempts you make to refuse his care, whether they’re for propriety’s sake or otherwise, will be futile.

You huff out a breath, the sound of it is something between a humorous chuckle and resigned sigh, before smiling up at him fondly.

“Perhaps we could start with the hot water bottle and maybe the book of poems as well,” you suggest.

You don’t know how it’s possible, but, somehow, his smile seems to become even bigger and brighter than before. “Marvelous idea, poppet,” He says sweetly as he grabs the hot water bottle.

Rather than simply handing the item to you, as you initially expect, Ralph simply lifts the linens away from you, revealing your form to him, so that he can place the hot water bottle on your aching stomach himself. The moment he registers that you’re in your nightdress — your white cotton nightdress, which is surprisingly thin and not doing much to conceal your form from him — he realises his mistake.

Ralph gingerly, yet hastily places the hot water bottle on your stomach, his fingertips able to feel the warmth of your skin through your nightdress as he does so. His cheeks and the tips of his ears burn with a warm blush as he aids you. Ralph then promptly rights the linens back in place so that you’re properly covered, before swiftly rising to his feet, turning away and attempting to disguise his flusteredness by clearing his throat.

“I apologise,” he exhales a shaky breath, still refusing to look at you, “for erm- well- I only meant to help. It was not my intention to erm- to violate you. I would never want to dis-”

“My lord, it’s quite alright.”

“-respect you or to- to, erm, to dishonour you.”

“You haven’t, my lord,” you attempt to interject, though it seems nothing you say will halt his spiraling.

Oh, well, drastic times call for drastic measures.

“It was certainly not my intention to force myself onto you or to, erm, to take advantage of you in such a vulnerable state. Truly, I only meant to help you, to care for you, because, well, I think I might l-”

“Ralph,” you interrupt.

The sound of his own name finally captures his attention as he turns to face you once more, mostly out of shock; you hardly ever call him by his first name, despite the fact that he’s made it very obvious that he wishes you would only ever refer to him by his first name, his name, not the name held by his father and his sister and every other Penbury who’s not him.

You reach out to gently grasp one of his hands in one of your own, clammy, hands. “It’s alright.”

He looks down at your intertwined hands, then back at your face, focusing on your eyes which look up at him so kindly, and then down to your lips which are curled into a soft, shy smile, one that, in his wildest dreams, he lets himself believe you reserve only for him.

“It is?” He asks, his tone still wavering with worry.

“Yes,” you reassure him before patting the spot he once sat in, silently encouraging him to sit back down, to be near you again.

Ralph obliges your wordless request and hesitantly lowers himself to sit back down on the edge of your bed.

He’s quiet still, too quiet, especially considering that neither of the Penbury twins are ever quiet. You worry that he’s still lost in his own mind, panicking about propriety, much like you always are. You don’t like seeing him worry.

“My lord, I do believe you promised to read some poems to me,” you remind him, not truly wanting to boss him around, but rather wanting to give him something to focus on other than his recent misstep.

“R-right, right, of course, I, erm,” he pauses to clear his throat, looking down at his hands as he wrings them together, deciding whether he should speak the next words allowed given how he’s already disregarded your boundaries today. Ultimately, he sighs and decides to take the risk.

“I’ll, erm- I’ll read them to you but only,” he whispers before pausing briefly to let out a shaky breath, “only if you promise to stop referring to me as ‘my lord’ when we’re alone. I’d,” he pauses once more, summoning the courage needed to speak his next words aloud, “I’d much rather you call me Ralph when it’s just the two of us.”

He’s told you this many times before and you’ve never been outright offended, but still, he worries.

Although, you’ve recently, within the last few minutes, called him Ralph all on your own, making that the second time that you’ve referred to him by his name today. Twice is certainly the most you’ve ever called him by his name in a day as you almost never refer to him as anything but ‘my lord’ when addressing him directly and ‘Lord Penbury’ when referring to him in conversations with the other household staff members; conversations he really shouldn’t eavesdrop on, but that he always does, at least, when you’re a part of them.

Certainly your seemingly waning hesitance to call him by his name must be a good sign, right?

You reply, “Maybe I shall call you Ralphie.”

It’s a joke, one that shouldn’t be said aloud, one that you didn’t properly think over before you said it aloud, one that has entirely too much truth behind it, one that really wouldn’t seem like a joke at all if not for your humorous tone. Ralph certainly doesn’t seem to think it a joke.

He smiles brightly, some of that characteristic Penbury enthusiasm returning to him in that moment, as he genuinely replies, “I would love that, sweetling.”

“Now,” Ralph continues, “as for the poems, this book is from my own personal collection. It’s the selected poems of John Keats. He’s one of my favourites. It’s a shame tuberculosis took him so young. Thankfully you don’t have tuberculosis, or, at least, I’ve got no reason to think that you do. I believe tuberculosis is the one with all the coughing, and you haven’t a cough, just an upset stomach, right, darling?” He rambles as he digs the book out of his bag and then thumbs through it in search of his favourite poem.

“Right,” you confirm, “no coughing.”

He hums at that, offering mere acknowledgment as he’s already moved onto another subject entirely. Usually you’re one of the only ones who’s able to keep up with him in conversation, whenever you’re actually afforded the opportunity to indulge him in it without getting caught by the housekeeper, the woman in charge of you and all the other female servants. However, today it’s difficult to keep up with his rapidly shifting focuses, likely due to your current state of ill health.

“Are you familiar with his work?” Ralph asks suddenly.

“Hmm?” You question, too lost in your own thoughts to remember who he’s talking about.

“John Keats. Are you familiar with any of his poems?” He asks again, not at all bothered by the fact that you seem to have lost focus for a moment there.

One thing you’ve learned in your time working here at the Penbury estate is that the younger of the two Penbury twins is exceedingly patient, whilst the elder is exceedingly short-tempered.

“I’m afraid not, erm,” you heistate before calling him by his desired nickname, still reluctant to let go of propriety, “Ralphie,” you reply, giving in to the temptation to please him, to make him happy by calling him something far more personal than his title.

It’s the first time you’ve actually used that nickname when addressing him and the sound of it sets fireworks alight in his chest.

“Oh, how dreadful! I suppose we shall start with the classics then, yes? This one is called ‘You Say You Love’ and it’s easily one of my favourites of all the poems I’ve ever read,” Ralph explains before leaning in close to tap your nose with an audible ‘boop’ before assuring you, in a tone that’s much like the one he uses when he’s cooing lovingly, “you’re going to positively adore it, sweetling, I’m certain of it.”

He sits up again, opening the book to the correct page before suddenly remembering the tea he’d had the kitchen staff prepare for you.

“Sweetling,” Ralph calls out to you.

“Yes, Ralphie?” He can’t help but smile at the sound of your sweet voice uttering his preferred nickname, this time noticeably less tentative than before.

“Do remember to drink your tea before it goes cold, my lo- my dear,” he clears his throat out of embarrassment before reaffirming, “erm, j-just dear. Dearest, even!”

She’s not yours, Ralph, you blasted fool! He harshly reminds himself.

You bravely rest one of your hands atop his own, knowing he needs the comforting touch to ground him and help him avoid another spiral. “I will,” you assure him.

“R-right, erm,” he clears his throat, “let us begin.”

You hum your approval as you reach over to carefully grab the cup of tea from where it sits on the trunk by your bed. Ralph can’t help but smile as he watches you take a sip, all while still clutching the hot water bottle to your tummy.

“You say that you love,” he begins, immediately channeling the energy of a romantic poet, like John Keats, waxing poetic about unrequited love, “but with a voice chaster than a nun’s…”

You sit back, resting against your thin, floppy pillow, sipping your ginger tea whilst you listen to him recite one of his favourite poems in a tone of voice so soft and intimate, that it begins to lull you to sleep.

It’s not long before you’re sound asleep, but, even then, Ralph doesn’t stop reading his poems; mostly because he’s so engrossed in the works of his favourite poet that he fails to notice that you’ve fallen asleep.

Once he does notice, however, he sets his book aside so that can help get you settled. He carefully eases the cup of tea out of your clutches, lest you spill it on yourself in your sleep, and sets it aside. He takes great care in gently tucking you in, careful not to wake you as he makes sure you’re sufficiently covered by your bed linens.

Thanks to your lack of consciousness, Ralph even finds the courage to lean forward and press a gentle, chaste kiss to your forehead. Though, he soon realizes that might have been a mistake as your forehead is very sweaty, no doubt thanks to your fever, and now your now-cold perspiration is on his lips. He grimaces at the gross feeling as he harshly wipes your sweat off of his lips with the sleeve of shirt. He also indulges in a sip of your tea, just to make sure that your sweat is well and truly gone.

“I shall remain right here as you sleep, sweetling. I won’t leave your side, not for a moment,” Ralph reassures your sleeping form.

He makes good on his word, sitting at your side and watching you sleep, memorising the slope of your nose and the roundness of your cheeks, reading poem after poem to you even though you aren’t awake to hear them.

Ralph even replaces your hot water bottle when it goes cold, handing it off to Langley — who’s been dutifully waiting outside the door to the maids’ chambers ever since he discovered his master was in there — so that he can have the kitchen staff rewarm it for you. He still blushes and flusters when he lifts the linens to take the now useless water bottle from you, he still feels wildly guilty about crossing any boundaries, even though you’re in too deep of a sleep to notice. Ralph even finishes your tea before it goes cold and then has Langley order the kitchen staff to prepare some more for you.

Speaking of dear Langley, the Penburys’ head butler whose current, steadfast presence by the door to the maids’ quarters, a place he’s never been posted outside of before, gives away Ralph’s presence in your room to anyone and everyone who walks by.

Luckily for Ralph, Victoria would never set foot in what she colloquially refers to as the “Help Hall,” a hallway lined with doors that lead to the various rooms the staff of the townhouse reside in.

Still, he can’t imagine that the women with whom you share your room are at all happy to have their master lingering in their space. So, when the evening draws to a close, and he hears the murmurs of other staff members going off to their rooms in that same hallway, Ralph reluctantly leaves your side to avoid causing any offense to the other maids, who’ve never been anything but kind to him.

Nevertheless, before he leaves, Ralph places another soft kiss on your forehead, and this time, he has the forethought to use his handkerchief to wipe away most of the sweat before he presses his lips there. He holds his lips there a bit longer than last time, hoping that, even in your sleep, you can feel the warmth of his affections pouring through the gesture.

When Ralph pulls away, he whispers to your sleeping form, “Unfortunately, I must take my leave now, but I will return tomorrow morning so that I may continue to look after you in your time of need. I shall return every day until you are well again, dear heart, this much I promise, and you must know that a Penbury always keeps their promises,” Ralph pauses, his brows furrowing as he thinks over his words, “Or, at least, I always keep my promises. If memory serves me correctly, I’ve not broken a promise yet, and I most certainly do not intend to start doing so now.”

Suddenly, Ralph sighs; it's a solemn, dejected sound that perfectly conveys his reluctance to leave your side. His eyes rake over your sleeping form once more, hoping to memorize the sight of you in the hopes that you might appear in his dreams tonight.

“I know you cannot hear me right now, sweetling, and m-maybe that is for the best, but,” Ralph trails off, interrupting himself to take a deep, calming breath. He then uses his handkerchief to wipe off some of the sweat on your cheek before leaning in to plant a gentle kiss there. When Ralph pulls away, he moves just slightly so that his lips hover near your ear, and then softly whispers, “I love you.”

#ralph timewasters x reader #ralph timewasters #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x reader #timewasters

92 notes · View notes

wheels-of-despair · 21 days

Text

Live A Little | A Worth It AU | Ralph Penbury x You

That's right kids, The Mystery Series is a Worth It AU! The players are the same, but the setting is the RMS Titanic in April 1912.

You don't have to have read Worth It to understand Live A Little, but I've sprinkled it with cameos and Easter eggs from the original series.

The biggest character difference is that You are now an American. Congrats! "Home" is a vague place that's probably somewhere in the northeast. You're still a twenty-something who loves Dad, disappoints Mom, and is bored by a boy named Donald.

There will be a happy ending. None of this "I'll never let go!" and then immediately letting go and watching your boy sink. Not on my watch.

Chapters will come out on the day they're set, and vary in length. Some days are more exciting than others!

I've been researching and writing this on and off for about a year. I'm sure you've all seen the 1997 movie, and images from that will be what I use for most of my headers. I'll also be using the occasional image from Titanic: Honor and Glory.

Bonus: Want to see the cabins You and Ralph are occupying?

CHAPTERS: December 1911 April 10, 1912 April 11, 1912 April 12, 1912 April 13, 1912 April 14, 1912 April 15, 1912 April 16, 1912 April 17, 1912 April 18, 1912 April 19, 1912

#masterlist #writings of despair #ralphtanic #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x you #ralph penbury x reader #ralph timewasters

39 notes · View notes

spookyscarydemonbabe · 9 months

Text

Close… So Close

Summary- Ralph loves being intimate with you, but he wonders if there’s ways of doing it without having to be dirty. He just wants to feel closer to you.

Genre- Fluff

Warnings- Reader has female anatomy, mentions reader and ralph being naked but nothing explicit

Tag List- @wheels-of-despair

(tag list is always open, let me know if you’d like to be added!)

Word Count- 2.4k

Ralph was sitting patiently for you in the kitchen, waiting for your arrival back home from the short trip you had taken to visit your family. You had left so early that morning, leaving him with only a quick kiss as he was still half asleep in bed, and he had been missing you ever since, just as he always did whenever you went out for the day.

All he had been wanting recently was to be closer to you. To feel more intimate with you in ways that didn’t have to involve getting dirty. He adored you and wanted you to know that.

He perked up the moment he heard the locks click on the front door, sitting up from the counter with a smile on his lips as he quickly made his way to the foyer to greet you back home with a loving embrace.

“Darling!” He exclaimed as he saw you there at the door, a bag next to you on the floor as you had already began removing your various accessories that you had been wearing well over 12 hours. You looked so tired, exhausted from your trip, but Ralph saw you as beautiful nonetheless.

A smile spread across your lips as you saw him, still his cheerful bubbly self even after you knew how much he dreaded being apart from you for so long,

“Hello my love, i missed you so much,” Your arms wrapped around his neck and his went around your waist, holding you tightly, a giggle slipped through your lips as he squeezed you, “and i’m guessing you missed me too?”

“Of course i did dear, more than you know. How was the trip?”

“Exhausting…” You let out a slow sigh as you separated, “I’m just happy to be home now.”

“I’m happy you’re home too my love,” He gently held your cheeks and tilted your head downwards, planting a soft kiss to your forehead, “I missed having you so close to me…”

“I’ve missed it too.” You let out another sigh, leaning down to pull off your shoes from your aching feet with a groan, “All i want is a nice, calm, relaxing night.”

“Why don’t i draw you a bath?” Ralph suggested with a smile.

“That sounds perfect right about now.”

Ralph reached down and grabbed the suitcase at your side,

“I’ll take this, let’s go upstairs so you can change and I’ll get your bath started.” Wirh the other hand he took yours and you quietly made your way into your shared bedroom.

It was so nice to be at home finally, so quiet and peaceful. As much as you loved getting to go and visit your friends and family, even for just a day, it was always so draining. Ralphie always knew exactly what you needed to help you feel better after such a long day.

He set your suitcase at the end of the bed and you took a deep breath as you undid the skirt at your waist, the relief coming after the tight fabric was dropped down to your feet. You knew there would be little red marks and indents on your tummy from that damned skirt but the warm water of the bath would soothe them so well.

As you continued to undress, Ralph brought you your robe and laid it out onto the bed for you,

“You take your time sweetheart, i’ll unpack for you while you’re in the bath.”

You leaned over and placed a kiss onto his cheek, giving him a smile as you slowly undressed. Ralph entered the bathroom and started up the water for you, grabbing a few things from the sink cabinet for it.

He had checked to make sure the water was the perfect temperature for you before sprinkling in a few bath salts, eucalyptus scented, to help ease your aching muscles after such a long day. He had grabbed another bottle, lavender bubble bath, and poured it into the water. He pulled a stool up to the side of the bath and moved his hand through the water, mixing in the bubble bath and making sure everything was absolutely perfect. He even lit a few candles for you just to make it a little extra relaxing.

You slowly entered the bathroom and stood at the door, admiring Ralphie as he sat there with the most angelic look on his face. He looked so serene and peaceful, the same way he did as he slept. Just looking at him was enough to take the stress off of your shoulders and seeing the smile on his lips as soon as he noticed you there in the doorway nearly made you melt.

“Darling, i don’t think i tell you enough how beautiful you are.” He stood up from his stool and grabbed one of the hand towels from the sink, drying off his arm as he approached you.

You stepped forward, your hands moving to the little knot at the front of your robe before he quickly stopped you,

“Please, let me?” He asked you with the sweetest puppy dog eyes.

You gave him a smile and a quick kiss to the forehead before you nodded to him, his fingers delicately holding both ends of the ribbon around your waist and slowly pulled them apart, the front of your robe exposing your body to the cold air of the bathroom.

He let the smooth fabric drape at your sides, quickly going to close the bathroom door behind you,

“Just in case darling, i wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally ruin your night.”

He walked back over behind you, close enough for you to feel the warmth of his body behind you as his fingers grabbed the fabric at your shoulders, slowly pulling it away and letting the robe pile around your feet. His lips placed gentle kisses all along your shoulders, even lifting up one of your arms to kiss a trail all the way down to the back of your hand.

You smiled, watching the way Ralph admired you. He always made you feel so beautiful.

He gently held your hand in his and guided you over to the tub, helping you keep your balance as you placed one foot into the warm sudsy water.

“How is it my love? Did i make it too hot for you? Are there too many bubbles?”

“Ralphie, it’s perfect,” You turned to him as you stepped into the bath, leaning forward and giving him a sweet and reassuring kiss, “everything is perfect.”

You turned your back to him and slowly settled into the bath, Ralph lifted the ends of your hair over the edge of the tub as you laid against it, letting out a deep sigh. All of the stress and worries of your day had gone, the warm bath and the mixed scents of the essential oils in the bath salts and sweet lavender from the bubble bath only helped further. Your eyes slowly shut as the warm water surrounding your body soothed your aching muscles.

“Darling?” Ralphie asked you.

“Yes sweetheart?”

“Your hair has a few tangles in it,” His hand reached up and you could feel the tips of his perfectly manicured fingers gently rake over your scalp, “could i brush it?”

“Are you sure you don’t mind it?” You opened your eyes and tilted your head back to look at him. Nothing sounded more euphoric.

Having the man you loved brush through your hair so gently as you relaxed in a soothing bubble bath that he drew for you. What did you ever do to deserve someone so giving, so caring, so loving?

“Not at all love,” He smiled down to you and pressed his lips to your forehead, “you lay there and close your eyes, all i want from you is to let yourself relax.”

You nodded and did as he said, settling yourself back into the bathtub, your eyes gently closing once more. You listened to the noises around you, the drawer opening in the sink vanity and the brushes combs being placed onto the counter, the stool that sat in the corner being dragged behind you for Ralph to sit on as he brushed. You adjusted your body in the tub, getting into a more comfortable position before the feeling of Ralph’s hand gently lifting up your head and placing something soft and fuzzy beneath it. A towel to keep your neck comfortable and cushioned.

Ralph grabbed a few brushes and combs from the counter, placing them on his lap as he smiled and sat behind you, the wide tooth comb in his hand carefully brushing through the ends of your hair and moving upwards onto your scalp. His hand raking through your hair afterwards just to make sure he hadn’t missed a spot.

You let out a soft and sweet moan, unable to hold back from the serenity that Ralph was bringing you. He had always loved seeing you in such a relaxed state, especially when he was the one who caused it. Such a sweet boy.

Ralph had leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss to your forehead, picking up a comb and carefully running it over your scalp, getting the teeny tiny knots and tangles he had missed with the larger brush. He was being so gentle and so slow, taking his time to make sure that your hair was as soft as ever.

“I’m going to go and unpack your suitcase darling, is there anything i can get you?” Ralph placed the comb back onto the counter with the rest as he stood from the chair and knelt at your side.

“No Ralphie, i’m alright.” You said to him with a smile, opening your eyes slightly to see him knelling there next to you, his hand moving into your hair to gently pet it as you laid in the bathtub.

All you wanted was him.

“Ralphie?” You asked him.

“Yes my love?”

You looked up to him and he could see the little bit of hesitation in your eyes,

“It’s alright darling,” Ralph moved his hand from your hair and carefully picked up your hand as it rested on the side of the tub, so soft and warm from when it had first touched the water, “anything you need, all you have to do is ask.”

“Would you…” You took a slow breath, “Would you join me when you’re done?”

Ralph smiled, the adorable pink flush on his cheeks was enough to give you your answer,

“Of course darling, i wouldn’t have it any other way.” He leaned forward and kissed your forehead before standing at the edge of the tub, letting your hand slowly fall from his, “I’ll be back in just a moment.”

You watched as Ralph left the bathroom, softly closing the door behind him. You took a slow, deep breath, just taking in everything around you.

The warm water cascading over your skin each time you had to readjust and get comfortable, the soothing aromas of the bath salts and the calming lavender from the body wash, the gentle light from the candles on the vanity. You had noticed that he had even left the combs out on the counter, no doubt to brush your hair again once you were done with your bath. Ralph had given you countless nights where he would pamper you, relaxing you after a long day and doing any task that your heart desires. When he did things like this on his own, doing absolutely everything without you even having to ask, made you feel like your relationship was finally getting to a point of comfort. Where you could be intimate and close to one another without having to get dirty. The thought of it made you sigh with want, needing nothing more in your life than the man you loved so dearly because you knew he would always love you back.

The bathroom door creaked and you looked over your shoulder to see Ralph closing the door, wearing his bathrobe. He smiled to you as he reached for the little knot at the front and pulled it, letting the fabric drape down his body as he shrugged it off his shoulders. He never thought he looked like much when he was naked but yo you he always looked ethereal. No other man was like him.

“Where do you want me darling?”

You moved your body forward in the water, giving him room to slip in behind you,

“Behind me? I just want to be held…”

Ralph stepped away from the pooled fabric of the bathrobe and carefully stepped into the water, easing himself in behind you, his legs on either side of your body as his back rested against the tub. He opened his arms and placed them on the sides of the tub, allowing you to make yourself comfortable in whatever position you had wanted most.

You carefully crept towards him, laying your head against his shoulder as your hand went over his heart, feeling the soft beating under his chest. You felt his hands place themselves at your sides, carefully caressing the skin beneath them as he held you.

“Like this my love?” He asked you, a quick kiss being placed to the top of your head.

You couldn’t make out any words, only slowly nodding your head at his shoulder as he held you.

The room was quiet. Only the sounds of the water lightly splashing around as Ralph moved his hands slowly along your body, admiring every curve on your body. He had rested his head atop yours, letting out a deep exhale. He needed this relaxation too.

“Ralphie, did you happen to catch the time before you came back in?”

“No darling, but i know by this point it’s well after dark. Do you want to get out?”

“Maybe in a moment…” You tilted your head up to catch a glimpse of him in such a relaxed state. You had always been able to decompress after a long day together, usually in the living room near the fireplace, a book in your hand and Ralph’s head was resting in your lap for you to pet.

“I just want to enjoy this…”

You laid you head back onto his chest and he held it there so tenderly, his wet fingers carefully petting through your hair.

“I do too my love.” He kissed the top of your head, “I do too…”

Whenever it came to love and affection, Ralph could never be matched by anyone else. He was so happy that he finally had you, someone to give all of his attention and adoration to. And when he was with you like this, holding you in his arms, the warm water surrounding your bodies and the sweet soothing aroma of the bubbles. It was enough to make him melt.

Oh, how he adored being this intimate with you.

#ralph penbury x y/n #ralph penbury x reader #ralph penbury fanfic #ralph penbury timewasters #ralph penbury #ralph timewasters #ralph penbury x female reader #ralph penbury fluff

134 notes · View notes

brighteyedbushybrowed · 2 years

Text

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐨

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 (Ralph x Reader) You’ve been pining after Ralph for months now, convinced that he’s not interested in you or any other woman for that matter. Little did you know that you were only half right.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 Smut (18+ only, MINORS DNI I don’t care what you say, be respectful of my goddamn boundaries it’s not that difficult), mentions of masturbation (m and f), mentions of pillow humping, protected p in v (wrap it before you tap it hens), riding, Ralph is a virgin, mutual pining, crying, oral (m receiving), some fluff, I guess there’s also some angst?

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 Briefly proof-read but may still be some mistakes. At 7.7k words, this is by far the longest one-shot I’ve ever written. I was minding my own business, being in love with Eddie, and then Ralph came along and decided that I should also be in love with him. At this point my love life is fictional characters and only fictional characters, and I’m at peace with that. Also, I really shouldn’t have to say this, but if you’re a minor you really shouldn’t be reading my work or interacting with it or my blog. I’m not responsible for the media you consume, you are, and I will block you if I think you’re a minor. (Also before anyone says anything, condoms did exist in the 1920s, they were just thicker and probably not as comfortable or effective as they are nowadays)

When you first met Ralph, it had been a year ago at one of the parties his sister held regularly. You’d been invited because you were a cousin of one of Victoria’s friends, though you suspected back then it was just for them to have someone new to ridicule and make a spectacle of with the way they kept looking at you from a distance and giggling. However, whatever snide or mean remarks had been made about you had never reached your ears. In fact, quite the opposite happened. You heard nothing but kind words that Victoria and her confidants had said in regard to you. Pleasant, delightful, entertaining, sweet, compliments were all you’d heard spoken about you. However, something curious they’d also said had also gotten back to you.

Oh, she’d be the perfect friend for Ralph, don’t you think?

Ralph himself had been nothing but a gentleman to you for the short amount of time you conversed at the party. He was like an excitable puppy at times, definitely not acting his age, but it was something you found to be endearing. He asked you so many questions about yourself and your dreams and aspirations, genuinely interested in you despite having only just met you. You were disappointed when he was dragged away by his father to talk to other guests and worried that you’d lost your chance to get to know him more.

Your concern dissipated, however, when Victoria started inviting you over to the estate more. You were there as her guest and not Ralph’s but somehow you ended up spending more time with him than the elder of the twins. She didn’t seem to mind though, encouraging your friendship with him whilst also getting to know you more herself. You found her to be a little abrasive at times (you didn’t approve of the way she treated her brother) and more materialistic for your tastes but she proved to be a steadfast friend just like the younger twin.

After a while, you found yourself spending more and more time at the estate but at the request of Ralph. That wasn’t to say that Victoria had stopped inviting you to the estate, but her invitations were less frequent, and you ended up spending more time with her twin than with her. Even when you were invited to stay for a week or two at a time, you saw more of the younger Penbury than you did of her unless it was for dinner or for an outing with both of the twins to go shopping and explore the city. You didn’t mind this, however. It gave you the two of you the opportunity to get to know one another better, resulting in you become closer friends because of it. You’d even go so far as saying that he was your best friend and someone that you could rely on. His puppy-like energy and enthusiasm were matched by his love of playing the ukulele, which he often strummed when you asked him to, and that intelligence and insightfulness you’d caught vague glimpses of at the party. He was a lot smarter than his sister gave him credit for, and he seemed to positively glow and flourish when it was just the two of you.

With the amount of time you spent alone together, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when you realised you’d developed feelings for him beyond friendship. Despite the differences in your backgrounds and lives, you both bonded and formed a friendship that meant a lot more to you than other friendships you had. You were always writing to each other if you couldn’t see one another, and when you did spend time together neither of you wanted it to end. Some of your happiest memories now were from your time spent in each other’s company. Ralph making up songs about you on his ukulele. Drinks by the fireplace. Days out to explore a part of the city that he hadn’t shown you yet, even if it was somewhere you’d been before by yourself because it just wasn’t the same if he wasn’t there with you. Dancing together at parties and laughing at each other’s jokes while you stood so close your lips could almost brush against his.

Once you had this realisation about your feelings, you ultimately decided not to bring it up with Ralph. He never seemed to be interested in romance or relationships, more than satisfied with his lot in life. His father had often offered to find a wife for him, but he declined each time and wasn’t pressured into finding someone. The younger Penbury was content playing his ukulele and throwing parties with Victoria. Seeing him happy and being his friend was enough for you. At least, that’s what you told yourself while you were in his company.

In the hours of the night, when you were alone in your own room at home or the guest room that had basically become yours for whenever you stayed over at the estate, you had to silence yourself as you let out your pent up feelings and attraction towards him. You’d spent the hours of the early morning on more than one occasion imagining what it would feel like for him to touch you. To hold him against you as you bounced up and down in his lap. The way he would sound moaning or whimpering above you as he thrusted in and out of you. The feeling of his skin against yours, his tongue lapping at your dripping cunt while he pinned down your hips to stop you moving. You were embarrassed at times by how much you craved him, often having to avoid his gaze the morning after your pleasured yourself to thoughts of him. If he’d noticed the way you refused to look him in the eyes until later in the day, he hadn’t said anything to you about it and didn’t act any differently around you.

Now, exactly a year after you first met one another, you were preparing for yet another party. Victoria had invited you and had even insisted on you staying at the estate for a while after, three weeks to be exact. It would be the longest that you’d visited, not that you were complaining. You could never complain at getting to spend more time with Ralph, even if that meant it would be three weeks of you endlessly pining after him while forcing yourself to maintain the friendship you had. You’d endure it as long as you got to see that beautiful, boyish smile of his.

When you arrived the morning of party day, Ralph eagerly greeted you as you stepped out of the carriage. He was quick to pull you into a tight embrace, beaming from ear to ear.

“Oh, Y/N, how I’ve missed you so! I couldn’t sleep a wink last night thinking about you,” he said as he pulled back, his hands lingering on your arms for a brief moment.

“I’ve missed you to, Ralph. Ever since Victoria’s letter arrived in the post, I’ve been preparing for the party. Father even bought me a new outfit for the occasion. I can’t wait for you to see it later tonight.”

Ralph bent his arm at the elbow and held it out for you. “Darling, you’re going to look absolutely marvellous. I daresay you’ll be the most beautiful lady there.”

You laced your arm through his and tried to ignore the way your stomach fluttered at how the pet name rolled off his tongue so easily. It was something he’d started calling you two or three months ago now and you still somehow hadn’t managed to get over how much you adored that you were the one he addressed in such a way. He didn’t even call his own twin sister darling. You assumed it was because of how close you’d grown as friends, the two of you inseparable whenever you stayed at the estate.

You didn’t know it then, but that night you were going to realise how wrong you were.

***

As always, the party downstairs was busy and buzzing with conversation and jazz music. You hadn’t meant to be late heading down into the ballroom, but you wanted to make sure you looked absolutely perfect before making your entrance. Even though you knew Ralph wouldn’t see you any differently, a tiny part of you hoped that he would notice and perhaps change his perspective of you from just friend to something more. It wasn’t a scandalous outfit by any means, but the way black skirt hugged your curves and stopped at the ankles to reveal stocking clad legs and black heels certainly made you feel like you looked scandalous. Partnered with the loose white blouse tucked into the waistline and the delicate gold necklace hanging around your neck that your mother gave you, you prayed that you looked both elegant and appealing enough to grab his attention. With one final look at yourself in the mirror, applying another layer of lipstick anxiously, you finally left the guest room and made your way downstairs and to the ballroom.

You immediately spotted Victoria with her friends and waved, smiling when she returned the gesture happily and took a sip of champagne from her glass. You politely said hello to the familiar faces that were in attendance and weaved your way through the crowd to sit at yours and Ralph’s usual table. He was nowhere to be seen, but you thought nothing of it as you took your seat and scanned the room to try and spot him. The butler brought over your own glass of champagne for you, and you thanked him before taking a sip and resuming your search for your best friend. When your eyes finally did land on him, you deflated a little at seeing him standing beside his father. He looked terribly bored as he listened to him droning on and on with another guest, glancing around the room. You beamed when his eyes finally landed on you and wiggled your fingers at him, feeling a rush of happiness when he waved back to you. You hoped you’d get to speak to him and have at least one dance with him before the end of the night.

A tap on the shoulder pulled your focus away from him and you turned your head to see an unfamiliar man standing before you. He looked to be about the same age as you and Ralph, his hair dirty blonde curls and a narrower jawline than you friend’s. He had a nice smile, you supposed, but it was nothing compared to Ralph’s.

“I was wondering, my lady, if you would care to dance?” he asked, holding out his hand for you to take. You were ready to decline and say no, but when you glanced back and saw that Ralph had now been roped into the conversation with his father you sighed and turned back to the stranger.

“Why not? It would be my pleasure,” you told him politely as you rose and took his hand. You allowed him to lead you to the dancefloor and forced yourself to keep smiling so that you wouldn’t embarrass Ralph or his family. Even though you weren’t a member of the household, you still felt obligated to uphold the image they cared about so much because of how often you found yourself staying at the estate. It was like a second home to you now, and as such you were going to treat it and the family as such.

“So,” the man in front of you said as you started to dance. “I hear you’re a frequent guest of the Penburys’. Would I be correct in assuming that you and the young Mr Penbury are courting, my lady?”

You felt your heart sink in your chest. “While I may be a guest here often, you would be incorrect in that assumption. Ralph and I are just friends.”

Your heart sank even more at the way he lit up at that. “Oh really? A woman as pretty as you? Does that mean you’re open to courting others, perhaps?”

“I’m flattered, but I –”

“Why don’t I take you out to dinner sometime? There’s a delightful restaurant that I’m sure you’ll love.”

Your patience was beginning to wear thin. “As lovely as that sounds, I’m afraid I will have to decline.”

“But why?” he asked, making you grit your teeth behind your smile. “Are you already promised to another man?”

“No. I would just rather –”

His hand gripped your hip a little tighter and you started to feel uncomfortable at his persistence. “Won’t you please give me a chance, my lady? I’m sure you’ll find me to adequate company, and I can offer a lot of money to someone like you.”

You stopped dating then and dropped your hands, stepping away from him. “I’m sorry, my lord, but I would rather die alone than spend my life with you. I have tried to tell you that I’m not interested, but still, you persist and ignore me. Now please move out of the way if you would be so kind. I need some fresh air.”

Unwilling to wait for a response, you pushed past him and made your way out of the back of the estate and into the gardens, hugging yourself as you stood in the cold. You knew that you might have negatively impacted the Penburys’ reputation and good standing by being rude, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. All you’d wanted was to spend the night dancing and laughing with your best friend, and instead you’d been forced to leave the party just to escape that stupidly persistent man. You weren’t naïve; you knew that there were men out there who weren’t like Ralph and treated women more like objects of their desire as opposed to real people just as worthy of their respect as other men were. In fact, you thought yourself to be rather lucky that Ralph wasn’t like the others. He was sweet and kind and treated you like an equal, never once forcing himself on you or presuming that you were interested in him just because he was a rich man that lived in a fancy estate.

Assuming the footsteps you heard behind you belonged to that man from the party, you didn’t bother to turn around and continued to stare out over the vast gardens. You forced yourself to maintain a neutral facial expression as you prepared yourself to be bombarded once again with questions asking you to court him and why you were turning him down. If you weren’t so concerned about sullying the Penburys’ reputation and upsetting Ralph, you’d turn around and give him a piece of your mind. Perhaps you’d even give him a good knee to the –

“Darling? Are you alright?”

Thank God, it was Ralph.

You gave him a small smile as you turned your head to look at him. “Of course I am. How are you enjoying the party so far? From the looks of it, this could be your most successful party to date.”

Maybe you’d been hoping that your question would be a distraction so that you wouldn’t have to tell him what was wrong. Unfortunately, you weren’t so fortunate.

“You’re trying to change the subject,” he stated, his tone stern. “I saw you leave. Did something happen in there?”

“It’s nothing. I just needed some air.”

You gasped when he grasped both of your hands in his, staring into your eyes with determination.

“Please, don’t lie to me. There’s something else going on here and don’t think I haven’t noticed it. There are times when you won’t even look at me, times where you seem sad and distant, and then you lie about it and say that everything is fine. How am I supposed to help you if you won’t tell me anything?”

A sigh left your lips. Of course he’d noticed. He was much more perceptive than everyone else gave him credit for, including you apparently. The hurt expression on his face had you tearing up as you looked down at your joined hands. He was always noticing things, why wouldn’t he have noticed that his best friend was acting differently?

A choked laugh left your lips when he dropped your hands to wipe away your tears once you’d lifted your head, his fingers leaving tingles in their wake.

“Come,” he cooed, “let us go up to my room. There’s more privacy there and we won’t be interrupted. Then you can tell me what’s truly on your mind.”

You didn’t have the strength in you to decline and feed him another lie. So, you allowed him to tentatively take hold of your wrist and lead you back into the house. You caught a quick glimpse of the man you’d left behind on the dancefloor as you passed the ballroom, grateful that he seemed to be preoccupied with dancing with some other unfortunate woman.

The lock clicking once you were both in Ralph’s room made you release a breath you’d been subconsciously holding in, the sounds from the party downstairs dulled and muffled. You watched as the younger Penbury twin lit a few candles before he returned to you, sitting on the mattress and motioning for you to join him. You hesitated momentarily then decided that it would probably do more harm to shut him out than let him in and took a seat beside him.

Ralph cleared his throat. “So… um… well…”

“Yes?” you asked, gazing at him and watching in amusement as he shifted uncomfortably.

“Yes. Well. It has come to my attention that for a few months now you’ve been a bit off with me. I want to know what it is I’ve done that’s upset you.”

Your heart broke a little at his words. “Oh, Ralph, you’ve done nothing to upset me whatsoever. In fact, you’ve been a true and wonderful friend. The best friend I could ever ask for.”

“Then what is it? What’s been making you so sad? Has Victoria said something to you?” The touch of panic with his last question had you frowning.

“No, she’s not said a word about you. Was she supposed to have said something?”

His face grew a little paler. “Ah, no! Not at all. Forget I said that. Besides, we’re supposed to be focussing on you here, not me.”

“What is it that you think Victoria has said to me? Is there something wrong that you’re not telling me?”

“Y/N –”

“Ralph.”

“– please just tell me what’s going on. I’ve been worried these past few months that I’ve done something to hurt or aggrieve you and even now I still fear that I’ve chased you away somehow. Just tell me what it is so that we can talk about it and sort it out.”

You ran your hands down your face, not caring if it ruined your makeup anymore. You always knew that eventually you’d have to have this conversation with him, you just hoped for a while that maybe it wouldn’t need to happen because either you or he would find a partner and you could move on. However, nobody could even hold a candle to Ralph, so you never tried all that hard to find somebody else and he was just never interested in anyone. Now, as you sat on his bed keeping him away from his own party, you chose to just lay all of your cards on the table and hope that he would still want to be friends after this.

“Sometimes… sometimes it hurts to be around you, Ralph,” you started, staring straight ahead. “From the day we met last year – a year ago today, in fact – you’ve treated me with nothing but kindness and respect. You bring such joy and happiness into my life that I am unable to imagine a life without you in it. But then I had to go and spoil it all by developing feelings for you and thinking of you in ways that I shouldn’t. There are times when I can’t even look at you because I know that the thoughts I have about you would make you recoil in disgust and then I wouldn’t have my best friend anymore. I never intended to make you feel like you’d done something wrong. I also never intended for you to know about these feelings because I know you have no interest in courting or romance and I didn’t want to make things awkward between us. You matter too much to me for me to throw away a friendship so dear to me, but now I can no longer keep my feelings locked away because I’ve been hurting you by doing so. I hope that you can forgive me one day for that.”

The silence that met your words almost hurt more than if he were to shout at you and tell you to leave and never return. At least if he yelled it would be a response that told you how he was feeling and thinking. You weren’t sure how long you both sat there in silence until you heard a sniffle. You turned your head and felt a pang of guilt when you saw that Ralph was crying.

“Oh, Ralph, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t cry,” you said, taking his face in yours to wipe away his tears and being met with an expression you never expected to see in response to your confession.

Ralph was beaming.

His shaking hands rested on top of yours as he turned his head slightly to kiss both palms. “How could I ever be disgusted by you, darling? You could never do anything to change how I feel about you. Here I was, scared that I’d somehow scared you away, and all this time you’ve been hiding how you truly feel to try and save a friendship that didn’t need to be saved. How long have you been suffering in silence like this?”

“A few months now. It started after I began visiting more frequently. We spent so much time together that it felt almost inevitable, but I was sure that you didn’t feel the same way,” you told him, a part of you still trying not to keep your hopes up.

Your best friend brought your hands down into his lap, thumbs caressing the skin. “Truth be told, Y/N, I’ve been feeling the same way since we first met at that party. I overheard Victoria and her friends talking about you and I was intrigued, so I begged her to invite you so that we could perhaps become friends. Then we started talking and you were so genuinely interested in getting to know me as a person and not as some rich boy, and I realised that you were special. Do you know how many women have tried to get to know me because they know that my family and I are wealthy? But you were different. You were interested in me and not my monetary worth, which meant more to me than I can express. I knew then that you would be the only one for me until the end of time.”

Your heartbeat pounded in your ears as you took in Ralph’s words. You almost couldn’t believe it. Was he really admitting that he reciprocated your feelings towards him? This wasn’t a dream, was it? Perhaps you were still at home and fast asleep and would wake up to the bitterness of disappointment.

“Y/N,” Ralph said, his cheeks flushed. “Would it be too forward for me to ask for your permission to kiss you? I’ve never… you know…”

You gently placed a hand on his cheek and leaned in slightly, careful not to spook him. “I have thought about kissing you many times over these past months. If you wish to kiss me, I’ll be more than happy to kiss you back.”

As Ralph slowly leaned in so that your lips were almost touching, you remained as still as you could, wanting him to feel reassured that he was the one in control and could back out if he wasn’t ready or comfortable kissing you. When he finally closed the distance and his lips pressed softly against yours, you closed your eyes. You hesitantly moved your lips against his, mouths sliding innocently over one another as he tried his best to kiss you back. The fingers of one of his hands gently pressed against the back of your head to hold you in place while the other rested on your knee. Your free hand that wasn’t cupping his face took hold of his bow tie and lightly pulled, making him gasp against you.

When he broke the kiss, your eyes fluttered open to see that his cheeks were still flushed pink and his lips were a little swollen. He was panting a little as he gazed at you through his lashes.

“Did you like that, Ralphie?” you asked, the nickname slipping out before you could stop it.

He let out a quiet, high-pitched whine at the name. “Call me that again. Please.”

You smiled at the neediness in his voice. “Ralphie. My darling Ralphie. Did you enjoy our kiss?”

“I did.” His tongue ran over his bottom lip. “Please… please could I kiss you again?”

Without saying another word, you talk the initiative to kiss him this time. Even though he was inexperienced, and this was only his second kiss, he was a little more confident and his thumb stroked your knee over your skirt, his lips moving with yours. You bravely swiped your tongue against his lips and took the opportunity when he gasped to slide it into his mouth. He tasted faintly of champagne and strawberries, his tongue roaming your mouth as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do with it. You tangled your fingers into his hair, ruining the meticulous way he’d styled it for the party, and smiled against him when you heard him moan at your gentle tugging. When he pulled away from you a second time, a small line of spit connected both of your mouths.

“Y/N, I feel a bit…” Ralph said, trailing off as he looked away bashfully.

“Is everything okay? Was that too much?” you asked as you removed your hands from his hair and leaned back to give him some more space. He moved is hands to his lap and stared down at his legs.

“No, it was wonderful,” he replied. “I just feel a bit… funny.”

You frowned at him, trying to decipher what he meant, and glanced down at his hands, quickly realising what he meant from where he’d positioned them.

“Don’t stare! It’s embarrassing and a lady like you shouldn’t have to see this.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Ralph, with all due respect, seeing it will have no effect on my feelings for you. It’s perfectly natural for your body to react that way and to feel ‘funny’. Sometimes I feel ‘funny’ too when I think about you if you understand what I’m saying?”

If Ralph was blushing before, he was now completely red. He hid his face in the crook of your neck and you giggled as you pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I don’t want you to think that I’m being… inappropriate, darling,” he mumbled against your skin.

You cupped his face and moved him so that you were looking him in the eye. “Sweetie, I promise I will tell you if you ever make me feel uncomfortable or if I think you’re being inappropriate towards me. And I would hope that you would do the same for me too.”

He nodded his head, his big brown eyes wide when you pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Now,” you said, “will you please remove your hands? You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable doing so, but I’d like to see what effect I have on you. Women like knowing that their partner is aroused by them.”

He cringed when you said the word ‘aroused’ but did eventually remove his hands and placed them at his sides on the mattress. You waited for a moment to make sure he was okay with you looking and then glanced down to find that he was already tenting his trousers. While he likely wasn’t fully erect, you could tell he was straining against the fabric. You watched his face as you slowly brought a hand to his tent and gently applied pressure. He gasped and tilted his head back, his breath huffing out in pants as you began to palm him, grinding your hand down to create friction.

“God, Y/N, p-please,” he choked out.

You stopped moving your hand for a moment. “Please what, Ralphie? What is it you want?”

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

Your lips ghosted along his jawline. “Do you want me to continue? Or do you want me to stop?”

“Please don’t stop. But maybe… maybe you could… take my trousers off?” The last part came out as more of a squeak, making you smile and hum against his skin before you stood up and motioned for him to do the same. Your fingers fumbled with his belt buckle and yanked it out of the loops on his trousers before you set about unbuttoning and unzipping them. Before he could say anything more, you were on your knees and pulling down both his trousers and underwear just enough so that his hardened cock was freed and standing to attention level with your lips.

“Oh, sweetie, look how hard you are. If I’d known this was the effect I had on you, I would have told you my feelings sooner,” you told him, teasing him a little as you looked up at him and fluttered your eyelashes.

Ralph spluttered and covered his face with his hands. “Please stop.”

You giggled and gave his tip a gentle kiss, making him jolt with a quiet yelp. “Sorry, Ralphie. Tell me at any point if I go too far or you want to stop, okay?”

You waited for Ralph to give you a ‘yes’ before you took hold of him at his base and pressed another kiss to his tip. You sucked it into your mouth gently, your tongue dipping into the slit to taste the salty precum that was already leaking from him. He mewled as you slowly moved your fist up and down along his cock while you gave the head some love, your tongue swirling around it as you sucked it. One of his hands rested on the top of your head and you glanced at his face, his other hand covering his mouth as he watched you. His pupils were dilated as he kept his sights trained on you. You took a little more of him into your mouth as you observed him, a muffled moan barely audible over the dulled sounds of the ongoing party.

“Let me hear you, Ralph. I want to hear how good you feel,” you encouraged him as you pulled your lips off his dick with a quiet pop.

“But it’s embarrassing,” he replied, removing his hand all the same.

You continued to jerk him off as you pressed your lips to the underside of his cock. “If you don’t feel comfortable with it then that’s alright. I just want you to know that no sound you make could ever be embarrassing to me. I thought a lot about the kinds of sounds you’d make in this kind of situation, and never once did I think to myself that it would be embarrassing to hear them.”

His breaths came out in huffs. “Do you promise?”

“I promise, sweetie. Everything about you is beautiful, and I know any noises you make will be beautiful too.”

You placed him back in your mouth, taking half of him in this time and bobbing your head as you sucked. The groan that left Ralph’s lips as he stroked your hair made you squeeze your thighs together, desperate to feel even the tiniest bit of friction. You continued pumping his cock in time with the movement of your head, spit running down your chin while your tongue rubbed against a vein on the underside of his cock. His free hand squeezed your shoulder and his hips jerked forward when your teeth gently grazed against him.

“Ah, Y/N… feels so good, please go faster,” he rasped above you.

Obediently, your head bobbed a little faster and you dropped your hand to take him as far into your mouth as you could. You gagged when he hit the back of your throat and he yanked your hair.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to pull. Your mouth just…” Ralph’s words trailed off as he whined, his legs starting to shake.

“My mouth just what? Use your words, Ralphie.” Your hand was back to pumping him quickly as you pulled your mouth off him, squeezing his tip each time your hand reached it.

“Mouth feels s-so amazing. My body feels all tight and hot when you touch me like that.”

You lapped his dripping head with a hum. “I’m glad. Would you like my mouth around your cock again, Ralphie?”

His hips were rocking into your touch as he shook his head. “Don’t want to make a mess of you. Please…”

You immediately stopped what you were doing and rose to your feet, wiping your hands on some tissues from a box beside his bed from the last time you visited. He’d been sick at the time, locked up in his room and moaning in pain a lot.

Wait…

You smiled as it clicked in your head, but you decided not to mention it to him, not wanting him to feel embarrassed or ashamed. It was a discussion that could wait for another time. For now, you returned to Ralph and placed a soft but wet kiss on his cheek, wrapping your arms around his waist in an embrace that he reciprocated.

“Y/N?”

“Mm?”

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke up once more. “Do you think we could… oh, I’m not sure how to put it! I’m not all that experienced with relationships and… s-sex.”

You leaned back and kissed the tip of his nose. “Sweetie, are you trying to ask me if I want to have sex with you?”

He nodded his head swiftly, the tips of his ears flushed.

“I need you to use your words for me, okay? If you don’t use your words then I won’t know what you want, will I?”

Ralph took a deep breath. “Please could we have sex?”

You rewarded him with a kiss. “Good boy. Yes, we can indeed have sex. Do you have any protection?”

He frowned. “Protection?”

“Yes.” You sat down on the edge of his bed, leaning back. “Something that’ll stop me getting pregnant. Neither of us are ready to bring a child into the world, especially out of wedlock. Maybe Victoria will have some in her room?”

Ralph tucked himself back into his underwear and trousers, still hard, and promised you he’d be right back before he took off to his twin’s room. While you waited for him, you removed your blouse and skirt, placing your shoes neatly by the side of the bed. You were about to take your stockings off when he re-entered the bedroom, frozen in front of the now closed door with a box in his hand. His eyes widened as he drank in the sight before him: you, laying on his bed in just your undergarments.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” you asked him, snapping him out of his trance.

He nodded as he approached, holding up the box. “Um, yes. It turns out she has quite a few of them.”

Once he was stood in front of you, you sat up and placed a leg on either side of his so that he was standing between them. You boldly took hold of him by the bet loops and pulled him until he fell on top of you, your back hitting the covers while he kept himself propped up on his elbows.

“Are you sure you definitely want this?” you asked him, staring into his wide brown eyes.

His breath tickled your lips. “Yes. Do you? I don’t want you to think that we have to just because you… you know…”

“Ralph.” You made sure you maintained eye contact as you spoke. “I’ve wanted this for a while now. I've never been surer of anything in my life.”

He grinned at your response. However, before he could kiss you, you held a finger up to his lips.

“Before we start, what position would you feel most comfortable in? Would you rather I be on top or you?”

Ralph bit his lip in thought for a moment. “Could you, um, be on top, please? You seem to know what you’re doing more than I do and I don’t want to hurt you.”

With a reassuring kiss, you pushed him off you and made him lie down on the bed against his pillows. You pulled down his trousers and underwear, allowing him to lift his hips for you, and tossed them behind you to join the rest of your clothes. Your underwear and stockings were quick to join them, your body no longer concealed by fabric. You gave his cock a brief stroke, smiling at the broken moan that escaped him, and removed his blazer. Once that was on the floor too, you removed his bow tie and began to slowly unbutton his shirt, your fingers teasingly brushing against his chest. Once he was fully naked, you took in the sight of him beneath you and gave his thigh a squeeze.

“Oh, Ralphie,” you cooed, “you’re so beautiful. Such a pretty boy beneath all of those clothes. It’s criminal that you have to hide so much of it away from me.”

He whimpered at your words and ran a hand through his hair. “Do you truly mean that?”

“Of course, sweetie.” You leaned over him as you started to place kisses on his neck. His hands rushed to grip your hips as you littered his throat and chest with kisses, tiny remnants of your lipstick left behind in your wake. His words caught in his throat as he gazed down at you. When you reached his groin, you sat up and took the box off him, opening it and carefully pulling out a condom. It was thick and didn’t feel too pleasant, but you much preferred that to an unplanned pregnancy and becoming a social pariah.

Ralph cleared his throat. “It won’t hurt, will it?”

You frowned. “What? Putting this on? It shouldn’t hurt, no.”

“No, no, no.” He licked his lips. “I meant when we… you know… when we do it.”

You couldn’t help but smile and place a soft, wet kiss to his thigh. “Having sex shouldn’t hurt. It may feel a little odd for you at first though seeing as this is your first time. We’ll take it nice and slow, and you can tell me to stop at any moment. Even if we’re both close to finishing, if you tell me to stop, I’m more than happy to stop. I promise.”

As he finally, fully relaxed, he nodded to you reassuringly and you gradually rolled the condom down his cock until he was fully sheathed. You gave him an experimental stroke as you glanced up at his face.

“How does that feel?”

“Good,” he replied, his voice breathy.

Satisfied that he was comfortable, you straddled his hips and hovered over his erection, gently gliding the tip through your slick folds. “You’ll need to tell me when you’re ready, Ralphie. I won’t put you inside me if I’m not completely certain, so I need you to use your words.”

“Please keep going, darling. Please. I don’t think I’m going to last much longer. Just put me in, please.”

At the sound of his begging, you began to insert his dick inside of you, slowly sinking onto him before stopping halfway. He was already unleashing high-pitched groans and whines, his hands fisting the duvet cover. You gently rose yourself up so that he was slipping out of you and then sank back down onto him again, stopping at the halfway point once more. Your head tilted back as you repeated your actions, trying to get Ralph used to the sensation before trying to sit down on him fully. You listened to his shuddering breaths and moans, feeling him move as he arched his back off the bed.

“F-feels so good, Y/N. You’re squeezing me,” he sobbed, making you look down at him. His knuckles were white as he gripped the sheets tightly and his face was scrunched up as he closed his eyes.

You stopped moving and took hold of both of his hands. “Hey, pretty boy. Can you open your eyes for me?”

At the sound of your cooed request, he did as you asked and swallowed thickly as he watched you smile down at him.

“Relax for me. Use your hands to guide how fast or slow you want me to go. And keep your eyes open. I want you to be able to see what you do to me, okay?”

He nodded. “Sorry. You just feel amazing. Feels better than my hand. Definitely better than my pillow.”

You moaned at his words, gently moving down so that his cock was inside you completely. “You used your pillow while thinking of me, Ralphie?”

“I did,” he confessed. “Sometimes my hand wasn’t enough, so I’d hump my pillow thinking about how you might feel around me.”

You started to ride him slowly, Ralph’s hands dictating the pace. Each time he was completely sheathed inside you, you felt him graze against your inner walls. He squeezed your hips with each movement, and you gazed down at his face, cheeks burning hot as you saw the way he eagerly watched you gliding up and down his dick and the way your arousal made him glisten.

“Did you ever think about me riding you like this?” you asked, your voice husky.

“Fu- I did, darling. I imagined the way your boobs would jiggle if you went faster. It made me finish too quickly sometimes.”

You allowed him to bounce you in his lap a little faster, the two of you groaning at the sounds of squelching emanating from where your bodies met. You rocked against him each time your hips met, savouring the way he mewled and rolled his own up against you to try and get impossibly deeper.

“Mm, your cock feels so good inside me Ralph. Wish we’d done this sooner,” you purred, watching with glee as his eyes snapped up to your face, drool beginning to leak from the corner of his lips and down to his chin.

“M-me too. You’re squeezing me so fucking good, I won’t last much longer,” he cried, his eyes beginning to water.

Wanting to cum with him, you took hold of one of his hands and began guiding his fingers in rubbing your clit. The sensation immediately sent what felt like a jolt of electricity through your body. You rode him faster, clenching your walls around him as you leaned down to capture his lips in a brief kiss.

“Can you – ah – keep moving your hand like that if I let go?” you asked, unable to hold back the moan that cut through your words.

“Yes, anything for you, Y/N.”

You began to suck and nip at his neck, the hand that had been showing him what to do tangling itself in his hair. His finger continued to circle your clit and his free hand moved so that his arm was draped over your lower back.

“Say my name again,” you whispered into his ear.

He shuddered. “Y/N. Y/N, I’m going to –”

His hips jerked up into you as he wept, his chest arching against yours as he came inside the condom. Your climax soon followed, and you chanted out words of praise intermingled with his name, his fingers still moving against your clit but the movement sloppy.

You both lay there in that position for a while after, his hand removed from your bundle of nerves as you kissed the back of it. He gently removed himself from inside you and you fell so that you were laying on your side and facing him while he remained on his back. Your fingers delicately traced up and down his chest, grounding him as he came down from his high. When he eventually turned his head to look at you, you gave him a sweet smile and kissed him.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” you asked, somewhat self-conscious that he perhaps hadn’t liked it as much as you did.

His arms wrapped around you and pulled you so that your head was laying on his chest. “That was amazing. Perfect. I didn’t know that it could feel so… so…”

“Amazing?”

“Mm.”

You cuddled up to him but glanced up when you heard him sniffling. You sat up, worried that he was already regretting what had happened, but you felt a warmth flood your chest at the smile that adorned his beautiful face. He gazed up at you in awe, his eyes taking in every inch of you that he could see.

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispered, reaching up a hand to caress your face.

You leaned your head into the touch, kissing his palm. “I love you too, Ralphie. With all my heart.”

Almost as if only just remembering, Ralph rose to his feet and removed the condom, tying a knot in it and walking on wobbly legs over to the bin to dispose of it. Once he returned to you, he lay back down on the bed and pulled you down to hold one another. The two of you eventually drifted off like that, the party downstairs abandoned and forgotten about.

#spicy content #timewasters #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x reader #ralph timewasters #ralph timewasters x reader #ralph penbury smut #ralph timewasters smut #smut #virgin!ralph #fanfic #my fanfic #mine

1K notes · View notes

forays-into-fiction · 2 years

Text

My Sweet Boy

Being a close friend of the Penbury twins, you had received an invitation to their birthday party, it promised jazz, booze and drugs aplenty. You had been infatuated with Ralph from the moment you met the boisterous man, but never acted on it… until tonight.

Minors DNI

Contains: Virgin!Ralph X Reader, Mentions Of Drinking, Alludes To Drug Use, Oral (Male And Female Receiving), Praise Kink, Unprotected Sex, Premature Ejaculation, Pet Names (Sweet Boy, Baby, My Love)

You see him from across the room sipping on his drink, sitting all alone, ignored by most of the partygoers but happy nonetheless. It was very rude of all the guests to be ignoring him, it was his birthday as much as Victoria’s. You excuse yourself from your table and the conversation continues without you.

You approach him with a smile, “Could I have the honour of a dance with the birthday boy?”

“Yes!” He yelps enthusiastically, before composing himself and continuing more calmly, “Yes, of course you may.” He drops his glass onto the table and leaps to his feet offering you his hand.

You giggle and take his outstretched hand. After a few steps you notice a clacking emanating from his feet.

“Are you... are you wearing tap shoes?” You glance down at them.

“Yes! Aren’t they wizard?” He grins broadly and you look up at him only to find his grin fading into a more serious expression.

You’d do anything to bring that bright smile back, “Oh, Ralphie they are absolutely wizard.”

His grin slowly reappears, “You really think so?” He asks hopefully.

“Of course. They are just perfect, very you.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?” He asks tentatively.

“Yes, being yourself is a very good thing.” You assure him, leaning into him as the pair of you twirl around to the music.

After a few turns of the dance floor the pair of you stumble back to his seat, drinks in hand.

“Oh, Ralph that was fun.” You breathe out with a smile taking a seat beside him, “I hope you’re enjoying your big day.”

“Today has been simply splendid, best birthday in years.” He beams back at you.

“I’m glad. Cheers.” You lift your glass to his clinking them together and taking a sip.

He gives a little hiccup before venturing boldly, “There’s only one thing that could make tonight even better.”

“Yeah, what’s that sweet boy?”

“A kiss for the birthday boy…” He trails off, hope tinging his voice.

You hesitate he’s definitely tipsy, possibly drunk, among other things. You’ve never seen him this bold before. In your hesitation he’s backpedaling, avoiding your eyes, flushing with embarrassment, “I mean you don’t have to. I was just… I was being silly. Must be the drink...”

You press a finger to his lips, silencing him and his eyes widen snapping back to you.

“Shhhh… sweet boy, if you want a kiss, I’ll gladly give it.”

He’s offering you his cheek, expecting a simple peck, but you grasp his chin tilting his face towards you as you press your lips into his gently. He gasps into your mouth and you take advantage of that, deepening the kiss, sliding your tongue over his. His eyes widen for a moment before fluttering closed, you swallow up his little moans greedily before breaking apart, the pair of you gasping for air.

“Wow… was that… did that just happen, or am I dreaming?” He sighs.

You giggle, “Not dreaming, Ralphie. Do you often dream of kissing me?”

“Oh, all the time. I dream of kissing you all over… especially down there.” His eyes drift down between your thighs.

You gasp, “Ralph! My goodness where did that come from?”

He’s averting his gaze again, red as a tomato and stumbling over his words, “I’m s-sorry, that was very forward of m-me. D-Don’t kn-know what came over me. Please f-forgive me.”

You place a hand on his knee and he stiffens, staring down at it.

“Sweet boy, I think maybe we should get you upstairs to sleep it off a little. How does that sound, hmmm?”

He pouts and whines back at you like a petulant child, “But it’s still early, I don’t want to miss out on the party.”

You rub circles into his leg, “Look at me, Ralphie.”

He does so a little reluctantly, “Just twenty minutes and then you can come back down. Does that sound fair to you?”

“Only if you come with me.” He continues to pout at you.

“Ok, I’ll come with you.” You conceded standing and offering your hand.

He takes it and you pull him to his feet, leading him up the stairs.

“Remind me again, which way to your bedroom?” You prompt him and he points out the way.

“Here we are.” You say softly, depositing him on his ornate, plush bed. He sits, falling back almost immediately with a sigh, eyes closing contentedly. You move to take off his shoes, slipping them off one at a time and placing them to the side. You stand leaning over him and remove his jacket, slipping it off his shoulders, it pools beneath his back. You grab an arm, “Come on, lean forward a little… yes, that’s it.”

You pull the jacket out from under him and turn to hang it over the bedpost. When you look back at him, he’s curling up on the edge of the bed bringing his legs up to join him.

You brush a hand across his forehead, sweeping away wisps of his curly hair. “Ok, I’ll be back in twenty minutes, alright?”

He hums in response and you turn to leave, but his hand darts out grabbing your wrist. You turn back to him to see him gazing up at you, “Please stay.” He mumbles.

“Alright, move over.”

He scrambles back into the middle of the bed and you toe off your shoes joining him on the bed.

He closes his eyes again for a moment, before peeking through a cracked lid, “Could you… would you… hold me? I promise I won’t try anything… unseemly.”

“Of course, I can sweet boy.” You pull him into your arms and he sighs, relaxing into you.

He’s dozing off in moments, listening to his gentle breaths calms you and you find yourself drifting off too.

You wake to the feel of something pressing into your back, you must have rolled over at some point. Your back is to Ralph, his arms still tangled around you holding you close, your dress twisted and gathered up to your waist. You feel him shifting against you, grinding his hard length into your plump ass sloppily in his sleep, his head resting on your shoulder, panting in your ear.

A soft moan escapes your lips and you feel a wetness gathering between your thighs. You’re debating whether or not you should wake him when his next thrust forces his thick cock between your legs to rub against your clothed, rapidly dampening folds. He repeats this motion a few times, nudging at the bundle of nerves at the apex of your thighs. You whine out his name and he begins to stir, hips coming to a sudden stop as he realises what he’s doing.

He gasps, recoiling from your warmth, “Oh god. Oh god I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

You roll over to face him, “It’s ok, Ralphie. I was rather enjoying that, actually.”

“You were?” He gapes at you incredulously.

“Yes… and if you feel like you’ve sobered up, maybe we can continue…” you offer.

He chokes in response, can’t believe what he’s hearing.

You rub your palm over his chest, “Hey, deep breaths now ok…” he complies and you continue, “Is that something you want?”

He nods his head vigorously, you chuckle at his enthusiasm. You trail your hand down his chest, hooking your fingers on the buttons of his vest popping them open as you go. You slide the vest over his shoulders, your hands lingering there for a moment looking deep into his eyes.

He stares back longingly, “Kiss me.” He sighs pressing his forehead to your own. You comply with his request pressing your lips to his gently as you move to loosen his bowtie. He kisses you back soft and sweet and gentle, if a bit clumsy. You continue undressing him, undoing the buttons on his shirt letting it hang open loosely.

When you break away his eyes are clouded with lust and he’s puffing softly. He tugs on the fabric of your dress, “Not fair…” he mumbles, “you gotta take this off too.”

You toss his shirt across the room before collecting the hem of your dress, pulling it over your head. You toss that aside too, laying there in your lacy, white undergarments.

He drinks in the view, before reaching out hesitantly, hands hovering over you, “Can I… can I touch?”

“Of course, you can, Ralphie.” You sigh.

His hands come to rest on the swell of your breast, palming you gently. His exploratory fingers find one of your nipples and he rolls it between them experimentally. You whine in response, a fresh wave of arousal flooding your panties.

He tugs on the straps of your bra, soft fingers explore the band searching for a way to release you from the silky fabric.

“How… how does this come off?” He asks shyly.

“Here, let me.” You brush his hands away undoing the lacing and pulling it free from your chest.

He gasps at the sight of your naked breasts, hands coming back up to cup them, squeezing them a little more firmly this time.

His head leans forward hesitating yet again before looking to you for approval, “Can I-”

You cut him off with a breathy moan, “Yes.”

His tongue darts out flicking at your nipple before he’s placing open-mouthed kisses all over your chest.

You press your hand into him running it down his abdomen, to rest against his bulging crotch. He presses his hips into your palm with a groan.

“Want me to take off your pants, sweet boy?” You mumble into his hair.

“Oh god, please.” He whines back desperately.

You undo the zip and slide his pants down his legs slowly, gazing up at him watching as he takes shaky breaths closing his eyes.

“If you need me to stop or slow down at any point just know that is perfectly fine, ok?” You assure him.

“Mhmm.” He hums in response, nodding his head.

You pull his underwear down before shimmying out of your own, admiring his impressive, weeping cock as it juts out proudly between his legs.

You roll him over onto his back and trail kisses down his neck, relishing in his little breathy moans. You pause at his nipple, flicking at it with your tongue teasingly and he gasps, hips bucking up. You continue your journey down his torso, til you reach the junction of his hip, gazing up at him through your lashes. You hold him down by his thighs, his eyes are scrunched up tight, hands balled into fists by his sides, lips pursed with shallow, shaky breaths.

When you press a kiss to his flushed tip he almost jumps out of his skin. You hold on to him more firmly, restricting his movements. You run your tongue along the underside of his length a few times before coming back up to the tip easing your mouth on to it and swirling your tongue around it. “Fuck… oh god… oh god.” He yelps in a strung-out moan, his eyes snapping open. You take more and more of him in as his hips buck against you, fighting your grip. You keep him pinned to the mattress, slowly bobbing up and down, every little sound he makes fuelling your own desire.

“Wait! Wait, please!” He squeaks and you pull off his twitching length with a wet ‘pop’.

You lean back on your heels taking in his fucked-out appearance a strange sense of pride bubbling up in your chest that you were the one to have him like this, all breathy and whiney and desperate.

A wicked thought occurs to you and you hook your legs over his, “You wanna watch me touch myself, Ralphie?”

He lets out a strangled moan, “Y-yes, please,”

You start off slow, putting on a show, cupping your breasts in your palms, rolling and pinching your nipples. Your mouth falls open in a silent gasp, before you take one hand and trail it down further to tangle into the hair at the cusp of your entrance.

Ralph watches your every movement intently, committing every action to memory. You drag the tips of your fingers through your slick folds, collecting the wetness before teasing at your clit.

Breathing rapidly as you roll your sensitive nub between your fingers in tandem with the hand at your breasts. You plunge two fingers into your dripping hole, alternating between thrusting them in and out, and rubbing at your clit.

The exhilaration mounts coiling in your belly, seeping into your limbs with a tingly sensation. “Oh, Ralph… I’m gonna, I’m gonna cum.”

He stares on in awe as you contort in pleasure, pressing your fingers into your swollen clit firmly. You clench around nothing before falling back panting heavily. You giggle and let out a sigh before sitting back up, grinning at him and his slack jawed expression.

“Do you think you’re ready to fuck me now?” You ask earnestly.

He lets out a strangled gasp before nodding eagerly. You grip him by the shoulders, rolling over dragging him with you so that he ends up pressed on top of you.

You look into his eyes expectantly, but he just hovers above you speechless.

“Uhhh… how do I… I don’t know how to start…” he manages to stutter out.

“That’s ok, just do whatever feels right and I can help you along the way,”

He nods nervously, before taking his cock in hand and rubbing it through your puffy labia. You jolt when his tip brushes against that sensitive bundle of nerves again and he stills abruptly. “Did I do something wrong? Are you alright?”

“My sweet boy, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just very sensitive right there.”

“Oh… ok, good… good to know.” He puffs out, before resuming his previous motions.

“Please, Ralph… I need more…” You whine up at him. “I need you inside.”

He lets out a shaky breath, “O-ok…” He mumbles, pushing against you more firmly.

“A little… a little lower.” You gasp

He follows your guidance and barely makes it inside you before you feel a warmth seeping over your folds, overflowing from your entrance where his flared head rests throbbing rhythmically.

Tears well in the corners of his eyes as his cock slips out of you. It leaves a messy, sticky strand running between the two of, connecting you briefly before breaking and pooling on the sheets beneath you. He collapses into your chest sobbing.

“Oh, that was a big one, wasn’t it, sweet boy?” You coo, stroking the back of his head gently.

He continues to cry shaking his head, you grow concerned, “Ralphie, are you ok?”

He whimpers in response, unable or unwilling to answer. “Hey, what’s wrong? Look at me.” You urge.

He refuses to look up, you ease his head back to look into his watery eyes.

“Please, Ralph tell me. What’s wrong?” You implore.

“I-I-I’m sorry… I couldn’t… I couldn’t… it was just too good. You felt too good. I couldn’t…”

“Oh baby, no no no. Stop that, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But… but I didn’t… it wasn’t good for you too. I know. I heard Victoria and her friends laughing and joking about one of her… suitors once. They called him the minute man, said he was lousy, couldn’t even last fifty seconds before he was blowing his load and rolling over. They were all saying how horrible it must have been.”

You interrupt his blubbering, “Ralphie, you were anything but horrible. I like that I can make you feel like that, and I know it was your first time. Every time isn’t going to be like that, it doesn’t have to be.”

“What if… what if it is though?” He sobs out.

“Even if it is there are other ways to please a lady and you’re a sweet, generous man. Just the fact that you’re this distraught by it means I know you’ll do everything you can to please your partner.” You attempt to reassure him.

He whimpers as you smooth over his curls with your hand.

You sit up and pull him into your lap so he’s straddling your thighs and bring his head to rest on your shoulder, “It’s ok, really.” You insist.

“You… you mean it?” He hiccups softly and you rub a hand over his back soothingly.

“Yes, of course I do.”

“But I ruined everything.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. Now if you want, I’ll give you a minute to calm down and then we can get back to making me feel good. How’s that?”

He pulls his head away from your shoulder to look at you, worrying his lip between his teeth before nodding his head in agreement. You continue to rub circles into his back as he takes soft, shaky breaths.

He rests his forehead against yours, eyes closing softly, small breaths puffing out from between his lips. You capture his lips between your own, kissing him in earnest, he relaxes into your touch and reciprocates. When he pulls away for air you press a hand to his chest, “Better?”

He opens his teary eyes and hums in response, “Yeah. Wanna focus on you now.”

“There’s my sweet boy.” You coo at him, your hand coming up to cup his cheek and he presses into it.

“Now I seem to recall you saying something about wanting to ‘kiss me down there’ is that something you still want to try?”

“Oh god, did I really say that?” He groans.

“Yep, and I think it’s a brilliant idea.” You stroke your thumb over his cheek.

“Yeah… I wanna.” He admits, eyes downcast bashfully.

“Need any help getting started?”

“I think… I think I’ll be ok. I can just do it like you did for me, right?” He looks to you for confirmation.

“Yeah, that should work just fine.” You agree.

He mimics your earlier actions, kissing along your neck working his way towards your wet heat, a little overzealously. Face buried between your thighs he licks a long stripe all the way from your dripping core to your clit, sucking up the remnants of his own release with a low groan.

He repeats this movement a few times before flicking at your clit with the tip of his tongue. You bury your hands into his curls with a pitchy moan and he grins against you. He sucks on that little bundle of nerves hard, you throw your head back with a whine.

“Use… hmmmm… use your fingers, pleeeaaaasee.”

He slips two fingers inside you, stretching them against your slick channel.

“Like this?” He mumbles against you.

“Yes Ralph, just like that!” You wail clamping down on his fingers and gushing around them as your legs tremble around his head, hips raising off the mattress.

Floating back down to Earth, you disentangle your hands from his head, letting them flop to your sides. He grins up at you, chin glistening with your fluids, “How was that?”

You manage to tilt your head down towards him to reply, “Oh, Ralphie you have no idea how goooood that was.”

You realise he’s been rutting into the mattress, and still is, his cock thick and hard once more.

“Looks like someone is ready to go again.” You giggle.

“Oh, uh… yeah looks like I am, aren’t I?” He responds sheepishly.

“What, you didn’t notice, sweet boy?” You tease.

“Actually, I kind of didn’t, was a little preoccupied with other things.” He confesses.

“Well, do you think you’re up for round two?”

You sense his hesitance and rush to reassure him, “Sweet boy, you will be amazing, this’ll make you feel soooo good. We can change it up a bit too. You trust me, right?”

He nods, “What do you have in mind?”

“Maybe I can be on top this time, be in control a little more.” You suggest.

He bites his lip, “O-ok, yeah.”

You grin at him encouragingly, “Perfect, now can I just get you on your back?”

He scrambles to comply, rolling to the side coming to rest on his back gazing at you eagerly.

“Good boy.” You hum at him and notice the slight shiver that passes through him.

You kneel beside him, moving to straddle him. Throwing one leg over him and resting on his thighs, you glance down at his messy cock, slick and glistening.

You grip the base of his shaft and it twitches slightly as you move to hover above it. You gaze into his eyes, gauging his reaction as you rub his tip through your folds.

“You ready?”

He looks up at you in awe, nodding speechlessly. You sink down on his length slowly, his whines like music to your ears. You groan taking more of him bit by bit until you’re fully seated against him, his cock throbbing against your walls. You sit like that for a moment allowing him to adjust to the sensation along with you.

“Move… please.” He whines from beneath you, resisting the urge to buck up into you.

You roll your hips ever so slightly, resting your hands on his shoulders.

“How’s that sweet boy?”

He groans in response, looking up at you reverently “Lovely… that’s lovely. More… please.”

You run your hands down his arms, to rest over his and guide them onto your hips. He grips them tight as you begin to bounce gently on top of him.

His hands loosen around your waist and venture up towards your breasts, caressing them gently.

“That’s it, such a good boy.” You croon.

He bites down on his lip with a whine, hips bucking up into yours. You drop a hand between your joined bodies, pinching and flicking at your clit as his grip on your breast shifts, fingers moving to toy with your nipples.

You flex your walls around him, enjoying the way he shudders. He’s leaning forward pressing his face to your chest with sloppy, open-mouthed kisses, his hands moving to encircle you. You kiss the top of his head moaning encouragingly, “Please Ralphie, you’re doing so good for me.”

He spasms beneath you as you clench down on him again.

“Please, don’t… I can’t, it’s too much.” He whines against you pathetically.

“Just let go, it’s ok. Cum for me Ralph, please.” You beg into his curls.

Your words send him toppling over the edge, his cries jumbling together, “Oh… oh god! Yesyesyes… ungh…I love you.”

The feel of his warm, sticky release coating your walls has you spasming around him, milking his cock dry.

You collapse against him as he falls back into the mattress, both of you breathless.

“Happy birthday, Ralphie.” You sigh into his ear.

“Best birthday ever.” He mumbles back.

The two of you doze off once again wrapped up in each other.

“Ralph! Ralph where did you disappear to last night?!” Victoria calls down the halls. Flinging open Ralph’s bedroom door when she reaches it, rousing the two of you from your slumber.

“We’re all going to the market…” She continues, until she sees the pair of you entwined on the bed, “EWW THAT’S DISGUSTING! COVER YOURSELVES, PLEASE!” She shrieks, covering her face and turning away.

You giggle as Victoria storms back out of the room, it’s not like she was ever one to limit her public displays of affection and you were tucked up in bed behind closed doors.

“Good morning, sweet boy.” You kiss his forehead softly.

He mumbles groggily, “Mhhhh… morning, my love.”

“So… it sounds like we’re going to have the place to ourselves today… whatever shall we do?” You bat your eyelashes at him and he perks up instantly, pulling you into a clumsy kiss.

“Anything you want, my love.” He sighs.

#ralph penbury #ralph penbury smut #ralph penbury x reader #virgin!ralph x reader #virgin!ralph penbury x reader #virgin!ralph penbury #timewasters ralph #ralph timewasters #ralph timewasters x reader

573 notes · View notes

littlelioncub43 · 2 years

Note

babe, I cannot get out of my mind the idea of giving ralphie head as a birthday present.. maybe in a public area, in the bathroom let’s say🫠 he almost cums in his pants immediately after you get on your knees for him bc poor baby has had a crush on you for a long time

Oh my word, I love it.

Poor Ralphie was so excited when you whispered in his ear that you have a special present for him. He followed close behind you like a little puppy, his hand gripping yours tightly. You giggled with him, his excitement was truly contagious and you couldn't help but be a little giddy yourself. Especially knowing what you have in store for him.

"Why are we in th–" you interrupt him with a finger over his soft lips.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh," you hush, you push his back into the locked door of the bathroom, your hands moving to cradle the back of his head.

"Mmmm!" He hums in surprise when your lips connect to his, eyes wide open and blinking a few times to process everything. When your lips move against his in slow but passionate kisses, Ralph is absolutely melting. "Mmmmmmmm...."

You feel his hands, shy and inexperienced, reach for your waist, pulling you impossibly closer. When you pull back, Ralph whimpers in protest and chases you. A hand against his shoulder keeps him in his place. He whines again, giving you a proper pout now.

"Awww, Ralphie, there's no need to pout," you soothe with a peck to his pouting lips. "Are you ready for your present, Angel?"

"Y-Yes!" He gasps out, his voice was weak and the hushed tone you spoke in had him under a similar spell. You grin and let the hand on his shoulder slip lower and lower, Ralph's eyes grew wider and wider the further south you went. Suddenly, you cup the tent in his trousers, earning a sharp gasp from the sweet birthday boy in front of you.

"A-Ah!" He gasps and shudders, his jaw hung open in shock, his eyes wide as saucers, looking at you in disbelief. He always loved you, you were the picture of divine beauty and grace. So to feel your precious hand touching his most intimate part, even through his trousers, is unbelievably heavenly.

And then you stroke him.

"O-Oh my G—" he cant finish his sentence before he's choking on air, his eyes rolling back as he pants heavily. You giggle at how wrecked he already is, and give his face a few grounding kisses.

"Feel good, Ralph?" You purr in his ear, the sound alone nearly enough to make him cum.

"Yes!" He squeaks in a fluttering, high voice. He fists the beaded fabric of your dress.

"I can make it feel even better..." before he can ask 'how' you're giving him one last kiss and sinking to your knees before him.

He knew what was happening.

"O-Oh Christ!" He cries out, hips twitching on their own accord and his cock throbbing uncontrollably in his trousers. You giggle again and make quick work of his belt and zipper. Ralph grips the door knob behind him for support, the other hand bracing against the wall. He was going to collapse.

The cold air of the bathroom hitting his heated cock has him whimpering, the sigh of relief from being freed from the confines of his pants is brief. You look up at him from between his legs, his hard dick standing proud next to your gorgeous face. It's almost too much for him, but he'd be damned if he finishes too soon, before you get your mouth on him.

"You have such a pretty cock, Ralph," you hum, watching as his already red face gets even redder.

"T-Thank–thank you," he stutters, his words ending in a squeak when your hands slide up his inner thighs. He tosses his head into the hard wood door behind him when your lips kiss his hip bone. "Jesus!"

"Nope, just me, Ralphie," you chuckle and wrap a hand around his shaft, gently peeling back his foreskin to reveal his leaking tip to you. The action has Ralph nearly doubling over, his eyes opening just in time to see your pretty lips wrapping around his red tip.

"O-OH GOD!" He cries out loudly, uncaring if anyone walking by could hear him. You moan and swirl your tongue around his salty skin, tasting as much of it as possible. Moan after moan leave Ralph's pretty mouth. You feel his cock twitch excitedly in your grasp, you knew he wasn't going to last any longer.

You suddenly start to bob your head, taking more and more of him into your hot mouth with each stroke. You manage to get nearly all of him inside your mouth by the third bob of your head— and that proved too much for sweet Ralphie.

With a strangled cry of your name, he was coming, his eyes shut tight, face scrunched in a euphoric pout, on hand clutching your shoulder as he leans over you, the pleasure far too much for him to handle. He could feel everything— the sweat on his neck, the cool wood of the door behind him, your throat swallowing around him, milking him of every last drop of cum.

Black spots danced along the corners of his eyes as you finally released him with a pop. He can hear your fuzzy voice calling his name, it makes him smile. You chuckle and reach up to help steady him as you pull his pants back up and into place.

Before you could buckle his belt, he slides down the door and collapses on the floor with a breathless sigh. He shuts his eyes, collecting himself as best he could. You smile and straighten out his disheveled tie, his hands catching yours.

"What did you think of your birthday present, Ralph?" He takes a moment to catch his breath and open his eyes, the look in his eyes shined with more affection and adoration than you thought humanly possible.

"Wizard."

I no longer have a taglist! If you wish to stay up-to-date on when I post, follow @littlelioncub-library

Dividers by the lovely @firefly-graphics

#ralph timewasters smut #ralph penbury x reader #ralph penbury #ralph timewasters #ralph timewasters x reader #sweet nonnie who loves ralph too #joseph quinn fic #joseph quinn #little lion literature

1K notes · View notes

ladyfogg · 2 years

Text

Words of Advice - Part 1

Words of Advice – Part 1

Fic Summary: Months after being so spectacularly rejected by Lauren, Ralph finds his interests being drawn to the pretty new maid. Having no idea how to approach you, and not wanting to repeat mistakes of the past, he seeks advice from everyone and anyone who’ll provide it, which is probably not the wisest decision. (Part 2) Fics Masterpost.

Fic Rating: 18+ (Minors DNI)

Pairing: Virgin!Ralph (Timewasters)/Female Reader

Warnings: Canon Divergent, It’s Not Unrequited Love They’re Just Idiots, Mutual Pining, Attempts at Flirting, Slow Build, Eventual Smut, First Time, Unprotected Sex

A/N: Hey there, lovelies! Originally this was going to be a oneshot, but it became a lot longer than I anticipated (that’s what she said) so it’s been split into two parts. I don’t have an ETA on part 2 but I hope you enjoy part 1!

Ralph decides that he won’t run off and join the French Foreign Legion.

While Lauren’s harsh words and rejection broke his heart, he begrudgingly admits to himself that he may have rushed things a bit. Proposing marriage after knowing her for a few days was on the fast side. Perhaps he should have waited for a more respectable amount of time, like a month.

Regardless, he has no interest in chasing a woman who clearly wants nothing to do with him. Unfortunately, he hasn’t met one who does

It’s a bleak and confidence busting realization. Ralph resigns himself to bachelorhood and takes solace in the notion that he at least has his many interests and hobbies to occupy his time. Although, there are only so many times he can play his ukulele, read, or any of the other skills he’s picked up over the years.

Currently, he is in the dining room, just about to sit down for lunch, when the doorbell rings. Normally, one of the servants gets it but at least two quit the week before and replacements have yet to be hired. It seems no one else in the house deems it necessary to stop what they’re doing because after a few short minutes, the doorbell rings again.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” Ralph says to no one in particular, throwing his napkin down in annoyance.

He walks through the dining room and into the front hall. If he’d realized who was on the other side of the door, he could have done something to prepare. He’s not sure what could have prepared him for opening the door and finding himself face to face with the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen.

“Hello, sir,” you say, giving him a warm smile. “I’m here about the servant’s position.”

Ralph is frozen, brown eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. It’s like every word or thought is plucked out of his head, leaving nothing but the sound of his heart pounding.

When he doesn’t say anything, you shift nervously. “Sir, did you hear me?”

“Ralph.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Ralph. My name. It’s my name. I mean…” Ralph clears his throat, remembering who he is and that he shouldn’t stand there floundering like a fish. “Please, come in.”

You smile and Ralph swears his heart stops beating. “Thank you.”

You cross the threshold and Ralph barely moves out of the way in time. The scent of flowers wafts off you and Ralph closes his eyes, savoring it before he catches himself and closes the door.

“And your name is?” he asks, turning to face you, his back pressed against the door in a subconscious attempt to keep you from leaving. Though, judging by the suitcase in your hands, that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon.

You tell him your name and extend your hand towards him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ralph takes it, desperately wishing you weren’t wearing gloves so he could feel your skin on his. “I’m delighted to meet you as well.”

From the upper level, he hears his twin’s boisterous voice say your name. Victoria glides down the stairs, immediately grabbing your attention away from Ralph.

“It’s so good to see you!” she says. “I appreciate you filling in on such short notice. We’ve had a bit of a turnaround lately and are in desperate need of help.” She turns to face her brother as if she’s noticing him for the first time. “Ah, Ralph! I see you’ve met our new maid.”

“Yes, we were just getting acquainted,” Ralph says, eyes never leaving you.

“He was being most hospitable,” you say with a smile Ralph’s way that has him clutching the doorknob for support.

Victoria doesn’t miss it. She narrows her eyes suspiciously but it only lasts a second because when you turn to her, she’s smiling once more. “Let me give you the tour and explain your duties,” she says, motioning for you to walk ahead of her.

As if being pulled by an invisible string, Ralph makes a move to follow. Victoria stops him with a hand in his chest. “Don’t you dare, brother,” she says in a low voice. “I’ve already had to put an embargo on all the hired help to keep Jason from going through them. I won’t have you scaring this one away.”

“But…”

“No! Stay!” she says, flicking his nose.

Plastering that big smile on her face once more, she turns to lead you down the hall. Ralph leans on the nearest doorframe for support, watching your swaying hips as you go. He swears it’s giving him heart palpitations and he may need to have a lie down until his head stops spinning.

“Wow, she’s…” He can’t think of another word and whispers the last to himself. “Wizard.”

“Well, you move on fast, don’t you?”

Ralph whips his head to the side to see Lauren standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking highly amused at the unfolding events. How long has she been standing there??

“I mean no disrespect,” he immediately says. “I am well-aware your…feelings towards me. Or rather, lack thereof. My infatuation faded some time ago.”

“Glad to hear it,” she says. Then she shoves her hands in her pockets and sighs. “I am sorry for that, by the way. Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“Water under the bridge,” he says, turning his attention back to the hall you vacated seconds ago. He sighs dreamily and leans against the doorframe again. “Under the most beautiful bridge I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, bloody hell. Alright, look mate. You didn’t ask for my opinion but I’m giving it anyway,” Lauren says. “Word of advice: if you’re going to go after that one, don’t be yourself.”

With that, she gives him a firm slap on the back that makes him stumble a bit and, with a smile that seems like she’s given him the most important piece of advice in the world, she heads out the door whistling to herself.

Don’t be himself? Then who the bloody hell is he supposed to be?! Ralph turns to ask but she’s already gone.

Well…bollocks.

Between that and his sister scolding him, he’s thoroughly confused. Alright, he can figure this out. He can work around his sister’s rule. He may not be able to go after you, but what if you came to him? He could hardly be to blame if you became infatuated with him. It would be rude not to reciprocate and if Ralph is anything, it’s a respectable gentleman.

Besides, it falls in line with Lauren’s “don’t be yourself” suggestion. And a beautiful woman such as yourself falling for him would absolutely be the opposite of his usual go to.

Not that he knows how to even begin to make that happen. Lauren’s gone so he can’t ask her for clarification. But maybe her brother will have better insights!

Ralph scours the house looking for Nick, almost running into Victoria and you as she gives the tour. He ducks from room to room, hoping you don’t see him, but stealing fleeting glances when he can. He finds Nick in the quarters he shares with his bandmates. He’s standing at a chalkboard, scribbling what looks like gibberish.

Ralph knocks on the open door. “Knock, knock! Nick, do you have a minute?”

“Lauren’s not here,” Nick says over his shoulder. “Sorry, mate.”

“Oh, I know. I’m not looking for her, I’m looking for you. I was hoping you’d give me some advice.”

That seems to get his attention and his eyes light up when he turns to face Ralph. “You want my advice? About what?”

“Women…well, a woman specifically.”

Nick sighs and puts down the chalk, placing his chalky hand on Ralph’s shoulder. “Ralph, you really should move on from my sister. I appreciate your dedication but she’s made it clear she’s not interested.”

Ralph huffs, knocking his hand away. “I’m not talking about her. I’ve met someone else.”

Nick looks pleasantly surprised. “Oh, that’s fantastic! Well, what can I do for you, then?”

“How do I get her to notice me?” he asks, discretely wiping the chalk dust from his suit jacket as Nick turns away to regard his work. “Well, I guess more than just notice me. How do I get her to fall madly in love with me?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Nick says, waving his hand. “Show her how smart you are. Girls love a guy with a brain, you know what I mean? Smart is sexy.”

Huh. Ralph hasn’t tried that angle before. “Smart is sexy,” he repeats. “I can work with that. I’m not one to boast but our library has over a hundred books and I’ve read almost all of them.”

“Right, yeah, books. Reading,” Nick mutters, going back to his work.

Sensing he’s lost his attention, Ralph leaves Nick to whatever the bloody hell he’s doing. Smart is sexy. Smart is sexy. Is this a common phrase that everyone knows about except him? Typical. He’s always the last in the loop. Ralph’s mind is racing, trying to formulate what his next move should be.

Two days later, he’s ready to act. He chooses a time he knows you’re going to be cleaning the downstairs and makes himself comfortable in the library. He sits in his favorite wing-backed chair in front of the fireplace and picks the biggest book he can find.

He then spends the next several minutes trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. How should he sit? Should he lean back and be comfortable? Or possibly sit up straight and seem intrigued? He does have excellent posture, that might be the way to go. When he hears footsteps coming, he scrambles to grab the book and appear as though he’s deeply engrossed. Unable to decide between comfortable and upright, he settles on a strange combination of the two which is decidedly uncomfortable.

The door opens and he “casually” glances up. His heart races when he sees you standing in the doorway.

“Oh, hello, sir,” you say with that same smile you gave him when you first met. In your hands you nervously twist a feather duster. “I hope you don’t mind but Miss Victoria asked me to dust in here.”

“Of course, do what you need,” Ralph says, attempting to keep his demeanor calm and collected, eyes shifting back to the page in front of him.

You go about your business and Ralph watches, staring over the top of the large book that he’s hiding behind. Or rather, that he’s pretending to read.

You’re in uniform now and he swears as many servants as he’s seen over the years, none of them have ever looked the way you do in those clothes. They hug every inch of your frame and he finds himself having all manner of impure thoughts. Which he promptly scolds himself for. You’re a lady and should not be thought about in such a way. Anytime you turn in his direction, he quickly shifts his gaze to the book in his hands, trying to appear pensive and deep in thought.

As minutes drag by, Ralph begins to fidget. He’s waiting for you to notice or say something but it’s not happening. Occasionally, he clears his throat but you’re focused on your work. It’s not until he angles himself in your direction as you turn to dust the mantle that you finally speak.

“Quite a hefty book you’re reading, sir,” you say.

Thrilled to have a chance to speak, Ralph lowers the book so fast it slaps his lap painfully. He tries not to flinch. “Oh, this old thing? I must have read it a dozen times already,” he boasts, throwing you what he hopes is a charming smile. “In fact, I’ve read almost every book in this library.”

“Wow, impressive.”

Ralph’s heart flutters. It’s working, he thinks excitedly. “Do you enjoy reading?” he asks.

You’ve stopped your work and are giving him your full attention, which is more than he could have ever asked for. He doesn’t remember the last time anyone’s done so. Normally, people half-listen or brush him off.

“On occasion, when I have the time,” you say. “What’s it about?”

Ralph is so busy staring at your beautiful face he forgets the conversation for a second. “What’s what about?”

You smile. “The book.”

“Oh, right, yes, the book.” Ralph scrambles, having not thought this far ahead and trying not to look down at the cover to give himself away. “You know, the world, the philosophy of man, life. Very deep…smart things.”

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks, he’s messing this up.

But instead of looking bored or uninterested, you just smile once more and say, “Sounds delightful. Well, I’m done my work in here. If you won’t be needing anything, I’ll excuse myself to the kitchens to begin dinner preparation.”

Ralph wants to beg you to stay, to keep talking and learning about you. But he tries to play it cool and sits back in his chair, lifting his book once more. “I am all set, thank you,” he says.

“Great.” You head towards the door and Ralph’s eyes track your movements like a hawk. When you turn around again, he doesn’t have a chance to avert his gaze. “By the way, sir. That book is upside down.”

With a giggle and a flourish of your skirt, you’re gone and Ralph stares down in horror, realizing that indeed, his book is upside down. With a heavy sigh, he tosses it aside and buries his face in his hands.

So much for looking smart.

Needless to say, he avoids you for days after such a fiasco. At least until the crippling embarrassment goes away, then he’s back at it. Ralph is undeterred. If anything, his desire to converse and get you to notice him is even stronger now that he wishes for redemption.

Since Nick was of no help, he decides there’s one person who certainly knows much about the opposite sex. He finds Jason lounging in the salon, casually admiring that blasted advertisement he posted for. “Hey, bruv, what’s up?” he asks, barely looking at Ralph. “Where you been hiding?”

“I haven’t been hiding, I’ve been…out of sight,” Ralph says.

“Whatever, same diff.”

Ralph decides to get this over with and cuts right to the chase. “Jason, what advice would you give to someone who is trying to get a woman to notice him?”

Jason chuckles. “Still pining over Lauren? Seriously, bruv, there are other fish in the sea.”

“No! Not Lauren…someone else.”

Jason perks up. “Who? What’s her name? I saw her first.”

“You most certainly did not and it doesn’t matter who,” Ralph says. “Just answer my question. How do I get her to notice me?”

Jason sits up and tosses the ad aside. “Easy. You gotta show her the goods.”

Ralph frowns. “I don’t know what that means.”

“You know…” Jason stands and immediately starts to open his shirt. Ralph protests but it falls on deaf ears. “Show her the goods. Let her see what she’s missing!”

He does what Ralph assumes is intended to be a sexy pose. Ralph raises his hands to block as much of Jason’s exposed chest for his view as he can.

“So your advice is to flash her my half-naked body? That doesn’t sound like an appropriate idea.”

“Don’t just do it without warning,” Jason says, despite the fact that he definitely just did. “Work it into the conversation.” He looks at himself and then back to Ralph. “Of course, your body isn’t like mine, so maybe try to bulk up first or, you know, step into the sunlight. But I’m telling you, bruv, flashing some skin is a guaranteed way to get her eyes on you.”

“Yeah, alright, I don’t know why I thought asking for your advice was a good idea,” Ralph says, still averting his eyes as Jason has not even attempted to cover up. “I’ll take your words into consideration.”

He hurries out of there as fast as possible, rolling his eyes when Jason calls after him, “Wait, seriously, though, who is it? I’m telling you, I saw her first!”

Later that night, in his room, Ralph is getting changed into his sleep clothes when he pauses to contemplate Jason’s advice. He’s never really thought about his physical appearance.

He’s aware that he’s quite dashing and impeccably dressed. But he’s never thought about the state of his body. After all, he hasn’t shown it to anyone so it’s never come up. The idea of showing it to you, however, makes his face flush and he has to take a few deep breaths to calm himself.

Once he does, he turns to his full-length mirror and eyes his reflection. He’s in his underclothes and thinks for a moment before removing his under shirt. True, he doesn’t have the muscle definition that Jason has but he thinks he looks relatively well-defined.

Ralph stands up straight and tries to puff out his chest a bit.

Hmm. Maybe this can work.

Perhaps Jason isn’t a complete nutter. Ralph studies himself a bit more, wheels turning as he tries to figure out how to go about following this latest piece of advice. He practices in the mirror, trying to perfect the nonchalance that failed him in the library.

“Oh, hello there,” he says. “Pardon my state of undress…absolutely not. That’s not going to work. She’d probably run screaming, thinking I’m propositioning her. Then she’ll quit and Victoria will have my head.”

He puts his trousers back on and grabs his undershirt. Now he is more respectfully covered, though it doesn’t show skin, which was the point according to Jason.

Ralph removes the undershirt and grabs a freshly pressed white button-up. He slips it on and keeps it open. Without the undershirt, this state of undress is not too forward and still flattering. The longer he looks at himself, the more he thinks this might work. He hopes it’ll be enough.

On the morning of the next laundry day, he stays in his room and waits. Any other day, he’d promptly dress and leave his clothes for the maids to gather. Instead, he paces back and forth, listening for the telltale sound of footsteps, noting how cold he is without his undershirt. The urge to dress properly is strong but he fights it.

When he hears someone approaching, he hurries to his closet. Suddenly, fear and uncertainty seize him and he realizes how ridiculous this is. His hands attempt to quickly button up but then there’s a knock and he’s calling, “Come in!” before his brain catches up.

He’s able to turn his back the moment before you enter.

“Oh, excuse me, sir,” you say. “I just came for the laundry but I can return—”

“No, no, it’s alright. I’m decent.”

Sort of, he thinks.

Ralph hears the door open and close and the sound of you crossing to the laundry bin. He’s so nervous he can’t get his fingers to work properly. There’s a beat of silence before…

“Do you need some help?” Ralph turns to find you watching him with a smile. “I think you’ve missed a few buttons.”

Ralph looks down and swears to himself. Yes, yes he’s missed buttons. Several actually. Can nothing go right in front of you?? “Oh, bully me.”

Laughing, you cross the room towards him and before he knows what’s happening, you’re reaching out to undo the buttons he so thoroughly messed up. It takes him a moment to register what’s happening and when he takes in how close you are and that your hands are on his shirt, he feels the heat rise to his face.

Equal parts embarrassed and interested, Ralph suddenly doesn’t know what to do with himself. Should he look away? Look at you? Look at his shirt? He opts for the ceiling until you straighten his crisp white shirt and re-button it properly.

“Which bowtie are you going to wear today?” you ask.

Ralph looks down only to find your eyes staring into his. “Pardon?”

“I asked which bowtie you’re going to wear today. I notice you wear one every day. I think I favor the blue…if that’s not too bold to say, sir.”

Ralph shakes his head vigorously. “No, not bold at all. I like the blue one as well. And…you don’t need to call me ‘sir’. Ralph is just fine.”

He can’t get over your smile. It makes his heart feel like it's bursting from his chest. Without prompting, you pick up the blue bowtie from his dresser where he has all of them displayed in neat rows. You carefully lift his collar, tie the bowtie for him, and then fix his collar once more.

“There, all set,” you say.

Ralph struggles to find his voice. “Th-Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome…Ralph.”

With that, you return to the laundry bin, gather the clothes, and leave. Ralph stands there for some time, not quite sure what to make of the interaction. Did Jason’s advice actually work? Or did you take pity on Ralph after seeing him struggle? God, how pathetic he must have looked, especially after the whole book fiasco.

Ralph honestly doesn’t know what to think and spends the next several days dwelling. If his goal was to get you to see him, it’s worked. You’ve certainly noticed him. He wishes it had been under more flattering circumstances but he decides that beggars can’t be choosers. However, now he’s run out of advice and aside from those particular interactions, he hasn’t had many with you. He can’t. Every time you’re in the same room, he gets so flustered he has to leave. Or Victoria is there and he can’t try to converse with you.

His plan is quickly becoming a miserable failure.

About a week later, he finds himself in the sitting room, contemplating his situation, when Horace sits next to him. “Alright, Ralph, you’ve been pouting for days. What’s wrong?” he asks.

Ralph purses his lips together. “I am not pouting!” However, when Horace simply raises an eyebrow, he sighs heavily. “I’m hopeless. Absolutely, hopeless.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I’ve met someone, Horace. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and I’ve been trying to get her to notice me, but I feel all I’ve done is embarrass myself. And before you say anything, it’s not Lauren.”

“Mate, I know that. You’re talking about the new maid, yeah?”

Ralph looks at him, eyes wide with surprise. “How did you know?”

Horace chuckles. “I see things most people don’t. You’re always looking at her when you think she can’t see you and ducking out of the room. It’s pretty obvious.”

Ralph groans and buries his face in his hands. “What am I to do, Horace? Victoria has made it perfectly clear no fraternizing with the help. And all the advice I was given backfired spectacularly.”

“Whose advice?”

“Jason, Nick, Lauren…”

Horace laughs, shaking his head. “See, there’s your problem right there, bruv. Never go to those three for any life advice. What did they tell you?”

“Show skin, smart is sexy, don’t be myself.”

“Yeah, sounds about right. What’s wrong with being yourself?”

Ralph shrugs, throwing his hands up. “I don’t know! Lauren didn’t elaborate.”

Horace sighs heavily and shakes his head. “Don’t listen to her. Of course she would say that because you’re not her type. That doesn’t mean you’re not anyone else’s type. Look, throwing away all that you’ve been told and forgetting Victoria’s silly rule, what do your instincts tell you to do?”

“To woo her!” Ralph says, excitedly grabbing Horace’s arm, vibrating with energy. “To shower her with gifts and affection, to tell her she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and I want to write songs about her smile.”

Horace laughs and pries Ralph’s hand off his arm. “Alright, alright, relax. Now think of all those things and push them aside. Don’t forget them, just, scale it down a bit and let’s start smaller.”

Ralph searches his mind, trying to think of a romantic gesture he could do that wouldn’t be too ostentatious. “Dinner,” he says. “A small dinner. Intimate, just the two of us. She cooks for all of us though so I would cook for her.” He grins as Horace and boasts with a shake of excitement, “I’m quite skilled in the kitchen. Pastries are my specialty.”

“See, there you go!” Horace says. “I think that sounds nice. Simple, romantic, while also discreet.”

Ralph’s mind is alive with ideas and he can’t wait to get started. He flings his arms around Horace in a tight hug. “Thank you!” he says before bolting for his bedroom.

When he gets there, he runs to his desk and sits down. Going through his stationary, he begins to draft an elegant invitation, crumpling page after page to start from scratch several times.

It’s late in the evening when he finally finishes, proud of his work. He selects a blue ribbon, almost the same shade as his bowtie, and carefully ties the invitation closed with it.

Ralph checks the time, going through your schedule in his mind that he assuredly observed and committed to memory days ago. Now is the perfect time to deliver it personally. He catches you as you’re coming out of the kitchen, having just finished evening clean up. The other servant is already down the hall when Ralph shows himself, suddenly stepping out in front of you.

You jump in surprise. “Ralph! You startled me!” you say, hand over your heart. “Jesus.”

“This is for you,” he says, handing you the invitation.

You stare at it in awe as he shoves it into your hands. “What is it?”

Ralph fidgets with excitement as you carefully open it. “I would like to ask you to have dinner with me on Friday night. I am aware my sister has her party and you will be in the kitchen all day, so once the party is underway, I would like to personally provide a meal for you…if that’s agreeable.”

You clutch the paper to your chest and stare at him with wide eyes. “Ralph…this is…”

He tries not to be nervous, tries not to imagine all the horrible ways this can go wrong. Is too much? Too little? He should have done more. Blasted, he should have went and bought a dozen roses before the stall closed. What kind of a man offers a woman a romantic invitation without a dozen long-stemmed red roses!

“This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever asked of me,” you say. “I accept the invitation. I would love to have dinner with you.”

Ralph reigns in his excitement, though he does give you a wide grin. “Lovely. Wonderful. Excellent.” He pauses for a moment. “And to be clear, I do mean this in a romantic courting sense. Though, if that’s not something you’re interested in, I completely understand and would not expect you to do anything you’re not comfortable—”

To Ralph’s amazement, you lean forward and place a gentle kiss on his cheek. He’s stunned into silence, his hand reaching up to lay over the spot.

“With.”

“My answer is still the same,” you say. “What time?”

“It’s…it’s…” Ralph points with his free hand to the paper in your hands. “Says there…the time. And attire. Formal. Well, causal formal.”

You nod excitedly. “I’ll be ready. I cannot wait!”

And with that, you leave him right where he is, his hand still pressed to his cheek. When he’s alone, Ralph jumps up and down and pumps his fists before pulling himself together and hurrying back to his room.

He has a date to plan.

Taglist:

@palomahasenteredthechat

#joseph quinn #joe quinn #ralph timewasters #timewasters #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x reader

619 notes · View notes

keeponquinning · 1 year

Note

can i request an audio of ralph trying to ask you out, but he keeps correcting himself over and over until either he gets it right or he just gives up? (depending on whether you feel like it being fluffy or angsty) thank you!!

We went with a bit of both! Hopefully this sounds the most like him, I only got like 1 minute and 31 seconds of his audio clips through his whole appearance! And it came out buggy sometimes. But! Here it is, wrote it off the top of my head, hope it sounds like our Ralphie boy.

#joseph quinn #ralph timewasters #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x you #ralph penbury x reader #— words come audios

174 notes · View notes

babybluebex · 1 year

Text

𝐣𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧 (𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬) 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

༻ ralph penbury (timewasters, 2017)

wizard: at ralph’s birthday party, you feel the need to apologize for what you’ve done. ralph, meanwhile, has a question to ask you. (fluff)

making waves: before a party, you do ralph's hair. (fluff)

marking ralph's cheeks with lipstick (fluff)

punishing ralphie for misbehaving (smut)

coked up ralphie fucks your ass (smut)

༻ jamie sampson (kin, 2017)

jamie tells you about harry (angst)

༻ koner (game of thrones, 2017)

only you series masterlist (koner x fem!reader): your secret relationship with a winterfell guard is threatened when your father marries you off to another man, and you do everything you can to stay with him and keep your love strong. (retired)

༻ peter grunauer (overlord, 2018)

reuniting after peter goes to war (angst)

sweet awkward reunion sex (smut)

༻ enjolras (bbc les miserables, 2018)

don't call it love: your latin tutor is one of those revolutionaries that your father despises and, after he invites you to a citizen’s meeting, his true intentions are revealed.(angst)

༻ prince paul (catherine the great, 2019)

out of the dark: marrying the prince of russia would be dream if he wasn’t such a dick, but a late night conversation leads to a mutual understanding. (smut)

paul yells at you (angst)

paul punishes you for flirting with someone else (smut)

༻ tom grant (make up, 2019)

5 minutes in heaven: your boyfriend finds an empty closet at work, and he convinces you to play a game of 7 (or 5) minutes in heaven. (smut)

stupid for you: you and tom get into a fight and, after he says something especially nasty to you, he makes it up to you in the best way. (smut)

boyfriend!tom headcanons (fluff)

teaching tom how to go down on you (smut)

tom convinces you to try anal (smut)

tom takes care of you when you're sick (fluff)

making you smile after a hard day (fluff)

cuddling with tom (fluff)

༻ pub!charlie (best move along, 2019)

pub!charlie headcanons(fluff)

nsfw pub!charlie headcanons(smut)

༻ billy knight (cb strike, 2020)

breeding kink (smut)

handjobs (smut)

camilla (fluff)

༻ eric (a quiet place: day one, 2024)

a medium place: your husband, eric, spends too much time at the office, and he assures you that you’re a priority in his life. (smut)

#ralph penbury x reader #ralph timewasters x reader #jamie kin x reader #jamie sampson x reader #koner got x reader #bbc!enjolras x reader #prince paul x reader #tom grant x reader #billy knight x reader #eric aqpdo x reader #joseph quinn x reader #eddie munson x reader #joseph quinn masterlist #eddie munson masterlist

298 notes · View notes

sherifftillman · 1 year

Text

busy streets and busy lives • ralph penbury x reader

A strange day at work gets even stranger when you meet a man who claims he's from 1926. With no certainty as to when he can get back, you decide to take him in until that time arrives.

masterlist | prev. | next

Tags: Timewasters (series), modern!au, slow burn, mutual pining, idiots in love™, fluff, some angst, swearing and mentions of adult themes throughout, eventual adult content, alcohol content, drug content, penbury is a fanon surname

Word count: 10.6k

A/N: 5½ months. 12 chapters. 107,600 words. All for a silly little idea I threw at my friends in a discord server. Thank you for being here. <3

Also, there's a part in this that's VERY reminiscent of a certain photo that released today. (spoiler alert, it's in the chapter card lol) I swear, I wrote that almost a week ago and the video just HAD to drop today of all days, DIDN'T IT. If Joseph Quinn is in my walls, please get him out of there. That's not a safe environment for him.

“Right, so, hang about…” Connor holds his hands out in front of him, moving one out to the side as if physically placing events into a timeline. “So, back in 192-whatever, Ralph meets Nick and that lot, who we went to school with, who have… Travelled through fucking time,” he sounds exhausted just at that phrase. You nod, and he moves his hand to continue, “Ralph falls head over heels for Little Lauren. That works about as well as anybody would expect,” he raises his eyebrows at Ralph, who shies away a little. “And Ralph joins the Army.”

“French Foreign Legion, to be exact,” Ralph pipes up.

“French Foreign Whatever, yeah,” Connor nods, moving his hand again. “He hates it, he runs away back home, he ends up meeting Homeless Pete.”

“Wait!” Grace’s boyfriend suddenly shouts, waving his hands around and making everyone jump. He points to Ralph. “That’s why your name’s always been in the back of my head! You lived in the fucking Waterstones building?!” Ralph nods. “So, you were filthy stinking rich, and you left that?!”

“Well, I… I may have left out some details about… I may have… Sort of given up most of my material possessions to Laur- the other Lauren,” he gestures to Connor’s girlfriend, who makes an expression that shows Ralph she understands that she’s not who he’s talking about. “Um, before I had left. Well, after I had left for the Army, but before I… Ended up here.”

“You were really down bad, weren’t you, mate?” Connor asks, cocking his head, and Ralph cowers back into his seat.

“Yes, well. That’s all well into the past now. Ninety-seven years in the past, to be exact!”

“Fucking mental,” Scott says under his breath. “Anyway, Connor, keep going with your…” He waves his hands in front of him.

“Yeah, so, you’ve not got nothing, Lauren rejected you and you still left her everythi- God, how did you survive without us?!” Connor shakes his head. “So you bump into H.P., who brings you to our time. You get rescued,” he gestures to you, “and…”

“Can I ask,” Scott’s partner raises a finger, looking at you. “What made you take him in, then?”

You look at Ralph and shrug. “I dunno, look at him! Who’d say no to that face?” You squish his cheeks in one hand, to his indignation, and you hear the soft laughs of your friends. “But… Yeah. Once I’d found H.P. and gotten as much of an explanation as I’ll ever get out of him, it was just… So much to wrap my head around. And I couldn’t just leave Ralph to the streets, he’d get killed!” Ralph suddenly looks very fearful, grabbing a cushion to hug to his chest. “And then next thing I knew, he was setting off alarms in the flat on his first day there, so I couldn’t exactly leave him home alone, so I had to bring him with me to Anna’s that night. I barely had the time to text you lot in advance, I couldn’t exactly leave you a voice note saying “by the way, time travel exists and I’m bringing a man who was born in the Victorian era, see you at 7!” And then the days were getting ahead of me, and I couldn’t even make any sense of it myself, let alone trying to teach any of you about it, either.”

“So, what, does he have to go back at any point? To like, restore the fragile balance of the time-space continuum or whatever sci-fi nonsense this actually proves?” Grace asks.

“Well, we thought so, and that’s why we were always so vague about him “going home”,” you explain. “But then, after Brighton, he almost - he could’ve gone home, and by all we knew back then, he should’ve -” You don’t see Ralph wince in pain at that word. “- but H.P. tol- well, told,” you hold up your fingers as air quotes, “Ralph that since the others had never returned to their own time, without consequence, he decided to stick around.” You smile comfortingly at him and he reaches out to hold your hand.

“Easily the best decision I’ve ever made,” he smiles back. “Staying with you, well, all of you!” He looks around the room. “I truly… I cannot put into words how deeply it hurt to omit the truth from you all for so long, but… Well, everything just seemed to be going so well for me, for once, and I feared that… To let that slip, I might… Lose you all,” he lets go of you to wring his hands in his lap. “Entirely selfish of me, I completely understand if you all think differently of me, now -”

Anna interjects with a sympathetic, “You’d have to do a lot worse to get rid of all of us.”

“Yeah, you’re the one stuck with us, Ralphie!” Scott jokes.

“I mean…” Lauren starts, pausing for a moment. Ralph’s face goes on an emotional journey of potential heartbreak, fearing he’s lost one of his best friends. Lauren remains stoic as she finally continues, “Yeah, it’s pretty shit that pretty much the foundation of why we’re friends is a lie.”

“Literally the only thing that Ralph and I kept quiet was the whole time travel thing, because, well, it still sounds stupid saying those words out loud,” you shake your head. “But everything else, it’s all been pure Ralph. Nothing else is based off any lies, it was just to… I mean, what would you have done if he’d have told you that night you met him, that he’d got here by getting in a lift with an old man in 1926 and ended up in 2022?!”

“I’d think he was off his tits,” Lauren admits in a quiet voice, much to Ralph’s confusion. “Yeah, alright, I guess, it’s… It’s complicated, innit?”

“Tell me about it,” you reply, exhausted, and the others laugh.

“It is a bit shit,” Connor acknowledges Lauren and then the pair of you. “But we’d all probably have done something similar. I mean, fuck me, I’d probably have left him with H.P. and let him be someone else’s problem. Good job I never found you first, eh!” Connor’s light-hearted smile falters at Ralph’s fearful look.

“Again, I completely understand if any of you feel duped into being my friend and wish to use your own agency to - just, please, direct all of your disappointment towards me and not -”

“Ralphie, babes, we’re saying we get it. Kinda. I dunno, this is all messing with my head a bit,” Grace blows out a breath, and everyone makes general noises of agreement. “But of course we still wanna be friends with you, you big nelly!”

“Yeah, we love teaching you words and things you’d never know. Now that we know why, we can teach you way more!” Scott’s eyes glisten mischievously.

“I mean, I know I’m the one who technically turned you into a bit of a Swiftie, but I’m not letting go of that any time soon,” Anna jokes, which causes Ralph to finally let out a small laugh. “And besides, whose head am I gonna pat without you around?!”

“I never meant to deceive you all,” Ralph says quietly.

“We know,” Connor reassures in the same tone, “but you didn’t really trick us into anything. And hey, it could’ve been worse. I’d rather you were a secret time traveller than a secret serial killer!”

Ralph finally lets himself smile at Connor, who returns it. He sits up a little more confidently. “I can’t tell you what a relief it will be to never have to worry about what I say anymore!”

“I mean, still, this information can’t leave the people in this room,” you explain, gesturing around to everyone. “There’s all sorts of legalities that I’ve never been able to figure out, like a passport,” you gesture to Connor and Lauren, “or setting him up with a bank account, or medical stuff -”

“I mean, surely there’s people out there who were never registered at birth or whatever, right? Maybe we just play Ralph off as one of those?” Anna asks.

“Maybe. But who do we say he is? If we call him a Penbury, as in we try and say that he’s his own relative, his last technical record from 1926 is that he enlisted, went MIA and was presumed dead,” you shrug.

“Shit, yeah, your mum does all that stuff, doesn’t she? Have a look, see what his sister’s stuff says, maybe we can sneak him in that way,” Scott leans in, and everyone else starts shuffling closer, too.

Ralph, having been sat dumbfounded for several minutes, finally finds his voice. “Sorry, but now I’m the one who’s rather lost. So… Not only are none of you ousting me, you’re planning to deceive the law for me?!”

“Yeah, didn’t you hear Anna earlier? You’re family,” Connor smiles affectionately at him, and Ralph’s ears turn pink as his lower lip trembles.

You log into your mum’s ancestry account and once again look up Ralph’s name, your eyes going wide when you see the name next to him. “Okay, so Victoria’s got about six surnames, so I’m sure we can slip you in there somewhere,” you shake your head. Having only looked at his census before, you look through the data they have on Ralph and gasp loudly. Everyone’s gaze snaps to you as you flip your phone over to show them a photo of Ralph, dated February 1926, looking exactly how you remember he did the day you met him, dressed head to toe in Army uniform.

“Oh, you could totally say that you’d been digging up family stuff and you think you’re a dead ringer for… How many generations back would that be?” Anna asks.

You count on your fingers, “Okay, so 1901… Let’s say 30 years per generation, that’s like 3 to get to you being around our age… Which would make OG Ralph your potential… Great-grandpa.” You grimace at the same realisation that Connor and Scott come to, as they point and laugh at you.

“You’re dating someone old enough to be your -”

“He’s twenty-six! Please don’t make me think of it any other way!” You wince, making everyone laugh. “Three generations of unregistered babies is a bit of a stretch…” You shake your head. “Let’s just table this for now. He’s not going anywhere for the time being, are you?” You turn to ask Ralph, who violently shakes his head, still blinking his tears away. “There we go. So, let’s just let everything… Sink in, for now. And we’ll keep thinking of what to do in the long run.”

Ralph hugs everyone goodbye extra tightly. You offer an extra apology to all of your friends, yourself, but they all echo the earlier sentiments that they would have done the same if they were in such a predicament. That they probably would have talked you out of keeping Ralph fugitive for as long as you have. That, if anything, they’re grateful you never gave them the chance to advise you, because if you’d listened to them, none of you would have him in your lives, and one thing everyone in the room agrees on is that life’s been far better with him in it. You have to practically frog-march Ralph out of the door as he starts getting misty-eyed again.

Once you and Ralph are laying in bed, you cuddle up to him, wrapping your arm around his torso. “How you feeling, now?”

“I can’t feel much less than spectacular with you in my arms, my love,” Ralph smiles as he holds you even closer to him.

“Not just all the mushy stuff, you big sap,” you tease. “I mean, like, having to tell everyone.”

“Ah. Yes, well. That went far better than I ever imagined,” he admits softly.

“Wanna admit now that you mean a hell of a lot more to people now that you’ve found the right ones?” You look up at him with a grin.

He squeezes his arm around you to prompt you into leaning up to kiss him. Once you break away from him, he sighs happily. “I suppose, it’s a comfort to know what real friendship is supposed to feel like.”

“Exactly. You don’t give up on the right people. And you’re our right person,” you nuzzle into his neck and he buries his face in your hair.

“That sentiment is more than mutual. Goodnight, my love. Pleasant dreams.“

“Night, Ralphie. Love you, too.”

The next morning, you and Ralph both have the day off, a rare occurrence that you’re extra grateful for today. Of course, you’d love to spend it doing more of what you’d been doing just yesterday, but you’d rather be extra safe and get Ralph some protection, as well as your own birth control. And you needed to go into town for some other things, anyway. You decide to take Ralph with you, though - mostly, so that you can coach him into being able to buy his own condoms without spontaneously combusting on the spot.

Ralph wants to ask his boss something, too, so you head to the old high street where his shop is. While you do love his colleagues, you know that Babs will insist on you two staying for a cup of tea. And then another. And then she’s made you lunch. And then you’re spending your whole day off at Ralph’s workplace. Which honestly, has been fun when it’s happened before, but you do have things on your personal agenda today. And then when they’re done…

You wave to Babs through the shop window when you hear some vaguely familiar voices approaching.

“Nah, bruv, I think your mate Pete got his maths all mixed up, this ain’t when we left here.”

“Maybe we’re in whatever year he just wanted to come back to.”

“Nah, mate, I told him, clear as mud: take us back to the present day.”

“Okay, but Jase, you do realise we’ve travelled back and forth between multiple decades since -”

“Shhh, shut the fuck up, someone’s right there! We should just ask them.”

“Fantastic idea, sis. What do you want to do, rock right up and say, ‘Hello, completely normal and unaware person. Could you, for no strange reason whatsoever, happen to tell me what year it is?’?!”

You’d most certainly know that voice anywhere. Looking over at your high school crush, you smirk at Nicholas, his sister and his friends as you tell him, “March 15th, 2023.”

All four of them look incredulously at you. You can see some cogs turning behind their eyes until, finally, Jason shouts your name out. You grin and nod at him, and he yells, “Fuckin’ ’ell! How the fuck are you?!”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Still kicking about, you know how it is. What about you lot? You must’ve been… Busy.”

“Yeah! Yeah, um… Quick question, how did you…?” Nicholas starts, but pauses, trying to think of how to articulate himself.

After a few seconds, Lauren scoffs, “How’d you know to tell us what the date is so calm, like?”

“Well…” You singsong in a high-pitched tone as the door to the costume shop swings open again. Ralph emerges, to a series of shocked gasps.

“Fucking hell, doesn’t he look the spit image of -”

“Yeah, if you just slick his hair right down, and put him in a bow tie and a straw hat, I reckon - Here, you wouldn’t happen to have a great-grandad or something called Ralph, would you?”

“Wait!” Lauren shouts, holding her hands out. She studies Ralph intricately, who looks as though he’s still processing the sight in front of him. “You look just like Ralph, but all modern-like…” She points to him, and then to you. “And you know that we’ve been… In a different time…” She sticks her head out and squints her eyes back at Ralph. “Are you -?” He nods, still stunned into a wide-eyed silence.

Horace raises his arms in an excited greeting. “Ralph! My boy! We thought you’d died!” He pulls him into a hug that sweeps him off his feet. Ralph hangs against Horace’s body as though he were a ragdoll, his face still bewildered. “Let me take a good look at you,” he says as he puts Ralph down, before letting out a single cackle. “Ha, look at you! Look at this jacket, these chains! You’re a proper modern man, ain’t ya, with your sunglasses and your - How’ve you been, what you been up to?!”

“How did you get here?!” Nick asks in disbelief. You recap very quickly how Ralph found Pete - deliberately redacting that he’d attempted to return home to them - and ended up here, where you’d found him and taken him in.

Just as you finish explaining, someone approaches you with an, “Excuse me?” They tap your arm, but lean around you to look at Ralph and nod with a smile, “I thought that was him! Ralph from Twitter, right? Oh my god, I wish my phone hadn’t died, or I’d so ask for a selfie with you!”

Four confused faces look over at Ralph, but you wave the stranger off with a, “Not to worry! I can take one on his phone for him to tweet, if you want? And then you can save it for yourself when you’re home?”

“Oh my god, would you? That’s so sweet! Thank you!” They gush before posing for a photo with him. You quickly get their Twitter handle to include in his tweet, and wave them off as they walk away with a spring in their step.

“What was all that, then?” Jason asks with amusement. “Ralph from Twitter?!”

“Long story. I never told my friends Ralph was from the 1920s, so they thought anyone his age should be on Twitter by now. He kept tweeting inane shit that he thought he was Googling, people found it hilarious, and now he’s sort of social media famous,” you explain with a shrug, to everyone’s laughter.

Lauren looks Ralph up and down, not unlike the way Ralph looks at you, and rubs her hands together. “Famous, eh? I like the sound of that. Sounds like we’ve got some catching up to do, eh, Ralph?”

You feel rage burn through you at the audacity that Lauren has, clearly only interested in Ralph for a chance at fame herself. At how she could so outwardly come for your man - though, granted, Ralph’s been too shellshocked to make that much clear.

You, yourself, start to freeze up as you look over at him. What if this is it? The validation he’d been craving for so long? A second chance at the love he’d felt so strongly about losing, he’d fled the country. If he was willing to risk losing it all after having his heart broken, what else would he be willing to lose to win her back?!

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of silence, Ralph takes a deep breath in. “I don’t think there’s anything more to be caught up on.” He holds your arm to smile warmly at you, “You captured everything perfectly, darling,” before leaning in to kiss you. Jason and Horace hoot and holler, while Lauren makes a disgusted face.

“Fair enough. Rather you than me, anyway, I’d probably get sick of him after a while,” she sneers.

“Good job I won’t, then, eh!” You flash a sickly sweet grin at her as you wrap your arms around one of Ralph’s, hugging it tightly.

“Looks like you really are out of a shot, mate,” Jason grins at Nick, who shoves him.

“Give over, that was -” he flusters, and you laugh, which he sighs at. “Okay, well, so as to explain myself and not sound like a complete lunatic, I, uh… Might have had a bit of a thing for you in school, but I was always too chicken to do anything about it. And even though that was years ago at this point, apparently I’m not allowed to live it down,” he forces a smile on his face, making you laugh harder.

“If it’s any consolation, that was mutual, by the way,” you smirk. You feel Ralph tense under your grip and bury your head against his bicep. “But I don’t think it was meant to be, in the end.”

“God, can you imagine, in another universe, it would’ve been you and Nick, Jase and Victoria, and Lauren and Ralph!” Horace laughs before faltering. “But then who’s left for me?”

You shake your head. “What are you lot planning on doing in terms of living somewhere?”

“Dunno, we brought some stuff over from different time periods in the hopes we could make some big money off some antique dealers,” Nick gestures to the bags they’d placed on the ground while talking to you.

“Good luck, things have changed a lot in the last, what’s it been, six years for you? Yeah, the housing market’s a fucking nightmare,” you shake your head.

“Paying over a thousand pounds a month to live in a shoebox, I ask you,” Ralph mutters under his breath in disgust. You shoot him an offended glance and he simpers back, “But I’d live in a matchbox if it meant living with you, my love.” You grin back, angling your cheek for him to kiss it, to more retching sounds from Lauren.

“Well, I was wondering if we could chance our luck with Ralph’s place, but seeing as though our only way in would be claiming Jason’s son left it to us in his will, when he’d be older than us in this time…” Nick shakes his head, and you and Ralph look incredulously at him.

“Sorry, what?! Ralph’s place?! You mean the big fuck-off mansion they lived in? That’s a Waterstone’s now, and even if it was, there’s no way you’d afford a place like that -”

The others look at you in confusion. “Victoria told us that the house was destroyed in an air raid,” Nick explains slowly.

You shake your head, pointing towards the bookstore. “Go look for yourself, plaque’s still there, and everything. She ended up spending all the Penbury fortune, went flat broke.”

“Explains a lot,” Lauren mutters under her breath.

“Yes, well, anyway!” Jason raises his hands up, as well as his voice. “I’m on about the one that Victoria ended up getting when he di- well, ‘died’, I guess,” Jason holds up air quotes over the word ‘died’. You both stand there in stunned silence, so he explains, “Vic said she found a letter from your dad, before the place got bombed, or… Whatever the fuck actually happened to it, it doesn’t matter, now. The letter was meant to go to his lawyer but I guess he never got to give it to him before… Well,” he gestures, and you both nod in understanding. “Anyway, so in this letter your dad had written, it said that he’d bought an extra place, for if you were to ever go off to war and want a place to come back that was all your own,” he gestures to Ralph, who swallows hard.

“Father bought… Bought me a house?!” He asks, stunned.

“He wrote some bullshit in there about how it might help you start a family and keep the Penbury name intact, that your… ‘pursuit of a wife would be easier if you already had a place of your own’,” Jason pulls a face and shakes his head.

Ralph nods in understanding, pressing his lips together with a faltering, “Now that sounds like Father.”

“So, when you ‘died’, Vic claimed that she had the right to inherit that house, and that’s where we lived. And, um… I sort of… Gave you a nephew?” Jason smiles weakly at Ralph. “But he went off and started his life elsewhere, and fuck knows what happened to him.”

“Hmm, I thought I could maybe blag our way into claiming that Jase is entitled to inherit it, too, because of the family name, but I doubt it, if JJ never came back for it. I seriously doubt Victoria’s still going,” he shakes his head. “Never mind, we’ll just start flogging this stuff and go from there. Anyway! Insane to see both of you, together, at the same time, but, y’know. Glad to see you’re both well, now.” Nick smiles at you both, and you nod.

“Good to see you guys, too! Helps put things at ease that the whole time travelling thing doesn’t make the universe implode on itself.” They laugh, and you look over at the building next to you before nudging Ralph. “Hey, they could probably try selling some of their stuff to your shop, couldn’t they?”

“There’d be no harm in trying,” Ralph agrees. “Though I should warn you, the owner is a tad… Eccentric.”

Lauren scoffs, “Fuck me, if Ralph’s calling someone eccentric, they must be a raving fucking lunatic!” She picks up one of the bags and heads to the door, slapping Ralph’s arm as she walks past him. “See you around, yeah?”

“Y-Yes, of course. All of you,” Ralph smiles, shaking the other men’s hands as they all pile into Ralph’s workplace.

Your mind starts trying to work in rapid fire, trying desperately to connect dots that seem impossible to connect. Thankfully, Ralph for once manages to keep you on task, even managing to buy what you’d asked him to - though instead of working up the nerve to seek out a cashier, he’d opted for the equally challenging task of trying to operate a self-service checkout while you frantically Google every little bump in the road you come across - though on incognito mode, of course, just in case.

Once you’re sitting down together in a cafe, waiting on your lunch, you finally try and articulate your train of thought to Ralph. “Look, all you need to prove that you’re a rightful heir is a name, a story that you’re related, and three months’ worth of proof that you live somewhere. So, granted, we’re gonna need to find something to sign you up to that’ll mail you stuff, but after that, in just three months, we might be able to get that place!”

“Well,” Ralph starts, wringing his hands together on the table. “Babs was telling me something about - about the taxes she has to file, apparently there’s some sort of form I have to be given at the end of the month, I didn’t say anything because she’s the one that pays me, but she had said something about deducting it from my pay already, it’s a… System I couldn’t wrap my head around,” he shakes his head. “But she did say… That if I’m asked to prove anything about my pay, she also has my official pay slips in her possession.”

You look at him incredulously. “So, what, they have your work’s address on them? As if you live there?”

“Not quite… She asked for our address some time ago, and I assumed it was in case of emergencies so I told her, and so I suppose that’s what she’s submitted on the slips. She said that she never sends them because there’s no point, if we want them, we can simply ask her.”

You’re practically vibrating in your seat with excitement. “So, we can take those… With your name on… Make up some story about how we found a photo online of your great-grandad who looks just like you and found out he owned that house…” You grin at him. “And it’d be ours!”

Ralph deflates a little. “I wish I could share your enthusiasm, my love, but I fear our luck has run out by now. I mean, surely I’d need a legal record, too!”

You shake your head furiously. “It only says they might ask, online. And you’ve charmed your way out of identification before on countless occasions, what’s one more time?! “

“It’s just an awfully big risk, I mean, what if we get caught? What if we’re imprisoned, questioned - would they even believe what happened with me? It’s just too close to being impossible!”

“Exactly!” You slap the table a few times before grabbing Ralph’s hands to hold them. “Everything about us is just shy of being impossible. You are a 26 year old man who was born in 1901. I am someone who’d given up entirely on love until I literally walked right into meeting my literal soulmate.”

Ralph smiles bashfully, “I wouldn’t have thought you believed in soulmates.”

“That’s my point! I didn’t either! I never would have! But you make the almost-impossible entirely possible. You made an entire life for yourself here where you are loved and admired by literally thousands of people, including the most ride-or-die friends you could have asked for. That are, probably right this second, also researching how to keep you here as long as we possibly can. Who can say they’ve got friends like that, hm? You think Victoria and all her little pals would put that much effort into keeping her around?” Ralph shakes his head. “Right. Because you’re special, Ralph. I know it. We all know it. Just… Come on.”

“But there’ll be inheritance tax, surely,” he counters, “and then, what? I haven’t paid tax in… Ninety-seven years!”

“So, if that happens, we do what Anna says. Once we’ve established that you’re definitely entitled to the house in the name of Ralph Penbury, we spin a tale that you were never registered. Sure, you’d probably be lumped with a load of tax to pay back, but…” You tut out a breath as you think before gasping, clapping and holding his hands again. “What if, we get the house, but I tell my parents we’re buying it, rather than inheriting it?! Get them to give me a loan for a deposit, you use it to start paying off tax stuff, and then instead of all our money going on rent, you can pay the tax people back and I can pay my parents back.”

“It all sounds rather hair-brained,” Ralph states, but with a smile that says he believes in the cause.

“It’s completely hair-brained,” you admit with a nod. “It’s insane and out there and nobody in their right mind would actually think it works. Which is what’s gonna make it work. Right?”

“It’s just - It’s the risk,” Ralph shakes his head, but you pull his hands up to your mouth, kissing his knuckles.

“Ralph Do-You-Have-A-Middle-Name? Penbury.” He laughs. “I am so… Ridiculously, madly, insanely in love with you that I would be willing to put my entire life on the line for you. I would quite literally risk it all.”

Ralph’s ears burn red as he smiles bashfully. “And you call me the hopeless romantic.”

“God, I know. I guess you’ve corrupted me, too,” you pull a face, and he laughs.

“You’re right, though. What sort of man would I be if I didn’t heed my own word? Though I may have far less to put on the line… I would do anything for you, my love. As long as I still have you, I will have everything.”

“Trust you to out-fluff me,” you smirk. “So, you’re willing to give it a shot?”

He takes a deep breath in, and finally nods. “Very well. Whatever happens, we shall have each other, always.”

You kiss his hands again with a grin. “Always.”

~~~

The clang of metal against metal as the door shuts behind you makes you jump out of your skin. “Jesus fucking Christ, warn someone when you’re doing that, won’t you?” you glare over at the uniform-clad man as he wrenches his key out of the lock.

“If it’s too loud for your delicate little ears, sunshine, don’t stay so close,” he sneers.

“Got no choice, have I?” you ask, rolling your eyes and gesturing down, and an almost wicked smile creeps along the man’s face.

“That’s what you get, ending up in a place like this where people like you don’t belong,” he tuts, shaking his head. “If you can’t hack it…”

“Oi, dickhead,” a voice calls from behind you. “You’re all done, now, ain’t ya? If you want to keep that face of yours arranged the way your mother made it, you’ll jog on.”

He looks at you with a smug frown, waggling his eyebrows, “That really the sort of thing you want to be known for? Dangerous reputation around these parts.”

You groan, leaning down to press your forehead into the knuckles holding your car door open as you’re standing halfway in it. “Just get that lorry of yours out of my parking space before I get done for being on double yellow lines, yeah?” The man kisses his teeth as he clambers back into his vehicle and drives away. You pull a face as you put on a mock voice, “‘Get a man with a van’, they said. ‘It’ll make your move so much easier’, they said. Prick. Thanks for helping me deal with him,” you simper at Ralph’s friend Charlotte as she scoops up a box from the pavement.

“Yeah, well. Someone’s gotta put pricks like that in their place, and it sure as shit ain’t our Ralphie,” she scoffs, and you chuckle. "Want me to go grab him so you lovebirds can say goodbye?” She says in a joking tone, pulling a kissy face at you.

You laugh, “Says the person who can’t go twelve seconds without sucking on Yankee-Doodle’s face in there,” you waggle your eyebrows.

“You’re lucky I like you, d’y’know that?” she teases, sticking her tongue out at you before turning on her heel, laughing as she faces away from you and sees Ralph emerging out from the front door of his townhouse. She wolf-whistles as the two cross paths, which Ralph looks very confused at, to your amusement.

“Sorry I have to go into work,” you pout your lower lip out in a frown as he approaches you. “They’re just so short-staffed, and I -”

“Don’t you fret, my love,” he interjects, leaning in to press a quick peck to your lips. “You must go where you are needed. Not to worry, we will remain hard at work here, and then when you return, you can relax in your new, furnished home.”

“Our home,” you correct him. “It is yours, after all. I just can’t believe that this is all real.”

“I’ve felt that way for some time, myself,” Ralph admits softly, stroking your cheek with the backs of his fingers, and you feel yourself physically melt against your car door.

“Right, I’m going before I end up feeling even worse about leaving you guys behind.” You pull Ralph in for another, longer kiss, carding your fingers through his curls as he cradles the back of your neck. A laugh bubbles between your lips as you murmur against him, “This isn’t helping!”

“Ah, what’s one more minute of them not having you?” he smiles coyly at you, and you raise your eyebrows at him.

“What if they said that about me coming back home to you, hm?”

Reluctantly, Ralph steps away. “Very well. Have a wonderful day, darling. Travel safely.”

You turn your nose up and shake your head. “Nah, think I’m gonna finally live life on the edge today.” Ralph gives you a look that tells you he isn’t amused, and you grin back, blowing him a kiss. “Be good!”

“When aren’t I?!”

~~~

You’re not sure that you’ll take the train every time you have to go to work, now; despite it being quicker, having to actively pay both ways and being sandwiched amongst so many people just doesn’t seem worth it. Still, today of all days, you wanted to get home as quickly as you could, despite all the local landmarks tempting your inner tourist. You’ve got all the time in the world now to explore them, and besides, it’d be far more entertaining showing them all to Ralph.

You unlock the door and are immediately greeted by the smell of something cooking, something really good. You step through the hallway and into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe as you watch Ralph reading from a recipe book, squinting close to the page as he drags his finger across each line of his next instruction, his mouth moving along with every word. "Looks like you could do with some glasses," you pipe up, and Ralph yelps in surprise as he looks up at you.

"Hello, my love! Welcome home! Um, I didn't hear you come in, my apologies, I'd have met you at the door if I'd have known."

"It's okay," you soothe as you stride over to him, pulling him into a deep kiss. "What's this in aid of, is everyone staying for dinner?" A pang of disappointment strikes your chest. As much as you love yours and Ralph's friends, you were sort of hoping to have your first night in the new house alone with him.

"Not tonight, darling, this is in aid of you!" Ralph smiles over at you. "Since I have been learning, and you have been working so hard at your shop, especially juggling it all with sorting out the house and you've still been the one to make countless meals for us, I thought I would try and make your favourite meal."

You let out a small, happy whimper, kissing his cheek. "As long as it hasn't been stressing you out. Do you want any help?"

"Well, I suppose now that you mention it, I do need somebody to stand right there and just look casually beautiful, and - well, would you look at that, you're a natural!" He beams over at you, leaning in to kiss you again.

You grin bashfully, hiding your face in his shoulder. "God, look at what you've done to me! You've made me all mushy and shit."

"Happy to help, my love," he smiles, pressing one more kiss to your head before returning to his recipe.

"Sure you don't want me to help? Read things out or anything? I don't want you straining your eyes," you frown.

"Well, it's not as though I can get my eyes tested, is it?" he asks as he continues preparing food.

"But if it's just a case of reading close-up, you can get reading glasses over the counter in the shops," you explain.

"But aren't glasses rather… Unseemly?" he asks with knitted brow.

You shake your head. "If anything, the right ones would make you appear very, very… Seemly," you pull a face, not knowing if that was the correct term to use or not, and Ralph laughs gently.

"Just go and get comfortable, my love. I will call for you when dinner is served."

"Oh, yeah, forgot we have a dining room with a table, now," you smirk. "Just look at us, living the high life!"

Ralph gasps, "Oh, speaking of! Hannah left us a housewarming gift, she donated her tee-vee so that we could have one in our bedroom, as well!"

The way Ralph elongates the letters in TV so deliberately will never not charm you. "That was nice of her! How come?"

"She's moving in with that girl she met last month. All seems a bit fast-moving, if you ask me."

You look at him incredulously. "Look who's talking!"

"Yes, Hannah did point out something similar to me," he admits, ears blushing.

You chuckle as you navigate your way through to your new bedroom. It seems strange, your familiar furniture against such an unfamiliar backdrop. Every room looks so dated - naturally, it hadn't been touched since the 50s, apparently. Still, that Pinterest board you've been working on for years is finally going to go to good use.

Your heart swells when you see the bed littered with rose petals, a classic touch that has Ralph written all over it. You explore all the dressers and wardrobes in the room, familiarising yourself with where Ralph and your friends have decided to unpack your things. You open up your underwear drawer, thumbing across the carefully-arranged bras with a smile. Finding a particularly intricate number, you fish for its matching underwear, and decide to change into it. Ralph did ask you to slip into something more comfortable, right? You find something flattering to put over the whole set and rejoin him downstairs.

He's stirring something in a pan, looking rather proud of himself, when you get back to the kitchen. This time, you tap your knuckles against the door to make your presence known, so as not to surprise him. However, once he sees you, Ralph immediately drops the utensil he's using back into the pot with an almighty clatter, his jaw visibly dropping. You smile bashfully and he clears his throat, "Forgive my reaction, my darling, but you look positively ravishing."

In Ralphspeak, you know that's the equivalent of him calling you the closest thing to sexy he's probably willing to say. At least, for now. Maybe you've still a little corruption left in you. Still, it's enough to cause your heart to race. "You like?"

"I love. I mean, of course, I love you no matter what, but…" He blows out a breath that tickles the curls that hang across his brow. "You really do look absolutely delectable."

After a lingering moment, you manage to tear your eyes away to look at what's cooking. "Speaking of, so does this! You sure I can't be of any help?"

"Not at all, my dear, it's just about ready to serve. And just in time, so I can no longer fear about getting too… Distracted," he smiles coyly, looking you up and down the way he always does. There's something a little different in the way he looks at you, though. A different sort of gleam illuminates his eyes. One that makes you want to wolf down your food, drag him up to the bedroom and pull him on top of you.

But still, he's worked hard on this meal, and he looks so proud of himself. Though he dishes up, he still rushes ahead of you into the dining room to make sure he pulls out your seat for you, guiding the chair back with you as you readjust it and kissing your cheek before lighting a candle you vaguely recognise as an old secret Santa gift that you never ended up using, and going back for your food.

You exchange stories about your day: you, about the stresses of working short-staffed on a weekend during a school holiday, meaning a terrifying crossover of screaming babies and toddlers, chaotic children, less-than-trustworthy teenagers and overly-entitled adults; Ralph, about all the different ways your friends almost broke almost every piece of furniture you own while trying to get it into the house. Both equally stressful for you to recount.

At first, once you're done, Ralph insists on cleaning up after himself, but after a lot of pouting, eyelash batting and gentle touches, you coax him out to sit in the living room - another whole room dedicated to one thing, you've not lived like this since you moved out of your parents' - and cuddle up to him on the sofa.

Your embrace barely lasts a minute before your lips are on his, again. He’s desperate to get as close to you as he can, clawing at your clothes as he presses the kiss open. Holding the back of his neck to steady yourself, you move yourself up to straddle his lap, letting your tongue slip into his mouth and moaning at the sensation of his against yours. He echoes you as his hands slip down your sides to squeeze your hips. You buck them under his touch, feeling his erection grow beneath you.

He chokes out a soft, “May I?” as his fingers curl around to grip at the fabric of your top. You nod, sitting back and holding your arms up to let him take it off of you. He starts trying to fold it up behind you but, impatient, you take the garment from him and blindly throw it behind you, holding his face to kiss him again.

He takes your hands into his own and guides them back down, his kisses moving from your lips, down your jaw and to your neck, where he finds an especially sensitive spot and stays there, kissing it over and over again, all while muttering sweet nothings to you. “You are so very beautiful, my darling… How fortunate I am to be this intimate with you… Just exquisite in every conceivable way…" You rock your hips faster at his words, throwing him off his train of thought entirely as he sits back and watches you lustfully.

His gaze isn't trained on your face, though. Instead, he's transfixed on the way your breasts move, both from your heaving breaths and from grinding on him. Biting your lip, you wrap a hand around the back of his neck and start pushing it towards you as his tongue just pokes out enough to wet his lips. "Wanna put that mouth to better use?" You ask as you guide him closer to your chest.

He gasps in soft delight, looking up at you gleefully. "Are you quite sure?" You nod and his face melts into one of pure ecstacy. "Thank you, my love," he mutters before taking one of your nipples into his mouth.

His plush lips press against your flesh as he kisses, sucks and licks at your nipple. Biting back a moan, you rest your hand in his hair, ruffling it slightly and muttering with a smile, “You like that, don’t you?” He hums out an mm-hm that vibrates against your skin, and reaches up to play the other nipple between his finger and thumb. You keen towards him, grip tightening and head bending down to him as you groan loudly, “Fuck, that’s it, good boy!” Words you’d never have thought you’d say in such a context fly out of your mouth so easily, and you could swear he sounded like he was chirping with happiness as you said them.

He moves away from the breast he’s suckling on, pressing one more brief peck to your wet, hardened nipple, and starts to focus on the other, still brushing the other nipple with the backs of his knuckles. You whine, whimper and moan as your still-clothed cunt begs for sweet release. You’re constantly amazed at how quickly Ralph can bring you to an apex few had ever even managed to. “God, Ralph, need you so bad.”

“Of course, please forgive me, got rather carried away there,” he mumbles apologetically to you, but the kiss you press to his forehead tells him there’s nothing for him to be sorry for. Ralph looks around, his brow furrowing. “Um, I don’t wish to diminish the mood at all, but there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of… Space, here.”

You cock your head, smiling coyly. “You wanna go to the bed you prepared for this exact occasion?”

Ralph returns a smaller, more sheepish smile, his ears tinting. “Ah, you noticed. I suppose, of course you did, it would be difficult not to. Still, was it alright? Or too much?” His face falls. “It was too much, wasn’t it?”

You fleetingly frown in thought. “A little, yeah.” Your expression quickly changes back into a grin, though. “But it was your brand of too much, which makes it perfect.” You lean back to unbutton his shirt. “Unfortunately, my brand is not being patient enough to wait that long.”

“I wouldn’t say that of you, you were rather patient with me all those months,” Ralph notes pointedly, and you laugh.

“Yeah, you used it all up!” You climb off of him, slowly sliding the bottom half of your outfit off, but leaving your underwear on. Looking over at him gawking, you smirk, "You sure you want this? Not exactly dressed for the occasion."

He reaches up to stroke the pad of his thumb across the intricate design of your underwear. "Of course, you had been wearing a matching set, but it was I who became so impatient that I missed out on seeing it in full, my deepest apologies, my love, I - well," he suddenly, hurriedly slips himself out of all his clothes, leaving them in a heap by his feet, making you giggle again.

"Maybe I'll still let you see it," you tell him suggestively, hooking your thumbs into the elastic of your panties. "Maybe I'll wear it all again and take some photos on your phone." With nothing left to cover it, you watch Ralph's cock twitch at the idea and bite your lip to compose yourself. "Maybe," you continue as you slowly push your underwear down your thighs, "I'll leave a video or two, as well." You watch his face as you let them fall past your ankle, stepping out of them and walking back over to him. "What do you think?"

"I think you spoil me, my love," he smiles softly. He reaches down to the jeans he'd all but ripped off of himself, fumbling through a pocket until he pulls out a condom and starts to put it on himself.

Watching the act of him wrapping it around himself and sliding it down is almost enough to totally distract you from your initial thought. Almost. "Did you really just have a condom just sitting there in your pocket? And you make out like I'm the horndog!"

Ralph blushes, "Yes, well, I sort of… Hoped we would… Christen the place, so to speak.”

You climb into his lap, hovering yourself to line up with where he’s holding his shaft. “I like that idea,” you smile softly before sliding yourself down onto him. You both let out staggered moans as you let yourself get used to the sensation of being filled by him, before kneeling yourself up to the point where you can just about feel his tip still inside you and then sinking yourself back down.

His hands grip your hips tightly as he moans your name. You repeat the motions a few times, revelling in the way it feels to drop onto him, having him enter you so deeply and so quickly. You soon start to feel an ache, though, and decide to pace yourself, keeping him bottomed out inside of you and grinding against him until you feel rested enough to go again.

You can see Ralph’s mouth constantly silently moving, as though he wants to keep complimenting you the way he always does, but he’s too blissed out from feeling you clench around him, your cunt gripping his cock tightly with no intention of ever letting him back out of you again. You especially try to make sure you commit the face he makes every time you pull yourself out just to fuck yourself back down onto him again, to your memory, knowing that just remembering the way he reacts to you would be enough to turn you on, if you ever needed anything to fuel your imagination.

At one point, while you’re rocking your hips with him inside you, you finally manage to get yourself at just the right angle to hit that sweet spot that Ralph is always able to find. Keeping yourself at the same angle, you move yourself even faster, moaning louder and more often.

Ralph seems to notice, and does his best to hold you in place as he bucks his hips up underneath your weight. You curl yourself forward, arms wrapped around his shoulders and face buried in his neck as he fucks you from where he sits beneath you. Knowing how good it makes you feel when he mutters sweet sentiments to you, you mumble against his skin, “Feel so good, Ralphie… You always know how to, you’re fucking amazing… So good to me, so sweet, my Ralph, no-one else’s… My sweet and handsome boy, knows just how to please me, fuck.”

."He whimpers and whines, music to your ears as you feel your climax start to build again. “Oh, god, Ralphie, I’m so clo- Oh my god,” you groan as he starts to massage your clit in rapid circles. “Oh, fuck, yes, so good to me, thank you… Wish I could, do more for you.”

“- Already do the absolute most, darling,” he soothes. “’M already embarrassingly near to finishing, myself.”

You shake your head, “Nothing to be ashamed of, not at all, god, please cum for me, Ralphie, and I will for you, please?” Ralph completely falls apart beneath you at your words, moaning your name and digging his fingers bruisingly into your skin. You feel yourself becoming one with him as you ride out your orgasm.

He wraps his arms around your hips, cradling you on his lap, and you rest your forehead against his as you both breathe heavily, intertwined in body, in breath, in spirit. You’d never, ever thought you’d even ever contemplate the idea a year ago, but in this moment, you really are certain that Ralph is your one true soulmate.

He leans in to envelop your lips with his own in a sweet and passionate kiss before muttering, “Forgive me, my love, but I do rather need to take care of…”

You whine indignantly, but stand to climb off of him. “Suppose I should actually change into something comfortable now, eh?” You ask humorously, and you hear his laughter from where he’s throwing his used condom away in the bathroom. The downstairs bathroom that you now have in the townhouse where you live with the love of your life. This was always pipe-dream material, but here you are. Living it.

You run upstairs, taking a moment to again admire the state of the bed and think about all the ways you plan to christen it later, and look through clothes to get changed into. Opting for a tank-top-and-pyjama-bottoms combination, you take yourself to your en-suite and freshen up as you get changed.

When you open up the door again, Ralph is just pulling a white shirt over his head, and you smile fondly at his choice to pair it with a very familiar pair of sweatpants. “Those were the first clothes I ever gave you,” you recall, and he looks at you with a similar expression.

“I believe that was also what you had chosen to wear the first night I met you, as well. When you gave me your bed without knowing anything at all about me,” he reminisces.

You giggle, “Oh, yeah, you wouldn’t even look me in the eye because you didn’t want to be ‘improper’, now look at you!” You tap his nose teasingly, and his ears flush red.

“Oh, hush,” he frowns, but the air of a laugh hangs in his voice. “You really were - I mean, to take me in as you did, in my time of need while knowing absolutely nothing about me, especially after Mister Peter told you my far-fetched reasoning for being here…” Ralph wraps his arms around your waist. “Giving me the life I have now, the friends I have, the - everything,” he sighs wistfully.

“Yeah, well. You try looking you right in the chocolate buttons and saying no to that face,” you smirk, and he laughs. “It’s like I said when we went to the inheritance people to get this place. With my gift of the gab, and your gift of the… Face, the charm, and the everything else you’ve got going for you, we’re unstoppable,” you beam.

“I still can’t believe you were able to talk them around like that,” he looks at you adoringly, and you shrug.

“The amount of backlog they so obviously had, and the amount of effort it would have taken if we hadn’t convinced them to cut some corners with us, it was a doddle,” you shrug. “I could tell they weren’t the brown-nosing type, they weren’t gonna go back to check every little part of what I said we’d set out to do was legitimately within their procedures.”

“A skill set like that is wasted on your little clothes shop,” he frowns, leaning forward to kiss your forehead, and you laugh.

“Yeah, well. Maybe it’s time I look for something new that’s a bit more local to this area,” you nod. “I don’t think Babs’d let you quit, though.”

“Heavens, no, she’d be out for my blood!” Ralph exclaims, and you laugh loudly.

Once you’re back at the sofa, cuddled up beneath a blanket and watching TV together, even though you’re curled up against Ralph’s chest, you can sense something’s bothering him. “You alright?” You ask him.

“Couldn’t be better, darling,” he replies, but the tension you feel beneath your cheek betrays his lie.

“Nah, c’mon, tell me,” you sit yourself up next to him, and he sighs heavily.

“Well, I was just thinking of how… I mean, yes, we have a house now, at least, but I’m still not legally a person, am I? I know we said we wouldn’t openly use that story about me never being registered and so on unless it were absolutely necessary.”

“Yeah, we agreed, only if you need serious medical treatment,” you nod.

“R-right, but what about the other things?” He asks warily, twiddling his thumbs.

“Like holidaying? We can survive not going abroad, Ralph,” you laugh.

“Not just that… What about… Well, we could never be truly wed, or be a family,” you hear his voice get weaker, shakier.

“Sure, we can,” you wrap your arm around his shoulders and pull him so that he nuzzles into your neck, stroking his hair. “Okay, so we couldn’t get, like, legally married, but so what? We can still use the same bank account as if it were a joint one. I could easily change my name by deed poll. We could still throw a wedding in every other aspect, just without the signing the register. And as for the other bit, I mean, you can register with just one parent and add another later, if we do get away with your story about neither of yours registering you.”

“You seem rather sure in your knowledge, there,” he notes with a hint of amusement.

“Yeah, well… Maybe I looked into it all a little.” He looks over at you with a knowing grin, and you feel yourself get sheepish. “What?”

“Nothing, dearest,” Ralph chimes. “Just seems a little… What’s that word that you call me all the time?”

“Sappy? Tell me about it,” you shake your head, and Ralph laughs.

“It’s an honour to make you feel that way, darling,” he leans over to kiss you. After a few minutes, he breaks away to stroke your cheek with his thumb as he holds your face. “You seriously see a future - of us? With me? I -”

You pull him in for another kiss, laughter bubbling between you as you do so, “Yes, you big dafty!”

He chirps happily. “Well, I suppose I’ve a lot to do, then, haven’t I!”

You take a deep breath in as you brace yourself to potentially let Ralph down. “Yeah, but… look, when I said I was looking into it, I meant as in, like, way into our future, yeah? We’ve got bags of time, I just want to enjoy it all with you, you know?”

To your surprise, Ralph scoffs at you. “Well, naturally. Did you think I would propose to you in this manner? Without so much as a ring? Or even your family’s blessing?”

“Oh, well, that won’t take long at all,” you smirk. “I bet you, when we go have dinner with Mum and Dad next week, by the time we even tell them that we’re together now, Mum’ll be asking you what colour her wedding outfit should be!”

A proud smile bursts onto Ralph’s face, but it quickly fades. “Do you think they’ll fear that us getting a house together is too big of a commitment too quickly?”

“Again. Ralph. They love you,” you reiterate to him, squeezing his hand. “And once they find out you’re responsible for us moving to Southwark, where they are? Dad’ll have gotten himself ordained by the time they bring out desserts just to make sure you’d become a permanent part of the family.”

Ralph’s heart swells hundredfold at the sentiment as he embraces you in yet another kiss. “I suppose I am rather overthinking things, aren’t I?”

“Just a tad,” you scrunch your face up, and he laughs.

“I mean, it’s really no different than when we were living at your flat, really, is it?” He chuckles, and you shake your head.

“Except we could have a pet, now,” you muse, and Ralph sits up straight, his face full of excitement.

“Could we get a cat?!” He beams at you, making you laugh.

“God, you and cats, what is with that?”

“I have a theory,” he muses. “Since Cheese and I got along so well so quickly, I think because we were so similar, he put in a good word with all the other cats. That’s the only explanation there could possibly be.”

After a brief hesitation, you laugh, “Sorry, in what way are you so similar to our old neighbour’s cat?!”

“Well, both of us were sort-of confined to our little flats, neither of us technically supposed to be there. I think he could sense that of me when I first met him, back when I… Upset that neighbour of yours.”

“Because you burnt your toast so badly that you almost suffocated the ninth floor with smoke?” You ask with raised eyebrows, and Ralph slinks back into his seat bashfully.

“Well, I’ve learned now, haven’t I?” He points out.

“That, you have. I’m so proud of how far you’ve come,” you hug his arm, shuffling up to his side. “With everything. How you’ve learned to cope with all this modern stuff, all the stuff you never got to learn growing up, and just… I’m really pleased you’ve been starting to love yourself as much - well, almost as much as I love you,” you simper, resting your head on his arm. “Ugh, god, I really am a sap now, aren’t I?”

Ralph chuckles, pressing a peck onto the top of your head. “At least we can both be, together, eh?”

You sigh contentedly as he wraps his arms around you, pulling the blanket around to make sure you’re both comfortable. You look around at the walls, imagining what decorating with Ralph is going to be like in the coming few weeks, and then picturing the photos you’d hang on there. Travels with Ralph all across the country. Your eventual engagement photos, because of course Ralph’s going to make that moment as photogenic as possible so you’ll have something to capture and savour that memory forever. Wedding photos, all your friends and Ralph’s all dressed up to the nines, singing and dancing the night away to celebrate the pair of you. Pictures of your eventual babies, some with Ralph’s eyes and some with his hair but all of them with his warm, kind smile. Those kids’ first moments, their first smiles, first steps, first day at school.

You break yourself away from your trance-like train of thought to see Ralph’s watching you with all the love that could possibly exist in the world currently living in his gaze. “I’m thinking of the same, too, my love,” he whispers excitedly, as though he’s able to see into your mind telepathically. “I can’t wait for the rest of our lives, either.”

#ralph timewasters #ralph timewasters x reader #ralph timewasters x you #ralph timewasters fanfic #ralph timewasters imagine #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x reader #ralph penbury x you #ralph penbury fanfic #ralph penbury imagine #ralph timewasters fluff #ralph penbury fluff #bsbl #fic: bsbl #ralph timewasters smut #ralph penbury smut #*myfics #fic: ralph

187 notes · View notes

wheels-of-despair · 1 year

Text

Worth It | Ralph Penbury x You | Masterlist

{<-Previous} [The Dance] {Next->}

Summary: Your mother forces you to go to a Valentine's Day dance with a dull date, but Ralph manages to make your night worthwhile. Words: 2k

Note: This is a new and improved version of a Valentine's Day story that was originally a one-shot, but somehow it grew into a 40k word series containing 20 chapters. This story will not contain smut, but Ralph and I would still prefer it if anyone interacting was a confirmed adult. Please note that Worth It lives on a blog that blocks blank and ageless accounts, so if you are interacting with it, your age needs to be in your bio.

"Hello! You look simply radiant this morning. I hate to bother you, but I wondered, would you care to attend the Valentine's Day Dance with me?" He spoke so quickly, it took you a moment to process it all.

You'd just stepped outside your front gate, on your way to mail a letter to your aunt, and Ralph Penbury was suddenly right there in front of you, as if he'd been waiting behind a shrub for you to appear.

"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry, Ralph. I wish I could, but someone else is taking me." His face fell and turned red.

"I'm so sorry for bothering you, I hope you have a fabulous time," he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, which wasn't much, and then turned on his heel and scurried away.

"Ralph…" you called at his retreating back, wanting to explain. "Ralph!" He pretended not to hear, darting to the other side of the street so fast that you had no hopes of catching him.

You wish he'd asked you three days earlier.

You'd met the Penburys a few years ago. You were slightly older than the twins, but your mothers were part of the same social club, so you often ended up mingling at the events they dragged you to.

Victoria was loud, brash, and unbearable. The most self-centered person you'd ever met. Victoria dominated every conversation, and had no qualms about using her shrill voice to interrupt, should the subject not please her. You'd spent many an event thinking about bludgeoning her to death with various objects in your vicinity. Candlesticks. The base of a festive floral centerpiece. The chair she was sitting in. Her own shoe.

Her brother Ralph, however, fascinated you. Mostly because he hadn't smothered her in her sleep yet. The willpower that must've taken! Ralph was a true gentleman. And he was pretty funny too, on the rare occasion he was able to get a word in. He smiled often, and his eyes would shine with excitement when the conversation turned to something that interested him. (Not that he was ever allowed to chime in.) Sometimes he tried so hard to keep in an outburst, he would literally shake. He reminded you of an excited puppy; sweet, innocent, and in desperate need of someone to play with. If only you could get him away from his sister long enough to get to know him.

On the night of the Valentine's Day dance, your mother flitted and fussed about you more than usual, making sure every last detail of the silky pink dress that she'd commissioned especially for you was absolutely perfect.

You hated it.

The doorbell rang, and your mother clasped her hands and nearly fainted with excitement. You tried very hard not to roll your eyes. Checking that every hair on your head was still perfectly in place, your mother finally gave you a nod of approval, and led the way downstairs to meet Donald Andrews in the entrance hall.

You hated him.

This nightmare was entirely your meddling mother's doing. She'd had a hand in every detail of this night, from the venue her club had booked for the dance, to the boring boy escorting you there, to the shop he'd purchased your flowers from.

You hated her.

He stood there smiling stupidly in his freshly pressed suit, back straight, blonde hair plastered down, holding two matching bouquets: one for you, and one for your mother. He greeted her first, handing her a tacky bouquet with a flourish. She giggled like a schoolgirl.

You hated them both.

You'd suffered through exactly one dance with the most boring boy you'd ever met before retreating to a table and drowning your sorrows in whatever kind of non-alcoholic punch the responsible adults chaperoning this event had provided.

Donald's friends and their dates came to rest at your table between dances. Every single girl asked why you weren't dancing with your dreamy date. You told them you'd twisted your ankle during the first dance. An outright lie, but Donald, ever the boring gentleman, wouldn't dispute it. You glanced at the clock and heaved a sigh.

You passed the evening by discovering creative ways to fold your napkin, ignoring the crowd of Donald's gossiping friends around you until they suddenly fell silent.

You looked up to see what had caught their attention.

Ralph Penbury, dressed in a fancy new suit, was asking a pretty redhead to dance on the other side of the room. He was so excited, or perhaps so nervous, he was shaking. You thought it was adorable. They'd make a cute couple.

The girl threw her head back and laughed, then turned back to her friends. Ralph stood there, looking crushed. You felt your own heart drop, as if you'd been the one on the receiving end of this rejection. What was wrong with her? Could she not see how precious this sweet boy was? Then Donald Andrews and all his idiotic friends roared with laughter, and your sadness turned to rage.

Ralph looked up and saw the table guffawing in his direction, and he froze. You stood up suddenly, knocking your chair over, and started weaving your way through the buffoons. Your elbow caught the back of several heads in your haste to get away from them. You hoped it hurt. Ralph had turned to leave by the time you escaped the tangle of limbs surrounding your table. Dodging dancing couples in the center of the room, you didn't take your eyes off of him.

He was nearly at the exit by the time you caught up with him, still walking slowly with his head down.

"Ralph?" you asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face you, eyes brimming with tears. Your heart felt like it could burst.

"Don't pay those idiots any mind," you said gently. "They all share a single brain, and whoever was supposed to have custody of it tonight must've left it at home." He giggles, causing a single tear to spill over. He wipes it away quickly.

"Are you leaving? I was hoping I could ask you for a dance before you go. Or maybe we could go sit outside for a while and cool off?" You may hate these events, but you know he loves them. You wouldn't let those blockheads ruin his Valentine's Day.

"Really?" He sounds hopeful. You smile and nod, waiting for him to make the next move.

He returns your smile and extends his hand. You place your palm in his and give it a squeeze, letting him lead you back onto the dance floor. The song is a slow one, which is nice, because this is the longest you've ever managed to get him alone. You'd never realized how eager you were to talk to him.

A moment of silence passes as you get situated and begin to dance, but it's not an uncomfortable one; just two casual acquaintances getting used to being so close to each other.

"Your date looks angry. Should I have asked his permission?" He asks with a worried glance to his left.

You let out a laugh, a genuine laugh, the first of its kind all day.

"That boy is the dullest creature I have ever encountered." Ralph looks confused, so you continue. "My mother set all this up. That's what I was trying to tell you the day you asked me to come with you. She accepted his invitation on my behalf. Picked out this hideous dress and the torturous shoes that go with it. This is all her doing. If I had my way, I'd be at home, reading in my pajamas."

"Why?"

"Why would I rather be at home reading in my pajamas?"

"Why did she make you come with someone you don't like?"

"I think he's her last hope." You sigh. "You see, Ralph, my mother's greatest fear is not war or famine or even snakes. Her greatest fear is that I wind up a spinster like my Aunt Molly. Who is doing quite well for herself, by the way! Large house all to herself… an impressive library… several cats to choose from when she needs a cuddle…" You trail off and sigh dramatically in the direction of the chandelier, with a dreamy look on your face, hoping you've amused him.

He laughs, the trauma of a few minutes ago already forgotten. He launches into a passionate speech about cats, then dogs, and you wonder if this is the longest he's ever been allowed to speak at once.

You hate dancing almost as much as you hate being dragged to these stupid events. You really do. But here, dancing with Ralph as he chatters away excitedly, it suddenly dawns on you that you're actually enjoying yourself. You're only on your second dance, but somehow, all the pain and suffering and boring gossip about who's wearing what and who'd gained weight that you'd had to endure tonight seemed like a distant memory. This? This made it all worthwhile.

When Ralph finally pauses to take a breath, you seize the opportunity to make a confession.

"I didn't want to come to this… but now, I'm glad I did."

"Why?" he asks, oblivious at the hint you're trying to drop.

"Because I got to dance with you."

Ralph's face turns a deep shade of crimson, and he's unable to control the giggle that bubbles from his throat. You laugh with him, because it's so cute, you can hardly stand it. This is the best dance you've ever been forced to attend. You're so enamored by him, you don't even notice Victoria's shrill laugh cutting through the air, or the blisters forming on your feet from the shoes that were manufactured in Hell.

You suddenly feel a chill run up your spine, and as Ralph turns you on the dance floor, you catch a glimpse of a very red face glowering at you from behind the giant crystal punch bowl.

"Oh, no," you groan. The moment is ruined, the spell is broken.

"What is it?" Ralph asks, on the brink of panic already.

"My mother's spotted us. If she gets any redder, I think her head will explode." Ralph looks worried, like he's going to be in trouble, but it gives you a delightfully devious idea. "I bet if she saw us kiss, it would tip her over the edge. Shall we try?"

Ralph's eyes widen, and he nods feverishly. Smiling, you stand on your tiptoes in your dreadful shoes and capture his lips in a kiss. He doesn't move. You pull back and look up at him, standing completely still with his eyes blank. Is he still breathing? Have you broken him? You'd better check just to be sure. You come back in for one, two, three more short and soft kisses that he happily returns, now that the shock has worn off. Yes, coming out tonight was definitely worth it.

You see your mother advancing out of the corner of your eye.

"Meet me on the bridge in the park tomorrow at noon," you whisper. Ralph gives you a puzzled look. "If you don't see me again, she's killed me, but know that my last night on this earth was worth it." Her claw circles your wrist and tugs you away, steam billowing out of her ears. "It was worth it!" you yell back over your shoulder with a grin.

Ralph stands there, in the middle of the dance floor, watching your mother escort you from the building. He reaches up and touches the lips that had just touched yours. You were right. It was worth it.

Thank You To: @heyndrix, for being my #1 cheerleader, keeping me on track, and not blocking me for the constant teasing. @pollenallergie, for her unwavering enthusiasm. @eddiemunsonsmum for letting me rant and ramble in her general direction. @spookyscarydemonbabe for writing the cutest freakin' Ralph stories that definitely kept my Ralph Juices flowing on lazy writing days.

#writings of despair #ralph is worth it #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x you #ralph penbury x reader #ralph timewasters

196 notes · View notes

luv4fandoms · 2 years

Text

At Last-RalphxF!Reader (CH 4)

AHHH IT IS FINALLY HERE!!! Also just a heads up, the next chapter will in fact be spicy 🔥

Summery: After accepting Ralphs proposal the both of you knew you couldn't wait to get married...so a month is long enough to plan a wedding right?

Pairings: Ralph x Female!Reader

Word count: 8,769 (tis a big boy)

Warning: Extreme fluff!! I teared up writing this cuteness! Some spiciness at the start.

This is also on ao3

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5

I also have a Ko-Fi 😊

⚠️ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞.⚠️

"Ohh yeah yeah

You smile

Oh and then the spell was cast"

You sighed happily as you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you as you felt his hands leave your cheeks, sliding down to your waist where he held you. Your tongues gently wrestled, neither of you wanting to dominate the kiss, simply bask in the other's presence. You felt his grip tighten as you softly sucked his bottom lip, a quiet moan leaving him before he began the kiss again, this time more eagerly while pulling you closer. You'd be lying if you said that Ralph and yourself hadn't been in this exact position many times in the past week, after that night he would ask to kiss you at any chance he could, even though you told him he didn't have to ask, the sweet boy still always waited for permission. The kissing had been clumsy at first, passionate but clumsy, to which he profusely apologized before explaining, while completely flushed, that he had never REALLY kissed anyone before either. You were each other's first on everything it seemed, including…

"Ah!" He whimpered when he felt you grind down on him, your position in his lap making the movement easier, it also made it easier to feel what you could do to him with just a simple kiss.

"Ralphie" you whined, repeating the motion.

"Darling…we-we can't" he panted, yet his hands did nothing to stop your hips…In fact he helped move them.

"But Ralphie, surely there are other things we could do?" You pouted, Ralph had told you that he wanted to wait until your wedding night for the two of you to give yourselves to each other, he said it was romantic, becoming truly one on the day you promise yourselves to one another.

"We-we should wait" he moaned, hips pushing up to meet yours, dragging a moan from your lips that had a whimper falling from his, you knew this was hard for him, waiting, just like it was hard for you. You had to give him an A for Patience though, because yours was running thin.

"Ralphie" you sighed, leaning in to kiss him again just as you heard the door open.

"Ugh really?on the couch?" Lauren asked in a voice full of disgust as she came into the room, followed by the other's. You quickly scrambled off of Ralph while he grabbed a nearby pillow and pressed it over his lap. Both of you were flushed and breathing quickly as you righted yourself, Jason snickering at the two of you.

"Oh it's young love Lauren" Victoria stated before looking at the two of you.

"But really please not the furniture, at least not in here" you both nodded, slightly jumping as she let the large folder fall to the table with a loud 'thud'.

"Now, we already have the venue, and the food, we also have the band" Victoria started, looking over at your friends who had happily agreed to play at your wedding…well…Horace and Jason had happily agreed, Lauren thought this was crazy but was happy you were happy, and Nick tried to talk you out of it but after you explained the whole "perhaps your past life was actually where you were now" he went on a rant about how that could possibly me true and then he was ok with the idea.

"But we still have much to do. We still need an overall theme, I'm thinking glitz and glamour" she smiled excitedly, of course that's what she was thinking. You looked over at Ralph, your hand coming to hold his and bringing his attention away from the large folder.

"What about you Ralphie, what would you like our wedding to be?" You asked, watching as he smiled at the simple sentence, you had noticed it a few other times, the way he would get both giddy and completely melt at the words "our wedding".

"Oh no my love, anything you want, this is your big day" he told you, and you leaned over to kiss him, him happily returning it.

"No sweetheart, this is our big day, both of us get a say" you explained, you knew he wasn't used to it, you knew Victoria usually planned everything and ran everything, but she wasn't about to do that for your wedding. You appreciated her helping, but her brother would have a say in this.

"I think glamourous would be a wizard idea" he started, making Victoria clap, though his eyes never left yours.

"But instead of diamonds covering everything…we have the colors be black and gold? With a few crystals and pearls maybe" he finished, you could easily see his vision, and honestly it was beautiful.

"That sounds breathtaking," you smiled.

"Why black and gold?" Victoria asked, kind of upset he didn't share her vision.

"Because it's elegant," he started

"And because…the first night we danced together…the first night I fell in love with (y/n), she was wearing a black and gold dress" he smiled…Oh how this boy could make your heart flutter.

"Oh Ralphie" you smiled, cupping his cheek and kissing him gently, a kiss that he happily returned.

"Very well, black and gold it is" Victoria stated, slightly disappointed, but also slightly happy her brother had found someone to marry.

"Well now that we have the colors we can work on the venue decor, the flowers, the cake, the invitations. (Y/n) dear we need to shop for your dress and the bridesmaids dresses, Ralph sweetie you need your tux and the groomsmen tuxes" Victoria rambled. Victoria took her job as future sister-in-law, and maid of honor very seriously. You remember asking Victoria to be your maid of honor, she was pressing you to know who you'd choose, and though originally you were going to pick Lauren, the look on her face said "pick me and I'll kill you" so you quickly chose Victoria, earning an excited cheer and rib crushing hug.

"What shall we check off today?" Ralph asked, slipping his hand into yours, gently running his finger against your engagement ring.

"As much as possible" Victoria started.

"Why don't we go see about the cake, flowers, and invitations, and then we can all meet at the Ritz for lunch, afterwards Victoria and I will shop for dresses while Ralphie, you and the group can shop for suits" you suggested.

"That's a marvelous idea!" Victoria exclaimed, already standing with her folder.

"Wizard idea my love" Ralph smiled, leaning in but pausing for a moment to look at you, after your small nod he gave you a quick peck before standing, pulling you with him.

"Alright, what time should we meet up?" Jason asked Victoria, who then looked at the clock, it was already seven a.m…their sleep schedule was another thing you had to get used to.

"How about one? Should give us ample time to get done" Victoria told him, earning nods from everyone before quick goodbyes were exchanged and you were whisked out of the building. The first stop was the florist, who, after telling your vision to, suggested white Peonies, white Anemones and a beautiful flower he called a black velvet Petunia. A combination which paired with some branches and ribbon he said he could get in black and gold sounded amazing. Pleased with your ideas for the centerpieces and bouquet you all moved onto the invitations. Which surprisingly didn't take long, after telling the colors the woman happily showed you a few options, saying she could get them in your colors and Ralph absolutely fell in love with the script and beautiful envelope, so of course you happily chose those. Next…The cake. You knew this part would take a bit, and it was at this, as you all sat down you realized you didn't even know what Ralph's favorite flavor of cake was.

"What is your favorite flavor Ralphie?"

"What flavor do you prefer, my love?" You both asked, pausing for a moment before laughing.

"I suppose we had the same thought," you smiled.

"I suppose we did," he smiled, leaning over as you gave him a quick kiss, his hand taking a hold of yours.

"I quite like (f/f)" you told him, watching as his face lit up.

"And here I thought you couldn't be even more divine, that's my favorite as well" he told you, watching as your face lit up as well. Ralph enjoyed every time your face did that, light up with happiness due to him, he was quickly finding himself becoming addicted to it. He was pulled from his thoughts though when the baker who they must have went to for their lavish parties walked over.

"My two favorite clients" she smiled, before looking over at you.

"And who is this?"

"This is (y/n)" Victoria introduced before Ralph added excitedly.

"My fiance"

"Oh my God" she gasped, quickly sitting down.

"You're getting married?! Oh Ralph I'm so happy for you!" She exclaimed.

"Your mother would be so happy" she told him in a calmer tone, taking his hand in hers and earning quick nods from him, he didn't speak though, and when you looked at him you could see withheld tears. You gently ran your thumb along the hand that still held yours, earning his attention as you gave him a gentle smile, he smiled back, a small tear slipping down his cheek that you quickly wiped away.

"Mother would have loved you" he whispered.

"I would have loved her too, after all, I have her to thank for bringing you into this world" you told him, hand still cupping his cheek.

"Ok now you are going to make me cry" the woman sniffled, letting go of Ralph's hand and gently wiping her eyes.

"Lucile was a friend of our mother's," Victoria explained.

"She was practically my sister, we grew up together, and I can tell you right now that the love I just saw displayed…she would be overjoyed by" she told you, making your heart clench while you looked over at Ralph. You smiled and leaned in, him quickly following your lead and sharing a quick kiss.

"Ok, before anymore tears are shed, what are we thinking for the big day?"

"Our colors are black and gold" Ralph explained, and you were shocked Victoria hadn't answered, looking over you saw her smiling at her brother as he happily talked to Lucile and you wondered how often they saw this woman as children, she sounded like she would have been a sort of aunt figure to them, maybe that is why she sat back and let him talk…maybe this whole time Victoria cut him off with strangers as a weird way of protecting him?

"Oh, so elegant, do we have flowers?" She asked, looking over at you to bring you into the conversation.

"Oh yes, White Peonies, White Anemones, and Black Velvet Petunias" you told her.

"That combination and color palette are already giving me ideas" she smiled, looking down to sketch out a design. When she finally showed you all the picture, all you could think was how perfect it was. A six layer cake, the first white with a gold filigree at the bottom, the second a black layer with gold interwoven cross hatching, the third a layer covered in gold sparkle, the fourth another white layer with gold at the top and piped white petals, the fifth a black layer with draped gold pearls, and the very bottom layer would be black with gold lacing at the top and bottom. It would also be decorated with your flowers.

"Oh my" you gasped, Ralph looked over at you just as struck by the image and with a shared glance you both knew, that was your wedding cake.

"We love it!" Ralph exclaimed.

"Wonderful!" She said just as excitedly

"Now do we have a flavor in mind?"

"Well (y/n) and I both enjoy (f/f)" he told her.

"But we were thinking about perhaps making each layer different- for our guests" he added

"I do believe Victoria enjoys chocolate, don't you?" You asked, a slight teasing smile on your lips as you looked to your soon to be sister, who for the first time since you've met him, blushed.

"I do enjoy a good chocolate" she smiled back at you, earning a giggle from the both of you.

"We can definitely do that, we can have the top layer as well as the bottom layer be (f/f) and then the rest be different" she told you, before excusing herself to go grab some samples of their other flavors. After trying them and choosing the flavors you wanted she told you she would have it in time for your chosen date, a few shared hugs later you were just about to head out when she stopped you, asking if she could talk to you alone. You nodded to Ralph and watched as he walked out with Victoria.

"I just wanted to have a word. I've known those two since I was young and they were babies, Ralph is like a nephew to me"

"I can definitely see that" you smiled.

"It makes me so happy to know that he's found someone who loves him, I saw it in the way you looked at him today, and the way you interact with him…I know Ralph can be a handful, he's always been a very eccentric boy, but you are patient with him, you let him talk and get his thoughts out and I just wanted to tell you that I truly appreciate that dear. I know that he is in good and loving hands, and I hope you know that you are as well" she smiled, her words making you blink back tears, this woman who had seen your Ralphie as a baby, watched him grow up, was thanking you for something that came so naturally…Loving him.

"You don't have to thank me, I'm just happy I found him. He's unlike any man I've ever met, he makes me feel so seen and…Honestly he makes me feel like a princess, he really is my prince charming" you smiled.

"Then dear, I'm so happy to provide the cake for your fairytale" she smiled, leaning in to hug you, a hug you happily returned before she ushered you out.

"Don't make him wait" she smiled, and with that you left, and sure enough, as soon as you left Ralph's hand was in yours.

"What was that all about?" Victoria asked as you all began to head to the jewelry store since some things had gone faster than expected so you had time, and both you and Ralph needed wedding bands.

"She just wanted to tell me how happy she was, and how she was thankful Ralphie and I are together" you smiled, earning a smile from the both of them.

"She has always been like an aunt or even a second mother to us" Ralph told you.

"Do you remember when you got into the garden at her house, you tore up all her carrots and she disciplined you. Ralph wouldn't stop being upset about it for a week, he thought she truly hated him" Victoria told the story and you looked over to see Ralph blushing as she revealed his secrets.

"Awe Ralphie"

"What about when she caught you kissing the boy down the road behind her garden shed?" Ralph replied quickly, making Victoria gasp, not only at the fact that he brought up the memory, but the fact he stood up to her.

"What about when you put on that play in her living room? The one you wrote yourself and you insisted on playing every part, even the girls, you kept changing between a suit and a dress"

"Are there pictures of this?" You chimed in, causing Victoria to smile and Ralph to look over at you, a small whimper coming from him at you being happy about the embarrassing story.

"Oh you were probably so adorable though, being so happy to play out your story" you told him, looking into those puppy dog eyes, that was what you had come to realize Ralph slightly reminded you of in the time you had been with him, a very happy and loveable puppy.

"It's embarrassing" he whined, looking away from you.

"But it was something you were passionate about, and therefore that makes it adorable" you told him, leaning up to kiss his cheek and watching as he beamed at you, quickly leaning down to capture your lips. The two of you shared a brief kiss before walking into the jewelry store.

"Hello again" the man smiled, after all it had only been a little over a week since you were in here buying jewelry on your shopping trip.

"What can I help you with?"

"We're looking for wedding bands, well, they are looking for wedding bands" Victoria explained, the man looked over at the two of you and smiled.

"Ah yes, the Ruby engagement ring, I'm glad to see it was accepted"

"Happily so" Ralph beamed as you both walked towards the counter.

"Well you are in luck my friends, the engagement ring actually came with a matching wedding band" he told you, pulling out the tray and showing that there was in fact a matching band. A beautiful band with oval shapes that had two Rubies and four smaller diamonds in each. In between five larger diamonds.

"Well we most certainly have to get that" Ralph smiled at you.

"Now we just need to find one for you," you replied.

"I'd be honored if you picked it out" he told you, his eyes gazing into yours with complete seriousness.

"Oh Ralphie, are you sure?"

"Completely, knowing you chose it for me makes it all the more special" he smiled, watching as your gaze softened even more, a look of pure love in your eyes before you leaned in and captured his lips.

"It's me who would be honored" you whispered, your breath fanning against his face and making him dizzy, truly the wedding couldn't get here fast enough for him. He watched you slowly look through all of the wedding bands, giving each one a thorough inspection to find one you felt really fit him. He watched you with such love, getting lost in every detail of you that he slightly jumped when you finally spoke.

"Ah ha! That one" you smiled up at the man from your crouched position, having gotten down to get a better look. He watched you point to a tray and the man pull it out for you, you happily standing before looking over at him.

"This one" you smiled. He looked over at the ring and gasped, it had oval shapes as well, though these ovals were pure diamonds, with triangles pointing up and down in between each oval, and each of the triangles has a smaller diamond. Truly it was a beautiful ring.

"It's beautiful" he spoke still in awe, this was what made you think of him? It was so beautiful and elegant and surely this was too much right? Surely you didn't see him as a diamond?

"A beautiful ring for a beautiful boy" you smiled, his face flushed completely as his eyes snapped to you, beautiful doe eyes wide at your words.

"I think it's perfect," you smiled. Watching as he swallowed, trying to collect himself after your compliment.

"If you think it's perfect than so do I my love" he smiled.

"I'll wrap them up" the man smiled at your little scene. After that you all were off to the Ritz for lunch and to meet up with your friends. The lunch was great, you all chatted happily while you ate, though the one thing you didn't care for was how one of the waitresses kept staring at Ralph. You leaned over and kissed his cheek just as he took a bite, causing the boy to quickly look over at you, to which you simply smiled at him.

"Just cause" you told him, watching as he leaned forward after swallowing, you happily gave him a quick kiss on the lips before hearing your friends pipe up.

"Alright not while I'm eating" Lauren told the two of you, causing you both to laugh. But Ralph slid his hand across the table, taking yours in his before bringing it up to his lips.

"I can't wait to marry you," he smiled.

"Neither can I Ralphie"

"Is there anything else I can get you?" The waitress asked, well, asked Ralph who didn't even bother to look at her, figuring she was addressing Victoria as most people did.

"No thank you, unless you all are ready to go?" You told her, looking around at everyone.

"Yes I think we better go if we want to find you a good wedding dress" Victoria smiled, having seen the woman eyeing her brother as well.

"Oh! You're getting married?" The girl asked, eyes now on you.

"Yes" you smiled, holding up the hand that was still grasping Ralph's but still able to show the ring.

"My, that is a lovely ring" she gasped.

"Thank you, my Ralphie does love to spoil me" you smiled at Ralph, leaning in to give him another quick kiss that had the boy beaming.

"Anything for you my love" he mused. And you watched the girl slightly huff.

"Right, I'll be back with the check" she stated before quickly leaving.

"I think you just broke that poor girl's heart," Lauren laughed.

"Her heart and eyes were in the wrong place" you shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Ralph asked, looking between you and Lauren before looking over at the waitress, completely unaware of what just silently happened between you two.

"She…it's nothing" you laughed.

"The girl was eyeing you, and (y/n) was not so subtly telling her that you were off the market" Lauren explained. Making you look at her, and Ralph to look at you, wide-eyed. Ralph had his own worries in the back of his mind that you would one day wake up and change your mind, saying you didn't want him. But to hear that you were telling other women that he was yours, it made his heart flutter…and his pants tight. Coughing he subtly slipped his napkin onto his lap and leaned forward to try to hide himself from your view.

"Love, you don't have to worry, I'm all yours" he smiled, leaning in to kiss you, lips just inches away when he heard the voice of the waitress again.

"Your check" his eyes opened, noticing yours staring behind him, he quickly closed the gap, hand coming to rest of your cheek as he kissed you, an unspoken "I'm yours". When he pulled away the waitress was gone, and all of your friends were smirking.

"We better go then" Victoria laughed while standing.

"Yes let's" Ralph nodded, standing as well and taking your hand to help you up. You all walked outside and into the busy street.

"Well, this is where we part ways" you told him, watching as he looked at you, the sadness showing clear in those amber eyes.

"You can't see the bride's dress before the wedding, it's bad luck" you told him, cupping his cheek.

"The wedding can't come soon enough" he told you.

"It really can't" you smiled, before quickly kissing him as you let go of his hand. You back away to stand next to Victoria, Ralph still looking at you.

"I won't keep her long"Victoria told him, placing her hands on your shoulders.

"She'll be back in your arms by the end of the day Ralph, she needs to get her dress, and you all need to find your suits" she explained, hooking her arm through yours.

"Now off you go" she shooed him and began pulling you away. You look back at Ralph just as he looked back at you. You smiled and blew him a kiss, watching as he caught it and held it to his chest, smiling as well.

"I hope you don't mind, I invited some friends to help, I figured we could make an event out of this special moment" she said once you both reached the dress shop. You didn't know any of Victoria's friends, but it did make you nervous, Victoria came from money, and most likely so did her friends, you on the other hand did not, you were from very different social classes.

"Oh no I don't mind" you lied, walking with her to where three other girls sat.

"(Y/n) this is Florence, Josephine, and Lillian, my three best friends" Victoria beamed, gesturing to a redheaded woman with a bright red dress on, a blond woman wearing a gray dress with a fur shawl, and lastly a black haired woman with a gold dress.

"Ladies this is my soon to sister-in-law (y/n)" Victoria introduced.

"Hello" you smiled, shyly waving at the women.

"Hello dear" the one named Josephine smiled.

"Hello" Lillian nodded.

"So Ralph actually convinced someone to marry him?" Josephine asked, looking at you then Victoria…oh…this one was going to be trouble.

"It didn't take much convincing, her and my brother are madly in love" Victoria explained.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes" you piped up, earning her attention.

"Ralph is everything I've ever looked for in a man" you told her.

"Except for the man part" she mumbled, earning a slap to her leg from Josephine. Ok this one was already pissing you off.

"Let's start looking shall we dear" Josephine smiled, standing up and taking your other arm as she and Victoria led you around the shop. It didn't take Victoria long to find a dress she loved for her maid of honor dress, but by the time you went into the dressing room both Victoria and Josephine were holding five dresses each for you to try on.

The first one you tried on was not your style at all, but it was very much Victoria's the slim white dress was completely covered in silver beads and jewels with a matching headband and gloves, you knew this wasn't the one but you came out to show everyone anyways.

"Oh that is absolutely beautiful! Completely not your style dear but beautiful on you" Victoria smiled.

"I think this would be much better suited as your wedding dress Victoria" you laughed but admired yourself in the mirror.

"Victoria getting married? Now that would be a sight to see" Florence laughed.

"I could see her in it though" Lillian added, causing Florence to roll her eyes.

"Let's try on another one" Josephine clapped, you simply nodded and tried on the next, which was a much longer gown, no jewels this time but it did have a lace overlay. Overall it was a very simple but elegant dress, and your crowd thought as much.

"It's a little…Plain" Josephine stated.

"Yeah I thought that too" you said.

"Not sure if it would go with the theme" you added.

"Oh what is your theme?" Josephine smiled

"Victoria probably picked it out since Ralph usually just sits in the back and lets Victoria run the show" Florence laughed..ok why was she here again? She didn't even sound like a friend to Victoria at this point.

"Actually Ralph did choose the theme" Victoria defended her brother.

"Oh no" Florence started before turning to you.

"I would say I feel sorry for you but you did sign up for this"

"The theme is Black and Gold" you stated, turning away from Florence to face Josephine.

"Ralphie picked it because of the dress I wore on the first night we danced together, he said that was when he started falling in love with me" you smiled, hearing a snort from Florence,but Josephine was beaming.

"That is so romantic!' she sighed.

"We definitely need to find you the right dress," she quickly added.

"Definitely!"

The next few dresses were ok but still not the one, though one you did like that was kind of fun was one that was more of what you think of when you think of a "flapper" style dress. Different layers of beads that moved when you danced, there were also crystals on the bodice down to the hips.

"I think that would be more for the reception, more fun to dance in" Victoria smiled excitedly.

"Oh Ralph would love that, and paired with my tap shoes" you smiled back, twisting back and forth to watch the beads swing.

"Oh he'd fall in love all over again" she laughed.

"I say we get it as a party dress then" Josephine clapped excitedly.

"I agree, we are getting that one too" Victoria nodded before shooing you back into the changing room. A few more dresses and a few more nos, until the very last dress that you slipped into your body. A long fitted dress that flared at the bottom, the neckline was a deep V, showing off your collarbones and the top of your breasts. The sleeves were short but long enough to deal over the tops of your arms, and the best part, it was bejeweled. Not in an obviously overly jeweled sort of way, but in jewels that didn't even look like they were there until you moved and they caught the light. Walking out you knew you had a smile on your face that simply screamed "this is the one". All the women looked shocked,even Florence and Lillian. But it was Victoria who spoke up first as you admired yourself in the mirror.

"You look beautiful" she breathed, you looked at her through the mirror, her hand placed on her chest and held back tears in her eyes.

"Awe, Victoria" you turned, walking over to hug her.

"I'm fine dear but you…This is the one" she whispered.

"It really is" you smiled at her, turning back to the mirror, and suddenly, suddenly it all began to sink in…you were in the 1920's…Getting married to a man you had only really known for a little over a week but were already completely in love with…This was crazy, the few friends you had back home would say you were completely insane, and yet…You couldn't be happier.

"Oh wait!" Josephine jumped from her seat, running off excitedly before quickly returning, she helped you put on the full length while silk gloves, putting large crystal earrings in your ears and placing a jeweled headband on your head, a headband that had a long veil attached to it.

"I'm getting married" you breathed, honestly you didn't think this day would ever come, not for you,not the second choice.

"You're getting married" Victoria spoke behind you, fixing the veil before placing her hands on your shoulders, looking at you through the mirror.

"Ralph will be so in love" she smiled.

"Do you think she's found a dress yet?" Ralph asked as he straightened his suit in the mirror.

"Not sure, you know how women are with dresses," Lauren replied, fixing her tie.

"Lauren, you are a woman" Jason laughed.

"Fuck off" she huffed.

"No she has a point, she's with my sister, she's probably had a mountain of dresses to try on, especially if my sister brought any of her friends"Ralph told Jason.

"Your sister has friends?" Jason asked, instantly intrigued.

"Down perv" Lauren scolded.

"Yes…Well…I suppose you could call them friends. They are more of the, how do you put it"

"Talk shit about you behind your back?" Lauren fished.

"Yes, except they don't wait til you can't hear" Ralph explained.

"Oof, who needs friends like that?" Horace asked?

"Victoria I suppose" Ralph shrugged

"They've never quite cared for me, so I do hope they aren't taking their displeasure for me out on (y/n)"

"I'm just shocked is all" Florence stated, all of them were whispering but we're still loud enough for you to hear.

"We love you Victoria you know that, but your brother is a bit…" she started.

"Overzealous, hyperactive, easily excitable" Lillian listed.

"Honestly…we thought he was…You know" Florence added. You knew what they were referring to. Simply because Ralph took care of himself and presented himself well they took it as him being a "dandy", it couldn't simply be because that's just who he was.

"My brother can be a bit…Much. But yes they are getting married" Victoria defended.

"Does the poor girl know what she's getting into?" Lillian asked

"He'll follow her around like a puppy dog, she'll have no peace"

"If she didn't know him do you think they would be getting married?" Josephine questioned, at least her and Victoria were on your side.

"I'm just questioning her sanity is all…unless" Florence stopped.

"Unless what?" Victoria asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Unless…she's only after his money"

What?! How dare she think that was what you were after, sure both he and Victoria both spoiled you, and every time you felt bad about it, but you would never be with someone simply for money.

"Florence!" Josephine started, but you cut her off, having come out from behind the curtain.

"You know nothing about me and yet you sit here and call me a gold digger? I wouldn't care if Ralph didn't have a penny to his name, I would still marry him. Why? Because I love him! Yes he can be intense, but that's just how he shows his love, and yes he can be hyper but only when he's passionate. Yes he is like a puppy dog at times but I'm fully ok with that because I adore him, he makes me feel loved and seen for the first time in my life. I'm not like you all are, obviously, I'm not wealthy, or overly beautiful, I've never had men falling at my feet from a simple look. I know this, and yet even if I had all of that, I would trade it all for him. Because honestly…He's everything I ever wanted, but never thought I deserved" you finished, before quickly adding.

"And having good hygiene, and taking care of yourself and your looks doesn't make you gay! I'm sorry that none of the men you have met have cared whether or not they look like shit" and with that you turned and walked towards the counter, leaving a stunned Florence and Lillian, a laughing Josephine, and a smiling Victoria.

"Well ladies, it's been a pleasure as always, I do hope you show up to the wedding" she smiled.

"I wouldn't miss it" Josephine smiled, but Florence and Lillian stayed silent. Victoria nodded and met you at the counter. She quickly paid and grabbed your arm, leading you outside.

"Can I just say," she started as you walked down the street towards home.

"That that little speech was the bravest and nicest thing anyone has ever done for my brother" she smiled.

"I'm sorry I was probably out of line"

"Oh heavens no, no they needed that…and getting to see Florence and Lillian be completely stunned was absolutely perfect" she laughed.

"Was all of it true?" She asked, looking over at you.

"Of course, every word" you answered, causing her to pull you closer.

"Then I am so happy my brother found you"

"There is the love of my life" Ralph said as soon as you stepped through the door, his arms around you as he pulled you to him.

"Ralph we were only gone for a couple of hours" Victoria sighed, taking the dresses upstairs.

"A couple hours is far too long" he told her, you couldn't help but giggle and lean in to kiss him, a kiss he happily accepted before tucking his face into your neck.

"I missed you so much"

"I missed you too Ralphie, my sweet little puppy"

"Puppy?"

"Yeah, it came up today, the comparison…I can see it" he gave such an adorable confused look before simply smiling, leaning back into your neck.

"As long as I'm your puppy" he sighed.

"You are, my sweet puppy"

The following weeks were a flurry of finalizing everything and getting things prepared. You all knew that weddings should have taken months to properly get put together, but you all also knew that you and Ralph didn't necessarily want to wait that long…So a month it was. Everything felt crazy, a whirlwind of events leading up to the big day, but here you are, sitting inside a lavish room trying not to cry and ruin your makeup as Victoria finishes your hair.

"This doesn't feel real," you breathed.

"None of this does" Lauren stated from her seat on the couch, you caught her eyes in the mirror and knew exactly what she meant, and your mind flashed back to the day you had told Ralph everything.

"So it's all real" he breathed, looking at your passport that held your birth date.

"Yes, I know it sounds completely bonkers," you laughed.

"But everything I told you was the truth" you stated, waiting on bated breath for him to speak, it was unusual for Ralph to be this quiet.

"Ralphie?" You asked hesitantly

"It doesn't matter where or even when you came from" he stated while looking over at you.

"I'm just simply glad you came into my life" he smiled.

"I think you're ready dear" Victoria smiled at you through the mirror, you stood, going behind the screen to change into your gown and earning a small gasp from them both when you stepped back out.

"Now the gloves and jewelry" Victoria nodded, blinking back her own tears as she hurried to grab your things. Your eyes met Lauren's and you smiled.

"You look beautiful," she nodded.

"Thank you, and thank you for messaging me that day, all those years ago…if you hadn't, we wouldn't have become friends, I wouldn't have come to visit and….I wouldn't be here right now" you told her, truly grateful for your friendship.

"Yeah you do really owe it all to me huh?" She smirked, causing you to laugh.

"Yes I do"

"Well, my payment is you and Ralph going anywhere else for your honeymoon yeah? I don't need to hear…that" she told you, her face scrunching up in disgust.

"Oh don't worry, they will in fact have a honeymoon spot far, far away from us all" Victoria noted, handing you your gloves to put on before helping you with your veil. You slipped off your engagement ring to put it on over the glove.

"I love you and my brother dearly but I don't exactly want to hear you taking my brother's virginity" she told you, causing Lauren to laugh.

"Ok that's fair" you giggled.

"Though it would be a mutual taking"

"Either way dear…there…now you're ready" she told you, and you turned to look at yourself in the mirror, willing yourself not to cry because this was it…You were getting married.

You met Horace at the main doors, you had asked him to walk you down the aisle as he had been your comfort many times in the past when you became overwhelmed or sad, a request he happily agreed to.

"You look beautiful (y/n)" he smiled

"You look quite dashing yourself" you smiled back and straightened his tie.

"Are you ready?"

"Shockingly…I've never been more ready for something, this is where I'm suppose to be, I know it" you told him, taking his arm and waiting for your que. You heard the music begin, signaling it was time, and with a deep breath, you both entered the room. All eyes landed on you with a gasp, but those eyes weren't the ones you were searching for, the ones you sought out were at the end of the aisle. That beautiful amber gaze, glossed over with tears as he watched you walk towards him, you saw him gasp, and try to calm himself as you neared him, his hand quickly coming up to wipe away the tears. By now you were already shedding a few yourself, and you hope you hadn't messed up your makeup.

"You look so beautiful" he breathed, voice shaking as he took your hand from Horace, smiling at the man.

"You look so handsome" you smiled, taking him in, his black and gold suit nothing less than you expected from him.

"I can't believe I get to marry you" he smiled, another tear falling, one which you quickly wiped away.

"I can't believe it either Ralphie"

"Shall we begin?" The officiant asked, without looking away from each other you both nodded.

"Welcome, loved ones. We are gathered here today to join (y/n) and Ralph in holy matrimony." They said to the crowd while you and Ralph held each other's hands.

"Ralph, we'll start with you, please repeat after me" they spoke, speaking and waiting for Ralph to repeat.

"(Y/n), I promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us." He told you, eyes gazing into yours with the most seriousness you had ever seen from him, you knew he meant every word he said.

"(Y/n)" they spoke, and you repeated the words.

"Ralph, I promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us" you told him, with just as much seriousness, hoping that he knew your words were true.

"The couple has also prepared poems to read to one another, who would like to start?"

"I would…If that's alright?" Ralph asked, looking at you, you smiled and nodded, already trying to hold back tears again.

"I'm so sure that you're the one, with you I feel life's just begun. I feel it when I touch your skin, I feel it in my heart beating within. I look in your eyes and I know your story, I melt for your voice and it's glory. So many smiles, but I live for yours, you're my magic, my heart soars. I can't lose you, you are she, she who makes my life lovely. She who mends my broken pieces, she who smooths out my creases. I just know it, understand, I feel it when you hold my hand. Your laughter truly saves my life, and I wished one day you'd be my wife. I want to wake up in your hair, tangled up with you in there. When you're sick, I'll hug you tightly, and I'll remind you when we're fighting. That you're my princess, and I love you, that I'll do whatever it takes to keep you. That life goes on, that we are strong. That no matter what it seems, that you and I, we are a team. Just kiss me, make me feel young forever, let's laugh, and dance, and live together. Spend your life with me, it'll be fun, let me show you you're the one.So I swear to you, this is real, I promise you it's what I feel. You make me believe that love is true, I have a soulmate, and she is you." He finished, having to take a moment every now and then while reading to clear his throat and hold back tears, you on the other hand, were openly crying.

"Oh Ralphie" you whispered, and he wished he could lift your veil and wipe away your tears. But he watched you wipe them away yourself, trying to compose yourself so you could read your poem, he also took this moment to wipe his own eyes.

"It's funny, we both wrote soulmate poems" you laughed lightly, earning a giggle from him.

"You came into my life unexpectedly, and everything took a turn for the better. Your warm eyes, your laugh, the sincere way you speak. And the kindness you showed me all became a part of my life. As you unfolded yourself to me, I discovered more and more beauty. I have never seen so much gentleness in one person. Without even knowing it you were slowly making a place for yourself in my heart. It used to seem so hard at times, to feel so close in a relationship. But it's so easy to feel close to you, I can't tell you how nice that feels. I realize now that I had never known what it meant to be loved…until I was loved by you." You told him, your voice shaky and breaking at the end.

"My love" he breathed, reaching under the veil to cup your cheek, wiping away the tears.

"Mine wasn't as long, and it didn't rhyme but" you laughed, causing him to laugh as well, both of you trying to blink away tears.

"Shall we move onto the ring exchange?" The officiant asked, wiping their eyes as well. You could see Jason, Horace and Nick all trying to wipe their eyes and faces, and you knew the two women behind you were probably no better.

"Let's" Ralph nodded, Horace handed him your ring and he repeated the words told to him.

"With this ring I, Ralph, take you, (y/n), to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us." With that he slid the ring onto your finger, resting it against your engagement ring. He lifted your hand to his lips, kissing the rings before looking at you again.

Victoria handed you the ring for him before you repeated as well.

"With this ring I, (y/n), take you, Ralph, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us." And with that you put the ring on him, deciding to mimic him and kiss his ring as well.

"I love you" you smiled.

"I love you more" he smiled back.

"By the power vested in me by the city of London, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your bride" and with that, Ralph happily and hurriedly lifted your veil and leaned in to capture your lips, sealing your union, a union that you were more than happy about. You held his face as you two continued to kiss, the sounds of the claps and cheers dying out in your ears as you could only focus on him.

"My beautiful wife" he smiled once he pulled away, eyes staring deep into yours.

"My handsome husband" you smiled back, earning a heart stopping smile from him..husband…he would never get tired of hearing that.

The two of you walked back down the aisle hand and hand, officially married, but you knew the night was far from over.

You quickly excused yourself to change, telling Ralph that you'd only be gone for a moment as his arms wrapped around your waist, his lips capturing yours again.

"Don't wanna part" he whined against your lips.

"Finally have you"

"And you'll continue to have me, I just need to change so I don't trip over my dress while dancing" you giggle against his constant kisses.

"I'll hold your dress" he giggled.

"Two seconds, that's all I need" you told him, your back pressed to the door of the room you were in earlier.

"Two seconds" he nodded, lips catching yours again.

"Two seconds" you confirmed, breaking the kiss and quickly running into the room. You got out of your wedding dress as quickly as you could, hanging it back up before quickly getting into your party dress and tap shoes. You came out just in time to see him emerging from a room down the hall, his suit the same but now there was a distinct tapping when he walked.

"Seemed we had the same idea" you smiled, catching his attention and watching as his eyes widened and mouth opened.

"You like?" You asked.

"You are absolutely stunning my love"

"Wanna see the best part?" You asked. Watching as he excitedly nodded. You stepped further into the hallways, watching as his eyes darted to your shoes upon hearing the tapping, his smile growing even bigger.

He watched you twist and show the layers of beads that swung along.

"Absolutely wizard!" He beamed, coming forward to catch your waist in his hands, a blush spreading to his cheeks at his own actions.

"Shall we go show everyone?" You asked, he nodded, though really Ralph wants to keep you all to himself at that moment. You two walk to the reception area, being greeted with more claps and cheers when you walk through the doors. Everyone is already seated and food is being served. You walk up to the main table, taking your seat between Victoria and Ralph, while Horace sits on the other side of Ralph. All of you eat, playful banter being thrown back and forth as you all laugh. You and Ralph go to cut your cake, absolutely marveling at the beautiful masterpiece that Lucile made.

"I don't want to cut it, it's so beautiful" you gasped, but alas you knew you had to, so you did, each of you feeding a piece to the other.

You tossed the bouquet and watched as Victoria caught it and Jason caught the garter, making you and Lauren both bust out laughing. Finally, after everything it was time for the first dance. The two of you came together just as your friends began to play.

"At last, my love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song"

You held onto Ralph, just as you had the first time you danced, still not believing this was all happening.

"I can't believe you're mine" he whispered, forehead resting against yours.

"I can't believe you're mine either" you whispered back.

"Ooh yeah, yeah

At last, the skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clover

The night I looked at you"

"I never thought I would find anyone, I never thought someone could actually…deal with me" he stated, face coming to rest in your neck as he wrapped both arms around you, your own coming up to wrap around his neck.

"I found a dream, that I could speak to

A dream that I can call my own

I found a thrill to rest my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known"

"Oh Ralphie"

"I would never say that I am dealing with you my love. I love you, and I'll show you that everyday" you told him, causing him to untuck himself and look at you.

"I never thought I would find someone either, but I am so thankful to have found you" you smiled, earning a smile from him in return.

"And I'll show you everyday how much I love you in return" he told you, leaning in to capture your lips.

"Ohh yeah yeah

You smile

Oh and then the spell was cast

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine

At last"

After that the party got a bit crazier, everyone was on the dance floor, and with drinks flowing you all partied until the late night hours. You couldn't stop smiling and laughing as you danced with Ralph or Victoria or both. Even you and Josephine danced a few times. But the night slowly died down, everyone thanked you for an amazing time and you thanked them for coming. Giving an extra long hug to Lucile who confessed she bawled while you two got married. She told Ralph that she knew his mother was smiling at the union and that made both you and Ralph begin crying again. Once everyone was gone you and Ralph looked at one another.

"S-Should we head to our h-honeymoon?" he asked, suddenly very shy,and you knew exactly why.

"We do have to consummate the marriage" you smiled shyly, earning a darker blush from him while your own cheeks were tinted lightly.

"Yes we do…after you my beautiful wife" he nodded, holding the door for you.

"Thank you, my beautiful husband" you smiled, leaning in to capture his lips for a moment before walking towards the waiting car.

There it is everyone!! The beautiful wedding, next up is the wedding night 😏

Your cake, invitations, and venue.

Your dresses, his tux, and the rings

Florence, Josephine, and Lillian

The poems you two read

If you would like to be added to the taglist please let me know.

Taglist

@quirkyquartney , @the-a-word-2214 , @no-mercy-bby , @sav7689 , @vonschweetz , @greeny-kitten , @0x0spunky-monkey0x0 , @ladybug0095 , @takemetoneverland420 , @serotoninenthusiast , @error-home-not-found , @fujiihime , @peachymonsters , @estrellitams , @ellalafrella @fictionlandslanddreams , @emmamooney

@eddiemunson4ever , @drmeghanjones @faffacake , @lancaerielcotume , @blkroyalty1 , @librafilms , @brighteyedbushybrowed , @pl1nfa1 , @lyn-soso , @pinkdaiisies , @screaming-blue-bagel , @ayoitsmickey , @nchl18 , @bxtch-bou , @crazyjenny8675309 , @ietss , @spookybabey , @el-dibidibidorado1 , @maryan028 , @ninaisajunkie , @loliakeoghan23 , @ok-boke , @fanfictionvibes , @frozenhuntress67 , @eddiemunsonsgroupie, @kaitcreatesart , @thewondernanazombie , @ojkamins, @flowexr

#joseph quinn #timewasters #ralph #ralph timewasters #chapter 4 #at last #ralph timewasters x reader #ralph penbury imagine #ralph timewasters fic #ralph is such a cutie!!#ralph x reader #ralph penbury x reader #ralph penbury #joe quinn #jospeh quinn #joseph quinn fanfiction #joseph quinn fic #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn imagine

550 notes · View notes

busyralph · 11 months

Text

busy streets and busy lives • ralph penbury x reader

A strange day at work gets even stranger when you meet a man who claims he's from 1926. With no certainty as to when he can get back, you decide to take him in until that time arrives.

masterlist

Tags: Timewasters (series), modern!au, established relationship, 18+ (MINORS DNI), protected sex (p in v), fingering (f receiving)

Word count: 2.4k

Summary: When we last left the Busy Streets and Busy Lives universe, you’d been considering getting a new job now that you’ve moved into Ralph’s house with him. But part of starting a new job means having to make a good impression, letting your work speak for you. And in prioritising that, you’ve been a little neglectful of your own desires, as well as somebody else’s…

A/N: God, I missed writing these idiots. Just a quick, smutty lil thing because I didn't know how to jump back in lmao. Not all epilogues will be smutty, but a bitch has needs too, y'know.

(Also, in case you haven't seen yet, don't worry, this is @quinnkeerys themself lol, I just made this blog to keep bsbl alive :))

Ralph knocks tentatively on the door to the room that you’ve converted into your new office as you rest your temples on the heels of your hands and growl in frustration at your laptop. You look over your shoulder and your face softens into a smile. “God, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” you smile wearily as he approaches you.

“How goes your latest project, my love?” He asks, draping his arms over you and peppering kisses along your cheek.

“Take a wild guess,” you scoff, shaking your head. “I get that I left the shop because I wanted a challenge, but my god, at what cost?”

“A job far more stimulating than the same old, same old? One that’s closer to where we live now?” Ralph suggests, pressing a kiss to the top of your head and breathing deeply. “You’ve been at your desk an awful long time, darling. Perhaps you could take a break?”

You squeeze your eyes shut and shake your head. “Can’t. Gotta stay on task.”

Ralph frowns. “Something ails you. Something other than the job at hand.” His thumbs start to rub circles into your back, his fingers working your shoulders. “You’re stressing yourself out far too much, dearest. You’ll make yourself ill, and you’ll be far worse off for it.”

You allow yourself a fraction of a second to lean into his touch before bringing yourself back to reality. “Look, I just - I made a good first impression and I really need to keep it up.”

“Your work will suffer from your stress, too,” Ralph points out. “And I miss you terribly.”

“Ralph…” you coo, moving a hand up to ghost over one of his as he continues massaging your shoulders. "Miss you, too."

"Take a break," Ralph repeats, a little more deliberation in his tone, swivelling you around in your chair. "Come with me." You take the hand he extends to you and stand to let him guide you to the bedroom. You give him a look, one that's about to tease him for having one thing on the brain, but instead he ignores it to ask you, "Would you lay down on your stomach?" as he presents the bed to you.

"What are you trying to do to me, Penbury?" You ask slyly as you clamber onto the bed, burying half your face into the pillows.

"Just trying to look after you, my treasure," he simpers, kneeling beside you to resume massaging your shoulders. "Help you… Slow things down, for a night."

You lift your head. "A whole night? Ralph, I -" He gently shushes you back into silence, working your shoulders and neck until you melt back into the plush of your bed. "Mmm, this is a dangerous skill you've got," you smile defeatedly. "How long have you been hiding this?"

"I must admit, I am aware of its… Effect," you can hear the proud little smile in Ralph's voice. "Which is why I only wanted to share it with you when necessary, and not a moment sooner. Just relax, darling," he purrs as he moves his hands to instead slide beneath your shirt, working the supple flesh of your back.

"God, Ralph, that feels so good," you drawl, completely becoming one with the mattress.

"I bet it does, my love," that same tone that tells you he's smiling proudly returns. "Just feel my fingers pressing into you, pushing all of that horrible tension away. For tonight, at least, it shall no longer consume you, my beloved."

His hands move lower and lower, until they're pressing just where the curve of your ass begins. Your hips wiggle involuntarily at the thought of Ralph caressing your ass, and you can't catch the automatic whimper that leaves your throat when his hands slide back up again. "Ralph…" you moan softly.

"Yes, love? Would you like me to…?" He doesn't say it, but his hands make their way down your bare back and then over your clothed cheeks. He slides his palms over your curves and only grips once he's at your thighs. "Is this where you need me?"

"I don't think the clothes are helping," you smirk, and he takes heed, tapping on your hips to silently ask you to lift them as he slowly undresses your lower half. Once your legs are completely bare, he gets to work again, massaging your feet, your ankles, up your legs to your thighs. Not saying a word, but humming in the most delectable way the whole time.

As he caresses your ass, pressing and squeezing and grabbing in ways that have you chirping and squealing in excitement, Ralph coos, "There's part of you that I've yet to touch, darling." He moves one hand to grip the very topmost part of your inner thigh, ghosting his thumb up across your folds. "Would you l-"

"Yes," you interject hastily. "God, yes, Ralph, please touch me there," you whine, and his face lifts into a soft, warm smile.

"As you wish, my love. Though it would probably be more fruitful for you to lay on your back for that."

It feels like a chore, bringing yourself out of such a relaxed stupor just to flip yourself over, but you undress your top half in the process, too. Once you're comfortable again, and Ralph starts to get back into position, you stop him. "I think you need your shirt off, too, Ralphie."

A small, playful smirk adorns his face. "Would that help you to relax?"

You nod earnestly. "Most definitely." Amused, Ralph slips out of the quarter-zip he'd been wearing, his smile even bigger as you silently encourage him to also take off the T-shirt he'd been wearing underneath.

Once it's off, before you can try and convince him of any more, he bends down to kiss you. His hand strokes at your jaw until it opens to allow your tongue to meet with his. This kiss is different though - it's not a wild and fiery tango within your mouths; it's a slow, deliberate, controlled waltz that Ralph is definitely leading. The hums you fill the kiss with turn into full-blown moans when he reaches his hands down to grope both of your breasts.

He continues to massage them while kissing you for some time, before moving down silently to start kissing your neck, down the valley of your breasts, until his lips latch around one of your nipples. Despite your head being clouded with arousal, you still can't fight off a smile as Ralph still finds a way to include his favourite form of affection.

You prop yourself up on your elbow to watch him, playing with the loose curls that fall against his forehead as you smirk, "You really like it there, huh, baby?" He chirps happily, letting one go with a satisfyingly wet pop before moving to suckle on the other. He looks up at you adoringly, humming delightfully as his mouth caresses your sensitive nub. "So good to me," you purr.

He kisses further down your body, smattering the expanse of your tummy with soft, sweet pecks. He crawls backwards as he keeps kissing lower and lower down your body, until he naturally falls into place between your legs. His mouth wraps around your clit as he effortlessly sinks two fingers inside of you. You keen against him, whining loudly. Ralph's cheeks dust your thighs as he smiles, "That's it, my darling. Empty yourself of all other thoughts. It's just you and me. And I live to satisfy you."

"Mmm, y'go… Above and beyond that, Ralphie," you drawl, your hips squirming against him. "Shit, baby, m'g'nna… Gonna cum…"

"Oh, please do," Ralph begs as he curls his fingers, rubbing your clit with his thumb at the same time in such a way that you’re climaxing over his hand in seconds; overwhelmingly so, you feel it shooting through your nervous system, followed by a weighted feeling of pure calm, relaxing every one of those nerves.

As you recover, you hear him noisily and delightfully sucking his fingers clean. With a soft smile, you tap his head and gesture for him to move up to be face level with you. He practically pounces back up and immediately kisses you, his dry hand splaying across your cheek. You chuckle against his lips, “How did you know that’s what I wanted from you?”

“I was simply acting upon my own impulse,” he grins back. “Any reciprocation is just a bonus.”

“Speaking of reciprocating…” You start, looking him in the eyes suggestively as your fingers trace routes between each of the freckles along his chest and shoulders, committed to muscle memory by this point. Ralph’s brow furrows, and you allow yourself a quiet, breathy laugh. “I know, I know, you wanted to relax me and not the other way around, but if you wanted to keep me distracted…”

“How do you want me, darling?” He asks, hurriedly shimmying out of the rest of his clothes before reaching for the nightstand. He scrambles to grab a condom and slides it on with ease, looking over at you in anticipation.

"I don’t care how,” you shake your head. “Only as long as you want it, too, not just for me," your eyebrows knit with concern, and he smiles warmly down at you.

"Darling, I assure you that the day I would not want for you, is the day I should be put down like an old dog."

"Ralph!" You giggle as he starts to kiss your neck.

“Shhh, just relax,” he soothes, gently shushing between pecks. “Empty your mind again. Let me take care of you.” You nod, and he reaches down to line himself up with you.

You smirk up at him, reaching up to play with his hair, “My Ralphie already hard for me?”

He whines out an mm-hm. “Missed touching you like this… Being so close to you, again…”

“’M sorry, baby,” you pout. “I promise I’ll make more time for you.”

You feel his tip barely penetrating you and inhale deeply, basking in the anticipation of feeling Ralph inside of you again, but he stops to look up at you again. “Promise for you, also.” You look at him quizzically, and he elaborates. “Promise you’ll make time for you, as well.”

Your face melts into a warm smile. "Yes, Ralph. I promise I'll do better at looking after myself."

His whole expression lights up as he presses himself inside of you, and he revels in watching your entire self form a puddle beneath him. He anchors his fists into your sheets deeply as he feels your walls clench over his cock, and buries his face into your neck again. “My darling,” he whines, “please forgive me.”

“Forgive you?” you frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” He replies hurriedly, still muffled from where his head is sunk. “I just… I think I might… Not last as long as I’d hoped to please you for.”

You fall into a soft laughter as you run your fingers back and forth through his curls. “Don’t worry, baby,” you coo. “The way you’ve taken care of me tonight, I won’t, either.” You let out a long, stuttered gasp as his hips snap against yours. “Fuck, especially if you keep hitting that spot.”

His lips turn up into a small smile as he pulls back to push himself in faster. “Did you mean that one, by chance?” he teases.

You mewl, “God, yes, Ralph, please don’t stop.”

“Not to worry, darling, I don’t plan to,” he smirks as he keeps fucking into you. Your fingers dig into his shoulders, your heels into his back as you feel your second climax quickly building.

You hum out, “Mmm, Ralph… Close, again… Are you?”

“I shan’t be far behind you, I’m sure,” he coos, reaching between you to rub at your clit. Your field of vision fills with spots of colour as he gets you to your second apex. The first one had felt more like a sea of calm washing over you; this one is a final spark of pleasure, an explosion from your core to the very tips of your fingers and toes. Ralph presses his forehead against yours as he thrusts into you one final time.

You stay there, foreheads touching, breathing in each others’ air for a good few minutes before Ralph finally pulls himself out of you. “I’ll be right back, darling,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to your forehead, another to your nose and a final one to your lips before going to the bathroom to clean up.

He soon returns to the bedroom, though not before hunting through his drawers to find a sweater he knows you’ll find comfortable. Tired, you muse with a small smirk, “Not even giving me my most favourite one?” as you pull it over your head.

“Apologies, darling, but I had promised Alex I’d wear it to work tomorrow. Apparently they have a similar one in red and there’s something of a match, there,” he throws his T-shirt and boxers back on before climbing back into bed with you and wrapping you in an embrace. “And besides, you’d only perspire and make yourself uncomfortable.”

You roll over in his arms with a grin. “Please take so many photos of you both as human versions of the Cookie Monster and Elmo.”

“I’m sure we will, darling,” he smiles sleepily, kissing your forehead once more before you curl yourself up to nestle your head in the crook of his neck.

“Thank you for tonight,” you pipe up. “And I’m… Sorry I’ve been neglecting us both.”

“Don’t be,” he soothes. “I understand. But I hope now you understand the importance of taking a break.”

“When you make it so appealing, how could I not?” You smile against his skin, pressing more kisses to his neck as he squeezes you tighter. “But you’re right. I’ll make more time for us. And not just for this, for… Everything. I miss living life with you.”

“Well, thankfully, I do plan on living the rest of my life with you, so what’s a day or two here and there?” he smiles into your hair, and you can’t help but laugh.

“You’re so corny sometimes, you know that?” You ask lightly, squeezing your arms around him.

“You remind me constantly, dear,” he agrees with a soft laugh lilting his own tone, too.

“Good job I love you, isn’t it?” you tease. “Goodnight, Ralphie.”

“Good night, my love. Pleasant dreams.”

#ralph timewasters #ralph timewasters x reader #ralph timewasters x you #ralph timewasters fanfic #ralph timewasters imagine #ralph penbury #ralph penbury x reader #ralph penbury x you #ralph penbury fanfic #ralph penbury imagine #ralph timewasters fluff #ralph penbury fluff #ralph timewasters smut #ralph penbury smut #bsbl #*mine

100 notes · View notes