That One Random Weirdo

T | she/her | mid 20s (20+ only here, no minors and no 18 or 19 year olds) | Psychology/Library Gal | Anxiety/Depression | glasses/hearing aids | reading/writing | Fantasy/Sci-Fi | History | Crime/Med | Christian | Bisexual | This blog (which is NSFW at times) is what it says on the tin I like a lot of fandoms (includes, but is not limited to (you can always ask ;)): HBO War, Star Trek franchise, Doctor Who, Arrowverse, Marvel, Broadway, Supernatural, Law and Order franchise, The X-Files, MASH, Criminal Minds, Buffyverse, OUAT, ER/The Pitt/The Librarians/Leverage, Grimm, Bones, Southland, Animal Kingdom, Castle, Stargate SG-1, Farscape, CSI) I am willing to write (fluff, angst, smut, x reader, ships, imagines, headcanons, drabbles, preferences, one shots; not all characters or ships)/share my writing Requests are: CLOSED FOR EVERYTHING (I’ve got shit going on physically and mentally and emotionally)

[multifandomlover01]

MASTERLIST

Contains my writings for:

Band of Brothers

The Pacific

Criminal Minds

ER

The Pitt

Once Upon A Time

Band of Brothers Masterlist

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The Pacific Masterlist

October 2022 Writing Prompts (based off of the prompt list below that I found in Tumblr)

MASTERLIST

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A Barely Coherent Christmas

MASTERLIST

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Criminal Minds Masterlist

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Once Upon A Time

Killian Jones

Killian Jones/Captain Hook masterlist

Wishverse oneshot

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ER

John Carter

Secrets and Lies 8x16 reader insert

soft Season 5 bearded BF John

ER July 4th

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The Pitt Masterlist

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Other Shawn Hatosy Characters Masterlist

[classichorrorblog]

The Thing (1982)

[multifandomlover01]

Baffling to me how neither Barkin nor Hatosy were even nominated for any awards for their work in Animal Kingdom as Smurf and Pope respectively.

[rr-after-dark]

pope cody x reader brainworm when you text him that you can't cover your rent as part of a tiktok trend

--

you: my rent just went up and I don’t think I can cover it this month :((

There’s a long pause after you send the text. A very long pause. You watch three dots appear. Disappear. Andrew never takes more than a minute or two to reply to your texts. Immediately, you feel guilty for the innocent little TikTok prank on your serious, attentive, intense boyfriend.

Your phone buzzes. Finally. Chest tight, you check the notification.

Zelle: ANDREW CODY sent you $2500.00

Your eyes widen and your fingers hover over the keyboard.

andy: Is that enough for this month? andy: Send me the link to your rent portal. andy: I’m going to cancel your e-payments and start paying it in cash. you: you don’t have to do that! i’ll figure it out i promise andy: What? andy: Have I not made it clear enough that I’ll always take care of you? I'm sorry. andy: You don’t need to be worrying about rent. andy: We’ve been talking about you moving in with me anyway. Let’s just do that now, okay?

A slow grin spreads over your lips, breaking through the guilt of putting him in this position.

you: wait you: are you being serious?? andy: Wish you were here all the time anyway. I’ll just have to get you out of your lease. you: huh? how? andy: Does your landlord live in your building? you: um yeah on the first floor?? why?? andy: Don’t worry about that. andy: I’ll come over tonight to talk to him. Then I'll take you out for the night.

This time, your eyes widen for an entirely different reason. You know how Andrew 'talks' with people. He's had a few 'talks' with your last boss, your creepy ex boyfriend, and a bar patron who got a little too familiar. His version of conversation usually ends with bloody knuckles.

you: andy baby omg it was a prank im so sorry you: don’t murder my landlord Zelle: YOU sent $2500.00 to ANDREW CODY

Another long pause. You imagine him on the other end of the chat, head tilted at the words like a puppy.

andy: No. Zelle: ANDREW CODY sent you $2500.00 andy: Find some movers for this weekend. andy: And I wouldn’t have MURDERED him. you: mhmmm andy: I wouldn’t. andy: Murder and battery are two very different things.

--

a little brainworm for @forever-dreaming-of-life as part of my fundraiser game (still taking donations through the end of july!). thank you for playing and for the prompt <3

[multifandomlover01]

Solitude Turned Solace

Mountain Man!Pope Cody x fem!reader

Summary: reader's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and ends up in the mountains with a very strange man

WC: ~7.3k

Warnings: 18+ MDNI - creepy manipulative panty stealing Pope, strange man in a strange place, woman all alone in a strange place with a strange man, woman stays with said creepy man all alone, body hair, mention of murder, oral sex, masturbation

-

The California home held too many memories. It hurt him too much to be there now. Too many memories of Catherine… Baz… Smurf. He needed to get out of that house, out of the state for his own sake, for the sake of his mental health. He chose the furthest place he could think of that would hold no memories of his trauma: the Appalachian mountains. He took all the money he could get his hands on and launder before booking it out of the state and heading east… way east.

He’d found a very old home there in the mountains that someone had built generations ago and generations had lived in it until the old lady living there passed and she had no living relatives to take care of the place. He’d gotten it pretty cheap because it was old and whoever had the title now didn’t want the burden of it. He’d given a pretty low offer (not expecting to actually pay that) and they’d accepted it. He could fix it up, he was sure. Even if it was the most dilapidated structure he’d ever seen (and that was saying something).

But at least he’d be at peace here. There was a town some miles from the house. Hardly anyone bothered him up here. He’d made sure to be pretty aloof when interacting with anyone he did come across. He wanted peace out here and he was going to get it.

He’d let his curls grow out and he’d grown out his beard. There was no one to front for or impress here so he could just let himself be. For once. No one was telling him how to act or what to do. He puttered around the place, fixing up whatever he could.

He’d taken enough money to sustain himself for sometime. When the time came, he could travel to a job or actually get an honest one in town. A mechanic garage was always advertising that they needed help. Maybe he’d actually enjoy honestly earning some money at some point.

-

Whoever thought trying to drive your way from the middle of the country to one end of it alone was “fun” was stupid. You. It was you. You were stupid (God forbid a woman get a wild idea). You got a flat tire somewhere in rural Tennessee where you knew absolutely no one. You walked a few miles to a local convenience store to ask for help. You were sure you looked like a mess. You were absolutely exhausted and you were probably sweaty and red faced.

“Can I help yuh, darlin’?” The cashier asked you in a calm soothing accent. 

“I uh I have a flat tire a few miles back…I need some help.”

“Well…Jack is great with cars, aren’t yuh, Jack?” The cashier gestured behind you.

You turned around to look at the man standing a few feet behind you. He was about 5’9” with unruly long dark reddish brown curls, a good dark beard, and hazel eyes.

Jack shrugged. “I’m okay.” He had a tiny hint of an accent, nothing like the cashier’s.

“Won’t you help a little lady out? Take her back in your truck and see?”

His eyes were on you now. It took him a few seconds to speak. And when he did, he spoke slowly and softly. “Sure, I can do that. I’ve got stuff in my truck.”

You knew getting into a vehicle alone with a man you didn’t know was not smart either but in such a remote area, you really had no choice. So you let him pay for his things and you followed him out to his truck.

“You new to the area?” He asked, just making casual and polite conversation as he unlocked his vehicle.

“It that obvious?”

“You’re shaking. You’re on edge. You’re nervous. Yes, it’s obvious.”

“Great…” you murmured. You would be driving out of town with someone who knew how nervous you were to be alone with him.

“I know you probably won’t believe me but I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m just gonna drive you back and get your tire changed. Up you go.” He helped hoist you up into his truck. You stiffened as he’d grasped your arm briefly to help you up. “There’s a gun in the glove box…just so you know.”

Why would he tell me that? You checked before he got in the driver’s seat. And there it was.

“For safety.” He assured you as he settled into the driver’s seat. “Not to harm you. I promise.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so. I’m tryin’ to make you believe me.”

“I’m a woman alone in an unfamiliar place in a truck with a strange man.”

“You’re just gonna have to trust me. I’m trying to…what do yuh need, huh? What would help you…relax?”

“Just let me breathe for a few seconds.”

“Of course. Take all the time you need. I’ll keep quiet and keep my hands on the wheel. I won’t make any sudden moves.”

You took several deep breaths. He kept his promise and stayed still and quiet with his hands on the steering wheel where you could see them. You tried to settle down, get your heart rate down.

“Could we try to find a classical music station, please?”

“Not much gets through out here but you’re certainly welcome to try.”

You flipped through the stations until Bach came through clear on one. You closed your eyes and continued to breathe deeply.

“Whenever you’re ready to head out, just let me know.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I know I can be intimidating. I’m really not trying to make you particularly nervous.”

“I’m getting that impression…”

“Good. That’s good.”

“You could still be lulling me into a false sense of security.”

“I don’t know how to convince you that I’m not gonna kill you.”

“I don’t know if you can convince me.”

“We seem to be at an impasse, then. Unless you just wanna get out of the truck and be stuck here.”

“I don’t want to be stuck here.”

“Should I drive you to your vehicle, then?”

“I-I guess, yeah. Fuck.”

“Hold the gun if it’ll make you feel safer.”

“I don’t know how to use one.”

“Safety’s on. Just play keep away.”

“I’m pretty sure you could get it away from me pretty easily.”

“I got a hammer in the back you could hold, smash my hands before I could use them to grab the gun from you.” He suggested.

“How would you drive, then?”

He shrugged. “With my feet. But you wouldn’t want me to be able to drive, would you?”

“You can do that?”

“We could find out. Or you could smash my toes too just to make sure I couldn’t drive you somewhere no one would find you.” He leant in toward you and looked very intensely into your eyes before his features softened and he backed off.

The tension left you a bit more as you laughed a little bit. He glanced at you and smiled slightly.

-

He sighed from his place on the ground next to your car. “Well you jacked up more than your tire.”

You gazed down upon him. “Shit, really?”

He nodded and stood up slowly. “Your car needs to be realigned. Several parts need to be replaced as well. I can hook it up to my truck and take it into the garage in town. But it’s gonna take a minute to fix it. It’s a miracle this hunk of junk held out on you for as long as it has.”

You sighed deeply. “Am I stuck here?”

He gave you a sympathetic look. “Looks like. We got one motel in town if you’d like to stay there. Plenty of vacant rooms there.”

You sighed deeply again. “Great. Strange place…all alone. Any idea how long it’s gonna take to fix?”

“Unfortunately, no, I don’t. But if you don’t wanna be in the motel… you could stay at my place. I have a spare bedroom.”

You gave him a once over. “The motel seems safer.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“But you are not gonna like that motel. Charlie, the guy who owns it? He’s a fucking creep. Steals women’s panties.”

You scoffed. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m being completely serious. He’s a creep. I’d avoid him if I were you.”

“Says the creep trying to coax me into his house where he lives alone in the fucking mountains.”

He put his hands up. “Feel free to take your chances with Charlie the Creep. I won’t stop you.” That was a lie. He absolutely would stop you from checking into that motel (even if he was embellishing a little bit when it came to Charlie, the man who managed it) by any further means necessary.

“Take me to the motel, please.”

“Alright… get back in the truck, then. I’ll hook your car up and take it to the garage.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled at you and it seemed genuine. “It’s no problem.”

You sat in the truck as he hooked your car up to it to take it to the garage in town. He was silent the whole drive to the garage to drop off the car.

“You’re still sure you wanna go to the motel? It’d be a lot more comfortable at my place.”

“I’m sure. Thank you.”

“Alright. We’ll go to the shitty ass motel.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s worse than you’re probably imagining.”

“Can I at least see for myself?”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He murmured.

“We’ll see.”

“We will.” He assured you.

“You’re really so sure?”

“I am, yeah.”

-

The motel was definitely not making you feel super safe. It was an older building and obviously not very well maintained. Charlie seemed to be about Jack’s age. His eyes also lingered on your breasts as you talked to him and explained that you’d need a room but you didn’t exactly know how long you’d be staying.

“Well let’s just hook you right up, sweetheart.” Charlie smiled and you didn’t know if he had intended for it to be reassuring or if he’d intended it to be unsettling. Either way, you were unsettled.

Charlie began to place a hand on your lower back but Jack immediately replaced it with his own. Charlie shot Jack a glance but continued on ahead to show you both to the room.

Jack leant in towards your ear. “See? I told you.”

“Shush.” You shushed him as you took his hand off your back.

Charlie unlocked a pretty scratched up door with a pretty worn looking key. He opened the creaky door once he’d unlocked it.

“Don’t worry. I cleaned in here recently.” He assured you.

You entered the room. And you wondered what century he’d meant by saying “recently”. There was definitely still dust on the surfaces. So much so, it made you sneeze. The sheets looked old, like they hadn’t been replaced in a while. The bed looked like it needed repairing. You wondered if the TV worked. And you definitely didn’t see mouse droppings near the mini fridge (that you dare not look inside).

“You know what? I think I’ll see alternative accommodations. But thank you.”

You exited the room. Jack made to go after you, but Charlie stopped him and tugged him closer. “What the fuck did you do? I literally just cleaned this room last week.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jack kept a straight face before exiting the room after you.

-

“Make yourself at home. I could make you some eggs or somethin’ like that if you’re hungry. Dunno when you last ate.”

It took you a few seconds to reply to him. “A while ago, actually.” Your stomach grumbled as if to confirm for you that your body indeed needed sustenance.

“Then I guess I should feed you.” He huffed but then he smiled at you to let you know you weren’t an annoyance.

You sat at his table waiting for him to serve you. You surveyed your surroundings. The mountain home seemed very rustic and basic but a simplistic beauty. There were a few renovation projects in progress that you could see and a few that seemed to be completed and a few that it seemed he hadn’t gotten started on yet.

“Has this been a labor of love for you?” You asked him from the table.

He looked back at you briefly from the kitchen. “What?” His voice sounded distant even if he wasn’t that far away from you. His mind seemed far away.

“Is this a labor of love for you, this house?”

You couldn’t see him shrug but he followed it up with words. “More like something that’s just gotta get done. This place was a dilapidated mess when I first got here. I couldn’t live like that. So I had to fix it up.”

“Are you doing it yourself?”

“I’m doing what I can by myself, which is most of it, thankfully.”

“Do you enjoy the work?”

“I enjoy the solitude.”

You did not speak for another few minutes. “I’m sorry if uh if my being here-”

“It doesn’t.” His voice came from behind you.

You jumped a bit as he’d appeared behind you. How long had he been there? You hadn’t heard his footsteps approaching you. “O-Oh um… alright, then.”

“I made sausage patties.” He set a plate down in front of you. “I hope you like that form. I can’t stand links.”

“Patties are fine.”

“Good. Lemme get a plate for myself, then I’ll eat with ya.”

“Alright.”

“Don’t feel like you have to wait for me to eat, though. You go ahead.”

Once he’d gotten his plate, he sat across from you. He didn’t eat, though. He just watched you eat.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“But you fixed yourself a plate.”

He frowned down at said plate. “It just seemed like the appropriate thing to do.”

“To make two plates?”

“I didn’t wanna just leave you here to eat alone. But it seemed weird for me to just be sitting here.”

“You are just sitting there, though.”

He frowned again. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I can leave you be if you’d rather.”

“No, it’s okay. I just thought it was odd. You made a plate for yourself even though you weren’t hungry and aren’t going to eat. That’s just gonna get cold.”

He stared down at the food like it personally offended him. “Yeah… I didn’t think about that.”

“You don’t have to eat with me. You can just sit. Or if you have work to do, you can go do that. I won’t be offended.”

“I wanna make sure you like the food. You should eat it before yours gets cold.”

“I could tell you later if I liked it.”

He did not respond to this. Instead, he ordered you to: “eat your food.”

“Suit yourself.” You shrugged as you began to eat.

-

You both stood in his spare bedroom.

“It’s not much but it’s a bed. There’s drawer and closet space. Bathroom’s down the hall. You can put whatever toiletries you need to in there. I just ask that you keep everything fairly tidy. I don’t do well with messes.”

“I can be neat.” You agreed.

He nodded. “I’d appreciate it.”

You smiled. “No problem.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you to get settled. I’ll be around if you need anything. Just give me a holler.”

“It’s… Jack, right?”

He took a second to nod and respond to you. “Yeah. Jack.”

“Well, I’ll give you a holler if I need you, Jack. Thank you.”

He nodded. “Good.” He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before he exited the room to give you some privacy.

You began to unpack the couple of suitcases you had and one duffel bag. You put everything like clothes away in the closet and drawers. You took your toiletries bag out of your duffel bag and meandered over to the bathroom down the hall. He didn't have much. He obviously lived a very simple life so there was plenty of room for your things.

-

“Jesus Christ.” You exclaimed as you’d turned around to just see him there in the bathroom doorway. “Can I help you?”

He just stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching you. “Dinner’s ready. I made steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.”

You nodded, though you were entirely dumbfounded. “Alright um some reason you couldn’t wait to tell me?”

He shrugged. “You said you were hungry earlier. I thought you’d like to know that food’s ready whenever you are.”

“Well I’m kinda taking a shower at the moment,” you stated the obvious, “so can I get a little privacy please?”

“I wasn’t gonna look at you.” He defended himself. He also made no move to leave the bathroom. And he was very clearly looking at your body now and not your face.

“Wasn’t going to? What happened?” You asked curiously.

He met your eyes. “I dunno…”

And then he was just… meandering right back out of the bathroom and down the hall like he hadn’t been in there watching you for God knows how long before you noticed him.

What the fuck? You thought to yourself after he’d retreated completely.

You finished showering and dried off. You went to change and could’ve sworn that you’d left your panties underneath your shirt in the pile you’d laid out but maybe you had left them on top of them.

Your dinner is already plated when you go into the dining room. He was standing behind your chair and then pulled it out for you.

“Thank you.” You told him softly before he went around the table to sit across from you.

“I don’t normally cook a whole lot for other people so I hope it’s to your liking.”

The steak was delicious, it was well cooked as were the potatoes and green beans. “It’s delicious.”

He nodded, satisfied. “Good.”

“You gonna eat this time?”

He nodded and slowly began to eat. You observed him as he ate slowly and meticulously.

-

“You look mighty lonely over there.” He observed as he lounged on the couch and you sat in a chair a little ways away. You were reading. He was watching an MMA fight on the big screen TV.

“Do I?” You didn’t look up at him.

“Mhm. The seat next to me is wide open.” He patted the seat next to him.

You hesitantly get up from your chair to join him on the couch a bit farther away than he’d indicated.

He chuckled. “You can get closer if you want, I’m not gonna bite you.” There was a glint of something in his eye that you couldn’t quite interpret.

If you wanted to, you could get closer. Do you dare, though?

“I’m good over here. Thank you, though.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I will, thank you.” You continued to read.

He continued to watch the TV but would glance at you every so often.

-

You awoke early one morning and couldn’t find Jack. He usually was up before you (you wondered if he ever slept actually) drinking coffee and making breakfast. But he wasn’t in the kitchen or the bathroom or his bedroom.

Then you spot him outside chopping wood. He didn’t seem to notice you yet. You watched as he swung the ax and as it split the wood. It was cold up here in the mountains so he was wearing a delicious flannel that didn’t do a very good job at hiding his biceps as he moved.

Suddenly, he turned his head and his gaze was on you. He’d caught you red handed and hot faced. You couldn’t avert your eyes from him quickly enough. He knew you’d been watching him and he knew you’d liked what you’d seen. He lifted his hand to beckon you outside but you stood stock still. You were frozen. You couldn’t move. You’d just been ogling this strange man you barely knew and he wanted you to go be nearer to him? No fucking way.

But he just kept staring at you. His eyes seemed to bore in your very soul. He motioned with his hand again, almost daring you not to comply. Your feet took you towards the sliding patio door. Your hand raised to push it open and your feet took you outside, your bare feet cool on the deck.

“You don’t have ta stay all alone in there, ya know. You can come out here in the sun and watch me. Would you like a Mai Tai?”

“How very Californian of you.”

Well… you could take the man out of the state…

“Or whatever cocktail you want… if you’re gonna enjoy yourself over there.”

“I-I wasn’t…”

“Oh? No? You weren’t staring out at me from in there?” The small amused smile on his face eased some of the anxiety inside of you.

“I didn’t mean to stare.”

“I’m not much to look at.”

“What makes you say that?”

He just shrugged. “I mean I uh I don’t really… perceive myself like that or at all really physically speaking.”

“Huh… must be nice.”

He cocked his head. “To not perceive myself physically?”

“Yeah. What do you see when you look in the mirror?”

“My body. I never feel any particular way about it. It just is what it is. It’s different for women, though, isn’t it?”

“It can be.”

“It that way for you?”

“Sometimes.” You admitted.

“C’mere.” He beckoned you forth again.

“Why?” You asked slowly.

“Just come over here. I’m gonna show you what your body can do. Come on.”

“Um… okay…” you slowly moved forward, your feet again moving without you really thinking about it.

Once you were within his reach, he guided you by your shoulders so you’re standing in front of the tree stump. He got you some protective glasses and some gloves. Once you were where he wanted you after you were all protected, he put the ax in your hands.

“Straighten your back.” One hand was planted on your lower back.

“I can’t swing an ax.” You protested. “I can’t chop wood.”

“Yes, you can.” He assured you softly. “I’ll guide you.”

His hands covered yours on the ax. His body was behind yours, his broad chest was against your back. You could feel his heat radiate through you, it sent a thrill through your own body.

“Relax but stand up straight.” He murmured in your ear. “Firm grip but not too tight.”

He lifted the ax above your heads and then swung down to hit the log, splitting it in one go.

“You did that, not me.” You pointed out.

He backed off of you and you mourned the loss of his body being so close to yours. “Okay, hot shot, so do it yourself.” He gestured to the stump.

He shook your head. “I’m not that strong. I’ll hurt myself.”

“I’m right here behind you, come on.” He replaced the log. “Take a swing at it.”

You positioned the ax over your head and took a swing, trying to aim well and you did hit the log but you didn’t split it.

“You hit it!”

“But I didn’t split it.”

“Hit it again and you will. Don’t expect to be able to split it in one go on the first try.”

“I don’t even want to be doing this.” You chuckled. “Why am I even doing this?”

He shrugged. “Because it’s fun. Don’t you wanna learn how to do something new?”

“I don’t exactly plan on sticking around here all that long, you know.”

He nodded. “I know but you could at least go back to your friends and tell them you know how to chop wood.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s super impressive.”

He shrugged and gestured to the stump. “You can’t even do it, so…”

You scoffed. “You’re an asshole, anyone ever tell you that?”

“I’m sure they have.”

“Well they’re right.” You confirmed.

“I’m only trying to teach you how to chop some damn wood.”

“But why?”

“You don’t wanna do it? Don’t.” He suddenly grew cold towards you. “Go back inside, then. Let me do the damn job.”

You gave him the ax. He took it from you without looking in your eyes. You took the gloves and eye glasses off slowly and meandered back inside where you sequestered yourself away in your room. He did not seek you out and just left good at your door. You avoided each other for several days.

One morning, you came down into the kitchen to find him making a very elaborate breakfast for just two people.

“Look, I’m sorry about the wood. I guess it just freaked me out a bit. I’m not looking to establish myself here. I’m just waiting for my car to get fixed up so I can get out of here.” You sighed. That sounded wrong. “Fuck, that came out wrong. Th-That’s not what I meant.”

He nodded. “I know it’s not. And I understand.”

“You do?”

“Why would you wanna stick around a strange man you don’t know?”

You shook your head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s logical you’d want to get back to your life as soon as possible. You don’t know me. You’re not obligated to get to know me.” He was plating food.

You put a hand on his bicep. “Don’t think I’m not grateful for what you’ve done for me.”

“I didn’t think that.” He assured you.

“Good. Are we… good, then?”

“I made pancakes from scratch. Tell me how they taste.” He told you as he held up a forkful of fluffy looking pancakes.

You couldn’t believe he was serious but evidently he absolutely was as he held the fork still, waiting for you to open your mouth. You do so hesitantly and he inserted the fork into your mouth. You slowly chewed until you swallowed. He watched you swallow.

He stood very close to you. “How is it?”

“It’s really good.” You told him softly.

“My mom taught me when I was younger.”

“Oh yeah? Were you close? Or um are you?”

He stiffened, averting his gaze from you. “We were close, I guess. She died from cancer some time ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He met your gaze again. “Don’t be.” He assured you. “I’ve made peace with it. Moved away, found peace and balance in my life for the first time. It’s quiet here.”

“If I’m disturbing your peace…”

He shook his head. “You’re not. You’re quiet, too. I could almost forget you’re even here.”

“Almost?”

His eyes met yours. “Almost.”

“Good to know I don’t bother you.”

“Few people don’t.”

“I’m honored.”

His mouth curved upward slightly. “You should be.”

“I-I am.”

-

“Fuck, look at you.” He mused as his hands rubbed your hips, the National Geographic channel playing on the TV. “So soft and pretty like this. You gonna let me have you?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Good girl. Getting stuck here wasn’t so bad, was it?”

You chuckled softly. “I guess not…”

His beard scratched your neck as his lips grazed it. “You guess not? Haven’t I taken good care of you while you’ve been stuck here? Haven’t I been fixing up your vehicle? Haven’t I fed you? Kept you warm at night in a bed in a room that’s yours alone with a roof over your head?”

“You have, yes.” Your breathing hitched as his teeth nipped at the skin of your neck.

“I’ve been so good to you, haven’t I? I’ve made you feel welcome and safe here.”

“Yes… you have.”

“I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

“I-I don’t…”

“Tell me you don’t want me as much as I want you. Go ahead and tell me. Go ahead and move away from me right now.” It was a challenge.

You knew you wouldn’t tell him you didn’t want him. You knew you wouldn’t move away from him. And you knew you wouldn’t tell him to stop.

Your silence just caused him to smile, it confirmed what he already knew as well. “That’s what I thought. You want me. Say it. Tell me you want me. Wanna hear you say it.”

“I-I want you, Jack.”

He clenched his jaw. “Andrew.” He corrected you without any immediate explanation. He didn’t continue so you figured he wasn’t going to provide one.

“Is that your first name? Middle name?” You asked anyway because who the fuck was Andrew?

“It’s my real first name.” He responded softly. “You can’t tell anyone, though.”

“Why not?” You knew better than to ask that but curiosity had gotten the better of you over logic.

“I just don’t want anyone else knowing it. But when you cum, I want my real name on your lips.”

You nodded, agreeing because there was little else you figured you could do. “I promise I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Swear to me.”

“I swear I won’t.”

“Gonna be playing house with me for a lot longer if you break that promise.”

A soft chuckle forced its way out of your throat. “Is that what we’re doing?”

“That’s what it feels like to me.”

“I didn’t mean to…” intrude upon your privacy here… and whatever the hell else you’re doing out here.

It was like he’d read your mind. “I know you didn’t. It just sorta happened.”

“You welcomed me into your home.”

“And I definitely don’t regret doing that.”

“You don’t regret letting a complete stranger share your home?”

“Not when it was you, no.”

“What is so special about me?”

“You smell nice.”

“I… excuse me?”

“I like how you smell.” He explained simply. “Your soap and shampoo.”

“You’ve been smelling me this whole time?”

“You settle something inside of me that hasn’t felt settled in my whole life.”

You scoffed lightly. “I’ve only been here a couple of weeks.”

“Two and a half weeks.”

“Is being that specific that important?”

“Not really. I’ve just never warmed up to people all that quickly. You were never unsettling to me.”

“Do people usually unsettle you?”

He shook his head. “Normally, it’s the other way around. But I… I find that I don’t like unknown elements in my life. I like structure and order. But you didn’t bring chaos, you brought… peace and serenity.”

“That’s unusual for you?”

He nodded. He had this far away look in his eyes and you just knew that someone had made it so this man never knew peace or safety or comfort.

“I’m very sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just stay here.”

“In your lap?”

He smiled slightly. That’s not what he meant. “Sure, in my lap.”

A smile graced your own face. “That’s not what you meant?”

“I didn’t mean anything.”

“I’ll stay…”

“Yeah.” His fierce gaze met yours. “You will.” It was like it was always an inevitability that he knew. You were never going to leave this place.

The realization slowly settled inside of you as you held his gaze. “You were never going to fix my car, were you?” You asked slowly, carefully.

He doesn’t outright say that he wasn’t. “I’d find some excuse… then it’d just have been one after another.” But he all but plainly admitted: “I always planned to keep you stuck here”.

“Should I be scared?”

“Probably.” He was unnervingly calm about subtly abducting you. “Are you?”

“A little.” You had no idea why you were scared shitless. But you were still in his lap.

“A little fear is good. Can’t survive without fear.”

“Fear and survival instinct never should’ve let me be alone with you.” You pointed out.

“Maybe you knew I’d never hurt you.”

“You haven’t yet.” You conceded. Even if he’d planned on lying to you to keep you here longer.

“And I never will. I’d never hurt you.”

You kept his gaze still. “I believe you.” You said softly.

“Good. Can I… take your shirt off now?”

“I uh I guess, yeah?”

His neutral, calm expression morphed into a small smile again. “You’re not sure about that?”

“I guess not.” You murmured.

“Why not?”

“I’ve never been in a guy’s lap before like this.” You admitted.

“No guy’s ever wanted to see you without your shirt on?”

You shrugged. “No one’s ever asked.”

“Well I’m asking.”

“And I guess I’m granting my permission.”

“I’m gonna need more than your guess.” He murmured lowly.

“Take my shirt off.”

“Gladly.” He promptly lifted your shirt over your head. He set it beside the two of you.

He just stared at your bra covered breasts.

“Something wrong?”

“Can I take your bra off too?”

“Uh sure.”

He gave you a look.

You sighed. “Take my bra off.”

He promptly lifted the bra over your head and set that aside as well. And he just stared again, now at your bare breasts.

“You have nice breasts.”

“They’re nice?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What else am I supposed to say about them? I like them.”

You chuckled softly. “Well that’s good to know.”

“I wanna see all of you.”

“Okay.” You agreed.

He laid you down on the couch and unbuttoned your jeans. He worked them down your legs and past your feet.

“Cute.” He mused as he looked at your simple but practical and comfortable cotton underwear that matched the practical and comfortable sports bra he’d just taken off of you. It wasn’t sexy at all but he was looking at you like you’d been in fancy lingerie.

“Is not.” You huffed.

“You don’t need fancy shit to impress me.”

“I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.”

He caressed your hip. “Why wouldn’t it?”

“I dunno. I guess you just don’t seem like a fancy kinda guy to me.”

“Well you’re right. I’m not.”

“Lucky me.”

He tilted his head. “Why would that make you lucky?”

“Because I don’t have to worry about what I look like.”

He deeply furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would you ever have to do that?”

“I dunno… I guess some guys might want their girlfriends to look a certain way.”

“Well I don’t give a shit.”

“Clearly.”

“And that’s… good, right?” He asked like he wasn’t too sure.

“Better than having a controlling boyfriend.”

“I’m not your boyfriend.” He stated simply.

“Do you want to be?”

“Would you want me to be?” He asked carefully.

You scoffed. “I barely know you.” You reminded the both of you.

“Yet you’re still here.” He reminded the both of you of that as well.

“Would you let me leave?”

“Maybe.” He didn’t seem so sure either way. “Would you struggle?”

“Would you like that?”

“I would want you to not want to leave.”

“I don’t want to leave.” You affirmed.

“So would you want me to be your boyfriend? If you chose to stay here with me?”

“You really do want me to stay, don’t you?”

“I’d really like you to, yeah. Like I said: you settle something inside of me.”

“I have a life to get back to. I’m just on a road trip, remember?”

“Yeah… I know. You could stay for a little while at least, couldn’t you?”

“I could, yeah.” You agreed softly.

“So stay. Please.” He requested softly.

“You would really need to fix my car up, though.”

He smiled slightly. “I can do that.”

“Do you wanna take my panties off now?”

“Only if that’s what you want.”

“It is, yeah.”

He nodded. “Alright, then.” He tugged those off your legs. He looked right at your pubic hair. He was usually silent, you’d observed but he’d quit moving completely.

“What?” You asked, panic rising in you.

“You don’t shave or wax?”

“N-No.”

“I meant it when I said I didn’t give a shit about any certain aesthetic.”

“That extends to body hair?”

“You showered earlier today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I assume you clean yourself well.”

“I guess I do, yeah.”

“So you’re clean. I don’t have any problem as long as-”

“You keep everything clean and tidy.” You finished with him.

“Yes, I know. And I do.” You continued.

“Soap and water?”

“Soap and water.” You confirmed.

“Good.”

He parted your thighs, caressing the soft skin there. It seemed soothing to him as he just kept rubbing back and forth with his hands.

“You okay?”

“Hmm? Yeah. I just… you feel really soft.”

“That lotion you got me really helps with that.”

He smiled slightly. “I’m glad you’re using it. It’s really working.” He leant in and smelled your inner thighs before kissing them. “Keep using it.”

You chuckled softly. “I’d planned on it.”

“Good. Do that f’me, yeah?”

You nodded, agreeing. “I will.”

He spread you open more for him (putting one of your feet on the ground and the other over the back of the couch) and used one hand to open up your vulva to him.

“Pretty.” He murmured before he pressed a kiss to your clit. “Knew you’d feel, smell, and taste good.”

“Oh, yeah?” You chuckled softly. “You knew that?”

He pressed another kiss to your clit. “Yeah.”

“Been thinking about it?”

“Since I first saw you, didn’t quite know what to make of you.” He licked up your slit.

“And now?”

“I quite like you actually.” He pressed yet another kiss to your clit.

You smiled. “Well I like you too, Andrew.”

“Could take real good care of you.” He mused.

“Are you talking about long term?” You asked warily.

“As long as you’d let me take care of you.”

“Well, you already have been.” You admitted.

“Couple more months won’t be any problem, then.” He wrapped his lips around your clit and suckled a bit.

“I s-suppose not.”

He stopped suckling to speak. “A couple more months of you here in my space might be enough to heal me.”

“You’re really so optimistic about that?”

He looked up at you. “Yeah, I am.”

“Don’t set me up so high, yeah?” You warned him.

“You’re already helping me even if you don’t realize it.”

“I’m not even doing anything.”

“You don’t have to be doing anything. That’s the thing. You just… exist and this darkness inside of me subsides.”

“Well I’m happy to help.”

“Mhm… let me repay you.”

He focused on making you feel good. He worked his tongue over your sensitive area. He was really interested in what noises you’d make as he stimulated you. He lapped at your clit and then wrapped his lips around it and sucked.

Splayed out on his couch for him was exactly where you wanted to be and he wasn’t exactly kicking you out. He didn’t want you to be scared of him. He wanted you to be relaxed. He wanted you to enjoy yourself with him.

“Is this good? Am I doing alright?” He pulled away to ask, to check in.

“Haven’t you done this before?” You inquired.

“It’s been a couple of years. Besides, I don’t know what you like or need.”

“I’d say you were doing just fine, then. Well more than fine, actually…”

“If you wanted to show me what you liked so I could see, that would be great.”

“You wanna watch me touch myself?”

“I wanna know what makes you feel good.”

“Well you were doing a good job with the clitoral stimulation.” You told him. “I like two fingers on it like this.” You demonstrated for him.

You had his full attention, his gaze set on your fingers between your legs. You rubbed slowly up and down.

“That’s about what you were doing with your tongue.”

“How much pressure are you applying?” He was acting like an inquisitive scientist and less like a lover but his interest and intensity was cute.

“Light at first, then a bit harder when it starts to feel good.”

“How much time do you typically need?”

“It depends. Could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour.”

“Are you ovulating right now?”

A scoff escaped you. “Excuse me?”

“Wouldn’t that help?”

“With lubrication and stimulation, yeah. Not that I’ve ever kept real good track of what helped and when that was.”

“That’s okay. We can just ease into it as we go.”

“You’re being quite collaborative.” You observed.

“Bad collaboration leads to bad sex.” He stated simply. “Or… it should…”

“You’re right.” You agreed. “If the guy doesn’t care about the lady… fine for him but not so much for the lady.”

“Do you believe you deserve care and love? Because if you don’t, you should.” His gaze met yours.

“I do believe that. A lot of guys don’t, I guess.”

“I believe that you do too.” He affirmed.

“You’re better than a lot of men, then.”

He stiffened. “Am I?”

You sat up straighter. “You don’t believe you are?”

“I dunno… I’ve… I’ve done some bad things…”

“Do I want to ask?”

“You can ask...”

“How bad?” You asked.

He swallowed thickly. “I… hurt someone I loved.”

“Hurt… how?”

“I didn’t wanna hurt her.”

“So why did you?”

“I-I felt like… I had to…”

“Why did you feel like you had to hurt her?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

You reached out to touch his bicep and he let you. “Try me.”

“I thought she was gonna hurt my family.”

“So you…”

“I hurt her first. I went to her house.”

“Hurt her how, Andrew?”

“I put a pillow over her face. A-And I held it there until she quit breathing.”

“You… killed her?” You asked softly.

He nodded, expression grim and remorseful. “Yeah… I did.”

“Was she gonna hurt your family?”

He shook his head slightly. “I dunno… maybe… but you can’t understand… my mother… s-she made me do it. I didn’t want to, but she didn’t give me a choice. I know this doesn’t make any sense.”

“It’s just a story.”

He looked at you, more focused now like he’d been taken back to that night, his expression conveyed his perplexity. “What?”

“Or a dream.”

“It’s not-”

“I know that.” You confirmed immediately. “And you know that. But we could pretend, couldn’t we?”

He nodded a bit, liking where you were going with this. “Pretend…” he repeated, “pretend it didn’t happen…”

“Or that it happened to someone else.”

“I always wondered what a normal life might feel like.”

“So make that for yourself.” You encouraged him.

“I’m trying. I ran away.”

“Got a new name.”

“New life.”

“Lonely life.”

He looked at you again and smiled. “Not so lonely now.”

“Not so dark now.”

“Exactly. You’re like a shining beacon in a storm. I’ve been whipped around my whole life. You’re my port. My lighthouse.”

You smiled softly. “That’s very romantic, Andrew.”

“I’m alone out here. I have a lot of time to read.”

“You read more than those National Geographic mags?” You looked over at the stack on his coffee table.

He smiled slightly. “Yes. I do. There’s a few full book cases here in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I noticed.”

“Good. I-It’s good that you noticed. I like that you… notice things like that about me. Not too many people… care like that.”

“Well I haven’t known you long but I can’t deny this connection I feel between us.”

“Well whatever is going on between the two of us… I like it.”

You interlaced your fingers with his and smiled at him. “I do too.”

He smiled back at you. “Promise me again that you’ll stay… because you want to…”

“I will. I promise.”

“Good. Now show me how to make you cum.”

You laughed deeply and genuinely. “I’d be happy to, Andrew.”

[multifandomlover01]

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[multifandomlover01]

Jack Abbot x reader - Baby Jane Doe emergency foster care parents blurb (dunno how I feel about this lol it’s all I’ve got right now but at least it’s cute?)

~700 words

“Well would you look at this.” Lena smiled as you approached The Hub with baby Jane Doe strapped to your chest. You were coming in for your shift. Jack was supposed to take Jane back home again. It wasn’t ideal but you weren’t allowed to hire a nanny. You’d think that would not qualify you as good foster parents but with your shifts, your ability to trade off almost exactly was actually pretty good. At least one foster parent was able to be with the baby at any given time. Gloria had agreed to be pretty hard on the fact that you worked days and Jack worked nights. It was necessary for the situation. It would be respected. A neighbor could watch Jane temporarily from time to time but being the foster parents, you and Jack were supposed to be the most responsible for the baby.

You smiled back. “You seen Jack? Need to switch places.”

“He should be finishing up handoff, hon.” Lena told you.

You nodded. “Alright. Thanks. Need to hand her off to him, then.”

“You look like quite the momma.” Lena remarked.

“Right.” You smiled faintly. “Thanks.”

“Jack, did you put a car seat in your car?” You asked as he approached The Hub, smiling as he saw you two.

“No, I thought I’d just put her in my lap while I drove. I think she’d like the bouncing, it might keep her happy.” He said with a dead serious expression.

You gave him a look.

“Wasn’t it just a couple of days ago that you were saying my charm didn’t wear off?”

“That was before you turned into a dad and are now thoroughly unamusing.” But you couldn’t hide your smile.

He smiled and bumped you slightly. “Must be why you’re smiling.”

You shook your head. “Just take the baby.”

He gave you a curt nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

You carefully took the chest strap off and Jack took Jane in his hands. You then helped Jack put it on. After you did that, you helped him put his backpack on.

“Well would you look at this very happy family?” Dana beamed as she entered the ED. “Look at what 36 hours with you two does for a gal. She’s lookin’ even better.”

“You think?” You asked, slightly hopeful.

“Oh, absolutely.” She assured you.

You smiled at Dana. Jack moved to leave and something dawned on you.

“Oh, hey.” You stopped him. “She might fall back asleep on the drive home, then be fussing when you move her into the house. I only say this because she was sleeping soundly before I had to move her so she was fussy when I woke her. But then she settled down and fell right back asleep on the ride over here. But she should settle back down again after she’s back in her crib.”

Your rambling didn’t phase him at all. He loved information and he’d need all the intel he could get on the little one. He nodded curtly in gratitude. “Thanks for the tip, mom.”

The craziness of what you’d just uttered hit you. “God, what has happened to us?”

“You’re parents now.” Dana told you, smiling.

“Emergency foster care parents.” You corrected.

“Still counts.”

“… yeah…”

She put a hand on your shoulder. “Hey. You’re gonna do great.”

You smiled at her. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, hon.”

“Say goodbye mamma.” Jack made Jane wave to you and she smiled at you.

You smiled and waved back. “Buh-bye, baby. See you tonight.”

Jack disappeared through the waiting room doors as you watched him leave.

“You two make a cute couple and great parents.” Lena remarked.

“We won’t have her for long. She’ll go to some other family soon.”

“Have you applied to be longer term foster parents or to adopt her even?” Dana asked.

“We’re… talking about it.”

“That’s great.”

“We just don’t know if… after… you know…”

“I know, sweetheart. It’s a big decision.”

“He stopped taking on SWAT shifts, though, so that’s good. It’s a step in the right direction, at least.”

“It sure is.”

[multifandomlover01]

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[sammy-bryant]

[multifandomlover01]

Solitude Turned Solace

Mountain Man!Pope Cody x fem!reader

Summary: reader's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and ends up in the mountains with a very strange man

WC: ~7.3k

Warnings: 18+ MDNI - creepy manipulative panty stealing Pope, strange man in a strange place, woman all alone in a strange place with a strange man, woman stays with said creepy man all alone, body hair, mention of murder, oral sex, masturbation

-

The California home held too many memories. It hurt him too much to be there now. Too many memories of Catherine… Baz… Smurf. He needed to get out of that house, out of the state for his own sake, for the sake of his mental health. He chose the furthest place he could think of that would hold no memories of his trauma: the Appalachian mountains. He took all the money he could get his hands on and launder before booking it out of the state and heading east… way east.

He’d found a very old home there in the mountains that someone had built generations ago and generations had lived in it until the old lady living there passed and she had no living relatives to take care of the place. He’d gotten it pretty cheap because it was old and whoever had the title now didn’t want the burden of it. He’d given a pretty low offer (not expecting to actually pay that) and they’d accepted it. He could fix it up, he was sure. Even if it was the most dilapidated structure he’d ever seen (and that was saying something).

But at least he’d be at peace here. There was a town some miles from the house. Hardly anyone bothered him up here. He’d made sure to be pretty aloof when interacting with anyone he did come across. He wanted peace out here and he was going to get it.

He’d let his curls grow out and he’d grown out his beard. There was no one to front for or impress here so he could just let himself be. For once. No one was telling him how to act or what to do. He puttered around the place, fixing up whatever he could.

He’d taken enough money to sustain himself for sometime. When the time came, he could travel to a job or actually get an honest one in town. A mechanic garage was always advertising that they needed help. Maybe he’d actually enjoy honestly earning some money at some point.

-

Whoever thought trying to drive your way from the middle of the country to one end of it alone was “fun” was stupid. You. It was you. You were stupid (God forbid a woman get a wild idea). You got a flat tire somewhere in rural Tennessee where you knew absolutely no one. You walked a few miles to a local convenience store to ask for help. You were sure you looked like a mess. You were absolutely exhausted and you were probably sweaty and red faced.

“Can I help yuh, darlin’?” The cashier asked you in a calm soothing accent. 

“I uh I have a flat tire a few miles back…I need some help.”

“Well…Jack is great with cars, aren’t yuh, Jack?” The cashier gestured behind you.

You turned around to look at the man standing a few feet behind you. He was about 5’9” with unruly long dark reddish brown curls, a good dark beard, and hazel eyes.

Jack shrugged. “I’m okay.” He had a tiny hint of an accent, nothing like the cashier’s.

“Won’t you help a little lady out? Take her back in your truck and see?”

His eyes were on you now. It took him a few seconds to speak. And when he did, he spoke slowly and softly. “Sure, I can do that. I’ve got stuff in my truck.”

You knew getting into a vehicle alone with a man you didn’t know was not smart either but in such a remote area, you really had no choice. So you let him pay for his things and you followed him out to his truck.

“You new to the area?” He asked, just making casual and polite conversation as he unlocked his vehicle.

“It that obvious?”

“You’re shaking. You’re on edge. You’re nervous. Yes, it’s obvious.”

“Great…” you murmured. You would be driving out of town with someone who knew how nervous you were to be alone with him.

“I know you probably won’t believe me but I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m just gonna drive you back and get your tire changed. Up you go.” He helped hoist you up into his truck. You stiffened as he’d grasped your arm briefly to help you up. “There’s a gun in the glove box…just so you know.”

Why would he tell me that? You checked before he got in the driver’s seat. And there it was.

“For safety.” He assured you as he settled into the driver’s seat. “Not to harm you. I promise.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so. I’m tryin’ to make you believe me.”

“I’m a woman alone in an unfamiliar place in a truck with a strange man.”

“You’re just gonna have to trust me. I’m trying to…what do yuh need, huh? What would help you…relax?”

“Just let me breathe for a few seconds.”

“Of course. Take all the time you need. I’ll keep quiet and keep my hands on the wheel. I won’t make any sudden moves.”

You took several deep breaths. He kept his promise and stayed still and quiet with his hands on the steering wheel where you could see them. You tried to settle down, get your heart rate down.

“Could we try to find a classical music station, please?”

“Not much gets through out here but you’re certainly welcome to try.”

You flipped through the stations until Bach came through clear on one. You closed your eyes and continued to breathe deeply.

“Whenever you’re ready to head out, just let me know.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I know I can be intimidating. I’m really not trying to make you particularly nervous.”

“I’m getting that impression…”

“Good. That’s good.”

“You could still be lulling me into a false sense of security.”

“I don’t know how to convince you that I’m not gonna kill you.”

“I don’t know if you can convince me.”

“We seem to be at an impasse, then. Unless you just wanna get out of the truck and be stuck here.”

“I don’t want to be stuck here.”

“Should I drive you to your vehicle, then?”

“I-I guess, yeah. Fuck.”

“Hold the gun if it’ll make you feel safer.”

“I don’t know how to use one.”

“Safety’s on. Just play keep away.”

“I’m pretty sure you could get it away from me pretty easily.”

“I got a hammer in the back you could hold, smash my hands before I could use them to grab the gun from you.” He suggested.

“How would you drive, then?”

He shrugged. “With my feet. But you wouldn’t want me to be able to drive, would you?”

“You can do that?”

“We could find out. Or you could smash my toes too just to make sure I couldn’t drive you somewhere no one would find you.” He leant in toward you and looked very intensely into your eyes before his features softened and he backed off.

The tension left you a bit more as you laughed a little bit. He glanced at you and smiled slightly.

-

He sighed from his place on the ground next to your car. “Well you jacked up more than your tire.”

You gazed down upon him. “Shit, really?”

He nodded and stood up slowly. “Your car needs to be realigned. Several parts need to be replaced as well. I can hook it up to my truck and take it into the garage in town. But it’s gonna take a minute to fix it. It’s a miracle this hunk of junk held out on you for as long as it has.”

You sighed deeply. “Am I stuck here?”

He gave you a sympathetic look. “Looks like. We got one motel in town if you’d like to stay there. Plenty of vacant rooms there.”

You sighed deeply again. “Great. Strange place…all alone. Any idea how long it’s gonna take to fix?”

“Unfortunately, no, I don’t. But if you don’t wanna be in the motel… you could stay at my place. I have a spare bedroom.”

You gave him a once over. “The motel seems safer.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“But you are not gonna like that motel. Charlie, the guy who owns it? He’s a fucking creep. Steals women’s panties.”

You scoffed. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m being completely serious. He’s a creep. I’d avoid him if I were you.”

“Says the creep trying to coax me into his house where he lives alone in the fucking mountains.”

He put his hands up. “Feel free to take your chances with Charlie the Creep. I won’t stop you.” That was a lie. He absolutely would stop you from checking into that motel (even if he was embellishing a little bit when it came to Charlie, the man who managed it) by any further means necessary.

“Take me to the motel, please.”

“Alright… get back in the truck, then. I’ll hook your car up and take it to the garage.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled at you and it seemed genuine. “It’s no problem.”

You sat in the truck as he hooked your car up to it to take it to the garage in town. He was silent the whole drive to the garage to drop off the car.

“You’re still sure you wanna go to the motel? It’d be a lot more comfortable at my place.”

“I’m sure. Thank you.”

“Alright. We’ll go to the shitty ass motel.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s worse than you’re probably imagining.”

“Can I at least see for myself?”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He murmured.

“We’ll see.”

“We will.” He assured you.

“You’re really so sure?”

“I am, yeah.”

-

The motel was definitely not making you feel super safe. It was an older building and obviously not very well maintained. Charlie seemed to be about Jack’s age. His eyes also lingered on your breasts as you talked to him and explained that you’d need a room but you didn’t exactly know how long you’d be staying.

“Well let’s just hook you right up, sweetheart.” Charlie smiled and you didn’t know if he had intended for it to be reassuring or if he’d intended it to be unsettling. Either way, you were unsettled.

Charlie began to place a hand on your lower back but Jack immediately replaced it with his own. Charlie shot Jack a glance but continued on ahead to show you both to the room.

Jack leant in towards your ear. “See? I told you.”

“Shush.” You shushed him as you took his hand off your back.

Charlie unlocked a pretty scratched up door with a pretty worn looking key. He opened the creaky door once he’d unlocked it.

“Don’t worry. I cleaned in here recently.” He assured you.

You entered the room. And you wondered what century he’d meant by saying “recently”. There was definitely still dust on the surfaces. So much so, it made you sneeze. The sheets looked old, like they hadn’t been replaced in a while. The bed looked like it needed repairing. You wondered if the TV worked. And you definitely didn’t see mouse droppings near the mini fridge (that you dare not look inside).

“You know what? I think I’ll see alternative accommodations. But thank you.”

You exited the room. Jack made to go after you, but Charlie stopped him and tugged him closer. “What the fuck did you do? I literally just cleaned this room last week.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jack kept a straight face before exiting the room after you.

-

“Make yourself at home. I could make you some eggs or somethin’ like that if you’re hungry. Dunno when you last ate.”

It took you a few seconds to reply to him. “A while ago, actually.” Your stomach grumbled as if to confirm for you that your body indeed needed sustenance.

“Then I guess I should feed you.” He huffed but then he smiled at you to let you know you weren’t an annoyance.

You sat at his table waiting for him to serve you. You surveyed your surroundings. The mountain home seemed very rustic and basic but a simplistic beauty. There were a few renovation projects in progress that you could see and a few that seemed to be completed and a few that it seemed he hadn’t gotten started on yet.

“Has this been a labor of love for you?” You asked him from the table.

He looked back at you briefly from the kitchen. “What?” His voice sounded distant even if he wasn’t that far away from you. His mind seemed far away.

“Is this a labor of love for you, this house?”

You couldn’t see him shrug but he followed it up with words. “More like something that’s just gotta get done. This place was a dilapidated mess when I first got here. I couldn’t live like that. So I had to fix it up.”

“Are you doing it yourself?”

“I’m doing what I can by myself, which is most of it, thankfully.”

“Do you enjoy the work?”

“I enjoy the solitude.”

You did not speak for another few minutes. “I’m sorry if uh if my being here-”

“It doesn’t.” His voice came from behind you.

You jumped a bit as he’d appeared behind you. How long had he been there? You hadn’t heard his footsteps approaching you. “O-Oh um… alright, then.”

“I made sausage patties.” He set a plate down in front of you. “I hope you like that form. I can’t stand links.”

“Patties are fine.”

“Good. Lemme get a plate for myself, then I’ll eat with ya.”

“Alright.”

“Don’t feel like you have to wait for me to eat, though. You go ahead.”

Once he’d gotten his plate, he sat across from you. He didn’t eat, though. He just watched you eat.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“But you fixed yourself a plate.”

He frowned down at said plate. “It just seemed like the appropriate thing to do.”

“To make two plates?”

“I didn’t wanna just leave you here to eat alone. But it seemed weird for me to just be sitting here.”

“You are just sitting there, though.”

He frowned again. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I can leave you be if you’d rather.”

“No, it’s okay. I just thought it was odd. You made a plate for yourself even though you weren’t hungry and aren’t going to eat. That’s just gonna get cold.”

He stared down at the food like it personally offended him. “Yeah… I didn’t think about that.”

“You don’t have to eat with me. You can just sit. Or if you have work to do, you can go do that. I won’t be offended.”

“I wanna make sure you like the food. You should eat it before yours gets cold.”

“I could tell you later if I liked it.”

He did not respond to this. Instead, he ordered you to: “eat your food.”

“Suit yourself.” You shrugged as you began to eat.

-

You both stood in his spare bedroom.

“It’s not much but it’s a bed. There’s drawer and closet space. Bathroom’s down the hall. You can put whatever toiletries you need to in there. I just ask that you keep everything fairly tidy. I don’t do well with messes.”

“I can be neat.” You agreed.

He nodded. “I’d appreciate it.”

You smiled. “No problem.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you to get settled. I’ll be around if you need anything. Just give me a holler.”

“It’s… Jack, right?”

He took a second to nod and respond to you. “Yeah. Jack.”

“Well, I’ll give you a holler if I need you, Jack. Thank you.”

He nodded. “Good.” He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before he exited the room to give you some privacy.

You began to unpack the couple of suitcases you had and one duffel bag. You put everything like clothes away in the closet and drawers. You took your toiletries bag out of your duffel bag and meandered over to the bathroom down the hall. He didn't have much. He obviously lived a very simple life so there was plenty of room for your things.

-

“Jesus Christ.” You exclaimed as you’d turned around to just see him there in the bathroom doorway. “Can I help you?”

He just stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching you. “Dinner’s ready. I made steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.”

You nodded, though you were entirely dumbfounded. “Alright um some reason you couldn’t wait to tell me?”

He shrugged. “You said you were hungry earlier. I thought you’d like to know that food’s ready whenever you are.”

“Well I’m kinda taking a shower at the moment,” you stated the obvious, “so can I get a little privacy please?”

“I wasn’t gonna look at you.” He defended himself. He also made no move to leave the bathroom. And he was very clearly looking at your body now and not your face.

“Wasn’t going to? What happened?” You asked curiously.

He met your eyes. “I dunno…”

And then he was just… meandering right back out of the bathroom and down the hall like he hadn’t been in there watching you for God knows how long before you noticed him.

What the fuck? You thought to yourself after he’d retreated completely.

You finished showering and dried off. You went to change and could’ve sworn that you’d left your panties underneath your shirt in the pile you’d laid out but maybe you had left them on top of them.

Your dinner is already plated when you go into the dining room. He was standing behind your chair and then pulled it out for you.

“Thank you.” You told him softly before he went around the table to sit across from you.

“I don’t normally cook a whole lot for other people so I hope it’s to your liking.”

The steak was delicious, it was well cooked as were the potatoes and green beans. “It’s delicious.”

He nodded, satisfied. “Good.”

“You gonna eat this time?”

He nodded and slowly began to eat. You observed him as he ate slowly and meticulously.

-

“You look mighty lonely over there.” He observed as he lounged on the couch and you sat in a chair a little ways away. You were reading. He was watching an MMA fight on the big screen TV.

“Do I?” You didn’t look up at him.

“Mhm. The seat next to me is wide open.” He patted the seat next to him.

You hesitantly get up from your chair to join him on the couch a bit farther away than he’d indicated.

He chuckled. “You can get closer if you want, I’m not gonna bite you.” There was a glint of something in his eye that you couldn’t quite interpret.

If you wanted to, you could get closer. Do you dare, though?

“I’m good over here. Thank you, though.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I will, thank you.” You continued to read.

He continued to watch the TV but would glance at you every so often.

-

You awoke early one morning and couldn’t find Jack. He usually was up before you (you wondered if he ever slept actually) drinking coffee and making breakfast. But he wasn’t in the kitchen or the bathroom or his bedroom.

Then you spot him outside chopping wood. He didn’t seem to notice you yet. You watched as he swung the ax and as it split the wood. It was cold up here in the mountains so he was wearing a delicious flannel that didn’t do a very good job at hiding his biceps as he moved.

Suddenly, he turned his head and his gaze was on you. He’d caught you red handed and hot faced. You couldn’t avert your eyes from him quickly enough. He knew you’d been watching him and he knew you’d liked what you’d seen. He lifted his hand to beckon you outside but you stood stock still. You were frozen. You couldn’t move. You’d just been ogling this strange man you barely knew and he wanted you to go be nearer to him? No fucking way.

But he just kept staring at you. His eyes seemed to bore in your very soul. He motioned with his hand again, almost daring you not to comply. Your feet took you towards the sliding patio door. Your hand raised to push it open and your feet took you outside, your bare feet cool on the deck.

“You don’t have ta stay all alone in there, ya know. You can come out here in the sun and watch me. Would you like a Mai Tai?”

“How very Californian of you.”

Well… you could take the man out of the state…

“Or whatever cocktail you want… if you’re gonna enjoy yourself over there.”

“I-I wasn’t…”

“Oh? No? You weren’t staring out at me from in there?” The small amused smile on his face eased some of the anxiety inside of you.

“I didn’t mean to stare.”

“I’m not much to look at.”

“What makes you say that?”

He just shrugged. “I mean I uh I don’t really… perceive myself like that or at all really physically speaking.”

“Huh… must be nice.”

He cocked his head. “To not perceive myself physically?”

“Yeah. What do you see when you look in the mirror?”

“My body. I never feel any particular way about it. It just is what it is. It’s different for women, though, isn’t it?”

“It can be.”

“It that way for you?”

“Sometimes.” You admitted.

“C’mere.” He beckoned you forth again.

“Why?” You asked slowly.

“Just come over here. I’m gonna show you what your body can do. Come on.”

“Um… okay…” you slowly moved forward, your feet again moving without you really thinking about it.

Once you were within his reach, he guided you by your shoulders so you’re standing in front of the tree stump. He got you some protective glasses and some gloves. Once you were where he wanted you after you were all protected, he put the ax in your hands.

“Straighten your back.” One hand was planted on your lower back.

“I can’t swing an ax.” You protested. “I can’t chop wood.”

“Yes, you can.” He assured you softly. “I’ll guide you.”

His hands covered yours on the ax. His body was behind yours, his broad chest was against your back. You could feel his heat radiate through you, it sent a thrill through your own body.

“Relax but stand up straight.” He murmured in your ear. “Firm grip but not too tight.”

He lifted the ax above your heads and then swung down to hit the log, splitting it in one go.

“You did that, not me.” You pointed out.

He backed off of you and you mourned the loss of his body being so close to yours. “Okay, hot shot, so do it yourself.” He gestured to the stump.

He shook your head. “I’m not that strong. I’ll hurt myself.”

“I’m right here behind you, come on.” He replaced the log. “Take a swing at it.”

You positioned the ax over your head and took a swing, trying to aim well and you did hit the log but you didn’t split it.

“You hit it!”

“But I didn’t split it.”

“Hit it again and you will. Don’t expect to be able to split it in one go on the first try.”

“I don’t even want to be doing this.” You chuckled. “Why am I even doing this?”

He shrugged. “Because it’s fun. Don’t you wanna learn how to do something new?”

“I don’t exactly plan on sticking around here all that long, you know.”

He nodded. “I know but you could at least go back to your friends and tell them you know how to chop wood.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s super impressive.”

He shrugged and gestured to the stump. “You can’t even do it, so…”

You scoffed. “You’re an asshole, anyone ever tell you that?”

“I’m sure they have.”

“Well they’re right.” You confirmed.

“I’m only trying to teach you how to chop some damn wood.”

“But why?”

“You don’t wanna do it? Don’t.” He suddenly grew cold towards you. “Go back inside, then. Let me do the damn job.”

You gave him the ax. He took it from you without looking in your eyes. You took the gloves and eye glasses off slowly and meandered back inside where you sequestered yourself away in your room. He did not seek you out and just left good at your door. You avoided each other for several days.

One morning, you came down into the kitchen to find him making a very elaborate breakfast for just two people.

“Look, I’m sorry about the wood. I guess it just freaked me out a bit. I’m not looking to establish myself here. I’m just waiting for my car to get fixed up so I can get out of here.” You sighed. That sounded wrong. “Fuck, that came out wrong. Th-That’s not what I meant.”

He nodded. “I know it’s not. And I understand.”

“You do?”

“Why would you wanna stick around a strange man you don’t know?”

You shook your head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s logical you’d want to get back to your life as soon as possible. You don’t know me. You’re not obligated to get to know me.” He was plating food.

You put a hand on his bicep. “Don’t think I’m not grateful for what you’ve done for me.”

“I didn’t think that.” He assured you.

“Good. Are we… good, then?”

“I made pancakes from scratch. Tell me how they taste.” He told you as he held up a forkful of fluffy looking pancakes.

You couldn’t believe he was serious but evidently he absolutely was as he held the fork still, waiting for you to open your mouth. You do so hesitantly and he inserted the fork into your mouth. You slowly chewed until you swallowed. He watched you swallow.

He stood very close to you. “How is it?”

“It’s really good.” You told him softly.

“My mom taught me when I was younger.”

“Oh yeah? Were you close? Or um are you?”

He stiffened, averting his gaze from you. “We were close, I guess. She died from cancer some time ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He met your gaze again. “Don’t be.” He assured you. “I’ve made peace with it. Moved away, found peace and balance in my life for the first time. It’s quiet here.”

“If I’m disturbing your peace…”

He shook his head. “You’re not. You’re quiet, too. I could almost forget you’re even here.”

“Almost?”

His eyes met yours. “Almost.”

“Good to know I don’t bother you.”

“Few people don’t.”

“I’m honored.”

His mouth curved upward slightly. “You should be.”

“I-I am.”

-

“Fuck, look at you.” He mused as his hands rubbed your hips, the National Geographic channel playing on the TV. “So soft and pretty like this. You gonna let me have you?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Good girl. Getting stuck here wasn’t so bad, was it?”

You chuckled softly. “I guess not…”

His beard scratched your neck as his lips grazed it. “You guess not? Haven’t I taken good care of you while you’ve been stuck here? Haven’t I been fixing up your vehicle? Haven’t I fed you? Kept you warm at night in a bed in a room that’s yours alone with a roof over your head?”

“You have, yes.” Your breathing hitched as his teeth nipped at the skin of your neck.

“I’ve been so good to you, haven’t I? I’ve made you feel welcome and safe here.”

“Yes… you have.”

“I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

“I-I don’t…”

“Tell me you don’t want me as much as I want you. Go ahead and tell me. Go ahead and move away from me right now.” It was a challenge.

You knew you wouldn’t tell him you didn’t want him. You knew you wouldn’t move away from him. And you knew you wouldn’t tell him to stop.

Your silence just caused him to smile, it confirmed what he already knew as well. “That’s what I thought. You want me. Say it. Tell me you want me. Wanna hear you say it.”

“I-I want you, Jack.”

He clenched his jaw. “Andrew.” He corrected you without any immediate explanation. He didn’t continue so you figured he wasn’t going to provide one.

“Is that your first name? Middle name?” You asked anyway because who the fuck was Andrew?

“It’s my real first name.” He responded softly. “You can’t tell anyone, though.”

“Why not?” You knew better than to ask that but curiosity had gotten the better of you over logic.

“I just don’t want anyone else knowing it. But when you cum, I want my real name on your lips.”

You nodded, agreeing because there was little else you figured you could do. “I promise I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Swear to me.”

“I swear I won’t.”

“Gonna be playing house with me for a lot longer if you break that promise.”

A soft chuckle forced its way out of your throat. “Is that what we’re doing?”

“That’s what it feels like to me.”

“I didn’t mean to…” intrude upon your privacy here… and whatever the hell else you’re doing out here.

It was like he’d read your mind. “I know you didn’t. It just sorta happened.”

“You welcomed me into your home.”

“And I definitely don’t regret doing that.”

“You don’t regret letting a complete stranger share your home?”

“Not when it was you, no.”

“What is so special about me?”

“You smell nice.”

“I… excuse me?”

“I like how you smell.” He explained simply. “Your soap and shampoo.”

“You’ve been smelling me this whole time?”

“You settle something inside of me that hasn’t felt settled in my whole life.”

You scoffed lightly. “I’ve only been here a couple of weeks.”

“Two and a half weeks.”

“Is being that specific that important?”

“Not really. I’ve just never warmed up to people all that quickly. You were never unsettling to me.”

“Do people usually unsettle you?”

He shook his head. “Normally, it’s the other way around. But I… I find that I don’t like unknown elements in my life. I like structure and order. But you didn’t bring chaos, you brought… peace and serenity.”

“That’s unusual for you?”

He nodded. He had this far away look in his eyes and you just knew that someone had made it so this man never knew peace or safety or comfort.

“I’m very sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just stay here.”

“In your lap?”

He smiled slightly. That’s not what he meant. “Sure, in my lap.”

A smile graced your own face. “That’s not what you meant?”

“I didn’t mean anything.”

“I’ll stay…”

“Yeah.” His fierce gaze met yours. “You will.” It was like it was always an inevitability that he knew. You were never going to leave this place.

The realization slowly settled inside of you as you held his gaze. “You were never going to fix my car, were you?” You asked slowly, carefully.

He doesn’t outright say that he wasn’t. “I’d find some excuse… then it’d just have been one after another.” But he all but plainly admitted: “I always planned to keep you stuck here”.

“Should I be scared?”

“Probably.” He was unnervingly calm about subtly abducting you. “Are you?”

“A little.” You had no idea why you were scared shitless. But you were still in his lap.

“A little fear is good. Can’t survive without fear.”

“Fear and survival instinct never should’ve let me be alone with you.” You pointed out.

“Maybe you knew I’d never hurt you.”

“You haven’t yet.” You conceded. Even if he’d planned on lying to you to keep you here longer.

“And I never will. I’d never hurt you.”

You kept his gaze still. “I believe you.” You said softly.

“Good. Can I… take your shirt off now?”

“I uh I guess, yeah?”

His neutral, calm expression morphed into a small smile again. “You’re not sure about that?”

“I guess not.” You murmured.

“Why not?”

“I’ve never been in a guy’s lap before like this.” You admitted.

“No guy’s ever wanted to see you without your shirt on?”

You shrugged. “No one’s ever asked.”

“Well I’m asking.”

“And I guess I’m granting my permission.”

“I’m gonna need more than your guess.” He murmured lowly.

“Take my shirt off.”

“Gladly.” He promptly lifted your shirt over your head. He set it beside the two of you.

He just stared at your bra covered breasts.

“Something wrong?”

“Can I take your bra off too?”

“Uh sure.”

He gave you a look.

You sighed. “Take my bra off.”

He promptly lifted the bra over your head and set that aside as well. And he just stared again, now at your bare breasts.

“You have nice breasts.”

“They’re nice?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What else am I supposed to say about them? I like them.”

You chuckled softly. “Well that’s good to know.”

“I wanna see all of you.”

“Okay.” You agreed.

He laid you down on the couch and unbuttoned your jeans. He worked them down your legs and past your feet.

“Cute.” He mused as he looked at your simple but practical and comfortable cotton underwear that matched the practical and comfortable sports bra he’d just taken off of you. It wasn’t sexy at all but he was looking at you like you’d been in fancy lingerie.

“Is not.” You huffed.

“You don’t need fancy shit to impress me.”

“I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.”

He caressed your hip. “Why wouldn’t it?”

“I dunno. I guess you just don’t seem like a fancy kinda guy to me.”

“Well you’re right. I’m not.”

“Lucky me.”

He tilted his head. “Why would that make you lucky?”

“Because I don’t have to worry about what I look like.”

He deeply furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would you ever have to do that?”

“I dunno… I guess some guys might want their girlfriends to look a certain way.”

“Well I don’t give a shit.”

“Clearly.”

“And that’s… good, right?” He asked like he wasn’t too sure.

“Better than having a controlling boyfriend.”

“I’m not your boyfriend.” He stated simply.

“Do you want to be?”

“Would you want me to be?” He asked carefully.

You scoffed. “I barely know you.” You reminded the both of you.

“Yet you’re still here.” He reminded the both of you of that as well.

“Would you let me leave?”

“Maybe.” He didn’t seem so sure either way. “Would you struggle?”

“Would you like that?”

“I would want you to not want to leave.”

“I don’t want to leave.” You affirmed.

“So would you want me to be your boyfriend? If you chose to stay here with me?”

“You really do want me to stay, don’t you?”

“I’d really like you to, yeah. Like I said: you settle something inside of me.”

“I have a life to get back to. I’m just on a road trip, remember?”

“Yeah… I know. You could stay for a little while at least, couldn’t you?”

“I could, yeah.” You agreed softly.

“So stay. Please.” He requested softly.

“You would really need to fix my car up, though.”

He smiled slightly. “I can do that.”

“Do you wanna take my panties off now?”

“Only if that’s what you want.”

“It is, yeah.”

He nodded. “Alright, then.” He tugged those off your legs. He looked right at your pubic hair. He was usually silent, you’d observed but he’d quit moving completely.

“What?” You asked, panic rising in you.

“You don’t shave or wax?”

“N-No.”

“I meant it when I said I didn’t give a shit about any certain aesthetic.”

“That extends to body hair?”

“You showered earlier today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I assume you clean yourself well.”

“I guess I do, yeah.”

“So you’re clean. I don’t have any problem as long as-”

“You keep everything clean and tidy.” You finished with him.

“Yes, I know. And I do.” You continued.

“Soap and water?”

“Soap and water.” You confirmed.

“Good.”

He parted your thighs, caressing the soft skin there. It seemed soothing to him as he just kept rubbing back and forth with his hands.

“You okay?”

“Hmm? Yeah. I just… you feel really soft.”

“That lotion you got me really helps with that.”

He smiled slightly. “I’m glad you’re using it. It’s really working.” He leant in and smelled your inner thighs before kissing them. “Keep using it.”

You chuckled softly. “I’d planned on it.”

“Good. Do that f’me, yeah?”

You nodded, agreeing. “I will.”

He spread you open more for him (putting one of your feet on the ground and the other over the back of the couch) and used one hand to open up your vulva to him.

“Pretty.” He murmured before he pressed a kiss to your clit. “Knew you’d feel, smell, and taste good.”

“Oh, yeah?” You chuckled softly. “You knew that?”

He pressed another kiss to your clit. “Yeah.”

“Been thinking about it?”

“Since I first saw you, didn’t quite know what to make of you.” He licked up your slit.

“And now?”

“I quite like you actually.” He pressed yet another kiss to your clit.

You smiled. “Well I like you too, Andrew.”

“Could take real good care of you.” He mused.

“Are you talking about long term?” You asked warily.

“As long as you’d let me take care of you.”

“Well, you already have been.” You admitted.

“Couple more months won’t be any problem, then.” He wrapped his lips around your clit and suckled a bit.

“I s-suppose not.”

He stopped suckling to speak. “A couple more months of you here in my space might be enough to heal me.”

“You’re really so optimistic about that?”

He looked up at you. “Yeah, I am.”

“Don’t set me up so high, yeah?” You warned him.

“You’re already helping me even if you don’t realize it.”

“I’m not even doing anything.”

“You don’t have to be doing anything. That’s the thing. You just… exist and this darkness inside of me subsides.”

“Well I’m happy to help.”

“Mhm… let me repay you.”

He focused on making you feel good. He worked his tongue over your sensitive area. He was really interested in what noises you’d make as he stimulated you. He lapped at your clit and then wrapped his lips around it and sucked.

Splayed out on his couch for him was exactly where you wanted to be and he wasn’t exactly kicking you out. He didn’t want you to be scared of him. He wanted you to be relaxed. He wanted you to enjoy yourself with him.

“Is this good? Am I doing alright?” He pulled away to ask, to check in.

“Haven’t you done this before?” You inquired.

“It’s been a couple of years. Besides, I don’t know what you like or need.”

“I’d say you were doing just fine, then. Well more than fine, actually…”

“If you wanted to show me what you liked so I could see, that would be great.”

“You wanna watch me touch myself?”

“I wanna know what makes you feel good.”

“Well you were doing a good job with the clitoral stimulation.” You told him. “I like two fingers on it like this.” You demonstrated for him.

You had his full attention, his gaze set on your fingers between your legs. You rubbed slowly up and down.

“That’s about what you were doing with your tongue.”

“How much pressure are you applying?” He was acting like an inquisitive scientist and less like a lover but his interest and intensity was cute.

“Light at first, then a bit harder when it starts to feel good.”

“How much time do you typically need?”

“It depends. Could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour.”

“Are you ovulating right now?”

A scoff escaped you. “Excuse me?”

“Wouldn’t that help?”

“With lubrication and stimulation, yeah. Not that I’ve ever kept real good track of what helped and when that was.”

“That’s okay. We can just ease into it as we go.”

“You’re being quite collaborative.” You observed.

“Bad collaboration leads to bad sex.” He stated simply. “Or… it should…”

“You’re right.” You agreed. “If the guy doesn’t care about the lady… fine for him but not so much for the lady.”

“Do you believe you deserve care and love? Because if you don’t, you should.” His gaze met yours.

“I do believe that. A lot of guys don’t, I guess.”

“I believe that you do too.” He affirmed.

“You’re better than a lot of men, then.”

He stiffened. “Am I?”

You sat up straighter. “You don’t believe you are?”

“I dunno… I’ve… I’ve done some bad things…”

“Do I want to ask?”

“You can ask...”

“How bad?” You asked.

He swallowed thickly. “I… hurt someone I loved.”

“Hurt… how?”

“I didn’t wanna hurt her.”

“So why did you?”

“I-I felt like… I had to…”

“Why did you feel like you had to hurt her?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

You reached out to touch his bicep and he let you. “Try me.”

“I thought she was gonna hurt my family.”

“So you…”

“I hurt her first. I went to her house.”

“Hurt her how, Andrew?”

“I put a pillow over her face. A-And I held it there until she quit breathing.”

“You… killed her?” You asked softly.

He nodded, expression grim and remorseful. “Yeah… I did.”

“Was she gonna hurt your family?”

He shook his head slightly. “I dunno… maybe… but you can’t understand… my mother… s-she made me do it. I didn’t want to, but she didn’t give me a choice. I know this doesn’t make any sense.”

“It’s just a story.”

He looked at you, more focused now like he’d been taken back to that night, his expression conveyed his perplexity. “What?”

“Or a dream.”

“It’s not-”

“I know that.” You confirmed immediately. “And you know that. But we could pretend, couldn’t we?”

He nodded a bit, liking where you were going with this. “Pretend…” he repeated, “pretend it didn’t happen…”

“Or that it happened to someone else.”

“I always wondered what a normal life might feel like.”

“So make that for yourself.” You encouraged him.

“I’m trying. I ran away.”

“Got a new name.”

“New life.”

“Lonely life.”

He looked at you again and smiled. “Not so lonely now.”

“Not so dark now.”

“Exactly. You’re like a shining beacon in a storm. I’ve been whipped around my whole life. You’re my port. My lighthouse.”

You smiled softly. “That’s very romantic, Andrew.”

“I’m alone out here. I have a lot of time to read.”

“You read more than those National Geographic mags?” You looked over at the stack on his coffee table.

He smiled slightly. “Yes. I do. There’s a few full book cases here in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I noticed.”

“Good. I-It’s good that you noticed. I like that you… notice things like that about me. Not too many people… care like that.”

“Well I haven’t known you long but I can’t deny this connection I feel between us.”

“Well whatever is going on between the two of us… I like it.”

You interlaced your fingers with his and smiled at him. “I do too.”

He smiled back at you. “Promise me again that you’ll stay… because you want to…”

“I will. I promise.”

“Good. Now show me how to make you cum.”

You laughed deeply and genuinely. “I’d be happy to, Andrew.”

[multifandomlover01]

Jack Abbot x reader - Baby Jane Doe emergency foster care parents blurb (dunno how I feel about this lol it’s all I’ve got right now but at least it’s cute?)

~700 words

“Well would you look at this.” Lena smiled as you approached The Hub with baby Jane Doe strapped to your chest. You were coming in for your shift. Jack was supposed to take Jane back home again. It wasn’t ideal but you weren’t allowed to hire a nanny. You’d think that would not qualify you as good foster parents but with your shifts, your ability to trade off almost exactly was actually pretty good. At least one foster parent was able to be with the baby at any given time. Gloria had agreed to be pretty hard on the fact that you worked days and Jack worked nights. It was necessary for the situation. It would be respected. A neighbor could watch Jane temporarily from time to time but being the foster parents, you and Jack were supposed to be the most responsible for the baby.

You smiled back. “You seen Jack? Need to switch places.”

“He should be finishing up handoff, hon.” Lena told you.

You nodded. “Alright. Thanks. Need to hand her off to him, then.”

“You look like quite the momma.” Lena remarked.

“Right.” You smiled faintly. “Thanks.”

“Jack, did you put a car seat in your car?” You asked as he approached The Hub, smiling as he saw you two.

“No, I thought I’d just put her in my lap while I drove. I think she’d like the bouncing, it might keep her happy.” He said with a dead serious expression.

You gave him a look.

“Wasn’t it just a couple of days ago that you were saying my charm didn’t wear off?”

“That was before you turned into a dad and are now thoroughly unamusing.” But you couldn’t hide your smile.

He smiled and bumped you slightly. “Must be why you’re smiling.”

You shook your head. “Just take the baby.”

He gave you a curt nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

You carefully took the chest strap off and Jack took Jane in his hands. You then helped Jack put it on. After you did that, you helped him put his backpack on.

“Well would you look at this very happy family?” Dana beamed as she entered the ED. “Look at what 36 hours with you two does for a gal. She’s lookin’ even better.”

“You think?” You asked, slightly hopeful.

“Oh, absolutely.” She assured you.

You smiled at Dana. Jack moved to leave and something dawned on you.

“Oh, hey.” You stopped him. “She might fall back asleep on the drive home, then be fussing when you move her into the house. I only say this because she was sleeping soundly before I had to move her so she was fussy when I woke her. But then she settled down and fell right back asleep on the ride over here. But she should settle back down again after she’s back in her crib.”

Your rambling didn’t phase him at all. He loved information and he’d need all the intel he could get on the little one. He nodded curtly in gratitude. “Thanks for the tip, mom.”

The craziness of what you’d just uttered hit you. “God, what has happened to us?”

“You’re parents now.” Dana told you, smiling.

“Emergency foster care parents.” You corrected.

“Still counts.”

“… yeah…”

She put a hand on your shoulder. “Hey. You’re gonna do great.”

You smiled at her. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, hon.”

“Say goodbye mamma.” Jack made Jane wave to you and she smiled at you.

You smiled and waved back. “Buh-bye, baby. See you tonight.”

Jack disappeared through the waiting room doors as you watched him leave.

“You two make a cute couple and great parents.” Lena remarked.

“We won’t have her for long. She’ll go to some other family soon.”

“Have you applied to be longer term foster parents or to adopt her even?” Dana asked.

“We’re… talking about it.”

“That’s great.”

“We just don’t know if… after… you know…”

“I know, sweetheart. It’s a big decision.”

“He stopped taking on SWAT shifts, though, so that’s good. It’s a step in the right direction, at least.”

“It sure is.”

[multifandomlover01]

Had an interesting dream last night featuring Jack Abbot. I am too exhausted to add to my WIP list yet again but maybe I will. Super hard when all I have to go on is a couple of snippets of dialogue and a vague impression of him being protective plus his BDE. Like… what exactly am I supposed to do with this?

[multifandomlover01]

Fever

Pope x fem!club performer!reader

Summary: another birthday at a club for Pope but maybe this one won't be so bad

WC: ~3.7k

Warnings: takes place at a club, this is sultry and suggestive but there’s no smut, Baz is a warning because he's a dick, other asshole men who don't respect women or their right to be left the fuck alone and not touched, disrespect of performers, tiny bit of creep/protective Pope, one use of the word whore, two people get into a fight

Author Note: I wrote this in third person, not second, don't ask me why. Reader is referred to as Ruby but that's just a stage name, not her real one. One use of Y/N for the real name.

It was Pope’s birthday again and his brothers had decided that he needed to go to yet another club. Although at least this one wasn’t a strip club. You weren’t even allowed to touch the performers here unless they touched you first (and even then, you’d better watch yourself). And you definitely couldn’t pay any woman to have sex (club policy said that couldn’t happen on the premises). It was a much higher end club than the strip club they’d taken him to last year. The women here didn’t just dance on a pole to music to put on a show, they actually had talent and skills other than pole dancing (which by itself is a lot harder than you’d think it’d be). Some sang, some tap danced, and some even yodeled (whatever floated your boat). There were a few male performers too.

He honestly wasn’t expecting the effort that clearly went into some of the performances. One juggled. Another recited poetry. It was like a variety show that men were allowed to be aroused by. The women were also dressed in all manner of clothing, not just skimpy outfits that couldn’t possibly be comfortable with how tight they seemed to be.

Andrew wasn’t having any better a time personally speaking than he was last year (he was however able to admire the variety of talents displayed by the women) until the club lights dimmed pretty low and the light that was on the stage glowed a sexy red. A woman in a stunning red dress that was probably tailored to her body stepped out and up to the old fashioned microphone provided for her on the stage.

“Never know how much I love you. Never know how much I care.” It was the most sultry voice Andrew had ever heard come from a woman’s body.

“When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that’s so hard to bear. You give me fever when you kiss me. Fever, when you hold me tight. Fever in the morning, a fever all through the night.”

Her eyes met Pope’s and he swore his heart stopped.

“You like that one Pope?” Baz leant in and asked him. “I could swing a private meeting with her with the manager.”

“Shut up. I’m trying to listen.”

“Do you wanna meet her?”

“I’m trying to listen to her sing.”

She descended down into the audience, leaving the old fashioned microphone and grabbing a red bejeweled mic from a stage hand.

“Sun lights up the day time, moon lights up the night.” She moved gracefully through the crowd. “I light up… when you call my name.”

She moved closer to him. And he stiffened.

“And you know I’m gonna treat you right.” She sang right to him, a ruby red smile gracing her lips. “You give me fever… when you kiss me. Fever when you hold me tight.”

She moved on and he suppressed the urge to grasp her wrist and make her stay but it made sense she’d try to move through the crowd and make more than one man feel special. He just wanted to be the only man she made feel special. His eyes stayed on her as she moved through the crowd. He never wanted to lose sight of her.

She rounded back around to him and her eyes lingered on his. He managed a small awkward smile that he convinced himself had brightened hers.

She made her way back up to the stage to finish the song. And then the lights dimmed and the stage was cleared.

“Now do you wanna meet her?” Baz asked him. “I could swing it with the manager.”

“I don’t need you asking for favors from people on my behalf.”

“I was just offering to do something nice, man.”

“What, so you could get back there and talk to some other performer? You’d be doing it just as much for yourself as you’d be doing it for me.”

“I never said anything about myself.” Baz remarked defensively.

“No, but you didn't have to. I saw how you were eyeing that fire dancer. You’re gonna get back there to talk to her. You don’t care about me.”

“You don’t want in on it? Fine. Be the creep who stares.”

“Better than a creep in her sacred space.”

“Whatever, man. I’m gonna go get laid. You can stay here.”

“I will.”

His brothers left him there one by one until he was all alone. He watched the other acts and drank beer but the sultry red performance was stuck in his mind. She had such a magnetic stage presence.

“Can I get you another beer, hon?”

He was expecting a waitress to be asking that question but he recognized that voice. It was her. He turned to look at her.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would you get me another beer? You’re not a waitress.”

“I could put an order in for you still with the bartender.” She offered.

He sat stiffly with his hands folded in his lap. “You don’t need to do that, I’m good. Thank you, though.”

“You enjoyed my performance.” She smiled as she sat down in Baz’s vacated seat. She was wearing a much looser and more comfortable looking dress than the tailored one.

“You were very good.” He complimented her simply.

She smiled a bit. “Thank you. I always appreciate positive feedback and compliments.”

“You probably get a lot of it.” 

Was he… actually shy? Well… she supposed there were all sorts. He wouldn’t be her first shy admirer. There was the one chemistry professor who came for a stretch of time who blushed every time she even so much as looked at him. And if she winked? He had to unbutton his top shirt button. She liked the shy ones. She preferred the sweet ones.

“Not as much as you’re probably thinking I do.”

“Well, you should be getting… like… a lot more compliments.”

Her smile widened. “What’s your name?”

He was so distracted by her widened smile that it took him a few seconds to reply to her. “Oh uh A-Andrew.”

“Andrew,” she repeated, nodding. “I like it. I think it suits you. You sure I can’t get you a drink?”

“I’m good, really.”

“You just seem… uncomfortable.”

“I’m just not used to places like this.” He murmured.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”

His gaze snapped up from the floor to meet hers. “What? No.”

“No? Because you’re pretty stiff… posture wise…”

“It’s not you.”

“So it’s the environment?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s too loud… too dark… too many people…”

“We have quieter rooms with less people.”

“I thought that wasn’t allowed.”

“Not for… servicing. It’s for individuals who don’t like all the people. There’s a monitor in there with the stage on it so you can watch the performances. Someone can bring you drinks. There’s a buzzer on the wall.”

“Are you performing again tonight?”

“Later on, yeah.” She confirmed.

“I’ll stay here, then.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“And you’re sure I can’t even put in a water order for you?”

“No, thank you.” He didn't want her doing anything for him like that. That wasn’t her job.

“Alright, then.” She rose. “I’ll leave you alone now if you’d like.”

“When will you be performing again?” He asked before she could move too far away from him.

“In about an hour.”

“Can my seat be saved?”

“You wanna reserve the seat?”

“Yeah. Can I do that?”

“I think it’s-”

He cut her off. “Money isn’t a problem.”

“It depends on how long you want to reserve it for.”

“Every single night you’re here.”

“I work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.”

“Three nights forever… how much money would that be?”

“Uh… I think it’s like 50 grand for like forever forever if you wanna ensure it’s yours if I ever switch nights or something.”

That definitely sounded appealing to him. “Who do I talk to about that?”

“Uh… the manager…”

“And where is he?”

“Probably in his office.”

“Can you show it to me?”

She agreed to do that. “… sure… follow me.”

She led him to the manager's office.

“What can I do for ya?” The manager asked him with an easy smile.

“I would like to reserve a seat for all of her performances.”

“In perpetuity?”

Pope nodded. “Yes.”

“50 grand for ownership of a seat.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“Alright, then, son, let’s ge-”

Andrew cut the man off. “I’m not your son.”

The manager managed a small, polite smile. “Well let’s get that settled, then. Then you can watch this pretty little thing all you wa-”

“Don’t call her that.” Andrew snapped at him.

The smile became more pained. “Let’s just sign.”

Pope smiled, ready to end the interaction as well. “Gladly.”

Nobody asked why he could just give away 50 grand on that. Nobody asked anybody why they had that kind of money around here.

“You, sir, are the proud owner of that seat whenever you want it.”

“Can I stop other people from sitting in it if I’m not there?”

“We try our best.”

“Try really hard. I don’t want germs from other sweaty people in my seat. What am I paying for if not to reserve my seat in perpetuity for myself?”

“If we have overcrowding…”

“Kick some people out, then. That’s my seat now, isn’t it?”

“We’ll be as accommodating as we can be, sir.”

“You have to reassure me that no one’s gonna take my seat even if I’m not there. I can’t have other people sitting in it. You understand me?”

“Y-yes, I understand. We try to make our patrons happy.”

“Good.”

He walked out without another word, his eyes meeting hers briefly before he continued on down the hallway.

“We’ll need to have Brian keep an eye out for that one.” Gerald said once he was out of earshot.

“Why? Because he cut you off?”

“Because he’s a creep, dear.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh? No? He was practically in heat over you.”

“No, Gerald, that would be you. I don’t get concerning vibes from this guy. He’s just sensitive.”

“Sensitive?” He scoffed. “Don’t be naive, girl. Every bad boy, gutter trash, poet, artist, and pristine trust fund baby has their issues, it’s what fuels the business. You can’t trust any of these guys, sensitive or insensitive. Just be careful with that one, okay, doll? I don’t need the liability.”

“Are you always so wary of patrons?” She knew he allowed far too much to slide.

“Just the weird ones.”

“They’re all “weird” in their own unique way or they wouldn’t be here.”

“Not all of ‘em look at ya like that one, though.”

“No… they don’t, do they? But I don’t think I have anything to worry about with him.”

“Don’t let him get too close to you.”

“I can take care of myself.” She countered. “Don’t make him uncomfortable.”

“You’re really protective of this guy? He’s not a puppy dog, honey. He’s a Rottweiler and he’ll bite you.”

“I am an adult. I don’t need your protection or Brian’s. I know how to get a vibe off a guy and that guy is more of an older, abused German Shepherd.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She left the manager’s office and went to her dressing room to decompress and get ready for her next show. She was crossing the floor on her way when a man intercepted her.

“Hey there, darlin’.” The raspy voice was one she knew well.

“Not in the mood, George, but thanks.” She politely tried to turn him down and move along.

Only he wasn’t taking that as an answer. He gripped her bicep. “Maybe you should get in the mood.”

“I have a show to get ready for.”

With both hands now on her arms, he gripped her tightly and held her there. “How’s about you give me a private show, hmm?” He’d leant in, his breath smelled like a brewery.

“No.” She told him firmly.

“You don’t get to say no to me, you whore.”

“Don’t touch her.” A voice came from behind before the man was wrenched away from her.

A fist connected with his face again and again and again.

“Hey, hey, stop.” She touched Andrew’s back. And he twitched at her touch. “Someone’s gonna call the cops.”

He stopped and stumbled back. “He touched you first. Everyone saw it.”

Brain the bouncer made his way over finally (way to fucking go, Brian).

Andrew got in his face. “Where were you, huh?”

“None of your business.” Brian answered stiffly.

“Isn’t it your fucking job to protect her?”

“I was talking with the boss.”

She scoffed. “About Andrew?”

Brian did not answer.

“God, after I told him I wasn’t worried?”

“Obviously this guy is something to worry about.” Brian said, eyeing Andrew.

“And what about George there?” She asked, pointing. “How much chatter have you heard about him? He was trying to solicit me.”

“I woulda handled him if there was a problem.”

“Is he gonna have to leave now because he punched him?” She gestured to Andrew.

Brian nodded. “Yeah, he should leave.”

“And George?”

“He touch you?”

“He did.” She confirmed. “After he tried to get me to do a private show for him that I had no interest in doing.”

“He goes too.” Brian nodded.

“Andrew was just protecting me.” She defended him.

“He should’ve waited for me.”

“You were nowhere in sight!” Andrew exclaimed.

Brian put his hand up. “Sir, calm down, please.”

“Are you the only bouncer for this place? How many performers do you have? How many seats?”

“Take it up with the manager, now you have to leave.”

“He doesn’t seem to like me very much. I doubt he’d listen to me.”

“You still have to leave.”

“I’m sorry.” He told her. “I didn’t mean to make trouble for you.”

She shook her head. “You’re not trouble.” She reassured him.

“Guy smells like trouble.” Brian remarked.

“And you smell like an asshole.” Andrew scrunched his nose up. “How much cologne do you use? Does it make you feel like a man?”

Andrew’s face met a table. He growled in distress as Brian hauled him back up by his jacket collar.

“Brian!” She scolded.

“Oops. Sorry.” The bastard was not sorry.

“Don’t fight him.” She told Andrew. “You’ll only make it worse.”

Andrew huffed but allowed Brian to continue to escort him out.

“Come back tomorrow night if you want but you’d better fucking behave.”

Pope just glared at the man before he went back inside the club. And he stayed at the back entrance and just stood there, staring, waiting. He couldn’t seem to make himself move away to leave. It was his birthday and he hadn’t even wanted to come here but he’d be damned if he didn’t make sure the performer got to her car safely after her shift.

Brian caught him loitering near the back entrance. Andrew knew Brian wasn’t happy he was there but he’d be damned if he was leaving before securing her safety.

“You got a problem, bub?”

Andrew shook his head. “No. No problem.”

“Move it along or you’ll be banned.”

“I just paid a lot of money for a seat. I doubt your manager will ban me, no matter how much trouble he thinks I’ll cause. I’m not doing anything out here. There’s a camera right there, right? I’m in full view of it. I’m not gonna do anything.”

“If anyone complains, you can bet your ass you’re getting banned. You can have your money back and we’ll give that seat to someone less troublesome than you.”

“No one’s gonna complain.”

“Best way to ensure that is by moving it along. You can’t just be chilling out here in the alley, man.”

“I wanna make sure she’s okay,”

Brian scoffed. “Ruby? Give that up, man. It’s not happening.”

“Ruby?”

“Her stage name… because of the red…”

“Like you give a shit about her.”

“It’s my job to care. It’s not your job to care.”

“So do your fucking job so I don’t have to.”

“You’re on thin fucking ice, buddy, watch it.”

Andrew got in his face. “Or what?”

Brian did not back down. “I’ll break your fucking jaw.”

Pope didn’t back down either. “I’d like to see you try.”

The two men exchange blows until they’re just beating the shit out of each other in the alleyway. They stopped when they heard the back door open. Ruby stood there (sans any red clothing at the moment). She’d come out for her break.

“What… the fuck?”

“He started it.” Brian immediately blamed the altercation on Andrew.

“You threw the first punch!”

“Boys, boys…” Ruby shook her head. “Knock it off before I go get Gerald.”

“This creep wouldn’t leave.”

She sighed. “Was he bothering anyone?”

“No. But he was loitering. I should call the cops.”

“Why were you just standing around out here?” She asked Andrew in a much less antagonistic way than Brian would've.

“I wanted to make sure you got to your car safely.” He couldn't quite meet her eye.

“What a gentleman.” Brian mocked.

Andrew scowled at him. “I wouldn’t have hurt her.”

“Well it’s my job to make sure you never get the chance to.”

“I wouldn’t have hurt you.” He told her sincerely. “I didn’t do anything. I-I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“I believe you.”

“Jesus, Ruby.” Brian cursed.

“Go inside, Brain.” She told him sternly. “You’re supposed to be keeping watch in there anyway.”

“You think I’m gonna leave you alone out here with him?” He jabbed a finger at Andrew.

“Go inside!” She snapped. “Penny’s on the camera, yeah? She’ll let someone know if she sees anything.”

“If someone can run that fast.” Brian scoffed.

“How many guys do you have in there?” Andrew queried.

“None of your business." Brian snapped. "Like you’d have a chance of getting hired here.”

“Maybe you should take care of the safety of your performers a little bit better. If I did work here, they might be safer.”

Brian took a step towards Andrew. “Maybe you should mind your own damn business.”

Andrew took a step towards him too. “Maybe you should be better at your job. I bet I could do your job better than you.”

“All you’d do is steal panties or some shit.”

“What, like Felix?” Ruby asked. “Gerald did fuck all about that. Gerald does fuck all about anything." She griped. "Do you know how many walk outs we’ve had to do?” She asked Andrew.

“How many?” Andrew asked, genuinely interested.

“Three in six months. But does he hire more guys for the floor? Noooo, he just raises poor Penny’s blood pressure.” She was obviously exasperated.

“That girl’s got good instinct and reflexes.” Brian defended.

Ruby put her hands on her hips. “There’s literally just you and Hector for a 100 capacity venue.”

Andrew's eyebrows shot up in shock. “It’s just two guys?”

Ruby nodded. “And we’re at max capacity on the weekends.”

“Do you have another show tonight?”

“You’re not enti-” Brian started but Ruby cut him off.

“Shut up and go back inside, Brian! Being in there and handling the patrons is literally your only job and you’re failing at it.”

Penny’s voice crackled in Brain’s earpiece and he shot Pope a glare before going back inside.

“Do you have another show tonight?” Andrew repeated the question

“My last one of the night, yeah.” She confirmed.

“Don’t go back in there.” He pleaded with her, taking a step towards her.

“I have to. It’s in my contract right now that I do three shows three nights a week.”

“Alright but uh… find my brother Deran, he’ll probably still be in there chatting up a male performer, long blond hair. Or Craig… he’s tall with a beard, it’s brown, he’s a brunet.”

Ruby nodded, she recognized the names. “Blackwell’s brothers, yeah.”

“They’ve been here before?” He inferred Baz had. But Daren and Craig had said nothing.

“A few times." Ruby confirmed. "It’s mostly Baz by himself, though. I can go tell them to keep an eye on me, if that’ll make you feel better.”

“Just Deran or Craig. I don’t trust Baz. Actually, mostly just Deran. Craig’s probably too distracted.”

She smiled. “I like Deran. I’ll go find him, then.”

He relaxed slightly. “Okay. Go find Deran.”

“I will. But I can handle myself pretty well, just so you know.”

“Still, I’d feel better knowing someone more competent than Brian was looking after you.”

“You and me and all the other performers, trust me.” She smiled at him widely and turned back to open the back door.

“Hey, Ruby?”

“Y/N.” She gently corrected.

It took him a second to process this. “What?”

“My real name.” She clarified.

It took another second for him to speak. “Oh…”

“Feel free to use it. Ruby’s my stage name. But people I like get to use my real name.”

“You… like me?” It was like he couldn’t fathom it. He couldn’t remember why he’d wanted her to stop. Had he had a question for her? He couldn’t remember it now. Perhaps he just wanted her to linger just a few seconds longer. Perhaps he’d just wanted to spend a precious few more seconds in her presence.

She nodded, smiling sweetly at him. “Yeah, I do. I think you’re sweet.”

And then before he could say anything else, she was gone, back in the club again, and out of his sight. 

And Andrew felt like he’d just been hit by a truck. He stood there stunned before he’d recomposed himself. After he’d done so, he went back to his truck to wait. For exactly what, he wasn’t sure. But he tried to prepare himself for whatever it was that awaited him now that he was in this. And he was in this, he’d decided. He was in this for the long haul.

[chaithetics]

I enjoyed reading this! It was an interesting and different take on this Pope trope so that was cool to read! I found their dynamic interesting and you wrote Andrew's voice really well with his dialogue, a few of his lines I could easily hear/see him saying. No pressure of course but if you ever did write a followup piece on them, I'd read it!

[multifandomlover01]

Oh my god, thank you!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to not only reblog it but also to leave me such nice feedback/compliments!!! 🥰❤️

[wonderrheartt]

Here's three characters I identify with!

wanted to do a fun tag game anyone can join in and should feel free to hop in <3

trevor phillips, lee holloway, harmony kendall

tags: @froggibus @queen-of-gotham @twentytomidnight @bat1nsignia @bloomcissa @aeperol-spritz @truestaim @pixelbfs @cinnamon-girl-writes

[twentytomidnight]

thanks for tagging me friend!

ellen ripley (alien), raven (dc comics), guy gardner (dc comics)

tags: @rotrabbitrot @heraldofgayness @skeeets @fanfictionwarrior-chills @biglychee @novatheory @kryptidfiles @finniestoncrane @luvmailing @eatfeet69 @iridescentlightshow @gilverrwrites (and anyone else who wants to play!)

[biglychee]

omg ty for the tag!! 😇

tony stark (marvel), eleanor carnahan (the mummy, 1999), byakuya kukichi (bleach)

$ tag @hisokamywaifu @missingddeanw @asthefirerisesblog + anyone else interested!

[asthefirerisesblog]

hihi thank you for the tag!

peter parker (marvel, esp. played oby tom holland), steve rogers (marvel), maddy whittier ("everything, everything", 2017)

tags: @sugarskies, @skyguy2-electric-boogaloo, @friedmoonpeach + anyone who wants to play (don't be shy like me lol)

[sugarskies]

thank u for the tag!! 🫶

polo benavent (élite), bob reynolds (mcu/thunderbolts*), emily dickinson (dickinson)

no pressure tags: @absolutelynothoughtswhatsoever @tjisntnice @lalalunascope and whoever wants to i'm shy to tag people 🫣💖

[absolutelynothoughtswhatsoever]

Thank you for tagging me Sugar 🥹💖💖

shawn spencer (psych), kate sharma (bridgerton), annie reynolds (community)

tagging: @bowlingforgerbils, @prettygirlwyattrussell, @lollypopunicorn14 + anyone interested!! No pressure tho!

[lollypopunicorn14]

Awwww thank you soooooo much for tagging me 🥹💖🥹💖🥹💖

Katniss Everdeen (The Hungergames), Ben Mears (Salem's Lot 2018), Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel (MCU)

Tagging: @rumpletrumple @abbottsdarling @frozenpizza14 @mxzzled :)

[abbottsdarling]

thank you sm for tagging me @lollypopunicorn14 !!!💞💞

Eleanor Crain (The Haunting of Hill House), Mulan (Mulan), Lexie Grey (Grey's Anatomy)

no pressure tags: @theboardwalkbody @lalalunascope @hi-res-tm @iristheplanet16 @fandomxo @lovesflourmorethananything @lives-in-midgard and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[fandomxo]

thank you for tagging me <3 @abbottsdarling nel is also one of my characters....mentally ill trio.

Nel Crain (The Haunting of Hill House), Bob Reynolds (Thunderbolts*), Wanda Maximoff (Civil War)

no pressure tags: @scarletmika @avastarred @quietbluetune @lilmisslexapro anyone else who wants to do this!

[lilmisslexapro]

this is so fun! thank you for the tag🫶

rae earl (my mad fat diary), juno macguff (juno), and fleabag (fleabag)

no pressure tags!: @theboardwalkbody @multifandomlover01 @lovesflourmorethananything

[multifandomlover01]

Willow from Buffy

Spencer from Criminal Minds

Belle from Beauty and the Beast

Tags: @kaja94 @kdcollinsauthor @spookypeachpitt13 @hott-mes-makesstuff @midnightbandito @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @theo-wiley

[multifandomlover01]

Fever

Pope x fem!club performer!reader

Summary: another birthday at a club for Pope but maybe this one won't be so bad

WC: ~3.7k

Warnings: takes place at a club, this is sultry and suggestive but there’s no smut, Baz is a warning because he's a dick, other asshole men who don't respect women or their right to be left the fuck alone and not touched, disrespect of performers, tiny bit of creep/protective Pope, one use of the word whore, two people get into a fight

Author Note: I wrote this in third person, not second, don't ask me why. Reader is referred to as Ruby but that's just a stage name, not her real one. One use of Y/N for the real name.

It was Pope’s birthday again and his brothers had decided that he needed to go to yet another club. Although at least this one wasn’t a strip club. You weren’t even allowed to touch the performers here unless they touched you first (and even then, you’d better watch yourself). And you definitely couldn’t pay any woman to have sex (club policy said that couldn’t happen on the premises). It was a much higher end club than the strip club they’d taken him to last year. The women here didn’t just dance on a pole to music to put on a show, they actually had talent and skills other than pole dancing (which by itself is a lot harder than you’d think it’d be). Some sang, some tap danced, and some even yodeled (whatever floated your boat). There were a few male performers too.

He honestly wasn’t expecting the effort that clearly went into some of the performances. One juggled. Another recited poetry. It was like a variety show that men were allowed to be aroused by. The women were also dressed in all manner of clothing, not just skimpy outfits that couldn’t possibly be comfortable with how tight they seemed to be.

Andrew wasn’t having any better a time personally speaking than he was last year (he was however able to admire the variety of talents displayed by the women) until the club lights dimmed pretty low and the light that was on the stage glowed a sexy red. A woman in a stunning red dress that was probably tailored to her body stepped out and up to the old fashioned microphone provided for her on the stage.

“Never know how much I love you. Never know how much I care.” It was the most sultry voice Andrew had ever heard come from a woman’s body.

“When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that’s so hard to bear. You give me fever when you kiss me. Fever, when you hold me tight. Fever in the morning, a fever all through the night.”

Her eyes met Pope’s and he swore his heart stopped.

“You like that one Pope?” Baz leant in and asked him. “I could swing a private meeting with her with the manager.”

“Shut up. I’m trying to listen.”

“Do you wanna meet her?”

“I’m trying to listen to her sing.”

She descended down into the audience, leaving the old fashioned microphone and grabbing a red bejeweled mic from a stage hand.

“Sun lights up the day time, moon lights up the night.” She moved gracefully through the crowd. “I light up… when you call my name.”

She moved closer to him. And he stiffened.

“And you know I’m gonna treat you right.” She sang right to him, a ruby red smile gracing her lips. “You give me fever… when you kiss me. Fever when you hold me tight.”

She moved on and he suppressed the urge to grasp her wrist and make her stay but it made sense she’d try to move through the crowd and make more than one man feel special. He just wanted to be the only man she made feel special. His eyes stayed on her as she moved through the crowd. He never wanted to lose sight of her.

She rounded back around to him and her eyes lingered on his. He managed a small awkward smile that he convinced himself had brightened hers.

She made her way back up to the stage to finish the song. And then the lights dimmed and the stage was cleared.

“Now do you wanna meet her?” Baz asked him. “I could swing it with the manager.”

“I don’t need you asking for favors from people on my behalf.”

“I was just offering to do something nice, man.”

“What, so you could get back there and talk to some other performer? You’d be doing it just as much for yourself as you’d be doing it for me.”

“I never said anything about myself.” Baz remarked defensively.

“No, but you didn't have to. I saw how you were eyeing that fire dancer. You’re gonna get back there to talk to her. You don’t care about me.”

“You don’t want in on it? Fine. Be the creep who stares.”

“Better than a creep in her sacred space.”

“Whatever, man. I’m gonna go get laid. You can stay here.”

“I will.”

His brothers left him there one by one until he was all alone. He watched the other acts and drank beer but the sultry red performance was stuck in his mind. She had such a magnetic stage presence.

“Can I get you another beer, hon?”

He was expecting a waitress to be asking that question but he recognized that voice. It was her. He turned to look at her.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Why would you get me another beer? You’re not a waitress.”

“I could put an order in for you still with the bartender.” She offered.

He sat stiffly with his hands folded in his lap. “You don’t need to do that, I’m good. Thank you, though.”

“You enjoyed my performance.” She smiled as she sat down in Baz’s vacated seat. She was wearing a much looser and more comfortable looking dress than the tailored one.

“You were very good.” He complimented her simply.

She smiled a bit. “Thank you. I always appreciate positive feedback and compliments.”

“You probably get a lot of it.” 

Was he… actually shy? Well… she supposed there were all sorts. He wouldn’t be her first shy admirer. There was the one chemistry professor who came for a stretch of time who blushed every time she even so much as looked at him. And if she winked? He had to unbutton his top shirt button. She liked the shy ones. She preferred the sweet ones.

“Not as much as you’re probably thinking I do.”

“Well, you should be getting… like… a lot more compliments.”

Her smile widened. “What’s your name?”

He was so distracted by her widened smile that it took him a few seconds to reply to her. “Oh uh A-Andrew.”

“Andrew,” she repeated, nodding. “I like it. I think it suits you. You sure I can’t get you a drink?”

“I’m good, really.”

“You just seem… uncomfortable.”

“I’m just not used to places like this.” He murmured.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”

His gaze snapped up from the floor to meet hers. “What? No.”

“No? Because you’re pretty stiff… posture wise…”

“It’s not you.”

“So it’s the environment?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s too loud… too dark… too many people…”

“We have quieter rooms with less people.”

“I thought that wasn’t allowed.”

“Not for… servicing. It’s for individuals who don’t like all the people. There’s a monitor in there with the stage on it so you can watch the performances. Someone can bring you drinks. There’s a buzzer on the wall.”

“Are you performing again tonight?”

“Later on, yeah.” She confirmed.

“I’ll stay here, then.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“And you’re sure I can’t even put in a water order for you?”

“No, thank you.” He didn't want her doing anything for him like that. That wasn’t her job.

“Alright, then.” She rose. “I’ll leave you alone now if you’d like.”

“When will you be performing again?” He asked before she could move too far away from him.

“In about an hour.”

“Can my seat be saved?”

“You wanna reserve the seat?”

“Yeah. Can I do that?”

“I think it’s-”

He cut her off. “Money isn’t a problem.”

“It depends on how long you want to reserve it for.”

“Every single night you’re here.”

“I work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.”

“Three nights forever… how much money would that be?”

“Uh… I think it’s like 50 grand for like forever forever if you wanna ensure it’s yours if I ever switch nights or something.”

That definitely sounded appealing to him. “Who do I talk to about that?”

“Uh… the manager…”

“And where is he?”

“Probably in his office.”

“Can you show it to me?”

She agreed to do that. “… sure… follow me.”

She led him to the manager's office.

“What can I do for ya?” The manager asked him with an easy smile.

“I would like to reserve a seat for all of her performances.”

“In perpetuity?”

Pope nodded. “Yes.”

“50 grand for ownership of a seat.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“Alright, then, son, let’s ge-”

Andrew cut the man off. “I’m not your son.”

The manager managed a small, polite smile. “Well let’s get that settled, then. Then you can watch this pretty little thing all you wa-”

“Don’t call her that.” Andrew snapped at him.

The smile became more pained. “Let’s just sign.”

Pope smiled, ready to end the interaction as well. “Gladly.”

Nobody asked why he could just give away 50 grand on that. Nobody asked anybody why they had that kind of money around here.

“You, sir, are the proud owner of that seat whenever you want it.”

“Can I stop other people from sitting in it if I’m not there?”

“We try our best.”

“Try really hard. I don’t want germs from other sweaty people in my seat. What am I paying for if not to reserve my seat in perpetuity for myself?”

“If we have overcrowding…”

“Kick some people out, then. That’s my seat now, isn’t it?”

“We’ll be as accommodating as we can be, sir.”

“You have to reassure me that no one’s gonna take my seat even if I’m not there. I can’t have other people sitting in it. You understand me?”

“Y-yes, I understand. We try to make our patrons happy.”

“Good.”

He walked out without another word, his eyes meeting hers briefly before he continued on down the hallway.

“We’ll need to have Brian keep an eye out for that one.” Gerald said once he was out of earshot.

“Why? Because he cut you off?”

“Because he’s a creep, dear.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh? No? He was practically in heat over you.”

“No, Gerald, that would be you. I don’t get concerning vibes from this guy. He’s just sensitive.”

“Sensitive?” He scoffed. “Don’t be naive, girl. Every bad boy, gutter trash, poet, artist, and pristine trust fund baby has their issues, it’s what fuels the business. You can’t trust any of these guys, sensitive or insensitive. Just be careful with that one, okay, doll? I don’t need the liability.”

“Are you always so wary of patrons?” She knew he allowed far too much to slide.

“Just the weird ones.”

“They’re all “weird” in their own unique way or they wouldn’t be here.”

“Not all of ‘em look at ya like that one, though.”

“No… they don’t, do they? But I don’t think I have anything to worry about with him.”

“Don’t let him get too close to you.”

“I can take care of myself.” She countered. “Don’t make him uncomfortable.”

“You’re really protective of this guy? He’s not a puppy dog, honey. He’s a Rottweiler and he’ll bite you.”

“I am an adult. I don’t need your protection or Brian’s. I know how to get a vibe off a guy and that guy is more of an older, abused German Shepherd.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She left the manager’s office and went to her dressing room to decompress and get ready for her next show. She was crossing the floor on her way when a man intercepted her.

“Hey there, darlin’.” The raspy voice was one she knew well.

“Not in the mood, George, but thanks.” She politely tried to turn him down and move along.

Only he wasn’t taking that as an answer. He gripped her bicep. “Maybe you should get in the mood.”

“I have a show to get ready for.”

With both hands now on her arms, he gripped her tightly and held her there. “How’s about you give me a private show, hmm?” He’d leant in, his breath smelled like a brewery.

“No.” She told him firmly.

“You don’t get to say no to me, you whore.”

“Don’t touch her.” A voice came from behind before the man was wrenched away from her.

A fist connected with his face again and again and again.

“Hey, hey, stop.” She touched Andrew’s back. And he twitched at her touch. “Someone’s gonna call the cops.”

He stopped and stumbled back. “He touched you first. Everyone saw it.”

Brain the bouncer made his way over finally (way to fucking go, Brian).

Andrew got in his face. “Where were you, huh?”

“None of your business.” Brian answered stiffly.

“Isn’t it your fucking job to protect her?”

“I was talking with the boss.”

She scoffed. “About Andrew?”

Brian did not answer.

“God, after I told him I wasn’t worried?”

“Obviously this guy is something to worry about.” Brian said, eyeing Andrew.

“And what about George there?” She asked, pointing. “How much chatter have you heard about him? He was trying to solicit me.”

“I woulda handled him if there was a problem.”

“Is he gonna have to leave now because he punched him?” She gestured to Andrew.

Brian nodded. “Yeah, he should leave.”

“And George?”

“He touch you?”

“He did.” She confirmed. “After he tried to get me to do a private show for him that I had no interest in doing.”

“He goes too.” Brian nodded.

“Andrew was just protecting me.” She defended him.

“He should’ve waited for me.”

“You were nowhere in sight!” Andrew exclaimed.

Brian put his hand up. “Sir, calm down, please.”

“Are you the only bouncer for this place? How many performers do you have? How many seats?”

“Take it up with the manager, now you have to leave.”

“He doesn’t seem to like me very much. I doubt he’d listen to me.”

“You still have to leave.”

“I’m sorry.” He told her. “I didn’t mean to make trouble for you.”

She shook her head. “You’re not trouble.” She reassured him.

“Guy smells like trouble.” Brian remarked.

“And you smell like an asshole.” Andrew scrunched his nose up. “How much cologne do you use? Does it make you feel like a man?”

Andrew’s face met a table. He growled in distress as Brian hauled him back up by his jacket collar.

“Brian!” She scolded.

“Oops. Sorry.” The bastard was not sorry.

“Don’t fight him.” She told Andrew. “You’ll only make it worse.”

Andrew huffed but allowed Brian to continue to escort him out.

“Come back tomorrow night if you want but you’d better fucking behave.”

Pope just glared at the man before he went back inside the club. And he stayed at the back entrance and just stood there, staring, waiting. He couldn’t seem to make himself move away to leave. It was his birthday and he hadn’t even wanted to come here but he’d be damned if he didn’t make sure the performer got to her car safely after her shift.

Brian caught him loitering near the back entrance. Andrew knew Brian wasn’t happy he was there but he’d be damned if he was leaving before securing her safety.

“You got a problem, bub?”

Andrew shook his head. “No. No problem.”

“Move it along or you’ll be banned.”

“I just paid a lot of money for a seat. I doubt your manager will ban me, no matter how much trouble he thinks I’ll cause. I’m not doing anything out here. There’s a camera right there, right? I’m in full view of it. I’m not gonna do anything.”

“If anyone complains, you can bet your ass you’re getting banned. You can have your money back and we’ll give that seat to someone less troublesome than you.”

“No one’s gonna complain.”

“Best way to ensure that is by moving it along. You can’t just be chilling out here in the alley, man.”

“I wanna make sure she’s okay,”

Brian scoffed. “Ruby? Give that up, man. It’s not happening.”

“Ruby?”

“Her stage name… because of the red…”

“Like you give a shit about her.”

“It’s my job to care. It’s not your job to care.”

“So do your fucking job so I don’t have to.”

“You’re on thin fucking ice, buddy, watch it.”

Andrew got in his face. “Or what?”

Brian did not back down. “I’ll break your fucking jaw.”

Pope didn’t back down either. “I’d like to see you try.”

The two men exchange blows until they’re just beating the shit out of each other in the alleyway. They stopped when they heard the back door open. Ruby stood there (sans any red clothing at the moment). She’d come out for her break.

“What… the fuck?”

“He started it.” Brian immediately blamed the altercation on Andrew.

“You threw the first punch!”

“Boys, boys…” Ruby shook her head. “Knock it off before I go get Gerald.”

“This creep wouldn’t leave.”

She sighed. “Was he bothering anyone?”

“No. But he was loitering. I should call the cops.”

“Why were you just standing around out here?” She asked Andrew in a much less antagonistic way than Brian would've.

“I wanted to make sure you got to your car safely.” He couldn't quite meet her eye.

“What a gentleman.” Brian mocked.

Andrew scowled at him. “I wouldn’t have hurt her.”

“Well it’s my job to make sure you never get the chance to.”

“I wouldn’t have hurt you.” He told her sincerely. “I didn’t do anything. I-I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“I believe you.”

“Jesus, Ruby.” Brian cursed.

“Go inside, Brain.” She told him sternly. “You’re supposed to be keeping watch in there anyway.”

“You think I’m gonna leave you alone out here with him?” He jabbed a finger at Andrew.

“Go inside!” She snapped. “Penny’s on the camera, yeah? She’ll let someone know if she sees anything.”

“If someone can run that fast.” Brian scoffed.

“How many guys do you have in there?” Andrew queried.

“None of your business." Brian snapped. "Like you’d have a chance of getting hired here.”

“Maybe you should take care of the safety of your performers a little bit better. If I did work here, they might be safer.”

Brian took a step towards Andrew. “Maybe you should mind your own damn business.”

Andrew took a step towards him too. “Maybe you should be better at your job. I bet I could do your job better than you.”

“All you’d do is steal panties or some shit.”

“What, like Felix?” Ruby asked. “Gerald did fuck all about that. Gerald does fuck all about anything." She griped. "Do you know how many walk outs we’ve had to do?” She asked Andrew.

“How many?” Andrew asked, genuinely interested.

“Three in six months. But does he hire more guys for the floor? Noooo, he just raises poor Penny’s blood pressure.” She was obviously exasperated.

“That girl’s got good instinct and reflexes.” Brian defended.

Ruby put her hands on her hips. “There’s literally just you and Hector for a 100 capacity venue.”

Andrew's eyebrows shot up in shock. “It’s just two guys?”

Ruby nodded. “And we’re at max capacity on the weekends.”

“Do you have another show tonight?”

“You’re not enti-” Brian started but Ruby cut him off.

“Shut up and go back inside, Brian! Being in there and handling the patrons is literally your only job and you’re failing at it.”

Penny’s voice crackled in Brain’s earpiece and he shot Pope a glare before going back inside.

“Do you have another show tonight?” Andrew repeated the question

“My last one of the night, yeah.” She confirmed.

“Don’t go back in there.” He pleaded with her, taking a step towards her.

“I have to. It’s in my contract right now that I do three shows three nights a week.”

“Alright but uh… find my brother Deran, he’ll probably still be in there chatting up a male performer, long blond hair. Or Craig… he’s tall with a beard, it’s brown, he’s a brunet.”

Ruby nodded, she recognized the names. “Blackwell’s brothers, yeah.”

“They’ve been here before?” He inferred Baz had. But Daren and Craig had said nothing.

“A few times." Ruby confirmed. "It’s mostly Baz by himself, though. I can go tell them to keep an eye on me, if that’ll make you feel better.”

“Just Deran or Craig. I don’t trust Baz. Actually, mostly just Deran. Craig’s probably too distracted.”

She smiled. “I like Deran. I’ll go find him, then.”

He relaxed slightly. “Okay. Go find Deran.”

“I will. But I can handle myself pretty well, just so you know.”

“Still, I’d feel better knowing someone more competent than Brian was looking after you.”

“You and me and all the other performers, trust me.” She smiled at him widely and turned back to open the back door.

“Hey, Ruby?”

“Y/N.” She gently corrected.

It took him a second to process this. “What?”

“My real name.” She clarified.

It took another second for him to speak. “Oh…”

“Feel free to use it. Ruby’s my stage name. But people I like get to use my real name.”

“You… like me?” It was like he couldn’t fathom it. He couldn’t remember why he’d wanted her to stop. Had he had a question for her? He couldn’t remember it now. Perhaps he just wanted her to linger just a few seconds longer. Perhaps he’d just wanted to spend a precious few more seconds in her presence.

She nodded, smiling sweetly at him. “Yeah, I do. I think you’re sweet.”

And then before he could say anything else, she was gone, back in the club again, and out of his sight. 

And Andrew felt like he’d just been hit by a truck. He stood there stunned before he’d recomposed himself. After he’d done so, he went back to his truck to wait. For exactly what, he wasn’t sure. But he tried to prepare himself for whatever it was that awaited him now that he was in this. And he was in this, he’d decided. He was in this for the long haul.

[xanaxfarts]

[multifandomlover01]

It’s officially after midnight. Go the fuck to sleep. I don’t care that it’s Saturday. I want to sleep. Shut the fuck up.

[hott-mes-makesstuff]

My Boys (Andrew "Pope" Cody x Fem!reader)

A/N: This was an idea that I came up with and was encouraged to write by the lovely @multifandomlover01, after I was chosen by the cat distribution system. This is very self-indulgent, just a heads-up. This took a really long time to write because I am currently in the process of moving, on top of having knee surgery that I had been putting off for literal years. Hope everyone enjoys it because I had fun writing this. I haven’t written anything in a long time, so I apologize in advance for any wonky grammar. I did proofread this and had a bit of help from Grammarly, just for punctuation. Any em dashes, Oxford commas, and semicolons are 100% me FUCK AI. 

Characters: Andrew “Pope” Cody, fem!reader, Deran Cody, Craig Cody, and mentions of Smurf (TW)

CW: Fluff with allusion to sex, Daddy kink mention, light swearing, Craig and Deran are being dicks (sorta), mentions of Smurf (that woman deserves her own warning all to herself)

Summary: Early on into fem!reader’s relationship with Pope, a kitten given to them by the cat distribution system. Shenanigans ensue. 

WC: 2.7k

~~~

Walking into the Cody house, you noticed it was quiet. Strange. There was normally an argument, TV or radio blaring, splashing in the pool, Craig having some ‘company’, or at the very least a conversation. 

“Hello?” You call out, gripping the pepper spray that Pope insists you carry. 

When you make it further inside, you spot Deran on the couch, passed out with a light sunburn on his face and hair packed with sand and salt; you knew he’d gone surfing- and that being said, Craig was also in the house. 

A quick pat to his leg and he shoots up wide-eyed, ready to argue, but stops once he realizes it’s you. “Oh. When did you get here?”

“I just got back. Where are my boys?” You ask with a hand on your lavender sundress-clad hip, slightly impatiently. 

“Huh?” He tilts his head and then proceeds to rub his eyes. 

You roll your eyes; he really is useless sometimes. “Andr- Pope and Bandit?”

He points down the hall and calls in a mocking sing-song tone coupled with a shit-eating grin, “Oh, Andy! Your girl is here!”

Dick.

Andrew pops out of his room with a tired smile and rasps out a “hey.”

You walk into the room and shut the door, then turn to Andrew, cradling his face and planting a firm kiss on his lips. You swear you can feel him go lightheaded and lax against you.

“How are my boys?” Is mumbled into his neck as he wraps you in an almost constricting hug, causing you to smile and relax into his grasp. You laugh, “Miss me much?”

He nods and tucks his face into the side of your neck. “Yeah, we both did”

He quickly lifts you from the ground, his arms wrapping around the back of your upper thighs where your ass meets your legs. You let out a shriek of his name as you laugh. Laying you on his bed. He settles between your legs with his head on your plush, warm, sun-kissed belly. Your hands immediately start to card through his curls and rub his shoulders. Feeling him relax, you close your eyes but pry one open upon hearing a quiet jingle. Your gaze landed on the small gray cat that the cat distribution system so graciously gave you.

Eight months ago, Andrew was driving you back to your apartment because he refused to let you stay at what you’ve come to know as the Cody compound, and you made him pull over because you saw a tiny kitten on the side of the road near a storm drain. You had gasped so dramatically that he nearly crashed his truck because he thought you had hurt yourself on something, causing panic to seep deep into his bones. 

After collecting himself, he turned to look at you to ask what the fuck that was, but you were already running across the street to something he still couldn’t see. Jumping out of the truck, he runs to you with nothing but concern written all over his face. 

“Baby! What’s wrong?” He asked, borderline whined, turning you to face him, and his heart sank further once he saw tears in your eyes. Speaking frantically and panicked, “Please talk to me, baby. What did I do wrong?”

“He’s just a baby,” you whimper out with a pout, showing him the tiny, trembling, fuzzball of a gray kitten. 

Pope, letting out a sigh of relief, spoke pleadingly, now holding your shoulders, “Please don’t gasp like that again and look both ways before crossing the street. You scared this shit out of me.”

Wiping your tears, you nod. “Can we keep him? Please, Pope?” You stick out your lip in a dramatic pout with the doe eyes you came to realise will make him say yes to just about anything. 

Guiding you back to the truck with one hand over the kitten and the other on the small of your back, “Yeah, sure, baby, we can keep him, but Smurf doesn’t like cats.

He’s still frazzled as he now drives to a pet store instead of your apartment because you said the poor thing needed a bed, food, and toys. Simply nodding along, he pays for supplies but not before you tell him to pick a collar for his new ‘son’. The title makes him stop dead in his tracks.

“What did you just call it?” He searched your eyes, making sure he heard you correctly.

You let out an overly dramatic gasp. “Do not call our son an ‘it’. We just need to come up with a name for him.” Looking down at the cat, you spoke directly to him: “It’s okay, mommy and daddy will find you a good name.” You look up at Pope again. “Right, Daddy?”

Pope knows in that exact second he is a goner, and he is exactly where he wants to be, especially if you are going to call him that again.

He comes to when he notices you waving a hand in his face. “Pope? Honey? Earth to Andrew. Are you okay?”

All he managed was a nod before giving the confused cashier a wad of bills and carrying the bags to the engraving machine, where you stand, for the small tag that goes on the ocean blue collar Pope chose. 

“Hmm.” You hold up the kitten you wrapped in your sweater. “What does he look like to you?”

He shrugs, looking at you instead of the kitten. 

You shift from hip to hip, still thinking. “Oh! What about Clyde?”

His face scrunches at the suggestion. “Why Clyde?”

“Because he stole my attention.” You state simply.

He stares at the screen like he’s deep in thought before asking. “Do you really want to keep with the theft thing?”

You shrug, “Yeah, kinda, I don’t think you’d be a fan of Andrew Junior for a cat. I think that should be reserved for our human child.”

You then watch his brain melt in real time, his face beet-red and looking at you like you hold the secrets to the universe, and he manages to stutter out “Bandit?”

“That’s perfect, Pope. I love it!” You quickly type in the name, but you notice he goes even quieter. “What’s wrong? Do you not like it?”

“No, no, I like it, but I like Andrew.” He mumbles, looking at the ground.

Questioning, you tilt your head. “You want to name him Andrew?” 

“Bandit for the cat but. I like it when you called me Andrew.” He slowly admits, still not looking directly at you. 

You lean up and press a kiss to his cheek and state it like it’s a fact. “Well. I won’t call you Pope anymore then. Is that better, Andrew” 

He’s frozen like a deer in headlights and nods, touching his cheek as his ears, down to his chest, burn a dusty shade of red. “Just if Smurf and everyone else are there, don’t.” He chews the inside of his cheek.

He remains quiet as the name ‘Bandit’ is engraved on the small tag, and for the dive back to your apartment. After turning the truck off, he races around the front to help you out and grab the bags of things he bought from the pet store. He walks you to your door and sets the bags down.

Awkwardly kicking the ground and stuffing his hands into his pockets, he finally speaks up. “Uh, goodnight, and goodnight, Bandit”

“Andrew… Do you want to come inside?” You spoke as you unlocked your door.

He stares at you and blinks. “You want me inside?”

“This isn’t exactly how I pictured asking you to spend the night, but yeah. I want you to stay.” You give a shy smile. The original plan to get him to stay the night was to have a beach date near your place and end the night with a bonfire, and then say you didn’t want him driving late at night, but saving a cat would have to do. 

He closed and locked the door behind him and stood awkwardly at the shoe rack. “Shoes off? Wait. Spend the night?”

“Please. Then help me set everything up for our son. Yeah, I want you to spend the night. We’ve been dating for about four months, and I get that we said slow but… I don’t know; you don’t have to stay.” You quickly turn around and put Bandit in his new bed on the couch.

Suddenly, you feel hands wrap around your waist from behind and a peck on your shoulder. Melting back into him, you smile contentedly.

“I’ll stay. We have the little guy to take care of now.” He spoke in a hushed tone.

You turn around and kiss him properly. “Yeah, we do.”

That was the night you figured out that the three of you would be stuck together for a long time, and you have been.

After thinking about the night you knew your boys were yours, you motion for the now much larger cat to join you and Andrew on the bed. Bandit lies between Andrew's arm and your thigh. He seems to need to be touching both of you when it's time to lie in bed. As you continue to comb through Andrew's hair, you swear he starts to purr like Bandit does.

Andrew lifts his head and stares up at you with those soft, deep chocolate eyes that make you melt. He then gives an equally soft smile as his hands run over your waist and sides. Smiling back down at him for a moment, you close your eyes and let your head fall back down to the pillows. 

He turns his head to the side and starts speaking to Bandit as if they were both humans. 

“We had loads of fun doing some seagull watching.” Andrew scratches Bandit’s chin. “You really gotta get better about not stepping in your own piss, though I’m tired of bleaching the bathroom and mopping the house,” Andrew spoke softly while stroking Bandit's head. 

You roll your eyes. “You don’t have to mop just cause he tracks litter through the house-”

As he attempts to interject with his brows screwed together with a scowl. You put a finger to his lips. 

“Let me finish.” You lock eyes with him, taking a more serious gaze. “You can just vacuum and sweep. Everyone always wears their shoes inside, and there’s a party here every other day. I think you should just stick to the basics and not have to deep clean every day. Once a week would be fine. We could also get better about wiping his feet after he uses the litter box. Then there’s Craig’s dogs.” You shudder thinking about the dogs and what they used to do in the house before Andrew told him to stop bringing them because they tried to eat Bandit once. 

Andrew grumbles and looks back at Bandit. “I’ll get some more baby wipes, I guess”

“Listen, Andy, as much as I would love to stay here with you both, I’m getting kinda hungry.” You scratched Bandit’s head. “My boys need dinner too”

Andrew reluctantly gets up but keeps a hand on your hip as you pick up Bandit. You three walk into the kitchen to see Craig digging through the fridge. 

“Calm down; I’m getting ready to make dinner.” I hand Bandit to Andrew and swat Craig out of the way. 

Andrew walks over to the couch with Bandit, setting him in his lap and turning on the TV to the nature channel, where a documentary about birds is playing. Craig joins them on the couch, grumbling about being starving as he rolls a joint. 

“Everyone okay with baked chicken, potatoes and broccoli?” You call from the counter as you set everything down, earning a unanimous grunt of agreement from the three men. 

You season the chicken, broccoli, and potatoes before putting them in the oven to cook. Just as you enter the TV pit, you smile at Andrew and then see that Bandit and Andrew both have their heads tilted to the side, watching the TV. You smile, but the moment is very quickly ruined by a cackle from Craig. 

He continues to laugh as he gets Deran’s attention, “Hey, Der, look Pope and the cat have the same stare!”

Deran also bursts out laughing, causing both Bandit and Andrew to look at the two laughing men with the same unamused expression. 

Deran slaps the back of his hand to Andrew’s chest. “You got the same eyes, man.” They both continue to laugh.

The somewhat carefree expression that Andrew had is now gone and replaced by his signature shark-eye stare.

“Quit making fun of my boys.” You quickly chirp and sit in Andrew's lap. After kissing his cheek, you whisper. “You do pull the same faces sometimes.” 

His ears burn red at the casual affection. It took him a long time to get used to affection in private; he just couldn’t believe that what you felt for him was genuine. Getting him used to even subtle PDA was an uphill battle, but you didn’t push it too much just a kiss on the cheek, a side hug, or a barely there peck on the lips if anyone was around and could see the two of you, even if it was the people he grew up with. Albeit they are shitty people. 

You remember the time shortly after you got Smurfs' approval for Bandit to stay the night from time to time that you caught them both staring blankly out the window. Not looking for anything but more so just relaxing their eyes and enjoying the sun that was pouring through the large windows.

The laughing eventually dies down, and you all watch the documentary that Andrew chose. The timer for the oven goes off, and you get up to serve dinner. Andrew quietly sets the table as if it is for an etiquette class exam, but you are grateful because you could never remember which side the knife is supposed to go on, and if the cup is supposed to be above it or on the opposite side of it. 

“Thank you for setting the table for us.” You smiled, setting the hot dishes on the hot pads in the middle of the table. 

You get a nod in response and a grunt as he sits down, but he thanks you for the meal after and washes the dishes. Craig slips a few ‘guests’ in for the night, and Deran says he's going out. Making your way back to Andrew's room, you see him moping on his bed, taking a deep breath, and closing the door. 

Sitting at the foot of the bed and petting Bandit, you ask him what's wrong. When he doesn’t respond, you move closer to him, resting a hand on his leg. 

“Andrew, honey, what’s the matter?” Speaking in a soft tone, while rubbing his thigh with your thumb.

He finally spoke up in a quiet voice, “Do we really look the same?”

You can’t hold back the small laugh that pushes its way through your lips. “Andrew! Are you actually upset about that?”

“No…” He looks down at Bandit, who then chirps at him.

Lying next to him, putting a hand over his heart and spoke honestly. “Andrew, every one of your brothers is an asshole. I know you know that. I don’t think you look like Bandit or that Bandit looks like you, but like any pet, he picks up and mirrors behaviors. I think you have watched enough nature and animal documentaries to know that. What other cat do you know or have you heard of that will put the toilet seat down? He's seen both of us do it so many times that he just does it himself.”

Andrew turns to look at you, putting his hand over yours. “I know, but he’s our son; he should look like one of us, at least.”

The two of you laugh before settling down once again, and then you speak up, “I love you, Andrew. Love you too, Bandit.”

Andrew responds with a searing kiss that lets you know he loves you without words being needed.   

[freakoutgirl]

"all you ever do is complain" that's not true. I also resent.

[freakoutgirl]

and love..........