Tech Tuesday: Ransom Drysdale

Summary: You and Ransom have a heated discussion.

A/N: Reader is female, nickname Bubbles. No physical descriptors used.

Word Count: ~1k

Previous (Snippet)

Series Masterlist; Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

You and Ransom were sitting across from each other in your living room, the atmosphere tense.

"So, do you want to tell me why you talking to Sandra behind my back?" Ransom asks, arms crossed, jaw tight.

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion. "I was asking her to back off and leave you alone. Why does that upset you? And why didn't you tell me you were already talking to HR about it?" You cross your own arms, unsure of why Ransom is acting so upset.

"I didn't want you to worry about it and I thought you'd trust me to take care of things," he retorts. "But had you talked to me first, I would've told you that. So why did you talk to Sandra instead of me?"

His voice is louder than you're used to. He's genuinely upset about this. But should you confess you went to Sandra first because of your feelings for him?

I actually love the detail about Bubbles being pressed to admit her feelings and Ransom being more open about them. It wasn't a perfect communication, and he was a bit harsh, but it was communication nonetheless! ❤️

Kissing sounds lots of fun 🤭

Add It All Up

Summary: You and Mary are just the right kind of stubborn to get Frank to open up.

A/N: Reader is female. No other physical descriptors used.

A/N2: Written for the Small Town Fics 2026 challenge!

Working at Everett's Diner was a decent living, at least in a small town. You were able to make enough to get by and, thanks to Ma letting you still live at home, you were able to add to your savings, little by little. It's doubtful you'd ever be able to get your own home, but maybe you could save up for a vacation. A real trip somewhere nice.

It's not like you had much else to save up for. Ma called your savings a "wedding fund" but you know better. There's only one man in town you've got an eye on and he ain't interested in you. Not interested in anyone, if the gossip is to be believed. It's a shame the only man who seemed interested in you was Mr. Barber, principal of the high school. You've never been one for authority figures. Plus, given his summer work at the ATV Park, Frank was willing to get his hands dirty. That automatically made him more appealing. You love a man who's good with his hands.

Half the town plotting to get Frank and you together 😆

I'm glad he finally found the courage, even if he was guided towards it by a stubborn kid with a pitchfork 😂 ❤️

Crazy

A/N: Written for January Jumble Scribbles. Prompt: Let them say we’re crazy, what do they know

Word Count: 264

Warnings: Allusions to PTSD, Off screen death. Please let me know if I missed any!

"Please, Bucky," you beg.

"Doll, I can't just ditch the army," Bucky murmured. "I'm being called to help. How can I say no?"

"If you go, I know you're not going to be coming back to me," you sob.

"You don't think I can keep myself alive?"

"No! I know you to be capable, strong, steadfast. But this is trench warfare, Bucky! I know what happened to my father when he went to Europe for the last war. I don't want to see you broken like he was."

"I'm not going to break," he reassures. "I have a beautiful woman to come back home to."

"We can run away to Mexico or something. Tell everyone we're eloping and then just never coming back."

"People will think we're crazy, Doll."

"Let them say we're crazy, what do they know?"

Bucky gently cups your face with his hands. His eyes are as his touch. "I can't hide from this, Doll. We've gotta save the world from a fascist dictator who is already killing thousands."

Tears form in your eyes. He's made up his mind. With or without your support he's going.

"Okay. I'll wait for you," you promise.

"Thank you, Doll," he smiles before giving you a loving kiss. "I'll be back before you know it."

💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

Decades later, James Buchanan Barnes, formerly The Winter Soldier, brings flowers to a lonely grave. He apologizes for not listening to you. For hurting you so much you never moved on. For the lonely life you lived. If you meet in the next life, he prays you forgive him.

Tagging: @agustdboyoongie; @alicedopey; @alphabetically-deranged; @darsynia; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @irishhappiness; @iwudbutnah; @kmc1989; @lokislady82; @peaches1958; @ronearoundblindly; @stellar-solar-flare;

WHAT THE HELL?!

Not only it's Monday and we're burdened with it, but you drop this utter heartbreak on us, too?

a choose your own man type of short story

warnings: none; a bit of angst, but I don't leave it at heartbreak;

other Who is he? stories

Main Masterlist

Arranged marriages could be a doomed fate. A struggle of both sides that were forced into it, treating each other as the enemy instead of trying to build something on the cold stones of expectations.

For you, being promised to the future mafia Don wasn't the end of the world.

You didn't fight it, despite the announcement being made when you were barely fifteen and he was eighteen.

Partly because it was softly ingrained into the lining of your being, preparing you to become a gentle foundation on which a mafia made man could lean on.

Mostly, however, because you grew up with your future husband, got to know him, and there wasn't a reason to hate him.

A good man who is so gentle for you, smitten with you, loves to eat you out? Also a family man who takes care of his literal and metaphorical family? A man who can be cold and calculating when it comes to the family business?

I'm going with Jake.

Jakey! 😍

I love that he gets to be the boss, not only some side character of less important job.

The only thing I have trouble imagining is Jake waiting for your wedding night. That man is the one begging you to ride him the moment he feels you come all over his fingers for the first time 🤭

Writing this while I'm thinking about it:

The King's Secret Service is the topic of many stories and myths. No one truly knows who they are, leading to much talk of them being ghouls, demons, and other creatures bound to the royal family.

They do, exist, though. As evidenced by raiding parties brought down before villages even know they're in danger. By the decrees acknowledging their work bringing in criminals. Scariest of all, by their courting.

If a woman wakes up to a bouquet of blue roses, impossible to be grown by normal methods, she must prepare to be whisked away in the night. Her family will receive a payment worthy of a noble, regardless of their actual status.

People try to keep watch to see the selected woman taken away but everyone who tries reports their eyes closing for but a moment, a mere blink. And when their eyes open again, the woman and her belongings are gone, replaced by the promised bride price.

You're the middle child of a village farmer, not much is expected of you beyond what's expected of every woman in the village.

One day you take your younger siblings into the first to gather kindling and berries. You can't fight the feeling of being watched so you keep your siblings close. As you pick some berries you startle back as you catch a pair of otherworldly eyes looking at you from the bushes.

Calmly and carefully, so as not to start a panic, you gather your siblings and get them home. Once there you inform your father and brothers of what you saw. Because you're not given to flights of fancy, your concerns are given weight. But searching results in nothing being found.

Still, you shouldn't be so surprised to wake up with a bouquet of roses on your chest.

That's very intriguing. Not knowing even how they look, move, operate, adds a ton of mystery to it all.

I was considering what if the woman given flowers tries to run, but then I realized they watch everything so it's probably even easier for them to snatch her up.

Tech Tuesday: Ransom (Snippet)

A/N: Written for January Jumble Scribbles. Prompt: “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

Word Count: 300

Main Story; Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

You probably shouldn't do this, but you need to. Seeing Sandra flirt with Ransom hurts. Seeing her actively try to steal him away feels wrong. You still need to confess to Ransom, yes, but, maybe she'll understand.

Heading to the break room early, you see Sandra on the lookout for Ransom. Instead of going to your usual place, you sit across from her.

"Hi, can we talk?" you smile softly.

She rolls her eyes at you, "about what?"

"Um...well, it's about Ransom," you admit.

She perks up at that. "Oh, are you going to help me nab him?"

"Oh, um, no. Actually, I was going to ask if you'd be willing to back off?"

Sandra rolls her eyes and starts looking for Ransom again. "I'm gonna have that handsome man wrapped around my finger. And if you're not going to help me, you can get lost."

"Sandra, please," you start but she refuses to make eye contact. Frustrated and nervous, you want to run, accept her victory. But you can't.

You slam your hand on the table, startling everyone. "Look at me when I'm talking to you," you order. "You are making my friend uncomfortable with your advances. Now you can either back off or we get HR involved."

Sandra sneers, "I don't make him nearly as uncomfortable as you do. You're the one making him act like a goody-two-shoes when we both know he needs to let loose and get dirty."

Her words sting, but you don't back down.

A cough gets the attention of both of you, breaking the tension. Ransom is standing there, lunch in hand, eyebrow raised.

"Don't worry, I've already been working with HR about you harassing me," he tells Sandra. "Romanov said it's not every day a Pusheen key-chain gets admitted as evidence."

Tagging: @agustdboyoongie; @alicedopey; @alphabetically-deranged; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @irishhappiness; @iwudbutnah; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @kmc1989; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ozwriterchick; @peaches1958 @ronearoundblindly; @lokislady82; @thiquefunlover63

Ransom will get loose and dirty, the right way, with the person he really wants and feels comfortable with! Fuck off, Sandra!

Plus, being a more polite, nicer person doesn't cancel out great sex, pffft. No need to be a dick to give good dick!

Roomies

A/N: Written for January Jumble Scribbles. Prompt: "I’ve had bigger thrills leaning up against my dryer"

Word Count: 303 (I tried!)

Warnings: Implied smut. Please let me know if I missed any!

Moments after your boyfriend dumped you over the phone, your roommate, Colin started helping you process. He even gives you a pint of the expensive ice cream he saves for special occasions. Between bites you've been picking apart your ex-boyfriend, your relationship, finally letting out all the things that have upset you.

"I'm guessing he also wasn't great in bed?" Colin encourages.

"Honestly, I've had bigger thrills leaning up against my dryer!" you confirm. "At least I can finally stop hiding my toys. He said they hurt his feelings. Made him feel like he wasn't enough."

"Because he wasn't."

"Yeah, but, I couldn't tell him that."

"Why'd you stay with him for so long?"

"Desperation," you admit, shoulders slumped. "I'm not attractive, so when he showed interest, I jumped at the chance for a relationship."

"Are you kidding? You're beautiful!"

"I'm not, and you know it," you counter. "Just look at all the girls you bring home. I look nothing like them."

"I don't bring home girls I think are beautiful," he debates. "I bring home girls I think are easy and looking for a good time."

"And somehow they're all small enough that you could easily pick them up," you sigh. "No one wants big and tall girls like me. Just gonna resign myself to never finding love."

"Or, and hear me out, you can let me give you the ride of your life, giving you the confidence to see how attractive you are," he offers, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm not interested in a pity fuck!"

"It isn't pity," he assures, his tone dropping.

"I'm not your type."

"You're not my type for a one-night stand. I'd never let you go."

"You're not serious,' you breathe.

"I am," he promises, moving closer.

"Prove it," you challenge, shivering at his triumphant smile.

Tagging: @agustdboyoongie; @alicedopey; @alphabetically-deranged; @blacksilks; @blobfishlol; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @irishhappiness; @iwudbutnah; @kmc1989; @lokislady82; @peaches1958; @ronearoundblindly; @thiquefunlover63;

Colin definitely knows how to use your toys 😏

and your ex is an infested dumpster for breaking up with you over the phone, what a cowardly prick

New Beginnings

Summary: Starting again as friends has its challenges.

A/N: Reader has no physical descriptors.

Warnings: Allusions to previous bad relationship, Death of a side character.

Follow up to Second Chances.

You really should have known better than to be friends again with Curtis. Your feelings for him came back so quickly, but so did the pain of your previous attempt at a relationship.

For his part, Curtis never pushed for more. He let you lead things, but out of respect for your feelings as opposed to apathy. And the motivation made a lot of difference. You didn't feel drained, like you were carrying the relationship. You felt safe, encouraged. And when you did spend time with him, he was far more engaged.

You fell for him again so hard and fast it scared you. This wasn't the same Curtis who hurt you, you knew that. But it was still his face, his eyes, his voice. So you kept yourself safe and reinforced the "just friends" boundary.

Love how It's going to be the celebration she needs - not festive and overdone, but with people she feels comfortable with and understood ❤️

Thinking about adding some diversity to my 99% mafia writing next year 😅

I've been thinking about a few concepts:

small town - sheriff, bar owner, park ranger, carpenter, mayor, etc.

hockey players - woman who knows zero abt hockey hooking up with a star player; or coach's daughter that is off limits; or a player stalking and owning rival's ex/sister; few players getting themselves a pet to share...

fantasy/medieval - knights in not so shining armour; power-wielding enemies; maiden stolen by raiders; kings choose a bride to share, etc.

I voted small town. I'm sure Sheriff Rogers would love to take you to get a meal at Everett's diner. Everyone knows he uses local stuff from Turner's farm.

Or maybe he'll take you to the park. Ranger Levinson has told him about some choice spots for a picnic under the stars. Especially ones far enough away from Johnny Storm's ATV Park that the noise doesn't bother you

He'll need to be at the top of his game if he's going to win you over. Word is the school principal, Mr. Barber, is seeking your attention. Sheriff Rogers can't blame him, though. You're one of a kind. Any man would be damn lucky to have you.

Sooo, Zombie's small town romances next year, please? 🥺👉👈

Because now I want to read it all 😆

As a kid, you and your best friend make a cute promise to marry each other when you're adults. It's sweet, not fully understood by either of you.

Unfortunately, his family moves to the big city and you lose contact.

Life goes on. You have your high-school sweetheart, then a few college romances. Two longer relationships after you move to the city that fall apart. Then at work you meet Nate and it grows into a steady engagement.

The year before the wedding is a bit chaotic, lots of strain and small conflicts between you two. Some of those regard Nate's penchant for gambling, but thankfully he gets his head back on and pays off the potentially dangerous men who loaned him money.

Pity it meant you had to cut some things from your dream wedding.

Honestly, you kind off just want to get over with this thing and enter the next stage of your life.

On the day of the wedding rehearsal, the preparations are suddenly interrupted as a bunch of dangerous looking men with guns fill the place.

Then another man walks in.

A silhouette that cuts through the space like a heavy blade that's stunning in its ornamental bladesmith craft.

He strides. Confidently and with lethal purpose.

There's something about him that feels vaguely familiar, but your brain can't put the pieces together as your heart pounds in fear.

Your first thought is "What the fuck did Nate do this time?!"

It scrambles as a pair of cold blue eyes settles on you, not on your fiancé. So familiar, as if they haunted you in your dreams.

But they couldn't be. No, if you had dreams about this man they'd be inappropriate. Dark, sticky, branding.

Yet it seems you're the one to blame for the threat of bloodshed as the man says your name. He says it like he knows you - and he does, even if you don't yet realize it's the boy you promised your hand to first.

He says your name like he has all the rights to you.

And he will make his ownership of you true.

_____________

Who is he?

Everyone underestimates Jake and that's just how he likes it. His enemies think they're dealing with a goofy dork, not a mastermind. They never expect how ruthlessly he takes over their territories.

No one can figure out his approach. It feels random. But that's only because they don't know his true goal: you.

He never forgot you. Never forgot how you would always look out for each other. Despite being separated for so long, he remembered his promise.

When he found you again, he decided not to step in directly, so long as you were happy. He'd take over territories where you lived or worked so he could ensure your safety. And he'd always do background checks on your dates.

But this latest guy, Nate, is nowhere near good enough for you. Jake sees how truly unhappy you are and decides enough is enough. He needs to step in.

You never thought your sweet Jake would grow up to be so commanding and calculating. But you don't find yourself scared of him.

Instead, you look him in the eyes and ask, "what took you so long?"

Now that's a twist no one saw coming!

I'm here for that. Sweetheart Jake not only underestimated, but using his genuine caring nature as a diversion so his enemies never expect the hit.

Taste of the Holidays

cam!boy Steve Rogers x cam!girl female Reader

part of Your Soft Doll universe (but can be read as stand-alone)

summary: Holiday spirit inspires your and Steve's next video.

warnings: Established relationship. Fluff and intimacy. Sex work. Sex work positive. Sex recording. Oral (f receiving). Fingering. Rimming. Barebacking. Squirting. Light Dom/sub undertones. Pet names (Doll). A tiny smidge of degradation, but affectionate.

word count: 3k

Author's Note: This is my first contribution to the Hoes For The Holidays event which I'm ho(e)nored to host with @stargazingfangirl18 and @buckets-and-trees ❄️❤️ What better man to fit the hoeliday spirit than Nomadick - soft, charming, sinful 🫠 I hope my gift of him to you makes you happy! This can easily be read as a stand-alone, there's no need to read other parts of the universe.

Honeyed sweetness coated your tongue as mulled wine’s punch burst in a firework of heat in your belly. 

Paired with the aftertaste of gingerbread and orange little donuts, your mouth had a little festive party of its own. One that held a radiant smile on your face and pumped your blood with carefree joy.

You took another sip of the hot wine and turned your head to look up at Steve who was standing right beside you, his big hand holding yours in a steady grip. You wore fuzzy mittens to ward off the frost, but Steve’s hands were bare and still warm like they battled the cold with ease. 

It had to be a men thing that they didn’t need as many layers, or gloves to survive the winter.

Or maybe Steve was simply that hot.

You almost hiccuped with a giggle at that thought, but the sound died as your breath hitched a little when your gaze landed on him. 

Trust and genuineness are so important. I'm glad these two have that in spades!

They're my safe, healthy place among all the wicked, dark stuff that I write 😆

Just writing this down because it won't stop bugging me:

Dystopian AU, a community of survivors living securely within a very large, walled compound.

Cole Turner and Hal Carter are in charge of the fields, making sure everyone has food to eat

Jake Jensen and Bucky Barnes are in charge of security, making sure no one enters or leaves without permission and alerting everyone in case of attack.

Curtis Everett and James Mace keep the machinery running, making sure everyone stays warm in the winter, cool in the summer, able to cook, etc.

Andy Barber and Nick Fowler are in charge of handling internal disputes, making sure people don't fall into anarchy or rise up against their overlords protectors.

Lloyd Hansen and God the Bounty Hunter manage attacks on other groups, fights for resources, making sure the compound doesn't run out of vitals or free labor.

Doctors Chris Beck and Steve Kemp are the only doctors, making sure everyone is healthy and every young woman is fertile.

You are spoils of war a refugee, rescued from another compound. The man in charge, Steve Rogers, is tempted to keep you for himself give you a better life at his side. But he has to keep his men happy.

Who does he end up giving you to?

Steve considers giving me to Cole and Hal, since I show knowledge of plants and I voiced my eagerness to work the greenhouse or the fields. He knows the sunshine, flirty boys won't waste time to make me fall for them hard.

However, Steve can't keep himself from checking on me daily. Maybe when he sees me smudged with soil and threatening a bug to kill him mercilessly if he dares to eat the leaves of a plant, he'll lose his interest completely. Or when I dare to barge into a council meeting to argue that the medical wing can't keep cutting all my nettles, because as much as they're needed by the doctors they are important in the small ecosystem we're growing in the new greenhouse!