#[ no good gifs available through that search sighs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bonny-kookoo · 1 year ago

Text

Jungkook

𝓢𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓣𝓸𝓸𝓽𝓱 [Cookies]

Jimin isn't sure anymore what to think about you and Jungkook. But maybe tonight he realizes something.

Tags/Warnings: Human!Yoongi, Human!Jimin, Rottweiler hybrid!Jungkook, Cat hybrid!Reader, Enemies to friends to lovers, mentions of past trauma, some Yoonmin here and there oops, Main story focus are MC and Kook though, some Angst in this, major fluff too, christmas!!!

Wordcount: 3.1k words

There is no taglist for this fic.

-> Masterlist

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

Jimin has no idea how to talk to you anymore.

It’s not like you became an entirely different person overnight, or as if Jungkook actively keeps him away from you- it’s just.. awkward. He’s seen you search online for jobs, something you’ve never done before, or at least you’ve never actually seemed to be interested in that. And neither has he ever wanted you to do get one- he’s making enough money for the both of you, you don’t have to provide for yourself.

But he believes that Jungkook might have something to do with it.

“jiminie?” You say, skipping towards him to put your phone down, a page opened. “can you drive me to my job interview tomorrow?” You ask, and Jimin frowns, looking at the page on your phone.

It's an email. You’ve been apparently asking for a job at a local grocery store to just help stock the shelves and such, but Jimin worries. “are you sure?” He asks, and you deflate quite a bit. “eight hours a day is a bit much to start with..” he says, and you huff, slumping over onto the kitchen counter.

“But I wanna have my own money too…” you mumble, complaining when the door opens, Yoongi entering.

“But baby you don’t have to? Just tell me how much you need and I’ll give it to you.” Jimin says, earning some attention from Yoongi who gets himself a bottle of cold coffee from the fridge.

“But then- noo, that’s not right!” You huff, tail smacking against your chair you’re sitting on. “no, I need my own for that!” You complain. “eight hours isn’t a lot! I can do that!”

“Can I look at it?” yoongi asks, and Jimin slides the phone over with a sigh. “eight hours five days a week. Have you ever worked before?” He wonders, and you sheepishly shake your head. “then eight hours might be a bit much as a start. Don’t they offer part time positions?” He asks, and you shrug.

“I’ll get less money then though..” you say disappointed, leaning back a big as your legs swing around.

“Work your way up then.” Yoongi encourages. “it’s a good job, decent pay even as part time.” He mumbles, looking through the job description. “I’d like to look over the contract before you sign it though. Just to make sure it’s all good.” He says, turning around to throw the bottle in the trash.

Jimin notices instantly how you look at Yoongi.

“There’s my princess!” Jungkook however breaks through the moment, picking you up from the chair you’re sitting on to hug you, tail wagging with excitement. He’s apparently just come home from work to pick you up- like he always does.

These days, the moment Jungkook is available, you’re gone out of sight.

Yoongi has already slowly brought up the topic of potentially changing the living situations permanently in the future- switching around so to speak, with Jungkook and you living in one house, while Jimin and Yoongi occupy the other. Of course, this wouldn’t be official due to the fact that both Jungkook and you are still hybrids and therefore legally not allowed to rent or own any land or property, but it could still work as long as the paperwork stays the way it is right now. Jimin isn’t really sure if he likes the idea.

He knows it’s inevitable, but that doesn’t mean he likes it.

Jungkook and you are gone as quickly as always, with the dog hybrid helping you wrap your scarf around your neck to keep you warm outside. He’s taking you for a bit of a date- he’s doing that a lot in fact. But especially now- with Christmas fast approaching and your love for all things sweet, it’s the perfect time to spoil you rotten.

You don’t tell him about your job hunting. You kind of want it to stay a bit of a secret.

“Do you know what you’d like as a Christmas present yet?” He wonders, warm hand holding yours as he swings them a bit, both of you walking through the busy streets full of food stalls and advertisements. You think a little, unsure.

“I don’t know.” You admit. Jimin and you always exchanged tiny presents, never truly having to think about what to gift the other.

“hm, I’ll have to think of something then.” He chuckles, squeezing your hand a second before he looks ahead again.

Back home, Jimin and Yoongi are arguing once again. “I’m just saying- what if they can’t keep the house tidy? She’s pretty messy..” jimin worries.

“Jungkook will get her to clean up, don’t worry he’s a bit chaotic but they’ll manage.” He easily defends. “jimin, I know it’s hard to let go but-“ he sighs when Jimin turns around, facing away from him. “-she’ll stay close? Literally next door.” He offers.

But it’s not enough. He wants you home.

“She’s already looking for a job. She clearly must be thinking of it too.” Yoongi says. “You can’t keep that away from her. She deserves that freedom.”

“She never worked before. She wont last.” Jimin says, sitting down again to put his head in his hands. “I don’t want her to go through that feeling of failure. She’s fine as it is- why does she suddenly want her own money? Just because Jungkook works?” He whines, and Yoongi shrugs, because he has an idea as to why you could be doing this.

“Does it really matter?” the older male says, sitting down as well. “this isn’t about the money, or the work, or the house, and you know this.” He tries to reason. “it’s about the fact that you don’t want her to leave.”

“Why can’t I have you both?” jimin softly complains. “it feels like I have to choose. Like.. I’d have to take Jungkook away from her to get her back.” He reveals his feelings, making Yoongi stay silent.

Because there’s really nothing he could say to make him feel any better.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

Yoongi waits for you in the car as you return from your job interview, offering him the documents to read through. “You know you don’t have to do this, right?” yoongi asks, reading through the papers with a pair of glasses.

“Yeah, but I don’t.. want to just be lazy.” You mumble, playing with your new acrylics you got done with Jungkook. They’re Christmas themed. “Jungkook.. works a lot. And he's always so proud.” You say quietly. “I know working in a grocery store isn’t as cool as his job but..”

Yoongi looks over at you, a gentle expression on his face. “You have a lot to be proud of too.” He says, giving the documents back to you. “and even just part time is already a big thing. You’re a different category than Jungkook, remember that.”

“How do you know?” You ask, surprised.

“both simple observation-“ He smiles a bit, before he flips a page of your document. “-and the ability to read.” He chuckles, causing you to become a bit shy now.

He's right. It’s all written down right there.

“You’re right in the middle of categories. That’s got to be confusing.” He gently tells you. “Go slow and steady. They offer a training day, take it. I’ll bring you and pick you up, and then we’ll decide whether or not you’ll sign it, okay?” He asks, and you nod, watching him drive home in silence.

The moment you both step out in front of his house, you do something unique-

You hug him, an actual, full on hug, arms wrapped around him as you rub your cheek on his chest to scent him. “thanks.” You mumble, and Yoongi awkwardly pats your head, before you run off at the sight of Jungkook after giving yoongi the documents, as the dog hybrid is seen opening the front door to greet you.

“Well, that’s new.” Jimin hums. “is she growing closer to everyone but me now?” He half-jokes- though yoongi can hear some genuine insecurities.

“I think it’s simply evening out, Jimin.” Yoongi tries to explain. “see it like that. Her attention is like a bottle of water. And before, it was all just filling one cup- yours.” He says as they’re both inside the kitchen now, him taking out two glasses and a bottle of water. “But now, there’s more cups to fill. And Jungkook’s simply gets a bit more from her.. well, because it’s a special cup, you could say.” He chuckles.

“I was just as spoiled, huh.” Jimin sighs, taking the glass of water from him, staring at it.

“Pretty much. But just like her, you’ll adapt.” He gently hums, hand on his. “it’s just a bit tough right now. And hey-“ he says, leaning over the table a bit to get closer, faces only inches apart.

“-You’ve got your own special cup too, no?”

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

Jungkook and you cuddle on the sofa, when he notices it again.

Sometimes, whenever you’re close like this, or he offers you just a tad bit too much physical affection, you seem to become almost drunk off of it. He’s noticed it in public too, whenever he hugs you fully and gives you a lot of kisses or even just a hand on your back running up and down a bit too often. Now, he knows that cat hybrids can get excited from a lot of physical contact- but you seem especially sensitive.

Almost as if you’re not the same category as himself.

He doesn’t really know how to ask you, considering that it might be a touchy subject- but he’s also endlessly curious. Though, right now, it’s not a very pressing issue, as you’re both in the privacy of the home he technically shares with Yoongi. These days, your things have found their way into this house as well though- from clothes in the wash, blankets on the couch, or stuffed toys in his bedroom that you wanted to show off but forgot to take back.

He can’t say he doesn’t like it.

You’re happily purring against him, rolling over onto your back, sweater rising up a bit to reveal your stomach- and he can’t help himself as he leans over you to kiss the skin, cold top of his nose making you giggle. “You’re so pretty.” He chuckles as well, moving up to kiss your lips now. You’re buzzing with emotions now, tail swiping from side to side, smacking hard against the couch now as he charges you up again.

It's then that you bite him, and he notices it.

As if he looks at you for the first time so intensely, he realizes a few things. From the more pronounced feline shape of your pupils, to the more defined sharpened teeth of yours. It doesn’t just seem like you’re a different category- you most likely are.

And yet you seem so aware? Something doesn’t make sense- but right now, it’s not the moment to ask about it.

Instead, he watches how you let go of his arm again, only some slight marks present on his skin, proving that you didn’t mean to hurt him at all- that it was just a reaction to get rid of all that excitement. It’s cute to him, most of all, so he doesn’t really care about it, happy sighing along with you as you both entangle your legs together before you cuddle up, getting ready to nap a little.

It's Jungkook’s favorite part of the day.

If he didn’t like his job so much, he’d stay home with you all day every day, and he’d never get bored of anything at all as long as you’d be there at his side. But to spoil you how you deserve it, he needs money- so it’s currently for the best to be away for seven hours and be able to offer you the best he can.

And you deserve only the best, in his opinion.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

You feel ashamed when Yoongi picks you up from your first day.

You had to take breaks way more often than you thought you’d have to, it was honestly stressful despite the fact that you did nothing but stock shelves for four hours. You’re being paid- but you also feel almost defeated. You can’t see yourself doing this long term- you feel absolutely drained.

“I know I’m repeating myself, but it’s fine to admit if it’s not for you.” Yoongi tells you, who just starts at your lap. “no shame in it.”

“Why can’t I be normal?” You mumble.

“Because no one is.” Yoongi simply chuckles. “some might fit a common standard. But there is really no ‘normal’. Only average at best.” He explains.

“then I wanna be average.” You say.

“But that’s not you.” He shrugs. “and we all like you the way you are.” He offers. “Jimin mentioned to me that you don’t like Christmas. Are you upset because of that right now?” He wonders, genuinely curious.

“Christmas.. I don’t know.” You tell him. “It’s all.. a lot. Like, the lights, and the noise, and everyone’s always on edge, and nervous..” you confess.

“Its stressful.” Yoongi concludes, and you nod.

“And I also always feel bad.” You admit. “because.. Jiminie always gets me a lot of presents, but all I can give him is.. stupid stuff I made myself.” You say.

“Ah, now I get why you want to work so badly.” Yoongi clicks his tongue.

“I want to give you guys nice stuff too!” You cry out, finally letting it all out to someone. “I want to make you happy too, but I can’t do anything, and I can’t buy anything! I can only take, that’s it!” You huff angrily, ears pinned back when you notice Yoongi pulling up to a small grocery store. “Huh?” You wonder, distracted, when Yoongi runs a hand over your head- the touch able to calm you down quite a bit as you look at him.

“you and Jimin are very similar, you know?” He smiles. “You need to be more open. Don’t suffer all by yourself- getting help isn’t admitting defeat.” He says. “how about you help with chores at home, and I’ll give you some pocket money for it?”

“But then I’ll take money from you again.” You deny.

“Its not that different from working. You do something, I’ll pay you. Simple.” He shrugs.

“…OK.” You nod, determined, as he reaches over to wipe your cheeks, tears staining them that you didn’t even notice falling.

“there we go.” He grins, before driving back home with you.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

After Yoongi had informed the rest of them back home about your actual issues with the holiday season, Jungkook is now busy making sure the new Christmas lights aren’t blinking anymore but instead glowing steady, settings adjusted. He's almost done, when you rush into the house, almost tripping upstairs. “everything okay?” Jungkook calls, Jimin and Yoongi looking after you as well.

“Everything’s fine, promise!” You call down. “I just gotta wrap some stuff!!” You say, before something chatters, making Yoongi chuckle.

“So all those Years.. she didn’t hate Christmas at all?” jimin wonders.

“I mean, cats are pretty sensitive to stuff like that.” Jungkook mumbles with his head almost entirely stuck within the large Christmas tree. “and she’s a different category so- ouch!” He flinched when the pines prick him a little.

“I never thought that the difference in just seven percent is that big..” jimin shamefully sighs to himself.

“Well, you know now.” Yoongi reassures. “the past is the past. Let’s focus on the future.”

You’re downstairs a few hours later with a few colorful bandaids on your fingers from papercuts, watching the cookies in the oven bake with Jungkook hugging you. Some of them are shaped like cats, others like dogs. “can we eat them when they’re done?” You wonder.

“They’ll be hot though.” Jungkook chuckles. “you’ll burn your tongue.”

“I don’t wanna wait..” you huff.

“I’ll distract you then.” Jungkook suggests. “we can go put the presents under the tree while they cool down.” He says, letting go of you to take them out, careful not to have you get hurt.

“Okay.” You nod, fetching all the little things you wrapped admittedly a bit chaotically. Still, everyone’s proud- it’s not an easy task for you, and it’s clear that you had to take breaks multiple times in between wrapping to get your focus back on track. “mine look all crumpled up..” you pout, sitting on the floor in front of all the presents.

“You got drastically better though after the first two.” Yoongi comments. “that one there looks pretty neat.” He points to a small one, and you purr at that, before you turn. “You want some?” He offers the peeled tangerine, which you take.

“She’s warmed up to him.” Jimin notices from the sidelines, and Jungkook nods, tail wagging.

“Isn’t it great?” He says, though his tail slows when he notices Jimin’s rather somber look. “Why are you so against us loving her.?” He asks, and Jimin looks towards the dog hybrid in surprise.

“What?” He asks, caught off guard.

“I don’t know. But it feels like you’re.. upset that she’s befriending Yoongi. Or that she loves me now.” He explains.

“I’m not upset.” The older human denies. “I’m just.. scared.”

“Of what?” Jungkook calls, bewildered. “aren’t we a family now?”

A family.

Jimin hasn’t really thought of it that way- but Jungkook’s right. Yoongi and the dog hybrid aren’t taking you away, really- they’re more like an extension now, added on instead of pushed into the existing bond you two once had. The only one who pulled away had been himself.

“we all love her. In different ways.” Jungkook smiles. “the only one who’s making it weird is you.” He jokes, before he joins in, tugging on your tail playfully to get you to turn and tackle him, Yoongi sighing as he has to make sure you both don’t tumble right into the tree.

And that night, a switch had been flipped.

Jimin finally jumps over his own shadow again, helping you unwrap your presents, while also almost brought to tears when he receives yours. It’s all warm, and happy, and almost like you’re both back to normal again- but one look around him offers him a true picture of what it is now.

You both have always considered each other family-

You’re just a few more people now.

#bts imagine #bts fanfic #bts fic #jungkook imagine #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook imagine #hybrid imagine #bts jungkook imagine #jungkook x reader #bts jungkook fanfic #bts jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook imagines #jungkook imagines #jeon jungkook fanfic #bts jeon jungkook imagine

735 notes · View notes

gladoswantscake · 2 months ago

Text

Just a Scratch - Goro Majima x Reader

Summary: This wasn't the first time he came home in the middle of the night beaten up.

Warnings: Minor spoilers from Kiwami 1

Available on AO3

The outside of Kamurocho's bright neon city lights shined warmly through your bedroom curtains as you slept. Tonight was quiet. Too quiet and lonely. Tonight was one of those nights when you couldn't fall asleep. You roll over to stare at the empty spot on the other side of the bed; desolated and cold. It lacked your lover. Nighttime was when you longed for him the most. You only ever get to see him when he leaves for work and when he comes home at night. Going many hours each day without seeing him makes you yearn for his presence. A good day is when Majima comes home to you.

Of course, being a patriarch has more responsibilities and also requires him to attend to more important matters. He'd be lucky if he was able to come home before dusk. But that was rare.

You roll back over to your side to glance at the clock. Almost midnight. You'd only been in bed for nearly two hours and not a feeling of drowsiness hit you. At least he'll be home anytime now. You make an attempt to try to sleep.

Not even ten minutes in and the sound of three loud knocks erupts you from your sleep. The noise startles you as you sit up quickly, feeling your heart pacing rapidly. The continuous loud knocking begins to strike a nerve in you.

"Alright... Alright..." You shout as you sluggishly get out of bed.

You drag yourself to the front door, rubbing your face as you unlock the deadbolt and the knob. Upon opening the door stood Majima; beaten and bruised up.

What shocked you even more was his new attire: A dirty pink bodycon dress with torn fish net stockings, tousled blond wig, and press-on nails. The makeup was surprisingly well-kept on his face despite how badly wounded the rest of his body was.

You then remembered this morning before he left, he spoke to you about an idea he had in mind to lure Kiryu: If there was one thing that many men loved, it was women.

But you didn't expect Majima to come home dressed as a hostess.

"Sorry if I woke ya up. I lost my key."

You took no time to pulling him into your home. "What the hell happened to you this time?"

Majima follows you from behind, removing and tossing the pink high heels onto the floor at the front door in the process. A sly grin appears on his face. "I uh, got my butt beat again by Kiryu-chan." He follows you into the bathroom.

Ever since Kiryu got out of prison, Majima has been coming up with weird ideas.

Majima sits on the seat of the toilet. He watches as you dig through the cabinet searching for your medical supplies. It felt like a ritual to patch him up every time he came home injured. He never complained once about it. He secretly enjoyed being doctored up by you. Physical touch was a love language of his.

You set out bandages, rubbing alcohol, and pads on the sink then leaving in search for a bath towel in the bedroom.

"I thought Goromi would have been the perfect hostess to make him swoon." He removes the messy blond wig. "Almost had him too!"

"Maybe he's not into buff women." You shout from outside of your bedroom.

As Majima waits for your return, he begins to undress himself. The tight fabric of the dress was making it impossible for his fingertips to reach the zipper. Even trying to pull the dress downward didn't budge. "What a goddamn pain." He grumbles. "Who the hell makes these dresses where ya can't even get out of?!"

You quickly return to him, unzipping the dress for him revealing. Large bruises already forming on his bare back.

"Thank you, doll." He sighs in relief.

"This has to be the most uncomfortable thing I've ever worn." He removes the pink thong before wrapping a towel around his waist. "Do ya think pink looks good on me?" He jokes.

"I think it accentuates your figure." You glance up at him. A faint bruise was starting to appear on his jaw and a few scrapes scattered amongst his face.

"I'm sorry your idea didn't go as planned." You remove his eyepatch before getting started. Your hands cups both sides of his cheeks to examine the damage. You then reach for the gauze wipe then the alcohol. After lightly dousing the wipe, you cautiously dab his face.

"Ah, don't be sorry. I had fun." He winces at the feeling of the alcohol wipe stinging his cheek. "You should'ave seen Kiryu blushin'." He chuckles softly.

"So Goromi, huh?"

Majima laughs to himself. "Oh yeah. Now that you reminded me. I gotta a great story to tell ya."

----------------------

After disposing the used gauze and band aids, you return to him to observe his beaten face. The condition was slight better than it was prior.

"I'm worried for you."

"How so?"

"I'm worried that one of these nights you won't come home."

"Aw Y/N-chan..." His voice trails. His hands roam up your waist. "Don't be havin' those thoughts, besides it feels like I only took a scratch." He gives you a reassuring smile.

"I get that you enjoy fighting, but there's only so many times you can do it before something bad happens to you."

Majima sighs. His hands move to your wrists, taking them in his hands. "Darlin' I've told you many times I can't quit. It ain't no easy job. Hell, I've been a yakuza my whole life and I'm still kicking."

Majima was extremely defensive when it came to you preaching concern about his brawling habits. There was no way he was backing down something that he enjoyed doing. But with what you said was true. All the times he got into conflict, the thought of him ending up dead never crossed his mind. He had gotten an earful from you when he came home from the hospital a couple of weeks ago when one of his subordinate's accidently stabbed him. He could see why an incident like that concerned you for his safety.

"I may have some cuts and bruises, but I'm still here. I ain't goin' nowhere. I promise."

"Promise?"

He pulls you into his lap. "As long as come home to see my Y/N-chan." His lips peck yours, leaving a faint lipstick stain on your lips.

Your hand runs through his messy undercut. "I'll be waiting for you in bed."

"You're not gonna join me?" He whines. "I haven't seen my Y/N-chan all day."

You took your time contemplating the idea.

"At least let me return you the favor." He purrs. "I gotta show how much I appreciate all that you've done for me."

#yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza kiwami #yakuza oneshots #yakuza x reader #goro majima #goro majima x reader #majima goro #majima goro x reader #my creation

61 notes · View notes

gracescoolbeans · 3 months ago

Text

but nights with you are better [A.Giarratana]

paring: angela giarratana x reader

summary: sleepless nights aren’t so bad when you have angela to keep you company

warnings: none, just fluff; a few dashes of anxiety; sleepy angela being way too cute; shameless nerdy prudes must die plug; not proofread!

wordcount: 1.1k

a/n: i’ve been having a really hard time falling asleep lately so i wrote this fic instead of actually doing something about it 😅 i’ve been wanting to write angela fics since i started this blog but i’m finally committing! i have far too many ideas and not enough time but i’ll make it work somehow…hopefully 😶 anyway, hope you enjoy <3

* * * * * * *

A sigh tumbles out of your mouth as you roll away from your girlfriend and stare up at the dark ceiling above you. You close your eyes and try to fall back asleep to no avail.

Looks like another sleepless night.

You turn your head to look at the brunette next to you, a part of you wanting to reach out and wake her. The two of you haven't been living together for long and you were still getting used to sharing a sleep schedule with someone else.

More than that, you were slowly becoming an expert in getting up out of bed without making a shit ton of noise. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. Especially because Angela's ears were somehow completely tuned to you.

You were making it work, though, and the slight challenge was a small price to pay to live with your girlfriend.

You and Angela had decided moving in together would fix both your need to find a better place to live (with slightly more manageable rent) and her need to spend more time with you in between her endless gigs. Her work ethic was admirable, albeit slightly unhealthy. At least this way, you could keep an eye on each other.

Of course, you'd sort of forgotten to mention the troubles you usually have with falling asleep and staying asleep. You didn't necessarily consider yourself an insomniac, but you did go through days, weeks, sometimes even months, of struggles that couldn't be soothed with warm tea or less screen time.

Your girlfriend, on the other hand, couldn't seem to get enough of sleep. She could nap anywhere as long as she was somewhat comfortable. It would be awesome if you weren't so jealous of her ability.

Angela needed her sleep, though. She worked way too hard for way too many hours and her only form of self-care was simply a plate of pasta and a glass of wine.

That's why you decided that instead of waking her up with your endless tossing and turning, you'd get up and put a comfort movie on the TV and chill there until you got sleepy again.

Instead of a movie, though, you stumbled across Nerdy Prudes Must Die and decided to watch it for the hundredth time. It didn't replace the soft sound of Angela's voice next to your ear when she held you against her, but it was good enough for now.

So, you snuggled up on the couch with an unbelievable amount of pillows, a warm blanket, and a slightly grumpy Spork next to the couch.

That's exactly where you were when Angela made her way out of the bedroom in search of you. "y/n?"

You turn your head at the sound of your girlfriend's voice, a soft smile pulling at the corners of your lips when you take in her sleepy appearance. "Hey, babe. Why're you awake?"

"Dunno," she shrugs as she struggles to suppress a yawn. "But I got worried when I didn't feel you. You okay?"

Her concern, paired with her extra raspy voice, makes your heart swell. "Yeah, I'm fine, just couldn't sleep."

She pouts, walking over to join you on the couch. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"So you could be grumpy and complain?"

"Good point."

You chuckle as you move over to make room for Angela. She manages to fit in between you and the couch, her arms wrapping around your middle and pulling you against her chest.

"Wait, what are you watching?" She asks.

"What do you think, doofus?" You reply, playfully elbowing her stomach. "Don't talk so much, though, it's my favorite part."

Your favorite part, of course, being the entirety of Dirty Girl. Angela, on the other hand, always has a hard time watching that part since she's way too focused on herself and her "mistakes".

What she calls mistakes, though, you call her acting quirks. Quirks that turn Grace Chasity into one of the most complex and entertaining characters you've ever seen.

"Do I really have to watch this?" She grumbles, leaning down and burying her face in the side of your neck.

"You can go back to sleep if you want." Your hands find their way on top of hers and you allow your fingers to trace the backs of them, along with the slightly protruding veins that cover them.

"Not while I'm listening to myself."

It's hard not to find her constant complaining funny and you barely manage to hold in your laughter. She's always slightly more sensitive than usual when she's tired, so you take pity on her...for now.

Thankfully, she stops pouting long enough for you to watch the best part of the whole musical. You don't miss the way she sings the song under her breath even though you decide not to call her out on it.

"How many times have you seen this?" She asks once she's sure your favorite part has passed.

"A lot," you say, feeling your cheeks heat up with the admission. "I watch it when I miss you."

"Baby-" She tries her hardest to hold in a laugh but ultimately fails. "You could have just woken me up!"

Angela's clear amusement does little to soothe your growing embarrassment. You try to squirm away from her to avoid any further teasing but she simply holds you tighter, pulling you closer until you're flush against her once more.

"Sorry, sorry, you know I'm just teasing," she mumbles, pressing a line of kisses to the side of your neck.

"You're annoying," you huff.

Despite your words, you sink back against her once more, tilting your head slightly to give her better access to your skin.

"You know you love me, princess."

"That doesn't make you any less annoying."

Her kisses trail up your neck and onto your jaw before finally landing on your lips.

"I'm serious, by the way," she whispers once she pulls away. "Wake me up next time. I don't care how tired I am. I want to be here with you."

"Hmmm..." You pretend to think about it for a second just to steal another kiss from her. "You've got yourself a deal, angel."

She laughs again as she rests her chin on your shoulder, silently going back to watching the musical with you.

You make it all the way to Hatchet Town before your eyes grow far too heavy for you to keep them open.

Angela gently shifts you until your head rests against her shoulder. She watches you for a few moments until she's sure you've gone back to sleep.

She knows her back will be awfully sore tomorrow morning and you'll definitely have a kink in your neck but it's a small price to pay for a few more hours of cuddles. Not just cuddles, though, she was banking on you staying asleep until morning this time.

She'd stay up all night to keep an eye on you if she had to. You're far more important to her than some extra hours of sleep.

#angela giarratana x reader #angela giarratana x you #angela giarratana fic #angela giarratana #angela thoughts #smosh #smosh fic #smoshblr #starkid #grace chasity #nerdy prudes must die

108 notes · View notes

bungeenomin · 1 year ago

Text

sweet but psycho - mark lee

pairing: mark x y/n

genre: smut, neighbour!mark

summary: you’ve spent your whole life trying to get your perfect neighbour mark to be rebellious, but to no avail. when reuniting after a year apart at college, is mark still so afraid to step out of line?

warning: unprotected sex, dirty talk

word count: 2k

a/n: feel free to send me requests, asks and leave feedback!

Mark Lee. You and Mark Lee go way back. You grew up together, Mark being your next door neighbour. Your neighbourhood has always been snobby, everyone has big houses, nice cars, lots of money, and well behaved kids, and Mark Lee is no exception to the well behaved kid scenario.

Mark has always been polite, always saying please and thank you. He's the pride and joy of the Lee family. He always got good grades, always excelled in extracurricular. Honestly, you were probably a bit mean to Mark Lee growing up. There's no denying, you've always found Mark attractive, but he's always been too 'good boy' for you. Every time your mom would visit the Lee's for dinner with Mrs. Lee while your dads go out together, you'd tease Mark relentlessly, trying to crack the good boy behaviour, always trying to get him to do something bold and rebellious with you. But Mark Lee being Mark Lee never cracked.

"Y/n hurry up, the Lee's are waiting!" your mom yells from downstairs as you fix your dress in the mirror. Now that you're back from college for summer, of course your dinner trips to the Lee household are back again. That also means that the one and only Mark Lee is home, but you swear that's not the reason you decided to put a little effort into your appearance, wearing a cute and casual dress paired with converse. For Mark Lee? Never.

"There you are" your mother sighs once you arrive downstairs, swinging open the front door immediately.

"You look nice" your mother smiles after knocking on the door of the Lee's house, "looking nice for anyone in particular?" your mom teases, wiggling her eyebrows.

"As if" you roll your eyes as you see the door finally opening. Oh fuck.

"Mark!" your mother exclaims, lunging foreword to take Mark in an embrace, "you look amazing! how are you doing?"

"Hi Mrs. Y/l/n, i'm doing good thank you, how are you?" Mark asks, a polite smile plastered across his face, like always.

"I'm doing great honey thank you for asking. Y/n, say hi to Mark!" your mother insists before walking further into the house in search for Mrs. Lee.

You've never been quiet around Mark Lee. Never. But fucking hell what did college do to him? He looks hot as fuck.

"What?" Mark chuckles, "So now you're shy? fuck y/n college changed you"

"Good to see you too Mark" you scoff, before walking straight past him and further into the house. Did the Mark Lee just swear?

By the time you made it to the kitchen, your mother and Mrs. Lee are already deep in a gossip session while sipping on glasses of red wine.

"Oh Mark sweetie, you should show y/n the new extension in your father and I's room" Mrs. Lee states enthusiastically, "i've already shown her mom"

"Okay sure" Mark nods obediently, making his way to the staircase, "lets go y/n"

Mark doesn't say a word walking up the stairs. What surprises you more, is that Mark just walks straight into his bedroom, leaving the door open behind him. His mom said the extension was in her and Mr. Lee's room?

“Uh the extension?” you question, leaning against the doorway of Mark’s all too familiar room. Familiar from growing up of course, you and Mark never went there with each other before.

“Wow y/n, do you need me to hold your hand? You know where their room is” Mark scoffs scrolling through his phone without sparing you a glance.

Mark Lee is different. Mark lee is everything you ever tried to make him be growing up. Mark used to crumble whenever you spoke to him, would never step a foot out of line, this Mark Lee, this is a different person, and you don’t know if you love it or hate it.

“Wow Mark, when I wanted you to be fun and rebellious you were a scared little boy, now that I just want a normal conversation you’re, whatever this is”. Silence is your response, while Mark continues scrolling on his phone, letting out a light laugh at something he see’s. “Hello? Earth to Mark?”.

“You know where the stairs are y/n, close my door on the way out” Mark sighs, almost as if you’re inconveniencing him. No way.

You close his door alright, before walking right up to where Mark is sitting at the edge of his bed, heated. “Can you put who I can only assume is all your college booty calls away for two minutes? Is me talking to you really pulling you away from them that much? I didn’t come over to your house for you to display your new found dick head personality”.

“I’m sorry,” Mark smugly replies, putting his phone down before standing up, leaving you nearly chest to chest with him as he looks down on you, his eyes not hesitating for a second as they stare into your own, “are you jealous y/n? I didn’t mention shit about booty calls yet you made up me having multiple, sounds like jealously. Why is me fucking people even on your mind y/n, hm?” Mark teases, placing a finger under your chin so you don’t break eye contact with him.

“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about” you stutter. Who the fuck is this confident Mark Lee?

Mark places a soft kiss behind your ear before whispering, “do”, another kiss pressed against your jaw, “you”, a kiss against your neck, “want”, kiss, “me”, kiss, “to”, kiss, “fuck you?” Mark finally finishes his sentence and trail of kisses, ending right at the corner of your mouth.

“Mark I-”

“Just say the word and we don’t have to” Mark says, his hands finding their way to the small of your back, “but something tells me your answer isn’t no”.

“I want you to” you whisper, as if you couldn’t physically say it louder.

That was all Mark needed before crashing his lips on yours, something that’s been a long time coming that you thought would never happen in a million years. His lips feel right against yours. They move perfectly against your own, as Mark already works on the zipper of your dress, finding it hard to resist you any longer. Mark let’s the dress fall to your ankles along with your panties, before disconnecting your lips to eye you up and down. “No bra? So fucking hot y/n you’re trying to kill me” Mark groans before moving you back up against his bed, which you eagerly lay down on waiting for Mark. God how is this happening? After all the years of you wishing Mark was brave enough to want you, finally it’s happening.

Mark quickly throws his shirt to the floor before moving to his pants, his eyes cutting into you during the whole process. “Fuck” you groan when you see your life long neighbour naked in front of you. You didn’t expect him to be this big.

“Like what you see huh?” Mark teases getting on top of you.

Before you can even reply a soft moan escapes your lips when you feel Marks length pressed up against you, his lips nipping at your neck. “Shhh baby you need to be quiet for me okay? Good girl” Mark whispers in your ear as he starts grinding his length against your clit. How the fuck can he tell you to be quiet when he’s grinding on you like that.

“Mark, feels so good” you moan softly, your hands gripping onto his hair and tugging at it, causing Mark to groan before pulling himself back slightly and lining his length up with your entrance.

“You sure you want to” Mark questions, looking at your seriously. No matter how much he’s changed, the real Mark is still there behind it.

“Fuck me already Lee” you groan, dragging him foreword to make out with him more, the feeling of his lips on yours becoming addicting. “Ah Mark” you whimper as he starts filling you up, stretching you out like crazy.

“So fucking tight for me y/n, you’re doing so good for me, such a good girl” Mark praises, pushing deeper and deeper inside while now holding one of your hands, helping you get through the initial tightness. “Fuck baby” Mark groans when he finally bottoms out, beginning to move his hips slowly, his pace picking up quickly. “How long have you wanted me to fuck you like this pretty girl?” Mark asks, his voice deeper than you ever heard it, pinching your nipples as he pounds in to you.

“For fucking ever” you moan, “need you so bad Mark”.

“Hm?” Mark questions, grabbing both of your legs and putting them over his shoulders, fucking you harder and faster than before, “what was that?”.

“Fuck Mark” you nearly scream with pleasure, grabbing the sheets in your hand as tight as you can, “need you so fucking bad Mark y-you make me feel so good Mar- ah Mark I need to cum please fuck Mark I need to cum”

“Shhhhh baby quiet down for me yeah? No cumming yet baby be patient for m-”

“Mark, y/n, dinner is ready I’m about to plate it up come on!” Mrs Lee interrupts her foul mouthed son.

“Fuck sake” Mark complains, pulling out of you suddenly. “Coming now Mom” Mark calls back, before looking at you again, “doggy quick baby, wanna cum with you” Mark demands, dragging you to sit up, placing a quick kiss on your lips before turning you over, shoving your face into his pillow.

Mark waists no time, shoving himself into you within seconds. There’s no slow and steady with Mark this time, Mark fucks you harder than you thought was possible, causing a string of moans to escape your lips, pure gibberish, but your head is empty with the way Mark Lee is making you feel right now. Mark grabs both of your arms, holding your wrists against you back as you feel his pace pick up more, a string of profanities mixed with your name escaping his lips.

“Fuck y/n, jesus christ” he groans, dragging you up so your back is against his chest, his pace not dragging for even half a second.

“Holy fuck Mark” you squeal, your eyes rolling into the back of your head with how fucked out you feel right now, “so fucking good”.

Marks spare hand grabs your neck tight, as if you weren’t struggling to breathe already, “Cum with me baby” Mark whispers in your ear, and not a second passes before you feel Marks hot seed filling you up, causing your own release, the air full of you and Marks helpless moans. “Fucking hell” Mark sighs, his pace coming to a stop, neither of you knowing how that just happened.

Mark pulls out carefully, giving you the room to turn around and face him. Mark scans your face, his expression unreadable. What you weren’t expecting, was mark to softly caress your cheek before kissing you softly again, sending fireworks off in your stomach. It feels meaningful, significant. “You okay?” Mark asks, his eyes soft as he continues caressing your cheek.

“Better than okay” you giggle softly, your hand gently playing with Marks hair, “suddenly summer doesn’t look so bad”.

“Definitely not” Mark chuckles, leaving another soft kiss on your lips.

“Do you think they heard us?” you question, referring to both of your mothers sitting downstairs.

“I don’t know if you heard yourself at the end, but they certainly did” Mark teases, getting up to start the effort to make you both look presentable before heading downstairs.

Who would have thought that sweet, sweet Mark Lee would be such a freak in the sheets.

#nct #nct 127 #nct dream #nct u #wayv #mark lee #nct mark #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct drabbles #nct timestamps #mark lee drabbles #mark lee scenarios #mark lee imagines #mark lee timestamps #nct smut #mark lee smut #mark lee fluff #nct fluff

428 notes · View notes

callmerhynner · 2 years ago

Text

“You can’t expect to break into someone’s home and think they’ll be okay with it, Muzan.” ||

synopsis: After meeting Muzan Kibutsuji through a series of dreams he had, he searched for you. When he finally found you, he’s become adamant on you staying his. You’re a bit more deadpan about the lovesick fool you found yourself with.

tags: fluff, slice of life(?), Muzan breaks into your home, thats about it

⇱ᱬ⇲

Your insomnia has been killing you, finding that laying on your own nestling bed has grown uncomfortable each try you commit to falling asleep. You try different techniques or sleeping positions but still nothing. You fear that new pillows are needed with how much you try to squeeze them until you fall asleep. So, giving up, you put on a robe and head out to your kitchen to grab yourself a cup of tea and go out to your engawa to stargaze.

That was the plan, anyway, but a silhouette of man sitting on one of your dining room chairs ruined them. You halt your steps, fight or flight starting to engage. The silhouette was of a man with short hair and broad shoulders, accessories of a hat and a long coat. His back was facing you but the small shuffle of his body language made it clear he knew you were present.

“Good evening.” the shadow greets you, you stay frozen, trying to see through the dark room.

“Who are you?” you ask, taking a hesitant step forward. The man turns his head to spare you a side glance. That when you were greeted with a pair of red eyes that you could never forget. “Kibutsuji.”

“A pleasure seeing you as well.” he shows his dangerous sharp fangs as he sends you a smug grin. “If i may, you look as radiant as ever.”

You finally feel your body start to relax, taking a few more steps to take a seat in front of the demon progenitor. He had tea ready, with a porcelain cup in his hand filled with red liquid he pours you a cup of your own, though it was a humble cup of lemon tea. You inhale the scent, before taking a sip. This earns a laugh from the demon you were seating in front, your suspicions of his plans was something he found entertaining.

“You wound me, do you not trust me after all these meetings?” he teasingly says to you, sipping his cup of red liquid.

“You can’t break into people’s homes and expect them to like it, Muzan.” you retort.

You see a flash of his pearly whites as silence surrounds the two of you. You open your mouth to say something until a wind hits your shoulder. The demon was now right next to you, barely an inch away from your left. You shudder at the cold before he wraps his coat around your shoulders.

“Again, as radiant as ever.” he compliments, pecking your cheek before he takes a seat behind you and wraps his arms around your waist. You feel him take a whiff of your scent and smile into your skin, taking a gander and kissing the small mole on your collarbone.

“What do you want?” you ask, trying to push his head away from your neck but to no avail. The demon was stuck to you like a glue, you sigh before relaxing yourself against him and taking another sip of your lemon tea. “Another kiss? You finally gonna kill me? What is it?”

“Live with me, (Name).” he replies, his arms around your waist squeezing you gently. His head was not raised so he could see you from the side, resting his chin atop your shoulder. “Be my queen.”

“So it’s the latter then.” you mumble, sipping your tea once more, deadpanning at the lovesick fool.

“Come now, we can rule together! Just like we should be.” he adds to his offer, you just pat his hair as you sigh exasperatedly.

“You had a few dreams about me and now you’re offering to make me, a woman you don’t know, your queen.” you deadpan, side glancing at the man who was looking at you with the most loving eyes you’ve ever seen. “Are you sure you want that?”

He thought for a moment, crossing his arms around your body, taking his thumb and index finger and turning you on your chin to face him eye to eye. You hum in confusion, cocking an eyebrow at his actions, before stiffening up when he leaned in to feel his lips clash with yours. He was gentle and passionate, his hands on your waist and yours fiddling with each other at his sudden reaction.

When you two broke the kiss, he was still as smug as ever, and you were left panting. You balled up your fist on his chest, sending an unseen glare at the demon king.

“Stop that.!” you say, he chuckles darkly at you reactions. Leaning in to kiss you again, you throw unbothered punches before kissing him back, relaxing your body as he grows more passionate with his lips. You let out a groan when he finally separates, you continue to shoot him a glare.

“You know i won’t, so why ask?”

“Im a woman who believes in second chances but with you…” you eye him again, voice trailing off before crossing your arms and letting out a huff. “You’re hopeless..”

“You adore me.” he replies back, nonchalantly. He presses another soft kiss onto your neck, trailing them down from your jar to your nape. You could only sigh and pat his hair at his clingy attitude, how in the world did you get here?

#kny #kny x reader #kny x y/n #kimetsu no yaiba muzan #muzan kibutsuji #muzan fluff #muzan headcanons #fluff #kny fandom #kny fluff #demon slayer muzan #lord muzan #kny headcanons #muzan x you #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba

410 notes · View notes

katnisspeetaprim · 1 year ago

Text

Lost Keys and Soaked Clothes

Warnings: angst, being cold from rain, swearing, established relationship Hope this is good for you! I've been finding inspiration hard recently so I tried my best!

Word Count: 1130 M.list

Your little Fiat that you’d had since you passed your test had finally clonked out on you, so you were currently down a car until you found a new one. That’s why you found yourself in a pickle when you had an important doctors appointment, and no way to get there.

Being the amazing boyfriend he is, Jungkook didn’t even bat an eye at offering you the keys to his shiny new Mercedes Benz. Needless to say, you were hesitant to accept the keys from him.

‘Just take them, I trust you!’ He laughed as he jangled the keys in front of you and you just stared at him with a frown.

‘Can’t you drive? You know how I feel about driving such an expensive car...’ You trailed off at the end. When he first got the car, he was excited to show off the fancy machine to you and insisted that you test drove it with him. He neglected to tell you how much it actually cost until you were driving down the road, causing you to slam the breaks on and demand he switch back to driving. Luckily the street was deserted.

‘Come on, you’re being dramatic.’ He rolled his eyes and basically forced the keys into your palm. ‘Besides, you know I would, but I have important meetings today.’ He smiled apologetically and turned to wonder down the hallway, before speaking over his shoulder as he walked.

‘I don’t know why you’re worrying so much. You’re a good driver.’ Jungkook laughed as you sulked to the front door and mumbling under your breath,

‘This is going to be the slowest I’ve ever driven...’

Turns out, Jungkook’s car was a piece of cake to drive, much smoother than your own car, so now you felt silly about the way you reacted earlier.

It was dark and pouring rain by the time you returned home. The car park for the gated community was in a covered lot, but unfortunately you would still have to brave the elements to get to your apartment complex.

You sighed in relief as you all but fell into the warm building reception and pulled down your soaked hood. You brushed the droplets of water from your bag, before beginning to dig through.

Ok. You had your elevator pass... But where the heck are Jungkook’s car keys!? Your eyes widened and your heartbeat accelerated as you practically dumped the contents of your bag out to no avail. You had them a moment ago... How could you loose them!?

‘Crap! What am I going to do?’ You whispered to yourself, ignoring the strange look the building caretaker shot you. You couldn’t go back to the apartment without the keys, Jungkook trusted you after all.

Without even pulling your hood back up, you rushed back out into the chilling rain. You had to have dropped them between the parking lot and the front door of the complex, so all you had to do was re trace your steps... Simple.

No, not simple. You’d been frantically searching the ground for about an hour with no luck. You were shivering and your hands were scratched up and numb, due to you digging around the gardens, just in case.

‘Fuck!’ You screamed out in frustration. You couldn’t take it out here anymore. You were drenched in rain and your coat was definitely soaked through. You also began to feel unwell because of how cold you actually were.

You dejectedly trudged back into your building, trying not to cry. You didn’t want to face Jungkook, but you knew you needed to warm up, before you made yourself any sicker. As soon as you stepped through the front door, Jungkook was immediately on you, tightly gripping onto your upper arms.

‘Where were you!?’ You gasped out and stared up at him wide eyed and mouth hung open. You weren’t expecting to come face to face with him as soon as you opened the door, let alone be grabbed like that.

‘I-I-‘ He cut you off before you could even get your words out.

‘I’ve been calling you none stop! I thought something happened to you!’ He shook you slightly as he screamed at you. You hadn’t even heard your phone ringing, having been too preoccupied with searching for his keys.

His grip on your arms was so tight now, that it was starting to hurt. You knew he didn’t mean to hurt you, he was just worried about you, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

‘Ah! Kook you’re hurting me!’ Jungkook instantly snapped out of whatever state his mind was in and his face softened as he immediately backed up.

‘I-I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry, I was just scared something happened...’ You rubbed your arms when he let go and you unconsciously took a step back. Jungkook was hurt that you felt the need to back away from him, but he also understood why you had.

‘It’s fine.’ You sighed and took a step back towards him, reaching out to take his hand. ‘I should have been paying attention to my phone.’

‘Where were you anyway?’ He sighed as his eyes met yours, but you couldn’t keep the contact and stared down to your feet. Your shoes had made a muddy mess on the wooden floor...You couldn’t hide it from him.

‘I uh... IlostyourcarkeysandIwastryingtofindthem!’ You suddenly blurted out, taking him by surprise.

‘Wait... What?’ He stared at you, eyebrows raised in confusion. You took a deep breath and spoke slower this time.

‘I dropped your car keys and I tried to retrace my steps but I couldn’t find them and then-‘

‘Babe!’ Jungkook cut off your ramblings and grabbed your arms again, but much more gently this time. He let out a short laugh before shaking his head.

‘I don’t care about some stupid keys! I can replace keys, but I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me...’ You nodded with a sad smile as he pulled you into a tight embrace. You sighed out in relief when his warm skin made contact with your frozen form.

As soon as he Jungkook made contact with you, he jumped away just as fast, almost as if he’d ben stung by something.

‘Shit you’re freezing!’ It was just now that he’d calmed down that he noticed the state you were actually in. Soaking wet.

‘You need to get out of those clothes before you get sick!’ He gently grabbed your wrist and led you to the bathroom, where he proceeded to run you a warm bath, and pamper you for the rest of the night.

If you knew this is how he’d react to you loosing his keys, you would have done it way sooner.

#bts #bts x reader #imagine #one shot #scenario #reaction #smut #fluff #angst #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #kim namjoon #park jimin #kim taehyung #jeon jungkook

171 notes · View notes

imagineseclipse · 6 months ago

Text

A Pack Of Hearts- Stiles Stilinski x Reader PT2

part one - part three

-a/n this is the slowest of burns

-warning of strong language

The next morning, you woke up in a haze, the events of last night feeling like a distant dream. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across your room. For a brief moment, you almost forgot about the not so wild adventure in the woods.

The memories slowly come back to you as you got ready for school. Pacing around your room, growing increasingly frustrated as you searched for your missing phone. It's nowhere to be found, and the longer you couldn’t find it, the more irritated you became.

You opened drawers and rummaged through your belongings, muttering to yourself as the minutes passed by. "Where did I put it? I swear I had it last night...”

Just as you're about to toss aside one last pile of clothes, there's a gentle knock on your door. You look up as the door creaks open, revealing your mother on the other side.

“Y/N?”she says, her voice gentle but firm. "Are you okay in there? You've been making quite a racket”her mouth falling open as she noticed the mess you had made.

“Uh- yeah I’m fine, Goodmorning mom”you flashed her a quick convincing smile before returning to your empty pockets. A brief silence fell over you both as she watched you scan your room.

“S-so, I spoke to Noah Stilinski this m-“

“Mom, please don’t”you felt your cheeks heat up slightly as you avoided eye contact.

“I think it’s brilliant darling, it’s nice that you are making friends- I think that this will be good for you”she perked up, trying to reassure you.

“Mom I don’t need friends, I know you just want the best for me but I’m honestly fine being just… on my own”you shook your head.

“Everyone needs a friend”she uttered out softly, making you hesitate for a moment.

Your mother's words hit a nerve. You paused your frantic searching for a moment, her statement echoing in your mind.

She always meant well, wanting nothing more than for you to be happy. But you'd grown accustomed to being alone, and you'd always been content in your own company.

You let out a small gasp, realizing the time as you caught sight of your watch. You’d spent too much time searching for your phone, school would be starting soon, and you were going to be late if you didn’t hurry up.

"I love you mom, I have to go to school I’m going to be late”you spoke aloud as you quickly shoved the clothes back into your drawers, no longer caring about the mess. You bounced towards her placing a small kiss on her cheek before disappearing down the hall and away from that conversation. You DID NOT need any friends.

Fifteen minutes later and you were pulling into the school parking lot, your heart racing. The lot was already nearly full, and you cursed under your breath as you scanned for any available spaces. Every minute counted and finding a spot seemed almost impossible at this point.

Finally, you spotted a small opening near the front of the school. It was a tight squeeze, but there's just enough space for your car. With a quick prayer, you try to maneuver into the spot.

“Dude, watch the paint job?!”you heard Jackson Whittemore shout across at you, jumping out of his car to give you the nastiest look known to man. Dickhead.

“Fuck all the way off Jackson?!”You shot back, flipping him off before nearly bumping into Scott who had just pulled into the spot on the other side of Jackson’s flashy car.

“Seriously, are you guys that incapable?”He motioned over to where you stood with Scott as he checked the other side of his car for scratches. Jackson sent you one last warning scowl before disappearing into the crowd.

You and Scott shared a brief silent stare before you turned on your heel, quite intent on not starting a conversation.

As you walked away, Scott called out your name, causing you to stop slowly. You let out a frustrated sigh and turn around.

"Yeah, what is it?" you reply, barely trying to hide your annoyance. You just wanted to get through the day without any additional problems or distractions.

Scott held up your airpods, a sympathetic look on his face. "You dropped these last night in the woods”he says, offering them back to you.

You let out a deep breath as you realized you'd once again forgotten something important. As you approach him, you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

"Thanks Scott”you mutter, your eyes briefly meeting his. You quickly swipe the airpods from his hand and avoid his gaze.

“You don’t happen to have my phone? I think i dropped it aswell”you asked curiously.

Scott gave you a small smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Oh, I didn't find anything else, sorry," he replies apologetically.

You let out a soft sigh, disappointment settling in the pit of your stomach. "Damn it," you mutter under your breath. The silence between you and Scott grows uncomfortable as neither of you know what to say. Every passing second making the silence more pronounced.

Finally, you cleared your throat, breaking the awkward silence. "W-what happened to you last night, you kind of just disappeared?”

Stiles parked his jeep a few rows away from your car and steps out, scanning the packed parking lot for any sign of Scott. As his eyes finally landed on his best friend a wave of surprise washes over him. To his surprise, you were talking to Scott, the two of you deep in conversation about last nights events.

A mixture of emotions swirls within him - surprise, hope and a twinge of jealousy. Why wouldn’t you approach him this easy?

Without a second thought, he starts walking towards you both, his pace quickening as he gets closer. Stiles pops up in front of you and Scott, his eyes darting between you both as he tries to gauge the situation.

As Stiles had gotten closer, he had the opportunity to observe you more closely in the daylight. The sunlight that glistened through the trees casted a warm shine over your face. He couldn’t help but notice how your eyes glistened, and the small freckles spaced out perfectly on your face.

“You’re staring”you uttered out blankly side eyeing him, adjusting the bag strap on your shoulder.

Stiles is broken out of his thoughts by your sudden words. He blinks rapidly, realizing he's been caught. A blush creeping up his cheeks as he tries to look nonchalant.

“Okay, let’s see this thing”Stiles changed the subject, leaning towards Scott.

Despite every voice in your mind telling you to just leave, you found yourself superglued to the spot that you were stood in. Your curious mind is piqued, and you wanted to know what it is that Stiles and Scott were talking about. You try to act uninterested as they talk, but you can't help but steal glances at the two boys, wondering what they're discussing.

“Let’s see what?”you sighed out in defeat.

Stiles looked down at you, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He could sense your growing confidence despite your initial attempts to appear disinterested.

Scott lifted up his shirt, pulling it taut to reveal a bite wound covered with a gauze dressing. Stiles leans in for a closer look, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. Noticing the small amount of blood leaking through.

"Ooh-Jesus, Scott," Stiles mutters, eyeing the injury with unease.

“That is just horrific”you muttered out, covering your mouth as Stiles poked the bandage making Scott flinch backwards.

“It was too dark to see much, but I’m pretty sure it was a wolf”Scott pulled his shirt back down as the two began their walk into the school, you trailing behind slowly.

“A wolf bit you?”Stiles looked at Scott with disbelief.

“Uh-huh”

“No, not a chance”Stiles shook his head violently, giving Scott a determined look.

“I heard a wolf howling?”Scott replied confused.

As Stiles and Scott continued going back and forth their conversation blended into a faint buzz in your ears. You become immersed in your own thoughts. Your mind replays the events of last night, focusing on the movement you had spotted in the woods. It's as if you're back in that moment, reliving every detail and trying to make sense of it.

The two boys notice that your mind is wandering, and they exchange a glance before deciding to snap you out of your thoughts. Stiles gently taps your shoulder, trying to get your attention.

"Y/n?”Stiles says, raising an eyebrow at your distant expression.

Startled, you snap out of your thoughts and look up to find Stiles and Scott stood in front of you staring at you expectantly. They seem to be waiting for a response from you, their curious expressions making it clear that they want an answer to something.

"Why are you both looking at me like that?" you mutter, shaking your head to clear the fog.

“California doesn’t have wolves right? Not for like sixty years?”Stiles repeated, his eyes locked onto your face studying for any hint of recognition. Like you were the smartest person in the world. Like you had all of the answers.

“Uh, R-right, well no California doesn’t have wolves n-not that i have read anyway, I read somewhere that there have been a growing number of animal attacks in Beacon hills so maybe Scott just got attacked by a sc-

Stiles' eyes widened in surprise as you suddenly launched into an explanation that no one asked for. A knowing and amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he listened to your voice get quieter.

You catch yourself as you realize you've been rambling on for a little too long. Feeling embarrassed, you abruptly stop and deadpan, attempting to regain some composure.

“No, no wolves in California," you state matter-of factly, a bit of an edge to your voice. You feel a wave of self-consciousness wash over you as you become more aware of Stiles and Scott's gazes on you.

“Really?”Scott asked intrigued, the three of you stopping on the staircase. Stiles rolled his eyes as if he was going to burst if he had to explain it again.

“All right, well if you guys don’t believe me about the wolf, then you’re definitely not gonna believe me when i tell you that i found the body” Scott’s words sent a chill down your spine as you pictured the gruesome sight of a lifeless corpse - half of one lying in the woods. It was a disturbing thought, and you couldn’t help but grimace at the image grateful that you weren’t the one to stumble across it.

“You- You are kidding me?”You noticed Stiles’ demeanor instantly change.

“No, man, I wish. I’m gonna have nightmares for a month”Scott’s expression changed to one similar to yours, shaking the picture of it out of his mind.

“Oh, god that is freakin’ awesome. I mean, this is seriously going to be the best thing that’s happened to this town since-“Stiles hopped from one foot to the other.

His expression faltered as he suddenly lost his train of thought. His eyes dart to the side, and you follow his gaze to find Lydia Martin walking up the stairs in the distance.

Stiles tries to regain his composure, his eagerness to impress Lydia evident in how he immediately tries to catch her attention. He straightens up taller, running a hand through his hair he has a buzz cut?? Attempting to look nonchalant as she passes by.

“-since the birth of Lydia Martin. Hey, Lydia! You look-

You watch as Lydia walks past Stiles without even a glance in his direction.

“-like you’re going to ignore me” Stiles' grin drops for a moment but he quickly schools his features into a fake smile, trying to hide his disappointment.

A moment passed by before you turned to Stiles, sucking your bottom lip under your teeth. His eyes immediately flickered over to yours.

“That was really painful…to watch”you offered lightly, visibly cringing

“Neo-Yeah, Thanks Y/n”he breathed out, frowning down at you. Giving you a look, telling you that your comment wasn’t asked for.

“You’re welcome”you uttered out.

“You’re the cause of this, you know”Stiles changed his attention to Scott who stood confused.

Stiles and Scott got into their usual bickering and you took that as your cue to leave. You didnt want to get dragged into their squabble, so you quietly slipped away, heading towards English class.

Stiles’ eyes flickered in your direction as soon as he felt your movement, lingering on your retreating form. You puzzled him. He thought that he had you all figured out over the years, but you kept throwing him off with your unexpected reactions and your quick retorts.

“Impossible girl”Stiles muttered out furrowing his eyebrows, causing Scott to stop complaining for a minute, clocking onto his friends words. Stiles had zoned out, his stare fixed on the place you stood last.

“Lydia?”Scott questioned.

“Y-Yeah…Lydia”Stiles rubbed the back of his neck.

Scott and Stiles entered their first period English class, where the teacher, Mr. Curtis, immediately began the lecture without introduction.

Your head fell onto the desk in dismay. How could you have forgotten that they were in the same class as you? They were in most of your classes. It seems like you were destined to be stuck with them all day. You really had been living in your own world.

Stiles caught a glimpse of you sinking into your seat at the back of the classroom motioning over at Scott, who seemed equally pleased, they both made their way to the two empty seats on either side of you.

Stiles quickly takes the seat to your left, while Scott sat on your right, the two boys settling in their seats with a smirk, feeling very chuffed with themselves.

“As you all know, there indeed was a body found in the woods last night”Mr Curtis announced to the class.

Scott leant forward in his seat, his eyes flickering between you and Stiles for a moment. He flashed a quick wink, clearly enjoying the fact that you were all in the know about the mysterious body in the woods.

Stiles couldn’t help but notice Scott's playful gesture. He grinned at you, knowing that you were trying to ignore them.

“And I am sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened. But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody, which means you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus, which is on your desk outlining this semester”His words travelled around the room, leaving the sounds of disgruntled students.

You couldn’t help but watch as Scott suddenly jolts in his seat, looking around bewildered. His eyes widen as if he's heard something incredibly loud right next to him, beside you Stiles also looks surprised for a moment before realizing that the source of the sound is not nearby. He glanced over at you with the same expression he’d given you earlier. Like you could explain this.

You shrugged, before trying to turn your attention back to the class as Scott shuffled around in his seat uncomfortably. Your attempts at zoning in on the class work failed as your curiosity got the better of you yet again. Your eyes following Scott’s, wondering what he was looking at.

Scott's remained fixed on the window, an unfamiliar girl as she's being led towards the school by the vice principal. His alarm hadn’t faded, and he seems particularly focused on her presence.

Stiles, who had been observing Scott's behavior, leaned in closer to you, swinging on his chair as he tried to figure out where both of your line of vision was centered. With a roll of your eyes you found yourself shoving him back to his own desk, sending his chair legs crashing to the ground.

He let out a playful huff as he is forced back to his own side. The classroom fell silent as the vice principal escorted the same brown haired girl into the room. Scott perked up at the sight of her, his eyes locked on her every move.

“Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcome”he introduced her, you noticed her nerves as she began to fumble around with the tassels on her bag. Offering a small wave to the class.

She smiles weakly before finding the only open seat in the class, which just happens to be the seat in front of Scott.

Scott, having heard her conversation with her mother earlier How?? knows that she forgot a pen and taps the new girls shoulder, offering her one of his own. Allison looks surprised by the gesture, but smiles at him gratefully.

“Thanks”she nodded. Scott smiling back at her in a way that strongly indicated that he is already besotted by this girl.

Stiles and you find yourselves completely captivated by the interaction between Scott and Allison. The two of you had been watching their conversation intently. Eavesdroppers tut tut tut.

A silent understanding seems to pass between you two unexpectedly meeting eyes, Stiles could tell that you were just as intrigued as him by the whole situation, and the intensity of his gaze confirms it.

“We'll begin with Kafka's Metamorphosis on page one-thirty-three”The English teacher then picks up where he left off.

An hour later the bell rings, you stayed settled in your seat watching the students file out and go to their lockers, knowing that you had to speak to the teacher about one of your assignment.

Once that was taken care of, you exited the classroom and start walking down the corridor towards your own locker.

As you arrived you noticed Stiles, Scott, and another girl named Harley gathered around. They were engaged in a deep conversation, casting occasional glances around them as if they were talking about someone.

You sighed inwardly, the annoyance and resignation evident. It's like they were everywhere you went, always managing to show up unannounced.

The group turns to you as you appear next to them- their conversation coming to a halt.

“It seems that fate wants us to be friends y/n, look at us ending up in the same place at the same time”Stiles hummed out happily.

“You’re leaning on my locker”you blinked once, an awkward silence falling over the four of you as you ignored his comment.

Stiles let out an inaudible noise before sighing, the three of them shuffling over a fraction so that you could access your belongings.

As you’re rummaging through your locker you notice the new girl down the hall, Scott also catches her onto her at the same time. Allison sent a warm smile in you directions. Your lips uncontrollably twitching up into a small smile.

Queen bee-Lydia Martin and her idiot boyfriend Jackson are not far behind approaching Allison and striking up a conversation making you turn back towards your open locker. Scott however continues to watch them from afar and eavesdrop on them with his newly-enhanced hearing??

Meanwhile, across the hall, Harley, who was also watching the scene go down in front of them, looks at Scott and Stiles incredulously, though Scott was too busy listening in on Allison, Lydia, and Jackson's conversation to hear her.

“Can someone tell me how New Girl is here all of five minutes, and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?”she asked loudly, catching your attention from the other side of your locker door.

“Because she's hot-“ Harley gives him a look, but Stiles still doesn't get it and shrugs before finishing his thought.

“Beautiful people herd together” Scott is so distracted by listening to Allison talk that he doesn't even react to Harley and Stiles' argument. Suddenly, you inadvertently slam your locker shut, causing all three of them to jump in surprise.

You grab your belongings, tucking your book underneath your arm and walk away without a word. They all exchanged puzzled glances as you walk away towards the bleachers where you would sit and read for some peace and quiet.

"Are you joining us for lunch?" Stiles, still feeling a bit miffed about your earlier behavior, calls out after you as you walk away. He wasn’t going to give up.

“Nope”

You found yourself a quiet spot at the top of the bleachers, enjoying the peaceful surroundings and the warm rays of the sun. There's a pleasant breeze that caresses your skin, and the sky is blue even thought autumn and winter were around the corner.

With no one around to bother you, you focus on your book immersing yourself in the story, finding comfort in the silence that surrounds you.

The lacrosse team spilled out onto the field, where the players started warming up by passing the ball back and forth as other students congregate in the bleachers further down to watch the team play.

You peered up from your book and unfortunately your eyes betray you, noticing Scott and Stiles amongst the crowd. They are in the middle of a conversation as they quickly jog toward the field. In a change in dynamics from the previous night, it is now Stiles who was out of severely breath and trying to keep up with Scott, who seems unfazed. Seeming to have boundless energy. Hmm.

They seem as though they are talking about something deep when Scott’s attention is diverted by the sight of Allison and Lydia walking along the bleachers so they can watch the team play.

You continued to watch as Allison and Lydia approach, your heart sinking as it becomes increasingly clear that they are heading in your direction. Your hope for a quiet and calm afternoon is quickly fading.

You resign yourself to the fact that they're about to sit right next to you, effectively crashing your peaceful spot on the bleachers as the seats filled up with students.

Allison plops down on the bleacher next to you, flashing a friendly smile. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she and Lydia were intruding on your private time. Lydia, on the other hand, takes the seat on the opposite side of you, her expression remaining cool and aloof as she settles in. Your eyes widened when you realised that you were sandwiched in between the two. You felt like you were being ambushed.

She turns to you, as if she is about to say something but pauses, seeing Scott down on the field. Allison smiles at him, but before he can smile back, Coach Bobby Finstock appears in front of him and yells his name.

“McCall”his voice echoes around the pitch somehow.

“Yeah?”Scott calls out running towards the Coach.

You and Allison observe as Coach roughly tosses a lacrosse stick with a much bigger net and a bigger helmet to Scott, who catches them after they smack him on the chest. Scott's eyes narrowed in confusion.

You do your best to block out the feeling of being trapped between Allison and Lydia on the bleachers. You focus on the words on the page in front of you, trying to lose yourself in the story to distract you from the uncomfortable situation.

Stiles, who has been running drills with the rest of the lacrosse team, couldn’t help but notice your unusual predicament on the bleachers. He’d known that to be your favourite spot to sit and you were usually alone. His eyes widened when he saw you sitting there, bobbing your leg up and down with nerves between Allison and Lydia.

He shook his head in disbelief, wondering how you ended up in such an awkward position. Part of him wanted to laugh, while the other part was concerned because you looked so anxious.

“Hey” A small voice made your head snap up out of your book, your eyes darting around until they landed on Allison who was smiling gently next to you, her eyes flickering from you to the book you were holding.

You hesitated for a moment, turning your head to the seat next to you to see Lydia in her own world, adjusting her makeup in her little pocket mirror. So Allison was talking to you.

“H-hey?”you offered, closing your book. You struggled to make eye contact.

“The names Allison, Allison Ar-

“Argent, you’re uh- in my English class” You accidentally interrupted quickly your mouth taking over, kicking yourself seconds later for cutting her short.

“You’re Y/n right?”she grinned, holding out her hand. You feel both surprise and disbelief that Allison not only knew your name, but was also being friendly with you. It was rare for anyone other than Stiles or Scott to pay you much attention at school, so this unexpected interaction catches you off guard.

“Y/n Y/l/n”you slowly took her hand, shaking it gently.

Scott, who has been practicing on the lacrosse field, can't help but tune in on your conversation with Allison. He secretly listened with a small smile on his face as he witnessed the interaction unfold.

He was glad to see that Allison was being friendly and trying to connect with you. It was nice to see someone other than himself and Stiles try to bring you out of the shell you had hidden yourself in, even if it was just for a brief moment.

His smile dropped slightly as someone else finally chimed into your conversation.

Lydia, who had been preoccupied with her makeup, swivelled around directing the question towards you.Her fluttering eyelashes and tone conveyed a false innocence, which was typical of her behavior.

“I’ve never seen you around before, are you new?”she asked seriously.

You struggled to respond, feeling embarrassed by Lydia's question.

“Lydia, we've been in the same class for six years?”you manage to choke out, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion and frustration. The strawberry blonde letting out a high pitched ‘Hm’ as the three of you sat in silence.

Before the uncomfortable silence can linger for too long, the sound of Coach Finstock's voice rings out across the field, signaling the start of the game.

Suddenly, all eyes shift towards the field as the game begins, effectively diverting everyone's attention away from you. You glance over once more at Allison and see a sympathetic smile on her face, perhaps signaling her understanding.

You watched as the lacrosse game got underway, your eyes scanning the field. To your surprise, Scott is playing and not sitting on the bench as usual. You found it weird, considering he rarely got playing time, if any at all.

In the stands, Lydia peered at Scott curiously, as though she had never noticed him before, Allison watching aswell as you quietly tried to recover.

Scott reluctantly took his place in the goal and prepared for the practice game to start. As if on queue, his superhuman hearing kicks in once again, allowing him to listen in on Allison and Lydia's conversation.

“Who is that?”Allison’s head followed Scott as he saved goal after goal. Lydia leaning forwards to get a closer look.

“Him? I'm not sure who he is. Why?” She eventually muttered. Surprise, Surprise.

Scott cocked his head in confusion as he stared at them, but they didn’t seem to notice. You did though. Could Scott hear you from all the way over there?! Allison smiled in response to Lydia's question as you rolled your eyes at her ignorance.

“He's in my English class”Allison noted loudly.

With curiosity piqued by Scott's attentive behavior, you decide to test an intriguing theory. Seizing the chance to conduct a little experiment,

“His name is Scott McCall”you informed her, her eyes widening noting that she had seen you around school with him a number of times. Your pupils fixed on Scott’s position across the field. As soon as you mentioned his name he seized up slightly. What the fuck.

Allison snapped you out of the shock you were experiencing at this recent development.

“You’re friends?”she questioned.

“Oh uh- no not friends”you responded quickly, absentmindedly packing up your belongings. Referring back to the times you had bumped into Scott and Stiles over the past day unwillingly.

Feeling somewhat bewildered by the revelation that Scott had somehow gained superhuman senses overnight, you quickly stood up from your position, sliding past Allison as your brain focused on leaving.

“Nice to meet you…”Allison’s voice trailed away along with her wave as you started to feel your ears ring, the beating of your own heart drowning out all of the noise. Your two feet began moving faster beneath you as you brushed past everyone sitting in the bleachers hearing Lydia and Allison resume their conversation regarding Scott.

You were mentally and physically panicking, your mind racing. Thinking about all the normal possible explanations. Maybe Scott hit his head or something and it’s making him act weird? Maybe the bite he got is infected and it’s making him act delirious. Maybe he just had a really good set of senses?

You spluttered around trying not to drop the contents of your bag as you practically sprinted down the stairs towards the exit.

Stiles, who had been keeping the bench warm watching the game, noticed a body out of the corner of his eye speeding down the stairs. You were finding it difficult to keep your belongings from falling all over the place.

He found himself uncontrollably rising from his seat when he caught sight of your state, your hair flying out behind you as you continued to run down towards the field.

The Coach blew the whistle loudly, causing everything to come to a halt including yourself, your eyes immediately darting over to Scott- a part of you knowing that if what you thought was correct. He’d be suffering due to the noise.

Stiles’ lips parted as he followed your line of sight, the two of you watching as Scott flinched over and covered his ears in pain. Letting out an audible groan. You took in a sharp breath, Stilinski once again turning back to you just in time to see you walking briskly out of the exit towards the car park.

Once you reached the safety of your car, you hurry to get in and quickly close the door behind you. Stopping to take a few deep breaths, you tried to calm your racing heart and gather your thoughts. The enclosed space of the car offered a moment of respite from the chaos around the lacrosse field.

In the quiet confines of your car, you struggled with conflicting thoughts. Part of you wanted to dismiss the strange incident as a coincidence or a fluke, but the curiosity within you was too strong to ignore as. Despite trying to resist the temptation, you found yourself unable to let go of the mystery that had unfolded before you.

You didn’t want to get involved with anyone, but there was something wrong. Scott had gone from wheezing and being unable to function during sports, to really fucking good with superhero type hearing abilities.

“I’m so going to need my phone for this”your head fell against your steering wheel, a destination set in your mind.

50 notes · View notes

zu8her · 2 years ago

Text

“Just Ask Me.” | tsukishima kei.

Synopsis: tsukishima just wants her to ask.

TAGS: black!fem, college au, consensual kink, protected sex (wrap that will y'all), fingering, multiple orgasms, wet dream, gentle!tsukishima, black coded character no beta.

NOTE: if this is shit let me know. this is inspired by many (black/poc) writers. especially @dejwrites.🙌🏾

MINORS DNI 18+

➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸➸

Oh, she was gorgeous— fucking beautiful even. Her skin glistened under the sun's dull gaze. The bounce of her curls. Her curves everything she wears outlines. Her, oh so alluring smile. Simplicity as it's finest, he thought.

But as he grow to knew her the deeper he fell. Consumed by her. Her scent, subtle coconut and something he can't put his finger on. Her. She was kind, so kind. Childishly so at times but she put her foot down when need be and he liked that. She was steadfast yet fragile.

Complex. She was a person. Someone he had fallen in love with, in an illogically short time. One of his favourite things about her was that she kind of a pushover, at the very least he could jokingly bully her. He loved getting a rise out of her.

That still didn't stop his heart from beating out his chest when he asked her out. She had been going on and on about her lastest hyperfixation. And he loved that about her. Always attentively listening about things she's so passionate about. Taking the chance, he leaned in when she dropped her pen.

When he finally uttered the words, yn went silent. Regret washed over him. She rarely went silent, while studying, when she's overwhelmed and now.

“If you don't want just forget it-” he gently murmured.

“Yes.” A hint of genuine shock settled on his face, before getting consumed by his familiar condescending smirk. She couldn't place it the but that smirk, his smirk, slightly changed since that day.

She had noticed his gaze. How he looked at her. His gaze held her so fondly. Held at her, so fondly. Everytime they were together. Even when he was so fucking cocky, he looked at her with such admiration. It was subtle gaze. A gentle gaze yet so wonderfully suffocating.

Just like yn, Tsukishima loved noticing the little things. The things he never had before they started dating. He was genuinely surprised about how little he truly knew her considering she spoke incessantly.

Like the way she always has a book. Her love of plushies and satin pillows. The products she uses for her hair to smell so good.

His favourite thing he had noticed is that she loves touch. It was clear that she needed it, craved most days. Whether it be holding hands, hugging or simply sitting close. But she constantly stopped herself. Taking his boundaries into consideration, she wanted to ask. She really did. She just didn't know how to.

“You know, if you want something, just ask me.” Lifting her gaze from her phone, she searches for a hint of his usual playfulness but to no avail. He's being serious.

“Yeah. Uhm. I will. You do the same.” To that, he nods.

Why would he ask me that? yn's thoughts are consumed by this question as she rolls in her bed. Feeling her phone vibrate, she reaches for it. It's Tsukishima.

“Hi, can you check if I left my duffel bag at your apartment? ”

Through her mirror she sees it in the corner. “It's here. I can bring it to you. You're going to practice right?”

“I'll come get it after practice, thank you,” he sighs.

Staring at her ceiling, she spins in her chair throwing a ball in the air, in only his shirt and underwear. Just go, ask him. Like: ‘Hey, Kei I really want you to touch me more.’ That sounds creepy.

Hearing a familiar knock at the door she snaps her head forward. “Fuck,” she cusses as she drops the ball on her face. She grabs his duffel bag before rushing to the door she straightes herself before opening the door.

“Can I come in?” He stands. Taking sharp breaths to soothe his exhaustion. It's a godly sight. He gives a tired smirk, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Huh? Sorry, yes.” She allows him to enter.

“Thank you.” he pecks her forehead. She breaths. She hasn't grown use to his kisses. She especially loves his kisses that lead to make out sessions that leave her breathless.

“You know, if you want something, just ask me.” His words echo.

He immediately darts to her bedroom.

“I'm going to take a shower.”

“Sure.” She lays on the bed. Watching as he takes of his shirt before disappearing into the connecting bathroom.

Slowly, she drifts asleep.

“Baby,” she hears Kei coo. Opening her eyes to see him above her, between her legs.

“Kei?”

“I just- really want you. Can I?” She feels him tugging at the band of her panties.

Nodding, he gives a fucked out smile before leaning down to kiss her. She gasps against his mouth as she feels him rub her clit.

His face a tint of crimson as he looks down at her. “Just, relax 'm gonna make you feel so good.”

Feeling calloused hands on her back she snaps her eyes open. “Didn't mean to wake you.” He gives a soft smile before returning to his book. He's sitting next to her. She feels her hand in her panties. Subtly taking it out she shifts more into the blanket. Fuck . “Just wanted to check on you. You were mumbling in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?”

“No,” she hastily babbles.

She lays still. Can he smell it? Fuck, I need to change. Did I just- masturbate-? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

She lays still for a few more minutes hoping, praying the ache to continue subsides. But it doesn't.

Breathing, she turns facing him. He's in a plain white tee and joggers. His hair is still wet and his face is a tint of crimson from the hot shower. He looks down at her. That gaze, it pushes her to the edge.

“Do you need anything, baby?" His voice tender. He has moments where he is incredibly sweet. Sadistically sweet.

This is one of those moments. And this turns her on even more.

“You know, if you want something just ask me.”

She always wondered what he meant by it, guess now she has an idea of what he meant.

Pushing herself up with her elbow she tries to gather the words and confidence. She sits up in front of him.

“I really like when we make out,” she stammers. A wide smirk spreads on his face.

“Really?” He takes off his glasses and places it on the nightstand alongside his book, his infamous grin spreading across his irritatingly attractive face. “I like it too,” he hums.

“Yeah, uhm. Can I– can we—”

“Can we, what?” he tilts his head in false confusion. He knows what she's asking for but he wants to pry it out of her. He's been waiting for her to ask. So, needless to say he's going to milk the hell out of this.

“Can we ya know, make out? If you... want to.”

“I'd like that. I'd like that, every much.” He leans in grazing her lips. Giving her a peck before deepening the kiss. It's slow at first, gentle as she climbs on top of him. His hands roam her body as she has his blonde locks between her fingers.

She shivers as he sneaks his calloused hands into her shirt. Breaking her kiss, he pivots for her neck. “uhmm~” she whimpers. Absentmindedly, she starts grinding on his thigh. As she continues her whimpers grow louder.

Feeling a wet patch on his joggers he stops resulting in yn stopping as well.

“I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-” She tries to get off but he holds at her hips firmly.

“It's okay," he breathes against her neck. “Do like doing that?” She bites her lip nodding.

“Can I, please?” She whines bucking her hips.

“Of course, baby.” He coos, smirking. She continues grinding as he watches her. “Kei~” she moans.

Groaning he gets her on back. His knee between her legs, he rubs her clothed clit. He watches as her face twists in pleasure and gasps as he applies pressure.

“Lift your hips for me, baby.”

She obeys as he slips off her shorts and soaking underwear. She gasps as he slips in two fingers. “Fuuuuck, your so tight.” Knuckle deep, she begins to pull at his shirt.

She always stared at them. His longer slender fingers. Gasping as he hits her g-spot. She bucks her hips against his fingers.

“Do you want to cum for me?”

She hums. Feeling her orgasm wash over her. She moans eyes locked on Tsukishima as she gives him a blissful grin, slowly grinding into his fingers.

Removing his fingers from her gaping hole he places his digits into his mouth. She groans twitching from her orgasm.

“I'm not done with you." He pulls at her hips placing her at the edge of the bed.

Pulling down his joggers, a lengthy cock springs out. Precum trickling down the base of his cock, groaning, near moaning, as he strokes it.

“Fuck. Do you have condoms?” She whines. He leaves to the corner of the room, hastily rummaging through his duffel bag before returning.

Above her, he pulls his shirt over his head. Tearing the patch open with teeth, he hisses as he slides it on, tapping the base of his cock on her clit before entering her.

She moans wrapping her arms around his neck as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

He starts slow. Easing in and out of her wet folds as they moan. He pulls his head up. Deepening their kiss as his thrusts become more erratic. Pulling away, he gleefully watches as she desperately tries to quiet her ever increacing moans but fails. Smirking down at her as he rubs her clit.

“argh~” his repeated groans rocking his hips into her.

“I'm- I'm gonna— fuuuuck,” she moans. Tsukishima pulls out as liquid gush onto his torso. He cusses before continuing his rapid thrusts in her already sensitive pussy.

“Just one more, okay?” He bites at her neck. Sending her over the edge. She rolls her hips onto his cock to meet his thrusts. Feeling her orgasm fast approaching once more she digs her nails into his back as she cums. She continues to claw at his back as he reaches his high.

They lay in silence, the sound of skin clapping replaced with heavy breathes. Kei lays top yn as she runs her hands through his damp locks.

Getting up he grabs a towel, one of his shirts and shorts from his duffel bag.

“Do mind laying on the couch while I change the sheets?” He asks helping her put on his shirt. Nodding he picks her up and lays her on the couch.

After a bit she feels him settle behind her. He sneaks his hand into the blanket rubbing her stomach as she begins to drift off.

“Was that good?” He hums. Sluggishly she nods a wide grin on her face as she nuzzles against his bare chest.

#tsukishima kei #tsukishima x black reader #tsukishima smut #tsukishima x y/n #tsukishima x reader #haikyu x reader #haikyu smut #haikyuu #first fic #˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ — zu8her

531 notes · View notes

imnotasuperhero · 2 years ago

Text

Look into my eyes (search your soul)

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Your love for Wanda could make you go the distance and more, just to see her happy.

A/N: Here’s me with a brand new story. This is planned to be a multi chapter, and I know I should have everything written before posting but i need the validation, okay? Hope this is enough to hook you up and you enjoy this ride.

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX

Any and every word you were about to say flew your mind at the body at the other side of the door that just opened.Granted, your attraction to the redhead wasn't new. But just seeing her in that unique glow that pregnancy gives her was something that never failed to take your breath away.

"Hi," Wanda smiled something warm and your inside felt burning. "Didn't know you were coming."

"Neither did I." You smiled timidly. Truth is, you didn't even think about coming here when you left your client's house.

"Come on in," Wanda stepped aside as you entered the threshold. "How are you?"

Following her to the kitchen, you sat on the stool as Wanda umpromtedly filled the kettle with water, placing it on the stove. Eyes never looking away from her every little movement, as if a hypnotic spell was cast over you.

"I've been better," you smiled tiredly.

"At least tell me you got to sleep last night?" Wanda took your hand over the kitchen island.You felt your fingers burning as your thumb smoothed away the cute frown that formed between those green eyes.

"Don't worry, it's almost finished." You bit the inside of your cheek as your fingers ran the contour of her left side, caressing her warm cheek. "I did sleep," you sighed as your hand found its previous place.

"Good, I don't want you to get sick over work."

"Hey! I'm not that bad of a patient," you stuck your tongue out, earning a giggle from the woman in front of you.

"I never said you were," Wanda smiled as she turned around.

After both teas were ready, you moved to the couch in the living room, talking about everything and nothing, enjoying each other's company.

But said calmness was cut short when a guttural scream filled the room. Wanda's mug shattered as it collided against the wooden floor. Your senses woke up all at once as your mind ran a mile an hour.

Scrutinizing her over, your breath stopped at the wetness on Wanda's lap. "Wands,"The redhead looked down just to meet your eyes, after. Panic was written all over her face.

"It's too soon,"

"Shh, it's gonna be okay," you kissed her forehead before picking her up in your arms, walking fast toward your car.

"Y/N, please." Wanda grabbed your hands after you placed her on the co-pilot seat.

"It's gonna be okay," you smiled confidently, squeezing her hands. "Imma get the babies bag, okay? Just keep breathing, baby. You three will be just fine," you promised before hurrying back inside, running to the nursery.

The whole ride to the hospital had you multitasking as one hand was placed on the steering wheels, your right hand was clutched in Wanda's as she squeezed it to no end and your focus was divided between cooing Wanda, paying attention to the road and trying multiple times to reach Vision -thanks to technology for inventing the free hands. But the last one was to no avail.

"Are you the mom?" The gentle nurse smiled at you, freezing your mind.

"N-No," you frowned, seeing how the doctors hurried Wanda deeper into the building.

"Y/N, don't leave me," Wanda looked over her shoulder with pleading eyes, and you swore your heart did a somersault.

"I'm right here," you hurried yourself to her side, taking her hand in yours.

You tried one last time to get a hold of Vision, but the call was sent straight to voicemail. Switching through apps, you sent a quick message to Natasha, letting her know of the birthing of the twins and to tell the others, before you prepared yourself to get into the operating room.

Walking timidly to Wanda's side, your heart broke at the look of utter panic in those beautiful green orbs.

"You will be okay," you smiled warmly as you leaned down to kiss her sweaty head.The pause that settled between you sent shivers down your spine.

"If anything happens to me-"

"Nothing will happen, honey." You promised the redhead, trying to convey in those words all the love and trust you held for her. "You're gonna get out of here with your babies."

"I love you," Wanda groaned as another contraction took over her.

"I love you too," 'more than what a friend should.' You smiled. "Now let's get those babies."

Nothing had prepared you for what you witnessed that day. And you felt honored Wanda trusted you enough to let you see her. From now on, you'd never doubt her -not that you ever did- for your admiration for her grew exponentially at the work she's performed.

The tears finally ran down your cheek as your eyes landed on the bundle of joy being placed in Wanda's arms. Rosy cheeks and swollen face taking your breath away.

"Thank you," you looked at Wanda, seeing her too immersed in her baby to even pay attention to you. "He's beautiful."

Before you could get a response out, another contraction took over her, signaling she should birth her second child.

And the result was nothing different than the previous one.The warm feeling that settled inside you got you clutching onto Wanda's hand, not knowing if the reassurance was for you or her.

Once Wanda and the babies were moved to a private room, you looked up at the knock on the door. Adjusting Billy in your arms, you walked towards the door, smiling when you saw the woman behind the huge teddy bear on the other side.

“Oh, my. Look at him,” Natasha coed as she caressed the baby’s forehead with her index.

“There you are,” the redhead walked towards a tired Wanda, a lazy smile displayed on her lips.

“Hi, Nat.”

“They’re beautiful,” she repeated, looking at the sleeping baby by Wanda’s bed. “What are their names?”

“This one’s Tommy,” Wanda smiled brightly at the sight of her son. “And that one is Billy,” she introduced calmly, looking at you two. You felt your body on fire at the look on Wanda’s face. Granted, you couldn’t put your finger on what it meant, but you surely knew it was something you’d never seen before.

Placing Billy on the hospital crib beside his brother, you then moved to sit beside Wanda, squeezing her hand in a silent gesture.

“We decided I’d be the one coming to not overwhelm you,” Natasha spoke quietly, afraid the twins would fuss at any sound. “The big teddy is from all of us,” she explained, looking at the plushy animal sitting atop Wanda’s bag.

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” Wanda nodded smiling.

After a few more minutes of you three chatting - mostly you and Natasha, as Wanda tried too hard not to snooze off, Nat said her goodbyes and you walked her outside the room.

“He’s on his way,” Natasha frowned with pitiness.

“About time he picked up,” you sighed leaning against the wall.

“That’s not your family, Y/N,”

“You think I don’t know that?” you retorted, angriness showing in your voice. “I just…”

“I know,” Nat hugged you tightly.

“I’ll stay till he comes.”

“I’ll be home if you need anything. Yes?”

“Thank you,” you smiled her goodbye before taking a moment to just, breathe.The whole rollercoaster you endured drained you, even more so knowing Vision was on his way to his family, and you’d be sent to your lonely home. Daydreaming of Wanda and what it involved.

Once you calmed down, you entered the room just to find her with her heavy eyes, fighting the sleep she so much needed.

“You should rest,” you looked over the twins, smiling warmly before you sat in the chair.

“Lay with me?” Wanda pleaded. And you knew this was a dangerous game, but you couldn’t find it in you to deny her. So you complied, being careful not to hurt her.

“Better now?” You joked as you watched how she moved closer to you.

“Yes,” she looked up at your eyes. “Thank you,” she spoke truthfully.

“It’s nothing,” you kissed her forehead. “Now sleep. I’m here.” You just prayed Wanda couldn’t hear your erratic heartbeat, for every cell in your body vibrated at the close proximity of the body in your arms.

It was close to midnight when you heard someone enter the room, too busy to even be gentle with their movements.

“This is just great,” Vision growled as his eyes burned a hole in your head.

“Lower your volume,” you stirred awake, carefully getting up from the bed to not wake up a fast-asleep Wanda.

“Thanks for the help, but you can go now.” The blonde spit out venomously.And that just served to boil up your blood, waking up the courage inside you.

“I’ll go, but you should be more caring towards them,” you spoke quietly as you picked up your jacket. “Next time instead of getting drunk in a bar, pay attention to your phone.” You were stopped suddenly by a hard grip on your upper arm. Looking up, you sent daggers to the man holding you in place.

“Watch your words.”Freeing from his grip, you laughed something wicked.

“Watch your family,” you barked, trying your best not to cause a scene and wake up the sleeping redhead as you walked away.

As always, comments and reblogs are appreciated :)

Taglist: @summergeezburr @wandabear @xxxtwilightaxelxxx (if you want to be added, let me know!)

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff #my writing #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda maximoff x y/n #wanda x you #wanda maximoff x you #wanda x y/n

471 notes · View notes

sandy-the-glader · 2 years ago

Note

maybe a george x grumpy! reader who never really smiles or shows emotion and George kinds makes it his secret mission to do that

Come on I see that smile!

Character: George Karim x Fem!Reader

Type: fluff

Length: 1.7K Words

Summary: Ever since you got to Portland row all it has been is neutral faces, anger and frowns. But George seems to be curious about what your smile looks like… for research purposes of course!

Trope: Grumpy x Sunshine (sorta)

A/n: Sorry if this is bad I've been trying to get back into writing btw maybe a tad bit of ooc George? Anyways this is a mix of second and first-person. Lmao lastly the format and like the 4 and 1 idea came from this fic so go check it out!

4 tries and 1 unintentional victory

Baked goods

Large raindrops pattered against the kitchen window of 35 Portland Row, creating a relaxing rhythm. I sprawled out articles and other various newspapers across the table. There wasn't much information on this house, no visitors had been reported before this caller. No murder cases from that house or interesting behaviors. I jotted down as many notes as I could on a surprisingly clean part of the thinking cloth.

A loud knock echoed through the house. I was too sucked into finding information and suspicious parts about this house to answer the door. Thankfully, I heard someone (most likely George) quickly dash to the door and handled with whatever it was. I assumed it was Arif since it was a quick interaction and the scent was so strong I could already smell it. Damn it smelled good.

George's quick footsteps dashed down to the kitchen, quickly landing the box on an available part of the table. I quickly drew my eyes back to the pages scanning for something remotely helpful. The worst case was going in cold.

"How's the case going?" George came to look at the papers and my progress. His fingers traced my handwriting.

"Not good. There is not a single thing tied to this house. And she said I have to be there in a week." I said with a dry expression. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw George rock back and forth on his heels before he spoke again.

"Well um, I got you extra of your favorite this week." I looked up at him. "If you need to take a break they are there." He offered.

"Thank you I appreciate that." George looked somewhat upset with my reaction. Why? I'm not exactly sure

"Yeah.." He grabbed a chocolate donut from the box and sighed on the way out of the room. I hope he’s okay.

Did I do something wrong?

"Is that a donut??" I heard Lucy call out from the stairs. "I didn't even know we had those!" maybe a break wouldn’t hurt…

2. Stress Cleaning

Sure this was more for George than it was for you but he hoped to kill 2 birds with one stone. He had spent the whole evening cleaning the house. Kitchen, library you name it. He left the bedrooms for last.

He knocked softly on your door and waited for a reply before going up the stairs. There wasn't much to clean in your's and Lucy's shared area besides maybe the windows and a few pieces of clothing needed to be picked up off the ground.

You were reading a book on your bed instead of trying to find more information on that house. You needed a break and your mind was just tired from searching article upon article. You had 3 more days and thought to hell with it I'll just do my best.

"What's up, George?" You peered over your book and at the boy. "Oh." From seeing his apron and blue gloves you already knew he meant cleaning. "You know you don't always have to clean up after us." He shook his head.

"You know cleaning is one of my favorite things right?" He cleaned every single day. Not even kidding. You can't remember the last time you've seen the house jaw-droppingly dirty. Because it never has been. For the many months you’ve been here George has done a fantastic job with keeping the house organized.

"That is true. I do feel bad sometimes." You hummed. "Well thank you." George quirked a small smile but you just nodded in acknowledgment.

Well, it was worth a try. He sighed quietly.

3. Favorite food

He knew as soon as you stepped through the door and slammed it shut, he had made a good decision. Another thing on George's list of "Y/n's smiles" was dinner. Sure food didn't work as well last time this was different.

He heard you curse at something and then throw your rapier into its spot by the door. You took in a deep breath through your nose trying to contain your anger from the trip and not make a lot of noise considering the time but you smelt something. Something so heavenly that's all you needed right now. Food.

You quickly went down the stairs and saw George in his apron Moving around the kitchen.

"Smells great Georgie. It's 3 am you didn't have to." She frowned feeling a bit bad for keeping him up.

"It's really no problem at all." He loved cooking so really it was just fun. "Looks like you had a fun night." She rolled her eyes and groaned. He leaned against a cabinet and glanced at you up and down. Your hair was very messy, traces of ectoplasm was all over your shoes and the bottom of your pants, and you were just really wanting food and a shower.

"Sarcasm. Not now I beg of you. But really the food smells fantastic." A sneaky smile formed on George's lips, not yours though you were far too tired to even think about it.

"Alright. Food's ready anyway." He brought two servings of the food over to the table placing one in front of you and the other across from you. "Do you want to talk about it?" He offered sitting down in front of his food.

"It was awful! The source was in a completely different part of the house than she thought and it was just disastrous!" You complained. He sat there and listened to your troubles like you always did with him.

You finally had a bite of the food and you felt at ease.

“George Casper Karim why can you cook so well?” He smiled downward. You didn’t smile you just had this tired yet calm look on your face.

“I have more talent than just touch.” He joked. She was right though the food did taste amazing.

“Yes you do.” George wasn’t entirely mad at the fact you didn’t smile but he did enjoy the compliment.

4. A New Sweater

George scanned the shelves of your favorite store looking for something you would like. There were plenty of things your style but what caught his eye was a sweater.

Your closet was full of them. Lucy too and so a sweater could be another candidate for his "Y/n's smiles" list.

It wasn’t too thick nor too light because he knew you were sorta picky when it comes to sweaters. And a bonus was it was one of your favorite colours.

He held it in his hands but, he double and even triple-checked the store for something you might like better. But he did not and he went and brought it up to the counter to pay.

The cashier was nice but she had mistaken George as your boyfriend which made him blush furiously and confirm the two of you were just close friends. The cashier didn’t buy it. She gave him a small disbelieving look and he tried to ignore it.

He was impressed by how well she wrapped up the sweater and put it in a really nice bag.

When he came back the house was insanely quiet, mainly because Lockwood was out of the house and Lucy was training in the basement. You had decided to have a lazy day you were mainly just in your bed or in front of your desk.

But he noticed you were making tea in the kitchen so he quietly ran upstairs to put your gift on your bed. And then he snuck back down to his room to wait for your return.

You held a cup in your hand and carefully walked upstairs. You were confused when finding a gift on your bed mainly because no one really gave you gifts out of the blue. A small gasp escaped your lips when you reached into the bag and pulled out a sweater. You held the sweater close. It was the right size it was quite a shocker

You didn't think Lucy even knew your size.

"Surprise." George came back up the stairs. You went and hugged him. He was slightly taken aback by the gesture. He wasn't exactly a hugger but he wrapped his arm around you and squeezed gently.

"Thank you, George. You do so much for me." Again he wasn't exactly angry that it had failed because he's never had a hug that felt this relaxing. He was feeling loved. "Anything." He said simply. You pulled back and ruffled his hair.

"You're too good for me."

George returned to his room and took a pen and struck off another idea on a sticky note above his desk. But he did put a small heart next to it.

5. Quality Time.

"Wanna go the archives with me? Lucy and Lockwood already said no but they were caught up in their own thing." George huffed. You sat up immediately and shoved a bookmark into your book. You cracked a half smile.

"I would love to." You sprung up and grabbed your bag and shoes. "They never want to go with me either." Still, a small smile plastered on your face.

George was shocked in the 3 months he knew you that's all it took? Just going to the archives? He would have groaned if he wasn't so happy for finally making you smile. The look was so unfamiliar on you but he definitely knew he wanted to see it more.

"I don't know why I never asked you." You chuckled softly. That was a complete lie. You didn't want to admit it or make it obvious that you have a raging crush on the other boy while being alone and so very close to him doing what you loved most.

George didn't even think about your comment. A chuckle? George's expectations were exceeded. He thought you would shrug it off and either go and keep to yourself or kindly decline.

"Come on Georgie!" You practically skipped out of the room, brushing past his shoulder and sending a jolt through his body. His heart swelled and he was honestly quite boastful at the moment. If he could shout it at the world he would. He felt like he deserved something for making Y/n L/n smile. But seeing your smile was an award in itself.

George followed her out of the house and down to explore the archives.

#george karim #george cubbins #george karim x reader #lockwood and co #save lockwood & co #george karim x you

174 notes · View notes

neoarchipelago · 2 years ago

Text

Madripoor High (Part 4)

A/N: There's a few talks of Simon's canon backstory in here.

Warnings: Violence, Sexual content, Abuse, Torture, Sexual abuse

Even your simple shoes echoed on the marble floor of the hotel. Simon had groaned and complained about your choice of hotel for the night but caved in. You walked to the front desk, the big scary man behind you gaining everyone's attention.

"Good afternoon. How may I help you?" The desk clerk asked, a soft smile on his face, but eyes gazing at the hooded masked lieutenant.

"I'd like to know if you have any rooms available."

"Oh, of course, let me check. How long would you like to stay?" He asked, typing away at his computer.

You turned to Simon, asking him.

"Not more than a night." He mumbled.

The clerk nodded, forcing a smile on his lips. The situation didn't look nice at all. The big scary man next to you, almost making it seem like he had… kidnapped you. Fuck. You searched through your bag, getting your wallet and picking up one of the black cards and the identity card that went with that one, putting it in front of the Clerk.

"Here, put everything on my card."

"Oh. Very well, miss… Riley." The clerk smiled.

Oh… yes. You had in fact used Riley as a fake name. You bit your lip smirking, avoiding Simon's gaze.

"And… will you be sharing a room with… Mr..?" He asked.

"Mr Riley." You chuckled, trying to hold back your laughter. The clerk nodded again, smiling up at the man.

"Well, we have one room left, one of the Master suites!" The clerk smiled. You smiled back. "I'll be checking you in, and making sure your suite is ready, it'll take a few minutes. You may sit in the lounge, and a drink will be offered." He invited.

"Thank you." You smiled, turning back to Simon and looping your arms through his.

"Let's go Mr Riley."

He tensed but walked nonetheless.

"Mrs Riley…?" He hissed under his breath.

"A fake name… don't worry." You hissed, your smile never faltering.

You took a seat in one of the sofa chairs, Simon sitting in front of you.

"Aren't we supposed to be low-key…?" He said.

"Sometimes not hiding is the best way to hide." You smirked.

He shook his head.

"Calm down. Enjoy the stay. We have to find some proper clothes for tonight." You mumbled.

"This is being a bit more risky than we expected. Price is probably going to call me." He said.

"Call him then. Keep him informed." You inquired.

He nodded, grabbing his phone.

"I'll be right back."

You smiled at him as he stood and walked back into the lobby.

You sighed. You closed your eyes letting your head fall back a bit. This tangle of a mission was becoming a bit too hard to unravel.

"Miss? Is… everything alright?"

You opened your eyes looking up at the server.

"Oh hi… yes I am."

He looked at the lobby, worried look in his eyes.

"Do… Do you need help?" He whispered.

Bingo.

"Help?" You asked.

"Hum… yeah…" he pointed towards the lieutenant.

You chuckled.

"Oh.. no no. He's my bodyguard. But thank you for worrying. It's amazing of you to do so." You offered him a sweet smile.

He relaxed, before taking your order. A simple cocktail would do.

Ghost walked back to the table, sitting in front of you.

"I ordered for you. With a straw." You teased.

He glared at you.

"They'll be joining us. Probably be here in an hour." He informed you.

You nodded.

"Well, we need proper clothes for a night club. We'll drop our stuff in the room and go shopping." You said. He seemed annoyed.

"Don't like shopping?" You smirked. He didn't need to answer. "Alright. I'll find another way." You smiled gently.

He nodded as a thanks. The drinks were put down in front of you, the server smiling at you but avoiding your 'bodyguards' gaze. You sipped on your drink, checking your phone for anything interesting from the data that you collected from the dealer's phone. Lots of text messages. Clients, other drug dealers. A few from his boss, that being the most interesting ones. Finishing your drinks, the clerk walked to you.

"Mrs Riley. Your suite is ready. Here are your electronic keys."

You thanked him, rising to your feet. You were dying to lay down for a little while. The way to the elevator and up was drowned in silence. You almost skipped your way to the door of the suite. When the door opened, showing a large living room, an open view on the large bed, you almost squealed happily. You ran dropping your bag on the couch before jumping on the bed, giggling. You didn't notice the way the lieutenant looked at you, amused.

"Let's rest a bit. We got a few hours ahead of us." You heard.

You happily agreed, kicking your shoes off and upping yourself on the bed to grab a pillow and cuddle it. You didn't exactly feel like napping but you were slightly tired. Before you could actually rest you decided to look for some way to bring clothes to the hotel.

"Hey…" You whined, cuddling the pillow closer. "Tracker…" . You frowned through your sleep.

"Not yet… please…" you whined. A sigh met your plea. A soft brush on your forehead, a strand of hair being pushed aside.

"Wake up. Come on." It was slightly more firm now, contrasting with the soft touch of the gloves.

You blinked your eyes open, Ghost having already taken three preventive steps back.

"There's people with clothes waiting in the living room." He said.

You took a deep breath, sitting up on the bed. You tangled your fingers through your messed up hair, finding the courage to finally stand. Following Ghost into the living room, you greeted the professionals, standing in front of clothing racks full of clothing for men and women. The room phone rang, Ghost picking it up.

"The team is here." He told you.

"Right on time." You smiled.

Thirty minutes later, everyone was trying out clothes. Valeria was particularly enjoying it, taking time to choose a good outfit and making you try various as well, the more outfits you tried the more skin was showing.

"Valeria. No." You stated.

"Valeria yes!" She countered.

You rolled your eyes.

"This one!" She chimed, holding a pretty creamy satin dress. It hugged the curves, spaghetti straps on the shoulder. You didn't truly have time to say anything as she pushed you to the bathroom as gaz was walking out. She pushed him out of the way, throwing you in and closing the door.

"God damn it…" you cursed under your breath.

Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad. It hugged the right place, no matter how fluffy those places were. This might be it. You stepped out, looking for Valeria's approval, falling eye to eye with Simon, standing near the couch. He wore a black hoodie, a black leather jacket on top, hood on but black skull face mask. He eyed you up and down quickly before looking away.

"There you go, you sexy thing!" Valeria's proud voice rang loudly.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" You teased her.

"Always muñeca." She winked.

You walked to the lieutenant, his body stiffening.

"Y/N. Can we brief on the mission for a moment?" Price called from across the room.

Odd.

"Sure!" You answered walking to him. Everyone was dressed appropriately for a night club, chest hair, and tight shirts.

"What you got?" He asked with a smile, making you frown.

"Let's step in the bedroom, I'll show you on my laptop." You answered.

Once in the room, you closed the curtain doors, though it wouldn't help much. You sat on the bed, patting the space next to you. He smirked while sitting down.

"What's wrong?" You asked with a soft smile.

"What do you mean?" He smiled wider.

"You know everything on the mission. The Lieutenant has been religiously informing you. You called me to get me away from him. Why?" You asked in a lower soft voice.

He sighed, holding his hands together as he braced himself on his knees.

"The lieutenant… has had a hard past."

"Who hasn't.." you mumbled.

"Particularly hard. He… without going into detail, it's not my place… was tortured."

You frowned. Not that it was unusual for a soldier but, something made you feel uneasy. The thought that he, in particular, had suffered it.

"Unfortunately there was also sexual torture."

"Sounds like a kink…" you smirked weakly, trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, you knew what it meant. He huffed a chuckle but remained at that.

"So..?" You frowned.

"He might be uncomfortable. With you, close up looking all … hum.."

"Yummy?" You teased.

He chuckled. "Yeah… that. He won't admit it, but he's kind of afraid of his own feelings and behavior."

You thought for a second. Alright. You could stay away from it for the night.

"Alright. No problem." You smiled.

"Thank you."

You nodded.

Your way to the club was filled with chatter. You all had a briefing, let yourself mingle in the crowd. You and Valeria had to drag Tashy out back to the hotel or in a secluded place. Easy enough. You sat in the back, Price driving the van you had rented to fit everyone, Ghost sitting in the passenger seat. You sat in the far back with Alejandro in the middle and Valeria on his left. You couldn't stop yourself from throwing glances at him from across the van.

"Caught your attention?" Valeria whispered across Alejandro, making him frown.

"What?" You whispered back, leaning over Alejandro to also get close to her.

"The masked pendejo." She said.

"What's it with you, who catches my attention?" You whispered back.

"It's unusual. That's all." She teased.

"You know what's not unusual? You, starving over Alejandro's cock." You spat back.

"Oy! I'm right here!" He said loudly, gaining attention from everyone in the van.

"What's happening back there?" Soap asked, full of curiosity.

"Y/N-" Valeria started.

"Valeria want to suck Alejandro and I'm holding a fucking candle!" You interrupted loudly.

"Puta madre Y/N!" Valeria cursed, Alejandro following.

The van filled with laughter as you glared at her.

Arriving at the club, you easily walked in, the rumor that a billionaire and her friends were in town quickly spreading. You rolled with it, after all, it wasn't fake news. You asked for a VIP corner which the club owner was greedily happy to provide.

You knew it all too well. Money attracts rats like honey attracts bees. The noisy club made your heart jump. It reminded you of madripoor. The smell of alcohol and acid in the air. You sighed. You had opened the corner to some people in the crowd, after all you had to pretend you were here for fun, being secluded was going to attract attention. Various bottles of alcohol sprawled on the table, laughter and voices trying to break over the sound of the music. Everyone was enjoying themselves, or at least trying, while keeping an eye out for Tashy.

Valeria stood next to you as watched over the club from the balcony VIP corner. She sipped on her drink, looping her arm in yours.

"How long has it been? When was the last time we got out together?" She half screamed in your ear, making you wince.

"Too long. Someone had to go and end up in jail." You teased.

She winked at you, making you smile. Yes, it was a love and hate relationship, but you loved that girl. She was your friend, however crazy and annoying she was. You let your head flop on her shoulder, a laugh shaking through her body. She placed a kiss on your cheek before walking away. You watched her leave, eyes catching a little scene behind her. Ghost leaned against a wall, a lady's hand on his chest as she obviously flirted with him. His body screamed uncomfortably.

You glanced at Price who sat next to Gaz with some ladies, he too, was watching the scene.

His eyes fell into yours, he was going to stand as you raised your hand to tell him to remain in his seat. You walked over to the poor Lieutenant as he looked up to watch you.

"Who the fuck are you?!" You spat menacingly. The girl glared at you.

"Who the fuck are you?" She spat back.

"The one who's paying for this pretty corner and that grey goose in your fucking cup." You answered.

She seemed to realize her mistake, wanting to remain in the high class corner of the club.

"Oh hum… didn't know he was yours… sorry." She said, lowering her gaze.

"Get the fuck away." You threatened.

She didn't say anything else as she scurried off to the girlfriends. You glared at her all the time she walked away.

"Thanks." You heard close to your ear. You shivered slightly.

"You don't have to stay. Price and the others are here." You told him, getting close to his ear as well. "Go back to the hotel room."

"No."

Stubborn idiot. You visibly sighed, shaking your head. His eyes squinted.

"You know." He said.

"No. I imagine. I think it's worse." You said looking away.

"I don't want your pity." He snarled.

You gave him an offended look, stepping closer.

"It's not pity! It's fucking rage!" You answered, surprising him.

You turned your back, walking away, back to Valeria.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"In the mood for trouble. Any views on the target?" You asked.

"He just walked in." She answered with a wide grin and a wink thrown your way.

You nodded, taking the last sip of your drink as she downed hers. Both putting your empty cups down on the table, she looped her arm in yours again as you aimed for the stairs, ready to lose yourselves in the dancing bodies and spilled drinks. You felt the heavy gazes of the boys on you, Alejandro and Rudy uncomfortable to let Valeria out of their reach, the others… you didn't know exactly.

Walking through the crowd was slightly easier than expected, money really was a powerful thing as they left a bit of a place for you both to walk. Valeria walked you to the ladies bathroom, making sure to pass near the table of the dealer boss. It was perfect. As you walked out of the bathroom, two broad men stood nearby, stopping the two of you.

"Ladies, our boss would like to offer you a drink at his table." One said.

You looked at each other, pretending to think about it as Valeria pretended to try to convince you. You 'caved in' at her offer as they both walked you towards Tashy's table.

"Ladies! Welcome to the club! How are you enjoying the party so far?" He immediately rang as you both sat down on either side of him.

"Not bad. Been to bigger places though." You answered with a teasing smile.

You let Valeria do most of the talking as you pretended to be bored.

"What's wrong, love?" The man asked, his arms wrapping around your shoulders. You wanted to punch him but you retrained yourself.

"Well. This is getting boring. Might turn to a more… private party. What do you think Jessie?" You asked, turning to Valeria.

"Oh well. That'd be lovely" she said, tone clearly implying dirty things. You bit your lip softly, dragging the attention of the man towards the movement.

"Should we invite our new friend here?" She asked, dragging a finger down his chest.

"Think he's interested?" You asked, looking him in the eyes through your lashes.

"Well… who wouldn't, ladies?" He answered with a sheepishly wide grin.

"Should we take him to the suit? Him and his men?" Valeria kept teasing.

"Oh that'd be lovely."

He agreed. The idiot.

He had nicely driven the both of you in his fancy car. The rest of the team had already left the club, waiting for you in the hotel room. In the lobby you walked to the clerk, handing him a few hundreds, asking him for some privacy on the things he has been witnessing. He didn't blink, probably used to bribes.

You and Valeria hugged the man as he arms rested on the small of your back, the two big bodyguards standing right behind the two of you. Tashy was proudly displaying drugs and his high ring of drug dealing, that dumbass used to rich girls who loved substances and sex, doing anything to end up in his sheets.

You unlocked the door to the suite, the five of you walking in. It seemed absolutely empty as you separated from the man, offering him another drink to 'heat up the room'. Valeria happily chimed in walking to you.

It was the perfect moment for the rest of the team, erupting from their hidden places, jumping on the two bodyguards as you calmly poured yourself and Valeria a drink. You handed it to her, glass clicking together before you turned back to the scene, all three men on the ground, the bodyguards knocked out and Tashy hands behind his back, being pulled back up to sit on a chair.

"Nice job!" Soap said, looking at the both of you.

Valeria happily kissed your neck, making you shake your head as she walked back to Alejandro and Rudy. You sat on the couch, crossing your legs as you leaned back.

"I get I'm not gonna be able to use that pussy." The dealer spat from his chair, surrounded by the team.

"Wahou. You drug dealers surely got a lot of Rizz. Do you actually get women like that?" You questioned sarcastically.

"Fucking bitch!" He spat.

"Mrs Bitch for you." You said, rolling your eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt. But we have a few questions for you." Price said, face suddenly serious, bringing the man's attention towards him.

"Perhaps you should go to your room." Valeria said, handing you the dealer's phone.

You understood what it meant. Things you didn't really want to see were about to happen.

"Alright… try not to be too noisy so the rest of the hotel doesn't get called." You said as you stood up.

"Sure." Soap said.

The boys were incredibly serious. It made you feel uneasy. Perhaps the gaze in Simon's eyes was the most terrifying of them all. You shivered, crossing his gaze as you walked to him.

"Put on your headphones." He ordered.

You swallowed, before nodding. He noticed but didn't say anything. You walked to the room, closing the curtain doors and immediately putting on your headphones. You'd work on the phone while they… interrogated Tashy.

A full hour later, you had found a whole interesting circle. Higher ups and higher ups. But the most interesting things were message from a certain 'snake' who had given Tashy a meet up point with what you suspected had been Echo. It's funny. How a little recording, in a bad condition was enough for you to track what is probably one of the biggest secret in Madripoor at the moment. A body appeared through the curtains. You smiled at the skull mask who walked to you.

You took out your loud headphones, watching him sit on the bed..

"Anything?" He asked.

"A few clues. Gonna need to look deeper into it. What about you?"

"A few things. Waiting on a local team to pick him up. We'll report tomorrow." He explained.

You were half listening. You were staring. A tiny, little, droplet of red on his mask was captivating your attention.

"Tracker?" He called.

You put your laptop aside, scooting closer. He stiffened, staring at you. You raised your hand. He immediately caught your wrist in a bruising grip. You winced.

"I'm not… going to take it off!" You hissed.

He slowly, unwillingly let go. You inched your hand closer, slightly touching the right cheek of the bone mask, whipping the droplet of blood with your thumb.

You let your hand fall, watching the red stain on your skin.

"Sorry."

You looked up at him, as he looked down at your finger.

"It's nothing." You said, getting up to walk to the bathroom, washing your hands.

When you walked back, he hadn't moved from the bed. And he was still looking at you.

"I'll be taking the couch with Soap."

You frowned.

"You can share the bed with me. That couch don't fit two of you." You said.

"I'm not sharing the bed with you."

"Fine. I'll ask Soap then." You smiled. He seemed to not really enjoy the idea. "What? Scared I'm going to stab him in his sleep like the villain I am?" You told him, frustrated. He remained silent, thinking.

"We can share the bed." He finally said, standing and walking away to the other room.

Had he taken you seriously? You felt actually annoyed now. Whatever.

You had hopped into bed while they took care of the Trashy problem. Soap was staying on the couch for the night while you had managed to find another room in the hotel for the rest of the team. A last minute cancellation.

Ghost walked in, looking up at you as you typed on your phone. He didn't say a word as he walked to the bathroom. A few minutes later he walked out, jogging and a tight t-shirt as pajamas. You tried not to stare going back to your phone. He slipped into bed, next to you, back turned to your body. You sighed, putting your phone on your night stand and sitting down the light before also turning your back at him, closing your eyes.

The bed moved. You frowned. You opened your eyes, the heaviness of sleep weighing on you. You turned to look at your bed roomie. His breath was fast, cheats rising fast as his brows were furrowed. Was he… having a nightmare?

You stood on your forearm, hand rising to touch his chest. It was a second. He was fast. The hand around your neck tightened bruisingly, cutting your airflow. You barely had time to panic as he stood over your body, eyes furious and lost in his panic. He was still lost in his dream. You could see it. Your hands grabbed his wrist, trying to make him let go, scratching the skin there.

"S..Simon…" you whispered through the pressure against your neck.

His eyes widened, immediately realizing his position and releasing his killing grip, hand falling next to you to brace himself instead. You closed your eyes, catching your breath. Was he… shaking? You opened them to fall into deep auburn ones, shock and worry filled his gaze. You took another deep breath, before smiling softly. He flinched slightly. You raised your hands, he flinched again. Cupping his cheeks through the simple balaclava you softly rubbed your thumbs over his cheeks, looking up at him with soft eyes. You wanted to calm him down. He closed his eyes, leaning into your touch ever so slightly.

You let your hands travel to the back of his neck, applying a tiny bit of pressure. His eyes snapped open, confused.

"Shh… trust me." You whispered again.

In a slow, almost scared movement, he let you bring him down to your chest. You closed your eyes, relieved. One hand on his head, thumb caressing, another on his back softly scratching up and down through the shirt. His breath evened slowly. You knew that even like that, he was still in the haze of his nightmare, his brain probably fogged up. He would never have let you hold him like that otherwise. He would never have snaked his arms around you. Let himself turn to his side bringing you closer to him as he buried his face in your chest. You blushed. Heavily. Thank god the room was dark and Soap was sleeping.

His hand sneaked under your shirt, feeling the skin of your back as you kept rubbing his back. He didn't move anymore. Didn't go further and didn't slip away. Time passed and you could feel his chest finally rising slowly at an even pace. You let out a deep breath, closing your eyes. He was glued to you.

You remained with your eyes closed. It was… warm. His large hand on your back, skin to skin… was… comforting. You should probably scoot away from him. This wasn't… professional. But it was comfortable. And it made you feel… good. Safe. He moved slightly, intertwining his legs with yours, making it unable for you to move away. Well… that made up your mind. Perhaps. Just for tonight. It was ok.

-_-_-_-_-_-_

@thychuvaluswife @emily-roberts @warrior-of-justice @gh0stedddd @ladyelissarose

@kiruoris @kaeyamain-zonglilover @salsa-reads-stuff @coacaiyne

239 notes · View notes

squintyeyedjoel · 2 years ago

Text

Through Your Eyes | Part 1 - Hit the Ground Running (Joel x Reader)

A/N: Ahhhh! This is here!!! So. This is just an idea that I had, and I literally texted my friends screaming about it, and it’s been nonstop for the last few days, it just kept developing. It’ll be multi-part, unsure yet how long, it keeps growing. I’ve always loved Jackson Joel, his relationship with Ellie, and I’ve wanted more of their dynamic since day one. So here is a weird hybrid of both the game and show universe, but mostly game. I haven’t decided where exactly this will or will not deviate from canon yet, so bear with me. Here we go!

I do not own The Last of Us or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, and Joel is a warning in and of himself in this one. Canon typical swearing. No specific age specified for reader, aside from her remembering life before the outbreak, so I leave that up to you. No use of Y/N. Mention of loss. (Spoilers if you haven’t watched the show/played the game.) Ellie is a menace and having a Hard Time™️. Arguing? Banter. Some of Joel’s Texan accent. (You’ve been warned.) I guess kinda sorta spoilers for TLoU 2? Like if you squint? And not really???

Word count: 8,885

Thank you to @fordo-kixed-rex and @grippingbeskar for your endless hours helping me over goodness knows how long since I started this, for reading this over for me and letting me know I’m not crazy, and screaming with me about this man that captured our hearts first in the form of pixels.

Series Masterlist | Masterlist | Next

Xxx

The door slamming below made some trinkets on your shelf rattle. That’s the third time today. A soft groan drifted up to you through the floorboards, coated in frustration and anger.

When you’d arrived in Jackson, the only new, private space available had been a spot above somebody else’s house. Technically in somebody else’s house. And technically it wasn’t even a place. When you arrived, you realized someone had literally volunteered their attic, spacious as it was, with several windows and a private doorway leading down through the home.

A mattress had been tossed in the middle of the floor, and it’d been so long since you’d seen a real, honest to goodness mattress, you didn’t care about the rest of the place. It suddenly felt like a castle.

That first night you’d flopped down on the fluffy padding on the floor, smiling as your body bounced a few times from the impact, the springs inside whining in protest, before you promptly fell asleep.

Sunlight streaming in through one of the windows early the next morning woke you up, making you blink bleary eyes open when it danced across your peaceful features.

With a stretch and heavy sigh, you didn’t move a muscle, but simply darted your eyes around your new small space, fully taking in the barren walls and the pile of junk leftover from whoever owned this house before the world went to hell. Curiosity got the better of you, pulling you to the pile like a magnet, on a search for something, you weren’t quite sure what yet.

Several hours later, you were lost deep in thought, the tip of your tongue sticking between your teeth in concentration when someone clearing their throat just off to your side made you jump. “Fuck!” You hissed, tossing the little metal toy you had in one hand in surprise, the screwdriver from your other hand being clutched in your grip like a vice, reared back and ready to be thrown at the intruder.

“Just me,” the man from downstairs mumbled. What was his name again? “Sorry.”

Sighing, you deflated, letting your hands fall to the mattress below you with a thump, your face scrunched in pain. “Shit, I bit my tongue.” Reaching up to rub your jaw, you glared at the man. “Maybe knock next time?”

He stared at you for a long minute, his eyes watching as you cradled your face, mumbling forlornly about your tongue. “I did,” he finally said lowly. “Twice.”

“Oh.” You heaved another sigh, this one heavier than the last, before plopping back on the mattress behind you, wincing and reaching under your back to pull out the plastic action figure that had poked you in the back. Looking at it, you grinned softly. “Was that your gun, or were you just happy to see me?”

Something between a scoff and a snort left the man still standing awkwardly by your door, pulling your attention back to him.

Everything had been so rushed when you’d moved in, something about a patrol spotting clickers nearby and the lack of space giving everyone a headache, you’d barely caught a glimpse of your housemates as someone ushered you past them, up into the attic late last night. You’d also made a point to stare at the floor as you walked past, not wanting to see the ire of the people who’d been woken up to open their home to you.

With no desire to dwell on your time before Jackson, you focused on the man in front of you, taking in his curious eyes and weathered features. The tilt of his brow told you people tended to run from him, his jaw set in a stern angle as his eyes darted around the room.

“Sorry, I know it’s a mess, I’ll clean it up.” Pushing up onto your elbows, you tossed the action figure to the side. “I assumed that pile was from before the outbreak, I hope I didn’t-”

“It was. All that was here b’fore Ellie and I moved in. Seemed a shame to waste it, and didn’t bother me none to sit in a corner, so….” Taking a few steps, he picked up the little metal car you’d been scraping at when he walked in, smiling fondly. “I had one’f these.” His expression darkened. “‘till my brother broke it.” After staring at it a moment, he looked up at you, handing it back to you gently. “What were you doin’ with it?”

“Oh.” Flustering a bit, being caught out for something you usually kept relegated to your home wherever that happened to be, you took a minute to think, staring at the chipped blue paint on the little car. “I…. I like to restore things. Bring little pieces of what we lost back. Especially toys. I remember as a kid…. As a kid the joy of just one new toy was….”

“Nothin’ like it,” he agreed softly.

You nodded, meeting his eyes, the kindness you saw hidden there catching you off guard. You’d expected judgment. In this world nowadays frivolous things weren’t usually accepted so readily.

“That yours?” He pointed to the little fanny pack overflowing with various tools, the contents spilling over the mattress.

Eyes darting over to the bag, you nodded again before looking at him with a soft smile. “Yes it is, kind stranger.”

This time his scoff was decidedly amused, and he rolled his eyes, making you grin.

“Joel.”

“That’s right!” Setting the car down, you got to your feet, dusting the back of your pants off, then your hands, before you extended one for him to shake. “Nice to finally meet you more than a passing face in the ‘welcome to Jackson’ shuffle.” He nodded as he shook your hand, his grip firm and warm. “Thank you. Again. For your attic, I mean.” Dropping his hand after holding it longer than you should have, you turned to look around at the space.

“Tommy said you needed your privacy. Didn’t say why, but I can respect the need.”

You turned back to him, hands on your hips where they had settled as you’d looked around. “That’s not by choice.”

His features darkened. “What’d’ya mean?”

“Oh! Nothing like that.” You waved your hands in front of you. “Nothing weird, I swear!” Chuckling nervously, you shifted your weight to one side. “Because I tinker, I often…. People don’t like the noises…. The smells….”

He just stared at you, silently waiting.

You looked down to your feet. “I’ll just pack up. I’m sorry, I’ll be out of your-”

“No,” he cut you off, reaching for your elbow gently but firmly. “No,” he said again, a bit softer. “Just explain a little less…. Vaguely, please.”

“It’s very hands-on. Lots of tools like hammers and whatnot, sanding…. And then if I can find it, paint thinner for some, or just paint for others…. And it doesn’t always help, despite all the windows being open, but I try to keep the place ventilated…..”

“People complain about a day job?” He sounded upset for you.

“They get upset when I do it when I can’t sleep.”

He hesitated. “How often is that?”

“Whenever the nightmares come.”

Understanding flickered in his eyes. “Well people are stupid.”

You blinked before a laugh burst out of your mouth.

“I used to be a contractor, and I’ve been doing some odds and ends here since moving into town. I don’t mind some smelly noise.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at you. “Let’s just try to come up with a schedule of some sort, maybe nothing too loud after nine at night or somethin’. Not for me, I don’t mind, but the neighbors might, and I dunno about Ellie. Girl sleeps like the dead, so probably….”

“Ellie?”

His smile grew brighter. “Come downstairs for breakfast.” He gestured behind him with a tilt of his head toward the stairs, his body beginning that way. “Maybe she’ll say hello between bites.”

Xxx

Walking down the stairs, you looked around in the daylight, trying to discern what was your host’s and what was left behind twenty odd years ago.

Outlines where pictures once sat on the wall, faded by years in the sun now decorated the outdated wallpaper, a layer of dust along a line of decorative trim halfway up. A fancy carpet was tacked to the stairs, worn in the middle most of the way up, zagging to the sides near the top, and you watched as Joel carefully stepped in the threadbare bits without thought, one of the steps squeaking under your weight when you didn’t follow suit.

Noted.

Once you were at the bottom, an open door down the hall showed a small little workshop, tools strewn everywhere. You smiled, glancing up at Joel to see him follow your gaze, realization dawning on him as a hand came up to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Stay here,” he mumbled softly, holding up one finger before he jogged toward the door, pulling it shut. “Sorry about that. Had a, uh…. Last minute request.”

“My ears are burning. Are you talking about me again?” A young female voice yelled amusedly from around the corner behind you, a girl in her early teens stepping out with a plate full of food in one hand, a fork loaded in the other, and a mouthful as she continued. “Yeah, you were. It’s me. He’s talking about me. I asked him to fix the hole in the ceiling,” she looked at him pointedly, before turning back to you, “like fifty thousand times-”

“Since yesterday,” Joel murmured, making you chuckle.

“It only showed up yesterday,” the girl said unamused.

“I’m just sayin’,” Joel held up his hands in surrender before walking around the girl and into what you assumed was the kitchen. “Point was, I got right on it.”

Rolling her eyes, the girl set her plate down before wiping her hands on the front of her jeans, coming over and introducing herself. “Hi, I’m Ellie,” she spoke pointedly over her shoulder, “since grumpy in there didn’t feel the need to introduce us.”

Some dishes clattered and quiet grumbles were heard as you smiled at the girl, introducing yourself. “If you ever need any help around here, just ask. I’m pretty handy, if I do say so myself.”

“Finally,” Ellie groaned, “Someone besides that lug who can help me out!”

You leaned in closer to her. “Why, you got bodies to hide, or somethin’?”

She leaned in as well. “You have no idea.”

“Time for food!” Joel called loudly, placing a steaming pile of scrambled eggs and bacon on the table. “Ellie made ‘em so I’m not makin’ any promises-”

“Hey!” You smiled at her protest.

“-but it’s nourishment, so…. Good as any.”

“I’ll have you know,” Ellie began, looking down her nose at Joel as you all sat at the table. “Tommy’s been teaching me how to cook.”

“Then we’re all doomed,” Joel deadpanned.

“Tommy, I met him last night. He’s….”

Joel and Ellie spoke at the same time.

“Oh no, what’d he do now?”

“His baby brother.”

Silence hung between you as you looked back and forth between the two of them, Joel’s eyes shut as he let out a sigh.

“He’s my brother,” he amended, adding quietly, “so you can tell me what idiotic thing he’s done now.”

“Joel,” Ellie warned.

“I’ve heard it all, just lay it on me.”

You shook your head. “Nothin’. Was just asking how he knew you two.” You gestured between them with your fork.

Joel tucked into his food after a moment of silence, staring down at his plate.

“I tried to tell you,” Ellie muttered, shaking her head as she cleaned the crumbs off her dish.

“That accent I keep hearing pop through, is that…. Texas?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Joel kept his eyes down, slowing his eating just a bit.

“I thought it sounded like home,” you smiled, the corners of your mouth pulling higher when his head shot up to look at you.

“You’re from….”

You nodded. “Born and raised. Ain’t nothin’ quite like the Lone Star State, is there?”

“No, ma’am,” Joel grinned.

“What do you miss the most?” It was an honest enough question, you expected something like barbecue, late night drives down country roads, or the smell of bluebonnets each Spring….

But the joy on Joel’s face fell ever so slightly, just enough that you could see, the light in his eyes dimming, as his shoulders rounded forward just a bit. He stared at the table top for only a moment, lost in thought. You could have sworn his eyes flitted to the watch on his wrist briefly before he shook his head, lifting it back up, his gaze meeting yours and smiled again, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes this time. “Too many things to mention. What about you?”

Holding his gaze for a moment longer than you should, you smiled softly before turning back to look at your plate. “Gotta say I feel the same.” Stabbing a bite of egg, you brought it to your mouth, chewing thoughtfully as you pondered what had just happened. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

“Please do,” he said softly.

More silence filled the space, Ellie heaving a sigh after a few minutes. “Well this has been fucking amazing-”

“Ellie,” Joel chastised.

“But I’m gonna go-”

“Sit,” Joel said in the most authoritative voice you’d heard yet. Gesturing with his fork, you caught the smallest smirk crawl up his face when Ellie groaned before plopping back into her chair in a graceless heap.

She stared at him in some sort of bored challenge before grumbling, “What?”

“I need your help before you go and skedaddle-”

“‘Skedaddle’? Is that even a fucking word?”

“Yes,” you answered before biting into a piece of bacon, smiling sweetly at her when her eyes flew up to meet yours.

“Just checking,” she grumbled, slumping further back into her chair as she heaved a world weary sigh.

“As I was sayin’,” Joel pushed back from the table with both hands, leaning back in his chair so that the front legs left the floor slightly, balancing on the back two. “I need your help gettin’ a bed frame upstairs for her, and a few other pieces. Tommy’s droppin’ them by in a few here.” He checked a clock hanging on the wall, making you knit your brows in confusion as you glanced to the watch on his wrist. Closer inspection showed it was shattered with what looked like a bullet hole, making your eyes widen slightly. Suddenly his reservations about missing something in Texas made a bit more sense.

“Joel,” Ellie whined, going practically boneless in her seat, limbs draping behind her like a broken starfish.

“We should be able to handle that without her, don’t you think?” You mused, pushing your empty plate away and settling into your seat with a satisfied sigh, arms crossed over your chest.

“Yes, totally, bye!” Ellie sat up so fast you got whiplash. But she didn’t make it completely out of the seat before Joel was saying her name again, and motioning her back down with just his eyes.

“Sorry. I tried,” you shrugged, giving her a sad smile. “You should just listen to your dad and-”

The two of them interrupted you in tandem.

“I’m not her father.”

“He’s not my dad.”

Joel cleared his throat. “Now, I’ve asked you to stay and help- nicely, I might add- and unlike you, I don’t ask twice, let alone fifty thousand times,” he looked at her pointedly.

“Ugh, fine!” She threw her hands up, letting them slap back down on her thighs before pushing her chair back all the way, the scrape of the feet against the floor making you cringe. She finally got to her feet before she froze, looking at Joel with an exaggerated look you couldn’t quite place.

“What?” He asked after a long silence in a tone that said ‘why did I ask’.

She pointed to the other room. “Can I go this time? I mean….” Joel sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. “Every other time I’ve tried to execute my rights as a human being and leave this fucking dining room, you’ve stopped me. So, before I get too far and have to backtrack again, I wanted to-”

“Just go,” he waved a hand.

“Thank you,” she called, climbing the stairs, expertly missing the squeaks, a door slamming shut a few seconds later.

“But be ready to help in-”

“Yeah, yeah,” her muffled voice came through the door before some 80’s song began playing softly.

You chuckled, Joel picking his head up from where he’d cradled it in his palm to look at you with a raised brow. “I got food and a show.” His head fell back into his hand. “I’m teasing.” He grumbled something unintelligible into his palm. After the chorus of the song played, you stood up, taking the empty dishes over to the sink.

“You don’t have to-” Joel protested from his seat.

“I’ll never get used to hearin’ music again,” you changed the subject as you turned on the water, running it over the plates as you wiped them clean. “Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I’ve always loved music. It’s just…. After so long in the silence, coming here and having a teenager drown you out with a synthesizer, it’s so….”

“Normal?”

Looking over your shoulder, you smiled at him. “Yeah. And after everything, that’s just….”

“Not normal?”

You snorted. “Exactly.” After you turned the water off, you flung the stray droplets from the tips of your fingers before drying your hands on a dish towel. “I appreciate all the help, I really do. But, you don’t have to go outta your way for me.”

“It’s not outta the way. It’s just upstairs.” He looked proud of himself, the pleased grin pulling higher when you made a face of disbelief at him.

“None of that allowed up there.” You pointed toward the ceiling where the attic extended to. “That is a bad pun free zone.”

Joel shook his head ruefully, leaning his chair back even further on the rear legs, propping his boots up on the corner of the table, one ankle crossed over the other as his hands slowly came behind his head. “Darlin’, this whole house is one giant pun.”

You arched a brow, leaning back against the counter, your hands braced on its top at your sides.

“Ellie tries, she loves her joke books…. But me….”

“Bad dad jokes without being a dad?”

His whole demeanor deflated, just slightly, but enough for you to see. The light behind his eyes dimmed, his smile faded, and his arms dropped almost imperceptibly. “Something like that,” he mumbled, before the smile renewed, just a bit too tightly. After a brief moment, he dropped his feet back to the floor with a clatter, the chair coming back onto all fours with surprising delicacy. “Well, let’s get up there and take some measurements before the furniture gets here.”

Xxx

Joel had followed you up the steps, mumbling a “Lady’s first,” as he stepped out of the way, gesturing forward with one hand.

You arched a brow. “Oh, fancy.” He pulled a face, making you laugh softly. “Nice to know chivalry didn’t also die on outbreak day.” Starting up the stairs, he sighed as he fell in behind you.

“Oh, it did. I’m bringing it back.” Glancing over your shoulder you saw a smug look on his face, making you roll your eyes as you turned back to the task at hand, making sure to avoid the squeaky parts of the steps, sticking to the worn tread of the carpet. An amused hum buzzed out of Joel’s chest when he noticed, making you smirk. “Fast learner.”

Pushing open the door to the attic, it let out a mighty squeak.

You grimaced. “Not quite fast ‘nough, it seems.”

Joel knit his eyebrows at the door as he reached out, swinging it back and forth, the hinges protesting loudly each time. “It just needs to be tightened up.” Stepping closer, he examined the brackets with a more studious eye. “This takes a….” He turned to you, before glancing at your pile of tools still on the bed where you’d left them. “It’s a specialized screw head. Used to use them all the time before the world went to shit. Surprised they already started complainin’. Normally they last twice as long-”

“Everything complains around you, Joel,” Ellie grumbled as she walked past him, going straight for one of the windows, her forehead falling against it with a dramatic thump before she just stared at the city below.

Joel scoffed, staring at the teenager for a moment before rolling his eyes. “I have one down in my shop in the garage. I’ll go grab it.”

“You got a screwdriver that can turn that musty old shop of yours into a kick ass room for me?” Ellie called after him as he took the steps two at a time. As his heavy footfalls disappeared below, she turned back to look out the window.

“What do you mean?” You asked against your better judgment. “Don’t like your room?”

She sighed. “I just want my own space. Why does he need a room for just his tools? They don’t need privacy! They don’t go through at least one crisis a week, or have to deal with him, or have music they want to play super loud. They’re fucking tools.”

“Well, hey, we could trade? I could take your room, share the garage and tools with Joel, and you could be up he-”

“No,” Joel’s tone was final. You hadn’t even heard him come in.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Ellie started. “I mean, she’s offering, and-”

“I said no, Ellie.”

“Joel-”

“No!” His grip on the door handle tightened. “We aren’t having this conversation again. Drop it.”

The two of them stared at each other with loaded looks, an unspoken conversation being exchanged between them.

“We’ll compromise.” Joel’s attention snapped to you, Ellie’s following soon after. “You ever need a place to ‘get away’? You can come up here and keep me company.” Ellie smiled. “That goes for you, too, Joel.”

“Why you gotta be like that?” Ellie mumbled, smiling when you arched a brow at her.

“There’s a catch.”

“Fuck,” the teenager moaned, turning back to look out the window, her head thumping against the frame.

“You have to help me with my projects while you’re up here.” Your eyes flicked between them. “Deal?” When neither of them agreed, but neither of them protested, you moved on. “Good. Now,” stooping down to pick up the various toys and tools that had taken over the floor the night before, you turned to Ellie. “I noticed during breakfast that you like to draw.”

“How-”

“Sketchbook on the counter by the oven. Next time wait until after the bacon is done. You got grease stains all over the pages.”

“I had an idea, I couldn’t wait….”

“How are you with paint?”

She shrugged. “Never…. Never really had the opportunity to use it. I’m sorry. What the fuck is that?” She pointed to the bag around your waist.

Looking down at the fanny pack you’d zipped your tools back into before putting it on, you lifted your gaze back up to her. “My fanny pack?”

“Ellie….” Joel warned, seeing the girl’s face begin to morph in a way he knew all too well.

“It’s called a….” She started snickering before she cleared her throat. “I’ve never seen one before.” Ellie��s eyes shot over to Joel, her features schooled into something almost professional, but it quickly melted into something more sarcastic.

“Very handy,” you said slowly, watching her through narrowed eyes. “Anyway, as I was saying, I’ll get my hands on some paints, and you can help me finish some pieces.” You turned to Joel, brows raised expectantly.

“I’ll ask Tommy when he brings the stuff,” he mumbled, leaning on the door and causing it to squeak again, pulling his attention back to the traitorous hinges.

“For now,” you focused back on the teenager, hands on your hips, “help me clean this place up a little before they get here? Maybe go grab the towel off the kitchen counter to dust off the windowsills?”

Ellie nodded with a small, sweet smile, but you didn’t miss how it twisted into a smirk as she walked past you toward the door. “On it, Miss Fanny.”

You stared after her with wide eyes, noting she had waited until she was a few steps down the stairs before saying it so you were less likely to retaliate. Smart.

Flicking your eyes over to Joel, an amused expression pulled at his features as he pointed toward the bag on your hip with his screwdriver. “It’s because of the….”

“Yeah, I got that,” you snarked. “What I don’t get is why she called you grumpy.”

“It’s kinda obvious,” he drawled, turning the screws on the top hinge.

“You don’t seem grumpy to me.”

“Give it time.”

Xxx

After the door no longer moaned, the hinges good as new, Joel took some measurements around the space while he talked about how he’d been meaning to build some shelves and stuff for storage up here anyway. It’d take a day or two, but he’d have them up and be out of your hair in no time. He also stepped out of one of the windows onto the roof, making you and Ellie exchange a confused glance.

“Joel? Last I checked, the attic was strictly inside the house,” Ellie asked cautiously.

His head appeared around the open window frame, scowling at the both of you. “I’m looking to see if I could put a doorway in here for a private entrance.”

“That’s not-” but he doesn’t let you finish.

Disappearing back around the window frame, his voice drifted back somewhat muffled as he turned away. “It’ll just make things easier. Once you get tired of the two of us, you can come in without having to look at our ugly mugs.” Ellie shot a sideways look at you, making you stifle a small laugh, tucking it into your hand as you looked away. “Could even make a little deck up here at the top of the stairs, good sun, you could plant somethin’ for eatin’. Plus it’s a good spot to,” his feet shuffled on the roof before stopping again. “It’s a good vantage point if things go sideways…. Again.”

Stepping up to the window, you went to poke your head out but had to step back as he hopped back in. “Joel, you don’t have to do all that. It’s-”

“It’s my house, and I want that vantage point,” he huffed, dusting off his hands before turning to close the window.

“The Contractor,” Ellie hissed in an eerie voice with a smirk, drawing out the words in a ridiculous way.

“Knock knock,” a voice said behind you, making you jump slightly, turning to find Tommy. “Sorry,” he said quietly, having the decency to look sheepish. As he pushed the door open a bit wider, it squeaked softly, pulling his focus to the hinges. “You need to fix that, Joel-”

“I-” The older brother looked at the younger, dumbfounded. It quickly melted into annoyce as he whispered an exasperated, “What did you do?” Stepping quickly toward the door.

Tommy stepped back slightly. “Nothin’! I just got here, big brother! So just hold your horses and don’t jump-”

“He just fixed those a few minutes ago,” you offered softly, understanding dawning on Tommy’s face.

His eyes shifted to his brother, wide and somewhat worried. “Now, Joel, I didn’t do nothin’. They’re old, like you, and-” he turned his eyes down to the floor when Joel’s head snapped up to level him with a menacing gaze. “-and,” he repeated pointedly, “before you jump up my ass about somethin’ I didn’t do….” He lifted his head just enough to look at his brother again. “Can we please talk about this like the grown men we sometimes are now?”

Joel simply stared at his brother for a loaded moment before turning back to the door, wiggling it back and forth, making a sour face as it squeaked again softly. “You had to’ve done somethin’….”

“I guess not then,” Tommy sighed, hands that had been held up in surrender falling down to his sides in defeat as he sent an unimpressed glare toward his brother. “You’ve gotten meaner as your hair’s gotten greyer.”

Joel rolled his eyes, turning to inspect the hinges more closely, but reached up a hand to run through his hair after a moment, bringing it down to rub at the back of his neck in what looked like embarrassment as he kept his back to the room.

Ellie strolled over easily toward the two men. “You’re an old man, Joel. That’s how it’s supposed to happen…. I think. I mean, look at Santa Claus….”

Joel slowly looked at her over his shoulder before he let out a strangled grunt of frustration, cleaning his throat to try and cover it up as he shook his head, turning back to his task in an attempt to hide.

Ellie went on as if nothing had happened. “I mean I think that’s how it works.”

Tommy snickered, tucking the lower half of his face into his hand, pointedly ignoring Joel looking at him through the crack of the door by the hinges.

The teen turned to Tommy. “You’re an old man, you tell me. Am I right?”

The hand fell from his face, and Tommy immediately stopped laughing, glowering at Ellie while Joel lost it, a series of growing snickers falling from his mouth as he turned his face into the wall to try and subdue the sound.

You looked on, watching the whole exchange with a smile. Joel may not be her father, but these three were every bit a family unit. They teased and called each other names, but it was all in fun. All from love. You had no doubt that when push came to shove, they’d be there for one another in a heartbeat, and probably be willing to sacrifice close to anything in the name of that bond, that thing they shared but they didn’t dare put that name to. For family.

Joel was still chuckling into the wall, his forehead pressed against it as he rocked it side to side in disbelief. “I swear I didn’t tell her to say that.”

“Fuck you, Joel. I say what I want,” Ellie proclaimed.

“Ellie,” Joel groaned, finally turning to face the room with a sigh, as Tommy snapped a, “Language!”

“Oh, bite me,” she mumbled, turning and meandering slowly to the window to begin dusting again.

“So, Tommy,” you began, clasping your hands in front of yourself. “I hear you have furniture for me?”

His eyes widened in recognition. “Shit! Yeah.”

“Language!” Ellie mocked him from her spot across the room.

“It’s downstairs. Why don’t you come with me, take a look and see what all you wanna bring up while Joel finishes on this door.” He turned to his brother, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Come down when you’re done, we should know by then.”

He nodded, fiddling with the screwdriver in his hand. “Give me five minutes.”

“I used to work with you, Joel,” Tommy called, starting down the stairs. “We both know it’ll take you ten.”

Joel laughed humorously. “Fuck you, Tommy!”

“Language!” Ellie yelled again.

Following the younger Miller, you smiled. He stepped on every squeak in the steps, almost like it was on purpose.

Once the two of you were downstairs, Tommy stepped out onto the front porch, showing you a small array of furniture leaning up against the outside of the house.

You were about to start pointing to some of the pieces when he began talking to you about something else altogether.

“So how’s it been today? They been treating you okay?”

Crossing your arms over your chest, you tilted your head back to look up at him, holding his serious gaze. His eyes were kind, and you realized he was asking just as much from a place of worry for them as for you.

“Yeah. It’s been great so far.” He looked relieved. “Ellie cooked eggs and bacon for breakfast.”

He smiled proudly. “You have me to thank for that.”

You couldn’t help the grimace tugging on your features. “So I hear.”

Tommy scoffed, hands going to his hips, making you chuckle.

“Ellie called him grumpy earlier, but I haven’t seen any particular reason why.” His eyebrows shot up near his hairline. “I asked him about it and he said to ‘give it time’.”

He rolled his eyes with a muttered, “Sounds like him.”

You lowered your voice, taking a step closer. “Am I missing something? If he’s not always sunshine and rainbows, that’s fine, I get it. This world we live in now ain’t always deserving of it. But still, I’d like to know what I’m getting into.”

Tommy took a deep breath, but before he could speak, Joel stepped out the front door.

“What should I take up first?”

Turning and pointing at the bed frame you knew for sure needed to go up, you smiled. “Definitely that, please.”

Joel nodded, grabbing the headboard and footboard. “Tommy, will you grab the rest of the frame? The girls can be putting it together while we take up the rest.”

The man beside you nodded, staying silent until his brother disappeared back in the house.

“Joel’s not always the easiest to get to know.” You scoffed. “It’s true. I’ve known him my whole life, and I still have days where I wonder why he’s so prickly. He has his reasons,” Tommy looked up toward the attic windows before looking back down at you. “And I’m sure he’ll tell you them eventually, I can already tell he trusts you more than most others here in Jackson.”

With a shake of your head, you chuckled. “You’re crazy. He just met me. I’m sure he-”

“You saw a side of Joel right out the gate some wait a lifetime to miss.”

Staring up into his eyes, your own wide, you saw nothing but sincerity.

“Tommy! Come on, man!” Shaking his head, Joel picked up the rest of the pieces of the bed. “And you say I’m slow.”

The younger Miller held your gaze as he spoke. “That’s because you are slow, big brother.” Lifting his eyes to follow the older man, they narrowed playfully. “Come on, come on, lift those feet!”

“I’m gonna hit you,” Joel grumbled as he passed back over the threshold of the house, Tommy hot on his heels. As Joel continued to complain, Tommy stopped, looking back at you pointedly before turning and heading inside, shouting something you couldn’t make out up at his brother.

Xxx

Once a few of the pieces were set up around the attic, you dug some things out of your backpack to put out, get settled in. Pulling a chair up to the small dining table, you got your screwdriver out of the pack on your hip and began scraping at the paint on the blue metal car from that morning.

“What’cha doin’?” Tommy asked, pulling another chair up and swinging his leg over it, sitting on it backwards. He rested his chin on his wrists on the back of the chair as he stared at the toy in your hands.

Not stopping, you answered him. “I restore things, especially toys.”

Your eyes flicked up to find his face twisted in confusion before darting back to what you were doing.

After a moment he asked in a quieter voice, “Why?”

You shrugged. “Why not?” Pausing in your efforts, you looked up at him. “It makes me happy, and it makes others happy. And if there’s something people need more of these days, I’d say that’s it.” You turned back to your project.

“Toys?”

You froze, your hands flopping onto the table as you lifted your gaze to look at him flatly.

“Happiness, dumbass,” Joel grumbled lowly from across the room, tightening the screws on one of the window sills.

“How would you know?” Tommy sat up straight in the chair, glaring over at his brother. “You wouldn’t know happiness if it bit you on the ass.”

“Oh, I think I’d be plenty happy if someone bit me on the ass-”

“That’s not-” Joel’s chuckle cut his brother off. “I like how Ellie said it earlier. Bite me.”

“Okay. But not on the ass.”

“You know what….” Tommy pushed away from the table, turning toward his brother.

“Even if I don't, I know you never do.” Joel turned to face his brother, screwdriver once again in his hand. “You’re not the brightest-”

“Boys!” They both turned to look at you, startled, Ellie jerking awake from her spot on your bed where she’d been napping for the last hour. “Enough!”

“Yeah, shut up,” Ellie grumbled, rubbing her eye with the palm of her hand. “I don’t even know what you were arguing about, but I know it was stupid.”

“How would you know?” Joel turned his head slowly to look at his brother, his eyebrows knit in disbelief that he was arguing with a teenager.

She stilled, her hand falling to her lap with a plop. “Because I know you.” She turned to you, speaking over a yawn. “What were they arguing about?”

“That toys and happiness aren’t necessarily important nowadays, and that devolved into name calling.”

Ellie nodded. “Sounds right.” She looked at the two men. “Grow up.” She arched a brow right back at them when they lifted theirs at her. “I babysit for the kids across the street, and if it’s one thing they are severely lacking, it’s toys. We watch the movies down at the town center or a video Joel brings back from a run, and they won’t shut up about all the toys and stuff. They don’t care about the animals or the songs, I mean they do, to an annoying degree, please, somebody, explain how giving children that age singalongs was a good idea, but I digress-” she took a big breath, the corner of her mouth twitching up when you failed to suppress a snort of laughter. “Anyway. Some toys around here wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“I’d be more than happy to restore toys for the kids here in Jackson. But up here there isn’t really enough space for that type of output, plus the noise and smell would eventually bother you, despite what you say, Joel.”

Tommy looked at his brother who shrugged. “We talked about this earlier. Briefly.”

“I see,” Tommy mused quietly, turning back to you with a smirk.

“Would you mind sharin’ your garage?”

Joel grimaced.

“Come on, Joel,” Tommy teased. “Be a big boy, and-”

Joel rounded on his brother, getting close to his face. “You don’t stop talkin’, I’m going to-”

“Okay, so that’s a no,” you chuckled.

“The old book store,” Joel’s voice had calmed, and he turned to look at you. “It’s empty, is filled with shelves to display stuff, and has a wide showroom in the middle you could convert into a workshop.”

“Are you sayin’ she opens a toy shop?” Tommy asked, his voice tight with disbelief.

“Why not?” Joel looked at his brother before turning to Ellie for her input. “Like she said, it’s a need in the town, would boost morale-”

“How?” Tommy scoffed.

“Happy kids, happy parents.”

Joel made a gesture after Ellie spoke, like a ‘there you go’ as he turned his attention back on his brother, smiling as understanding softened the other man’s features.

“A need, morale,” Joel turned to look at you, a playful curl of his upper lip as he went on, “and I get to keep my garage.” The mock disdain melted into a smile and a wink before he turned back to his brother.

“For now,” Ellie muttered under her breath, her face instantly schooling into something sweet and innocent when Joel whipped his head her way.

Xxx

With a sigh, you set one of the things on your shelf back upright, looking at the blue metal car that sat beside it, fully painted and restored. It was one you weren’t willing to get rid of, and it held pride of placement on one of the shelves Joel had built not long after that conversation about the shop.

You’d opted to stay out of these arguments, letting them sort their differences out on their own, but something felt different this time. The weight of Joel’s sigh hurt just a little bit more, felt a little bit heavier, and at breakfast this morning, his eyes seemed…. Sad.

Walking to the door that led downstairs through the house, you opened it, smiling when it swung without a sound. Making sure to step on the proper parts of the steps to stay silent, you walked almost all the way up to Joel before you finally cleared your throat to get his attention.

He’d been cradling his head in his hand, but he snapped up to look at you.

“Sorry,” you mumbled.

He stared at you for a long moment before shaking his head, looking at the floor. “No, no, don’t worry. Am I in your way? I’ll move, just let me-”

“Joel.”

At the sound of his name, he relaxed, slumping back against the wall with a sigh, scrubbing his hand down his face as he looked up at the ceiling. “I know.” He shrugged slightly, tilting his head back into the wall with a soft thump, rocking it back and forth. “I don’t know what it is. I can’t….” He looked back down at the floor for a second before his face screwed up. “Goddamnit!” His hand moved up to thread through his hair, tugging at the ends in frustration. “I don’t know what I’m doing. It was so much easier with-” Joel stopped with a shuddering breath, his eyes wide and frantic as they flew to you.

He’d done this a few times, started down a train of thought about someone or something in his past, but always stopped just before actually naming them. You couldn’t tell if it was a decision made out of pain or a desire to maintain privacy. Either way, you didn’t push it.

“She’s just being a teenager, Joel. That’s what they do. They drive you crazy, it’s kind of their job.” The corner of his mouth twitched up just slightly, but just as quickly fell back into the frown that twisted his face so painfully. “Didn’t you have teenaged girls in your family? Nieces? Distant cousins?”

He let out a wet laugh, swallowing roughly before he answered in a raspy voice, “Somethin’ like that.”

You leaned on the wall across from him, sliding down to sit on the floor, knees pulled tightly to your chest.

“Did you need something?”

His question pulled your focus back up to his face from the pattern of the weave of your jeans you’d been staring at.

“Yeah. I mean no.” He tilted his head in question. “I needed to come down and check on you two.”

He swallowed again, nodding. “Thanks.”

“Want me to go after her? We’re still learning each other, but we get along well enough. She’d probably listen to me. Maybe.” You grimaced. “I mean I hope so.”

Joel laughed softly. “Don’t do it on my behalf, you don’t need to villainize yourself, too. She needs to trust ‘least one of us.”

“She doesn’t think you’re a villain, Joel,” you groaned, getting back to your feet, taking his outstretched hand he offered in help.

“She sure don’t think I’m a hero,” he said lowly, his hand holding yours longer than it should, his thumb tracing your knuckles as he held your gaze.

As you studied his face, eyes tracing the laugh lines by his eyes, the scars here and there, the strong angle of his jaw and light smattering of facial hair, you found yourself wishing he never actually had to let go. “I think you’d be surprised what people see when they look at you, Joel.”

He let go of your hand, taking a step back. Somehow you’d both gotten nearly toe to toe as you talked.

“I just need to get my jacket from upstairs then I’ll go look for her.”

He nodded, leaning back against the wall as you went back up to the attic.

Once you were back inside, you spotted Ellie at your desk, painting a little model plane you’d been working on. Looking over at the private entrance Joel had installed, you saw the door was not quite shut all the way. Smiling softly, you set your jacket you’d taken off the hook on the back of a nearby chair, then you walked over, shutting the door softly, clicking the lock into place. Closing the last few feet left between you, you leaned your hip against the edge of the desk as you watched her detail the left wing.

It was weird to see her so subdued. Normally she was such a spitfire, something sarcastic or sassy coming out of her mouth at all times. You laughed every time she opened her mouth.

Keeping your voice quiet, you finally asked, “Wanna talk about it?”

She didn’t answer at first, but when she did it was as quiet as you had been. “Not really.”

You studied the way she painted the lines meticulously. “That’s fine.”

Pulling up a chair, you sat beside her, arm braced on the desk, head cradled in your palm as you continued to watch her in silence.

The sounds of the town below you slowly drifted up through the open window. A songbird flitted by. Crickets began to chirp as the sun went down, and a lone owl hooted across the valley as the stars began to shine. One by one they started their march across the sky, twinkling in their dance with the moon, a slow procession of light for those of you left down below.

After a few minutes, you handed her the cup of water to rinse the brush. “He’s trying, you know.”

She rinsed and dried the brush, switching to the next color. A few more minutes passed before she answered. “I know.”

After the wing was done, she rinsed the brush again and spoke while she dried it on the towel. “We need more paint. We’re running low on these basic colors. I could mix some of the others to make more, but they wouldn’t be quite right.”

“Okay,” you agreed softly. “I’ll see what I can do. There’s not much here in town, but I know there’s a lot out there left over from before.”

She whipped her head toward you, eyes wide in excitement. “Maybe you and I could go together to find some?!”

“No, no,” you didn’t even let her finish before you began objecting. “It’s not safe out there for you. You’re too young.”

She looked back down at the plane, her features immediately turning sour. “You sound like Joel.”

“Well, he and I agree on this.” Picking up the paintbrushes and moving them to the side, you leaned forward on both forearms, trying to catch her eye. “Do you trust me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Leaning back a little bit, you sighed. “You always have a choice, Ellie. You know that.”

“I know,” she grumbled. “I just…. Yes, okay? Yes, I trust you. Why?”

Pushing the chair back, you got to your feet, going to the door back downstairs. “Because I have a plan.”

“What is-”

Turning back to her, you raised one finger and wagged it at her. “Ah ah ah! You said you trusted me. Now do it.”

Opening the door, you stepped through, laughing when you heard Ellie’s muffled voice call through as you shut it, “This sucks!”

Making your way back downstairs, you found Joel at the dining room table, nursing a whiskey.

“Do you trust me?”

“You know I do, why?”

Smiling, you sat in the chair beside him. “Ellie’s doing really well with her painting, isn’t she?”

His brows narrowed in question, but he answered. “Yeah….”

“Problem is, there isn’t a lot of paint here in Jackson, and she’s already running low on some of the basic colors.”

“I noticed. She was complainin’ about it last week. I was gonna look for some on my next run for her.”

Sitting forward in your chair like you had at the desk with Ellie, you leaned on your forearms as you started in on your idea. “Well, where I stayed before coming here is about a week out. I had a stockpile. All different colors, types, whatever she could want for a long, long time, it’s all there.” Joel’s eyes were wide, you could see his wheels turning. “If we could each take a horse, maybe even a small cart or something, we’d cut that time in half, be there in a few days, and we could go raid my old supply. I had some real specialty stuff, stuff she’d love. Craft brushes…. I just need someone to come with me to keep me safe. I know what I’m doing, but once everything is loaded, the horses will be slower and I need someone to watch my back. Whaddya say?”

He started to smile. “You had me at ‘stuff she’d love’.”

Xxx

The day to leave had come. You’d be leaving tomorrow to get your old stash while Joel watched your back.

You were about to close up the shop for the night when someone came in.

Smiling up at the woman, your features softened when you saw the tired expression on her face. “Can I help you?”

The woman sighed, the most exhausted sound you’d heard in a while. “Yes! My daughter is sick, and I want to give her something to cheer her up. I can trade you some bread for it. Fresh made this morning.” Flipping a towel back on the small bundle in her left hand, a golden loaf of bread came into view, making your mouth water, the shop filling with the yeasty aroma and making your stomach growl softly.

You would have done it for free, given the circumstances, but since you were leaving the next day, the bread would be handy. And damn did it smell good. “Sure! How about something soft for her to hold while she’s laid up in bed?”

She smiled gratefully. “Sounds perfect.”

Pulling a basket down from a shelf that was filled with a few teddy bears Tommy and Joel had found on supply runs and you’d cleaned up, you set it on a table in front of the woman.

“Beautiful day today,” you said offhandedly, looking out the front window and smiling, your grin growing when you saw Joel appear across the street and wave at you through the window. You waved back, making the woman in front of you look over her shoulder to see what was going on.

She heaved another sigh, rolling her eyes before turning back to the basket. “Don’t bother. That one’s never gonna crack.”

Your smile faltered, hand falling down to rest beside the basket as you looked at the woman in confusion. “What do you mean?”

She scoffed. “He’s a tough ass. I don’t think he’s ever smiled in his life. Probably made his mom cry when he was born. Something is just off about him.”

Snorting a laugh, you shook your head. “That’s crazy. I live with him.” You paused, ignoring her raised brows as she looked at you through her lashes. “Well, above him. In his attic.” Turning your head just slightly, your face twisted at the way that sounded, too. “But not, like, in a creepy way. His brother set it up.” You tilted your head to the side, staring out the front window, before turning to look at the woman point blank. “I’m renting a room from him.”

The woman looked up at you in pity. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not so bad.” You shrugged, reaching out to straighten the ear of one of the bears.

Resting her hand on your forearm, she gave it a gentle pat. “That’s the right attitude.”

After she picked her bear and you had the bread, you locked up and walked across the street to meet Joel. “Got some extra food for the trip.” You held up the loaf with a grin.

“Good. We’re gonna need it,” he grumbled, his face a sour expression, hands in his pockets as you both turned toward the house.

“What bit your ass?”

“Tommy mentioned to Maria about our little trip. The council didn’t want to lend us the horses for ‘just paint’.”

“Okay. So now what? We walk?”

“No,” he ground out. Turning the corner by the stables, you found a group of people buzzing around, preparing bags and supplies for them and their horses. When you looked back up at Joel, he sighed, speaking lowly. “We have company.”

Xxx

Tags: @dilf-din, @lupinpetersclearwaterodairparker, @what-the-heckin-heck, @telarnidaniela, @kalea-bane, @morgaussy, @enjoythelittlethings, @paleidiot, @telepathay Wanna be tagged if/when I write any future Joel stuff? Here’s how to sign up!

192 notes · View notes

sirenfromthelostcity · 2 years ago

Text

The Scarlet Witch Alt

Hello! Been some time since I posted but I really hope y’all enjoy this lil thing. It is a Scarlet Witch reader story but it is NOT connected to my Movie Night series. Honestly I just wanted to practice writing more emotionally intense scenes and since this character dealt with a lot of loss I figured I’d just channel it here. Initially I wanted to write this scene with Bruce but somewhere along the way I changed my mind. Anyways yeah I hope you guys enjoy it! Feedback would be very much appreciated! <3

Side note: It’s Damian Wayne x Scarlet Witch reader and there are mentions of death.

Word count: 1.9k

Dick had been walking for what felt like hours, searching through the woods but to no avail. Doubt creeped into his mind that maybe he was given the wrong location so he decided to facetime Tim to confirm. Fortunately the connection in the area was decent so after a few rings he answered.

“Hey, are you sure you gave me the right coordinates? There’s nothing here but trees and whatever else you normally expect to see in the woods.”

“Let’s see,” said Tim and Dick could hear the quick tapping of his keyboard. “On my side it shows you’re in the right area. The energy readings aren’t as crazy as last night’s but it’s still considerably high? You sure you don’t see anything hinky over there?”

“No, but I’ll keep searching. Were you and America able to find out anything new?”

“Actually yeah, new and terrible.”

“What’d you find?”

“Remember those weird markings we saw on that giant octopus that attacked America?”

“Yeah.”

“Well according to her, all the creatures that had previously attacked her had similar markings on them. I couldn’t find any leads in our database so I sent some pictures over to the league and Zatanna reached back to me. They’re runes, Dick. Not only does this mean someone is definitely summoning these monsters to attack America but that they’re also powerful enough to control these things and send them on a chase through various different universes and it wants her power.”

“Shit,” Dick grumbled.

“My thoughts exactly,” sighed Tim. “Zatanna’s offered to help and she’s working on locating Constantine for more assistance.”

“That’s good, hopefully- OW!” Dick jerked back as he seemingly walked into nothing. Upon impact he dropped his phone and instinctively rubbed at his forehead. He stared ahead in confusion. There was nothing in the way. At least, nothing he could see.

“You okay, what happened?”

Remembering his phone, he quickly bent down and picked it up.

“I just walked into something that’s not there.”

“Uhh… come again?”

“Something very real, or at least it felt real, knocked into my face but there’s nothing there,” Dick paused and narrowed his eyes as he studied the space before him. “Tim, look at this.”

He flipped the camera and showed his outstretched hand.

“Okay?” Tim replied, not exactly sure what he’s supposed to be looking at. Then Dick flicked his fingers and particles of static momentarily covered the afflicted area, similar to what you’d see on a glitchy TV screen. “Oh-kay! That definitely counts as hinky. What is that?”

“My guess would be some kind of force field, it feels tingly,” Dick replied as he flicked his hand again, causing more static to appear.

“Stop flicking it, what if it sucks you in or something?”

“Relax, Tim, whatever this thing is it was pretty adamant on keeping me out just now it’s not gonna-” Suddenly Dick’s hand sunk into the apparent portal before him and he felt a strange tingling sensation throughout his body as more particles of static started to surround the area.

He tried to use his other arm to pry himself free but he could tell the struggle was only aiding his entrapment. Tim’s distorted voice echoed all around him as he was pulled fully into the portal until he finally landed on new ground. Dick quickly gathered himself and assessed the new scene.

The sky was a brilliant blue and a blooming garden replaced the gloomy forest scene he was in mere seconds ago. Several rows of cherry blossom trees surrounded the area and he could hear birds happily chirping. He bent down to pick up his phone and show Tim what he found but somehow the battery was completely drained.

“Great,” he grunted as he put the now useless device into his back pocket.

He spotted a little cottage house a few meters away and with having little to no options he walked over to investigate it. Upon finding a window he peeked inside for any insight of the owner. The home was littered with books and sheets of paper but no weapons, at least none he could immediately see. There were remnants of an unfinished breakfast on a nearby wooden table, but no person in sight. Next to the unattended breakfast was a series of sketches and he squinted to get a better look at them but he couldn’t fully make out the contents of the drawings.

The questions running through Dick’s mind were growing by the minute. Judging by the contents of the cabin, he didn’t feel like there was a threatening presence but why the secrecy? Why a force field in the middle of the woods? Why let him in?

His train of thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out his name and although he recognized the voice he almost couldn’t believe his own eyes.

“Y/N… oh my god,” before he could think, he embraced his estranged friend. “Where’ve you been? How have you been? What are you doing here?”

Y/N lightly chuckled at all his questions and gently pulled back from the hug, “It’s nice to see you too, Dick.”

“Did you make all of this?” he gestured to the environment and she nodded. “Why did you take off like that? We didn’t see you at the funeral. You can’t… you can’t just disappear like that.”

“I’m sorry. After everything that happened,” she briefly looked away. “I just needed to be alone. Regroup with myself. I know my departure was abrupt but I didn’t mean to make anyone upset.”

“No one’s upset, Y/N, we were just worried. The people we lost that day…I miss them every single day. But they wouldn’t want us to deal with what happened alone. Damian wouldn’t want you alone.”

At the mention of his name she visibly tensed up and he almost regretted bringing him up. Yet before he could say anything else, she had already changed the topic.

“What are you doing here Dick? How did you find me?”

“Actually, I think it was you that found me and let me in.”

Y/N looked at him confused and they walked together as he explained to her how he ran into her little force field.

“There’s this girl, she’s with Tim right now back at the cave, she’s being chased by monsters. It’s a bit of a much longer and weirder story but if you’re up for it we could really use your help.”

“I’ve been out of the field for some time now. I’m not sure I’d be able to provide much help.”

“We’ve all seen what you can do, Y/N. Don’t see yourself short. Besides you created this beautiful little utopia for yourself here, honestly it’s impressive.”

At that she grinned.

“Why don’t you bring America here?” she suggested.

“Here?”

“Yes. Don’t get me wrong, the bat cave is safe and all but here she’d be well hidden…”

She turned to look at Dick as she noticed he stopped walking with her. He didn’t say anything but his look of mistrust and apprehension told her everything.The ball had dropped.

She deeply sighed and cast her look down at her feet.

“You didn’t tell me her name.”

“No,” he slowly shook his head in disbelief. “I did not.”

“You know, the hexes were always easy. But the lying… that part not so much.”

Y/N extended her hand and as she expertly moved her wrist the world she created began to fully unravel. As if someone suddenly turned off the sound, the birds stopped chirping. The garden was swallowed by her red energy and replaced with dark, dead trees.

Even her attire changed to a dark red cloak with an intricate crown placed around her temples. Her fingertips were coated in black, the mark of the possession of the Dark Hold. The unholy book floated near her as her previous illusion finished falling apart.

Dick’s eyes immediately went to the Dark Hold.

“God, Y/N… what have you done?”

“Nothing yet, but even then it’s more than what you have done.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he replied, taken aback by not only her tone but her accusation.

“The Lazarus pit,” she snarled. “You could’ve used it on him, on them. You could have tried SOMETHING!”

“You think it didn’t cross my mind? None of them would’ve wanted that! They would’ve been nothing but a shell of who they were, a living reminder of the people we lost. The pit wouldn’t have worked the way you wanted.”

“But they’d still be here and I could have found a way to fix what the pit could not restore. I’m not who I used to be anymore, Dick. The Dark Hold has shown me so much-”

“It did more than that. It changed you, Y/N.”

“Growth is accompanied by change.”

Dick scoffed.

“Why send those monsters after her, what do you want with America?”

“Believe me, sending those creatures after her instead of myself was mercy. All I want, all I need is her power.”

“She’s a child! You know she won’t survive the process.”

“I don’t relish hurting anyone, Dick. but she’s not a child. She’s a supernatural being with powers that are, quite frankly, beyond her control.”

Dick was astonished at how cold she sounded. He could not believe the words coming out of his former friend’s mouth.

“I know I can put them to better use,” she continued. “I plan on using them to leave this universe and go somewhere where Damian is alive. And despite your judgments, I’d like to offer you the chance to come with me,” She slowly started to walk around him. “You and I share the same pain, which is why I offer you this. We can leave this place. We can have Damian, Barbara, and Bruce. I can make you forget this world ever happened. It’d be as if we never lost them.”

As she spoke, Y/N wove her hands together and summoned miniature glimpses into various universes from the book. Dick’s eyes teared up as he saw images of Barbara, Bruce, and Damian. They were alive and well having dinner together as a family in one scene and stopping a bank heist together in another.

“You could have all of your family back,” she said as she summoned scenes of his parents, gray haired, alive and well as they introduced the performers at Halle’s Circus. “Just say yes.”

All the images and sounds tugged at his heart strings and wiped away at the tears that managed to escape him.

“No,” he pleaded. “Y/N we share the same pain. But this is not the way. I can’t trade one life for another.”

“It’s not just for one life. It’s her for them,” she gestured to their loved ones.

“But the blood shed would not end there. In these worlds, there are other versions of us, what’s to happen to them?”

At this Y/N tore her gaze from a scene of an alternate version of herself cuddled up with Damian to him and in her eyes he saw an unrepentant gleam. From that look he knew there was no use in reasoning with her. The friend he had once known and loved was no longer there.

“You should have taken my offer when you had the chance,” she angrily flicked her wrist and the images quickly vanished. She turned to walk away but he called to her one last time.

“What happens next?”

“Prepare to hand over America by sunset, peacefully.”

“And if we don’?”

“Then it won’t be Y/N who comes for her. It’ll be the Scarlet Witch.”

#Damian wayne #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne x scarlet witch reader #dick grayson #Tim Drake #bruce wayne #barbara gordon #america chavez #scarlet witch #scarlet witch reader

249 notes · View notes