#Also would smoke a pipe for him but I don't smoke and I'm pretty sure pipes are expensive

[the-mehlwurm]

i am very tipsy

[punkshort]

Roommates | 3. fun in the sun

Pairing: pornstar!joel x f!reader

Chapter Summary: Maria organizes a getaway to Lake Travis for a long weekend. You invite your new boyfriend, but things quickly deteriorate, leaving Joel to help you pick up the pieces.

Chapter Warnings: language, smoking cigarettes, alcohol consumption, flirting, sexual tension, jealousy, mutual pining, smut (18+ MDNI), semi-pubic sex, fingering, hand job, description of a panic attack, heartbreak, food consumption, golf

WC: 8.4K

Series Masterlist

Charlie was cute.

Well, cute didn't seem like the right word, and handsome sounded too stiff. But he was both those things and more. You discovered he was also very dapper when you met him for lunch one day during work. He wore a perfectly tailored dark blue suit with a crisp white shirt. One button was left open at the top, revealing a sliver of his tanned skin underneath. You almost felt out of place wearing what you thought was one of your nicer dresses when he took you to some steakhouse you never heard of that didn't have the prices on the menu and you began to wonder how he didn't own a home yet since he appeared so successful.

"I never have the time to look, to be honest," he told you with a shrug. "Work keeps me busy during the week, and even some weekends. Then between grocery shopping and laundry and occasionally going to parties and meeting super pretty girls," he smiled with a wink and you giggled, "I just never find the time to house hunt."

"I guess I got lucky with Maria doing all the heavy lifting for me," you joked as you picked at the remains of your salad.

"Yeah, and she did a great job. It's a good starter house," he said with a nod before checking his phone.

"Mm, I don't know about starter. She was hoping to raise a family in that neighborhood one day. She really likes the schools."

Charlie made a little noise and you glanced up. "What?" you asked with a small smile.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Charlie said, setting his phone back down on the table. When you tilted your head and gave him a look, he sighed. "It's a fine area of town, I just personally would prefer to raise a family elsewhere."

"Oh, yeah? Like where?"

"Barton Creek would be great," he said, and you nearly choked on your drink.

"Barton Creek? That's like, so expensive," you laughed but his mouth didn't twitch. Your smile slowly fell and you said, "are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. You wouldn't want to live there?"

You huffed and sat back in your chair. "Yeah, sure, in my dreams. But I could never afford something like that."

Charlie leaned forward and took your hand. "But one day, maybe you could. If you go back to school at night and really apply yourself, it would only take a few years-"

"I told you I'm not interested in becoming a lawyer," you said, smiling up as the waiter cleared your plates. "I'm happy doing what I'm doing right now."

"Well, I'm just saying. You're young, there's options out there. You should really give it some thought."

At the time, you thought Charlie was being sweet and encouraging by trying to help you reach your full potential, but you would later discover you were wrong.

"I want to get out of town for a bit," Maria said at family dinner one night. You all looked up at her, bracing yourselves for whatever she had already planned in her head. "What do you think about renting a spot on Lake Travis?"

She immediately clocked the table's hesitation. "Just a long weekend. Four days on the lake, get out of this heat and on the water. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"When?" Tommy asked, and Maria knew instantly she had won.

She gave him a few different options while he scrolled the calendar in his phone to look at his work schedule. Weekends were hard for Tommy and hit or miss with Joel, so she knew it would be a tough sell.

Tommy picked a weekend and Maria's eyes lit up. Joel was about to decline when you piped up and agreed to go and suddenly, he couldn't resist.

"Amazing!" Maria said, clapping her hands giddily. She picked up her phone and began to look at availability for lodging. "You can invite Charlie, too, of course," she added without looking up.

"Oh, right," you said, feeling stupid for not even considering him. "Yeah, let me see if he's free."

Joel's heart sank and he looked down at his food, pushing the pasta around on his plate while you texted that guy you've been seeing, completely unaware that it was tearing him up inside. He tried to not let it bother him and he thought he was doing a really good job so far, but he wasn't sure how he would be able to handle four days in the same house, watching him touch you and kiss you and make you laugh. All the things he wanted to be doing, and more, but couldn't.

"He can come for Saturday and Sunday but he has to work Friday and Monday," you announced. Okay, so two days of watching another man touch what should be his.

Maria spent the rest of the night planning the trip while Joel bit his tongue. Why couldn't Charlie take off work a month in advance? he wanted to ask. Doesn't he want to spend time with you?

But of course, he didn't say a word. He and Tommy listened as the two of you researched activities, restaurants and bars in the area and planned out the weekend, making sure to carve out enough time to relax on the beach because you knew that's what he and Tommy really wanted to do. Fuck, he couldn't wait to see you in a bikini.

"Aren't you excited?" you asked him when Tommy and Maria headed up to bed.

"'Course I am."

"You don't seem like it. I thought this would be right up your alley."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees. "Why's that?"

You grinned and settled back into the couch. "Girls on the beach, obviously. Dripping wet from the water or sweating from the heat. I thought you would be more excited."

"I am," he said, leaving out that he was excited to see you dripping wet from the water or sweat. You hummed and stretched out your legs on the couch.

"Feel like watching a movie?" you asked, and he quickly nodded.

He knew it was pathetic but he couldn't help it. Any amount of time you wanted to spend with him alone, he would take. And when you curled up under a blanket and shoved your feet underneath his thigh while you watched the TV, it took everything in him not to pull you into his lap and press his lips against yours.

Because you were spoken for. And that would be wrong.

It was so fucking hot.

The day you left for the lake, the temperature was close to record breaking and all of you had to admit once you were in the comfort of the air conditioned truck that Maria's plan to get out of town was truly inspired. And once you arrived at the house you rented, you had to give Maria even more credit because the place was stunning.

It was a two story cabin with four bedrooms, a spacious living area and a kitchen behind it. The walls were all made of wood, stained a dark cherry for ambiance while the house sat a mere ten minute walk to the beach.

"Oh my god, this place is so cool," you said softly as you walked around the upper level, checking out each bedroom. It was hard to choose, they were all equally beautiful and had great views of the small forest around you, so you didn't mind when Tommy and Maria picked the master suite. Each room had its own charm.

The first evening you were there, you decided to go to dinner and then hit up a bar nearby, just the four of you. Charlie had planned on arriving sometime the next morning and then you would head to the beach, where you would spend a majority of the day getting tan and drinking whatever was coldest from the cooler you brought from home.

"Okay, do not even start that shit with me, Joel! You know I have a fear of heights! I'm not going anywhere near that fucking thing!"

He laughed and wrapped an arm around your shoulders as you walked down the boardwalk behind Tommy and Maria.

"It ain't even that high! It's just a goddamn ferris wheel!"

"I don't care, I'm not going on it. You guys can go and have a lovely time. I will stay down here, safe on the ground where I can't plummet to my death."

"C'mon, now. You know I won't let anythin' bad happen to you," Joel said, his voice dropping an octave lower as he pulled you in closer, the alcohol coursing through both your veins began to call the shots when you leaned into his hold.

"And what are you gonna do, Joel, if the thing breaks and I'm stuck up there? Do you have some superpowers I'm not aware of?"

"No, I think you're aware of all my superpowers," he teased, making you blush and shove him away with a laugh. "But I know I could distract you. Help keep your mind off it til help arrives."

You stumbled a bit as you laughed harder, Tommy and Maria leaving you behind when they spotted an ice cream stand.

"Yeah, I bet you would. Telling me shitty jokes or more stories of how you tormented Tommy on the school bus?"

Joel grinned and grabbed your hand, yanking you into him again as you continued to walk past various bars and restaurants packed with tourists.

"Both would work, I'm sure of it, but I had somethin' else in mind," he said without thinking, getting too carried away in the moment. It felt too good, it felt so natural as you walked with your fingers linked together around your shoulders and your head leaning against the side of his chest.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" you giggled, then hiccuped, then giggled again. Why did you have to be so fucking cute?

He opened his mouth to say something he would probably regret in the morning, then bit his tongue when you looked up at him curiously. You saw the look in his eye and you cleared your throat, leaning away from him when you realized how inappropriate the two of you must have looked.

"Maybe I'll try the smaller one," you said, trying to steer the conversation back after the awkward moment.

"Nah, I'm just teasin' you. Don't do anythin' you ain't comfortable with," he told you, making you smile right as you caught up with Tommy and Maria. He loved making you smile.

"You guys wanna head back?" Tommy asked, tossing a handful of used napkins in a nearby trash can.

"Yeah, I should probably get to bed. Charlie's getting here early tomorrow and he wanted to try to get a hike in before the beach," you said, pulling your phone out to see if you had any missed texts from him. Joel swallowed and looked away.

"A hike? Since when are you a hiker?" Maria said with a laugh. You shrugged and grinned before looping your arm with hers, heading back in the direction of the house.

"Charlie must really like her," Tommy said as he walked side by side with Joel, both of them watching you and Maria giggling and poking each other in the ribs. "Always took him for a workaholic. Surprised he would be interested in coming out here."

Joel frowned before lighting up a cigarette. "It's the weekend. Didn't think he worked on the weekends."

"Oh, he doesn't, but he likes to put in extra time. Always chasin' that next promotion. Always been that way."

Joel exhaled a puff of smoke before replying. "How'd you know him again?"

"Used to work at the bar with me, if you can believe it," Tommy said, "but it was just somethin' to keep money in his pocket while he finished school. He was always a hard worker, even behind the bar. Real focused, y'know? Wasn't surprised at all when he got a job right outta college with that finance company."

Joel took another drag from his cigarette and allowed his gaze to drift to the curve of your ass in your shorts, knowing that the darkness would give him cover. "And you stayed friends all these years? Doesn't sound like you got much in common."

Tommy shrugged. "He's a nice guy and fun to hang out with when he lets loose. Used to be a good wingman back in the day. But he's the type of guy who's real driven. Sets his sights on a goal and will do whatever it takes to get it. I think his parents put alotta pressure on him growin' up."

Joel nodded and flicked his cigarette onto the pavement as they walked up the driveway to the house. He should be happy for you. It sounded like Charlie was a catch but he couldn't stop from comparing himself to your boyfriend. Even if he quit his job tomorrow and started over doing something normal, he would never reach the level of success Charlie had.

He didn't stand a chance in hell.

Maria was right. You were decidedly not a hiker. But Charlie seemed so excited to explore the area and you were just so grateful he took time out of his busy schedule to spend an entire weekend with you that you felt compelled to agree.

At least he gave you a great view of his muscular back as you trailed behind him, your legs ready to give out from the exertion any minute.

"I bet you made so much money as a bartender," you told him. He turned around and shot you a smirk.

"You checking me out back there?"

"Can you blame me?" you giggled.

"It's beautiful out here, babe," he said once you reached a high point with a clearing. He took a swig of water while you caught your breath. "Thanks for inviting me. I've never been out this way before."

"Really?" you asked in disbelief, "it's not that far from the city."

"Yeah, well, you know how it is," was all he said. You sat down on a fallen tree and stretched out your legs while Charlie took a few pictures of the view.

"Isn't Joel seeing anyone he could have invited this weekend?" Charlie asked out of the blue. You paused for a moment, taken off guard at the thought of Joel with a girlfriend. Something you never really considered before.

"Uh, I don't think he's seeing anyone serious," you replied.

Charlie chuckled and sat down next to you. "He's a bit of a fifth wheel, don't you think?"

Your face twisted up in disapproval when you looked at him. "Not at all. He's, like, part of our family. If anything-"

You stopped yourself before finishing your sentence but it didn't matter. Charlie furrowed his brow and glared at you.

"What? If anything, I'm the fifth wheel?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you were about to."

You sighed and rubbed your eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just because we all live together, that's all."

He scoffed and stood up, brushing off the back of his shorts before picking up his water bottle from the ground.

"We should head back," he grumbled as the guilt settled deep in your chest. You stood and wrapped your fingers around his bicep.

"Wait, come here," you said softly. He sighed and hung his head before turning around to face you. "I'm sorry. Really. I am," you reached up to cup his face and pressed your lips tenderly against his. You felt him relax into your touch and you smiled against his lips. "Can I make it up to you later?" you asked suggestively, and Charlie laughed.

"I'll hold you to it," he said with a playful swat on your ass. You squeaked and he grabbed your hand. "Let's get back. I wanna go to the beach and relax with you."

"That sounds amazing," you said dreamily as you followed him back the way you came, grateful the trail was now downhill.

Joel didn't like Charlie.

And it wasn't because he had his hands all over you the entire fucking day, but that didn't help matters. He tried to keep an open mind, he really did, but something about him just felt off. It clicked with Joel later when he noticed Charlie had encouraged you to cover up your bikini before heading over to the bar to grab some drinks, even though they had brought plenty to share in the cooler. You had initially protested, laughing him off when you thought he was joking, but gave in when you realized he didn't want other men staring at you at the bar.

Charlie was trying to control you and you didn't even realize it.

Those chips are terrible for you, babe. Try these instead. They're baked.

You gotta reapply sunscreen after swimming. Don't you know that, babe?

What are you reading that trash for? You gotta let me broaden your horizons, babe.

Babe. Babe. Babe. Babe.

It was really getting under Joel's fucking skin.

"You're so quiet today," you said, plopping down next to him after spreading out a towel on the sand.

"Am I?"

You gave him a look and grinned. "Yeah. What's up with you? Did you not sleep good or something?"

Joel shrugged and looked out at the water, grateful his sunglasses were able to disguise his feelings on that particular day. "Not really."

You hummed and regarded him silently for another moment before lying flat on your back, stretching yourself out to bask in the sun's warm rays. You took off your sunglasses and closed your eyes with a contented sigh while he fought the urge to stare at your perfect body so goddamn close to him.

He forced himself to scan the beach, looking for anything to keep his mind off your soft skin coated in a thin sheen of sweat just within an arm's reach. He felt a stirring below his waist when he imagined running his tongue between your breasts, licking up the sweat collecting there.

"Everything okay?" you asked when Charlie reappeared, his phone in hand. Joel shifted and tried to subtly rest his book over his crotch.

"Yeah, just a quick work call. Hey Joel, I think that girl's checking you out," Charlie said, sitting down in the sand next to you.

Joel resisted the urge to roll his eyes and forced himself to be nice. For your sake.

"Oh yeah? Where?"

"The one in the white bikini. Blonde hair, big tits."

You whipped your head in Charlie's direction, unable to keep the shock from your tone when you whispered his name in disbelief. Joel tried not to watch but he could tell you were offended and he hardly blamed you. Who says that in front of their girlfriend?

"Not really my type," Joel said, settling back in his chair and closing his eyes.

"Not your type?" Charlie scoffed, and Joel cracked open one eye, once again grateful for his sunglasses because he caught you trying to silently shut Charlie up, but he continued to ignore you. "If she's not your type then who is?"

Your fucking girlfriend is my type, asshole, he wanted to say. Instead he just shrugged and hoped he would drop it.

He didn't.

"Come on, why don't you at least try to talk to her. Maybe invite her to dinner tonight. Then it would be all couples for once."

"Charlie," you hissed, a little louder this time. "He's not interested. Leave him alone."

"What's the problem? You were just saying earlier how you wished Joel would find a girl. I'm just trying to give him a little encouragement," Charlie said with a smirk. Your mouth fell open and you shook your head but it was too late. Joel's heart plummeted into his stomach and the familiar sting of rejection crept up his throat, strangling him. If you were privately telling Charlie you wanted him find someone, that must mean you were really over him, and whatever foolish shred of hope he was clinging to was all for nothing.

"I never said that! Joel, I'm so sorry," you said, scrambling up from the sand and turning on Charlie angrily. "Why would you-"

"It's fine," Joel said curtly, standing up and brushing the sand off his swim trunks. "You're right. I'm gonna go talk to her."

You twisted your neck to look up at him, your mouth opening and shutting as you struggled to come up with something to say.

"Y-yeah. I mean... go for it," you stammered and watched as Joel made his way across the beach. Even from a distance you could see the girl's face light up as he approached and you felt a pit form in your stomach.

"Why would you lie to him like that?" you asked Charlie with a scowl. He grinned and settled back into his chair with a book.

"I just had a feeling if a close friend motivated him, he would do it. Poor guy needs to get laid."

Fortunately you could blame the heat from the sun on your reddening cheeks. Charlie had no idea what Joel really did for work. You always skirted around the question whenever it was brought up because deep down, you knew Charlie would have a problem with it.

You slipped your sunglasses back on with a sigh and crossed your arms, still pissed off with Charlie but not in the mood to get into an argument. You tried not to stare as Joel flirted with the girl in the white bikini. She leaned into him and playfully shoved his shoulder with a giggle and your chest tightened when you saw him thread his fingers together with hers and lead her towards the bar.

You had absolutely no right to get jealous. Joel wasn't your boyfriend for that exact reason: jealousy. You had your own boyfriend who was very smart, handsome and successful. And sure, sometimes Charlie pushed you into doing things out of your comfort zone, but he was trying to help you grow as a person. So if he was so great, why did you spend so much time thinking about Joel?

Chelsea was sweet, in her late twenties, got her degree in economics and also spent the better part of half an hour subtly rubbing her ass against Joel's hips at the bar. It was crowded, being right on the beach, and getting louder and rowdier as the afternoon dragged on. At first, Joel thought it was an accident, that the crowds of people forced her to press up against him. But he soon discovered it was quite intentional when she ducked her hand under the bar to rub his cock through his swim trunks.

"Whoa, what're you doin' down there?" he chuckled. She beamed up at him innocently.

"Feel like going for a swim?" she asked. He thought she was ignoring his question until they got in the water, swimming out a ways where it was quiet, but not too deep. Chelsea glanced around before wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her mouth against his, wasting no time slipping her tongue past his lips with a soft moan.

"I recognized you," she admitted, dragging her mouth down the column of his throat and dipping her hand below the water. He hissed when she slid past his waistband and wrapped her hand around his cock.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mhmm," she said with a mischievous grin, her fist languidly stroking him up and down where nobody could see. "You're in dirty movies."

He laughed and squeezed her hips, encouraging her to come closer to him.

"You got me."

Even though she had her hand down his shorts in the middle of a lake surrounded by people enjoying a hot summer day, he had to admit that Charlie was right about her. She was sexy and charming and he liked how confident she was. She also seemed more than okay with his profession, which thrilled him. Maybe this was something that could actually work.

The first red flag came when he had two fingers curled inside her and she murmured I bet I feel better than those girls you have to fuck, huh?

It took him off guard for a moment but he shrugged it off, thinking it was just an idea that turned her on, so he told her yeah, so tight, baby.

The second red flag was when she asked are you gonna think about me next time you're at work?

His hips stuttered a bit underwater and he could feel the mental block building up. He tried kissing Chelsea to keep her from talking but it was too late, so instead he focused all his energy on getting her off with his fingers. Her grip loosened around his cock when she came, her moans muffled against his mouth. She grabbed at his shoulders desperately as her muscles went lax and he whispered I got you and held her against his chest until she caught her breath.

Over Chelsea's shoulder he could see you and Charlie on the beach. It was far away but he could spot you anywhere. While Chelsea murmured into his skin and raked her fingers through his hair, his eyes were pinned on you. You were standing up and brushing the sand off your legs, your perfect ass sticking out when you bent over in that hot pink bikini that was driving him fucking crazy all day.

Chelsea's hand was wrapped around his cock again, the mental block disappearing the longer he watched you. He groaned when you began to rub sunscreen into your arms, your tits bouncing with each and every movement. Chelsea took that as a sign to go faster. She whispered in his ear how big he was and before he even had a chance to stop it, his mind was imagining you saying that, instead. He remembered how nervous you were but then how you begged for his cock and his hips began to thrust into her hand underwater. Then, his breath caught in his throat when he watched you untie your bikini top, your arm holding the tiny pieces of fabric against your chest as the strings hung loose and you positioned yourself face down on the towel to tan in the sun.

"Fuck," Joel groaned, his cock pulsing in Chelsea's hand as he came. His breath was ragged and he fought to stand up in the water and not succumb to sinking to the bottom of the lake. She seemed to sense his struggle because she whispered in his ear let's go back.

As he swam to shore, the guilt began to wash over him for thinking about you when he was with another girl. That wasn't his intention at all. It was disrespectful to both you and Chelsea. But you were directly in his eyeline and he couldn't seem to stop himself. He could do better. He would do better.

"Hey, what're you doin' for dinner? A few of my friends are all goin' to this Italian place-"

"Oh," Chelsea said, cutting him off in surprise when they finally made it to the beach. "I'm sorry, thank you, but I have plans tonight."

He was a little disappointed but he knew giving a girl he just met a couple hours notice to go to dinner was asking a lot. "Don't worry 'bout it. Can I get your number? Maybe we can meet up tomorrow?"

Chelsea gave him a disbelieving look as she adjusted her swimsuit. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, 'course I am. I'd like to get to know you better," he said with a lopsided grin. She laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck and that was when Joel felt the uneasiness settle deep in his chest.

"I'm sorry, Joel. I thought this was just a hook up," she said, biting her lip and glancing around the beach. He could feel the smile fall from his face but he cleared his throat, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Y-yeah, sure, I get it."

"I mean, you're really sweet and all, it's just... you know," she said with a little shrug. He swallowed and nodded. He knew. You can't take a pornstar home to meet your parents.

"Maybe I'll see you around?" he said, and Chelsea nodded. She kissed him goodbye and he watched as she made her way down the beach towards her group of friends, who had been watching with great interest.

He was living every man's dream and he couldn't feel shittier about it.

He didn't want to just hook up with random girls anymore. It was fun when he was in his twenties but now it just felt pathetic. He sighed and turned his head in your direction. Charlie looked like he had dozed off in his chair while you were still laying face down with your eyes closed on your towel, your smooth skin coated with a sheen of sweat, pinkening under the sun's rays.

As he began to walk back towards the pair of you, he spotted Tommy and Maria making their way over from the opposite side of the beach, having done their own excursion for a couple hours that day and promised to catch up with the rest of you before dinner.

Joel was relieved. At least there would be a buffer.

Admittedly, Joel drank a little too much at dinner. He was still a little bothered by his afternoon with Chelsea, but he would have gotten over it had Charlie not picked at the scab every chance he got. First, he ribbed him about not being able to seal the deal when he showed up to dinner alone, but Joel just politely laughed it off. Then, as dinner progressed and the table was on their third round, Charlie began to point out girls around the restaurant who looked like they could be single, asking Joel if he thought they were his type with a teasing lilt to his voice.

You hadn't really been paying attention. You were too engrossed with something Maria was saying, leaning across the table excitedly as the thin strap of your sundress slid down your shoulder. Your skin was practically glowing from the sun, your eyes sparkled when you giggled with Maria and Joel was finding it more and more difficult to keep his gaze off you. Charlie either didn't notice or care. His arm was resting along the back of your chair, his thumb brushing against your back or your arm while he explained to Tommy the Chelsea backstory. Tommy's eyes flickered back and forth between Charlie and Joel, providing a few forced chuckles at his teasing, then changed the subject the first chance he got.

"What d'we wanna do tonight?" he had asked, breaking up your private conversation at the other end of the table.

"Why don't we hit the boardwalk?" Charlie offered, tossing back the rest of his old fashioned.

"We did that last night," you said.

"It's my only night here, babe. I wanna check out the rides and shit."

Joel's jaw tensed and he looked down at the table.

Of course, everyone agreed, so once dinner was over they all strolled down the sidewalk towards all the bright lights, the intoxicating smell of sugar and the sound of carnival games in the air. Charlie spotted the Ferris wheel and snatched your hand.

"C'mon, babe, let's check it out!"

You stopped dead in your tracks, making him spin around in surprise. "I don't like heights, I'll just wait-"

"Oh, come on! It'll be romantic," Charlie murmured suggestively, pulling you into his chest and pinching your chin. Joel hurriedly walked past to catch up with Tommy and Maria, unable to stand there and watch him kiss you. He knew he was being unreasonable. He knew he had to get his jealousy under control or else it would drive a wedge between the two of you and he couldn't possibly risk that. You meant far too much to him. So, he tried to distance himself for the remainder of the night. He hung out with Tommy and Maria, checking out various shops, getting candied apples and playing games while he forced himself to not look over his shoulder and seek you out.

Looking back on it, he probably shouldn't have gotten that beer and shot at the bar after Tommy and Maria ducked into a photo booth. His head was already swimming from the drinks at dinner but he really didn't want to be awake later to hear you and Charlie through the walls.

Tommy and Maria found him after the photo booth and showed him the strip of pictures, laughing at some of the props and faces they were making when Maria suggested they take a ride on the ferris wheel since it would likely be their last chance. Joel told them he would just wait, not wanting to admit the mere thought of those little cars swaying back and forth made his stomach churn with the amount of alcohol he had drank that night.

He was smoking a cigarette and scrolling on his phone, sitting on a bench near the ferris wheel after Tommy and Maria had gotten in line when he heard you. The panic in your voice sent a jolt of fear down his spine and he jumped up, flicking his cigarette on the ground as he whipped his head back and forth, searching for you. Finally, he spotted you pushing your way through the crowds of people in front of the ride, your face red and soaked with tears. His heart sank and he rushed over just as Charlie emerged a few seconds behind you. When he reached out to touch your arm, you yanked it back so forcefully that you fell on your hands and knees, scraping your skin against the hot blacktop.

Joel called your name and you looked up frantically, your chest heaving. You reached out a shaky arm towards him and he immediately pulled you up off the ground, his eyes raking up and down your body, assessing you for damage. Aside from some red scrapes on your hands and knees from the fall, you appeared fine, but you clawed at his arms and gasped I can't breathe and his heart began to slam wildly in his chest. He held you up against him and twisted around, trying to spot a paramedic when Charlie waved you both off with a dry laugh.

"Bro, she's fine, she just got scared on the ferris wheel."

"She's not fine, fuckin' look at her!" Joel yelled, turning a few heads, but he didn't care. He dropped his gaze to your face, cupping your jaw and wiping your tears away. "You're alright. Hey, c'mon, you can do this. Take a deep breath in through your nose, like this. Watch-" he inhaled deeply and you did the same through clenched teeth, then he exhaled slowly, pursing his lips as you continued to follow his lead. He did it a few more times until the tears stopped and your color returned to normal.

"You alright?" he asked softly, brushing your hair away from your face. You nodded and looked around for somewhere to sit. He seemed to read your mind because he led you by the elbow towards the bench he vacated. Giving you a chance to catch your breath, he turned on Charlie.

"What the fuck, man? Why'd you make her go on that goddamn thing?"

His nostrils were flaring and he could feel the anger bubbling up into his chest.

"I didn't force her to do anything," Charlie said with a frown. "She's a fucking adult, she made her own decision-"

"Because you fuckin' pressured her!" Joel shouted, taking a menacing step forward. "I heard her tell you she was afraid of heights so don't bullshit me."

Charlie's hand clenched into a fist and his jaw tensed. "Why don't you mind your own fucking business before I knock you on your ass?"

"Is that a threat?" Joel countered, closing the distance between him and Charlie, staring him dead in the eye as he waited for him to make a move.

You shoved yourself off the bench and quickly wedged yourself between the two men, a palm pressed against each of their chests, pushing them apart. "Stop it, please," you begged, "I just wanna go back to the house."

They stared each other down for another moment before Charlie looked away with a scoff. He grabbed your hand and muttered something under his breath as he began to lead you away, but when you passed by Joel, you stopped.

"Thank you," you told him softly. You reached out to grab his hand and gave it a grateful squeeze. He nodded and forced a small smile before Charlie tugged on your other hand. Joel watched until the two of you disappeared into the crowd before he sighed and collapsed back onto the bench. He raked his fingers through his hair, trying to get his temper under control when Tommy and Maria walked over, hand in hand with huge grins on their faces.

"You missed such a great view, Joel," Maria said, then looked around the boardwalk, asking where he thought you and Charlie went.

"Back to the house," was all Joel said before gruffly standing up and lighting another cigarette to help with the burst of adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

Joel managed to calm down by the time the three of them arrived back at the house. He replayed what he had said and done over and over and just hoped that you didn't hold it against him. It didn't seem like you were pissed with him when you left but he knew his actions just made the next day incredibly awkward, so Joel decided once he saw Charlie in the morning, he would apologize.

When he walked by your closed bedroom door, it was quiet with the exception of the water running in the bathroom. He slipped into his own bedroom down the hall, then turned on the TV and fell asleep.

He slept in a little later than he intended but he had a hunch he wasn't the only one. It seemed like everyone had a little too much to drink the night before and from the sound of the plates and silverware clinking together in the kitchen below, everyone was getting a slow start to the day.

"Mornin'," Joel mumbled to Tommy, who was sitting at the table, rubbing his eyes over a steaming cup of coffee. He glanced up and nodded in return before bringing the mug to his lips and taking a sip.

"Need help with anythin'?" Joel asked Maria who was busy cracking eggs. She laughed and shook her head.

"Go sit down. You look like you feel about as shitty as your brother."

Joel didn't need to be told twice. He sat down next to Tommy with a grunt, his hands curling around his own cup of coffee, blankly staring down at it, hoping it would bring him back to life.

"Hey," Tommy whispered, eyeing Maria from across the room who was busy gathering things from the fridge. Joel leaned forward and arched an eyebrow. "Charlie left real early this mornin'. I heard a car door slam and noticed his car's gone when we got downstairs."

"Shit," Joel muttered, glancing over at Maria quickly, making sure she didn't notice them gossiping about her best friend.

"Think they got in a fight or somethin'?" Tommy asked, but right as Joel opened his mouth to tell him the details of what happened the night before, Maria bounced over to them with a plate in each hand.

"I'm gonna go wake them up," she said, turning on her heel. Joel gave Tommy a curious look and he just shrugged.

"Didn't tell her," was all he said, then rolled his wrist in the air. "Tell me before they come down."

Joel managed to give Tommy the bullet points then began quickly shoveling eggs into his mouth when they heard Maria descending the steps. She entered the kitchen with her hands on her hips, looking concerned.

"What's up, baby?" Tommy asked innocently. She swiveled her finger around in the air as the gears turned in her head.

"Charlie left."

They both did a good job of acting surprised as Maria sat down with her own plate of food and with a hushed voice, told them you were upset and didn't want to come down for breakfast.

"Did they break up?" Joel asked, realizing too late that he sounded a little too eager, but Maria didn't seem to pick up on it. She was biting her nail, worried about you and trying to figure out how to navigate the rest of the day.

"I think so."

Conflicted was the only word to describe what Joel felt in that moment. He really didn't like Charlie but he hated the idea that he could be partially responsible for your pain.

After they finished eating, Maria checked the time and tapped her foot. "I think I should cancel the zip-line, Tommy," she said, "I don't want to leave her here all alone." Maria had planned for her, Tommy and Joel to zip-line over the beach, overlooking the lake. Knowing your fear of heights, she had intentionally picked that day, expecting you and Charlie to spend some alone time together.

"I'll stay, you two go," Joel said immediately, picking up their plates and heading to the sink.

"Are you sure?" Tommy asked, and Joel nodded.

"I'm not exactly in the best shape to be flying through the air, anyway."

"And I am?" Tommy replied, but Maria shoved his shoulder and put her finger to her lips behind Joel's back while he scrubbed the plates. "Uh, yeah, thanks Joel. You let us know if you end up goin' out and we'll meet up."

Joel stayed downstairs, alternating between going on his phone or watching TV. When it got closer to noon and you still hadn't come down, he began to worry. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a couple water bottles. Putting them on the counter, he scoured the fridge and scratched his chin. He was always a terrible cook, so he gave up quickly and resorted to ordering a couple burgers for delivery before taking the waters upstairs.

He rapped two knuckles gently on the door, then heard some shuffling before your voice called out, inviting him in.

"Oh, sweetheart," he said sympathetically when he saw your puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. You sat up in bed and tried to run your fingers through your tangled hair before sighing and giving up.

"Leave it to me to get dumped on vacation."

He gave you a sad smile and held out a bottle of water, which you eagerly accepted. He sat down on the edge of your bed and watched as you drained almost the entire bottle, then handed you his. You thanked him and set both on the end table before turning your attention back on your television, which he hadn't even realized was on.

"Legally Blonde?"

"I wanted to laugh but I forgot she gets dumped in, like, the first twenty minutes."

Joel chuckled and leaned back against your headboard. "I'm so sorry. If it was 'bout last night-"

"It's not your fault," you sniffled, pulling the comforter up to your chin.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Not yet."

He hummed and nodded, turning back to the television. He gave you all the time and space you needed, staying close by for the rest of the afternoon in case you wanted to talk, only leaving to get the burgers when they arrived. You ate them in your bed, grease dripping from your fingers and laughing at stupid movies until you felt good enough to get up and shower.

"You wanna go mini golfing?" you asked over your shoulder as you fixed your hair in the mirror. Joel cringed but agreed. He absolutely hated golfing, but for you, he would suffer through it. Especially considering your mood seemed to be improving.

"Lemme text Tommy and let 'em know where we're goin'," he said, pulling out his phone and following you out the door.

"Oh, let's just do our own thing tonight," you said, then cleared your throat when you realized how that sounded. "I mean, y'know, they probably want time to themselves, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Joel agreed, side eying you before hopping into the truck. You gave him directions to a mini golf course ten minutes away, then rolled down the window and stretched your arm out, the warm summer air slipping through your wiggling fingers. Even though the sun had set, the air was still so thick with heat it felt like you could grab it.

"It's so hot," you said, sliding out of the passenger seat once Joel parked the truck. You fixed your skirt; a flowy, white number that felt feather light against your thighs as you walked. Joel agreed and checked his phone, noticing a text from Tommy.

"Hold up," he said, and you twisted around, your tennis shoes crunching on the gravel parking lot.

We're gonna go to that Mexican place. 30 minutes.

"They're invitin' us to dinner," he told you without looking up.

"Tell him we already ate."

He nodded and tapped out a quick reply before pocketing the phone and approached the cashier.

"Two tonight?" she asked, smacking her gum between her teeth.

"Yes, but I'll pay for mine," you said, reaching for your wallet.

"Nuh-uh," Joel said with a frown, about to argue but the cashier spoke up first.

"It's date night. Two for the price of one."

Your cheeks felt hot at the insinuation that you were on a date with Joel, but you couldn't pass up the deal to play for half price. Glancing at him awkwardly, you shrugged and he slapped his card down with a cocky smirk.

"Alright, pick out your ball, but for the love of god don't pick the-"

"Oh, look at the hot pink one!" you exclaimed gleefully, snatching it up from the bucket. He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "What?" you giggled, shouldering him playfully as you admired your ball.

"It's just such a girl thing to do," he said with a grin, then leaned over to pick a neon yellow ball for himself.

"Well last I checked, I am a girl," you winked and headed towards the door, his gaze falling to your ass only once before getting himself together and following you.

"Shoulda known," he tsked once he caught up, "matches your bathing suit and everythin'."

Your stomach flipped and you felt your cheeks grow hot once again but you just laughed him off and approached the first hole. The course was packed with couples, no doubt taking advantage of the deal, so it was slow going. By the fifth hole, Joel grew impatient and plopped down on a bench.

"Giving up so soon?" you teased, and he huffed.

"I ain't a quitter, just waitin' for some of these people to play through. Sick of standin' around."

"You sure it's not because I'm beating you by six?" you grinned as you sat down next to him.

"I'm lettin' you win, darlin'. Tryin' to mend your poor, broken heart," he said, rolling his head to the side with a smirk.

"Eh, I don't think we were together long enough to say he broke my heart, but it still sucks," you sighed, playing with your golf ball in the palm of your hand.

Joel eyed you for a moment, trying to choose his next words carefully. "You ready to talk 'bout it, or-"

"I thought he was nice, y'know? Like, okay, he could be a little pushy sometimes, but I really thought he was just encouraging me to get out of my comfort zone."

Joel frowned and shifted his weight on the bench. "What'dya mean?"

"Like, professionally. He was encouraging me to go back to school so I could get a better job, but I like my job. And other things, too. The ferris wheel," you said, rolling your eyes, "told me I should face my fears and all that."

"You're better off without him," Joel said without even thinking. You laughed and glanced up at him through your lashes.

"You think?"

"'Course. You don't need someone to tell you how to live your life. If you like your job, then why change it? If you're afraid of heights, who cares? Seemed to me like he was tryin' to fix you, and from where I'm sittin', you're-" he cut himself off and looked down at his hands, chewing on the inside of his lip to keep himself from finishing his sentence.

You stared at him for a moment, watching something flicker across his face. "I'm... what?" you asked gently.

He shrugged and took a deep breath. You're perfect, he wanted to say, but instead he went with "you don't need fixin'."

You smiled shyly and poked him in the ribs, making him chuckle.

"Thank you, Joel. You managed to save me from wasting the last day of vacation moping around in bed."

He let you drag him up from the bench so you could continue playing the course, but your conversation kept replaying in his head, distracting him. Even though you weren't a fan of his job, you never once pressured him to find a different one. You accepted him for who he was and it bothered him that Charlie couldn't do the same for you.

Joel watched you with a smile as you bent your head and lined up your putter with your golf ball. A little crease formed between your eyebrows as you focused on the windmill eclipsing the sixth hole, trying to time it just right. How could anybody want to change you? You were so adorable and sweet and you deserved someone who would worship the ground you walked on.

A foolish thought popped into his head and he opened his mouth, about to ask you a question that could possibly change everything.

"What if-"

He cut himself off when you tapped the ball down the turf, both of you watching and holding your breath when your hot pink golf ball managed to avoid the blades of the windmill and dropped into the little plastic cup with a soft clink.

"Holy shit!" you exclaimed, garnering a few odd looks in your direction, but neither of you cared. You dropped your golf club and jumped into his waiting arms, letting Joel spin you around as you both laughed and he told you what a great job you did, deciding it was best he never finished his question, anyway.

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[alllgator-blood]

I have ten billion WIP sketches I need to finish, but for some reason I stayed up from 9 PM to 4 AM conceptualizing, making patterns, sewing, painting and applying makeup on this stupid fucking felt squid......the detailing needs to be cleaned up cause there's only one coat of paint so far, but he's pretty much done

my neighbors probably think I'm insane because I was running around the yard clenching this toy kallamar in a death grip and flying him around like an airplane/putting him in the barbecue/poking him with a stick. I want to tie him to a string and recreate the opening of napoleon dynamite >:) ALSO I MADE HIM SMOKE OUT OF A STUPID CRYSTAL PIPE BUT PLEASE DON'T ACTUALLY USE THOSE, THEY ARE SUPER TOXIC LMAO MINE IS FOR DECORATION

I don't have any process pics because I had tunnel vision autism style and forgot the rest of the universe existed while I was working on him. BUT if you're curious I'll ramble below the cut

Okay I am not a seamstress by any means. I've sewn my entire life but very, very infrequently. I've done plushies, clothes, cosplays, fursuits, accessories, etc. but I only do one like once a year, so while I planned to make all 5 bishops, I'm not really sure I'll get them all done. The material cost was like 20 bucks tops so I'm not too upset if I don't finish them. I AT LEAST WANT TO GET SHAMURA OR HEKET DONE.

here is the concept sketch ft. heket's toes and shamura's fingers. I decided to do his pre-schism version so I could fit him with jewelry! I did him first because like I said I sew infrequently and don't know wtf I'm doing, everyone else seemed a lot more complicated.

So I basically just traced this drawing on a printer paper-sized canvas in SAI, and guesstimated how everything would look in a 3D space. His head is four pieces, one triangle identical to the one in the picture, two wide triangles that are sewn together in the back, and a circle for his chin. You can't really see it in any of the pics but he's literally like a black cylindrical stick with little tentacles sewn on where his mantle connects to his cloak. The leg tentacles are one piece of felt that look like tassels, where they're connected by a rectangle but branch off into individual pieces. He can't stand up very well, so his cape keeps him up (that's gonna be an issue for every other bishop too except heket cause she's gonna be ROUND). Mostly everything like the crown, cloak, head, etc. are cones so I just had to make a lot of wide triangles.

For the details, I just used acrylic paint that was watered down so he's not especially crunchy, and for the blush tone I used a makeup palette my mom bought me 10 years ago in hopes I'd get in touch with my "feminine side", but I grew up into a nonbinary butch lesbian so OOPS. Kallamar looks better with makeup than me anyway. I'm kinda sad I couldn't get his freckles as lopsided as I draw them but it probably looks better in plush form to have them even anyway....

I could just post the pattern so I don't have to explain this but 1. I am mentally ill about the thought of my kallamar being in someone else's house and 2. the original pattern had to be tweaked while I was working on him so the final pattern straight up doesn't exist, I winged it the whole time

OH and the jewelry is just scrap pieces I had laying around, I might repaint it all to be gold instead of silver + bronze. I used 20g aluminum wire for his armlet thing, jumper rings for his earrings + ring (+ a diamond dot from my mom's kits for the gem) and chain for the bracelet. I made him an amulet as well but it felt like overkill so I took it off. I'm probably gonna make him a plague doctor mask and medicine bag sometime because I think about nurse kallamar more than I probably should :') I've already sewn one as a prop for a toy raven before so it shouldn't be too hard

[nyaagolor]

Ranking the Ushiromiyas based on whether or not I think they're a narc

Kinzo: -1/10. Hitting a blunt is what killed him

Krauss: 4/10. While I do think he initially would be against any kind of marijuana usage by virtue of being a conservative dude in the 80s, I'm almost positive I could convince him that growing it in the mansion's boiler room is a solid investment

Natsuhi: 0/10. As far as she's aware weed is basically the same thing as cocaine and will kill you, if you brought it near her I think she might actually pass out. However, out of everyone here I think she would benefit the most from an edible

Jessica: 9/10. If this series was set in the current day she would be hiding a vape pen from her parents and teaching Kanon how to hit in the rose garden. She gets a point taken off because she doesn't know that holding it in doesn't do anything

Eva: 6/10. Hates smoking overall, so you can't actually smoke near her without getting yelled at. Though she wouldn't snitch on you, technically, that's only because she fully intends on using it for blackmail later

Hideyoshi: 7/10. He did some sketchy business deals during the war, I'm pretty sure he's got a don't ask don't tell policy (not including Eva, she knows everything). Knocked down three points for the indirect blackmail.

George: 3/10. He's definitely a narc, but that's only because he was trying to rebel sometime in HS and went to a rotation but got laughed at for rolling the saddest, most pathetic looking joint of all time. He has a vendetta now

Rudolf: 6/10. Would probably smoke if it were modern day and isn't one to snitch but his weed etiquette is so bad that I need to knock him down a peg on principle

Kyrie: 7/10. She's the dealer. Points knocked off because she keeps cutting it with cheap shit because she knows her buyers (including her husband) are kinda dumb

Battler: 8/10. Would never snitch but loses a few points because he's bad at it. See below:

Rosa: ???/10. Feels like she'd snitch but also gives me the impression of someone who's tried cocaine before so I think her thoughts on the subject are pretty mood dependent. I don't trust her though.

Maria: 10/10. She didn't snitch on Beatrice and we all know what was in that pipe

[chososbabymama]

(plug!suguru x fem!black reader)

plug!geto pt 1

head empty no thoughts, only plug suguru😩

[CW// swearing, implied NSFW, drug usage (jus weed yall i promise suguru not poppin percs or nothin), alcohol, mei mei (yes im makin a cw for her weird ass!!)]

sugu..｡oO (☆): u got me fucked up y/n, im omw.

[IMAGE ATTACHED]

shit… you stared at your phone, eyes widening in shock. you gather yourself quickly before rolling your eyes and tossing your phone to the side.

“ion even see why he’s coming over…. seems to be happy as hell with that other bitch he got” you grumble.

you see, growing up you and geto were next door neighbors. your parents thought it’d be a good idea for you to hang out together given that you would be attending the same school. through geto you were able to meet gojo, sukuna, choso, toji and nanami. you all became a close group fairly quickly, they essentially became your big brothers and did their best to keep you from harms way while also making sure they weren’t smothering you.

but your relationship with suguru was always… different. sure he had been just as protective as the rest, but he would always go above and beyond for you. girls were bullying you? he glued their shoes to their lockers and put stink bombs in their desks. some guy cheated on you? suguru sent videos of the guy smoking to his college recruiter and got his full ride scholarship revoked. you were being harassed in public? geto broke someones wrist after they tried to grab you. you were sad and lonely on valentines day? he showed up with a bouquet of your favorite flowers, a bag of your favorite things, and a big ass bottle of pink whitney.

so when you guys were 16 and geto told you he was gonna start dealing, you knew things were only gonna go up from there. he had been the one who got you into smoking, from your first pipe all the way to teaching you how to roll your own blunts. geto was smart, good with money, and had that disgustingly endearing boyish charm about him. naturally customers ate it up, and he thrived in your town for being the local plug. he continued his practice all the way until you guys went to college, him and sukuna even worked together sometimes at bigger parties and events. but the one thing geto had ALWAYS made clear, was that HE was gonna take care of you. 7 months after he first started he showed up to your house with a full zip, lighter, grinder, colorful pre-roll papers, and a pretty rolling tray to match (most of this stuff you still have and use to this day). needless to say you were shocked, you can still remember the way he sat you down on top of him as he explained how the grinder worked and how tightly you wanted to pack the cone.

“don't worry pretty girl, imma take care of you. wont have to spend a single cent on flower s’long as i'm around yea?” he buried his face in your neck and maybe it was the joint talking but you could’ve SWORE you had felt his lips on your neck and the grip on your hips tighten.

ever since that day, suguru has kept his word. you had consistently gone to him when you needed smoke and you never paid for it. just tell him how much you need and within the hour its in your hands. its caused quite the issues with his hookups, they couldn’t understand why YOU never had to pay but they did. you didn't fully understand why yourself, but each and every time he’d just shrug and give them the same answer,

“she’s just special.”

he’d never let you forget that to him? you always came first.

you loved all those boys with all your heart, but suguru managed to carve a special place all to himself, and you couldn’t say you were upset about it. which is why you were so fuckin pissed off about how these past few weeks have been. despite your growing feelings for suguru, you foolishly assumed that losing his friendship wasn't worth it. so you kept your feelings hidden for 6 years as you watched him fool around left and right. you of course had your own share of hookups, but you knew that no matter what you'd still end up in your shower crying out for him as you reached your peak.

these past few months with him, have been…. interesting. for some reason your interactions with him had become much more flirtatious. whenever you sat together his arm would be wrapped around your shoulder, he’d kiss you on the cheek anytime he left the room (gojo sometimes demanded one of his own and like the good friend he is, suguru would comply), and the nicknames?

‘hey sweetness you need anything?’

‘you know you’re my number one, right pretty girl?’

‘c’mon mama you know i miss you’

it was all honestly driving you insane, the back and forth with him. the constant battle you have with yourself about his intentions. its all just…. a lot. you were just getting used to the new aspect of your dynamic when all hell broke loose. it seems like one of sugurus past hookups was upset that he wasn't paying attention to them or any of his other past flings for that matter, not when he wanted you. so, they decided to…. fix that.

imagine your surprise when you get a text from hakari in the middle of your class,

karis bitch ass: “thought geto was fw u ???’

[3 IMAGES ATTACHED]

your eyes widened almost comically as you stared at the screen. kinji had sent you screenshots of mei mei's instagram story….. with suguru. the first was a shirtless picture with him facing away from the camera (sweats hanging dangerously on his waist).

you had to blink a couple times to make sure you were REALLY seeing this shit.

the next one was a video of him at a party pouring a bottle of crown royal into mei's mouth. you were floored, each second you spent watching it, felt as though your skin was getting hotter. but the TRUE icing on the cake was the last one. the last one that led to you avoiding and ignoring suguru for 3 weeks.

the last picture was of him driving. geto looked fine as fuck when he drove. he knew that, you knew that, everybody knows that suguru geto behind the wheel was a wet dream come true. the ‘i miss u sugu~’ glaring at you from the bottom of the photo. but what really made your eye twitch, was the fact that mei mei was in the passenger seat. YOUR fucking seat. designated to you by the owner himself. at this point you didn’t know whose ass to beat first and you honestly didn’t give a shit. it really was gonna depend on who crossed your line of sight first. you gathered yourself enough to get through the rest of your lecture before bolting out of the hall. you quickly shoot hakari back a text,

‘good thing u don get paid 4 thinkin🤨’

you locked your phone before heading to the campus bus stop. today has absolutely drained you, usually geto would pick you up and take you back to your apartment but you honestly didn’t feel like seeing him. as you trudge your way to the exit you feel your phone vibrate once more.

sugu..｡oO (☆): wya mama im outside waitin for u ?

you rolled your eyes at the message and sat at the bench as you watched the bus pull up. ‘he wants to give somebody a ride so bad maybe he should go find that fuckin bitch’ you thought bitterly. you knew you weren’t being fair, shoko was a really good friend to you- she always has been! now her classmate on the other hand…. lets just say there’s a reason you two don’t attend the same functions. but geto was close to her family so there were definitely moments him and mei mei could have snuck off together….. fuck. suguru wasn’t your boyfriend. you weren’t his girlfriend. but you at least thought maybe he’d…..

you shake your head and get on the bus. as you turn on your headphones you see that suguru sent you some more texts.

sugu..｡oO (☆): y/n ???

sugu..｡oO (☆): wats goin on baby y u not talkin to me ?

sugu..｡oO (☆): did i do sumn wrong ? wtvr it is im sorry dove :(

sugu..｡oO (☆): cmon y/n seriously, wtf is goin on im fr gettin worried abt u.

each text filled your body with a disgusting amount of rage. the sense of betrayal you felt from his actions was more than you could handle.

y/n🕸️: takin the bus from now on.

sugu..｡oO (☆): y/n what the fuck are you talkin about.

you didn't bother replying. you just put your headphones on and watched the bus travel your familiar route home. your phone continuously buzzed, no doubt suguru but you didn’t have the energy to engage with anyone right now. you just wanted to go home and smoke…… smoke the weed geto gave you….. well you can't have it all.

from then on you avoided your best friend like he was the fuckin plague. at first you thought you were being discreet with it... until people started blowin up your phone. see, suguru didn't exactly hide the fact that he took care of you; that he'd always be by your side. so for people to see one without the other was a surprising development. and suguru wasn't taking it well AT ALL.

( karis bitch ass: y/n ion kno wut geto did but pls take him back he wont stop bitchin!!!!

suguru went to a party thinking you'd be there: suprise! you weren't because you'd heard he was going so you stayed home. apparently he spent the whole time whining your name with his favorite peach crown royal in his arms on the sofa. it would have been cute if you weren't so mad at him.

ino sent you a video of suguru LITERALLY pushing a girl away on some, "get away you're not y/n" with that stupidly cute pout on his face.

even yuki was surprised about you icing geto out. sending you voice memos about the shit geto does while they're out. "no y/n the best part was when he tried to give the girl the bag she tried to ask for his number he fuckin mushed her and said 'sorry im married, her name is y/n and she can fight' ooouuu she was pissed!")

it was really hard being mad at suguru...

over the past three weeks you had been a bit lonely without him. sure you had the weed and a plethora of clothes he left at your place to keep you company, but you missed HIM. the way he'd stick his cold feet on you, how he always cheats at go fish, how he'll come over and play your PS5 while you sit in the back and cheer him on, the way he looks at you. you miss suguru so fuckin much.

but you also feel betrayed.

geto KNOWS that you and mei mei don't like each other, him being the one to hold you back from her on several occasions. you know they had a thing in the past but.... why would suguru be so fucking SWEET to you if he was just gonna go crawling back to her... it didn't make any fuckin sense to you. and unfortunately, you held a grudge. one that went so far as to even go to someone else for weed. in the entire time you've known suguru, you ALWAYS got your stuff from him. no matter what was going on between you two. but this time? this time you felt really hurt, so you turned to your backup plug; sukuna.

thing is, you've never actually bought from sukuna before. he knew about your weird thing with geto and he showed support his own way from the outside. you had never failed to notice that every picture or video someone sent you of suguru, sukuna was always nearby.

(what you didn't know was that sukuna was the one who had to listen to the long-haired males woes. sukuna was honestly getting sick and tired of it...)

but imagine the pinkette's surprise when he gets a text from you that friday night asking to pick up!

y/n☽˚｡⋆: hi 'kuna ! can i get a zip pretty pls ? id ask geto but i dont wanna bother him when hes busy haha

aside from the man in question being attached to his hip (that is no exaggeration sukuna is literally sitting on the couch with his best friends arms wrapped around his waist listening to him come up with reason 34248 'why y/n is so fuckin mad'). sukuna's tattooed hands had quickly taken a screenshot of your message to send to the man in his lap. he quickly grabbed a chunk of his friends inky locks with his free hand and shook.

"hey, idiot. check your fuckin phone i think you'll wanna see this"

suguru lifted his head and gazed at his roommate with bleary bloodshot eyes, the blunt from a few hours ago had settled nicely in his skin (made it easier to wrack his brain and figure out what the fuck he did wrong). he rolled his eyes and flopped back down into the couch with a deep and heavy sigh.

"man what's the fuckin point. y/n is mad at me and wont tell me why so if she's not on my shit then what's the point of even havin a fuckin phone y'know?"

sukuna rolled his eyes and snorted,

"yeah i guess that's why she just texted me askin' for a zip, huh?"

"she fuckin what?" suguru shot up quick and grabbed his phone. his brows furrowed and he began to mutter to himself angrily. sukuna watched as suguru's frown got deeper with each second he looked at the screen. finally, he swore loudly before grabbing his jacket and his keys. "man i gotta go 'cuz now she's playin with me and im not about to let that happen." sukuna watched as geto threw on his hoodie and sneakers and ran out of their apartment.

as the plug ran down the steps he took out his phone to let you know he was on his way to you.

[IMAGE ATTACHED]

my cinnamon apple <3: u got me fucked up y/n, im omw.

which lead you to your current issue, trying to figure out what the fuck you're gonna do. you had planned to be mad at geto for at least a couple more days so him showing up like this wasn't something you were exactly ready for. you quickly scrambled to get yourself together and prepare for the inevitable conversation. you were sure he'd notice you dressed in his clothes (you had on his spider-man jacket and black headband to hold back your 613 lace). you had already rolled yourself a couple blunts so you decided to light up until the moment of truth.

as each hit filled your lungs with smoke, you could feel the anxiety fade. you hadn't anticipated meeting suguru so soon. and you're terrified of what this conversation could possibly mean for your friendship. on one hand if he decides to pursue a relationship with mei mei thats his business, but on the other, you know that it would be at the expense of your relationship with him. you haven't been able to be in a room with her ever since she outed your little sibling for being nonbinary. it had been something only a few people knew about but somehow mei's nosy ass found out and told anyone she could get to listen. now your family never backs down from a fight, your parents made sure of that. but it gets exhausting always being an outcast (being 3 years older you couldn't do too much to help, but at least they had yuji, nobara, and megumi around).

but when they came home one afternoon covered in bruises with a tired smile on their face saying, 'i won, i won' over and over again, you couldnt just sit idly. you went and showed that bitch who the fuck you were. and who you were was a fuckin maniac. you had slammed mei mei's head into a window, broke her nose, bruised her ribs, and gave her a black eye. suguru had to pull you off of her that day because you couldn't calm down. had the boys let you that day, you could have really beat the brakes off that girl. which is why her scary ass always runs away when you enter the room. instead she likes to talk shit and throw shots at you on social media.

the day of the fight, when mei was at the hospital she told doctors she had been mugged because she was too prideful to admit that she got her ass whooped.

just thinking about the shit you did to her that day brought a wicked grin to your face as you continued to smoke your blunt. if suguru wants a fuckin encore, you'll give him one alright... this blunt had given you time to think and fester on why you were so angry with your best friend. he was there for you for your worst moments, he held you as your body shuddered with sobs seeing your sibling lying in the hospital bed. he was there after your first date. he walked you to and from classes after she tried to spread a particularly nasty rumor about you. he was there when you cried yourself to sleep after your first boyfriend told you there is no way hed bring a girl that looks like you home. suguru has seen you in ways that nobody else in the world has. and his proximity to a person who actively tries to do you harm is just... unacceptable.

as time had went on you even decided to pour yourself a glass of wine and wait in the living room with your last blunt. you were really going to give suguru a piece of your mind...

not too long after you migrated to your living room and started smoking, you heard rapid footsteps outside your door followed by frantic knocks. you took your sweet time unraveling yourself from your blanket on the couch to head to the door. you opened it to find your best friend red, sweaty, and panting.... with a backpack that you were sure contained some kind of peace offering for you.

you wordlessly let geto into your apartment, taking a long sip from your glass and an even longer drag from your blunt. you blew out a sigh as he wasted no time in heading straight to your room. as soon as he set his bag down next to your bed, geto whirled around to face you with wide eyes filled with something you couldnt quite place.

"y/n baby what is goin on. first you wanna take the bus home by yourself knowin damn well how unsafe it is. then you wanna avoid me, ME! for weeks, not a peep from you, nada nothing! you even turned your read receipts off for me mamas, you completely iced me out. now i gotta find out that your tryna buy from other people? what the hell happened, what did i do to make you this upset at me?"

by the end of his speech, geto had inched closer and closer to you before reaching out to grab your hand and pull you with him on the bed. you huffed angrily before spitting out,

"didn't think you'd miss me too much since you've been spending so much fuckin time with mei mei lately. i saw her instagram stories suguru, i know you've been with her so don't even try to lie!" you twisted and tried to get away but he had a vice-like grip around your midsection.

"woah woah woah, these are very serious accusations sweetheart. now i haven't been with her for over a year you know that, i slept with her a few times but once you told me how it made you feel i nipped it in the bud. so what stories are you talkin about, hm?" suguru had leaned back from you so that he could make eye contact. he wanted you to know that he was telling the truth, he knew he was stupid to have slept with mei mei in the first night but one drunken night led to two which led to 5 or 6 times before you finally ripped him a new one for it. since then he had actually blocked mei mei on everything, he wouldn't even sell to her. shoko or utahime would always pick it up.

the reluctance was clear as day on your face, so geto quickly whipped out his phone to show you his blocked lists on his phone. instagram, twitter, snapchat, hell he even blocked her on tiktok, discord, and her telephone number. the longer you looked through his phone the more confused you felt. then what the hell....?

"so then what the fuck is this?" you showed suguru the screenshots you were sent of mei's story featuring him. his brows furrowed in confusion and his mouth itched low in irritation before geto let out a scoff.

"baby these are old as shit, i didnt even know she had these let alone posted them. see, this one in my car was literally the last time i messed with her. and she was only in my car because she had no other way to get home. all of these were before i got your initials done love." suguru zoomed in on the picture of him driving, and sure enough the red cursive ink was missing from the side of his face (you didnt know this but he had gotten that tattoo done that same day. dropped off mei and went straight to his shop).

you quickly scrolled through the other texts hakari sent you.... and they were all missing that red tattoo... well this is embarrassing.

"oh." while you were scrolling, geto's face had gotten softer as he watched the realization cross your features.

"yeah, 'oh' is right. now you wanna tell me what's goin on? you really been throwin me for a loop here these past few weeks. it really hurt my feelings seein you text sukuna for that zip. i mean, i know we're all friends and if you were gonna shop with anyone im glad it was him... but did you forget what i said? i promised to take care of you, so why you not lettin me?" geto peered at you with such a sad expression and you started to feel bad.

you really didn't think he would be this affected by it, yeah he'd be bitter you shopped with someone else but you thought he would get over it. you didn't know you hurt him this bad. you situate yourself and him on the bed so that you could wrap your arms around his shoulders. you knew that tonight would include a much deeper conversation with him, one that you've been steadily avoiding since you were younger. but maybe its good that this happened, this way you can both move on with your lives.

"i'm so so sorry suguru. i thought they were recent since i hadn't seen them before. i should've known better as soon as i saw mei mei posted it. i was just so mad seeing you with her. i mean, after seeing everything i had been through with her... it was so hard to keep my cool when i found out you slept with her. it made me think about a lot, a lot about us."

you shifted to grab his face and look your first love in his widened eyes,

"suguru geto, i'm in love with you. i've been in love with you for the past 6 years. honestly? i've probably been in love with you my whole life. seein her post made me realize that i'm tired of hiding it. i don't want you treating anyone else like you do me, and i don't care how selfish that sounds. no one in this world loves you like i do, i love the way you throw gummies at satoru till he wakes up. i love how you buy kento weird ties for christmas every year. i love how you say you don't snore even though you totally do. i love that you pinky promised to take care of me and haven't broken it once. but you made a vow to be with me as soon as you promised, so are you gonna to take responsibility for what you've done to me or am i gonna have to get someone else to do it?"

your confession had started to get more aggressive as you went on, but that was just how much he meant to you. the more you talked the more you realized how much you had been holding back. loving suguru was never difficult, but keeping yourself in check was. wrestling your feelings of jealousy with each of his hookups was a challenge; they never stuck around for long but each had the nerve to test you. one had even tried texting you off his phone on some shady shit trying, but you quickly told her to give him back his phone before you played double dutch with her vocal chords.

as you held sugurus face, you could see the information process. his eyes were filled with such an intense emotion it took you aback as the biggest smile you'd ever seen danced across his face. the tips of his ears started to burn bright red as he gazed up at you.

"god i'm so fucking in love with you" you quickly shove him away in embarrassment as your love lets out a loud and happy laugh.

"sugu-!" you shout, he's so fucking unserious sometimes.

"i'm serious moonlight, you think just any girl gets tatted on me? baby i have your initials, birthday, and our zodiac signs. i didn't think i'd be tellin you this, but my very first tattoo was dedicated to you sweetheart."

now you were confused, "what? no it wasn't, your first tattoo was the one of-"

"-the stick figure? no my darling, that was the first one i showed you. i didn't wanna show you this one because i knew you'd be mad it was my first tattoo. but i couldn't imagine anything but you being the first piece of permanent ink on me." suguru could see the confusion still lingering on your face, so he slid away from you for a moment to slip off his pants. you could feel your face twist as you watched suguru strip himself half naked in your room...until you saw what he was trying to show you. he had pulled up the left leg of his boxers up a little bit, revealing a ring of words coiled around his upper thigh. you and the bright red ink practically had a staring contest. your full name (first, middle, and last), sat almost like a garter around him. the thought of that.....made your head spin.

you looked back at him and briefly caught his eyes before he swiftly turned away. he looked... embarrassed? suguru rarely got embarrassed, sum bullshit about 'bein too old for that shit. i did what i did or said what i said.' this nigga think he grown or something...

before you had a chance to respond, geto beat you to it,

"look i-i know that you might be upset and i'm sorry i didn't say anything to you before. i just... i didn't know how to tell you? you were always on me about getting 'something that has meaning' to me and that's you. but shit happened and then after a while too long had passed and it felt too late? if that makes sense? and when i first brought it up you didn't like the idea but honestly how could i not? y/n i've been in love with you since we were 15. i knew as soon as i got in the game that i was gonna take care of you and i meant that. but i never thought you'd feel the same way. kento never failed to point out that all my hookups looked like you in some way, i never thought this would happen. so i was content to love you the way i used to, but i can't believe it took TOJI of all people to stop being scared of my feelings. so these past couple months i've been tryna show you that i want you. but apparently i didn't do a good enough job."

you whined in protest. by now you had found yourself situated on sugurus lap with one hand rubbing your thigh and the other tucking your head under his chin.

"i know you don't think so ma, but if i did, we wouldn't be here right now yeah? i wanted to take it slow, have you gradually fall in love with me like those movies and books i know you like reading. i just wanted to do right by you moonlight. im sorry that all this happened before i could."

suguru held you tightly and began to rub your back to sooth you. a few tears had slipped from your eyes and you wipe them on your sleeve. youd felt his hands pulls yours down, forcing you to meet his soft gaze.

"y/n, i love you. i love how you always crochet me gifts, i love how you always wear sweaters no matter the weather, i love how trust me to help you take care of your hair, i love how you can't cook a pot of rice- don't look at me like that you know damn well you burn that shit every time. i love the way you love. i love the way you love ME. you've been my number one since the day i met you, and that hasn't changed. i know my past history with my partners has been shoddy to say the least, but never for a second think that i felt for them what i've felt for you my whole fucking life. and if it's okay with you, i'd really like the chance to show you, truly, how much i mean it when i say that i love you."

suguru gazed into your eyes with a level of honesty you've only seen a few times. you wanted to give him hell for all the slow burn that he put you through... but how can you? the love of your life just told you he feels the same, the only thing you could do was say,

"suguru, you're such a fuckin idiot. stop talking and kis-"

before you could finish, your love surged forward and connected his lips to yours. kissing suguru geto was like trying to breathe underwater, you happily let him take the lead; loving the way he dominated the kiss. his lips were smoother than you'd ever imagine (all those years of reminding him to wear chapstick payed off). you could almost feel his heart pounding against yours, the previous anxiety you'd felt melting away as you both poured yourselves into a moment that was long overdue. his scorching hands had begun to move until one rested on your lower back while the other led your legs to wrap around his waist. when you had both FINALLY decided to pull away from each other and catch your breaths, suguru couldn't contain his excitement. he quickly twisted your bodies and tackled you to the bed, wrapping you in his arms with an airy laugh,

"FUCK holy shit y/n does this mean we go together? like real bad? 'cuz i've been waiting for this moment for quite literally most of my life so i'm a little geeked right now. hOLY SHIT- can i use your back as a rolling tray? that would be so hot-" you quickly cut suguru off by kissing him again, relishing in his moans as you use his hair to guide his lips on yours. as you once again separate from each other, you smile at him. your best friend. your other half. you giggle and move your hand to lovingly caress his face before responding,

"yes, suguru. we go together REAL fucking bad."

THE END

[dark-night-hero]

「Love You In The Dark」 Kamisato Ayato

↳ In which the more you continue to love him in the dark the more you felt like not only were you breaking your heart, but also his.

It was a wonderful night. It was also a night before a wonderful celebration. And yet here you are due to some reasons resting at the back of the estate now that all tasks are done. Just a few moments ago, you were also doing packing your things. Looking at the stars, a smokin pipe in hand, you're leaning peaceful on the walls of the estate. But then that peaceful night was interrupted with a sound of light footsteps coming.

Alerted, you turn to look at the person only to relax. "My Lord." "I told you to call me Ayato when it's just the two of us- you're smoking." "Do you want some?" You offered in which he shakes his head. You just nod and continue to smoke for the last time as he slowly approaches you. "All the preparations were done for tomorrow's ceremony." "I've heard." "Then you should be asleep right now." "If I do, then I'll be regretting this in the morning." "I doubt that." You chuckle, putting out the flame and placing your smoking pipe down. There was a moment of silence after that.

"I would drop everything if you want me to." "I know. That's why I'm not asking for anything." Looking away from the stars, you look at him only to find him looking at you. So you look away, a small yet genuine smile on your face. "Do you hate me?" "I wish I could." You chuckle, "But what can we do?" You look at him once again. "It's not like I'm the one who's hurting." You reach out to brush off the silent tear on his cheek. "Don't cry, Ayato." "But you're leaving." "You're getting married." You caress his cheek affectionately. "I'm not asking for anything else, am I?" "I'd rather ask you to give up that damn marriage." "Hmmm, I wish I could."

"(First name)?" It was a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. You are pretty sure you have heard it somewhere. No, you were pretty sure you knew who was calling you, yet you didn't dare turn around. "(First name)." This time, you felt a gentle hold on your arm, causing you to shut your eye for a moment before turning around to face him.

As soon as you turn around, just like what you have expected, there he was, and for some odd reasons, seems flustered as he hold you by your arm, slightly panting as he look at you wide eyes as if he could not believe you are actually in front of him right now. "It's really you." "Mr. Kamisato, it's been a while." You smile gently at him, taking a step back, causing him to loosen his hold into you.

The was he reach out, nevertheless retracted his hand as he stared at it for a while before clenching and unclenching it then bringing it to his side before putting his attention into you. "Right, it's been a while. I've been looking for you." "All the way to Liyue?" You spoke before shutting up. That was wrong. In the first place, you should have just ignored him and went as fast as you can. "Mr. Kamisato, what are you even doing here? Never mind that I should get going now, Mr. Kamisato."

As you turn around and was about to leave, you feel a thug on your clothes. "Wait." Don't, leave him be. So you took a step forward, but he didn't let go. "Please wait-" "Let go while I'm asking nicely, Mr. Kamisato" You spoke with a sigh, heart painful throbbing on your chest. You should leave, leave, and never look back. You've done it once. You can do it again.

As you took a step forward, the moment you took a forceful step forward, you heard a sniff. Don't turn around. Another step followed by another sniff that you can feel your heart breaking a bit by bit. Here you thought it already shattered enough that day. "(First name), please. I- I was wrong." Don't turn around. "Please, hear me out." Don't turn around. Archons, don't. "Darling, please." Fuck! Don't turn around. You've done it once, why can't you do it again this time?

"Fuck!" You curse under your breath and turn around. "Why are you looking so pathetic crying in the middle of the street? Where is your dignity?!" You spoke as you grab him by his arm and started heading towards the direction of your house. "Those who knows you would be laughing, crying to see you in such pathetic state, you, the one and only Lord of the Kamisato clan!" You can not help your temper. He looks like he has not gone to sleep for years.

As soon as the two of you entered the house, you urged him for a bath. The thing is, you end up giving him a bath just like the good old days you never thought you would do again. "Don't cry." As he sits on the tub, he weakly reaches out to wipe away the tears rolling down your cheeks. "I hate seeing you cry." "Fuck you." You sniff and glare at him. "You- you should be in there living a happy- if not happy at least a contented and peaceful life. What in the fuck are you doing in here." You cried as you gently rinse off the shampoo in his hair.

"I let you go already, why are you here- fuck. What the fuck are you doing in here?" "I- I came to get you back." "I'm not going." "I didn't marry her." You almost splash him with a water in the face. "What do you mean?" "I called of the arrange marriage." He had a small smile on his face after that.

"I was wrong. If I truly love you, I should have never allow you to make such choice- there should have never been a choice to begin him." He look so tired when he said that, brushing back his wet strand of hair away from his face. "My lover is selfless" He added. "You told me to live a happy, if not a contented and peaceful life." When he looks at you, you look away but then a hand gently had you face him. "Darling. I can only achieve that life when you're by my side. I was wrong to realize it too late." Then you let out a sob. "I'm sorry. I really am. But please, please I'm begging you (First name). Come back to me."

The way you sob, it hurts. At the same time, was it relief that you are feeling right now? But then there comes the guilt. "I- we- let's get you dried up, Mr. Kamisato." "(First name)-" "Not now, let's get you dried up and clothed first." You spoke as calmly as possible as you stood up and wipe away your own tears. "Darling- please- I know you can't-" "Ayato." You look at him, "Dry up and dress up, I'm going to introduce you to someone."

The way he cautiously and nervously looks at you, who is currently helping him put on a new set of clothes. It seems like it was the clothes the locals here wear. But the thing is, why do you have spare clothes of man on your house? "One of the locals gave it to me." You suddenly explained, "They assumed I have a husband, so they just gave me this. I never thought it could be put to use until now." Suddenly, relief came into him, releasing the breath he's been holding on unconsciously.

"Come here." He had no choice but to follow you as you gently hold him by the hand, it was warm. "Who I'm about to introduce you, I'm sorry." "What-?"

The way his eyes widen as soon as his eyes set on the sleeping figure on the room just right next to you. He took a step back, his heart beating wildly on his chest, he looks like he was about to snap his neck the way he turn his head into you. "Is he?" His light purple iris were trembling as they looked into your (eye color) ones. You did not dare look away from him, not like you can as those teary eyes look into you with hope.

You wonder what he could be feeling right now. Pain? Happiness? Betrayal? Sadness? Before you could even think further, you watch in shock as he kneels in front of you, hands shaking as they hold into your clothes. "Please. I'm begging you. He's mine, right?" The way those bloodshot light purple iris looks at you. Those eyes were telling you, were begging you, even if it's a lie to tell him that the child peacefully sleeping on the bed was his.

"He's mine right? Please tell me he's mine." He looked desperate, he was desperate. He was begging on his knees. "Please say something." He begged, clenching on your clothes he was holding on. Then tears started falling, you don't know if it was his or yours. But then you nod, not trusting your voice. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide- hide it from you. I was just-" "I shouldn't have let you leave." In a split of seconds, you were in his arms.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I'm sorry." He repeatedly apologized as he held you tightly yet gently in his arms. "I'm sorry you had to leave and continue to love me in the dark." "And thank you." You felt him shake. "Thank you, fuck. Thank you." You just stood there, in your own tears as he held you in his arms. But then you slowly lifted your arms, and then you placed it on his back. "It's alright." As you gently tap his back in comfort, the more his shoulder quiver, the more you felt him hold you tighter, but, "It's alright."

It was an eventful night full of tears and revelation, almost like that night all those years ago, and yet for some odd reasons, it felt so different. For some reason, you no longer felt like it would be like the old times where the two of you have to love each other in the dark.

"Will it be alright for me to come back?" By your question, it made him scoff, gently shifting the child in his arms as the two of you look at the horizon as the two, three of you headed back in the nation the two of you belonged. "It's always been your home. Isn't it natural to come back where you belong?" "Still, the two of us-" "They know." "Huh?" "Would you believe me if I told you we were never in the dark?" For a moment, your (eye color) iris tremble.

"As funny as it may sound, everybody knows, can see how we felt for each other. That's why by the time I back down at the arranged marriage, they didn't find it strange." There was a small smile on his lips. "Would you believe me if I said Ayaka almost beaten me to death upon hearing your departure?" There was sad smile on his lips, but then he look down on his and your child in his arms.

"I'm sorry" "I told you it's alright-" "But it's not." He looks at you gently. "No matter what you say, time wasted is time wasted. I'm going to win you back no matter what you said." You blink at him. "What's the point of winning me again over when I was never over you?" This time, he blinks at you. "Is that so?" "Hmm." You hummed before the two of you let out a burst of laughter.

Suddenly, a harsh cold breeze passed by sending a shiver down your spine, as well as the child in Ayato's arms. "Let's head inside?" He asked, holding you close with his free hand before giving you a peck on your forehead. "Let's head inside." You replied as you started to make your way inside when you felt a thug on your clothes. It strangely felt deja vu.

It was strange at the same time it made you realize that, in fact, this was no longer a situation where you have to carry on things even though you are not fine. Nor were the two of you in a situation where you have to keep your love in the dark. This was no longer a situation where even without a fight, the two of you were placed in a situation where the two of you had to be defeated.

"What's wrong?" "I love you." It was strange but warm. "I don't think I ever said it openly and this loud before." The way he stood there with your and his child in his arms, the way he was rubbing his neck in flustered. You chuckle, "I love you too."

[ⓒdark-night-hero] 2023°

[wormdebut]

LET DOWN AND HANGING AROUND (CRUSHED LIKE A BUG IN THE GROUND)

Ahoy! This is my first VERY LATE ficlet for @corrodedcoffinfest ! My absolute bad for being so late, but BOY am I HAPPY TO BE HERE!

Warm Up Prompt One: Taxed. Word Count: 1000 (scrivener says 1000 Wordcounter says 979. IDK Man, it’s within limit), Rating: T, Pairing: None, CW: Swears, Smoking, Angst Tags: Eddie, Gareth, Jeff, Freak

----

October 1987

They've been at this for fucking years. Eddie feels like a fucking girl scout.

'Well hello there Mr. Music Man, would you like to buy a box of shitty garage band metal?'

Except they weren't fucking shitty. All of the guys had been working their assess off, writing, playing shows, shitty gig after shitty gig after shitty gig.

But they haven't managed anything. Nothing, zilch, nada.

They had a small crowd showing up at the Hideout, and the owner, Benny, started letting them play not only their usual Tuesday but because Eddie had been helping him with placehe was letting them play Saturday nights now too, which was great because while he appreciates the likes of his uncle and Wayne's best friends on Tuesdays, there were almost twenty people every Saturday night and that was something.

They also had a standing gig at a bar in Indianapolis at least once a month, lately they've been playing The Barrel every other week and Eddie thought--he thought--that that would get them somewhere.

The guys were fucking exhausted but Eddie kept pushing because they could do this. Corroded Coffin was great. They were great and somebody was going to see that…right?

Eddie saw what they had. He did. But the guys--

"C'mon Ed, we can't keep sneaking Gareth into bars forever. I think we need to--maybe consider other options or--" Jeff rambles. They were supposed to be practicing but Jeff Williams had to swoop inwith his stupid common sense bullshit. Jeff motherfucking Williams is one of the best guitarists Eddie has ever had to the privilege of listening to, but Jeff wants to go college like a real boy!

Gareth cuts him off, "It's just the two bars man, and I have a fake, if I need it anyw--"

Would you look at that, it's time for Freddy to cut in. "Yeah, but you're three feet tall and have the face of a newborn child."

Gareth shoves at Freddy's chest. "Oh fuck off, man. At least I'm not a virgin!" He yelps and great. This is great.

Now the band is fighting, again, because Jeff wants to go to College, Goodie is a Virgin, and Gareth is short.

Eddie just want to play music.

If they all want to yell, Eddie can yell louder. "See. Do you see what happens when you start talking about 'other options' Jeff? Chaos--and not the fun kind!"

"See, Eddie--this is the fucking problem with you. All you care about is your music, your dream, It's all about you!"

Jeff is yelling at Eddie, Gareth and Freak are rough housing, how did this even happen. All Eddie wants is to do something. Be something. He believes in this, in Jeff, and Freddy and Gareth, in the band.

And he gets that everyone is taxed, tired. Eddie is fucking exhausted. Gareth is trying to not fail his senior year. He gets it, he does, but-- "You know what, Jeff?" His voice breaks, and isn't that fucking humiliating? "Some of us, don't have college as an option. Did you ever consider that?"

Eddie leans over and grabs his cigarettes from the table, before shoulder checking Jeff as he leaves.

——

What’s the fucking point? Eddie puts everything into lyrics that people probably don't even know, all of them spend hours writing and harmonizing, making sure chords make sense, just for everything to be a pipe dream. They haven't taken a break for anything. It's either work or school or Coffin Shit. They haven't played D&D in months. They've just been doing this.

But it's all Eddie has. How the hell was he ever going to get out of shitty ass Hawkins, if it wasn't this way? He didn't exactly ace his finals--even the third time around. Honestly? He's pretty sure they just let him pass, to get him the fuck out of there.

He lights up what feels like his eighth cigarette--it's not, it's his second--and stares out to the empty street. They use Gareth's garage to practice…for being as straight laced as she is, Ms. Emerson sure does believe in the band.

Dottie Emerson and Eddie. God dammit, maybe Jeff is right.

He should go back, he should go back and apologize, and let this go. He has the job at the Hideout, he can save and maybe move to Indy--play an acoustic at some bars or…something.

God, he's just so tired of this shit.

He finishes his cigarette, and tries to breathe. Breathe in--hold--breathe out--he doesn't realizes Jeff until he taps his shoulder.

"Hey." Jeff says, quiet. Eddie, just nods, grabs his pack and offers a cancer-filled olive branch. Jeff takes it.

Eddie doesn't say anything. Doesn't want to, doesn't know what he should say.

So Jeff does. "I'm sorry, Ed. I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just fucking tired man, we all are and I do want this, I do, but it's fucking scary." Eddie turns, watches Jeff blow out smoke. "I got accepted to IU, did you know that?"

Eddie blinks. He did not know that. "No, you hadn't mentioned it."

Jeff turns to look at him, "I didn't want this to happen."

Eddie closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath. In--hold--out. "You should go." He forces a smile, watches as Jeff's eyes shine for a moment--no wonder he had that silly crush on him his second senior year, but it was only for like a week, leave it alone--before he srunches his face up, Eddie can't help but laugh. Jeff always does that, when he's stressed. It makes him look like a rabbit.

Jeff goes to speak, but Eddie cuts him off. "Let's do this Halloween show, it'll be our going away gift to our tens of adoring fans."

Jeff laughs at that, nods, and pulls Eddie into a hug.

Everything will be fine, with or without Corroded Coffin.

[something-about-sunflowers]

Alright, *cracks knuckles, back, pussy, crack, etc* more trailer to break down.

Mirror image of the shot in the teaser? Was it flipped for a reason or are we getting more than one scene like this? What boat are they on? It's not the dinghy, not the revenge (I don't THINK?), and they're not dressed the way they are with the Chinese pirates. (Red scarf presence noted.)

Speaking of: Is this 'Susan' he's talking to? This has to be early on, he's not got his cunty little earring yet. (Just trying to nail SOME of the timeline down, you understand.)

Scarf. Feeling more and more sure it's Ed's silk.

Oluwande 💚. The way this dialogue is cut seems like they're skipping something, the way Olu says 'you dumped him' doesn't flow with the conversation the way it would if it was a immediate response to Stede's 'no, why would he do that?'

Presented without comment.

They're eating the wedding cake. :)

This is presumably happening while Ed is throwing knives at Izzy's head. :(

Anyway. This looks like they're definitely trying to get Blackbeard to stop -

- doing this so they can get through the storm or tell him something's gone wrong. Maybe Izzy's foot/leg gets real bad during the storm? Could be a lot of things.

Initially I thought this might be a precursor to him menacing Frenchie in the one shot in the EW article, but that's in the galley not Stede's cabin and this is a bucket full of bottles (alcohol) and with Frenchie it's a box with bottles (containers, possibly food but I think it looks more likely to be medicine)

(for reference)

I think this is in the auxiliary wardrobe, bride figure in the top right.

Izzy looks MISERABLE here. Whether it's the idea of him knowing EXACTLY why they're at a wedding or because he's in a hell of a lot of pain (foot still present and infected and all that) or some unfortunate combination of both (likely both), I want to wrap him up in a blanket burrito and give him forehead kissies. Also, wider shot here lets me update who's where on the topdown, so:

Jim

Izzy

Frenchie

Fang

Archie

Unnamed bald one with the studded bracers behind Izzy in the previous shot

Ed. Ed you are like. Consistently seen smoking from a pipe. You can't handle a blunt? Or is the weed too dank? Also, pretty sure this is him and Anne and/or the person she's with in the shots a bit after this.

This is why I thought it might have been the shot from the EW article but again, different container with different miscellanea and different room. He. Does seem to be. Interacting with Frenchie a lot though. And. This instance seems very specifically similar to. To him interacting with. A certain someone else. In season 1. . . I'm not saying Izzy's out with a case of Leg Gone and Ed's leaning on Frenchie in the aftermath. . . but.

I feel this so hard. We've all been there Ed. Anyway I'm pretty sure this is the same place he's smoking with mysterious, mostly offscreen, light skin-toned hand person who may or may not be Anne and/or her friend. (No scarf.)

Genuinely I feel like the nose staying on his face would look more believable without the ribbon. Lucius didn't need a ribbon for his finger. Maybe if it was horizontal as opposed to diagonal? It looks LOOSE and that makes it seem like it's not secure enough to be staying on his face like it is.

Deserved (the punch). My baby's leg tho. :'(c It's not even the right height for him. Look how he's gotta bend his other leg just standing.

Olu fighting someone???

Bracer looks like guy number 6 from the wedding raid but this doesn't look like it's on a ship. This guy also seems to have a beard or something that the other guy didn't so idk.

Cracked the code here thanks to @tizzyizzy pointing out something in my server. I was right about this not being during the storm. I was wrong about it being a possibly mutiny. I'm gonna jump a bit ahead in the trailer in a sec to explain but: Ed's got a rock tied around his waist here. You can see the rock at the bottom of the screen.

You can see the line go taut and pull him down.

You can see the rock continue to pull him down. (The rock is right at the bottom of the screen.)

Jumping ahead in the trailer and. Well. Rock with some rope tied around it. (Once again, thank you Tizzy 🙏 you eagle eyed hero) The lighting certainly matches better than the storm did. The question is: Is Hornighost trying to talk him into it or out of it? (And. Yknow. Is he a ghost at all, even?)

Back to where we jumped from. Are these guys wearing the same clothes as the guy Stede 'did a punch' to? Looks like it. *Black Pete voice* What IS this fucking timeline!

Love that Izzy is the only one who doesn't duck away. Also 👀 Lucius spotted. Is he holding hands with Jim? He certainly seems comfortable positioned right between the two little killers doesn't he? ;3c

'Oh no my boat :'(c' Is anyone still on board or did they take a dinghy and get outta there after the storm?

This.

(New promo pic.) This.

(Skipping ahead in the trailer.) And this, are all the same version of Stede. The outfit (weird little arm flappies, red sash) and location are the same. This is absolutely a dream sequence. Stede is dreaming about being the kind of pirate he wishes he was. I'd also venture as to guess this is the extent of his 'revenge on Izzy' that Some Of You are all so clamoring for.

[Out of allowed images, please hold]

[dragonflylady77]

This is one of the first fics I wrote and it's been gathering dust in my GDocs, waiting for me to write more.

I'm not sure I will, so in the meantime, you get to read it.

~~~☆☆☆~~~

Stop flirting and get in the house

A 'that night at the Byers house' ficlet for @lovebillyhargrove because she's the sweetest and i love her to bits. ❤️

Read on Ao3

“Am I dreaming or is that you Harrington?” Billy says, cigarette dangling from his lips as he takes off his leather jacket and throws it in the car through the open driver window.

The other teen sighs, hands on his hips. “Yeah it's me, don't cream your pants.”

Billy mutters, “Wouldn't be the first time…”

“What?” Shock in Harrington’s eyes and something else… Billy can't tell for sure because it's dark and he might be willing it to be there. Just a little bit. He also realises he said it out loud.

Fuck.

“What?” he says, trying to derail this exchange they're having.

Smooth…

“Oh, now, come on, I wanna hear you say it.”

“Fuck off, Harrington, I'm just here for my sister.”

“See, I wish I could believe that.” Cocky asshole. Acting like he's still that King Steve Tommy keeps yammering on about.

The way he’s standing shows he really wants Billy to get back in his car and fuck off.

Too bad.

Billy doesn't have time for the posturing, not when he's already met Neil's fists once tonight and knows he will meet them again if he comes home without the red-headed pain in his ass.

“I don't give a fuck what you believe, pretty boy. Now hand over my sister. I don't know what bullshit you and the weird kids get up to, but I know it's not worth me paying for it.”

The look on Harrington's face goes from cocky to worried in the space of a breath. “What do you mean, paying for it?”

Billy realises he's said too much. “Fuck this shit.”

He takes a few steps closer to the house, still a distance away from Harrington. Can see the kids in the window, a flash of red. Bellows, “MAXINE!!! TIME TO GO, shitbird.”

“Now wait a minute, there, Hargrove.” Steve moves to stand in his way, hand up, just shy of touching him. “You can't just—”

“You don't wanna test me right now,” Billy bites out, teeth on edge. “Move, pretty boy.”

“Make me.”

That's the moment Max chooses to come storming outside.

“Oh my god Billy, would you stop flirting in front of the children.”

Billy glares at Max before his eyes focus on Harrington again and the way his brown eyes are glued to Billy's chest. He feels his heart skip a beat then.

Maxine pushes past Harrington who's still staring. “Billy, I can't go home, there's serious shit going down.” She stops, waits until he sets his eyes on hers and he can see her make a decision. “We could use your help.”

Billy can't believe his ears. “Oh now you want my help?”

That snaps Harrington out of his trance. “What? Max, we can't—”

“Steve, listen. I know he's an asshole, but he's my brother and I think his anger issues could come in handy.” She turns to Billy. “No offence.”

Billy shrugs and lights a smoke. He knows he’s an asshole with anger issues.

“MAX!”

Does Harrington have to shriek this loud?

“What? I'm sure he'll enjoy smashing those demodogs just as much as you do.”

“I'm not giving him a weapon!”

Billy grunts. “He is standing right there.” He sighs. He’s tired, he’s sore and he’s reaching his limit with all the fucking posturing. “Max, what the fuck is going on?”

“Come inside and I'll explain”

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Steve pipes up.

Max rolls her eyes at Steve and walks back into the house.

Billy steps past King Steve with a smug smirk and follows Max, partly because he’s curious to find out what’s going on and also because it’s pissing Harrington off.

He hears Harrington groan behind him and can feel him following close.

When he enters the lounge, Max is in a huddle with the weird kids and they’ve having a hushed argument about him.

He stops and feels Harrington crash into him. The feel of the other teen’s warm body behind him creates a shudder he has no time to stop.

He moves away a bit to lean on the doorframe and crosses his arms in front of him while he waits for the children to decide he’s worthy of knowing what the fuck has them all in a tizzy. Like he fucking cares.

“Max, no…”

“Just do it Dustin.”

“Ugh. Fine”

Billy feels pride bloom in his chest for the way Max takes no shit from those teenage boys.

Billy watches the curly-haired one walk into the kitchen and stop in front of the fridge. The kid looks at Billy then at Max who nods. With a sigh, the boy opens the fridge door and something tumbles out of it.

The silence in the kitchen is eerie as Billy takes in the… creature… that fell out. It’s dark grey, half wrapped in a sheet or something, roughly the size of a big dog, but its head—there’s something wrong with its head, it’s like a freaking flower with teeth.

Billy guesses it’s one of those demodog things Max mentioned outside. He’ll definitely need a weapon if that’s the kind of shit Max and her gaggle of boys are up against.

He pulls out a cigarette and lights it, ignoring the dark look Harrington sends his way. He’s never met Mrs. Byers, but her house is a mess right now, and there’s some dead flower-headed monster in her fridge, so he doubts she’ll mind much if he smokes in her kitchen.

Billy straightens up and sets his eyes on Harrington. “Alright, I’m in.”

The weird kids all start shouting again and Max runs to him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a rare hug that has Billy floundering.

He awkwardly pats her on the shoulder, turning his head to breathe out smoke away from her, because he’s a considerate brother like that.

“Fine,” Harrington says, coming into the kitchen to stand in front of Billy and Billy wants to laugh because King Steve is clearly not the one in charge here.

[apprenticestanheight]

pls a Mark hoffman x male reader where him and the reader get cozy in a bookstore while it's snowing

Snow- Mark Hoffman x male! reader

ALLL right!! In the spirit of the fact that I am determined to get my requests under control coupled with the fact that a snowstorm blew through my province sunday night through midday yesterday, this request is a little holiday-happy-feely. It's also what I hope to be the beginning of a prosperous week--I have energy drinks, coffee and finally finished editing something I actually finished working on last week, so the goal is that I can focus on other things now and get stuff done lol.

Thank you for sending this in--I truly don't write for hoffman enough and I just knew, from the minute I read the request, that it was gonna come out really sweet. I love me some tooth rotting fluff and writing this was an absolute joy!

Fic type- fluff!!

Warnings- this is unedited (I was trying to finish it before the motivation went away and editing it hardly occurred to me bc editing is never motivating ever--but I did read through as I went to make sure the grammar and stuff wasn't TOO funky. Apologies if it still is tho)

You were standing in the bookstore a close friend owned, watching the weather forecast from a TV in their backroom while they finished up with customers when you first got the news of a very intense oncoming storm.

Jersey, as a whole, was looking at a median half a foot of snow over the weekend. Locally, though, two feet were the expectation. You had the thought to get home and make sure to turn the heat on so the pipes didn't freeze, but your phone was dead and you'd agreed to meet Mark at the bookstore and then grab a cab home together, so it wasn't really worth it. Plus--the snowfall in the first four hours wasn't expected to be too terrible. Driving conditions would be fine until midnight, at the very latest, which gave you plenty of time.

Your friend decides to close the bookstore early, and when Mark comes in fifteen minutes after they've decided to close, he's a sight for sorer eyes.

Your friend, having watched the snowfall to see just how inaccurate the newscaster had been, was setting up their backroom in case you all needed to spend the night there while you brewed up some coffee from the machine left somewhere to the right of the counter, right next to an advertisement stating that coffee, hot chocolate and tea all costed the hefty price of two quarters.

Mark is somewhat covered in snow--he shakes it from his hair and shoots you a happy, loving smile as he idly dusts it off his coat. Your friend greets him and Mark says his hello, running a hand through his hair as Quin--your friend--goes back to the backroom to finish setting it up.

"They said it wasn't supposed to be that bad," Mark notes as he approaches you in the dimly lit bookstore. "Strahm was a dick about it, though--sounded like he was sixty, complainin' about how storms in Jersey always seem a bit random. Perez had the graces to wish me luck, where Strahm just said to enjoy my walk. Don't think he likes me all that much, if I'm honest."

You shrug, passing him the mug of coffee you'd just made. "He's the new guy, Mark. Take it a little easy--not everyone sees the charm in Jersey, babe. Especially not with some serial killer on the loose. Maybe he's worried he's next for smoking cigarettes or something."

Mark laughs. Your heart swells.

"Think we'll get snowed in here?"

You laugh, starting another cup of coffee by placing a new K-pod into the Keurig. "I love Quin, but I really do hope not. As someone who studied for their college degree in that staff room, sleeping on that couch is not for the weak. I'm pretty sure it's old enough to drink, actually. I helped him move it in when he bought the place."

"Well, we'll figure something out."

You nod, grinning as Marks lips press a kiss against your cheek. "We always do, Mark. How was work?"

"It was work," Mark shrugs. "Shitty roads, more investigating, all of the fun stuff that comes with workin' at the precinct. How was work for you?"

"It was a day in the life of marketing," you shrug, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Numbers, people, crappy coworkers and slow computers. I can't wait for my week off on Monday--I will sleep in and for an entire seven days, I won't have to hear about Carol and her bunions or David and his grandmother. I hate the office I work in but the coworkers make it so much worse. Their incessant gossiping makes it hard to focus."

Mark laughs, and you laugh a little too while the coffee finishes pouring. You make it to your specifications and burn the roof of your mouth drinking it, but it's worth it because it tastes damn good.

Quin shows up with a defeated smile from the back room. "Hey, lovebirds," he greets. "You've got four hours before the roads start sucking ass to drive on, but from what it looks like, cab companies aren't going to let their drivers drive anyone home after ten. You're welcome to stay here and browse for a bit, drink coffee and Mark, I'm sure you'll have an excellent time while Y/N looks at the classics section that he loves so dearly, but I'll be leaving round ten thirty so I'd say it's best to be leavin' at nine thirty. That is, of course, if you have any hopes of getting a cab before companies start threatening to cut the wages of anyone still out and driving after the cut off."

You nod at Quin. "Thanks for the tip, Quinnie," you say. "We'll be out of your hair by nine thirty, we promise."

Quin shakes his head, waving a dismissive hand. "No worries, Y/N. Have fun with Detective Lip Filler."

Mark quirks an eyebrow while you laugh, shaking your head as if to say "don't ask, mark," and interlacing your fingers with his own.

Mark lets you lead him off, down one of many winding corridors in the bookstore. While you browse the shelves you and Mark talk--Christmas plans very quickly become a point of discussion, seeing that it's two weeks away and neither of you really know what the plan is just yet.

You know that Mark doesn't much talk to his parents--they're in their seventies as it were and subscribe to more...conservative points of politics and worldviews. Aside from them, he's not really got anybody and hasn't since his sisters death.

You figured he'd spend it with you, unless work got in the way as it had last year. Your tradition was simple--spend Christmas Eve at home, order Chinese takeaway, watch whatever crappy Christmas movies happened to be playing on the channel that was devoted to them during December and laugh at the bad acting.

Wake up Christmas morning, make cinnamon buns and bake a tray of brownies to take to your parents as you were always in charge of dessert. Make sure the gifts you'd bought for relatives were in your car and then drive the half an hour to your parents place. Spend the day there, leave with a quick hug to your parents and a promise to come around again around the new year, and then go home and smoke a bit of weed to relax and hit the hay early.

"You don't have to," you murmur, grabbing the penguin edition of Shakespeares 'Hamlet' and glancing the cover over. "It's just a suggestion--it's Christmas, Mark. Might be because I was raised with neighbors popping by for Christmas dinner, but Christmas is a shitty holiday to spend alone."

Mark nods. "I was hoping I'd get to spend Christmas with you anyway," he says, taking a sip of his coffee. "Will we have to act like we're just best friends, though? Or are your parents unopposed?"

"They know I have a boyfriend at present," you answer. Your relationship isn't new--it's been three years with him, but Mark has been busy with work and trying to keep a level head as things with Jigsaw have continued, so you've never really had the chance to introduce him to anyone in your family. "They also know what your name is--first, not last. And that you're a detective, and that you're really handsome. I promise, I haven't told them anything that would make them hate you. My mothers been eager to meet you since I brought you up, though. My exes were horrendous, according to her."

Mark laughs, and you let yourself grin. "I'll do my best to impress, then," he says. "We'll have to get them gifts, though."

"I've been meaning to do some Christmas shopping anyway--we'll go once the storm has cleared," you say. "And at this point, I think my parent's won't care about gifts, really. They just really wanna meet you."

You put Hamlet back onto the shelf and grin as Marks arms wrap around your waist after he's set the coffee mug on an empty shelf. You do the same and let your arms wrap around his shoulders, and silence settles.

You close your eyes for a second, listening.

"Can you hear it?" You ask after a minute, maybe two.

"Hear what?" Mark asks. "It's completely silent in here, Y/N--there's nothing to hear."

"The snow, Mark," you answer. "It might just be because my ears are good, but I can hear it hitting the windowsills."

"How?"

"I dunno," you shrug. "Just been able to since I was a kid. I knew it was snowing right when I woke up some days."

"I will add that to the catalogue of random things that've come to light at random times," Mark grins as your eyes open again. "Among the fact that your favorite color was green until you were twenty four, and the fact that you once got bitten by a stray cat so bad that you had to be put on antibiotics during your college days, and the fact that you've never liked daisies."

You laugh, shaking your head. "You love me and my randomness, Hoffman."

Mark nods. "That I do," he says.

The two of you end up sitting at one of the desks by the windows, drinking coffee and chatting until nine, when you leave to grab a cab home just to sit by your windowsill and watch the snow until you grow bored of it.

All in all, for a night in the middle of December, while the beginnings of a snowstorm rages on outside, it's a pretty good night.

[lee-hakhyun]

601, 602, 603

look what we have here. a bunch of orv readers gathered together. surely nothing could go wrong.

immediately, skills similar to sage's eye, albeit less powerful, are used on lhh

right, he still can't see his attribute window. but he doesn't have the fourth wall..? well, there's no time to linger on that right now. the two who used the skills experienced a rebound, and lhh identified them as an old guy with a gombangdae, and an woman with an iron flail

this is a gombangdae (곰방대), a smoking pipe

checking their reader stats,

he's using killer king as a baseline...???? the guy who has read orv basically 100 times????? that's like using yoo joonghyuk as a baseline for beauty, which. hm.

anyway, the readers notice lee jihye, and lhh's a little nervous about all these readers being here. he's been lucky so far with the readers he's met being friendly, but he still has to be careful. and. look who shows up

hi paul...

a screen appears, and the incarnations challenging the upper floors are shown. there's kim namwoon and lee hyunsung! they're in a zombie movie, and kim namwoon is having the time of his life (most importantly, kim namwoon is alive!!)

but at the end of the video,

damn it paul, the readers are going to misunderstand and misunderstand they did. a white coat? kim dokja??? even kyung sein asked lhh if it was kdj. with the lemon candy in his pocket, i'm pretty sure lhh knows who it is.

so, why is paul here?

paul is working with the theater dungeon master,, and a new sub scenario was created

blue marble is like korean monopoly. pretty interesting actually, i had fun looking at the differences. space travel...

they're given 10 minutes to make teams. lhh's group is 5 people, so they've got to split into two teams. someone speaks in lhh's ear with a skill, [full sound]. it's the strawberry1137 woman from before, and she says her group has s-grade items and narrative-grade sponsors, and asks for him to join their group. however.

he'd have to leave lee dansu and kyung sein behind. obviously, he won't do that

the other guy who tried to use a skill on lhh is also heard using [full sound], and makes a similar offer. they're not bad offers, but. eugh. there's also this guy

yeah

a group of people come out, and the leader starts to tell people that they should work together. this guy, he's got a white coat and a broken sword. the woman pushes him, it's just a broken sword, right? but he activates it, and an ether blade appears. he's not kim dokja, though

hm.

602

well, he's not han sooyoung. so.. he's this worldline's author? but. wait, first, jung heewon and lee jihye are hearing everything???

quote from chapter 60 ^^ jhw and ljh do not care at all, so the readers can keep talking without hiding anything. so, this guy claims to be the author? but lee hakhyun is right there?

that's an interesting reaction well, while lhh is checking his information, ksi goes and asks him a question

HAHAH okay this guy is ruining lhh's image i should maybe feel bad but this is fucking funny sorry lhh

before he can speak up, the woman with the flail does first, asking if he is really the author. there's a bit of back and forth banter here, and the author brings up [lie detection]. but it doesn't seem like anyone has lie detection here. the author signals to the woman next to him, and she activates lie detection:

?

even with this, there were still people who weren't convinced.

'serials' and 'textpia' are slightly misspelled 'series' and 'munpia' in the kr text, i changed it to similar sounding words. don't remember if i mentioned that before (it shows up in star writer too)

lhh seems to not believe him, but most people are convinced at this point. well, it seems it's time for him to step in

now this is interesting, because this also applies to him.., lhh asks if the author would know more about orv than the readers, and proposes a small quiz, which the author accepts

lee hakhyun then makes fun of the author

these are questions the host of the original kdj's banquet asked, and obviously the author wasn't there so he just gets humiliated. but he was just joking around, so what's the final question?

this is true, actually! it's not the 14th but 41st. both the epub and official webnovel text it has it as the 14th regression (it's fixed in the webtoon tl). presumably when orv was translated the typo hadn't been fixed at the time, and when it was later fixed in korean the english translation was not updated (expected, tbf, there's also a lot of typos. no fault to the translators, but webnovel is huge could they not have paid a little more attention to the translation they're hosting?)

the text from webnovel

and the text on munpia

now, if this guy was actually the author, he obviously would have known about the change. so why does he only know of it from before it was fixed? the 'author' asks who lee hakhyun is and how he would know all that, and lee hakhyun says that he's read orv more than 100 times. obviously the author doesn't believe him, but lie detection confirms his words.

and if you haven't guessed by now, his reader stats

he's an ohdokhyup who uploaded orv to the illegal site (and he took the name tls456. do you understand how excited i was to see that name with no context before realizing who this guy ACTUALLY was)

603 jung jaewoo -> jjw

again, this is brought up. can lhh really call orv his story?

everyone in lhh's group finishes preparing, and they decide to split the group this way: kyung sein, lee dansu, lee jihye jung heewon, lee hakhyun

lee jihye <3

paul appears, and then says that people who haven't found a team will be randomly matched. lee hakhyun did not expect that, and a random third person joined his group

jung jaewoo! he was the guy who asked if anyone had read orv before, haha. lee hakhyun uses [reader's comments list], and his profile is normal. 1.62 completed readings. he checks the comments jaewoo left, and,

jung jaewoo originally read orv for free cookies, and then got hooked and kept reading. good for him!!

the scenario starts, and they're given dice to roll for progressing. lee hakhyun rolls the dice,

???????

lhh remarks that he's usually unlucky, so? nothing in the star stream is an accident. lhh asks jjw if he has any skills, and he admits he has the attribute [little luck], a skill that literally gives you a little luck. jung jaewoo goes on a tangent and explains his luck so far in survivng the scenarios.

a series of stores that nobody asked about... come on, lhh.... it's interesting yeah, this guy has incredible luck also! kim dokja was originally going to have [little luck]!

i don't think this would be added for no reason, singshong might have considered this at one point too? that's really cool if so, singshong adding in extra facts about orv into the side story in a perfect way,,

they roll again, and get a 5. however, they hit a trap stage, and go down three steps, and enter a regular stage. they end up in a movie.. and the landscape is familiar. it's the dinosaur movie that was in orv.. and the system mentions that there are other contestants in the movie.

if there's other people here.. yoo joonghyuk?

[signalhill-if]

Hey folks! It's just about time to start thinking about art.

I've tried to sit down several times and work out a style for Signal Hill, and it's just never looked right. Eventually I concluded that if I wanted art that looked right, I'd need to hire somebody else to do it for me.

So I'll be commissioning paintings of the characters from a very talented artist, @/wuntrum (not tagging because I am shy <3), whose are you can peruse here. Not only are they talented, they also have a comic called Signals, so it's like the universe is trying to tell me something haha. This is going to be over a pretty big time span because obviously it's quite expensive and it takes time to make art, but expect to be seeing the first piece in the next few months.

However, I still have some time to decide who is going to be the first up! I don't want to decide entirely on my own, so I'm going to make it a poll.

I'm also narrowing the options down to just characters we've met in the actual game so far. All of their portraits will be based on their in-game introductions. I'm going to give you a description of what I'm thinking for each one, the pros and cons, and I'll let y'all have the final say (or maybe like... the second-to-last say. If it's close enough I might pick). Without further ado...

Doc

I'm hoping to eventually have two versions of Doc, one with and one without the plague doctor outfit. The one you'd be getting first, though, would be with. It would be a full body painting of him standing against an abstract desert landscape, something that could function as both standalone art and have the title placed on the right. This one is probably also going to be the most expensive? Unsure, I won't know until I run the concept by the artist. Also it might be a little sad if the first piece I get is one where the character's face isn't even visible lmao.

Yasmin

This is the image that's been caught in my head for MONTHS, actually since super early in the game's development, haha. Yasmin reclining in a couch covered in pillows and draped with translucent fabric, possibly holding her pipe or possibly with arm outstretched to the viewer. Gah. I want to see it soooooo bad. But also maybe it would be good to leave this off until later, so we've got the vibe down a little better before getting started on this one?

Yvette

Yvette's intro is similarly iconic, seen from a low angle in a fancy robe perched on the fancy staircase. I've got a very good idea of what this one would look like since I've tried to draw it several times before, so that would be good re: references. It'll also be less expensive than the others, since I don't want this one to be a full body shot. So that's a big plus.

KC

The big downside with KC is that I'm not 100% sure which concept to go with- I could do her at the beginning of Lamplighters, in her windbreaker, with her feet kicked up on the table, smoking. Or I could do something inspired by Test Run. For that reason, it's probably best to leave her until Test Run comes out, but I'll throw her in in case y'all really want to see her intro scene lol.

Levi

Levi is similar in that I'm not 100% sure about the concept. It would certainly be him with the knife in Tracking Number, half body, but I'm not sure what angle or mood to go with, so I'd probably be leaving it somewhat up to the artist to decide. Might be better to leave him until later, but again, I'll include him in case y'all really want to see him.

[glowingbadger]

Guys I basically hate everything I'm making right now, drawing, writing, etc. and it's all taking a million years to make just to be disappointed with the results SO I'm taking an indulgent and stupid break to spit out my thoughts about the FE3H lads' vices of choice (in terms of what they may imbibe to take the edge off). Also I'm tired and doing this super off-the-cuff, so if I forget someone or my takes are shit or w/e... i dunno, mea culpa I guess.

big ol' TW for drug & alcohol use so skip this one if you don't vibe with booze and/or smoking of various types (nothing too hard tho lmao no one's shooting up or anything on this post). As a disclaimer since this whole post might make me seem super pro-drugs lmao: I am into having your vices and letting them help get you through the day to a healthy and controlled extent.

Also, I guess this is sort of modern au?? FE3H's setting is wildly anachronistic, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have things like modern cigarettes, or edibles as we know them. Just. Roll with it ig.

Honestly this was inspired by a guy I used to hook up with before I met my husband who smoked and because of him I briefly developed a pavlovian response where I'd become aroused by the scent of cigarettes so shout-out to you, Dan- hope you're doing good somewhere you dumb, handsome bastard

Vices:

Linhardt- he's open to a lot, as a naturally curious type, but he's particularly fond of hookah. He finds the experience meditative and calming, and it's honestly best if someone keeps an eye out and makes sure he doesn't fall asleep with the coals still burning. But having a pipe in hand while reading on a quiet evening is just unmatched.

Hubert- obviously his canon vice is coffee, which he naturally takes black (at most, perhaps a splash of milk). That said, while he doesn't have an addictive streak, he will have a cigarette here and there when the stress is getting to him and he needs to stay focused. Other than that, he of course will partake in wine when it's expected of him at events, but he doesn't overly enjoy it.

Ferdinand- he enjoys wine both as a social experience, and as a true connoisseur; he's constantly scouting out which sellers have gotten ahold of something rare and exotic, and has no compunctions about paying a good deal of money for a valuable bottle. However, he dramatically overestimates his own alcohol tolerance.

Caspar- pretty much lives completely clean, unless food and over-exercise can be considered vices (which many would say they could). He tried Lin's hookah once and he coughed so much that he wrote off smoking across the board. Totally doesn't get things like "acquired tastes" when it comes to drinks, either- why bother with something you don't like right off the bat?

Dimitri- as a function of growing up at the height of society, he's of course expected to drink socially and know just enough about fine wines and liquors to serve appropriately high-quality drink to guests and dignitaries. However, he's a very dramatic and sad drunk, on the rare occasions he lets himself get that far. Frankly, he should probably just try weed.

Felix- he keeps his vices pretty under control, as lack of control makes him feel on-edge. Similar to Caspar, his 'vice' is more about drowning his anxieties in training and exercise. That said, he'll sometimes nurse a cigarette for a while, mostly to keep his mouth and hands busy- it's a fidgeting habit more than anything.

Sylvain- he's made a conscious effort to familiarize himself with and build a tolerance to just about anything that's consumed socially. Passing a joint, pouring a drink, taking shots, anything that adds to that socially-acceptable party vibes, he's ready to jump on-board. Left to his own preferences though, he likes a good whiskey, but like, the softer, smoother ones that go down easy.

Ashe- he doesn't look it, but having grown up in a rough situation and having to rub elbows with some unsavory types, he does have a respectable tolerance for most of your standard substances- though he's mostly only ever taken them to be "polite." But he knows his body and knows to keep alert.

Dedue- can appreciate coffee, but is potently aware of the disadvantages of caffeine addiction, so he keeps it moderate. He can also appreciate hookah, and similarly to Linhardt, finds it to be a soothing and calm activity that doesn't impair his judgement or cognition significantly.

Claude- pretty open minded overall, and is in support of indulging in moderate hedonism as long as it never puts you at a disadvantage. His preferred indulgence is weed, and in particular, he can really enjoy a well made edible. He's very picky about who he imbibes with, however- he doesn't trust just anyone while he may be in a slightly compromised state and more likely to say something he otherwise wouldn't.

Lorenz- he's as much a wine aficionado as any true noble would be, of course, and has memorized all the usual talking-points thereof. He considers it distasteful to become visibly inebriated, however. He also definitely owns a collection of elaborate and expensive tobacco pipes that have almost never been used.

Ignatz- he's fairly clean, and will nurse a single drink throughout an evening in social settings. He's heard that many famous artists have found inspiration in "broadening their minds," but he finds the loss of control intimidating. To be honest though, he also should probably try weed, this is a man with an anxiety disorder if I ever saw one.

Raphael- probably hasn't had many opportunities to get extremely experimental, but he does absolutely love a good beer or ale (or several beers or ales), preferably alongside a hearty meal or vast array of snacks. He considers it just part of enjoying a feast, a perfect accent to the food.

Jeralt- his love of booze is canon, of course, but he is generally open minded about such things and is willing to partake in whatever takes the edge off after a big job. He has decent tolerance, but has a habit of ignoring when he might be pushing a little too far, basically willfully ignoring his own limits.

Seteth- canonically, Nabateans have high alcohol tolerance (if Seteth's mention of it to Manuela is anything to go off of), so I imagine this extends to most foreign substances. That said, he does enjoy the earthy flavor of a well-worn tobacco pipe, and will sometimes unwind with it after a long work day.

Also on a personal note, modern au Seteth in a business suit smoking a cigarette makes horny brain go brrrrrrrrrr

Jeritza- he stays totally clean, as he deeply dislikes the sensation of losing control. He lives with the constant shadow of the thought that any lapse will trigger the Death Knight, and knows he can't risk such a thing outside of the battlefield.

[poedameronwifey]

A true home (The hobbit Fanfic)

Chapter 17

Hey y'all. Things are about to get super duper emotional. Make sure you have a box of tissues because I can assure you, there will be crying and there will be laughing. Al I know is that this is gonna make you feel stuff, So good luck, Enjoy and happy readings. Now onwards, my readers.

Also super sorry about this late post. I have been extremely busy with university but I will be posting more chapters soon. Don't worry!!!!!

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Kate's Pov

To say that everyone was surprised would be an understatement. I'm pretty sure one or two of them fainted. I mean it's not every day that they find out that Thorin Oakenshield has a daughter who is part-elven and who has been with them since the beginning of the trip. But once we passed all of that, they cheered and gave Lilith hugs, congratulating her. Fili and Kili were beyond happy to have a cousin. They hugged her so tight, I'm surprised that she didn't burst, Balin gave her a warm smile and hug, welcoming her to the family. Renee and I just stood on the side, looking at how happy everyone was. We couldn't be happier for Lilith. I found my father and Lilith found her family. I looked at Reni with a sad look. She doesn't have a family anymore. She's the last one. It's not fair. They should be here.

It was night-time now and everyone was sitting around the fire. The girls and I decided to tell them the truth. The dwarves were surprised to learn that they were from a famous book. Renee explained how we got here.

"So you went into a cave and saw a pool inside it. Then walked out and found yourselves here?"

"Yep. We know it's weird. I mean we were surprised when we realised we were no longer home. But now I'm glad it happened. Lilith found her family and I found my father. Still a bit mad that Mama didn't tell us but I don't blame her."

Renee nodded. Lilith was sitting in between Balin and Thorin. She had her head on Thorin's shoulder. His arm wrapped around her back and his coat around them both. Soon Bofur took over, telling stories about the Blue Mountains. Everything just felt right. I smiled at my new family. I couldn't ask for anything better. My eyes gravitated to Fili. He was smoking his pipe, leaning against the wall with his legs up, laughing with his brother at Bofur' s story. He looked so beautiful. I couldn't help the blush that made its way to my face. I can't seem to get him out of my mind since Bag End. I needed some time to myself. I got up and excused myself and walked around. I stopped when I found a small pond. I sat down on the edge and put my hands in the water. It was so cool and comforting.

Then I thought, what if I had magic? I mean I did also go in the pool when I was a baby so maybe it did something to me. I decided to test that theory. My hand hovered above the water and I concentrated. The water rose from the pond to my hands, making him lose concentration and the water went back into the pond. I decided to try it again and the same thing happened. I stood up and watched as the water kept rising and I let out a surprised noise. I was able to manipulate water. I did some cool tricks that I saw in movies and TV shows. I laughed as I played with the water. It was all around me, entwining around my hands like vines but made of water. After a while I stopped, returning the water to the pond. I can't wait to tell the girls. They're going to freak out.

I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I turned around and saw Fili walking towards me. I smiled at him, making him return it with a wink. I just rolled my eyes.

"Well hello stranger. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you."

"Ooh did you miss me that much?"

"Of course my lady. It's boring when you are there. Plus I can't let you walk around alone. You might get lost."

I raised my eyebrow, a smirk making its way to my face, " Oh really? And you have the whole place mapped out? Oh, thank lord you came. I am saved. Now I won't have to worry about getting lost. My prince- no wait, My dwarf in shining armour. My hero."

I dramatically put my hands over my eyes and sighed. I started to laugh. He joined in. I waved him over and sat on the edge of the pond, he sat down next to me.

"Ah, that was fun."

"Aye, it was. Who knew you could be just as dramatic as Renee and Lilith."

"Where do you think they learned it from? Sure as hell wasn't the drama classes they had when they were younger. I'm just kidding. I just don't show it often. I leave that to the main drama queen; Reni, Lils, Thorin and Kili."

"Don't let Thorin hear you say that." I got up and turned to him, hands on my hips and standing on one leg.

"Or what? He's going to kill me with his majesticness? Or he's going to stare at me, hoping looks can kill? Please at least give me a challenge. Now, Reni, she's a challenge. You never know with that one. One time in school, I told this boy to shut up because I couldn't concentrate in class. He ignored me so I stabbed him in the hand with my pencil. Well next to his hand. He got angry and stabbed my hand with his pencil. When Reni found out, she was pissed. Confronted the dude to try and make him apologise to me but he just laughed. Reni's whole mood shifted. It was like she had no feelings or emotions. She walked up to him and kicked him in the stomach. Then she punched him in the face. She kept beating the shit out of him and almost broke his arm before I finally stopped her. She then said to him: "If you ever hurt my sister again, I will ruin your life, slit your throat in your sleep, burn your body, make everyone forget you ever existed and get people to feel sorry for me. And then still get away with it. You mess with my sisters, you mess with me" and walked away without care while he had a panic attack. Soon everyone heard about it and never messed with us again. Her mind goes blank and it's like someone else takes over. She has no memory of what she does when she's angry. That's why she just doesn't get angry. She'll get irritated or annoyed but never angry. And if she does, oh pray to whoever you believe in and say your goodbyes. You'll be dead before you even turn around. Lilith is kind of the same but she's not as dangerous as Reni unless you have royally screwed up."

"Reni doesn't seem like the type to do that but then again you never know. The boy got what he deserved. Now I know I will not get on her bad side."

"Yep, but she's only like that with loved ones. She's too kind for own good."

Fili nodded in agreement. They started talking about random stuff. Fili told stories about his childhood while Kate laughed and stood up to make sure she didn't fall over. Turns out that princes can be very mischievous. That explains why Thorin has grey hair. All of a sudden it was quiet so I turned to Fili and he was looking at me with that look again. When he saw me in that dress, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He walked to me, his eyes never leaving mine. When he was right in front of me, one of his hands cradled my face as he touched my forehead with his. I could feel his breath on my face. He put an arm around my waist pulling me against him, making me gasp as we stared into each other's eyes.

"Kate, I have to tell you something. I cannot wait any longer. I love you. I love you more than all the stars in the skies. I tried to deny it but I can't anymore. My heart belongs to you. You are my One."

Kate didn't know what to say. "You love me? But I'm a hobbit and you're a dwarf. A prince nonetheless."

"I don't care. I know what my heart wants. It wants you. But you do not need to say anything. I just want you to know."

He removed his arm from her waist and placed a soft kiss on her head. He turned to leave. Kate finally felt cold and realised that Fili had walked away. He loved her. Even though she wasn't a dwarf. But what did she feel? Did she love him? She thought back to the moment they met. How he blushed when he introduced himself, he covered her in his coat to make sure she didn't freeze. He was always there by her side. He made her feel safe and loved. She couldn't get him out of her head. She wondered why but now she knew, She was in love. With Fili. She had to tell him. He was almost out of her sight when she shouted.

"Fili, wait." He turned around and looked at her. She had tears running down her face. She walked to him as she spoke.

" Fili, at first I was scared. I've never felt like this before. I didn't know what this feeling meant. You never left my mind. You make me feel butterflies whenever you look at me. Whenever I'm with you, I feel safe and happy. You make me happy. I thought it would go away on its own but if anything, it just got worse. I tried to deny it, to run away from this feeling. But my heart wouldn't let go. I love you Fili. I have loved you since the night we met. I don't want to run from my feelings anymore. My heart belongs to you, it always has."

By the end I was in front of him, putting his face in my hands. His hands were wrapped around my waist, pulling me into him. Tears ran down his cheeks as he touched my forehead with his.

"Amrâlimê. I love you so much."

"I love you too, my love."

He leaned down, pulling me into a kiss. I closed my eyes, kissing him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck. It was passionate. It was full of love. His love. We pulled away, foreheads resting against each other as we looked into each other's eyes. I never thought this day would come. I never thought I'd fall in love. But now, I'm so happy I did. I sighed happily as he pulled me into his chest, cheek on my head. He placed a kiss on my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair. We stood like that for a few minutes. Nothing else mattered at that moment. It was just us, nothing else. I pulled back looking into his eyes with a smile. He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. At the notion, I let out a giggle. And I never giggle. I was so happy. I never thought I'd ever find love. My sisters are going to tease the hell out of me. I put my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat while he ran his fingers through my hair. We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company. I realised we'd been gone for too long. We had to get back to the others before they got suspicious but I don't want to leave. He's so fucking warm and cuddly. I pulled away, putting my hands on his chest and looking into his blue eyes.

"We have to head back. The others will get ideas and the last thing we need is my sisters making it worse."

He nodded with a smile, kissing my forehead. We walked back to the others, hands intertwined but as soon as we got close, we let go, smiling at each other as we parted ways. That did not go unnoticed by Renee and Kili. they smirked at each other. Damn it. Well, I know how I'm going to die. Teased to death by my annoying sisters. She caught my eyes, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows at me while I rolled my eyes and gave her the finger with an innocent expression. I loved pissing my sisters off. It's so much fun.

Third Pov

It was the next morning and the girls were busy training their powers in the forest near Rivendell. Katherine managed to manipulate water molecules to make water move in any form: Solid, liquid and gas. Lilith could control the plants around her and listen to nature and everything it was saying. A howl cried out, alerting the girls. They looked at each other before running to where the sound came from. They had their weapons out just in case. They came to a tree where the sound came from and saw a little black wolf pup with bright blue silver eyes crouching closer to the tree, scared and alone. The girls put their weapons away and put their hands out to show ads that they mean no harm. Lilith walked towards the little pup, not breaking eye contact and kneeling in front of it. It seemed to trust Lilith so it came out of hiding and walked slowly until it was right in front of her.

"Hi, sweetie. It's okay I'm not gonna hurt you and neither will my sisters."

Do you promise?

Lilith had no clue how but she could understand what the little pup was.

"Can you understand me little one?"

Yes.

"Okay, Why don't you tell me where your parents are?"

They're dead. I'm all alone.

"Oh, sweetie. It's okay. You want to come with me?"

The little wolf pup nodded its little head and ran into Lilith's arms. She stood up and rubbed its fur. Renee and Kate had confused looks on their faces. Lilith explained that she was able to understand what the pup was saying, They concluded that she was able to talk to animals. Renee rubbed the little one's head, smiling at it.

"Wait, is it a boy or a girl? We need to know if we're going to give it a name."

Lilith checked and confirmed it was a boy. The girls walked back to Rivendell, coming up with a name for the little guy.

"Hey, what about Hades? He reminds me of him from Percy Jackson, the book more than the movie."

"That's true. Well, then your new name is Hades. Do you like it?"

Hades nodded, causing Renee to swoon at how adorable he was. Lilith rubbed behind his ear and Kate gave him a kiss on his forehead. When the girls got back to the company, Thorin was the first to notice them, smiling at his daughter. He then noticed the little wolf pup in Lilith's arms. Lilith went up to him while Kate went to Fili, putting her head on his shoulder and Renee sat next to Kili, putting her legs in his lap and leaning against the wall. Lilith explained what happened as Thorin listened, He then looked at the little wolf pup and smiled, rubbing behind his ear. He kissed Lilith on her head and went over to Balin.

Soon it was time for the meeting with Lord Elrond. Thorin, Bilbo, Balin and the girls all went to Lord Elrond's study where he was waiting for them along with Gandalf.

"For goodness sake, show Lord Elrond the map."

"It is the legacy of my people. It is mine to protect, as are its secrets."

"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves."

"Oh save me from the fucking stubbornness of dwarves."

Both Gandalf and Renee said in an irritated tone at the same time, Renee facepalming and shaking her head in irritation. Lilith hits her dad across the back of the head, causing him to look at her with a hint of mock betrayal which she just responds with a mock glare.

"Now I know where this one gets her stubbornness from. Look just show him the fucking map Thorin," Renee pleaded.

"Your pride will be your downfall. You stand in the very presence of the few in Middle-earth that can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond."

Bilbo and Kate side-eyed Thorin, unsure of what he would do. Throin debated it internally before swallowing his pride and giving Lord Elrond the map. Balin tried to stop him.

"Thorin, no."

Lord Elrond took the map and opened it to examine it,

"Erebor? What is your interest in this map?"

"It's mainly academic."

"I mean these sort of artefacts contain hidden text, right ?"

Lord Elrond looked at Renee suspiciously before looking back at the map He then started walking to the light, holding up the map.

"You still read Ancient Dwarvish, do you not?"

Lord Elrond and Lilith said something in a language Kate and Renee didn't recognise. Luckily Gandalf seemed to have read their minds.

"Moon Runes. Of course. An easy thing to miss."

"Yeah because you missed it," Renee muttered to herself but she knew Gandalf heard her because he just gave her a look. When he turned away from her, she pulled her tongue, making her sisters laugh. Lilith leans closer to Thorin.

"I think Gandalf needs a pair of glasses. I think his eyes are getting on a little."

MotherFucker just smirked at her, feeling a sense of pride while she just winked at him.

"In this case, that is true. Moon Runes can only be read by the light of the moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written."

"Can you read them?"

Lord Elrond led them to a cliff where there stood a glass platform where he placed the map. Lilith stood next to him, looking at the map.

"These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly 200 years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield. The same moon shines upon us tonight."

Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks

And the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day

Will shine upon the keyhole.

"Durin's Day?"

"It is the start of the dwarves' new year when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together."

"This is ill news. Summer is passing, Durin's day will soon be upon us."

"We still have time."

"Time? For what?"

"To find the entrance. We have to be standing in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then can the door be opened."

"So this is your purpose, to enter the mountain?"

"What of it?"

"There are some who would not deem it wise."

"What do you mean?"

"You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-Earth."

The girls looked at each other, knowing who he spoke of,

Sauron's Cockwarmer *cough cough cough*

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You guys can try and figure out who were talking about. Also I didn't come up with that. My co-writer did and I just had to put it in the book. Anyway who else is surprised that Fili decided to tell Kate that he loves her. I know I am because dude is a scaredy cat when it comes to this stuff but its okay, we love him. At least she wont die alone or a virgin...Hopefully. Anyway I hop you enjoyed that. The Bold was the wolf pup speaking. Dwarvish is in Italics. Byeeeeeeee

Roxie_Love

The wolf cub

[brw]

If you could write a Wonder Man ongoing volume 4, who's your supporting cast, your villains, and your overall plot? And how much gay sex will Marvel allow you to hint at before they tell you to stop?

Gosh I wish I could put asks in my drafts and edit them still. Okay my ideal Wonder Man V4 does have a similar basic principle to V2, because I really think being active as an actor and as a superhero at the same time is one of the things that really sets Simon apart from other characters. And this would come across in some of the reoccurring cast members; I'm imagining a high-brow director whom Simon is supposed to have lunch with constantly to discuss potentially playing a part in a new project, but something keeps popping up before he can get there. Probably a parody of Wes Anderson or something. Two actors, one from his d-list projects and one who's actually pretty famous and just happens to like Simon as a person and keeps forgetting he is also an actor because they see him as a superhero. A film editor who absolutely fucking hates him but keeps running into him, the hatred comes from hours lost having to edit out Simon's red eyes when he forgets to turn them off. A few more people involved with filmmaking, and I want to get obscure with these jobs, I'm talking the Best Boys and some caterer he accidentally became friends with. Simon meets and talks to a lot of people on sets and modelling and interviews, and that comes across in his social circle which covers a wide array of all the different people who are part of the filmmaking experience.

But I also need superheroes as my supporting cast, so obviously Vision and their kids are there. I'm thinking just Vin and I'm not going to explain how he came back, he's just there and now spending time with his uncle. Bobby Drake is in California now, or was before all that shit happened in his mini? I think it'll be funny if Simon and Bobby get to know each other but don't really know how close the other is to Hank and manage to become pretty close without mentioning him once until like, Hank happens to stumble into the room and immediately tries to escape because he's terrified over the concept of these two getting all chummy. Hank Pym is going to be Simon's scientist of choice whenever he needs a smart guy, and you better believe I'm going to try and fix the weird "Hank Pym likes Simon more as a grandchild than Vision because Simon looks more human" deal they've got going on. Hank Pym's job is to smoke his pipe and give scientific advice while Simon has to stop XYZ from destroying California. Hank McCoy is going to be an elephant in the room who Simon pointedly does not mention but he does get visibly morose and somber every time the X-Men are brought up. Then after, I dunno, issue 12 or whatever, they eventually meet and after that point of reconciliation Hank is back in Simon's life actively.

Okay, villains! Eric, obviously, because you can't have a good Simon story for long without bringing in Eric. There's a lot I would want to do to fix Eric and fix his dynamic with Simon, genuinely would probably be a first arc of the series because it's that important to me I remind people these two have an interesting and nuanced dynamic and Eric does love his brother no matter how much he tries to pretend he doesn't. Some members of the Revengers, sans Tom Foster, who are bitter over Simon dropping them very shortly after getting captured. I think this is where Simon's pacifism will be more ironed out as a political mindset as much as a personal one. Maybe he and Tom strike an alliance to take them on together? Not sure. Alkhema I think will also be there to give us that Ultron vibe without Ultron actually being there. And because I'm insane, some villains from the original run of Guardians of the Galaxy when Hollywood was a thing are going to travel back in time to try and kill Hollywood when he was young and less powerful, and Simon learns he outlives essentially most of the human race and grapples with his immortality (again) (but fun this time because Vision is there to help with the realisation you will outlive everyone) (and they love each other and have a sappy moment over it together because I can do what I want). I'll also have some original villains I think but those are more single issue types.

OVERALL PLOT—Wonder Man is back in Hollywood and is looking worse for wear. Following Deadpool using up most of his money, Simon is desperate, taking up roles he normally wouldn't consider for the cash. But his return to the Hollywood studio set doesn't go unnoticed, either by his audience or by the many enemies he made last time he was in Tinseltown. One of these roles is a superhero reality show, which Simon would never normally consider but does give more and more thought as his financial situation dips. Being a pacifist, he can't go back to Avenging, a point he has to seriously consider and think about as things progress. Is it worth compromising his beliefs for money? Is it worth compromising himself as an artist, compromising his dignity in exchange for success? Is it possible to do what you love and what you're passionate about in this business and still make money? And how much can directors and producers use his body and powers for a scene before it slides from helping out, to exploitation? All questions will be thought about, considered, and maybe even answered by the end :) that's right, my ideal Wonder Man series is all about the exploitation of the arts under capitalism and the fact that many have to compromise artistic passion for money.

Which brings us to the last point–honestly Simon doesn't really have sex very often which is a saving grace where that's concerned. I think I would manage a few lingering or knowing stares with say, Freddy or so, and even an overtly homoerotic moment with Hank because people love those but the moment I start going down the inevitable "Simon is clearly not into women romantically or sexually, is very repressed about this but it still comes across he's into men" route I think is when I have problems. I also want Simon and Vision to have a talk kind of like that Malcolm in the Middle scene where the brothers both think the other is gay and go about it by saying shit like "and it would be ridiculous, really, if I hated you because you didnt like the same sandwich as me. I like cheese, but you might not, and that's okay" because I like fun and whimsy. I think I would make it further than you might think but when we hit homoerotic Wonderbeast scene #3, that's when the emails will start coming in I imagine.

[sounds-of-some-day]

Captain America #3 Case #1 - The Return of the Red Skull

So I'm on the third issue and the cases are starting to get really fun. The first few cases, honestly were a *little* bit dry, but now it feels like they were starting to have fun with it. Also we're finally getting to see a little more of *Steve's* personality, whereas the first couple of issues were really more focused on Captain America.

Okay, so for the first time we get a repeat villain, and what do you know, it's Cap's main villain (though again, Red Skull goes through a big change at some point. Here he is/was an American businessman who decided to align with Hitler because Hitler basically told him that he would give him a lot of business when he eventually took over America. So greed.)

A lot of Steve's early villains, if they're not just outright Nazis, are men motivated by greed. Which, honestly, nice.

Okay, so if you've been following along on our journey, Red Skull was just some dude in a red skull mask, who killed his victims with the Stare of Death (ie he jabbed them with a needle full of poison while staring deep into their eyes and telling them he was killing them with his Stare of Death). I'm not really sure what the purpose of these dramatics were, since they wouldn't be able to tell anyone about the Stare of Death (TM) once they were dead, but points for style I guess.

Last we saw him, he killed himself by accidentally (??) jabbing himself with his own needle, which Steve just let him do. So how has he returned?

Turns out he was immune to his own poison, a lá the Dread Pirate Roberts.

This is already a little bit of retconning because Steve turned his body over to the police, who, apparently, just left his body on the floor of his living room and then he stopped pretending to be dead and escaped, because something something comic books and stellar work on behalf of the police, even back in the forties.

I forgot to mention this before, but Steve smokes a pipe.

Also I'll be honest, but Steve does not come across as a twenty-something year old guy to me here. He feels much more like mid-thirties to forties. I don't think his age was ever established here, though they did introduce him as "a young man who wanted to join the army but was rejected for being unhealthy". So probably not in his thirties, but he definitely gives off Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind vibes to me (Gone with the Wind came out in 1939 so it's possible that Gable was actually at least partially an inspiration).

In a very good, very sexy way. And like, look, comic book art has come a long way in the last eighty years, but there's definitely something about Steve's very relaxed, very chill, unflappableness that's just very old school sexy. And you can kinda tell that in this issue they decided that Steve was going to be sexy, and I'd very much like to thank them for that development.

I'm not going to get into Red Skull's dastardly plan cause it's not actually that interesting, but now Red Skull is killing important military people with his Touch of Death (TM), which they pretty much have to touch him if they're fighting back, so it's pretty effective. And yes, he announces this to them as he is killing them because dramatics.

Far more fun is the b-plot, which is that some guy decides to capitalize off of Captain America and the fact that no one knows who he is by getting two other guys to dress up at Cap and Bucky and then sell people -- now you might be thinking I'm going to say something like fake autographs here, but I'm not -- the opportunity to touch Captain America's muscles. Which I mean, I'd love to say that I'd be immune to something like this, but I'm only human.

This woman that wants to buy two tickets, I feel you.

As you might guess, Steve is not a fan of this particular capitalistic endeavor.

The evening gets even worse for our fraudulent pair when Red Skull turns up because he wants to kill Captain America and Bucky. Even though they try to explain that they are not the real Captain America and Bucky.

Like things go very poorly for them.

This is a hell of an image here. Like kudos to Jack Kirby for this cover.

The Red Skull and his henchmen's initial reaction to the real Captain America and Bucky showing up is that they're ghosts that have come back to haunt them.

Instead of, you know, thinking that maybe the guys were telling the truth when they said they weren't the real thing. 🙃🙃🙃

Red Skull tries to goad Bucky into punching him so he can kill him with his Touch of Death (TM), but unfortunately for him, Steve figured out that he was accomplishing this by having electric wiring in his clothes, so he was basically electrocuting people to death. So both Steve and Bucky have insulated their gloves.

Red Skull ends up lobbing a bomb at them, which Steve throws back, and then after the explosion Steve says that Red Skull is "probably dead" because he didn't learn anything from the first time.

And Steve gets in trouble *again*, this time for turning up to inspection injured. This time he's assigned to guard duty.

This wasn't my favorite of the three cases in this issue, but I did enjoy this one quite a lot.