#But. I mean. How could Rocky possibly be voiced ever? there’s no voice I

[agallimaufryofoddments]

Oh… that animation project for Lackadaisy’s bearing fruit via a pilot?

Oof. I…might stay away. Kidding, I took a peek at it because curiosity does get the Cat, and…hmngh. No, I’ve never necessarily imagined precise voices for these characters, but that’s because I can’t imagine any voice fitting them. That snatch of Zib—no, that’s not him, surely. That I’ve felt similarly about the snatches I’ve heard of everyone else means the problem is with me, not them.

(Especially since I had the same reaction to hearing that an animated adaptation of Bones was in the works. )

I guess—it boils down to—an attitude that “no adaptation of Lackadaisy can really do it justice.”

This is, I must emphasize, untrue. Tracy Butler has been closely following + giving input for this animated passion project for months (surely over a year; there’s been more posts about it than comic updates—not complaining, because the comic is so richly detailed). The comics are so detailed, and the staging so fine; that one instinctively wonder if the blanks are worth rolling in.

(Yes, they can, I might emphasize; there is an appeal to watching an interpretation of how each character moves, moreso with a cast with such distinct characters as is Lackadaisy’s.)

If nothing else, the pilot release was a timely reminder for me to check for new Lackadaisy updates. None since 2020 (wait, was it really 2020 when Epithet was released? Thought it was sooner)?

Pah. I’ve waited far longer for new content in other circumstances. Shall simply be happy if and when a new update comes.

(If everything else, I’d be so remiss not to celebrate that this passion project actually did come to fruition? Congratulations to all the animators and storyboardists and in-betweeners and so on.)

Oh, wow, the pilot has six million views? I’m absolved. Congrats on its success.

[alwayshere195]

I wish we got Diego and Five in the timeline subway instead of Lila and Five. The deep desire for us getting the same premise but with a different execution.

Imagine Diego going and asking why Five can't blink only to end up in the subway with him. Five reluctantly, explaining everything he knows. Something Diego isn't fully comprehending but understands.

The silly idea of Diego coming up with the timeline travel and getting stuck in the subway with Five. The possibilities of their interactions.

The idea of Apocalypse Five shooting at them, causing Diego to ask who's that. "Me, of course, who else was in the apocalypses?!" Five responds, heading back down into the subway. Diego follows, "Well, sorrrry! I thought you had better aim than that!" Five shoots him a look.

The idea of when they realized they're trapped, we hear dialog. Diego shouting that this is EXACTLY what Five wanted. Klaus was right! He is a chaos junkie!

Five, throwing his hands up: I don't know why everyone says that! I'm not. This isn't what I wanted.

Diego: You appear in your element!

Five: Of course I do! This is all I know, Diego! I got stuck in an apocalypse at 13! 13! I was trapped for 45 years in it! Besides living in it, need I remind that I witnessed it again and again and again?! But that doesn't mean I want it!

Diego: Then what do you want? Because (mocking) Need I remind, you went off to join the CIA. You barely kept in contact for the past 6 years. You-

Five: I want peace! I want silence! I want to not worry about you idiots! I want... Forget it. Let's keep looking to get out of here.

How it finally pushes these two to talk. Their relationship has been rocky but there's always trust between them. Plus, Five doesn't really open up. So for the day to come where Diego once again pushes Fives buttons but the correct ones this time to get a

Five: I'm tired, ok? I have seen you all die again and again and again. I'm tired. I tried time traveling, I tried talking, I tried murder, I've tried, and it all keeps going to hell. There's only so much before it feels impossible or that I'm the problem. Sure, Viktor caused the first three apocalypse but not those after that. Not all this (refering to the subway). Only I could come here...

Diego, sighing after hearing all this for the first time: Yeah, you are a problem. A problematic piece of shit like the rest of us. And for holding all this in like a secret to take to the grave. But you're not to blame for everything. If anyone's to blame, it's Dad.

How they grow closer and Diego realizes just how tired Five is. He's exhausted and barely holding on. It doesn't help that no one in the family ever truly thanked him. So he does. Gives Five a genuine "Thanks by the way. For spending 45 years and some figuring out how to save us. I appreciate it. I like being alive." And how Five gets quiet as thats all he ever truly wanted. A thank you.

How Diego opens up about his relationship issues and how his rants turn into frustration about it all. Him voicing how he'd LOVE "bookclub" because FUCK MAN he needs a "bookclub" too! He'd be in full support! And he wished she was more vocal about things like he is instead of playing the guessing game. And how it turns into all the things he wants to do when he sees her again. Tell her everything. Open up. Hold her. Kiss her. Be in the same love he always really had for her. Fives there supporting him.

Five finds the journal and ponders it. Keeps the information hidden from Diego for a day or two before he's caught reading it. Diego's rightfully upset but Five brings up points.

Five: I was reading it. Making sure I understood what to do before we had a talk.

Diego: A talk? What is there to talk about?

Five: What if it went to shit out there and everyone's died? What if-

Diego: No, Five. There is no ifs here. We're going back and we're going to see how things are. Worst case scenario, we go back in time and save their lousy asses. Together. Best case scenario, we see our family again. I get to see Lila and my kids again.

Five: Right...

They go back and they find out that Luther and Lila ended up going to the CIA because "My husband always talks about this place, and my brother-in-law works here. So maybe there's information." And it makes Diego's hesrt flutter.

Just... what we could have had.

[infiniteeight8]

I love your dabbles!! And time travel is my favorite!

Can we get more if the ironstrange time travel when Tony shows up in the hospital room? Maybe an outsiders POV?

Oooh, one of my favourites of the ficlets and outsider POV! This is a very fun prompt. :D

We could get more outsider-y than Christine, but I felt like her familiarity with pre-accident Stephen would make the contrast more interesting.

It also occurred to me when I was almost done that you might have wanted something a little further along in the development of this timeline, but this is what I thought of when I pondered outsider POVs. Hopefully it is still enjoyable!

-

Christine could hear Stephen’s voice, crisp and animated, long before she approached his hospital room. That could mean only one thing: Mr. Stark was visiting. 

In the days after Stephen was recovered from the wreck and before he woke from surgery, Christine had braced herself for denial, or fury, or depression. Operating was everything to Stephen. It had certainly meant more to him than their relationship. She’d braced herself for a viciously rocky road to whatever recovery he could make, and for the first few hours, it had seemed like depression had won the lottery. Stephen had been so silent. It was an unsettling reaction from a man who had opinions on everything, especially everything medical. 

And then Tony Stark had arrived and it was like the entire world went screwy.

Not only had Stephen snapped out of his nascent depression, he didn’t even seem to care about his hands. He didn’t denigrate the work of his doctors, he didn’t ask for a second opinion. He didn’t even ask to see his own films! Instead he spent every waking moment—literally—deep in discussion with man he’d once described as the worst possible expression of the military-industrial complex. And that had been after Stark’s establishment as Iron Man. Just because now he’s keeping the bombs for his personal use, Stephen had said once, doesn’t make him a hero.

Honestly, if Stephen hadn’t been in a hospital, closely monitored, Christine would have suspected Stark of… of… something. She couldn’t think of any drug or bribe or whatever that would turn Stephen’s opinion around so dramatically, but it still made more sense than reality! Christine couldn’t even call it a nervous breakdown—Stephen somehow seemed better adjusted than before his crash.

Shaking her head, Christine continued on her way to Stephen’s room. She’d promised herself she’d be there for him, even if the role she’d expected to take had somehow been co-opted by Tony Stark.

“…not sure,” Stephen was saying as she approached. “The first time I was in hospital for a month, but I didn’t have anyone to help me care for myself. Christine tried, but I was… not receptive.” 

The first time? Christine didn’t think he’d ever been hospitalized before. 

Stephen looked up and saw her in the doorway and any chance at more information was lost. “Christine!” Stephen said warmly as Mr. Stark dismissed a hologram. Christine only glimpsed enough to guess it was some sort of timeline before it was gone. “Tony and I were just speculating when I might be released. I don’t suppose you have any inside information?”

“Ah, no, I’m afraid not,” Christine said, somehow thrown off balance again. “It would probably depend on how much support you have. Your apartment—“

“Nah, he’ll be staying with me,” Mr. Stark jumped in. “I can get you whatever support you need,” he told Stephen. “Nurses, accessibility features, you name it.”

Christine’s gaze flew to Stephen, expecting him to flinch at ‘accessibility,’ but he just nodded. “Thank you, that will help. The sooner I can get out of here, the better.”

“Stephen, are you sure you’re comfortable with that?” Christine jumped in, glancing at Mr. Stark. 

“I won’t be freeloading,” Stephen assured her, as if that was the problem. “Tony and I have a big project to get started on.”

“Huge, world changing project,” Mr. Stark added brightly. Then he got a considering look on his face and turned to Stephen. “We’re going to need support staff. Do you think—?”

Stephen hummed thoughtfully. “It wouldn’t have worked before, but this time, maybe.”

“We’ll add it to the list,” Tony said.

Christine could only glance between them. It felt like she was missing half the conversation, but, somehow, she suspected it was a lot more than half.

[buckevantommy]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on a coaches AU and a vampire AU 👀

"Look, kid—"

Buck has to pull up short as Tommy stops and rounds on him, bringing them almost nose to nose. Buck stumbles back a few steps in the rocky soil.

"I'm not looking for a life coach, alright? Especially not one who's still in his twenties."

Rude. He's closer to thirty, anyway. And he's been around the block more than once. "I-I'm just saying. Y-you don't kill just anyone, right?"

Tommy bristles, his shoulders pulling back. "No."

"Right! There's plenty of people in the world who deserve a-a lot worse than they ever get."

"I don't disagree."

"Great! 'Cos I, uh. I-I can help you develop a uh— a code of ethics to determine your next target."

"You mean, my next meal?"

"Yeah! Totally! Somatic techniques can help you deal with your trauma, a-and neuro-linguistic programming can help adjust your behaviour by a-aligning your thought processes with long-term goals so that— u-uh, um." Now it's Buck's turn to pull up short.

Tommy blinks at him, expecting. "So that.. what?"

Buck's cheeks heat. Tommy can probably hear the way his heartbeat stutters and kicks up a notch. It's kinda embarrassing. "Uh, s-so that you don't. Y-y'know.."

Tommy is looking at him pretty intently. Was he looking at him so intently before?

Buck swallows.

"I don't, actually." Tommy takes a step closer. "Know."

Suddenly, Tommy looms in his space. And look: Buck is a tall, fit guy. And Tommy is about the same height, but he has a broadness to his frame that Buck just can't match and bigger muscles plus an imposing presence that Buck isn't entirely sure is a vampire thing or just a Tommy thing.

Buck doesn't even know if the glamour thing is fact or fiction - there's a lot he doesn't know about vampires - but something about Tommy compels him to finish his thought.

"Get noticed. Found out. Killed." The words tumble out of him. No stammer, and almost no natural stopping point. He almost says: get a stake through the heart or an axe to the neck or thrown into a fire— but he snaps his mouth shut.

"Okay, Evan."

Buck blinks. The air feels different. His body feels slow. Or maybe the world has slowed. He feels a little unmoored. "O-okay?"

"Maybe you can help me."

"I-I can?" He wants to.

"I mean, I guess we'll see."

"We will?"

Tommy's smile forms slow and devastating. His eyes are dark. Or maybe that's the night falling around them.

Buck feels warm all over in the cool evening air. Tommy has closed a little more distance between them. Or.. was that Buck? There's something.. something preternatural going on here and for that, Buck should be scared. But he got himself into this - chased down a vampire after watching Tommy's teeth rip the neck out of the guy who attacked Buck. He probably should've thought this through better, especially considering his job, but he's here now and he's.. not scared.

Tommy's voice seems to take more chill out of the air as he says, "You're hired."

Buck gets the uncanny feeling that he could warm his frozen bones in Tommy's orbit, if he let him. That he'd burn himself to ash just to get closer to him. If Tommy asked him to, he'd give everything he had, everything he was for him.

But at the same time Buck knows without proof or reason that Tommy wouldn't let any harm come to him. Tommy would protect him. He just met this guy - a real life vampire - and yet something about him has Buck feeling like he's found a port in the storm. A safe harbor. He hasn't felt this safe in someone's company in a long, long time. How could he possibly say no to that?

doing this thing

[moooclipse]

Kat Support <3

I haven't been keeping up as much with the LAES, but I adore Earth and Dazzle, plus Pollux and Nebula seem interesting too! Below I tried to write a note for each of the characters I drew:

• I find Earth's desire to help and be there for her family, as well as her ability to set boundaries when necessary, to be admirable traits of hers. Her recent development of chronic pain sounds interesting too, and I'm curious to see how she learns to re-navigate the world and adapt to her situation. Apparently, the recent episode where she makes her promise with Sun was a big deal and some people didn't support it, but Earth has ever reason to do what she did. Between the betrayal of learning the truth behind her father, Nexus' descent into madness, and Lunar's spontaneous attack, it's no wonder she'd feel some rocky trust to those around her. The current Moon who's around isn't even the Moon she grew to know, and it'll take time for her to understand him and trust him to the same level as the rest of her family, and she mentioned in the video too that she was thinking of making the same promise with Solar. Even if she doesn't go through with that promise to Solar, Sun being the first, and possibly only, person she makes that promise to makes sense. Sun is, if I remember correctly, the first member of the family she met, it wasn't even Nexus. It's not that she doesn't trust her family any less, but she trusted Lunar to not hurt her, she trusted Nexus to not hurt her, she trusted her father to not hurt her, and look at what happened. She has every right to be wary right now, and her decision to make that promise to Sun is completely valid.

• Dazzle has easily been a favorite of mine since she's been introduced, and I don't think she'll ever lose that placement. Her naivety, backstory, childish behaviors, and unconditional love/care just make her too hard not to love. One of the videos featuring her that's at the top of my mind lately is her comforting Sun after Nexus' death. She doesn't fully understand why Sun is hurt, or what about him is hurt, but she tries so hard to make him feel better in all the ways that help her. I can't even put into words how much I love that episode. The episode where she meets the beast is also sticking out to me. It's both sweet and heartbreaking her situation with Neptor. Like I said, I haven't been keeping up as much as I'd like with the LAES, but I believe at that point she had been informed of Neptor's death, yet she doesn't seem to understand what that means, and it makes sense! She talks to Neptor like he's still alive, and even says that if she could live in the walls of the Daycare for so long, then of course Neptor must be living in the ground. Of course we know that's not true, but her logic makes sense from her pov and I like that, as heartbreaking as it is to watch though </3 And her worry for the beast, she wasn't scared of it or even had a thought that it might hurt her, instead she was worried if it was ok and if it was hurt. I just love her character so much and whether she gets reunited with her father and stays with him, or she stays with the celestial family, or some kind of compromise between the two happens, I wish the best for her.

• I'm not as familiar with Pollux and Nebula, which feels bad to say, so I sadly don't have much to say about them, but I'm certain they're just as wonderful of characters that I would like to go back and learn more about.

Kat, I think your story telling is lovely, and I adore the characters you voice act. I'm sorry that people in the community can't see that and decided to hurt you, you and all the other female voice actors don't deserve it. Whatever happens next, thank you for your contribution to the story and the patience you had with this community to hold your ground this long. <3

To save from any confusion I wanted to mention that the character featured in all four drawings is my own, Star. She's a bit of a self-insert that I wanted to use to express my support, I hope that's alright.

[fraugwinska]

Chapter 19 - Constellation

Constellation (noun) 1. a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. 2. a group of associated or similar people or things.

Tags & Warnings: Power Dynamics, Master-Servant dilemma

You weren't surprised to wake up alone. The bits of dusty purple sky visible through the cracks indicated that it must be early, the sun not yet risen over the horizon.

A faint feeling of melancholy settled over you as you looked over the spot where he had laid last night, the pillow neatly fluffed and the sheets perfectly folded. Not a wrinkle to be seen. You reached out from under the covers and touched the smooth fabric - void of his body's warmth, cool under your blackened fingertips, which meant that this space had been unoccupied for quite some time.

You sat up and sighed as you got out of the bed and took your time to flatten the sheets, wondering if Alastor would pick up your scent from the pillows when he'd return to his room. Wherever he went off to.

The events of the last night replayed in your head, and now, with the emotional distance and a few hours of sleep in between you felt able to analyze just how bold and daring you had really been. The confrontation with Vaggie aside - you felt not a tinge of remorse on how you treated her, the fight had been long overdue - you couldn't believe the sheer nerve you had mustered up to do what you did.

Kneeling at your supposedly master's feet, declaring your independence, and then offering... well, a blow job.

Pleasing him for more than just his, but for your own pleasure. Taking him, to prove a point. Proving that, despite the contract and despite the implications, you didn't need pity or protection.

That you weren't powerless in this. That you could make your own decisions and face the consequences without regret. That, and more, and perhaps most importantly - that you truly, deeply cared about him.

And the fact that he accepted, that he gave in, that he took what you offered... Wouldn't that mean that he felt the same? Or at least similar? You hadn't used your powers last night, you were absolutely sure of it. Different from the times before, where you felt the autonomy of your thoughts and feelings slip through your fingers, you had been not the player, but the conductor of these strange voices inside you - allowing them to be heard instead of overriding you.

You had been entirely in control, inside and out. And the fact that Alastor, ever the strategist, had handed you the control and let himself be pleasured, had been vulnerable in front of you, spoke louder than a thousand words.

Your chest tightened as you tried to wrap your mind around the possibilities of what it could mean. What it could change.

With a final, long glance at his empty room, and a deep inhale of his lingering musk, you made your way back to your room. The walk through the hotel was silent and the sun was slowly rising behind the skyline as you snuck through the corridors, carefully turning your doorknob and quickly slid into your room.

"G'Morning, slut~."

Angel, leisurely lounging on your bed, his hands crossed behind his head and a shit-eating grin on his face greeted you.

Oh fuck our afterlife.

You stood frozen in the doorway, painfully aware of what you looked like - lounge clothes still from yesterday, hair disheveled and makeup smeared. He picked up one of your throw pillows, running his slender fingers through the tassels, his furry legs crossed, and his smile grew wider at the sight of your shocked face.

"Sooooo... how'd it go?" Eyebrows wiggled, and you contemplated jumping out of the window.

"I don't know what you're talking about.", you managed to say, as calm and disinterested as you could, knowing fully well what he was talking about, and Angel cackled, kicking his heels in the air and waving at your pathetic display.

"Rocky, honey, I work in porn, I know what the walk of shame looks like. And looking at 'ya Baby, you ran the whole damn marathon."

"It's that bad?"

Angel grinned, sitting up and patting the empty spot of mattress next to him while criss-crossing his long legs. "'Ya know, if 'ya were my coworker I'd congratulate 'ya to a new hit movie by the looks of it." You sat down and he started to untangle your hair, pulling little knots out and grabbing your hairbrush from the nightstand. "But, I know 'ya don't work in my field, so c'mon, spill it. This time no excuses, I want details."

You bit your lip and glanced down. Spilling details went completely against Alastor's 'be vague' rule. But denying would only make Angel more curious and press on harder, and if you were honest - you  really, truly trusted him, he had never given you any incentive to do otherwise, and shown you more than once he deeply cared for and liked you. Angel had been a loyal, true friend from the get go, and from where you came from, that meant something.

"Okay, I will tell you... something... But not a word to anyone. Promise?"

"Promise, scouts honor, cross my heart and hope to die, yada-yada-yada. Now gimme the goods."

You took a deep breath, gathering your courage, and turned around to face him.

"Well... things got physical... we've been... you know. For a while now."

Angel rolled his eyes, detangling another strand of hair around the base of your ear. "WHAT? No shit, Rocks, I would've never guessed."

"Cut the sarcasm, spiderman, it's not like we're running around with a sign saying 'Hey folks, we bang now'!"

Angel snorted and grabbed your shoulders, turning you back around to brush the back of your hair. "You're talking with a professional, toots, and also - 'ya ain't that hard to read, at least not for me. 'Ya face may be granite, but 'ya heart is right on 'ya sleeve. So... how is tall dark and creepy?"

"Good. Very good, actually.", you murmured, blushing slightly.

"That's how you'd describe a new toaster. Gimme a real answer, babe, tell me what I wanna hear."

"Fine...", you huffed, and let out a sigh. However could you juggle this to not overstep any drawn line and still satisfy Angels never-ending curiosity? "It's... intense. When we... well it's... passionate. Like, the real deal. I'm not a fan of clichés, but... I've never felt like this, Angel, with anyone. Ever."

"Mhm, so he's got a big cock, got it.", he chuckled, and playfully nudged your shoulder when you groaned in response, "Nah, Rocky, really, I'm happy for 'ya. As much as he creeps me out, I gotta say - 'ya look cute together. And not in a 'Big boss fucks his secretary'-way."

"Thanks, I guess." You smiled, but Angel kept silent, continuing to untangle your hair. You didn't expect the serious, solemn look on his face when you glanced over your shoulder. "Angel... you okay?"

"Darlin', I just wanna warn 'ya... 'ya got a good thing going for 'ya and all, and I think it's sweet as hell, don't get me wrong, but...", he furrowed his brows and gently removed another knot, his claws scraping softly over your scalp. "I know what it's like to fall for the boss. It makes 'ya do... things. You play stupid games because you think he loves 'ya, and if he's... not in it like you are... the prize 'ya get is going to be more than you can chew... that's how I got on Val's leash."

His hands paused mid-brush. You could almost feel his eyes bore into you, as if they'd burn holes into the nape of your neck. "I don't know the details of the shit between you and Alastor, and if there is one person I'm glad for not being stupid for, then it's you. I just don't wanna see 'ya make the same mistake I made... You... you're too good for that, Rocky."

You felt his hand in your hair shake, and turned, gently prying the brush out of his hand. For a moment, he looked like he did when you had the movie night: Young, vulnerable, broken. Softer edges and lost, but searching, in his eyes, that flickered in the morning light and reflected a sense of nostalgia. And regret. Words failed you, so you did what you did before - you wrapped your arms around him in a soft embrace, and he let his head fall on your shoulder, four hands finding rest on your back, grabbing your shirt firmly.

"Sorry...", he said quietly, as you stroked his sides.

"Angel... you're always looking out for my well-being, and I appreciate it, I do. But I'd say we're close enough that you should know by now it goes both ways, don't you think?" You held him tighter. The difference between Vaggie and Angel was that Vaggie's concerns came from a distrust against Alastor, making you merely a helpless pawn. Angel, in contrast, was only worried you'd lose yourself, not unlike how he had. That in itself meant a great deal to you. "You are too good for it, too. And one day, I hope I'll be able to help you get out. Until then... you don't have to deal with it alone. I've got your back, and I know the others do too. Even if you think you don't need protection or deserve something better - sometimes having someone stand at your side makes all the difference."

He chuckled, sniffing into your shirt. "If Antlers didn't already scored 'ya, I would've really thought about switching sides just to bag 'ya, bitch."

"I love you too.", you smiled, and ruffled his fluff.

The morning went by in a blur of familiar actions and boring rouotine. You took a quick shower while Angel waited, complaining about your unwillingness to update your uniform to something more modern, then you both went to breakfast, opting for cereals instead of cooking something. Charlie and Niffty joined you, and from the guilty look Charlie shot you, you knew immediately that Vaggie told her about your fight. You were still tense about facing her, but it didn't feel right to put Charlie in the middle, and after you treated her just as you had the weeks before, she slowly relaxed around you and offered to cut up fresh strawberries to put in your Hell-O's. Alastor had been nowhere present, the only sign of him was the visibly used, empty coffee mug in the sink, and you tried not to let yourself get too caught up by the thought of him possibly avoiding you. Whatever made him disappear again, you told yourself, had nothing to do with the events of the last night, or his response to it. It was an ill-timed coincidence.

After eating, Angel headed off for work, leaving the rest of you behind in the hotel. As he walked through the front doors, waving you goodbye with his signature smirk, you could see a sleek pink limousine slowing down to a halt and its windows rolled down to reveal Valentino, and with shock you recognized him from the lewd picture Dante had shown you the evening prior, making a mental note to warn him about just who tried to lure him in his shady business as soon as you could. The moment he pulled Angel inside with a rough tug, you felt something grow cold inside of you. The glowing, red eyes behind pink, heart-shaped sunglasses flashed your way, and the sly grin he shot you before the car took off made your stomach turn.

It was unsettling, to say the least.

Throwing yourself back into work, you spent the rest of the morning helping Husk at the reception desk, filling out order forms, dusting and cleaning the glasses behind the bar with Niffty and spoke with Dante about Valentino while the both of you tended to the neglected back garden, ripping weeds and whacking away stray twigs and withered shrubs until a path was visible and the shrubbery was neatly shaped and pruned, making room for future furniture or decorations. You were just returning from the washroom, hands clean and forehead sweat-free again, and headed for the kitchen for a quick cold drink from the fridge, when Charlie flagged you down. An ashamed looking Vaggie was on her right, and on her left stood Alastor, smile unwavering as ever.

"(Y/n), do you have some time?", Charlie asked, clutching a few sheets of golden paper in her hands. You glanced at Alastor, who kept up the cheerful appearance, and discreetly nodded.

"Of course, Charlie."

Vaggie grimaced in discomfort at your sight, avoiding eye contact, while Charlie stepped towards you and held out the papers she had carried. "Great! Listen, I know you haven't had a proper break, you've been so busy the whole time - Amazing, by the way, you helped so much again, thank you! - buuuuuut if you're up to it, we could use your and Alastor's help."

The gold sheets had names and addresses on them, you recognized a few of them as overlords, royals and even sins. A few names had a sticker on them depicting a sun with a happy face, others had a sad looking cloud sticker on them, and in between were ones without any childish decoration. You rose a brow.

Charlie cleared her throat, smiling at you nervously. "See, you know we sent out the invitations for the Blue Moon Ball weeks ago, and most of the ones we invited RSVP'd. It's looking like a good turnout, of course we had some negative replies, those are the cloudy ones, there, see? The sunny ones are those that accepted. But there are quite a few on the lists that never responded, and I thought, why not visit them and personally invite them?"

"Which inclined me to offer our assistance, kitten, if you are agreeable to the task, of course.", Alastor chimed in, tapping his cane and tilting his head, eyes not straying from your face. Your lips twitched at the edges - Alastor seemed relaxed, genuinely delighted even, and it relieved you to no end.

"I'd be happy to help - sounds like fun."

"Awesome!", Charlie exclaimed, "And to save time, Alastor suggested we'd split the ground work, with me and Vags teaming up and covering one half, and Alastor and you the other. That way, we can likely get it all done today!"

A part of you couldn't help but suspect that Alastor hadn't come up with this on the fly, and that there was some ulterior, secret motive behind it, but either way you could use a short break from the monotone duties in the hotel and enjoyed the prospect of spending some time outside the confines of the hotel again, and especially with the demon in question.

Alastor and Charlie proceeded to lean over the papers, going over the names on the lists as Vaggie remained quiet, patiently standing by while listening to them bicker in a endearingly friendly and comfortable way about which team should pay a visit to who. You found her eye, and after a moment of tortured indecision, she quickly mouthed a quiet 'Sorry about yesterday.' to you. You acknowledged her apology with a slight bow of your head, and even though there were still things to be said, you neither had the nerve nor the desire to have this tension remain between you both.

Alastor looked at you and smiled when Charlie and Vaggie started making their way through the lobby and Charlie called out her goodbyes with a vigorous wave, telling you not to worry about coming home early, and that she and Vaggie would get Take-out for dinner so no one would have to cook.

As soon as the doors fell shut after them, Alastor appeared right by your side, his arm snaking around your waist in a half possessive, half caring hold, as he guided you over to the front doors. "You do not mind working closely with me today, do you darling?", he murmured into your hairline, as his other hand came to rest on your hip as he stood behind you, and the unabashed, sudden display of intimacy almost made you faint from the speed in which blood shot up to your face.

"Oh, uh, of course not."

You anxiously glanced back to the kitchen to see if maybe Dante or Husks eyes were watching, but the nightingale wasn't anywhere to be seen and Husk was deeply asleep behind the counter, his ears twitching slightly.

Alastor noticed your glance and snickered, clearly amused but not surprised at your nervous reaction. With a flourish, he swung open the heavy doors and you followed him out and down the street, trying your best to keep from grinning like a schoolgirl while you felt his hand never leaving your back.

"We'll be done in no time, darling, the furthest we have to go is to the second circle, near a place called Imp City. I'd suggest to start there, then we'll come back to Pentagram City and work our way down back to the hotel. What do you think?"

You blinked at him, and by the way he stared at you you realized it wasn't a rhetorical question.

"You're... asking me?", you managed to press out, taken by the sheer idea.

"My dear gem, you're an intelligent and capable woman, and I've learned that relying on your skills and ideas often is not a completely wasted effort.", Alastor hummed and dropped his chin a little to look at you over the rim of his red stained monocle.

"Right." You were still stunned by the sudden change of dynamic, unable to address it as you feared it would stop. "I agree with you, starting at furthest point and then heading back from there is a good idea, and makes most sense." You felt like he set it up a little, his plan not really objectionable, but you felt warm at the mere gesture of weighing your opinion. Which is why you added "Is it possible to shadow travel there? Would be a good way to avoid traffic and prying eyes."

His smile widened and a glint danced in his eyes at the suggestion. "You read my mind, kitten, a wonderful choice indeed! Though with the distance it can be a little nauseating if you're not used to it, so hold on tight.", his voice dipped to an almost purr, and for a moment, it felt like it came not from his chest but from somewhere in the dark, thick fog that wrapped around both of you. A sudden feeling of vertigo made the colors of the red sky shift into a blurred mix of shades, your breath stuck in your throat from the cold air and Alastor's static rang in your ears.

Then, it vanished with a sharp thud of your feet meeting hard ground and the weightlessness you felt instantly replaced by violent gravity as you swayed for a moment, only to be caught by Alastor's grip firm around your waist and Ozul, who crept up your leg and fizzed fondly up to you You shot him a thankful smile, and he grinned at you before melting into the other shadows again. Alastor smirked down at your form, letting your waist go just to straighten your collar while you tried your best to get your stomach under control. "Shall we?", he said melodiously, offering his elbow for you to take with a grandiose bow and infuriating stability. You huffed and locked your arm with his as he led you down a wide, winded path, the street sign reading 'VIA DIVITIARUM'.

In the nearest distance you could see a thriving metropolis, the skyline both similar and absolutely different from the Pentagram - similar in that it had a towering, distinct outline against the red sky of Pride, a proud and loud center booming with neon lights and black smoke. Different as it seemed to lack the striking, dangerous and seductive charm the one in Pentagram had, more chaotic and unruly looking than the main city of the sin ring. You tore your eyes off the groups of small, red-skinned hellborn, maybe those were Imps you thought, hoping you'd one day would be able to visit it to experience it more closely, and glanced around the place Alastor and his shadow had teleported you.

A blue stoned pathway was lined with red and purple wild roses, leading around the quieter, more expensive looking outskirts of the city - there were long, golden fences with smaller pathways for deliveries behind them, houses like small villas and some bigger ones akin to small hotels and condominiums, and you could smell something faintly pleasant, mixed with the signature scent of sulfur. The gardens around here were much bigger and meticulously tended to, no patches of dead grass or withering flower beds to be seen and a fine sheen of dew coated the ground. Some even had glass roofs covering a lush courtyard inside, or water features you saw through big gates or even high walls.

Alastor noticed your curious eyes, and patted your interlaced hand as he directed your steps down the wide street. "Via Divinitarius is the aristocratic area of Imp City. Means 'Street of the Wealthy', quite fitting name as you are certainly well aware of." You both walked past a towering arch with a shimmering, blue gate, the gatekeeper, a female, burly looking red demon, her black horns curled like those of a ram and the spade of her tail whipping tensely. Before she could speak, Alastor handed her a paper with a condescending grin, you could see Charlie's handwriting on it - maybe it was a permit or something like that, because she just nodded and let you pass.

"Thank you, miss. Have a nice day." you said before Alastor pulled you away up the driveway, and you turned from the surprised face of the gatekeeper to the chuckling one of your escort. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I just marvel at your charm." You looked at him skeptically and Alastor rolled his eyes playfully and smirked. "To clarify, your charm on the lesser classes of Hell's citizens. You have to know, that imps are considered the lowest class of society - Hellborn with a weak demonic ancestry and hardly a sliver of magical prowess, they're usually made up to be the cheap, disposable muscle and labor of every operation."

Oh. So she had been an imp, and you hadn't even realized.

"That's awful." You wrinkled your nose and Alastor glanced at you, curiously noting the silent outrage in your face.

"Indeed, kitten. It is a cruel and unjust system, but, what can you do. It is Hell, after all, and everyone who lives here, no matter how long, will have to accept its rules. It's not like the powerful would make concessions and give up the advantages their status grants them." He sounded amused and slightly condescending, as if the mere thought was laughable.

You didn't respond, his words echoing inside you, twisting your stomach in a strange fashion.

It's not like the powerful would make concessions and give up the advantages their status grants them.

"Now, let's be on our best behavior, shall we, my dear?", Alastor's voice snapped you out of your trance, and you followed his gaze up to the grand building looming over you. The mansion was huge, double stairs winding up to a luscious entrance. Not unlike at the hotel, it was made off stained glass - the arch window above depicted moon phases, and both of the doors contained the sun and moon in an art deco style. The columns framing it had each a big purple, ethereal looking crystal ball in the middle, shimmering as if you were looking into earths night sky.

"The owner must have a thing for astrology...", you mused, and Alastor hummed, letting go of you as he reached out to knock.

"We are about to meet the goetian prince Stolas, son of Paimon. He is a member of the Ars Goetia, and quite a powerful creature, as you should know from your studies way back when, darling." At the look he gave you, you straightened up and folded your hands behind you. It was clear that from this point on, you had to be what you were meant to: his dutiful assistant, demure, professional and obediant.

It's not like the powerful would make concessions and give up the advantages their status grants them.

Alastor knocked thrice, and a few seconds later the door was opened, a tiny imp butler eyeing the pair of you suspiciously.

"Can I help you?", he asked in a squeaky, nasal voice, his eyes narrowing as his gaze shifted between Alastor's menacingly grinning and your stoic face. Alastor held out the letter he had shown to the gatekeeper, tilting his head.

"Why hello, young man. We're here on behalf of Princess Charlie Morningstar, daughter of Lucifer Morningstar, and would like a word with his Highness Prince Stolas, if he is available."

The imp's eyes widened comically, and he started to shake a little, his face going from a deep red to an almost white color.

"M-Morningst... Oh! Of-of course, sir, please follow me!" He opened the door wider and Alastor stepped forward, holding it open for you as the imp bowed and motioned for you to wait in the plush, iris-colored chairs, almost tripping over his own feet as he scurried through the entrance hall and around a corner.

Alastor chuckled, his fingers grazing over the soft fabric of the chairs. "Quite the opulence, don't you think? I have no particular appreciation for the ostentatious, but a certain taste in quality is admirable."

You just nodded, taken by the 'opulence' Alastor was talking about.

Paintings depicting what you assumed would be the prince and his family lined the walls. You didn't sit down and opted to walk along the gallery under Alastor's watchful gaze.

A tall, slender and majestic looking owl demon, two pairs of red eyes in a sea of white, gray and black feathers holding a glowing red mirror - you guessed him to be the prince.

Next to it, a family portrait: The prince in traditional royal attire, almost defeated looking, holding a book next to what must be his wife - a beautiful yet cold and arrogant looking peacock demon, almost looking down on the viewer. It sent a wave of antipathy through you, and you quickly went on to the third painting.

This one warmed your heart - in this one, Stolas wasn't looking sinister or sad, but instead laughing freely, happily, down at a tiny and absolutely adorable owlet girl in his arms, a swirling trail of pink stardust surrounding them. A captured moment of love and fatherly warmth that almost seemed misplaced in between the somber looking collection. It was nice though - proof that the perceived rigidness of status and expectations was not inevitable and total.

"You admire the piece?", a gentle, articulate voice cooed from behind you. You turned to see the owl demon from the pictures, living, breathing and very much NOT a painting, standing in front of you. He was towering over you and even Alastor with his thin height, radiating elegance and importance in his sleek purple robes, not a single feather out of place. The imposingness only subsided a bit in his soft expression, curiosity and amusement in his eyes as you instinctively fell back and bowed deeply.

"I'm very sorry for my lack of manners, your highness."

"Oh no, please. I also quite love this one, but what father wouldn't love a painting of his darling daughter?", he laughed, melodious and soft. He turned to Alastor, who had walked over to step to your side, his arms crossed behind his back and his head slightly bowed. "So, Impington told me princess Morningstar has sent some visitors, which are...?"

"Alastor, your Highness, the radio demon, pleasure to be meeting you." Alastor said with an air of civility, bowing as his smile was still ever present, and Stolas blinked, as if he was searching for a memory.

"That name rings familiar... ah yes, I remember, you had a little radio show, didn't you? Quite the rage for a while, even outside of the main city."

Alastor tensed at the word 'little', subtly but you very much noticed the sudden change of his aura. Your own back stiffened a little, tail whipping nervously, sensing prince Stolas had just pushed a button. But Alastor simply chuckled, a slight snarl of distaste audible only to your trained ears.

"Happy to know my name is not entirely unknown outside my usual domain, more so to a goetian prince. I'm honored."

Stolas' eyes fell to you and a smile tugged at his beak. "And you are...?"

"My name is... Gem, your highness, I am Alastor's assistant.", you answered politely, trying not to react to the slight prickle of static running up your back when you used not your old name, but one of Alastor's pet names to introduce yourself. Stolas bows down to you, giving you a friendly, fascinated look.

"Ah yes, and how fitting the name is, given these beautiful eyes you have."

You could feel Alastor bristle with barely contained indignation. Quickly, you decide to try and diffuse the tension. "It was actually Alastor who gave me my name, your Highness."

At your words and the ghost of a smile on your lips as you said them, Alastor relaxed, and you heard the quiet crackle of a static fire being smothered. Stolas seemed pleasantly surprised, clapping his hands together and looking between the two of you.

"He did? Now isn't that endearing, and quite unusual. But then again, a lot has changed since my last visit to the Pentagram. So, how can I be of assistance?"

"The princess has sent you an invitation to a formal event happening at the Blue Moon, and gotten worried when you didn't respond. She has asked us to extend the offer personally, and, of course, answer any questions or reservations you might have.", Alastor responded, his tone professional.

"She did?" Stolas blinked, and you and Alastor blinked back. He took a moment, thinking as his gaze became distant, and he mumbled, mostly to himself, "I should really check my mail more often..."

Alastor's jaw twitched, his ears flickering a little, and his smile strained. You felt your own lips twitch upwards, and Stolas finally focused back on the two of you.

"My apologies to princess Morningstar, with the divorce and everything, I don't know where my head is sometimes. Well... no matter. You are here now, so tell me all about this event. As you may know, the stars are my field of expertise, and I am very much intrigued."

After the second refill of your cup of tea by a diligent and nervous looking Impington, Alastor and you had finished explaining what the Hazbin Hotel did and why the Blue Moon Ball was organized. Stolas had listened attentively, a hand to his beak and nodding, the occasional comment or question thrown in. Alastor, enigma that he was, had you do most of the talking, and you would have lied if you said you weren't delighted at the look of pride on his face as you finished speaking. You were, in fact, feeling rather accomplished.

"I'm happy to hear that the princess and her staff are working so hard, even if it's for this very... ambitious cause, and have come such a long way. I'll be sure to attend and show my support.", Stolas said, smiling and putting down his empty tea cup.

"Thank you, your highness, that is very generous and gracious of you.", you bowed a little, and felt Alastors eyes burn into you.

"Yes, we are indeed fortunate and grateful for your acceptance, and will be sure to inform Charlie, your highness."

"That reminds me." Stolas clapped, and the tiny butler appeared in between you and Alastor as if materializing out of thin air, making you jump in your seat. "I feel terrible for keeping Lucifer's daughter waiting for so long. Impington, please take Alastor to the artifact gallery - he may choose a gift from us as compensation for the deat girl. You don't mind your assistant waiting here with me?"

"Not at all, your highness." Alastor's grin was wide, his eyes locked onto yours for a brief moment as he pressed out the words, clearly minding. His static hummed against your skin, and he and the butler walked out of the room.

The door had not even closed completely when Stolas suddenly leaned forward, his gaze intent. "Say, Gem... Is the invitation including a plus one?"

He took out a smartphone, quickly glancing at the screen and blushing a little.

You softened your face. "Of course, your highness, I will gladly add any guest you want to bring with you to the list of attendees. I assume you won't invite your former spouse... so maybe your daughter, Octavia was it?"

Stolas laughed nervously, waving his hand in a dismissive motion. "Oh no, no, no, Via is... at an age where things like that bore her. Teenagers, you know how it is. No, the one I intent to bring is... someone very special. And important to me."

He sounded embarrassed and a little flustered, but his expression was a tender one, his eyes softening and his lips curling up fondly. It made him look younger, and for a moment, he even lost the royal aura and just looked like a slightly abashed boy in love. You tilted your head, lips tugging into almost a smile. "I think I know the feeling. Having someone very special and important, I mean."

"You do, hm?", he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes that he thankfully not elaborated on. Instead, he started fiddling with his teacup, running a finger around the lip and tapping his feet. "It could... be a little outrageous, though..."

"Oh, don't worry about that, your highness. We will do our best to make sure your partner is treated with the utmost respect and care, and feel comforta..."

"He is an imp, you see." Stolas said, not meeting your eyes. "I'm... afraid he... we will be met with a lot of prejudice."

"Oh.", you said dumbly, caught off guard, and not sure how to react.

Stolas looked up, and sighed, leaning back while he took off his crowned hat, a hand running through his hair.

"You probably find it scandalous and improper, hm? Everyone else does. For a goetian, especially a member of the royal family, to be involved with an imp is unheard of. It is seen as a disgrace, and I could understand if the princess wouldn't want such bad publicity for her..."

"As I said, your Highness." you interjected, voice firm and eyes strong on his glowing red ones. "Your partner will be treated with the utmost respect and care. As will you and any guest at the Ball, no matter the status, race or class. There is no room for judgment or ridicule at the hotel of Charlotte Morningstar. Especially when he is important to you. I'll personally make sure of it."

Stolas stared, silent surprise in his gaze, and tender sympathy. "No one has ever been that... accepting. You are quite the interesting one, Gem."

It's not like the powerful would make concessions and give up the advantages their status grants them.

You shuddered. "Your highness, if you allow me - can I ask you a question?"

"Please, dear, call me Stolas. Go ahead."

"If I'm understanding this correctly - You chose love above status and blood? Over rules and the expectations set in stone?"

"I have." Stolas gave a rueful smile as he saw your expression, as if he knew. "But that does not mean I haven't paid the price. My marriage is the least of what I sacrificed... it was forcibly arranged, and Stella never..." he hesitated, sighing heavily. "My ex-wife and I quickly grew to despise one another. The only good thing that came out of it was my daughter. But... when he entered my life, I was at the lowest point. He ignited a fire in me I've never felt before. For a while, we had a... transactional pretense for being with each other - it made it easier to justify, maybe even to pretend. But there came a time where the knowledge of the wrongness of it all became too much. I felt like I held him a prisoner. He felt used and toyed with."

You gasped a little, his last words resonating with a deep ache within you, making Stolas smile sadly. "Love, how selfish and selfless at the same time, isn't it?" The phone in his pocket vibrated again, and he pulled it out, glanced at the screen and immediately relaxed. "I freed him from his obligations to me, because I knew we could never really fully be together like this. For a while, it was messy - a lot of unsaid things and hasty assumptions. We spent our lifes apart for quite a while, focussing on healing ourselfs before we would be hurting each other further... at some point I thought it was over."

"And what made it all work again?"

Stolas smiled softly at the phone in his hands.

"Communication, honesty... and forgiveness."

You stared at him, your heart beating so hard against your ribs it almost hurt. He reached out and took your hand, a gentle expression on his face. "I must apologize for getting so personal - I rarely get to speak to someone about it all. It is... quite liberating, especially when the listener is as... understanding as you."

The way he toned the word made you blush. There was an implied knowingness in it, subtly laced in the way he looked at you and told you his story. Unspoken understanding, yet loud and clear to you. You were more than thankful Alastor wasn't here - if Stolas somehow had figured out the complicated dynamic going on between you and the demon, and hinting at it or worse, saying it out loud, who knew what would've happened?

"There's no need to apologize, your h... Stolas. I'm honored you trusted me with it." you said, sincerely and with a small bow, earning a chuckle from the goetian demon. "Now then, what name may I add to yours on the list?"

Stolas smiled sincerely, his voice dripping with adoration.

"Just Blitzø. And the 'o' is silent."

Alastor was feeling a myriad of things: Annoyed, pleased, surprised and impressed.

Annoyed at the fact that Stolas had managed to bruise his ego - he knew it had been done rather accidentally, but still, it miffed him. Granted, the prince was one of the few hellborn upper class men he could actually stand - Alastor appreciated his elegance, respectfulness and the way he carried himself so effortlessly. Which made the sting of not being recognized by him appropriately all the more sharp. But alas, a foot in the door was more than waiting in front of it. All in good time.

Pleased, at her perceptiveness and the way she had reacted and soothed his foolish bristling, defused and diverted what could've been a rather embarrassing situation that would've definitely led into Alastor letting some dust get off the proverbial rug, one way or the other. And having a big name in demon royalty attending the event would only put it forward even more.

Surprised, at the ease with which she had gained his favor so swiftly, just by being herself. To say Alastor wasn't at least a bit envious would've been an out and out lie, but in this case, a bigger part of him, no, the majority of him was actually impressed. She had been more than useful, yet again, her whole aura oozing respectfulness as well as endearing approachability, while also showing the proper amount of courtesy, professional distance and friendliness.

After Alastor had returned to the room he left them in - a small box containing the rare planetary orb he chose from the impressive collection of hellish artifacts of the prince in hand - his kitten and the prince had been in deep, serious conversation. He had made the right call, he had thought, dismissing the tiny imp servant, stating he wouldn't need a guide to find his way back, and hid in the shadows outside of the kitchen to listen in. And after catching a few words like 'love' and 'transactional pretense', he risked it and slid with his shadows under the door, lingering in the darkest corner of the room to hear the conversation better.

"Love, how selfish and selfless at the same time, isn't it?"

Alastor tried to contextualize what they were talking about, but her face was unreadable. And the prince to unknown as to accurately be analyzed.

"I freed him from his obligations to me, because I knew we could never really fully be together like this. For a while, it was messy - a lot of unsaid things and hasty assumptions. We spent our lifes apart... at some point I thought it was over."

Alastor felt uncomfortable, suddenly wary on his decision to stay, realizing he was in the middle of an emotional outpouring. Had she been confiding in him? Alastor furrowed his brow, a little incredulous. No, that would be highly unlikely, he knew that. But nonetheless, the topic of their discussion felt... dangerous. He shifted a bit, contemplating to break it up by rematerializing in the corridor and walzing into the kitchen.

"And what made it all work again?" he heard your voice say, quiet. Soft. Almost hopeful. He stilled, rooted on the spot as his eyes pierced through the darkness and tried to catch the look on your face. He had heard that tone once before, he was sure... when had it been?

"Communication, honesty... and forgiveness."

Alastor shuddered, and he decided to leave the room and make his presence known, shifting through the room again and back to the corridor. When he fully materialized again, he took a moment to collect himself. Why did those words hit him so intensely, and with a certain degree of discomfort, no less? There was something in the expression of hers when the prince talked to her that put him off, making his static almost sizzle uncomfortably, almost like a bad omen. Ozul fizzed at him, almost anxious, and he scoffed.

"Stop that childish nonsense now, old boy. We have nothing to worry about."

He straightened the lapels of his overcoat and adjusted his monocle before he pushed the kitchen door open and strode in, his steps slightly lacking his usual grade of confidence.

The rest of the visit was rather short. Stolas accompanied you back outside to the front gate with his imp butler trailing behind, much more cordial and attentive to him than before, and he reminded himself to question his little assistant about that when the time was right. You had marked another guest as Stolas's escort, the name unknown to him, but that was but a triviality. The more guests attended, the better.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you both." The prince said, and as protocol dictated, Alastor bowed, as did his kitten. But when she lifted her head, Stolas held out a blue shimmering card out to her. "My card, for whenever you need to reach me. May it serve you well, my dear."

She bowed a little lower, and smiled shyly as she thanked him and took the card with nimble fingers, slipping it into her pocket. Stolas turned to him, reaching out his hand, and pleasantly surprised, Alastor took it, the handshake a warm and friendly gesture that was followed by him leaning forward to say something to him.

"I look forward to see you again, Alastor, the radio demon. Take good care of your lovely assistant - one might regret not realizing what they have before they no longer have it." The last sentence was spoken so quietly as to not be overheard by the confused looking lynx next to him. Stolas gave him a wink and a bright grin before walking off and leaving a completely bewildered Alastor standing behind.

He stared wide eyed after Stolas retreating form, his mind reeling and smile tensing, as he was unable to fathom just what had transpired between his kitten and the prince to get him to utter such an ambiguous warning to him.

"Um... What was that about?", your puzzled voice ripped him out of his trance. You were looking at him with curious yet nervous eyes and a tilt of your head, one of your ears twitching expectantly.

Alastor laughed a little too loud, and stepped closer, putting his hand to the middle of your back.

"Nothing worth worrying about. I would say you have been very successful with our first visit, wouldn't you say? Attagirl, well done."

Her ears perked up and a timid smile tugged at her lips. He enjoyed it every single time her ears would twitch, the subtle display of unspoken thoughts finding their outlet in such an adorable way always a deliciously funny one. He flicked the tufts on the tips of her ears and was rewarded with a quiet chuckle and a furrow of her brow.

"Let's see if we are as successful with the others on our list."

They were, indeed. Back in their own circle, the visits were much shorter and, since Alastor knew most of the demons they searched for personally, it didn't take much effort to find them, and everyone they talked to agreed to attend - a little convincing provided for some of them on his part, not enough to be perceived as a real threat, but just enough for the respective person to make the right decision. Now, the sun was slowly descending, nearing the horizon as the both stepped out of the Carmine factory, the last name checked off as 'attending'.

“What a productive day this was, don't you think, darling? So far, the princess's quota has been met, and so satisfactorily to boot." Alastor praised, a prideful smirk on his lips and eyes as he stretched his limbs, a joint cracking somewhere under his red coat.

"It went better than I hoped! Charlie will be so happy - and if they got their stops done, we can finalize our plans with the vendors and really start to properly prepare. We'll even meet all of our deadlines. I'm getting excited!"

Alastor saw the subtle, yellow glow around her, like an aura - she was literally radiating excited joy. While she was oblivious to it, he wasn't the only one noticing, a few sinners turning their heads, half in fear of seeing him, the radio demon, walking the streets, but also half in awe at the golden shining girl next to him. Dangerously increasing in brightness, Alastor stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, and when she looked up to him, the light slowly faded. The evening was still young, and they had a little time on hand for something he had postponed long enough.

"We do have one additional stop to make, dear. Not to worry, no business - but if she knew you were out with me again without seeing her I fear she would really scald me."

She blinked at him, taking the bait. "Don't you mean 'scold'? And who are you..."

"No, it will most certainly be scalding, you know how Rosie is."

For a moment, she just stared at him, face blank and eyes wide, the black binder with her lists and notes tight in her arms. Then, as he expected from his girl, recognition set in, and he grinned benevolently when she let out a loud, excited gasp. "Rosie?! We're going to see Rosie? Oh, Alastor, thank you!"

What he didn't expect, not in the slightest, was to be almost thrown off balance as she, foolish girl that she had become, forgot all manners and decorum whatsoever and threw herself on him, her tail puffed and arms flinging tightly around his neck. Half of him wanted to reprimand her for this blatant display of public impudence, but the smile she wore, the one only known to him, only ever worn for him, made him reciprocating her embrace instead, his hands lightly caressing up and down her back, a hearty chuckle rumbling up in him as her warm glow returned.

Hadn't he been so enthralled by her reaction, he surely would've noticed the whirring of the Voxtech voyeurdrone, hovering over them like a starved vulture.

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[javipispunk]

PINE SYRUP

Chapter One: Moment of Truth

Jackson Era!Joel Miller x f!reader

Summary: Through the cold and desperation the pine needles do not fall. The needles are sharp and bitter to ward off strangers, yet with tender care they make the richest syrup.

TW: mentions of death, eating, slow burn, eventual smut. mean!joel, age gap (27/56)

A/N: I wanted to write a Jackson Era Enemies to Lovers so lets see how it goes

Word Count: 1.8k

Masterlist

You were mad as hell again. The weather sucked, you were outta food and outta drink and all alone in the wilderness. After weeks out in the Rockies you knew you needed a safe haven, Winter was on the horizon and there was no way you would make it to Spring by yourself. So there you were standing outside of the gates of Jackson. A mirage of the pearly gates, ready to face your judgment. All you had were the clothes on your back, an empty rifle, a half dozen hand rolled cigarettes and a mason jar. You were hoping you could buy your way in with the cigs. The protocol for trying to enter the commune was unclear. You’d been alone for so long you weren’t sure if you still knew how to talk to people, let alone beg for safety.

Then a voice rang out from up high.

“State your business.”

You cleared your throat and tried your best to yell. Your life was spent trying your best to stay quiet, hidden. Being found meant dying. Being loud wasn’t something you were too keen on doing.

“Looking for shelter.” Short and to the point seemed the best way to go about this.

“Hands up. Get on your knees.” You followed orders, no point in making it this far only to be shot because you didn’t feel like listening. It was hard to get down though. You were exhausted. There was a very real possibility that the person yelling at you would have to help you get up.

Out of the corner of your eye you could see two guns trained on you. One to the left of the gate up on the wall and one in the same position on the right. The gates opened up and out came two men, rifles up, ready to shoot and a dog. They approached you cautiously. Your mouth was dry, from nerves and lack of water. You wanted to get a good look at the men but you didn’t want to seem like a threat. One of the men signaled the dog to go up to you. It ran over, sniffed around, walked back in between the two men and laid down.

After they seemed satisfied with the dog's intuition to not tear you to shreds one of the men spoke. His voice was deep and angered.

“You infected?”

“No.” You replied curtly.

“You won’t survive long out there by yourself.”

“No shit. That's why I’m here, bud.” That might have been a little aggressive and probably wouldn’t get you into their good graces but you were starving and just wanted to get the interrogation over with.

“I ain’t your bud”

You huffed. Obviously this man was not your ‘bud’. It was a figure of speech but you were pretty sure this man didn’t care and you were too tired to explain. Either way the point was moot.

The other man raised his hand up to the man that had spoken, silencing him. You finally looked up to take both of them in. The one with his hand up was tall, had pitch black hair and even darker eyes. The one that had been speaking to you was tall as well. His hair was a lighter brown and peppered with grey, this pattern was mirrored in his patchy facial hair. He was broader than the other man too, and quite obviously older. And much to your dismay he was breathtakingly handsome. They both were. There was something broken in the man, a deep festering of anger that matched your own. Something you could only see in someone else if you saw it in yourself.

You didn’t know what day it was. It’s not like you had a calendar on you, just knew it was fall, mid October you were guessing. The air was sorrowful, a crisp breeze rustling the fallen leaves. With the cold came the haunting of old memories, the past dragging you backwards. The ghosts of yesterday getting closer than they have ever been.

The younger man kept his rifle trained on you while the older man slowly approached you

“Don’t move a fucking muscle” he barked. Then he snatched up your own rifle that lay useless on the ground. You wanted to tell him it was empty but figured it would do you better to keep your mouth shut and let him figure that out for himself. And just as you predicted he tried to eject the cartridge and nothing came out.

“Empty.” He said. He then grabbed your bag and walked back to the other man handing him the rifle.

At this moment you decided to speak up. You didn’t want him taking all you had to your name.

“Can I have my bag? You can take the cigs but there ain’t much else in there.”

“If there ain’t much in there then you won’t mind me taking it.”

Before you could protest the other man uttered a warning.

“Joel.” Joel. His name was Joel. At least you didn’t have to call him bud anymore.

“Well Joel.” You said with a snark and pursing of your lips. “What's the verdict?”

He glared daggers at you. You didn’t know what you did to deserve his ire. But you were still at the other end of two rifles and knew you shouldn’t push their buttons too much at risk of being shot, or worse not being let in. A quick death was better than a long one of starvation out in the cold. He let out another huff. Seemed to be his favorite thing to do. The men gave each other a look. The one whose name you still didn’t know gave you a nod.

“Up.” Was all he said. You were stiff and achy so it was a struggle getting up. Your joints felt as ready to snap as dry brush in the desert. It must have been taking too long because Joel spoke out again.

“He said up.”

“I’m trying. Gimme a sec jeez.” And then with a deep exhale you managed to get up.

“Are you hurt?” Not Joel asked. He was nicer than Joel. He had kinder eyes and was obviously more patient.

“No, just a few scrapes and bruises.”

“Follow us.”

So you did, albeit a little hesitantly. This was unfamiliar territory. You hadn’t stepped foot into a community in years, having spent the last while with three other people wandering the west like true desperados. But slowly they got picked off one by one. One a hunting accident, one sickness and one a bite. So here you were sucking up your pride and asking for help, putting blind trust into strangers, breaking your number one rule.

Finally the other man gave you his name. Tommy. And then you gave him yours.

“Lets get some food in ya.” He said as he handed your bag back to you. You weren’t gonna argue with that.

After you had gotten some food you sat with Tommy and Joel. Tommy gave you an overview of how Jackson was run. There was order and routine. Things made sense. You guys got to chatting about what your role in Jackson would be.

“What are you good for?” Tommy asked.

“Shootin shit.” You both let out a small laugh. Joel didn’t.

“What else? No offense but we ain’t gonna let you out on patrol right now.”

“Fine by me. I’m good with produce. Like farming and preserving things. Pickling, curing, making jams, syrups and the like.”

Tommy nodded. Joel rolled his eyes.

“Is that an issue?” You asked Joel pointedly.

Tommy spoke Joels name under his breath.

“No. No issue.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Pretty good with my hands too if things need fixing” you added.

“No need, we got it covered.” Joel dismissed your offer, which made Tommy utter his name yet again.

Then Tommy prodded you, asking more questions.

“Where ya comin’ from that you learned all that?”

“Western Pennsylvania. Swear the folks out there been living their life like it was the apocalypse decades before it actually happened. They know damn near everything about surviving. But I’ve been traveling around for a few years now.”

“Solo?” Joel asked. Finally a question that didn’t have malice behind it. Now it was laced with pity. You didn’t really like him at this point and it seemed like he didn’t like you too much either.

“Recently, yes.” They seemed to understand what that meant, that the people you had been with had been freed from this Hell, this gruesomeness, that you all found yourselves living in. You hoped death had been kind to them. To survive was to know atrocity. And these men were survivors, as were you.

You hoped that you wouldn’t have to work so hard on surviving while in Jackson. You hoped, at least for a little while, that you could just be.

When the conversation had wrapped up Tommy offered to walk you to the house you would be staying in. The streets were quaint. Nothing to write home about but it was a quiet safe town and that's all you could ever ask for. Your own personal Troy, here's to hoping no giant wooden horses would show up.

On the way there he brought up Joel, who you just learned was Tommy’s older brother.

“You’ll have to excuse my brother. He’s not too trusting.” He looked at you wearily.

“That’s fine. I ain’t either. It’s a man eat man world out there. Gotta be careful. I ain’t too keen on talking to strangers either.”

“I know. But he don’t gotta be mean. We can always use the help around here. You said you know how to cure things?”

“Yes sir.” You replied.

“Been trying to perfect our beef jerky recipe. Maybe you can help with that.”

“Sounds good bud.” You gave Tommy a smile. You were pleased he didn’t interject with an ‘I’m not your bud’ like his brother did.

“Here we are.” Tommy said while pointing to a small little home on the right. It was everything you could have asked for. A mailbox, a porch, a fence, a suburban dream that died when the world ended.

You and Tommy walked up the bluestone path to the front door. You smiled thinking about all the weeds you could pick that wormed their way through the cracks in the stones. Something your father had complained about before the outbreak now felt like a luxury. Tommy showed you around, handed you the keys and a set of clean clothes.

There was an empty spice rack in the kitchen. You placed your lone mason jar in it, hoping you could fill it with a myriad of scents one day.

You took a long hot shower, rinsing away grime and sodden memories. Afterwards you changed into clean sleep clothes, laid on a bed you could finally call your own and tried to fall asleep. You were exhausted but adrenaline was still coursing through your veins. You were safe, at least you hoped you were. You kept thinking about Joel, how aggravated he was. You understood people being wary of strangers but Tommy seemed to accept your presence. Maybe if he wasn’t so handsome and didn’t carry an air of such authority it wouldn’t have bothered you so much. Eventually you fell into a much needed sleep.

[btstaefigvs]

Sweet Honey (18+)

summary: almost like a fever dream feel with jungkook, but luckily it is real

content warnings: sexual themes, detailed, use of word 'mommy' at the end

category: sub jungkook x reader

___________________________________________________________

Sitting by the bench, admiring the soft pink petals that were above you. Fall ever so softly, to the rocky ground that your bare feet were resting on. Your palms were sweaty and clammy, constantly rubbing against your skin, as you picked at your painted nails, slowly chipping them away. One, two, three..and your nails , were cleared off from the ruby color of polish, revealing your hands to be bare. To say the least you were calm and collective, surprisingly. You usually come here to cry every now and then, or sometimes eat, watch the clouds move slowly, I mean it was your calm space. “Sunlight..oh my beautiful..carry all with your heart..sing a bit..and I will be fine..”, your voice pushed out of your throat, a small tune you always had when the sun was just setting down, illuminating with all its soft colors. Pink, like the cherry blossom trees, the orange representing the flowers nearby, ah you couldn’t get enough of the view, any day at all. 

“A-Are you sure..?”, his fingers grabbed the side of your skirt, and of course you always found it cute and cherishing. With a steady nod, his breath became heavier when he pulled your skirt all the way down to your ankles, taking at the sight that you were wearing nothing. Possibly you can’t deny you and him sneaking out on your lunch breaks when you got the chance and goodness, the amount of trouble we would get if we were ever caught. His name was Jeon Jungkook. Black hair, brown hazel eyes, round glasses, with his puffy rosy lips, puckering down on your flesh when he had the courage too. It was all fun, so endearing until he saw you but down naked, legs spread wide open, poor thing was overwhelmed that his face was turned into a hot pink bubble gum. 

“..J-Jungkook..”, you let out a small whisper into his ear, feeling how he was flicking your clit in a side to side motion, his big doe eyes staring at your facial expressions. With all you had cared for, he cherished every bit of you, from head to toe. And when I mean head to toe, I mean straight up treating everybody piece like it was created by the Greek gods. He first started with your hair, smelling your scent with a mixture of coconut and berries, coming down to your neck, his favorite spot to mark you. He started you nibbling as a soft play, but that's until you felt his boner rubbing against your hip. Next, it was your breasts. Oh, he adored them. He loved it when he saw you riding him and getting a hot view of your tits bouncing up and down. Sometimes he squeezes them every now and then and likes it some squishy, well, yeah, but still..

Can’t forget about sucking your nibbles, it was something he enjoyed. Seeing you all squirmed under him made him aroused and really you can’t even deny how hot it was when he mentioned those sweet yet lewd phrases. “..D-Does it feel good..mommy..?”, and how could you not go wrong with that?

[therhythmafterthesummer]

No because this man is SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL?!?!?!?!?! There's just something about Minho that's just so....pretty🩷 I can't get over it, I just can't

He'd looks so fucking gorgeous with his purple hair and an equally purple and shimmery tail. He'd have the MOST BREATHTAKING fins!! They'd look like see-through light purple fabric with a little shimmer (Thinking angel fish) and he'd have the kind of fin-like ears (U probably know what I mean)

I can imagine Minho going up to the surface every now and again and not being really impressed by what he sees sometimes but down under can also get a little boring sometimes yk?

One particular day he's out for a swim near the surface and pops up on a rocky area just a ways off from a beach. It's very cool there and secluded so he goes there sometimes just to chill and relax with the cool air. He did that same thing today but what he wasn't expecting was to hear a voice. A voice singing so sweetly he swore it was a siren's but a siren's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard to his merfolk ears so it couldn't be.

He looked for the voice as discreetly as possible and sitting on a few rocks just above where he was hiding sat you. Singing sweetly to the ocean and all who else would listen. And believe Minho was listening.

He'd never heard such a sweet voice in his life. And you were just as beautiful as the notes leaving your throat. Minho was mesmerized. So much so that he didn't hear the sound of other voices approaching. Only once you stopped singing to turn and shyly? Or was it timidly? speak to the voices that approached was Minho able to compose himself and slip away before he was seen. He does curse whoever those people were for making him have to leave. He wanted to hear you sing more, wanted to see you just a bit closer.

Minho hasn't stopped thinking about you. It's been days since he last saw or heard you. He's gone back to that rocky area every day, the amount of times a day increasing slowly but you're never there. Minho begins to wonder if he'll ever get to see you again. Why does he feel so upset at the idea of never seeing you again? Sure you were absolutely breathtaking and your voice made him feel like he was floating but that was just a one off encounter. Surely he just wanted to hear you sing again. That had to be it...right?

I have even more thoughts on this but it's gotten long and I wanna hear to what you Abt this so far😊 Merman Minho is so fking breathtaking in my brain I wish I could transfer the image to my phone and share it with u and everyone else😭💔

- 🦁

obsessed with how you sent this ask right after sending this one:

it truly made me feel like i had just started watching your ted talk lmao

no but like... the mental image of this merman minho is so so pretty.... purple in all its shades is my favourite colour (i'm like... clinically obsessed with it), so thinking about minho in all his shimmery purpley self is just doing things to my brain.

love love love the trope of the mermaid/merman that falls in love with a random human they see...

merman!minho would just be so smitten by you... he'd roam the coast trying to see you again. and when he does, he'd debate on whether he should approach you or not. his kind probably wasn't that fond of humans, considering all the things humans do to the ocean, how they harm it, so of course he would be apprehensive.

but, oh, the romance that could bloom between you two... how he'd love it if you played with his hair, or how he'd braid small seashells into your hair....

my brain is dry on creativity juice rn, but i'd love to hear more if you have more ideas, dear lion.

[kidmachinate]

I Said I Would

This title means a lot...but it also hurts a lot, because much of this are promises I made to myself that have simply just not been accomplished. It's exhausting.

I said life would get better but I still haven't gotten myself to a salaried position comparable to a place I worked twelve years ago. That's over a decade. That's gotta be my fault, right? I mean I could have done a ton of things. Degree. Knowing someone that knows someone. Free learning where possible. Dedicate the time to put into any of this when living normal life or not being depressed. Game less. Variety of things. To top this off, while my health is mostly okay, still wondering if I have a blood clot in my leg. When I'll get around to getting a primary. That's definitely on me. When I'll get to a dermatologist. Fucking myself is going great, eh? Too much left behind. There's accomplishment outside of myself but what does it matter if you can't keep yourself together? The rest doesn't work.

On one hand, I know I'm doing what I can and then some, on the other I just think about how all these same ideals and principles once had me in a much better position. So how do I build it all back? How do I get to a place in which I can just live and not worry? I just can't see it. Maybe I don't want to...and to be honest and more day than not, I simply don't. Outside of occasional releases in which my voice is appreciated, I'm perhaps worse off than I've ever been. Do I even believe what I'm saying? Everyone's fed. We have a roof. I don't know.

Everything just feels lost. Existential dread sux. It's always there to some extent. We all want to be more. This year has been hell on many and the election sure as hell didn't help. Month to month is figured out. Maybe I just failed. Part of me has accepted this. The other is working hard towards a better future still. The day in which everything balances itself out and I can start going back towards slowly building what I had before. Financial security really has me more confident, less vulnerable. Able to make emergency decisions if need be. There's other aspects to this...

I said I would do a thing...therefore I must do the thing. Can't let someone down. To do this, I better make sure I have all the details and no one can pin any issue on me. If I forget? I wrote it down. This is always appreciated in a job but doesn't guarantee success. You'd have to wonder based on principle why this doesn't work out or make sense. If you have a good pulse on what's going on and don't miss details, how can that be bad? If you point out something that doesn't work as a result of being detail oriented that's what gets you in trouble. It's cost me jobs. It can cause you to lose people that may not be ready or want to hear what you have to say. It can cost you a discount in a store that is shady and realize now they can turn around and charge you extra for something they themselves didn't think of too before. I'd argue these are dishonest people but what if you keep attracting that? Surely I can't make that excuse over twelve years time, that would be absurd. Also...twelve isn't accurate but it's been...maybe ten? My timelines are as blurry as my visions of the future as of late.

As I try and draw blood from a stone, with an old tradition of watching the Rocky films for inspiration, I wonder this time if it will work. Am I looking for a miracle cure or solution to life that doesn't seem within reach? What truly am I doing? I know regardless of what I do or say I have to keep fighting the good fight but damnit if it isn't downright exhausting at times. I don't know if anybody this makes sense and this is just the "public" version or what I need to go into length with in journaling. Something else I said I was gonna do for myself and pushed aside. When I was asked recently if I was okay due to being very quiet. I said yes. When asked further, I simply mentioned financial struggle but overall things are better. I'm starting to think I lied to them and myself with that answer and quickly pivoting into wanting this year to be over was how to avoid perhaps a conversation I should of had because I was given the opportunity to have it. Not wanting to bother others with my nonsense. Again with pushing my needs aside. Why do I do this?

The pic left here is from Facebook but there's no artist tag. It was just shared. I can't ever truly forgive myself for the above and I don't know why. Not everyone is going to see your worth. Maybe it's just a bad day. Is there a detail selective? Is that a thing? Instead of noticing every see detail in something for better or worse, someone picking out the bad things like people the look for reasons why gaming is ruined by "wokeness" agendas? Politics is in everything. Maybe I'm wrong there too. I'm questioning beliefs and value that have gotten me to a position of being fortunate enough to make it and have some backup plans vs none, but still not comfortable. Maybe what I'm doing simply isn't enough. That reminds me of something I have coming up that I wanted to do to be nice but now I'm questioning that too. Maybe if enough who valued my effort we're in positions of power at work would change my financial position and I'd be happier or content. Is that really it? Or is there more too it?

Too many questions, too little answers. I'm beside myself. Might be in a withdraw phase.

[crushculture03]

Chapter 26

Warning smut & angst

Time skip about 2 months

The past two months have treated both jules and Matty pretty decently, the two had yet to talk to each other yet, which jules was content about, but Matty on the other hand was dying to contact her again.

Ever since he saw her storm out of the concert, he has been unable to get her out of his mind. But with the release of the new album and the idea of a new tour looming over his head, he tried to push her out of his mind and focus on what lay ahead for him and the band.

For Jules though, that night of the concert 2 months ago had changed her view on him slightly, how could he write a song saying he loved her and then go write another saying their love died on its own, when it was truly his fault that their love came to an end.

But unfortunately or maybe fortunately, their efforts to stay away from each other would soon end, when Jaime would invite both of them to a party dirty hit was hosting....

Jules nervously made her way up to the roof, where the party was being held, everything in her hoped that Matty wouldn't be in attendance tonight; with the new album out she expected him to most likely be busy. Unfortunately when she stepped off the elevator, her hopes were shattered when she spotted him at the bar. She quickly pulled her phone out and hurried to a more secluded part of the roof, praying he hadn't noticed her.

"Charli he's here I thought he would be busy, and since he's here that probably means she's here" jules texted her best friend, immediately charli texted back, "Shit I'm sorry jules, just try to ignore him, I'm here if you need anything" she reassured her friend. Jules sighed, not knowing if she should leave or stay.

"You ok there?" an all too familiar voice asked her, "Go away Matthew '' she mumbled, those were the first words they had spoken to each other in months.

Unfortunately for Jules, Matty decided to sit next to her instead of following her wishes. "What do you not get about me asking you to go away?" she huffed, finally looking over at him with anger and hurt prevalent in her stare. "I just wanted to check up on you, that's all," Matty said, putting his hands up in surrender.

Jules scoffed, "I'm fine thanks, where's your little pet? You should keep her on a leash you know instead of letting her harass me "Jules snapped. Matty sighed, "I'm sorry I don't know why she would post something like that" he responded back, "Whatever, she got what she wanted which was you so can't she just leave me alone" jules responded, quickly grabbing her purse and getting up to leave. "Where are you going?" Matty asked, quickly getting up from the bench as well and following her to the elevators, "Somewhere far away from you Matthew" she sighed.

She soon felt his hand grab her wrist and gently turn her around, "Jules, would you please just talk to me?" Matty pleaded, Jules looked at him, tears threatening to spill from her eyes at any minute. Luckily they were still in a pretty secluded area of the roof and no one was there to disturb their conversation. 

"Why should I matty? Huh what the fuck could you possibly say to me right now? Are you sorry?" Jules said, ripping her wrist out of his grasp. "That you didn't mean to hurt my feelings, that you wanna be friends?" she said, tears now finding their way to her eyes and spilling slowly down her face as she moved closer to him.

"You broke my heart Matthew Healy, no, you shattered it and just as I had mended it, you come back and ruin it" she snapped, matty was taken aback at jule's sudden outburst. "What are you talking about ruining it again? I thought you were with pretty boy ross?" Matty commented. "We broke up," she quickly responded, trying her best to wipe away her tears as they fell. "Oh, i-i'm sorry" , Matty said.

"You know things between jade and I have been pretty rocky lately" he commented, looking down at his shoes, "She keeps asking me to sleep with her but I refuse everytime, guess it just doesn't feel right" he commented, looking back up at jules.  Julie scoffed "Aw can't get your dick hard for her can you? Well guess what, Healy , you broke up with me! So you don't get to imply you miss sleeping with me, when you're the one who ended it in the first pl-" but before she could finish her sentence she felt a pair of lips meet her own.

Going against her better judgment, Jules kissed him back, she missed the way his lips felt against hers, when they kissed she felt like she was home. But reality set back in and she quickly pushed him away "You have a girlfriend matty, we can't" jules whispered, that kiss had tore her walls down, and all of sudden the anger she felt towards him seemed like a distance memory, she knew it was wrong but she wanted him, no she needed him.

"I don't care Foreman" he whispered, before pulling her back in for a quick kiss, "let's get out of here" he said, as he guided her to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed behind the two, he pushed her up against the wall, immediately using his lips to attack her neck. Jules let out a soft moan as he found the sweet spot on her neck. He quickly pulled away as he felt the elevator stop in the lobby, once again he gently took her hand, and led her to the nearest taxi.

Once the two arrived at his house, he quickly unlocked the door and dragged Jules up the stairs and to his room. He gently pushed her down on the bed, admiring the way her blonde curls fell around her.

She quickly reached up and grabbed his tie, tugging him down to her level and connecting their lips, matty put both of his hands on the space around her head, in order to steady himself over her.

"You're so gorgeous Julie, '' he whispered in her ear, as one of his hands slowly creeped its way up her thigh, slowly making its way up to where she needed him most.

Matty's hand stopped as it came in contact with the cotton fabric of her underwear, the girl gasped as he slowly applied pressure to her clothed core. "Fuck i've missed this" he responded, and quickly dipped his head down to met her lips once again, "You're soaking wet just for me arent you love" he teased. "Always" she responded back, which made him smile.

"Matty" she breathed, "yes love" he hummed back, "please i need you" she replied back, and just that sentence had him putty in her hand.

He quickly pulled away and removed both his shirt and pants, leaving him in his boxers only, he quickly helped Jules out of her dress so she too was just in her undergarments. He admired the girl beneath him, god how he had missed this sight.

Matty quickly kicked off his boxers, eager to start the night's events. Just as his fingers hooked themselves on the side of her cotton underwear, Jules stopped him "Matty are you sure about this? What about her?" Jules asked, mentally kicking herself for bringing jade up.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life jules" he responded, and with that he quickly yanked her underwear off, discarding it somewhere in the room. He slowly entered her, trying his best to savor the moment, Jules let out a soft moan at the contact, ' god how i've missed this' she thought.

Once he was fully inside of her he stopped for a moment and looked down at her once again, "I love you Julie" he whispered, then leaned down and kissed her, as he did so his hips adopted a steady rocking motion.

"I love you too matty" she moaned back, the pleasure she was experiencing was a feeling she had missed. They knew what they were doing was wrong, matty was still in a relationship and jules should be mad at him for what he did, but none of that seemed to matter at the moment. All that mattered in that moment was the love and connection the two felt for each other.

After a few minutes, Jules felt the familiar feeling of euphoria rising in her stomach "matty" she whispered, as her hands dug their way into his soft curls, "I know baby" he responded back, feeling the same sensation she felt. Jules finished first, the wave of euphoria washing over her as she softly tugged on his curls, matty soon followed in his bliss, his hips slowing down while the two rode out their highs. He placed one last kiss on her lips before pulling out slowly and laying down next to her, the two sat in silence as they both tried to process what had just happened.

"Matty" she whispered, finally breaking the peace, he turned on his side to face her. "Yes darling" he smiled and gently pushed a loose hair from her face "I meant it when I said I love you" she replied, searching his face for any sign of regret, "I meant it too" he replied, and pulled her into his arms.  And for the rest of the night the two peacefully slept in eachothers arms, not worrying about the repercussions that the night would cause, the only thing they cared about was being held by the person they loved.

A/N : Ahhhh i hoped you all liked it! i've been planning this chapter for so long and love how it turned out! also i definitely don't condone cheating but jade is lowkey kinda a bitch and jules and matty are meant to be tbh! anyways hope y'all enjoyed!

[hellbornhades]

(SUMMER)

As summer began to make its way, the couple had a lot to prepare for, especially in terms of finances. They were able to remodel the inside of their home and finally make a plan for their wedding, but that involved using a bit of their savings, so they're funds are pretty low.

With their new financial situation, Jaylah thought it was time to publish her books. She wasn't expecting fame to come out of it though… but boy does she make it look good.

And of course after a few days of being in the limelight, Jaylah had to admit, being famous wasn't as fun as she had hoped… yes she's finally being noticed by her job as a writer.. but now she's got to put more effort into everything she writes.

Just a few more days, and I'll be off of work for my wedding and honeymoon, Jaylah thought to herself.

During the next day, Travis was finishing some Wedding preparations while Jaylah slept, he just so happened to spot one of Jaylah's stans, waiting for her outside.

He grumbles to himself: "Got damned Sim stans… figuring out where we live… I told Jay not to give out too many autographs."

Travis decided he would handle this himself and let Jaylah rest, she's been working nonstop to produce a new bestseller on top of planning a wedding and just didn't want to add this to her plate.

Travis: "Look, I don't know who you are or how you found our home, but you need to go. Jaylah is just like any other Sim, she works and eats and has hobbies outside of this fame she's started to gain, just like the rest of us. Now, can you respectfully climb back down the hole you came from before I call the cops!"

Random Stan: "Oh, I uh… look at the time? I must be on my way!"

Despite Jaylah's newly developed fame and how hectic things had started to become for the two, the couple still had their eyes looking forward to making the best of their wedding day.

.

(The Next Day)

.

It was officially Jaylah and Travis' big day. After careful planning and much preparation, the wedded-couple-to-be reserved their wedding at a secluded and quiet spot in Sulani.

Excited was an understatement, these two have been dying to tie the knot ever since they made their relationship official.

Now standing face to face, Jaylah could swear her heart was beating so loudly that maybe even Travis could hear. Jaylah took Travis' hand and smiled, taking a slow, deep breath and began to recite her vows.

Jaylah: "Low and behold, it's finally the day of our union. The day our lives become one forever. It's one thing to talk about a life together and another thing to truly jump in and get our feet wet; to go forth and set our new lives in motion. Today, this very day, will be the start to our forever life."

Travis could no longer hide his giddy, nervous excitement, occasionally erupting into giggling fits like that of a teenage girl.

Jaylah smiled, continuing on: "Words are beautiful, but actions are what holds so much more meaning. Memories may fade and be forgotten, but together we can always create new ones. The past will always be important, but the future holds so many unforeseen possibilities. With all meaning and sincerity, I will love you forever and ever, Travis. Even when our vessels are returned to the Earth."

Travis took Jaylah's hand and started his vows, gently pushing the ring up her finger: "Gosh, I wish my vows were even close to being as beautiful as yours, but you, my dear, have always been poetic with your words. However, my eyes have never seen so clearly as it has since I've met you. The path I walked once complicated and rocky, has now grown smooth and clear of obstacles with you by my side. Often times, I wonder if I am floating. When I close my eyes, I dream of you and only you, just to awaken to see your beautiful face still fast asleep. My ears have never heard anything as sweet as the day I heard your voice say 'I love you.' My soul has found it's other half and I'm so eternally grateful that it's you, Jaylah."

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[Wedding Day – Part 1]

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[pascalssbabyy]

Something New 🤍

Pairing: Joel Miller x Innocent!F!Reader

Rating: Explicit 18+

Word Count: 14.6k (oops?)

Summary: Getting bored of the bare minimum in Jackson was getting to you. Until you mention to Tommy that you want to start helping with patrol duty. Successfully persuading him to go with the idea, Tommy knows just the man to pair you up with.

Warnings: 18+ SMUT, no use of Y/N, age gap (not actually specified), insecure!reader, slight insecure!Joel, soft!Joel but also mean!Joel, slight inexperienced!reader, P in V, unprotected sex (don’t actually do this, please be safe!) m!masturbation, f!oral receiving, drunk sexual harassment (not from Joel), Tommy and reader know each other well. Cute ending 🤍

🤍 Hi everyone! This is my first ever story on here! I am so so anxious posting it as I’ve never wrote anything like this in my life so please be easy on me! I know it’s probably not the best but I’m learning! I’ve re-read it loads so forgive me if there’s any mistakes. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.

Life in Jackson was definitely something you’d never thought you’d have. A roof under your head, security, food and an actual community where everyone was there for one another. It was such a huge change for everyone and it was definitely difficult to get used to at the start. No more sleepless nights, no more fighting for survival, it was a life you’d never thought would be possible.

You’ve now been in Jackson for over a year. About a month in, Tommy gave you a list of jobs you could pick from to help the people and the community. He wasn’t pushy with it, but you were eager to help out as much as possible. It was a rocky start for you to try to fit in as you were new and still not used to other people around you; the constant feeling of needing to protect yourself and keep others out, you kept yourself to yourself as life had always been. You wanted a job to help get you out there, to get you socialising with everyone and hopefully make a few friends along the way, and you thought the perfect way to do that was to get a job at The Tipsy Bison.

Work was fine in the beginning; it actually made life feel normal again, like no apocalypse had completely wiped out the world and killed almost everyone. Your job at the pub is where you met your new best friend, Rebecca. She was only a couple of years older than you, and you both got on pretty much instantly; she’s got to know everything about you, what life was like before Jackson and how you got here in the first place, it was nice to finally have someone to talk to and to feel yourself around, you could trust her with anything and everything.

It’s a Friday night, and you’re currently working the late shift. Rebecca is sitting in front of you, clutching onto her icy glass of spirits while you dry the clean glasses and put them away in their designated spot.

“Josh asked me out today. Can you believe it?” Her voice cuts you out of your trance as you turn to face her, rolling your eyes before she can see. “Ooh, did he now?” You reply, raising your eyebrows at her, which makes her scoff. “Yeah, I know what you're thinking; he’s a nice guy, I promise you.” She sips on the last bit of her drink, pulling her face in at the taste of it, burning as it goes down her throat; the bottom of the drink is always the strongest. Rebecca didn’t even know why she brought it up in the first place, she knows you inside out and how you’d react.

The truth was you were a little jealous of Rebecca in that sense. She was beautiful, so she was bound to get guys approaching her, offering her a drink here and there, and asking to walk her home when it got too dark outside. She bloomed with confidence and was never the one to turn any guy down.

You’d get that too, men asking you out, that was a negative of working at the Tipsy Bison. Drunk men waltz up to the bar in an attempt to impress you, asking if they could wait for you to finish to walk you home or buy you a drink after your shift; the thought makes you sick. This is a couple of the reasons why you started disliking your job, tired of the harassment from men, the late nights and busy days leaving you too exhausted to do anything after. You wanted a change, something to bring that spark back to you, and that was just about to happen.

“I heard they’re looking for recruitment for the patrol duties” Rebecca mentions, as she slowly swirls the ice in her empty glass, you don’t reply straight away, refilling her drink in hopes she’s carry on with what she’s going on about. “Not enough people to go on route at the moment apparently and the weather is putting people off which is understandable. You wouldn’t see me out there in weather like this.” Rebecca twirls her straw to mix the alcohol with the melting ice in her drink before taking a sip. “Yeh that’s true” you nod clutching the dish towel in both hands.

It’s like a lightbulb went off. Yeah patrols seemed hard but you lasted so long out there on your own why wouldn’t you be able to do it? Just going to certain checkpoints and staying on watch for a few hours or a couple night at tops. How hard could it be? It would at least get you away from all the drunk people you have to serve and deal with. It wouldn’t harm asking Tommy would it? You were young and to you, that was an advantage. You were strong and quick on your feet, sure you weren’t the best with a firearm but a knife you’d had experience in using. You knew a couple other woman that patrolled, so why couldn’t you?

It’s all you could think about walking home. It was late in the morning once you’d finished all your jobs at the pub, exhausted as you dragged your feet along the concrete path but thinking of all the possibilities of becoming a member of the patrol team. The best part, this is a job you’d be proud of, protecting the people of Jackson and looking out for the community. The thought puts a smile on your face. Once you get home you quickly get yourself in the shower to rinse off another long, boring day off your shoulders and slowly make your way into bed. You’ve made your decision, you’ll see Tommy first thing in the morning.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

You’ve got a thick coat wrapped around your body as you make your way to Tommys office. The coat you wore completely swallowed you whole and was definitely too big for you, the hood engulfing your head, your hands shoved into the pockets and a thick scarf wrapped around your neck. The sound of the snow crunching against your thick boots is oddly therapeutic as you make your way to your destination. With each step you take your mind plays out the negatives: Are you starting to have second thoughts? What if he laughs at you? What if he gets offended that you’ve offered? The sweet, quiet girl going on patrols? Don’t be stupid! You’re too weak to be going on patrols. Do you even know how to do anything other than make a decent tasting cocktail? Before you can get yourself out of it and maybe have a little longer to go through the pros and cons of the situation you’re standing in front of Tommys door.

“You can do this,” you mutter to yourself. There’s no harm in asking or inquiring about the job.

You take the leap of faith and push the door open and make your way inside.

You’ve only been in Tommys office a couple of times. The last time being about how your job was going at the Tipsy Bryson and if you were settling in well at home. Of course you lied through your teeth and told him that the job was going well, not wanting to bother him with your thoughts and issues. Tommy liked to hear how you were getting on from time to time and was happy you were settling in well overall. That’s what you liked about Tommy, he was a good leader and would always take his time with everybody to know the ins and outs of their lives. He was so kind and understanding to you when you first arrived in Jackson and he made you feel so welcome, making sure everything was to your liking and if not, to come to him or Maria straight away. He was such an easy person to get on with, no wonder he was the leader of the community.

The bell above the doors goes off which grabs Tommy’s attention straight away, you gently close the door behind you and pull your oversized hoodie off your head as it rests above your shoulders.

“Hey!” Tommy smiles at you and then slightly furrows his brows as he puts his pen down and stops whatever he was writing, he definitely didn’t expect to see you here especially at this time in the morning, you’re still stood awkwardly in the doorway, noticing the slight confused look plastered on his face.

“Mornin’ love, what you doing here? How’s everything going, you alright?” He straightens up in this seat giving you his full attention with whatever reasons got you standing in his office, clearly noticing the nerves you’re suddenly feeling.

“Morning Tommy, I was uh just wondering if I could talk to you about something. It’s something I heard mentioned at work yesterday, something that I could maybe help with.”

Were you always this awkward? You slowly make your way into his office, taking you hands out of your pockets and start fiddling with your fingers, something you always do when you’re nervous, force of habit. You take a deep breath through your nose, hoping to ease the tension you were feeling in your lower stomach. Your face starts to heat up from the nerves considering the freezing cold walk over to Tommys office.

“Yea of course you can, take a seat I’ll make you a coffee, let’s get you warmed up!” Tommy leaves the room and you’re left on your own as he walks in the back to make your drink. Taking your time, you’re eyes wonder round his office, it was nice and neat with a few photo frames scattered around of Tommy and Maria and some of this life before, papers scattered round his desk and an empty cup of coffee on the corner, hearing the back door open, you see Tommy walking back to his desk and pop your hot cup of coffee in front of you, he sits himself back down so he’s facing you ready to hear what you are about to say.

“So what’s up love?” He leans back on his chair, intertwining his hands together as he looks back at you with a small, reassuring smile. Tommy always called you the sweetest of words: love, sweetheart, darling. He knew the nicknames never made you feel awkward or uncomfortable and even if they did he would stop straight away. In fact you secretly loved them and they made you feel close to him. Tommy was always someone you could count on and trust.

“Well…” you say, looking everywhere but not him. “As I said before Rebecca had mentioned to me that you needed a few extra hands for patrols and it got me thinking…I would really like to give it a go. You know, helpin’ out.” You let out the air you were holding and finally look at Tommy’s expression, his eyebrows are raised and his face has a blank stare. He definitely didn’t expect you to say that.

“Sweetheart… I don’t know if that’ll be a good idea, it’s a lot out there,” he mutters. “Why do you want to anyway? Are you not enjoying the pub?” You know you don’t have to be scared when talking to Tommy. He’s known you a while now to know that you shouldn’t be holding back anything you want to say.

“It’s just…it’s getting to me a little.” You’re now looking down at the floor. Have you disappointed him with mentioning that your job at the pub is not what you want anymore? “I just want to try something new and help out a lot more. She mentioned you’re struggling with staff at the minute n’ I’m more than up for helping out. I know I don’t really look the part but I know I can do it once I get the hang of it.” Tommy is still looking at you with his raised eyebrows and lips parted slightly.

“I mean…it’s a big job sweetheart and I just don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into. There will be long days and the weather is making it so much more difficult for us, I don’t want to throw you in the deep end.” Tommys face is full of worry but yet softness as he’s trying to understand why going on patrol seems like something you could start doing. He never wants to put you in an uncomfortable or even a dangerous situation.

“No I know it’s not going to be easy! I lasted a long time on my own out there as you know,” those memories are hard to come back to after being in Jackson for so long and Tommy already knows what you’ve been through before he found you. “I really wanna try it, just give me a chance at it and if it doesn’t go right then we can forget it ever happened and I’ll go back to the pub.” You’re desperate to get out of your current job and Tommy can feel it in your words.

“Well I love the enthusiasm.” He chuckles when he says it and shuffles his chair closer to the desk and straights his back, he has a glimmer in his eye and writes down something on a piece of paper and gives it to you.

After a few seconds of silence Tommy speaks up. “Okay sweetheart we’ll give it a go.” Tommy gets up from his chair and comes round to the front of the desk planting both hands on the sides gently leaning his body back. “Why don’t I give ya your first job this Monday coming? It’ll only be a couple of hours and a really short one for your first time. You won’t be on your own of course and I know the perfect person to pair you up with to ease you into it.” This is perfect, you never thought he’d actually agree to it. Butterflies erupt in your lower stomach from the excitement and also just a slight bit of anxiety. You have no idea what it’ll in-tale but you don’t mind a challenge.

“Thank you Tommy I really appreciate you giving me a chance.” He just smiles at you and gives you a small nod. You had forgotten your coffee on the side and reach for it, slowly bringing it up to your lips, the strong flavour instantly warming your body up. “D’you mind if I ask who I’d be paid up with?” The cup is still touching your lips and the steam warms your red checks and nose.

“Yea of course sweetheart, you’ve heard of my brother Joel haven’t you?”

Of you know of him.

Everyone knows about Joel Miller.

Your face drops at the name. Surely there was someone else he could pair you up with other than his brother Joel. You didn’t really know him, only seeing him when he would pop in the pub for a couple of drinks after his patrol shifts or in the mornings when he would eat his breakfast in the cafeteria. He would mainly be on his own, looking like a man who enjoys his own company than being with others, occasionally Tommy would join him for a few drinks in the pub but mainly the man would make his way to the bar on his lonesome.

Joel Miller had arrived to Jackson with a young girl called Ellie only just a couple of months ago. You didn’t know much about them both other than they weren’t related but there was definitely a father/daughter relationship there. You noticed Ellie had really come out of her shell during the time she had been in Jackson, fully embracing the new and safe life that she knew Jackson would give her, finally growing into her own person and welcoming anyone who came her way. Joel however…it was a different story.

Everyone knew not to mess with Joel, words had gone round about what stuff he got up to before his arrival into Jackson, all the bad things he’d supposedly done. Tommy had warned pretty much everyone that Joel wasn’t like him. Joel was more hidden, quiet and never wanted to indulge in an social activities that happened in Jackson, which happened quiet frequently to keep morale high in the community. But that didn’t stop you from watching the man each time you heard him waltz into the bar when you were on hours.

Joel Miller to put it bluntly was the most attractive man you’d ever laid your eyes on. Tall, broad and a face that looked like it had been carved by the gods, his patchy beard and salt and pepper hair that you so badly wanted to run your hands through, a voice that would make your knees turn weak when all he would say to you is “whiskey, neat and no ice” and all you could do was nod and make what he wanted. You’d do whatever he wanted if he’d let you.

The infatuation would develop the more you saw of him, constantly checking the entrance door, the anticipation of knowing he could walk in any second, some nights left disappointed as he wouldn’t show up at all.

How can you develop a crush on a man who doesn’t even know of your existence and worse, a man who was over twice your age. You’d shove all the thoughts deep down into the pit of your stomach and just keep the attraction hidden. You could do this, a little crush wasn’t going to stop you from showing Tommy that you were capable of patrolling and doing the job successfully. Just try not to get distracted by the man.

Should be easy.

“I don’t know him much but I think we should get on okay.” (Oh you’re so wrong and you don’t even know it yet.) You’ve now finished your coffee and put the empty cup back on the desk. You gently stand up so your now in front of him and give him a wide smile.

“I really appreciate the opportunity Tommy, I won’t let you down I promise.” Tommy chuckles and stands up straight gently putting his hands on the middle of your back and walks you to the entrance door. Always such a gentleman.

“Any nonsense my grumpy older brother gives you please let me know. He’s the best person to pair you with, he’ll keep you safe out there. He’s not the most social guy and he’s a little quiet with everyone so don’t let that get to you that’s normal for Joel. I’ve wrote down the meeting time and location on that piece of paper for you. Myself n’ Joel will be there in the mornin’ just to go through some of the basics and I’ll be there the second you get back and we’ll talk about how you found it n’ possible future patrol routes for yourself and Joel. Are you 100% sure you’re up for it? You can say now if y’still unsure?”

“No no Tommy I’m sure. I’ll see you Monday.” He nods at you, says his goodbyes and give you a wave as you walk back home. Well that was successful. Monday can’t come quick enough.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

The weather to your advantage wasn’t as cold this morning as you thought it was going to be. In your right hand you had the piece of paper Tommy had given you so you definitely made sure you knew where you were going and the time you had to meet him. Checking the note every couple of minutes forever doubting yourself that you’d go to the wrong place and also get there at the wrong time. Making your way to the front of the gates you can see two silhouettes chatting to one another, your throat starts getting tighter when you see Joel move his attention straight to you walking over to him and Tommy.

“Good morning sweetheart y’here just on time!” Tommy gives you a gentle hug and rubs his hands on each side of your arms to warm you up. The action makes you chuckle, quickly easing you up to whatever him and Joel have got planned for you.

You introduce yourself to Joel and give your hand out to him to shake which he accepts. His grip is strong, making your face twitch in a slight discomfort from the surprised pressure of his calloused hands, it makes your stomach flip. His face is showing many emotions: Confusion is definitely one, maybe a hint of frustration? You know he’s questioning why the hell Tommy agreed to get you working on patrols and to even pair you up with him. What is it you thought he saw? Maybe he thinks you’re just a weak, innocent young girl who was completely out of her comfort zone. You wanted to prove him wrong, you wanted to show Joel Miller what you could do.

Tommy breaks you out of your trance and back into the conversation. “As I mentioned it’s only a short one today, me and Joel have talked about it over the weekend and he knows where he’s gonna to take you. All it’ll involve is getting used to the certain locations you’ll go to and mainly talking to you about the ins and outs of the job. It’s not gonna to be easy sweetheart so if you’re really up for it we need to get you prepared and ready for it quickly, just like an induction to the job today, that sound good?”

Each word he says has you nodding and humming in complete understanding. Your hands were shoved down in your coat pocket to keep them nice and warm, occasionally looking at Joel who was looking anywhere but you.

“Yes Tommy and once again thank you for this. And thank you Joel I do appreciate you taking the time to teach me as this is definitely new to me, I won’t let you both down.” Joel scoffs at your comment which results in a quick punch to the top of his arm by Tommy.

“Well then…” Tommy claps both hands together, ready to say his farewell to the both of you. “I’ll be right here when you get back. Joel please keep her safe and be easy on her, good luck sweetheart.” Tommy rubs his fingers over your shoulder in reassurance as he walks away from the entrance and out of sight. This now leaves you and Joel together…alone.

You’re both stood there awkwardly. Oh god will it always be like this? You’re about to say something when Joel suddenly beats you to it.

“Right listen here little one.” Okay, that took you off guard. “I want no talking from you while we’re on route. I don’t want to know anything about you, absolutely nothin’ and I want nothin’ coming out of your mouth that isn’t work related. When we’re at our first location I’ll have some ground rules that are non-negotiable and must be followed at all times, d’you understand me?”

His huge frame is towering over you, it’s making your breath hitch in your throat and your stomach turn, but maybe in a good way? His voice is low and has a slight roughness to it, you can almost feel it vibrating on your body and it’s making your mind go dizzy. He’s that close to you you can smell him, he even smells nice, a-bit like wood and the body wash he must of used this morning. Did the man have any visual flaw? That would at least make it easier for you to work with him.

“Yea’ Joel I understand.” You’re looking directly at him, finding it hard to look away from the deep brown in his eyes. All he does is nod at your words and straighten back up. He roughly picks up his backpack putting it across his shoulders and picks up his rifle. You weren’t sure what to pack for the day as Tommy didn’t mention anything to you so all you packed were some extra clothes, some food and water for you and Joel, if he would accept it that is and your knife too. Just in case.

A hour into the walk Joel still hadn’t said a word. You knew he would be closed off but this bad? Isn’t he supposed to be teaching you something already? Each step you took you were slowly losing yourself to boredom. The treck though wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. Before Jackson you were used to walking for long periods of time so your body was used to the long walks, it was strange to see the new surroundings around you, it was peaceful, no sounds to be heard other than the trees, some birds and the sounds of yours and Joel’s bodies moving along.

You let out a huff louder than you anticipated causing Joel to slow down in his tracks and turn his body towards you. “What are you huffing and puffing about back there?” Joel groans as he turns his attention back to the trees in front of him, you role your eyes at his question. Is he being serious? Your frustration completely taking over. “Well we’ve been walking for a little while now and you haven’t spoke to me once. I know you said you didn’t want to know anything about me Joel but this is awful.” Your words have now stopped him in his tracks, you almost collide into he back with how abruptly he stopped.

“If we’re going to be working together we need to get on a little at least. I know you’re not happy with patrolling with me I could see it clear as day on your face when you first saw me, but I really want to do good here and I need you to be on the same page. So just stop being grumpy about the situation and suck it up!” Joel’s face is raised and lips are slightly parted, you cross your arms over your chest, trying to gain dominance considering that Joel was twice the size of you and his body is constantly towering over you.

“You need to understand who your talkin’ to here sunshine. We’re not going to get friendly with one another, I don’t give a shit about anything that you do and I don’t wanna hear about any of it. You think you can do this job? You think it’s easy? You have no idea what happens out here and I know the second somethin’ happens you’ll be scurrying back home like the little girl you are. I will teach you everything you need to learn n’ I need your full attention, no it’s and no buts. I haven’t spoke to you yet because we haven’t reached the destination yet, then I’ll talk to you more about the job. Now we’re wasting time here so move your ass.” Joel looks away again and continues walking with you trailing behind him. There’s no point in arguing, you know it’ll get you no where, so you shut your mouth and move along.

Joel Miller is going to be a handful.

Once you reach your mark, you and Joel sit down as he goes through the ins and outs of the job, the overnight stays you’ll have to do sometimes, the different locations you’ll be going, what you need to pack and the learning schedules he’s got planned for you, and the more he speaks about it the more excited you get. You start to feel hopeful that you’ll finally be doing something that has purpose, plus the fact that it’s Joel who will be teaching you everything is even better, one of the most experienced and skilled men in Jackson. Yeah he’s an ass but deep down you know he cares about your safety, that’s why he’s being so tough on you (that’s what you think the reason is anyway). Hopefully he can open up to you a little more once you both get used to being in each others company.

After a couple hours you both make your way down and back to Jackson. Joel only talks a little on the way back and it’s just about the job which you’re okay with, you’re just happy he’s talking to you on the walk back compared to the awkward walk up. Half way down you take a pit stop to eat and drink some of the stuff you packed, you offer Joel something which he surprisingly accepts. You both eat in silence until it’s time to walk the rest of the way back. As he promised, Tommy was waiting for you both at the entrance gate, checking his watch every now and then, waving at the both of you once you both come into view.

“Glad to see you’ve both come back in once piece.” Tommy’s attempt at a joke makes you smile and Joel to role his eyes and let out a huff. Tommy pats his brother on the back and thanks him for taking you out, you say your farewell to Joel and also thank him, he nods at both of you and walks away mentioning that he’s going to check and see how Ellie is getting on at home. What Joel says makes you smile, he may have a hard outer shell but deep down you know he’s somewhat soft to the people he cares about the most. Once Joel is out of sight Tommy takes your backpack off you and walks you back to his office to talk about how you got on. You wouldn’t mention the rocky start to the day you and Joel had, but express how eager you are and how you’re looking forward to what Joel will teach you out there.

🍃🍃🍃 3 Months Later 🍃🍃🍃

It’s been a couple of months since your first ever shift on parol with Joel and you couldn’t be more happier with how things were going. You were a quick learner and it hadn’t taken you long for Joel to teach you everything. The first lesson being the basic safety of the job, where to go if things got out of hand and how to contact Jackson if needed be, the weather precautions and how to deal with the cold when it got too much and just the overall basics of the job. Then the lessons got more interesting with Joel teaching you how to start a fire, how to catch prey, how to use your knife the correct way and even getting you to try and use his rifle. It didn’t surprise you that you were awful at firearms but Joel never made you feel bad about it as he knew you had to start somewhere.

As each shift went on you got the impression that Joel actually didn’t mind your company, that’s what you told yourself anyway. The grumpy, annoyed stares he would give you lessened and you would rarely see those looks appear on his face. He would sometimes actually talk about things that didn’t involve work when the job would leave you both having to take longer day shifts or sometimes staying a couple nights out, asking questions like what your life was life before Jackson, how you got here and why you didn’t enjoy your job at the pub. He never spoke about himself of course and you knew not to pry, but you’re definitely seeing his hard exterior opening up to you slightly.

This made it harder for you to control your feelings towards him as the small crush you had on him had developed into something much bigger, which you knew was going to happen with how much time you’ve been spending with him. Sometimes he’d catch you staring a little longer than you should be, or getting distracted by him when he would carry huge chunks of wood for the fire to keep you both warm or how he’d help carry your backpack if it got too heavy for you after your long walks. Joel was really looking after you and the longer you spent with him the harder it was to ignore the feelings digging there way inside of you. The thoughts hurt as you knew he’d never feel the same way about you.

It wasn’t like you weren’t experienced in the opposite sex, you’d had something with one guy but that was a long time ago and was definitely not the best experience you’d ever had. To put it simply, he was terrible in bed, more like a man’s pleasure before women’s kind of guy, so you’ve actually never known what receiving pleasure from someone would be like. Yeah you masturbate sometimes but who doesn’t? Even with being a rubbish shag, of course he ended up breaking your heart and left you questioning what you did wrong.

You often thought about what Joel would be like in bed, he was definitely someone who he knew what he was doing. You’d imagine what he’d be like with you. Would he be gentle or slightly rough? Would he talk you through it? He seems like someone who’d talk a lot during sex, someone who’d constantly remind you who you belonged to, the sinful words gliding off his tongue as he holds you close. You’d imagine what he’d look like under his clothes, his tanned, rough skin covered in scars from the different journeys he’s been though during the years, you’d imagine his body on top of you completely caging you under him while he fucks you, his arms around you telling you how good you feel wrapped around his cock, the constant praise he’d give you. The thoughts make your breath hitch and your skin hot to the touch, having to touch yourself each time you got home from patrol, knowing your pants were drenched with how turned on he’d make you feel, then falling asleep with an empty feeling in your gut that you’ll never get what you truly want from him.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

Joel wasn’t the most excited person to find out that Tommy had teamed you up with him on his new patrol schedule. Why the fuck did Tommy think it was a good idea for you to start patrolling? You had no idea how hard the job was going to be and were in well over your head. You wouldn’t last a week.

Joel knew he wasn’t the most liked person in Jackson and knew he didn’t help himself with the situation. Joel loved his alone time and didn’t like anyone invading his personal space. He loved how Ellie had settled into her new life and wish he could just do the same. However, Joel couldn’t get out of the past and found it hard even now to trust people, with Tess being gone he knew Ellie was enough for him. That’s until he got to know you.

Joel had told himself that his relationship with you would be strictly professional, he didn’t want to know anything about you other than what he needed to teach you while you both were on patrol together. He knew it was harsh to be like that with you but he wanted to show you how hard the job was going to be and prepare you for the world outside of Jackson. However the more he got to know you and what you were like, the more you got under his skin.

He started to enjoy your company. From the very start you showed him how determined, skilled, strong minded and witty you are, just like how Ellie was like with him when they got paired together. He knew how much you wanted to prove to him that you could do anything he threw at you, he liked how you listened to everything he had to say with the upmost admiration. He cringes at himself with how much he’s started to think about you outside of work.

Because you’re so young, fuck so young and so beautiful that he shouldn’t even be thinking about you in the way he does. When he sees you outside work you come across as being so innocent like, always so quiet and embarrassed when any guy comes up to you. What would your reaction be if he was one of those guys who asked you if he could buy you a drink? Would you be grossed out? Would you like it? He thinks about how you’d react if he slowly touch each and every part of you. He wanted to know how you sounded if he touched and kissed your neck and slowly down to your breast, his lips trailing down your stomach to your aching core. God he wanted to know what you tasted like, he knows it’ll be the sweetest taste known to man. The feeling of your tight walls around him as he thrust his cock inside of you, he’d know the second he feels it he’ll want to live in there for the rest of his life. The thoughts make his cock hard and push against his jeans, tightly closing his eyes and breathing heavily through his nose to stop the blood rushing down to his shaft.

He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way towards you but fuck he hasn’t felt this way towards anyone in a long time. Yeah him and Tess had fucked a few times but that was just to ease the stress, to simply get his dick wet and to satisfy his needs, it was never anything romantic, from both ends. He wasn’t too sure on how to deal with these new feelings other than to push them down into his stomach and get on with it, knowing you’d never be interested in an older man like him.

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It’s a Wednesday night and you’ve got patrol with Joel early in the morning but here you are at the Tipsy Bison, sitting at the front of the bar slowly sipping on your drink in front of you, it’s nice to walk into the place without feeling anxious and negative about what the night would bring. The pub is pretty busy, full of people having a good time, the faint sound of the juke box playing in the corner. The sound of music is relaxing as you sway from side to side on your high chair enjoying whatever song is on. You take your time looking round at everyone in the pub, groups of people enjoying each others company, some people on the dance floor, swaying to the music as the song changes. Looking in the corner of the room you catch eyes with Joel, he’s looking straight at you.

You hold your stare on him. He’s sat clutching a whiskey in his right hand and his legs spread open wide as Tommy talks to him. The way he’s staring at you looks like he’s not paying any attention to anything that comes out of Tommys mouth. It’s intimidating but also it’s making your heart race and thighs clench tightly together, you can feel your wetness leaking out of you just from his stare. Surely he must know what he does to you? The look he’s giving you starts to get to you so you abruptly turn your head back to the front of the bar, closing your eyes tightly and chugging the rest of your drink down.

Just as your thoughts of Joel start to surround your brain, a man who you’ve never met before shuffles his chair so he’s sitting right next to you.

“Well good evenin’ gorgeous.” Slurring his words as he speaks. You know where this is going already and you’re definitely not in the mood, you just try and ignore him hoping that he’ll get the impression that you’re definitely not interested.

“Oh you’re breaking my heart gorgeous sat up ‘ere all alone. Lemme buy you a drink, wanna get to know you.” Is he being serious? You turn your head towards him.

“No thank you I’m happy up here on my own. I just want to enjoy my own company if y’don’t mind.” You turn your stare back to the the piles of different sorts of alcohol that are stacked behind the bar, reading the names of each individual bottle to calm the uneasiness you’re feeling from the man beside you.

“Oh come on! A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be sat up ‘ere on her own. Let me get you a drink n’ if it’s goes well then I’ll walk you home and you can invite me in your home and I’ll show you a real good time.” He’s now slowly made his way behind you, towering his body over you, you can feel his breath on the side of your face as he moves his hands to the side of your thighs, the smell of stale liquor on his lips as he pinches you, making your body jump from the inappropriate act.

“I’ll make you feel really good beautiful.” He’s somehow even closer to you now, leaning down so his face is in your hair, he breaths through his nose inhaling your sent and you can feel his bulge on your lower back. Tears are starting to well in your eyes but yet you can’t seem to move away, completely frozen to the spot.

“Please leave me alone.” You voice is above a whisper, praying that the man has had enough of your constant rejection. However it seems to spur him on.

“And what are y’gonna to do about it? Now let’s get out of here.” His touch on your wrist is hard, making you wince at the contact, you pull his hands away from your body but his hold only gets stronger.

“GET OFF OF ME!” You’re shouting now and all he does is let out a dark chuckle, trying to close the gap between you. The next moment the man is thrown off of you with someone’s hand held tightly around his neck pressing his body up against the front of the bar.

It’s Joel.

“Now who the fuck do you think you are talking n touchin’ a girl like that?!”

Joel looks furious, you’ve never seen him this angry before, his hand tightens even more round the man’s neck as he inches closer towards him, the man’s face has gone a pale white and is desperately trying to pry Joel’s hand off with his own.

“Now get ya dirty, disgusting ass out of this pub now or I’ll fucking kill you right here, do you understand? If I ever see you looking at her again I’ll know exactly where to find you and it won’t be good f’you.”

Joel shoves the man to the floor before he can even say anything. The man quickly gets up and stumbles to the front door of the pub, not looking back at the scene that has just occurred just that very moment.

Tommys the first to approach you, enveloping you into a hug as your eyes become blurred from the tears that start running down your face.

“I’m so sorry that happened sweetheart, you alright? Elaine! Get her some water please!”

Tommy sits you back down while Elaine (the new bartender) grabs you some water, you slowly take a sip trying to calm your heartbeat down. The pub has now gone silent, everyone staring at the scene that has just unraveled in front of them. Did that really just happen?

“I’m fine Tommy I’ll be okay, he was just drunk.” Your shaky voice makes Tommy frown.

He lets out a huff, “still sweetheart that doesn’t give em’ the right to do that to you, drunk or not. Joel could ya’ take her home for me? I don’t want her walkin’ down the street on her own at this hour.”

Your teary eyes look up towards Joel and he’s looking straight at you just like he was before, only his expression is much softer. Everything in his willpower stopped him from punching that man full force, not wanting to make you feel worse than you already do. His one arm is down by his side and the other is reaching out for you, putting a gentle touch to your lower back, ushering you to move towards the front door and away from everyone else.

“Come on sweet, let’s get you home.” Joel’s voice instantly calming your racing heart. Once you start walking you push yourself up to Joel needing the comfort of his touch, noticing he slightly winces from your action but slowly softens back up as you walk side by side.

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Your house isn’t that far away from the pub which your thankful for. When you worked the weekends you’d usually walk home on your own in the early hours of the morning, always feeling on edge, anxiety filling your veins with the thought of someone following you home, you’re thankful Joel is walking you home this time. You and Joel are yet to say anything to each other however it’s not awkward, it’s nice being next to him. He’s always there for you if you need anything, he’s always there to make you feel safe, you desperately want to tell him everything you feel for him but with each step you take the closer and closer you get to your house.

Joel walks you up the steps until he’s stood at the top of your porch. He’s never been this close to your house, occasionally walking you home from time to time until he got to the end your street and then would walk the other direction. This was new to the both of you and the anticipation could be cut with a knife. You slowly turn yourself to him.

“Thanks for what you did back there, I should of said it before but I’m really appreciative of what you did f’me in there.” You look up towards Joel, he’s now shoved both hands into his jean pockets but his eyes are glued to your face. You can tell he feels slightly out of place, this was a situation he never thought he’d be in and now he’s here, not knowing what to do with himself.

“Y’don’t need to apologise to me sweetheart. That man’s behaviour back there was unacceptable, I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

The way he says sweetheart.

Each time they’d spill off his tongue your mind would go fuzzy. The first time, one accidentally slipped out his mouth on patrol one day and the next moment he’s constantly calling you them: Sweetheart, darling or love, you adored the way he made the words sound, filling your stomach with butterflies and your heart thumping in your throat.

“I just appreciate it so much, and not just tonight but how you’ve been helping me these past couple of months, I just want you to know that you’ve really helped me and I’m really thankful.”

Christ you make it so hard for Joel and you’re so oblivious to how you get to him. All he wants to do right now is kiss you and tell you how he’ll never let anyone lay a hand on you. Ever. He wants to protect you for the rest of his life, be there for you throughout everything you do. He just can’t get the demons out of his head that tell him he’d never deserve someone and loving as you.

He’s done so much bad shit in his life, things he regrets more than anything, how could you like someone like him?

“Well goodnight Joel, I’ll see you in the morning.” Your soft voice pulling him out of his thoughts, he’s somewhat disappointed with your words.

“Yeah, g’night sweetheart.” Joel waits for you to open the door and walk into the house. Nodding at him, you slowly turn your body away hiding the slight bit of sadness you’re feeling from the quick interaction and put your keys into the lock, this is when you remember…

Your locks jammed.

You’ve been meaning to mention it to Tommy, you hadn’t mastered the dodgy lock just yet and didn’t know the exact method of getting your keys in the right position to ease your door open and now you’re here, continuously trying to open the door with zero luck and the worst part is that Joel is watching the mess unravel.

You look back at him quickly, he’s holding the smallest smirk on his face as he just watches you struggle. “I’ve been meaning to get it fixed, it’s a little temperamental.”

Joel can’t watch you any longer, he walks right behind you, gently touching your back with the front of his body and replaces your hand with his so he can give it a go. It only takes him a couple of seconds to successfully open your door, smirking at his success.

“There you go darlin’.” He says to you. Hearing the southern drawl in his voice makes your legs feel weak. Joel hasn’t moved from his spot behind you just yet and you can feel the warmth his body gives out all over you. He towers over you and you admire his strong build. He’s looking directly down at you, your feet suddenly glued to floor stopping you from entering your doorway.

“Thank you Joel.” You whisper, looking up towards his face that has inched its way closer to yours somehow. Overcome with a burst of confidence you quickly grab the sides of his face and bring his lips down to yours.

You’ve dreamt of this moment for months, however it’s not how you imagine as the second you mould his lips into yours, Joel is giving nothing back.

Quickly pulling away you bring your face into your hands hiding you disappointment at his rejection. Joel is stood still, wide eyes as he looks at your frantic form.

“Fuck Joel, I’m so sorry why the fuck did I jus’ do that? I’m so embarrassed I shouldn’t have—“

Before you can finish your sentence Joel has grabbed you by the back of your neck and connected your lips once again. You’re now shocked at his reaction this time, but it only takes you a few seconds to process what happening until you’re completely melting into him once again.

You wrap your arms around his neck as you both delve into the desires you’ve both been holding back for one another.

The hand that’s holding your head, travels down until he’s wrapping both arms tightly round your lower back and lifting you off the floor. The action makes you gasp as Joel takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss and explore the insides of your mouth with his tongue, he can taste the sweetness from the alcohol you drank and it’s making his mind fuzzy, he knew you’d taste so good. The whimper that come out of the back of your throat makes him growl into your mouth, the bulge now evident in his jeans as the feeling of you so close to his body is lighting him on fire, he knows he’ll never get enough.

You knew Joel would be the dominant type, taking over the kiss as you both give into each other. His mouth fits into yours so perfectly as you completely give yourself to him, wanting him to touch you in between you legs where you ache the most.

You can feel his bulge under his jeans, desperately needing attention. He breaks this kiss quickly to move his head down towards your neck, given you his well needed attention there. He gently drops your feet back onto the ground as he leans his body over you completely enveloping you as he attacks your neck.

Your can’t control the pleading whimpers coming out of your mouth from the pleasure Joel is giving you just from his lips. You’re slightly bent backwards with how much Joel is caging you in as his moves one of his hands to your hips and then inching its way up to your chest, squeezing your breast and meeting your mouth again as you both moan in sync into each others mouths.

“Fuck Joel…“ you’re a complete mess underneath him and he can’t get enough, you need to feel him against you like it’s the last thing you’ll do. You lightly trail your hand down the front of his body and firmly press your palm into his erection, which is now fully hard underneath your palm. When Joel feels your hand against him he forces his body off of yours, leaving you panting and the need to have him inside of you right there.

“Joel wha—“ you’re about to ask him why he stopped but he cuts you off.

“I-I can’t. I fuck— I can’t I’m sorry I have to go.” Joel face is flushed, lips red from the assault of your lips on his. He’s quickly walking away from you desperately needing to get out of the situation he’s just put you both in.

You’re stood there completely embarrassed. He definitely regretted what just happened between you. Were you bad? Did he not like it? Tears fill your eyes as you slowly see him fade into the darkness. Once you come back to reality and realise what had just happened (or what didn’t happen) you make your way into your house and slowly close the door.

Once Joel gets back home he quickly makes himself a cold shower, hoping the water can rinse off the feeling of you that’s coursing through his veins and straight to his cock. He’s never been this hard in his life and the temptation to touch it is too much.

The shower does nothing to help with the way his body is feeling, only increasing the need of wanting to shove his entire length into your tight cunt until he can feel you cum around him, he’s desperate to feel how warm you are and how you’d moan his name over and over until you can’t take anymore. He’s in the shower for just a couple of minutes until he can no longer fight the urge and the second he turns the shower off and gets out his hand is enveloping his cock and he starts fucking himself with the thought of you in his head, the way you sounded, your taste, your small hand touching him over his jeans.

He’s forcefully gripping the end of this sink as his other hand works up and down his cock to reach his peak, precum leaking down his shaft and onto his hands as he groans your name over and over until his cumming, spurts of his release covering his hand, his head is thrown back as he continues to fuck his fist until the pleasure subsides and he’s slowly coming down from his high.

He quickly dries his body and changes into a fresh pair of boxers and gets into bed. Once his quilt is pulled up to his chest all he feels is shame and embarrassment. How is he going to get through patrol tomorrow when you we’re both wrapped round one another not even half an hour ago and that’s he’s masturbated to the thought of you? It keeps Joel up all night thinking about it.

How the hell is Joel going to get though tomorrow?

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You’re walking up to the front gates and you can slowly see Joel’s figure come into view. The lump in your throat is getting tighter with each step you take, not even thinking about looking up from the floor because you know the second you see his face you’ll burst into tears. How can you face him with what went on between the two of you? You’d be lying if you said you didn’t touch yourself between your aching legs right after, wishing it was Joel’s tongue licking up your throbbing heat, catching your arousal as he made you cum. How will you get through the day?

Once you’ve caught up to him you sense his discomfort in his stance. You both stand their awkwardly waiting for the other to talk and hopefully cut the uncomfortable feeling hovering in the air around you. Joel’s the first to break the mood.

“Todays gonna be a bit of a long one, we’re gonna start by walking up to the cabin and staying there for a few hours, there were signs of other people lurking round so we gotta make sure the place is safe.”

Of course he’d just pretend like nothing ever happened, it actually doesn’t surprise you. You’re still looking down at your feet, making imprints into the mud as Joel describes what you’re both going to be doing for the day. Your cheeks hold a slight pinkish hue still not gaining confidence to look up at this face just yet. You just nod at him, letting him know that even though you’re not giving eye contact you completely understand everything he said.

You both don’t wait for each other to say anything else as you start the long walk to the cabin. He wants to say something about what happened between the both of you last night, he’d do it all over again if he could but with him being the one to break it off he knows he’s ruined the relationship between the both of you, he knows he took himself too far last night and took advantage of you with the emotions you were feeling from what had happened at the bar. Jesus how could he be so stupid?

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Finally you both make it up to the cabin, desperately needing to take your boots off and rest your legs from the long trek that you’ve just walked. You’ve only visited the cabin a couple times and those times had been pleasant. It was surprisingly tidy: a couch in the centre of the room, a small coffee table in front of it, a fireplace, a small kitchen in the corner and a bathroom in the back, it was abandoned but was tidy for the most part. Your mind drifts off to those times when you and Joel would sit by the fire while eating the lunch you’d pack for the both of you and talk about anything and everything, the memories make you ache as you know things won’t be like they were before.

Joel drops his backpack by the door and slowly stretches his arms out beside him, he wasn’t the young man he was before the world went to shit anymore, achy bones and in desperate need to relax and put his feet up.

“M’gonna grab some wood and I’ll set the fire up, y’just relax I’ll be back in a minute.” Joel’s back outside before you can say anything leaving you on your own. You finally let out the breath you’d been holding in since you got to the cabin, moving your backpack next to Joel’s and dropping your body on the couch with a thump, leaning your head on the back of the couch and bringing your palms to your eyes, rubbing them in frustration. You need to talk to Joel about last night, you need to ask him why he pushed away.

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The wood cracking on the fire is the only sound going through the cabin. You’re sat on the carpet moving the logs round, prodding it every few seconds and Joel’s sat on the couch. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, occasionally you take a few quick glances towards Joel, his eyes are glued to the light coming from the flames as the wood continues to burn, no expression written on his face.

“Are you gonna to talk to me at all today?” At this point you’ve got tired of the awkwardness, slowing trying to break the ice between the two of you.

“I could ask you the same thing.” His reply making you scoff. You’re now looking at each other, there’s no going back from where you know the conversation is going.

“Listen Joel. I know you regret what happened last night between the two of us but can we just forget it ever happened and go back to how things were, please? I’m hating this awkward tension between us.”

Your heartbeat is ringing in your ears watching every expression plastered on his face. Frantically his gets up from the sofa and walks behind it, bringing both hands to his face sighing in frustration. He’s definitely not used to having conversations like this.

“What makes y’think I regret it.”

Your eyes go wide at his confession, your lips are parted and your chest is rising as Joel’s eyes move down to your lips.

“I promised I’d never let myself get that far with you. Sweetheart I’ve done some awful shit in my life and I don’t deserve anything you’ve given me. I’m a bad person— but I can’t control the way you’ve made me feel. I’ve wanted t’have you like that for a long time and my desires got to the better of me. M’sorry darlin’.”

There’s a shift in the air, you slowly get up from the floor and make your way towards him, his head is hung low too ashamed to look at your face. Gently you bring your hands up to his chest where he instantly covers your hand with his, needing to feel your skin on his body, instantly relaxing from your touch.

“I don’t know what you’re apologising for Joel. I’ve wanted you like that since the first moment I saw you. I don’t give a fuck what you did before Jackson, that’s not who you are now so don’t start pushing me away. I want you too Joel. I always have.”

Those 4 words, “I want you Joel.” He didn’t expect them to effect him as much as they did. Joel’s heart is beating out of his chest, he’s wanted to hear those words for so long. The feeling of your soft skin against his callused hands is making it so hard for him to resist you. Your eyes are full of lust as you slowly press your front against him, hoping he doesn’t push you away.

“Please Joel I wan-“ but before you can finish, Joel’s connecting your lips once again. He brings both hands around the sides of your face and immediately deepens the kiss, making up for lost time. Both of your hands are now on his chest, clutching his shirt tightly as you pull him even closer to you, pulling his body over you frantically wanting to feel his heat over you.

Joel’s hands quickly move to your hips and down to your ass, he picks you up bringing both of your legs round his waist, you moan into his mouth at the sensation of his tongue overlapping yours, the feeling of it dancing with yours sends shockwaves down to your core. You pull on the ends of his hair causing him to growl against you lips as he moves you across the room, careful not to hit the table and gently lays your body on the blanket, right next to the warm fire.

He hovers above you, bringing his lips down to yours once again in a rough and needy kiss. You wrap both of your legs around his body, connecting your clothed core with the rough material of his jeans, already feeling him harden above you, his hardness reassuring you that he’s enjoying this as much as you are.

“Fuck sweetheart, I need to feel you, will you let me?” Joel breaks the kiss, your heavy breaths fanning into each others faces as Joel searches your expressions for any sort of reluctance. Your cheeks are glowing and all Joel sees is a look of want fill your eyes, lust coating every inch of your skin that Joel has touched with his hands, your body feels like it’s on fire. You bring both of your hands up to his face, stroking both of his cheeks.

“Please Joel, take me.”

Joel’s lips are back on yours instantly, scooping one arm under your neck while the other pulls at the buttons of your flannel. He frantically removes each button while still connecting your lips, hoping it’ll ease any nerves that you feel. Joel looks down to where his hand is, finishing the last few buttons until his pulling your flannel away from your skin revealing your bra.

A loud moan erupts in your throat at the touch of his rough hands on you, he starts off by trailing them against your skin, loving how soft it is against him. You slowly pull Joel away, pushing your body up so you can remove the material off of your shoulders, you keep your eyes locked on him, wanting to see every reaction he gives you. You notice Joel’s eyes go a deeper shade of brown and his pupils dilate, ready to explore the new untouched territory.

You reach over to Joel’s denim shirt doing the same for him. You’re not as quick with undoing each button, your shaky hands making it harder for you, instead Joel replaces your hands with his, desperately trying to remove the material off of himself, needing to feel your naked skin against his.

Once his shirt is off, his chest is finally revealed to you. The imagine instantly making your panties wet with arousal and your walls clench, biting down on your bottom lip to hold the whimper that’s trying to escape off your tongue. You bring both of your hands to his chest and lightly move your fingertips over the newly shown skin, Joel shudders at your touch. He’s so tanned and broad, his body completely engulfing yours, the small hairs that scatter his chest and then his small belly. He’s perfection.

Intimidated by your stare, Joel leans you back down onto the carpet and hovers his plush lips over your chest, kissing every single patch of skin, not wanting to leave any part untouched by his warm mouth. Your eyes are screwed shut, the feeling of his mouth so close to your breasts is making your breath hitch. Unintentionally you rise your back off the floor and pull at his hair with both hands, bringing his mouth closer to you, he brings his head up to look at you and reaches behind your back to unclasp your bra, he’s hesitant at first. You look down at him with a gentle nod and he unclasps it and chucks it above your head.

“Fuck darlin’ you’re so fucking pretty, prettiest thing I ever saw.” Both of his large hands come into contact with your round breasts, slowly caressing them and bringing his hot mouth down to gently lick over the sensitive skin.

His mouth feels fucking incredible against you. You’ve never felt pleasure like it, the knot in your stomach tightening with each second his mouth reconnects with your breasts, swirling his tongue round your nipple while his other hand squeezes the other, taking it in turns.

“F-uck Joel that feels so good I-“ you’re unable to form coherent sentences with the pleasure that he’s giving you. Once he’s happy with the attention he’s given your chest, his lips trail down your lower stomach as he fumbles with the buttons of your jeans, both of your hands are holding tightly to his bare shoulders as he pulls the tight jeans down your legs, not once pulling his lips away from the soft skin of your stomach. You’re now left in just your underwear, Joel puts both of his hands onto your knees and spreads your legs open for him, finally revealing your panties to him that are now completely soaked with your arousal.

“Y’have no idea how badly I want to taste you.” His confession makes the hairs on your body stand up, your hold tightening against him. This is something you’ve yet to experience and your anxiety is starting to creep its way up into your throat. You’ve imagined Joel in between you legs so many times and now that it’s happening you’re not sure on what to do.

“I want you to i-it’s just I’ve never had-“ Joel slides both hands up your body and moves a thin strand of hair behind your ear and slowly caresses your check, your head melting into his palm.

“Oh sweetheart, are you a virgin?”

You’re quick to answer. “No! Um n-no. I’m not but I’m not very experienced in this and I’ve only been with one other guy, I’m sorry, I should’a said.”

His face softens at your words, his thumb rubbing small circles on the side of your now rosey cheek. “Y’don’t have to be sorry love, if ya don’t mind me askin’ what did the guy do then?”

“He just removed my clothes, kissed me for a couple of minutes and put it in and that was it.”

Joel’s head hits your lower stomach, shaking his head from side to side. “What’a fucking idiot. Don’t worry sweetheart, everything m’gonna do to you will make y’feel real good. I’m plannin’ on havin’ you screaming my name so loud n’ at the end of the night you’re gonna be begging me to stop.” By Joel’s face you can tell he’s being serious, from patrolling with him you know he’s a very determined guy and the thought is making you clench both legs closer around his hips, he looks down smirking.

“Does my girl like that? She wants to be touched so badly doesn’t she? First m’gonna have you cummin’ round my mouth n’ then around my cock, does that sound good baby?”

Baby.

You’re completely melting at his words. He’s so vocal with you and every single word that’s coming out of his mouth sounds like heaven, the low, husky voice sending vibrations right down to your core, you want his mouth on you so badly, you’re desperate for him to show you what you’re missing out on.

“Yes please Joel, make me feel good.”

Joel moans at your words. “And so polite, what did I do to deserve you?” You blush even more at him, nodding at him to proceed with what he was doing. You gently lift your hips off the floor ushering him to remove your underwear.

You weren’t used to someone looking at you like this, showing your most intimate parts to someone, however Joel’s expressions only showed a man who was completely stunned that someone like you would trust him in such an intimate act. He felt like the luckiest man to see you like this. Once your underwear is off you notice the arousal coating the material, the sight of your glistening cunt has Joel clenching his eyes tightly shut, he needs to calm down, you’re new at this and doesn’t want to scare you away, the need to pull out his cock is indescribable.

“Fuck sweetheart you’re so beautiful, n’ so wet. This all f’me?” He gently brings a finger towards your aching core, moving your arousal so it coats his finger. The slight touch makes your walls clench in anticipation with what Joel might do next.

“All for you Joel, it’s always been for you.” Your chest is rising with each broken breath escaping your lips as you look down at his face. He moves his body so he’s now lying down with one arm curling around your thigh, holding your lower body down. His eyes are clouded with lust, ready to finally show you what you’re missing.

Without another word from either of you he delves into your cunt, starting off by licking long stripes straight up to your aching clit, swirling the muscle is small circles. You can’t control the whimpers and moans escaping your mouth as Joel sucks on your throbbing nub, moving his skilled tongue round your sensitive bundle of nerves.

Joel’s examining every crease and face you pull, wanting to find the spot that makes your toes curl and back arch. It doesn’t take him long to have you moaning his name as he delves into your pussy, the sound of his mouth on you is down right dirty, making more wetness pool at your entrance. Joel makes sure he doesn’t miss a single drop, catching the arousal so it coats his tongue while his nose notches your clit.

“F-fuck Joel just like that fuck please d-don’t stop.” Your one hand has a firm hold on his arm while he continues to hold your body down, your other has landed into his salt and pepper hair, you tug hard on the strands causing Joel to let out a sinful growl. Once he’s got you worked up, he teases your entrance with his finger gently pushing it inside you.

His one finger instantly increases the intensity of the upcoming orgasm you feel building in your stomach. He gently curls his digit upwards, hitting your g-spot like he’s done it before, easily bringing you closer to your peak. Your breaths coming out in short pants, the feeling already feeling fucking incredible.

“J-Joel I fuck-.” His lifts his head slightly, your grip on his arm is tight, he removes your hand quickly, intertwining your fingers together to coats you through the orgasm that your about to have, your walls hugging his finger so tight, he can’t wait to feel you cumming around his cock. You can see the slight shine on his lips and beard from your arousal, the sight making you moan his name.

“Mm that’s it sweetheart, let go you can do it f’me, cum on my mouth, wanna taste it.” Joels words are the push you need to tip you over the edge. Just as you reach your high, Joel inserts another finger into your heat and dips his head down, bringing his tongue back down to your pulsing clit, sucking it into his mouth, pushing you over the edge.

Your orgasm rips through you and it’s the most intense feeling you’ve ever experienced. Your back arches off the floor and your body spasms as the pulsing pleasure courses through your entire body. Loud moans echoing through the cabin and Joel is yet to take his mouth and fingers off you, wanting you to feel every spark for as long as he can make it last.

Joel has never seen anything more beautiful than you cumming all over his mouth and fingers, your walls clenching round his digits as your body rapidly chases your high. He knew your pussy would taste so good and now he’s had a taste he knows he’ll never go a day without it, the sweet nectar coating his tongue and fingers as you wriggle above him. The sounds escaping your mouth is like a symphony to him, your soft voice now imprinted on his brain for the rest of his life.

Once he notices that your coming down from your high he slows down his fingers and watches your reaction for any sign of discomfort, hoping not to overstimulate you as he’s no where near done with you. His cock is fully hard and uncomfortable in his bottoms, pushing up to the denim of his jeans begging to be realised, his boxers now soaked with his pre-come. He desperately wants to pull his cock out but he’s worried he’ll push you too far. He needs to go your pace, he wants to try and take his time with you.

When you open your eyes Joel is now above you, both hands are planted on the side of your head as he watches you come back down to reality. His mouth and chin are covered in your arousal as a sly smirk appears on his face.

“Y’alright baby?” He’s just given you the most powerful orgasm of your life and he’s asking if you’re alright?

“I’m more than alright Joel—that was…fuck that was incredible.” You’re still trying to catch your breath as you bring both of your hands up to Joel’s face. You never thought you’d see him like this, shirtless and panting above you. You look down towards his tight jeans, his cock is practically bulging out of the seams. The imagine makes you even wetter as you take both hands off his face and start frantically undoing his belt.

Before you can remove it his hand stops you abruptly, you can’t hide the slight shock that appears on your face.

“Y’sure sweet? I know I said we would it’s just if we go a head with this I don’ think I can hold back.” Joel so badly wants to pull his cock out and stuff you full of his thickness and you can see it plastered all over his face. His eyebrows are furrowed, sweat appearing on his forehead and lips slightly parted. He’s caressing your hand that hasn’t moved away from his belt.

“I’m sure Joel, please— wanna feel you.” Joel looks away from you for a moment, he needs to calm himself down. Your voice and light touch is gonna make him cum in his pants if he doesn’t take his body away from yours right now. Your words are all he needs as he gently pushes your hand away and undoes his belt and jean buttons himself. His hands are shaking from the built up pleasure coursing through his veins and as soon as his buttons are undone he’s pulling his jeans and boxers down in one go, pulling his aching cock out.

You accidentally let out a harsh gasp. You knew Joel would be huge, how the hell is it going to fit inside you? The nerves start creeping back into your stomach at the imagine in front of you. He’s long and thick, pre-come is dripping out from his red tip and landing on your lower tummy.

Joel’s arousal pools on your stomach and makes your mouth water, you take one finger and slide it through Joel’s slick and bring it up to your mouth, swirling the digit across your lips and tongue, closing your eyes and moaning as the salty flavour coats your tastebuds.

Joel watches as you taste him. Throwing his head back and gripping the end of his cock to stop the orgasm that he’s about to reach and he’s not even inside you yet.

“Fuck baby don’t do that, m’ gonna cum if you do that again, need to feel you cum before I do, wanna feel you cum around my cock.” He quickly removes his bottoms completely and hovers above you once again.

You pop your finger out of your mouth, you can’t help the small smirk that lands of your face, you look back down at his cock, the need to have him inside you taking over completely.

“I’m ready Joel. Please-“ he takes both of your hands into his and brings them above your head, holding them in place, he knows he’s going to be a lot to take. That’s one thing Joel hasn’t ever been insecure about, he knows he big and he wants to make sure you can take him properly and make it pleasurable for you.

He grabs ahold of himself and gently moves his tip through your folds and up to your clit, causing the both of you to gasp at the sensation. Yours and Joel’s eyes and watching the scene between your legs, your wetness coating his cock nicely, the light from the fire reflecting your arousal that’s all over his shaft, he can feel your walls clenching on his tip already as he nudges his cock into your warmth.

“S-stop teasing Joel please.” Joel loves the pleading, the begging, the soft whimpers escaping your lips as he teases you. Looking into your eyes, he tightens his grip on your hands and slowly pushes his tip inside you. You gasp underneath him as he lets out a loud groan. He continues to push further into your cunt, stopping slightly to let you get used to his length and girth.

There’s a slight sting you can’t lie. However it doesn’t take you long to want more and more of him inside you, the feeling of his cock stretching you open feels like heaven, pain mixed with pleasure as he slowly inserts himself into you. Joel lowers his body so he’s now fully on top of you but not close enough to squish you. He brings his warm lips back down to your chest, peppering your skin with kisses.

“F-fuck baby y-you gotta stop clenching round me, y’gonna make me cum.” He’s panting against your chest, bringing his lips to your ear as he moans your name over and over. You slowly breath in and out, trying to relax your walls to help him slide his entire cock inside you. Once you get your breathing back to normal, Joel takes the opportunity to completely stuff his cock inside you. You yelp in surprise, Joel catching your lips in a messy kiss, swallowing your moans.

“You feel so good round me sweetheart, squeezin’ me real good, you’re such a good girl. Y’tell me when you’re comfortable.” Joel’s voice sounded strained as he stays still buried inside you. All he wants to do is pull himself out fully and plunge back in, needing to feel your soft, velvety walls against his cock, but he needs to take his time, you already feel so good he has no idea how he’s going to last.

“Y-you can move Joel, please move.” Squeezing his hand above you, he nods as he slowly pulls himself out so only half of him is wedged inside you and back in again. Creating a slow pace, rocking his hips back and forth, the hairs above his cock slightly catching your clit, the friction adding to the intensity.

After a few thrust you feel your walls starting to accommodate his length, his cock sliding so seamlessly inside you from how much arousal your pussy’s creating.

“Fuck baby, can I go faster? Wanna-fuck need to f-fuck you harder.” Joel let’s go of both of your hands and brings his fingers down to grip your breast. Squeezing the skin as he brings his lips to the side of you neck, switching between kissing and sucking. You hope he leaves marks on your skin, a constant reminder to how incredible he’s making you feel.

All you can do is nod against him, your words failing you and he’s wasting no time and starts fucking you at a hard pace. You tightly grip his shoulders, holding on for dear life as he thrust faster against you, your eyes rolling to the back of your head, the pleasure making your whole body tingle.

You need to feel him deeper, you wrap both legs around his lower back slightly lifting you hips up, you can feel him even better than before and Joel let’s out a low groan from the slight change in position, your walls enveloping his cock even more. He brings one hand down to your lower stomach and lightly presses down, feeling the tip of his cock so far up inside you intensifying the feeling, your orgasm building up rapidly.

“Y’feel that? You’re takin’ me so well, such a good girl. No cock will ever fill you this good. Y’mine now sweetheart, let me hear you say it.”

Joel is desperate to hear you say those words, he wants to know that you crave him as much as he craves you. His movement starts to get sloppy as your cunt hugs him so tightly, your warmth wrapped around him is too much to bare. He feels his high rapidly creeping in his lower stomach and all over his body, he starts slowing his breathing down, sucking short pumps of air into his lungs to prolong the feeling. He can tell you’re close too, he can feel your walls tightening around him with each thrust.

“Fuck J-Joel m’yours, I always have been.” You meet his lips in a rushed kiss, feeling his warm mouth against yours, still tasting your arousal on his tongue.

“Need you to cum sweetheart, need to feel you, please cum for me, show me how good my cocks making you feel.” He reaches down between your bodies and rubs your aching clit with the tip of his finger in small figure eights. This is the last push you need as you start cumming round his cock, your wetness pooling at his base and coating the inside of your thighs, clenching onto his shoulders as the intense wave of pleasure is released. You moan his name over and over, your walls spasming around his thickness.

“Mmm good girl fuck y’squeezin me so tight that’s it, fuck y’gonna make me cum.” Joel’s eyes are squeezed tight, forehead pressed against yours as he pushes you through your high. Once he feels you calm down he quickly pulls himself out of you, tugging at this cock until white ropes of his release coat your tummy. His hand is in a tight fist beside your head as his orgasm courses through his entire body. He hasn’t had an orgasm this intense in a long time, he’ll never get enough of the feeling of you wrapped round his cock. The most incredible feeling and now he’s hooked.

He collapses back on top of you, but not too much that he’s suffocating you, desperately needing to catch his breath. You run both hands through his hair, twisting the damp curls in between your fingers, a satisfied hum escaping your lips.

He brings his lips to yours in a gentle kiss, your stomach filling with butterflies as he looks at you, both of your bodies covered in sweat.

“Y’alright sweetheart?” He pushes the hairs that have landed on you forehead back behind you ears, slowly swiping his thumb against your flushed cheek. There’s no where you’d rather be right now, never thinking this would ever happen and it’s better than you imagined.

“Mmm I’m okay Joel, you okay?” He smiles down at you, kissing your plump lips.

“More than okay baby, fuck you felt incredible.” You blush at his words. After a few minutes he pulls his body off of you and you’re instantly missing his body over yours. He removes himself from your body and grabs a towel from the back to clean you up. Once he’s done that he gently picks you up from the floor and brings you both to the sofa, engulfing your body as he grabs the thick blanket from over the sofa and drops it over your naked bodies.

You both lie there in silence for a little, the sound of Joel’s heartbeat against your ear relaxes you. Slowly, you bring your hand to rest against just chest. Joel lightly lifts your chin forcing you to look at his face, bringing your lips down in a quick kiss, his voice bringing you back down to earth.

“I meant what I said before darlin’, I haven’t felt this way for someone in a long time n’ I wanna see where this takes us, I wanna do this properly.”

Where has this soft Joel been all your life? You place both hands against his chest and give him a soft smile.

“I meant what I said before too Joel, I’ve always been yours, the second I saw you I’ve been yours. I just wish we did somethin’ sooner, we could have been doing this a long time ago.”

Joel chuckles against you, his chest vibrating against your cheek. You’ll never get over the sound of his laugh.

“Oh don’t worry baby, we’ll make up for lost time. I’ve got so much more to teach you.”

You smirk against him.

“I can’t wait.”

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

Thank you so much for reading! I know it’s not perfect but I know I’ll get there! Let me know what you think! I’ll be posting some more stuff soon 🤍

[gotwcird]

"thank you." star likes that. fitting between her parents where she's landed in terms of how she's turned out, knows that even with their sometimes rocky relationship, she wouldn't be here without either of them. likes that nico verbalises it to her, that he's telling her his thoughts and opinions instead of letting the words die in his mouth. makes her feel a little special. makes her want to press even closer to him, chest-to-chest, forgo their environment if it means expressing how she wants him. but they can't. at least not here, just outside the venue. right now they're actress star milewski and her bodyguard, nico martinez. ( when all she wants to be is just . . . star and nico. ) but even that's proving to be hard because his eyes linger on her lips and hers drop down to his like a matching reflex and god the purring thing in her chest is needy for his attention. "and you're very good at your job."

nico's looking at her like she's something to behold, and for a moment she stops breathing. almost forgets what she'd intended to do, but his voice brings her back just enough that she doesn't lose the words. "we'll be quick," she claims, but knows they can afford the time away, "they'll keep busy anyways." the gala only just began the social portion of the event, so they could slip away for a bit before her absence was noticed. she'd done this enough times to know. once people started getting into their drinks, they'd be even safer. this time's just a little different — she's sharing her privacy with someone important. can't help her little smirk at the muttering under his breath, pleased even if she barely meant to tease him. ( she's never been trouble to anyone, so the utterance makes her feel cheeky. )

she walks a little way inside, letting him trail behind as she tries to remember the way toward the fountain. "they use this place every year," she explains, voice light, lets her purse swing by her slide limply. makes a point to let her arm brush against his if only just to satisfy that ravenous bit of herself that wants him in any way possible. "i haven't been here in awhile though, so the fountain might be dried up." star she slows down to let herself fall in step with him. the hedges reach a good couple of heads above them, so the deeper they go, the quieter it becomes. almost seems like event is far gone behind them. she glances up at nico, feels her chest constrict and expand with a sudden rush of emotions. "you're my first date ever to this event. well, if we don't get technical," spews the words from her thoughts before. wants to ignore the expectation in her chest, even if she feels heat spool lower. "i don't know if i mentioned that before."

her obvious disdain of the man makes nico's lips twitch up yet again . star likes most people , it's one of her best traits . but when she doesn't like people . . . it's one of nico's favourite things about her . she's still so diplomatic and KIND about it . " you fit right in the middle of your parents . " nico muses aloud . he doesn't know her brother yet to really say anything about him , but social yet wrapped in solitude ? star rides the line perfectly . he doesn't even realise he says it aloud until it's gone , out in the air . nico thinks about star a lot now . a lot more than he used to . every moment not with her is filled with him usually wondering what she's doing , or trying to find a way to BE with her . despite them both agreeing to keep it relatively lowkey and not having it infiltrate their lives , star has done ONLY that to him .

the gentle press of her arm against him is noted because it'd be impossible for him not to . her expensive scent rolls to his nose and he inhales it deeply . her soft yet steady arm is close enough for him to run his lips over . nico flicks his eyes to it , then back up to her . his eyes linger on her ruby lips . they look plump and glossy tonight , as if waiting for him to kiss them . these are the worst nights : the ones when he can't be with her as keenly and closely as he wants to . when work becomes even harder than it was before and he knows exactly why . nico's eyes sweep over the empty space surrounding them . he could kiss her . he wants nothing more . . . but he holds himself back with more self restraint than he thought possible to possess . yet when she keeps vaguely touching , grazing and pressing - she knows EXACTLY what she's doing to him . and it always works . nico's gaze stays fitted to hers , lips still half-curved up . he knows his face is wearing everything right now : adoration , infatuation . more than that , too . words too big for right this moment . nico chuckles low and in the back of his throat . " that's part of the job . " he murmurs to her , his eyes soft only for her , gazing back to her lips , then to her eyes sparkling from the moonlight and stars .

NICO INHALES DEEPLY . he feels it all the way down his sternum , into the pit of his stomach , just as she says his name back . he glances back at the closed door , then at his watch . he feels partly impatient . when does this shift end ? when can it go back to just being THEM TWO ? " we should be quick . don't want your parents to get worried . " part of his job is keeping star out of danger . not walking with her deep into the maze of it . the last part of his words die in his throat though as she leans closer . almost a nuzzle . her smell is everywhere. he can taste it on his tongue as his throat dries . oh . her nose brushes . or maybe he imagines it . he can't tell because she's so close . NICO PULLS AWAY WITH A START . his gaze immediately looks around again . " trouble . " nico mumbles out , but his voice is half - relief , half - amusement . he nods just once , kicking off the bricked wall and falling into step with her . his gaze falls to the cleft of her breasts , to the silk covered shape of her ass as she walks in front of him . nico closes his eyes to keep himself from feeling too riled up . his pants feel a bit tighter than they did before and he really pushes - no , shoves - that thought far out of his mind . " ' m behind you . " nico says easily , placing his hands in his dress pant pockets and watching her spin and move , like a diamond unearthed .

[daffodildelight]

Enemies (Part One) | Shuntarō Chishiya x Reader

Title: Enemies (Part One) 

Pairing: Shuntarō Chishiya x fem!reader

Summary: You and Chishiya always had a rocky ‘friendship’ if you would even call it that. But feels get revealed under intense pressure

Themes/Warnings: fluff, guns, season 2 spoilers

Word count: 2500sh

A/N: So unedited, will deal with it later. First ever fanfic lol so please be nice, made this in under 3 hours.

You and Chishiya always had a rocky relationship, you had arrived at The Beach after him but slowly made your way up the ranks. Becoming semi-close friends with the Hatter can do that for you. Since you were making your way up the ranks you began getting close with all the high-ranking members, you got along with most of them except for Niragi and Chishiya. Niragi because he saw you as a piece of meat and you would do all your power to get away from him and Chishiya because in you’re eyes he sees you as a weak little girl.

But your relationship with Chishiya started to change leading up to the 10 of hearts games. He would start to act nicer towards you, making sure you had arrived from your game unscathed or even trying to make conversation with you. You had to admit, it was kind of nice. But you also found this rather confusing so you went to the one person who you could get answers from Hikari Kuina.

You found Kuina sitting in the main bar at the beach, wearing her signature blue bathing suit while chewing on her dummy cigarette. ‘’Now look what the cat dragged in, how are you doing (Y/N)’’ she looked genuine when she says this but you can see a little glint in her eye. ‘’I know you and Chishiya have gotten closer in the past few months and I was wondering if I could ask a question?’’ You tried to sound as neutral as possible but Kuina could always see right through you. ‘’Let me guess, it has to do with our mutual friend Chishiya?’’ she smirked, always right on target.

‘’Yeah, why has he been checking up on me lately? It’s getting kind of weird because it’s not in his personality. Is he trying to use my connection with Hatter to get something? I mean it’s the only logical reason’’ Kuina laughed at your comment. ‘’Only logical reason! I’ll tell you this right now but you can’t repeat this to anyone, he totally has the hots for you.’’ Now it’s you bursting into laughter. ‘’Very funny Kuina, tell me the real reason why.’’. Kuina looks stunned ‘’You know I would never lie to you (Y/N)’’. Giving up on your line of question you left with a ‘’yeah whatever.’’

A few days passed, and tensions are rising within The Beach, you can feel it. Ever since Aguni has taken over from the sidelines things are going from bad to worse. Chishiya seems more in his head than usual. You were hanging out in the bar when suddenly the P.A. went off. ‘’We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for staying at Seaside Paradise, Tokyo…’’ A man with a calming voice spoke on the P.A. Everyone at the bar looked around confused as were you, then the man continues ‘’As a token of our appreciation, we will now commence a game with all 59 participants in the venue…’’ All the TV’s around the room flash with one image which gains everyone's interest. The 10 of Hearts. The Beach is a venue and it’s a 10 of hearts game? You were not looking forward to this. ‘’All participants must assemble in the lobby immediately. The rules of the game will be explained.’’ There was a feeling in your stomach that this game was gonna cause massive problems. So you and everyone else in the bar migrated into the lobby and grabbed one of the many phones on the table to register for the game.

While waiting for all the players to arrive you make eye contact with Chishiya from across the room, none of you pulls away and it was probably the first time you never felt a dislike towards him, instead it was something much different. My focus was pulled away when someone yells ‘’Momoka!’’ and there she was living lifeless on the floor with her orange and white striped bikini knife stabbed into her heart. Being a part of the games you had seen lots of death but watching it be someone who lives in the house as you and has been helping you since you arrived sets a horrible gut feeling within you. A ding rings from the phone in your hands which now gains your attention. ‘’Game, witch hunt. The murderous witch who killed this girl is hiding amongst you in plain sight. The witch role is not limited to women. To clear the game you must find the witch and burn him or her in the fire of judgement. Time limit: 2 hours.’’ Massive roars were held within the lobby and you knew things were gonna go south within seconds. As you were trying to think of a plan to do anything Chishiya carefully grabs you by the arm and walks you away from the group in the lobby without raising any suspicion. He leads you through multiple corridors and rooms before placing you in a wardrobe. ‘’Things are going to turn into shit (Y/N), stay in here and don’t the door open for anyone except me, I’ll get you when this is finished.’’ Chishiya gets up to close the door before you ask: ‘’Why are you doing this? How do you know I’m not the witch?’’.Chishiya looks at you carefully. ‘’Because I need to know that your gonna be safe, and I know your not the witch because your not the type to kill a person (Y/N).’’ He then leaves through the door and you stay in the closet. After around 10 minutes you believe this to be a good idea because you can lot of screaming and multiple gunshots.

After what seems like an hour and a half sitting in a closet listening to screams Chishiya opens the door and pulls you out of the closet. The hallways were full of smoke and dead bodies on the floor. Chishiya takes you to Kuina and you guys make your way to god knows where. ‘’Will someone please tell me what's happening? Who’s the witch? Where’s Hatter and Aguni? Where are we even going?’’ you groaned loudly while walking barefoot into the city. ‘’Everything will be explained to you soonly (Y/N)’’.

You make your way through some ground tunnels until you reach a room with loads of dead bodies and computer scenes. Then you finally explode. ‘’What the fuck is happening!? Someone explain everything to me now! I'm so confused… where are we? Where’s hatter?” Chishiya sits me down and gives it to me straight, how hatter died a few days ago and thats why aguni took over. How Asahi told everyone she was the dealer of the game, and why Momoka killed herself because she was the witch. It was very hard to listen but Chishiya sits next to me and comforts me the best way he knows how. By stroking my hair, it was really nice minus the horrible things he was telling but all that stopped when we heard footsteps coming towards the computer scenes.  Arisu and Usagi walk through the darkness and Chishiya make us known to them. “So you actually found this place. I expected no less from you. Thanks to you two, I have all the numbered playing cards right here. Thank you.’’ Chishiya looks as smug as ever, you can’t help but feel a little bit more attracted to him.

Conversations were exchanged between the four of them, trying to figure out how each person got to the same place, and what even was this place. You tune yourself out of the conversation and decided to turn and sort out your conflicted feelings. Why did Chishiya save you? You don’t have anything to bring to the table, maybe a few hand-to-hand combat skills but that’s it. Why are you even having feelings for Chishiya? This was starting to get very annoying for you but your train of thought cuts out when all the screens turn on and you see Mira walk into the shot. Everyone exchanged confused glances. She goes on to explain how there are going to be new games and these games will be the ‘face’ card games. But it left all of us wondering, when will we ever get back home?

We all make our way into the centre of Tokyo trying to think about the new information Mira has given us. We look out into the streets of Tokyo and see multiple huge blimps with different kinds of face cards on them. One huge billboard with ‘Next Stage: Start’’ written on it. ‘’None of the games has started yet’’ spoke Arisu standing in the middle of the group looking so tired. ‘’Maybe we still have time’’ Usagi spoke next trying to reassure Arisu. ‘’Or they forgot to push the big red start button’’ Chishiya replied, Arisu and Usagi turned around and gave Chishiya a look, and I couldn’t help but give a chuckle. I noticed Chishiya smirk a little. ‘’They didn’t tell us about the rules for this one.’’ Signs Kuina. Everyone in the group continues to look around confused. Usagi looks like she notices something. ‘’What is it?’’ I ask with Chishiya to my right. ‘’I hear something’’ Usagi replies and looks towards the street. We all turn and watch the street with her. Multiple cars approach us, and I recognise them as Beach people. They all hop out of their cars and Arisu goes to investigate. ‘’What is this? What are you doing here?’’ He asks one of the members. The members of The Beach go on to say ‘’We saw the blimps show up, there are rumours that the next stage is starting’’. Arisu getting a little frustrated says ‘’Right… here's the thing’’ Suddenly the members of The Beach are getting shot down.

‘’A riffle, get moving,’’ Chishiya says in a weirdly calm way when people around him are dying. ‘’That thing is an anti-tank rifle. So I’d forget about hiding behind a car.’’ He tells the group. I decided to take initiative for Chishiya at this moment, I grab his arm and we follow Arisu towards some buildings. Chishiya runs ahead of me and covers me with the rifle. When the group meets behind the building Kuina asks ‘’Does this means the game started?’’ Chishiya quickly replies ‘’I don’t know’’. Kuina continues ‘’Did they give us any rules?’’ We slowly make our way around the building. ‘’Without rules this is just a massacre’’ Shouts Arisu. ‘’That rifle can kill from about a kilometre away,’’ Chishiya tells the group, he goes from covering me to holding my waist if not for the adrenaline I would assume my bodies reacting like this because of him. Different sounds now come from the gun. ‘’And now we’ve got an assault rifle.’’ Chishiya continues. We all huddle as a group and give comments about things we are witnessing and ideas on what could be happening. ‘’Maybe there are different shooters’’ Usagi speaks up, ‘’Other players are grouping up, I didn’t know there were this many players left’’ Kuina adds. ‘’There almost here!’’ Arisu shouts and backs away from the mysterious shooter. ‘’Let's go!’’ Arisu yells while taking the group back into the street. ‘’I don’t think this is a good idea Arisu!’’ I yell in hopes he can hear me but the blast from the rifle is too much. ‘’We need to split up’’ Chishiya yells and grabs me by the hand and pulls me from the group.

Chishiya and I start sprinting down the street, hands holding each other while bodies fall all around us. I trip on a rock and Chishiya is there to scoop me up from the ground and we continue running. Hands still interlocked tugging each other towards different directions. I see Kuina from a distance and drag Chishiya with me to catch up with her. Kuina looked grateful that somebody else was with her and the 3 of us crouched behind a car. Kuina looks down and see’s Chishiya and I’s hands interlocked. She gives me a knowing look and I turn around to focus on more important things like Arisu and Usagi running along the opposite side of the road trying to help somebody. I make eye contact with Arisu: ‘’Are you trying to get killed out there!’’ with that comment the gunman takes fire in our direction. I hide back behind the car. My back is up against Chishiya's torso and I can feel his breath on my neck. Kuina speaks up ‘’Where are they shooting from anyway?’’ we then hear a loud rumbling from above us and see the huge blimp with a kind of spade flag hanging below it. ‘’Huh, he must be the king of spades’’ Chishiya tells us he then turns to me. ‘’Take this it’s a good luck charm’’ He gives me a handmade explosive. ‘’Thank you Chishiya, I don’t know what to say’’ I can’t believe Chishiya would give up an explosive for me. ‘’Just use it if you have to.’’ and he gives me a smile. I turn to look away feeling a bit flustered but then I notice a man dressed in a long dark black cloak. I point towards him and direct Chishiya and Kuina towards what I’m looking at. ‘’That must be the king of spades’’ I whisper lightly. Chishiya whispers back into my ear ‘’I think your right’’ I turn around to say something but got caught looking into his eyes. My concentration on his eyes disappears when Kuina spots Arisu, Usagi and some random dead guy in the car next to us. ‘’Hey! You two okay? You hurt?’’ Kuina pipes up, and Chishiya gives them a wave. Shots continue to fire as we hide behind the car. ‘’We’re pinned down here’’ I say loud enough for us to hear. ‘’If we step out, he’ll get us!’’ Usagi replies. All of us try to figure out a plan to get out of there but nothing seems to be working out and the king of spades is getting closer. My train of thought gets broken when I green car that I’ve noticed from the beach before pulls in front of us honking its horn. ‘’Get in!’’ yells Tatta from the passenger seat. ‘’Tatta!?’’ Arisu and I yell in surprise and relief. ‘’Don’t just stand there!’’ someone yells from the driver's seat. ‘’Ann!’’ Kuina yells. Usagi and Arisu are the first to make their way to the car followed by Kuina, me and Chishiya. Ann opens the passenger seat and Arisu, Usagi and Kuina make it safely. Different story for Chishiya and me. A grenade is thrown towards the car door and Chishiya stops me from walking on it. ‘’That’s bad. Get going!’’ He yells towards Ann.

In a split-second decision, I decided to kick the grenade towards the kings of spades will Chishiya grabs my hand and tugged me the other way. ‘’(Y/N)! Chishiya!’’ I hear Kuina yell from the car. Chishiya pulls me behind a car and uses his body to shield me from the blast. At that moment I’m glad that I was stuck with Chishiya because I know that if I had to pick anyone out of the group to survive with it would be him and unfortunately for us, we won’t be seeing the group in a while.

[fortune-fool02]

A Night Time Visit

Vampire Caesar Zeppeli x female reader

Summary: A few days had passed since Caesar’s disappearance when he went to challenge Wamuu to a fight. [Name] begged him not to but he refused to stand by anymore. Now, he finally returned to her. 

Warning: NSFW, smutt, light oral-pleasure, mention of blood/blood drinking, biting. 

So... yeah. I haven’t wrote smutt or anything spicy for a long time so forgive me if it’s bad, haha. Thank you for reading it, please reblog and comment as it really means a lot! 

Thank you and please enjoy! 

The soft breeze brushed against the window, faint whispers trying to seep into the room, seeking out the warmth to steal away. With the morning sun gone, the night’s darkness flooded the city, broken only by little specks of lights and candles to show that there was life presence in the buildings. Air Supplena island was different though. Surrounded by nothing by the sea’s hissing waves and inky black mass of water, very little light could so much as see the island, let alone touch it. 

It was such a different place at night. Something [Name] was still adjusting to. The clawing waves at the rocky slopes of the island muffling out the otherwise suffocating silence, making any new sound a sudden possible threat or danger that she would flinch at. How Lisa Lisa coped with this for so long was beyond her understanding. Sleep evaded her that night, as it had done for the past few recently. Her mind consumed by a thick fog of worry for Caesar. Tight wires in her veins that strained, ready to snap at a moment’s notice, that also coiled and constricted around her heart and chest. 

The last they spoke, he and Joseph had broken into an argument regarding the current situation of the Pillarmen and the next phase of their plan. Joseph wanted to keep a calm approach to this, his mind set with the timer against him, the rings festering within, waiting to dissolve. Caesar, however, wanted to ambush during the day time, with the sun on their side, and destroy the Pillarmen once and for all. Both had their points but their stubborn and abrasive natures conflicted, two forces refusing to back down, and erupted into a fight. That was the last anyone saw of Caesar before he stormed off. 

A shaky sigh left [Name]’s lips as she sat on her bed, trying to keep herself together and try to calm her burning nerves. A deep breath in, then out. In, then out. Slowly. The straining ache in her veins subsided slightly but not much, it was the most she could do for now until they found Caesar. Laying down on the bed, her eyes were fixed on the ceiling, her mind occupied and fretting that she didn’t notice the figure on the balcony outside her window. A faint shadow hiding among even darker shadows, cold eyes watching her with careful observation. 

In the darkness, he could see her body on the bed, the shape of her figure as perfect as ever. The feeling of her warm skin beneath his hands, the curves of her body in his hands. Thinking about it brought a smile to his lips, the tip of his tongue rubbing against one of the fangs in his mouth, itching to taste her. Caesar was, by no means, a Saint. But there was something about [Name] that he craved. Something that teased an unquenchable thirst, he always needed more of her. 

A soft tapping at the balcony window pulled her from her thoughts, a surge of white-hot shock rushed through her. Her eyes widening at the sight of the familiar blonde on the balcony. Without hesitation, she rushed over to the balcony and threw the doors open, throwing her arms around him. The warmth of her body was immediate, the sweetness of her scent filling his head like a hazy fog. How he missed her. His sweet [Name]. 

“Caesar! Oh God, I was so worried about you! We thought you...” Her words trailed on, tremors rattling her body, as her hands held onto him tightly, afraid that this was all just some form of delusion. But he was real, he was here.  

“Shh, shh. I know, cara. But I’m here now.” His voice whispered into her ear, a soothing sound that purged all sense of fear and doubt from her body, pressing a light kiss on her temple. Tears welled up in her eyes before falling down her cheeks, emotions crashing about inside of her, trying to determine themselves how to feel, how to dare feel. She turned her head and practically grabbed his head, kissing him deeply, much to his delight. The tension in her body melting away, the fear and worry that he was just a figment of her imagination losing its hold on her. 

His lips were cold, as was his skin, but the breeze outside aided in forming an excuse for it. Slowly, savouring the warmth of her, his hands moved along her body, taking their time and listening closely to the steady beating of her heart. She was perfect to him in every way possible. Her beauty unmatchable. Her body something he could never get enough of. Her muscle in his hands, the taste of her in his mouth. The mere thought earned a soft groan from him, deepening the kiss. 

In one movement, Caesar pushed her back against the bed, using his bodyweight to push her down onto the soft blankets. A faint redness tinted her face, her breathing coming out in small pants with a smile on her face. But he wasn’t done yet, not even close to it. He watched the look on her face shift as she looked at his eyes more closely. Emerald green eyes would have been staring back normally, but instead, crimson ones looked down at her. The darkness of the room allowing their faint glow to be more prominent. And the penny dropped for her. 

“Caesar.... Oh my God....” The confusion in her voice, the flicker of worry that flashed her eyes, all didn’t go unnoticed by him. He quickly hushed her with another kiss, the tips of his fangs brushing against her bottom lip. 

“Relax, amore mio.” His eyes gazed down at her, their glow capturing her eyes, pulling her in. Her pulse calmed, as did the hesitation, all melting away the longer she looked into his eyes. His hand moved, caressing her cheek, the tips of black claws brushing against her cheekbone, just beneath her eye. And just like that, she was his, as she was supposed to be. 

Hunger twinged within him, enhanced further by the light burning in his lower gut. His lips left a trail of hungry kisses down from her lips to her neck, searching for the right spot, guided by the soft whimpers [Name] made before he found his mark. It started as a cold, shard of ice piercing her neck, pulling a light gasp of pain, but soon calmed to a pleasantly tingling that branched off around her body. Pleased moans muffled against her neck as Caesar pushed himself closer to her, his hips pressing against her more, and the bulge in his pants growing the more he drank from her. 

“Mmm~ Caesar~” [Name]’s fingers ran through his golden hair, gripping it lightly and moving her hips against his, earning a deep moan from him. A tight grip latched onto her thigh, pulling her closer to him. He pulled back from her neck, droplets of blood trickling down his lips and chin, a hazed look in his eyes as he panted. Not a second was wasted before he was removing his pants, a newfound surge coursing through him, his beloved’s blood inside of him. [Name] sat up, her hands helping to remove his pants and free his hardened cock. 

Grabbing hold of her pants, he removed them along with her underwear, moving himself down and pressing little kisses along her thighs, his fangs occasionally nipping the soft skin; earning sweet whimpers and soft moans. Her legs trying to press together in response to the sensations, but his hands held firm, keeping them in place. 

“Ah, ah, darling~ You keep them open for me~” He purred before leaning closer, his mouth pressing a teasingly gentle kiss between her legs. The tip of his tongue brushing along the sides before moving down the middle, a loud whine was made as [Name] tried to arch up, trying to move closer to his face, begging for more. 

“Caesar, please~ Mmmn~” Her hands gripped the blanket tightly, face red from the sensations and the achingly slow place. Hearing her beg for him brought a sly smile to his face as he lifted himself back up, his lips finding their way back to her neck. 

“Good girl~ Say it again~” A deep purr rumbled from him as his hips moved, the tip of his cock brushing against her entrance, taking all the strength he had himself not to ruin this by going too fast. He wanted to savour this. He wanted to devour her at his pace. 

[Name] tilted her head, offering more of her neck to him, her hips arching up against his. “Please, Caesar~ I want you~” The need in her tone was more than enough, the way her eyes looked at him, clouded by desire. Such a beautiful image. His lips pressed against hers once again as he thrusted his hips slow, his cock pushing into her. 

Her hands gripped onto him, seeking some form of stability as she grinded her hips, feeling herself adjust to the length inside of her. “Ahh~ Caesar, yes~” Her words were able to get past the kisses, her lower gut sparking and aching for him, lust shooting across her nerves, leaving her body aflutter. His touch leaving goosebumps along her skin as his lips returned to her neck, kissing all over while his fangs brushed and nipped, claiming. 

His hips thrusted, a steady rhythm at first, but hitting all the right spots for her. The grip on her thigh lifting her leg lightly, blackened claws digging into the flesh, the pain quickly sparking to pleasure, replacing the light cries and gasps with moans and whimpers. Her body clay in his hands, to mould as he desired. 

“Brava ragazza~” He moaned against her, feeling her warmth around his cock, delightfully so. How he longed for this. Each thrust of his hips pushed his cock just a little deeper inside until she had taken him fully, a wondrous sensation that left him feeling light-headed and dizzy, but wanting more. He wanted her to be able to do nothing but think of him, of what he can do to her, how he could bring her to the edge and back again. The burning in his lower gut grew more, a familiar pooling feeling forming, choking moans from him. 

[Name] tightened around him, a light indication that she, too, was close. A part of him wanted to draw it out a little longer but he didn’t have the strength to. He wanted that euphoric sense that hit at the very peak of a climax, he wanted her to feel the same. After all, the prize is just as good as the chase. 

“Come on, my love~ Cum for me~” Those words were all it took, that little nudge to the edge, and [Name] cried out, her orgasm shaking her entire body as she came around him. The warmth and tightness of her was the same for him, one last thrust, and the rush that hit him was immense.