#His injuries are pretty minor but he still feels bad since he's not used to fighting. I think he deserves a relax day | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

so-much-for-the-seashells · 6 months ago

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This doesn’t get a title because I’m confused

Disclaimers: The only character I own is the reader insert!

Author’s Notes: I think I got possessed, I don’t even like Sam 😭 like in the slightest 😭

But pretend season 8ish Sam has season 2-3’s hair for the sake of that’s the season I’m on lol.

Icons by @gosling-girlx !! She’s a genius!

Anyway, all notes are appreciated!

Content/Content Warnings: 18+ ONLY! Minors do not interact, this is NOT for you.

This fic is extremely spicy, sort of can’t-stand-each-other sex. Reader’s AFAB & uses she/her pronouns, only physical description is of her being shorter than Sam. There’s oral (both m and f receiving) and unprotected piv which frankly only exists in the books- wrap it before you tap it!! Oh also they’re both pretty mean to each other… you’ll see.

Again, I think I got possessed when I made it-I sincerely can’t stand him- but hope you enjoy it!

**************************************************** Working with the Winchester Brothers is a gig like no other. Cas and I are more tagalongs in the operation these days, Cas demoted to resident healer and I to stay at home mom, apparently.

One accident (authors note: one possession & a year long recovery for a spinal injury retained from said possession) had apparently rendered me useless to the boys. It’s not all bad- I’m relatively close with the older one, Dean, since we’re both hoes for a good time and good movies/music. And before the accident, I was happy to kill evil sons-of-bitches with Dean any day of the week.

And of course, Castiel is a right sweetheart- showing him new human things is the sweetest experience in the whole wide world.

But you know what ruins the laughs and the nice moments? The younger brother. Sam “Little Shit” Winchester.

I don’t know how he found himself upon the moral pedestal he crafted for himself, but lord I want to remove his kneecaps and slap him with them. Little baby giraffe looking shit.

I don’t like the way he acts, plain and simple. Between the way that he treats Dean and the way that he talks so condescendingly to me- I’m about two seconds from starting a fight every time we’re in a room together for too long. He seems to feel the same way. It’s helpful in a hunt- both of us are smart enough to concentrate that anger towards our monster of the week instead of each other in the field- but now, when there’s no field to take the anger out on? Dean’s had to break up at least 3 almost-fights, and I’ve only been back on my feet for a couple months.

***

The boys looked especially pissy coming home today- they’d grumbled something about a “stupid fucking vampire bitch,” and went their separate ways, Sam to the med bay and Cas trailing Dean like a golden retriever.

Great. Looks like I’m on Douchebag Duty.

***

“What’s your problem?” Sam snaps as I tug the thread on his stitches a little too roughly.

“My problem, you dick? I’m the one that’s stitching you up right now, why don’t I just let you bleed out?” I retort, yanking on the surgical needle with the string attached to a particularly nasty cut on his upper arm. Cut’s an understatement- it’s really a bullet wound. I’m just too proud to have pity for the jackass.

“Yeah, your problem!”

I set down the needle at that, my fists clenched at my sides. “You’re a whiny little bitch who can’t sit still and shut the fuck up for two minutes! That’s my problem.”

“I think you’re a little too high and mighty there, princess,” he scowls, standing up to full height, presumably so that he can use his stature to literally look down at me.

“Yeah? Look who’s talking, Mr Morals,” I seethe, staring up at him. I snatch the needle, on my tiptoes, and hastily finish the stitching on his scar, while standing up.

“Out,” I spit as I cut the thread.

“No,” he retorts, glancing down at me through long lashes and stupidly overgrown bangs.

“What? Is five minutes away from your big head too much to ask?” my hands are on my hips. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of staring up at him, so I stare at whatever’s eye level. He’s wearing a bloodied white tank top, which is not doing much for the whole vibe we’ve got going on right now.

He bites his lower lip, still looking down through his annoyingly long lashes. And my dumb ass is attracted to it, apparently.

“Get. Out,” I say, anger laced in my words.

“No,” he says through clenched teeth. I start to turn away, as if giving up, before pulling a Dean Winchester and turning back around on my heel, punching him in the abdomen. He grunts, keeling over. “Ow!”

“You should’ve listened, you ass,” I say, looking down at him. He looks pathetic, his eyes gone wide and pretty in pain. I shouldn’t be into this, not one bit.

Keeled over, Sam is at eye level. Our gazes lock, his hazel eyes boring holes into mine, searching for something. I don’t dare waver, looking back at him with just as much intensity until he surprises me, leaning in and crashing his lips to mine. He roughly grabs my face, holding me close as he forces his tongue into my mouth, exploring. I hate how easily I give him access, I hate the way I let out a gasp against my will. By the time he pulls away I’m already leaning back in. He smirks, humoring me for one more kiss.

“How do you like me now?” he says cockily, lips plush and pink from the kisses, hazel eyes blown out by lust.

“I don’t,” I mutter, pushing him back so that he’s forced to sit on the med bay bed. His legs are spread wide, and of course I fit perfectly between them, much to my distaste. I kiss his jawline, using mostly my teeth so that it scratches as I go, especially once I start on his neck, biting and sucking dark marks everywhere I see fit. He’s into it, little breathy whimpers further fueling my unfortunate attraction to him.

“Take off your shirt,” I tell him, stepping back and smirking at how this time he leans into my touch instead of the other way around. He thoughtlessly pulls the hem of the ruined fabric over his head, throwing it to the side, exposing an obnoxiously fit physique and an anti possession tattoo. There’s little scars everywhere, and something deep down urges me to kiss every single one of them, but that can be later.

“Take off yours,” he tells me.

“Why?” I ask, trying to play smart.

“Cause if I have to be shirtless you do too,” he says.

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Better think of a better retort next time, Winchester,” I say as I take off the oversized concert tee I had been wearing.

“Bra too,” he orders, cocking his head to the side as he looks me over.

“Who made you the boss?” I ask, already unclasping my bra.

“I did,” he says, far too cocksure.

“We’ll see about that,” I grin, letting the lacy fabric fall to the ground as I lean in to kiss his damnable hot mouth. This time I take control, taking pride in the little noises he makes.

“I’m gonna suck your dick,” I say crudely, not bothering with pleasantries.

“Go right on ahead,” and I can tell there was meant to be spite behind those words, but it quickly fades away into sighs as I start kissing down his pecs, his abs, lightly scratching anywhere I can find with my nails. I hate how hot the heat between my thighs is, but at this point, I can’t help it, especially as I sink to my knees, nose perfectly level with his crotch.

I take his belt into my hands, grazing over the obvious tent that lies underneath it. He throws his head back at that, biting back a curse.

“What’s the matter Sammy?” I tease.

“Shut up,” he grumble, words morphing into a proper moan as I graze over the tent again.

“Uh huh,” I agree, tugging off his leather belt and yanking down the zipper of his jeans.

“Boxers? I had taken you for a ‘Tighty Whities’ girl, Sammy,” I mused, doing my best to work him up even more.

“Sto-,” he starts, immediately losing his words as I free his cock from his confines, pulling his boxers down to his knees.

You know, just cause a guy’s a big guy doesn’t always mean that everything’s proportionate. Sam’s six foot five-ish, long and lanky with lean muscle. And naturally, because everything about him is meant to spite me, his dick also fits the physical bill. My mouth waters, and the only prospect that excites my overly-horny self more than having it in my mouth is having it in my slick soaked pussy. And I will, if I have anything to say about it.

“Oh Sammy, you’re a big boy, huh,” I taunt, running a hand up and down his shaft slowly. He moans in agreement, no more fight left in him. It’s too easy.

I let go of it, ignoring the bead of pre cum leaking down as I move to kiss his thighs, grazing my teeth on them like I did on his neck. He seems to like it, legs moving in towards my mouth. Finally I move my mouth towards where he obviously wants me most, rubbing the bead over his tip with my thumb. I’m a little wary about taking the whole thing, but I’m sure as hell going to try.

I start simple, kitten lips around the base, licking a long stripe up the underside before wrapping my lips around the head, and he moans, a little too loudly. I brace my hands on his thighs before taking a deep breath through my nose and forcing myself down far enough that my nose is touching neatly trimmed hair. Thankfully my gag reflex is still gone-it’s been a minute- as I hold him there for a moment, before starting to bob my head up and down, testing the waters. He whimpers and whines, and it’s pathetic, and I’m far too into it, unable to do much else than keep up my ministrations.

One of his big hands find the back of my head, fingers weaving into my hair. I don’t think he does so with intent of forcing me to move, but the idea is so hot that I lock eyes with him with my mouth on his cock.

“What? You want me to fuck your mouth?” he asks, panting. And once he says it out loud I get impossibly wetter, and I moan yes, unable to nod at all with him buried as far as he’ll go.

“Damn, you’re a slut,” he grins, and I moan in agreement before he starts moving my head slowly. Forward and back, forward and back, before I lock eyes with him and he gets the hint to take it harder, hips starting to thrust meeting my throat as his hands push. I just keep sucking, doing my best not to choke as involuntary tears leak out. But it doesn’t hurt, not at all. If anything I’m just doing all I can to not start rubbing on my own sensitive spots.

Before I know it his whimpers get louder and his whines get needier, and he grits out “I- I’m going to-“

So I release him with a pop, taking a hand and rubbing up and down his length furiously before he bursts. Once he does, with the most pathetic whimper yet, I get my mouth right back on him, taking every drop of his hot release down my throat. When he’s done I stay there, opening his mouth so he can see that there’s nothing there.

“God, you’re such a slut,” he mutters, echoing what he said before as he catches his breath and pulls me up by the hair- gently.

I shrug cockily, moving back as he stands up.

“Strip and have a seat,” he lazily demands as he puts his perfect cock away.

I roll my eyes but comply, taking off my remaining clothes so that I’m left in all my glory.

“You’re gorgeous, y’know that?” he compliments, a moment of tenderness as he crowds me against the bed so that I’ll take a seat. I blush, letting him hoist me up so that my ass is on the edge of the dinghy bed. “My turn,” he grumbles, voice low and hot against the column of my neck. He’s even rougher than I was, nipping at every square inch of skin that he meets, sucking dark marks down the side of my neck and over the tops of my breasts. I’m like a bitch in heat, responding to every touch in ways I can’t control- pornographic moans, leaning into his touch. He’s pulling on my hair to give himself more access, and I’m starting to worry that I’m soaking the bed. His mouth continues to work wonders, especially as he travels southwards, playing with my breasts.

He’s mean, outright biting the one and pinching the other, and it’s just what I need. I tangle my hands into his annoyingly long hair and tugging, not missing the way he moans into my chest.

Finally, finally, he gets down on his knees. He rests his chin on the bed, breath heavy on my heat. The sight of his head pillowed on my thighs as he looks up at me with those puppy dog, blown out eyes is enough to get me to come on the spot.

“This all f’me, princess?” he asks roughly, collecting some of the gratuitous wetness on two long, thick fingers.

“N-no,” I stammer, clutching his hair tighter. He bites back his moan in favor of a smug grin.

“N-no,” he mocks, turning to the side to bite the inside of my thigh, and I whine. “Uh huh, that’s what I thought.” His nose is eye level with my clit, and the only warning I get before he dives into my pussy is a small smirk that meets his hazel eyes.

“Fuck!”

He moans in between my thighs, setting my entire body on fire. I try to wiggle away from him, but it only takes one big, strong hand to hold my hips in place as he fucks his tongue into me, his nose rubbing on my puffy clit. It’s wet and it’s gross, but so, so hot.

He’s a little too good, knowing all the buttons to press that leave me tracking wetness all over his face, before taking two fingers and roughly pushing them into my core, giving me no time to adjust. They’re thick and long, and when he makes the come hither motion I know I’m fucked, doing everything I can not to gasp his name.

“S-s-oh my god,” I cry as he plunges his fingers all the way down to the knuckle every time, reaching deeper and deeper and rubbing on my g-spot. He’s too busy sucking on my clit to say anything, his attention overstimulating.

He adds a third finger, and that, combined with him tracing patterns on my sensitive bud, sends me straight over the edge with a an unintelligible cry.

Of course the bastard doesn’t stop, not until I’m physically shaking from the overstimulation, legs quivering, and on the brink of a second release.

He removes himself from my heat, laying his cheek on the inside of my thigh, looking up at me smugly.

“Good, huh?” he knows it was.

“Fuck you,” I mutter, voice weak.

“That’s what I’m getting to, princess. So impatient,” he taunts, standing up to full height again. Sam haphazardly wipes the slick off of his face with his forearm, not really caring how much he removes. He kicks off his shoes and socks before taking off his slacks and boxers in one go, revealing that gorgeous cock again. He stands before me, looking like some kinda statue of physical perfection. I have to physically close my jaw looking at him.

“Like what you see, princess?”

I stick out my tongue and blow a raspberry.

“Real mature, sweetheart,” he rolls his eyes. “You have a condom?”

I shake my head. “Don’t need one, I’m on the pill and I have morning after. Want you to fuck me and fill me,” I tell him honestly.

“God you’re a slut and you’re freaky? I’d never have guessed,” he mused, stepping between my thighs. I assume he’s clean as well since he doesn’t really… get out much.

“Yeah, that’s cause you’re not the brightest,” I tell him, scooting as close to the edge as I can without falling.

“Uh huh,” he says sarcastically, before picking me up and slamming my shoulder into a nearby wall, yet gently resting my back against it. Gentle with my injury, wow. Wouldn’t have expected it. I gasp, surprised by the sudden motion.

“Payback for the gut punch,” he explains.

“Oh yeah? I’ll punch you again if you don’t fuck me,” I say, a mean edge to my voice.

“Mkay,” he says, obviously not swaying either way as he aligns his tip with my entrance.

“Fuck me,” I order through a gasp, unable to wait anymore.

“Careful what you wish for there, princess,” he warns, before sheathing himself in me in one go.

Look, I can get laid whenever I want, especially back when I was on duty as a hunter. I’m no stranger to sex, and I have a decently high sex drive. If I can’t get some, then I always have backup- toys and vibrators, you name it.

But Sam? His dick was big in my mouth, but in my pussy? I feel like I’ve been split in two, my mouth is dropped in an o. But it feels so, so good.

“Move,” I demand after a few moments of adjusting.

“Say my name,” he cocks his head, pushing impossibly deeper so that he’s practically touching my cervix.

“Sammy,” I say with as much sass as I can muster, my voice high from the added pressure. I know he hates the nickname, it makes him feel like a baby. Because he is one.

“Nuh uh, princess. Say my name,” the pad of his thumb flits over my clit.

“Unh- Sam!” I moan, unable to stop myself.

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it? Now ask me to fuck you. Nicely.”

“No.”

“Guess I’ll be on my way then,” he starts pulling out.

“No!” I whine.

“Ask nicely.”

“Sam, fuck me please?” I ask with as much sweetness and doe eyes as possible for me.

“You really are sweet when you’re horny,” he remarks, pulling back, before setting a brutal pace that has me raking my nails across his back and moaning his stupid name. He’s pounding into me with all of his might, sweat sheening on his brow.

It’s so hard that I can barely get any words out, and I hate it, but it just feels too good.

And of course, Sammy has enough words for the both of us.

“Fucking you dumb, huh? Got such a big attitude until I’m in you, just needed this dick,” he says, laughing meanly as I involuntarily clench at his words.

“What? You like me being mean to you? You get wet every time we fight?” a particularly hard set of thrusts accompanies each of the words in his third rhetorical question. I moan, not even sure of the answer. Probably? Maybe? Gah.

“Look at you, taking it like a good slut. You’re so tight and wet, and it’s all f’me,” his raspy voice starts slurring with lust. He brings one of his hands between us, finding my swollen clit and rutting on it, tracing patterns just as he did before with his tongue.

“S-Sam, it’s too much-,” I cry, unable to handle the overstimulation.

“Good,” he grins wickedly, before upping the ante both in thrusts and in rutting, unraveling me into a mess in his arms. I cry his name, helpless as I come down for the second time.

“So soon?” he tuts, not slowing his pace.

“Sh-shut up- ah-,” is all I can say as he gets impossibly rougher, chasing his own release.

“Gotta finish the job, princess,” he stutters, before growing more and more erratic. He’s got me on edge again as he does so, but mercifully comes before I can. I feel his hot release in me, filling me up just a little too full with his dick that he hasn’t yet pulled out.

Eventually he wordlessly puts me down, fingers plugging our mixed release in me. I can’t even complain- him keeping me full is unfortunately kinda hot.

“So…” he starts, looking down at me.

“Get out,” I interrupt.

“No,” he says, not moving.

This is going to be a long afternoon.

****************************************************

“Did you guys finally get into a bout?” Dean asks as we walk (re: stumble) out of the med bay and into the kitchen where he and Cas are sitting playing Uno, Bon Jovi playing in the background. “Oh- oh.”

Yeah, it’s pretty obvious the fight we got into. There’s no hiding it, even if we had tidied up our hair or faces- there’s scratches and bruises everywhere. Whoops.

“Are you guys in need of healing?” Cas asks innocently as Sam and I sit down a chair apart.

“No, Cas… these are, uh, special bruises. The fun kind. And they’re everywhere, apparently… damn, Sammy.” Dean comments as he surveys his brother and I. Sam coughs, and I reach over to punch him from my seat away. He grunts, and then we all go quiet.

“So… all in favor of never talking about this?” I ask after an uncomfortably long uncomfortable silence.

“Aye,” say the brothers in unison. Cas also agrees after Dean elbows him. “Fantastic.”

#sam winchester #sam winchester x reader #sam winchester x you #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester smut #supernatural fanfiction #BTW Destiel in the background ain’t subtext it’s clear text 💪

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daisynik7 · 1 year ago

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Fortunate

cw: ~900 words, established relationship, fluff, happy ending, some angst, implied Season 2/Shibuya arc spoilers, smut (but very brief) - MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Author’s Note: This is for @honeybleed's 90s r&b collab, congrats again on the amazing milestone! This is inspired by the song Fortunate by Maxwell. Thanks for reading! Divider by @/cafekitsune.

Nanami wakes up in the cold sweat, gasping for breath to fill his lungs, as if he’s been drowning in his sleep. His heart races, pounding so hard against his chest that he’s sure it’s about to burst out of his ribcage. The entire left side of his body tingles, the remnants of a traumatic injury from almost a year ago.

It takes him a few seconds to realize that you’re holding him, clinging to his right side, staring at him with concern in your face. “Bad dream?” you ask, eyes wet with tears you try to blink away. Your voice trembles, attempting to hide it, though Nanami can still tell.

He recalls the moment from right before he woke up. He was engulfed by fire, every inch of his skin scorching from the flames, gradually burning him away. Flashes of memories and familiar faces played out like a montage in a movie. Gojo’s cocky smirk, Yuji’s eager expression, Haibara’s bright smile. What you wore on your first date, how soft your hand felt in his the first time he held you, the song the two of you danced to the first time he said, “I love you.” Breakfast every morning at the dining table, mid-afternoon naps on the couch, making love until the two of you fall asleep in each other’s arms.

No matter how many times he relives it in his sleep or how vividly he remembers the pain from that night in Shibuya, nothing will ever hurt worse than that split second into the afterlife, when he was sure he’d never see you again. How lucky he is to be able to say that never came true.

He walked through fire, fought through hell, dug out of his own grave, all that to return to you. And he’d do it again and again and again. How fortunate he is that he doesn’t have to anymore. It’s one of the biggest perks of being a retired Jujutsu Sorcerer.

He shifts in the bed to face you, breathing steady now. “Absolute nightmare,” he says, giving you a half smile.

You swallow hard, brushing away strands of blonde hair to wipe off the perspiration beading on his forehead. “Well, you’re awake now.”

His smile grows into a full one as he scoots closer, nuzzling his nose to yours. “Thank god for that.”

You wrap your arms around him, squeezing him tight. “You’re still shaking. Pretty bad, huh?”

He closes his eyes, cherishing this feeling of being surrounded in your warmth. “Yeah.”

“The same?”

“Yeah,” he repeats, not elaborating. You already know what he dreams about. The nights you stayed up with him as he twisted himself into the blankets, tossing and turning from the fight that still weighs heavily on his mind. He doesn’t know what he’d do if you weren’t there beside him, to comfort and console him back to sleep. He wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.

You take his face into your hands, cupping his cheeks tenderly. The skin on his left side is taut from his injuries, which have healed nicely since that incident. You trace his scars, marveling at how beautiful he is. Evidence that he’s alive. What’s more beautiful than that? Closing the gap, you kiss him softly on the lips. His hands slide around your back, pulling you in deeper.

Sometimes, words aren’t enough to put each other back to sleep. On a night like this, with only the glow of the full moon barely peeking through the shutters and the even rhythm of your heartbeats filling the quiet space between you, it’s only right to melt into one another.

His thumbs hook to the waistband of your pajamas, pulling them past your bottom, now exposed for him. He squeezes your flesh in his firm grip, using little strength to roll you on top of him. He loves it like this. Something about having your body on top of his makes him feel safe. Secure. You trail along his neck, kissing his scars, whispering, “I love you,” into his skin. He relaxes into the pillows, letting you worship his tattered body, the same way you would as before. You never treated him like a broken man after the horrors of Shibuya. Instead, you’re a constant reminder that’s he’s in one piece.

Slowly, with no rush to fall back asleep, you undress each other. He twitches slightly as you palm his erection, craving more than your fist. You don’t make him wait long, reaching for the nightstand to retrieve the bottle lube to properly coat him. Straddling his lap, you guide him inside you until you are stretched perfectly around his cock. You stay still for a moment, relishing the sensation of being completely full of him. “I love you,” he says, cradling you as you begin to rock back and forth. You kiss lazily, taking the time to savor each other.

After you’re finished and cleaned up, you’re both back on the verge of sleep. You nestle into his broad chest, listening to his heartbeat to ease you into a peaceful slumber. Before you’re gone, you whisper, “We’re so lucky, aren’t we, Kento?”

He smiles, placing a delicate kiss to your forehead, snuggling you tighter. “You have no idea.”

#nanami kento #nanami x reader #nanami smut #nanami x you #nanami fluff #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento smut #nanami kento x you #nanami kento fluff #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami smut #kento nanami x you #kento nanami #kento nanami fluff #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen smut

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inkyycapp · 7 months ago

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Yokai!matsu kidnapping reader..? It ticks a few things at once. Oh! Oh! They're kidnapped cos they were found injured, but even after they've healed the yokai brothers (seperately) refuse to let them go.

Cough, cough. I love this, cough.

You're getting hcs too.

Ahem

Slight notice! I did some minor research for this, but even then I'm still unsure !! If anything is wrong please do tell me !!

(Uh so, really bad weather rn. Wifi going in and out and tornadoes lurking around, so, like that's rad ig !! Forgive me.)

Tw/Cw: Injuries, slight mention of blood, kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome if you squint, manipulation(?), desperation, spelling/grammar(?), probably a little or a lot ooc I'm terrible at telling !! Forgive me !!

Youkai!Matsu x Injured!Reader

( Yokai!Matsu but used Youkai for letter colors..:D )

Small reader context !!

For whatever reason you're in the mountains doing whatever your mortal self does up there. A sharp pain shoots through your leg causing you to slip. Your foot set off a bear/fox trap. A group of bandits or just overall bad people--who one would assume set the trap--find poor injured you.

You don't have much on hand. Maybe you have a weapon, maybe you don't. But, regardless of how hard you fight, there are just more of them the there are of you.

Osomatsu

Oni

-He doesn't hate humans, but he doesn't actively like them either. He's more neutral about it.

-Like, he wouldn't go out of his way to help/save them, that's way too much work for him. But, he also wouldn't go out of his way to kill someone unless they really pissed him off.

-Doesn't really understand humans, but somewhat understand and takes a small liking to bits of their culture and activities.

-Actually fairly in with the times, but doesn't really try enough to be in with the times, y'know?

-Obviously takes part in gambling with the humans regardless of the time period.

-He finds that you're injured and probably not going to make it out of the situation alive.

-While at first he's slightly indifferent about your situation, he recognizes you from the village below. He probably asked for money and you gave it to him, or maybe you work at one of the place he frequents, but for whatever reason, he may be persuaded to help.

-You're already unconscious and he can't help but feel pity for you. Pretty nasty leg injury. Maybe he should help.

-And, so, he does!

-After attending to your Injuries best he could, he decided to wait for you to come around. He'll admit, the patch up was sloppy, but it did the job, that's what matters.

-Eventually, you'd come around and find yourself face to face with the devil himself. Whether fearful or not, this would take some...adjusting.

-Compared to the known sterotype, he seems more lax and less...demonic.

-He finds you interesting. Somehow, that curiosity hadn't faded one moment since he's found you. Expect some questions personal, even perverted, or not.

-Dislikes when you get up or move around without his help. Though, more chill and just lightly scold you for straining yourself.

-Then, soon, one day you're all better. But, he doesn't want you to leave. How strange. He didn't think he'd be this...attached to someone like yourself. Not like that, bit it's weird to him.

-He had seen humans come and go--grow old and die. He's never been this comfortable with humans before he'd met you. He doesn't want you to leave. Will you ever see each other again after you part ways? Probably not, but he doesn't want to take that chance.

-So, you can't leave just yet.

Karamatsu

Shikigami

-Karamatsu loves humans/humanity the MOST out of this list. He often tries to be 'in' with the culture no matter the time period. He goes through many "phases" trying to be what the humans deem is cool in certain points of time.

-He loves to collect and tell stories that humans tell, though can sometimes stretch it a little for a more theatrical performance.

-He often tries to interact with people and walk amongst them. But, it usually never goes well.

-His brothers often tease, but he's restless in his search for a human Karamatsu boy or girl.

-When he found you in the snow plains, a red staining the snow around you, he didn't hesitate to check out the scene.

-A group of people trying to take advantage of a defenseless Karamatsu boy or girl !! Of course he felt the need to intervene and help the poor soul.

-He manages to scare off the bandits, but by the time he gets to you, you're already out. It pains him to see such a beauty in so much pain.

-Karamatsu, without so much as a second thought, takes you somewhere much safer. A nice small cabin deep in the woods. That's where he nurses injured you back to health.

-At first, you're probably shocked, but maybe around the first week mark, you'll probably get used to it. If not, don't worry! You'll have a long time to adjust!

-He's very curious about you and the humans you surround yourself with. His knowledge of the culture is a little outdated, not by much. Still, it's nothing compared to understanding the real thing.

-He doesn't like when you try to get up. You need to recover. You'll probably hurt yourself! Don't worry, he'll do it for you!

-Honestly, just wants you to be safe. By far, you're the first human that he's ever gotten this close with--both metaphorically and literally.

-He just wants to keep you safe. There are monsters lurking both human and spirit. Surely you know.

-Karamatsu had already taken a liking to you since he met you, but over the time of your recovery, he's grown too attached to let you leave.

-You'll stay, won't you?

Choromatsu

Tengu

-Also kind of neutral, more lenient towards pretty humans. It's so painfully obvious, his brothers tease him about it, though he's incredibly indenile.

-While claiming he doesn't have an obvious leniency towards pretty humans, it is obvious to literally anyone. Including the mortals down in the villages.

-Choromatsu won't go out of his way to harm anyone he considers "pretty or cute", though his idea of pretty and cute is complicated! Not always about looks, but mannerisms, actions, etc.

-He spots you before. And, he folds at first glance. It's not difficult to be encouraged to help you. You're practically a sparkly treasure to be collected and safe guarded.

-But, then he watches as you're injured self begins to get surrounded by the group that seemed to have caught you.

-Choromats had quickly intervened, chasing off the group (probably off a cliff), before returning back to you.

-Laying in the snow, you were out cold and didn't seem to respond at all, your pulse being the only thing noting you're still alive.

-Won't deny, he was absolutely panicking at first, figuring out how to clean your injures properly.

-Eventually, he does somewhat figure it out, and once you're stable he takes that time to breathe. And, well, admire your sleeping form. Not in a creepy way, but just studying you.I

-When you do come around, he's trying and failing with his words for a moment.

-Takes care of you, and while he does often nag you, he's more so worried about how your recovery is coming along.

-Tends to kinda hover, keeping a close eye on you, telling you to lay down and get rest and that he can do whatever it was you wanted to get up to do.

-Will refuse to let you get up and do anything for yourself. Why have you do it when you have him? A literal waste, really!

-Even if he sees your coming around and the healing process is moving quicker than he wants, he still refuses to let you do anything.

-Now comes the time when you're ready to leave the nest. Pun.

-He obviously begs you to stay, much without words. Choromatsu doesn't want you to go now that he's oh so attached! You can't go. You won't leave, will you?

-Please don't leave .

Ichimatsu

Kitsune

-Ichimatsu, opposed to Karamatsu, probobly hates humans/humanity the most on this list.

-Often times, he was the cause of some humans lost or missing on the mountain. Though, he wouldn't go out of his way for anything unless angered or maybe he just felt malicious that day.

-Humans find him captivating despite his dislike for them. Even so, he won't admit it, but they do fascinate him on some occasions.

-He spots the bandits first, then you after he gets rid of those loud bandits that woke him from his nap. He considers getting rid of you, too.

-But, you're asleep. And, it seemed your leg is caught pretty badly. It doesn't seem like you'll be able to move far with your leg like that. You'll probably be dead in a matter of hours. He doesn't have to do a thing.

-No, he doesn't feel bad for you. Not one bit. You're just an unlucky human caught by the foot like some poor rabbit.

-Ichimatsu does somehow end up carrying you off elsewhere--somewhere more comfortable. Don't be mistaken, he may be helping you, but no further than this.

-Once you're safe in the small cabin, he does the bare minimum with your injuries and once your stable, he leaves.

-You'll wake up alone, and it'll probably be like that for maybe a few hours before you're visited by a stranger.

-Ichimatsu takes care you you between visits, though he doesn't speak to you often. You're probably scared being so close to a monster like himself.

-But, you grow comfortable in his presence and attempt to talk to him. Something he finds real odd, but almost sweet. He still doesn't talk to you though, but he almost wants to.

-His visits grow more frequent, and he even began bringing you gifts. Like dead animals. But, it's the thought that counts!

-He ends up more attached than he would've liked to admit. And, unlike some people on the list, he's more blunt that you remain here with him.

-You'll be stuck with a monster trash like him, but at least here he can keep you warm and fed.

-You're staying put. There's no reason for you to leave anyways.

Jyushimatsu

Inugami

-Honestly, it doesn't matter to Jyushimatsu. He's fairly friendly to any and all who walk in his path. Many run, but it doesn't bother him much.

-Though, if he had to love one thing about them, he absolutely loves their sports and activities. Often goes with Karamatsu to go take part in "human activities".

-But as one can assume, they get comically outed.

-Is fairly kind opposed to some on this list. He won't go out of his way to harm humans regardless how he feels, though when it comes to helping it's a 50/50. Normally at least tries. But, if he doesn't like you, he'll probably just watch with a lead stare.

-When he found you in the snow, you were surrounded, and he had accidentally hit one of the people with a baseball. Completely by accident. But, kinda thinks maybe the accident wasn't that much of an accident.

-Ends up completely making a fool of the group when leading them away. But, he quickly returns to where you had been laying.

-Similar to Choromatsu, he panics at first and is so unsure about how to go about this situation. Obviously he doesn't want to make it worse, but he really doesn't want you to die.

-He carries you off to the small cabin to tend to your wounds. It's sloppy patch-job, but it's alright.

-Watches you while you sleep. Pokes you now and again. When you don't move for too long Jyushimatsu does tend to panic a little but settles when you finally take in that breath of air.

-When you do wake up, he's happy you're up and not dead. Sure, he may not feel too bad if you died, but only because he didn't have a close enough connection to care, but that wouldn't mean he wouldn't care.

-Jyushimatsu tries to stay the entire time your recovering. While he does hover a little, he's more considerate of your space.

-Does whatever he can to make you laugh. Whether it's acting out a skit, telling jokes or just being goofy.

-Doesn't care if it makes him look dumb. As long as he at least gets a smile out of you it doesn't matter.

-Gets way too attached way to quick. And, when you're all better, he gets a little (lying) clingy.

-Whines and may even howl like a kicked puppy. Might even do tricks if it gets you to stay.

-Don't leave yet!!

Todomatsu

Baku-Danuki

-Todomatsu doesn't hate them, but he doesn't care for them either, similar to Osomatsu. However, he's more in with their culture, more so than Karamatsu. Only because he thinks it's cute.

-Prefers some time period clothing to others and can tend to stand out, but language is definitely up to date.

-He views humans/humanity as beneath him, or simply to play into his enjoyment. He has no issues getting rid of anyone that doesn't gives him what he wants out of an interaction. Absolutely stone cold.

-He spots a few humans gathering around, and grows curious as to what grabbed their attention.

-Their wares seem to interest him. Then, there's you. After disposing of the others, he's left with unconscious you. What to do with you.

-Well, you could be useful. You'll pretty much be indebted to him for saving you. Or, at least you should be.

-So, he drags you away from the scene, tenderly caring to your wounds, putting on a sweet and kind persona.

-When you awaken, he greets you gently, coming forward as the one who saved your life after he found you on the brink of death in the snow.

-Skeptical or not, you come around and thank him however you would. Already gaining praise from you. Admittedly, the praise feels...nicer than it should. He brushes it off, what else can he get from you.

-He slyly asks you questions, gaining more information of your personal life over a week, maybe two.

-You get up to do something, and being the ever so kind savior, he takes you back to bed, doing the task for you instead. Not that he wants to. He's playing the long game with your little life.

-But, you thank him, telling him just how kind he is. Todomatsu can't help but grow addicted to that feeling. Being appreciated and validated.

-Slowly, but surely, he begins to grow a bit (a lot) attached. He didn't think it was possible. But, soon he doesn't see you as just a human, but as you.

-Once you get better, he does contemplate poisoning you to get you to stay. Not much to kill you, but enough so he could still take care of you.

-Todomatsu doesn't do it. But, he has heavily considered it.

-He will try his damndest to get you to remain in this little cabin with him.

-You can't go yet! You need him!

So funny that Osomatsu and Karamatsu are my favorites in general, but Todomatsu is my favorite to write for, and Jyushimatsu is my favorite to draw. What.

I still dislike Choromatsu. There is no reason for it.

Anyway if you're here, try Arizona RX Energy Herbal Tonic Tea. It's so damn good. That's all lmao !!

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ofstoriesandstardust · 5 months ago

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i miss you, i'm sorry (dani - twisters)

a/n: sooooo i know like four people will read this but twisters was for the bisexuals i said what i said. this is 3/4 of the way written but i was chomping at the bit to get this posted so it's just gonna be split up into two parts. comments and reblog are always appreciated! :) (part two here!)

summary: Seven years. It's been seven years since you broke up with Dani. Seven years since she left to go work for Tyler Owens all because you could never bring yourself to put a name on what she was to you. It's been seven years time since you've seen her. But she's here, in Oklahoma, working for the Tornado Wranglers with that little look in her eye at the sight of you in the StormPar uniform. Seven years and you know you still love her, even though you know you can't have her. It's been seven years. So how come she still looks at you like that?

warnings: car accident, tornados, minor injury, weather inaccuracies, swearing, scott i hate you, gay found family i love you

word count: 2.3k

“Yooooo! Looks like StormPar’s got a new crew!” Someone calls from across the parking lot, and the man from next to you, Robert, rolls his eyes.

“Boone.” He mutters under his breath and you raise an eyebrow.

“Is that some Southern insult I don’t know?”

He shakes his head. “Boone. He’s one of the Tornado Wranglers.”

“Which you all are to stay clear of. Fraternization of any kind is forbidden and a clear breach of your contract. Any contact will have your position terminated.” Scott says, coming from the gas station. You swallow as Scott gives you a once over, before turning to the rest of the team. “Go on, take your last bathroom breaks before we head out there.”

You nod, crossing your arms as a tall man with a cowboy hat rounds the truck, sizing you all up. You follow the crew into the gas station, only planning to fill up your waterbottle and round the corner, running straight into someone.

“Jesus, StormPar!”

“Sorry!” You exclaim, stepping back as the girl bends down to pick up the snacks she dropped. Another girl rounds the corner and it feels like your heart stops beating for a moment as time slows down.

“Lilly, you alright?”

The girl, Lilly, dusts herself off as she stands up. “Yeah, ‘m fine Dani. Are you sure Boone asked for all of this?”

“You’ve changed.” Dani says, eyes roaming over your figure.

“You haven’t.” You respond, swallowing around the lump in your throat.

It’s true. It’s been almost seven years since you’ve seen Dani at this point and yet it feels like yesterday with the way she hasn’t changed. A mischievous twinkle in her eye, the short hair, cowboy hat. Even her sense of style hasn’t changed as she gives you a once-over.

“The two of you know each other?” Lilly asks, a finger wandering between the two of you.

Dani shrugs. “We used to.”

“Lil, Dan, T says we’re rolling out.” Boone says, opening the front door of the gas station to shout out to his friends (co-workers?). You witness several of your colleagues heads swing towards you and you step aside, letting the two girls pass you.

“The hell was that?” Scott says, stepping in line next to you. His jaw is set as he tracks the crew out to the parking lot.

“Nothing.” You say as Scott raises his eyebrow, the tick in his jaw growing stronger. “I knew one of them in college.” You say and Scott’s eyebrows join together.

“You heard what I said out there, yeah? This isn’t the time for you to be chumming it up with an old friend.”

You force a tight smile. “Yeah, I heard you Scott. Don’t worry about it, we left it on pretty bad terms as it was. There’ll be no revisiting old friendships, I swear.”

“Uh huh.” He says, clearly unconvinced. “I’ll be keeping an eye on it.”

“So how do you know dear old Dani?”

You curse under your breath as Boone shouts out at you as you walk towards your motel room.

“Boone, the fuck I’d say about leaving it?” The blond from earlier shouts back as he adjusts stuff on the truck.

“T, I’m just asking what we’re all wondering!”

Your eyes track the numbers on the door as you walk, realizing your door is right where they’ve set up camp. Because of course it is.

“You know it’s rude to ignore people StormPar.” The man says more quietly when it becomes clear you’re ignoring them. You gently excuse yourself as you walk in between an older member of their team and a blond girl, both standing by the grill they’ve got set up.

Someone says your name and you turn, finding Javi. Relief spreads through you, shoulders dropping at the sight of him before dying as quickly as it came.

Right, right, Javi is like public enemy number one to Scott and Riggs, after he pulled out, taking his radars and most of his team with him.

Javi’s fiery exit was the only reason you’d found yourself in Oklahoma instead of the corporate office in Texas, because Riggs had wanted someone on site, on the ground, to do damage control to StormPar’s image in case Javi had started to run his mouth.

Javi had been at your interview, he’d been influential in bringing you on. He’d been your friend and you feel sick as you take a step back, eyes leaving his. Javi doesn’t notice, taking another step towards you with his arms out like he’s going to hug you. You take a few more back as he asks you how you’ve been, sentence trailing off as he realizes you’re trying to get away from him.

“I told you, all StormPar dummies are born assholes.” Lilly mutters, tapping on the tablet she’s holding as she leans on Boone, but not quietly enough for you to miss it as you try to approach your door. You wince, shoving the key into the lock, pushing on the door as it sticks. You keep fumbling with it, inevitably dropping the key as tears blur your vision.

Javi says your name and you blink back the tears stinging at your eyes, turning. “Javi, really- I’m not trying to ignore you or anything but- I could lose my job if I get caught talking to you and I need- you know I need this money.”

“You look like hell.” He comments, sticking his hands in his pockets as his eyes roam over you. “Scott put you guys through the wringer today, at least take a burger. I know he ain’t paying for shit.”

“I can’t.” You say as your eyes dart around, searching for any sign of the StormPar crew.

“Kate, would you-“ The blond girl, Kate, nods, wrapping up one of the burgers the older man had just slid off the grill.

“Javi, I really can’t take that.” You say as he offers it out to you.

“Just take the burger.” Another familiar voice says and your eyes find the ceiling, tracking the flickering light illuminating this side of the hallway as you will yourself to vanish. “If you’re anything like you were then, you probably don’t eat enough as it is.”

“I don’t need your charity, Dani.” You breathe.

“It ain’t charity.” She says, falling next to the older man. “It’s just called being nice.”

Your eyes flicker down to the burger Javi’s still offering you before darting around the parking lot. Most of your crew was staying on the other side of the motel and Scott had driven off half an hour ago to get dinner at some diner a town over.

You hold your hand out for the food, which Javi places gently as his concerned eyes follow you, like you might spook. You turn, setting the key back in the lock, finally clicking this time, and you stumble into the musty room.

You drop your stuff next to the bed, heading straight toward the bathroom. The flickering light turns on overhead with a low buzz as you take yourself in.

Javi was right, you did look like hell.

Your hair was sticking up at all angles and it was a miracle it even appeared in some semblance of a bun. There was mud tracked down your face and shirt, all caked on to your pants too from when you’d slipped, helping Liam with the radar. There was grass in your hair, stained on the whites of your shirt and you’re pretty sure there’s hay in the back of your pants.

As you stand under the lukewarm water, picking clumps of mud out of your hair, you let your mind wander to the girl sitting outside. Occasionally, a loud burst of laughter would erupt and you could hear it through the thin walls.

Seven years gone and seeing her here still made your heart ache. Seven years of failed flings, of ruined first dates, and you always thought of that girl. The girl who’d stood in your shitty studio apartment and cooked for you as you’d recount your lectures from the day, who talked you through essays and term papers despite having no college education herself. The girl who had been so sure of herself it had cost you your relationship.

She seemed happier now, as much as that feels like a dagger to your heart. She seemed more full of life, more truly settled into who she was. Those weren’t just her friends out there, they were her family, and it’s a bittersweet feeling to know she had finally found what she was looking for without you there with her.

You groan, scrubbing a hand down your face. The blond guy, T — why did he seem so familiar to you…

The sound of the door slamming behind Dani echos in your dream as you shoot up with a gasp.

Tyler Owens

You blindly reach for your phone on the nightstand, pulling yourself up as you do.

A frantic Google search tells you everything you need to know.

The early morning light peaks into the window of the diner where all the StormPar crew had been instructed to meet. You’re too engrossed into the YouTube page with a million subscribers to notice someone sliding their plate down in front of you.

You glance up at the sound, heart fluttering as you register Dani’s presence. “Didn’t know you were a fan.” She comments and you’re quick to click off your phone, setting it aside.

“You know, when you said you were leaving ‘cause you had found a job helping a storm chaser named Tyler Owens based out of Arkansas, I didn’t quite imagine it would be all that.” You say with a small shake of your head before taking a bite of hash browns.

There’s a beat as Dani studies you. You let her, all too happy to soak in her attention after the drought of not having her at all.

“You really do look different.” She comments.

You shrug. “A couple of piercings and a haircut will do a lot of things for a girl.”

“You look more yourself.” She says softly.

You swallow, feeling your cheeks heat as you duck your head to avoid having to answer.

It passes though, because she keeps talking.

“I never really expected you to end up with a crew like StormPar.” She says, leaning forward on the table.

You shrug again. “They pay decent and I need the money.” She purses her lips, clearly dissatisfied by your answer. You glance up at her, discomfort growing at the look on her face. “What do you want me to say Dani? I was broke as fuck, my family doesn’t talk to me. I had rent to pay and I needed groceries. I needed a job.”

She raises her eyebrows. “You don’t- you don’t talk to your family anymore?”

You huff, sliding your plate away from you as you wipe your mouth. “Seriously? That’s the part you care about?”

The doorbell jingles and you both turn, seeing the rest of the Wranglers walk in. You’ve learned all their names by now from the two hours you’ve spent watching their channel, learned the way they lean into one another, the way they bounce off each other’s energy. Behind them, you can see Scott’s car pull into the gravel parking lot.

You sigh, pulling some cash out and setting it on the table. “Look Dani, I gotta go.” You stand up, feeling the eyes of her friends burn into you as you do. You pause, sighing. “I’m really happy you found what you’re looking for.” You say softly, rapping your knuckles against the table before turning, pushing past Tyler and Boone.

Javi calls out your name but it gets drowned out in the jingle of the bell as you stride towards Scott.

And so the next two months go.

You and Dani pass each other everyday, like ships in the night.

Never any acknowledgment to who you were to each other or who you had once been.

Scott gets more controlling, as the months go on. He’s fired three people for talking to the Wranglers crew at gas stations or diners and another two for talking to them after hours in motel parking lots. He keeps a closer and closer eye on you despite you putting more distance between you and Dani. He’s practically breathing down your neck.

With every storm that wrecks another town, Scott gets more tense and every failed scan riles him up. The scary vein in his neck pops out more often and every chase gets more terrifying, Scott pushing the limits every time.

You know he’s pushing boundaries he shouldn’t, catching the way Javi had shouted at him after your last chase in the motel parking lot. Javi had made a huge scene, Kate and Boone having to pull Javi back as he shouted that Scott was going to get his whole team killed.

Will it be worth it to Riggs then? When his entire team is a just another casualty number? Will it be worth it to him when his entire team becomes just another headline?

A shiver goes down your spine at the memory and Will, one of the new kids on the crew, looks at you. “You alright?”

You give him a brief smile. “Yeah, fine. You’re gonna take a right up here.”

Will, fresh from his first year of grad school and only here to complete a summer internship, adjusts his hands on the wheel nervously. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Scott seems unstable.”

“I can hear you.” Scott’s voice crackles through the radio.

“Well, you are.” James comments from the other vehicle.

“Get to work, the lot of you.” Scott yells through the radio and Will flinches. You’ll be okay, you mouth to the kid and he nods uncertainly before pressing down on the gas.

The rain starts a few moments later, appearing in a sudden torrential downpour, the wind whipping around you.

“Oh fuck.” You whisper, craning your neck. “I think we’re in the path of the tornado.”

And then everything goes black.

i love you, i'm sorry

#twisters #twisters fic #dani x reader #dani x female reader #twisters dani x reader #twisters dani x female reader

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misguidedasgardian · 6 months ago

Text

Wild Cats (part III)

III. A leader worth following

MASTERLSIT

Summary: The bigger, the better, the most dangerous

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Zombie apocalypse AU, living dead, zombies, guts, blood, guns, injuries, cannibalism, creepiness, murder, might miss some warnings.

+18, MINORS DNI

Notes: I want to say that the reader will make a lot of movie references and phrases and the sort, its because since she is not from the US, she learned “the language” by watching movies and series, jeje. Also, she is a carnivore.

“So you all agree? we’re going to this Terminus thing?”, asked Daryl. You were not convinced, but you didn’t want to voice your concerns either

“We think its worth to check it out”, said Rick

Since the events of that night, there was something different about Rick, and you could understand it, they had touched his cub. But he had this feral look to him. You barely knew him, and you could tell he was going through something.

He seemed like he was pulling out of the group, so did Michonne, the one that was looking at you like a hawk was the new guy -at least for you-, Daryl.

He was… hard to read

He and Rick both, from what you could gather, went down the longest, friends, more even, a certain bond beyond friendship existed between the both, and judging by the kind of world you now lived in, you guessed a bond made of blood, guts and shots. And those were proving to be quite strong. Survival

Because of how he spoke, you guessed he was what they called a redneck, sometimes it was hard for you to follow his words, because of his accent, but he seemed… good… but not to you though

He looked like he hated you, you felt watched all the time, and sometimes when you’d ask something he would answer harshly. You understood it, you did, this was a fucked up world, and, well… it did seem like they had been through hell.

You were surprised to find out you were still… sensitive like that, that you cared that much that he looked at you like you were the most idiotic thing left on the planet.

But you did save him from a brutal ass-kicking, so you felt like the lack of trust was a bit much, and a bit harsh.

The train tracks you were following were across a forest, it was autumn, and all the leaves were left on the floor. It was a pretty sight, if you had your phone, you’d snap a picture of it.

The tracks were sure to disappear in a few years in the midst of nature, but still, you followed them. You walked for half a day, with remote conversations, until. You walked until you saw an old wooden post, and sign on the floor, it could be barely read

“Terminus, sanctuary for all”, said Rick, almost mockingly.

“We are getting er’ before sundown”, muttered Daryl, “we’re close”

“Now we head through the woods, we don’t know who they are”, muttered Rick, you all nodded, an decided to abandon the small tracks to sneak in through the forest

Rick did not believe in this sanctuary, if they ask you, you really wanted to do so, you wanted to believe you could finally be safe, although the idea of meeting even more people unnerved you. Gods how antisocial you were.

“Hey new girl”, Daryl called you, and you realized you had been standing there as they headed towards the woods

“Sorry”, you muttered, following them close

“Are you alright?”, asked Rick, you barely nodded, “If you don’t want to go, I can’t make you”, he said slowly

“I do”, you assured him, “it’s just… weird”, you had a weird feeling, like a lump on your throat or something like that. You didn’t know if it was nervousness because something good was going to happen, or something bad.

“We just want to see if our people is there”, said Rick, “if they are, we will see what to do”, you nodded

You should be excited, for sanctuary, but you’ve come to realize, if something was too good to be true, it probably was. You kept walking through the woods, in parallel to the train tracks, or you thought you were, luckily these guys had a much better sense of directions than you.

“Do you think your people are there?”, you asked shyly

“If we are being hopeful”, muttered Daryl, he was looking at you, you looked at him back, he hummed and kept walking, you did the same.

He got you all nervous and you didn’t even know why.

As the archer had said, the sun was still on the horizon when you reached the fence, and a huge building came into view.

“Let’s spread out, watch for a while, see what we see, and get ready, stay close”, command Rick, and you all obeyed him. You all spread out, Daryl and you went together as Michonne went with Carl the other way.

You kept eyeing the building so much you tripped.

“Can you be more careful?”, he snapped

“Sorry, I thought I saw something”, you whispered, he eyed you angrily and you tried your best to ignore it. The building was far, pretty far, you couldn’t see anything and that unnerved you, if it was said sanctuary wouldn’t you be able to see some movement?

“Don’t lie”, he grumbled

“Yes you are right”, you discussed, “is the lack of something that’s unnerving me”, you said, eyeing the building

“What ya’ mean?”, he asked

“I can’t see anything, either it’s deserted or it's a trap”, you mumbled, he only hummed, you felt his gaze on you again, and again, he made you so, so nervous.

You walked far enough that you could see around, and still, you couldn’t see anything.

“Let’s go back”, he grumbled, at least, you thought, he was talking to you and wanted to keep you around, you’d think he would just walk away from you, but he didn’t, that had to be something, right?

“Sure”, he wouldn’t walk behind him, he’d walk by your side of behind you, you thought that maybe he didn’t want to turn his back to you

You met again with Michonne, Carl and Rick in the same point, you arrived just as Rick was burying a duffel bag with weapons

“Just in case”, he muttered, as he used his hands as a rake to place dirt on top of it. You looked at “Terminus”. The word alone made you nervous. Even though it was probably used -in this case- to depict the end of the train tracks, you couldn’t help but notice its symbolism

They only had to look at each other to know what they were supposed to be doing, and you just followed shortly after.

You climbed up the fence, and jumped into the terrain of the train terminal.

You sneaked into the nearest building, one of the biggest ones, you followed Daryl closely, who had taken the lead, je looked like he knew what he was doing, so you were comfortable in doing so. You went in through the backdoor, ended up in a big aisle, there was a door to your left down the hall. From where you stood you could tell this was a big warehouse, where what looked to be the center of operation was being run. The voice of a woman was louder than any others, she was speaking as she was sending a message through the radio, and she probably was. You crossed the door to the big space where you could see on the inside.

“...Those who arrive survive… Terminus… sanctuary for all communities…”, the woman interrupted herself when they saw you coming in. The rest of them turned around to meet you, they were like six of them, all on the young side.

One of them immediately gives a few steps forwards, claiming the leadership of the group of course.

“I bet Andre is in the perimeter watch”, he said mockingly, “are you here to rob us?”

“No, we wanted to see you before you saw us”, said Rick. You were still on guard, you’d thought this was going to be… different… for some reason, there was something that unnerved you about this place.

“Makes sense”, said this guy, there were like six people in there, all young looking, “well, we usually do this where the tracks meet, but… Welcome to Terminus”, he said, he looked incredibly bored, “I’m Gareth, and you lot look like you had been in the road for a while”

“We have”, said Rick, “I’m Rick, this is Carl, Daryl, Michonne, and (y/n)”, the silence was tense, they were weary of you, and you were weary of them, but this guy was… just… already annoying

“You are nervous we get it! we were all the same way”, he said, “we came here for sanctuary”, he said, “is that what you are here for?”

“Yes”, said Rick

“Well, you found it”, another young guy came forwards, “this is Alex”, he said, presenting a friend of his, “I promise you the welcome wagon it's just so much nicer on the front, he will take you there, but first, I need to see those weapons, so put them in the floor in front of you”

You looked at Rick, you all did, he barely nodded, and agreed. You dropped your ax and your gun in front of you.

Gareth approached you, you took a step back but he just checked you

“I would like to see the other guy”, the jackass Alexx said when he looked at Daryl’s beat up face. Like he hasn't been beaten to an inch of his life

“You wouldn’t”, he just said shortly.

“Did they deserve it?”, asked Gareth, as Carl was sporting some injuries on his neck too.

“Yes”, said Carl shortly. They finished with the firsking and you were relieved it was over, they stood in front of your group again

“Well, don’t do anything stupid, because we are not stupid”, said Gareth, “so as long as you don’t everything will be fine”, you picked your arms back again, it was incredible that you felt like naked without it. You hanged your Ax from your special belt, and your gun in your holster

You followed the guy out of the warehouse.

“How long has this palace been here?”, asked Daryl, as you walked down a hallway into the outside.

“From almost the start”, Alex said, “when all other camps started to get overrun people started finding this place, think it was instinct you know? follow a path”, he kept mumbling things, but you didn’t care, you looked all around you as you reached a common open space in between the buildings.

There was this sweet-looking older woman serving a barbecue, good, you were hungry, but as the smell hit you you knew there was something wrong. It smelled strange, like… sweet? like nothing you had tried before and that made you uneasy, although it looked kind of good.

You kept looking and saw there were some tables and chairs, all looking nice and pretty. It looked like a normal hipsters backyard in the middle of New York or something, like in the movies. There were some people there, instinctively you looked to the rooftops and couldn’t see anyone else.

“I see you went through the backdoor, smart”, said the woman, rotating some pieces of meat, “You’ll fit right in here”, all of these people had a weird attitude, like… tired? unsurprised? Bored? you didn’t know how to explain it

“Mary, can you fix them a plate please?”. You weren’t the only one nervous, Rick had stayed a bit back, and Daryl was watching everything like a hawk.

“Why do you receive people here?”, asked Michonne. Your group was weary of strangers, and they had every right to be, you were too, you even surprised yourself by joining this unusual gang.

“The more people we have, the stronger we become”, the Alex-guy mumbled some other things, but again, your stomach turning rather from hunger or nervousness wouldn’t let you pay much attention.

The lady served you paper plates with the nice looking meat.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but can you tell me what this is?”, you asked her. But she didn’t get to answer. Rick slapped the plate off your hands and Carl’s, and grabbed Alex, placing him in front of him, sneaking an arm around his throat and pointing his gun at his head.

All of you jumped like springs, Daryl was already pointing his crossbow, and you grabbed your gun as well, pointed it at the woman.

“Where the hell did you get this watch?”, he asked, referring to a silver pocket watch this dude had on his hand. You were all pointing now as things got heated, even Carl. The people that were a bit far also were armed, as they grabbed their guns and pointed them back at you

“Dude!”

“Where did you get this watch?”, asked Rick again.

“You want answers? take the gun down!”, he implored, as he raised his hands. Rick was unhinge looking right now.

“I see your men on the roof with a sniper rifle”, you looked up and there he was, “how good is his aim? WHERE DID YOU GET THE WATCH?”

“I took it from a dead guy! didn’t think he’ll need it!”, he mumbled something else

“What about the riot gear? the poncho?”, you followed his eyesight and, this didn’t look good. Oh gods…

“We got the riot gear from a dead cop!”, Gareth shows up again, and you decide to point your gun at him, “the poncho from a cloth line”

“Gareth we can wait!”, said the hostage

“Shut up”, demanded Rick, tightening his hold on Alex, “you talk to me”, demanded from Gareth

“You don’t trust us anymore, so why bother?”, asked Gareth, there was something infuriating about him, he seemed so calm, this dude had seen things

“WHERE ARE OUR PEOPLE?”, asked Rick again, clearly angry, you looked at both Daryl, Michonne and Carl and they were all pointing at a different person with their weapons.

Hell broke loose, a man sneaked up behind Rick, he turned and they just shot the human shield, and your group started shooting as well.

All went to hell. Shots began falling upon you from above, you shot at him, at the sniper, but you didn’t think you hit him as Daryl grabbed you by the arm and encouraged you to run. You all did, you ran back to where you came in, but the guy on the roof just started shooting in the groups to make you stop, so you turned and ran the other way, together.

Soon all the people had vanished but the men on the roof, shooting you from above.

You sneaked in through a building, but at every corner and every turn, everything was getting closed on your wake, doors and garage doors, and heavy metal floodgates.

You finally could see a door you could enter through, to hide yourself from the snipers, and you did. You came inside what looked like a sanctuary, candles lit everywhere, writing on the walls.

“What the hell is this place?”, asked Daryl, finally releasing you, as he stole the words from your tongue, as you were going to ask the same.

“These people… I don’t think they want to kill us”, muttered Michonne

“No, they were aiming at our feet”, said Rick

“What do they want us for?”, you asked. Reading the words on the walls, TRUST NO ONE, NEVER FORGET, NEVER AGAIN and other strange missives. “Rob us?”, you saw them exchange looks but didn’t answer, it was like they were in on a secret.

two of the three doors of the space closed right in your face

“THERE!”, screamed Rick, there was only one door available to exit, and you took it quickly.

Outside you were met with more gunshots. But still, there was a perimeter fence ahead and you ran towards that, and just when you thought you had freed yourself, five men showed up from the bushes, heavily armed and pointing straight at you

You were cornered, and screwed, as you stopped, so did the gunshots.

“DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW!”, commanded Gareth, appearing from the building, there were at least five snipers on the roof, five other men behind you. “NOW!”, he said again. And you did, you didn’t have any choice. You left your gun and Ax on the floor right in front of you. And raised your hands. You all did.

“Ring leader! go to your left! train car, go!”, you looked that way and indeed there was a train car with the letter “A” painted on it. Rick hesitated, “You do what we say, the boy ends up with you, you don’t… the kid dies and you go anyways”, you knew he looked like a little bitch. Rick began to walk.

“Now the archer”, he said calmly, and Daryl did as he was told too, shooting you a look, “now the Samurai”, he said, Michone started moving too, and it wasn’t until she was half way there, that he called for you, “now the viking”, you frowned but did as you were told, you walked until you were behind Michonne, “stay in front of the door, Ringleader, Archer, Samurai, Viking… in that order”

“MY SON!”, demanded Rick

“Go kid”, he mumbled, “now Ringleader, open the door, and enter the wagon”

“I’ll go with him!”, he counterattacked, as Carl had not reach you yet

“Don’t make us kill him now”, you didn’t like how that “now” sounded. So you were done for? Now or later these sickos were going to try and kill you.

Rick opened the door, and entered the space, so did Daryl, Michonne and then you, followed by Carl, it was dark in there, and empty. The door got closed and locked after Carl. It was only when your eyes adapted that you could see some human figures on the other side.

“Rick?”, a man came walking slowly, and then a woman. It was dark, but in front of the light that sneaked through the closed door you could see his face, or sort of. Every second that passed your eyes adapted more and you could define seven other people inside.

“You are here!”, said Rick. Both groups looked at eachother curiously, cautiously. Rick threw himself at the dude, the one that called his name, and hugged him tightly, he hugged him back. Then Daryl, as Rick hugged the woman.

You found Rick’s team?, this was insane! What are the chances? They were seven strangers to you though, four men, and three women

When the reunion of the people that already knew each other ended, it was pretty clear who the new additions were, including you, who stood there, trying to calm yourself after the adrenalin was wearing off.

“They are our friends”, said the woman, looking behind her, to three strangers, “they helped safe us”

“This is our friend”, presented Daryl, talking about you, you only waved weirdly, “now they’re friends of ours”

“For however long that’ll be”, said a huge ginger man with a thick mustache.

“No”, said Rick, you all looked at him. He walked around, towards the door, and tried to peek out of there. “They’re gonna feel pretty stupid when they found out…”, Rick said, turning again towards you

“Find out what?”, asked the big ginger man

“That they are screwing with the wrong people”, he said darkly you smirked

#misguidedtwd #misguidedcats #the walking dead #the walking dead fanfiction #twd daryl #twd #twd fanfiction #rick grimes #carl grimes #michonne

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pjmparadise · 2 years ago

Text

3:23 am (don’t go, stay) Pt 1 || JJK

Pairing: jungkook x f! original character

Word count: 12.1k

Genre(s): fluff, romance, strangers to lovers, slight angst if you squint; neighbor au, pre-debut Jungkook au, pre-debut au, comic book artist Jungkook au, apartment au, neighbor au

Warnings: cursing, mentions of jungkook’s penis (yeah yeah... he sleeps naked ofc), brief injury (jk hurts himself bc he’s a dork); descriptions of anxiety and fear (jungkook is scared for a sec, oops); nudity mentions, jungkook is a little horny (what can I say....), jungkook gets a hard on lol; he’s also down bad pathetic crushing and is super clumsy, and brief mentions of home robberies (lol this feels random, but it isn’t I swear), very heavily dialogue based

Audience: 18+ (minors, DNI!)

Summary: Jungkook has had a couple of awkward run-ins with his pretty upstairs neighbor, who he may or may not be secretly pining over, and one night, she pays him an unexpected visit.

“My patio, though. Did you fall? I heard a thud.”

“Are you flirting with me? I’ve heard that pickup line before, but yours sounds a little different.”

He smiles. “I wouldn’t use pickup lines like those with you.”

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

A/N: WOOO! my first jungkook fic!! We recently got his birth time, and thus this title was born lol! I’ve been working on this baby for a few months now, and it’s finally finished!! After a long time of contemplating, i decided to make our female character an original character, and i know it’s kind of a rare thing in the community, but i felt it worked best with my story. It’s been a bumpy ride with this one since it’s my first lengthy fic (over 12k words... sheesh!) that will be a part of a short series. I’m very excited and a little nervous, but if you’re here, I’m glad to have you here. Thank you for giving my work a shot <3 (ps. italics indicate jungkook’s inner thoughts as well as flashbacks)

a big thank you to my lovely beta’s: @cherrysoulth @the-boy-meets-evil and @jeonjcngkook you’ve all helped me shape my fic and have been so helpful, and I am so so grateful. truly. seriously. thank you for brainstorming with me, for reading my work, and for being so sweet and so supportive.

a special thank you to @itaeewon for the lovely banner! I love it so so much <3

Jungkook is awake to hear the sound of a muffled thud nearby.

His bedroom is dark and silent save for the alarm clock resting on a bedside table flashing bright red numbers at him. ‘It’s late, it’s late, you should be asleep,’ the time says. Jungkook shuts his eyes, groaning and rubbing a hand over his face. “I know, fuck, I know,” he mutters. He’s fully naked, lying on his back, eyes wide open and boring into the ceiling, blanket kicked off to the side, and arms folded behind his neck–still remembering a phone conversation with Namjoon earlier in the day.

“So she walked toward the elevator as it closed, and you didn’t open it for her?” Namjoon scoffs over the phone, shaking his head and clicking his tongue to show he’s disappointed. He knows Jungkook froze, Jungkook already told him he wanted to reach out and push the button for her, but Namjoon asked again anyway—he likes to give him a hard time. “Every time you see this girl, things just kind of go wrong. I’ve noticed.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook says with a sigh. “I’ve noticed too. Is it a sign? Should I give up?” In his apartment, he sat curled up on his couch, his chin on his kneecaps. He’s fallen silent in thought.

“No, nothing like that. Maybe she didn’t get to see it was you, so she thinks it was someone else, or maybe she doesn't even think about it anymore. You know, like things that happen in your day you forget about later unless something reminds you of it?”

“Yes!” Jungkook relaxed, falling back against the couch with a hand over his forehead. “That probably is what’s going on. She went on with her day; other things have to happen, right?”

Namjoon was quiet. In his apartment, he was opening mail and reading over a proposal he was meant to sign soon. A project he hasn’t mentioned to anyone else, Namjoon folds the letter and sets it aside. “Sorry, yes. Yes, don’t worry too much. It will ruin your day. I mean that. Sorry for the pause. I just opened some mail.”

“Ah, okay. Well, you’re right.” Jungkook rose from his seat then. “Namjoon-hyung?”

Namjoon nodded even though he couldn’t be seen. “Yeah?”

“Thank you. I don’t know if I say that enough, but you’re always helping and guiding me when I don’t even realize I need it.”

“Thank you, Jungkook. Finish your comic tonight, and submit it tomorrow. I know you’ll place in the contest and do well. You haven’t scrapped it have you?”

Jungkook sighed. Rubbing his eyelids, walking distractedly around his living room, he spoke with his eyes closed. “I have it. I finished it; I just don’t feel too good about posting it, even with the pseudonym; it feels like too much. Too much with what we already have going on as a group even. We’re trying to do something together, and the comic stuff is just… I don’t know. I don’t want it to distract me.”

Namjoon was on his back patio, leaning over the railing and looking out at the park across from him. “Jungkook, I’m going to tell you something and think about it however you want to. I respect your life, but I think—and these are just my opinions. I think you doubt yourself too often and need to take some chances. Luck turns out; it does.” Namjoon folds his arms over the railing, leaning his body against it. “No rush, bro. At all. The music we’re trying to pursue, it’s not going anywhere, you know?”

Jungkook nodded from his living room.

“Like, okay, look.” Namjoon fixed his gaze on a flock of birds rising from the trees. “The guys, we all have our passions. Yoongi with his piano, Jimin is passionate about his dancing, Taehyung with his instruments, Jin and his gaming, and Hoseok he’s been designing his own clothes lately; with me, you know I like poetry and painting, but we all share music. That is for the team, for a part of us, but we each have so many parts. You like art and storytelling; your comics are so cool, bro. You love watching Taehyung practice the trumpet, and Jimin dance after practice. We like to see you pursue your other dreams too. Pursue it, and don't worry about the group, is all I ask.”

Jungkook almost cried. He stopped pacing. His heart was racing; it was all he had heard momentarily. If Namjoon were there in front of him, he’d hug him. Maybe he’d even cry. “Ah, Namjoon-hyung…” he swallowed hard at the saliva in his throat, blushing. ‘Namjoon always knows what to say,’ he thought. “I will think about it. I will set an alarm, just in case. I’ll decide in the morning, you know it’s my style to do that the day of. If I think about it now, it will be like this all day, and I’ll stress too much.”

“Good, then. Just think about it.” Namjoon smiled.

Jungkook lies motionless with his eyes shut, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, mouthing along to Namjoon’s words. “We like to see you pursue your other dreams too. Pursue it, and don't worry about the group, is all I ask.” He sighs. How could he not worry about the guys? He’s twenty-five. Most idols start out much younger, and the mandatory enlistment is already so near for his hyungs. It’s bad timing, is all. My comic book can wait.

He wants to sleep, so he turns over, laying flat on his stomach, facing his wall. Resting his full body weight on his flaccid penis is slightly uncomfortable, but he ignores it. It’s the type of restless night that he has no chance up against, and even with his eyes closed, he feels painfully awake. Jungkook is thinking of her again—her pretty smile, the pink sundress she wore in the elevator, her ability to look him in the eyes and not shy away—and it’s almost like she's here, in the same room with him. He pictures the sundress again, the way it clung to her frame, highlighting every curve. Man, I want her. He shifts his hips around, surprising himself with a massive erection.

The thud strikes again suddenly, and he sits up, alarmed. Shit, is that here? Like outside my apartment? Jungkook squints in the darkness, bringing a hand to the nightstand to fetch his glasses. Any sign of arousal is now extinguished.

“Bam?” He calls out in a sluggish voice. The clock beside him flashes bright red numbers at him. 3:23. “Ah, shit,” Jungkook mumbles, turning the clock away. A sound he can’t distinguish comes from his left, directly outside his bedroom. “It’s like home alone,” he says to no one.

Jungkook rests his head against the wall, the texture cold against his feverish face. He can hear the sound of a muffled conversation. “Shit, that’s right here, right outside,” he mumbles, stepping back. He reaches over mechanically to switch on the lamp beside him.

Now, Jungkook is painfully aware of his nakedness and frenetically searches for bottoms to change into. He’s thinking about how his legs don’t feel like his own as he walks to the chair by the door, where he sees basketball shorts. It’s like sleepwalking. Even though he’s awake, Jungkook feels as though he might’ve actually fallen asleep, and this is some strange anxiety dream he’s creating to cope with his qualms about submitting his comic. Still, he goes along with it, quietly changing into the shorts, walking out into his living room, and ducking his head when he passes the glass patio door.

Cursing under his breath, annoyed at himself for forgetting to throw on a shirt, Jungkook shakes his head at himself. I don't want to fight an intruder shirtless and commando in basketball shorts, damn... A part of him feels a rush of adrenaline as he crouches behind a potted plant and, chewing on his lower lip, fantasizes about a robbery gone wrong, one where he puts his boxing skills to the test—the other part of him wants this to be a dream, a sign from the universe that he ought to submit his comic. I’ll fucking do it if I survive this.

Jungkook stays like that for a while until he hears a sound again. Rising from his crouched position, he walks toward the back patio window, pulling back the curtain to peer out. He feels a tightness in his chest, and his hands tremble slightly. A shameful part of him is relieved that he’s alone and no one is around to see how shaken up he is.

He whistles quietly, calling to Bam, forgetting his brother is watching over him tonight. Craning his neck, he glances around his balcony patio and sees nothing. “Bam, come here,” his whispering is frantic. He whistles again, patting his leg lightly. Nothing. You’re okay. It’s nothing. It’s probably the cats again tipping over the plants. Just fix it tomorrow. Now, go back to bed. You need it. Jungkook is about to whistle once more when he remembers. His eyebrows knit together; shaking his head, he places his fingertips on his eyelids, murmuring a lamented, “Ah.”

Thinking better of it, he draws the curtain back again and sighs with relief before taking note of a figure crouched behind a chair with a hand shooting up to rub their head. Panic washes over him. His inner monologue consists of a string of every curse word he can think of as he ducks out of view. Fuck, fuck, fuck, that’s a person. If he’d been scared earlier, now he’s downright petrified.

Desperate, he begins to look around the room for a weapon. Anything. Jungkook stands still, breathing in heavy gulps of air, cradling his head as he adjusts his vision to the darkness of the living room. ‘Can’t even turn a fucking light on,’ he thinks as he drops to the ground and crawls around his living room. His home’s silence unsettles him. Jungkook can hear the nothingness aside from his ragged breathing, so he pinches the skin on his arm and hisses at the sharp pain. Okay, real life it is. His bare knees skid against the hard flooring, and his clammy palms slip beneath him; his heart is thudding hard and fast, the blood pooling between his ears. He’s scowling, chewing his lower lip, his chest heaving as he fumbles a hand under the couch; he fingers a cold object and remembers what it is. Aha! He comes up with a golf club Taehyung left behind a few nights ago. I love you, Taehyung!

Jungkook grips the golf club until his knuckles take on a pale color. Having a weapon gives him a newfound sense of security, and like before, he’s fantasizing about kicking someone’s ass. “You come to my house at three in the morning? My house?” he says as he walks through his living room, rolling his shoulders.

He draws the curtain again, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness; he sees the figure facing away from him and hunching over, a phone glowing against their face. He can call the police, and he almost wants to, but to avoid the drama of a police visit at three in the morning, he decides against it. Imagine the guys find out I called the police? He shudders at the thought. The stranger looks small anyway.

Jungkook reaches for the doorknob and pulls back the door. It’s a lot chillier than he’d anticipated. He folds his arms over his bare chest instantly, the skin covered in goosebumps—his teeth chatter of their own accord.

“Don't move!” He raises the golf club in a mid-swing position, ready to strike. The person shifts around, holding up the hand with the phone. “I said, ‘Don’t move’!” He sounds ridiculous, but he doesn't care. In the shadows, he watches the phone’s glow shut off. “I called the police, so don’t try anything. They’re on the way.” His voice doesn't even sound like his own. He takes a few steps toward the stranger, his grip tightening around the golf club. His heart feels heavy in his chest.

It’s hard to make out the features of this person, but they rise, walk toward the dim light spilling from the neighbor’s window, and he can see them now. The stranger looks straight at him, and he’s met with wide eyes staring at him. She’s standing, squinting at him with a hand on her hip, and she smiles wide. Damn! If this were an animation, she’d have a halo effect.

Jungkook has seen her a total of seven times—he can’t help it; he likes to keep track of these things. It’s his upstairs neighbor, their interactions before tonight being brief and in passing (the most recent engraved in his mind and tormenting him), and he’s thought of her tirelessly and has fantasized about a time they should meet, and things go well for a change.

Jungkook doesn't know her name, but he could recognize those beautiful dark eyes anywhere. He’s looking into them now, his body anchored, mouth turning into sawdust.

She’s talking to him; he’s just not listening. Not really. He can't grasp the reality that it’s actually her, and she’s standing on his patio, and she looks so beautiful. Should he be thinking that?

Her long black hair is in a loose ponytail, her eyebrows arch as her deep dark eyes blink at him, and her lips move. “Please tell me you didn't really call the cops,” she says, bursting through his trance.

Damn, I sounded so stupid! Jungkook blushes. He hopes she can’t tell from where she stands.

“I was trying to call my friend; I swear I was not snooping or breaking in.” She smiles, but her voice sounds worried. Her eyebrows furrow like she’s trying to read him. “Honest,” she says in a small voice as she leans on the railing and raises her hand with the cell phone for emphasis.

She’s wearing a dark gray sweatshirt twice her size and sandals with white socks, and he can’t tell if she’s wearing shorts or if the sweatshirt is all. He can feel his face reddening just from the possibility of her nakedness underneath the sweatshirt, so he decides not to focus on that.

Jungkook rubs the nape of his neck, abashed. The cold air surrounds him, and he folds his arms across his chest, remembering his exposed chest. His empty threat echoes and bounces around in his head, and he looks away from her. “I didn't call the cops, sorry. I didn't know what else to say. It’s what they say in movies.”

“You would be right anyway; this is your patio.” She laughs a little at that, and his heart rate picks up. She pushes herself away from the railing, smiling, and walks toward him with an outstretched hand. Her nail polish is glittery, and he doesn't notice, but this small detail makes him smile. “I’m Rei. I live upstairs. Maybe you’ve seen me before.” There’s a coy look on her face as she says this, and it makes him nervous.

So her name is Rei!!! Fireworks set off, exploding behind Jungkook’s wide eyes.

“Huh, maybe,” Jungkook lies. He shakes her hand slowly, his hand enveloping hers entirely, the contact sending a warm shock through his body.

“Maybe a few days ago,” she says, with a finger to her chin, like she’s thinking over something. “Oh, yes, have I seen you on the elevator?”

“The elevator?” He feigns innocence as he tongues his lip ring anxiously. “That’s strange. Every day is a blur for me.”

“For me, too,” she replies. She’s almost smirking, watching Jungkook lie. He can tell she’s caught him. “You just look sooo familiar.”

“That’s a first.” Still, he denies it.

“Maybe you just look like someone I’ve seen,” she says, looking into his eyes as if searching for something she placed there. “You have one of those faces, you know?”

Jungkook raises his eyebrows, lips parted to speak, but nothing comes out.

Is she flirting with me or giving me a hard time? DAMN!

“I have an ordinary face?” Jungkook wonders after a moment.

“Either that or my memory is failing me,” she says, sighing and shaking her head. “Which do you think it is?”

“I don't have an ordinary face,” Jungkook says in a small voice, “I have piercings on my face.”

“That’s true…” she’s watching the ground and suddenly looks into his eyes again. She holds his stare unblinking, and then her lips pull back into a big smile showing off cute bunny teeth. Just like me. “I’ve always had a good memory; I was just kidding.”

“Oh,” Jungkook says, blushing.

He can smell her perfume when a cold breeze blows past him, carrying her real-life presence and enveloping him in it. It’s sweet and mixed with a scent of detergent he recognizes, and he’s watching how strands of her hair float beside her face. She’s so cute. Damnnnn.

“You should open the door for the ladies,” Rei says, raising an eyebrow, and stepping closer, she says, “Just harmless advice. Stranger .”

“I will consider that,” he replies, avoiding her fixed stare, attempting to ignore how she’s riled him up with a loud clearing of his throat. But his chest is on fire, his heart thudding hard against his rib cage at her closeness. “My patio, though. Did you fall? I heard a thud.”

“Are you flirting with me? I’ve heard that pickup line before, but yours sounds a little different.”

He smiles. “I wouldn’t use pickup lines like those with you.”

She laughs, and he internally swoons. If he were a cartoon, his heart would burst out of his chest in comical dramatic thuds, his pupils heart-shaped.

“I’m kidding. I know I’m giving you a hard time when I’m on your patio at three in the morning, but I can explain why I’m here,” Rei mimics Jungkook’s movements by crossing her arms across her chest, her lower lip trembling, “but can I come in? It’s cold out, and I'm in the worst attire for this weather.” She gestures vaguely at her exposed legs, and Jungkook’s stare lingers before she notices—so he responds with a nod as he gestures for her to follow him inside. “Though you might have me beat. You came out here without a shirt, damn.”

Leading the way, he blushes at her comment and gives his head a light shake. She’s so talkative! Yoongi was right about her.

With a dreamy air about him, he remembers Namjoon’s words. Except now, all he remembers is: “You need to take some chances. Luck turns out; it does.”

Inside, Jungkook excuses himself to his room to change into a shirt. He reaches for his glasses beside his bed and goes to the closet. “Shirt, shirt, shirt,” he mutters as his hands sift through empty hangers. When was the last time he did laundry? He groans. “Shirt?” he reaches to pick up a heap of white clothing in the deep corner of the closet. He brings the shirt to his nose, sniffs, and walks back into the room, raising an eyebrow and nodding with approval. His hands are shaky as he maneuvers his head through a t-shirt sleeve in a panicked rush. He yanks the shirt off again, the t-shirt now inside out and knotted up in his grip; he groans as his fingers work the fabric. What if she’s gone when I go back out there? Agh, what if I’m dreaming all of this up, and lack of sleep is finally getting to me?

Rei’s voice comes through the walls, and though this is their first official meeting, he knows she’s smiling as she calls out to him. “You okay in there?”

Smoothing out the wrinkles on the shirt, he glances at his reflection behind the bedroom door before stepping out, his chest heaving and his nostrils flaring. “I’m okay; all is OK. Sorry.” He offers her a thumbs up and a big goofy grin that makes her laugh.

“Did you go on a hike without me?” She asks from her seat on his couch. She rests her face on her palm, looking up at him as he walks past toward the kitchen.

“Hike? I just put the shirt on; it was fighting me, though.”

“No, I meant,” she shakes her head, laughing. “I meant that as a while for changing into a shirt. Bad joke, sorry.”

“Ah,” Jungkook says.

“You’re wearing glasses,” she comments, her eyes looking over his face.

“I am,” he says, glancing her way.

It looks like she wants to say something else but doesn't.

He raises his eyebrows, nodding and tonguing the inside of his cheek. It doesn't happen often, but he doesn't know what to say. He walks into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. “Do you drink tea?” He wonders as he fills a kettle with water and sets it to boil.

Rei nods, stretching her legs before her and craning her neck back to look up at the ceiling. “Chamomile or whatever you have, I’m not picky.” She points a finger above her head, motioning for him to look. “Those are stars. Is this wallpaper? It looks pretty. Is it glow-in-the-dark?”

Jungkook is in the kitchen, his eyes watching how her finger moves in a swift motion of the length of the ceiling. He thinks about how her hand felt in his grip and wishes he’d been more present. “It’s… I don’t know, actually. It’s not a wallpaper; it’s carved into the ceiling, and yes, it glows but not like the bright green; it’s softer.” He looks at her, and she scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. “Want to see?”

She twists her body to look at him, her smile so big he can’t help but return the affection. “Yes. Show me.”

“Grab the remote beside you; turn off the lights with it.”

She clicks the lights off, and the gasp she lets out makes his heart flutter in his chest. Aside from the hard thudding in his chest, the only sounds nearby are the buzzing of the refrigerator, the ice machine rolling out handfuls of freshly carved-out cubes, and the bubbling water in the kettle. Jungkook doesn't dare disturb the quiet; he’s leaning against the kitchen table, wanting her to stay. He looks for her in the dark, his eyes finding her silhouette on the couch, his lips pulling back into a smile. She’s better than in his daydreams; she smells sweet and of detergent, and she feels like a real person just like him, so near but out of his reach. And here, in the same room as him, so close to him, Jungkook realizes she could’ve left by now but hasn’t.

“I’d love it if I had this on my ceiling,” Rei pouts, “want to trade?” She clicks the lights back on, and Jungkook blinks, slowly adjusting to the brightness.

He pretends to mull it over, humming and tonguing his cheek. He puts on his best-thinking face. “No way, but you can come over and look at the stars when it's overcast or raining outside.” He walks toward the stove, where the water boils in the kettle. With his back turned to her, he’s hiding his blushing face as he sets two cups out before him.

“I think that sounds nice,” she replies, surprising him. “So what, I walk outside sometime, see a gray sky, and come downstairs to see you? ‘Hey, neighbor, can I see the stars?’ and you say, ‘Come in, I’ve just made cocoa, would you like some?’ and I say, ‘Thank you, are you sure?’ and then you say, ‘Sure’ except I never leave because I like the stars so much and you don’t know how to tell me I should go home.”

“Oh, that’s a good conversation. Is that what you’d like me to make? I like hot cocoa,” Jungkook says, brushing the hair out of his eyes. “You think I'd want you to leave?”

“Well, if I were here all the time….” she looks at him through her lashes, and he catches her eyes and raises an eyebrow at her, a playful smirk on his lips. And she shakes her head, laughing. “Do you mean it, though?”

“About you coming to see the stars whenever you’d like?” Jungkook asks, leaning against the kitchen island. She nods at him in two slow motions of her head. “Yes, I mean it.”

“The skies are unusually gray these days, aren’t they?”

“I’ve noticed that too,” he says, opening the fridge. He grabs a box of cherries and shuts the door with his elbow. “But no rain.”

“Exactly, I told my friend Kimi; she lives with me upstairs and is almost a sister to me, except we have different parents. Well, I told her, ‘Haven't you noticed how it looks like it’s going to rain every day, but it never does?’ and she says, ‘Rei, it rains. It just happens to be when you’re asleep,’ and can you believe it? I woke up yesterday, and it was early, not like tonight, but early for me, and I looked outside my window, and there was dew sticking to the glass, and it was all sweaty when I touched the windowpane, and I realized she was right, it rained during the night, and I just missed it. Isn't that something so lame?”

“Huh,” Jungkook says, chewing on a cherry and offering the box to her. She shakes her head no and mouths a ‘Thank you’ to him. “So we’re off asleep and just missing the rain, so it always works out that we’re missing out on something during the day. It’s always like that. Kimi sees the rain, and you’re off sleeping, but you probably get to see other things I miss when I’m taking a nap and on and on.”

“That’s true. But I thought about catching it tonight. When I went to bed hours ago, I kept thinking about the rain and wondering if I stayed up, I might see it, and it wouldn’t just feel like I kept missing it and living the same gray day.”

“It’s like Santa Claus,” Jungkook says, scrunching his nose as he tongues a cherry stem in his mouth, “waiting up all night for him to show up just for you to see your dad dressed up as Santa and realize he’s been putting the presents down there for years.”

Rei laughs at this and covers her face with her hands like she’s protecting her laugh from anything sharp. “Your dad did that? For real?”

Jungkook scrunches his eyebrows and pinches his nose bridge, and with a tone of feigned affliction, he says, “Yeah, he did. I knew the truth before a lot of my classmates.”

“How old were you? When he ruined Santa Claus. Do you remember a thing like that, like how old you were?” She rests her chin on her palm like she’s weighing her head. He thinks she looks cute like that but doesn’t say anything.

“I don't know exactly, but I was in the third year of school,” Jungkook says, suddenly thinking back on his infancy. He chews his lower lip when the answer suddenly comes to him, and he remembers the conversation he had with the guys a while back. They’d all taunted Seokjin when they found out Seokjin didn't know the truth about Santa until he was thirteen. “I was seven. I can't believe I remembered that. I was seven….” His mouth hangs open, and he remembers what he wore when he first saw his dad hunched over behind the tree with a gift in hand— a white flannel pajama set and his mother’s slippers. Where has this memory been hiding? “Damn.”

“I was six,” she says, smiling. “My childhood was ruined a year before yours. Or wait, are we the same age? I just assumed we were.” She laughs again, bringing a hand up to her face to hide her smile.

“I assumed the same thing,” Jungkook admits, feeling his cheeks redden. “I’m twenty-five.”

“Oh wow,” she says, almost to herself. “Me too.”

He doesn't know what else to do but clear his throat and nod. He never imagined getting this far (whatever that means). He’ll struggle to explain this later when Namjoon asks—Jungkook knows he’ll ask.

The kettle begins to whistle, and he’s reaching for the two coffee mugs as she says something behind him he doesn't catch. And he turns his head over his shoulder and nods at her. “What happened? Sorry, I didn't catch that.”

“I said, ‘You don't have to do that for me.’” She turns her head away as she says this, her long hair cascading along her profile, hiding her.

“I have a visitor,” he says, turning over to look at her with a grin. “I have good manners.”

“Oh, sure, manners,” she replies, rolling her eyes at him like a friend he’s known for years. “Is that my tea? It smells amazing.”

“It is, but it’s hot, so let’s leave it here.” Jungkook offers her a tight-lipped smile, shyly making his way toward her. “Mind if I sit next to you?”

“No, not at all; come, sit.” She pats the spot beside her and scoots over to make room for him. “Thank you for the tea and for letting me in. I know it’s late.”

Jungkook glances at the clock on the kitchen stove. 3:55. “It’s not that late. I was awake anyway, so I didn’t mind.” He’s toying with his lip ring again. “Why were you out there anyway?”

It’s been some time since Jungkook’s been this close to a girl. He feels his heart thudding away in his chest, her presence stirring up a desire that’s been dormant. Loose strands of hair frame her face, and his eyes follow her movements as she brushes the strands away. She looks embarrassed, her cheeks reddening. Still, he finds her so cute. “Truth?”

“Yes.” He scrunches his nose when he smiles at her.

“I locked myself out of my apartment. Before bed, I stepped out into my patio for a smoke and to read more of my book. I was also trying to test my rain suspicions to see if I could catch it while it happened. So, I’m out there romanticizing my life, pretending I’m in a movie; you know how we act when we’re alone and suddenly want to be poetic?” She looks at Jungkook, and he nods lightly. “That was me, except I got cold right away and said, ‘Oh fuck this, I’m going to bed,’ and that’s when I realized I’d locked the back door, and I was so mad I almost cried.” She places her fingertips against her forehead, continuing her recounting. “So, of course, I get the idea of calling a locksmith, but they’re closed; I don’t know what people should do if they need help during the night.”

“Most people sleep, I think.”

She clicks her tongue. “Right, some people do, but you and I are not those people, right?” She draws an imaginary line with her forefinger from her chest toward him. He nods and feigns oblivious as his leg brushes against her bare thigh as she shifts in her seat. “So, not only is every locksmith not available, but my service is horrible, so I am standing on my tiptoes trying to get a bar, and my phone slips. My heart almost burst.” She brings a hand to her chest for visual effect, and his eyes watch her chest as it rises and falls with each breath. He’s smiling at her—a wide smile that hurts his cheeks. “If it weren’t for your patio, my phone would be shattered to hell on the ground. I look over my balcony, and for the first time, I notice how close our balconies are.” Rei presses her hands over her thighs, leaning forward in her seat and fixing her eyes on the glass patio door across from her. “I mean, I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I don’t go out there much. Anyway, I’m rambling. I noticed I could jump directly into your patio because there’s a mattress out there, and well….” She makes a motion with her hands that says: ‘ Ya know?’

“You weren’t scared of jumping? The balconies are close, but we’re still six stories up.” Jungkook rests his hands on his knees, fully invested in this story; his eyes never leave her. She forms a tight line with her lips and gives him a serious look that makes him laugh. “Ok, so you were scared.”

“I was scared! But there’s a mattress out there, you know,” she says in a small voice. She’s blushing and scratching at the side of her nose to avoid his eyes.

Jungkook notices this and clicks his tongue, leaning back in his seat. “So it was not an accident, then?” He raises an eyebrow at her, sucking his teeth in feigned disapproval.

The truth is, he’s not mad about it; he wants her here. He almost feels like he is in a dream.

“Not entirely. Don’t ask me how I thought about returning to my place after retrieving my phone because I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Oh, there’s a mattress out there. You could’ve just slept there; no big deal,” Jungkook says with a laugh. Rei brings a hand to her face to hide behind, making a groaning sound. “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to laugh at you. I just don't know what to think— this has never happened before.”

“And it won’t happen again; let’s hope.” She laughs, and it’s different from before; it sounds deeper like she reached into herself and decided to really show him. And Jungkook likes the sound of her laugh but does not comment. She moves a few strands of hair from her face and rests her cheek on her hand, leaning on the couch's armrest. It’s slowly dawning on Jungkook how badly he wants her. What am I supposed to do with her this close to me? Damn. “So, what’s your name? You didn’t say when I told you mine.”

He rises from the couch, remembering their tea.

“Jeon Jungkook,” he says as he pours the tea, “I guess I forgot to introduce myself. Huh.”

Rei’s looking at him with her chin in her hand and a serious look on her face as he’s walking toward her with an outstretched hand in offering. “It’s chamomile,” Jungkook announces.

“Jeon Jungkook,” She repeats with a light smile. “I like it. I don’t know any other Jungkooks.”

“Yeah? I’ve had this name for a long time. I like it too.”

She takes the cup and brings it to her face, inhaling the scent and shivering, and says, “Thank you again. This tea smells sweet. It reminds me of this tea my grandmother used to make my sister and me when we were kids. She would put a little bit of honey, the real kind, and peppermint leaves; it was….” She sighs longingly. “I miss that tea; this smells like home.”

Sitting beside her, he takes a sip of tea, his gaze on her unmoving. Her lips part as she blows gently, the steam rising from the cup in lazy strokes. Jungkook’s heartbeat quickens when she matches his stare with her deep dark eyes that seem to look for something in his.

“This tea has honey, but I doubt it’s the real kind you mentioned, but I still think it’s good.” He clears his throat, looking away as he adjusts his glasses on his nose bridge.

“I like your glasses. I wanted to say that earlier,” Rei comments, taking a sip of her tea, “I don't know why I didn't say anything.” She moves around in her seat, tucking her legs beneath her, then asks, “Can I wear them? Are they prescription?”

“They’re just reading glasses. You can wear them. I put them on sometimes just because they suit me,” he pulls his glasses off, wipes the lenses on his shirt, and hands them over.

“Ah, so you like how they look on you,” she says, her eyes gleaming as she takes the glasses from him and sets them on her face. “How do they look?”

If he were a cartoon character from one of his comics, he’d have melted into a puddle, exploded like dynamite, turned into stardust, and returned to his original self. Except, she’s a real person just like he is, flesh and blood and so beautiful, and he’s off in space being reborn.

“Look at me,” he motions for her to turn his way. She looks straight at him, wearing his glasses and blushing at his attention. She begins to unfold in front of him, her playful demeanor softening. “You look pretty. If they weren't my prescription, I would give them to you.”

“Here, they’re hurting my eyes,” she says, laughing. She removes the glasses and starts rubbing her eyes with closed fists. “You’re sweet, though. I couldn't take a guy’s glasses. How will he go on drinking his tea and letting me in to watch the stars?”

Jungkook feels a warmth spread in his chest. God, how is she real? He runs his fingers through his long hair and coughs once, then again. His nerves are getting to him. She’s too close to him, her bare thigh soft against his leg. He begins to count backward in his head.

“Were you really awake already, or did I wake you?” She asks him all of a sudden. Her eyes stay on him as if waiting for him to say something else.

“You don’t believe me? I was awake. Swear.” He raises his free hand at his side.

She appears to mull that over for a bit, bringing her cup of tea to her lips but not taking a sip. “What were you doing?”

Jungkook is silent, and she sits unmoving until he speaks.

What was I doing? Besides dreading another deadline? Thinking about a comic I might not submit or thinking about not having a shot in hell with a girl like you? Images of the times they’ve run into each other flick by in his head like a slow PowerPoint slide. The registration office, desolate stairwells, crowded evacuations, elevators closing, Rei standing in front of him in a summer dress with a strange look on her face; Rei on his back patio, hunched over with a phone near her face; Rei in his apartment, on his couch, next to him. He feels the adam’s apple in his throat rising and falling. He’s been quiet for who knows how long.

“Thinking, I guess.” He breathes out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I don’t know why I took so long to say that. It sounded boring in my head, so I had to think if there was something else I forgot about.”

“That is pretty boring, just thinking. But that’s life, though, isn’t it? Kind of boring sometimes.”

Jungkook nods, blushing and avoiding looking at her. What if she can read minds? He straightens his posture and runs his fingers through his hair again, his eyes fixed on the ceiling of carved-out stars. It’s OK. It’s OK. She’s still here.

The living room is almost dead silent. Jungkook notices how Rei sips her tea and looks over the area. It’s neat, for the most part. Bam’s toys lay scattered near the laundry room entrance, along with some of Jungkook’s dirty socks the dog likes to chew on, and Bam’s food bowls are resting up against the wall beside his doghouse. The potted plants Namjoon gifted Jungkook are still alive and pop against the beige coloring of the walls in front of them. The TV is massive, his Playstation console resting on its side. Her eyes find the corner shelf where Jungkook’s Marvel figurines are on display behind glass doors, and she turns to look at him with a sparkle in her wide eyes. “Are those yours?” She gestures with her thumb. He nods, chewing his lower lip anxiously. “Can I look?” She rises from her seat when he motions for her to go on. Like standing in a museum, she silently peers into the display with her hands clasped behind her back.

“I just got that case a few days ago when I got that plant next to you,” Jungkook remarks, joining her.

“I remember,” she says distractedly.

“You remember?” His eyebrows raise, and he looks at her fixedly, bringing a fingernail to his mouth. He scrunches his eyebrows, rubbing at his forehead with his fingers; he remembers, too.

He’d bumped into Rei on his way upstairs, both arms holding the bonsai trees obstructing his view, taking long strides up the stairs, chanting to himself and grunting in rhythm. He was on the 50th stair.

“Hey!” A voice shouted at him. “What the hell?”

Jerking to the side of the staircase, flattening against it, Jungkook jumped at this voice. “Sorry! You’re okay?”

The voice struck him as familiar, but mostly, he was surprised he wasn't alone on the staircase. The person laughed a lively laugh, and he felt his chest tighten. He lowered the plants, meeting her eyes. “I’m okay,” she said, shaking her head. She grinned at him, and his heart gave a squeeze. “These things happen. I should take the elevator next time.”

“The plants, I mean. You walked past me going up the stairs and hit me on the head with it.” She glances to her right, catching his eyes briefly. He groans, nodding lightly. She continues, voicing their shared memory, “You were carrying two pots of plants that day and lost your balance or something like that.”

He nods with his eyes closed, his eyebrows drawn close together as he tongues his cheek. “I remember, too,” he opens his eyes to look over at her as he continues, “sorry again. My friend told me not to do that, and I didn’t listen.”

A Spiderman figurine holds her attention, and she’s smiling. He feels his cheeks burn at her sincere gesture. She pretends not to notice and says, “You like running into me like that, then?”

“Like how? It was an accident,” Jungkook says, standing beside her and stretching his arms behind his head.

“Riiiiight,” she says, smirking. “Accident.”

“I didn’t know you were in the stairwell. No one takes the stairs,” Jungkook counters, his voice taking on a defensive edge.

“I take the stairs, I like the exercise, and it’s less embarrassing for me,” She admits. “Running in front of people just looks so stupid. I get too worked up about it and think people are just laughing at me, and they might be, but this way, I can do it in private.”

“Running across the street when cars let you pass is very embarrassing for no reason,” Jungkook says with a laugh. “And okay, fair. I took the stairs that time just because the wait for the elevator was so long. I didn’t mean to hit you that time either.”

“Jungkook, we have to stop meeting like this.” She gives her head a light shake and looks down at her hands. She picks at the glitter on her nails distractedly. “So many accidents. We’re too clumsy.”

“I know what you mean. Namjoon told me to leave one of the plants in the lobby, but I was too impatient. I’m like that sometimes.” He can’t seem to stop blushing.

But Jungkook has to agree. There have been too many accidents in their run-ins with each other, and he remembers each encounter with extreme detail.

Jungkook saw her for the first time when he moved in and face-planted into her back as she stood by the entrance of the registration office. But it didn't happen right away, at least.

The office was big and bustling with sounds. Jungkook walked in, asked out loud if there was a line, and someone nearby replied that yes, there was a line, and he was right at the tail of it. He bounced on the heels of his feet, humming a melody to himself, tapping his fingers against the sides of his legs. A TV across from him played a K-Pop music video of a group he’d never heard of. Beneath the TV was a table with a Terra Kaffe espresso machine accompanied by a spread of dan-pat bbang, songpyeon, bingsu, and reusable cups. His stomach grumbled, but he kept still, willing himself to look away.

Rei stood in line, a foot or two in front of Jungkook, sporting her hair pulled back, secured neatly with a clip the shape of a butterfly. She wore casual clothing: a black long-sleeve sweatshirt, baggy pants, and white Nike shoes. She had earbuds in, and he could hear the muffled sounds of a guitar, and though he did not fully understand why, he smiled.

“Next in line, please,” a woman behind a glass window called out, taking an uninspired sip of her iced coffee as she waved a hand toward her. “Come on, next in line.”

Jungkook wore a black t-shirt, navy plaid bottoms, and socks with slides, though standing there, he began to regret his attire. His eyes looked over the office, and mentally, he tallied the number of girls he spotted. Nine. He felt his cheeks warming up, his neck growing hot, and when he looked over to his right, a girl waved at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He blushed, nodding at her. Why hadn’t he worn something nicer?

He was adjusting his sock, balancing on his right leg, when a dog ran past him, toppling him over. He hopped on his right leg, his arms flailing at his sides, and his face instantly smashed into Rei’s back. If he had a chance to do it over, he wouldn’t have cried out so loud. Even now, months later, he cringes at the memory. He’d turned away, cupping his aching nose after she whipped her head over her shoulder at the sudden impact. Their eyes met briefly, her pupils dark and wide; she mouthed something to him, his ears ringing, all of the sounds around him muddled into incoherence.

“I’m so sorry. Excuse me,” Jungkook mumbled, turning at his heel and speed-walking past a group of girls that giggled when he passed them.

Jungkook thought about her all day after that first day. While he unpacked, walked Bam, and cooked for himself later in the evening. She was pretty, sure, but there was something else. Something he couldn’t break apart and understand— it was new and brought on a strange sensation and desire to know her. He didn't know it then, but he’d see so much of her it would become nearly impossible not to think of her.

And here they are, five months later.

“You agree, don't you?” Rei prods. “Maybe you’re the clumsy one, Jungkook. I was just standing there.” She says that like she knows what he’s thinking. That first day they saw each other. She’s thought of it too.

He swoons at the sound of his name escaping her lips again. “Jungkook,” he mouths, taking it in—not wanting to forget how it sounds when she says it.

She turns on her heel, returning to the couch and fetching her phone from between the cushions. Her backside faces Jungkook, and he shyly lowers his gaze when he catches a glimpse of her ass in shorts that do a poor job of hiding anything. “I’m impatient too, as you know now,” she offers, looking down at her phone, her face illuminated with the screen's glow. She reads something and has a serious look on her face. “It’s getting late, isn’t it?”

He squints at the clock on the stove. 4:27. “Yeah, I guess so,” he replies, trying to hide his disappointment.

“Your figures are cool, by the way. They look like the real deal. Are they?”

He nods silently, tonguing his lip ring. Jungkook watches her with a gut-wrenching desire to step forward and take her face into his hands and kiss her.

“You’re a Marvel geek. I'm guessing,” she says, staring down at the ground. It’s like she’s suddenly shy. Her voice is quieter. “I like some of the movies. I saw the new Spider-man with my friends last week. I’m late, I know.”

“I have Disney plus,” Jungkook says, his eyes looking her over. “And I’m not trying to say anything like the ramen stuff, you know, all that stuff people say to each other recently to get together. It’s a real offer.”

Rei laughs, bringing a hand to cover her face. “So you don't want to get together?” She looks at him with a deep intensity in her eyes and smiles coyly, making Jungkook swallow hard.

“I said that, didn't I? That’s not what I meant. It’s just that nowadays, words have different meanings. Let me rephrase-”

She takes a step closer to him, and his chest feels ablaze. She’s so close he can smell the fragrance of her clothing much clearer than before. We use the same detergent.

“I’d like to come by sometime,” she says, her eyes lingering on his hands holding his cup, “for a movie, no ramen.” Now she smiles warmly and takes a step back.

She likes doing this to me. It’s torture.

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not? You seem nice. I don’t think you’d be a freak, right?”

“Right,” he says, nodding.

“I know we’re technically strangers, but you have a good vibe,” she says, shrugging. “I show up here so late, and you serve me tea. You’re a nice guy.”

“Am I?”

“I think so. Are you?” She quirks up an eyebrow, twitching her lips between a smile and a laugh.

Jungkook smiles at her. He feels his cheeks growing warm. “I am. I don’t know why I challenged you about it.”

“Because you like to flirt with me, I think,” she retorts, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I’m just a nice guy,” he says as he places his palms against the kitchen counter for balance, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh.” She glances at her phone screen, reading the time, and Jungkook does the same with the time on the kitchen stove. She's going to leave. I can feel it.

“I guess I should get going…”. Rei looks apologetic for some reason. A pink shade colors her cheeks, and she brings a hand to her forehead and lets out a deep breath as she says, “Kinda hot in here, no?”

Jungkook wants to tell her she doesn't have to go and that he doesn't want her to, but he only offers her a timid smile and looks away, nodding in agreement. “A little. I’ve been feeling it too,” he says, looking at her and catching her eyes.

Should I move now? Is it now? My move? Will she kiss me back?

Still, he brings his cup of tea to his lips as she stores her phone in the pocket of her hoodie, and she pauses as if remembering something. “And why is there a mattress outside?”

He’s drinking his tea and begins to choke. Coughing, his chest on fire, and his throat closing in, Jungkook rushes to double over his sink, and she’s standing behind him with a wrought-up look.

“Are you okay?” She steps closer to him, lightly touching his arm.

Jungkook coughs, clearing his throat; he can feel the blood rushing to his face as his eyes instinctively shed tears. The feeling of her touch on his arm feels like fire. “Sorry, I don’t know what happened. The uh, the mattress?” He looks toward his patio, a panicked look in his eyes behind the tear-stained glasses. He pauses, looking down at the floor. “I have them all over, so I can nap when I feel like it.”

She throws her head back and laughs, not taking him seriously until silence hangs between them. She raises an eyebrow. “Wait, really?” With that, her phone goes off in her pocket, and she reaches for it. “Sorry, one sec.”

He leaves her to talk on the phone with whoever and walks over to pick up Bam’s toys and dirty socks to throw in a hamper. Jungkook can hear the muffled phone conversation a room over, so he hums a song. She speaks in a hushed voice, but he hears his name mentioned.

He coughs before he reappears in the kitchen.

She’s humming to herself, lingering by the door, and his heart squeezes. ‘Don’t go,’ he wants to say. ‘Stay.’

“I should go…” she says, not budging from where she stands, chewing her lower lip, looking at Jungkook through full eyelashes. Almost as if waiting for him to interject, and him, not knowing how to.

“If you want,” Jungkook says. He swallows hard at a lump in his throat. The plead to have her stay pushed down into his chest.

DAMN!!

A look he can’t decipher takes over her face, and then the next moment, she’s smiling at him, reaching for the doorknob just as he does. They share an embarrassed exchange of looks when their hands touch, and he shakes his head, an anxious chuckle escaping him. His face feels warm as he pulls the door open for her. Rei steps out into the hallway, turns over her shoulder, and raises her hand to wave at him slowly.

Again, he yearns to kiss her and again lacks the courage.

“Bye, it was nice meeting you, Jungkook.”

“Goodnight, Rei,” he replies, leaning on the doorframe, his heart sinking into his stomach.

The next day, Jungkook is cooking for himself. He submitted his comic in the morning and has endlessly replayed last night’s events in his head.

“I should’ve kissed her,” he says to Bam.

Jungkook’s phone pings a few times and is followed by a call. He answers, distracted as he serves himself bibimmyeon and pork belly. He props the phone between his chin and ear, tilting his head comically as he walks back and forward to the table, setting down a steaming bowl of sticky rice. “‘Ey, Namjoon-hyung!…” He drags the chair out from underneath and settles in front of his plate. Jungkook reaches over the table, yanks a paper towel, grabs his chopsticks, and begins digging into the rice. “Wait,” he glances at the clock on the wall. 6:47. “It’s almost seven,” Jungkook says, confused. “Your meeting with the record executive started at six… it ended that quickly?”

Namjoon smiles. “The meeting was quick. I have really good news.” He pauses for effect. He’s in the studio, eyeing the email on screen. “Hold on,” he says, placing the phone on the desk and turning the speaker on.

Jungkook is chewing his cheek, the chopsticks loosening in his grip. He lets the silence exist for a few seconds, then he rubs the back of his hair, leaning back in his chair, his spare hand fisted over his mouth. “What?” He grumbles into his fist.

“He liked my demo. He had some comments about it but said it would do well. He said everyone else liked it; whatever that means, we’re in. He said we can come in for a group meeting where we introduce the guys, and that way, we can all talk about what we want to do going forward.”

Jungkook is speechless; they’re in. All seven of them. He can’t believe it. He stares wide-eyed at Bam, who tilts his head quizzically. “No way. No way. Is this for real?” Jungkook’s heart is thudding so hard he can see it beneath his shirt.

“I swear, Jungkook. It is.”

“Do the guys know?” Once more, Jungkook meets the eyes of his dog, and he’s smiling so hard he feels his nose scrunch.

“Some of them do, yeah. I was with Jimin earlier.”

“Yoongi,” Jungkook says, bringing his palm over his forehead. Smiling with his eyes crinkling, he feeds himself rice. “Yoongi will be so happy. We all are, you know but him .” Jungkook makes a sound with his teeth. “He’ll be so proud of all of us.”

“I know, I know. Yoongi hasn’t slept well since we first submitted our demos, and when I mentioned I had a meeting with an executive, he grabbed his jacket and took off to the studio. I don’t know what he’s been doing when he comes in, but I know he might cry.”

“I might cry too,” Jungkook admits in a hushed voice.

Namjoon wipes at his eyes, and a silence hangs between them. They’re both sniveling on the receiving end. After Jungkook clears his throat and allows himself another sniffle, he starts eating again.

“What did you make?”

“I have a lot of rice left. I made bibimmyeon and pork belly, but I have some noodles, too, if you want me to make them. Come and eat with me if you’re free. Let’s celebrate.”

“Can I leave my bike outside?” Namjoon asks. Namjoon shuts off the shared laptop in the studio, grabs his puffer jacket and the book he’s been reading, heads over, and flips off the light switch. His phone remains on speaker as he locks the door and shoots a glance down the hallway. From a distance, Yoongi does a quick two-finger salute in passing. Namjoon’s heart gives a squeeze.

Jungkook thinks it over. He’s never seen anyone leave a bike outside. “I don't know, honestly. Bring it to my apartment; it’ll be fine. I have something to tell you, by the way,” he says, referring to the previous night.

“Just saw Yoongi,” Namjoon says, jingling the keys on his finger and making his way out of the building. “I have to tell him, but I think he’s already in his studio locked up. You know how he gets.”

“He won’t let you in,” Jungkook says, scrunching his nose and stifling a laugh through a mouthful of steak.

“Exactly. And what is it? I’m bringing my bike, I thought about leaving it chained, but it’ll stress me out.”

“He’s almost done with his demos, Hobi said the other day,” Jungkook replies. “But it’s about her, bro. You won’t believe me.”

Namjoon laughs through the phone. “Mystery-neighbor-crush her, you mean?”

“Neighbor stuff, am I that annoying? Don't answer that. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you; just come in because I have to wash Bam.”

“All right, bro, give me twenty, and I’ll be there.”

Jungkook is sitting across from Namjoon, who raises an eyebrow at him as he chews on his steak. “So she came in here,” he swallows his bite and continues, “was on that couch?” he signals with his chopsticks, “and she went home after that?”

Jungkook nods. The moment he’s been dreading: admitting he chickened out. He’s not proud of himself and debates whether to omit a few things.

“Yeah, what else could’ve happened?” He takes a drink of his water, avoiding Namjoon’s gaze.

“So many things, bro. But, the very least that should have happened is that you got her number or something like that. Did you ask?”

Jungkook is quiet. His cheeks are flushing with heat. He’s chuckling at himself, remembering how he clammed up around her.

“You just let her leave, right? She walked out, thanked you, and you probably made her a tea she didn't drink.” Namjoon is laughing when Jungkook groans and shakes a fist above his head. “Ah, Jungkook!”

“I know!” Jungkook shakes his head. “But I got a name. I got a name; that’s something, isn't it?”

“Well?”

“It’s Rei. I don’t know where she’s from and all that, but that name just suits her, doesn't it?”

“It does, it does. But come on, bro! This girl lives so close! For starters, she stuck around. She could've just left after explaining herself. Instead, she sat down right where you’re sitting and stayed .” Namjoon feeds himself rice as he shakes his head and continues while he chews, “She looked at you the last time we evacuated; I saw her. And how many times have you bumped into her already? She probably thinks you’re out to get her.”

“I know. I kept thinking the same. I thought: ‘She could've left by now, but she hasn’t. I don’t know, hyung, I just froze. I just kept nodding; it was so stupid.” Jungkook closes his eyes and places his fingertips over his eyelids, shaking his head in lament.

“Not stupid, bro,” Namjoon offers, swallowing his bite. “I’ve seen her around too, and she’s really pretty, but it’s a weird sensation when she’s nearby; it’s like her beauty is different. I don't mean it like I want her now, nothing like that, but it sort of feels like I am stuck too. Like, what can I say right now?”

Jungkook nods, understanding the sentiment. “It knocks the wind out of me sometimes when I see her,” he says, reaching for a napkin. “I wanted to say so much more, but I couldn't. It was different being close to her like we were. This girl is killing me, Namjoon-hyung. You said she looked at me?”

Namjoon smiles warmly. “She did, at the evacuation a week ago. Was it a week now?” He wipes at his mouth and looks at Jungkook expectantly. Jungkook nods at him. “Well, a week ago, I went out last and caught her looking your way. She had her hand like this,” he brings his hand up to shield his eyes against nothing, “and she was smiling. She didn't see me noticing.”

Jungkook scoots closer. He rests his chin on Namjoon’s knee, looking straight at him until he’s cross-eyed. “At me?” he asks, loving that this happened.

Namjoon shakes his leg free and takes a sip of his water. “I think she likes you. She was looking at you the same way I’ve seen you look at her,” Namjoon reaches for his phone, checks a text, and continues, “so she would’ve been into you. Did she flirt with you?”

Jungkook mulls it over. He doesn't want to read too much into it, but he thinks she did flirt. “I could be wrong, and I’d hate to be wrong,” he says, “but I feel like she was into me, like, actually into me, and I thought about kissing her. Would that have been too forward?”

“Hmm,” Namjoon says as he chews his food. “Maybe. I have to see you two in action, to say. I think you can trust your gut, and if you felt that way, maybe she was giving you those vibes on purpose, you know? Sometimes girls are so forward that it's confusing. Like, ‘am I reading this wrong?’ When the whole time there was only one way to read it.” He gives his head a light shake.

“She was talkative like Yoongi predicted.”

“Oh, was she now?” Namjoon looks surprised. “I sided with Jimin when he said she seemed shy and kind of mean. Not mean, but you know the mean look girls have that makes them look kind of cool?”

Jungkook nods with a mouthful of steak.

“That’s actually interesting that she was talkative. That’s good. I think you’d do bad to get with a shy chick again.”

Jungkook once dated a girl in high school he didn't know how to talk to, and when he meant to break things off, he’d just ignored her for the entire year. She was too shy, too quiet, too reserved. He was everything else but.

“I agree with you on that,” Jungkook says honestly. “Back to Rei, she’s even prettier up close, hyung. I thought I was in a dream, that sounds so cheesy, but it’s true.”

“It was, what, four in the morning?”

“Three. Close to four.”

“Exactly. I would think that's a dream too. Seems like it. Are you sure you’re not messing with me?” Namjoon elbows Jungkook lightly.

“I want her. Is that so pathetic?”

“A little bit,” Namjoon teases, bringing his thumb and pointer finger to a slight pinch. “Like this tiny little space right here is where you live.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes as he walks into the kitchen for a beer.

“Honestly, Jungkook, I think she likes you back. Pass me the rice. Want some of the steaks?” He shows Jungkook his bowl, and Jungkook accepts, opening his mouth to be fed. “You can feed yourself.”

“Ah,” Jungkook says, mouth agape. “Just one piece.”

Namjoon is feeding Jungkook rice when the doorbell rings. The two exchange bewildered looks, and Jungkook shuffles from the ground, sliding on the flooring with his socks as he peers through the peephole. He falls to the ground as if shot, crouching with a deathly look about him.

Namjoon shifts in his seat on the floor and, stretching his neck, asks Jungkook who it is. Over and over, quietly, he’s asking who’s at the door.

Jungkook doesn't answer until Namjoon stands. He shoots a hand up to grab Namjoon’s sleeve, motioning him to crouch beside him. Whispering, he says, “It’s Rei; what do I do?”

“Get up!”

“I can't. I can't. I don't know what she wants. What if she knows?”

“Knows what? Get up; I’m opening the door in 3, 2,...”

Jungkook stands. He can feel his heart beating viciously, and his hands are sweating. He glares at Namjoon, raising his hand and motioning for a cutthroat. “I’ll kill you,” he mouths as his friend walks away.

Jungkook peers into the peephole and sees her turning away. He pulls back the door quickly, causing her to turn around. She smiles, and he wants her all over again. His relaxed demeanor vanished. “Hey, what’s going on?” are his first words.

Rei laughs, and he can feel himself blushing. He drops his head when he remembers Namjoon is a witness.

“Hey, neighbor,” she says, smiling the same coy smile she lent him last night. She pulls a paper from her pocket, extends it to him, and says, “It’s an invite to my birthday party this weekend; if you don't have any plans, I thought it would be nice to hang out and see you again. I’ll have friends over, and of course, you can bring yours.”

A party? Wait, see me again?? “I will be there. This weekend. I’ll make an appearance.” He stops talking when she laughs. He can feel the blood boiling on his face. What the hell is going on with him? “Sorry, yes, I mean, thank you.” Jungkook can feel Namjoon’s burning gaze behind him—he can picture how his friend stifles a laugh into his fist.

“No problem. Who’s that?” She points inside the apartment.

Namjoon waves when Jungkook turns around to see him standing behind him, a smirk tugging at his lips. Jungkook widens his eyes at him, mouthing for him to stop laughing. Stepping aside for his friend’s introduction, Jungkook signals toward his friend with a swift movement of his hand. “Namjoon, this is Rei. Rei, this is Namjoon, a good friend and gifter of bonsai trees.”

“I’ve seen you, no?” she talks to Namjoon, who nods, flexing his pointer finger, indicating that she has. He’s chewing cheese puffs, and Jungkook raises an eyebrow at him, silently questioning him: ‘Where did you get those?’ His stare says.

“At the evacuation, I was there.”

“Ah, yes, you had bright green hair like a highlighter pen then.”

He laughs. “That was me, yeah! You were with that girl, the…one with the red hair in pigtails.”

“Ah. That’s right! You have a good memory.” She sounds impressed.

Jungkook tongues his cheek, shaking his head beside them unnoticed.

“You too, you too. Cheese puff?” Namjoon offers a bag of cheese puffs.

“You’re tempting me, but I will have to decline. I just had lunch.”

“Your friend, the one with the pigtails, will she be at this party?”

Namjoon is nervous, but he plays it off well. Only Jungkook can tell.

“I think she can be there,” Rei replies, her eyes shifty and full lips pursing. She seems to think it over, anxiously looking at Jungkook and chewing on her lower lip. It’s as though she’s waiting for Jungkook to glance her way. Only Namjoon is seeing this.

Jungkook is annoyed. They’re talking so easily. He shifts uncomfortably, his fingers gripping the door. He watches how Namjoon chuckles and how she timidly looks down at her hands. The glittery nail polish made his heart feel like a stone in his chest. He wants to interject. But how?

“I’m sure the guys will be free this weekend too; we might celebrate our little accomplishment here sometime soon, so Jungkook can tell you about that and invite you when the time comes, right, Jungkook?”

Jungkook only nods. That’s all he seems to be capable of when she’s around. He feels so strange around her. He feels the same way each time, like he’s coming down with something suddenly. Didn’t it just get so hot out here with the door open like this? He wonders. Is anyone else sweating?

Their voices continue around him. He nods a few times when the conversation shifts toward him, but he feels lightheaded. He wants her so badly.

He doesn’t mean to, but he clears his throat, turning the conversation around him to a simmer.

“So, Jungkook, Namjoon told me he’d come this weekend and bring your other friends. There’s a theme, by the way.” She pauses for dramatic effect. “It’s fairytale-themed!” She raises her arms above her head like a big reveal and holds her pose, awaiting their reaction.

Namjoon laughs, turning away; he says: “I’ll give it good thought! Thank you for the invite, Rei!”

“And you?” She looks at Jungkook.

“Me?” Jungkook swallows hard at a lump in his throat. His brain seems to forget how to form sentences when she’s around.

“Yes, you. Do you have any ideas, JK?” she smiles, lopsided.

Is she flirting with me? Here? Namjoon-hyung! Come back!

“I have to rewatch all of my favorite fairytale movies to have an idea,” he says, bringing a hand to his head. He feels the heat emitting from his forehead. “I’m kidding. I think something cool like Dracula.”

“Is that a fairytale?” She laughs.

“Define a fairytale. Isn’t it just make-believe?”

“You don’t think vampires are real?” She raises an eyebrow at him, but he can tell she’s intentionally giving him a hard time. Her smile is surfacing and betraying her.

“I do, actually. Ah, okay. Give me time. I’ll think of something. What about you? Who are you going as?”

She pretends to think it over even though she already has an idea. “I won’t say; you’ll have to see.”

He’s fully leaning against the doorframe, his foot slipping under him, and he almost falls over. He mutters something to himself, and she’s biting back a laugh. “You want tea or something before you go? If you’re not busy.”

“Ah, I want to say yes, but my friends are upstairs; I just stopped by real quick but thank you.”

He nods. “That’s okay, next time.”

“I’ll catch you two later,” she says, waving.

She turns to walk away, and Jungkook doesn't know what takes over him, but he shouts after her: “Thank you!”

He’s too embarrassed to see if she turns around. He closes the door immediately.

He doesn't even want to look at Namjoon. He stands facing the door for a while, his head hanging low, eyebrows scrunched up in physical anguish. He chews his lip and winces at himself, remembering.

“I said that out loud,” Jungkook says, incredulous with himself.

“You said that out loud,” Namjoon reiterates from somewhere in the room.

Sighing, Jungkook turns over, and flinches at a grape Namjoon tosses at him. His nose scrunching, he catches another grape mid-air and chews noisily. “She wants to know me properly,” he says, with a dreamy air.

“So be her prince charming,” Namjoon jokes, plopping down on his couch, busy on his phone.

“So I will be,” Jungkook says, tilting his head back to look up at his ceiling. She’s up there, walking around, talking to her friends, and he’s beneath her, dreaming of the weekend. “What day is it?”

“Wednesday.”

“Let’s go; I need an outfit.”

“Now?”

“Now, get up! Get up!”

“Let me finish my grapes; I just washed them,” Namjoon whines, still not glancing from his phone’s screen.

“Okay, but after, we’ll go.” Jungkook walks into his room, grabs his glasses, and steps back out.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Jungkook nods, biting the corner of his lip distractedly. “Oh, I’m serious.” He reaches for the car keys on the table beside him. “I’ve never been more serious.”

And he is. He’s never been more serious about anything else. He wants Rei, but he wants her to want him, too. He can’t help but feel as though his luck is turning out.

taglist: @vsualitae

A/N: thank you for being here! I hope those that looked forward to the full first chapter have enjoyed this! It's my first lengthy fic, as I've already stated, so any feedback is greatly appreciated! reblogs, comments, and anything that lets me know you've enjoyed this will make me the happiest writer :') I appreciate you for giving my work a shot <3 Let me know if you'd like a second part, what you liked, etc. I'd love to hear from you, reader >.< until next time!!

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voiceoffenrisulfr · 9 months ago

Text

Slam

Following an injury in the field, Bucky goes to check on Steve in the infirmary and confesses his feelings and his fears.

CW: Minor injury, smut, first time. Don’t forget to use lube, folks – unless you’re a super soldier.

Prompts used;

‘Bad Coping Mechanisms’, ‘Mutual Pining’ and ‘Wall Sex’ – Build-a-Bucky Bingo (@buckybarnesevents);

“You Look So Pretty Like This.” and ‘Muscles’ – @stuckybingo;

“I’m Right Where I Belong.” and “You Getting Flustered is One of the Cutest Things I’ve Seen.” – @sebastianstanbingo.

Check it out on AO3 here, or below! Boards at the bottom. Banner by @sarahowritesostucky

Bucky raced through the corridors, the serum’s power flowing through him as his feet pounded the linoleum, heart hammering in his chest.

As soon as the news of Steve’s injury had reached him, he’d been up and running, with fear he hadn’t felt in decades pulsing in his veins. Ever since Steve had been bulked up in the war, Bucky had been able to slowly let go of the terror for Steve’s longevity that had plagued him since he’d met the kid at six years old, scrawny but surprisingly bold – and prone to getting his ass kicked. But the serum Steve had received had made the once-tiny man a hulking mass of muscle and sinew, invulnerable to most things thrown at him, and Bucky had finally been able to relax a little – though he still worried about his childhood friend more than any other member of the team.

Bucky blamed it on their longstanding connection and the camaraderie born from being the only two super soldiers, both displaced from their own time by time in ice (and servitude, in Bucky’s case). It was a miracle they were both here, together, a hundred years in the future and experiencing things they never even dreamt of.

That was it, Bucky argued, when he lay awake at night thinking of the skinny kid from Brooklyn, the strong man he’d grown into. He argued it was appreciation of the smooth curves of muscle that had him fantasising about the water flowing over his back when he’d glimpsed him in the shower after a training session. It was simply concern that had him inspecting his Captain’s bare chest when his suit had been ripped in battle, checking thoroughly for cuts and scrapes.

He'd argued, but it was as he was skidding to a halt and slamming through the infirmary doors that it finally hit him that his argument was a lie.

The sight of Steve lay on the thin medical paper, his back to the doors as Bruce finished stitching a deep wound above his hipbone, had Bucky pausing and panting for breath. It’d been a long time since he’d managed to move so quickly that he was forced to breathe harder, but his strides had barely touched the floor as he’d flown towards his teammate.

“Hey, Buck.”

The Winter Soldier cocked his head sharply, smiling just a little to himself as he saw Steve’s muscles relax minutely. “How did you know it was me?”

“Heard you running. Anyone else would be far more breathless – and definitely couldn’t move so fast.” The grin in Steve’s voice was audible, and Bucky chuckled, moving closer slowly.

“Yeah, well. Nat messaged, and she wasn’t liberal with the details. All I knew was that you’d been hurt.”

“Worried, were you?” Steve’s shoulders trembled as he laughed silently, making Bucky snort as he rounded the table, casting an assessing eye over the shallow lacerations marring the Captain’s bare chest as he took a seat.

“Actually, I was hoping to get here in time to pull the plug,” Bucky quipped, grinning, and Steve rolled his eyes affectionately.

“Your life wouldn’t be worth living without me in it, and you know it,” Steve teased back, lips quirked in a fond smile before he grimaced as the doctor tied off his thread. Buck reached out automatically, squeezing Steve’s hand reassuringly, heat tingling up his palm at the contact. He’d done this dozens of times as a youth, Steve’s fingers clinging desperately to his as the larger boy had carefully cleaned yet another split lip or scraped palm, but it felt different now, with Steve’s palm comparable to his and Bucky’s metal fingers cool against his skin – and Steve’s pulse beginning to pound at the contact.

“I’m all done here,” Bruce murmured, gently pressing an adhesive bandage to the suture line. “Keep it covered and dry for a few days, and the stitches should dissolve in a week or so. You’ll be good as new by then.” The doctor grinned, shaking his head fondly. “If only all of my patients recovered so quickly!”

Steve chuckled obligingly, pulling the edge of his suit a little higher to obscure both bandage and sharp curve of bone. “You’d be out of a job, Dr. Banner. Thanks again,” he added as Bruce rose, receiving a polite inclination of the head for his gratitude.

The boys were left alone, fingers still entwined together, Steve fiddling with the ragged edges of his clothing idly. “I’m gonna have to get a new suit… This one got pretty shredded.”

Bucky laughed, running a palm over the lacerated star hanging over the edge of the table. “What the hell happened to you?”

“I got thrown. Road rash sucks,” the Captain replied with a shrug, and groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position. “But you heard Bruce – I’ll be good as new in a few days.”

James nodded, eventually releasing his friend’s hand with a discreet twitch of his jaw. “Yeah. You were always the strong one.” Steve snorted and raised an eyebrow, considering his fellow soldier pointedly, but Bucky only laughed and shook his head. “Maybe, when we were younger, I could pick up something heavier than you. But you were always so… Tough. You weren’t scared of anything.” He smiled softly, head tilted minutely. “Actually, no. You were scared, but you always stood up for yourself anyway. You never let anyone keep you down or underestimate you. That’s real strength.”

Steve chuckled, his cheeks pinkening minutely as he looked away. “Not always,” he muttered, hands knotting uncertainly in his lap. “There were some things I just… I didn’t fight when the insults and assumptions started flying.”

“The assumptions?” Bucky repeated softly, head cocked. When Steve only shrugged, Bucky leaned forward conspiratorially. “You getting flustered is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.”

Steve blinked in surprise, his back straightening nervously. “I-I… What?”

Bucky smiled softly, leaning a little closer. “Those assumptions… Do you mean the ones about your sexuality?”

Steve hesitated for a moment, eyeing his friend nervously. “… You heard about that?”

The sergeant arched an eyebrow, head inclined. “Of course, Stevie. You’re my best friend. Besides… We spent a whole lot of time together. It wasn’t just you that they made those assumptions about.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve replied quickly, looking away as guilt creased his features, but Bucky simply chuckled.

“Don’t be. They were right.”

The words sat in the still air for a moment before they collided visibly with the Captain, sending him jerking backwards in shock.

“They- You- … What?” Steve stammered, his eyes widening in shock.

“I’m gay,” Bucky replied easily, shrugging. “Well, no – I’m bisexual. But we both know it’s not the women you were asking about.” Steve’s mouth worked wordlessly, and Bucky smirked. “So? What about you? Were they right about you, too?”

Steve glanced around uncertainly, examining the empty space as if checking for someone hiding in the shadows. “… Why did you come so quickly, Buck?”

“I asked you first.”

“I’m trying to answer. Humour me. Why did you come so quickly?” he repeated, looking down to where his fingers were knotted in his lap.

“Because… Because I care about you?” Bucky offered uncertainly, and Steve nodded, eyes diverted.

“As a friend?” he prompted quietly. Bucky hesitated for a moment, watching as his Captain struggled silently to find the words he was looking for. “… I’m not gay, Buck.” The sergeant blushed minutely, opening his mouth to respond, but Steve held up a hand to stop him. “But I’m not straight, either. I… I’ve only ever wanted to be with – been in love with – one person. After all these years… It’s still only ever been one person.”

Bucky sat silently for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was soft, apprehensive. “Who?”

“Don’t make me say it,” Steve replied, a wry grin quirking at his lips.

Bucky reached out, fingers finding his best friend’s once more, swallowing nervously. “Tell me, Stevie. Please.”

Steve glanced up at last, the brush draining from his cheeks with the sincerity of the moment, ice meeting cerulean in an all-encompassing gaze. “You, Bucky. It’s always been you.”

The words released a feral urgency in his fellow soldier, moving forward to kiss him in a clash of lips and tongues, a low whine escaping the brunette as he tangled his metal fingers in the other’s hair.

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” Bucky muttered, shifting to trail kisses over the broader man’s jaw, his free hand finding Steve’s hip to pull him closer. “I can’t believe I wasted so much time trying to bury my feelings in drinking and whoring…”

Steve nodded weakly, head instinctively tipping back under his sergeant’s rapturous ministrations. “I-I… I never knew you… I never expected…” He swallowed audibly, hips twitching as his arousal became ever more evident under the skin-tight material of his uniform. Bucky let out a quiet groan of desire, fingers trailing over Steve’s hipbone slowly – but the blond grasped his wrist as his fingertips brushed against his increasingly stiffening length. “Wait.”

Bucky winced, drawing back with a quick, apologetic shake of his head. “I-I’m sorry. We don’t have to, of course, I-”

Steve kissed his lover softly to interrupt him, shaking his head with a smile. “I want to,” he breathed, his fingers finding the back of Bucky’s neck to press their foreheads together. “I’ve just- I… I’ve never…”

Bucky’s face went blank as comprehension dawned, lips parting minutely. “You… Oh.” A smile flickered across his features, and he cupped Steve’s jaw gently. “That’s fine, sweet boy. We go as slow as you like, and do as much or as little as you want. It’s all up to you.”

Steve nodded slowly, then more firmly, and pulled Bucky back to him by the neck of his t-shirt, crushing his lips desperately against the taller man’s.

Buck’s hands were gentle as they explored the Captain’s bare chest, tracing the dips and curves of bone and muscle reverently, mapping each detail and committing every modicum of minutiae to memory – just in case. Steve shivered under his touch, the hand on the back of the sergeant’s neck drawing him closer as he lay back, gasping at the thigh that pressed lightly against his throbbing length.

“Buck, please,” he whispered, tugging gently at the other man’s shirt, purring with delight when the material was shed and dropped to the floor. His hands fumbled with the taller man’s belt, hesitating only minutely before pressing a palm to Bucky’s boxer-clad member and blushing shyly at the relieved groan the motion elicited.

Buck’s lips trailed slowly along jaw and throat, over Steve’s collarbone, proceeding patiently over chest and stomach. Bucky’s knees met the floor as his fingers curled in the waistband of the other man’s underwear. He glanced up to receive clarification, and when he was offered a nod, nervous but sure, he slowly slid Steve’s boxers down, trailing gentle kisses in their wake. When he looked up again to take in his Captain in all his glory, his mouth ran dry, tongue darting out to wet his lips in anticipation. He rocked on his heels for a moment, enjoying the sight for a little longer before falling forward, growling hungrily. His mouth encompassed Steve’s length quickly, eliciting a gasp and a whimper from the soldier pinned to the table, his hands tangling frantically in Bucky’s wild hair.

“I- Oh, Buck, th-that’s so…” Steve trailed off into a desperate moan, his back arching instinctively to press himself deeper. Bucky, in his experience, simply swallowed around his amateur partner’s erratic thrusts to take him into his throat, hands finding his hips to help smoothen his pace, earning a quiet, stammering exclamation for his efforts. The feeling of Bucky’s tongue massaging the underside of his cock as it passed between expert, kiss-flushed lips had him quivering and mewling uselessly until the sergeant pulled back, oceanic eyes dancing with joy. “Good?”

Steve all but sobbed in his pleasure, raising his head to nod weakly. “A-Amazing. Please, honey, Buck… I want… I need…”

“Anything you want, baby boy,” Bucky purred, wrapping a loose, coaxing hand around Steve’s length while he spoke – but unable to keep from leaning in intermittently to pass tongue or lips over the leaking tip, delighting in the gasps and jerks the simple gesture invoked. “You just say the word, and I-”

“I want to make love to you,” Steve interrupted softly, pink tinging his cheeks as he spoke, his twitching cock betraying his enthusiasm. Bucky blinked in surprise before smiling tenderly with an amused shake of his head.

“And here I’d had you pinned as a bottom… What a pleasant surprise,” Bucky breathed, powerless to stop one of his hands from grinding against the straining in his sweatpants desperately, eyes blown wide with lust. “I’ve thought about you fucking me so many times…” He winced minutely, expecting a reprimand from his straight-laced captain for his language, but the blond simply smiled.

“I may be inexperienced, Buck, but I’ve overheard enough sleeping in the room next to Tony’s to expect a little cussing in these situations.”

Bucky simply nodded, standing to pull his shirt over his head, and Steve gulped. He’d seen the brunette in varying degrees of undress on countless occasions, but always he had kept his eyes diverted and downcast, never looking up for fear he would give himself away. But now he could let his gaze roam freely, taking in the curve of the sinew and muscle, of strong arms and well-defined pecs, his expression softening minutely as he took in the puckered ridge of scar where flesh met metal. Bucky shifted self-consciously, raising a hand to rub uncertainly at the marred skin, and Steve pushed himself quickly to his feet, catching the other man’s fingers. “Hey… You’re beautiful, he whispered, dropping his head to pepper kisses along the seam reverently.

Bucky stiffened infinitesimally, relaxation gradually easing the tension in his muscles, a soft sigh escaping parted lips as his eyes closed. “I want you, Steve,” he breathed, fingertips trailing through the short hair adoringly.

Steve could only nod in response, hands fumbling with Bucky’s belt as he dropped to his knees, one flushed, pink lip pulled between his teeth. His breath ghosted over the bulge in the sergeant’s boxers, making the taller man shiver with delight. With a slow, nervous exhale, he wrapped his fingers in Bucky’s waistband, eyes widening minutely as the soldier’s cock was freed at last. Bucky smirked, hand resting gently on Steve’s head, letting out a quiet groan as the barest flick of a tongue passed over his tip. “Please, baby boy, I need you to-”

Bucky’s words were interrupted by his own sharp yelp as Steve clumsily but enthusiastically took him, his inexperience making him gag at the depth, but he recovered to bob his head just as eagerly. The taller man groaned, hand knotting in pale strands, head falling back as he attempted to guide his needy lover into smoother motions, but Steve grasped desperately at his hips, still frantically attempting to take Bucky’s length deeper. “Easy, Stevie,” he breathed, shifting one hand to cup the other man’s jaw tenderly, smiling at the soft whine around his cock. “You really want it deeper, hm?” Steve blinked balefully up at him, tongue still eagerly caressing every inch available, and the sergeant chuckled quietly, gently raising Steve’s chin slightly. “Swallow,” he murmured, pushing forward slowly, using the rhythmic motion of his lover’s obedience to sheath himself fully in Steve’s throat with a shudder. “Fuck, baby boy- so goddamn hot… You look so pretty like this…” His eyes found the other man’s, the pale blue shining with joy, lips parted wide around his cock, and Bucky could have come undone simply at the sight. Steve could only mewl with satisfaction, lashes flickering in pleasure as Bucky rocked his hips, driving his length into his Captain’s throat before drawing back just far enough to let him snatch a breath.

It didn’t take long for the brunette’s muscles to begin to tremble and clench, incensed by the sight of his lover stretched and kneeling before him. The fingers in his hair tensed, and Steve’s eyebrow twitched questioningly. “I-I can’t- I’ll- I can’t hold out,” Bucky stuttered, the rock of his hips become spasmodic – but Steve simply dug his fingers into the other man’s flesh, groaning encouragingly. Bucky hissed with the realisation, free hand joining the first, holding Steve’s head still as his thrusts became more forceful. The feeling of soft whimpers vibrating around his length spurred him on, and he stammered out a quick warning before burying himself deeply, fingernails catching against scalp as he pinned his submissive Captain against him. “Fuck, Steve- Stevie!”

Steve’s eyes closed in pleasure as his sergeant emptied with a guttural groan, swallowing eagerly, licking his lips as his trembling partner drew back at last. “Thank you,” Bucky breathed, unclenching his hand to smooth the messy blond strands tenderly. Steve opened his eyes to meet his gaze, hesitating only briefly before scrambling to his feet to pin the brunette to the wall, earning a grunt of surprise and a dry gulp.

“I’m going to fuck you,” Cap growled, one hand wrapping lightly around his sergeant’s throat, smiling when a quiet whimper and desperate nod came in response. Bucky groaned as he was turned quickly, hands flat to the wall and ass offered willingly, the Captain’s cock pressing against him teasingly. Steve spat in his palm and slicked his length quickly, one hand steadying himself with his lover’s hip as he lined himself up.

“Please- Please, Stevie, I need you, I want you- please, just-” Bucky moaned needily as Steve pressed inside him roughly, his forehead finding the other man’s metal shoulder as he groaned.

“Bucky- Buck, honey, you feel so good…” he grunted, dragging out slowly before slamming home once more. Slowly at first, the movements of his cock inside the taller man felt incredible, the spark of discomfort from the lack of preparation or real lubricant fading quickly until Bucky was rutting back desperately, trying in vain to increase the pace. “Sweet boy, you’re so eager!”

“Yes- God, yes Sir, please, Stevie- Cap, I need you to fuck me, baby boy,” Bucky panted, fingers curling against the plaster. Steve’s fingers found his, pinning his metal hand to the wall either side of his head, while the other wrapped around his already-stiffening cock, stroking him in time as he thrusted harder. Bucky yelped in surprise, back arching. He’d been fucked many times in his life – but never by someone whose strength parallelled his own, his very bones creaking under the strain as Steve pounded against him with bruising ferocity.

Steve was lost in the heat fizzing through his veins; there was nothing but this, the feeling of Bucky wrapped around him, tight and hot, the air full of the scent of sex and the lewd sounds falling from their lips. This was everything he’d ever wanted, and he found his body reacting automatically, knowing just what to do as he drove himself deeper, their hands on the wall creating cracks in the plaster under the power.

“So beautiful – so good, James – I love you,” Steve groaned, fisting his sergeant’s cock faster as he felt his climax approaching, too far gone and too eager to slow down, to take his time in this. Bucky simply whimpered in response, his forehead pressed to the plaster, soft sobs of overwhelming pleasure falling from his lips between pleas and gratitude, rutting back against each perfect thrust. “Please- Stevie, fuck, just like that- I-I’m going- I-” His spine arched as he came without warning, painting both his lover’s hand and the wall before him, muscles clenching around Steve’s length.

Steve wrapped an arm around his partner’s waist, dragging him against his chest as he fucked him harder still, groaning out a plea for mercy into Bucky’s throat as he finally, blissfully, emptied himself inside his sergeant.

Bucky lay panting with his head on Steven’s chest, sweat-damp and exhausted, his backside bruised, entirely blissful.

“D’you want to get up?” Steve murmured, tracing his fingers gently down his lover’s spine, earning a lazy shake of the head.

“I’m right where he belong,” Bucky whispered in response, pressing a tender kiss to the bare skin under his cheek.

#fanfiction #mine #fandom: marvel #writers on tumblr #writing bingo #rating: e #pwp #stucky smut #bucky barnes x steve rogers #plot what plot #smut #bucky barnes smut #sebastian stan bingo #sexy seabass #stucky bingo #build a bucky bingo 2023 #bucky barnes events

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chaotic-mystery · 2 years ago

Text

Not A Survivalist Girl: Part 4

"Death Over Decaf"

Written by @chaotic-mystery & @tightjeansjavi

(Joel Miller x f!reader)

Summary: What happens when you mix a not so skilled girl and a grumpy old man trying to teach her how to fish and the importance of his coffee? Nothing too bad….right?

Warnings: Implied age gap, slow burn, mean!Joel, dark!Joel, he's a little awkward!Joel, just a grumpy old asshole! Joel, sunshine reader, angst in the beginning, PTSD, trauma, child loss, grumpy vibes, minor injuries (cuts scrapes) heavy on the sexual tension at the end, no smut, (+18) minors dni!

WC: 7.2k (It's for being so patient for almost a month shhh)

Let me know what you think! I love hearing your comments about it! Love you 🖤

Joel Miller relied on his everyday routine to remain consistent. Ever since his brother Tommy ever so nicely ditched him for the fireflies out west, Joel developed this routine to well..keep himself sane. (or as close as he could get to feeling sane) If there were any implications, any disturbances, it would set him off immediately. He always felt like he needed to have a sense of control, and having this routine pacified his internal anger. As long as he had the routine to fall back on, he would be a less grouchy version of himself. He started the morning off like the same as it had been for as long as he could remember. The sun had barely begun to peek through the sky when he pulled himself out of a deep, restless slumber. Joel was lucky if he got more than a few hours of sleep in before the nightmares would plague his mind. He reached over for the framed photo along his wooden dresser. His daughter Sarah had been the most important person in his life before the apocalypse. She was his everything and when he lost her...he doesn’t like to talk about his past and would much rather eat a bullet, than talk about losing his baby girl. Despite the day in, day out pain he felt, he made sure to kiss the photograph every morning when he would wake up, and every night before bed. His cracked lips ghosted over the photograph, eyes fluttering shut as he whispered her name under his breath. He gently set the frame back down before he grumbled at the fluffy pink blanket that he must have wrapped himself in sometime during the night. He felt like the soft fabric was mocking him. He held a personal disdain for the inanimate object as he pushed it to the very end of the bed. “Who the fuck even likes the color pink.” He gruffly muttered to himself. His voice was thick with sleep as he quickly made up his bed before he got dressed in his usual attire. The floorboards were squeaky beneath his heavy boots as he quietly left his bedroom. Hopefully you ended up being a heavier sleeper, because it was way too damn early for Joel to be dealing with you. The unfinished bathroom had a metal water basin as a makeshift sink. He always made sure to replace the water before the end of each day. He splashed his face with the ice cold liquid, hoping it would wake him up a little. A fresh cup of steaming coffee was the only thing on his mind now as he trudged down the hall and into the small kitchen. He filled the wood burning stove with a few logs before using a match to light them. He rubbed his calloused palms together as the cold morning chill bit through his skin. He was going to have to chop down a lot more firewood if he..and well, you were going to survive the impending approach of winter. He kept his bags of coffee in one of the wooden cabinets and he made sure he always had a back up bag for when he started to run low. He could not fathom having a morning without his coffee. He begrudgingly grabbed two mugs this time instead of one. He figured maybe you’d enjoy a cup as well. He was humming softly to himself as he grabbed the bag of coffee beans from the cabinet. The bag felt uncharacteristically light..just the other day he swore it was still pretty full. Maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him. Yeah, that was the only logical answer to–mother fucker. Joel’s blood was instantly ticking a degree higher in temperature when he opened the burlap sack to find that he was in fact all out of coffee. Well, there goes his perfectly planned routine. “Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? How the hell is it empty? Mother fucker.” He slammed the cabinet door shut with a heavy bang, nearly knocking the door off his hinges. He had completely forgotten the fact that he was not the only person inhabiting the small cabin space. You were just down the hall. Did he really give a flying fuck at that moment? No, not one bit.

The slam of the door made your eyes shoot open in a panic and you laid in the bed for a moment trying to understand what was happening. As you heard Joel cursing up a storm in the kitchen that shared the wall with your room, you rushed to get up and throw some clothes on to see what the hell he was coming undone about this time. There was always something bothering his grumpy ass but this floored you. You had never met someone rude enough to start throwing a fit at the ass crack of dawn while someone is sleeping.

“Joel cmon what are you shouting about? Do you have any idea what time it is?” You groaned as you leaned against the door frame to the kitchen, scratching your head as you waited for an answer.

Joel had thrown the empty burlap sack down in a fury. His routine was royally fucked and now the dormant rage, was becoming active once again. Simmering deep in his gut like bubbling, molten lava. “What am I shouting about, girlie?! Oh, i’ll fuckin’ tell ya what i’m shoutin’ about. I’m out of coffee. That’s what i’m shoutin’ about.” He snapped “Fuckin’ gonna have to go and get some more. Wasn’t in my plans for the day but I ain’t have much of a fuckin’ choice.” Joel knew his outburst was most definitely unnecessary. He knew it really didn’t boil down to the fact that he was out of coffee, it had to do with the fact that his routine was disturbed, and the situation was currently out of his control. He was gripping his hair tightly between his fingers, tugging on it by the roots as he leaned back against the countertop, muttering to himself.

Your head turned to his direction slowly and it felt like you didn’t blink for a good minute. Coffee? Coffee is what he was shouting about this entire time? A scoff left your lips and you shook your head in disbelief. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen you get upset about this far. So you don’t have coffee, is it that big of a deal to go and slam shit and yell over? I mean god damn, Joel.” You took a few steps into the kitchen and threw your hands up in the air, shrugging your shoulders in frustration. You weren’t the kindest when you were low on sleep and there wasn’t a chance in hell you’d pretend like you weren’t annoyed by all of this. Joel scoffed under his breath as he dropped his hands from his head. His eyes narrowed in on you when you didn’t even hide your annoyance at his outburst. “Oh, that’s so fuckin’ wonderful that you think that its the dumbest thing, girlie. I didn’t ask for your opinion, now did I? Didn’t think so. If you don’t want to hear me bitch about it, fuckin’ leave then.” He bent down and picked up the empty burlap sack with a huff. “I’m gonna have to go hit my supply stash a few miles from here to get some more.”

His cold words sent a shiver down your spine and you knew this was only the beginning of a very long day. Sure, you liked coffee just as much as the next person but Joel was taking it to a new level. You sighed and tucked your hair behind your ears and nodded slowly. “Okay, uh no I don’t think it’s that damn serious. Where’s this supply stash you have?” You jumped onto the counter next to him and swayed your legs side to side. Of course you’d go with him to get his stupid coffee if that meant he’d stop being a crabby old man and you could move on to having a good day. “We should probably go soon considering we’re going fishing today, remember we cooked the last bit of meat last night?” Joel had not been expecting you to go and make yourself at home that quickly. So when you had casually hopped up onto the countertop next to him, he quickly sidestepped away so you weren’t so close. “Yeah well..it’s pretty damn serious to me. I can’t live without my coffee, and no, I don’t give a shit if you think i’m bein’ dramatic.” He scrubbed his hand down across his weathered face and wiry beard when you brought up needing to go and find some food. “Like I said, it's a few miles from here. Who said anythin’ about a we? There is no we. You’re gonna stay here while I make the run. I don’t want to hear any complainin’ about it either girlie.”

“No cmon I can get ready so fast just give me ten minutes I really have to pee and change my clothes!” You were already halfway down the short hallway to your room as you were shouting at him to wait for you. It wasn’t the funnest thing you could think of tagging along for, but it was pretty outside and you were already awake, so why not tag along? Maybe you’ll find something useful besides fucking coffee.

Joel rolled his eyes when you yelled for him to wait for you. Well, he didn’t want to waste any daylight and he just had a feeling you were gonna end up slowing him down. He made a split second decision to grab his backpack and rifle from the hook along the wall before he slipped past the front door, and quietly padded down the stairs wordlessly.

You were tugging on your pair of boots in the living room when you saw his body getting smaller and smaller the further he walked towards the brush. That mother fucker. You groaned and flung the door open to the front porch and stepped outside, “You fucking asswipe! Be careful at least!” You shouted and crossed your arms across your chest.

Joel was already far enough away from the cabin that your shout was barely detectable, but he did catch onto you calling him an asswipe. His immediate response was to stick his middle finger high up in the air as he adjusted the strap of his backpack along his shoulder.

Of course he flipped you off, that’s exactly how you’d respond too, honestly. Since he left you all alone in his cabin this only meant one thing: snooping. The lightbulb went off in your head when the idea of going through his stuff came to you and a grin played on your lips before going inside making a direct line for his bedroom. You just wanted to know what his deal was, maybe learn some of his interests, some hobbies maybe. As the doorknob to his room twisted open, you found yourself looking around at everything. The photos, his clothes, his bed, his small book collection, everything. He had a story and you wanted to know what exactly it was but he still wasn’t warming up to the fact he had someone new living with him, whereas you were just fine and made yourself at home rather quickly. Your eyes fell on his bed and noticed your pink blanket you left for him right next to where it was evident he slept overnight. It was slightly balled up, like he held it to fall asleep or something.

You took a seat right where he laid in his bed, your feet barely touching the floor. His sheets were soft in your hands as you gripped them, trying to take in everything about him. His pajama shirt under the pillow tucked away from everyone and everything. You grab it and take in every detail about it. The poor logo was so worn and faded off of it you could hardly make out that it was a band t-shirt, some band he probably listened to in high school or college. Something came over you and you pressed it against your face, breathing in deeply the scent on it. He smelled like pine and something else, something warm that smelled like you were home. God damn you needed a hug so bad, this is embarrassing. Sniffing a guys shirt because you feel alone wasn't something you were proud of, but Joel really has a way of making you feel alone when he’s angry.

Folding the worn t-shirt and putting it back into place under his pillow, you decided to go through his bathroom. It was surprisingly clean when you popped your head in first, looking both ways before making your way inside fully. His shower was clean when you peaked behind the curtain, no hair left plastered to the walls. His cabinet drawers were tidy, nothing too out of the ordinary except for the last drawer. “Cmon you stupid bitch, open! I wanna know what you’re holdinggg” you begged and yanked at the drawer, finally getting it open. “Jackpot, motherfucker” you cheered and you were not prepared for what was inside. Playboy and Maxim magazines stacked top to bottom. You gasped as you grabbed one and looked inside, beautiful women draped over cars and beds, the ladies in sexy outfits or bare and in positions that you didn’t even think you could do. “Who the hell did he rob to get all of these? Barnes & Noble?” As you flipped the playboy magazine to the back you read Joel’s name on the address this was sent to years ago, with his house in Texas on the line to send it to. “You nasty old man, you.” You grinned and stifled a laugh as you put them away in the drawer and closed it.

It had only been an hour since Joel left and who knew how long he’d be gone, so you took it upon yourself to start cleaning the cabin. You restocked the woodpile inside for the fireplace, made Joel’s bed and put the blanket back where you set it the previous night, made your bed and put your clothes away in the wardrobe he put in there for you. You found his stash of knives in the drawer of the hall tree that held your coats and guns and everything else you could think of. You pulled out this long machete and poofed your hair a bit to look sexy and you pointed the machete right at the mirror above the fireplace, “ready to die, clicker?” You whispered trying to be tough but it was disrupted by your laughter. “I’m too funny, too bad Joel wouldn’t think that was a good joke.” Shoving the weapon back where it belonged, you stood up straight and furrowed your brows, arms out a little bit to seem bigger. “That’s not fuckin funny, GIRLIE. Shouldn’t mess with shit like that. GIRLIE, blah blah blah. I’m Joel and I’m a crybaby over coffee and I like being mean to girls who are just trying to live. I don’t wanna admit she’s cute because then that means I have a heart, blah blah blah.” You mocked in a gruff tone, pacing back and forth with your back facing the front door.

Joel had made it to the building just a few short miles from his cabin where he kept his emergency stack of supplies buried deep under the floorboards of the long abandoned gas station. He grabbed what was left of his stash of coffee, a few canned foods, a bag of rice, and a few casings of bullet cartridges. He was in a far better mood now that he was assured he wouldn’t run out of coffee for a while. The trek back to the cabin was a relatively quick one and he hoped to god that you hadn’t gotten yourself into any trouble while he was gone. The last thing he was expecting to find was you playing pretend in front of his fireplace. Were you..mocking him too? Joel was silent as he leaned against the open door jamb quietly. His arms were crossed over his chest and his jaw was clenched so tightly he could cut glass with it.

“I do not fuckin’ sound like that, girlie.” His tone was gruff and he had a displeased expression on his face as his eyes narrowed in on you with a certain sharpened edge of malice swirling through his darkened pupils. He had every intention to make you jump out of your skin from his unannounced arrival.

You yelped out of fear and turned to look at Joel who was clearly not with the amazing performance you just put on. “Oh lighten up, it was funny. You absolutely do sound like that by the way. It won’t kill you to laugh every now and then ya know.” You crossed your arms over your chest and stood exactly how he was to show how silly he looked.

Joel dropped his backpack to the floor with a heavy thud. The look on his face alone was a dead giveaway that he was not impressed with your theatrics in the slightest. “Oh yeah? Please enlighten me on the parts I am supposed to find humorous.” His tone was low as he took one menacing step forward, his boots heavy along the floorboards. He took another, and another till he was close enough that you could feel his warm breath fanning your cheeks. “Let’s see here, the part where you called me a crybaby for gettin’ upset over not havin’ coffee? No? Oh! The part where I don’t wanna admit that you’re cute because then that means I have a heart? C’mon, girlie. Use your words. What part of all of that was I ‘supposed to find funny?”

Your eyes met his and suddenly your mouth went dry, you forgot how to speak. It’s not that he intimidated you, he was just a gorgeous man even up close and personal. “You know you think I’m cute, just tell me. I nailed your voice though, you can’t deny that.” You pointed at him and cocked your head slightly, biting your bottom lip to hide a smile. This was all one big joke to you, especially the coffee tantrum but he wasn’t supposed to hear your impression of him, that was for entertainment later when you were fishing. How’s it your fault he came in when you didn’t rehearse much? “Can we just please get the ball rolling so we can go fishing? I'm excited to learn. Never been before and I have a goal of catching two.” You plopped down on the couch a few feet behind you and laid down, folding your ankles to rest on the armrest.

Joel was staring at you incredulously, as if you had suddenly grown five heads in the span of a few seconds. “Why in God’s green earth would ya think that to be true? You know what? Don’t tell me. I’d much rather not know.” He grumbled, shaking his head when you went ahead and made yourself at home on the couch. “Yeah I'm sure that eagerness will be long gone and dead when I tell ya that you’re gonna be the one putting the worm on the hook. You afraid to get a little down n’dirty along the river girlie?”

“No, not at all, not the worst place I’ve gotten dirty.” You snickered quietly to yourself at how incredibly filthy his question sounded. It did however make you wonder about gettin’ down n’dirty with him, his dirty hands wrapped around your throat- but now wasn’t the time for that. Fishing. You’re going to prove him wrong that you in fact don’t mind getting covered in nasty river water and mud. “Can I have a cup of coffee to go please? I’ll share if it’ll keep the tantrums at bay.”

Joel was fighting hard to not roll his eyes at your remark. He was starting to question why he didn’t just leave you to be an appetizer for the clickers. What the hell was he getting himself into taking in someone like you. He was starting to wonder if there were even any benefits to keeping you around. “I ain’t sharing a cup with you. You can have your own.” He bent down and grabbed his backpack from the floor and stalked off into the kitchen. “If we actually catch somethin’ we’ll be having the closest thing to a real fuckin’ meal. I got some rice and canned beans. Can make a good stew out of it that will last us weeks.”

The urge to turn your nose up to the sound of stew for weeks was strong, but you stayed quiet. You walked closely behind him and offered to make his coffee to go for him whenever he’s done but the glare he gave you was telling you to stop while you’re ahead. “Do you maybe have a thermos for it or how should I bring it?” You had no clue where anything was in the kitchen so you started looking in cupboards and shelves, coffee cups clanking against one another.

Joel scrubbed his hand across his face and wiry beard with a deep sigh as he set the sacks of coffee down on the counter. “Move. I’ll get it.” He grumbled as he came up close behind you, his hand subconsciously brushed across your side as he reached above you, grabbing two ceramic thermoses from the cupboard. You could feel his broad chest pressing against your back, and his warm breath fanning the tiny hairs along your neck causing goosebumps to rise along the skin. He got a whiff of your natural aroma..strawberries? Fucking strawberries?

You stood frozen in place as you watched his arm reach up above you, the sunlight glowing against his skin. Joel made your heart skip beats whenever he was short lipped with you, it was mean but you liked it. You were afraid to move and ruin the intimate moment that was so rare for him to partake in, your breathing even slowed. His fingers wrapped around the lid of the thermos in the most innocent way but wow did it have your head spinning. Joel was something you wanted and he was so close but still felt a million miles away, like you could somehow get him if you really tried.

Joel didn’t really appreciate the fact that the smell of strawberries was wafting through his nostrils, and clouding his senses for a brief moment. He cleared his throat as he set the thermos down and created a space between your bodies once more. He would not be indulging in any frivolous behavior. “Can you handle pourin’ this yourself?” He asked as he grabbed his own thermos and poured in the steaming pot of coffee that had been simmering on the stove. “It ain’t the best tastin’ coffee. Nothin’ like that sugary crap from Starbucks, but it gets the job done.”

“Lucky for you I was a Dunkin’ Donuts girl in my previous life so I’m not surprised by coffee tasting shitty sometimes.” You filled your container and took a small sip to get your body awake before you tucked the thermos under your arm. Joel of course was already getting the fishing rod out of the closet, he can never just slow down and enjoy the moment he’s in; it’s always go go go. Why did he move away the way he did? Did you smell weird to him? Maybe he thinks you’re too much considering you still use strawberry lotion that you somehow have managed to save and ration all these years.

Joel gave you a funny look when you said that you were more of a Dunkin’ Donuts girl. He made an obnoxiously loud slurping sound over the rim of his thermos as he took a sip. “So you’re tellin’ me you enjoyed the taste of sewage water? Cause that’s all I remember Dunkin’ ever tastin’ like. My dau—” He immediately paused. He could feel the color quickly draining from his face when he nearly uttered the word “daughter” to you. Stupid stupid stupid. He was angry at himself all over again as he yanked the fishing rod from the hook in the hall closet. He grabbed the tackle box with a huff. “C’mon. We’re wastin’ daylight.”

You furrowed your brows at him and turned your mouth downward to attempt to mimic his face. “Okay, ol’ man.” You muttered in a gravelly voice. You were determined to get him to at least smile at your impression of him, bonus points to you if you made him laugh. God only knows the last time his body felt a good laugh. Just imagining how long it’s truly been since he experienced a belly laugh was choking you up, your eyes stinging with tears. No one deserves to be alone, not even grumpy ass old men who are trying their best.

Joel was wordless as he started to head towards the front door. He was already feeling himself getting into his head again and it was a place that he didn’t like spending time in. Now with his dead daughter fresh on his mind.. “The river is just a short walk from the cabin. I use it as my main water source as well.” He didn’t glance in your direction as he swung the door open and headed down the steps, muttering under his breath.

“That’s pretty cool, I guess I never put two and two together on how you always have water.” You said a little out of breath as you tried catching up to him to grab the tackle box to carry it for him. Joel didn’t wait for you as he was easily ten feet ahead already, not shocking. The trees danced in the wind as the sunlight slowly started to pour over them, turning them orange. “I can see why you live out here, it’s peaceful, no one bothers you, it’s perfect.” Your eyes dart towards him just to see his initial reaction to you saying no one bothers him, already having a few ideas in mind of how he can be a smart ass about that.

“That’s one of the main reasons why I picked this exact spot to build a cabin. It’s got all the necessities for a loner like me to stay alive..” he trailed off as he sank down along the river's edge setting the fishing rod and tackle box alongside him. “Yeah well..I wouldn’t say it’s perfect. Perfect is like one of ‘em 5 star all inclusive resorts in the Bahamas or somethin.’ Where you can order all the the fuckin’ pina coladas that your heart desires. Although, I'm more of a Mai Tai man myself.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling you all of this. Perhaps it just felt a little nice to ramble on about pointless shit for a moment. “Alright, girlie. You said you wanted to’get down and dirty, yeah?” He was resting on one knee casually. “You know how to dig up worms? Or do ya need me to show ya?”

“I feel like you have a better technique at finding them so what’s the best way?” you asked and clapped your hands together, interlocking your fingers as you watch Joel fidget with stuff in the tackle box. This was your chance to show him you can listen and take notes, be useful to him and that you aren’t just a pretty face.

Joel was 100% hiding the fact that he already had a jar of worms in the tackle box on purpose. You humiliated him earlier with your theatrics so, it was only fair for him to get back at you for it. All's fair in love and war, right? “Well, you gotta get your face real close to the ground, and then to get the worms to come out of the dirt, you gotta chirp like a bird and then one by one, they’ll start poppin’ up out of the ground like damn groundhogs.”

It sounded a little funny when he said it, but you also didn’t want to question him and possibly offend him which would only make him more annoyed with you than he usually is. “Uuhh..okay?” your answer sounded more like a question and you got down on your knees in the wet soil, your palms on the ground as you got your face inches away from the dirt. “S-so I just..chirp?” you looked in his direction just to double check you heard him correctly.

Joel was not expecting you to be that gullible to just go and believe him that easily but damn, he was gonna continue to play along just to see if you would actually do it. “Yep. You just start chirpin’ like a bird and they start poppin’ up, you’ll see.” He had his arms crossed over his chest, his brow raised in your direction. “Well..go on. Get to chirpin’ girlie.”

You hesitated for a second before your lips damn near touched the soil and started to chirp quietly. Not wanting to look like a pussy ass bitch to him, you cleared your throat and started to chirp louder.

Joel did his best to keep a straight face the entire time but as soon as you started chirping louder and really getting into it, he stifled a chuckle. Quickly masking the sound by coughing into the sleeve of his jacket. “Oh my fuckin’ god. I didn’t actually think you were gonna do it!” He grasped your shoulder firmly in his warm calloused palm as he yanked you up from the ground. “Girlie, I didn’t think you were gonna be that gullible. Just wanted to play a little joke on ya. Actually, I already got worms in the tackle box right here.” He was doing his best to not deviously smirk, but he was doing a rotten job at hiding his amusement. “Oops?”

You sucked your cheeks in and looked away silently, refusing to give him any satisfaction in seeing your embarrassment that was smeared across your face. “I knew that.” You quickly wiped the piece of wet dirt off your lip and turned back to Joel who was pissing you off the more you looked at his jackass face.

Joel could tell that you were definitely pissed off with him now and okay, maybe he felt a little guilty for embarrassing you like that. “Hey, dontcha go and give me that look. It’s only fair that I got back at ya after you humiliated me earlier with your hilarious theatrics. Are ya really that upset with me now? C’mon. It ain’t that serious sweetheart.”

Sweetheart. That made your fucking heart jump in your chest. He was right though, you can’t dish it out and not be able to take it. “Yeah whatever, it’s fine. Can I jus’ get the worms please so we can finish and go home, I’m starving.” You’ve been out here for just over an hour but that’s not your fault you’re hungry, he didn’t let you eat before he was out the door about to leave your ass behind. You sat on the bigger rocks facing the river and grabbed the pole off the patch of grass, running your fingers along the cold metal and the small parts scattered around it.

“Well, don’t go gettin’ your hopes up on catchin’ somethin’ right away. It ain’t that easy.” He handed you the jar of worms. His fingers lightly brushed across the outside of your hand. “You ain’t gonna be squeamish about puttin’ a worm on the hook, are ya? They don’t have any pain receptors. At least..I don’t think they do.”

“No, I’ll be alright, I won’t scream too loud.” you smirked and pinched the worm between your thumb and index finger, piercing it with the hook firmly before grinning from ear to ear, showing him you got it. “See! I got it! Now, how do I cast this baby and get some dinner?” Eagerness was dripping from your words and it felt good to learn new things after being alone for so long. Never did you think you’d be out here with a hunk who is also a grumpy old man, learning how to fish with him but here you were.

“Wow, I was expectin’ you to be a tad squeamish. Maybe I underestimated you a little.” He still had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at you. “So, you’re gonna wanna cast the line to the midpoint of the river. You don’t wanna cast it out too far, but you also wanna make sure it goes in deeper water. So bring the rod back behind your shoulder, and then you’re gonna bring it forward over your shoulder, with a bit of momentum to get it out there.” He was standing behind you now. His hands were at your waist, holding you steady. “Take it back nice and slow..” he whispered, lips nearly brushing against the shell of your ear.

At this point he knew what he was doing, this was the second time today he put his hands on you in some form. You couldn’t get distracted though, you had to get this fish to prove his ass wrong. Just as you were going to swing the pole forward into the water, you noticed a frog jumping around and it landed right on your boot. Motherfucking frogs. Your enemy. A blood-curdling scream erupted from your throat and you swear you blacked out. Your body went in any direction you could go but you didn’t even think about the slippery rocks in front of you. Suddenly your bodies were submerged in the icy water, your lungs taking in everything but air. Rocks were cutting up your pants and hands as you crawled out of the water, Joel doing his typical old man groans behind you, only this time curse words were mixed in.

Joel was not expecting you to let out a blood curdling scream that had his good, and bad ear ringing in his skull and when his body hit the shallow water, he immediately felt an intense pain shoot up his spine. His back was already bad enough as it is, but surely this would leave him bruised up. “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!” He growled as he dragged himself out of the water. He was soaked from head to toe and his eyebrows were harshly furrowed in, deep lines etched into the weathered skin on his forehead. “YOU THAT FUCKIN’ SCARED OF FROGS OR SOMETHIN?!” He was fuming as he approached you along the river's edge.

“JOEL STOP IT I'M SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN TO DO THAT!” you exclaimed and stood up taking in as many deep breaths as you could. Blood was trickling down your knees as you came to your senses and realized the sharp rocks must have done that. “I-I’m sorry Joel…I’m sorry I didn’t mea-n to do that.” Your voice trembled as the winds blew against your sopping wet clothes, making them stick to your shivering body. You stopped caring at this point if he saw you cry or not, the warm tears were streaming down your face.

Joel was taking deep heavy breaths to calm his nerves. His hands were holding onto his knees as he hunched over and coughed up a bit of water. His back absolutely felt like it had been hit by a fuckin’ bus and he was shivering too. His features had hardened up until he saw the blood trickling down your knees through the gashes in your pants. Your free flowing tears caused his heart to clench in on itself. He didn’t want to be the cause for your tears. Not when you both could have been swept under the current moments ago. “Shit. Are you hurt?” He was already crouching down in front of you to assess how deep the cuts were. “I’m sorry for yellin’ at you like that. Didn’t know you were that scared of frogs, girlie.” His tone was much softer now. “C’mon. I’ve got a first aid kit back home. We gotta get out of these clothes. I’ll start us a fire so we can get warmed up.”

You reached your hands out for him to help you up, your watery eyes looking at him. Who knew he’d have the heart to apologize. His hands grabbed yours and he tugged you to your feet. “Don’t apologize, it’s my fault we’re shivering our asses off.” you half joked and bent down to grab all the supplies he’d taken out earlier. Joel started heading back but this time he slowed up for you since the slice on your knee had you limping in pain. His hand was dripping little water droplets as you walked and it crossed your mind what he’d do if you just reached out to hold it. You could say it’s to help you walk but let’s be honest, you just wanted to hold his hand.

“No it ain’t. We’re just lucky that the current didn’t sweep us under. We’d be fuckin’ toast then.” He glanced back at you momentarily.

Once you and Joel arrived back at the cabin, he was quick to grab the first aid kit from the bathroom along with a few towels. He was still shivering through his sopping wet clothes, but his natural instincts to take care of you while you were injured was kicking into full gear. He felt pretty shitty inside for yelling at you like that. Sure, he thought it was stupid that a frog caused that whole disaster, but as soon as he saw your tears, he knew he had taken it too far.

You peeled your clothes off your body and put them in a pile on the floor beside you until you were stripped to your bra and panties. The firewood you brought in earlier came in handy as you thanked yourself for being so smart to refill the pile inside. Tossing a few logs in at a time and striking a match before tossing it in, you stared at the flames licking the wood. It was warming your hands up rather quickly and everything seemed to be calming down. For now, anyway.

Joel wasn’t completely paying attention as he walked into the living room. The first thing he noticed was that you had managed to get the fire going already and when his eyes finally zoned in on you, he nearly dropped the first aid kit to the floor. He had not been expecting you to strip out of your clothes as quickly as you had. He couldn’t help himself from looking. It had been a long fucking time since he had last seen this much skin, let alone someone who was quite frankly, stunning. Not to mention, your tits were pretty much staring him right in the face. Plush, round, glistening under the warmth of the fires glow. They were practically spilling out of the bra you were wearing. He cleared his throat, bringing his hand behind his neck, rubbing it nervously. “Uh..give a man some warnin’ next time..yeah?”

Christ.

You giggled softly and crossed your arms in front of you for his sake. “Not really my style but I can do that if you want.” Should you have told him you were almost naked? Sure, 100%. Did you want to? Not at all. If Joel wasn’t going to start making moves and taking note of your flirtiness, you had to be the one to make the moves on him. “Just take your clothes off, I know you’re freezing in them. I’ll keep my hands to myself over here I swear.” You tossed your hands in the air where he could see them and patted the spot on the carpet next to you.

Joel was visibly hesitant as he observed you. His throat was running dry, and his brain was going all fuzzy. “Uh..let me uh—get us some whiskey. That’ll warm us up quickly.” He turned on his heel, leaving wet footprints along the floorboards from his soaked boots. He disappeared into the kitchen, quickly grabbing the bottle of whiskey and took a large swig. Focus Joel. Snap out of it. After one more swig for good luck, he closed the bottle and returned to the family room. He wasn’t sure why he felt so nervous in the first place. He didn’t think he was unattractive, but he didn’t like how your gaze on him appeared to sear through his layers of soaked clothes. He did not like that.

He started with his boots, unlacing them and kicked them off to the side. Before any layers of actual clothing would come off, he bent down over you, placing the bottle of whiskey into your palms. His biggest concern in his mind was how you would react to all the scars along his body. That was truly what he was most self conscious about. His coat dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. You could see that he was visibly shivering as he peeled his long sleeve shirt that was stuck to his body from the moisture. Inch by inch more of his tanned, scar ridden skin was revealed to you.

He struggled to make eye contact with you and instead looked off towards the fireplace, watching the way the flames licked up against the dry wood. He cleared his throat once more as he undid his belt and dropped it to the floor along with his soaked jeans. He wished now that he had taken one more swig from the bottle before doing all of this, but it was far too late to turn back now.

He finally eased himself to sit down alongside you, in nothing but his boxers.

You couldn’t help but watch as he undressed himself, finally showing off his beautiful body. The scars and the uneven tan on his arms didn’t mean one thing to you, he was fucking beautiful.

A puff of air escaped your mouth and your hand covered your face, so enamored by him. “Sorry not sorry if I’m being too forward here Joel, but you’re beautiful…holy shit.”

Joel was frozen where he sat alongside you. He could feel his cheeks, and the tips of his ears turning red by the second. No one had ever called him beautiful. Why would they? He thought himself to be a monster after all. If only you had known about the terrible things he had done, perhaps you wouldn’t think him to be beautiful. “You don’t mean that, girlie. I’m too old and rough to be beautiful.” His tone came out as a rough scoff as he was in disbelief. Was he being serious right now? Was he really going to sit there and tell you that you didn’t mean something you said? You scoffed as your mouth dropped a bit, “I always mean what I say, Joel. You are beautiful and nothing is too rough to me, big boy.” Let’s see how he likes those apples.

#not a survivalist girl #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller #pedro pascal #joel miller x you #the last of us #joel tlou #joel miller fanfiction #joel the last of us #joel miller fic #joel miller x f!reader #joel x reader #frogs are the mortal enemy

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goldenavenger02 · 8 months ago

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hanging onto every sentence

For @badthingshappenbingo. Prompt: Confined To Bed Rest. Suggested by @bracedfangirl who asked for "Lloyd for Confined To Bed Rest"

Ever since they had gotten him back, the metaphoric light in his eyes had faded and had been replaced by a void that was impossible to read, one that made Kai feel sick.

Kai held on tighter when Lloyd flinched in his hold, nearly hitting his head on the curve of Kai's chin; he was pretty sure that there was some form of an apology interspersed with the series of hacking, wet coughs that escaped Lloyd's lips, but between the gasps and the exhaustion, it ended up being unintelligible.

"Don't worry about it," Kai insisted even when Lloyd sagged against him and went scarily still that had him turning to Zane, "is he-"

"He's still conscious," he let out a breath, watching as Zane quickly removed the blood pressure cuff which had caused Lloyd to flinch in the first place, "his vitals are mostly stable, except for…"

He didn't even have to say it, Lloyd's breathing had sounded awful from the moment Cole had pulled the two of them out of the river.

"So, what do we do?"

"Lloyd is the only one who can destroy the realm crystal, which means he has to come with us to Stiix."

'Right. End of the world, Morro, even more terrible things happening to people who don't deserve it.' Kai gently pulled Lloyd out of his slouch as he started coughing again.

"Are you sure all four of us can't just blow it up?"

"Affirmative. Our powers are still too weak from…" Zane's glance shifted towards Lloyd's face for a few brief moments before he returned eye contact with Kai, "from what happened, but it shouldn't take that much of Lloyd's abilities to destroy it."

Kai ran a hand through Lloyd's still damp hair before returning it back to the place around his arm where he had been holding him upright to encourage coughing up the water he had inhaled.

"Zane, he can barely sit up."

"We don't have another choice," Zane's grave tone only made Kai's decision making skills stall to more of a standstill, "if he does not destroy the realm crystal, Ninjago as we know it will be cursed."

Lloyd whimpered in response, which had Kai sitting straight up, but he let out a string of coughs before slouching against Kai once more.

"I know, I know," Kai finally sighed when he felt safe enough to return his gaze back to Zane, "but maybe we should make a backup plan if he's still this bad when we get to Stiix."

'If it were up to me, it wouldn't even be considered.'

"You do make a good point," Zane agreed while clipping a small monitor around one of Lloyd's fingers, "I'm going to update the others and see if we can make a backup plan, but I do not feel comfortable leaving him unattended-"

"I've got him, just don't let everyone decide to make me swim," Kai insisted as he pulled Lloyd upright again, "I've done enough swimming to last a lifetime."

"Very well, but Kai?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe use the towel to dry him off some more."

"Got it," Kai nodded, grabbing it as soon as the door shut behind him and started to towel off Lloyd's hair slowly in order to avoid another harsh flinch, "you still with me, Lloyd?"

He got a few harsh coughs in response that made his own chest twinge in sympathy.

…

Lloyd had managed to stay upright, defeat the preeminent and give a very motivating speech on the deck of the small paddle boat to the point where Kai wondered just how Lloyd had gotten this much energy when he had barely been able to speak that morning.

But when they returned to The Bounty and Lloyd keeled over in a way that renewed the unrelenting panic in Kai's heart, he realized that it was clearly a mix of adrenaline and spite, the same kind that had carried him through his own numerous battles.

He didn't have any new injuries outside of some bruising and minor cuts, 'thank the master', which pinpointed the cause of him falling unconscious as exhaustion, according to Zane.

"He needs sleep, a lot of it," Zane finally determined while Kai stood against the wall, fully prepared to move over to Lloyd's side as soon as he was allowed, "Kai, you'll need to reinforce it."

"After you shower," Kai whipped his head around to see Nya walking in, her under eyes looking only a few shades lighter than Lloyd's, "you smell horrible. I'll take first watch."

"Are you su-"

"Positive, we all took a vote on it," Nya's smirk lit up her face enough for Kai to know that it was mostly a joke, "go shower."

"I'll be back after I'm done," Kai relented, stopping to pull Nya into a tight hug as he found himself overwhelmed with pride that overtook the panic for a few, brief moments, "I'm so, so proud of you."

"Thanks," she returned the hug until he let go, "now go get clean, before I start gagging."

Kai couldn't help but let out a laugh as he found it in himself to go, knowing that Lloyd was perfectly safe with Nya and Zane.

…

"I have never seen…" Kai was going to add "someone who was that hurt two days ago escape Zane's watch for the third time in twenty four hours", but then he was reminded of after they defeated the Overlord the first time and without discussing it with each other, all tried to pull through it without getting medical attention and kept it to himself.

But at least he had given up on going that route after that, unlike a certain green ninja.

"Look, there's no way he would have gone outside in this," Nya gestured to the raging thunderstorm outside the window, "but we need to find him before he does."

"Lloyd!" Kai called out as he and Nya went in separate directions to divide and conquer, "Lloyd, hide and seek at eleven p.m in the middle of a thunderstorm is a really bad ide-" he was cut off by the generator turning off and The Bounty being encased in darkness.

"Great, just great," he muttered, lighting his hand ablaze before continuing to make his way through the ship, "Lloyd!"

He found himself making his way towards the very bottom of the ship; while it was now a glorified storage unit, there was a small, condensed training course down there, the same one Lloyd always took his anger out on when he didn't want to be seen.

He really hoped he wasn't foolish enough to train with fresh injuries, but he also knew that if he was, it was in order to avoid what was really bothering him.

Kai didn't hear any noise coming from behind the closed door, even when he knocked, but he still found himself opening it regardless with a "Lloyd? You in here, buddy."

It was silent for a few beats even as he briefly shined the fire in his hand throughout the room, but that's when he heard a voice coming from behind the door.

"I'm right here."

"Oh, thank the master-" Kai muttered as he shut the door enough so he could get down beside Lloyd, the fire in his hand illuminating the dark circles under his eyes in the worst way which subsequently quelled the anger that had been building since Zane had told them he had escaped again, "you scared us."

"I didn't mean to."

"What is going on, Lloyd?" Kai asked, even though he had a guess in mind after the events of the last month, "you've always been a bit of a flight risk, but this is…you've really outdone yourself."

"Can you go ahead and take me back?"

"So you can run off while everyone is sleeping?" He waited for the inevitable scowl, but still reached over and gently rested his hand on Lloyd's knee when it came, "I'm here for you, whenever you're ready to talk."

"Can you…can you please take me back?"

"Yeah," Kai resigned as he stood up before holding out his hand and helping Lloyd to his feet before leading the way back to his room.

"Oh, thank goodness," Nya muttered as she pulled Lloyd into a tight hug, but Kai could tell that Lloyd's heart wasn't in returning it as he lightly squeezed back, "I'm so glad you're okay."

As Nya helped him back into bed, Kai had to stop himself from pulling her away and voicing his concern that maybe, just maybe, this was the thing that had fully broken Lloyd.

Ever since they had gotten him back, the metaphoric light in his eyes had faded and had been replaced by a void that was impossible to read, one that made Kai feel sick; he couldn't help but wonder if Morro digging into Lloyd's memory and using his body had caused the Lloyd they knew to go down with the preeminent.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #confined to bedrest #heavy angst #bad things happen bingo #my writing #fic #lloyd garmadon #kai ninjago #nya ninjago #post possession #whump

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daceydeath · 2 years ago

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Cigarettes and Cliches (Part 1)

Pairing: Lee Felix x Reader Word Count: 4.3k Genre: college au, slow burn romance, Warnings: 🔞, 18+, minors DNI, swearing, alcohol use, sexual themes,

He was the most impractical guy for you to be interested in, the incredibly handsome cliché bad boy who collected girls like trophies. As hard as you wanted to hate him his persistence and hidden softer side just could be your undoing.

It had been a month since that stupid party where Seungmin had managed to get himself injured, albeit a minor injury, and you were still feeling a bit protective of him. He never told you what the fight was about aside that some guys were being a bunch of dicks about a girl he knew so he stepped in to get them to stop, you never asked any other questions because you could tell he didn't want to talk about it. He had stayed home with you over the weekends for the 3 weeks after that letting Jeongin go and have fun while you made the both of you dinner and either studied or watched a movie together. That changed however on the fourth week.

"Are you going with Jeongin? you asked from the kitchen as they played video games in the lounge, Friday evening had rolled around once again too fast for your liking but you had a shift tonight that you needed to get ready for so you snacked as you finished up a few things.

"Yeah, everyone will have forgotten by now" he grinned back toothily while keeping his eyes focused on his character.

"Boys" you chuckled going around the kitchen island to get to your room "you do remember I'm out tonight yeah?"

"Oooh have a hot date?" Jeongin squealed excitedly pausing the game to look at you hopefully.

"Yeah with a coffee machine you twat, it's Friday night I'm working" you laughed as you shut the door behind you to change, as you did you could here the game not restart like you assumed it would.

"She needs to get out, she needs to date" Jeongin whined softly "There is more to life than her just studying and working".

"I know but you know how hard her parents are on her she got yelled at for over an hour when she told them she moved in here, we can't tell her how to live" Seungmin hissed as you continued to listen at the door.

"I just want her happy, she deserves to be happy and accounting is not going to make her happy it is going to make her parents happy. She will graduate, get a job, sit at a desk and never have a chance at life again to keep people who just run her down all the time happy" Jeongin was arguing getting a little louder as he went.

"Keep it down fuck wit she will hear you" Seungmin scolded "I want her to be happy too but we can't tell her she's making a mistake it isn't our life its hers". After a moment or so more the game unpaused and you could hear the sound of the game filter through the closed door as you rushed to get dressed and go.

"I'll see you guys later" you called as you rushed to the front door and out into the hallway.

Work was busy as always Friday nights usually started quiet and ended up a bit chaotic as people came in for coffee to sober up again, you and a few of the girls called it the witching hour as a joke since pretty much anything could and would happen. Not that you cared Friday nights paid well and you were always happy to have a little extra to spare in the bank if you could manage it. During your break you made yourself an iced tea and sat at the far end of the counter so you were out of the customers way and played on your phone. You could feel eyes on you but you were determined to ignore it you were about to go back on and witching hour was almost beginning, clearing your things you walked back around the counter and put your apron back on pulling in place over your head you noticed him, that pretty Felix guy that helped Seung home that night. He was on the far side of the room watching you with a strange look on his face, the girl hanging off of him hadn't noticed that he wasn't paying any attention to her but his friends had. Taking a breath you got back behind the coffee machine and started on the orders occasionally flicking your eyes to him to see if he was still looking at you which he was every single time.

"Excuse me miss" a honey smooth voice murmured to you making you startle slightly as you turned to him, he was taller than Felix but equally as stunning to look at, like a sculpture come to life.

"Can I help you?" you smiled politely trying not to look dazed.

"I hope so" he almost purred looking you over "I'm Hyunjin" he introduced himself seamlessly.

"Pleasure Hyunjin, but you haven't told me how I can help" you replied tilting your head.

"I was wondering what time you are getting off tonight? I thought you might like to join us" His voice was almost hypnotizing and you were sure that with the combination of this and his looks he could speak to any woman in the cafe and get them to follow him home.

"Who is us?" you asked zeroing on his words not his voice making him chuckled softly.

"In truth it would be you, me and my friends Minho and Felix he gestured behind him where you looked to see Seung's friend glaring at Hyunjin and another handsome guy laughing at him while the girls hanging off of them looked pissed Hyunjin was speaking to you at all.

"I don't think some of your numerous girlfriends would be that happy about that" you smiled politely before turning back to your orders not noticing Hyunjin's slightly baffled expression or how hard Felix immediately started laughing.

Two and a half hours later you were finishing up and saying goodbye to your co-workers when you noticed that Hyunjin, Minho and their gaggle of fangirls were no longer sitting in the back corner of the room however, Felix was still sitting there looking at something on his phone. He hadn't noticed you staring but he seemed to be conflicted about something as he typed then waited then typed again. You knew you should leave it but he was sitting alone in an fairly empty coffee shop on a Friday night which considering his other options seemed odd to you.

"Can I get you anything" you asked casually standing in front of him making his eyes flick up at you prepared to roll his eyes but he stopped as soon as he realized it was you.

"Have you finished for the night?" He asked smiling faintly "you aren't in one of those stupid aprons anymore".

"Yeah I have, thank you for the uniform critique, but I can still get you something if you wanted me to" you smiled awkwardly pressing your lips together.

"I'm good thanks" he nodded as he phone seemed to continue to chime nonstop with notifications.

"Alright then sorry to bother you" you nodded adjusting your bag and starting to turn around.

"You haven't bothered me and it's Felix, I forgot to introduce myself that night at your place after we got Seungmin and Jeongin back" he blurted out seeming every bit as nervous as you which was impossible since he was infamously attractive and had made his way through more girls than you even knew.

"I thought you were hanging out with your friends, at least that's what um...your friend said" you felt your face heat up not being able to remember the name of the handsome guy from earlier.

"Hyunjin" he chuckled looking genuinely happy "Yeah they have gone to party Hyunjin was a little deflated after you shot him down"

"Shot him down?" You yelped your eyes widening at the implication.

"I'm just kidding they were only wanting to tease you anyway, word got around the Seung and Innie have been hiding a cute roommate so Hyunjin just wanted to make them squirm about which one was hooking up with you" he chuckled looking back to his phone to silence it.

"Right...well have a good night then Felix" you mumbled feeling stupid for thinking that they were actually being friendly or that Felix might have hung around for another reason since you had definitely heard him say you were cute that night before he left. You walked towards the door not hearing him call out to you until he grabbed your elbow a few feet outside the café making you jump your heart pounding in your chest.

"You aren't walking home alone are you?" he sighed "It's not safe for girls to walk home alone at night".

"I always walk home alone" you snapped annoyed that he had embarrassed you and now scared you.

"Let me walk you this time then" he replied sounding irritated.

"Why would you even bother, just to give me shit? No thanks I already know that's all I'm good for thanks" You ground out utterly pissed at how handsome he looked but how much of a dick he apparently was. "Besides you didn't care when I was getting chucked out into the night so you could get your dick sucked why start caring now?" You pulled your arm from his grasp and walked away as calmly as you could leaving him as far behind as you could.

When you got back to your apartment you found only Seungmin was home, well his shoes were home but he wasn't alone so you crept passed his door hoping to not disturb him as you made your way to the kitchen to grab some water and painkillers to dull the headache you now had. For a moment you thought Seungmin and Jeongin had been right maybe you did need to date but Felix and his friends showed you just how untrustworthy some guys could be so maybe it was better to just stick to what you knew. As you stood in the kitchen contemplating your non existent love life you heard very familiar voice in the hall, Seungmin was obviously finished entertaining his 'guest' and he was seeing her out with an excuse that the other roommates couldn't know she was there. Sighing you waited to see if Seungmin made his way into the kitchen or back into his room.

"When did you get back?" he asked as he rounded the corner seeing you standing there staring off into space.

"A few minutes ago, I didn't overhear if that's what you're worried about" you sighed not feeling like you could do the normal back and forth with him tonight.

"No, I was just wondering, are you alright?" he asked leaning his back against the counter so he could see your face.

"Long shift, annoying customers" you nodded trying to mask your annoyance.

"You seem sad that's all" he pressed a little making you more irritated.

"I'm fine Seung, I'm just tired" you smiled tightly "I'll see you in the morning" you left him standing there knowing he would ask more questions in the morning hopefully not in front of Jeongin.

Morning came and you had been correct more questions followed though annoyingly Seungmin seemed to have filled in, the not as hung over as you had hoped, Jeongin.

"Do you feel better this morning?" Jeongin welcomed you from the kitchen as you left your room.

"Yeah I do thanks. How was the party? you seem pretty chipper this morning" you smiled hoping you could just have Jeongin spill the tea for the next hour to keep your from having to explain anything.

"It was amazing, Hyunjin and Minho arrived late without Felix which is strange but apparently some girl turned Hyunjin down, like who turns down Hyunjin honestly, anyway that probably isn't true but who knows maybe it is and Minho was giving him shit about it since apparently Felix has a crush on her but that has to be shit Felix doesn't have crushes he fucks his way through campus" Jeongin began which instantly made you annoyed again why would he be so invested in the lives of fuck boys even if they are his friends "but that helped us all hook up though after they picked who they wanted the others just always gravitate towards us since we're their friends, Seung picked up some girl who was devastated that Felix wasn't there so good for him".Jeongin continued to babble and you tuned out continuing to nod like you cared until Seungmin interrupted.

"You have that look on your face again, the one from last night" he called you out easily.

"I'm fine I just had a weird conversation with some friends of yours and one was a jerk that's all" You sighed hoping you could play down everything.

"Which friends?" Seungmin asked seeming surprised.

"Not important Seung was back when I got in from work but you weren't Innie" you prodded "spill".

"Oh yeah so after Seungmin left with that chick Felix did show up and he was pissed, I don't know what happened before he got there, but Hyunjin and Minho were giving him shit then these other guys decided it would be fun to chime in and Felix lost it so he punched one of them and he and Minho ended up taking on like four guys, Felix will probably have a black eye but they are always in fights so it's not like that's never happened before" Jeongin continued loving that your were interested but again Seungmin interrupted.

"Which of our friends were rude to you?" he asked again with far more authority making you frown.

"Hyunjin and Felix, apparently I turned the mighty Hyunjin down even though he only wanted me to hang out with him to give you two shit about which one of you was fucking me and then Felix was a prick about it all, it was nothing really" you sighed.

"Hold on you're the one who turned down Hyunjin?" Jeongin's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I didn't turn him down he came over while I was working and introduced himself then he asked if I wanted to hang out with them after I finished work. I told him that the girls that were all over them didn't seem thrilled with that idea then went back to work" you explained, mainly to Jeongin who was looking like he was too shocked to speak.

"And Felix?" Seung asked softly looking like he knew more than you did which confused you.

"They left, Felix stayed when I finished I asked him if i could get him anything and he told me they only asked me to hang out to give you two shit and then scared the shit out of me on the street when he grabbed my arm, he offered to walk me home. I declined. End of my super exciting story" you tried not to sound fed up but honestly you were not only had they made you feel insignificant, Jeongin couldn't believe they would waste their time on you and Seungmin had slept with Nali, not that he knew that you knew.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to scare you but we have both told you not to walk home after your night shifts and get an cab instead" Seungmin chastised you slightly.

"Did Nali take a cab home after you fucked her then Seungmin?" you snapped looking his dead in the eyes making him flush pink his mouth falling open "Yeah that's what I thought, I think maybe the no dating and no men thing is something I'll stick to for now but thank you for both spending your time worrying that I'm wasting my life" you seethed as you turned walked back to your room to get ready to go out. You had no idea where you would go you just needed to be away from them, it was irrational for you to be angry with them it wasn't their fault that Felix had made you feel like a fool but the fact that they defended him over listening to what you had to say had pushed you too far.

When you reemerged from your room both of the guys looked guilty since they must have realized that they had been overheard their conversations about you at some point but you didn't speak you just scooped up your bag and walked out needing time to calm down before you spoke to them again and apologized for being short with them. Just wandering you found yourself in the public gardens beside the university, you hardly ever took time to wander between your classes, studying, working you didn't actually have time to do much else. The gardens were beautiful in the quiet of the morning, still a little too early for the party goers to have emerged, it was still and quiet which made you feel calmer. Slowly making your way around the pathways you came across no one so you decided to just sit and think. Seungmin and Jeongin were right in a sense, you did live your life to meet your parents expectations and you did do everything you could for them to be proud of you but you were missing out. Maybe you weren't missing much in the way of dating morons or one night stands, which weren't your thing, but just the mere fact you had never even taken the time to actually wander the gardens that were so close to where you spent so much time did prove that you were missing out on really living your life. Sighing you knew you were going to have to apologize to them but only if they were willing to not dismiss you so easily.

"I didn't think gardens were your thing? they don't have anything to do with studying" his deep voice drawled from somewhere to the right of you, shaking you from your thoughts.

"You don't actually know anything about me Felix" you frowned looking towards him to take in his appearance. He wasn't in his trademark leather jacket and black jeans, just blue jeans and a grey hoodie, looking suspiciously young and innocent with the exception of the purplish looking bruise blooming on his cheek.

"I know, but maybe I want to" he shrugged walking over to you and sitting at the opposite end of the bench from you.

"Why bother I'm not going to be another conquest for you so I doubt I'm very interesting to you" you sighed trying not to sound annoyed at him and failing since his face fell slightly.

"Do you think I can't have friends? I don't have sex with every girl I know" he smirked as you looked over his face finding yourself drawn to try to count the freckles on the bridge of his nose.

"From your body count I doubt that very much and that wasn't there when I last saw you" you gestured to his face.

"No I got this later" he murmured looking sad for a moment before schooling his face.

"Want to talk about it?" you offered softly not knowing why you would even ask him, he kept giving you mixed signals and you couldn't decipher them.

"It was just a fight nothing important?" he shrugged fiddling with the cuff of his hoodie a bit. "I'm sorry I scared you last night after you got off work, I called after you but you obviously didn't hear me, I shouldn't have just grabbed you" he smiled at you this time.

"No you shouldn't have, grabbing a woman in the street at night is a dick move, but thanks I guess" you relented.

"Seung said you're doing accounting, do you like it?" he continued still smiling.

"Not really but it's what I'm supposed to do" you admitted reluctantly "I was interested in other careers but accounting is more stable I guess" you explained "What department are you in?".

"Arts" he smiled examining you closely "I'm doing English Lit, is it your parents wanting you to do accounting?".

"Umm... yeah" you nodded slowly now watching him as closely as he was scrutinizing you.

"It's hard to make your parents proud" he breathed sadness flashing across his eyes.

"Yeah it's almost impossible" you agreed clearing your throat awkwardly "I have to head back Felix bye" you half smiled standing up quickly you didn't like how unbalanced he was making you feel.

"You too Choi" he smiled leaning further back on the bench and closing his eyes. Your eyes lingered on him for a few more seconds before you left feeling less annoyed in general but still frustrated by everything.

The walk back to your shared apartment felt longer than it had on the way out this morning which you figured was probably the difference between annoyance and guilt. You could hopefully smooth everything over with Seung and Innie, after all it wasn't their fault you hadn't really explained the situation or how you had felt, you had tried to minimize it which of course would leave to misunderstandings. Plus you liked the boys they were easy to live with so you hoped they wouldn't ask you to leave. Keying in your code you slipped off your shoes and padded towards the kitchen where you assumed they would be to be once again caught in a situation where you were snooping.

"Chan, we didn't mean to make her upset" you could hear a voice whine over the phone.

"Not the point Hyunjin, Seung and Innie have potentially lost a housemate because you guys thought she was an easy source of amusement" Chan groaned and you just stayed still thinking about how to fake that you weren't overhearing another private conversation.

"She seems real nice too" another voice that you didn't recognize said.

"She's better than nice" Seungmin replied dryly "She's kind, sweet and always helpful, not to mention easy on the eye which helps".

"She is cute, is that why you decided to play her? she's the only cute girl one of the three of you hasn't fucked?" Innie almost spat sounding more annoyed that you had heard him before.

"It's not like that" Hyunjin instantly answered "It wasn't about teasing her it was about pissing off you guys and Felix, you should have seen the way he was looking at her she has him whipped and she doesn't even know".

"I highly doubt that" Chan sighed skeptically "Felix doesn't want a girlfriend he wants to stick his dick in every girl he can".

"She's too good for him anyway" Seungmin grumbled "too smart and too steady for the guy who can't date someone for longer than a fortnight".

"Damn Seung savage" one said but you weren't sure who as you crept quietly back down the hallway hearing them laughing, jamming your feet roughly back into your shoes to make nothing suspicious you loudly open and shut the door taking your shoes off again.

"Seung? Innie? you home?" you called down the hall knocking on each of their doors as you passed them.

"In the lounge" Innie called as you made your way into the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab some water.

"Alright look I'm really...Hi" you pretended to be surprised that there were other people in the apartment.

"This is Han" Innie smiled at you like he was actually thrilled you were home "I can't remember if you have met before and of course you know the others".

"Hi all" you waved from where you were standing "Han and I have met, I think I have met all your friends but one now" you poked your tongue into your cheek.

"Who haven't you met?" Seung tilted his head looking at you.

"I think his name is Minho, he's apparently glued to your mates Hyunjin and Felix" you smiled "I mean he waved but you have never introduced me to him, although same could have been said for Hyunjin".

"Yeah we did try to keep you away from them" Innie admitted as you walked around the kitchen island to move closer to the group lounging around on the sofas.

"I noticed" you chuckled "It's fine Innie I get it".

"No it's not because we think you need to stay away from them it's just that we know they aren't your type of person so.." Innie tried to explain quickly.

"Innie, it's fine I don't need to know all your friends I'm not your mother" you laughed rolling your eyes at him before retreating to your room.

"She seems fine guys I don't get why you were so panicked" Changbin chuckled as you shut your door.

"I get Felix's interest now she is pretty cute" Han whisper shouted making you roll your eyes as you heard Seung and Innie protest loudly and they all began bickering.

"Look we both get that she's cute but back off she's like super innocent the last thing she needs is any of you fuckers messing her around" Seung whispered back.

"When you say innocent?" Changbin asked softly.

"She hasn't hooked up with a single guy since she started collage, I'm pretty sure she's a virgin" Innie blurted like he was spilling some kind of tea which made you put your face in your hands embarrassed that they were discussing your sex life.

"How would you even guess that kind of information Innie, bloody hell if she overheard you know she would be mortified" Chan scolded.

"Trust me she is" you yelled through the door hoping that it made them cringe at the whole idea because you were mortified that it had been so obvious to Jeongin that you had pretty much no experience in that department, outside of a few sloppy make out sessions and the moment you lost your virginity which you hadn't enjoyed so you had never bothered to go back for seconds.

"Her bedroom walls are thin" Changbin laughed awkwardly as you flopped down on your bed hoping to not have to face any of them ever again.

a/n: Thank your for reading my lovliest loves I hope you enjoyed it and please know that any likes, reblogs, comments and amazing tags are loved and enjoyed xx

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz, @armystay89, @damnyouficc, @roamingpolar, @bakedlilgoonie, @shiy, @is2cb97, @beautifulixr, @skyhold-tara, @army-stay-noel,

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emomattagenda · 9 months ago

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I Got You

Matt Sturniolo x fem reader

summary: Matt helps reader bandage her hand up after she injures it while making dinner.

contains: fluff, mention of blood, minor hand injury, just a small cut. reader has a crush on Matt and hasn’t told him. also i haven’t written fanfic since i was a teenager so this is very short and probably not great but i just thought it was a cute idea okay thanks for readingggg <3

reader pov

I’m sitting on the couch across from Matt, both of us doing our own thing scrolling on our phones. Nick and Chris had left the house a bit ago, taking an Uber to go see a movie. It was one that Matt and I had both already watched, so we decided to stay behind. We've just been chilling and hanging out, one of us speaking up to show the other something every little bit, content with peacefully hanging in silence.

Matt’s my best friend. Well, all three of them are and have been for years, but things are different with Matt. I’ve been secretly crushing on him for the past year and had no idea what to do about it. I really don’t want to ruin my friendship with him or Nick and Chris and I don't want things to be awkward between us. So I've pretty much accepted I'll either have to get over it or suffer in silence forever. But today has been pretty good, it's pretty rare that it's just me and him alone so it's been nice. I catch myself glancing at him over the top of my phone screen, admiring the way his hair falls a little bit over his eyes, the way he has a small grin on his face when he scrolls by something funny. Matt catches my eyes and speaks up.

"What are you all smiley about?" He asks, a hint of a teasing tone in his voice. I stutter over my words a little as I feel my face get warm.

"Oh, I just..saw a cute tiktok. It was a kitten." I say, lying through my teeth because there's no way I could tell him the real reason.

"Aww, let me see..." He says, starting to lean over to me on the couch but I move over a little and stop him.

"Ah, my for you page refreshed, it's gone." I say, proud of myself for the quick recovery. Matt has a small frown on his face and I can't believe how downright adorable he is.

"Damn." He says disappointedly, and I quickly change the subject.

"Are you hungry? I could make us something..." I suggest, partly because I actually am hungry and partly because I want an excuse to focus on something other than my embarrassment.

"If you want to. If you'd rather go get something or have something delivered, that's fine too." He says, smiling sweetly and I have to look away for a second to calm the butterflies I'm feeling.

"It's fine, really. I'll just make us a couple sandwiches or something, it's no big deal." Matt nods.

"Do you want help?" He asks. I smile and I just can't stop myself from accepting even though I know it will probably make things harder for me. We both head to the kitchen and start getting everything out. Matt gets out a couple plates and grabs the bread while I start preparing the lettuce and tomatoes. I start to cut a couple slices of the tomato when Matt gets my attention from the fridge.

"What kind of cheese do you want for yours?" He asks. I look up for a second as I respond.

"If you have provolone, I'll take tha- ow!" I inhale sharply as I feel a stinging feeling on my hand. I look down and realized I accidentally cut it while slicing the tomato. I set the knife down and Matt rushes over to see what happened.

“I-I’m fine-” I start to insist as he grabs my hand to take a closer look.

“You’re bleeding!” He says. There’s a little bit of panic in his voice but I can tell he’s trying to keep calm for my sake.

“It doesn’t look that bad…” I point out, and he nods, still holding my hand and looking at the shallow cut.

“Yeah, you should be alright. Here, hold this on it and I’ll go get the bandages.” Matt says as he lets go of my hand and hands me a clean hand towel out of one of the kitchen drawers to stop the bleeding. He goes down the hall to his bathroom and returns with box of bandages and a wet washcloth. I start to reach out to grab the items and thank him but he takes my hand instead, guiding me to the kitchen table to sit down.

“Matt, I can take care of it-” I start to insist, but he cuts me off.

“Don’t worry about it, I got you. Besides, it’s kinda hard to bandage your own hand.” He smiles at me and I smile back, my stomach filling with butterflies despite the situation at hand. Matt takes the washcloth and gently cleans the cut. The bleeding has stopped now so it doesn’t look nearly as bad as before, it wasn’t anything serious but Matt seeming so concerned and taking care of it for me anyway is so sweet. After he cleans the cut he takes a bandage out of the box and opens it, carefully sticking it over the cut. He doesn’t let go of my hand right away.

“There we go. All better.” He says with a sweet smile.

“My hero.” I remark, immediately blushing and regretting my choice of words. He chuckles and, taking me by surprise, kisses my hand over the bandage. I feel my face heat up and I know my cheeks are probably bright red. We both chuckle a little awkwardly together and I clear my throat.

“We, uh…we should probably just get something delivered after all.” I suggest. He lets out a small laugh and nods.

“Fine by me. Wanna get some pizza and watch a movie?” I smile, and suddenly the pain in my hand isn’t bothering me at all anymore.

#sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #matt sturniolo x reader #matthew sturniolo x reader #sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo fluff #matt sturniolo fanfic

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therizino-ao3 · 10 months ago

Text

mcyt valentines 2024: The Big Eyes Bug

gift for @raccoontho @mcyt-valentines

contains: body horror, zombie apocalypse, bugs, worms, eye injury, mind control, parasites, minor character death, imprisonment, character being handcuffed/chained, misgendering (not in a trans way, in a not believing a zombie is a person way and using it/its)

word count: 5430

summary: Zedaph loves worms. Now, if only they loved him back.

Zedaph would like to say that he was right all along to everyone who had ever doubted him. His mother, his father, his entire small village, his college roommate, all his extended family, and that one guy that made fun of him that one time. Unfortunately, he can’t say that, because in the ensuing apocalypse which PROVED he was right to study helminthology, they all died. But, he can think about it in his head, and imagine the annoyed faces they would make instead of imagining their disfigured bodies, and it makes him feel better.

He is somewhat worried about his food supply. So far, hiding in a high school cafeteria has been pretty lucrative, but after spending a week moping about in one, you begin to run out of crisp packets and mini brownies and satsumas. It’s a pretty safe area, every door thick and lockable, not to mention that the entire site is empty – what kid could be bothered to go to school in these conditions? It’s a far cry from supermarkets, he’ll say. Every single supermarket Zedaph has seen so far has not only been thoroughly looted of anything useful but also littered with bodies and guts. There’s no doubt everything in there is contaminated with eggs. Overall, even though it is a bit weird for a random adult man to be hiding in a school, it’s working out.

He hears footsteps. Maybe it isn’t working out, then.

He tries not to panic. This isn’t the first time a zombie has come by here. Well, calling them zombies feels a bit weird, since they’re still alive, but thinking about the fact they’re still conscious as something controls their brain and mutilates their body is worse - plus “zombie” sounds cooler than “fluke host”. So, zombie it is. Anyways, sometimes some stray zombies wander past the school, but none have attempted to break in and chances are they’re all sacrificial hosts. He just needs to stay quiet, so they don’t alert the shepherds. It’ll be fine.

The footsteps aren’t the regular, lumbering kind though. They vary in pace and have an air of confidence to them, so the person they belong to definitely has fine motor control. That’s bad. That means either a shepherd or a survivor. He isn’t sure which is better. Logically, the survivor would be, but in zombie apocalypse movies, aren’t the other survivors usually evil? He hasn’t even watched any movies like that, so he’s just guessing from what he’s heard, but they might try to eat him or steal his supplies or… something. At least a shepherd is predictable, a survivor could do anything.

Something crashes outside, Zedaph wonders if they’re trying the doors. He gulps. Well, if they come in here, whoever they are, he’ll fight him! He’s got big scary horns for a reason! And he isn’t afraid to use them!

He hears some doors being swung loudly on their hinges, sounding far too close for comfort. The fight instantly leaves him and he starts to think about escape. Part of the reason he chose the cafeteria was due to the exit options. One door leading to some classrooms, one door leading to a courtyard area, and one door in the kitchen leading to the outside. The last one is his only real choice, considering the noise is coming from the classrooms and he’ll get caught easily in the courtyard. He hates the idea of going outside, exposed to the sky, but it’s not like he can do anything else.

And just as he’s finished making up his mind, he realises that the person has already forced his way into the room, past Zedaph’s rudimentary barrier of plastic chairs. He’s a guardian, short with a fluffy beard, kitted out with a heavy rucksack and a belt adorned with tools. A respiratory mask hangs around his neck.

“Uh,” says the guy. He doesn’t have any visible broodsacs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s uninfected.

“Uhhhh,” says Zedaph, standing like a deer in headlights.

“Are you-”

“Please don’t kill me!” he interrupts, voice going high with hysteria.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” the man says, looking a bit amused. He takes a few steps forward. “From that reaction, I am guessing you’re uninfected?”

“Yep, totally free of parasites, me,” Zedaph says, giggling nervously.

“Righhht. I am so sorry, by the way, I didn’t know there was anyone here. You’re doing a really good job at hiding, I totally thought this place was abandoned,” the man holds out his hand, “I’m xB.”

Zedaph shakes xB’s hand – he thinks he’s supposed to shake his hand? He hopes xB didn’t want to hold hands instead because that would be awkward. xB looks at him, as if waiting for something. Oh right, he’s waiting for an introduction, “I’m Zedaph, nice to meet you!”

“Well, mister Zedaph,” xB pulls his hand back, “it is nice to meet you too! I haven’t met many others. I’m alright to chat for a little bit, but this has kinda been a bit of a stop in my plans. Do you mind if I grab some food while I’m here?”

Zedaph turns to where xB is looking – the kitchen – before turning back, “Um, yeah, grab as much as you want. Sorry for interrupting your… plans.”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault for being here, it just means I’m gonna have to find somewhere else to base for the next few nights,” xB wanders over, rooting through Zedaph’s food supplies as they talk. Zedaph follows. Maybe it was a bad idea letting xB take some of his precious food, but he wasn’t just going to tell xB to starve.

“You can stay here, I won’t mind,” Zedaph says whilst xB stuffs one of his six trouser pockets with raisin packets.

“No, no, it’s… there’s gonna be a lot less food here than I imagined and, to be honest, I prefer being alone,” Zedaph isn’t sure what to say to that (or what to say to anything in general, actually. He hasn’t talked to people in months). xB starts again, “So! What was your job before all this? I was a security guard.”

“Security guard! Like at a museum?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, I was, and I like to think still am, a parasitologist.”

xB giggles, “A what?”

“Parasitologist! Helminthologist, specifically. I study parasitic worms. Truthfully, I’ve been obsessed with worms ever since I was little. Just couldn’t get enough of them. Worm man, the kids used to call me.”

xB is alert now, straightening up, “Wait. Parasitic worms, like, the ones out there?”

“Well, a lot more than just the big zombie ones, but yes.”

“So, for the ‘big zombie ones’, you could tell me all about how they work and how to stop them?”

“Basically!” Zedaph says, spurred on by someone finally being interested in his research, “It’s somewhat hard because this isn’t a species we ever knew about before – I imagine they went extinct in the wild sometime in the last Ice Age, but some eggs were frozen and, well, off-topic, anyway! The point is, even though this is a species new to science, they share a lot of similarities to other helminths, such as ones in the Leucochloridium genus. I have also been doing a lot of observing and taking notes - and though it would help to be able to properly dissect and analyse specimens - I have some theories on their life cycles and mechanisms.”

“Right,” says xB with bright eyes, “Y’know, I might have just had a change of plans.”

“You’re staying?”

“For the night. Anyways, can you continue on? I want you to explain why some of the infected are smart zombies and some are normal zombies, please,” xB has forgotten about the food, pulling up a stool to sit on.

“Of course, of course,” Zedaph grins, “So, the worm at this stage has one goal: get eaten by a dragon. This is because the dragon’s belly is where the worm reproduces and the microscopic eggs get spread by the dragon poop and pee and tears and breath and all the other gross stuff. When the parasite gets into your system, it makes these… tendrils. They connect to your nervous system and brain and send their own impulses, controlling your body. You also have the broodsacs which is the whole, y’know, eye situation. Anyway! Most infected want to get eaten by the dragons to spread the eggs, yada yada. But! People are smart. We’d soon figure out what the parasite’s plan is and develop something to kill eggs and capture all the wild dragons and what not. So, the parasite needs to be smart too and there is a smart brain right there waiting to be used. Every now and again, an infected becomes what I like to call a shepherd, helping to guide the other zombies and stop the uninfected from causing trouble, often by manually infecting people. It’s extra interesting because the sacrificial hosts – that’s what I call the other zombies, because their purpose is to get eaten – seem to be able to communicate with shepherds, maybe by pheromones?”

“That is interesting,” xB says, eyes focused on Zedaph. It’s almost unnerving how much he’s staring, really.

“One question for you, actually,” Zedaph says, because it’s been on his mind since he saw xB, “What is a seafolk doing out here? Bit far from the ocean, aren’t we?”

xB bites his lip, “Yeah. I would have stayed there, but the infection was waterbourne. Underwater cities were where the first major outbreaks happened. Coastal areas were mobbed with infected. The best decision was to leave as fast as possible. Besides, I have a friend inland, so it’s not like I’ve never been this far out before. Plus, for a guardian, land travel is manageable with lots of water, and I have a purifier, so…”

“Makes sense,” says Zedaph, who hopes that’s a sensible and compassionate answer, because currently all his mind can focus on is how the parasite is able to spread so well in water. Do the eggs hatch into a microscopic worms well-adapted to an aquatic environment that are able to enter people through the gills? Is this the same form they take in the body or one unique to ocean environments? Is this hatching activated by proximity to water? Or a certain temperature? Or a certain salt concentration?

xB doesn’t seem to mind Zedaph’s failings at social interaction, because he asks for Zedaph to explain more things.

Zedaph loves explaining. Issue is, the parasite is very complicated, and though Zedaph loves complicated, it is a bit inconvenient when you have to try and explain the ins and outs of a trematode lifecycle to someone who knows only basic biology. Nonetheless, xB is a good listener and asks questions and all the awkwardness Zedaph initially felt at having to talk to someone when he hasn’t in so long has melted away. Eventually, they’re both tired from laughing too much (even in the face of morbid topics, xB makes some good jokes) and Zedaph leads xB to the feeble pile of abandoned jackets and dish cloths he calls his bed. In response, xB retrieves a sleeping bag from his rucksack, and Zedaph may or may not have pleaded really, really hard to share it because he doesn’t want to spend another night shivering, so he instead goes to bed cramped next to a man he has known for a few hours. It’s the best sleep he’s had in weeks.

xB just has to go and ruin it all by pointing a gun at his head.

“HYUUHHH? YAHHH?” Zedaph yowls. He’s never really been a morning person, so you can’t expect him to formulate a good response at 6 AM.

“You. Are coming with me. And you are going to do everything I say so you don’t get killed. M’kay?” xB is standing over him, all prepared and everything. It isn’t fair. Zedaph bets he’s a morning person.

“Whatever you say,” he manages, in a small voice.

xB stops pointing the gun at him but keeps it in his hand. He chucks Zedaph a Naruto-themed backpack. He must have found it in the dining area, left by some teenager ages ago. There’s a large patch of mould growing over Kakashi’s face. Zedaph scrambles to pick it up, peaking inside to see it’s been stocked with food and water bottles. So, he’s making Zedaph his mule, making him carry around things for him, ridiculous! xB then puts on his respiratory mask, before motioning for them to exit.

Zedaph blinks as he steps out, already feeling anxious. The sun is beginning to rise, tinting the sky pink.

“Okay, so where would we need to go to get the treatment for the parasite?” xB asks, his voice muffled by the mask.

Zedaph splutters, “I thought you were the one leading me around!”

“I am, but, where I’m leading you to depends on where the cure is. Like, do you need a laboratory, or can you find stuff in a pharmacy, I’m waiting for you, man.”

He pauses before answering, “Probably a vet. They tend to have a lot more antihelminthics on hand. Typically, you tend to see worms more in dogs than humans.”

“Alright, now you follow me,” xB says, raising the gun as reminder, before tucking it into a gun holster and trotting away.

Zedaph swallows and does as commanded.

At least xB seems to know what he’s doing. They stick to alleyways and gardens and hedgerows and other very hidden routes, where they’re unlikely to be found by shepherds and aren’t too open to the sky. Unfortunately, there isn’t really a time of day where the infected go all sleepy, but at least travelling during the day they can see where they’re going.

It occurs to him that xB must know this area pretty well, given he’s taking weird shortcuts with no map and yet is no less confident. Maybe this is where his “inland friend” is. Zedaph doesn’t really know where anything is, unfortunately. Ever since this whole thing kicked off he’s just been running randomly until he finds somewhere decent to stay.

Their trip is uneventful, save the occasional roar of a distant dragon, until about 2 hours later. The path they are following bends to the right, and poking their heads around the bend, they see a sacrificial host.

It stands, swaying, in the centre of the pathway. Clothes still cling to its body, though torn and stained with all manner of fluid. The mouth is slack open, the skin is tinted green and Zedaph can see odd rashes covering parts of the body. Its eyes bulge, an ungodly amount, to the length of an arm, the cornea stretched to the verge of breaking. Taking occupation in each eye is a broodsac, a thick pulsating mass like a caterpillar, banded green and red and white, writhing. They each move independently, one twisting up to the sky, feeling for light. The other slumps. The thing that once was a person – and still might be, deep inside, Zedaph reminds himself – stumbles towards a spot not covered by the shadows of the surrounding trees. One of the legs looks twice the size of the other – there must be a third broodsac in there. The creature comes to rest once at its destination and both eyes reach up as far as they can before rhythmically bobbing to try and catch the attention of a dragon.

It's been a while since Zedaph has seen one in person. The parasite is amazing. He feels a bit guilty for thinking that. He wants to keep staring but wants nothing more than to run away at the same time. xB tugs his arm and breaks him from his thoughts. They carefully walk past, making sure to keep a decent distance and not make too much sound. The sacrificials will only notice you if you’re obvious. They leave it behind them with no issue.

After an hour they arrive at “Pro Vetz: We Cure Animals For Less Money Than Other Vets”. The sign is missing 5 letters, but there is a crusty outline where the letters were, so you can still read it fine. He can see why xB chose it, it’s hidden between clumps of warehouses and nowhere near any housing estates. That being said, whilst it is the apocalypse, it’s only been the apocalypse for a little while, and it is perhaps the most derelict veterinary establishment he has seen in his life.

Zedaph glances at xB, “I’m not comforted by the sign.”

“If it works it works, if not, we have enough food to bunker down here for a little bit and we’ll try somewhere else,” xB says, opening the door, “After you.”

He creeps inside, looking around the dark waiting room. There’s a dark puddle of something in the centre and some of the chairs have been pushed around. xB takes off his mask; there’s little point in wearing them inside, the eggs will just be settled on surfaces. Zedaph is also not sure if they are that necessary outside, given the only way an egg could be breathed in is if a dragon is literally exhaling on top of you, but he doesn’t have the courage to tell xB that.

“I don’t think we’re the first ones here,” he whispers.

xB hums, staring at the surroundings before heading over to the door at the back, “We’ll just wash our hands after we leave in case of eggs, we should be fine.”

Zedaph watches xB pull his gun out before tugging open the door and charging through. Zedaph follows, unsure what else to do.

The door leads to a corridor, with some doors either side leading to operating theatres, one to a collection of cages to keep sick animals in, and one final door leading to all the stock. The place is silent and xB lets him through to look at their de-worming medicine.

“So, is there a particular reason for your forcing-me-to-come-with-you-and-get-anti-worm-medicine thing?” Zedaph asks as he shuffles through boxes. He’s looking for praziquantel, or even metrifonate or triclabendazole or something.

“Let’s just say I have a motive.”

“That? Answers nothing?”

“I know,” xB giggles, “Okay, fine, I want someone I know to get treated of the infection. And I want some supply of drugs in case something happens to me. And I want to keep you around because it’s useful to have someone who understands how the infection works. There, that’s the truth.”

Zedaph isn’t sure how to feel about being called useful - his parents always said he was useless. At the same time, he’s not sure if it’s that much of a compliment when xB says it. He’s also starting to realise xB might have just been enthusiastically listening to him infodump about parasitic worms for the purposes of learning how to defeat them, rather than genuine interest in said worms. And it’s not like Zedaph judges him for that, it is the apocalypse and xB wants to survive, that’s understandable. He just kinda thought that, well, he finally found someone who truly wanted to hear what he had to say. Overall, he feels weird.

He responds with what he knows: worms, “Right. Just be aware I’ve never tried this medication for this specific species and with the way the parasite affects the body, best case scenario, they will probably lose their eyesight and some mobility. Worst case scenario, they die.”

“I kind of expected that. I consider myself lucky enough to have simply found someone who is able to cure him, like, I totally thought it was a fruitless mission. I wouldn’t have given up but, I am grateful.”

“I would be grateful if you didn’t threaten to shoot me,” Zedaph says, because okay yeah he is really annoyed about that actually. Annoyed might be the wrong word, someone who you trusted pulling a gun on you is more of a “betrayed” really.

“I wasn’t actually going to shoot you,” says xB, like it’s obvious, “The sound would alert all the zombies to where we are and it would be a waste of bullets.”

“You could have just asked me to come with you, I would have said yes.”

“I- Yeah. I probably should have done that, sorry.”

Zedaph is kind of tempted to keep going, insult xB a little, but whilst he probably deserves it, Zedaph isn’t sure how long he’ll be able to survive without him. And he did get an apology, so maybe xB will learn to be a little less… threatening-y and more… caring-y.

“Anyways, found it!” he exclaims, pulling out praziquantel.

xB cautiously pokes his head out of the store, and confirming there’s no zombies outside, gestures for Zedaph to follow him out.

“Okay, we need to go to a base I’ve set up a few hours away. We’ll try and see if there’s somewhere we can stop for lunch and so I can get rehydrated, all right with that?”

Zedaph nods.

They weave between warehouses, before finding their way to an alleyway. There’s a lot of turns and Zedaph is reminded uncomfortably by a maze. He is then reminded uncomfortably of a horror movie when something grabs him from behind.

Held, he tries to let out a yelp but a hand dashes in front of his mouth. xB is a few metres ahead of him and doesn’t seem to notice Zedaph’s struggle. His attacker keeps him still, allowing him to watch the only person who could help him walk away, until he deems it safe slam Zedaph to the ground.

He groans, asphalt denting his face. Zedaph swivels to try and face his attacker and sees a face he recognises. Tango, his former friend, with bulging red eyes and rashes all over his face. His eyes aren’t nearly as large as an ordinary zombie, and with the wicked grin on his face, Zedaph has no doubt he’s a shepherd.

Tango was… something in Zedaph’s life. The first friend he ever had, at age 7, Tango was willing to put up with Zedaph showing him all the weird bugs he found, and in return, Zedaph listened to Tango talk about spaceships and dinosaurs and cars and anything else. They grew even closer together and were inseparable, until in their late teens where they fell out and never spoke to each other again. Y’know, just normal friends stuff.

“Hey Zeddy.”

And out of everything today, that’s what breaks him. Because it isn’t even Tango saying that, it’s a worm inside of him, using data in Tango’s brain to say what it thinks will get Zedaph to stay still long enough for him stuff eggs down his throat. And it works. Because Zedaph loves worms so much, and he loves this worm (still, despite everything), but why does it have to do that to Tango, why does it hurt him? Because Zedaph misses Tango so much (he hates that he does), but why does Tango have to hurt him? Does he still think Zedaph is worthless? Is there still a Tango in there, or is Tango’s brain just a database of old memories and actions for the worm to pick and use? If Tango was still here (but he is here) would he apologise?

A gunshot jerks Zedaph out of his mind and the body of the thing that was Tango rolls off of him.

xB stands far away, panting, holding the gun.

Zedaph looks at the body. A hole is in its head. Its hand is clutched, no doubt holding eggs. He forces himself to his feet and comes to stand by xB.

“Did you know him?” xB asks.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry,” xB says and hugs him. Zedaph wasn’t expecting that, but it’s not like he dislikes the hug. Actually, he really needed it, probably. Thoughts are hard. xB pulls away eventually though.

“I hate to rush you, but like, every zombie in the area heard that and we should really be running now.”

Zedaph nods and runs.

They’re silent until they reach an old garage. xB lifts the door and they both usher inside. It’s been over an hour and xB must assume they’re safe now.

They haul off their bags and xB motions to them, “Eat something, please.”

Zedaph does that, after spraying some sanitiser on his hands, going straight for the chocolate because he’s feeling rough right now. Meanwhile, xB takes off both his mask and his shirt, something that greatly confuses him until he realises xB is probably checking up on his gills. He is. xB undoes the tape cover on them and lets water run over them.

“I lied,” xB says.

“Huh?”

“About being a security guard, I was actually a hitman.”

“Huh,” Zedaph says, that probably makes sense, given how accurately xB was able to shoot from such a distance, “Did you kill anyone?”

xB looks at him weirdly and giggles, “I mean, yeah, duh, that was my job.”

“I- Yeah, I really should have thought that through,” Zedaph begins to laugh too, a little hysterically, maybe, but who can blame him.

After xB eats, they continue on. They come across a few sacrificial hosts which are easily avoided, and that’s it.

The place where xB is storing his infected friend looks inconspicuous – a decent sized house, a bit run down, behind a public park. Before they go in, xB spends a while surveying the doors, windows, and surroundings, telling Zedaph he has memorised the default condition of the house and needs to check if anything has changed, which would be a sign of an intruder. After 10 minutes xB extracts a key to use on the kitchen window and leads Zedaph in.

“Why don’t we use the front door?” he asks while xB is relocking the window.

“I have it trapped. Most, but not all, people will try the door first to get in. I – and the people I trust – will know it’s unsafe, so only malicious people will get harmed.”

It takes Zedaph a second to realise, “You trust me?”

xB looks back at him, as they wander through the dark hallway, “Of course. You are far too cowardly to try and do anything.”

That’s fair.

They head into the basement and Zedaph is greeted with the sight of a homemade prison cell, barbed wire and chicken netting combined into a grisly metal mesh, held in place by bars of wood, nailed to the floor and ceiling. There’s a tiny flap at the base, probably for sliding food in or something. Inside is a zombie, with some of the largest broodsacs in its eyes Zedaph has ever seen. It has braided hair alongside hooves, showing it was once a satyr like Zedaph. It is also handcuffed and chained to the wall in 4 different places, in case the barricade and locked basement door weren’t enough to keep it down here.

“Princess? Is that you? Did you bring a friend?”

“Hello Keralis,” says xB, “And yes, I did. This is Zedaph.”

“Well, hello there mister Zedaph,” the zombie says with a sweet voice, “Can you please tell xB here to let me out? This isn’t very nice.”

“It’s a shepherd?” Zedaph asks xB.

“Yes. He is a shepherd, smart, talking zombie thing. And no, we’re not letting you out, because every time I do, you try to kill me.”

“Kill my princess? I would never do that.”

“You have though! You try every time.”

He frowns, “I’m left-handed, xB. You can’t blame me.”

xB giggles, “I think you’re a bit more than left-handed, Keralis. I think you’ve got Big Eyes.”

Zedaph is thinking about Tango. He should probably stop doing that, “Right, like I said, I can’t guarantee he’ll survive, or that this will even work, just keep that in mind.”

“I know,” says xB, “Set up the you-know-what-because-I-don’t-want-to-say-it-in-front-of-him upstairs.”

“What are we talking about?” asks Keralis, or once-was Keralis, as Zedaph runs upstairs.

Part of him hopes the medicine doesn’t work, because if it does, well, Tango. He feels mad at xB for killing him. He feels mad at himself for letting xB kill him. He feels mad at himself for getting mad at xB for saving his life. He feels mad at himself for hoping the medicine won’t work. He feels mad at himself- for a lot of reasons, you get the gist.

He focuses on the praziquantel. What dose would be appropriate? He took all the boxes they had, so it’s not like he’s running out any time soon. Typically, he’d default to 75mg/kg/day over 3 doses for non-identified trematodes, but in this case, the infection is quite extreme. He decides to go with 100 mg/kg in three doses for today, and then work from there, like neurocysticercosis. Both parasites affect the brain so he hopes the dosages work similarly. Since the pills are intended for animals they can be crushed, which makes it easy to give to Keralis since it can be hidden in food.

xB comes up and Zedaph explains the situation.

“That’s perfect. When I’m here I try to give him three meals a day, so we can work that in. I have a whole room dedicated to storing food, so I should be able to support all three of us for 6 months at least.”

“Oh, it will take far less than 6 months. Don’t worry. Probably like a month, max.”

xB smiles. They prepare Keralis a lovely meal of crisps and granola bars and dust the whole thing with 30mg/kg of praziquantel and return to the basement.

“Here you go, dude,” xB slides the plate under the mesh flap.

“Hmmph,” Keralis says, awkwardly dragging the plate over in his tied up condition. He has to eat by sticking his whole face into the food, since his hands are handcuffed and attached to the wall. Zedaph almost feels bad.

Keralis lifts his head up to talk halfway through, “This guy… I haven’t been fed in a week and now all the food you give me tastes bitter!”

“I left you a week’s worth of food in here before I left. And beggars can’t be choosers,” xB responds.

Keralis huffs and finishes off a granola bar. Zedaph is counting himself lucky that the awful taste of the medicine didn’t give their plan away when he hears a thump from upstairs. Everyone looks up – including Keralis, whose massive eyes manually tilt up.

“Wow, your roommate sure is noisy,” Zedaph says.

xB clenches his fists, “Only Keralis and I live here.”

“I really hoped you weren’t going to say that.”

xB glares at Keralis, “Was this your doing?”

“No, no! For real this time! This is,” Keralis pauses for a moment, “Ohh, I see. Now you’re both in trouble. Someone’s coming.”

xB swears and pulls out his gun. Zedaph is caught between fear and wanting to ask Keralis the details of how long-distance worm communication works.

The basement door creaks as its opened.

“Hello hello everybody, I’m Etho!” the shepherd announces. It has one ordinary eye, dark and brown and wet, and one livid red twitching eye. The entire right side of its face is bumpy and rashes bloom on the skin. It points its gun at Zedaph, “And there’s some things going on here that I don’t quite like.”

Zedaph remembers something he said to xB yesterday. Something about shepherds stopping the uninfected from causing trouble. He thinks about the praziquantel to kill the worms. He thinks about how the sacrificials can summon a shepherd. He thinks about how Etho has one unmarred eye and how you need good vision to aim a gun. He thinks about how infinitesimally small a chance it is that Tango would be a shepherd and happen to run into Zedaph. He thinks about how he hears so many more dragons going outside now, and about the old enchantments that kept them from urban areas, which would need to be undone. He thinks about how the shepherd/sacrificial determination can’t be chance. He thinks about queen bees and hiveminds and pheromones.

He thinks about all the worms and parasites he’s studied over the years. He thinks about how simple and familiar worms are, how nobody seems to get it but him, how if there were ever to be a worm-led apocalypse, of course he’d be the only one who could stop it.

And as xB aims his gun at Etho in return, Zedaph thinks that the worms chose the wrong enemy.

---

woooo! happy (belated) valentines day! I hope you enjoyed! i thought it would be fun to leave you on a semi-cliffhanger

this ended up being quite heavy on the body horror and apocalypse, though I know you've written body horror in the past so I wasn't too worried.

originally there was a lot more about the worldbuilding and species stuff beyond the little hints here, but I ended up not really fitting with the way the story was shaping up. essentially, this is an urban fantasy world, similar technology to our world but with added magic, with a lot of mythological creatures. you have the fieldfolk (satyrs, minotaurs, fairies, anything woodsland-like) and the seafolk (mermaids, guardians, sirens, selkies), alongside wild fantasy animals (such as dragons).

and: WORMS!!! as soon as I saw xb on your characters requested list, I was thinking about an apocalypse fic (I've been loving the mlp infection AUs and mawofthemagnetar did a lovely zombie apocalypse fic involving xb which inspired me). I am a biologist so whenever I think about zombie apocalypses I want to try to subvert them and introduce (somewhat) realistic facets of biology. viruses have been done to hell and fungi have gotten popular but I've never seen anyone do parasitic worms before, which I think is a shame! this is the species the fic is based on (warning for worms/snail + eye injury + animal in pain), which not only looks unique but does "mind control" its hosts (infected snails move towards light), and as soon as I realised I was doing worm zombies, a certain zedaph on your requested characters was a perfect fit.

in the original draft of the plot, wels and bdubs showed up, and etho had so many different roles I considered during brainstorming - a fellow survivor who tried to attack them, a mediator between the worms and survivors, etc etc. here it isn't too explained what he is due to the dramatic ending, but you can kind of see what I'm getting at. Zedaph initially assumes the worms are just worms, and the shepherd/sacrificial distinction just randomly occurs and is a simple adaptation to help the species survive. at the end, he realises that there's some kind of higher force within the worms choosing which hosts become shepherds, e.g. to best target Zedaph, and letting the worms communicate long-range. Etho I imagine is a specialised agent - with his normal eye - used for assassinations

I'd love to upload this to ao3 if you'd be alright with that, I can set it as a gift for you

#its done wooo! this was so fun to work on. would maybe add onto this concept in the future #therizino writes #mcyt valentines #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fic #fanfic #cw body horror #cw death #cw bugs #cw worms #cw mind control #zedaph #xbcrafted #keralis #not tagging the others since they barely show up #long post

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morganaspendragonss · 1 year ago

Text

a worry that i can't place

happy holidays vera (@lutavero)!!! here is your secret santa gift, i hope you like it! i chose to focus on the superhero and fluff with established relationship prompts. sending you so much love and all the best for now and the new year! 💚💚💚

also please send me your ao3 if you have one i forgot to ask sorryyyyy

ao3 | 1.4k | au based in canon, canon-typical injury, remember that time buck got struck by lightning in 911?

title from ease my mind by ben platt

“TK! TK! Firefighter Strand, do you copy?”

“I haven’t got a pulse!”

“Do better!”

Carlos had grown used, over the years, to the bruises and scratches that appeared on TK’s skin every now and then. He was used to the blowing in and out, the late nights and early mornings, the unpredictability of their lives. It was all part and parcel of being married to an international superhero.

Or, officially, ex-international superhero. As far as everyone else was concerned, The Flash had gone offline years ago and conspiracy theories were left swirling in his wake; some claimed he’d died, others that he was in witness protection, others still that he was being hunted and so had to keep a low profile.

Carlos knew the truth: that TK had been suffering in New York under the constant pressure of being the city’s salvation. There’s a longer story there, too, one that he’s not quite managed to draw out in its entirety, but he’s aware of the heartbreaking gist.

(“My dad found me,” TK told him one night, about a year into their relationship. “Drink and drugs don’t touch me anymore, they haven’t since… Anyway, they didn’t work so I went looking for trouble.

“I found it.”)

He can read well enough between the lines of nuclear breakup and everything’s just grey to figure out what TK meant.

But, TK had confessed, as much as he had wanted to get away from the spotlight, he was never going to be able to give it up entirely. He still had to do something with this power he’d been given.

So Carlos knows a second truth: that The Flash isn’t really gone.

He worries, of course he does. It’s impossible not to when your boyfriend-fiancé-husband is off doing god-knows-what – and that’s only when he’s at work. But Carlos grows used to it, stops freaking out at the minor injuries TK sometimes sustains and starts being ready with whatever TK might need, even if it is just a warm bed to climb into and a husband to hold.

But there’s something – it got lost between Iris and the wedding and his father and work and and and, but Carlos remembers – that keeps bothering him, that’s made his fear increase of late.

He’s anxious enough anyway, given what TK’s been through just at work, but…

“Babe?”

TK rouses from his position on his lap, blinking sleepily up at Carlos. He’d got off shift a couple of hours prior and they’d not long had dinner; TK tends to go out like a light pretty quickly after being fed. Carlos feels bad for disturbing him now, but he has to know.

“What did you mean, three comas?”

TK’s brow scrunches up adorably in confusion. “Huh?”

“When Iris was here,” he clarifies. “You said you’d been in three comas, but only two since you came to Austin. I know about those two, but you’ve never told me about the third. Or…first, I guess.”

“Oh.” TK pats at Carlos’s arm to be let up, and once he’s sitting, he throws Carlos a wry grin. “I thought I’d gotten away with that one. Nice recall, Detective.”

“Still not a detective,” Carlos corrects mildly, but – not the point. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, TK. I guess… I worry about you when you’re out there. On the job you have people to back you up and you still got hurt enough to end up in a coma. Twice. You don’t have that the other times. I just want to know that you’re safe.”

TK smiles and leans in to kiss his cheeks. “You’re sweet,” he says. “And you already know I save the most dangerous stuff for work. But if you’re asking if the first coma was anything to do with The Flash…” He trails off and waits. Carlos nods, biting his lip. “Then yes.”

A trembling sigh leaves Carlos, but he doesn’t have time to ask further before TK speaks again.

“And no.”

Carlos sends TK a look his husband smiles, though it’s not quite as bright as usual. There’s something sad in it, something that speaks to a thousand memories, and he turns his gaze to his hand. Carlos follows it, and has to swallow a surprised sound when he spots a thin line of electricity crackle between TK’s fingers.

He knows exactly how TK carries that electricity with him everyday, felt it the first time they’d touched in the honky tonk. He thought he’d been imagining it at the time, but… Well.

“Do you remember when I told you who I am?”

Carlos nods. “Sure.”

(Just a couple months into their relationship, it was one of their worst fights to date. It almost broke them; probably would have if TK hadn’t shown up on his doorstep hours later, vibrating with nerves until he seemed blurred around the edges – which, Carlos realised later, he was.

TK sat him down, remaining standing himself, and told him this: that, fresh out of rehab, he’d been struck by lightning; that it had given him superhuman powers; that he was the fastest man alive, the man the whole world knew as The Flash.

That his ex-boyfriend had never known the truth, that it had been one of the reasons they fell apart so spectacularly, that he didn’t want the same thing to happen to them but he would understand – really, he would – if Carlos wanted to walk away.

Staying had been one of the easiest decisions Carlos had ever made, second only to being with TK in the first place.)

“I didn’t… I’ve never told you how I became…this. I didn’t mean to hide it from you – honestly, I don’t remember most of it – but I guess I just thought it didn’t really matter. It happened and I just have to live with it.”

TK looks at him and Carlos nods encouragingly.

“Okay then.”

TK had never seen a storm like it. Some billionaire’s science experiment had gone wrong and now the city was having to clean up their mess on top of all the usual calls, and apparently their mess included torrential weather.

So now TK was climbing up the ladder of the truck to an apartment on the eleventh floor where an electrical surge had electrocuted one of the inhabitants. TK loved his job, but at the moment he would rather be anywhere else than out in the freezing cold. It didn’t help that his immune system was still shot and probably would be for the foreseeable.

He reached the top of the ladder and lifted his gloved hand to wipe rainwater out of his eye, useless though the action was. The sky continued thundering above him, lightning flashing every now and then, and the very air felt charged. TK went to grab his radio, managed to press the button and opened his mouth, then–

Nothing.

“It wasn’t a normal bolt of lightning,” TK continues. “If it had been, none of this would have happened. I was in cardiac arrest for a long time, then I fell into a coma for eight months. My heart stopped multiple times, I was having seizures, there were…things going on inside me that the doctors couldn’t explain.

“I was a mystery to them. My dad told me after I woke up that one of them had wanted to do a scientific study on me; he shut that one down pretty quick. Nothing the doctors did worked and my parents were getting desperate. So when the guy who built that reactor showed up and told them he could save me, it was kind of a no brainer.

“I don’t know what they did to me, but I eventually woke up and I stayed at his lab for a while, long enough to recover and figure out how to use these powers. They tried to stop me from leaving but I couldn’t… I hated that place. After that…well, you pretty much know the rest.”

TK falls silent and Carlos doesn’t know what to say. The story hasn’t changed anything, has neither alleviated his fears nor worsened them, but at least he knows now, he supposes.

(at least he has one more thing to add to his nightmares)

He doesn’t say anything in the end. He simply draws TK closer, and swears to protect him as best he can.

#tarlossanta23 #911 lone star #911 lone star fic #tarlos #tarlos fic #tk strand #carlos reyes #fanfiction #my fanfiction #writing #my writing

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book-reaper · 10 months ago

Text

Closer

Please note that this is my first time posting on Tumblr so please be kind since I don't really know what I'm doing.

TW?: Smut, and biting kink (giving and receiving), ft. Will Graham at the end. Read at your own risk. No minors pls.

Also no use of Y/N, I sort of made up a character but if you guys like her I have a couple ideas for a story with the three of them. But buckle up this is longer than I intended it to be.

Amara was fast asleep beside Hannibal as something inside him woke him. Something deep and primal was demanding more and more attention, remaining unsatisfied and unrelenting until it got what it wanted. Opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling he took a moment to assess this new feeling. Soon enough he realized this feeling was directed towards the woman still sound asleep next to him, unaware of the new urge that plagued him. Taunted him.

As he placed together the pieces of what he was feeling he looked over at her. The woman that was so much like him and yet so different. He can still remember the day he met her for the first time with clarity that he hoped would never go away.

Hannibal was standing next to Will and Alana as they observed the girls. The Butterflies as they had referred to themselves several times. There were twelve sitting in the room hidden mostly by their hospital beds that they had pushed to the center of the room and placed in a circle. Each bed coming into place made them just a tad safer, a tad more hidden, as they sat in the center of the circle quietly talking to one another and seeking comfort in those that could truly understand what they had gone through.

“The other one, Amara, is upstairs. She was pretty seriously injured in the escape.” Jack’s voice came up from behind them.

“How bad is it?” Alana asked, always the first to worry.

“Gunshot wound to the leg, stab wound in the abdomen, a fairly serious amount of blood loss, some trauma to the head but it looks like she’ll be fine.” Jack reassured.

“I don’t think any of them will be fine for a long time.” Alana had remembered the pictures of the place they had been. Over two hundred other Butterflies had been chemically preserved and mounted into glass cases lining the walls of their hell.

Hannibal was intrigued by the wings. Each girl had a different pair of wings tattooed onto her back. A different type of butterfly. Each one was unique and crafted with care. The shapes were distinct and shading meticulously perfect. Each pair was a work of art.

“They are keeping her separate from the others?” Will asked, unsure if it is the best move to keep her separated from the only support network she had.

“The extent of her wound means they would need to keep a closer eye on her, change her bandages, and check on her far more frequently than the others; however anytime someone enters the room the butterflies get stressed out. They are most likely separating her so they can treat her without making what the others are going through worse for them.” Hannibal explained briefly.

“While the majority aren’t willing to speak to anyone much less talk about what exactly happened, she is apparently an open book.” Jack reiterated what the charge nurse had told him.

“She’s talking about what happened?” Alana asked, surprised.

When Hannibal had entered the room he remembers feeling an unexplainable sense of possessiveness at seeing her standing by the window rather than laying in bed. Two nurses were stood on either side of her asking her to go back to bed.

“Bailey, Dezeray, I understand that you’re trying to do what’s best for me, and I appreciate that, but if I have to lie around for another minute I think my mind will break here more than it ever did in The Garden.” She told them calmly. Something about her oozed a sense of serenity and calm. Whatever it was made the nurses feel comfortable to let her stand and move around with the promise she won’t over do it, despite that being the only things she shouldn’t be doing with her injuries.

Maybe it was that very feeling of serenity she gave him that made him fall for her in the end. Maybe it was how easily she got the two nurses charged with her care to let her do things she shouldn’t be doing. Maybe it was her wings. They were the wings of his favorite butterfly after all. Greta Oto, The Glass Butterfly. Maybe it was her small frame that came in at a mighty 5’3. Maybe it was the look in her eye that he nearly missed as she recounted the events that took place in The Garden and her escape.

The subtle darkness that shifted over her eyes as she recounted how she killed each of the three men keeping her and the others captive before returning to her enclosure to free them. A predator disguised as prey protecting her kaleidoscope. Maybe it was a combination of her beauty with her cleverness, her logic, her level of emotional control and regulation, her persuasiveness that seemed to come as easily to her as breathing, her sharp instincts as he recognised her clocking what he was within a few moments of meeting him, her sense of hearing which complimented his sense of scent wonderfully.

Maybe it was all of those things. Maybe it was none of them. Regardless he found himself awake before the sun and the side of him that he had only ever heard telling him to kill, to consume, now telling him to hold her. To get closer to her. And so he did. He was careful not to wake her as he pressed his body against her back and locked her in place with his arm.

Closer. It urged. He pressed his body flush against her and slid his other arm under where her head rested on the pillow, allowing him to gently place his nose into her hair and flood his senses with her. She stirred gently at the movement but remained asleep.

Closer. It voiced. He tenses slightly, the arm around her unconsciously pulling her tighter against him. He would have to wake her to get even closer.

Closer. It demanded. Hannibal knew that when that side of him started demanding things it would get what it wanted in the end. There was no denying it but he could hold it off for a little while. Hopefully long enough. Hannibal gently brushed the hair away from his beloved's neck, exposing the soft sensitive flesh to the beast of a man. He gently placed feather light kisses all along the column, gradually getting firmer. Trying to slowly and gently wake her from slumber.

Amara was a light sleeper, always had been, so she was awoken by the faint kisses being placed on her neck by rather familiar lips. Enjoying the unprompted affection she laid still and fought to keep the smile off her lips. A battle she lost as he got more firm. If she hadn’t known any better she would say that Hannibal was acting needy. Hannibal, not seeing the lazy smile on her lips, only pulled his lips back from their spot just behind her ear and paused briefly as she let out a content hum.

Now knowing she was now awake he kissed his way up from her shoulder to her jaw. As he got closer she shifted onto her back so she could look up at him. As he locked eyes with him she gently brought her hand up to run her fingertips along his cheekbone. Hannibal's eyes fluttered shut as his body relaxed slightly when it was satisfied for a meer moment before demanding more. Amara noted that Hannibal needed something although she wasn’t entirely sure he knew what he needed.

But her touch seemed to soothe the fire coursing through his body but as he opened his eyes again she found a certain type of hunger within them that she had satiated less than 12 hours ago before they had cleaned up and gone to sleep. Hannibal knew she knew what he needed even if he hadn’t figured it out yet himself. He could see it in her eyes and soul that read him with an ease that no one else had.

She gently smiled at him and grabbed his shoulder, softly pulling and insisting he lay atop her. He did so without resistance and placed his forehead on hers, simply taking a moment to breathe in her presence and the passive effect it seemed to have on every part of him. Almost shyly, she reached up and kissed him. Short and quickly at first, hoping to get him to understand what it was he needed as she pulled back and gave him a moment to sort through his mind.

Soon enough he seemed to understand and as he settled a small bit of his body weight on her he kissed her with all of what he recognized as desire to be burning in his body like a blaze. The kiss was firm, urgent, and demanding as it got louder.

Closer.

He pressed his tongue gently against the seal of her lips. She let him in.

Closer.

He slid his hand under her (his) shirt and dragged it up to her back, up her wings to easily press her chest against his.

Closer.

He tilted his head to be able to better explore her mouth with his tongue as he took in the feel of her breast pressed against his chest. And as if she heard its plea she locked her legs around his waist and pulled his hips flush with hers. A groan slipped past his lips at the feeling of his cock pressed against her, separated only by his silk pajama pants and the cotton of her underwear.

Closer. It got louder. Instinctively his lips left hers and instead went searching for that one spot on her neck he knew brought her pleasure. While she ran her hands over the muscles of his back the hand not still pressing her to him slipped from its place in fisting the pillow beside her head to between the two and began unbuttoning the shirt she wore.

He needed to feel her skin against his. He craved to feel every inch of her. To mark every inch of her. To hear her moan and scream and wither beneath him. He needed these things as much as he needed to breathe. He needed to be closer.

Her hands wandered up to his hair and pulled gently. He felt the tremor that ran down her spine as he found that special spot on her neck. He attacked it with teeth, and tongue, and harsh sucking. The moans that slipped past her lips vibrated through him and granted his very soul pleasure. He needed more.

And more he got as his hand finally undid the last button. His hand came to support her lower back to help keep her hips against his as he sat up with her in his lap. The shifting from a horizontal position to a vertical one grinded her hips against his in the most delicious way. He could feel his patience waning as he pulled the shift off her as if it had offended him.

Closer. Feeling her slipping from his lap his hands quickly pulled her hips back against his. Although it was no use. The silk of his pants just kept forcing her to slide.

“It will just be for a moment.” She whispered the reassurance to him before pulling away from him entirely. He didn’t like it. Faster than he had ever done before he stood and removed his pants before climbing back atop her. While he removed his only barrier she removed her last and threw her panties on top of his discarded pants.

Closer. It wasn’t as loud as Hannibal grinded his cock against her slick opening. He nipped at her collar bone and chest relentlessly. She knew what he needed. He knew what he needed, but he needed permission first. Permission she did not hesitate to provide.

“Bite me, Hannibal.” Those three words opened a floodgate in his mind. He bit down on her breast. Her head pushed back against the pillow as her back arched her breast into his mouth. Helplessly, her hips bucked up to grind against his cock. She had no control over it. A fact Hannibal knew and used to his advantage. With each bite and bruise he left on her she bucked against him, coating him more and more with her slick.

By the time Hannibal pulled back to breathe she had thoroughly soaked his cock and her slick had begun dripping down onto the sheets. With one final closer reverberating through his mind he pushed inside her. Hannibal wished he could say he was gentle with it, even with the very generous coating of her arousal Hannibal was simply too big to enter her as roughly and as quickly as he did without causing discomfort to her. Discomfort that was voiced through the sharp sound of a hiss as she sucked in a quick breath and tensed.

He shushed her gently and rested more of his body weight on her knowing that it would often help ground her. Delicately he cupped her face and placed kisses along her jawline and up to her lips. Despite wanting nothing more than to thrust and grind wildly against her he controlled himself. It was the least he could do after his demonstration of his lack of control. He held himself buried to the hilt, hips pushed flush against hers as he waited for permission from her once again.

After a deep breath or two she ran her nails along his back, gently up either side of his spine exactly how she knew drove him crazy. A test. She did this over and over again testing his patience when he did not want to use it. Once she deemed him in control, she clenched around him. Hard.

That clench had been what he was waiting for as Hannibal pulled nearly completely out and slammed back in with a force that moved her up the bed. He couldn’t have that. Sliding his arm under her back, across her wings, he gripped her shoulder and held her to him as he thrust again and again. Each moan and soft gasp from her lips was like a melody, weaving its way through the room, enticing and captivating Hannibal, a symphony just for his ears.

As Hannibal was thrusting wildly but slowly, taking the time to gauge her reaction to each new spot he touched as he desperately searched for something. Amara had her neck bared for him. A temptation he could not resist. On the side he had been so gentle with previously, leaving a trail of gentle kisses earlier before the sun had begun to rise, he bit down. His teeth sinking into the flesh giving him a pleasure he believed to be unmatchable. That was until he found the spot he had been searching for.

As soon as he had found his target her nails dug into his back. Marking his flesh in return as she very nearly screamed his name. Nearly screaming isn’t enough. He couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled from deep within his chest as his jaw tightened on her neck and his hips began moving faster than what she could keep up with. Now that he knew where his target was he would be damned if he missed it even once.

Amara was aware that she was simply along for the ride at this point. She clawed at him helplessly in an attempt to ground herself as he held her so tightly to him she had difficulty breathing. He held her so closely that she could feel every sound in his chest that he would kill as it attempted to make its way up his throat. He had always preferred to listen to her sounds rather than his own. He had once told her that her sounds of pleasure were more pleasing to him than any sound any instrument could produce.

Amara, in a desperate attempt to hold off her orgasm decided to cling to Hannibal. Her legs raised and locked around his hips. She made the wrong decision. The new position of her hips allowed Hannibal to not only thrust against that spot inside her with more force but now it allowed the head of his cock to kiss her cervix. After the mere second thrust she came with a scream of Hannibal’s name, her back unable to arch into him any more than she already was yet trying anyway.

He slowed, showing her momentary mercy. He could feel the sting on his back of her marks. Wearing her marks gave him pleasure. He needed more. Regardless of whether or not she was ready for more, his thrusts picked up speed again. She withered and squirmed beneath him as he quickly overwhelmed and overstimulated her.

“Just one more.” The words quietly tumbled from his lips. She knew he wasn’t just talking about one more orgasm. He wanted another mark on his body. A sign to show everyone he was not theirs. Just as his marks showed the world that she was not theirs either.

Amara just managed to scrounge up enough composure to latch her lips onto his neck. Her teeth scraping against his pulse allowed a moan to slip past his lips as he quickly became putty in her hands. He needed this. He needed to bear her marks. He needed the constant connection and sense of closeness to her that her marks brought him no matter how far apart they may physically be that day.

Amara, seizing the opportunity to drive Hannibal mad, took great pleasure in sucking multiple marks onto his neck and teasingly grazing her teeth over him yet never biting down. She could feel Hannibal’s control slipping. Each brush of her blunt teeth and of her sharp canines coming so close to sinking in, brought him closer to his end.

Hannibal knew he wouldn’t last much longer while she was having her fun so he brought his hand down and played with her clit. The attention to her clit was the last little push she needed to fall into that blissful abyss once again. Her mouth being so close to Hannibal’s flesh, so tantalizing. In her haze of pleasure she hadn’t realized that she finally bit down in the junction between Hannibal’s neck and shoulder until her mouth was flooded with the rich taste of blood.

For Hannibal, the pain, the erotic act of your lover sinking their teeth into you, was what finally pushed him over the edge. As if he was only close enough to satisfy the darkness within him when she had her jaws fastened around him. His hips slowed to a grind as he emptied the last bit of his cum into her. Despite the sweat and heat Hannibal did not dare more from her. Even as she removed her teeth from his flesh and allowed her head to fall back onto the pillow, she didn’t dare move to push him away.

It took longer than if there were more space between the two but eventually they caught their breaths. A quick glance to the clock sitting on the nightstand showed it to be nearly 7 o’clock. He didn’t have to be in the office today until 10 so he was happy that he had plenty of time for aftercare. It took him a while to find the willpower to pull himself out of her and even longer to find the strength to pull away from her and finally allow her to breath unobstructed.

With a quick kiss to her forehead he got up and made his way to the bathroom, allowing her a few minutes to herself as he started the shower and made sure it was the right temperature. He was about to return to the bedroom to collect you when Will entered with you in his arms.

“Will, I was not aware you were up.” Hannibal addressed his other partner.

“I wasn’t until you woke me.” Will grumbled, not happy about being woken up this early nor being excluded from the fun, as he carefully placed Amara down on her feet but not letting go of her since her legs were still shaky.

“Sorry. I would have gotten you but Hannibal was being needy.” Amara was quick to throw Hannibal to the metaphorical wolves all with a playful smile. Not amused by her words but always by her, Hannibal merely raised an eyebrow at her with a fond smile on his face. She got a chuckle from Will, albeit a still groggy one, but getting anything besides a complaint from him this early is a success in her books.

“Next time I will make more of an effort to pull myself away from her to get you Will.” Hannibal apologized before inviting them both into the shower with him.

#smut #hannibal #will graham #oc? maybe #oc?? yeah i think #nbc hannibal #hannibal lecter #murder husbands #i think that's it #im not sure what else to put #biting kink #future story?#if you want #I don't even know if anyone will see this

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