#I brought crackers for both of us

[corvii-knight]

meee

Up on melancholy hill sits a crow just looking out on the day...

Aaskrähe (carrion crow) im Unteren Schlossgarten, Stuttgart-Ost.

[punkshort]

Roommates | 10. just us two

Pairing: (ex)pornstar!joel x f!reader

Chapter Summary: You and Joel settle into your new lives together.

Chapter Warnings: language, alcohol and food consumption, massive quantities of fluff, smut (18+ MDNI), unprotected piv sex (reader is on BC), oral sex (f!receiving), spanking, pussy pronouns, multiple orgasms, some sex tape action 👀

WC: 7.1K

A/N: Okay, we've reached the end of the road for these two! I can't believe I'm wrapping up another fic, jfc. Thank you so much for sticking around and expressing so much love and excitement for this story. It means so much to me that I'm able to share this part of myself with people who are just as happy as me about these characters. This chapter wasn't really necessary, most loose ends are already tied up but they deserved to be happy, so this entire chapter is just love and fluff and smut. Shout out to @txtattoostark for listening to me yap and for the watermelon moonshine inspo. Enjoy, and thanks again ❤️

Series Masterlist

One Month Later

Joel smiled to himself as he watched you in the kitchen with his mom from his spot in the living room. The old radio next to the sink, dusty and missing two buttons, was softly playing jazz music while you both worked on dinner. It wasn't the trailer park he grew up in. The small ranch house his mother bought with the life insurance money she received after his father passed away wasn't too bad. He begged her for years to let him give her some money, to buy her a place closer to town, to pay for new appliances at the very least, but she always refused. Instead, he found himself visiting her whenever he had a few days off so he could fix the sink or the washer or cut the grass.

He didn't mind. It was a good excuse to come visit. He enjoyed catching up and spending time with her.

But now, with you? Watching the way you seamlessly moved around the kitchen, laughing with his mom and stirring things in pots while swaying your hips in those tight denim shorts... yeah, this was different. This was much better.

"Hey, brother," Tommy said from behind, startling him out of his rosy daydream. Joel stood with a smile to engulf Tommy in a hug once he kicked off his shoes.

"You look tan," he remarked, then reached for Maria and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"New Orleans was sunny," Tommy said, holding some bottle of clear alcohol in his hand. "Brought back some moonshine. Watermelon. Mama's favorite."

"Oh, Tommy! Maria! You're back!" their mother cried from the kitchen before wiping her hands on a towel and hurrying over to the front door, her worn out blue slippers catching on the rug as she walked. "How was your honeymoon?" she asked after she squeezed them both within an inch of their lives.

"Amazing," Maria said happily. "We had such a great time. Have you ever been?"

Mrs. Miller shook her head. "Maybe James will take me one day."

"Is he here?" Tommy asked, handing his mother the liquor.

"No, he's visiting his daughter out of town this weekend. Come on, I have some snacks out."

The four of them entered the kitchen and you swiveled around with a big smile. Setting down the wooden spoon you were holding, you threw your arms around Maria's neck, then Tommy's.

"How was it?" you asked them, your eyes sparkling with excitement.

You and Maria fell into an animated conversation about some haunted ghost tour when Tommy cleared his throat and propped his hands on his hips.

The pair of you stopped talking to look at him questioningly, then realization dawned on you. You smirked and shook your head before digging into your back pocket to pull out a folded bill and slapped it into his palm.

"You were right, Tommy."

He laughed and tucked the money into his shirt pocket.

"Thought you mighta forgot."

Joel frowned and looked between the two of you curiously, but Maria seemed to know exactly what was going on because she was already chuckling to herself.

You glanced over at Joel, who was eating a cracker with cheese, and your expression softened. "Best hundred bucks I ever lost."

"The hell you givin' him a hundred bucks for?" Joel asked incredulously, but you just slipped your arms around his waist and rested your chin against his chest with a smile.

"I lost a bet," you told him.

He practically melted into a puddle under your touch. He couldn't get enough. After a year of denying yourselves or sneaking around, it felt so good to be open. He refused to ever take it for granted, so he tilted your face up and pressed a tender kiss against your lips. He felt your mouth twitch into a smile when Tommy groaned in fake disgust.

"Thought we were the newlyweds here."

You broke the kiss to shoot him a look over your shoulder.

"Try and keep up."

Joel tossed his head back and laughed, then released his hold on you so you could return to the stove. Maria washed her hands and picked up a knife to chop vegetables and Tommy reached for the bottle of moonshine their mother left on the counter.

"Let's crack into this," he said, and Joel nodded. He weaved through the kitchen to open up the cupboard where the glasses were kept, grabbing five tumblers. You were swaying again with the music and you gently knocked into him with your hips, just enough to tease him, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

"Watch yourself, baby," he warned with a wink before placing the glasses down next to Tommy so he could pour.

Joel couldn't remember a time he had seen his mother look so happy. The five of them sat around her dining room table, a table made for four but you all squeezed in, knees knocking together underneath, arms brushing against one another, and it felt perfect.

He leaned back in his chair after finishing his food, one arm draped along the back of your chair, his other hand loosely holding his glass of moonshine and he smiled. He tried to pay attention to Maria and his brother tell stories about their honeymoon, but he had a hard time looking away from you. Eventually, he stopped trying. His gaze slid down your face, admiring your smile and the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed.

He was so fucking lucky.

Tearing his eyes away to bring his glass to his lips, he caught his mother watching him across the table with a knowing smile. She winked at him before giving Tommy her attention once again and Joel felt his face warm.

Once dinner was over, he and Tommy stood to clear everyone's plates. A habit that was formed early on in their lives. Whoever didn't cook had to clean up.

After the dishes were done and the leftovers were packed away, the two brothers refilled their glasses and wandered out to the back porch where their mother, you and Maria had ended up.

Maria and Mrs. Miller were strolling around the yard, their mother pointing out plants and flowers and telling Maria some long winded story about each. The deer hate this one. Cindy up the street cut a chunk of this out of her garden for me, can you believe how big it is now? I got this from Home Depot on clearance half dead, look how good it's doing.

"Better go save her," Tommy murmured before jogging down the steps. Joel plopped himself next to you on the porch with a sigh and clinked your glasses together.

"Lucky you already got the flower tour earlier," he told you.

You bit your lip and chuckled. "She really loves her garden."

The two of you sat in silence for a few minutes. The sun was setting and you could hear the crickets coming to life all around you. Birds swooped anxiously overhead, rushing back to their nests for the night. A cool breeze floated through the air, rustling your hair and making you shiver.

"C'mere," he murmured, patting his thigh. You smirked and shook your head but put your glass down and stood to perch on his leg, wrapping your arms around his neck lovingly and giving him a chaste kiss.

He hummed in approval and licked his lips. "Taste good."

"Like watermelon?" you asked, fingers twisting around the long strands of hair on the back of his head.

He nodded. "And you."

You kissed him once again, lingering a bit longer that time so you could fully appreciate the softness of his lips between yours and breathing in deep the scent of soap still stuck to his skin.

Then voices began to grow louder behind you, indicating your alone time was coming to an end.

Tommy stumbled on the stairs leading up the porch and you turned around on Joel's lap. He wrapped his arms around your waist, keeping you right where you were, before teasing his brother.

"Better take it easy. You been out for two weeks at work, you ain't callin' in tomorrow 'cause you're hungover."

Tommy rolled his eyes and took your abandoned chair.

"Yes, boss."

"How are things at the bar, Joel?" his mother asked, sitting down with a sigh. "I'm so glad you found some work I can actually tell my girlfriends about without lying."

You stifled a giggle and glanced at Maria, who was also trying to hold back her laughter.

"Good, Mama," Joel said, ignoring her other comment. His chin came to rest over your shoulder as he spoke. "The remodel is done. Opened up the room so there's a place to dance. Easier for customers to move around. Everyone's been real excited to see the changes. Been busy."

"He's been working so hard, too," you added, twisting to your side so your fingers could lovingly rake through the hair on the back of his neck. "Some days I don't even see him."

Mrs. Miller gave you a sympathetic look but you could tell she was proud of her oldest son for venturing outside his comfort zone and applying himself.

"So you're all moved in, I take it?" Maria asked, and you nodded.

"Didn't really have much. Most of my things were still packed from when I moved out."

"She's been sprucin' up the place, too. You oughta see it," Joel said fondly. "Got pretty lookin' art on the walls, fluffy pillows and blankets for the couch. Actually got some food in the damn fridge, too."

Tommy laughed heartily. "That mean you'll stop swipin' fries and shit from the kitchen?"

"Hey, I'm payin' for those fries. I'll take 'em if I want 'em," he said with a scowl, then looked up at you, his eyes softening. "But it's nice to have dinner waitin' for me at home," he added, bringing a smile to your face.

"You were always terrible at cooking," you teased, tugging on his earlobe playfully between your fingers.

The night dragged on, the stars lit up the quiet night sky and Mrs. Miller eventually began to yawn, indicating it was time to head home.

Home.

It felt so right to think of it that way. It was where you belonged. But you knew it wasn't simply the house. You could have been living in a shack and you would still be just as happy because it was with him.

Joel gripped your thigh while he drove his truck with one hand on the steering wheel. The windows were down, the wind whipped at your face, tangling your hair when you turned your head to gaze over at him.

"See anythin' you like?" he teased when he spotted you admiring him from the corner of his eye.

You giggled and felt his fingers squeeze your bare leg.

"You know what I want?"

The corner of his mouth tugged upwards and his eyes darkened with excitement. "What's that, sweetheart?"

You seductively ran your palm up his arm, sighing at the way his muscles twitched under your fingertips.

"I would really, really love... a vegetable garden."

You laughed at the way his face fell in mock disappointment.

"I'll build you a vegetable garden," he finally said as he turned onto your street.

"Really?" you asked with a huge smile. He nodded and shot you a wink.

"'Course. Whatever you want, baby."

Joel stayed true to his word. About a week later you woke up on Saturday morning to the distant sound of a hammer beating a piece of wood in the backyard. Stretching a lazy arm out to your side, you pouted when you found Joel was missing.

Then the pieces slowly clicked together.

It was a rare weekend off for him. You had been talking about it for the past few days. He was looking forward to Tommy returning to work so he wouldn't be so short staffed and he could relax with you for two whole days. You didn't come up with any plans except laying in bed, ordering takeout and watching movies, content to just spend time together. But Joel sweetly surprised you by waking up early, something he absolutely detested, so he could build you the vegetable garden you asked for.

You lightly padded down the steps still clad in your tank top and shorts to grab a mug from the cupboard. The coffee pot sizzled with heat when you plucked it from the burner, half the liquid already gone. Once you fixed it the way you liked, you walked out onto the back deck and leaned over the railing, your mug cupped in both hands, to fully appreciate the sight before you.

Joel had his back to you as he crouched over a simple rectangular wooden frame on the ground. You could see the sweat collecting on the back of his neck and it made your mouth water. As your eyes traveled lower, you noticed the dark patches in his shirt forming at his collar and between his shoulder blades, making your thighs clench together while he worked, completely oblivious to you watching him, listening to him grunt and sigh when he lifted a new piece of wood.

You swallowed thickly before taking a sip of your coffee, your eyes never leaving his form while he stood to stretch his back. He lifted his hat from his head and wiped his brow with the back of his forearm and you sunk your teeth into your lower lip. Something was so fucking hot about him getting all sweaty and worked up, but on that particular day? When he was making you something, sacrificing his rare down time just for you? It lit a fire inside you that couldn't be tamed.

Before he noticed, you scooted back inside to fill up a glass of ice water. With your hand hovering over the door handle, you got an idea that sent a jolt of arousal right through you. Without giving yourself a chance to overthink it, you pulled down your shorts and underwear, kicking your panties off to land on the couch, and shimmied your shorts back on.

Your pulse was fucking racing with excitement when you stepped outside once again, but this time you made sure to make a little noise so Joel would hear you. When the door clicked shut, he turned around and grinned before setting down his tools and stepping into the shade.

"Thank you, darlin'," he murmured when you handed him the water.

"You're welcome," you replied, your hands clasping behind your back as you practically vibrated in place with nervous energy. His eyes flicked down your body curiously right when he was finishing up his drink.

"Sleep okay?" he asked, sensing something was off while he set the glass down on the deck.

"Mhmm," you said, a nervous grin spreading across your face. "Missed you, though."

He chuckled and wiped some sweat away from his face with the bottom of his shirt. Your mouth went dry and your eyes instantly locked onto his tanned stomach and the dark smattering of curls that led below his waistband. The sleep shorts you were wearing were thin. If they were a lighter color, you could probably see right through them if you really looked. As it turned out, they were also terrible at absorbing moisture because they were sticking uncomfortably to your inner thighs while you waited for him to notice.

"Huh?" you said when you realized he was speaking.

He shook his head and dropped his shirt back down. "I said, I'm makin' you the damn garden you wanted."

You inched forward and took his hand in yours. "Well, do you think it can wait? Because I need to show you something inside that needs your help."

Somehow, he was still not picking up what you were implying.

"Baby, I'm on a roll. I just need another hour, maybe two-"

You tugged the hand you were holding between your legs and his eyes widened when he felt the wetness waiting for him there.

"Sorry. Got tired of being subtle," you told him with a playful smirk. He whipped his head around, checking to see if any of the neighbors were out tending to their lawns or enjoying their morning coffee on their patios while his fingers hooked around the soaked material.

You saw in his face the exact moment he realized you were bare underneath your shorts. It was like his brain was buffering, desperately trying to calculate how long he allowed you to stand there practically begging to be fucked while he rambled on about a goddamn garden. The surprise in his features slowly faded into the hazy, lust filled gaze you were so familiar with, and you smiled triumphantly.

"Get your ass inside right fuckin' now before I do somethin' that'll get us both thrown in jail," he growled, something primal shifting in his face while his body flooded with arousal, his need for you dripping heavier in his veins with each steady beat of his heart.

You squeaked and covered your ass when he swat at you from behind, then you hurried past him, back into the house.

Looking back on it, to think you would have made it upstairs to your bedroom was comical. His hands grabbed your hips halfway up the carpeted steps, pulling you down as you laughed giddily and pretended to try to fight off his attack, clawing fruitlessly at the stairs while he smiled into your lower back where his mouth was alternating kisses and bites across your skin.

"You wanted attention, you got it," he mumbled before yanking your shorts down and sinking his teeth into the flesh of your ass. Not enough to really hurt, but enough to make you yelp in surprise and leave a few linear indents in your skin.

Joel usually took his time with you. He preferred it that way. He liked to watch your face as he tormented you between your legs. He liked to see what new sounds he could pull from your throat when he changed an angle.

But not that day.

No, that day he yanked your shorts all the way off, tossing them over his shoulder and down the steps before grabbing your hips with his hands, all rough and sweaty from working outside.

You braced yourself for the inevitable stretch, the welcome yet slightly painful intrusion that you yearned for, but what happened next shocked you.

Your eyes widened and you gasped when you felt his mouth descend on your pussy from behind, his tongue immediately setting an intense pace, which was a change from the way he usually ate you. But speed and passion weren't the only variation. He never, ever went down on you from behind before.

"I- J-Joel, what are... oh," you moaned, eyes fluttering closed as he lapped eagerly at your core. Instinctively, you spread your hips and sunk down further onto his mouth. Your cheek was rubbing harshly against the carpet and your lips were parted, allowing a small trail of drool to trickle down your chin. If you had any awareness left, you might have cared, but the pleasure he was building between your legs left your brain completely numb.

"Oh, fuck yes, Joel - keep going, just like that," you groaned, reaching behind you blindly to grab a fistful of his hair. "Fuck you and that fucking mouth," you gasped when his tongue flatted against your clit. He chuckled against your core but didn't stop. His hand slid up the back of your thigh and gave your cheek a firm jiggle before smacking his palm down across your ass. You jolted forward, your forehead bumping up against the next step, and cried out for more so he did it again, but on the other side.

"You like that?" he panted, pulling away from you for just a moment to catch his breath. You arched your back, giving him a generous view of the mess he left between your legs and he was afraid for the first time ever that he might come completely untouched. He inhaled sharply and pinched the bridge of his nose when he saw your cunt pulse, calling to him like a goddamn siren at sea. "Fuck, so beautiful," he growled before closing his eyes and picking up right where he left off.

His thumbs spread your lips so his tongue could tease your entrance, scooping up your arousal and rutting his hips against the stairs, eating you like he was about to go off to war.

"I'm... oh, shit, Joel!" you exclaimed, pulling at his hair roughly so he wouldn't dare try to stop when you were so close to your climax. And he could sense it. He was good at that. He knew what you needed sometimes before you even knew. So once again, he brought his palm down sharply across your ass, a little harder that time but not too much. Just enough to leave a few seconds of sting, electrifying your nerve endings and pulling you over the edge.

Two tears rolled down your cheeks when you came. The little bit of pain from his hand and the carpet digging into your cheek and knees mixed with your pleasure in such a way that it left you breathless.

Finally, once he felt your legs begin to tremble and whimpers fell from your lips, he pulled away with a deep gasp. His eyes were pinned to the way your pussy looked; all drenched with a combination of his spit and your release, and he cursed under his breath.

"She looks so fuckin' good, baby, wish you could see what I see," he murmured, mesmerized as he continued to stare without any shame. You hardly had any of your senses. Your breath was ragged and your throat was dry but still, you tilted your chin and whispered, "show me."

A wide smile stretched across his face and his eyes lit up.

"Yeah? You'd let me take a picture of this pretty pussy?" he asked, but he was already digging in his back pocket for his phone. You nodded, eyes still closed.

When both his hands left your waist, you arched your back a bit more and spread your legs, presenting yourself to him. You heard a deep groan rumble from his chest and he whispered, "fuckin' natural, baby," before you heard the shutter on his phone. One, two, three times at least you heard the familiar little click, click, then he leaned over your slumped body and slid his phone in front of your face.

"See? Look at you. Look at what I get to see," he murmured into your ear. Your eyes opened and widened as you stared at your wrecked pussy on the screen.

"Oh, wow," you breathed, not expecting at all to find it sexy, but you did. You fucking did. "Look at what you did to me," you said, craning your neck over your shoulder. His eyes flickered with heat and his mouth crashed down onto yours.

"Just wait til I split you open on my cock," he said, his voice rumbling against your back. "Have you all stuffed full with my cum. Now that's a pretty sight."

You groaned and shakily pushed yourself up.

"I'm begging you, please, Joel... do not fuck me on these stairs. My knees are killing me."

He laughed and helped you stand, legs wobbling just a little.

"Nah. I got an idea and we can't do it here."

You laid underneath the covers in bed, your lower half still bare and your tank top still on while you nervously chewed on your lower lip, watching Joel at the foot of the bed tinker with a camcorder he had buried somewhere in his closet that he swore up and down he never used with anyone else.

Never wanted to before, he had said when you eyed it suspiciously after he explained he swiped it from a set when it was used as a prop in one of his films years ago.

"Battery's dead but I'll just leave it plugged in," he said, then he flipped out the little screen tucked into the side of the device and swiveled it around so it was facing out. He set it on his end table and adjusted it until he was satisfied with the angle, then looked over his shoulder with a grin.

"You sure?" he clarified again. Your eyes flickered from him to the camera, then back again.

"Yeah," you squeaked, your voice very clearly betraying you. His gaze softened and he leaned across the bed to press a chaste kiss against your forehead.

"We don't gotta do this," he assured you. "I don't wanna make you uncomfortable."

"No," you replied, shaking your head. "I want to, I'm just nervous."

He scoffed and readjusted himself so he was lying next to you, blocking the idle camera.

"Nothin' to be nervous 'bout. It's just for me 'n you," he murmured before cupping your face and pressing his lips tenderly against yours. When his tongue swiped over your bottom lip, you sighed and looped your arms around his neck, melting into his embrace and deepening the kiss. His hand slid down from your cheek to squeeze your breast, groaning a little when he pinched your nipple through the fabric of your tank top.

His lips dragged down to your jaw, his teeth grazing your throat until he found a spot he liked and latched on while pushing the sheets from your body. The anticipation bubbled up while his hand continued to travel lower, your legs instinctively falling open for him. You finally relaxed when he successfully distracted you with his fingers through your folds and gasped as he slid two inside you with ease.

"Oh, yeah, you're ready for me," he moaned into your neck, his erection bordering on painful. He exhaled shakily when one of your hands wrapped around his length and began to gently stroke him, your palm so soft and warm that he almost forgot about the camera.

"C'mon, baby, sit up f'me," he said, pulling his hand from between your legs and leaning back so he could kick his jeans off. You scrambled to sit, your breaths coming in shallow pants as you watched him tug his shirt over his head. When he reached for the hem of your tank top, he paused and turned to tap the record button on the camcorder. Instantly, your limbs went rigid and your hands fell to your lap, covering yourself, but when he turned back to you he pinched your chin in his fingers, pulling your nervous gaze from the camera lens.

"Eyes on me," he told you, his voice low and deep, sending a shiver down your spine.

You nodded and raised your arms so he could peel off your tank top. He tossed it onto the floor and sat back on his heels to admire the way your tits sat exposed to him, his eyes darkening when your nipples hardened with arousal. He lunged forward and took one in his mouth, his hot, wet tongue lavishing your pebbled skin before switching to the other one. You tipped your head back and moaned, mouth open as you stared up blankly at the ceiling, your fingers rising to get tangled in his hair.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, planting little kisses all over your chest and circling his arms around your ribs, tugging you closer. You wrapped your legs around his waist, trembling when his cock pressed between your bodies, his erection sliding through your wet heat and suddenly you couldn't breathe.

"I-I need you," you whimpered, weakly lifting your hips into his lap.

"I know, baby, I know," he hummed. One hand dropped to cup your ass so he could reposition his legs underneath you, then flexed his hips so the tip of his cock lined up with your opening. "Want me to fuck you just like this? Sittin' in my lap?"

You nodded, your eyelids heavy with desire as you tightened your grip around his neck. The second he pressed into you, you gasped. He watched with adoration as your eyebrows pinched together in concentration, breathing deep and slow as you relaxed and slowly took him.

"Joel," you whispered, jaw slack. "Joel, I love you."

He moaned and pulled your hips flush with his, forcing you to take the last few inches all at once. "I love you, too, baby. Christ, you're incredible. Fuckin' look at you."

Look at you. His words made you remember the camera. Your eyes flickered over to the little rectangular screen, the outline of your bodies perfectly centered, and you swallowed tightly.

"Pretend like it's the mirror," he whispered in your ear as he began to gently rock in and out, "just like the mirror at the hotel, okay?"

You nodded and sighed, your shoulders loosening and your muscles relaxing as you began to roll your hips in rhythm with his. He tightened his grip around your middle, his body engulfing you in warmth. You rested your head on his shoulder as he continued to fuck you nice and slow, stretching you out around him, reaching depths that had you reeling.

This was it. There was nothing else outside those four walls. You had everything you ever wanted right there. The way he kissed you, touched you, made love to you always left you feeling so safe. Deep down, you always knew he was the missing piece in your life, the mysterious thing you kept searching for in others and were always left disappointed. Because nobody else ever loved you and cared for you the way he did.

"I'm so lucky to have you," you told him, your tongue dragging up his neck, collecting the dried sweat with a moan. You began to bounce in his lap a little faster and he immediately matched your pace with thrusts of his own.

"I'm the one who's lucky," he said through clenched teeth. He exhaled heavily through his nose and tucked his chin to his chest so he could watch himself disappear inside your cunt. "So soft. Softest pussy. So fuckin' warm and wet, you feel so good. Goddamnit, every fuckin' time..."

You smiled to yourself as you listened to him ramble. "Maybe we're both lucky."

He chuckled and you gasped when his cock brushed up against that one spot that made you see stars. You feverishly grabbed his face with both hands and bit desperately at his lower lip, pulling it between your teeth and making him groan.

Your body was loose and pliant now, so with more confidence you quickened the roll of your hips, relishing in the way his cock felt dragging in and out of you, how your clit rubbed against the coarse hair at his base, in the noises you managed to pull from his throat each time your skin slapped together.

"Yeah, that's it, baby. Show me what you like. Oh, good girl," he groaned, hands sliding up your back to hold you as you began to lose yourself. He could see it in the look in your eyes and the way your fingers dug into his shoulders.

It was the most beautiful fucking thing.

Your body moved perfectly in tandem with his, your sharp gasps and his deep groans filling the room, the camera long forgotten by now.

"Oh, god, I'm close," you whimpered as you felt the heat that had been building begin to quickly creep up and spread through your stomach. "Oh, fuck. Oh, god... Joel, don't stop, please..." you begged, your breath coming in ragged gasps as your vision began to blur.

"I ain't stoppin'. C'mon, give it to me, lemme feel you," he growled. He snapped steadily into you now, each thrust punctuated by a grunt while his eyes locked on yours, watching with pride as you crumbled and fell apart, your walls squeezing him so beautifully as you came that it nearly pulled him right over the edge with you.

It happened fast. One second you were in his lap, your body tingling with the aftershocks of your orgasm and the next he had pulled out of you and flipped you onto your hands and knees. Only when you felt his thick cock slide back inside did you fully realize you had switched positions. And shit, taking him from that particular angle always was so much more intense, but combined with the fact that your new view included the camera in the corner of your eye made everything so much more powerful.

You could fucking see him now and you couldn't look away, completely entranced with the way his face looked as he slammed into you. His mouth hung open as he looked down at you with what could only be described as complete and utter desire. You could feel his hand running up the length of your spine but you could also see the look of worship in his eye, the way his face twisted in pleasure when he watched your ass ripple from the force of his hips, and you felt a heavy wave suddenly crash over you once again.

"Oh, fuck!" Joel groaned loudly as he watched another orgasm shoot through you. His hands grabbed at your waist to try to keep you still, but you were trembling everywhere and you couldn't hold yourself up any longer.

You fell onto your elbows, the side of your face pressing into the bed while he held up your hips, fucking into you harder now that he could tell you were spent. "I'm gonna come, baby, I'm -" he cut himself off with a desperate whine, the buildup from the past hour or so becoming too much and causing his release to intensify.

Your bodies finally stilled and he pumped you full of his spend, his groans getting caught in his throat as he pulsed inside you. He watched in a daze when his cum started to leak out even though he was still inside, and without thinking, he snatched the camera from the bedside table so he could get a close up.

"Fuckin' hell, baby," he whispered hoarsely, chest heaving and hands shaking as he held the camera at his chest, pointing it down to where you were connected. "So glad you're back on the pill. Fuckin' beautiful, all full of me like this. Shit," he muttered, swiping a finger to collect some of his release to rub it over your clit. With a whine, your body jolted forward and he chuckled before dropping his hand, knowing you were too overstimulated.

"Joel," you whispered tiredly. Your eyelids were heavy and your thighs were shaking from the effort of holding yourself up.

"I know, baby, just one more thing and then I'll clean you up," he promised. He took a deep breath and steadied the camera before slipping out of you.

He made a pained noise in the back of his throat when he watched through the lens the way your body leaked of him, your pussy all swollen and stretched out, completely fucked, messy and used.

"Jesus," he croaked, wishing he could keep filming but your body sagged forward and he stopped the recording before tossing the camera onto the other side of the bed so he could check on you.

"You alright?"

You nodded, eyes closed, lips bitten raw, hair a complete mess but you still wore a satisfied smile.

"Tired. I think I'm gonna just..." you yawned and stretched out your shaky limbs. "Just gonna close my eyes for a sec."

He grinned and stood up to go to the bathroom, plucking a couple clean washcloths from the linen closet and wetting them both under the faucet so he could clean himself up with one and take the other back to you.

"Did you eat?" he asked softly as he gently and carefully dragged the washcloth through your thighs. You shook your head, eyes still closed. "I'm gonna go make you somethin'. Gotta eat, honey," he whispered before kissing the top of your head and covering you with the sheet. But by the time he came back upstairs with a bagel and cream cheese, you were fast asleep.

So you're getting married, then?

Well, he hasn't really asked me, not in so many words.

Four, you mean?

Huh?

Well, that's how many it takes: will you marry me?

Your eyes fluttered open when you heard two familiar voices reciting an even more familiar dialogue from the television, the volume turned down so low, you could hear the neighbor's dog barking from four houses down.

Joel shifted in bed next to you as quietly as he could, unaware you had awoken. You peered up at him, hair all messy, chest still bare, and you smiled when you caught him stifling a laugh at Audrey Hepburn.

"Hey," you said, voice coming out rougher than you expected, so you cleared your throat. He immediately muted the television and turned toward you, grinning as his eyes raked up and down your sleep-addled face.

"Hey, yourself," he said softly. He pushed the hair off your face, letting his thumb linger on your cheek while he continued to examine you closely. "Feelin' okay?"

You nodded and yawned, stretching your sore legs out underneath the blankets. "You fucked me into a coma."

He laughed heartily and rubbed his palm over his chest, embarrassment flushing his bronzed skin.

"But I guess that's what I get for shacking up with a pornstar," you added with a giggle. He tossed his head back and laughed even louder at that and you couldn't resist, his happiness too infectious. You inched forward and nuzzled into his side, his arm dropping to wrap around your shoulders.

When the laughter died down, he gazed lovingly at you and, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear, reminded you, "ex-pornstar, but I suppose old habits die hard, huh?"

"Mm, maybe, but that's okay," you said, tracing light, invisible patterns on his stomach. "It's nothing I can't handle."

He cocked an eyebrow at you and smirked. "Careful, or I might have'ta hold you to that."

"Bring it on, superstar," you whispered before leaning up and pressing a gentle, soft kiss against his mouth. You licked your lips and hummed before looking up at him through your lashes. "Cream cheese?"

"I made you a bagel, but you fell asleep," he admitted, "but figured we could relax the rest of the day. Order in, watch movies... just like we said we would."

"I don't remember saying we would do all that naked," you teased.

"Thought that was implied, baby," he said with a frown. "You shacked up with a pornstar, what'd you expect?"

What did you expect? Did you ever imagine your life would turn out the way it did? Sitting in bed with a sheet wrapped around you, eating Chinese food and watching a Turner Classic Movies marathon with the man of your dreams? You always wished for it; before you met, after you became friends, while you were carrying on an illicit affair, and even when you weren't on speaking terms, you always, always wished for it. But did you ever really think it would come true?

You couldn't really remember, and at that point, it didn't matter. Because you didn't care how you got there, just as long as you were together, you were happy.

You did exactly what he said you would do. You stayed in bed until the sun began to set, wasting the whole day away curled into his side watching old movies and pointing out your favorite parts, exactly the way you used to.

It was around nine when Joel suggested going out for ice cream. Let's get out, stretch our legs and walk along the river, he had said after vowing to finish your vegetable garden the next day.

And on your way out, your hands fused together even while he struggled to lock the door one handed, you looked at the chairs on his porch and smiled to yourself.

"What's that for?" he asked, tapping your cheek lovingly while you walked side by side to his truck.

"Nothing, it's stupid," you told him with a shrug.

"Ain't nothin' you got to say is stupid to me."

You sighed when he let your hand go so you could round the truck and hop into the passenger seat. After you clicked your seatbelt into place, he put the keys in the ignition but waited to turn it on. Instead, he looked at you expectantly with his eyebrows raised.

"Fine," you mumbled, "I'm gonna sound fucking crazy, but... fine."

"Oh, well now this I gotta hear," he said.

You gave him a look before turning in your seat to face him. "The chairs on your porch." He nodded.

"So far, not crazy."

You rolled your eyes. "Remember when I came by to drop off the shirts for the Jack and Jill party?"

He nodded again and you could feel the self-consciousness begin to creep up.

"We weren't on great terms back then. I had just found out you bought a house. I felt like I hardly even knew you anymore. And I was so damn nervous, I didn't want to fuck things up even more than I already had, but when I saw you had two..." You paused when you saw the flicker of understanding cross his face. "I thought you maybe found someone else. I know. It's crazy, like I said."

Joel smiled and reached his hand across the seat to lace together with yours, his thumb brushing over your knuckles.

"Got the second one for you."

Your eyes snapped up to his in surprise.

"What?" you breathed.

He gave you a shrug and tilted his head bashfully. "I was just waitin' for you."

Tears welled in your eyes as you fumbled with the seatbelt, unbuckling yourself so you could stretch your body over to his seat and pull him into a deep kiss.

"I thought I lost you," you whispered against his mouth, and he chuckled.

"You didn't. I was all yours that very first night, sweetheart."

You didn't even try to deny it. He was right. It seemed so obvious now. Why didn't you see it back then? But before you began to mentally chastise yourself for being so bullheaded, you stopped. You couldn't change the past, something you've been learning to accept in therapy for months now, but what you could do was focus on your future. And while you sat next to Joel as he drove towards your favorite ice cream place in town, windows down and stars twinkling in the sky, you smiled because your future together looked pretty damn bright.

[cherrygirlfriend]

bsf!rafe taking care of sick reader

warnings: none! fluff hi lovelies! i just got this idea while i was sleep-deprived and really just felt like writing fluff since it seems i haven't been writing it much lately ,,, and also because what i have planned next for bsf!rafe is ... well, let's just say he's gonna be in the trenches.

you were certain this was the worst you'd ever felt. you should've known it'd happen - of course, taking care of your little sister while she was sick would have some kind of consequences.

the tv in your bedroom was playing old episodes of buffy the vampire slayer, something you always watched when you were hungover or otherwise having a bad day, and apparently now whenever you were sick.

you had no appetite, and your entire body felt like it was on fire while also being ice cold, your trash can filled with used tissues, your second box of them now on your nightstand next to a cup of tea that had gone cold.

a soft knock was on your door, and you sighed, you knew that your sister felt guilty for getting you sick, but you also didn't want her to get sick all over again. "i told you, don't come in!"

but the door still creaked open, and you let out a soft sigh, the heels of your palms now pressing against your eyes. "i told you not to feel guilty that you got me sick, i don't blame you."

"i wasn't aware that i did that."

you furrowed your brows when the voice that came from the door wasn't your little sister's soft, warm voice, but instead a rough, deep voice, one you were intimately familiar with. you didn't even need to take your hands away from your eyes to know who it belonged to.

but once you did, you were confronted with your best friend's tall figure standing at your doorway, a smile on his face and a grocery bag and a bouquet of flowers in hand as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. you pulled your blanket up to your nose, aware that you definitely didn't look the best right now, only making the boy chuckle.

"why are you here, rafe?" you asked in a soft voice that was muffled by the blanket, "i texted you to tell you i'm sick."

"i know." rafe said as he slowly walked over to your bed, sitting at the edge of it. "you do know that you don't need to hide, right? i've seen you sick a million times when we were kids." the boy chuckled, slowly pulling the blanket down, revealing your face.

"then why are you here?"

"i'm here to take care of you." he said with a small smile. it was odd, you were sure you hadn't seen rafe act this gentle since you were both children, the boy now pulling things out of the grocery bag. "i brought you some crackers, and some of your favorite snacks. and, chicken noodle soup. your sister said you haven't really been eating."

"rafe, you do know that you could get sick too, right?" you asked as rafe started emptying the contents of the grocery bag, revealing an array of some of your favorite snacks, your eyes widening.

"well, if i do, i expect the same treatment from you."

you narrowed your eyes as you looked at him, "you do know that no funny business is gonna go down, right?" and the blonde simply burst into laughter. "i mean, this isn't exactly an attractive sight."

"just let me take care of you."

and even though you kept trying to tell rafe to leave, that he'd probably get sick if he stayed, but your attempts were futile, and after a while, there was a fresh bouquet of flowers on your nightstand along with a new cup of tea, you had downed the chicken noodle soup, the warmth of it calming down some of the pain in your throat, and you were both now settled in your queen-sized bed, a cold towel on your forehead that rafe had insisted you needed.

"i can't believe you're watching this again." rafe grinned, his arm lazily thrown around your shoulder as he bit into one of the twizzlers he had brought, buffy still playing on tv.

"what do you mean? it's a great show."

"mmhm. and you're sure it has nothing to do with your crush on that emo bleach-blonde vampire?"

you softly smacked rafe's chest before taking the cold towel off your forehead, now having turned lukewarm. "you know, he kind of reminds me of you."

that statement made rafe grin, turning to look at you with lifted brows, "oh, yeah? is that why you have a crush on him?"

you simply rolled your eyes, letting out a small scoff.

rafe hadn't even noticed the moment you had gone slack in his arms, still focused on the tv, only realizing that you were asleep when you let out a small, adorable whine in your sleep. he looked down at your face, so serene and beautiful, it made something in his chest ache. he'd never tell you, but the moments he loved the most were the ones like this. ones when he could just admire you without having to hide it.

he brushed a strand of hair away from your face, tugging it behind your ear before pressing a soft, feather-like kiss on your forehead, looking down at you, an aching feeling stabbing in his chest, one that was more intimate than any of the sexual aching he felt for you. and that was the moment that he really realized he was in trouble.

and in a soft whisper, he said, "i love you." hoping that the girl it was meant for wouldn't be able to hear it.

[moonlit-stay]

Kinktober 2024 ▪ Day 19

▪ Pairing: Bang Chan x Female Reader

▪ Kink: Bulge Kink

▪ Genre: Smut

▪ Word Count: 2.1k

▪ Warnings: Soft!Dom Chan, Sub!Fem Reader, established relationship, big dick Chan, unprotected sex, bulge kink, creampie

▪ Other Warnings: brief mentions of fire, mentions of food and consumption of food, reader both mentions, and interacts with both of her parents

▪ Please let me know if I missed anything

Color(s) Of This Fic: Black, Ash Grey, Burnt Orange, and White Oak <3

If you are under the age of 18, please do not interact with this fic. This fic contains inappropriate content and is strictly 18+

Everything in not only this event, but all of my work in general is consensual. Even if not stated within the work.

Enjoy :)

The cold night air sends chills up your spine as you pull the blanket that's draped over your shoulders tighter around you. You sit in silence, admiring the comforting sound of the crackling logs that burn slowly in the fire pit in front of you.

You take a second to peer across from you at your parents, your mom tucked securely into your dad's side as they too gaze into the fire. A bag of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate squares sit in a neat pile in one of the vacant chairs, patiently waiting to be savored amongst the three of you.

The way this scene is playing out reminds you of your childhood. The comforting warmth of the fire, the soft glow of the moon, the gentle twinkle of the stars, it brought you peace, and to some extent, made you feel like a little kid again.

You love visiting your parents, enjoying the break from all your responsibilities and otherwise hectic life, but you can't say you don't really miss Chan. It's rare for you and Chan to be separated for any reason other than work, and you two have grown used to the schedule, handling it with ease, but a weeklong trip to visit your parents is not work, and it's not part of the schedule you both have grown familiar with, either.

To say you're both feeling each other's absence is an understatement. As dramatic as it may sound, you feel incomplete and out of place, like a compass that endlessly spins, never quite gaining a sense of direction.

Chan isn't much better off. Tossing and turning in your shared bed that he normally sleeps soundly in, hugging your pillow close in hopes of easing his restless mind. Instinctively making enough food for two, only to realize after the fact that you're not there to enjoy it with him.

As much as you're enjoying spending time with your parents, the days feel like they're dragging on, and you would be lying if you said you weren't counting down the days until you finally go home.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" You hear your mom gently call out, bringing you out of your thoughts as you blink at her a few times.

"Oh, uh...I'm okay." You answer, giving her a nod of reassurance.

"You miss Chan, don't you?" She asks you knowingly, watching you nod in response as you sink further into the chair.

"This is the first time we've been separated in over a year, and...neither of us are taking the distance too well." You explain, feeling yourself choke up a little bit at the simple mention of being away from your boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." She hums apologetically, gently squeezing at your dad's arm as she sits up, leaning forward before she speaks. "Next time you come around, bring him with you! He's always welcome, you know."

You smile at her words, nodding in response.

"I think he'd like that."

"I think he'd like anywhere as long as he's with you." She replies, winking at you as she reaches for the smore makings. "Now, who wants smores?"

You spent the next couple of hours sharing stories with your parent's, telling them about some of your favorite memories with Chan, as well as listening to each of your parents favorite memories of their time spent together as a couple. It made you cherish your relationship with Chan even more, hoping to one day have the opportunity to tell stories of your relationship with Chan to kids of your own.

It wasn't long before you all decided to turn in for the night, exhaustion setting in as you go your separate ways. You make your way to your childhood room, quickly showering before you crawl into bed.

You see a text from Chan, asking you to call him when you're free, and you smile at the notification before you call him.

"Hi, gorgeous." The sound of his voice makes your heart drum in your chest, and you beam at him as his face comes into frame.

"Hi, Channie, how was your day?"

He lets out a long sigh, falling back against his pillow before he speaks.

"It was alright, I just wish you were here." He tells you honestly.

"I know, baby," you sigh back, melting into your bed as sleep slowly takes over your form. "Tomorrow, Channie, and I'm all yours."

"You mean that?" He asks you with a smirk, watching a smile pull at your lips before you hum in response.

"Always."

He stays on the line with you until you fall asleep, reluctantly hanging up before he lets sleep embrace him as well.

The next morning you all but leap out of bed, getting ready for the day and hurriedly packing all your things before you part ways with your parents, assuring your mom you'll let her know when you're home safe.

The three-hour drive back to you and Chan's shared home feels like eternity. The remaining time on your GPS seemingly unmoving as your eyes continuously dart back to the estimated arrival time. You feel your heart rate quicken in pure anticipation when the arrival time finally reads five minutes.

You pull into your driveway, almost jumping out of your car as you make a beeline for your front door, letting it swing open to reveal Chan already standing there waiting for you with open arms. You fall into his embrace at record speed, tightly wrapping your arms around him as he carefully walks you backwards towards the front door, kicking it shut as he holds you close.

"God, I missed you so much." He breathes into your neck, pressing a kiss to the soft skin right after.

"I missed you, too." You respond, your breathing slowly becoming ragged as Chan trails open-mouthed kisses along your neck.

"Channie-" you breathe out, melting into his touch as his hands sneak under your shirt to feel your bare skin. "I still have to get my stuff out of the car."

"That can wait, baby." He softly explains, walking you towards your kitchen table. "I'll even bring it all in for you, but only after we make up for lost time."

You almost chuckle at his words, but the sound dies in your throat when he hoists you up onto the kitchen table. He takes a step away from you to pull his shirt over his head, tossing it out of his way before he does the same with your own. Your hands are quick to lay flat against his chest, letting your fingertips trace along the muscles in his chest and torso as his hands find purchase on your waist.

He tugs you closer until you're sitting at the very edge of the table before he helps you lay flat against the surface. He hooks his fingers into the waistband of your jeans and panties, tugging them down your legs in one swift motion before they join your previously discarded clothes. He lets out a moan at the sight of your bare core on full display in front him, his knees feeling weak at the thought of finally pushing inside you.

His shorts and briefs are the last articles of clothing to join the discard pile, carelessly kicking them to the side as he parts your thighs to stand between them. You wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him closer as his shaft presses between your folds.

He hurriedly slides his tip through your slit, gathering as much of your arousal as he can before he presses his tip to your hole.

"Missed you so much." He mumbles out, slowly pushing past your entrance as he speaks.

"Missed you, too." You answer, the sound of your voice already coming out broken and desperate as your back arches off the table.

Chan holds your waist securely in his hands, keeping you in place as he buries himself inside you to the hilt.

"Fuck, you're so big-" you mewl out, your hands gripping at his forearms.

"Did you forget that during the week you were away, baby?" He asks you breathlessly, still smirking down at you, nonetheless.

"M'not sure, jus' feels so good." You whine out, squirming in place as he slowly pulls out until just his tip is inside you.

"Let me remind you how much you love how big I am, hm?" His hips slam into yours right after the words leave his mouth, making your body jolt against the table as a choked scream tears from your throat.

He sets his pace, slow and rough as he watches your mouth fall open at the pleasure. Your grip on his forearms tightens with every thrust of his hips, your nails leaving crescents in his warm skin. Each of your pretty noises leaves your mouth in syllables, broken somewhere in the middle by the sheer force of Chan's thrusts.

You involuntarily clench around Chan's length when he lets out a low moan of your name, causing his pace to pick up in speed only slightly as he gets closer to his high. He rests one of his palms flat against your clit, watching you immediately grind against his palm as the need to cum clouds your brain and guides your movements.

You let out a choked sob when he brings his hips to a complete stop, his length still buried inside you as he pulls his hand away from your clit right after.

"Channie, no, please-" you whimper, bucking your hips for some sort of friction.

"Fuck, hold on, baby." You feel his hand press against your tummy, lightly at first before he increases the pressure. A loud, involuntary moan tears past your lips as your body trembles at the feeling. "You feel me here, baby? Feel how deep I am inside you?"

You can only nod as moans and whines spill past your lips, your thighs shaking against Chan's hips. You feel Chan gently grab your hand, placing it on your tummy before he presses down again, another loud moan slips past your lips and Chan bucks his hips involuntarily at the way your body reacts to his actions.

"Look, baby." He gently calls out, directing your attention to where both you and Chan's palms are pressed against your tummy. "Taking me so well, aren't you, pretty girl?"

You glance down, seeing the way your tummy bulges where Chan's length is buried inside you, and you let out another moan at the sight.

"Watch me fill you up, pretty." He breathes out, each of his breaths short and labored as he fights to restrain himself.

He draws his hips back, both of you watching the bulge disappear before he thrusts back into you, the bulge in your tummy reappearing when he bottoms out again. Your head falls back against the table with a thud, your eyes screw shut as your mouth falls agape, the knot in your stomach tightening again with every desperate thrust of Chan's hips.

Chan can't take his eyes off the bulge in your tummy, his head cloudy as he drowns in the pleasure, chasing his high as his hips speed up. Both of you are so close, desperate to reach your highs after a week of not seeing each other, and not having any kind of release. The table creaks with every thrust of Chan's hips, the noise falling on two pairs of deaf ears as you both come dangerously close to reaching your orgasms.

Chan presses his hand between your thighs again, rubbing the heel of his palm against your bundle of nerves as you jolt in his hold.

"Cum with me, baby, please." He moans out, feeling your walls throb around his cock.

His hips connect with yours a few more times before he stills inside you, his mouth falling open and his moans mixing with the sound of yours as he cums deep inside your cunt. Your entire body tenses before you tremble in his hold, your vision going white as you desperately cling to whatever part of him you can reach. Your legs tighten around his waist, pulling him impossibly closer as you cream around his cock, your orgasm hitting you like a ton of bricks as you moan out his name like a mantra.

The sound of moans and skin connecting repeatedly dies down, sounds of heavy panting and gasps filling the space instead. Eventually, your breathing evens out and you look up at Chan like he just gave you the world. He returns your gaze, looking at you like you just hung every star in the sky for him before he helps you sit up, pulling you into his chest a moment later. You hear his heartbeat, now calm and stable beneath your ear, smiling to yourself as you wrap your arms around his torso.

Maybe you'll get around to letting your mom know you made it home safe.

Maybe your stuff will eventually make it inside, too.

Right now, those are the least of your worries as your heartbeat settles, softly drumming in sync with Chan's as the comforting smell of his cologne invades your senses.

There's truly no place like home.

Main Masterlist

Kinktober 2024 Masterlist

▪ Author's Note

I am very fond of this day, it feels very comforting to me for some reason.

Might be because it's about Chan and that man is quite literally comfort personified, dunno

▪ Taglist

@kpophubb @whatudowhennooneseesyou @skzgallll @ka0ila

Send me a DM or ask to be added to the taglist

▪ Extras

©2021 - 2024 all rights are reserved to Moonlit-Stay. Stealing, reposting, copying, translating, plagiarizing, and modifying any and all of my work is strictly prohibited.

Released: October 19th, 2024

Reblogs are greatly appreciated !

[childrenofcain-if]

How would W react to an MC who is obsessed with them? Like they need help with a small thing? MC drop everything and run to the rescue. W doesn’t take care of themselves? Why bother when MC takes care of them.

W’s presence wasn’t always loud, but it was startling, an emotional thunderhead that you could feel rumbling in your ribs before it even fully cracked.

when the call came, their voice tried to sound casual but failed miserably. “i, uh, could use a hand with something.”

it didn’t matter what it was—something about a deadline they’d forgotten or a lamp they’d broken while pacing in frustration. you didn’t even ask. you dropped your coffee cup on the kitchenette counter, grabbed your jacket, and bolted out the door without thinking twice.

the quick walk to their suite was a blur and when you arrived, W was sitting cross-legged on the couch, their thin frame curled in on itself. they were wearing a mismatched pair of socks, one of them being yours—the blue one with the tiny stars that you’d lost weeks ago—and it was enough to make your heart ache.

“what’s wrong?” you asked, dropping your jacket at the door and crossing the room in three long strides.

W didn’t answer right away. their fingers were busy tracing invisible patterns on the edge of their sweater, which was so oversized it might as well have been a blanket. their silence stretched like a taut wire, and then, finally, they said, “i forgot to eat again.”

your chest tightened. not with anger, not even with frustration, but with the unbearable weight of love for someone who couldn’t always love themself. you didn’t say anything. you just walked into their kitchenette and started rummaging through cabinets and the refridgerator.

there wasn’t much to work with—a box of crackers, a bruised apple, a carton of almond milk. it didn’t matter. you threw together something small and easy and brought it back to W, sitting beside them on the couch.

they looked at the plate like it was a challenge, their fingers twitching toward it but never quite making contact.

“i’m sorry,” they murmured, their voice barely above a whisper.

“don’t,” you said, shaking your head. “you don’t have to apologize.”

“i do,” they insisted, their voice cracking. “you shouldn’t have to—”

“W,” you interrupted, your tone firmer than before. “i’m here because i want to be. because i love you. that’s it. that’s all there is to it.”

they looked at you then, their sapphire blue eyes watery and wide, and for a moment, you thought they might cry. instead, they reached for the plate and took a small bite of the apple. it wasn’t much, but it was definitely a start.

that night, after they’d eaten what they could and you’d cleaned up the remnants, you found yourself sitting together on the couch. W was curled against your side, their head resting on your shoulder, their fingers absently tracing shapes on your arm.

“you’re warm,” they murmured, their voice soft and sleepy. “and you smell nice. like fresh laundry.”

you smiled, pressing a kiss to their temple. “and you’re wearing my missing sock.”

“it’s a good sock,” they said with a tired chuckle, tugging at the hem of it. “better than the pairs i own.”

“you could’ve just asked for it,” you said.

they tilted their head to look up at you, their expression caught somewhere between a smirk and a fond smile. “and where’s the fun in that?”

***

later, as the night deepened, W began to fidget. their fingers, which had been drawing lazy circles on your arm, began to scratch at their own thigh, leaving faint red marks in their wake.

“stop,” you said gently, catching their hand in yours.

they flinched but didn’t pull away. “sorry.”

“don’t apologize,” you said, your voice kind. “just… tell me what’s wrong.”

they hesitated, their gaze fixed on the floor.

“i don’t know how to stop feeling like this,” they admitted. “like i’m… too much. or not enough. or both at the same time.”

your heart broke for the hundredth time that day. you pulled them closer, wrapping your arms around them like you could shield them from the weight of their own thoughts.

“you’re not too much,” you said. “and you’re not not enough. you’re exactly who you’re supposed to be.”

they didn’t respond, but their body relaxed slightly against yours. after a moment, they said, “i love you so much, i can’t bear the pain.”

the words were so quiet you almost missed them, but when they sank in, they hit you like a freight train. you tightened your hold on them, pressing a kiss to the crown of their head.

“i love you so much, i’ll bear it for you,” you whispered.

W looked up at you then, their eyes soft and full of something you couldn’t quite name.

“you mean that?” they asked tentatively.

“every word,” you replied, leaving no room for doubt. W said nothing but their smile was brighter than the lights in the room.

after a while, W whispered in latin, “te amabo aeternum.”

you recognized the words instantly, even though W’s accent was softer, less confident. i will love you forever.

“amabo te in aeternum,” you corrected gently, your voice warm and teasing. the structure mattered less than the sentiment, but you couldn’t help it. W’s latin was too endearing to leave unpolished.

“of course you’d fix that,” they muttered with a faint smile, their tone holding no actual irritation. “you always seem to know everything, don’t you?”

“not everything,” you said, smiling softly as you ran your thumb along the back of their hand. “just the important parts. like how much you mean to me.”

W looked up at you then, their blue eyes catching the light and you leaned in closer, your nose brushing against theirs.

“et ego te amo.” and i love you, you said, soft but firm, as if the words themselves could shield them from everything clawing at their mind.

they sighed, a sound that carried equal parts relief and exhaustion, and melted against you. “thank you for everything, mein stern.”

***

as the night wore on, W continued murmuring fragments of latin into the quiet—“es somnium meum,” they said at one point, and it took you a moment to piece it together. you are my dream.

you tightened your hold on them. “tibi in somniis et re in aeternum pertinebo,” you whispered back. i will belong to you in your dreams and reality forever.

that earned a smile from W, small but real, and when they finally closed their eyes, you stayed awake, holding them close. you whispered one final phrase into the night, one you weren’t even sure they’d catch:

“in saecula saeculorum.” forever and ever.

they didn’t respond, but their breathing slowed, steady and even, their body curled against yours with all the trust and affection that they could ever afford to give back.

[lillian-gallows]

Kinktober Day 3: High sex with Wade Wilson/Deadpool

Pairing: Wade Wilson/Deadpool X Fem!Reader Word Count: 1462 Warnings: recreational drug use, Shotgunning, P in V sex, These two are so soft I love it.

Kinktober 2024 Master(sub)list.

Minors DNI

It happened. You've died and gone to Heaven.

That's the only explanation for how perfect this day is.

It was another sesh day for you and Wade, and when you'd woken up that morning it was to the sound of soft pitter-patters as rain landed on your window, the sky dark and grey with the occasional break to let just enough light through to make the water droplets everywhere look like little diamonds.

The weed was hitting especially nicely, making your head feel light and drifty, your limbs both buzzing and leaden as you lounged back against Wade's chest, feeling it rise and fall with his steady breaths, his strong legs caging you in on either side.

There was a half-eaten bag of cheesy crackers on the table next to you, and in the back of your mind you remembered that there was a melty tuna casserole in the kitchen for later.

Wade himself was trailing his hand up and down your arm absentmindedly as he watched the T.V. playing some trashy daytime show. He had his mask on, still not quite ready to go without it around you, but you were happy to wait, as long as he was still there you were happy.

As you watched him, he turned and looked down at you. "Sup, Smiley?" He asked, poking your flushed cheek with a finger, which made you puff them out jokingly in response, pulling stoned giggles from both of you.

"Nothin', just really happy." You answered once you'd caught your breath, reaching up for the blunt hanging from the fingers of his other hand, plucking it from his hold and taking a long slow drag, holding the smoke for a moment before letting it curl slowly from between your lips.

You could feel Wade's gaze on you as your half lidden eyes watched the sunshine through the silver cloud moving slowly up, forming abstract shapes. "Well, ain't that a sight..." He murmured and you half expected there to be some dirty conclusion to that sentence, but there wasn't, he just kept watching you.

Tilting your head back you turned your gaze away from the smoke cloud to look up at him, a lazy smile warming your face. "Who? Me?" You asked coyly, suddenly feeling a different kind of buzz under your skin. "Can we do the thing?" You asked sweetly, knowing he couldn't say no to your cute face.

You could see his smile through the mask, and he nodded, plucking the joint from your fingers and holding away at a safe distance so you could change positions.

His free hand helped you stay steady as you shifted till you were straddling his lap, you could feel the press of the slowly forming erecting, not even at half-mast yet but already well on its way.

As you settled, his hands came to rest on your lower back, pulling you slowly closer, you naturally arched into his touch, pressing your chest to his as your faces hovered an inch from each other, desperate to press your lips to his but parted by his mask.

"Can I...?" You asked softly, voice thin as the smoke still floating in the air. He knew exactly what you were asking, and he felt his chest swell as he watched you wait for his answer, obviously itching to hear a yes, but so ready to accept a no.

"Yeah, Sweets. Go ahead." He said it lightly, like he didn't actually care that much, but you felt his heart skip a beat, you felt the hitch in his breath. It always made him a little nervous, even though he knew you didn’t care how he looked.

So, with that in mind, you moved slow as you lifted a hand, fingers slipping under the hem and brushing the soft scarred skin of his neck. His breath hitched again, but for a different reason as you felt the stirring pressed against your center.

You pulled the mask up to his nose, giving you just enough exposure to get to his lips.

He brought the blunt to his lips and took a slow drag, and you were sure he was watching you watch him, his lips pursing as he inhaled, face lit up slightly more by the cherry.

You were hypnotized by him.

The hit was held for half the time he normally would before his free hand took hold of your jaw, guiding your lips till they hovered so close you could feel his heat but somehow not touching.

You had to remind yourself to inhale the smoke and not just stare at him as he exhaled slowly.

You tried to picture his expression under the mask, eyes half lidden and a little red and watery, pupils dilated as arousal started to trickle into his veins.

You were pretty sure he didn't have any hair, given that there hasn't been any to be found on the rest of his body, of it that you've seen in the light, so you were willing to bet he didn't have eyelashes, but your brain supplied you with the mental image of them fluttering as his eyes closed.

The faint brush of the smoke passing from him to you suddenly consumed all your attention, pulling it in to hold for but a moment, an ultimately useless moment given how high you already are, before tilting your head back, giving Wade a nice view of the collum of your neck.

If you were to ask Wade why he did what he did next, he'd probably hit you with a dirty quip or joke, but the truth is it was pure instinct for him to wrap his hand around your neck, hand curving around so his fingertips rested over your pulse points.

His skin was so hot against yours, the callouses on his fingers left a tingling sensation. If all he did was hold you like this, you'd have been happy, but instead he gave a gentle squeeze, testing the waters, finding the boundary of Just Right and Too Much.

And he knows he's found it when you're wiggling on his lap, your cunt grinding against his cock with the irritating barriers of your clothes.

Wade likes a good long tease before getting to the meat and potatoes of fucking, loves the sweet torture of getting edged a good few (dozen) times.

But right now, he wanted to bask in you. In how you made him feel high as much as the actual drug.

It was a slow and lazy process, getting both your pants off or pushed down enough to get the job done, hands moving slow, pawing gently at each other.

But once your leggings and panties are hanging from one of your ankles and his own sweats and boxers are shoved down, you're right back to grinding against him, coating his thick length in the abundant wetness that's accumulated between your thighs.

Your hands gripped at his shoulders for stability as you rocked against him. "Wade..." You breathed against his lips, skin brushing ever so slightly. You're not sure what you're trying to draw his attention to, or even if that's what you were doing at all. Maybe you were just saying his name to taste it.

"I gotcha, Sweets." He said softer than you've ever heard him be.

Suddenly you needed him inside you yesterday, so with a tilt of your hips and a guiding hand you sank down on his cock, a high whine escaping your lips at the full feeling.

You felt rather than heard the low moan that rumbled in Wade's chest as you settled all the way down, taking his full length. "Fucking fuck you feel incredible...Fuck..." He muttered against your neck as he trailed lips and teeth, undoubtedly leaving marks in his wake as he nipped and bit.

The slow rock of your hips was every bit as lazy as the removal of your clothes had been. As was the kiss you two shared, all slow messy tongues and playful teeth. Hands roamed, kneading and squeezing here and there as they went but never staying in one spot for long.

Your orgasm snuck up on you, and unlike the crashing waves of pleasure, it was more like a gentle lapping of heat in your belly.

The flutter of your pussy pulled a groan from Wade, but he never stopped moving. His own hips picking up where your left off as you rode out your orgasm. "That's it, Baby." He encouraged as one of his hands moved from where it had been gripping your hip down to rub slow lazy circles on your clit as he began to roll his hips up into your in earnest.

"I'm far from done with you."

God, you hoped so.

[bookyeom]

such a headache - bsk

pairing: seungkwan x reader word count: 1.9k warnings: a couple of swears i think, kissing, seungkwan being unfairly cute summary: You have really bad migraines, and a great boyfriend.

A/N: This one's for us, @wheeboo.

You haven’t been dating Seungkwan for very long when the first migraine hits. 

It’s not your first migraine. It is the first migraine you’ve had since you started going out with Seungkwan, though, and you don’t know how he’s going to handle it. You should have known that telling him you have to cancel on a date because you’re sick wasn’t going to help, though. 

You hear the doorbell to your apartment ring. Once, twice, and then your phone is ringing, and you’re suddenly afraid that the noise might make you throw up. Your doorbell rings again, and you groan, forcing yourself up and to the door. You're not sure how you make it, but you do. 

“Hi,” your boyfriend says breathlessly when you open the door, and you wince at the brightness of the shitty apartment hallway lights. You do manage to vaguely register how cute he looks, though.

“Hey.” Your hand lifts to your forehead and you push in on it, an attempt to stave off the pain that’s beginning to increase, your eyes squeezing shut. 

“Are you okay?”

You forgot where you were for a second, your eyes peeking open to look at him again. He’s got a couple of grocery store bags in hand, and you wince. 

“Honestly, I feel awful right now.”

Seungkwan steps forward and you let him in, closing the door behind you. He sets his bags down and then he’s pulling you in for a hug. You rest your forehead against his chest, reveling in the warmth of it against the place where your impending migraine looms. You almost whine when he pulls away, hands on your biceps as he assesses you. 

“What’s wrong? Is it your stomach? Do you have a cold? I brought stuff for everything, just in case.”

“Headache.”

Seungkwan looks surprised, a hand lifting to press against your forehead. “Do you have a fever? Chills? Runny nose?”

Your eyes squeeze shut again, leaning into the warmth of his palm. “Migraine, Seungkwan. I get really bad migraines.”

“Oh.” 

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Did you just apologize?” You shrug, and Seungkwan tsks. “Do you need Advil or Tylenol? I have both.” 

“Advil would be great.”

Seungkwan instructs you back into the darkness of your room. You have no idea what he’s going to do, but you willingly oblige, another apology on the tip of your tongue before you see the look on his face and decide against it. 

By the time your door cracks open, the pain has begun its increase. Seungkwan enters and you swallow the Advil he offers with a glass of water. He sits on the edge of your bed as you do, watching you, and you wince when your phone dings. He reaches for it immediately, switching it to silent.

“Thank you,” you say softly. “I can’t really see straight right now.”

“What?”

You open one eye as you lean back against your headboard, finding him among the zig zags and blurry lines. “Everything’s a bit blurry at the moment.”

“Should I be concerned?”

You can’t help but smile at that, despite the fact that you feel so nauseous you could cry. “No,” you assure him. “I just need to wait it out. Fucking sucks.”

Seungkwan is quiet for a minute, and you let your eyes fall shut. You know he’s processing, and you wonder if he thinks you’re exaggerating like most people do. Then his hand finds your leg and he squeezes, and you think that maybe he’s not like most people. 

“Can I do anything else? Lights off, no noise, right?”

You nod, then realize he probably can’t see you very well in the dark. “Yeah.” You pause. “Could you…”

You hate asking for help. Seungkwan knows, and he squeezes your knee again. “I don’t mind,” he assures you.

“I need to eat something small. Maybe crackers? I don’t know if I have any, though.”

“I bought some.” 

He’s out the door and back in a flash. You thank him, forcing a couple of crackers down before you lie back down on the bed. You can’t think about much as the pain hits its peak. You want to cry, but you know that only makes it worse; you feel like you need to throw up, but you know you don’t actually have to. You just have to wait for the meds to kick in, and there’s nothing else to do about it. 

You’re about to apologize to Seungkwan again because you’re embarrassed that he’s seeing you like this, but he speaks before you can. 

“Do you want me to go? I want to stay,” he adds quickly, “but if I’m making it worse…”

All you can feel, above the pain and the nausea, is an overwhelming sense of affection. 

You are down so bad.

“Please stay.”

You wake up maybe an hour later and the pain is gone. You still feel weak, but better. The best part about waking up, though, is that your boyfriend is still there when you do. 

“Seungkwan?”

He looks away from his phone and over at you in surprise. “Hi! I didn’t know you were awake.”

“Mhm.”

“Feeling better?”

You nod. “A million times better.”

You register his arm under your head, his side pressed to yours, and you can’t help but snuggle in closer. You surge forward to press a kiss to his cheek, and he lets out a sigh. 

“You just recovered and you want to jump me already?” He shakes his head. “Insatiable.” 

It’s him that kisses you full on the mouth right after, though. 

“Okay,” Seungkwan says suddenly, attempting to remove his arm from around you, but you whine in protest and cling to him even tighter. You absolutely refuse to move from his side. He snorts, offering an affectionate hair ruffle before his hands leave you completely. You pout but don’t complain as he sits up a bit, because his hands have now begun furiously typing on his screen, which can mean only one thing: your boyfriend means business. About what, you have no clue.

You wait, head resting against his chest. Your eyes are beginning to shut again now that your body is done fighting itself. You always have the best sleep after a migraine. 

“Do you get…” Seungkwan pauses, and you drowsily look up to find him squinting at his screen. “Auras? Do you get auras?”

You blink. “Huh?”

“Do you get auras before a migraine?” 

You’d laugh at how serious he looks right now, but you think that would get you in trouble, so you stick to simply answering his question. “Sometimes, yeah. Depends on how bad it’s gonna be.”

“So an aura can kind of tell you how much pain you’ll be in later?”

You think about it. “Kind of? I couldn’t measure how much pain I’ll be in when it hits, but when I start to get blurry vision I know it’ll be a bad one.” 

Seungkwan simply nods, and begins to type something out again. You’re confused but amused nonetheless. You have no idea what he’s doing, but he’s got his thinking face on — and he looks hot as hell. You’re blatantly ogling him when he asks the next question.

“You said you get blurry vision sometimes. That happened today, right? Earlier?” You nod. “What about like, numbness anywhere?” He looks a bit concerned as he says the last bit, and you squeeze his side. 

“Only sometimes. That one is pretty rare for me. Usually, I’ll be in pain by then, so the numbness doesn’t freak me out because I know why it’s happening.”

He nods, much like a scientist when recording lab results, and you attempt to peer at his phone. He pulls it away easily and you pout, but he ignores you. 

“Do you get any warning signs before a migraine?”

You shake your head. “That part really sucks — I get the blurry vision before the pain comes, but I don’t notice anything before my vision starts to zigzag.”

Seungkwan hums. You’re incredibly endeared. “It says here that some people prefer ibuprofen, some prefer acetaminophen, and that some people need prescription painkillers. What about you? I remember that Advil is the only thing that works for your cramps, right? Is it the same for your migraines?”

You suddenly realize exactly what he’s doing. 

You can’t do anything but stare up at him as he finishes his sentence, suddenly feeling so overwhelmed with fondness for the man beside you that you think you might be sick. He glances down at you when you don’t respond, concern etched across his face.

“Are you Googling how migraines work right now?”

You watch as Seungkwan flushes pink, stammering a bit before he answers. “Maybe,” he mumbles, looking away from you, and you’re positive that you’ve never been more into anyone, ever. 

“Are you writing down what I tell you so you know how to help me when I have one?”

It’s quiet for a split second, and then Seungkwan is brushing you off of him, rolling onto his side and away from you. “Nope,” comes his muffled reply, and you feel so downright giddy that it makes your head spin. 

“Seungkwan,” you try, and you hold back a giggle when he simply huffs in response. You reach for him, hand sliding over his waist as you tuck yourself into his back. “Baby.”

You both seem to realize what you’ve just said at the same time. The pet name is new, but you can’t help that it slipped out when he’s being so cute. You worry that he hates it for a second when he tenses up, but then his body softens again and he rolls back to face you.

“I’m only looking at you because you just called me ‘baby’, and that’s almost as embarrassing as me making a note about your migraine symptoms and treatments.”

You want to make a comment about how you calling him ‘baby’ didn’t feel embarrassing at all — in fact it felt quite right — but you’ll address that later. “Thank you so much for your sacrifice,” you say sarcastically.

Seungkwan pouts at your teasing, but his tough exterior doesn’t last long. It never does with you. His hand finds your waist and he pulls you in, both of his arms wrapping around you as he pulls you close. 

“Thanks, Kwanie.” Your words are a whisper against his neck, and he pulls back to look at you in surprise. 

“Thanks for what?”

Your finger traces the collar of his t-shirt, avoiding his eyes. “Wanting to look after me like that. It means a lot.”

It’s quiet for a few moments before your boyfriend is suddenly  on top of you, legs tangling with yours. You adapt quickly, a hand lifting to run your fingers through his hair, and you can feel it when he sighs against you. Then he nuzzles his face into your neck as he murmurs, “Having a migraine sounds so scary, babe. I’m sorry.”

Babe. 

You barely even flinch when he says it, trying it out for himself. You like the way it sounds coming from him. You like it a lot. 

“It is scary,” you admit. “But it helps when someone tries to understand.” 

Seungkwan nods, his head lifting from your neck to rest his chin on your chest. “I’ll continue to do my best, then.”

He looks at you, soft smile on his lips, and all you can do is smile back. When you mouth another “thank you”, he doesn’t say anything. The kiss you receive in return is his answer. 

Tags: @waldau @wqnwoos @eoieopda @tae-bebe @gyuminusone @minisugakoobies

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[paceprompting]

by firelight

written for ‘fireplace’ and ‘cabin’ wc: 991 # | steddie | rated: m | cw: no archive warnings apply | tags: established relationship, winter cabin getaway, implied sexual content, soft romance

@steddieholidaydrabbles @steddiemas

“Aren’t these more of a Halloween thing? Or summer camp?” Steve asked, settling down on the rug with a soft grunt.

Eddie, braced on his hands and knees, poked at the logs starting to catch with a fire poker. He only had a vague idea of setting a fire—just enough to know to get a starter log and use crumbled paper to light it with. Or maybe he was about to burn down their rental cabin in a blaze of well-meant idiocy.

He backed off before any of that happened, clapping his hands to get the residual wood grain off his hands.

“Hey, not all of us got to spend two weeks goofing off in the woods, singing kumbaya,” he said, cocking his head in Steve’s direction, curls falling over his shoulder.

Steve raised his brow, leaned back on both hands with his legs outstretched. “The only time I was at camp, I was a lifeguard.”

Eddie hummed, dragging his eyes along Steve’s chest, picturing the familiar sight of Steve’s bare chest—except this time sun-tanned and dripping wet as he climbed out of a lake in tiny red shorts.

“Guess I did miss out,” he said.

Steve smirked, because you could take the jock of the court, but not so much the ego out of the jock. And Eddie did plenty to inflate his…ego.

“Weren’t you in the middle of something that’s probably going to cost us our deposit?”

Oh, how Steve could ruin Eddie’s ill-advised plans. Wasn’t usually with another ill-advised plan, though.

“I suppose you can have dessert first,” Eddie said with a drawn-about sigh.

Neither of them believed him; not with the bright grin on his face on he shifted on his knees and pulled over a tray from the kitchen, loaded with supplies.

Graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows.

Perfect for romance by firelight.

Whatever Eddie had done, the crackling flames had enveloped the logs within the polished dark wood fireplace, emanating warmth and flickering orange light. Eddie glanced at Steve to see it dance across the line of his jaw and reflecting off the soft brown of his eyes. Making them almost hazel.

Steve nabbed a marshmallow as soon as they were in reach, popping it in his mouth and chewing with puffed out cheeks. Eddie faux-scowled, skewering two other marshmallows. Steve winked, and damn it how gone Eddie was for him that he blushed because of it.

He offered one skewer to Steve, who went about pushing it down further while Eddie stuck his right into the fire.

“You do this often?” Steve asked as he shuffled to Eddie’s side and hovered his marshmallow just above the top of the flames.

“Never,” Eddie replied happily, as he brought his marshmallow out of the flames and abruptly blew it out. Charred. Perfect. “Usually do this in the microwave and watch them puff up.”

Steve hummed and leaned into Eddie. They stayed shoulder to shoulder while Eddie prepped his s’more and Steve carefully toasted. Steve finished by the time Eddie took his first bite, stretching out the gooey center as far as it would go.

He gathered the mess on his fingers to get the rest of it into his mouth, ignoring Steve’s chuckle. He did notice, however, that Steve merely ate the second marshmallow straight off the skewer.

“You’re supposed to add the chocolate and graham cracker,” he said, shoving the rest of his own into his mouth.

Steve just stared as Eddie swallowed.

“What?”

Steve waved toward himself. “C’mere.”

“Seriously, what?” Eddie nearly laughed just to ease his thrumming pulse.

Steve smiled and leaned forward on one hand.

“You have chocolate. Right here,” he said and then planted his lips onto Eddie’s.

His mouth was sticky and sweet, and Eddie opened eagerly when Steve swiped his tongue along his bottom lip. He placed both his hands on Steve’s jaw, knowing that he was leaving sticky fingerprints. Wasn’t worse than the hickies and other possessive marks he’d ever left on Steve.

“You do this for everyone?” he asked, mumbled against Steve’s mouth.

Steve hooked his hands underneath Eddie’s thighs and lifted him to straddle his lap. He nipped at Eddie’s bottom lip and rasped, “Save it for special occasions.”

Eddie slid his hand underneath Steve’s sweater, dark blue and handsome, but utterly in his way. He trailed his fingers up and up, dragging through Steve’s chest hair until he captured Eddie’s mouth again and his hand was pushed down between them.

Even better, anyway.

Steve gasped once he realized what Eddie was doing, flicking open the button of his jeans and wrangling the zipper down. It’d seemed like a good idea when he started, but Steve’s damn boxers and his own hips were in the way of what Eddie really wanted.

“You have to work with me here, big boy,” Eddie murmured, and Steve let him push him down onto his back, hair a fucking mess laid out on the rug. He panted while he watched Eddie yank down his clothes until he could slide his hand underneath his pesky layers.

Steve moaned at Eddie’s touch, pushing up with his elbows to drag a hand into Eddie’s curls and urge him into another kiss. They met in the middle, with Eddie half kneeling over him, slowly stroking Steve in time with the rocking of his hips.

“Ed—” Steve tried, but Eddie twisted his wrist and pulled out another gasp instead. He tugged at Eddie’s hair in retaliation. They both moaned at that, and heat not from the fire shot through Eddie’s spine.

“Not fair,” Eddie whined, speeding up his hand.

Steve pressed his face to Eddie’s throat, breath hot and wet on his skin. “Let me cum and I’ll repay you twice over.”

Steve had to be drawing close, to give Eddie that kind of ammunition.

“Only if you say please,” he teased.

Steve tugged hard on his grip in Eddie’s curls and hissed, “Please, Eddie.”

[pedrospatch]

to hell and back l one

Post Outbreak! Joel Miller x Female Reader

series masterlist l main masterlist l next chapter

summary: After escaping a group of brutal slavers, you are left with permanent physical and emotional scars. Unwilling to put your trust in another human being ever again, you spend a year fighting for survival alone in the post outbreak world. But when you choose to save the life of a man named Joel Miller, the wall that you’ve built to protect yourself slowly begins to crumble.

warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY MINORS DNI. canon violence, canon language, brief mentions of slavers, brutality, torture, assault, guns, reader is an archer, mentions of hunting, animal death, injured/unconscious Joel, very minor mentions of blood, age gap (reader is 30, Joel is 56) very brief mention of scars, reader does not/cannot speak at times, a lot of internal dialogue from reader, at one point reader does try to speak to Joel but she is unable. *please be advised that no specific diagnosis is used or will be mentioned, i’m writing the series with the idea that reader herself cannot fully comprehend her inability to speak at times. basically the gist of it is we have a very traumatized person who does not realize just how traumatized she is.

word count: 8.2k (good lord I am so sorry)

a/n: not a whole lot to say except for that this is...different. at least i think it is, i could be wrong lmao. this is by far one of the most challenging things i have ever decided to write, but hopefully it turned out okay

California l Fall, 2023

You’d been on the run since dawn.

It was several hours later now and nightfall was approaching—and it was approaching a hell of a lot fucking faster than you could have even anticipated. The darkness was quickly closing in, falling around you like a velvet black curtain. However, stumbling around blindly in the dark was currently the very least of your worries. 

Your feet were raw, both completely blistered and bleeding through your socks inside of your worn out, muddied white canvas sneakers. Your sore, aching legs screamed out for mercy and your knees trembled violently, threatening to buckle out from underneath the weight of your body at any given moment. 

In the week and a half leading up to your escape from captivity, you’d been deprived of both food and water—it had been your punishment for closing your eyes and turning your head away after you’d been instructed by the slavers to watch their brutal assault of the young teenaged girl that you had been sharing a cage with. She’d been unable to keep up with her work duties, and they had decided to make an example out of her.

Despite still having been forced to witness the horrendous, unspeakable things they’d done to that poor girl, your initial resistance resulted in you being beaten and then starved for several days. Occasionally, one of the late night guards would try and bribe you, offering a small piece of jerky or a couple of stale crackers in exchange for a blowjob. At first, you told him you’d rather cut your own tongue out with a rusty blade than suck his dick, but when he proposed the disgusting, vile trade again just a couple of nights later, you’d accepted it—because him pulling you out of that fucking cage after hours and removing the tight shackles from your wrists when no one else was around would give you the chance to finally make a run for it.

You swung yourself around the nearest redwood tree, slumping back against its thick, wide trunk. You covered your mouth with your two hands in an attempt to silence the sound of your heavy panting. 

Besides being in pain, malnourished and severely dehydrated, the exhaustion was starting to set in too. The adrenaline pumping through your veins had brought you this far, but exactly how much farther could it take you? How much longer could it possibly keep you going before your tired body decided to give up and give out?

Somewhere behind you, you could hear the men calling out cheerfully.

One sang out, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

“Come out and plaaaaay,” a second taunted.

The third shouted, “We’re gonna get you!”

Their giddiness made you want to vomit. If your stomach hadn’t been empty, you would have.

Those sick, twisted fucks weren’t letting up. 

They’d been on your heels for hours.

The large group of slavers in California were over two hundred strong and had dozens of prisoners chained up in their human cages—they had more than enough people to force into labor. There was no need for them to waste their time and efforts going after you, but after spending the last eight months witnessing firsthand how these sadistic bastards operated, it occurred to you that their desire to recapture you wasn’t out of a need for labor. It was for their entertainment. 

They were hunting you down for sport.

This was their idea of fun.

“Fuck,” you whispered underneath your breath, your hands falling down to your sides.

Something had to give.

Your legs, your body, your will to live.

Perhaps all of the above.

You couldn’t keep on running for much longer.

And even if you could, where the hell were you supposed to go? How were you supposed to get there?

You had no food, no water, and no weapon.

Just the torn, tattered clothes on your back.

You were defenseless against whatever else was out there and you couldn’t see yourself surviving longer than a couple of days at most.

There was a part of you that wanted to give up and surrender. If you could be absolutely certain that they would shoot you dead on the spot, you would actually consider it and step out from behind the tree—hell, you would happily let them put a bullet between your eyes and put you out of your misery once and for all. But they wouldn’t be so generous. You knew they would have their way with you here in the middle of this forest and only after they were done would they take you back to their settlement where they’d put you right back in shackles so the real torture could begin. Just like that teenaged girl, the slavers would make an example out of you so that nobody else in their right mind would even think about running away. 

They would be sure to make your death as slow and as agonizing as possible.  

No. If you were going to die, then you were going to die. But fucking not like that.

Hearing them draw closer towards where you’d been hiding, you pushed yourself away from the redwood and willed yourself to keep on going.

Wyoming l Fall 2024

Your eyes softly flutter open.

Bright, early morning sunlight filters in through the ripped, white lace curtains that hang over the small, square shaped window right above your head. 

Blinking the sleep away, you prop yourself up slightly on your elbows and take a glance around at your surroundings. The old, abandoned cabin that you’d stumbled across just a couple of days ago is tiny, cramped, and crumbling. It also reeks—it smells damp, musty, and earthy, like rotting wood. But beggars can’t be choosers and you are certainly in no position to be a chooser right now. It’s not what you consider to be ideal, but it’s four walls and a roof, which is more than anyone can ask for. It’s sparsely furnished with a table and two chairs, an old wood burning stove you had been too afraid to light because you didn’t want to risk setting the place on fire, and there’s even a small, twin sized bed for you to sleep on. Well, perhaps calling it a bed was a tad bit too generous. It’s really just a mattress sitting on four large concrete blocks. It’s rough, dirty, and torn with rusted springs and bits of fluff sticking out from every corner. Still, it sure as fuck beat the hell out of sleeping outside in the dirt and using a rock as a pillow.

Besides the luxury of having something close to a proper roof to sleep under, there’s also a lake just two and a half miles north of the cabin where you had been able to fill your canteen with fresh water. Not to mention, you’d also been able to bathe and wash your clothes for the first time in a couple of weeks. You had been on your own for about a year now, and this was the luckiest you’ve gotten in terms of finding a decent place to stay.

Whether or not it’s safe, it was still too early to tell. 

Sure, you were out somewhere in the middle of bumfuck nowhere and hadn’t seen a single soul, living or dead, in a couple of months now. But that still didn’t mean that running into the infected or other people wasn’t a possibility. Letting your guard down was risky. Too risky. 

You swing your legs over the side of the mattress and sit up, slipping on your pair of warm, wool socks before tugging on your boots—you’d found them over the summer and even though they had been about one size too small for you, you’d managed to break them in since then and the supple brown leather now molds almost perfectly to your feet. You stand up and lift your arms up above your head while simultaneously twisting your stiff, sore back in a painful, but much needed stretch. You’re only just a couple of months shy of turning thirty years old, but lately, your bones snap, crackle and pop with each and every movement, making you feel twice your actual age. 

The thought of it makes you snort in amusement. You should be so lucky to stay alive long enough to see the age of sixty. Hell, you’re still unable to fathom how you’d even made it this close to seeing thirty.

Dropping your arms back down to your sides, you make your way over to your khaki colored pack and pull out your aluminum canteen from one of the side pockets. You twist off the cap and gulp back a long, cool drink of water, hoping to get rid of the dryness in your mouth and the cracks in your chapped lips. As soon as the liquid makes it all the way down to the pit of your stomach, the hollow, muscular organ grumbles loudly, demanding food. You’d had some decent luck while out hunting the previous morning, capturing two wild rabbits—you had eagerly skinned, cleaned and cooked them both, devouring one right after the other so fast that it had nearly made you sick. It had been a pretty decent meal, but not nearly enough to completely satisfy your ravenous hunger. Prior to finding the cabin and settling in, you had been living off of a couple handfuls of nuts and berries for three days while on the move. You were still fucking starving and all you could do was pray that you’d find more rabbits today. 

Maybe you’d get even luckier and spot a pheasant. It was their season, after all. 

You drink some more water and set your canteen aside. You’d planned to return to the lake later in the afternoon to refill it as well as to have another bath. You pull on your faded, black denim jacket over your hoodie and pick up the wooden bow and brown leather quiver of arrows sitting beside your pack. You’d found the weapon in some hunting shop back in Utah that had already been picked clean to the bone over the last couple of decades. However, no one had even bothered with taking the bow. It hadn’t really surprised you, though. In the post outbreak world, a bow and arrow would do absolutely nothing to protect against the infected runners and stalkers—and it would do much less to protect against clickers unless your aim was flawless.

Still, a bow was useful in its own right. 

It was perfect for hunting game. It was silent, keeping you and your location concealed from potential passersby at all times. Most importantly, you could reuse your arrows so long as you were careful and didn’t break them while removing them from your kills—and in the event that you did happen to snap an arrow, all you had to do was salvage what you could from the damaged projectile and make a new one. Simple as that. 

Your father had taught you how before he’d died.

“Why bother with a bow? What about a gun?” you had asked him. 

“Might not always be able to get your hands on a gun,” he’d replied as he sharpened an edge of the small, thumb sized rock in his hand. “Or bullets. It doesn’t hurt to have alternatives in the event that you can’t get your hands on either of those things, kiddo.” Despite being in your mid twenties at the time, he’d still always call you kiddo. “Always have a backup weapon, alright?”

He’d been wise to give you that advice.

You did have a firearm, a colt pistol that you hardly have ammunition for. There were ten rounds left in the clip and with no luck in finding any more in the last couple of months, you’d decided to preserve them, saving what little bullets you had left for a real emergency. You kept the gun tucked into the waistband of your jeans at all times, along with the sharp switchblade that you used to gut and skin game. As far as weapons go, you sure as hell could’ve been a lot worse off. But if you happened to stumble upon more ammunition for your gun, you certainly wouldn’t complain about it. 

Slinging your bow and the quiver of arrows over your shoulder, you grab the dark gray foraging bag that you used to collect and carry your kills in and leave the cabin, feeling somewhat confident enough to leave the remainder of your belongings behind instead of hauling them all along with you like you had the morning before. It wasn’t that you feared someone would come along and steal them. There wasn’t really anything for anyone to steal, anyway. Rather, you’d gotten so damn used to the instability and the constant moving around—you never stayed in one place for too long and were always prepared to run. But today, you decide to leave your things in the cabin, feeling certain that you would return in just a couple of hours. 

You step out onto the creaking, three step porch that’s so old it buckles slightly under your weight and a gentle breeze nips at your cheeks and nose. It’s the middle of autumn in Wyoming and the air outside is fresh, cool and crisp. Winter was looming right around the corner like a dark shadow, and although you’d somehow managed to make it through the previous year’s brutal snow season, that didn’t do much to stop you from being nervous about the one that was to come. If all went according to your plan, you’d be holing yourself up in that shoddy little cabin until the worst of winter was over and then you would move along.

To where?

You didn’t have the slightest fucking clue. 

You make a short trek about two miles south, going in the opposite direction of the lake and finding yourself closer to the thick forest trees that surrounded the base of the mountain range out in the distance instead. There’s a dried, grassy clearing just feet from the entrance of the forest—finding a single, decently sized boulder in the middle of the wide, open space, you decide that behind it is the perfect spot for you to set up and hope for the best. Carefully setting your things down on the ground, you pull out a pair of old, cracked binoculars from your bag. You lean your body over the smooth, round top of the rock and lift them up to your face, peeking through the lenses. You hope to spot something right away because it sure would be fucking nice to eat something sooner rather than later. Otherwise you might just start gnawing at your own arm. 

Diligently, you scan your surroundings for any and all signs of wildlife. 

That’s when you see it, standing near the edge of the woods.

You gasp softly as your sights fall upon the deer. 

Pulling your face away from your binoculars, you blink furiously before taking another look just to be sure that your eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on you. It’s not a hallucination. It’s a white tailed deer, a female, and from the look of her, she has to be at least about a hundred pounds. At least.

You try to not get too far ahead of yourself, but it’s far too late. The thought of finding some herbs and making a hot, venison stew for supper makes your mouth water. The rest of the meat could be dried out and made into a batch of jerky that could feed you for months. Months.

Then, you suddenly remember you’ve never even attempted to bring down an animal of that size before and you’re slapped back into reality.

You think about your father, who would bring home a deer every weekend after going on his hunting trips with some of his old college buddies. “You want to aim for the heart or the lungs,” he’d say as you and your siblings would watch him dress the carcass, much to your mother’s chagrin. “Look between the shoulder blade and the last rib,” he would tell you and your brothers. You’d also had an older sister, but she had always been incredibly squeamish and had a soul that was much too sweet and caring for hunting. She would always want to bring home every animal your father shot and nurse it back to health. “Somewhere between those two lies everything you need to hit in order to do the job and do it well. And for the love of god, don’t you ever aim directly for the shoulder. Behind it, kiddos, always aim behind it. You got it?”

“Yes Papa,” you’d all chime out together.

Setting down the binoculars in your hands, you reach for your bow and pluck an arrow from your quiver before stepping out from behind the boulder. You’re careful to be as silent as possible as you take a few steps closer towards the unsuspecting grazing animal. You position yourself and stand perpendicular to the deer, placing your feet shoulder width apart—you’re a little farther from your target than you would have preferred, but you don’t want to risk going any closer and scaring her off, so it would have to do. Once you feel comfortable enough with your stance, you nock the arrow and set it on the string. You then hold the string and steady your grip on the bow, relaxing your shoulders before drawing it and pulling your arm back until you’ve reached your anchor point, which is always the corner of your mouth. 

Breathe, you remind yourself calmly as you aim at the delicate spot behind her shoulder blade. Nice and slow. Breathe.

Just as you’re about to release the arrow and take your shot, the deer whips her head back towards the trees and her ears prick forward—a split second later, she darts off, zooming across the field in the opposite direction of where you’d been standing. 

Your mouth falls open in disbelief. 

“Are you fucking shitting me?” you mutter under your breath.

Frustrated, you lower your weapon and just as you start to contemplate whether or not it’s even worth it to try and hunt her down on foot, you suddenly hear something—it isn’t until the noise draws closer to where you’re standing that you realize it’s the sound of a galloping horse.

Perplexed, you squint over in the direction of where you think it’s coming from, right near the edge of the trees. Then, just a moment later, a brown stallion emerges from the woods with a dark haired man riding in his saddle. He holds a rifle in one hand and clutches the reins tightly in the other. 

Gasping, you whirl around on the heel of your boot and immediately make a beeline back to the boulder. You swing around the rock and crouch down, ducking out of his sight. You couldn’t be too sure if he’d seen you or not, but it doesn’t matter—a wave of sheer panic washes over you and you can physically feel your own body preparing itself to go into fight or flight mode. Despite having your gun tucked into the waistband of your jeans, you still haven’t reached for it and continue to clutch your bow and arrow in your hands instead. 

Swallowing dryly, you turn and carefully lift yourself up just enough so that you can glimpse over the top of the boulder. That’s when you see a second man emerge from the woods. This one is blond and he is on foot instead of a horse. He’s also armed, carrying a shotgun. 

“You’re mine you fucking son of a bitch!” he shouts. He lifts his weapon, aims, and then squeezes the trigger, shooting the horse in the side and bringing him down instantly. His rider goes flying off and he hits the ground several feet away from the dead animal, landing so painfully hard that even from a distance you’d manage to hear the loud, cracking sound his body had made upon impact.

You momentarily freeze. 

Your heart anxiously jumps up into your throat as you watch the shooter begin to approach him. The attacker moves slowly and with no haste seeing as his helpless victim is lying there motionless on the ground with his eyes closed and no idea that he’s about to die. The blond man comes to a halt just a few feet away from him, grinning as he lifts his shotgun once again and points the barrel of it at the other man’s head. His index finger hovers over the trigger. 

Before your mind and body can even make the connection, you rise to your feet and aim your bow, swiftly sending an arrow straight through the blond man’s neck. He crumples, falling to the ground writhing and squirming as he bleeds out in less than sixty seconds.

You wait it out for another minute, refusing to move another muscle until his body finally goes limp and you are certain he’s dead. Taking a look around, you make sure the coast is clear and grab your belongings, slinging them over your shoulder before you make your way over to the scene. Unsure of whether or not there could be others heading in this direction, your plan was to pick off their guns and any other useful supplies before making a run for it back to the cabin. You crouch down beside the man you’d shot and killed, carefully pulling your arrow out of his neck. It makes a loud, horrid squelching sound as you remove it and blood from his jugular splatters your blue jeans. You then pick up his shotgun and check the chamber for ammunition. 

Just like the pistol tucked away in your waistband, there’s hardly any rounds left, making it all but useless. Rolling your eyes, you carelessly drop the gun on top of his chest and move on in search of the rifle. You spot it right beside the dark haired man.

Apprehensive, you cautiously make your way over towards him. With how still he had been lying, you could have sworn he was gone—perhaps the fall off of his horse alone had killed him. But just to be sure, you decide to give his side a harsh nudge with the toe of your boot. 

He groans and his head rolls to the side.

He’s still alive.

You effortlessly string the bloodied arrow in your hand and aim it right at his chest.

Move again and you’re dead, motherfucker.

“Ellie,” the man mumbles, his eyes still closed.

Ellie?

You slowly lower your bow.

Without realizing it, a little bit of your guard lowers along with it. 

Carefully, you sink down onto one knee next to the man and get a better look at him. He’s much older than yourself, somewhere in his fifties if you had to guess. He has harsh forehead lines, deep creases in between his eyebrows, a patchy beard that is speckled with many, many grays, and wild waves of thick hair that look soft to the touch. Though some of his features are a little worse for wear due to his age, he’s still quite a handsome man from what you can see. He also appears to be in decent shape, clean and well fed, and you detect the light scent of laundry soap on his clothes. Surely, he had to have been part of some kind of group, and judging by the leather trimmed saddle on his horse, this group was one that was very well off in this post outbreak world. 

You hesitate, but then lift a slightly trembling hand and take the side of his face, cupping it in your palm as you turn his head towards you. 

There’s blood on his right temple and your fingers reach up to touch what you had assumed was the source of the bleeding—but then you realize it was a scar, maybe an inch or two in length at most and completely healed. Your fingers trail up even further and venture into his hair which, as it turned out, is in fact just as soft as one would imagine. You find a small gash on his scalp and your fingers become coated in the man’s blood.

Must’ve hit himself on a rock or something.

Your hand leaves his hair and you place it on his broad chest as you begin checking him over for any other potential injuries or wounds. Slipping your opposite hand inside of his brown jacket, you lift the hem of the dark green thermal henley he’s wearing and you discover the scar on his temple isn’t the only one he possesses—he has several more, way too many for you to count on one hand alone. You’re so preoccupied with inspecting the remainder of his abdomen that you don’t even notice the way one of his hands is slowly reaching for yours, the hand that’s still resting on his chest, right over his heartbeat.

Semiconscious, the man takes your hand in his so damn gently that it startles you and takes you by surprise, but it doesn’t frighten you. Weakly, he laces his fingers together with your own and he speaks again, uttering softly, “Babygirl.”

Puzzled, your eyebrows knit together.

It almost sounds like he’s pleading.

For what—for who? For Ellie?

Is she the babygirl he’s referring to?

Your other hand moves up to his shoulder and you give it a violent shake. 

Hey, you’ve got to get up now.

��H—” You try to speak the words, but can’t. They’re formed in your mind and it feels like they are right there on the very tip of your tongue, but when you open your mouth, they refuse to come out. You frown.

It’s happened before. 

In the spring, you’d stumbled across a small group of people while out hunting in Idaho—it was the first time you had seen other human beings since leaving California in the fall. There had been both men and women and they even had children with them, but that did nothing to stop you from panicking when they’d approached you. One of the women cornered you, trying to tell you that they were traveling across the country to the east coast. “It’s okay,” she’d tried to tell you, holding up her hands. “We’re not bad people, I promise. We’re just trying to get to the quarantine zone in Boston. I think you should come with us, honey.”

You’d been so terrified that when you’d tried to tell her that you didn’t want to join them, you couldn’t push the words out. It felt like your voice had gotten stuck in the back of your throat. That’s how afraid you’d been.

Technically, you can speak.

You’d talk to yourself often when you were feeling lonely. You would read the books you carried in your pack out loud. Hell, you even liked to sing.

But whenever you became stressed, anxious, or scared, it would happen. You’d lose your ability to speak and to communicate—not that you had anyone to communicate with except for yourself, but that’s besides the point. No matter how hard you tried to force your vocal cords, all you could get out were quiet, strangled noises. It was as if your own fears chased your voice away and during periods when you were under extreme distress, it would take several days for you to find it again. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that, whenever you used your voice back in California, it only led to the harshest of punishments. 

A gunshot sounds off in the distance, snapping you out of your train of thought.

You shake the man again, harder this time.

Come on, get up! They could be coming this way!

It’s useless. He’s losing complete consciousness. 

You hear another gunshot and this one sounds like it’s coming from the base of the mountain range on the other side of the trees, not all too far from where you are. For all you know, it could very well be members of his own group who are firing those weapons out there. But whether it was his group or the other man’s group, it doesn’t really fucking matter. You don’t want to run into either one of them, regardless of who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. In your eyes, everyone’s a fucking bad guy. 

Yanking your hand out of his, you get to your feet and prepare to make a run for it. But just as you’re about to take off, the man mumbles one last time. It’s incoherent and barely audible, but you manage to catch that name again. Ellie. 

Ellie, Ellie, Ellie.

For some reason you can’t quite explain, that sweet little name bounces around in the inside of your skull. 

You chew the inside of your cheek anxiously. 

If it’s his group out there, they’ll save him.

If it’s the other man’s group, they’ll kill him.

Normally, you’d have no problem with the idea of leaving another person to die.

After everything that happened in California, you had lost your sense of humanity. Your ability to empathize and actually give a shit about other people had been long gone—or so you’d thought. But you had just saved this man’s life and now you find yourself unwilling to run the risk of leaving him for dead. And you don’t have the slightest fucking clue as to why. He’s a stranger. He shouldn’t matter to you. 

You exhale a heavy sigh of defeat.

Okay, how the fuck do I do this?

Without much time left to waste, you gather up your belongings over your shoulder and pick up his rifle, slinging the brown leather strap across your chest so the gun rests comfortably against your backside. You walk around him, lean over, and hook your arms securely underneath his. Using every ounce of physical strength you have inside of you, you start dragging him back to the cabin as fast as you possibly can.

The pretty melody fills his ears as he comes to.

“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high

there’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby…”

Joel Miller isn’t all too sure if heaven is a real place that actually exists, but the very minute he hears the feminine voice singing, he can’t help but think he’s died and that’s exactly where he’s gone—because only an angel could possibly have a voice like that. So rich, so smooth, and oh so sickeningly sweet.

“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue...”

The ballad being sung is all too familiar to him.

The Wizard of Oz had been Sarah’s favorite movie back when she had been a little girl, when she was seven years old and she still believed in princesses and fairy tales and faraway lands with yellow brick roads. Even when she grew older, his daughter continued to hold a soft spot for the film and Joel would watch it with her every Thanksgiving at his parents’ house right after their dinner—it would air on cable and Sarah would beg him to let her have her slice of pecan pie while sitting cross legged on the floor in front of his old man’s television set.

“So long as you don’t make a mess on Nana and PopPop’s carpet,” he’d warn her. “Deal?”

Sarah would beam at him and nod eagerly. “Deal!”

He’d grab his own slice of pie, park it right on the couch behind her, and together they would get lost in the whimsical world of Oz, although admittedly he’d usually fall deep into his food coma long before Dorothy had the chance to make it back home to Kansas.  

“Where troubles melt like lemon drops

away above the chimney tops 

that’s where you’ll find me...”

The words fade and the rest of the song is now being hummed.

Goddamn, he thinks.Even the humming is too fucking beautiful.

Joel feels a cold, damp cloth dabbing at his sore right temple.

Come to think of it, everything is fucking sore. 

Once, when Joel had been in his mid twenties, he had been doing some under the table roofing job with his younger brother, Tommy. It had been the hottest day of the summer in Texas, and the two of them thought having a couple cold beers with their lunch to cool off would be a good idea. The pair of them went back to work and started fucking around, goofing off like the drunk idiots they were. While horsing around, Joel accidentally stumbled right over the edge of the roof and he had fallen about fifteen feet to the ground, landing on his back on Mrs. Adler’s lawn. Luckily, he’d been okay after the fall and hadn’t sustained any serious injuries or broken any bones, but he had spent the following three to four weeks feeling like he’d been hit by a fucking Greyhound.

That’s how he felt now.

Like he’d been hit by a fucking bus. Twice. There isn’t a single part of him that isn’t pulsating with pain—his back, his shoulders, and his head. Oh god, his head feels the worst. It’s fucking killing him. 

Joel’s eyelids twitch and he cracks them open ever so slightly, just enough that he can see the silhouette of another person hovering over him. He feels a hand at the crown of his head as the other continues to dab at his temple with the cool cloth. It feels incredible against his warm skin and even sort of soothes the pain.

He lets out a small groan and the humming ceases.

Finally, he manages to force his eyes open.

Joel hears a little gasp and the bed he’s lying on squeaks and shifts. He then hears a loud thumping sound as if something, or someone had fallen to the floor. 

Although he’s still disoriented and his entire body aches with even the slightest movement, Joel manages to push himself up into a sitting position. Blinking rapidly, his blurred vision steadies itself after a minute and he glances around. He’s in a small, single room wooden cabin that has seen better days in its lifetime. Looking down, he sees that he’s lying on a bare, worn out mattress with his own jacket draped over him like a blanket. He racks his mildly concussed brain, trying to recollect what had happened—it takes him a minute, but one by one, the memories start flooding back to him. Joel had been leading mid morning patrol with Tommy when they had been ambushed by a large group of hostile raiders. He remembers shouting at his brother, telling him that he’d try and lead some of them off, away from the direction of their community. He’d succeeded and managed to pick off a few of the bastards that had been tailing him with his rifle, all except for one. The very last thing that he remembered was the sound of a gunshot behind him before his horse went down and he’d been thrown off and knocked out.

Everything after that was nothing but a blur.

Joel takes another look around the cabin and that’s when he sees you.

You’re on the floor, backed up against the wall near the foot of the mattress. Your eyes are wide and round, like a deer caught in the headlights. Your chest heaves, rising and falling rapidly—you remind him of a helpless, frightened animal that had been cornered by a vicious predator. You clutch the handle of a switchblade up against your chest with the blade pointing downwards, holding it so tightly in your hand that Joel can see the skin stretching tightly over your knuckles. 

“Who the hell are you?” He grimaces slightly, his own voice causing his head to throb. 

You don’t reply.

Joel moves onto his next question. “Where am I?”

Again, no response.

He tries again. “Are you alone?”

Silence. 

Joel takes a better look at you.

You’re young. You couldn’t have been older than your late twenties, perhaps even your early thirties although that might have been a bit of a stretch. You had that look about you, one that had become all but too familiar to him in the last two decades—the exhausted appearance of someone trying to survive in the post outbreak world. Your face is tired and worn, but somehow still soft and youthful at the same time. You might have looked a little rough around the edges, but you’re still the prettiest goddamn thing he’s seen in a long, long time. 

Joel speaks again. “Who are you? Where the hell are we?” When he’s met with complete silence for the fourth time, he raises an eyebrow, feeling annoyed. “You gonna fuckin’ say somethin’ or what?”

You can only stare at him, your fingers wrapped around the handle of your knife in a vice-like grip.

Joel frowns.

Are you really that fucking terrified of him?

Or perhaps you can’t hear?

Only one way to find out, he thinks to himself.

He raises his voice, asking once again, “Who are you? Where are we?”

You wince, your features twisting in discomfort.

Oh, you could fucking hear him, alright. 

Joel swings his legs over the side of the mattress, his movement causing you to shrink back further against the wall, almost as if you were trying to become a part of the old, rotted wood. He holds up his two hands, demonstrating that he has no plans to move another muscle towards you. “How long have I been out?”

He tries to show some patience and gives you a minute, gives you a chance to respond, but when you say nothing, he can’t help but sigh out in frustration. Just when he’s about to force himself to come to terms with the fact that he wouldn’t be getting any kind of answers out of you, you lift your free hand and hold up three trembling fingers. 

His stomach sinks. “Three days? I’ve been out for three fuckin’ days?”

You give him a nod so tiny and so subtle that he would’ve missed it had he blinked.

“Fuck,” Joel curses, hanging his head. He begins to spiral.

What happened to Tommy? And the others? 

Did they make it out alive?

And then Ellie’s face flashes in his mind, causing the blood in his veins to run ice cold. 

What could she possibly be thinking right now after he’d been missing for three whole days? Who was taking care of her and looking after her while he wasn’t there?

He needed to get back to Jackson—he needed to get back to Ellie.

He wasn’t sure how he would be able to do that if you didn’t start talking soon and answering his goddamn questions.

Lifting his head, Joel looks over at you again. 

“You all by yourself?”

You hesitate, but then nod in reply. Yes.

Joel sighs, his tense shoulders relaxing. That’s a start. “Listen, I’m gonna need a little help here, alright? I don’t remember much ‘bout what happened. I’m part of a community. I was out on patrol with my group when we were attacked by raiders. There were too many of them and I tried to lead some of them away,” he explains. He might not have known what had happened after he’d been thrown off of his horse, but the fact that he’s in your cabin and he’s alive help him piece at least one part of the puzzle together. “Wait a minute. Did you—did you save me out there?”

Sucking in your bottom lip, you nod again.

Stunned, Joel’s eyebrows raise up towards his hairline. “You fuckin’ serious?” he can’t help but question in complete and utter disbelief. Skeptically, he presses, “But how? What happened out there? How did you get me here all by yourself?” His queries spill from his lips one after the other despite knowing most of them, if not all of them, would go unanswered.

You look overwhelmed by them—by him.

Figuring it’s best to take it one slow step at a time, Joel stands up and he cautiously walks over towards you. He holds out his hand. “S’alright,” he assures you in the most gentle voice he can muster. “I ain’t gonna hurt you.”

You refuse to loosen your grip on your knife, but you accept his hand and allow him to help you up to your feet. Given that you didn’t lodge the blade straight through his chest, Joel would say some progress had been made. 

He releases your hand and takes a step backwards to give you your space. He isn’t too sure if you can’t talk or simply don’t want to talk—still thinking you’d been the woman he’d heard singing when he had drifted back into consciousness, he guesses it’s probably the latter. 

Joel tries to think of questions he knows you’ll be able to answer without having to speak. 

“How long have you been by yourself?”

Shifting anxiously from one foot to the other, you hold up one finger. 

“Sorry darlin’ but that don’t really help me much,” he mutters, shaking his head. “Are we talkin’ one week? One month?”

You make a gesture with your hand. Keep going.

“One year?” He doesn’t bother hiding his blatant skepticism. “You’ve been completely alone for one whole year?”

You point at him. That’s right. 

Joel is beside himself. He’s almost in awe over the fact that you’ve survived on your own for so fucking long.

“You got any other weapons besides that knife?”

You nod over towards a bow and sheath of arrows next to your backpack.

“You’re kiddin’ me. That’s all you’ve got?”

You narrow your eyes at him.

Hey, it’s a good weapon and it saved your fucking life, thank you very much.

“Sorry. Just can’t imagine that thing would do much against a clicker. ‘Specially if your aim is shit,” Joel muses. He notices the offended expression on your face and quickly moves on. “You don’t have a gun at all?”

You reach behind yourself and pull out a colt pistol from the waistband of your jeans. You finally set down your knife and then show him that you’re low on ammunition and don’t have any more. Tucking the gun back into your jeans, you step around him and walk over to a corner where his rifle is propped up against the wall. You pick it up, make your way back over to him and hand it over. 

I believe this belongs to you.

“Thank you,” he utters quietly, taking it from you. “And I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout the gun, either. I honestly don’t think I’d be standin’ here alive if you hadn’t done whatever it was you did out there.” His eyes try meeting yours. “I’m serious, darlin’. I owe you one. I really fuckin’ do.”

You shrug, too timid to meet his gaze.

“I’m Joel,” he says after a minute, setting his rifle down. “What’s your name?”

You simply stare at him.

“Oh that’s right,” Joel mumbles sheepishly. “You can’t—” He stops himself, but he’s sure you know what he’d meant to say.

You can’t talk.

“You got a pencil or somethin’ to write with?”

You snort and roll your eyes at him. No, sorry. Silly me totally forgot to pick up a pack of pencils while I was out scavenging for supplies the other day.

Joel chuckles and holds up his hands in defense. “Figured it was at least worth askin’,” he says. “It’d be kinda nice to know the name of the person who saved my fuckin’ ass, you know.” He clocks the way the corners of your mouth threaten to turn upwards into a tiny smile at his remark. “How ‘bout a map? You got one of those so you can show me where we are?”

You hold up a finger, as if telling him to give you a minute. Digging into one of the front pockets of your pack, you pull out a large map of the state of Wyoming. It’s severely creased, as if you’ve folded and unfolded it hundreds of times. You hand it over to him and as he holds it out for you, you point to your current location. 

“Jackson’s ‘bout fifteen miles south from here,” Joel murmurs as he scans the map. Suddenly, his dark brown eyes flicker over your wrist—the long sleeve of your thin gray shirt had hiked up, exposing severe discoloration and scarring that went all the way around, marking your skin. 

Noticing where his gaze had wandered off to, you quickly retract your hand away from the map and tug your sleeve down back into place. But it’d been much too late. He had seen the mark, clear as fucking day. 

Joel awkwardly clears his throat and for the sake of not causing you any discomfort, he pretends he hadn’t seen a goddamn thing. He turns his attention back to the map. “Remember how I told you I’m a part of a community? It’s in Jackson and it ain’t all too far from here,” he states, peering up at you from over the top of the map. “The town’s gated and it’s secure. You’ll be safe there. If we head out right now, we can make it there by nightfall—”

You back away from him, shaking your head.

I’m not going with you.

He cocks an eyebrow at you. “Look darlin’, I don’t mean to offend, but you ain’t gonna last a whole lot longer out here on your own, especially not in a place like this with winter right around the corner. If you don’t starve to death, then you’ll fuckin’ freeze to death.”

You glare at him and lift your chin.

I’ve been doing just fine on my own, thanks. 

Having read your mind, Joel sighs. “Alright, fair enough. You’ve gotten this far by yourself, but that don’t mean you gotta turn down an offer for some help. Just come with me to Jackson—”

You shake your head even harder.

The last time that you had agreed to go back with a stranger to their camp, you’d been imprisoned. Tortured. 

Joel observes you, and it doesn’t take him very long to connect the dots between the scars around your wrists and your refusal to leave with him. His hard, stony face softens. “Listen sweetheart, I ain’t all too sure ‘bout what’s happened to you,” he says, choosing his words carefully. “But I can assure you that you ain’t gotta worry ‘bout a thing this time around. Just come with me and I’ll prove it to you.”

You toss him a skeptical look.

“Jackson is a safe place,” he swears. “My brother runs it along with his wife and a small council. There’s families, lots of children—hell I’ve got a kid myself. Teenager. Her name is Ellie and she’s fifteen years old.”

Your lips part slightly and your eyes glimmer with something that looks a lot like recognition, though Joel can’t be too sure what had prompted it. Perhaps you’d known someone with that name once in your life. 

“There’s plenty of food, running water, electricity,” he lists off in an attempt to sway you. “It’d be a shot at a normal life. Wouldn’t you like that?”

Crossing your arms, you lift your chin again.

You’d heard that before.

Why the hell should I even trust you? Why should I trust this place is what you say it is?

Joel bites back another frustrated sigh. 

Normally, he wouldn’t bother to put up with such stubbornness. He wasn’t one to plead or beg and part of him almost wanted to give up so he could be on his way, but you had saved him from being killed. He owed you his fucking life. He had to get you to go with him. He wouldn’t give up until you agreed to go to Jackson with him. 

“I’ll let you carry your weapons,” he offers as a compromise. “Hell, you can even walk behind me with your gun pointed at the back of my fuckin’ head if that’s gonna make you feel safest.”

You squint at him. Really?

“Or that bow of yours,” he adds, chuckling softly. “It’s your pick, darlin’. Whatever’s gonna make you feel comfortable. I’ll trust you not to shoot an arrow through the back of my skull—all I ask in return is that you at least make an attempt to trust me too. I think that’s a fair enough deal. Don’t you?”

You bite your bottom lip. 

I don’t know about this.

“I really don’t wanna leave you out here all alone,” Joel says, taking a step closer towards you. He finds himself feeling surprised that it hadn’t startled you and he only hopes that means that, to some degree, you trust him already. “Please. You saved my life—and I know you probably don’t need me savin’ yours, but at least let me take you to Jackson so you can see for yourself what we’ve got goin’ on there. If you don’t like it and you don’t wanna stay, then we’ll load up your pack with food and supplies. We’ll put you on a horse and you can be on your way. You can choose to leave and no one will lift a finger to stop you, I’ll make sure of it. How does that sound?”

He waits, giving you a chance to think it over.

Finally, after a minute, you sigh and reluctantly nodd your head. 

Okay. I’m gonna try and trust you.

“Good,” Joel says, softly. “Now get your stuff and let’s head out before we start losin’ daylight.” 

[calicomarie11]

WIP Wednesday

Tommy heard a knock at the door and frowned. He didn’t have any plans tonight. Originally, he and Evan were going to host a game night and after the break up he couldn’t bring himself to make alternate arrangements. His only plans for the night were demolishing a pizza and six-pack while watching whatever sporting event he could find on tv.

He opened the door and watched in confusion as Evan pushed past him, followed by Hen and Eddie. They were carrying cases of beer, bags clinking with bottles and rustling with chips. They flowed into the kitchen, chatting with each other and completely ignoring Tommy’s outraged huff.

He followed them, watching as they started putting the beer in the fridge, Evan pulling out serving bowls for the chips and Eddie being trusted to open the dips.

“What the hell do you think you all are doing?” Tommy spluttered out.

“Setting up for game night,” Evan answered with a cheeky grin.

“I assumed that was canceled, given the fact that we broke up,” Tommy said firmly.

“Except we didn’t break up and we were not about to give up on everyone being off tonight with a day off tomorrow. It took too long to get this scheduled to cancel it,” Evan said as he continued to arrange cheese, meat and crackers on Tommy’s charcuterie board. A board Tommy only had because Evan had brought it over the first time they hosted game night and had never taken it back.

“Buck, you can’t just invade my house like this,” Tommy protested. “I might have had plans.”

The look Evan shot him was equal parts unimpressed and sardonic. “Do you?”

“Well, no. But still…” Tommy trailed off.

“Then go change out of your sweats and make yourself pretty. The rest of the guests will be here any minute.” Evan shooed him out of his kitchen and Tommy went, confused and off balance.

He walked to his bedroom on auto-pilot and grabbed a pair of jeans and a navy Henley from his drawers. He changed and wandered out of his bedroom to the sound of laughter and chatting.

Entering his living room he saw that Lucy and Nick had arrived to complete the party. He was glad that Nick was there, as the person he counted on to be in his corner, and Lucy as his closest co-worker. Even if she did know the 118 from before, they had bonded when she started at Harbor.

Nick was the only one there he could count on to be wholly his friend. They had met when Tommy was newly out and trying to navigate the intense dynamics of the LA gay scene. They’d met through Grindr and Nick had clocked him right away as being new. To his credit, instead of shutting him down, he’d offered to help. In a lot of ways, Tommy had Nick to thank for helping him bridge the gap between knowing who he was and acting on it.

He can see from Nick’s quirked eyebrow that he has questions about the whole situation they’ve landed themselves in and as the only person there who knows the full story from Tommy’s side he really wants to sidebar with him as soon as possible.

Nick, to his credit, heads straight for him, but he is distracted by Evan clapping his hands as soon as he sees Tommy entering the room.

“Alright everyone. Thanks for joining us for game night,” Evan shouted, even though everyone had fallen silent as soon as he clapped. “The first game for tonight is Never Have I Ever.”

There was a mix of groans and cheers from the group.Lucy looked too excited by the announcement and Tommy frowned at her.

“Everyone grab a beer and a shot glass and head into the living room.” Evan moved to the fridge to start distributing beers while the rest of the group picked up the snacks and left to get settled. Tommy waited until they were alone before going up to Evan.

“What are you trying to accomplish here?” Tommy asked, trying to sound stern but mostly sounding bewildered.

Evan looked at him and sighed. “After the Abby bombshell, I realized we had never really talked about our past relationships and experiences and we both might have some misconceptions about where the other is coming from.”

“And you thinking playing Never Have I Ever with our friends is going help with that?”

“Sure. They already know our deep dark secrets and most embarrassing stories and will keep us accountable.” Evan shrugged, like the prospect of admitting to the shit he’d gotten up in the past wasn’t terrifying.

Evan handed Tommy a can of his favorite IPA and grabbed a cider for himself. Shutting the fridge he reached down to circle Tommy’s wrist and tug him into the living room.

Tommy took his usual seat on the couch and Evan settled on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. The rest of the group was distributed around the room.

Evan started talking again. “If it’s been a few years since you played, here are the rules. Each person will give a statement and if you have done the thing, then you take a drink. If you haven’t then you don’t get to drink. For the first round, we’re doing shots, but after that you can choose a shot or a sip.”

Evan filled six shot glasses with tequila and passed them out. “I’ll start. Never have I ever broken up with someone I could actually see a future with.”

Evan’s eyes bored into him after that statement and Tommy had a decision to make. Was he going to be honest going into this game, or was he going to keep hiding things from everyone.

Fuck it. If Evan wanted to play, they would play. He took his shot, only wincing a little as the tequila went down. From the corner of his eye he noticed Nick and Hen also taking their shots. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only one with a habit of blowing up his life.

Lucy chimed in next and from the wicked glance she threw at Even, he knew this one was targeted. “Never have I ever cheated on a partner.”

Once again, Hen took a shot. Evan and Eddie clinked their shot glasses together before throwing them back. Evan turned to glare at Lucy and gestured at her. She just laughed and said “I wasn’t the one cheating, so I don’t have to do shit.”

“Rude,” Evan said, pouting.

Tommy’s eyes darted between Evan and Lucy, his brow furrowed. Lucy laughed as she smacked Evan on the shoulder.

“You never told him about that night at the bar?” she teased.

Evan glanced down at his lap as he muttered “Not my finest moment.”

Nick, who mainly knew Tommy and tangentially knew Lucy from a few nights out at the clubs went next. “Never have I ever had a threesome.”

Lucy was the only one to drink and Evan laughed as she exclaimed “Really! You all are so boring.”

Hen’s entry was “Never have I ever made out with someone in this room,” and Evan, Lucy, Nick and Tommy had to drink. Tommy didn’t miss the way Evan’s eyes darted between him and Nick and then narrowed.

Eddie didn’t seem to understand the game, saying “Never have I ever knocked up my girlfriend,” before throwing back a shot.

Evan groaned. “Dude, you’re supposed to say things that other people have done.”

“But I wanted a shot,” Eddie whined back.

“Fine,” Evan rolled his eyes fondly.

And then it was Tommy’s turn. He’d been mulling over options as he watched his friends drink and joke, wondering how deep he wanted to go, what he really wanted to know about Evan’s past and what he wanted Evan to know about him.

He took a breath and then said “Never have I ever asked someone to move in with me.”

He watched as everyone but him took a shot, Eddie and Evan once again clinking their glasses together.

Evan grabbed the tequila bottle and refilled everyone’s glasses before he spoke up.

“Never have I ever lived with a romantic partner.” Everyone drank to that, and Evan seemed to relax a bit.

The game continued and Tommy lost track of who was asking what as he took his shots.

At one point Eddie grinned at Evan as he said “Never have I ever flirted with someone with the initials TK” and then made Evan take 3 shots.

Nick contributed “Never have I ever hooked up in a public bathroom,” and looked around in surprise when everyone else took a shot. “Eddie, I thought you’d be with me on this.”

Eddie shrugged even though he was blushing. “Shannon and I had a sneaking around phase,” he said.

“Y’all are nasty,” Nick said, throwing himself back in his seat.

When it was Tommy’s turn again he said, “Never have I ever been dumped.”

He sat back and watched as the rest of the room drank. Evan gave him a speculative look as he took his shot.

Then Hen chimed in with “Never have I ever stolen an LAFD vehicle to hook up,” and Evan protested “I didn’t steal the engine, I just borrowed it” before he took his shot.

Tommy took his shot too, and ignoring the looks from Eddie and Hen. “It wasn’t a 118 vehicle,” he clarified.

Lucy groaned and threw a waded up napkin at him. He met Evan’s eyes and quirked his eyebrow and they both started laughing. Which devolved into Eddie, Hen and Lucy throwing chips at the both of them as they ducked their heads.

All in all, it was fun and silly and nothing that Tommy deserved after dumping Evan.

It also left him wondering just how much he had missed or misread about their relationship. It was obvious that they hadn’t ever really talked about their experiences before, both of them trying so hard to be perfect for the other that they let all the buried trauma stay buried.

Until the trauma exploded into Tommy getting scared and pushing Evan away, telling himself it was for the best. Breaking his own heart before Evan could break it for him, like he always did.

He sat back and let the conversation wash over him as the game fizzled out and everyone started trying to one up each other with crazy sex stories. He was pleasantly buzzed and had some stories he could contribute but for now he wanted to soak in the atmosphere.

This was not at all how he envisioned this night going when he woke up alone in his bed. Evan was flushed and laughing, his friends were around him and he felt hope fluttering in his chest. No one had ever come back before.

[adnauseum11]

Mess Hall (John Price x Reader)

John explains his early departure from poker night to you.

1.8k words

CW: swearing, explicit sex (MDNI)

second part of the two-part scene

feedback welcome! writing smut is hard (lol) if anyone has any tips I'm grateful for them. Always looking to get better so don't be shy :)

Dinner was not edible, to John’s lasting amusement. The veggies cooked at disparate times, some too mushy and some practically raw. The pasta had been fine, John’s contribution solid as always. The flavour of the sauce had been the real star, if one didn’t mind the shrapnel you had introduced to it. Both of you had decided after half a bowl each that it was more work than it was worth. Your real dinner ended up being the world’s saddest charcuterie board, but John assured you he’d made do with worse. 

“Just happy to be eating.” He said, brushing off your concerns about him going hungry. 

“We could go to the pub.” You pick at the salami, perched on one foot tucked under you on a chair at the table.

“I just want to be with you, not up for the pub if that’s alright, love.” John’s honesty takes you by surprise, you glance at him but he seems otherwise content, building cheese and pickle onto a cracker.

“Yeah, of course that’s alright. You want to tell me what happened?” You ask carefully, not wanting to call back his bad mood but curious what brought him to your doorstep now that he seems a bit more even keeled. He stuffs the food into his mouth and chews thoughtfully, looking at you from under his lashes. It’s the most indecisive you’ve seen him in a long time and you wonder suddenly if you want to know at all. Then he sighs and pushes his plate away, seemingly deciding something.

“I was offered a contract. Walk on, ready to go.”

Your lungs freeze, and you forget how to breath for a moment. Your focus narrows onto the man beside you, who is closely watching for your reaction. The question must have been written across your face because he answers without it needing to be spoken aloud.

“I told them no, love.”

“Oh, thank god.” You say in a rush, your lungs sucking in a breath desperately. You can’t help the selfish sentiment, reflexive as blinking. Your hand lands on your chest as if trying to keep your heart contained. John watches you, a soft smugness pulling at his features. 

“Good to know you want me around, darling.” 

“I always want you around, John.” The bald truth is out before you can temper it with humour.

If anyone had told you a year ago that you would be dating your oldest friend and making heartfelt confessions in your kitchen over a crappy dinner, you would have thought them crazy. But here you are, a mere few months into this with your heart in your throat at the thought of him leaving for any length of time. What used to be routine seems devastating now.

“Is that…are you upset you said no?” You ask cautiously, breaking the intense eye contact to pick at your plate.

“What? No, they wouldn’t take no for an answer. Can’t play cards being badgered like that. They ought to know better.”

Relief that you aren’t the root cause of the bad mood floods through your system, making you bolder.

“You are incredibly stubborn. One ‘no’ should be enough.” You agree, earning yourself a dark look. You smile sweetly at him and reach across the expanse between your seats to cup his cheek, leaning in to his space to press a soft kiss to his frown. 

His big palm slides up to cup the back of your neck, holding you in place when you would retreat. He deepens the kiss before you can move, his fingers sliding into your scalp with delicious pressure. When he finally releases you, instead of backing off you follow, slipping out of your seat and crawling onto John’s lap, his thick thighs spread wide. He accepts your weight without even blinking, shifting you into a more comfortable position before fisting his hand in your hair and kissing you again. The delectable rasp of his tongue against yours makes liquid heat pool in your lower belly. You’re suddenly desperate to feel his skin pressing against yours, your smaller hands grabbing at his sides and shoulders.

Your urgency seems to bleed into him, his fingers finding the hem of your shirt and tugging it up your back, pausing only for you to lift your arms before he’s pulling it free from your body and throwing it on the floor. You mimic his actions, pushing his shirt up to reveal the thickness of his chest. He grabs the fabric and tugs and it joins a growing pile of clothing. The dark wiry hair of his body whispers against your delicate skin, sending lightning bolts of desire through you, eager to be pressed against his heat. 

Without any warning John is shoving the plates out of the way, the clanking tableware startling you out of your lust driven haze. Before you can speak, he’s lifted you, depositing you on the cleared space of the table with a gentle tinkle as glass knocks together. You look up at him wide-eyed but his intense blue eyes are darkened with desire and locked on your bra, his fingers moving faster than your brain can catch up. The look in his eyes and the cool air has your nipples pebbling, biting your bottom lip as he leans into your space and kisses you again. You have a vague notion of him throwing the piece of clothing, in the next heartbeat both of his hands are on you, urging you to recline backwards. 

John’s hot mouth trails over your collarbone and sternum as you recline, your fingers curling into his short sandy brown hair. The wet pull of his mouth on your nipple has you gasping, arching into him. His hands have dropped from your sides to your abdomen, flicking your jeans open with hurried movements. He pauses long enough to cup your mound, the heat of your body making him groan low in his throat. 

“Fuckin’ hell love” 

His voice has slipped down an octave, desire making his cheeks and chest flush under his dark hair. Your body has a pavlovian response to his, anticipation spiralling through your limbs. When his fingers curl in your jeans and panties, you lift up automatically, using his thighs to balance as he tugs the clothing free of your body. 

He’s back on you as soon as the clothing leaves his hand, fingers tracing up your calves and thighs, making room for himself between them while his mouth blazes a trail over your ribs to the delicate underside of your breast. His whiskers dragging across your skin make you gasp and twitch, the tableware clinking together by your head with each sudden movement. When the wet heat of his mouth closes over your nipple again you moan, fingers pressing into the back of John’s neck to keep him in place. You can feel the backs of his fingers grazing against your low belly as he’s undoing his pants, twisting and pulling something out of his back pocket.

“John, let me.” You try to sit up but he won’t allow it, rasping his teeth over your nipple, making you suck in a breath and squirm underneath him. He releases your flesh with an obscene ‘pop’ and a smug smile slides across his face. 

“Too late, next time.” His voice is a rumble, one hand fisted around the condom on the base of his hard cock and the other landing on your chest, keeping you pinned to the table and spread out for his viewing pleasure. The slow back and forth glide of the head of his cock over the seam of your pussy makes you groan and hook your heels into the back of John’s thighs. Your hands curl around his forearm, your nails biting into his flesh as he presses into you slowly, eyes locked on your face.

The heat of John’s palm on your sternum makes you aware of how fast your heart is beating against it. Your rattling moan spurs John on, the rocking thrusts of his hips making the dishes dance by your head. The obscene symphony sends shockwaves of sensation up and down your spine, making you squirm as you clutch at his arm.

John hisses a curse, followed by your name and you can feel the muscles of his arm fluttering under your grip. The world narrows to just the two of you, John rocking you and the contents of the table with his thrusts, gripping your hip to steady you under his body. You can feel your body start to pull taut, your orgasm building in pressure and a whine climbing the back of your throat as your senses start to overwhelm. 

John slides his hand off your chest to hunch over you, putting his full weight behind his thrusts. He drops close enough to run his open mouth over your collarbone, panting hot breath against your skin. The increased pressure and change in angle make you clench around him, wrenching a low moan from his chest. The tableware crashes in time with your movements.

“John, please.” You’re begging mindlessly, wrapping your thighs high on his hips, your legs trembling. 

“You make me crazy when you say my name like that.” John rumbles into your ear, giving you what you want and sliding his thumb over your clit in small circles. It only takes a handful more thrusts before you’re reaching your peak.

Your orgasm overtakes you and you claw at the back of his neck and shoulder with your nails, desperate to ground yourself. Your keening cry bounces off the walls of the kitchen as your body clamps down on his, bucking underneath him. The throbbing grip of your inner muscles is enough to drag John down with you, his thrusts losing their rhythm as he cums hard, his cock pulsing inside you. He groans deeply, his grip on your body bordering on bruising as you both slowly come down and try to regulate your breathing.

“Holy fuck John” You whimper, aftershocks making you tremble and grab at his arms as he leans back, easing out of your oversensitive flesh with a hiss. His palms are stroking over your body, cataloging the shape of you, soothing both of your nervous systems before stepping back. He disposes of the condom in the trash and is back between your legs, giving orders like he never left. 

“Legs around my waist darling. Good girl. Up we go.” He’s gathered you against his chest and is hefting you off the table before you can process. Your brain finally catches up and you clamp your thighs around his waist tighter, your arms slung around his neck, hanging off of him like a burr. You trust him implicitly, doing as you're told, your brain still too gooey to do its own processing.

John checks the lock on your front door before carrying you upstairs to your bedroom. Both of you are too exhausted to give a shit about the state of the kitchen at the moment, curling together in your smaller bed. You try not to focus too hard on how suspiciously tight your chest feels when he spoons you, face buried in your hair with a contented sigh. 

Next Chapter

Taglist:

@deadbranch @beebeechaos @syoddeye @cadotoast

[charles-smith-pillow-princess]

What would be Charles’ reaction to Arthur’s first death scare with TB up in the cabin? How would he act around and away from Arthur?

(follow-up to @kaphzzz's prompt here) “So who is this lady?” Arthur asked, accepting the bowl of stew that Charles passed him. 

He was sitting at the table, for once, rather than carefully trying to avoid getting droplets of broth all over the bed. It’d been two days since the scare that had carved new worry-lines into Charles’ brow, and he was finally well enough to sit up for more than ten minutes at a time. 

“Neighbor, south of the ridge,” Charles said, breaking off a hunk of bread and passing it over the table. The other man looked exhausted. Arthur suspected he’d been staying up at night, listening for Arthur’s rasping snores instead of getting proper sleep. 

Arthur’d nag at him for it, but he didn’t have the heart. Not since he woke up from a hazy, fever-addled dream to Charles’ bare face pressed to his chest, their hands loosely joined over Arthur’s heart. 

Arthur had never known Charles to be the religious type. Still wasn’t sure what the other man thought of gods or spirits, anymore than Arthur really understood his own convictions. But, kneeling over Arthur’s bedside, hands clasped—it’d looked an awful lot like the battlefield prayer of a desperate man. 

Arthur took another bite of stew. It was hearty with potatoes and carrots, the fresh kind, rather than the canned goods he and Charles had been reliant on all winter. “How’d y’all run into each other?”

Charles pushed his stew around on his plate. “Killed a bear that had her husband cornered,” he said. “I was out getting a deer—yesterday? He’d been bucked off by his horse, had a broken ankle. She and I made a deal when I brought him back to her.”

Arthur shook his head. “Only you,” he said, amazed. “Killed a damn bear, saved a man, and not a word about it, huh?”

Charles looked up from his food. A tired, fond grin ghosted at the corner of his mouth. “You’re one to talk,” he teased, pointing at Arthur with his spoon. His hair hung in messy tangles around his face. “Still don’t believe half the shit you got up to when you left camp. Pretty sure I only know a third of the stories, too.”

“A fifth, maybe,” Arthur joked back, then sobered. “What deal?”

“They need meat, and help moving the horse feed. She’s agreed to take on our laundry and cook until his ankle is healed up. Should get us all through the winter.” 

“Does she know she’s cooking for two?” Arthur asked, the unspoken question lingering in the air. 

Charles nodded. “Told her you’re my business partner,” he said, grimacing. Charles wasn't a natural liar, but they both knew they needed to be cautious. “We’re trappers, here for the beaver down in the lake.”

“She know I’m sick?”

“She guessed,” Charles confirmed, eyes askance. He scratched at the table with one ragged nail. It'd been bitten down to the quick. “Said I looked like I needed to sleep for a week," he admitted. "I had to explain why I couldn’t stay for dinner--her thank you for saving Francis.”

“Smart lady,” Arthur said, swiping the last of his stew up from the bowl with a hunk of bread. It was good stuff, soft with a chewy crust. Neither of them were good bakers, so it’d been a while since they’d had anything but canned biscuits and crackers. “What’s her name?”

“Marie Bouchard,” Charles said, picking up the ladle next to the crock of stew. Marie had sent it over that morning when Charles had dropped a brace of rabbits by the Bouchard homestead. “Still hungry?” 

His voice was hopeful—Arthur’s appetite dropping back off again had been one of the heralds of his illness making a resurgence. When Arthur had complained of being hungry that morning Charles had lit up like the sunrise at the end of a long winter’s night.

Arthur waved him off. “Don’t think I’ve got room in me for thirds,” he said, a little apologetic. He knew he’d scared Charles bad, two days back.

Charles nodded, setting the ladle back down. He did a poor job of hiding his disappointment.

Something sour curdled in the back of Arthur’s throat, guilt heavy in his belly.

“Hey,” Arthur said, reaching across the table to snag Charles’ hand in his own. “It's been a long week. Can we leave the washing for tomorrow?”

Charles’ fingers twined with Arthur’s own. “You got something else in mind?”

“Lemme brush your hair out?” Arthur asked. “Just…wanna be close to you,” he said. “Know I scared ya, sweetheart.”

Charles smiled, a sweet, soft thing that bloomed across his face, taking years of worry with it. “Sure, Arthur,” he said, squeezing Arthur’s hand tight in his own. “I’d like that.”

[hgfictionwriter]

Getaway

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Jessie's in her head about your friendship and if it can be something more. Can a vacation getaway change the trajectory of your connection?

A/N: Get ready for shy, sweet, awkward Jessie doing her best to not get in her own way and win over her girl. Someone requested fluff and while this isn't quite it - it's on its way lol. No warnings for this fic.

"Um, can I get you a refill?" Jessie asked as she spied the near empty glass in your hand. 

"Only if you're getting one," you responded with a nod to the cup Jessie was holding.  

Niamh and Zee had both retired for the night and it was now just Jessie and you around the firepit of the villa the four of you were renting. Jessie wasn't a night owl and she was actively fighting the weight of her heavy eyelids, but she wanted to stay up with you. And frankly, she was a bit of a lightweight when it came to drinking as well. She was already feeling a bit of a buzz and wasn't entirely confident about having another drink. You noted her hesitation and smiled.  

"Doesn't have to be a boozy drink. I could go for a late night tea instead." 

Jessie smiled gratefully. You knew her so well.  

"Sure, let's do that," Jessie said. 

When Jessie returned a while later with two steaming mugs of tea, she also had a bag of crackers tucked under her arm and handed them to you. 

"Oh my gosh," you said as she sat up to receive the items. "How did you know I wanted a snack?" You blew on the hot beverage before taking a tentative sip. "And you remembered how I take my tea. Thank you." 

"Of course," Jessie said, hiding a pleased smile. An easy quiet fell over the two of you as you sipped your drinks. Jessie had to make a concerted effort to focus her gaze on the fire and to not stare at this beautiful woman across from her. She should really just enjoy the silence and your company, but an urge had been nagging her and her resolve was fading. 

"So, how are you liking it here so far?" She asked.  

"It's beautiful. Obviously," you responded with a light chuckle. "I'm loving it. Thank you again - to all of you - for letting me tag along on your unofficial team trip." 

"Oh, no need to thank me or any of us. We're all super glad you're here," Jessie said. She did her best to push down the awkward or self-criticizing feeling that was starting to bubble up inside of her. 

It's just Y/N, she had to remind herself so she wouldn't get caught up in analyzing her own words and actions. 

When Jessie first met you through Niamh over a year ago, you hit it off. At the time, Jessie made a point of not giving it too much headspace. It was just one meeting after all and it could have been a fluke. But when you saw each other again at another event, it became evident to Jessie that there was actually something there. Your chemistry was natural, banter was easy, and your conversation led to some deeper things and you ended up talking late into the night. Jessie was reserved, even shy, so warming up to someone so quickly and feeling comfortable wasn't the norm.  

Just as Jessie was working up the nerve to ask you for your number - an extreme rarity - it came to light that you had a girlfriend. That brought everything to a crashing halt. 

Jessie had been furious with herself for misreading your connection and for almost making a fool out of herself. She was even more upset with herself for how disappointed she felt by this turn of events. It had only been a couple of conversations and she shouldn't be so affected. Regardless, she most definitely didn't want to get caught up in any drama. So when you parted ways that night she dismissed the notion that it could've ever been anything more. She was committed to pushing you from her mind and that was the end of it. 

However, your paths kept crossing and that chemistry didn't go away. In fact, every time you talked, Jessie found that you lingered longer and longer in her mind and that feeling in her chest grew warmer and brighter.  

In time, Jessie convinced herself that being friends wouldn't be so bad. And, truthfully, it was mostly good. There were, regretfully too many, moments where Jessie had to do everything in her power to not reach out to hold your hand or to not let it show when mention of your girlfriend sent a dagger through her insides, but Jessie's life was undeniably better with you in it than even the thought of one without.  

Knowing that you'd never be anything more made things simple enough, not easy, but the lines were undebatable. However, since you and your girlfriend broke up a couple of months ago, things were different and Jessie was having more and more difficulty navigating your dynamic. The chemistry was still clear as day for Jessie, but did you feel the same? And even on the off-chance that you did feel the same, were you ready for a new relationship? And now that you'd been friends for so long, Jessie had to weigh the cost of risking your friendship. The thought of losing you terrified her.

All of the drama she'd been trying to avoid seemed to be closing in on her despite her efforts. She should really just let it all go, but it was proving harder and harder to. 

"Did you and [y/ex] ever talk about visiting here?" Jessie asked clumsily. She had to resist the urge to sigh in annoyance at herself. She watched your reaction carefully; if you were put-off or perplexed by the inquiry, you didn't let on. 

"No," you answered nonchalantly and shrugged. "She wasn't really big on travel. So, it never really came up. I've always wanted to come here though, so this is perfect." 

"Oh yeah, me too," Jessie said quickly - too quickly. She fought off the wince that threatened to cross her face. She cleared her throat inaudibly and redirected. "Um, I haven't really checked in in a while. Uh, so, how are you? You know…since the break-up." 

It seemed that no matter how many times she’d rehearsed these conversations, they just never really came out the way she wanted them to. Maybe it was a good thing she had a bit of a buzz, because otherwise she'd probably be sinking into her chair and praying to disappear at how clunky she was approaching this. 

"You're sweet," you responded with a small smile. Again, if you were thrown off by any of this, you weren't letting it be known. "I'm doing well. Honestly." Jessie didn't fill the silence that formed and you went on, dropping eye-contact and swirling your tea distractedly. "It was the right decision." 

"That's good," Jessie affirmed with a nod. "I mean, if you're not in love, no point in dragging things on."  

"Exactly. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us. And truthfully, it was a long time coming," you said returning a nod. You let out a quick exhale and sat back in your chair, a faint smirk now forming on your face. "And what about you? Anyone on the horizon for you?" 

A deep blush immediately began to burn on Jessie's cheeks. She forced what she hoped was an easy laugh. "Nothing on the horizon." 

You shot her a discerning look. "No one? The entire time I’ve known you you’ve never been remotely interested in anyone. So still no one?” 

"What?" Jessie defended, her voice rising in pitch. Her cheeks were on fire as she frowned at you. "I'm too busy. I'm gone like every other week, and sometimes for weeks at a time. That's not exactly the best foundation for a relationship." 

Great. Just go ahead and tell her all the reasons why you'd make a crappy partner, Jessie thought disparagingly. 

To Jessie's surprise, you smiled. 

"That right there tells me you'd be a good partner. It's very thoughtful. I mean, from what I've seen, there are a lot of others who don't afford partners - if you can call them that sometimes - the same kind of care and consideration," you relayed. "That said, life is short. Even if your schedule is crazy, if she's the right one for you, you'll make it work. And if you're the right one for her, she won't mind that your schedule is crazy. It'll make the moments that you're together that much sweeter." 

If Jessie's blush was about to fade, that last part had the opposite effect on her. All she could do was offer a tight smile. 

"I suppose that's true." 

She cleared her throat, building herself up to shift the focus of the conversation back to you.  

“Uh, you mentioned your break up was a long time coming - what did that mean?” She tried to make it sound casual, but she feared the chances of that were quite low. She added quickly, “You obviously don’t need to tell me anything. You just never really said why you broke up and I just-” 

“It’s okay. Really.” You mercifully interjected. You settled further into your chair with a heavy sigh, your gaze drawn back to the drink in your hands. You took a few moments to formulate your response. “I think it just became apparent to me that my feelings for her weren’t what they should be. She deserved more. And I do, too.”  

“That’s very mature. And takes a lot of self-awareness,” Jessie offered.  

“Thanks,” you said simply with a faint smile and a shrug.  

Jessie waited a beat to see if you would elaborate more, but you didn’t. Jessie contemplated what to say next and although she didn’t fully trust where her instincts were taking her, she went with it nonetheless.  

“Um, I know it’s only been a couple of months, but is there anyone on the horizon for you? Like, are you looking to date again?” Once more, she did her damnedest to make it sound like idle curiosity. She watched you carefully while you considered your response.  

“Mm, I’m taking my time, I suppose,” you eventually replied. “But, with the right person, I’d be all for it.” 

Jessie nodded as she continued to map out how to navigate this discussion. She wanted to push, but fear around jeopardizing your friendship confined her in a lot of ways. She had to be careful.

���And I guess you know better now what you want versus what you don’t want,” she said. You nodded as you peered over your mug at Jessie.  

“Yes, that’s true. I do.” 

Jessie was about to ask what you were looking for when your phone buzzed and the screen lit up, distracting you both.  

Jessie felt an irrational, yet thankfully fleeting, wave of jealousy come over her as she imagined the text was from your ex, as unlikely as that would be. Regardless, she studied your expression as you read the text, noting the discerning frown on your normally gentle features.  

“Everything okay?” Jessie asked.  

“Oh, yeah,” you replied, your frown dissipating as you locked your phone. “My sister’s just making some questionable decisions. Nothing serious,” you assured with a chuckle, “but she felt compelled to tell me.” You drained your drink, setting it down on the table. “It's 1:30.” You announced as you held up your phone to show the time. No wonder Jessie was so tired. "What time did we want to head out tomorrow?" 

"About 9," Jessie replied, now suddenly struggling to stifle a yawn.   

"Okay, shit. Sorry - I kept you up. I know you normally go to bed a lot earlier than this," you apologized. Jessie was quick to dismiss the notion. 

"Not at all. Well, yeah, I go to bed earlier normally, but we're on vacation. I didn't even realize it was so late," she said, hesitating for a moment before going on. "And I always enjoy our conversations." 

"Me too." 

Jessie could've beamed. It wasn’t much, but it made her happy nonetheless. She smiled, but tried to tamper it.

“I guess we should try to get some sleep though, hey?” You proposed. Jessie hoped that she was right in hearing a hint of regret in your tone. Even though Jessie didn’t want the night to end, morning was going to come quickly.

She stood and began gathering up the glasses and other items.  

"Hey, I can take mine. Don't worry." You protested, but Jessie was already walking to the kitchen with all of the dishes in hand. "Gosh," you complained lightly as you followed her in, "you never let me take care of anything. I'm still not over you carrying my luggage in for me. And Niamh's never going to let me live that down. Or maybe even you, for that matter." 

Jessie was glad she was hunched over loading items into the dishwasher otherwise you would've caught a new blush forming across her cheeks.  

"You're an 'acts of service', aren't you?" You proposed as you leaned an elbow on the table to prop up your chin.  

"Huh?" Jessie asked as she closed the dishwasher door and straightened up. 

"Love language," you elaborated. Jessie started to stumble over her words when you interjected. "It can be for anything - not just romance. Friendships too. It's just how you show you care." 

"Oh, yeah I guess, then," Jessie conceded. "Um, what are you?" 

"'Words of affirmation', for the most part. 'Quality time' is pretty high too, though," she answered.  

"Oh, so we're not that compatible.” Jessie risked the joke before she could stop herself, ensuring to tack on a teasing smirk to alleviate as much weight as possible given she broached your compatibility. 

"Excuse me?" You protested with a laugh. "That's not necessarily true. I enjoy receiving acts of service. So there's compatibility there. Do you like receiving words of affirmation or do you like quality time, I guess that's the question." 

Jessie subconsciously started scratching the back of her head and averted her gaze.  

"Um, I don't particularly like compliments, but I guess it depends on context, I don't know," she trailed off. "And I'm an introvert and I need time alone, but, if I like someone I do like spending time with them." 

"Well, it's not just strictly compliments," you corrected, drawing Jessie's eyes back. "It's like," you paused briefly, seeming to contemplate something before going on, "if I say, "Jessie, even though I didn't need you to carry my luggage in, I appreciated you doing so. It made me feel welcome and cared for. You are one of the most thoughtful and sweet people I know - you are important to me and I feel lucky to have you in my life." 

Jessie's cheeks began to burn yet again. Her heart was racing and the eye contact you held quickly became too much. She tried to distract with a roll of her eyes and an amused laugh.  

"Right," she said.

Thoughts clamored in her head and no single one stood out as the right thing to say. She was aware of how too much space was starting to fill your conversation.  

"Well, I should let you get to sleep," you said softly, relieving Jessie of the task of finishing her thoughts. Jessie cursed inwardly.  

"Oh yeah, sure," she said, running a hand through her hair. "Um, well I'll walk you to your room." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She couldn't stand how awkward she was sometimes. 

"Okay." Despite the odd proposal, you accepted with a gentle smile.  

You chatted quietly as you walked upstairs, past Jessie's room and further down the hall. You should've said goodnight right away, but instead Jessie found herself drawing out your goodbye. It didn't seem like you were in a rush, so Jessie cast aside the doubt that was crawling up inside of her. 

When you finally said 'good night', Jessie wrestled with the act of hugging you or not. She debated it heavily and was outrageously close to initiating it, but when the moment came she ended up turning on her heel and giving a small wave instead. She had to resist the urge to slam her bedroom door when she got inside over how frustrated she was with herself. 

When she finally turned off the light and got under the covers to sleep, she was wide awake. The way sleep had been pulling at her prior was now fully replaced with reflections of the night and irritation with herself. She sighed and let her arms fall heavily at her sides as she stared blankly up at the ceiling. More thoughts swirled inside her head and she screwed her eyes shut before forcing herself to breathe and trying to relax.  

Despite her best efforts, she tossed and turned for a while before finally admitting defeat and pulling out her phone to pass the time. Maybe it was the lingering alcohol, maybe it was the lack of sleep, but it was after 2:30 when she pulled up her conversation with you and sent a text with a screenshot of the test she just did.  

"Confirmed. Acts of Service. And I actually do like Words of Affirmation." 

To her surprise, three dots appeared in the bottom left of your conversation. Jessie's breath caught in her throat and she remained motionless watching the dots fade in and out. 

"I knew it. So what I'm hearing is, we are compatible lol." 

Another breath caught in Jessie's throat as she read your reply. Her chest was burning and she was grateful for the fact that this was over text. She actually had the chance to think about what she wanted to say. 

"Definitely. Though I'm not surprised." 

"Tell me more." 

Jessie fidgeted as her mind churned with possibilities. This was a moment where things could change - a moment she told herself for more than a year that she didn't want or need. You were friends. Good friends. What if she misread things again - she had before. What if she ruined everything just because she couldn't control herself. 

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" 

She chickened out. 

"I couldn't sleep." 

"Apparently, neither could you." 

Jessie exhaled shakily.  

"True." 

"Well, it's silly that we're texting. Why don't you just come over." 

Jessie's brow furrowed in deep confusion as she read your text. She reread it just to be sure.  

"We have to be up early. I don’t want to keep you up." 

She was such a coward. A heavy feeling fell over her chest making it harder to breathe. She let the phone fall against her. It buzzed. 

"Okay. Well, if you change your mind, come on over. I'm not tired, so I won't be falling asleep soon anyway." 

Jessie locked her phone and set it down on the bedside table. She rubbed her temples and sighed deeply. 

The tight, heavy feeling in her chest kept growing and nagging at her despite how she was trying to breathe and decompress. Of course she shouldn't go to your room. She should just go to sleep. And of course your offer didn't mean anything. Why would it? You were friends. Always just friends.  

What was she doing?  

She wasn't sure how much time passed before she sat up in her bed. She didn't even really realize she was doing it until she was straight up and staring at the wall ahead of her. She swallowed heavily and her heart began to beat loudly in her chest as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stepped onto the hardwood. She took a steadying breath before she stood and crept over to the door, opening it a crack. She peered down the hall and saw the faintest glow coming from your room. Was your door open? 

Jessie swallowed her trepidation and began to softly pad down the hall, mindful to make as little noise as possible. As she neared your room, she confirmed that your door was ajar. Jessie's heartbeat was loud in her head now as she slowly approached the door. She knocked very faintly before pushing it open a few inches to peek inside. 

The tension that was holding Jessie's shoulders high towards her ears suddenly fell from her and she exhaled silently upon seeing you casually laying in bed under the glow of your phone and waving her in. 

"I told you I wasn't tired," you whispered as you sat up.  

"I couldn't sleep either," Jessie told you as she quietly closed the door behind her.  

A belated self-consciousness swept over Jessie at the realization that she was standing here in her pajamas, a t-shirt and shorts. She subconsciously tugged down the hem of her shorts.  

She sees you in a t-shirt and shorts every game. Calm down, she chided internally.  

Jessie quickly took in her surroundings, now suddenly unsure of what to do. Her eyes settled upon a chair at the desk in the corner of the room. She walked over there and began turning it so she could sit.  

"Jessie, don't be silly. Just sit over here," you said as you scooted over and patted the spot next to you on the bed. 

Jessie hesitated, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so she nodded and came over and daintily took a seat on the far edge of the bed. Her ears burned hot as she felt you shooting her a look, coupled with a soft laugh.  

"It's okay, Jessie. Relax. It's just me." Your voice was warm and reassuring and Jessie felt tension leaving her body once again. 

Conversation started up once more and you talked further into the night. Jessie had no idea what time it was anymore, but it didn't matter, she was happy where she was and didn't want it to end. Eventually, you laid down onto your side and propped the pillow up under your head with a yawn. Jessie was about to offer to leave when you gestured to the spot next to you. 

"Lay down. Make yourself at home," you said.  

Jessie didn't want to get too in her head about this. She did this kind of thing with teammates and it didn't mean a thing. Did it mean something now? Or was it just like with her teammates - nothing. She cast the thoughts from her head and laid down on the covers. When you told her she could get under the covers, she dismissed it and even though she was chilled, she insisted she wasn't cold.  

"So, tell me," you said when a small lull formed in your conversation later on.  

"Tell you what?" Jessie asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.  

"Tell me why you're not surprised that we're compatible," you responded lightly. 

"Oh," Jessie said, her mind suddenly sharpening at the twist in your conversation. Her previous nervousness returned, but this time a certain calm surrounded it. "Well, I mean, we've always gotten along really well. Friendship-wise.”

Old habits died hard.  

“Hm. That’s true,” you said quietly with a nod of acceptance. A couple of moments passed. “In terms of compatibility - love languages aside. What are you looking for? Not friendship-wise. You never say.” 

It was true. Jessie was very tight lipped about it, even with friends she wasn’t in love with. She endured relentless teasing about it, but she just didn’t like putting herself out there like that. However, right now, in the dark, lying next to you, things felt different.  

“I…,” she trailed off momentarily before finding her resolve and her voice. “I want someone who I can be myself with. Someone who will be my person. Who I can talk to about anything and everything. Who I can be vulnerable with – I have to be at my best all the time and for so many people, so to be able to let my guard down means a lot. But, just as easily, I want to be able to have silly and goofy moments together. Someone where doing something as simple as grocery shopping or cooking together can feel like an adventure. I don't know – just that one person who can be my anchor when I'm constantly on the move and trying to live up to others expectations, and I want to be that for them as well, even if I'm 1,000 miles away. No pressure for me – or her – to be anything other than who we are." 

“That’s beautiful. Truly. And you deserve that and more,” you said. Your gaze lingered for a moment before you went on. “Whoever you choose in the end is going to be a very lucky person.” 

“Thanks.” Jessie had to force herself not to protest. And I want it to be you, she thought. Instead, she said, “I mean, same with you.” 

Even in the dark, Jessie spied the small smile you gave her.  

“You’re too nice to me,” you said with a soft chuckle as you nestled into your pillow further. “Thank you, though.” 

“What do you mean?” Jessie asked. A shy smile formed on her face as she went on. “I mean, words of affirmation here, you deserve it. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met. And, yeah, I feel really lucky to have you in my life. And, um, whoever you choose to be with next…you deserve to be spoiled by them. They should take care of you,” she began to stammer, “well, not like take care of, cause you’re totally independent, which is awesome, but you know, Acts of Service.” She winced and did her best to rally and finish strong. “What I mean is they should make you feel, every day, like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to them. And that there’s no one else in this world for them.” 

“Wow. See? You’re amazing, Jessie. Honestly. Thank you. That means so much to me.” 

“Yeah, no worries,” Jessie quickly dismissed with a light laugh.  

Neither of you spoke for several moments and the tension became too much for Jessie, causing her to quickly change subjects.  

She wasn’t sure how much longer you talked, because the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes and you were fast asleep next to her. A rush of panic went through her momentarily before she just allowed herself to relax. She debated getting up and leaving, but she indulged herself instead. It was too comfortable laying here with you and, truthfully, she may never get this opportunity again. She took in your sleeping form and before she knew it she was asleep again.  

The next time Jessie woke up, the veil of relaxation and drowsiness quickly dissipated as she looked down to see that you were cuddled into her arm. Jessie lay still as she processed the situation, but couldn’t ignore the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. After a few moments, she steeled herself and began to carefully disentangle herself from you. Though she didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want to take advantage.

She took one last glance at you. The first breaks of dawn started to filter into the room, casting you in warm light. A lump formed in Jessie’s throat, the feelings inside of her threatening to overflow. Jessie turned and retreated to her own room to try to catch a couple more hours of sleep. She was positive that if she managed to find sleep, she’d dream of nothing but you.

[spinningwebsandtales]

Imagine Worrying About Santa The Night Before Christmas Eve

Nicumond the Red/Santa Claus x Fem!Mrs Claus Reader

Rating: T+

Warnings: Suggestive themes

Word Count: 800

(A/N:) Finally watched Violent Night this year and I didn't realize how much I needed David Harbour's Santa in my life. I feel like I've been a very good girl this year! XD Sooooo I had to write something! This idea wouldn't leave me alone and it's the perfect time for it! So enjoy my fellow David Harbour fangirls and Merry Christmas! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

The house was quiet while all the elves worked tirelessly to prepare for the big night. Santa always made sure to get plenty of rest before his Christmas Eve run and while he'd been doing it for so long now, you couldn't help but worry. Especially since he'd been showing telltale signs of burnout. You couldn't blame him as it seemed like children weren't as appreciative or thankful as they used to be. You tried to explain that things changed over time but you knew deep down he still enjoyed doing his job despite the complaints. Your heart ached and the stress of the eventful day looming ahead kept you from sleep. It didn't help that Santa was snoring loudly in your ear. You brushed his cheek and snuck from the bed. When you had nights where you couldn't sleep, you would bake, read, or anything to help calm your mind. But your favorite place to unwind was the stables. Being surrounded by the reindeer in the cozy stable, it had an affect that no other did.

Slipping on a comfy robe and rubber boots, you trekked across the snow covered ground. The crunch of snow under foot and the tinkering of elves in the surrounding buildings made you smile. It was when you opened the stable doors to see 8 fuzzy noses and 8 sets of curious warm eyes did your shoulders finally relax. You didn't want to bother Nicomund, he had enough to worry about and if he knew how you were feeling because of him. The guilt would eat at him. So you opened the door to Prancer's stall and let yourself in. The reindeer nuzzled your hand looking for treats. As always you had a pack of graham crackers in your robe pocket and all the reindeer knew it.

"You can't be greedy," you whispered. "Everyone will get one. Not just you Prancer."

The reindeer shook it's head munching happily on the treat while you grabbed a brush and began to stroke it across his coat. You lost track of time before the barn doors opened once more and Santa called out your name.

"I'm in here," you answered. You knew it wouldn't be long until he started looking around for you. For some reason your husband had the uncanny ability to know when you were sleeping or when you were awake. He leaned over the stall door.

"Leaving me for the reindeer now," he asked a teasing gleam in his eye.

"They do smell better sometimes," you replied pocketing in the brush and giving Prancer one more quick pat.

"Traitor," he glared at the reindeer. Only Prancer nodded before ignoring you both completely to go munch on more hay. Santa stood up letting you exit the stall and as you closed the door back Nicomund stepped closer pinning you against the wood.

"Is everything alright," he asked cupping your cheeks with warm hands.

"I'm fine."

He shook his head, "Right. You only disappear when something is bothering you and you always come to the barn when you're worried about something."

"You a mind reader now," you retorted.

"No," Santa shook his head. "I just know my Mrs. Claus really REALLY well."

"I'm worried about you. That you're losing the joy that this season once brought you. The children used to bring you so much happiness and now I don't think you can find one good thing about what you do anymore."

Your heart was breaking and Santa could tell that you were on the verge of tears. He wrapped you tightly pulling you close to him.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm sure I'll find that happiness again I once had when I first started doing this," Nicomund kissed your forehead.

"You think so," you sighed leaning in closer to him.

"No."

"Good to see your confidence is intact then," you snorted causing him to chuckle.

"Now I only have so long left with you this evening before I have to go. So will you please come back to bed? You may love the reindeer but I promise that I can keep you much better company," he cooed.

"Is that a promise," you teased.

He nodded and you laughed. Santa leaned down giving you a deep kiss, laced with lots of promises. A few seconds later you and Nicomund were walking back to the house hand in hand. Talking about everything and planning on the time you both wanted to spend together once Christmas Eve was finished and all you could do was look forward to that time you got to spend with him. Back in the cozy house, Santa swept you up in his arms carrying you back to your shared bedroom where he deposited you back onto the mattress making you grin.

"Merry Christmas Mr. Claus," you whispered, kissing him softly.

"Merry Christmas Mrs. Claus," he replied kissing you right back.

[freesia-writes]

Ch 40: Beach Date #2

Master List ~~ Previous Chapter ~~ WC: 2.6k

Song: “Time After Time” by Iron and Wine

Had to re-use the beautiful fanart by @amalthiaph!!

.

“Well look at you,” Hunter rumbled in appreciation as Lyra pulled the cover off of a snack platter, setting it on the blanket next to a round tray with some sparkling wine and two fancy glasses. They were settled on the beach for an evening picnic atop a thick, soft blanket spread across the sand. Her platter was heaped with fresh fruit that glistened enticingly, a variety of cheeses, some salted meats in neat piles, and a plethora of crackers, nuts, and olives. He was salivating immediately. 

“I got a little caught up in it all,” she chuckled, producing one more bowl from the large bag she’d brought. As she uncovered that one, a little huff escaped her lips, and she held it out for him to see, clapping her other hand to her forehead in embarrassment. “They all melted.” He peered inside, seeing what appeared to have been an assortment of chocolates, now a mushy mess. 

“Still good,” he encouraged, swiping a bit with a single finger and licking it off unceremoniously. He kept his face carefully neutral, sensing the wave of autonomic response as Lyra looked away quickly. 

“You can feel this stuff, can’t you…” she muttered as though dreading his response. “I can’t hide anything…”

“Do you want to hide anything?” he deflected, fixing her with a mockingly stern stare. 

“No!” she answered quickly, squinting back at him suspiciously. 

“Too soon?” he asked with a grin, and she shook her head, mirroring his expression. 

“I’ve shared it all,” she confirmed. “It feels fantastic. You’re the one holding out on me, I think.”

“Not really,” he said, scooting over to sit beside her, slightly behind to offer a place for her to lean. He loved it when she took him up on that, and his chest swelled a bit as she nestled into him. “The war stories can pretty much all be summed up the same way. We had a plan. It changed about eight times. We still finished the mission. And repeat.”

“I doubt that’s all there was to it,” she teased, leaning forward slightly to pour two glasses of the sparkling wine and offering one to him. He took a sip, enjoying its effervescent sweetness, and gazed past her head at the shimmering water that formed the horizon. The sound of the birds calling overhead, the steady crash of the waves, and the quiet beat of her heart all lulled him into contentment, and he took a deep, happy breath.

“Well, we’ve got plenty of time for stories,” he said, meaning just that night, but realizing there was a much greater intent behind his words. He left it at that, however, and shifted around her to graze on the copious amount of food she’d brought. She sliced a few pieces off one of the soft cheese, smearing them on some crackers and offering him one. His fingers brushed hers as he took it, tingles dancing along his arm at the simple touch. 

“I hope so,” she said quietly, adding a neatly-folded piece of meat atop her cheese and, after some consideration, popped the entire thing into her mouth. “Fewer crumbs that way,” she explained after she’d chewed and swallowed, and he chuckled in agreement. 

It was a balmy afternoon, the sun still fairly high in the sky as they basked in its rays. It had been particularly hot lately, and Hunter loosened another button on his shirt, then rolled up his sleeves in an attempt to cool down. But the breeze had stilled, and the warm air lingered. Lyra pulled her hair up into a messy bun atop her head, and with a sheepish giggle in his direction, flapped her skirt “to get some air circulation”, as she put it. 

“Let’s go in,” he invited, tipping his head toward the water. They’d talked about swimming, but both had been so satisfied by simply sitting and snacking with each other that it hadn’t been a very pressing item on the agenda. The ocean beckoned to him now, though, and he stood up, moving away from the blanket to brush off the grains of sand that had gathered on his swim trunks and loose button-up shirt. Lyra followed suit, but moved awkwardly as she pulled her blouse over her head, glancing self-consciously at the top of her swimsuit. She took a breath, then pushed her skirt down, tossing both clothing items onto the blanket.

“I haven’t actually been in the water in a long time,” she admitted, crossing her arms across her front, then adjusting the suit over her hips, then looking up at him sheepishly. Hunter found it disproportionately adorable. The one-piece suit had a cream-colored gingham pattern, and the tan lines from her usual clothing revealed the parts of her pear-shaped body that rarely saw the sun.

“There’s a fun little spot over here, if you want,” he said, gesturing toward the nearby cliff that marked the end of the flat stretch of beach. 

“Fun for what?” she asked apprehensively, glancing up at its steep, rocky face. 

“Want to find out?” His roguish grin was infectious, and she temporarily forgot about her discomfort as she followed. He led them along a narrow path that began further inland and worked its way along the side of the cliff to a little overhang above the ocean that provided a natural diving board for the adventurous. He ventured to the edge, glancing at the satisfactorily deep water below. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Lyra’s quavering voice belied her anxiety, and he smiled at her, frozen behind him as she pressed herself against the rock wall as much as she could, looking down for a split second before jerking her eyes back to him. 

“It looks farther than it is,” he encouraged, moving to the edge of the precipice and reaching out a hand, pulling her to stand beside him as they took in the creamy colors of the horizon again. 

“I’m a weenie, Hunter,” she reminded him, holding onto him tightly. 

“Same time?” 

She met his eyes, their rich brown depths full of affection, reassurance, and confidence, and her face softened immediately. 

“I don’t think I need to use words for you to know how nervous I am.”

“No,” he smiled. “It’s okay if you don’t want to; we can go back the way we came.” But she looked at the steps they’d taken along the thin, crumbly patches of flat rock. It looked more dangerous than where she now stood. She took a deep, shaky breath, lowering her chin with a new resolve, and nodded, fixing her eyes on a distant point in the sea. 

“Let’s do it.” 

He held her hand loosely, stepping a bit closer to the edge and beckoning for her to do the same. 

“Wait!” she said suddenly. “Your shirt!”

“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “It’ll dry.” His eyes were shifty, and now it was she who noticed the unease in his demeanor. 

“Since when are you one to cover up that bangin’ body?” she attempted, snorting at her own ridiculous humor. He grinned. 

“Not important.”

“No, you’re hiding something,” she pressed, smiling broadly now as his raised eyebrows and slack jaw confirmed her theory. “What is it?”

“Alright, it’s…” Without warning, he leapt over the edge, pulling her with him. He heard her scream as she fell beside him, and they crashed into the water a split second later. He resurfaced, treading water as she burst out with a splash, and she immediately stared at him with shock and indignation, hair pressed against the sides of her head. 

“Hunter!!” she laughed, clapping a wave toward him and further soaking his hair. 

“We would have been standing there all night,” he reasoned, and she scoffed as she turned to swim to shore. He followed suit, staying close beside her until they were in shallower water, then grabbed her ankle and tugged her back toward him. He didn’t consider the timing, however, and accidentally dragged her beneath the next wave that passed by, cringing guiltily as he heard her splutter. She floundered for a second before finding her feet, standing right in front of him until she finished her coughing fit. 

“You’re gonna–” More coughing. “You’re gonna pay for that,” she threatened, eyes blazing. 

“Sorry,” he confessed, “I didn’t see the wave coming. I was just trying to–” She swept a foot behind both of his, knocking his legs out from under him, but he dropped just a few inches since she apparently forgot the concept of buoyancy. 

“Kriff,” she laughed, palming her face for a moment before giving him a mischievous look. “I didn’t think that one through.”

“No you didn’t,” he growled, slipping his arms around her waist and lifting her above him. She squealed in utter shock, clutching at his shoulders as she watched the next wave swelling behind him. He tensed, ready to toss her headfirst into it, but something about the mix of panic and delight on her face gave him pause, and the crest passed them both as he slowly lowered her. The way her body slid down his front made his mouth go dry, and when she found her feet again, he still held her close. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she finally lightened her grip on the outsides of his arms, enraptured by the sudden intensity of his gaze.

“Very merciful of you,” she teased, cheeks flushed. The water amplified every sensation, and her soft skin against his own, paired with the steady thump of her heart, brought a wave of tingles up from his core. His own cheeks were hurting, and he realized he hadn’t smiled so long or so hard in quite a while. Thoughts spun like a tornado through his mind, and yet every fiber of his being was focused on her in that moment: the dark hair scattered across her shoulders, the smile lines on her face, and more than anything else, the softness in her brown eyes as she made no effort to hide the thrill of adoration she had for him. 

“Can’t attack a soldier and expect not to pay for it,” he taunted, distracting himself from the ferocity of his own feelings. 

“Fair enough,” she said quietly, reeling a bit herself from his gaze and touch. He released her, taking a step back as the water danced around his waist, and ran his fingers through his hair, his shirt floating around him. They waded back to the shore, coming out into the summer heat with dripping limbs and dumb grins. The gritty sand massaged their feet as they stood, brushing off water droplets and wringing out hair. Hunter twisted the ends of his shirt, attempting to rid it of as much water as possible, but was suddenly distracted as Lyra sidled up, a coy look in her eyes that floored him immediately. 

She reached forward, toying with one of his buttons, and slipped it through its hole with nimble fingers. His words caught in his throat, unable to tear his gaze from hers, and she softly caressed her hand down his side before reaching for the next button. It was bliss and torture at the same time, and as the warm air tickled his front, she reached the last button, twisting it sideways to free it. 

“Wait a minute,” he growled in sudden realization, grabbing her hand as she startled. “I’m onto you,” he smirked, and the immediate redness blossoming across her cheeks confirmed his suspicions. 

“I’m dying to know!” she laughed, backing away with guilt written all over her. There was nothing but a thin sliver of his torso visible between the hems of his shirt, and she squinted theatrically, trying to catch a glimpse. 

“Since when are you so thirsty?” he snickered, and her remorse quickly shifted into affront. But things were shifting between them, and she made her best attempt at a flirty face. It was so bad that he couldn’t help but fully laugh.

“First of all, rude.” She jabbed an accusing finger into his chest, which he snatched with his other hand. “Second of all… I can’t listen to the office chatter about how hot you are for months on end without starting to notice it a bit myself,” she said playfully, and every moment of increasing flirtation and authenticity was delighting him more and more. 

“Oh really,” he said, entwining fingers on both hands with hers as they hung loosely at his sides. She giggled, still plagued by waves of self-consciousness or insecurity. “Please, go on. What horrors have you been subjected to?”

“I’m sure you’d love to hear all about it,” she needled, absolutely beaming at his lightheartedness and affection. “But deception is afoot and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.” He couldn’t deny that she was thoroughly resolute, and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to escape this one. With a sigh of defeat, he took a step back, letting go of her hands regretfully.

“There’s no turning back,” he warned, a glimmer in his dark eyes that was quickly matched by the uncharacteristic smolder in hers. 

“Don’t plan to,” she murmured, equal parts snarky and sheepish. 

He finally caved, wiggling the wet fabric down his shoulders and off his arms, tossing it aside onto the sand. He’d deal with that later. In the meantime, her eyes raked over his toned body, and she couldn’t help her sharp inhale at the sight. 

“Maker above, Hunter. You got ripped,” she laughed, biting her lip suddenly as though holding back any further thoughts. 

“Yeah, Luci was kinda obsessed with working out,” he admitted, cringing at the mention of her. But Lyra was unaffected, fingers on one hand twitching at her side as her eyes followed the curve of his chest and the grooves above his hips. Every chemical in her body was betraying her complete enrapturement, and her cheeks were growing increasingly red. Fortunately, it was then that she saw it.

“Oh my gosh,” she grinned, taking a step closer and leaning down to see. “What is that?!” Her eyebrows climbed far up her forehead as she looked at him incredulously, mouth open in dumbfounded glee. “Hunter! What is that?!” She laughed, clapping a hand over it immediately after as she took it all in. 

“Listen,” he began, cut off by her release of giggles. 

“It’s… Wow…” Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, and she radiated sheer astonishment as she couldn’t resist reaching out a few fingers to trace the outline of the half-butterfly-half-skeleton tattoo on his ribcage. His muscles tensed at her touch, electricity coursing through his veins, and she backed off as she noticed. 

“Sorry, I just… That is… That is something.” Her face was flushed with delight as she looked back up at him fondly. “Never would have predicted that one!”

“It was a… rough phase…” he admitted with an amused look of his own. 

“Yeah, Breslin told me about your new hobby of swimming in fountains.”

“Breslin?” he asked, bewildered.

“Omega told her,” she grinned. “I guess they’ve been spending more time together.”

“Not sure how I feel about them conspiring against me like that.”

“Okay, well you can be the one to tell them not to hang out anymore, then.”

“Fair enough,” he chuckled.

.

In case you needed a reminder... 😂 Masterpiece by @clownbloody

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[briarberrythornedhart]

Eddie Casts Song of Restoration

Content: Sick hurt/Comfort, innuendo and flirting, reader described as having breasts, reader has never heard of Vic’s vapor rub going on your feets 😅. I know, that’s gonna ruin this for some of us. Just pretend with me.

�� ♥️ 🦇 🎸 🦇 💀 🦇 🎸 🦇 ♥️ 🦇

You’d been together for 19 days and 6 hours when you caught the flu.

You told Eddie to stay away from your house until you were well, but Eddie is not exactly stellar at following orders.

It was the fatigue that was the worst and you didn’t want to ever see Eddie as listless as you felt. You liked it best when he was revved up and bouncing around like a coiled spring.

He was very bouncy right now.

“Orange juice, check. Ginger ale, check. Chicken soup and crackers. Check Check. More tissues - the Good Ones.” Eddie said, plopping his purchases onto the counter. “Vapor rub which Uncle Wayne says cures what ails ya’. And Of course - movies for distraction purposes. Plus me, as a bonus distraction.” He bowed to you, but he was the opposite of humble.

“Babe, didn’t want you to get sick.” You said weakly. “Didn’t Dustin tell you I said to stay away?”

You clutched the afghan around you and shuffled further away as if a few measly feet would protect your beloved from the plague you carried.

What you needed was hazmat suits, then you could hug him safely. You wanted to hold him so badly.

Eddie cocked his head and licked a canine. “You ever known me to do what that little shrimp says? Also, I knew you needed me.” He held out his arms to catch you up in them, but a sudden sneeze caught you without tissue in hand and slightly green goop was now dripping from your nose

“Awwww gross…” you complained and begged him. “Don’t look at me, I’m so disgusting.”

Eddie laughed, not cruelly, “Sweetheart, where is all that ectoplasm coming from??” He brought his bandana up to wipe your face off, ignoring your complaints that it would need to be BURNED afterwards. “Listen, you are not gross. It’s just snot. You are as gorgeous as ever, and I loooove the outfit.” He had clocked that you were wearing a Megadeth shirt and just underwear underneath your your afghan ‘cloak’. His voice dropped an octave - you felt it rumble in your ears. “That’s my shirt...Don’t you know what that does to me…?” sliding his warm hands under the afghan to meet your thighs.

You felt the traitorous cough building in your chest and couldn’t stop it no matter how hard you tried. It bent you double. It sounded atrocious.

“Whoa-whoa, hey, I’m sorry, I won’t molest you while you're sick, don’t cough up a lung on me.” Eddie slung an arm around your shoulder and led you back to the couch.

“You would… if I wasn’t sick, though?” You asked glumly, “You’d molest me to my heart’s content?”

Eddie did a double take at that, and then chuckled in his best demonic manner, “Say the word and you’ll be thoroughly molested, good and proper. Soon as you want it.” Quixotically changing tone to be sweet again, his doe-eyes soft and concerned. “Do you wanna lay down, or prop up against me?”

“Can’t lay down, get too stuffy.” You sniffed, a bit pathetically.

“Okay, sit here, imma put on the first movie and then we can cuddle up.” Eddie popped open a white clamshell VHS case. “You said you loved Muppet movies, Robin suggested I get you ‘Hey Cinderella’ - and ‘The Frog Prince’ - both are Muppety versions.”

“I think you might be the sweetest boyfriend in the whole world.”

“I know, right?…and now…” he unscrewed the cap of vapor rub, “to put this mentholated greasy shit…sorry... stuff.. on your feet.”

“What? Vapor rub is…chest…stuff. Chest rub. For chests??”

“Wayne said he puts it on his feet when he has a cold - said he did that for me when I was a toddler.” Eddie suddenly looked at you with a little smirk, “Dooooo youuuu want me to rub this on your chest? All over it? Cause that’s the kinda sweet boyfriend I am, I will do that, for you, if you want?” He licked his upper lip, face all mischievous.

He was a good distraction. “Yeah, well... when they say ‘chest’ they mean upper chest,” You patted just below your neck. “... not these.” You cupped your breasts at him.

His eyes widened and so did his smirk. “Show me again, I’m confused. Where doesn’t it go??” He scootched closer.

You tsked your tongue. “Actually what would be best - is if I rubbed this on your chest and stomach - and then laid my head on you. Like a big warm sexy healing pillow.”

“I don’t want to be described as a pillow - but I’ll take the rest.”

He let you put the chest rub on him, only wrinkling his nose up until you started massaging it in (avoiding his nipples), then you sent Eddie shivering into a little body-roll of pleasure as you drifted your hands down to his naval.

“Your hands feel s-s-so good... go lower??” His voice broke slightly on the ask.

“I’m not sure this is okay to go on any sensitive skin - like - pretty sure crotch is a no-go, babe.”

Eddie sighed a laugh, “Whoops, I didn’t come over here to have you take care of me. C’mere.” He held out his arm so you could get as close as possible and lay your heavy head on his chest. He held you sweetly and watched your silly muppety movies and sang you some Led Zeppelin until you drifted off to sleep.

But it has to be said, that as soon as you felt better, you gave him a full body massage with body safe oil and it did not disappoint.