#I'm not as bothered about Long Tall Weekend

[lapinpuff]

TMBG corner growing like a tapeworm haha. I also have BOOK but I have the erm..book version so I can't display it </3

[roosterforme]

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 18 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Short notice before the start of a deployment was bad enough, but Bradley was left worrying about so much more. And if he didn't figure it out quickly, he thought he might lose you. How would you and he make it through the worst kind of time apart?

Warnings: Fluff, oral sex, smut, angst, adult banter, desperate Bradley, 18+

Length: 4100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

Your boyfriend was acting strange, and now you had the distinct feeling he was lying to you. You sat on your bed after work on Friday with tears in your eyes as you tried to process the fact that you barely heard from him after you sent the topless picture the day before. Usually that kind of thing got him going in a good way, and he kept telling you he was fine, but it didn't seem that way. You just couldn't figure out what happened. 

A few minutes ago, you texted him about the plan for the weekend. You really wanted to talk to him about your upcoming winter break, too. You were supposed to be heading to his house right now, but you were having second thoughts as you read the latest message from him again.

I know we were supposed to go to Salvatore's tonight, but I think we need to talk instead. 

This sounded so bad to you. It didn't sound like he simply had a long day and just wanted to relax on the couch with you. This was something that built up over the past two days, and now you felt tears in your eyes as you scooped up your overnight bag and headed out.

"Just get it over with," you told yourself as you drove. You tried to focus on your playlist, but your mind was wandering to the plethora of reasons why I think we need to talk spelled disaster.

After you fought your way through rush hour traffic and pulled up to park in front of Bradley's house which you were supposed to move into next month, you noticed he was sitting on the porch step, waiting for you. And he didn't look very happy.

"Hi," he greeted with a poor attempt at a smile as he slowly stood and made his way over to you. He looked tall, broad and handsome in his uniform, but he didn't call you Gorgeous. 

"What's wrong?" you asked, not even bothering to get your bag out of your car before you met him halfway up his walkway. 

He pulled you in for a hug, and you could feel his lips on your ear as he lied to you again. "Nothing's wrong."

"Bradley," you said, trying to pull out of his grasp. He let you go, but now he wasn't even pretending to smile. You swallowed and whispered, "You've been acting strange since yesterday. I thought maybe work was getting to you, or that you just needed a day of quiet to yourself. But clearly this has to do with me, so just tell me what's wrong."

"It's not you," he replied instantly, taking a step closer with a pained look on his face. "God, it's absolutely not you."

When you looked at him more closely, it was obvious he was exhausted. Like maybe he hadn't even slept last night. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his shoulders were sagging forward just enough that he looked almost defeated. 

"Bradley."

He looked down at the sidewalk before meeting your eyes again. "I found out yesterday... I'm being deployed."

The wave of emotion didn't hit you as hard as it could have, because you'd given this a lot of thought, but you were still rendered speechless. You'd mentally planned for this. Deployments were a way of life for him. But the tears were back as you asked, "When?"

"Day after Christmas," he murmured miserably. "But that's not all."

Your voice wouldn't work as you looked up at him, vision blurring his handsome features into something that was almost frightening. "What?"

He paused while you swiped at your eyes, and just when you thought you were going to have to force it out of him, he said, "It's with the Atlantic Fleet. Out of Norfolk, Virginia. They... they said they want me permanently."

"No," you sobbed, realizing that your tears were starting to roll down your cheeks. Now it made perfect sense. You knew why he'd been acting so odd. "You want to break up before you leave."

"What?" Bradley replied, his voice sharp as he reached for you again. "No. No, Gorgeous. I don't."

You felt ridiculous, crying in his arms in his front yard, but all you could say was, "Then why didn't you just tell me yesterday that you're going back to Virginia?"

"Fuck," he grunted, tucking you tighter against him. "Does this mean you don't want to dump me?"

You inhaled the smell of his deodorant and jet fuel as you cried. "Why on earth would you think I'd want to dump you? I'm in love with you."

He started to back toward the front door, his hold on you never relenting as he murmured, "Now that I know you're not going to leave, let's go inside where we can talk and snuggle on the couch."

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

Bradley had been waiting on his porch step for almost an hour for you to arrive, thinking there was a real chance that you'd drive off again. He was tired and hungry, and he'd spent the last day and a half trying to figure out what was going on with his job. But more than anything, he was afraid you hadn't changed your stance on falling for a guy who lived on the opposite side of the country.

Shit. He made you cry. You were still crying as he led you over to the couch where you ended up sitting on his lap. He was trying to wipe your tears away as you just shook your head. "I'm sorry, Baby," he whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you like this."

You sucked in a few breaths before you managed to say, "Let me make sure I have this straight. You're leaving for Virginia. And you don't know when you're coming back, if at all?"

"Yeah," he whispered. There was no point in beating around the bush about it. "The deployment out of Norfolk is a done deal. Leaving on the twenty-sixth is a done deal. I'm trying my hardest to fight the rest of it."

"You can do that?" you asked, letting your forehead rest against his. 

Bradley kissed you softly. He couldn't stop himself with you this close. "I'm trying. I don't want to leave San Diego. Virginia used to feel like home, but it hasn't for a long time. Especially not since I met you. So a permanent change of station is something I will fight until they force it on me."

You kissed him this time, and he knew nowhere would feel like home without you. But he couldn't retire yet, and he didn't want to have to ask you to uproot your life for him. He just made himself dizzy, chasing his thoughts around in circles. 

"Is there anything I can do?" you asked.

He wanted to beg you to stay with him no matter what, but he couldn't do that either. "Remember when I was deployed last time and you told me you were afraid I was stationed somewhere far away from you? And how you would have to brace yourself to say goodbye instead of pursuing something?" You nodded against him, arms around his neck as he whispered, "I thought about that all night last night. About how this could be the end for us."

"Stop it," you said before pressing your lips to his. "I don't feel that way anymore at all. It wasn't even a deal breaker when I said it months ago, and I hadn't even met you in person yet. I'm not going anywhere, Bradley. We'll figure it out."

He eased himself down along the couch, keeping you firmly on top of him as he sighed in relief. Suddenly fighting for his job with the Pacific Fleet didn't seem as daunting. He had to figure it out though, because he wanted to stay here and get married. "Say my name again?" he asked, knowing exactly how much you could calm him down when he let you in.

"Bradley," you whispered, settling against his chest as he closed his eyes.

"I love you, Gorgeous."

He didn't realize exactly how tired and stressed he was until he woke up close to midnight, alone on the couch with a blanket draped over him, still wearing his uniform and boots. As soon as he opened his eyes, his head was pounding from the events of the week, but he could smell something cooking.

Bradley rolled off the couch while his stomach growled, and he made his way into the kitchen where you were wearing his sweatshirt and making a grilled cheese sandwich while you looked at your phone. "Hey," he murmured, wrapping his arms around you from behind. You quickly swiped out of the photo album and tossed your phone aside.

"I was going to wake you up soon. You have almost no food here, but you need to eat," you told him, turning to face him. He had no food, because he originally planned to take you out tonight, and now there was no point in going grocery shopping since he was leaving. Your expression was unreadable, and he didn't like that.

"What I need is to spend as much time with you as I can between now and Norfolk." Your lips curved up into a small smile. "I should have told you what was going on as soon as I found out."

You nodded. "I know we haven't been together long, but I'm taking this pretty fucking seriously, Bradley."

"Me, too," he promised. "And it's really hot when you swear." When you laughed, he felt so much better. "Listen, you're absolutely stuck with me now, okay? I'll figure this shit out, but you're stuck with me, and we're going to get married someday."

"Sounds good," you replied easily, still smiling. "But right now you need to eat."

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

You felt better with Bradley's arm around you than you had all day. You couldn't believe he'd been hanging onto your words from his last deployment. You were surprised he could still possibly think that distance would mean anything to you. Both of you agreed not to get ahead of yourselves. Uprooting your life and your career would leave you devastated, but you'd start over again for him.

"Were you just looking at the dirty picture you sent me?" Bradley asked as he bit into half of the sandwich while another one cooked.

"Yes," you whispered before nibbling on your own sandwich half.

"Shit," he mumbled, dropping his food back onto the plate where he stood in the kitchen. "I never even told you how much I loved it."

"No. You didn't."

He wiped his hands on his uniform shirt. "God, I keep fucking up. I got so sidetracked by the orders from Norfolk that I couldn't even think. I loved that photo."

You turned away to flip the second grilled cheese sandwich in the pan. "I thought you got tired of me sending them." Bradley's hand moved faster than his brain as he flicked the knob on the stove, turning it off. "Hey," you protested, turning to look at him again, but he pulled the spatula out of your hand and tossed it into the sink. "Bradley!"

He mashed his lips against yours, silencing you as his hands grabbed the backs of your thighs, pulling you closer until you were pressed tight to the front of his body. Then he let his hands slide along your bare skin from your legs, over your perfect ass, up until they were on your lower back. "I'll do better," he promised. "And right now, I want to show you how not fucking tired of you I am."

A minute later, you were on your back on the edge of his bed, legs thrown over his shoulders while he ate your pussy. Your fingers were tangled up in his hair as he knelt on the floor, and his sweatshirt was bunched up above your tits. "I will never get tired of you," he swore before licking a long stripe up to your clit. If you thought for a second that he would want to throw in the towel over long distance, he needed to make sure you understood he never would.

"Bradley," you moaned as he sucked on your clit. His insignia pins were digging into the back of your thigh, as was his name tag. He would figure this out. He would figure everything out. Leaving in a handful of days was not ideal, but as long as you still wanted him, he was all in.

"Oh my god," you whined, back arching as Bradley realized he was being a bit rougher with you than usual. But he couldn't stop. His fingers were digging into your hips, holding you in place as you tried to rock against him. 

His mouth was demanding as he sucked on and plucked at your clit, but you just kept getting louder for him. Your legs were shaking, heels digging into his shoulder blades, but he didn't stop until you came. With his tongue still swirling your clit as you yanked on his hair, Bradley quickly unzipped his khaki pants and pulled himself free. He positioned himself at your entrance as you tugged until his mouth was on yours.

"You liked it rough," he grunted between kisses slick with your arousal.

"I did," you answered, rolling your hips to take the tip of him. As your fingers trailed down to his pins, you asked, "Are you going to fuck me, Lieutenant Bradshaw?" He watched you gasp, mouth agape as he filled you with one deep thrust, and then your head tipped back as you moaned, "I'll take that as a yes."

His lips found that sweet spot next to your ear that he loved to kiss. "I just want to ensure that you'll miss me as much as I miss you while we're apart."

Your voice was softer as you said, "You don't have to worry about that."

Bradley kissed along your neck and told you how much he loved you before absolutely pounding you into the mattress. 

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

You and Bradley slept in so late on Saturday morning, you heard him wander out to the living room when Natasha arrived to go for a run to tell her he'd workout on Sunday instead. When he tried to slip back into bed, you rolled over toward him.

"Sorry. It was just Nat. I forgot I told her days ago that we could run." He gathered you against his chest and kissed your forehead.

You grinned and said, "I heard you tell her that the love of your life was more appealing today than working out."

"I sure did," he grunted and ran his big, heavy hand down your back. "You're always more appealing than anything else, Gorgeous. But if I don't run, I'll gain so much weight. You know how much I eat."

A smile found your lips as you thought about the rough sex followed by another round of grilled cheese sandwiches at two in the morning. "Can we skip Salvatore's again tonight? I'd rather stay here and feed you. We can go to Salvatore's when your deployment ends and you return to San Diego."

Bradley sighed. "And if I get told my new station is in Norfolk?"

You pressed your fingertip to his lips. "We're not humoring that thought yet. Instead, we're going to snuggle and fuck and maybe watch a Christmas movie. Okay?"

"Nothing has ever sounded better."

After that, Sunday was spent with the two of you trying to use up as much of his food as you could. You even managed to bake some cookies that he ate a dozen of in one sitting, and then you found a strand of twinkle lights in his hallway closet where you discreetly squished a spider without telling him. You helped him hang the lights on his porch railing as he laughed and said, "I don't usually celebrate holidays anymore."

"You do now," you informed him, making a mental note to have your students make some cards for him this week before he left. Bradley would be very busy over the next few days, and you didn't want to stress him out about the holiday. But just when you were about to ask him if there was a chance he'd want to spend Christmas Day with you before he flew to Norfolk, he said, "Maybe we can get Thai food on Christmas, and you can help me finish packing?"

You nodded and tried to keep the tears at bay, afraid to admit to him that the future you were so sure of was scaring you a bit. Being without him for a deployment was manageable, but the last thing you wanted to do was move across the country. At least you'd have your regular pen pal back while he was on the aircraft carrier; having Bradley in your email inbox on a regular basis again was better than nothing.

"That sounds perfect," you told him, knowing you'd do whatever it took to make this work.

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

When Bradley was called in to talk to Cyclone, he was exhausted for a different reason. Although the weekend started out laced with uncertainty between you and him, it bloomed into something sweet. On Sunday evening, you held his hand and walked along the windswept beach until it got too chilly, and then you helped him start packing. You'd had some tears in your eyes that he brushed away as you folded his clothes into tiny rectangles and stuck by his side.

Now the only uncertainty he felt came from the U.S. fucking Navy. With a deep breath and squared shoulders, he opened Cyclone's office door after he knocked. It wasn't surprising that Mav and Warlock were there, too, but he couldn't tell if that was a good sign or a bad one regarding a change of station. He raised his hand into the proper salute.

"Admirals. Captain."

The three men returned the courtesy before Cyclone sank into his office chair. "Have a seat, Lieutenant." His voice sounded gruff and perhaps even more annoyed than usual as Bradley slowly sat down opposite him. "Captain Mitchell," he barked at Maverick who procured a folder from behind his back and handed it to Bradley. Then he turned toward Bradley again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lieutenant Bradshaw, you'll report to the USS Gerald R. Ford in a matter of days to rendezvous with the air strike team."

Bradley nodded and skimmed the paperwork inside the folder regarding the sensitive nature of the mission, but he didn't much care about what they wanted him to do when he got there. "Sir, can you tell me where I'll be stationed once this mission is completed?"

Cyclone leaned back in his seat, brow puckered, arms crossed over his chest. "Naval Station Norfolk has, as you know, requested you specifically to round out their Super Hornet team permanently."

"Yes, Sir," Bradley replied, practically choking on the words. He would have never thought the promise of Virginia would feel like a threat to his happiness, but here he was. "I would really prefer to stay in San Diego," he added, trying to keep the pleading tone out of his voice.

Cyclone leaned forward in his seat with a weary sigh. "Admiral Simpson, Captain Mitchell and myself all agree that the Pacific Fleet is very well balanced at the moment. Losing a reliable pilot to the Atlantic at this point would not be ideal." The tension in Bradley's body eased up momentarily before Cyclone said, "But I can only do so much to keep the status quo when there is a clear need across the board."

Bradley wanted to ask why nobody else was even in consideration when Warlock cleared his throat and said, "There's a price to pay when you're the best of the best."

There was a beat of silent agreement amongst the four of them before Cyclone heaved a deep breath. "I'll do what I can," he said simply. "In the meantime, prepare for your flight to Norfolk. The information is in the folder. And prepare to be out of communication with any and all civilians for the duration."

Bradley's heart stopped. He opened the folder again, but his eyes couldn't seem to focus on the words in front of him as the pages all blurred together. His fingers scrambled as he swallowed hard, and finally he looked up at the older man seated behind the desk. "No communication at all. For the duration?"

Cyclone nodded once. "You are dismissed, Lieutenant."

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

It was just something silly, but when you saw it while you were out shopping, you bought Bradley another Christmas present. You wrapped it up in red and gold paper along with the Mira Mesa Elementary School sweatshirt you got in his size. Then you threw the gifts along with the collection of cards from your students in your overnight bag and tried to keep yourself calm as you drove down to Coronado.

You would have a few days with your boyfriend at the beginning of your winter break before you took him to the airport and sent him off to Norfolk. There would be plenty of things to keep you busy while he was away, including packing up your apartment before your lease ended. But now you'd be moving into his house without him there.

All of the twinkle lights and decorated trees gave you a bittersweet feeling in the pit of your stomach as you drove down his street, but at least this time when you parked, he jumped up from his porch step and met you at your car.

"Gorgeous," he breathed, wrapping his arms around you. His old sweatshirt was currently keeping you warm, and you really wanted him to have his new one for his deployment. You kissed him hard, noting the look of apprehension on his face, but chalking it up to the stress of the unknown.

You kissed him again and kept your arms around his neck as he picked up your bag. "I was going to say we should wait until Christmas morning, but I want you to open your presents now."

His voice was deep and raspy and right next to your ear as he led you inside. "You did not have to get me anything." He kissed your cheek and added, "I need to tell you something important."

"After you open these," you agreed, reaching into the bag and pulling out both gifts before he set it down.

Bradley studied your face before running his thumb along your cheek. "Sure. After I open these."

He took the wrapped packages as you tugged him toward the couch with your hands on his bicep, and you ended up halfway on his lap as he carefully tore at the paper like he didn't want to harm it too much.

"Just rip it," you said with a soft laugh, but he shook his head and looked up at you.

"It's too pretty," he replied. "And nobody gets me gifts, ever. Unless you count coupons for steak dinners from Natasha."

You laughed a little louder as you imagined the laundry list of weird gifts his best friend must have given him over the years. When he finally had his hands on the sweatshirt, he sat frozen with a smile on his face. "I love this. I kind of feel like an honorary faculty member at your school."

"You're a legend in my classroom, Bradley," you promised, snuggling a little closer as he set the shirt aside and carefully unwrapped the second item. This one would mean more to you while he was away, and you hoped he understood just how much you were going to miss his voice and his touch. But you'd still have something from your pen pal.

"Oh," Bradley said softly as he held the navy blue stationery set on his lap. It included note cards, luxuriously thick paper and a gold pen. You could already picture his handwriting on the pages.

"We can go back to being pen pals for a bit," you whispered. "I'll be refreshing my email inbox and waiting not so patiently for my mail to arrive. It'll be great. That's how I fell in love with you in the first place."

"Gorgeous," he groaned, setting the stationery down on his coffee table before burying his face in his hands. "That's not gonna happen."

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

Atlantic Fleet, here we come. But for how long? No pen pals. No email. No letters. This deployment already hurts. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 19

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[idesofrevolution]

Party Animal

Danny smiled his signature perfect smile, posing stereotypically as the phone sat propped up on a sidewalk trashcan with a timed camera counting down. While it was his 21st birthday, and he'd invited nearly twenty people to come out clubbing with him in New York City, he wasn't entirely shocked when everyone had some lame excuse as to why they couldn't come. Victoria was in the middle of watching Yellowjackets and couldn't be bothered to get up off her couch. Taylor was stuck at the airport in Nashville, unable to board his connecting flight due to "inclement weather." Felicity couldn't find a dog sitter for the night (bullshit), and Kyle just didn't even respond to the text. This was relatively par for the course for poor Danny, who'd gotten all but used to the feeling of his "friends" ditching him when it was plans of his own.

There were absolutely reasons in their mind as to why going out with Danny was less than an ideal evening: he was a wallflower. Sure, like everyone else in his small town, he had a fake ID. So one would assume that his relative experience in bars would at least teach him something about how to have a good time in one. Unfortunately, this was certainly not the case. Danny was the friend who would get to the bar, order two Long Islands and drunkenly cry for the rest of the night. He couldn't hold his liquor, he couldn't hit a joint without having a fifteen minute coughing spell, his moves on the dancefloor were generously described as "cringe," he would leave early and complain about it the next day. Yet, without fail, the next weekend would roll about and he would be the first one in line at open. His messy party ways had completely eradicated any chance of an entourage going with him, even on his birthday. Thus, as he posed rather stereotypically on the side of West 17th Street, alone and underdressed for his first gay nightclub of legal age, there was a level of disappointment.

Chelsea was bustling that evening, with stunning people in outrageously skimpy outfits strutting from building to building. All were in their little cliques huddles together until they made it to the doorman, where they'd quickly disperse into the drunken crowd within. Guys like him were the ones standing in line, waiting for someone to leave so they could have a chance of getting in; wallflowers, all of them. Thus, as he finally arrived at the club he'd heard so much about on every gay travel blog imaginable, he wasn't shocked to receive a quick look up and down from the bouncer and a head shaking no. Dejected, alone, and not even buzzed, Danny pulled out his phone to call the Uber back to his hotel. That is, until he felt a subtle tap on his shoulder. He sighed and turned around, locking eyes with an unexpected but very welcome sight.

He was tall, maybe 6'4 in a cutoff white tank top, a golden chain hanging from just beneath his nipples. His abs sat like the cobblestones on the street against his chiseled torso, flanked on either side by two huge, vascular arms. His fly was undone, with his thumbs suggestively holding it open. He had a gentle, yet sultry face: perfectly manicured facial hair and sweaty, wavy curls atop his head. He smiled as he leaned against the wall, illuminated brightly by the streetlight above them both.

"Baby you're not gettin' in looking like that." He had a thick accent, perhaps Cuban or Dominican, but it rolled off his supple lips like the drool which had begun to slightly dribble down Danny's jaw. The man smiled and ruffled his hair, getting ready to walk back into the club.

"Hey! Uh... I really like your outfit. You wear it really... really well." The stud turned back, a small chuckle under his breath.

"Thank you baby! I wasn't sure about the chain, but it draws attention to all the right places, am I right?" He ran his large hands over his abs, winking at the salivating 21 year old. "I'm Mateo, by the way." The two shook hands, Danny barely able to contain himself.

"So, you come out to these clubs often? It's my first time in the city. My twenty first birthday, actually." Mateo's face lit up. Tossing his arm around Danny's shoulder, he leaned in close to hopefully be heard above the hustle and bustle of the chattering crowd outside. Danny blushed. He could feel the heat from Mateo's pit on the nape of his neck, the smell of wet armpit after a night of dancing tickling the hairs in his nostrils.

"Where's your party? You better not be out here alone on a Saturday night!" Danny looked down, trying to hide the thirst which had overtaken him.

"Ahh, they all cancelled. It's just me tonight." Danny felt an immediate yank, as Mateo squeezed him tightly against his pillowy pecs.

"Nahh. It's just you and ME tonight. C'mon." Mateo began guiding Danny down the street, chatting about the nightlife in New York City, how it's better than anywhere else, how it has the hottest guys and the best vibes. Mateo had been a staple of the ballroom scene for a couple years at that point, and was well acquainted with the bars and their owners. Any place of any note, he'd be able to waltz right in. Though in this instance, he decided to do something special for this little guy who he'd found meandering the streets. "It's definitely an in-the-know kinda place, if you know what I mean. And you're not getting in wearing that, so I guess we're just going to have to get you a birthday present." The two strolled up to a relatively inconspicuous apartment building, Mateo flashing his card to open the heavy metal door. Two flights up and ten doors down the hall, Mateo opened the door to his apartment. It was tidy for the most part. Plants sat on every imaginable surface, even hanging in macrame slings from the popcorn ceiling. Mateo flipped the lights on in his bedroom and opened his closet door.

"Uhhh, what are you looking for?" Danny nervously shuffled from side to side. This wasn't going to be one of those makeover scenes a la Clueless, was it? Mateo flashed several articles of clothing in front of his face, each vastly different from the one before: leather pants, a silk button up, a ripped up tank top, a latex polo... Under his breath, Danny could hear the quiet mutterings Mateo whispered after each one. Too young, too bulky, too preppy, too kinky.

"Hey. Like what's the vibe you're going for? If some hot guy walked up to you and was looking you up and down, what would you want him to see in a perfect world?" Danny sat there a moment, pondering. He wasn't entirely sure. He'd never thought about it. Closing his eyes, he tried to go back to his days of fantasizing about what a perfect Danny would look like. What he'd always wanted to look like. Though, for him, those days were far behind him. The years of being ditched and cast aside, while he understood why, had taken a toll on him. He'd only ever seen himself as that annoying friend who ruins the mood. Danny shuffled his feet beneath him, hanging his head.

"I don't know... just not... this." He motioned up and down, alluding to the rather sad appearance he'd taken on. Mateo stopped what he was doing, chucking a pair of sunglasses at the frowning young man, hitting him square on the nose.

"You stop that. This is not a pity party, it's a birthday party." Danny nodded, picking up the sunglasses from his feet: Balenciaga. "You know what you need? You need a confidence boost." Mateo pinched his chin, analyzing his closet. "And I have just the thing." It was like a frenzy. Within seconds, clothes were being tossed at him. Looking down at them, he anxiously investigated them. A long, almost see through tank top, a well worn sleeveless leather jacket, and a pair of wide, baggy pants- all of which about two sizes too big.

"Uh, hey, I really appreciate it but I don't think I'm gonna fi..." Mateo had plopped a heavy pair of beat up combat boots on top of the pile in his hands, nearly spilling the whole outfit out of Danny's arms.

"Shut up and go put this on, I promise you'll look great." Sighing, he started headed toward the bathroom, only for Mateo to stop him. "Here, just..." Mateo grabbed the wrists of Danny's shirt, pulling the gaudy top off his frail body. Snatching the tank top from the pile, he ripped it off the hanger and slipped it over his arms and head. The shit was undoubtedly massive on him. Danny was after all 5'4 and 100 lbs soaking wet, the tall hunk which stood before him would obviously be wearing way larger clothes than him. "Arms back!" Mateo slid the sleeveless leather jacket onto him. Danny could smell that this item was well loved, catching a subtle hint of weed, cigarettes, and sweat gently wafting from it. "Pants off!" He directed, Danny followed. Pulling his skinny black jeans down to his ankles, and taking off his brown loafers. He stood before Mateo in his whitey-tidies, and an unimpressive flat bulge. "Yeah, take 'em off and burn them. Besides, easier access for the lucky guy later tonight." He winked, causing Danny to blush. Any time his gal-pals had tried to do a makeover it always ended in a trip to Hollister or Abercrombie to look like every straight high schooler in 2013. He'd never had a guy, let alone a gay guy take the time to dress him. His guard finally down, he dropped them, quickly snatching the lightweight pants and pulling them up his legs, tightly pulling the drawstrings to keep them up.

Mateo looked him up and down, clearly thinking about what was missing as Danny slid his feet into the massive boots, feeling the squish of gogo boy sweat bubbling up onto his soles. Mateo snapped his fingers, grabbing the sunglasses and sliding them onto his face. Danny couldn't deny feeling cool in these ill-fitting clothes, whether or not he felt hot in them or not- if this sexy club kid thought he looked good he probably did.

"Awesome, here, take this bag. Happy Birthday, we gotta go!" Danny didn't even get a chance to peer into the mirror before a large leather bag was tossed at him and he was pushed out the door. He tripped over the baggy pants dragging on the ground, and the clunky boots which slid around on his now damp feet. "You look great," Mateo said as they hopped down the stairs. "I got just the place to take you."

The two walked for perhaps only a block or two before they turned into a dark alley, only a single red lamp far down the brick walled canyon illuminating the surroundings. They strutted up to the rusted metal door, Mateo knocking only three times before it swung open. The huge bouncer blocked the door with his arms crossed, though the moment he saw Mateo, he silently stepped aside. Thrust inside from behind, Danny entered the club.

From then on, the night was a blur. The few moments of clarity and recollection told quite the story. The club was packed, sexy guys dancing on eachother, gogo boys on the bar, discarded ecstasy pills littering the floor brightly glowing from the blacklights. A DJ played derivative beats as they approached the bar. The last clear decision that was made was to take a round of shots.

"Zayn! Could you get us two blowjobs?" Danny turned quickly, shocked at the prospect. He was slightly less anxious when the two cream topped shots were placed in front of them. After a quick birthday toast, the two downed their shots. Immediately, Danny felt an instant release. The nervousness had subsided, and he felt ready to enjoy the evening. He couldn't help but notice, before Mateo had ordered round two, that the sexy bartender seemed to smirk with every shot, heading to the back room for a moment only to come back with two perfect drinks. Round 2 felt just as good as the first, feeling himself smile and sway to the music. It was followed up by round 3, then round 4, then round 5... The shots just kept coming, and by round 7, the world was spinning.

From what little could be recalled, he hit the dance floor with Mateo, showing off the notorious dance moves which had caused him so much grief back home. Though, as the night progressed, he felt the music in a patently distinctive way. Every beat, every note hit differently. His body seemed to just move on its own, his hips swaying, his hands slowly wandering around Mateo's firm waist. The unfittedness of the clothes seemed to dissipate, and they began to feel... right. He liked the way that they showed off his broadening shoulders, his widening biceps... As he dropped, effortlessly pulling off spins and dips, his strong, muscular legs kept him firm in his stance, rooted in the perfectly fitted boots.

He could remember Mateo running his hands over the light tattoos sprawled on his pulsating forearms. He'd even done a few of them himself in his boredom during a relatively crazy shroom trip a few years back. In fact, as the two of them stood there in eachother's arms, looking eye to eye and towering over the dancefloor, he was so grateful that his bestie Mateo would give him such a night out on his birthday. Though, it seemed every year got more and more wild. The two didn't waste any more time. This was going to be a wild birthday, as Mateo planted a deep kiss onto his lips. Their sweaty, muscled arms wrapped around eachother, passionately making out on the dancefloor, before Danny reached into his bag, pulling out the magnum ribbed condom he'd gotten earlier that day, hoping the two would arrive at that point sometime during the night.

Mateo smiled and nodded, the two heading outside to wait for the Uber to take them back to the apartment. As Mateo eagerly tapped away on his phone, Danny leaned against the street pole, thrusting his sizeable package toward his boyfriend.

The next morning, Mateo woke up to an empty bed. Sweaty sheets tossed from one side of the room to the other, the stench of kinky sex still wafting in the air. He rolled out of the stained bed, walking past Danny's still warm, musky combat boots splayed on the hardwood floor. After a night of being railed with his face buried in it's ripe opening, he couldn't help but take a quick whiff down memory lane before going down to the front door. There, perched on the step, in all his blonde, shirtless glory sat Danny smoking his American Spirits.

"Good morning, sexy bitch." His velvety voice soared like the wind to Mateo's eager ear, something about that cocky, confident swagger behind his words always hit just right. He plopped down next to his boyfriend, sensually nibbling on his pierced ear. "Gonna get the neighbors all hot and bothered." Danny chided, Mateo knowing full well he loved being seen in even more compromising positions by anyone who stumbled across them.

"That's the idea." The two laughed and kissed, hoping old Mrs. Prallatt across the street was huffing and puffing in an indignant rage. "Hey the house is performing later tonight in the Bowery, I think you should show off the new number. Kick the LaBeija's ass off the floor." Smirking, Danny took a long drag and let out a large cloud of smoke before turning to Mateo.

"They don't stand a chance." Mateo stood up, kissing Danny's smooth hand before getting ready to head back up to get dressed for the day. "Hey, babe." Mateo turned and looked down at the beautiful creature which had been the wildest ride he'd ever taken. "How about you take those sweats off and I show you a couple more moves before we head out?" A strong grope of Mateo's growing bulge and a wink from behind his Balenciaga shades was all that his man needed to see.

[peachybeom]

Stress Relief ♡

sfw, soobin x reader, college au.

blonde fluffy soobin is so cute ill eat him-

Soobin hurriedly made his way to your apartment, taking the stairs instead of the elevator believing the latter took more time.

He had been trying to reach you for almost a day now but got no response. Growing impatient, Soobin had left you texts and voice notes but unfortunately all of those remained unanswered as well.

Finally giving up on waiting, your boyfriend had contacted your roommate-who was out for the weekend, for the apartment passcode as he made up his mind to go check on you himself.

He punched the code in the machine and anxiously opened the door to look for you. His eyes scanned the living room for a few seconds, until they fell on a huddled figure sitting down on the floor.

You were hunching down, sitting cross legged resting your head gently on the table in front of you. Your eyes were shut tightly while your lips parted slightly letting out soft periodic breaths.

Soobin quietly closed the door before him and lowered himself to your level, he let out a breath of relief and gazed at your soft features before brushing a few wild strands of hair from your face.

You stirred lightly at his touch but showed no signs of waking up, that was when Soobin noticed all the books and pens and crumbled papers that surrounded your sleeping figure, you were even holding a pen between your fingers as you slept.

The smile fell from Soobin's face as soon as it had appeared because he realised how tired you must have been. Your college midterms were about to commence in about two weeks and you were determined to work your ass off for it, even it meant studying vigorously without taking any breaks.

As much as Soobin wanted to support you through this tough time, his resources were limited too as he was a film major and you a medical one. Plus past few months had been hard on him too, constantly busy finishing assignments and reaching deadlines.

Soobin hated seeing you stressed but he had promised to not bother you for an entire month during your midterms because he really didn't want to be a distraction, though he would almost text you daily and occasionally call, to check up on you and your studies.

Though you both weren’t able to talk for long, just hearing your voice once in a while was enough for Soobin to go on.

You time and again reassured him that you were doing fine but witnessing the current situation, it was clear that you clearly were not and had been pulling one too many all nighters.

 You gently moved and rubbed your eyes sleepily as the sound of clinking cutlery awoke you to consciousness.

You stretched your arms behind your back and were ready to yell at your roommate for being so loud- when you turned your head and spotted an all too familiar figure in the kitchen.

"Soobin!" You exclaimed loudly, grabbing the boy's attention.

Your boyfriend turned around and raised both of his hands towards his sides, a bright smile appearing on his face as he spoke

"Hi bunny,"

"I'm sorry if I accidentally woke you up, I actually came over to check on you because -"

His words were cut off when you-in a matter of seconds strode across the room and wrapped your arms around his tall body.

"There there, easy tiger" Soobin chuckled patting your hair with his hand.

"I missed you so much" You mumbled, burying your face in his shirt.

"That's why you are wearing my hoodie- the one I thought I had lost months ago" Soobin said in a teasing tone.

"Yeah, it's actually really comfortable, I need to raid your closet more often" You replied, looking up- God you missed his beautiful face.

Soobin laughed before gently breaking the hug between the two of you and placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

“I missed you too baby, I got so worried that maybe you had fallen sick or something because you weren’t picking up my calls or answering to my messages.” He said while caressing your cheek.

You felt a pang of guilt for making Soobin worried like this.

“Sorry, I’d put my phone on silent while studying and did not even realise when I fell asleep” You mumbled.

That’s when he noticed the light bags under your eyes and the pale color of your skin.

"You should take a break Y/N, you deserve it," Soobin said in a concerned tone before placing another kiss on your face.

"Yeah, you're right I really should," You sighed heavily.

"Great! so I'll just finish cooking this ramen, then we can try to clean up the mess that is your living room and have a movie night?"

 After having dinner- which tasted so good, even though it was just regular ramen. Soobin let you pick a movie which could help you unwind.

You both were halfway through the movie when your eyes began to drift sideways rather than being on the screen.

It was a good movie, it really was! But whenever Soobin was around you, you could focus on nothing but him. His pretty face demanded attention all the damn time, even if that wasn't his intention.

The movie still had a long way to go but you were growing restless. You extended your arm towards your boyfriend and placed your palm on top of his open one.

Soobin absent-mindedly curled his fingers against yours intertwining your fingers, too absorbed in the movie playing before him.

Next, you raised your other hand and grazed your fingers on his ear, softly pulling down the earlobe. This made Soobin turn to face you, his eyebrows furrowed together in curiosity.

You wordlessly ran a hand through his fluffy blonde hair before running a finger down his nose and giving it a light tap.

"What are you doing," Soobin asked letting out a breathy laugh.

You finally got up to and placed yourself on either side of his knee, strangling him between your legs on the couch. Then you placed your palms on both his cheeks and squeezed them between your hands.

"You are like my stress relief squishy. I want to pull you, squeeze you, poke you and viola all the stress is gone," You answered in a cheeky tone.

Soobin laughed loudly at your answer, his eyes closing and forming cute little crescent shapes.

"Jeez that's one weird way of saying you want to make out with me, bunny."

He then put his hand on your waist pulling you closer to him till your noses touched and whispered,

"Bet a squishy can't to this though,"

Soobin captured your lips between his and you let out a surprised squeak but almost melted under his touch right after, hands now grabbing the soft material of his shirt.

Soobin's mouth travelled down leaving small kisses as he made his way through. One hand teasing the waist band of your pyjama while the other slipping under the oversized hoodie. You let out a sigh of contentment and bliss, taking you away from all the anxieties and worries of the past week.

Holding onto him tightly, eyes closed, feeling him all over you, you realised being close to Soobin was really the best way to relieve stress.

[aflame4goinghome]

Come Down Soon

j.m.k x reader

(part two to Head First)

a/n: Hey everyone! It's been a while. Inspiration for the closure of this short story came to me recently, so I've finally been able to write it and get it to you all! I'm really proud of how their little story turned out. I hope you like it.

word count: 10.5k

warnings: THIS STORY CONTAINS SMUT! MINORS DNI!!! swearing, drinking, smoking, angst, arguing, fluff; SMUT: kissing, sexually explicit language, dirty talk, fingering, unprotected sex, spanking, choking, slight biting, tiny bit of breeding kink if you squint, soft dom josh <3

part one

“ Something here

I’m biding time ‘til it disappears

Oh, it’ll come down soon ”

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APRIL 2024 – 5 YEARS LATER

You wake up to your alarm wailing in your ear, shaking you awake. Fuck, you think to yourself. I really need to stop going out on weeknights. You roll out of bed and quickly get ready in the bathroom, coming to terms with the fact that you’ll be late for work. Luckily for you, your boss is your father, so you don’t have anything to worry about. 

You’re still in Frankenmuth, working for your dad at the music store, your life staying as consistent as ever. But it was comfortable, and comfortable is exactly what you need. A few years back, you got a business degree with hopes of taking over the business for your dad after he retires. Your younger brother wasn’t as into music as the two of you are, only playing guitar every once in a while. He moved to Chicago three years ago to go to Northwestern to study economics, leaving you here to take over the family business one day. That’s still a solid five or ten years away, but you’re prepared. You already practically run the place, working from open to close every single day. 

This didn’t bother you. You were perfectly content with that being your life. You loved music and you loved teaching it, so you were happy, truly. But every once in a while, your mind would wander to the ideas of what could have been, and you get stuck there. You hated when your mind would wander there, to him. It sent a sickening feeling throughout your entire body and you would be stuck, frozen in time. Frozen in the past.

Sitting back in your chair behind the counter in the empty music store, you start to doze off. On a random Tuesday morning like this, hardly anyone ever comes in. It’s way busier in the early evenings and on the weekends, but someone had to be here. You usually have another worker come in around 3 pm, but it’s only you until then on weekdays. 

You feel your head start to fall heavily to the side and you’re so lost in your exhaustion that you don’t hear the chime of the bells on the door jingle. You don’t hear the silent figure approaching the counter, watching you curiously as you breathe slow, long breaths through your slightly open mouth. But you’re suddenly jolted awake when the mystery figure taps the little bell on the counter and your head swiftly rushes upright, making you hit it harshly against the wall behind you. 

“Fuck!” you exclaim, raising your hand to rub soft circles against the back of your head where you hit it against the hard plaster. As you start to recalibrate yourself, your eyes finally fall onto the figure in front of you who was responsible for the bell. “Sam? Is that you?” The tall man in front of you smiles widely, his dimples appearing at the ends of his mustache. 

“In the flesh,” Sam smiles confidently, leaning his long arms onto the counter. “Hi, Smalls. Long time, no see.” You roll your eyes at the old nickname, standing up from your chair to round the counter and greet him.

“You really don’t have to call me that anymore, Sam. We’re grown now, you know,” you joke, bringing him in for a tight hug. He chuckles above you, patting your back lightly.

“You’ll always be Smalls to me, no matter how old we are,” he teases, rustling your hair on the top of your head playfully. 

“You’re an idiot. What the hell are you doing here? Aren’t you guys a little too big now for this town?” you ask, releasing him from the hug and leaning your back against the counter. He slots his hands in his front pockets with a laugh as he starts to answer. 

“We’re really not all that,” he says modestly, looking down at his feet before looking back up to your gaze.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sam. You guys are selling out arenas left and right… you’ve big-timed us for sure,” you answer with a playful scoff. He just shrugs, avoiding talking too much about their success.

“Whatever. We’re just here to visit Mom and Dad for a while before this next leg of the tour, that’s all. It’s a long one, so they wanted to see us.” You nod, fiddling with your fingers.

“So, you’re all here? All three of you?” you ask apprehensively, slightly afraid of what you know the answer will be. He rubs his hand on the back of his neck nervously, then nods.

“Yeah, we’re all here. Jake and Josh are back at home, they sent me out to go to the grocery store for a few things. Clearly, I got sidetracked…” he says, chuckling at the end. You smile and laugh with him– Sam could never complete an errand without getting distracted somehow. 

“I see… well, it’s good to see you. You’ve really grown up, I’m proud of you,” you say with a smile, crossing your arms as you lean back against the counter. 

“Thanks, Smalls… It’s really nice to see you, I’ve missed you,” he says earnestly, walking a bit closer to you. “We all have.” That sentence cut straight through to the heart. God, you didn’t think this would be so hard. 

You’d successfully managed to evade interaction with them each time they’ve come into town over the years, but now you couldn’t avoid it. It’s been four years since you’d last spoken to Sam Kiszka, or any of them for that matter. You didn’t cut them all off intentionally, but it just happened in the aftermath. 

“Right, I… I’ve missed you too,” you say hesitantly, backing away to go back behind the counter. 

“Y/N, I think my parents would really like it if you came by for dinner tonight. It would be nice, just like old times,” he says, looking down at you hopefully. Great, exactly what you’ve been dreading.

“Oh, I really don’t know, Sam. I don’t think Josh would…” you trail off, looking down at your feet.

“Look, I’m not entirely sure about what happened between you two, but please. Please come to dinner. It’s been years, I’m sure he’s over it,” he pleads. You’re not too sure about that, but they don’t know the full story. “I promise, Smalls. Just think about it. My number is still the same as before, just send me a text after your shift ends and let me know what you decide, okay?” 

Shit. He never makes it easy to say no to him. The puppy-dog eyes still work on his 25-year-old face, the same as they did when he was 18. You were no match for it, and he knew it, too.

“Okay. Okay, fine, I’ll think about it,” you concede, exhaustion coating your voice. “But no promises, alright?” His face lights up with an eager nod. He reaches over the counter and pokes your nose with his pointer finger, eliciting a giggle out of you as he smiles then turns around toward the door.

“Okay, Smalls, I’ve got some shopping to do. See you later!” he yells opening the door and walking out of the store. 

God, this was going to be a long day. It wasn’t at all like how you expected it to be. You went through the rest of your shift worrying about the worst-case scenario of how dinner could go down tonight. Before you know it, it’s already 3 o’clock, and your dad walks through the doors. 

“Dad? What are you doing here? I thought Parker was supposed to be coming in tonight,” you ask as he approaches the counter. He shrugs, heading to the office behind the counter and setting his stuff down on his desk. 

“He called out sick, so I just decided to come in for him,” he says casually, slipping a sweatshirt on over his head. You nod, your mind trailing back to your current predicament. 

“Did you know that the Kiszkas were in town?” you ask, looking over at him. His eyes shift guiltily as he approaches you. 

“Yeah… I caught Kelly outside on the porch the other day and he told me about it. I’m sorry that I didn’t warn you about it. Didn’t want to upset you,” he admits, rubbing your shoulder softly. 

“It’s okay, Dad. I’m fine,” you say, lying through your teeth. If anyone understood how you felt about your fallout with Josh, it was your dad. He was there for you through it all, as you tried to bury your feelings by working endless shifts at the shop. He says it never gave him any bias, but you know that secretly, he felt differently about Josh since that day. No matter what, he was always on your side. 

“Sam came in here this morning. Asked me to come to dinner at their house after work,” you admit, fiddling with the hem of your t-shirt. 

“Oh. Are you going to go?” he asks apprehensively. You look up at him and see the concern in his eyes. 

“Uh, yeah. I think I will. Sam really wants me to and… it’s been four years. We’ll have to get over it some time. Might as well be now,” you say, trying to seem as sure as possible, despite how unsure you actually felt. Your dad raised you to be strong, and you wanted to be that person for him. 

“Okay, if you’re sure,” he says, offering a reassuring smile. You nod with a smile.

“Why don’t you just head out now, hon? I can handle the rest of the night. You just go home and get ready for dinner,” he offers, not giving you any time to protest before he walks off to do inventory in the back of the store. You shrug to yourself and decide to just go home, grabbing your tote from the office and heading out to the front of the store to your car parked in the front space. 

The store is only a ten-minute drive from home, so you’re back before you know it. You pull into the driveway then gather your things, heading inside. You walk in to find your mother in the kitchen, cooking some dinner.

“Hi baby, how was work?” she asks, turning around to face you. 

“It was alright, pretty slow,” you say, stopping in the kitchen to talk for a moment. 

“I talked to your brother today, he should be coming home in a few weeks after finals are over,” she says, stirring the food in the pot as she talks. 

“Oh, that’s cool. That should be nice,” you remark, your mind wandering, making you unable to entertain the conversation much more, so she changes the subject. 

“Are you hungry? I’m making some pasta with vodka sauce right now if you want some,” she asks. You weren’t sure how you’d explain this situation to her, but you have to. 

“Actually… I’m going to the Kiszkas for dinner,” you answer quietly. She stops stirring in her pot and looks at you, her eyes drooping just like your dad’s did not long ago. 

“Oh! That’s quite a surprise,” she answers honestly, her face feigning excitement but her eyes give her away. 

“Mom, it’s fine. I’m fine. Seriously, it’s no big deal,” you answer, trying to convince yourself as well as her. She gives you a small smile and nods, and you take your leave up the stairs to your bedroom. Over the years, you’ve renovated the large attic in your parent’s house so that you had more of your own space away from them in your adulthood, while still living at home. It’s been nice and quite private, you’ve really made it your own. 

As you set your bag down on the floor and sit down on your bed, your mind travels back in time to the last time you saw Josh Kiszka. You still wonder where it all went wrong. It was perfect, truly perfect– until it wasn’t. The worst part about it is that it was nobody’s fault, there was no one to blame. You wondered for years if it was just the right person but the wrong time, but those delusions soon faded away as the years progressed and you still never heard from him. He’d moved on, and so had you. 

*:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:*༺˚ ⊹♫⊹ ˚༻*:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:*

JUNE 2020

“I just don’t understand why you won’t just come with us! You’d be perfect there– I need you there!” Josh shouted, slamming his hands down on the counter in frustration as you leaned your back against the kitchen counter, keeping your head low.

“Josh, it isn’t that fucking easy! I can’t just pick up and leave! I have responsibilities here! My job, my family!” you yelled with your head in your hands. 

The band made plans to move to Nashville, Tennessee by the end of the month, hoping to record their music there instead. Their success had shot up significantly since the two of you got together, with money pouring in and new music being recorded left and right. You knew they’d outgrow you and this town, but you didn’t think it would happen this soon. 

He begged you to come with him, insisting that you could find a job down there and live with him and Jake, but that wasn’t what you wanted. You made a commitment to your father, having started online business classes with UMich in January with hopes to someday run the shop yourself. Josh knew that, but he insisted that you come with him.

“Don’t you think I’m making sacrifices here, too? I don’t want to have to leave my parents, but it’s our destiny, Saph! This is what I’m meant to do, I thought you’d understand that,” he groaned, shaking his head angrily. Tears start to fill your waterline as you struggle to get your words out.

“Of course I understand! I’ve always believed in you, you know that! Since day one, I’ve supported you!” you yelled as the tears started to escape from your eyes. “You know we’ve always had different goals, this town has always been my whole life. And you’ve always been destined for more. I knew that from the start.”

“If you know that this is what I’m destined to do, then why can’t you just come with me?” he asked with a sigh, rubbing his temples. 

“Josh, I love you. I love you more than anything I’ve ever loved in my entire life,” you said, tears spilling down your face. “But this is your dream, not mine.” You watch as his eyes start to water, mirroring yours. His face drops as the realization kicks in.

“So, that’s it then? You’re just giving up? You’re giving up on us?” Josh asked accusingly, stepping closer to you, but you backed away. 

“I’m not giving up, Josh. But we want different things,” you answered honestly, your voice shaky. 

“All I want is you, Saph. I love you so much. Please,” he said, his eyes pooling with tears. He stepped forward once more, reaching his arms to your waist and attempting to pull you closer. “Please just come with us.” You shook your head, backing up more. 

“I’m sorry. I can’t,” you said, looking into his eyes as they filled with despair. 

“You’re breaking my heart, Y/N,” he whispered, his voice cracking. Your heart sank. 

“And you’re breaking mine,” you answered, taking one last look at him before turning around and heading toward the back door in the kitchen, yanking it open and rushing out. As you rushed home, you wiped the tears from your eyes, not wanting your parents to see you that way. And that was it. That was the last time you saw Josh Kiszka.

*:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:*༺˚ ⊹♫⊹ ˚༻*:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:*

CURRENT  DAY

Deep breaths, Y/N, you tell yourself as you look at yourself in your bathroom mirror. You pull your hair back half-up, putting the small section of hair into a little bun that sits on the back of your head. You pull a few front pieces out to frame your face and then pull a brush through the rest of your long, wavy hair. You’ve got this.

You throw on a grey flannel over the cropped tee you were wearing, which contrasts well with your distressed dark grey jeans. You slide on your Converse and then sit down on your bed to check your phone. 

Sammy: Hey, Smalls. Did you think about gracing up with your presence at dinner tonight?

You breathe out a quiet laugh and shake your head at his sarcasm as you type your reply.

You: Don’t get your panties in a twist, Samuel. I’ll be there. 

It doesn’t even take a minute for him to respond.

Sammy: Knew you’d come around. Come over around six?

You slide down on your screen to check the time — 5:28 pm. Okay, you still have some time. 

You: See you then. 

You fiddle with your fingers as you sit on your bed, waiting for the appropriate time to go downstairs and walk next door. The entire situation stressed you out beyond belief. You’re not sure how you managed to get yourself into this mess in the first place, you had done such a good job at avoiding them when they’d come to town for the past four years. But now, it was unavoidable. 

How is Josh going to react? After you left that day, he left you dozens upon dozens of voicemails and text messages, all of which you ignored. After a week of trying to get you to talk to him, he eventually relented. He gave up. At the time, it stung somehow. You didn’t understand it, you wanted him to leave you alone and let you both move on, so why did it hurt so bad when he finally did? It was all so complicated and screwed up. You just hope that he isn’t still upset with you after all this time. 

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JOSH POV

“Josh, honey,” your mom says from the kitchen, making you turn your head to look at her. “Could you turn that movie off? It’s almost time for dinner.” You nod and take your feet off of the coffee table, reaching for the remote, and reluctantly turning the TV off. No matter how old you got, you still always helped your mom with dinner. It was a tradition at this point, as silly as it sounded. 

“Boys, it’s almost dinner time!” she yells, trying to get your bothers’ attention from the garage, which had a door connecting to the kitchen. You hear muffled ‘okay’s from behind the door and soon enough, your brothers emerge from the garage and storm the kitchen. 

You get up from the couch and watch as Sam walks over to the dining room to set the table and Jake opens the fridge and takes out a bottle of white wine to drink with dinner. You decide to enter the kitchen and help her transfer the food to the serving dishes.

“Oh, Mom,” Sam starts from the dining room as he gathers the folded napkins from the pantry. “I forgot to tell you earlier, I stopped into the music store today on my way to get groceries. Y/N was there.” 

Your movements come to a halt as you hear the words fall from his mouth. How could he just bring her up so casually? You quickly try to shake it off. It’s been four years, it’s nothing. You probably won’t even have to see her, anyway. You’ve gone this long without running into her, anyway, probably by her own doing. 

“That’s nice, sweetie. How is she doing?” your mom asks kindly as she hands you an empty dish to transfer the pierogis into. You take the dish into your hands and walk over to an empty counter space to set it down. 

“She’s good! I actually invited her to come to dinner tonight,” Sam said nonchalantly with a shrug. 

“What?” you exclaim instinctually, your mouth agape as you stare daggers into your little brother. Before you even realize what’s happening, you’re startled by the sound of the dish you were holding falling onto the ground and shattering into pieces. You didn’t even feel yourself drop it. “Oh God, Ma I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’ll go get the broom, don’t go anywhere.” 

You shake your head and curse under your breath as you rush down the basement steps to grab the broom and quickly run back up to the kitchen. As you clean up your mess, you listen silently to the conversation, too embarrassed by your behavior to say anything else. 

“I feel like I haven’t seen Y/N in ages,” you hear your twin remark from behind you, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms. He needs to wipe that smug look off of his face before you do something drastic. 

“I know, it has been a long time. It’ll be nice to catch up, won’t it, honey?” your mom asks sweetly, turning over her shoulder to look at you with an encouraging smile. 

She knows every single detail about what went down between you and Y/N four years ago. She was here to pick up the pieces. Jake, not so much. While she was there comforting you, your twin was just blinded by his ambition. All he cared about was how great Nashville was going to be, for the both of you. 

“You don’t need Y/N, Josh. You have us. We’re your family,” Jake said apathetically as the two of you packed up your things. You just scoffed, shaking your head as you folded your clothes and placed them into your bags. 

“That’s not the point, Jake. I really wanted her there, and now I don’t know who I am without her,” you admitted, not looking up from your bags in hopes of not catching Jake’s sharp glare. 

“You’re Josh fucking Kiszka, lead singer of a band that’s going to make it BIG, that’s who you are,” Jake said confidently, patting your back. “We’re only just getting started, brother. Mark my words. Years from now, you’re not even going to remember her name.”

He just didn’t get it. Your other half always had an easier time with everything: getting girls, getting over girls, and everything in between. Nothing fazed him. It wasn’t that easy for you. You’re a writer, for God’s sake. An artist. You were nothing without a muse. 

“Just make your own muse then,” your brother had said. 

And that’s just what you did. Once the four of you got to Nashville, all you cared about was the music. You didn’t let yourself get distracted– no girls, no guys, nobody. Just you and your notebook and your dream. And it’s worked like magic ever since, you didn’t need anybody else besides your brothers and this band. The news of her coming back into your life has now set you back to four years ago, like nothing has changed. But everything has. 

“I don’t know, Mom. I don’t think she’s gonna want to talk to me, after everything…” you trail off, turning your back against your family as you try to focus on the task at hand. 

“I still don’t understand what even happened, Josh,” Sam says, rolling his eyes. Of course, he didn’t get it either. He was always fond of her, you assumed he had a small crush on her for most of his childhood. Whatever that was has surely passed on by now, but Sam was always protective over her. He was your brother, at the end of the day, so of course he was on your side. But you always knew that he was sad over her absence, deep down. 

“We were just different people, Sam. It wasn’t meant to be, that’s all. It doesn’t matter now,” you mutter, not looking up from the floor as you finish sweeping. 

“If it doesn’t matter now, then why would she still be upset with you?” Sam asks, frustration coating his voice. “When I talked to her earlier, she seemed to think that you wouldn’t want to talk to her.”

“Oh,” you breathe out, not sure what else to say. Why on Earth would she possibly think you could still be upset with her after all these years? You couldn't admit it then, blinded by young love and all the firsts you shared. But you knew it was for the best, in the end. She didn’t want to leave, and you couldn’t make her. 

You were glad that she let you go when she did, rather than moving with you and growing to resent you. She wanted to stay, and you needed to go. You’ve come to terms with it. Do you still think about her every now and then? Sure. The what-ifs do tend to creep in at night sometimes, but you always quickly shove them down. You have no room for what-ifs in your life right now. Things are really starting to pick up with the band, with your world tour and impending new music that you’ll be teasing any month now. The last thing you needed right now was to worry about the one that got away.

“Just try and talk to her, okay? It can’t hurt,” Sam says, walking past you to go sit on the couch now that he’s finished setting the dinner table. Yes, it can, you think to yourself, knowing better than to actually say it out loud. You just simply nod, grabbing a new dish and transferring the food over.

“Okay. I’ll talk to her,” you concede, covering the food with aluminum foil and then walking over to the dining table to place it down in the center. You run your fingers through your hair nervously as you walk back to the kitchen and finish helping your mom plate the rest of the food. 

You hear your dad walk in through the front door and he enters the kitchen, kissing your mom on the cheek before going to sit on the couch with Sam. You watch as he reaches for the remote and turns the TV on, switching the channel to put on what seems like the hockey game. 

“Hey, I was watching something there! Now I’m going to lose my place!” you scold, walking toward the living room and leaning against the wall. 

“Josh, you were watching Silence of the Lambs for the millionth time, I don’t think you need to worry about losing your place,” Jake teases, walking into the living room to sit on the armchair and recline. 

“Yeah, Josh. C’mon, the Red Wings are on, it’s almost playoffs,” Sam says matter-of-factly. You hear your dad chuckle at the banter, turning the volume up. Traitor. 

“No! No more TV, Y/N will be here any minute now. You four are unbelievable,” your mom scoffs from the kitchen, shaking her head as she finishes preparing the food. Your brothers groan loudly and your dad reaches to turn the TV off. You swallow deeply as you wait nervously for Y/N to arrive. You don’t know what to expect, and that scares you. Maybe it’s because you were the oldest, or maybe it’s because you have a Cancer Moon, but you like being able to predict what will happen next. Now, all of that was completely out of your hands.

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YOUR POV

5:56 pm. Time to go, you suppose. You really don’t know what to expect, but Sam reassured you that everything will be fine. In all honesty, it wasn’t the possibility of Josh being upset with you that worried you. You were worried that, the second you saw him, your entire world would cave in. You were worried that you would just want to fall into his arms and apologize for everything you said. 

But you knew that you couldn’t do that, you can’t. He’s come too far now to be pulled down by you. He seemed truly happy and successful, who were you to come waltzing back into his life and tear it all up? No. You had to be strong. For Josh, and for yourself. 

As you approach the Kiszka’s porch, you take one last deep breath before laying a few soft knocks on the front door. You hear jostling behind the door and a distant “I’ll get it, I’ll get it!” before the door finally swings open with Sam’s wide grin greeting you. 

“Honored guest! Welcome!” he exclaims, reaching out to grab your arm and pull you inside, shutting the door behind you. Your eyes scan the room as you enter, smiling at Sam’s antics before the inevitable happens. First, you see Kelly and Jake sitting in the living room, turning over their shoulders to look at you. But as your eyes drift to the kitchen ahead of you, you see him. 

You knew it was too late to turn back now, despite the strong urge to leave now while you still can. But you can’t run away, not this time. You watch as his posture shifts when he feels your eyes on him, straightening his back as he leans against the wall. Your eyes soften as you take it in, almost unsure of where to start.

He looked so different. Yet somehow, as you looked at him, it still felt familiar. You thought that you would feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, but no. You feel safe. 

His hair was styled much differently now, his fluffy, curly hair now shaved short on the sides of his head. His cheeks were still as rosy as ever, adorned with little white dots along the cheekbones. You like it, you decide. He always knew how to stand out. 

His once bare face was now decorated with a dark mustache and goatee, much like Sam had, but not nearly as long. Josh’s was more clean and precise. Just like him. 

He’s wearing a plain white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled slightly. You can see that his arms have gotten bigger since the last time you saw him, which didn’t surprise you. The boy you once knew truly grew into a man, standing in front of you. 

They all had. Jake looked so different, with his hair sitting right on his shoulder, sporting some facial hair of his own. He looked more serious now, which wasn’t a bad thing. You should feel proud, but all you feel is regret that you weren’t there to see it. 

“Hi,” you say shyly, already beating yourself up on the inside for it. Just hi, seriously? That’s how you want to start? Jake gets up from the armchair on your right to approach you, reaching out to pat your arm supportively.

“It’s great to see you again, Y/N,” he says with a closed-lip smile. “Do you want a drink? I was just about to open this bottle of Chardonnay that I picked out for dinner, if you’re interested.” You nod and follow him to the kitchen, passing Josh on your way there. 

His eyes follow you as you walk into the kitchen. You don’t say anything at first, but as Jake works to open the bottle of wine, you decide to work up the courage. 

“Hey…” you start, walking over to him as he shifts his body, turning to face you with his back against the wall. 

“Hey, Y/N,” he answers, slipping his hands into his front pockets nervously. Ouch. You weren’t necessarily expecting him to use your nickname, it’s been years since you saw each other and the nickname itself was rooted in his feelings for you. But hearing your real name fall from his mouth still cut like a knife. You suppose that if you wanted him to use your nickname, you’d have to earn it. 

“You look good,” you say, fiddling with your fingers in front of you as you look behind you to see if Jake has opened that wine bottle yet. God knows you’ll need it. Josh’s eyes drop suddenly at your words, almost as though he didn’t expect it. Fuck, why did you say that? Making him upset certainly wasn’t your intention when you gave the compliment, you just didn’t know what else to say. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that– stupid…” you start apologizing, but he stops you.

“No, no, it’s okay. I was just taken aback, that’s all,” he says honestly, concern covering his face. He’s still as empathetic as he always was. You knew he would be, you don’t know why you’d expected anything else. “So do you. You look… radiant.” Before you can let him see your cheeks flush, you turn around as Jake extends his arm to hand you a very full glass of wine.

“Jeez, that’s one heavy poor, Kiszka,” you joke, taking a short sip of the wine before leaning your back against the wall opposite of Josh. The younger twin chuckles at your words, taking a sip out of his own glass before answering. 

“Hey, I figured you could use a little extra. What’s the harm?” he says with a shrug, leaning against the kitchen counter. You smile at him, looking at him as the two of you exchange a silent look. It’s clear that he knows how tense this might be for you, and you feel grateful for that. Maybe this dinner wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

Karen descends the stairs and walks into the kitchen, calling everyone to the dinner table. She greets you, of course, expressing how glad she is to see you after so long. You really did feel guilty over abandoning the rest of the Kiszkas when you and Josh had your falling out. They were like a second family to you throughout your entire childhood, so you missed them so much.

The boys rushed to the dinner table, clearly starving from the looks of it. Obviously, they all had their own “assigned” seats around the table, with Josh and Jake sitting next to each other, with Sam sitting across from Jake. The seat across from Josh was probably reserved for their sister, Ronnie, but she wasn’t here, so you suppose that seat’s for you. Timidly, you approach the seat and sit down, looking at Josh quickly before averting your eyes and watching as their parents take their own seats. 

Dinner itself actually went really well. Karen asked you questions about your life recently, and you talked about your brother going to college, as well as your own business degree and your plans to run the shop. Josh kept mostly to himself, eating his dinner silently while sneaking glances every now and then when he thought you weren’t looking. 

You couldn’t tell what he was thinking, though, and that made you feel uneasy. Was he uncomfortable with you being there? Did he want you to leave? Or was it possible that he wanted to talk things out? You hoped for the latter, wanting to at least give both of you some closure. You were hopeful that he wanted that, too. 

Before long, Karen was coming around the table to gather the dirty dishes. As she approached your seat, you pushed your chair back and stood up. 

“Here, Karen, let me help,” you say, picking up your own plate, along with Sam’s. She thanks you, and the two of you walk to the kitchen together to put the dishes in the sink.

“Do you want to dry them once I’m done washing them?” she asks, and you nod eagerly. You get into a rhythm soon enough, finishing the dishes in only a little over five minutes. “I like having a helper around here. These boys always get so lazy after they’re done eating.”

“Tell me about it,” you answer with a laugh. “I used to have to drag Josh up off the couch to go anywhere after we’d had a meal.” The memory was fond but fleeting as you gaze into the dining room to see Josh’s eyes locked on you. Shit, you probably shouldn’t have brought it up. His attention was soon drawn back to his brothers as Jake snapped his fingers at him, trying to get him back into whatever conversation they were having. 

“It really is nice to have you back here, Y/N,” Karen admits with a soft smile. You return it with a gentle nod and she retreats to the living room to sit and watch the rest of the hockey game with Kelly. You stand there for a moment alone before you look over to see the boys getting up from the table. 

“We’re gonna go jam in the garage for a bit. Might be good to get our creative juices flowing in the place where it all started,” Jake says, nodding his head to his brothers as he walks over to the door to the garage. 

Sam quickly follows with Josh behind him, who stops at the door and turns to you both. Your eyes lock for a moment before he looks behind him at the garage, then back at you, seeming a bit conflicted. 

“Hey, I’ll be in a little later. You guys start without me,” Josh says to them, with his eyes still on you. They were searching for something on your face, some sort of sign. You caught on rather quickly, walking toward him to reach for the door to the back porch, opening it apprehensively. You step out onto the porch and he follows, shutting the door softly behind him. 

You walk to the porch swing on the far side of the porch, patting the cushion next to you to tell Josh to sit next to you. You sit in silence for a few moments, unsure where to begin. You open your mouth to start to speak, but Josh beats you to it. 

“So, you come here often?” he jokes, looking down at you with a smirk. You giggle and look down at your feet, the cliche successfully breaking the ice. 

“As a matter of fact, I do. I live right over there, you see,” you say smartly, pointing to your house behind you. A laugh erupts deep from Josh’s chest as he looks over at you with a genuine smile– something that you haven’t seen in so long. It almost felt normal, all of this, in that moment. Almost. 

“You don’t say,” Josh answers with a grin as he reaches into the back pocket of his pants. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a red lighter, pulling one out of the pack. 

“Cigarette?” he offers, stretching his hand out to you with it between his fingers. Your eyes travel from his hand to his face, looking back at him with an awkward smile.

“Oh, I don’t smoke,” you say honestly, your cheeks flushing with a bit of embarrassment as he smiles at you awkwardly, sucking air between his teeth.

“I knew that,” he says, retracting his hand and placing the cigarette between his lips. You laugh, the idea of knowing each other so well but also not at all feeling terribly ironic. He knew you, once. He knew what you used to be. But the girl you were at 22 was very different than you are now at 27, in more ways than one. For better or for worse, you’ve changed, and so has he.

Was it possible to get to know the new version of him? Did he want you to know him? Do you want him to know you? At this moment, sitting on the back porch in the same spot that you sat in for most of your youth, you believe that you did want to know him, and him you. Did he want that too?

Josh lights his cigarette quickly and then slides the pack and lighter back into his pocket, taking a drag before resting his hand on his knee and looking back at you. Why were you so intimidated to say anything? It was just Josh, the same Josh you once loved. Once. What were you so afraid of?

“I almost didn’t come tonight,” you finally admit, leaning your arm onto the back of the swing as you shift your body toward him. He raises his eyebrows at your honesty, shifting his body toward you in return.

“Why did you?” he asks honestly, searching your face for an answer. You weren’t sure what the answer even was, but you tried nonetheless. 

“Honestly? I’m not quite sure,” you say, fidgeting with your hair. “I think part of me hoped to get some closure. Another part just wanted things to go back to the way they used to be.” You didn’t expect yourself to put it all out in the open like that, but you realize that the large glass of wine loosened your lips more than you thought it would. 

“Things can’t go back to the way they used to be,” Josh says quietly, taking another drag of his cigarette and blowing it the other way. Your eyes shifted to your lap nervously. 

“I know. You’re right,” you whisper, now avoiding his gaze. You sit silently for a moment before he finally speaks up.

“You’re happy here?” he asks, giving you time to respond. You finally look up at him and his eyes soften as your eyes meet, the same soft eyes you’ve always known. A dark brown color in the darkness of the spring night, only catching the light every once in a while when he turned toward the porch light. 

“I am, I think…” you answer, almost hesitantly. He nods silently. “Are you? Happy there? Is it everything you hoped it would be?” He pauses for a moment, seemingly collecting his thoughts.

“Yes, I’m happy there,” he admits, biting his lip slightly as he ponders his next thought. “But is it everything I hoped it would be? Not so much.” Your eyes fall sadly at his words, inching a bit closer.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Josh,” you say, rubbing his arm softly. He flinches slightly at your touch, making you retreat entirely, scooching back to the other side of the bench. He takes another drag of his cigarette and shakes his head. 

“It’s just a bit lonely. It’s only work there, no play,” he says softly. “I love the music, don’t get me wrong. I’m making the kind of art I always wanted to make. I just hate doing it alone.”

Oh. He isn’t over it. That much was clear. You can’t help but feel responsible for his suffering. But you knew you weren’t, this wasn’t your fault. You were never meant to move down there, it wasn’t right. 

“You’re not alone. You have your brothers, you have friends,” you say supportively, hoping to steer the subject further from the harsh truth. He shakes his head again, taking an extra long drag from his cigarette.

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he says, a bit of frustration hanging on his tone. When he catches it, he shakes it off. “Look, it doesn’t matter really. Forget I said anything.” You nod, looking over at him to find that his eyes are already on you. 

Music starts to pour out of the open windows of the garage behind you, startling you a bit. You could hear Sam’s keyboard and Jake’s guitar playing a song that sounded familiar to you, but you weren’t sure why. It must be one of theirs. Surely you heard it in one of their practices all those years ago. 

“What’s this one called?’ you ask, referencing the song coming from the garage. Josh’s lips tweak into a small smile as he answers you. 

“It’s Heat Above. It’s from our second record,” he says. You nod slowly, recognizing the name. 

“I think I know that one,” you say with a timid smile. 

“You listened to the album?” he asks with slight surprise. You nod again, inching a bit closer once more. 

“Of course I did. Listened to the new one, too,” you admit, fiddling with your fingers in your lap. When you look back up at Josh, he’s smiling widely.

“You listen to our music,” he says proudly. You return the smile and look back down at your lap, hoping to avoid him seeing the blush that’s started to cover your cheeks.

“Sometimes, yeah…” you mumble, “You know I always loved hearing you guys play. That never changed.”

“I just thought you might’ve avoided it… like you have us,” he says, which forces you to look back up at him. Here we are again, back to this topic.

“I wasn’t avoiding you…” you start, but he gives you a stern look. “Okay, fine. Maybe I was. But I just wanted to give you some space, you were really upset with me when you left. I didn’t want to rehash it all.” The closed-lip smile on his face as his dimples caved in was enough to catch your breath in your throat. 

“You didn't have to avoid me, Saph… I was fine. I was handling it on my own,” he says softly. There it was. The nickname– finally. You still don’t feel like you’d earned it, but it was clear that he was growing soft on you. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t spark up the butterflies in your stomach that you thought were long gone. 

Comfortable silence fills the air as you look over at him, only inches away from you. As you sit together on the porch swing, the same one that you used to sit on together every summer, you can’t help but feel your heart swell in your chest.

His eyes drift downward every once and a while as he takes drags from his cigarette every minute or so. You know he’s looking at your lips, he has to be. For a moment, you wonder if he wants to kiss you. Do you want to kiss him? It feels like you do, but you know you shouldn’t. It’ll throw you right back to where you started, two people with different goals in life. But despite the glaring truth, your conscience starts to fly out the window as you let your gaze drift to his lips as well. 

He takes one last hit of his cigarette and then puts it out in the ashtray on the table next to the swing. Music still flows loudly from the garage as the two of you sit there together in the quiet night. He turns back toward you, his eyes drifting to your lips again before you decide you can’t take anymore. Your hand leaves your lap and moves to rest on his waist, rubbing his side lightly with your thumb. 

“Josh?” you start, unsure if you want to continue the way you intend to. 

“Yes, Sapphire?” he answers, making your heart jump inside your chest. The nickname was effective before, but now it felt like something different entirely. How he had so much of an effect on you with so few words baffled you. It was something that you’d never experienced before and likely never will again. 

“Are any of those songs about me?” you finally ask, keeping your eyes on his in an effort to feign confidence. You watch as his gaze softens and he nods slowly. 

“Yes, some of them are,” he admits earnestly, his eyes darting to your lips as your proximity becomes even more apparent. 

“Are some of them about someone else?” you ask, already knowing the answer. But you wanted to hear him say it–no, needed to. He was so close that you could feel his warm breath against your face, sending your mind reeling.

“There is no one else,” he says, his voice deep and low. You breathe out a slow breath, trying not to look relieved. The corner of his mouth tweaks up into a smirk as his eyes burn through yours. After a few more moments of silence, where the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, your eyes soften as the gap between you gets even smaller.

“Please,” you whisper, a quiet plea for him to close the gap and give in to all of the desire that was looming over you. And that was all he needed to hear before his soft lips encompassed yours.

The breath is stolen from your throat as Josh’s lips crash against yours, his hands wrapping around your waist as he pulls you closer. You almost have a double-take for a moment, wondering if this was really happening, before you’re snapped out of it by the feeling of Josh’s tongue gliding against your bottom lip. You give him access and his tongue slips past your lips and dances with your own, making you sigh quietly against his lips. 

The feeling of his hands on your body and his mouth finally on yours is almost too good to be true. Were you dreaming? Surely not. His touch brings you back to reality, his hand grazing your ass and grabbing it tightly. God, you missed this. You missed him. You cursed yourself for even having doubts, but you do. Before it goes any further, you pull away, wrapping your arms around his neck as you pause to think straight.

“Josh…” you whisper, resting your forehead against his softly. 

“Don’t think so much,” he says, brushing a piece of your hair behind your ear. “We can talk later. This feels too right to stop now.” After he speaks those words, it all feels reminiscent of a distant memory. Your first time, five years ago.

“Josh…” you start, rubbing your thumb along his cheek. 

“Shhh,” he whispers, bringing his finger to your lips. “We can discuss it later. Right now, I just need to feel you… gotta make sure that this isn’t some sort of dream.”

Some things never change… Without ‘thinking too much,’ you just simply nod and stand up from the swing, taking his hand in yours. 

“Come home with me?” you ask, lacing your fingers with his. A smile creeps across his face as he nods.

“I’m offended that you even felt like you had to ask,” he jokes, letting his arm be dragged by you as you exit the backyard and enter your own, entering the house through the backdoor. Your parents are in bed by now, so the two of you move swiftly up the steep steps into your attic bedroom. Once you enter your bedroom, you shut the door behind you and lock it. 

The room is lit only by the string of lights along the back window, giving you a limited view of the man in front of you. You approach him, placing your hands on the back of his neck as he wraps his arms around your waist softly. Up close, you can see the clear smile across his face. It brought you joy, to see him happy, and to know that you were the reason for it. 

Your lips finally find his again, backing him up quickly until the back of his legs hit the bed. He turns you around, laying your back against the bed as he hovers over you. His hands move to slide your flannel down your arms slowly, tossing it on the floor before leaning down to kiss hot, wet kisses across your jaw and down your neck. 

His hands find the bottom hem of your shirt, pulling up on it lightly as his lips pepper kisses down your neck. You nod feverishly and he leans back to pull your t-shirt up and over your head, leaving you in just your bra. Josh’s hand strokes your cheek softly and then travels down your neck to your chest, grasping your breast over your bra, making it spill out slightly. 

He pulls his own shirt off, throwing it on the floor behind him before leaning back down to kiss down your collarbone, stopping at your bra strap. His finger slips underneath the strap and pulls it up, snapping it against your skin. You let out a light moan at the sensation and you watch him laugh at you before lowering his face to yours. 

“God, you’re desperate for it, huh?” he asks, his nose brushing against yours as his eyes darken. “So needy.”

A quiet whimper leaves your throat involuntarily as one of his hands glides down your side to hold you still at your waist, while the other reaches behind your back and undoes the clasps of your bra in one swift movement. He pulls it off, tossing it to the side before lowering his mouth to your bare chest and taking one of your nipples into his mouth. 

You throw your head back as his tongue swirls around the sensitive bud relentlessly. It was almost like he was starving, unable to stop himself as he pleasured you. The thought itself turned you on even more, almost becoming too much to handle. 

One of his hands starts to work on the button of your jeans, undoing it before slowly sliding down the zipper. Without even bothering to pull the jeans down, his fingers slip underneath the waistband of your panties and immediately dip into your folds, eliciting a whine from you. A smirk grows across his lips as he dips his fingers through your folds a few more times, teasing your entrance before sliding his pointer finger inside of you with ease. His pace is relentless, curling his finger deep inside you before inserting a second finger, making your eyes roll into the back of your head. 

“Josh, I–” you start, struggling to get your words out. He flashes you a smile as he quickens his pace, bringing you closer to the edge. “Josh, enough. I want to feel you, please.” He smirks as you beg for him, his ego growing even bigger knowing the effect he had on you. He removes his fingers from you and then grips the hem of your jeans, yanking them down and pushing them to the floor. He stands up off the bed and unbuttons his own pants, dropping them to the floor along with his boxers. 

God, he was just as beautiful as you remembered. You’ve relived this moment dozens of times before, on nights when you were lonely and longing for him. It happened more than you’d like to admit. His chest was even more sculpted than the last time you’d seen him this way, bare in front of you. He had grown into this strong, sexy man that you almost didn’t recognize. But he was someone that you were desperate to have. 

“I’ve pictured this moment so many times, but it’s still even better than I ever could have imagined,” you whisper, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him on top of you. His lips attack your neck, sucking dark marks along it as you writhe underneath him. 

“You’ve pictured this, baby?” he asks, his eyes dark as his strong arms hold you still on the bed.

“Yes,” you nod, melting into his kiss as his lips press against yours. His hand aligns himself with you, rubbing your sensitive clit as he talks to you before slipping inside.

“Tell me what you thought about,” he says, his eyes burning through yours, dark with lust. Before you have time to answer, he pushes himself inside you to the hilt, making a stifled moan erupt from your throat. Your nails dig into his back as he pulls out almost entirely before slamming back into you harshly. “I said tell me,” he repeats, his voice low and hoarse. His hips start a brutal pace as you try to collect your thoughts, unable to think straight. 

“I– fuck,” you start, quickly interrupted by a harsh slam of his hips as the tip of his cock brushes against your cervix. “I thought about how badly I wanted to feel you inside me again. Just like this,” you finally answer, throwing your head back against your headboard. 

“Yeah? Did you touch yourself while thinking about feeling me deep inside you?” he says, his right hand resting on the back of your neck as his thumb strokes the front of your neck softly. You nod swiftly, your eyes squeezing shut at the sensation. 

“Yes, so many times,” you mutter, your eyes still shut tightly. 

“What else?” he asks as you whine underneath him, struggling to keep going. “Open your eyes, look at me,” he asserts sternly. Fuck, he was so hot when he was in charge, you never wanted it any other way.

“I thought about when you’d be rough with me… so fucking hot,” you spit out, your eyes half-lidded as they lock on his. He curses under his breath and slams his hips extra hard against yours. 

“Fuck,” he groans, pulling his hips back and pulling out of you before swiftly flipping you over onto your knees. Without warning, he pushes back into you and sets a steady pace, his hand gliding from your hip down your back to the back of your neck. He pushes you down by your back as he slams into you, his tip hitting that special spot inside you repeatedly. You whine underneath him as the pressure inside you starts to build. 

You wince as you feel Josh’s hand crack down on the swell of your ass, eliciting a high-pitched squeal from your mouth. As he fucks you deep into the mattress, his hand comes down on you a few more times, smoothing out the spot softly after each flow to your soft skin. You hear him panting behind you, muttering a slur of curses each time his hand cracks down on you, the sound of you whimpering underneath him almost enough to make him cum right there. 

Josh’s hand wraps around your throat, holding tightly as he pulls you up, his warm chest pressing against your back. The new angle is almost excruciating and your mind is numb, you’re unable to speak. He brushes your hair to the side, planting harsh kisses on your shoulder blade as his neck holds firmly on your neck, squeezing ever so slightly. 

The roughness was partially thanks to how much the tension built up, yearning to break free. But you knew that it was out of frustration too. Frustration over you not leaving with him all those years ago, and you deserved it. At this moment, if this was punishment for your decision, you wanted nothing else. 

“Is this rough enough for you, baby?” he mutters against your skin, his other hand moving from your waist to rub tight circles around your clit. You whine under your touch, knowing that your climax is near. “Is this just what you wanted?” 

“Yes, yes, feels so good,” you breathe, desperate for your release. 

“Perfect,” he whispers, moving his hand from your throat to grasp one of your breasts, his fingers pinching your nipple harshly. God, you were so close. “I’d do anything to make you feel good, Saph. Anything.”

Your orgasm crashes over you at that moment, the burning, white-hot sensation washing over you more intensely than you’ve experienced in God knows how long. Your mind goes foggy and you grow stiff against his touch as he kisses your cheek softly and helps you through it. 

“I’m not gonna last much longer, baby,” he whispers against your skin, kissing down your neck as his thrusts speed up. “Where should I…” You lean your head back against his shoulder as he gets even closer, overstimulation almost taking over you.

“Inside. Fuck, please,” you plead, and he moans in your ear as he slams his hips into you harshly, chasing his own high. 

“Shit, Saph, that’s so fucking hot,” he mutters from behind you, his arm holding your tightly against him as he grows closer. “Gonna fill you up, just like you want. Fuck, I love you so much.”

Your mind is so cloudy from the feeling of Josh inside of you and his lips on your neck that you almsot don’t register it at first. Before you have time to respond, he slams his hips into you one last time before you feel his release shoot deep inside of you. Your eyes roll back just from the feeling of it: warm, perfect. You knew in this moment that you were his. You always have been, and you always will be. It didn’t matter if you were together or apart, you were his. 

He thrusts a few more times, pushing his cum deep inside you before pulling out slowly, laying you down on the bed softly. He plants a soft kiss on your shoulder, stroking your bare back softly before getting up from the bed and walking to the bathroom behind you. Moments later, he returns with a towel, soaked in warm water to clean you off with. Once he’s convinced you’re clean, he wipes himself down quickly before tossing the towel back into the bathroom and then lying down next to you on the bed. 

As he lays down on his back next to you, you scooch over on the bed, placing your head next to his on the pillow and putting your hand on his warm, soft chest. He leans over, placing a kiss on your forehead with a quiet sigh. As his fingers start to ghost over your arm sweetly, you finally break the silence. 

“I love you, too,” you whisper, nuzzling into his neck as you shut your eyes, knowing that sleep will soon take over you. You don’t have to see him to know that he’s smiling.

“What does this mean for us?” he whispers, the cogs turning slowly. “I have to go back to Nashville on Sunday…” You think for a moment, not wanting to jump the gun or say the wrong thing. 

“I… I’ll talk to my dad in the morning, and I’ll tell him that I need to move to Nashville. With you. He’ll just have to find somebody else to take over.”

The silence is deafening. At first, you wonder if you’ve scared him away, but he speaks again.

“I thought that running the store was your dream, Saph,” he says apprehensively.

“It was. But everything is different now,” you answer, looking up at him with a soft smile. “You’re my dream, Josh Kiszka. Only you. Everything else can come after. I didn’t know it four years ago, but I know it now. It’s always been you.”

His lips crash into yours and you can feel him smiling against yours. Everything was falling into place.

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispers. 

“I love you, Josh.”

The End.

*:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:*༺˚ ⊹♫⊹ ˚༻*:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:**:·.·:*

Taglist:

@highladyofasgard @jordie-gvf @peaceloveunitygvf @sanguinebats @gvfstuddedmajesty @myleftsock @lilbitx

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

chapter 2.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

Repetitive.

It was all so fucking Repetitive.

So fucking repetitive. 5 hours of taking orders and making them. Tonight made me want to curl up in someone's arms and cry. But I didn't have anyone waiting for me at my tiny apartment. I had never even had a boyfriend before. My parents were so insistent that I find a beautiful, tall, blonde boy who plays football. I had never found that.

Repetitive. The ringing of the bell on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. i didn't bother brightening my expression, assuming it was just another drunk.

"What can I get for you?" I asked in a monotone voice, not looking up from the register.

"Y/n?" a familiar voice called. "You okay?" I looked up, my eyes meeting Johnnie's.

"Oh, hey. Sorry, it's been a long night. Seeing you is the first good thing that has happened to me tonight."

"Do you wanna sit down and talk about it?" He offered.

A small smile grew on my face. "why not? let me take your order first."

"Can I try a large vanilla coffee? Iced, please." His tone was calm and sweet, and he seemed less tired than he did last night.

He began to take out his wallet. "This one's on me." I commented. "Any updates about your ex?"

"I haven't heard much from her, and that makes me paranoid." he replied. "let me pay, Y/n. it's your paycheck."

I rolled my eyes. "You got me a donut last night, it's the least I can do." I smiled as he threw up his hands in defeat. "maybe she got bored."

"I hope so." he sighed, leaning over the counter has he did last night. "Do you have any crazy exes?"

My face flushed. "I've never dated anyone."

His eyes widened. "That's shocking, you're really pretty. Sorry if that offended you or something."

I shook my head, my face as red as a beet. He was very attractive himself, so the compliment caught me off guard. I had no idea what to say. "Thank you, uh, you're attractive yourself." i stuttered, muttering out the first thing that came to mind.

a small blush spread across his face as he smiled with his teeth. "what's stopped you from having a boyfriend?" he asked as I brought his coffee, as well as one I made for myself, to the nearest table. he sat across from me.

"My parents want me to have the perfect guy. Blonde, football, blue eyes, you know." i stopped and looked at him, seeing a dissapointed look on his face. "But that's not what I want. So I guess I've just been waiting for someone to come to me."

His facial muscles rested. "cool." he replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "this is really fucking good."

I laughed. "did it catch you off guard? I can't believe you, johnnie. I don't make shitty coffee." I teased.

he immediately shook his head. "no, I just usually don't like coffee."

I made an 'ah' sound and took a sip of my own.

"There's a new year's party this weekend, me and my best friend are going. You should go." he smiled. "Me and Jake can give you a ride and everything."

"hmm. I can try, but I don't see why I wouldn't be able to go. I've never been to a party."

"Oh Jesus. Have you ever drank?"

"Thats like asking if I breathe air." I rolled my eyes. "why 'oh jesus?'" I questioned in a mocking tone.

"New years parties are always fucking insane, in my opinion. I'm always reeking of some sort of alcohol even if I don't drink." he scrunched his nose slightly, as if he could smell it already.

"sounds like my type of event." I smirked, taking another drink.

He smiled with his teeth. "So you'll go?" he said excitedly.

"of course." I smiled. "it'd be nice to get out of the house."

"Tell me more about your family." He replied, intertwining his fingers.

"Well, my grandparents spent their whole lives saving up to buy this cafe." I began, mimicking my parents voices. "and, in their will, they passed it down to my mom and dad. I've been spending majority of my time in this building for as long as I can remember."

"are you a peoples person?" Johnnie asked me.

"like, am I good with people and like to be around them?" he nodded. "I guess so, but I like being alone, too. like, if I'm alone too long I get tired or if I'm with people for too long I get tired. I don't know, it's weird."

"understandable." Johnnie acknowledged.

"what about you?"

"I'm just like you. But I lean more towards being with, like, two people than being alone or in a big group." he explained, waving his hand around.

I nodded in agreement. Maybe it was a bad idea to go to this party, but I had little to lose.

"Can I get your number?" He asked me. I quickly wrote it down on a napkin.

my heart fluttered. I gave a guy my number. I wasn't expecting anything to come from me and johnnie, though.

[shamelessler]

Maturing Backwards

lee!light, ler!soichiro

This story was requested by @death-is-my-calling and I appreciate them for their incredible prompt of parental tickles.

Light Yagami was on a straight and narrow path. There were no twists or turns and he was given every possible chance to succeed, and he took every single one of them.

Every summer was spent going over material from the previous year, every night was cram school. There were no days off from being 'The Gifted Kid'.

The only two people in the Yagami household who stayed home and made time for enjoyment were Sachiko and Sayu. Soichiro was a police chief who almost always had long and hard days at work, and wasn't around the house very often.

Soichiro didn't regret becoming a police officer by any means. He felt it was his duty and his greatest passion to bring justice and enforce the law for the greater good, but he did sometimes wish that meant spending more time with his kids, Light in particular.

When Light was very little, Soichiro would take entire weekends off of work to play with his kids and spend time with his wife.

Light was his firstborn and Sayu wasn't around until much later, so the brunette boy got all of his parents attention at that time.

Soichiro wished it could have stayed that way. After Sayu was born, he had to work more often and stay later, which meant he wasn't around as much during the day.

Unfortunately, this was around the time that he started to lose his little boy. Soichiro was certainly the emotional type when it came to his family and teared up at the thought of Light growing up in the time he was off working.

It was the last day of Sophomore year for his son, and Soichiro couldn't bear to miss dinner that night with his family.

"So, Light, I hear you've gotten outstanding marks on all of your exams yet again!" Soichiro tried to strike up conversation with the tall skinny boy across from him.

Light was quiet as he pushed his food around on his plate. Sayu, ever the conversationalist, answered for him.

"Are you kidding? Of course he did, daddy! My big brother is a genius." She babbled. Light's sharp hazel eyes softened a little when his 5 year old sister spoke.

"I don't know about that..." He said modestly, but he secretly loved the praise and adoration he always received from Sayu. "I'm very proud of you, son. Staying modest even when you are so successful in school." Soichiro said with his gentle eyes.

"I agree," Sachiko hummed, "you've grown a lot, Light. As have you, Sayu."

She pinched the little girl's side and she giggled. "Mama no!" Sachiko and Soichiro chuckled softly at their daughter, finding her giggles very cute. Soichiro wished Light still wanted to play tickle games with him but he supposed that he'd outgrown it...that only made him feel much more guilty for missing out and an important part in Light's life.

After dinner, Light announced that he was going to his room to study, "Thank you for dinner, mom." He added, to which Sachiko smiled kindly and nodded to him before the boy ventured upstairs.

Soichiro watched his son walk upstairs from where he sat at the table, his head resting on his chin. "...you should go speak with him, dear." Sachiko urged gently. "He's been missing you."

That was the only encouragement that he needed. With a little grunt, he stood up from his chair.

"You're right, thank you." He said to his wife, patting her arm as he walked past her.

He paused in front of Light's door before knocking softly. "What is it, mom?" Light called. Soichiro grimaced when Light said that...he was so used to his mother coming and checking on him that he didn't even bother to ask who it was.

"It's...it's your father." Soichiro said. He still didn't open the door, deciding to wait to be called in.

To his surprise, Light came to the door on his own. "What do you need?" Soichiro awkwardly shrugged, feeling like a stranger to his own kid with the way Light was giving him the cold shoulder.

"I just thought that maybe we could hang out like we used to." Soichiro offered and he hoped to see excitement in Light's eyes, but the teenager instead just stared at him.

"I can't, I have to study." Light said immediately. Soichiro sighed, his own soft brown eyes meeting Light's sharp hazel ones. "Can I at least come in?" He asked hopefully.

Light stepped aside to silently let his father in, and closed the door behind them before returning to his desk. "You're working yourself to the bone," Soichiro said softly, "can't you take a break?"

His son shook his head, his nose still buried in his textbook. "I need to keep my marks high. You always told me to do the best I could, and so there's no room for play if it's not related to performing to my best."

If Soichiro wasn't so stoic he would've rolled his eyes at Light's words. "You know I didn't mean it like that. I want you to take a break, that's an order."

Light wasn't really the rebellious type but he still refused...which was ironic since the only time he was breaking his parents rules was to do his homework.

Soichiro sighed when Light didn't answer. "Alright, kid. You've gotten way too stern." He pulled Light's rolling chair back.

"It's not time to grow up just yet." Soichiro put the skinny boy in a body lock. "W-What? Dad!" Light yelped, very caught off guard by the sudden restraint.

"I'm not gonna let you get all old and boring at 14." Soichiro's big sturdy hands positioned themselves along Light's ribs and began to lightly flutter his fingers there. Soichiro smiled when he heard laughter from Light. It was nice to see that he was still ticklish. "Dad, quit it!" Light snickered as he kicked and squirmed in Soichiro's hold.

"Are you ready to hang out with your old man, no school involved?" Soichiro asked. Light pretended to think about it before blurting out, "N-No! I neheed to stuhudy...!" Soichiro knew his son was only putting up a front due to his body language, and that he actually enjoyed this time spent with him.

He chuckled softly and began to scribble his fingers over the tops of Light's knees. "Ready to play yet, old timer?" Soichiro teased his son for being mature. He knew Light was much too often called 'mature for his age' and he desperately needed someone to rough him up a little like you would a child.

To Light's embarrassment, his controlled laughter spiked into something more boisterous. "Aah, there's that laugh I was looking for." Soichiro said with a grin. Light hid his face in his dad's arm as he laughed so that his reddening cheeks weren't visible. Soichiro knew exactly what Light was doing and he snickered. "Oh, no you don't, little man." Soichiro teased before scratching lightly underneath Light's knee, his other hand squeezing the top. Light snorted and cackled, instantly withdrawing from his father's arm to push at Soichiro's hands. Soichiro took his chance to look at his son's flushed and mirthful face and his heart melted.

He hadn't seen Light look like that in who knows how long, and it was very comforting to know that endearing face was still there, no matter how long it'd been.

"Aww...look at you, just like when you were a kid." Soichiro laughed and ruffled Light's neat hair as he tickled his knee. Light was kicking and squealing on the floor, so much so that Sayu heard from her room.

She waddled out into Light's room, pushing the door open to stand in the doorway, holding her doll by its hair. When the boys saw her they both froze. Sayu giggled and ran in to join, "Me next!" She called, shrieking with laughter when Soichiro did as she said.

Light watched, a genuine warm smile stretching across his face as he tried to catch his breath. "Watch out, Sayu. I'm gonna get those armpits." Light pretended his finger was a little caterpillar searching for warmth under Sayu's arm, knowing it always made Sayu screech.

When he wiggled his finger in, Sayu screamed like a banshee and rolled around on the floor like Light had been doing a mere minute before. Light laughed along with her softly. He caught eye contact with his dad and smiled a little, a silent truce. Soichiro's heart swelled at the promise of a second chance. They continued tickling Sayu until she gave up and for a moment there it was like Soichiro hadn't missed anything with his kids. They all laughed together, Light's studying and Soichiro's work momentarily forgotten in the playful roughhousing.

[maluarty-blog]

New IF :D

History:

After years of working as a prostitute in one of the wealthiest areas of your city, you find a job as a caretaker of a duke who has been wounded by the war. Hired by his sister, you are invited to live in their mansion with your son. Life really does seem to be giving you quite an opportunity, doesn't it?

Romantic options:

(Liah Chancellor) THE BLACK WIDOW:  Female

She's the woman who hired you, Cesar's older sister.

She returned to the city after her husband passed away. Her personality is calm, carefully rehearsed, perfect, worthy of a duchess.

Appearance: The duchess has long curly hair tied up in a low bun and dark skin, her dark brown eyes do justice to her striking appearance. She is short and is always seen wearing black garments.

(César Chancellor)  THE LOST KIN:  Male

He was a war hero, but his glory days have left their mark.

You've been hired to look after him and his needs. He seems to judge everything you do, sharp dark blue eyes that seem to look for any mistake, or does he simply want to get to know you better? There's no way of knowing unless you break through his invisible barriers.

Appearance: His skin is dark brown, marked with old scars. His long, wavy hair reaches his back like the light waves of the sea. His stories were grand, but the man in the wheelchair seems nothing more than a vague ghost of what was left behind of his greatness.

(Tiana Reed)   THE EXILED CHILD: Trans-Female

Tiana currently lives with Liah and her brother. She left home after her gender transition, losing her job as a lawyer and consequently her circle of friends. Many say that in childhood her hand was given in marriage to Liah, but the engagement was cancelled for unjustified reasons. With a light-hearted personality, she always seems to have a smile on her face, even if it sometimes looks worn.

Appearance: Her skin is fair and her blonde hair is cut short, she is of medium height and has round blue eyes. She is quite fashion-conscious, enjoying dressing up in a variety of outfits.

(Bruno Vanverd)  THE KIND HEART: Male

Bruno is a childhood friend of Dimas, your older brother, and consequently yours. The son of one of the biggest merchant families in the region, Bruno has always liked to be with people and be close to them, even if it's against his family's wishes.

Appearance: He's tall, towering over almost everyone around him, his messy brown hair and fair skin are well known on the streets of your neighbourhood, as are his careful, attentive honey eyes.

(Jean ??)  THE REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE: F or M

Jean is what they call a real troublemaker and a challenge for their family. Not even their lessons have been able to fix the rebellious person who only thinks about enjoying life's pleasures, without bothering about their family's problems. 

Appearance: Red hair (short and wavy if male, or shoulder-length and wavy if female) and pale skin. They're tall and their eyes are a shade of brown.

I intend to post it this weekend, I'm finishing correcting it and I also plan to release the complete prologue of Behind your eyes this week too! (finally!! because it's been ready since December, but I haven't had much time to do anything about it these past months, I really like to go over and over things, because English is not my first language and I really worry about how I write, I make a lot of mistakes on the keyboard with double letters ksks, and even though I've been on holiday, I've had a lot of exams and other matters( and cof baldurs gate 3 cof cof)).

[cceanvvaves]

oops; c.ty

(moved to isanggayfrog) warnings: none

You hurried through the door and rushed upstairs, making sure that the thing wrapped in your jacket was okay. After a quick surveillance of the vicinity you concluded that your girlfriend wasn't home yet.

Okay, proceed with the plan.

A whine emerged from your bundle of clothes, making you smile. Locking the door, you stripped off your outer layer, revealing the puppy inside.

You headed to the bathroom with it, not bothering to change out of your dirty shirt since you were bound to get wet anyway. Eyebrows furrowed, you scanned the bathroom for Butter and Kaya's shampoo.

Speaking of, it was probably because of them Tzuyu's out. Better thank them with treats once they return.

Anyway, you lathered your new pet with pet shampoo, washing away the dirt and discovering that its fur was actually white and not brown. Once you finished, it shook itself dry, letting you wrap it in a blanket and dry it.

You checked the puppy, deciding that it was a male. He let out a bark and nuzzled your hand. "Hmm.." you thought aloud, looking around in your head for a name. "Should I name you.. Atlas?"

Atlas barked again, tongue out and tail wagging. You giggled and pet him. "Stay here, I'll get you some food."

You quickly undressed and put on a comfier t-shirt, one of Tzuyu's. Walking downstairs for the dog food, you heard the door creak open. "Baby? I'm home."

Butter and Kaya came rushing in, leashes falling out of Tzuyu's hand. They came at you with paws scrabbling at your pants and begging for a pet. You chuckled, kneeling down to give them a kiss and spoil them with compliments.

A loud bark from your room interrupted you.

Tzuyu looked curiously at her dogs, noting that they didn't make a sound and were innocently gazing at her. She moved toward the stairs, but was stopped by you.

"Haha, so.. How was your walk?" you started nervously, hoping she thought she was hearing things.

"Y/N..." she started, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at you.

"Yes?" you said enthusiastically, looking anywhere but her.

"What's up there?"

"Up where?"

Sighing, she tried to push you away, but you remained firm. "You're hiding something."

You shrugged nonchalantly before running up to hide Atlas before Tzuyu saw him. Sadly, she was tall and therefore had long legs, and she caught up with you pretty quickly. Just as you were convincing Atlas to hide in the closet, she burst through the door.

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed, eyes widening at the sight of the new dog. "Is that a dog?"

No, it's a giraffe.

"Umm.." Well, you couldn't lie now. "Yeah. I found him on my way home, and I think he was abandoned, so..."

"Baby, you don't adopt just out of pity. We've talked about this! It's not a good thing for both you and the dog, you'll be stressed trying to take care of it when you're not ready and he doesn't deserve it."

"But I am ready! In fact, I've talked about it with my mom, and she agreed. I was planning to visit the shelter this weekend and surprise you but.. there's just something about him that drew me in," you gazed at Atlas fondly. "So I guess the surprise is a little earlier than expected, huh?"

Tzuyu smiled. "Yeah, I guess. I'll take you to the vet tomorrow, since Butter and Kaya need a check-up anyway. We can get him set-up for shots if he needs it."

You blinked confusedly. "Huh?"

You girlfriend laughed. "You didn't really think I wasn't going to help, did you? He's our dog now, just like mine are yours."

Atlas tilted his head, blinking up at you with wide, innocent eyes. He hesitantly walked towards Tzuyu and gave her a small kiss on the hand. "Aww," you cooed. "Look, he likes you!"

"I like him too," she grinned.

[itsgxsly]

MICHAEL’S VICTORY

Summary: When Heidi's sister attends the Australian GP with her, the drivers get into a fight to see who gets the girl's attention. What no one knows is that her heart already belongs to a certain performance coach.

Pairing: michael italiano x reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1760

"are you excited?" your sister Heidi asked you.

“yes, I want to see the race. I haven't been close to the f1 environment for a long time. I miss it” you replied.

“You're going to love it, I promise. We will be comfortable in the Mclaren garage and you can see everything you want this weekend and catch up"

"Of course. I also want to see Daniel, I hope he does well on Sunday” you and the Australian had hit it off when your sister introduced you to him as her boyfriend, quickly becoming friends.

Everyone noticed the new face that was walking through the Paddock towards the Mclaren garage. And the new and beautiful girl who was next to Heidi also did not go unnoticed by the group of drivers who had stopped talking the moment they saw her walk laughing so happily next to her sister, ignoring the group of men who looked dumbfounded for her.

"Who is her?" Charles was curious about the girl.

"she's Heidi's sister, y/n, Daniel has invited them over for the weekend" Lando seemed the only one relaxed with the girl's presence. He had met her once when Daniel invited him to a dinner with friends at his house.

"I didn't know that Heidi had a sister," Carlos's Spanish voice sounded.

“Well, she's hot," Pierre said.

"Is she single?" This time it was George's voice that was heard.

“I guess so. I'm not so sure. Since I met her a year ago she has never given any indication of any relationship” Lando told them.

There were a few minutes of silence as the boys thought to themselves.

"I'm going to talk to her" Pierre was the first to take the initiative.

“No way. I saw her first,” George argued with him.

"You know that she is not the last piece of a pizza, right?" Lando defended the girl amused by the behavior of her friends.

After some discussion and some complaints from Pierre, they agreed that George and Pierre would talk to her and let her decide who she wanted to go out with. Carlos, Charles and Lando laughed at the stupidity of their two friends. If only they knew the surprise that awaited them.

You were on the outside of the Mclaren garage carefully observing everything that was happening with the cars and seeing many fans swarming through the stands. You had wanted to leave Daniel and Heidi alone, not wanting to be the third wheel. You had been looking for a certain performance coach, but Daniel told you that he would arrive around the time of the second practice, so you gave up. As you enjoyed your moment of solitude, your trance was broken by a throat clearing from your side. You turned to look, spotting a tall man wearing a Mercedes T-shirt.

“Hello” you greeted him first.

“Hi, sorry to bother you, I'm George. It's just that I've seen that you're alone and I didn't recognize your face. Have you ever been to a race?” you were surprise for the question.

"Don’t worry, you don't bother me. I've been to a few races but it was years ago. I'm y/n, by the way.” You politely held out your hand for him to shake.

"It's a pleasure" George saw Pierre in the distance motioning to his wrist, indicating that his conversation time was up "Again I'm sorry if I bothered you, now I'm going to have to leave, my team will need me soon. It has been a pleasure meeting you, y/n, I hope to see you again” he reluctantly said goodbye to you.

“It has also been a pleasure George. Don't worry, you haven't bothered me, thanks for the conversation.” With a nod, the Brit trotted off to where the rest were, giving Pierre a shove for hurrying him up.

Later that morning you were sitting on the terrace of Mclaren's hospitality having a drink while checking your social media. Suddenly, something covered the light sun that hit your face, making you look at that obstacle. You were met by the sight of a muscular man looking at you with bright blue eyes, a charming smile playing on his face when you looked at him.

“Sorry if I bother you, do you mind if I sit down?” He pointed to the chair across from you.

That confused you a bit, considering he didn't seem to have anything to do with Mclaren and there were more empty seats, but you didn't mean to be rude, so you nodded with a soft smile.

“I'm Pierre, I drive for Alpha Tauri” he introduced himself. Then you recognized the logo on his white polo shirt.

"I’m y/n" your answer seemed a little dry, but you were still confused and a little amused as to what he might want.

“It’s a pleasure y/n. What is a beautiful woman like you doing here alone?” You wanted to laugh at his horrible attempt at flirting, but you kept your composure a bit and just smirked a little.

“I have come with my sister, Daniel has invited us. I wanted to leave them alone for a while so I came here”

"I could keep you company while you wait for them if you want." The French accent echoed in hi voice as he spoke. Even though you had to admit he was handsome, you weren't looking for anything from anyone.

Before you could reply, a voice sounded from behind you.

“y/n” you recognized Daniel's voice. “I finally found you. The first practice will start soon, Heidi is looking for you to see it together” you looked at your watch to see that it was true that P1 would start soon.

You got up and gave Pierre a smile and a quick goodbye, and followed Daniel on his way to where you would see your sister. Pierre got up with a disgusted face going to where George, along with Lando, Carlos and Charles laughed at his failed attempt.

The first test was over a while ago, and you had enjoyed it like a little girl. Now you were getting impatient. You were expecting Michael to arrive before second practice as Daniel had told you, when the same two men who showed up this morning, George and Pierre, you remembered, approached you. You smiled politely, having already been warned by Lando of the two drivers' intention to ask you out. You had found their arrogance amusing to think that you would say yes to any of them. But you still didn't tell them anything.

"Hello again" you spoke when you were facing them.

"Hello, beautiful," George spoke before Pierre could. You wanted to laugh at both of them so much for their stupid fight.

"We have a proposition for you," George continued.

"Oh yeah?" You acted surprised.

"Yes. You are beautiful and we wanted to know if you would like to have a date with any of us, totally at your choice” a giggle escaped from your throat at the arrogance and confidence of the two, knowing that it would not last long.

“Look guys, I'm really honored, but-” You had to cut the sentence short when you noticed two strong arms and a warm body hugging you from behind. You recognized Michael's colony at the moment. You saw Pierre and George turn a little pale and watched how Lando and Daniel laughed quietly in a corner of the garage.

You dropped your weight a little on your boyfriend's body watching the conversation continue.

"Hi baby. I missed you.” You knew that Michael had ignored the two boys on purpose, his tone innocent but jealous of him telling him off. You turned your head to look at him and Michael took the opportunity to gently kiss your lips. All under the watchful eye of the two Alpha Tauri and Mercedes drivers, who had their jaws almost on the ground.

"Guys, I had not seen you there. You were already leaving, right? The second practice is about to start, you don't want to be late” his voice sounded rhetorical and a bit threatening although his face show a friendly smile.

Pierre and George only nodded before leaving the garage, in the background the laughter of Daniel and Lando with the fright of their friends.

"Hey baby" you turned completely to look at Michael's face, having to raise your head.

"Hello my love" his tone was much sweeter when he talked to you. You moved closer to kiss properly this time, Michael's hands squeezing your waist and yours caressing the back of his neck. When you parted ways, you couldn't help but comment.

"You were jealous" you were clear and concise.

"I wasn't," he refuted you.

“Yes you were. Recognize it”

“I wasn't jealous. I just don't like it when those two kids look at you like that."

“It's nonsense. You know I'm not interested in anyone but you” you calmed him down. You were both aware of what you meant to each other.

"I know, I know. I love you so much” you loved the sound of those words coming out of his mouth.

When you went to kiss him again, Daniel had to interrupt as usual.

"Lovebirds, I'm sorry to break your lovely moment, but practice is starting and I need my performance coach with me."

Michael sighed letting his head fall on your shoulder.

"I'm going to kill him" he said.

"Don’t do it. Remember that we met thanks to him”

“I hope that gives me the strength not to kill him if he interrupts us again”

You gave each other one last sweet peak before he ran off to where Daniel was, giving his friend a smack in the head. You shook your head smiling before going to look for your sister.

Meanwhile, George, Carlos, Pierre and Charles had seen the entire scene from afar.

"They make a cute couple," Charles commented.

"yes, I did not imagine Michael like this for a woman" Carlos agreed with his teammate.

"I'm going to kill Lando for not telling us before" Pierre was still a little pale.

"Look on the bright side, at least he hasn't beaten us up for hitting on his girlfriend." George wanted to be positive.

"I guess we can call that a small victory for us," Pierre agreed. "Although the real victory belongs to Michael with that woman by his side" everyone agreed with the Frenchman's words. They ended the conversation with that comment before everyone split up to get ready.

[a-iya]

Hiii ＼(ﾟ∀ﾟ)／

Sooo what do you think about the Haikyuu! Movie without knowing anime? 😀

(I'm sending this ask to discuss our impressions in the comments (and recommend this series a bit haha)

Have a nice day ♡

hiiii!! i didn't realize this was going to become a full-on essay so 💀 apologies in advance for the long-windedness. i don't blame you if you don't feel like reading all the way through lmao (there is a tl;dr at the end if that's the case)

my sister actually got into haikyuu after S1 (pretty much a decade ago at this point 😭) so i've at least known about it and understood the gist of it for a while now. i myself didn't get into anime until a few years ago though! so i've been slowly building up my watch catalog. normally i like funny animes so haikyuu definitely fits the criteria, but due to the fact that 1) it's a sports anime 2) i have very little interest in sports and 3) there would be a LOT of episodes to catch up on, it's just been sitting in my to-watch list for years lmaooo

as i started to follow more people on tumblr, i also started to see more haikyuu content, so i recognized some characters just by their appearance (hinata [obviously], but also kenma, kageyama, and atsumu miya [the guy with the undercut, who i don't remember seeing in the movie]). but anyway, my sister had been saying she wanted to watch the movie once it came out. and over the weekend, i happened to see a lot of people posting about going to watch the movie so i told her we should go! and so we did!

the movie was so hilarious and i thoroughly enjoyed watching!! the rivalry between the 2 teams was sooo funny. i knew i was going to like the movie, but it did end up being a little bit fast-paced for me cause i basically dived in with like. 0.4 background,,,, like ya girl was strUGgLinG trying to keep up. but that's no one's fault but my own 😔 i was kind of hoping it'd be like the demon slayer mugen train movie (which is actually what got me into anime! but that's besides the point). where the premise would be simple enough that you wouldn't need that much context before watching. i knew the movie would basically be just one really long volleyball game so i figured it would be fine... alas, i was wrong 😭 i don't know the rules of the game or any of the characters/their positions so it was all i could do to just watch and try to understand everything as it was happening ;-;

another thing i wanna mention is that now that i've long since graduated from my "beginner weeb" phase and become a full-on weeb, i'm familiar with a lot of voices and voice actors so it's difficult for me to see new characters and their voice actors (that i already know from somewhere else) as one entity 🤔 i'm not sure if that makes a lot of sense ><

for example: the whole time we were watching the movie, i felt like kenma sounded a lot like yuki kaji (who voices shoto [mha] and eren [aot])?? but also didn't at the same time. it was bothering me the whole 2 hours but i looked it up after it was over and i was right 😩

i also immediately recognized kuro as gojo [jjk]/hawks [mha]/greed [fma]; so kuro wasn't even kuro to me, he was just a volleyball au gojo with a completely different look 😭 i feel like that kind of gets in the way of my viewing experience personally, because i couldn't pause and think about where i know this voice from (like i usually do when i start a new anime). but it bOThERs mE because it's like on the tip of my tongue and my mind caNnOT rEST until i confirm my suspicions 😩

anyway, going in, the only people i knew about were like. hinata and kageyama... and it was surface-level knowledge at best. but i've seen kenma around enough where i recognized his character design so i thought i might like him. and he ended up being super cute!! i loved him, but i also really loved kuro (he is very handsome 🥰) and the tall glasses guy from karasuno. he was funny as fuck. but i'm definitely interested in watching the show to see what other lovable goofs the story has to offer. i'm always on the hunt for more blorbos

tl;dr basically i loved the movie, i thought it was really funny; now i have to actually watch the show so i can really enjoy the experience the movie had to offer. the production was honestly great. my sister wants me to get caught up so we can watch it again while it's still in theaters lmao. we'll have to see about that... the first 2 seasons are 25 eps each and then there are at least a few more seasons (even if they are less eps) after that 💀 when i got into mha last year, i was able to blast through 6 seasons within a week,,, but that costed me 3 full days worth of binge-watching and several work nights to catch up 😩 idk if i can do that again

thank you for the ask and interacting with me 🥺🫶 i know your day just started so i hope it goes well!! have a nice rest of the week also <3

[lcvemiyuki]

hello!!! could i be 🌟 anon? your blog is so aesthetic :3 love the theme!!! i would like to request a matchup please !

- INTP, taurus sun

- likes: cats, sweets, museums, the rain

- dislikes: bugs, hot weather, crowds

- personality: i've been described as bubbly and charming . . . i try to be helpful and open-minded, but i think i come off as awkward and possibly endearing in the process. i'm very cold when i'm angry, and i'm passionate and vocal about my beliefs!

- hobbies/interests: playing the piano and cello, stardew valley, tennis, sewing, and trying new restaurants

- love language: receiving includes acts of service and quality time. giving includes gifts and acts of service.

- ideal type is someone tall, attentive, and caring. loyal and smart. bonus if they have cute quirks!

- appearance is 165 cm, with long, dark hair in a hime cut. likes wearing baggy clothes, button-downs, and black jeans.

- other things include . . . kind of a neat freak? lots of random facts memorized . . . almost always listening to music

lastly, i'm not a writing blog, but i do know quite a lot about haikyuu!! characters (and other media) . . . if you'd like to do a matchup exchange, lmk!!! thank you, and have a nice day :>

a/n: hi 🌟 anon!! im so sorry this took so long...i hope you like it! also i would love to do an exchange, we can talk more about it in my msgs if you're okay with that :)

𓂃𓂃𓂃𓊝 ࿐𓂃𓂃𓂃

a message in a bottle washes ashore with your name written in bold...

𓇢𓆸 "🌟" anon your match is. . .

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

keiji akaashi!

𓇼 akaashi is a calm and attentive person with a touch of coolness. your charming personality would soon rub off on him!

𓇼 akaashi is such an intellectual; a meet up from a museum is bound to happen

𓇼 it’s like fate brings you guys together every time…whether it be music or literature, the universe has a funny way of bringing people together

𓇼 your awkward charm and efforts to be helpful and open-minded would catch his attention the most!

𓇼 akaashi is observant and reserved, he loves your style and the impression of it makes him all nervous. you look so cool

𓇼 i think it would be kind of awkward at first, it’s inevitable, but slowly moving in to topics about each others interests would create a comfortable space for the both of you

𓇼 he’d find you quite cute with random facts you can voice at any time and enjoys discussing with you all about them

𓇼 dates are all about seeking comfort and solace in each other! he loves to spend quiet afternoons with you

𓇼 rainy days in are especially a favorite for you two—cuddling on the couch as he reads a book with you. he has a whole recommendation list of books for you to read. this would be because he think you'll like them or it simply reminded him of you :)

𓇼he could go from sunrise to sunset talking to you if he could

𓇼 although he doesn't show it, there are signs he gets nervous around you.

𓇼 if you lay on his chest you could hear his heart racing. his fingers sometimes shake as he lifts it up to fix your hair. if you initiate physical touch he'd stiffen up just the slightest

𓇼 you playing music for him as he gently smiles at you is all the encouragement you could ask for. your passion for the arts has him in awe

𓇼 “let me turn the sheet music for you love”

𓇼 you got him on stardew valley and honestly he loves it. (all thanks to you)

𓇼 you can’t get him off the game for hours and he would start to ask you if you guys could play together haha

𓇼 weekend visits at the museums!! you both enjoy the calm and knowledgeable environment. he loves to hold your hand as you guys stroll past different exhibits

𓇼 a muse for his candid photos, he loves to take pictures of you

𓇼 akaashi is well aware of his surroundings, and definitely can read the room. he knows all your ticks and what bothers you

𓇼 he knows you want to do stuff for him as well and be helpful, but he always manages to beat you to it and take care of you first lol

𓇼 he makes sure you’re safe as his thumb gently caresses the back of your hand (he knows you hate crowded places)

𓇼 you don’t have to ask him, he knows.

𓇼 whenever you’re talking to him, he pays no attention to others. his focus is all on you

𓇼 eye contact is a big thing for him, he wants to make sure you know that he’s listening

𓇼 one thing he does randomly is fix your bangs or move them slightly with his fingers

𓇼 his meticulous organization and calm demeanor in high-pressure situations would appeal to you

𓇼 this would honestly be a good pairing with you always wanting things to be clean and organized

𓇼i think he’d notice it right away and adjust to make sure nothing is too messy (although i doubt he would let it get to that point anyway)

𓇼 cleaning days are on the weekends! he loves spending time with you any chance he gets and putting on music (your playlist of course)

𓇼 if conflicts do arise, akaashi’s calm and rational approach would help navigate through them

𓇼 “i’ll always be here for you baby, take your time”

𓇼 very patient with you

𓇼 whatever you need, he makes sure you get it

𓇼setting up surprises for you is his specialty

𓇼 who knows…you might arrive finding a cute kitten in his arms the next day loll

𓇼 god forbid there be bugs in the house, he’d squash them all with a calm face…yeah i don’t know how he does it either LMAO

𓇼 if you do make him something like a scarf, he’d wear it every single day. it’d be his new favorite item

𓇼 he isn’t the type to boast or anything but once his friends notice him wear it 24/7 he’d eventually show off…maybe just a little

𓇼 he just loves that you made it for him that’s all :)

𓇼 your intp personality aligns well with akaashi’s thoughtful and analytical nature—both of you enjoy intellectual stimulation and value deep conversations

𓇼 your passionate nature would bring excitement and energy in his life—he’ll bring you security with how loyal and caring he is

𓇼𓆉𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆉𓇼

[animusicnerd]

Hi! This is my first time requesting but I just want to say your writing is amazing! I just stumbled upon your blog and saw the little event you had going on and that you take fem!twst requests too 👀👀 so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing date prompt 4 with fem!malleus 👀 I'm down Astronomically for them so maybe like introducing them to some human halloween traditions back at home with corn mazes and hayrides or whatever. It's up to you tho, I can't wait to see what you come up with! Keep up the great work and don't forget to take breaks!! ♡

Sweater Weather Event

☾ Pairing: Fem! Malleus x Fem! Reader

☾ Date Prompt 4: Pumpkin Patch

☾ Notes: This request has too much power so I ended up doing headcanons because I got a lot of ideas. I'm so happy you requested fem!twst because no one else has, anon! It was a powerful one.

✦ Fem!Malleus goes along with your plan to go to a pumpkin patch. Briar Valley does have these but she’s never been to one herself. So, when you suggest this as your date for the weekend, she’s very excited to go.

✦ I imagine matching outfits with her because it would be cute and why not. I could see her wearing a long dress with puff sleeves and a straw hat and if you don’t wanna wear the same thing, at the very least the color scheme will match which will be up to you two.  

✦ Before getting there, she assumed that it would just be a bunch of humans looking through pumpkins and bringing some home. While she wasn’t entirely wrong, Malleus didn’t expect to see hay rides, some food stalls, and a corn maze to top it all off.

✦ Although her face is blank, her eyes are pretty much sparkling, especially at the pumpkin patch. She really wants to pick out a pumpkin with you but she also wants to check out everything else. Since she knows nothing about this, she lets you lead her around, making sure to keep you close by either holding your hand or keeping an arm around your shoulder because wow, there are a lot more people than she thought would be here. Plus, she doesn’t want you to get hurt by all the children running about.

✦ First stop was the corn maze and she got you through it pretty easily. How? I don’t know other than the fact that I’m sure she’s good at mazes. Who’s to say she didn’t explore abandoned mazes as well and just got good going through them? Not me, but I can make a headcanon out of it. But she did like how peaceful it was as the two of you walked through, and she may or may not have stolen a kiss or two whenever you were trying to determine which way to go.

✦ Food stalls were next and all she got was some apple juice the farm was selling since she wasn’t that hungry. She did end up getting some donuts to share with Lilia, Silver, and Sebek. She’s literally paying for anything you want because nothing is too expensive for you, eat to your heart’s content. Do you want to bring some home? Okay, she’ll pay for it as well. Don’t even bother trying to because she straight up just poofs the money into the vendor’s hand before you could even pull out your wallet.

✦ When the two of you finally head to the pumpkin patch to get your pumpkins, Malleus is inspecting nearly every single pumpkin wanting to know which one to bring home. She remembers you saying that you’re getting pumpkins to do some pumpkin carving, so she’s asking nearly everyone what makes a good pumpkin. Most end up being in awe or scared of her because tall, pretty woman asking questions. 

✦ She’s towering over almost everyone here which is pretty intimidating and not to mention, the fucking Princess of Briar Valley. She gets kind of pouty when no one really answers her questions until a nice elderly couple exploring approach her and help her pick out a pumpkin. Malleus is very happy when they do so and tells them she’s in their debt, which they laugh off because it’s literally just pumpkins but she would be so happy that someone approached her and helped. 

✦ She gets five pumpkins; one to carve with you, one for Lilia, one for Silver, one for Sebek, and one she can carve on her own. And no, she doesn’t carry all of these pumpkins including the food she got for them. She just teleports it to Diasomnia since she doesn’t want you to carry it on top of your own things but it’s in her room so the rest don’t find out. She wants to present it to her Diasomnia family when she gets back because Malleus also wants to tell them about her adventures with you at the pumpkin patch.

✦ Oh! And while you’re waiting in line to pay for your pumpkins, she’s eyeing some scarecrow plushies and notices you looking at them as well. She buys them. You guys have matching plushies to commemorate your date and the first time she went to a pumpkin patch now. Congratulations. I’m jealous. 

✦ Unfortunately, because of the long line, the farm is already closing for the day by the time you pay for your things. She’s a little sad but brightens up again when you tell her that you guys could come again the next weekend. 

✦ Malleus would, overall, have such a fun time looking at all the food and activities since she’s never been to one and she’s with you! When the two of you part ways and she’s back in Diasomnia, Lilia ends up texting you thank you for taking her young mistress out because now she’s raving about it, even if it doesn’t look like it. She really hopes that you guys go back and it becomes a yearly tradition because she had a lot of fun.

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Be Known in its Aching

Mayans MC Masterlist

Part three of A Gentle Kind of Love.

Contains: Fluff, mutual pining, angst (endless longing, discussion of sibling death, sadness and grief, combat and war and past near-death experience.) flashbacks in italics, slow burn.

5.5k words

Comment if you want to be tagged/removed or follow #a gentle kind of love.

Wasteland, baby, I'm in love, I'm in love with you.

"What are you fuckers gossiping about now?" Bishop wasn't happy, they had returned to Oakland from Santo Padre in the early morning after dropping you off. They were back home now, milling around the Clubhouse, acting like idiots.

"Manny and the good doctor Pres, something happened when we took her home."

Bishop sighed, resigning to the fact that this was happening, "you wanna tell me what?"

Angel smiled, "well, he walked her to her door and she kissed him."

Bishop's eyes went wide, "on the mouth?"

Coco shook his head, "on the cheek but it looked, umm, affectionate."

Bishop huffed, "this is what you're wasting your time about, a kiss on the cheek? Get back to work you shitheads."

You had been a worried mess since Manny dropped you home two days ago and your conversation with Coco the next day hasn't helped. 

You kept going back to your phone, considering calling Manny and explaining yourself when Coco called you. You picked up and didn't even give him a chance to speak, "oh my God, I made such a fool out of myself."

Coco chuckled, "nah, the dude hasn't stopped smiling, it's getting creepy." 

"What the fuck do you mean? Please just put me out of my misery."

He snorted, "no. I was calling to tell you your car's almost fixed, I'll drop it by your office before you head home tomorrow."

You rubbed your face, "thanks Coco. Has Angel been terrible?"

Coco chuckled, "yep, he's right you know."

You shook your head, "no he's not. We're just friends." 

"Sure y/n."

A knock on your office door had you shaking your head, "doing paperwork, can I help you?"

It was your security guy Barry, "ahh, Manny? Is here with your car."

You shot up and opened the door, "tall, neck tattoo?"

He nodded, "that's the fella."

You smiled, "thanks B, all go out there and deal with it."

Barry stopped you, his thick English accent making the whole situation feel even more ridiculous, "you and the lad, is something going on there?"

You sighed, "no, has a man named Angel turned up in your dreams to tell you differently?"

Barry shook his head, "nah, just something about the way he looked when I said I'd send you out."

You walked outside to be greeted by Manny leaning against your car holding your keys up, "your steed."

You smiled, "my steed? How fancy."

He smiled, "the last time we saw each other, you did look like a princess, so I figure it fits."

You shook your head, "thank you Manny. How was the rest of your weekend?"

He smiled, "good, it looks like we won't have to go to Charming."

You breathed a sigh of relief, "that's good, the Club has its own mess to clean up without having to deal with anyone else's."

Manny's shoulders dropped, "yeah I know. It's getting worse, Yuma not even bothering to call to help with the Sons, shit's brewing."

You blinked, "unless all the other charters get on board there's nothing you can do. I know SP and Yuma have been at each other's throats since Marcus chose you guys for the new pipeline but Canche still has the connections."

"It's not just that, what happened in the desert caused some kind of cosmic shift. Shit's gonna hit the fan if nothing is done about it."

You shrugged, "what can you do? It either gets worse and something terrible happens or Canche comes to his senses and begs for people to stop seeing him as an enabler for a monster."

Manny nodded, "yeah, you're right." He tapped the hood of the car, "I gotta head back to the metal yard, you call me if anything goes wrong?"

You nodded, "will do, thank you for dropping it off."

He smiled, "no worries, I can't wait for the cake."

You got around to the cake a few days later, you had wrapped it up nice and taken to the metal yard when you were currently slicing it for Coco and Angel. "This is so good, how do you do it?"

It was muffled, "Angel, don't talk with your mouth full, it's made with strawberries from my garden and local honey." You looked around, "where's Manny?"

Angel shrugged, "he's in the back. He's been a bit sad, maybe you can cheer him up?"

You nodded, "thank you, I'll take him a slice." You put one on a plate and headed to the back office, softly knocking on the door and waiting for Manny to answer. He offered you a soft smile when he opened the door, "I brought cake." You held it out and he took it from you, looking at it like it was some foreign substance,

"It will keep for like five days, you don't need to eat it now. You seem down, is there something you want to talk about?"

The silence was deafening, "nah, it's just been a long week but it's better now that you're here, do you have some time to eat this with me?"

You nodded, "of course, let me get my own slice and a fork, I'll be right back."

You returned as fast as you could, sitting down next to him on the couch, "how's work been?"

He shrugged, "hauling scrap metal isn't all that fun."

You nodded in agreement, "I imagine, shit pay, no appreciation, possible hazards. Is there anything I can help with? I've done a lot of odd jobs through the years."

He smiled, "nah, how's your day been?"

You thought for a moment, "good, one of my favourite patients had their last regular appointment today, they're at a place where they'll only need to stop in if things take a turn."

Manny's head tilted, "are you allowed to have favourite patients?"

You sighed, "in theory? No. In practice? Almost everyone does, I'm still human and in all honesty, the parents play a roll too."

He nodded, "I could not do your job, I'd start killing people."

You huffed, "you don't think I think about it, there are people I would happily shoot."

Manny's eyes went wide, "wow, I thought you were all about kindness and understanding."

You smiled, "most of the time I am but sometimes I just think about it, vivid homicidal fantasies keep me sane in court."

Manny seemed to agree, he also seemed a little brighter, "how's Mr Butterscotch?"

You smiled, "jonesing for a beard to lick, he looks behind me when I come home now."

Manny smiled, "that is so cute."

Something about him made you feel worried, "I mean, you can come over and provide yours, I think he'd be happy with that."

Manny averted his eyes, "I can't just drop by your place to hang out with your cats, I'd never leave."

You snorted, "please, come over and hangout with my cats, I only have so much lap to offer."

He laughed, "alright, how does tomorrow afternoon sound?"

You smiled, "that sounds great."

He was at your door right on four the next day, to your surprise, he opened his arms for a hug as you invited him in. You wrapped your arms around his body and squeezed and he almost collapsed into your embrace. A meow parted you and he bent down to pick up Mr Butts, the fluffy ginger cat going right to his beard.

"I miss the little guy."

You smiled, "judging by how his little paws are holding on to you, I think he feels the same way. You want something to eat? I'm making grilled cheese."

He shook his head, "nah, why are you always trying to feed me?"

You shrugged, "because you're my guest and I'm civilised, it's polite to offer you food."

"You punching Canche wasn't very civilised." There was humour in his voice.

"He was asking for it, maybe the kick to the testicles was uncivilised."

Manny chuckled and shook his head, "nah, that was awesome." He was still holding Mr Butts, burying his face in his fur.

He sniffed and a sadness came over the room, "you work with kids who have lost people, does it ever get easier?"

So that's why he was there, "it's like a open wound, it heals and scars over but it never goes away, you wanna tell me why that's on your mind?"

There was silence and then he spoke, "my little sister died when I was fifteen, her birthday is tomorrow."

You sat next to him and put your hand on his leg, his arms hugging the cat to his chest, "I'm so sorry for your pain, would you like to tell me what happened?"

He sniffed again and you could see his eyes getting red, "cancer, it was fucking horrible."

You nodded, "I can't imagine how terrible it must have been to watch her suffer that and I understand why you're so sad right now, it's clear to me how much she matters to you and you're not going to get to see her grow up. How old was she?"

"Seven, my parents tuned out at the end, I was the one there when it happened."

His voice was cracking now, "that's a lot of put on a young boy, you shouldn't have gone through that."

He nodded, "yeah, well it made me a man."

You nodded, "I can understand that, you had to do a lot of growing up in a very short amount of time."

Mr Butts settled on his lap as the other cats wandered in to see what was going on, Manny looked at Lady Midnight as she jumped on the couch and rubbed her head on his shoulder, "your cats are really sweet."

You nodded, "they know when people need a bit of love. Have you considered talking to someone about how you're feeling? "

He shook his head, "what's the point, it's not going to bring her back."

You nodded, "no, it won't but I never heard you say one thing about your parents and I'm getting the sense that you don't really like them that much."

He huffed, "I fucking hate them."

You could tell by his tone he wasn't lying, "I don't blame you, they left you to care for your dying sister all by yourself, I think would there was something up if you didn't have any ill will towards them."

"Really, I thought therapy was all about love and getting over shit."

You shook your head, "no, a lot of what I do is teaching people it's ok to hate people when they hurt you, it's ok never to want to talk to someone again. You just can't let it take over your life."

He smiled sadly, "I just miss her so much. She wanted to be a teacher, she'd spend all her time reading, when I couldn't find her I knew she be hiding under the stairs with her head in a book."

You smiled and reached up, wiping the tear from his cheek, "I have the whole night free, how about you tell me all about her."

Manny didn't know where to start, he was lost between being overwhelmed with her memory, the pain of losing her and not knowing where to start, "her name was Clara, she loved daisies and her favourite colour was yellow. She hated peas but loved fried rice so I used to pick out the peas for her so she didn't have to."

He was awash with visions, "I walked her to and from school every day and in the afternoon she tell me everything she learned, she was always so happy. When she got sick the worst part of it was that she was missing school so I would go to the library and print out worksheets and take them into the hospital."

He blinked away tears, and you placed your hand on his leg, "when she got really sick, she couldn't even hold up a pen so I would just read to her. She would fall asleep and I would stop then her eyes would..."

He could keep going, overwhelmed with pain and grief, he crumbled into your arms and started to sob, "I miss her so much."

You hugged him to you, trying to soothe the ache in his soul, "I am so sorry."

"You seemed better."

Manny nodded, "yeah."

His lack of elaboration had Coco curious, "you went and saw y/n."

It was a statement, not a question, "she's really great."

Coco smiled, "I know, you love her don't you?"

Manny sighed, "yeah, I do." It's not like everyone was in the dark, it was clear by the way he looked at you that he loved you, it was just that he hadn't said it out loud yet, "please don't tell Angel, he'll never let me forget it."

"Tell me what?"

They jumped, "where the fuck did you come from?"

Angel shrugged, "I was in the yard, what don't you want me to know about?"

Coco smiled, "Manny's in love with the good doctor."

Manny glared at Coco while Angel smiled, "tell me something I don't know, you gonna grow a set of balls and tell her?"

"Nah, I ain't going to ruin our friendship."

Angel huffed while Coco shook his head, "are you blind mano? She's into you."

Manny wasn't listening, "you're seeing shit that isn't there Angel, you need to let it go."

Angel sighed, "alright, but I'm gonna be telling you I told you so."

"GET BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY FUCKS."

Bishops booming voice filled the yard, "sorry Bish."

Coco slapped Manny's chest, "you heard him, we've got to get back to it."

It had been four days since Manny's visit and you were at the metal yard hanging out after a long day at work, "you guys seem busy?"

EZ nodded, "we got a contract from a used car guy, he sends us the ones that he can't sell."

You raised your eyebrows "good for you, I hope you don't find anything gross."

Coco cringed, "it was one time, how were we supposed to know people think you can dispose of bodies in a compactor."

"Have you ever seen a mob movie? It's like the most common way."

EZ shook his head, "I thought that was concrete shoes?"

You waved your arms around, "do you see any water around here?"

Manny came wandering in, a smile on his face, "are you still going on about that body? It was probably just some dealer disposing of his rival." 

There was a loud noise, not unusually for the work going on but the screams that followed had everyone running, you rounded the corner and found the source of the yelling. Riz had a piece of rebar embedded in his shoulder. 

Without thinking, you pulled off your top to wrap the wound, running over to him to hold the hunk of metal steady. "You need to call an ambulance, I don't think it hit anything but the longer it stays in the worse it's going to be."

Manny was standing in front of you, his eyes locked on your body, you could see the wheels in his brain turning as he took in the deep scar on your stomach. "I got shot, now stop fucking gawking and call for help." It didn't take long for the ambulance to arrive and Bishop directed you to the bathroom where you could clean up. 

Knock knock

"Yeah, come in." Manny opened the door his eyes stuck on the back wall as he handed you a spare work shirt, "thanks."

He nodded, seemingly wanting to say something, "ask, everyone does."

He blinked, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to stare."

You shook your head, "it's fine, I looked like I was gored by a bull."

He huffed, "it's honestly pretty badass. What happened, I mean, if you don't mind telling me?" 

"It happened in Afghanistan, I was working at a brick and mortar field hospital and had just finished a group therapy session for a bunch of kids when two Afghani cops went rogue and went looking for people to kill. Their first stop was my office. I was wearing a bulletproof vest but one of them had a sawed off shotgun. The gun I was given jammed and he got the best of me, most of the pellets went through the vest and into me." 

Many blinked, "what happened next?"

You sighed, "I raised my sidearm and fired, it hit the mark and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. I was mostly ok, but some of the pellets ended up in my right lung. After the guy died, I don't remember much, I could hear someone screaming for a medic turns out it was me. Then the next guy came in, I knew that was it because with all the blood I was losing, there was no way I could fire my gun again, then the guy's head exploded."

Manny was deep in thought, "Coco?"

You nodded, "Yep, the man saved my life. All I could think about when I was lying there bleeding out was that I had to get to the ER with a chance or they'd let me die. I spent like four days at death's door. All I have left is this nasty thing and the pellets in a glass case." 

Manny smiled, "that is so hardcore."

You chuckled, "yeah, it is. Not as hardcore as the time a patient's father stabbed me for getting his kid taken from him."

You pointed to the faint scar under your collarbone, "you're right, there's is a lot I don't know about you, I never would have guessed you were so metal." 

You lifted the shirt up, "I'm gonna put the shirt on now, I'm getting kinda cold."

Manny looked at his hands, "yeah, I'm gonna see Riz, wanna come?"

"Yes please, I'd like to see how he's doing."  

Riz was out two days later then it was time for another Friday party, this one was a big one since Marcus and Oakland were there. You were sitting by the fire with Manny and Creep, talking about Creep's strange fascination with mushrooms, "I was really disappointed when I had truffles."

He nodded, "yeah, they taste like dirt."

Manny huffed, "when did you two get so fancy?"

"It wasn't really my choice, I was on a date, he ordered for me."

Manny smiled, "I bet you hated that?"

You nodded, "he tried to order me wine after that, I got the hell out of there and took my dirt pasta with me."

Creep shook his head, "you took it with you?"

You nodded "out of spite, I gave it to Barry, he liked it."

"Wow, I learn more and more about you every day, what else have you done out of spite?"

There was something in Manny's tone that had you ready to laugh, "truth time?"

They both nodded, "I only come here to spite Raul."

Creep made a face, "what do you mean?"

You could tell he was bullshitting, "I know you all know what happened, there's no way something like that doesn't get out."

Manny smiled, "your conversation with Coco was on speaker, we all heard it."

You clapped, "I fucking knew it, you wanna fuck with him a bit more?"

Manny smiled, "fuck yeah."

You nodded, "call him over."

Creep shot up and looked around, landing eyes on the prospect, "HEY SHITHEAD, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE."

Raul came running, barely looking at you before standing at attention in front of Creep, "did you need something?"

Manny smiled, "yeah, tell us about your night together, what was it that you said about y/n?"

His mouth opened and closed like a fish, "umm, it's not important."

You smiled and tapped the seat next you, "oh come on, don't be like that, I'd love to hear your version of things."

Manny's expression was tinged with something, "what, you were fine talking about what happened when we were together, is there any reason you can't do it with her here?"

He swallowed, "look, I'm really sorry about what I said, I figure you've already been through all of them and I'd look bad if you……" You covered your face and Manny's hand collided with Raul's jaw.

You turned to Creep who was smirking, "should we, umm?"

He shook his head as Manny climbed on top of the man, "nah, the dude needs to learn if he wants to get his patch."

It didn't last long, Manny was stepping back and dragging Raul up by his kutte, "fuck off prospect and go and get me a fucking beer."

You smiled, "maybe don't ask him to get you anything, I don't think you want his spit in anything."

"Good idea y/n, you can go clean the shitter instead."

Raul hurried off and Manny sat down and rubbed his knuckles, "you want me to get you some ice?"

He shook his head, "I'm alright, that felt good though."

You sighed, "you didn't need to hit him you know?"

Manny huffed, "yeah, I did."

Creep chuckled, "you really have shit luck with men, don't you?"

You rolled your eyes, "I mean, I don't have the best track record but you know, I have this thing, it's called a vibrator, and it kinda makes men obsolete."

Creep cringed, "you're a little vulgar, you know that?"

You nodded, "I'm just being honest."

Manny shook his head, mischief on his face, "you talk like their competition and not friends, maybe you just haven't found the right guy yet."

You pressed your lips together to stop yourself from laughing, you face getting hot and the implication of his words settled over you, "what are you, God's gift to women. Does that cocky shit really work for you?"

Manny nodded, "hey, I'm just being honest."

You sighed, "well.. I don't have a response to that other than, good for you."

Marcus watched the fight with curious eyes, "what was that about Primo?"

Bishop sighed, "the prospect told everyone he and y/n went at it, in reality, she climbed out the window to avoid humiliating him."

Marcus chuckled, "and her and Manny?"

Bishop shrugged, "there's something going on there but they're both too blind to say anything. If Angel had any say they'd be married already."

Marcus nodded, "and your read on her?"

Bishop thought for a moment, "she's a good woman, very kind but you saw what happened with Canche, she's no shrinking violet. She's not a big fan of these parties but she comes because people like her company and she's always ready to help. She's been through something because she's got a healed gash the size of my fist on her stomach and she's observant like she's seen the business end of a gun one too many times."

"Does she know about the drugs?"

Bishop nodded, "I think she figured it out pretty quick."

Marcus huffed, "it sounds like she's a good fit. And it looks to me like those two are meant for each other."

Bishop rolled his eyes, "not you too."

Marcus chuckled, "don't worry about it Primo, these things work themselves out."

You sighed and stood up, you had been talking to a revolving door of people all night, "as much as I would love to continue this conversation, I need some air. I'm going for a walk, I'll be back in a bit."

Manny stood up, "let me go with you."

You waved your hand, "it's alright, I just need ten minutes."

He nodded, "alright, but come back in ten minutes or I'm sending a search party." 

You smiled, "ten minutes, I promise." You headed off and wandered up the streets, enjoying the clear night sky, they were mostly empty until you came to a long street a few blocks away from the Clubhouse. There was a black van on the road, and four men were milling around it. As you got closer, you could hear parts of their conversation and you started to worry. 

"We got to do it now," One of the men shook his head, "no, we wait until they're all drunk. Those fucking Mayans won't know what hit em." 

You swallowed, a plan forming in your brain. You took your phone out and looked around like you were lost then walked up the street looking for street signs. After a few moments you approached the men doing your best to look lost, "I'm sorry gentlemen, I'm looking for a fancy French place, La Creme or La Cream or something like that, I'm really lost and I'm late, can someone tell me where it is?" 

You didn't miss how one man was doing his best to hide the iron cross on his neck, "you're going to wrong way, it's back there miss."

You sighed, "you're not serious, I've been walking this was for twenty minutes." As you spoke, you made sure to memorise the men's faces and any tattoos they had, you could hear men in the van, but not their conversation. 

"You know where the biker clubhouse is?"

You shook your head, "I walked by a crazy party with some bikes out the front, is that the place?"

One of them nodded, "yep, it's about ten minute's walk from that, take the long road up, then take a left down the side street and you should get to Mainstreet it's easy to find from there." 

You looked at their faces, the older, harder, looking men wouldn't even acknowledge you were there and judging by the way everyone was acting, you could see that this was some kind of initiation, the ones that were talking to you were the ones looking to jump into the gang. You smiled, "thank you so much, I'd offer to buy you some beers but I'm so late." 

The man with the iron cross on his neck stiffened his posture, "then you better head off, you don't want to run into trouble all by yourself out here, bad things can happen to a nice lady like yourself." You got the message loud and clear and with one last thank you, you started to jog away, breaking out into a run the moment you were out of their sight. 

You bearly had any breath left when you got to the Clubhouse, Angel and Gilly were standing by the door and noticed something was wrong, matching your pace to meet you at the door, "what's wrong?"

You raked in a breath, "the Clubhouse is about to be hit, I heard and a group of men talking a few streets up. They said they were going to wait a little while but I don't know how long you have." 

Gilly had run off, coming back with Marcus and Bishop, "what's going on?"

You took a deep breath, "you need to get everyone inside, I guess you're about half an hour away from a massacre."

They looked at you and Marcus blinked in worry, "what do you mean." Bishop waved to someone and produced you a bottle of water. 

"I was walking around the block when I overheard a bunch of guys talking about hitting the place, no elaboration. I acted like I was lost so I could get a read on them. As far I could tell, it's some kind of jump in, only two guys had any gang markings. One had an iron cross on his neck, which he was doing his best to hide and the other had a strange tattoo on his wrist I had never seen before, the only reason I could tell it was white power was that there were the numbers fourteen and eighty eight." 

Angel's eyebrows wrinkled, "what does that mean?"

You inhaled again, trying to calm yourself, "H is the eighth letter in the alphabet, so eight eight is HH meaning heil Hitler and fourteen is fourteen words, it's a white power slogan." 

"We need to get everyone to safety." Bishop's tone was firm.

You rubbed your face, "permit me to share my idea?"

Marcus nodded, "you don't know who these guys are or what they want, wouldn't it be better to stage an ambush of your own? Have the music loud enough that they can't tell people aren't here, close the big doors and lead them in the small door then grab them and question them." 

Bishop smiled, "I don't see why that won't work, could you ID the tat if you saw it again?"

You nodded, "it's the only reason I spoke to them, I could tell you all about the guys I could see."

By now, most of the Mayans were standing around you. Hank was giving orders, and then he turned back to you, "how many guys?" 

"Four men on the street and I could hear three or four men in the black van, the license plate was 7FYNY89. One guy had San Quentin prison tats they were all under fifty and all white and before you tell me to go home, I'm the only one who saw their faces, you need me here." 

Hank huffed, "we are not putting you in harm's way."

You glared at him, "I knew the risk I was taking when I went up to them, you need me here. Now you all need to get your shit in order before they show up." 

Coco put his hand on your shoulder, "I'll take her to the back and see if I can find that tattoo she was talking about, we should have enough time?"

You nodded, "the guy in charge wanted to catch everyone off guard, you've got a little bit of time left"

The air changed and everyone jumped into action, Bishop stopping you just as you turned to go, "we're going to talk about this young lady." 

You threw your hands up in the air, "I can't fucking wait, last I checked you're not my fucking daddy, you can't tell me what to do and you're not responsible for me." You could tell by the way everyone was acting that there was a lecture on the way but they had more pressing matters right now. 

It only took ten minutes for them to clear the compound, and all the Mayans were preparing themselves to face the threat. It didn't take long for them to arrive, you could see the large metal doors shake and then they tried the small door, falling right into the trap.

It was over quickly, they came in and looked around but they realised too late that it was a trap. Two of them were stupid enough to try and fight and they died where they stood, dropping like stones as the bullets entered their heads. The others fell to their knees the second the command was given and then they were being pulled away.

It was the sound of the van screeching off that had them running but by the time they got to the front, it was too late and at least one of them had gotten away. You were still in the back when Manny came in and he looked worried, "what's going on? I heard shots."

He sighed, "we need to out here, did you manage to ID the tat?" You nodded, "yeah, some group called the hidden order, their whole thing is blending in. Manny, what's going on?"

"One guy got away, we don't know if he knows your face." When you walked out into the compound the only evidence that someone was there was some blood and bullet casings, Bishop and Hank stomped up to you looking unimpressed.

"Someone needs to stay with you until this is done." Hank left no room for you to argue.

"Fuck that, I have a state of the art alarm system and I sleep with an M16 under my bed. I can look after myself."

Bishop shook his head, "no, we're not leaving you alone, Coco can stay with you until we deal with this."

You huffed, "no, Coco needs to stay with Lettie and Hope."

"Manny can stay with her."

You wanted to punch Angel, but Marcus was smiling, "great idea Angel."

You sighed, "fine but that's as far as it goes, you're not parking yourself outside my work."

They weren't listening, "someone will be watching the street."

You looked at them, eyes wide, "this is insane, you don't even know if they're going to come after me."

"It's not up for debate y/n, Manny is going to stay with you until we know you're safe and people will be watching your office. They'll stay in a car, no one will know they're there."

You shook your head, "I thought you'd be the logical one Marcus, I'll be fine."

"Come on Tesoro, we have fun."

You sighed, "fine, I give up."

Hank smiled, "thank you y/n, you saved a lot of lives today."

You huffed, "and you're thanking me by landing me with a babysitter?"

Hank's face was impassive, "I'm thanking you by keeping you safe."

Bishop and Marcus turned to the group, "Temple now."

Part 4

Song inspo for this chapter is Hozier - Wasteland, Baby!

Chapter releases are up to you.

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[zedif-y]

Have you ever written anything with both Skizz and Gem in it? (For the ask game, a friendship ship ask?)

I have! However, it's for a multichap i'm sadly not picking back up again :[ if anyone's interested in it, i may post more, but know that the chances of it being revived are slim to none . i wrote this with @casuallywritingandhyperfixating with the help of @wisepuma23 :]

so yeah! if enough people ask for it then i think i can post the chapters we've written (5... or 4 and a half) so it doesn't go to waste, just not on ao3. anyway, gem and skizz scene under the cut!

---

Once Skizz gets properly dressed and ready to socialize, he heads out and makes his way to Gem’s place. It’s a cute cottage, luckily not too far from them, with a small stable next to it. Tall, light-speckled trees hang over it, creeping vines going up the side of the house. Overgrown berry bushes frame the outside, just the right amount of wild— but Skizz is pretty sure all the greenery is a style choice. 

The berry bushes are smart, though, good at keeping mobs away. Brains and brawn, indeed.

Skizz steps up to the door, anxiety swirling in his stomach. Gem was going to indirectly make this decision for him, and he didn’t know if he hoped for a no or a yes. 

He knocks. Barking comes from inside in response, then footsteps. 

The door opens, and Skizz waves, “Hey, Gem!” Her eyes go wide, a giggle on her lips as he opens his arms for a hug, “How are ya?”

She accepts it easily, giving him a squeeze. “Hey, Skizz!” She chirps, “I’ve been doing good, how–” More barking cuts her off, and she looks over her shoulder into the house, “Hush, Winnie, it’s just Skizz!” 

The dog barks a couple more times, then stops. Gem turns back to Skizz, grinning sheepishly, “Sorry about that.” 

Skizz shakes his head, “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sorry to bother you on the weekend.” 

Gem steps back, waving a hand as she replies, “It’s alright! How can I help you?” She holds the door open, “Come in! We can talk inside.” 

Skizz follows her in, taking a seat on one of her couches. The living room is a cozy, warm space, beautifully decorated… Though maybe he could make do without some of the animal heads.

(Gem’s awesome, really. Gem is great. Just uh… What’s her deal with beheading things?)

Skizz tears his eyes away. Above the fireplace sits a large, heavy-looking iron sword. He doesn’t need magic to tell it’s enchanted– it shimmers as he looks at it, thrumming with power.

She sits on the other, looking at him expectantly. Ah, right.

Here goes nothing.

“I received a letter,” Skizz says cautiously, “And I might need to go somewhere. I haven’t decided yet, though. It’s a week or two just to get there, and I don’t know how long I’ll stay.” He pauses, gauging her reaction. “And if I do go, I need someone to take care of the village.” 

“And I’m the candidate to fill that role?” Gem guesses. 

Skizz nods. “You’re… the only other skilled healer, even if it’s only been a few months. I was wondering if you’d be willing to take my place for a bit, dude.” 

A few moments pass, each second making his anxiety ratchet up like crazy–

“Okay,” Gem says, making him blink. “Yeah, yeah, I think I could do that,” She adds. “I mean, I know how to do all the day-to-day stuff, and you’ve taught me well.” 

“Are you sure?” Skizz asks, honestly a little baffled. He’d thought it’d take a bit more than that— “It’ll be a lot more work, and if anyone calls on you for an emergency, you have to be prepared.” 

Gem is nodding before he finishes. “I know, Skizz,” She replies, smiling. Gods bless her, “I got this! I’ve… kinda been wanting a chance to really test myself, you know? Not that I want anything to happen, just… I’m here if you need me to step up.” 

Skizz chuckles. “Alright! Well, this is that chance, for sure. If you do come across anything you don’t understand, especially magic-wise, feel free to drop by and borrow some of my books. Joker will still be home, he can point you to the ones you need. You can use my office too!” He pauses, then, “Uh… don’t worry about the paperwork. I’ll get to that someday. Oh, and—” 

“Skizz!” Gem laughs, putting a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I can do this.” 

Skizz relaxes, laughing with her. “Thanks, Gem. This helps a lot.” 

“Of course! I’ll make sure everyone here is nice and healthy, don’t worry,” Gem assures him. 

Skizz smiles. She’ll make a perfect cleric. 

“Okay! Yeah, I think I’m good!” Gem tells him, “I’ll go over the supplies this afternoon, so you don’t need to worry about that, either.” Skizz nods and stands, stepping towards the door.

Gem follows, waving him goodbye as she says, “Be safe out there, Skizz. And enjoy your trip!” 

“Seriously dude, thanks,” Skizz says, giving her a smile as she closes the door. His heart clenches as he walks away. 

Enjoy your trip. 

He’d try, there was bound to be a lot of new scenery, with that long of a travel. But… Something tells him it’s not gonna be all butterflies and roses. 

Something twists and writhes in his chest, anxiety bubbling in his veins. Skizz steels himself, letting out a breath.

“Of course it’s not gonna be easy,” Skizz mutters to himself, rolling his shoulders, shaking his head. “But you know what? You know what?”

He furrows his brow, “I can take it. Whatever happens, I can take it.”

I mean, come on, Skizz thinks, eyes trained forward. It’s not like I’ve lived this long and learned nothin’!

And then, quieter, it would’ve haunted me anyway, if I didn’t go. The last thing I need is another regret.

The anxiety doesn’t fade, not by a long shot. But as Skizz trudges back home, he finds it isn’t enough to stop him, worries and what-ifs be damned. A small smile tugs at his lips.

He’s always been pretty stubborn, huh?

[cryptidsurveys]

Thursday, September 12th, 2024.

Are you “with” the very last person you kissed? I'm not in a relationship with anyone.

Ever dated/kissed a someone with the name Casey, Tyler, Ryan, Jordan, Colton, Rebecca, Samantha, Lauren, Taylor, or Ashley? No.

Was your last kiss, standing up, sitting down, or lying down? I actually don't remember my very last kiss.

Are you happy with the choices you’ve made? I'm not thrilled with many of the choices I've made in life, but I'm a lot happier with the choices I've been making over the last year or so. They haven't been perfect, but things seem to be moving in the right direction.

Are you excited for anything? The 21st (y'all probably know why by now, so no explanation is necessary). The Chili Festival. Autumnal foods. Upcoming trips to the Mountain Park, especially now that the leaves are starting to change. Cooler weather. Halloween/Thanksgiving vibes. Meeting up with my mom for lunch this afternoon.

Do you hate the last person you kissed? No.

You’re stuck in an elevator with one of your worst enemies, what do you do? I don't really have any enemies, but as for the person I dislike most…I'd be extremely annoyed, but I don't think I would say or do anything that wasn't related to getting out of the elevator.

Will this weekend be a good one? Saturday is iffy. It should be "okay" as long as I stay focused on the positives. Sunday should be alright. I'll be working with River and Kristen, so no issues there at least.

Are you mad at someone right now? It's like a mixture of anger and anxiety.

Do you like to listen to the radio in the car? Yeah. I pretty much always listen to classical music when I'm in the car.

Do you sleep with a fan on? Sometimes we'll leave the swamp cooler on through a portion of the night, but I don't use any fans.

How is your hair right now? Buzzed and short and currently covered by a beanie.

Have you ever broken up with someone for someone else? Yeah. One instance was silly and impulsive, and I ended up getting back together with the first person. Another instance involved breaking things off with someone new because I still wasn't over my ex and was probably hung up on the slim-to-nonexistent chance that things would work out.

How many windows are open on your computer? One window, five tabs (two for Tumblr, two for YouTube, and an online Notepad where I take these surveys).

How tall are you? About 5'3".

Is something bothering you? Yeah, but hopefully it will pass. I just have to get through the next week-ish.

Have you ever taken a shower with anyone before? I have.

Have you ever laughed at something that wasn’t meant to be funny? Plenty of times. I have a rather morbid, irreverent sense of humor.

Have you ever told someone of the opposite sex “Fuck you”? Yeah.

Do you like to cuddle? Very much.

Have you done anything sneaky lately? Yeah.

Is your hair clean? I took a shower yesterday morning, so it's not filthy.

Last night, did you go to sleep smiling? No, but I did drift off while enjoying Essential Salt's latest podcast.

Were you happy when you woke up today? I was anxious, but also looking forward to grocery shopping. I bought some fall goodies to try.

What are you drinking right now? Coffee.

Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? Yeah.

Does someone have feelings for you? No.

Have you ever been cheated on? Yeah.

Are you hard to please? Naw. I think I'm pretty easy to please. I'm relatively low-maintenance and small things can make me very happy.

What are you craving right now? Relief from overthinking. I'll be pleasantly distracted for a moment, but then the worries will creep back in, along with a racing heartbeat and a knot in my stomach.

How are you feeling right now? A whole mess of emotions I don't feel like untangling.

What are you sick of? Alex. One would think her fast-approaching exit date would make it easier on me and that I'd be on cloud nine with anticipation, but if anything it's made me less tolerant.

Are you missing anyone/something? Cats who have passed away, backpacking memories with my dad, the way I used to feel about volunteering (I still love it as a whole and have no plans to quit, but these past few weeks have been overshadowed by anxiety, anger, and dread).

Relationship to the last person you called? The last person I called was my mom.

Could you date someone shorter than you? Yeah.

Is there anybody you just wish would fall of the planet? Or simply leave my sphere of influence.

Do you wear glasses? Pretty much only when I'm driving or when I need to see a menu up on a board.

Where did you sleep last night? In my own bed.

Do you straighten your hair? No. My hair is naturally straight.

What color shirt are you wearing? I'm wearing a black t-shirt, a slate gray/blue long-sleeved shirt, and a pine green sweater.

Do you have a best friend? Ollie.

Do you wish you had the chance to go back in time and change something now? Yes and no. Yes because I wish I had handled things differently, but no because staying silent wasn't the answer either. I'm just going to have to let the chips fall where they may and come up with a better approach in the future.

Who is the last person you got a text from? My mom.

Are you excited for winter? Yesss, but I want to focus on enjoying autumn first.

When are you at your happiest? When I'm around the people I love and when I'm doing something I love.

Is there anything you wish you did today? Why haven’t you done it? Today has barely started, but some things on my to-do list include making art, washing some bed stuff, and vacuuming my room.

Do you prefer to spend your time indoors or outdoors? Indoors for the most part, but I like getting outside as well.

What were you doing before you started this survey? I put away the groceries and made breakfast.

Can you honestly say that you love yourself? Not fully, but a lot more than I used to. Recognizing even a portion of my worth has led to some interesting developments…

Do you think you spend too much time feeling upset? Lately, yes. I'm just like DUDE you really need to let this go before it consumes you and makes you do something stupid and regrettable. It feels like all of my old behavior patterns are bubbling right below the surface, but I'm trying my damnedest to choose a different path.

Is there anyone you would seriously punch right now if you had the chance? No.

Do you own a pair of uggs? I don't.

What are your plans for tomorrow? I'll be at the animal shelter for a full day.