#Installation Of Bus Stops

[runawaymun]

My body fails me in many ways but at least I can Slav squat

[wasteland-lover]

pics from like two days ago

[mey-rin-is-fabulous]

Also train stations. Benches should be mandatory in any public space.

It should be illegal to have a bus stop without a bench I am 1000% serious rn

[wilwheaton]

Musk hasn’t been confirmed by Congress. His “department” was never authorized by Congress. No one other than Trump has given Musk any authority. No one knows exactly who Musk’s goons are; they have not been vetted yet are handling some of the most sensitive personal information in the government. Not even Trump has the authority to stop your Social Security payments, let alone your Medicare or Medicaid or unemployment insurance or your food stamp benefits. Yet Musk and his goon squad assert they’re able to do so if they believe those payments are illegal. Musk boasted on his social media site X that he was “rapidly shutting down . . . illegal payments.” But who is Musk to decide that a payment is illegal?

Why the world's richest man is messing with your religion, your Social Security and everything else

I realize Democrats are out of power and can’t do much with legislation to stop this. 

I also realize this all happened in 3 days and appears to have caught them flatfooted (though I struggle to accept that nobody knew this was going to happen -- DC leaks like wet cheesecloth).

Okay. So what can they do?

Off the top of my head:

1. Members of Congress get the the bus and go to one of these agencies where Musk and his unvetted goons are installing rootkits, stealing our private information, and breaking the law. Tell the press they’re going to be there, and make a whole lot of noise. Force media to pay attention to this.

2. Stop everything in Congress. No unanimous consent, no approval of nominees, absolutely no help. Republicans uniformly opposed President Obama’s popular agenda, it shouldn’t be this difficult for Democrats to uniformly oppose Trump’s unpopular agenda.

3. File lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit. Force them into court to defend and justify their plainly illegal actions. Force them to defy judges. Force them to take this all the way to the corrupt SCOTUS.

4. Trump and Musk are weak little boys with fragile egos and this unholy alliance will eventually fracture. Speed that up by talking a whole lot about President Musk.

5. Tell Chuck Schumer to shut the fuck up forever for a minute because his communications team is maybe the worst I have ever seen in my adult life.

I don‘t know that any of these things will actually stop this attack on America from these fascist scumbags, but I am pretty confident it will force the national conversation to be about the coup that was accelerated this weekend, instead of the fucking Grammys.

[yousaytomato]

Proposal: bus service that has 3 or 4 places it calls into, however it changes route based on the quickest possible time between those two places.

There's no set schedule - it leaves as soon as everyone waiting in that place gets on/off.

You can't board anywhere except the predetermined stops, so it's basically luck whether or not you manage to catch it.

There are atleast 10 buses running this route at any one time, 24 hours a day. And it's free.

[wileys-russo]

filling the void (11) || a.putellas

latest installment in fresa's filling the void universe ft some sol @girlgenius1111 filling the void (11) || a.putellas

“mija! ¿necesitas algo?” you sighed as suddenly the paragraph you’d been furiously scribbling down disappeared from memory at the interruption. “to be left alone.” you mumbled under your breath with a roll of your eyes.

“no mami, gracias!” you called back within earshot now for the tenth time in an hour, finally allowed to study in your room, however the door had to be open and you may as well have been anywhere else with how often you were interrupted and the lack of any privacy.

you knew your mami meant well but every time she yelled for you your concentration was broken, and you’d barely made a dent into this report which was supposed to be submitted in a few days and counted quite significantly toward your overall grade for the semester. 

you knew if you asked for an extension you’d be granted one, but with nothing else to do (not allowed to do anything else with your ankle really) you were determined to get it done by the deadline. especially with the champions league final this coming weekend you wanted to have it submitted and out of mind before you all packed up and headed to bilbao.

frankly you were shocked you were even being permitted to go with your boot and crutches. you could get around just fine having somewhat gotten the hang of it, even with the purple bruises beneath your arms which were starting to be spottled with green and yellow. 

you knew alexia had her opinions on the matter given it was all the pair of you had gone back and forth about at dinner last night, until eli stepped in and firmly put a cork in the matter, banning the topic all together. 

that hadn’t stopped you however from threatening to stab your eldest sister in the hand yet again, and alba very subtly moving your cutlery out of reach now that dinner was done. but come this morning it seemed there was some finality, your ticket on the bus secured and the itinerary your uncle made for everyone for the weekend sat in your email inbox.

spying your airpods case sat on your bed you used your good foot to push away from the desk, the roller chair you were sat on gliding across your carpet with ease causing you to grin, having found a few new ways to get around without assistance the last couple of days.

your attention was diverted by the repeated pinging of your phone, airpods in hand and once again using your good foot to push off your bed and go spinning back toward your desk, you pulled yourself back into position in front of your open laptop. 

your eyebrows furrowed seeing a flurry of texts from the last person you’d guess to be responsible for them, the grumpy norwegian who despite your firm protests almost carried you back up to the front door after dropping you home post study session earlier this week.

‘hey peg leg’ your eyes rolled reading the first one, knowing she would have found the nickname hilarious despite how lame and unfunny you found it. ‘how is the boot?’was she asking how you were? ‘heavy. itchy. ugly. aren’t you in class?’

you realised the time and frowned a little, realising it wasn’t quite midday on a week day and solstrale should have been in school.

‘i skipped’‘

“to study. before you get on my ass about it.’

of course she skipped, your eyes almost rolled out of your head but before you could respond your phone pinged again with another two messages.

‘this book is missing the last two pages’ *picture attached*

a tiny smile graced your features looking at the all too familiar faded yellow cover, and maybe a little at the fact that for all her protests solstrale was actually reading the childrens books you’d instructed her to, but only a tiny bit.

‘so does the puppy make it home?’ the frown returned at that, eyebrows furrowed curiously as a few little dots appeared and you waited for another message, only as you started to type your reply, they disappeared.

‘puppy? did you even read it engen.’ you replied, leaning back in the roller chair and tucking your good leg up to your chest, wincing a little as you tried to roll your other foot that was cramping, encased in the stuffy itchy horrible awful boot with no sense of relief. 

‘yes? its about a dog that runs away. i’m not stupid dr putellas’ the smallest puff of air left your nose at that, potentially mistaken for a snicker at the other much more familiar nickname.

‘...are you sure? did you mix the books up? are you colour blind?’ you fired off the questions in a few short texts, smiling at yourself as the three little dots appeared again and you could almost see the look of annoyance etched into the norwegians features on the other end of the line.

‘no. this is red, right?’ *picture attached*

a involuntary bark of laughter left your lips at the picture of the very green book, a smile playing at the corners of your mouth at the joke. exiting out of the text thread your smile grew, eventually sending back an image of your own.

*picture attached*

you smirked as the dots popped up and went away again, having sent her a messily photoshopped screenshot of a booked in fake eye test, fingers drumming your desk as you awaited her reply. 

slightly offended she hadn’t found your joke as funny as you did, with a soured mood you put your phone down and exhaled, focus locking back into the half completed report, your curser blinking at you obnoxiously.

you fingered through the stack of papers to your right, trying to find a particular case study you remember seeing when you’d organised these last night. though that hadn’t lasted long and they were entirely out of order again.

your eyes darted back to your phone as it pinged, tapping the screen and leaning across to unlock it with your face, the text thread open again now with a new addition.

‘ha ha. i’ll leave that to you, four eyes.’

then it dawned on you just who you were actually texting and you mumbled something less than complimentary under your breath, huffing and picking your phone up again, paper once more abandoned in front of you.

‘you know the book is about a rabbit. not a dog, idiota.’

‘coneja = rabbit’

the reply came right away and your eyes almost rolled back into your head once they read it.

‘i thought the dogs name was coneja. its about a rabbit? why would a rabbit run away from home? thats dumb.’

“she’s dumb.” you mumbled to yourself, the norwegian seemingly able to get on your nerves from all the way across town.

‘its for ages 3-5, clearly too advanced for you.’

your attention was redirected by your stomach grumbling loudly. deciding you’d pick this back up after some brain food you reached over to close your laptop, placing your phone back down on the stack of papers you made a mental note to reorganise later.

with a grunt you stretched to grab your crutches, twisting around in the roller chair and pushing off, using the crutches like makeshift oars to propel the chair forward, out of your room and making your way down the hallway.

“fresa.” your mami sighed with a shake of her head as you came into view, coming to investigate the strange noise as you clunked and rolled your way toward the kitchen. “easier than walking.” you shrugged, stabbing at the sofa with one of your crutches and grinning as your chair spun around and flew backwards. 

wheels almost catching on the small lipped edge of the tiled kitchen floor and tipping backwards, you were already bracing to fall but jolted with surprise as hands steadied the back of your chair, quickly saving you from toppling over.

“¿qué haces? ¡estúpido!” you whined as one of those hands smacked the back of your head, sheltering yourself as your crutches went cluttering to the floor and green eyes glared down at you as you spun around. 

“mami she hit me!” you protested, still protecting your head as alba raised her hand again, eli clicking her tongue in warning as she lowered it, your older sister settling for flicking you sharply in the forehead instead and stepping back as you tried to swing back at her.

you heard the front door open and more footsteps enter, quiet murmur of a hushed conversation floating into the room. trying to grab one of your crutches to stab alba she quickly kicked them out of reach and shot you a smug smile.

rolling your chair now carefully over the bump in the tiles you stopped in the pantry, grabbing a bag of popcorn and pushing backwards out of the pantry, scooting yourself out of the kitchen as alba watched on with a weird look.

“pequeña why are-” alexia started with a sigh as she dropped her keys on the bookshelf and eyed you up in the roller chair, olga wandering in not long afterwards. “ale she hit me!” you immediately piped up, finger pointing accusingly at your other sister whose eyes rolled.

“such a baby.” alba mumbled, alexia moving to collect your crutches for you, eyes narrowed toward her younger sister who hurried to practically hide behind eli as olga hugged her hello. “no! estoy bien.” you smacked away the blondes hands who tried to manhandle you up and out of the chair.

“the idiota came flying in here and almost hit her head on the tiles.” alba now snitched you in as once again a hand smacked the back of your head and you hissed, sheltering yourself again and scoffing as alexia moved to kiss eli’s cheek.

“if you push me closer i will send you two photos of ale from the folder.” you whispered to olga whose hand squeezed your shoulder in hello, the older girl quirking an eyebrow curiously as you nodded. the little locked folder in your phone hardly a secret, filled with all sorts of unflattering and embarrassing photos of both your sisters you’d collected over the years for blackmail purposes.

hand moving to the back of the chair olga subtly rolled you a little closer as you gripped one of your crutches like a baseball bat, swinging it as soon as you were in striking distance and collecting alba across the back of her legs with a slap that echoed around the room.

your sister yelped in pain and spun toward you with venom in her eyes and curses dropping from her lips aimed at you, your own gaze narrowed at her challengingly with the crutch held up defensively like a sword, daring her to come any closer.

“oye! you, leave your hermana alone she is already in a boot. and you, stop using it as a weapon or i will take it away.” your mami raised her voice, staring the pair of you down as you huffed, lowering the crutch to lay across your lap.

“sí take them away, make the little worm crawl its way around.” alba taunted, flicking your ear as she passed and eli wasn’t looking, a smirk settling on your lips as alexias foot shot out from where she’d settled at the dining room table, leaving alba to stumble and almost fall flat on her face.

“why are you here? tienes casas?” you accused your sisters, alba moving to make herself comfortable on the sofa and flicking on the tv. “mami has work and you need supervision.” alexia answered, attention captured by her phone as you groaned loudly, head thumping back against the chair.

“you do not want to hang out?” alexia scoffed in offence as you mocked her under your breath. “not with you, olga can stay.” you shrugged honestly as your sisters girlfriend grinned. “pequeña!” alexia huffed as again you only shrugged.

“i need to study. so leave me alone, por favor!” you all but begged, alba already engrossed in some trashy reality show you’d probably join her watching if you didn’t wish to avoid yet another night of being fussed over and babied.

“but hermanita-” “i am rolling away.” you announced, using one of your crutches again like an oar to propel your rolling chair back out of the room, ignoring alexias calls after you. 

“oh mami woke up with an ache in her chest today, and would not call the doctor.” you poked your head around the hall and announced loudly, diverting the attention off yourself as sure enough both of your sisters pounced, an argument errupting that for once you were not apart of as you quietly closed your door with a small sigh of relief.

rolling yourself back into your desk you grabbed your phone and opened your laptop, eyes scanning the incoming texts from solstrale that you’d missed while out of your room.

‘yeah i prefer picture books, no words.’

‘so does the rabbit make it home?’

‘you know since you, little miss intelligent, gave me a book…missing the last two pages.’

‘???’

‘im sorry for saying your book is dumb (it is)’

‘but i do have to know what happened to the rabbit. did it die?’

‘good life lessons for kids; the cycle of life, your pet will eventually die.’

‘except for scout, scout will never die.’

‘did you happen to take AP history, dr putellas?’

a small snort left your mouth and you shook your head, nails you noted desperately needed a new manicure tapping against the screen as you chalked up another mental note to con alba into taking you to the salon before bilbao.

‘yes. the rabbit dies. good job engen, very perceptive.’

‘you better take care of those books or the next thing you study will be my sisters fist in your face, they are hers’

‘what is a scout?’

‘i did. why?’

you placed your phone down and your gaze switched back to the laptop screen in front of you, cursor still blinking mockingly at you, eyes flickering down to your phone every few seconds awaiting a reply. 

you huffed when you realised you were doing so, grabbing your phone and tossing it onto your bed with a thud, shaking your head and shifting in your seat, grabbing the case study you needed and flicking open your airpods.

connecting them to your laptop you clicked shuffle on your study playlist, finally finding a rhythm as the sound of typing filled the room, missing the repeated knocks on your door and squealing as a pillow hit the back of your head.

“he dicho que me dejes en paz!” you huffed as alexia leant in the doorway and you pulled out one of your airpods. “come watch a movie nena, alba wants to watch love island and i need another vote.” your sister nodded behind her pulling a face of disgust as you rolled your eyes.

“what about olga?” “she left, pilates.”

“well i’m busy. go away!” you retorted, spinning back around and ignoring the huffs and grumbles of your sister as she retreated, though not before asking about five questions about your foot and pain levels and stretches and blah blah. 

“alexia, the door!” you yelled after her when she left it open. “stays open.” the older girl called back as you silently screamed up at the roof. “i will be back in ten for your stretches fres. mami said you have to walk around and you can’t use the chair all day!” rolling yourself over to the bed you very ungracefully flopped yourself out of the chair, burying your face in a pillow and yelling.

your previous motivation now gone you winced as you realised your phone was tucked under you, awkwardly pushing up with your good foot to grab it, seeing solstrale had replied and a few of your friends had also reached out to see how you were doing and that they missed you at work.

with a smile you replied to those first before clicking into your thread with the older girl and scanning her texts.

‘your sister doesn’t scare me’

‘but yes your precious books are safe putellas, dead rabits and all’

‘scout is not a what, he is a who’

‘are you busy today?’

“a who?” you mumbled to yourself as you quickly typed your own messages back, eyebrows creased with confusion.

‘WHO is scout?’

‘yes me and my one foot on house arrest are very very busy.’

‘again, why?’

you didn’t need to wait as the three dots appeared again, calling out you were fine as alba yelled if you needed anything, barely five minutes having passed since alexia had come to bother you and you sighed realising you had hours of this to look forward to.

‘this is scout. he is an angel. (and he is very offended you forgot about him)’

*picture attached*

‘sorry peg leg i forgot your social calendar is jammed.’

you watched as the three dots popped up, and went away, and popped up, and went away again, the girl on the other side of the line taking her time as you started to write a reply to her previous messages. 

the photo was of a scruffy but adorable black and white cattle dog beaming at the camera and caused a smile to tug at your lips. you’d admittedly forgotten solstråle had a dog, or that his name was scout, but she had indeed shown you a photo of him before when she’d driven you to the library.

‘i have an exam tomorrow. would you be free for like an hour to help me study?’

‘if you can’t its fine.’

‘you probably have your own stuff to do.’

‘sorry forget i asked.’

or, maybe you wouldn’t be imprisoned here for hours after all, erasing your previous message and immediately clicking send on a new one.

‘pick me up in ten.’

you didn’t wait for a reply, instead spending the next few minutes trying to change out of the fluffy pyjama pants you’d lounged about in all day, determined not to ask for anyones help, especially either of your sisters.

“fresita! ven a ayudar con la cena.” you heard alexia call out for you, a little shocked she hadn’t just come and rolled you there herself, grabbing your crutches once you’d wrestled a sneaker onto your free foot.

your laptop and papers neatly stacked in your bag you awkwardly slung it over your shoulder best you could, tilting your body so it wouldn’t slide off as you very audibly crutched your way out of the room and down the hall.

alexia motioned you over as soon as you were within sight, alba still sprawled out on the couch glued to her reality show which given her shocked gasps every few seconds must have been good.

“i’m going out.” you announced, both of your sisters heads snapping up and eyes training on you, tv paused and alexia staring you down with a knife in hand, stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables.

“no, you are going to cut these. your ankle is broken, your hands work.” your eldest sister ordered gesturing to a few peppers sat on a cutting board on the dining room table. “no. i’m going out.” you held firm, straightening up slightly and jutting your chin out with a small huff.

“to do what? estás roto.” albas foot lightly tapped against one of your crutches as she passed you, disappearing into the pantry and ignoring alexias warnings not to eat anything before dinner, her motherly tone having you roll your eyes.

“to study with solstrale. you wanted me to help her ale, ¿sí?” you reminded with raised eyebrows, your sisters own eyes narrowing as she hummed, clearly displeased to have her own words used against her.

“sí, bien. alba will drive you then!” alexia announced, your other sisters head popping out of the pantry with a scowl, hand disappeared in a bag of popcorn as alexia told her off and threw a chunk of carrot at the younger girl which bounced harmlessly off her shoulder.

“solstrale is picking me up.” you informed, quickly checking your phone and noting the two new messages that the norwegian was in fact already here from a few minutes ago, eyes widening slightly. 

“save me some food!” you ordered pointing sternly at your eldest sister who couldn’t help but snicker at the demand, agreeing with a curt nod of her head. but before anyone else could say a word there was a knock at the door and you turned, starting to hobble your way there and groaning as a blur of blonde shot past you on two good feet.

clearly the norwegian wasn’t expecting alexia as you watched surprise fill her face, your sister glaring down at the younger girl who greeted her awkwardly. “¡muévete!” you elbowed alexia out of the way with a huff and a glare of your own shot toward her. 

“she cannot walk without the crutches. she must be home before dark. she cannot lift anything heavy. she cannot-” your sister started to rattle off stern warnings to solstrale who nodded along, grabbing your bag for you despite your assurances you had it.

“i know. your mami told me last time, i’ll make sure she is safe, stays off her ankle, and home on time.” solstrale promised, the confidence in her voice wiping the scowl temporarily off your sisters face and causing a slight smile to flicker across yours, alexia clearly shocked she hadn’t terrified the girl as much as she was clearly trying.

“solstrale no-” you started to protest but before you could even finish the sentence the girl had effortlessly lifted you, hands on your hips and carefully making her way down the front steps as you sighed.

“have fun pequeña.” alexia snickered and you turned your head to shoot her a dirty look as the norwegian gently placed you down. “i can walk!” you huffed the moment your feet touched the ground again, crutching away from her down the driveway toward your car. “you’re welcome.” the older girl muttered with a roll of her eyes.

“i can-” you started defensively as she hurried to catch up, leaning over to open your door for you. “you can open the door, i know putellas. but i have the keys to unlock it!” solstrale chuckled, pushing the key in the door and twisting, gesturing for you to open it yourself.

“do you need help?” the brunette mocked with a smile of amusement, watching you struggle to bend over and slide into the car with your crutches. “no! your car is just…too low.” you huffed, giving up and abandoning your crutches which clattered onto the cement, sliding in as sol ducked down to pick them up.

“well you’re low to the ground too.” she commented dryly, opening the back door and placing your crutches on the backseat before making her way around to the drivers seat as you scoffed. “was that a short joke?” you accused with raised eyebrows as she settled in and started up the car.

“sí, lo era.” “oh now you speak spanish?”

~

“oh por dios!” you groaned in disbelief, stopping in front of the double doors to the library and seeing the bright yellow closed for cleaning sign on the front. “what do they need to clean in a library?” solstrale commented from behind you with a frown and you gave her an annoyed look, turning around and starting to crutch your way back to the car.

“like do the books get dirty?” the girl continued to question as you rolled your eyes. “they are probably cleaning the carpets idiota, not the books! how would you clean a book eh? it is made of paper.” you scoffed, not protesting this time as solstrale took your crutches and opened the passenger door for you.

“well you obviously don’t use water. aren’t you supposed to be smart, dr putellas?” the norwegian accused as she slid into her own seat and you mocked her under your breath. “i liked it better when you were quiet.” you grumbled, but if the girl across from you heard she made no move to acknowledge it.

“are you hungry?” solstrale asked suddenly, car roaring to life as you gave her an odd look. “did you not want to study? your exam solstrale?” you reminded as the taller girl shrugged. “well i’m hungry. i can’t study on an empty stomach.” the brunette shoved her keys into the ignition as the engine spluttered to life.

“this is…eh how do you say it? kidnapping!” you struggled for a moment before finding the right word in english, solstrale rolling her eyes and you grimaced as her arm shot behind your seat so she could lean across and look over her shoulder while she backed out.

“you asked me to come and get you. so maybe you kidnapped me?” the girl mused, turning back to face the road as she pulled out of the library parking lot. “you are the one driving!” you scoffed with an annoyed scowl, the often stoic girl beside you seemingly well out of character today as she snickered.

“well i could just take you home to your sisters and-” “no! its fine. take a left, i know somewhere good to eat.”

~

“do you know the answer yet?” solstrale asked impatiently causing you to lose your place in the book, slowly lifting your eyes and narrowing them in her direction. “you ask me two minutes ago engen!” you accused, grabbing a fry and throwing it at her with a huff, the girl insisting on getting burgers despite your protests there were plenty of other good places around for more local tastes.

she won out when yet again she threatened to just take you home, causing you to slump into the passenger seat with a silent but simmering anger that she’d so easily figured out a way to manipulate you, hating that she seemed to have the upper hand.

“you said you read fast.” the norwegian defended herself with a grumble, busying herself finishing off your burger when you’d taken your attention off of it for a few seconds and she’d deemed you were finished.

which you were, but you wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing that as you’d still yelled at her for it in spanish, knowing she understood most of what you said even if she pretended not to as she took a large bite and returned her attention to her phone.

you were interrupted from scanning her history textbook when solstrale let out a noise of disgust, spitting out a mouthful of food causing your face to scrunch up in disdain at the action. “you got pickles on yours?” the norwegian asked in disbelief, quickly opening the leftover burger and flicking the remaining two off as if they were an active bomb.

“¿sí? son la mejor parte.” you defended, dropping the pickles into your mouth as solstrale faked a gag. “i hate pickles.” the brunette shook her head, shoveling the last bite of burger in her mouth and wiping her hands on her pants. 

“vale! this chapter, read it and take notes.” you finally found what you were looking for, nails tapping on the page as you turned the book back around and slid it across the table. you were expecting pushback or for her to ask you to read and answer it for her, but to your surprise solstrale actually did what you asked.

you were pulled from your thoughts by your phone chiming a few times, rolling your eyes when it was alexia checking in for easily the fifteenth time since you left the house. you’d think you’d gone international and weren’t about twenty minutes away.

“alexia?” solstrale guessed at the sour look on your face as you only hummed, ignoring your eldest sisters request that you share your location with her and exiting out of your message thread. “puta!” you swore suddenly as your eyes scanned the texts from alba, eyebrows furrowing angrily as your nails clacked furiously against your phone screen.

“what engen?” you could feel her eyes piercing into your forehead as you stopped and looked up, solstrales cheeks flushing slightly pink as your gaze locked momentarily. “what solstrale?” you asked a little less aggressively and with a sigh, picking up that clearly she wanted to ask something.

“do you not understand or-” you motioned to the textbook as the norwegian shook her head. “no i just-don’t worry.” she shook her head and dropped her eyes down to the page as you didn’t bother to press her for it, resuming your very sharp tongued message to your older sister.

“what?” you felt her eyes on you once again as you clicked send and dropped your phone to the table, raising an eyebrow as her mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “those.” she nodded down to your nails with a slight frown.

“those…” you repeated as you weren’t quite following what she was getting at. “they’re kinda sharp? or like…long? how do you…” she made a few hand gestures as your eyes widened finally clicking what it was she was trying to say. “wipe my ass? like a normal person does sol! i do not stick them up there, dios mío!” you cringed at the insinuation as it went quiet.

then all of a sudden you heard some strange noises, glancing up and seeing the girl across from you bite down hard on her bottom lip, clearly trying to suppress herself from laughing. But it must have been contagious as then you felt your own lip twitch, a hand coming to cover your mouth but a slight snicker leaving it before you could.

within seconds the pair of you gave up on that, solstrale breaking first and you joining in right away, your laughter echoing around the small park you were sat at in the sun, books and food sprawled across a picnic table you’d commandeered. 

“i knew you had a stick up your ass putellas.” solstrale smirked once you both got a little more control over yourselves. “shut up and do your homework engen.” you snarked back but there wasn’t any bite behind it, tossing a cold fry at her head as she batted it away and looked back to her textbook still with a small smile.

you sat in a comfortable silence for awhile, eyes closed and head tilted backward, soaking up the last of the mid afternoon sun while you rolled your boot encased ankle and tried to pretend it didn’t hurt, knowing the moment you got home alexia would be on you in a millisecond about your rehab exercises you’d not yet done today.

“so why is alexia a puta?” you were pulled from your thoughts, cracking an eye open and shielding your face from the sun. “not alexia, my other hermana alba. we watch a show and normally we sit and watch together but she watched ahead without me!” you puffed air from your nose with annoyance, your sister texting you the spoilers for the last two episodes you had been waiting for her to watch with you.

“then she texted me spoilers and i have been avoiding them all week but they are everywhere. so now i know anita cheated on montoya and i will have to catch up alone because alba will not watch it again with me!” you huffed, crossing your arms and glaring off into the distance.

“temptation island?” solstrale spoke without realising, colour filling her cheeks again as your head whipped toward her like lightning. “la isla de las tentaciones. you watch it?” you gasped, solstrale scoffing and shaking her head no immediately.

“no! ingrid and mapi watch it.” she rolled her eyes as you looked on unconvinced. “but you know the contestant names?” you asked with a small smile as the norwegian mocked you under her breath. “you so watch it. admítelo engen!” you grinned as she shot you a glare, snapping her textbook closed and starting to hastily shove her things into her backpack.

“vamos, you are throwing a tantrum?” you mocked with a pout, solstrale again shooting you a dirty look as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and rounded the table. “no. its almost your curfew, peg leg.” the older girl grumbled, a slight squeal leaving your mouth as she grabbed your hands and hauled you up, steadying you on your crutches which almost slipped.

“so which couple do you think will last?” you asked as she took off and you crutched after her across the park toward the car, loving that this was clearly getting under her skin and she was obviously trying to hide the fact she enjoyed spanish reality shows.

you asked a few more questions teasingly but all remained unanswered as solstrale stayed silent, opening the door and helping you into the car without a word, tossing your crutches in the back as you did up your seatbelt.

your opportunity to annoy her further was smothered as solstrale plugged her phone in and turned the volume of the sound system right up, having you wince slightly as the car engine roared and she pushed the hand brake down.

you were shocked that a few of the songs which played during the ride home you actually knew, a couple you even liked enough that they already sat on rotation in some of your playlists, but you wouldn’t let her know that.

you took the chance where there was a break in between songs and you were almost back home, leaning forward and turning down the sound as solstrale gave you a look and reached to turn it back up, surprise flickering across her face as you smacked her hand away when she tried.

“my car. my music. don’t touch putellas!” but again when she tried to turn it up you slapped at her hand. “i need to ask you something. it is important.” you warned seriously, solstrale turning onto your street and nodding slowly for you to continue, intrigued by whatever it was you had to say.

you let out a sigh as if collecting yourself for a moment, the norwegian pulling into the driveway and if you’d been looking you’d have seen your eldest sisters head pop through the curtains like a guard dog at the sound of the engine.

“well?” solstrale waved for you to speak as you turned to look at her, inhaling deeply as her eyebrows furrowed together with slight concern. “do you think montoya will cheat on anita for revenge?” you asked seriously, solstrales face morphing into a scowl as yours perked up into an innocent smile.

“get out.” the norwegian sighed with a roll of her eyes as your smile grew, sufficiently satisfied you’d gotten under her skin again. “do not help me! i have it.” your smile dropped as you heard her unbuckle herself to get out, huffing in determination and though it took a minute or two managing to shuffle out of your seat.

balancing on your good foot you hopped a couple paces to the left, opening the back door and reaching in for your crutches, steadying yourself on them and kicking the door closed again with your good foot.

“well…adiós.” you spoke a little awkwardly, unsure quite what to say as solstrale simply gave you a small salute, you crutching your way down the driveway before she could have had the chance to say anything, watching to make sure you got inside okay before she took off home.

the front door was already open and alexia leant across the frame the moment you got out of the car, sending your sister a fierce glare when she stepped forward to help you up the stairs once you were closer. “i will stab you with them alexia.” you warned seriously when your first look went ignored.

“la actitud.” the older girl muttered with an unapproving shake of her head, but of course still ignoring you, an arm wrapping around your torso and practically carrying you up the stairs and back into the house.

“a la mierda!” your sister cried out when she let go of you and true to your word you suddenly jabbed her in the ribs with the end of one of your crutches, alba laughing from the sofa behind you as you turned and held up your crutch threateningly, your sister ooohing sarcastically.

though before you could launch the crutch at alba like a javelin it was snatched from your grasp, causing you to lose your balance and lurch to the side, collapsing into your eldest sisters awaiting grasp as she helped you slowly make your way around to sit down.

“you can have these back later.” the blonde warned seriously, confiscating your crutches you muttered something less than kind under your breath as she took them away. “boot off pequeña! do your exercises!” her voice echoed in from the kitchen as you groaned, body sliding down the sofa until you were slumped over in a weird angle, well aware you had maybe two or three minutes to do so of your own free will before it was done for you.

“how was your study date diablillo?” alba questioned from the other end of the sofa, eyebrows raised curiously as you scoffed. “it was not a date!” you emphasized, pulling a face that had your sisters lips curling up into a smirk.

“i did not mean it was a date.” your sister started, turning around a little more to look you over as you rolled your eyes, reaching for the remote which sat between you and scowling as her foot kicked out to knock it away and out of reach.

“did you want it to be a date?” your older sister continued to question with a teasing tone, crossing her arms and grinning as you chose to ignore her, pushing your torso up to grab your phone from your back pocket.

“are you going to text your date hermanita?” aba pouted mockingly as you gave her a filthy look. “date? who went on a date? you went on a date? when? where? with who?” alexia practically flew into the room as you exhaled heavily, dropping your phone onto your stomach and sliding even further down the sofa.

“no. la idiota is talking about solstrale, ingrids sister.” alexia seemed to relax at that, telling off your other sister for teasing you and smacking her legs out of the way, occupying the empty seat between you. “ale!” you protested as she grabbed your legs, manhandling them into her lap and unlacing your sneaker and starting to undo the velcro clasps of your moon boot.

but your protests fell on deaf ears as sure enough your sister expertly started to roll and rotate your broken ankle, knowing your rehab plan like the back of her hand as you gave in with another deep sigh, reporting back how the pain was out of ten after each exercise.

“oye! ¿para qué era eso?” alba accused with a groan as you grabbed your now unlaced sneaker from your good foot and threw it over alexias shoulder, smacking your sister perfectly in the side of the head with a satisfied nod.

“for spoiling la isla de las tentaciones, puta!”

[channel4sims-cc]

TS4: Base Game Bus Stop - OVERRIDE

Sul sul ^^

The bus stop that comes with "Lovestruck" is quite nice.

So I decided to override the base game bus top with the one from the Lovestruck expansion.

I's a simple debug item detail, but I think it makes the city prettier :)

*This is how it looks in San Myshuno:

*I made it smaller (horizontally) so that it would take up the same amount of tiles as the base game one. Mesh credits to EA.

*I created "version 1" and "version 2", just in case you a want different one outside Ciudad Enamorada.

DOWNLOAD/ INSTALL:

1- Please choose and download JUST ONE VERSION (1 or 2).  You can only use one override for an item at a time.

2- Download it, extract it and place it on your Mods folder. Do not put it more than 1 folder deep, or it may not work.

Example 1: Mods/Replacements/(your file here) - OK 👍

Example 2: Mods/Replacements/City/(your file here) - Won't work 👎

3- When you don't want it anymore in your game, just delete it from your Mods folder :)

 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

I hope you enjoy it :)

There's more cc coming soon :)

Happy Simming :)

*-* DOWNLOAD (free/no adfly) *-*

[alienara-simblr]

🌆 Chapter 5 : The Neighborhood Download 🏘️

It's a big post, please read carefully ...

🥂 It's FINALLY here, the long-awaited neighborhood download post ! You'll finally be able to explore this new map yourself, add your Sims, and play fantastic brand new...old stories. However, depending on the neighborhood you want to download, you'll need to make sure you've already downloaded and installed the necessary custom content from the lots you need ! To speed things up, the "chapter" posts offer direct access to the entire download folder for the area in question (e.g. "Chapter 1" proposes the lots from Neighborhood 1 etc.)

🌃 All the neighborhood have been cleaned with Hood Checker and completely empty of all their sims (in folder, and in the neighborhood file with SimPE). The Neighborhoods with lots have 🇫🇷 FRENCH and 🇬🇧 ENGLISH texts for every lot titles and descriptions from the original SIMS 1 descriptions.

🌇 NEEDED NEIGHBORHOOD DECO

Redbud Tree CUSTOM version by @suratan-zir Age of Empire 3 Trees conversion by @haut-gothique Dead Trees by @mustluvcatz-reloaded Placeable Cliffs by @greatcheesecakepersona Nessie the Plesiosaur by Psychosims The Neighborhood Fog by @jodeliejodelie The Waterfall by Numenor The Osara Wood Bridge by @simborg The Wood pier fragment by @criquette-was-here on MTS Busy Road Vehicle Set by @criquette-was-here (Police car ; Garland Bubalina Tractor ; Semi-trailers ; flatbed loaded) The Bus stop and Post by @criquette-was-here Rural Road Charm’s Asphalt Tarmac Pieces by @criquette-was-here Those Telegraph Poles by @criquette-was-here The Fence & Hedge set by @criquette-was-here Smuggled Deco's Giant FS13 Harvester by @criquette-was-here Railway Tunnel Portal from Feverfew by @criquette-was-here Railway Tunnels by @criquette-was-here on MTS Street Lights Set by @criquette-was-here 4t2 Street Lights by @beautifulnerdkitty Building by @ethanmcgregor (can't find name ; begin by “fixed”) The Blue Water Tower by @funphumph Smallest Maxis Watertank by Psychosims 4t2 Stone Wall A by @lordcrumps 4t2 Dirty Long Road by @leoz94 (ts4dirtyroad1 ; ts4dirtyroadlong ; ts4dirtyroadpovorot1 ; ts4dirtyroadpovorot2) 3t2 Old Mill by @hafiseazale MagicTown default replacement for Maxis Bimp by @shastakiss 🌉 You will NEED BRIDGES for the neighborhood, but the choice of the bridges depend on which roads you are using. 🔹IF you are using MAXIS roads, you need these bridges (and you will have to place them yourself on the completely remade neighborhood) 🔸IF you are using @criquette-was-here's Rural Charms Roads like me, you will need her Unified Brigdes

🏞️ OPTIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD DECO

Skyboxes by @dramallamadingdang (I use Mixed Clouds) Skylines by @greatcheesecakepersona (I use Green Hills)

🌲 DEFAULT REPLACEMENT PINES

You can chose to keep the Maxis ones or use one of those :

Neighborhood Pine Forest Defaults by @teaaddictyt, @lowedeus and @shastakiss My Darker Recolor of the previous set : SFS - Mediafire (it's the version used on my pictures, obviously) Tree Clump recolors by @jodeliejodelie

☑️ CHECK LIST

💾 Did you make a backup of your Sims2 folder ? 🌁 What neighborhood do you want and how to install it ? ⚒️ Did you check the master meshes post ? installed everything ? 🏘️ Did you installed all the needed lots and their CC ? 🌲 Did you install the neighborhood decorations from this post ? 🙏 Did you send a prayer to the Gamer's Gardian Angel ? 🦑 Did you exorcised the Pink Soup out of your PC ? ✅ Then you're ready to GO !

💾 DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

The Empty one is... empty of lots, It's just my remade version off Kalisa's map. I had to change it to create MagicTown, changed the roads with SimPE and decorated the hood. The second option, is an edited neighborhood with only the MagicTown addition, all the OldTown and Downtown lots are Kalisa's CC free ones. It allows you to have less CC to install because you will need only the MagicTown related ones. That's why I had a flag system on my master meshes post . And finally, the entirely remade neighborhood has all my made and remade lot and need ALL the CC from the lots and the master-meshes post.

🟥 MAIN Empty Hood : SFS - Mediafire 🟧 MAIN MagicTown + Kalisa's OldTown : SFS - Mediafire 🟨 MAIN Entirely Remade : SFS - Mediafire 🟩 SUB Empty Hood : SFS - Mediafire 🟦 SUB MagicTown + Kalisa's OldTown : SFS - Mediafire 🟪 SUB Entirely Remade : SFS - Mediafire

To install the MAIN HOODS, you have to put the neighborhood folder in your TS2 document folder : .../My Documents/(Your Sims 2 folder)/Neighborhoods/ To Install the SUB HOODS, you have to put the neighborhood folder in your TS2 "Open for Business" installation folder : (Your TS2 Installation repertory).../EP3/TSData/Res/Neighborhood Templates/

🏘️ ★ 🛠️ ★ 🏡 ★🧍★ 👫 The TS1 Sims Neighborhood is on its way...

[pearlcigs]

thinking a lot about soft! Vi 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 maybe even thinking about being babied 😵‍💫😵‍💫

⋆ softcore — tlou discord server

soft!vi who has a tough exterior but she always finds herself letting her walls down for you at the end of the day. when she's sighing from exhaustion, slipping into bed just ready to sink into oblivion. she just wants to roll over, ignore your curled up body that lay next to her. but she doesn't, she couldn't. no matter how tired she was, she needed you, needed your body melting into her like liquid in her hands. so she does just that, scoops you closer to her, her touch gentle in contrast to her rough and callused hands. she'll kiss the top of your head, all of your face. she'll whisper the sweetest things in your ear until she falls asleep, even her snores gentle.

soft!vi who you find humming as she does domestic tasks, like when she's cooking or cleaning. she's not even aware that she does it, solely focused on the task at hand. you think it's cute, never bringing it to her attention in hopes she'll never stop. once you found her going through the mail, humming an awfully familiar tune. you watched with admiration as vi sorted through the bills and the junk mail. "look, babe, they sent me a letter about my car's extended warranty." she laughs, pausing her humming to lift up the letter she was reading. "what idiots. they really think i'm gonna fall for this." she chuckles again, going back to her assortment of mail and her humming resumes. you just want to preserve her in a little box and keep her forever.

soft!vi who plays with your hair while you do some off hand task. not really doing any specific hairstyle, just moving strands over other strands and then letting them fall back into their place. you don't mind when she does, pretending you don't notice. it was the silent moments that you held deep in your heart, and so did vi. vi's hands would more often than not eventually make their way out of your hair, sliding down your body. she would grip your waist, or your hips, or massage your shoulders, or sometimes even slip her hands under your shirt to feel your warm skin. it wasn't even sexual, not when she would cup your breasts or kiss your neck as she did, she just loved having her hands on you in any way possible.

soft!vi who has a hard time just saying how she feels. she just can't get the words out to save her life. so you'll find little things around the house a day or two after an argument. flowers on the counter when you wake up. the dishes washed and dried. that shower curtain you've been meaning to install for months now? vi did it. it's sweet really, little things to let you know she still loved you or she's not mad at you because you both know she'll never say it out loud. or even when you two weren't arguing, you'll still find things like this. cookies she picked up for you on her way over. or when you caught her reading that book you were talking about earlier in the week. but your favorite is when you find little notes left on your fridge stuck by the (carefully picked, seriously it was no coincidence she picked those every single time) heart magnets. sometimes it was just a little drawing and sometimes it would be sweet words like 'miss you' or 'thinking of you'. it made your heart swell every time.

soft!vi who tries to make you breakfast in bed when she stays over at your apartment but you usually wake up to a smoke detector going off. it's sort of amazing at how she's such a good cook but such a bad one at the same time. like she'll burn the toast but make a perfect 5 star meal with bacon, eggs, and pancakes with a chocolate ganache. you didn't even know what a ganache was until you stumbled into the kitchen with worry only to be met with vi's crooked smile holding an entirely black piece of toast. "i was trying to make breakfast." and then she proceeded to explain what she made. "so you made all this, but... burnt the toast?" you weren't mad just... in awe. how do you burn toast? but you laugh anyway, kissing her nerves away.

soft!vi who babies you in the least condesceding way possible. she knows you like to be independent, as does anyone, but she can't help babying you every once in a while. it's simple things really, you didn't even notice at first. she'd grab things from you. "that looks heavy, let me do it." and would not even give you a chance to argue. she'd carry you anywhere, holding you in her arms like there wasn't a worry in the world. she'd wrap you in a bunch of blankets if you were napping on the couch, making sure you don't wake up cold. (you might wake up hot though.) she'd grab your cold hands in her warm ones to warm you up. it was just little things but vi always made sure you felt cared for.

[madridnoora]

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ Forbidden - God bless texas.

Fourth instalment of the forbidden au - lsu!joe x oc

Instalments - one, two, three and three.two ౨ৎ

Summary: A girls trip happens to cross paths with the boys football season and a tense game in Austin, leading to revelations about the past and a long night out in the city.

⋆｡˚ word count: 11.3k

18+ content. MDNI. Mentions of drinking, smoking and sex. ⋆｡˚

It’s 8:15pm and the team bus is restless. A six and a half hour journey from Baton Rouge to Austin. Tomorrow Joe and his team will face their biggest challenge of the season so far -- The Texas Longhorns.

Joe hadn’t stopped thinking about the image of Daisy. ‘Hook’ em’. He sneered at the memory. He couldn’t quite understand her. Every time he ever tried to speak about football, you know in the moments after they had sex when they lay beside each other, or in the car journey’s to each other's dorm or when there was a silence that needed filling by any conversation, she would shut it down.

‘Can we not do the football stuff.’ She would say. She wouldn’t snap at him but she wasn’t exactly polite in her tone either. Irritation and annoyance always lingering thick in the air around them. She was blunt and forceful. When Joe would push further and ask her the simple question of ‘Why?’ she would just shrug her shoulders and tell him - ‘I hate football’. He hadn’t brought up the image of her at the game. He didn’t want to give her the impression that he cared, because he didn’t. He didn’t care enough about Daisy to dig to the bottom of the loose excuses she gave. They weren’t friends or anything. Just a hookup. It was easier to be just a hookup if they didn’t get too involved in each other's personal lives.

He was hooking up with other people anyway and he was sure that she was too. He assumed she was anyway. He had overheard Bella talking about a kiss Daisy had with some nerd from her class on a student night out in the city when she came over the frat to visit Justin.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen Daisy for a few days. Like anywhere. Usually he would spot her on campus or see her out of the corner of his eye. Sometimes he would see her grabbing lunch or studying in the library as he walks past but not for a short while. The last time he saw her she was begging underneath him, writhing around in the pleasure he was causing.

Joe turns around to the seat behind him.

‘Yo. you seen Bella recently?’

Justin looks at Joe with slight confusion. Joe was never one to care about the girls his teammates were hooking up with. What made the question even weirder was that Justin and Bella weren’t even hooking up and Joe knew that. They did once. Since then they had formed a friendship, one neither of them were expecting. Justin didn’t know whether to respond. Joe was asking for a reason but he didn’t know what it was.

‘She’s out of town with Cass and texas. They left a few days ago’ Joe nods his head slowly with a slight frowned lip.

‘You miss her?’ Joe jokes.

‘Man shut up’ Justin lightly slaps Joe’s head while he laughs.

Joe turns back to face forward in his seat. Out of town huh. Where? He pulled his phone from his pocket to see if Daisy had posted anything. Or if Cassie had. Or if Bella had. If there was any online evidence of where they had gone. Joe never really looked at social’s. He used them to hook up with girls through DM but other than that he would post every once in a while and then get off.

He should really use it more.

What he was looking for popped up on his feed first.

daisyymoore

Big dawg is back. - Austin, Texas

685 likes 

@.cassdaviess: i love when the trip actually happens. 

→ @.daisyymoore: same sis. 

@.isabellaabreut: southerrnnn nights 

→ @.daisyymoore: just as good even when you close your eyes. 

@.isabellaabreut: bigger n better in texas i’ll say 

@.carsonford: i’ve alerted the local news. 

→ @.daisyymoore: i knew i was being papped. 

@.mileslucasford: in texas huh? 

→ @.daisyymoore: I think it’s great you’ve learned how to read.

-> @.isabellaabreut: soooooo why is he unblocked ha ha ha.

Joe swipes through the photos. She's in Austin. He's about to be in Austin. There was no way she would be coming to the game. It was a simple coincidence and I mean, she was from there. It wasn't unusual for her to be there. Joe rationalised the photos in his head. He turned back to Justin.

'they're in Austin' Justin pulls his headphone out to listen to what Joe's saying.

'I know, it's Dais's mom birthday' Justin knew this information already. Bella had told him about it while they were hanging out one afternoon.

'they mention coming to the game'

'nah bro' Justin shook his head. Joe breathes a sigh of relief.

'why are you so interested?' Justin asks him.

Joe opens his mouth to respond but the voice of an eavesdropper beats him to it.

'he's been fucking Daisy' Ja Marr moves Joe's backpack and put it in the overhead compartment before taking a seat next to him. He wanted to be fully engaged in the gossip session that was about to take place.

'WHAT' Justin half shouts before lowering his voice so that the coaching staff don't decide to come over. Joe scratched the back of his head.

'How long?'

'almost a month now'

Justin shakes his head in disappointment and disbelief. Thoughts ran through his mind. Joe was a dick to girls and Justin had a soft spot for Daisy. He had already listened to her go through one heartbreak and he didn't want to have to see it happen to her again. Joe wasn't a good guy for her. If this went wrong it could jeopardise both his friendships and his football season.

'Joe' Justin starts with a disappointed tone.

'It's just sex. meaningless.' Joe defends. Justin looks at Ja'marr.

'multiple times a week for a month.' Ja'marr provides the needed details that Joe refrains from.

Justin drops his head into his hands. Joe never went back to a girl more than three times. EVER. The last time he did that was with his ex girlfriend at Ohio State.

'it's not what it sounds like. it's transactional. She doesn't want anything else and neither do I' Joe shrugs his shoulders.

'she stays over'

'JA'MARR' Joe whisper yells as his teammate keeps adding on the unnecessary details.

Justin looks between the pair of them. He can tell from the look in Ja'marr's eyes that he feels the same apprehension about the situation.

'daisy's a nice girl man. and the last guy was rough. don't do anything stupid' Justins words are a warning. The first warning he has ever given Joe. It makes Joe sink back into his seat.

He looks at the post again, and he sees his comment. An ex under her post. The one everyone talks about. The one who was 'rough'. The one that no one ever dared to name.

So why was he unblocked.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Late afternoon sun scorches over the Texas Memorial Stadium as the crowd begin to take their seats ahead of tonights big game. Seats would be filled with a famous burnt orange, they knew that. A few purple shirts may stick out but other than that they would be in full enemy territory.

Joe and his team are running a warm up on one side of the field while the longhorns do the same on the other.

This was the biggest challenge they had faced so far this season, if they beat them, they could beat anyone. Anticipation pumped through his veins and adrenaline began to bubble. This was his big night. The night he could show to the world he was serious. He wanted the heismann trophy and a good performance was the first major stepping stone to getting it. He was focused. Locked in on only one thing; winning.

Ja'marr and some O line guys stretched alongside him. Small talk amongst them, some discussion of upcoming plays they may use in tonights game. The Longhorns defense had been mega so far and there needed to be some work done to make sure LSU would be able to break through it with ease.

'bro, where is Justin?' Ja'marr looks around as lunges to stretch his hamstring. Joe looked around as well. Justin had been with them not too long ago but now he was no where to be found. The stadium is filling up more. Kickoff not too far away.

'he was talking to some girls in the stands' Terrace, a teammate, said.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

A whistle pulled Justin from the direction he had been walking in. When he looked to find the source of the sweet sound he couldn't hide his shock.

Bella and Cassie. Both in LSU purple.

They're leaning over the bleacher railing and waving their hands for him to come over. He does as they ask with a light jog across the field. He would stretch in the locker room.

'you look so cute in your little uniform' Cassie said as she looked at his football kit. Justin didn't know whether he felt complimented or insulted. Uplifted or patronised. He just offered her a hushed 'thanks'.

'didn't think you guys came to games' Justin looked up at them. He then looked Bella up and down. It was the first time he had seen her wear the LSU purple. He liked it. His friend looked very good.

'oh, we don't' Bella told him as she looked around the stadium briefly.

Justin was confused by the response because unless he was hallucinating she was in fact here, at a game. Dressed for the occasion no less. The pair of them in matching purple crop tops with LSU written in diamante studs.

'we were in town' Bella was so unapologetically nonchalant.

'it's a special occasion' Cassie was mischievous, hinting at something Justin didn't know. Bella looked at her with that same glint in her eye, her lips pursing together to stop herself laughing.

Did they mean because of the game? LSU and Texas hardly ever faced each other, this would be the first time in almost 17 years. It didn't make any sense for that to be the reason the two girls were all giggly in the stands.

Justin doesn't bother to ask what happening because he has a feeling in his gut that he will be finding out soon enough. He notices the presence of a southern belle is missing and he's about to ask them if she decided to stay home but he's interrupted.

The noise of cleats crunching on the ground and the heavy breaths of two men let him know people are coming up behind him. He glances over his shoulder.

It's Joe and Ja'marr.

'lovin' the support girls' Ja'marr's charming as always. Joe's not thinking about them. He thinking about the one that's missing. She hated football that much these days huh. She let them come to the game while she stayed home. She really couldn't power through it for just one night. Joe didn't mind though. He didn't care if she came to his games or didn't. It's not like he would look for in the stands.

'thanks' Cassie tips her head to the boys.

Country music rings around the stadium from the speakers, the bleachers of the stadium now near enough full. The sun beginning to set, painting the sky a blazing amber pink and the floodlights turning on. A true texan football night. The air humid and dense with fans anticipation. The boys take it in and the girls watch them do it.

'we hope you guys win tonight' Bella lets them know. Joe nods.

'texas didn't come hey' Justin finally asks the question Joe had been wanting the answer too. Joe waited for the girls response but their reaction alone made him feel ever so slightly uneasy.

Cassie and Bella look at each other with furrowed brows before they look back to Justin. They look at Justin like he should know something but from the expression on his face he doesn't know what they are referring too.

'are you serious right now' Cassie is almost at a loss for words. Her mouth hanging slightly ajar after finishing her sentence. Justin holds his hands up in defence. He's looking between Joe, Ja'marr and the girls panicked. He didn't know what he had said that was wrong, but he knew from the look in the girls eyes that it had been something. He tries to rack his brain for something, anything that could give him a hint. He looks around as he tries to piece it together. His eyes looking around the football field and the rows and rows of burnt orange filled bleachers. His brown eyes tracing faces until they stumble across a face he recognises.

'the fuck?' He spits in confusion.

The information he was trying to remember was no longer on his mind. He didn't think he needed it anymore.

'what's texas doing?'

Upon hearing her nickname, Joe's head whips to look at where Justin is looking.

Daisy is bent over the railing. Her forearms rest upon the rusted metal and she holds a beer filled cup in one hand. She talking to someone down on the field. Joe looks at the guy. He's padded and wearing the famous burnt orange of the home team. His lips tighten when he reads the name on the back of the jersey.

'Milo' as in Lucas Milo. The Texas Longhorns wide reciever. The star boy of their team this season.

It takes a moment before the pieces click in Joe's head. Miles Lucas Ford was Lucas Milo. Her ex boyfriend. His lips tighten as he watches on.

'Oh my godddd' Cassie whines.

'She told you this so many times Justin. That's her ex. The whole reason she quit cheerleading and all the football world shit. They dated like all of high school'

'no. no. no. all she said was he played football. I though she meant like casually, not that he was some college star boy' Justin defends himself to the sassed words that left Cassie's mouth.

Joe listens to the conversation but doesn't pull his eyes away from Daisy and Lucas. They're still engaged in conversation and it's flirty. He can tell by the way she's bent over, the way she keeps flicking her hair back over her shoulder, the way she's biting her lip listening to him speak. Joe's eyes trail her body and the outfit on it. Tight dark denim low rise bootcut jeans with her thick tan longhorn belt. Scuffed brown leather cowboy boots. A tan cowboy hat a top her head. She had dressed for the occasion.

It's the shirt that he loathes. It's a tight white tank with a burnt orange longhorn symbol in the centre and the words 'i'm horny' above it.

She wasn't supporting LSU tonight.

Joe doesn't care about her getting with other boys. She could hook up or make out with any regular guy or frat boy she wanted as long as they weren't his teammates or brothers.

He does care about her getting with other football players. Especially rivals.

She's laughing at something Lucas said. Joe never made her laugh. She didn't hang around him long enough. It was just sex. Just casual. He's scowling at them, his eyes squinting in subtle dismay. Justin and Ja'marr notice it. Cassie and Bella notice it. They don't understand it though. Justin and Ja'marr do. They exchange a brief glance of concern to each other. Joe's reaction wasn't exactly suggesting that he and Daisy were just sex.

When Daisy flicks her hair again and pushes herself slightly further over the barrier to get closer he has to look away. He was annoyed. She was practically throwing herself at the guy.

'cheerleader, huh?' Joe asks a question about the piece of the conversation that stuck in his mind.

'Yup.' Cassie pops the 'p' before she continues. 'She was on the LSU team until star boy over there threw a fit, he made her quit before the new year.'

'he said and i quote "my girlfriend shouldn't be cheering on anyone but me and my team"' Bella explained with detest trickling off every single word.

Joe looks back. The once flirty conversation Daisy was sharing with Lucas was no longer that. She's stood up straight now, her cheeks red and her chest moving up and down quickly. Her lips are tight in irritation. Lucas' own face is red with it's own wrath of annoyance. He's raising his voice at her but they are too far away and the stadium noise is too loud for Joe to be able to hear what's going on. She raises her voice back. Lucas comes closer. They're pointing at each other, brash hands flaling all over as they both try to express their own resentment.

Joe and the rest of them do hear one thing.

'fuck you' a harsh but shaky shout down to Lucas from Daisy's mouth before she turns to walk over to Cassie and Bella.

Lucas doesn't leave her. Instead, he follows on the field beneath her. They're bickering over each other with unintelligible words as they get closer and closer to where Joe, Ja'marr and the girls were standing.

Joe's not really paying any attention to the burnt orange wearing boy that's chasing her, he's just watching her. He's watching the way her hips are swaying in the low rise jeans. The way the tank top he loathes clings to her. The way her hair is blowing in the subtle breeze of the Texas night. The way the gloss that coats her lips makes them look juicier than he had ever seen them before. The way the stadium floodlights are making her look so unbelievably incredible. Why did she ever fuck with a lame like Lucas?

Yeah. He was a good wide reciever. He might go round one of the draft next year but Joe was going first pick.

He tried to stop himself from imagining her on the sidelines. LSU cheerleader huh. He wished he was here last year to see that. He would have noticed her. He tried to shake the thoughts of her cheering for Lucas. He hated that he got to experience that.

'Hey' Daisy is quick in her greeting to the boys. She's frustrated, everyone can tell.

A sarcastic laugh from next to them on the field causes the boys to look.

'you're not fucking serious dukes.' He's looking up at Daisy. Then to Joe, Ja'marr and Justin. Then back to Daisy. She's refusing to look at him, instead she's looking around the stadium, at the sky, at anything that isn't him. For a brief moment, it's Joe. Her green eyes catch his blue ones. Her expression is unreadable. It's empty and hollow. Joe doesn't like the way it makes him feel. He doesn't like the way Lucas Milo has made her feel.

'really. fucking really. lsu players. that's low, dukes. real fucking low' Lucas' words spit out like a snakes venom, each word poisoning Daisy with a harsh sting. Joe watches as her demeanour shifts, her shoulder rise like she's trying to protect herself from the words. Her cheeks are heating red, no longer with anger but embarrassment.

It's hard for Joe to watch.

He's watching a different girl than the one he was just beginning to know.

She meets his eyes once more but only for a second. Then she hangs her head and looks down at her boots.

'I knew this would happen. you're such a wh-'

'on my mama, you don't want to finish that sentence'

Daisy's head snaps up and Joe's turns to face the harsh voice.

Justin. Joe only now realises just how fond Justin was of the girls. How protective he had come to be since meeting them before summer.

'Oh what are you going to do' Lucas puffs out his chest in an attempt to seem bigger than he was. It's almost laughable.

'I'm gonna whoop yo ass' Justin starts moving towards Lucas and Lucas starts moving towards him.

The girls watch the entertainment unfold before them. Daisy secretly hoped that Justin would at least land a punch, just one. It didn't even have to be a hard one, just strong enough to wipe the smug look off her ex boyfriend's stupid face.

The chance never came.

Joe intervened.

He placed two hands on the chest of a smaller Lucas and gave him a forceful shove.

'we'll handle this on the field, tough guy' his words are mocking.

Lucas stares at him. Joe stares back. Daisy's eyes flicker between the pair of them. A shallow breath held in her chest as time seemed to freeze.

Joe's poise never falters.

Lucas breaks first and shoots a look at Daisy but she's not looking at him. He follows her eyes back to Joe. and it's like he suspected.

Lucas makes a last ditch effort to hit Joe where he thought it might hurt. Try to get into his head before the game.

'i'm still the guy she's here for' and with that he headed off into the locker room.

Joe was outwardly unaffected. Inside however, it stung ever so slightly like a pinch to the heart. He wasn't used to being the second choice football player. He didn't like being the second choice football player. Lucas wasn't lying either. Daisy had come dressed in burnt orange in the hopes of catching her ex's eye. Joe was merely a thought in the back of her mind.

If her ex had been some regular guy he wouldn't have cared. She could have gone back to him in a heartbeat and Joe would have been unphased. But this. This made him feel something. He wasn't used to the feeling and he couldn't tell what it was, but it was something deep and harsh, almost cutting.

Joe wouldn't let himself lose to some texas star boy.

When the boys turn to head back to the away locker rooms and the girls go to find there seats, Daisy calls out his name.

Joe turns around.

She holds her hand up in a symbol. Horn's down.

Joe understands what she means.

A weight he didn't realise was so heavy lifted. Daisy didn’t come to the game to support the Longhorns, she came to watch them lose.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

The marching bands trumpets sounded out as the game kicked off. Thousands of fans in burnt orange cheering as their team started with the ball.

Daisy stood watching in the bleachers and a sick familiarity filled her stomach. This wasn't her first time in Texas Memorial Stadium but she hoped it would be her last. For years she had been coming to these games with Lucas, in freshman year she would sit in the same place she was stood now, always in a jersey which said 'Milo' across her back.

She took a sip of the beer she had been able to get with her fake ID. She was only nineteen. Her twentieth birthday only a month or so away.

Never in all the games she had attended had she felt this nervous. Part of her wanted to leave but the other part of her wanted to see the look in Lucas' face as he lost to LSU. Lucas never liked losing. Countless arguments were had between them after lost games, somehow blame often being found in her. She distracted him too much. She wasn't cheering hard enough. She was too negative. The list was endless. She cursed herself for the stupid idea of coming tonight. She cursed Bella and Cassie for agreeing that it was a good idea.

When she saw her ex boyfriend warming up on the field, it almost felt like seeing him for the first time again. Her stomach torn into butterflies and her heart beating uncontrollably fast. It was like the teenage love had never died. She didn't think it ever would. Daisy truly thought that she would forever hold onto to the love she once had for him. From fifteen to nineteen, he was the only person she truly ever cared for. Her heart beat for him in a way it had never beat for anyone else.

But then she remembered that morning in April.

The one simple text message that brought her world crashing down.

'Lukey

I can't be with you anymore, Daisy. I have other priorities. We're done.'

It came out of nowhere, no warning signs. Fours years gone in thirteen pathetic words. She didn't have to ask why, she knew why. Football. The whole relationship she came second to football. Late night and early morning practices keeping him away. She fucking hated it. She hated that her world was ruled by a sport she didn't even play. She quit it all because of him.

and when she remembers how he treated her, the love she romanticises turns to anger. They were a nightmare that presented itself as an all American teenage dream.

When he came rushing over to see her after noticing her in the bleachers, warmth spread over her skin. He was happy to see her, so happy. She had forgotten just how nice his smile was and how much she loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled. How the floodlights would catch his hazel eyes and make them look like they were sparkling. When they first got to talking, it felt like the old times. It felt like nothing had ever changed. He showered her in compliments and flirtations, she lapped every single one of them up. She asked him how football had been. That's when it went south.

'better for me since we broke up' it was like her slap to her face. A slap which said no matter what you weren't good enough for me. She didn't do enough, she didn't support him enough, she was too big of a distraction. The distance between them always causing conflict.

Then the same argument they had been having for the past three years took place. The argument about how football was ruining their relationship. At the end of it all she could let out was a harsh but shaky 'fuck you' before she tried to storm off to Cassie and Bella. That wasn't exactly that successful but she was thankful that Justin had her back.

Daisy's focus turns back to the game.

The Longhorns line themselves up for a snap. Daisy's stomach grumbled with nausea. Another sip of lukewarm beer went down her throat.

She held her breath as she watched the Longhorns quarterback throw the ball downfield. She knows whose arms the ball will land in before it happens. Lucas'. She watches as he sprints down field and no LSU defensemen can stop him. Too quick and nimble for their grasps. It's like he strolls into the end zone with cockiness oozing from his mannerisms. Touchdown Texas.

If her ex boyfriend didn't play for them she would have been happy. The Longhorns were her home team, but unfortunately he did and this touchdown felt like a kick to the chest. One which knocked the wind from him.

Lucas turns to where he knows she always sits. His arms stretch out beside him in nothing but arrogance. This was his house. He always hated that she ditched their dream of both going to the University of Texas for LSU and it would be over his dead body that they won on his home turf. Especially when she was watching.

The crowd around Daisy erupted. Every single person in her section other than her, Cassie and Bella cheered in passionate glee as the Longhorns opened up the scoring. The marching band, once again, sounding out in support and cheerleaders squealing on the sideline all while shaking their poms in the air.

'I can't believe you used to do that' Bella says to Daisy as she herself drinks from the bottle of beer she somehow snuck into the stadium. Her eyes watching the cheerleaders also.

'me neither' Daisy told her. That was a whole other life ago. The hair extensions and fake tan, the schmoozing with sorority girls, the stupid poses for pictures and the painful fake smiles. She couldn't believe that was ever her. Sometimes, the was thankful for what Lucas did, because if he hadn't she would still be one of them.

Now it was LSU's turn to drive the ball.

Joe ran onto the field. Number nine. Dressed in the famous white, yellow and purple. He's clapping his hands and shouting at his team. He looked commanding and dominant. Daisy gulped ever so slightly. She was all to familiar with another way he could be commanding and dominant. Heat crawled up her spine and she took a sip of her beer to suppress it.

'god I hope we win' Cassie sighed as LSU readied up another snap. Nothing spectacular had come from this drive, but they were only 18 yards from the end zone so a touchdown was possible.

When the ball snapped, Joe took a moment to look around the field and figure out which was his best option. Every step and movement so calculated. He sees something before anyone else does. He releases the ball from his hand like he's fired a cannon. He had spotted Justin making a run across the end zone, only open by a small margin and yet the ball finds him. Touchdown.

The LSU band began to play. Cassie and Bella scream in excitement while jumping up and down. The crowd around them not too happy about it. Daisy doesn't scream or shout but she does applaud the touchdown. She was happy for Justin and she was thankful for the now even scoreline.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

When halftime came the game sat at LSU 23 - Texas 20.

Thirty minutes left and everything to play for.

Daisy got some more refreshments in the form of beer. She was going to need it to get through the second half. Her nerves hadn't settled by much and the close scoreline wasn't helping.

The buzz of a message in her back pocket didn't either.

@.Milelucasford wants to send you a message.

you with burrow or jefferson? my bets on burrow. hell maybe it's both.

For a moment she felt panic. How had he pieced it together but then she remembered he hadn't and that this was just classic Lucas. Anytime she breathed near another man he would act like this, she was only shocked that he continued to do it ever after breaking her heart.

She flashed her phone to Cassie and Bella while rolling her eyes, showing off the message.

'what a loser' bella laughed.

'block him' cassie said sternly.

Daisy nodded in agreement. She never should have unblocked him. When she goes to do so another message pops up.

@.mileslucasford wants to send you a message.

whoever it is, your boys got it coming tonight.

Daisy felt uneasy at the message. She shook the feeling off and blocked him, placing her phone back in her pocket.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

The third quarter began with a Texas drive. Joe watched on from the bench as the game was left in the hands of his defensive line. This was the most tense he had felt. Everything felt on the line and he didn't know why, it felt like an end of season championship deciding game. LSU needed to be better. Joe needed to be better. He had to play bigger, play riskier. That would be the only way he could better the defence of Texas.

The only way he could turn the horn's down.

He had been thinking about her this game, about Daisy watching on from the bleachers. About the way she looked under the stadium lights. He also thought about the way she had looked when Lucas spoke to her, the way she seemed like a shell of the girl he knew. How she had cowered and hung her head.

Lucas had pissed him off. A hot shot star boy who had an ego way too big with a game record not good enough to back it up. Joe couldn't image a world in which Lucas and Daisy ever dated. They were like opposites but then again, Joe didn't know much about the girl she was before LSU. Maybe she was more like Lucas than he thought.

Screams from the crowd pull him from his thoughts. He looks to the field.

Lucas has caught a tough ball and is running to the end zone with all the space in the world.

Touchdown to the horns.

Lucas does some stupid run around the field before he points to someone in the crowd. He claps his hands together twice. It's a taunt and Joe know's it's to Daisy.

Joe hits his hand hard against the bench in frustration.

'fuck this' Joe spits to Justin as he grabs his helmet and runs on the field for LSU's drive.

Daisy watches him run back on. For a moment, she gets to see him without the helmet. His cheeks are blushed and a wet sheen sits across his forehead. The blond hair messy and unkept, a few stray hairs curling down. His jaw is sharp and clenched. Determination written across his face. He looked good, she could admit that. Very good. So good, that the sight of him alone was turning her on.

The throw from snap turns her on even more.

It's a ridiculous throw. One that shouldn't have achieved anything but somehow it does. A touchdown by Jefferson again.

This time Daisy can't help but cheer with Bella and Cassie. I mean it was a brilliant play, one of the best she had ever seen and it meant that her ex boyfriend was now once again losing.

Joe was animated in celebration. He pounds on his chest and his team surround him. He clashes helmets with Ja'marr and claps his hands. Then he turns and jeers at the crowd, waving his hand up and down to the boos that sound out. He points at the Texas Longhorns sideline and gives them two slow claps. Daisy couldn't help but find it attractive. He looked rough and manly, she liked it. she liked it a lot.

From that point on it was like the Longhorns never had a chance.

Joe was on fire. Every pass and every play was calculated perfection. Every minute that passed painful for the Longhorns and their fans. LSU were unstoppable.

The game ended LSU 45 - Texas 30.

Horn's down. Daisy gets the last laugh.

and she is laughing. She laughing and cheering with Bella and Cassie until they notice the crowds tone shift from subdued claps to shock.

Their eyes dart back to the field.

Joe shakes the hands of some of the Texas players. It was a fun game, one he definitely enjoyed winning. All was going fine until Lucas Milo decided he wasn't done playing.

He barged past Joe with a forceful shoulder. One which rocked Joe on his feet.

'the fuck?' Joe shouted at Lucas' irritated face. The LSU players noticed and began to crowd around, ready to protect their quarterback. The Longhorns did the same with their wide receiver.

'you got lucky tonight burrow' Lucas puffs up his chest again and get's in Joe's face. Joe shoved him back, this time more forceful than the last. Joe knew he was trying to provoke him and he wasn't going to bite. He held himself to a higher standard than that, than to embarrass himself on television and see the heismann trophy slip from his grasp for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

'god you think your such hot shit' Lucas shakes his head with aggressive annoyance. Just looking at Joe's face was annoying him, especially since he knew in his gut that his ex girlfriend was messing around with him.

'I know I am' Joe can't help but let the easy cocky jab slip from his mouth. Justin laughs from beside him. The laugh stops when Lucas makes a charge at them both.

Both teams stop the connection from happening, blocking Lucas from being able to make any sort of hit. It was a pretty pathetic attempt and the motives of it are sounded out to Joe and his team.

'keep your fucking hands off my girlfriend.' Lucas yells as he's pushed back and dragged towards the tunnel.

Joe shakes his head humorously. The next time he fucked Daisy, she would taste extra sweet.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

After the game Daisy and the girls decided to celebrate the LSU win by heading out to one of her favourite bars in Austin, one she had been sneaking into since she was sixteen.

It wasn't her idea to invite them. It was Bella's. She didn't think they would accept. Daisy was sure they would be heading straight back to Louisiana but she was wrong. Justin, Ja'marr and Joe would be leaving for LSU at seven am sharp tomorrow morning. That meant tonight was free and they wanted to celebrate the hard fought victory.

They all followed behind as Daisy led them to the small town bar at the end of the street. They weren't directly in the cities center, they were just on the outskirts but the town still bustled with civilians all stumbling, looking for a place to spend their Saturday night. The sky was dark as the hour was turning late. A crimson neon arrow pointed to the arched wooden door of the establishment.

'The Great Western Tavern' glowed in bright white bulbs.

A texas flag waving from a pole out front. Music poured from it's walls and drunken strangers fell from the doors.

Joe, being from Ohio, was wary. Ja'marr and Justin didn't seem to phased. Cassie, Bella and Daisy skipped in excitement as they approached the front of the western building.

'well I never. miss daisy dukes is that you?' The hoarse voice of an old man sat outside smoking called out just as the girls were about to enter.

Daisy head turned to greet the wrinkled and grey haired man. She tipped her cowgirl hat and gave him a wink before pushing open the doors of the venue.

So thats why Lucas called her dukes, Joe thought.

The boys followed in behind the girls. When they did they fought the urge to turn back around and leave.

It was a honky tonk.

A honky tonk filled with people line dancing, a live band playing rowdy country songs, ones which made the walls of the bar shake. Warm fairy lights and fire coloured neon signs light up the place. Wooden beams lay across the ceilings and cattle skulls hang from the walls alongside beer posters and texan memorabilia. Around the open dance floor were tables, stools and dark leather booths full of various types of people. Some looked like tourists, others looked like rednecks. Strangers all from different walks of life meeting together.

Joe hated country music. He hated this bar. He hated that Justin and Ja'marr had dragged him out with the prospect of fresh girls to hook up with. He could have been sleeping right now, but no, instead he was here. In some small town texan honky tonk listening to music he found painful and dancing he found cringeworthy.

'grab a table' Daisy turned round to face the rest of the group. 'first round is on me' with that she left to the busy bar which was located behind the dance floor in the dark corner at the back of the vast open room.

They sat and waited for her to come back with the drinks. They were in a red leather booth. The two girls sat on one side leaving a space for Daisy, while the boys sat on the other. Justin opposite Bella, Ja'marr opposite Cassie. Joe would be across from Daisy when she came back.

'you guys like the game' Ja'marr makes small talk with the girls. They were already slightly tipsy meaning they must have snook in some drinks to the stadium. There cheeks lightly flushed rose with playful delight.

'it was fun' bella beamed.

'so fun' Cassie confirmed.

'I can get you guys some more tickets for home games' Justin offers.

'we wouldn't want to leave out Daisy' Bella says with apologetic eyes. It was true. The girls would have been more inclined to get involved in one of the more major parts of LSU college life had they not have been best friends with Daisy. They used to go the games in freshman year, well Cassie did. It was before they had met Bella. Cassie would go every game to support Daisy and her cheer team but since she quit they hadn't stepped foot into LSU's stadium.

'she came tonight' Ja'marr said as he leaned back in the leather seats.

'she only came to show lucas she was doing fine without him' Cassie shrugged. Joe shuffled in his seat. Ja'marr gave him a side eye glance.

The table jumps when six beers are slammed down.

'hey y'all, sorry bout' the wait.' Daisy southern twang was now no longer just a twang. It was thicker and more prominent. Being around other texans must have brought it out, that or the liquor she was drinking. She slots herself into the booth as everyone claims a bottle.

'good game' Daisy says to them, but it's more directed at Joe than anyone else.

'thanks' He brushes off her compliment cooly.

'what happened afterwards, fight or somethin'?' Daisy quizzes. She knew it was between Joe and Lucas, they were playing it on the big screens but she couldn't tell what it was about.

'nothin'. he can't handle losing' Joe tells her something she already knows.

Daisy just nods her head in acknowledgement of his words.

A tension lays itself thick between them. Daisy knows he's not telling the full truth and she know's what ever happened was about her.

'anyone else want to get shitfaced?' Bella breaks the painful silence.

A mumble of enthusiastic yeahs float across the table and the night finally begins.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Belly laughs ring out across the table as they exchange stories from their lives. They were all getting to know each other, like properly. Like friends. The boys discuss the awkward first training session when Joe transferred over from Ohio state and how they though he was a complete asshole. How he never smiled around them and took everything way to seriously. The girls told them about how Bella first met them. Cassie and Daisy had been drunkenly sobbing uncontrollably out the front of a frat house they had just been kicked out of for being 'a bad vibe'. Bella had gone outside to smoke a joint. She asked them what was wrong. They told her all about what had happened with there ex boyfriends and how they hated all men and that they were going to run away to an all girl commune. Bella didn't know what to do so she shared her joint with them. An hour later all three of them had stolen bikes out the back of the frat house yard and were riding around campus. When the campus security tracked them down they had to ditch the bikes and run on foot to lose them. Somehow the night ended up with them in a fountain then all crashing on Bella's dorm room floor. From then on they were inseparable.

They were on round four of drinks but during round three they each took two tequila shots, so they were pretty wasted. So wasted Joe had even found himself head bopping to the country noise that rattled between the walls of the tavern.

'oh my god' Daisy shot to her feet.

'come dance with me, anyone' She looks between everyone on the table with desperation. The dance floor begin to fill up even more as the band on stage announced a special upcoming song.

'no way' Justin said pretty instantly.

'second that' Bella said.

'my feet are hurting in these new boots' Cassie said apologetically.

Daisy looked at Joe. A drunken hope blossoming in her green eyes.

'not a chance' Joe slammed her hopes down on the floor and stood on them. Her face drops and Joe almost feels bad. Her eyes filling with a sadness.

'fuck it' Ja'marr said before he downed the remaining beer in his bottle. Joe's head whipped to his teammate. Ja'marr didn't look at him, instead he just stood up from his seat at the booth.

'you gon' have to teach me daisy' His words are flirty. Both charming and teasing.

'I can do that' Daisy responds with the same charm.

'Move outta the way qb' Ja'marr has this glint in his eye. A glint only Joe can read. Ja'marr was doing this on purpose, some kind of test to see if Joe would get agitated or jealous. A test to see if what he said about just being meaningless sex was true. Joe knew that and he would prove himself right. Ja'marr was free to embarrass himself on the honky tonk dance floor while he sat on the sidelines and watched. He was free to dance with Daisy and do whatever as long as it didn't cross the line. As long as the code wasn't broken. The code being that frat brothers and teammates don't hook up with the their friends girl if they have slept with them more than three times. More often than not if they had slept with the same girl more than three times it meant something. The only thing Daisy meant to Joe was good sex. Sex he didn't want to share with people he knew.

Joe let Ja'marr out of the booth.

Daisy hooked onto his arm as they walked to the dance floor. A small cheer came from the crowd as a popular song began to play.

Fake ID - by Big & Rich.

Joe rolled his eyes, letting out huff of annoyance.

He watched as Daisy tried to coach Ja'marr on the line dance. Her beat up cowgirl boots clattering against deep worn in wood floor. Ja'marr followed like a lost puppy with two left feet, but Daisy didn't seem to mind. Her soft hair cascading down her back as she threw her head in a sweet sounding laugh while she watched Ja'marr's painful attempt to keep up.

Joe was watching with an intense glare. Sips of cold beer trickle down his throat as he tried not to let it affect him. He was irritated by Ja'marr, by the way his teammate was purposefully trying to get under his skin and tease him. He was even more irritated by the fact Daisy was still wearing the burnt orange 'i'm horny' t-shirt. He wanted to rip it off her for two different reasons.

The chorus of the song chimed through the hot and heavy bar. Voices from all around sang along. The atmosphere turning more restless and rowdy. The place getting drunker and drunker with every passing chime on the clock.

Hey mister won't you sell me a fake ID

There's a band in the bar that i'm dying to see.

Daisy grips her thumbs on the belt loops of her tight jeans as she swings her hips around and stomps her cowgirl cladded feet. Her hair swirls in the air as her head swings to the rhythm. Unified stomps sound out the bar to every beat of the live bands music. Joe swallowed as his mouth dried. The dancing he found cringeworthy only moments ago was now one of the greatest things he had seen in the flesh. Her ass looked too good in them jeans. Her stomach looked too toned under the warm orange light. Her skin looks too soft and too biteable. Memories of what's underneath the clothes flood his mind.

I got my money and you got what I need

Hey mister won't you sell me a fake ID.

Her feet cross over each other and she twirls.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

She looks over her shoulder for Ja'marr. He's struggling but she appreciates that he's at least trying.

Joe takes another sip of his now warming beer.

His light eyes hadn't left her body. Cassie and Bella noticed it. They looked at Justin, when he couldn't meet their eye-line they knew something was up. Cassie and Bella knew about the hook up at the frat party a month ago, but what they didn't know was that it was now a regular occurrence between their best friend and the star quarterback.

They girls focus on Joe's body language.

Joe focusses on what's happening on the dance floor.

Daisy was no longer following the routine. She had given it up when there was no hope of Ja'marr being able to follow it. Instead the pair of them are dancing together. Daisy's hands are on Ja'marr's shoulders and his own lay loosely on her hips, touching the soft bare skin that lay between the end of her cropped top and start of her denim jeans. They spin around together. Her green eyes gleamed and it was like the sun radiated from her skin. She was happier than Joe had ever seen her.

Bella watches as Joe's grip on the glass beer bottle intensifies. His knuckles tainted white. His jaw clenching stiffly and his lips tightening. She stores it as a mental note. One she would bring up later.

Joe tries not to let it phase him, but he didn't like the show that was happening in front of him. A teammates hands on the hips that he grips. A whole bar of people watching as she swings her hips in a seductive way.

When the song was over he was relieved.

Ja'marr and Daisy engage in a brief discussion before she heads off into the crowd and he comes back to the table. Ja'marr was sweaty and breathless but Joe lacks any sympathy. Not after the stunt he just pulled.

'Daisy just went to catch some air out back' Ja'marr threw a thumb over his shoulder and pointed into the crowd.

'I'm gonna grab another beer' Joe stood up. Ja'marr's eyes squinted at him. He knew he wasn't going to get another beer.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Fairy lights strung from fence post to fence post illuminating the small garden of the bar. The night sky was dark, but warm. Like a comforting blanket cloaked around the venue. Daisy loved it here. She would always come, sneaking out of her apartment any chance she could to join her high school friends. Lucas would sometimes come, but he wouldn't let her dance. He was over protective like that. He only let her cheer because it was for him.

She pulled out her pack of marlboros, taking one in her mouth. She lit it and inhaled. She only smoked in Austin.

'those are bad for you'

She doesn't have to look to know it's Joe. She takes another drag of the tobacco filled paper. The end glows orange and ash gets taken away into the sky by a subtle breeze.

'many things are bad for me' Daisy eye's trail up his body. He was one of the things that were bad for her. Douchebag, egotistical, narcissistic, frat boy quarterback who only cared about fucking women and playing ball.

'ok' Joe says with a stifled laugh. He didn't know why he had come out here looking for her, it was like his legs were on autopilot. He walked out here without making any conscious thought to do so.

'soooo' The silence is deafening between them. Joe can't stand it.

'cheerleader with a football ex huh.' It's the wrong thing to say but he couldn't help it. He wanted to know more.

Another deep drag of the burning cigarette. A long exhale. Daisy wets her lips and nods.

'friday night lights shit.' It's a joke but she doesn't laugh when she says it. She takes a brief breath in.

‘thanks for winning today.’ Her words are sincere, and more meaningful than Joe was used to hearing from her.

‘thought you were a longhorns fan’ Joe tries to lighted the atmosphere with a small joke. One that doesn't land the way he wanted it too.

‘i was’ Daisy's response was shallow and blunt. She didn't want to elaborate or go into details about her old life. She knew Joe was trying to get something out of her but she was too stubborn to let him in.

Joe just nodded before looking out to the night sky. That weird tension wraps itself around them again. It the tension that comes when they know it’s going to happen again. When they know that in a short while they will once again be entangled in each others arms and bed sheets. When they know they will be leaving behind sloppy breathless kisses and marks which signify they were there. Purple nips on her chest and scratch marks on his back. They just had to fill up the time until it got there.

‘you look good under the floodlights’ Joe's voice is hoarse and low.

‘you look good on the field’ a hunger creeps its way into Daisy's words.

‘if we’re going to do this ‘one time thing’ regularly we should establish some ground rules’ Daisy takes another drag of her cigarette. Joe nods in agreement. Ground rules would make sure this never turned complicated.

‘rule one. no strings. just sex’ Joe starts it off.

‘that means we can hook up with other people’ He explains further. Daisy scoffs but nods her head in agreement. Of course that’s his first rule she thought.

‘rule two. we keep this private. I don’t want people knowing i’m sleeping with you. it’s bad for my image’ Daisy says. Joe rolls his eyes.

'being seen with me is the best thing for your image' He snarks back. A part of his ego damaged by her half joking words. Daisy hardens her lips in an attempt to hide her smug smile. Joe had taken her bait.

'how so?' Daisy entertains his words before taking in another tobacco filled puff.

'I'm the best college player around right now and i'm fucking handsome' Joe's words are only a small percentage humorous. That makes Daisy laugh as she exhales her cloud of grey smoke. Joe doesn't understand why she's laughing, everything he said was true.

'i've done the star football players trophy wife thing since I was fifteen, I don't need you for it to be my image' Her words hit Joe like a punch to the gut, one which was unexpected. Now he's remembering the way Lucas still called Daisy his girlfriend on the field, and the way that they shared four years of their life together before she ever even knew Joe existed. Daisy had been known for the last four years as Lucas Milo's girlfriend. That makes Joe feel sick. Like he had lost a game he never knew he was playing. He had to catch up.

'What's rule three?' Daisy breaks the silence she created.

Joe looks at her, he really looks at her. His sky blue eyes darken to a harsh indigo, his brows ever so slightly furrow. He takes a step closer to her and she doesn't move, her poise not faltering. They're close now. Joe takes the cigarette from her hand and steals the last toke before throwing the bud on the ground beside them. Daisy's face contorts in annoyance. The last drag of a drunken cigarette was the best part and he had stolen it. A sexual pressure forms between them as their eyes scan each others. Both of them searching for the signal. Daisy looks him up and down. Joe does the same. The once cool night in Austin now felt like the death valley desert, heat stinging at their skin. Joe's eyes linger on her top. He carefully takes the bottom hem in between his thumb and his index finger gently feeling the ribbed white fabric.

Daisy's breath catches in her throat. The top was just a joke, a play on words. She used to wear them to games all the time when she came to watch Lucas during freshman year but she wasn't with Lucas anymore.

She watches Joe's face twist in brief disgust and listens as he kisses his teeth. He lets the fabric drop. It clings back to her skin with a light slap sound. Dark eyes meet her own once more.

'don't wear this shit again'

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Daisy lay in the floral bedsheets of her childhood bedroom. Her night felt unfinished. She left the bar with the girls and Joe left with the boys to head back to the hotel. It was 4:10am and they would be on their coach back to Baton Rouge in three hours. Daisy knew Joe would be sleeping but she stay lay awake yearning for his touch.

Joe lay in the plain bedsheets of his hotel room. His night felt incomplete. He didn't want to have to leave the bar with just the boys but he had no choice in the matter, Daisy didn't want the girls to know about them. Rule number two. The team coach left for Baton Rouge in three hours but he couldn't sleep. Thoughts of her touch on his skin and kisses on his lips kept him awake. Joe knew she would be asleep but he had to at least try.

Daisy stared up at her ceiling like a silent prayer to god to give her some relief.

When her phone buzzed it was like he answered.

@.joeyb_9 sent you a message

Hilton Hotel, 1617 N Interstate Highway 35, Austin, Texas.

Room 87.

She hated the fact she got out of her bed with no hesitation. She hated the way she put on a nicer pair of sweats and a clean top. She hated the way she triple checked herself in the mirror before she snuck of her room. She tiptoed around the living room where Cassie and Bella slept on a blown up mattress, grabbing her keys from the kitchen island and slipping on her uggs.

What she hated most was the flashbacks to high school. Sneaking out to meet the football star downtown, she had lived this life before. She had to remind herself this was different. She wasn't a teenager and she wasn't in love anymore. The stakes weren't the same. This was just something casual, something transactional. She gave the apartment one last glance over before she carefully shut the door and twisted her key in the lock.

The clock struck 4:57am and Joe had lost hope in her coming. He could see she had read the message but the journey shouldn't have taken this long. A light sting to his chest as he felt rejection for the first time in a long while. He grabbed a cup of water from the bathroom and looked out the hotel window as the sky was just beginning to get lighter.

A faint knock makes him turn around.

He walks to the heavy door and pulls it open.

There she stood.

It was like seeing an oasis in the desert.

Joe plays it cool. He doesn't want her to know he had been pacing around waiting to see if she would turn up. He tried to hide the feeling of desperation that had clawed away at his stomach. He had found himself scrolling through images on her instagram, his eyes looking and lingering longingly on her body. It was pitiful. Joe snapped out of it and closed his phone once he realised his stalking went over the line of casual. That was too dangerous of a game to play. They needed to not get too involved.

'though you weren't coming' His words are unemotional and unconcerned. Blue eyes trail her body. She's wearing something casual. Black sweats with a grey jumper. Her hair is down but ever so slightly messy. She isn't wearing any makeup. Joe wasn't expecting her to be but he hadn't been able to imagine her without it. She looked the same, if not better. A more natural beauty, with radiant skin and light brown freckly washed across both cheeks. The skin around her light eyes was softly puffy, a testament to the lack of sleep and late hour.

'uber took a wrong turn' Daisy answered back with a mirroring coolness, like she wasn't already dripping in her panties at the sigjht of him. Joe was shirtless, his golden blond hair messy and some small purple lsu training shorts on his bottom half.

Joe responded with a brief nod before he moved out the way to let her in the room, quickly scanning the corridor before shutting the door and locking it.

Daisy placed her keys on the table with a clank.

The atmosphere was strange, they both knew what they were here for but there was now a hesitation. Neither of them knowing how to break the tension between them. A kiss felt too personal, like the greeting of a girlfriend. Getting straight to it felt to rushed, almost too rude. With every second that passed a thicker tension built. Daisy had to be the one to man up and make the first move.

'stop staring and just fuck me Joe' Brash and bold. Joe didn't need to hear any further instructions.

-౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ -

Stomach down, ass up. Their favourite position. She's bend over the hotel bed and the warm smell of sex rung in the air. The before sunrise light creeping in through the beige linen curtains of the hotel room. The lighting was low but enough for Joe to see all the parts of her body he wanted too.

His thrusts into her from behind and she's gripping onto the cotton sheets in euphoric ecstasy. His hands grip on her hip bones as his guides her back to his length. The sound of sticky skin slapping ringing out across the room. Daisy muffles her moans into a pillow beneath her. She had to be quiet, if Joe's coaches found out he had brought a girl back he would be in some serious trouble but he was making it difficult.

Smack. a stinging blow to the sensitive skin of her ass as he picks up the pace. A muffled yelp into the pillow.

Joe throws his head back in pleasure as he too struggles to keep control over his heavy grunts. Closing his eyes and looking up to the ceiling.

'god bless texas'

words of sweet satisfaction as he continues to pump into her from behind. When his stroked begin to grow sloppy and slower Daisy takes over, she begins to push herself back onto him. Her arched back moving forwards and backwards as she moans in delight, letting Joe catch his breath. He keeps a guiding hand on her waist and lets the other grip her hair with tug.

'you take me so well' He praises her.

Joe regains control of the situation and flips Daisy so she's on her back and laying underneath him. He pins her hands above her head as he lay sultry kisses across her collarbone and down her stomach. She wriggled around in pleasure. Moans of his name slipped from her swollen lips.

Joe let's go of her hands and he delves further and further down her stomach, leaving kisses along the way. Daisy knows what's coming and she gets even wetter at the thought alone. Her hips buck and let Joe know how bad she wants it. How bad she wants to feel his tongue on her sensitive center.

Joe places kisses all around her clit but never touches it. Daisy grows more frustrated with every peck. He's teasing her, edging her closer and closer to the ecstasy she so deeply desires but not letting her have it.

'Joe' Daisy's words are merely a pathetic whimper. She feels him smile as he lays down another peck on the top of her thigh.

'beg for me' He whispers. Daisy had never begged a man for anything, she didn't want to start now so she remained quiet.

When she gave no response Joe hovered his mouth close over her clit, close enough so that she could feel his own plump lips a hair width away. Uncontrollably, her hips buck once more and her center connects with Joe's lips for a second. The second was enough.

'pu-please' Her hands tug at his hair as she almost cries out her pleas.

'please, Joe. please give it to me'

Joe looks at her desperation with a twinkle in his now almost black eyes and a smirk plastered across his face.

'did he ever make you beg like this' Daisy knows who Joe is referring too. She stays silent, because truthfully Lucas never had. He hardly made her cum. He never went down on her.

'i didn't think so' was all Joe said before he placed his mouth on her clit, nipping and sucking at it. She tasted like honey, a sweet nectar that tasted even better after what Lucas had done on the field.

Daisy's hands grip at his hair, pulling lightly as the feeling of pleasure swirled in her stomach. Joe's tongue began to swirl and he inserted two fingers inside her dripping hole, sliding them in and out at a painfully slow pace. Daisy's breaths were hot and heavy as she could no longer control her bodies reaction to his touch. Her legs began to shake furiously as her climax neared. When they would lock up tight around Joe's head, he would push them apart once more with rough force. A rough force she found herself enjoying.

'keep em fucking open' He would command.

Joe quickened the pace of his fingers inside her. The pressure of her climax building and building, every lick and every pump bringing her closer and closer the feeling she had craved since she first saw him on the football field.

'Joe' Her moans now loud, the premise of being quiet no longer a thought in her high mind.

'fuck, 'm cumming'

As Daisy came to her own climax, Joe pushed himself back inside her and began to thrust deeply chasing his own. Moans filled the air and their foreheads pressed together.

'fuck, oh my god' Joe said as he came close, only a few strokes away from finishing.

'Daisy' he whispered in euphoria and he pulled himself from her and let his load land on her bare chest.

He slams down on the bed next to her, both of their chests rising and falling harshly as they try to catch stolen breaths. After around a minute, Daisy gets up and grabs a hand cloth from the bathroom and cleans herself up.

She walks back into the room and begins to put her clothes back on.

'when you back in Baton Rouge?' Joe asks her, still lying in bed.

'flight leaves at seven thirty tonight.' He nods in acknowledgement.

'I'll probably see you monday then' Joe tries to subtly let her know that's when he wants to next hook up. It doesn't work.

'yeah. maybe.' Daisy finishes putting on her shoes and ties up her laces. Joe just rolls his eyes. Pleasantries no longer being exchanged and the conversation turning back to simple blunt small talk.

Daisy grabs her keys from the table and heads towards the door.

'bye' She calls out as she opens it.

'later' Joe mumbles out, now all of a sudden tired.

When the door shuts, he drifts off to sleep.

An hour later, his alarm sounds out and wakes him up. He packed his things and headed down to the bus.

A long journey back to Louisiana.

౨ৎ

[jungkoode]

OFF-LABELS

→ PAIRING : Med Student!Hoseok x F!Reader (Brother’s Best Friend AU)

→ RATING: Mature, 18+, suggestive tones.

→ DATE POSTED: January 30, 2025.

→ NARRATED AUDIO:

→ SUMMARY: You’ve spent four years convincing yourself that your brother’s best friend is just being nice when he remembers your coffee order, quizzes you on neuroanatomy, or lets his touch linger a second too long. Because there’s no way that the golden boy of Seoul National’s medical program might actually be flirting with you. Especially when he keeps saying things that could be perfectly innocent… if only he didn’t say them in that voice.

→ TAGS: second person perspective, female reader, medical school au, brother’s best friend trope, age gap (4 years), pining, touch starved, overthinking reader, confident hoseok, gentle dom hoseok, medical terminology as flirting (lmao), study sessions, domestic moments, innocent (but not really), plausible deniability king hoseok, anxiety, internal monologue, guilty crushes, subtle teasing, emotional edging, gentle manipulation, praise kink undertones, intellectual attraction, competency kink, hand fixation, voice kink, medical intern hoseok, first year med student reader, home setting, casual intimacy, unresolved sexual tension (for now), secret attraction, nervous rambling, self-doubt, intrusive thoughts, anatomy lessons with ulterior motives, competent hoseok, flustered reader, close proximity, accidental touches that aren’t accidents, virgin!reader.

→ CONTENT in this chapter: plausible deniability king hoseok, subtext, dropping slight innuendo with that voice, gentle teasing, double meaning, sexual tension

→ MASTERLIST | TAGLIST REQ | WORDCOUNT: 2.6k

→ A/N: So. Listen. I was out there, freezing my ass off at the bus stop, cursing my life choices because why am I even going to the gym at ungodly hours??? And then—THEN—the bus just had the audacity to drive right past me. Love that. Amazing. Naturally, I did what any rational person would do: opened my notes app and started writing instead of using those 45 minutes to, idk, reconsider my entire existence. And thus, Off-Labels was born. This drabble? It’s about the kind of man who is dangerous in the most insidious way—intelligent, competent, and hiding behind a veneer of plausible deniability like it’s a damn art form. You know he knows what he’s doing to you. You know he’s aware of the effect he has. But can you prove it? No. Because he’s just so nice. So helpful. So unintentionally devastating to your nervous system. It’s honestly sick and twisted and exactly my type. Am I a menace? Absolutely. First installment in what might become a series because apparently I can't stop writing about competent men in medical settings using anatomical terms as foreplay. Will I be taking criticism? Absolutely not. ❤️‍🩹🩺

→ MINI SERIES: NEXT

PLAYLIST

You don’t believe in stories like in books.

Sure, you like to read them—disappear into them, let them pull you under like a riptide until you forget about deadlines and midterms and the existential dread of being a twenty-something who still doesn’t know what they’re doing.

But that’s all they are.

Stories.

Fantasies about tragic, fated loves and brooding billionaires and dangerous men with wings. You like them because they’re not real. Because it’s fun to pretend, for a little while, that you’re the kind of girl who’s got a winged fae warrior at her feet. Or a CEO husband who calls her darling in an office with floor-to-ceiling windows. Or—God forbid—her hot math teacher, who lets her stay after class for extra lessons.

Or your brother’s best friend’s secret hookup.

Not that you’re thinking about that one.

Not that it would even be your case.

You shift on the couch, burying yourself deeper into the cocoon of your brother’s old hoodie. It’s massive on you, the sleeves swallowing your hands, the faded fabric smelling like dust and detergent.

Perfect. The ideal uniform for an evening of doing absolutely nothing.

Your e-reader is dead, so you’ve resorted to flipping through some random paperback you found wedged under the coffee table, something with an aggressively shirtless man on the cover. You’re only half-paying attention, your eyes skimming over the words without really absorbing them.

Caleb should be home soon. Probably. He has class—or he says he has class, but you’re not entirely convinced. He’s in that phase of university where it’s mostly networking and group projects and going out more than actually studying.

Not that you care. He does his thing, you do yours.

A sharp knock at the door pulls you out of your haze.

You ignore it. Caleb has keys. If he forgot them, that’s his problem.

The knock comes again. Then the doorbell rings.

You groan, untangling yourself from the blanket and shuffling toward the door with all the grace of a sleep-deprived goblin. Your hair is a mess, your socks don’t match, and you’re fairly certain you have crumbs on your face from earlier. Good. Whoever’s on the other side can suffer.

Except—

It’s not Caleb.

It’s Hoseok.

Oh.

You freeze, hand still gripping the doorknob, brain buffering at the sight of him standing there, all easy confidence and warm eyes and—why does he always look so put together? It’s unfair. He’s in jeans and a hoodie, nothing special, but it fits him just right, and his hair is slightly tousled, like he just ran a hand through it, and—

Stop.

You force yourself to blink, to breathe, to act like a normal human person.

“Uh,” you say, which is a stellar start.

Hoseok smiles. “Hey.”

He has the kind of voice that makes people listen, rich and smooth, the kind that carries even when he’s speaking softly. Which he is now, like he knows you spook easily.

“Caleb’s not here,” you blurt out.

He tilts his head, amused. “Yeah, I figured.”

Right. Obviously. Because if Caleb were here, he’d be the one answering the door.

You scramble for something else to say, but your brain is blank, completely derailed by the fact that he’s here. In your doorway. Looking at you. And you must look insane—your hair sticking up in weird directions, drowning in a hoodie that is definitely not yours.

And he’s still smiling. Patient. Like he has all the time in the world.

You clear your throat, gripping the edge of the door. “Um. Did you—need something?”

Hoseok shifts, rocking back on his heels. “I was in the area. Thought I’d stop by, see if Caleb was around.” A pause. “And you, too.”

Your brain does an emergency reboot.

You, too.

You, too.

You swallow. “Oh. Right. Cool. That’s—cool.”

His smile twitches, like he’s holding back a laugh.

You want to throw yourself into traffic.

“Mind if I come in?” he asks, ever-polite, ever-easygoing.

You should say no. Caleb’s not here, and even though Hoseok is Caleb’s best friend—and a genuinely nice person, thoughtful and reliable and the kind of guy who remembers your favorite coffee order—something about being alone with him makes your stomach twist.

But saying no would be weird.

So you step back. “Yeah, uh, sure.”

He steps inside, and suddenly the room feels smaller. Or maybe you’re just too aware of him—his presence, the faint scent of clean laundry and something warmer, something mellow. He’s always been like this, always drawn your attention whether you wanted him to or not.

You watch as he shrugs off his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair like he’s been here a hundred times before. And he has, technically, but not like this. Not without Caleb.

Hoseok glances at the book on the coffee table. “Good?”

You stare at it, momentarily forgetting what book it even is. “Uh. Yeah.”

His eyes flick to the cover. His smile turns amused.

Heat floods your face.

"Interesting choice.”

You freeze. A slow, creeping horror slithers up your spine. Because you didn’t even look at the book before picking it up—you just grabbed whatever you had lying around, assuming it was something boring, something safe—

And now Hoseok is holding a novel titled My Professor’s Secret Temptation.

Oh.

Oh, you actually might be sick.

You scramble for something—anything—to say, but the words wedge themselves somewhere between your throat and your rapidly spiraling embarrassment.

Hoseok flips the book over, scanning the back cover with a curious hum. “Didn’t take you for the forbidden romance type.”

You want the ground to open up. You want to disintegrate.

“I—I didn’t even read it!” you blurt out, a little too fast, a little too desperate. “I wasn’t paying attention, I just grabbed something random, and—and it’s not—”

Hoseok glances at you, amused but not in a mean way, just…interested? "Oh, yeah?”

You nod. Aggressively. “Yes.”

His mouth presses into something thoughtful, like he believes you, but there’s still a flicker of amusement in his expression, like he doesn’t quite know what to do with this new information.

“Huh.” He flips through a few pages idly, head tilting. “He’s pretty bold, huh?”

Your stomach drops. “Who?”

“The professor.”

Your soul leaves your body.

You stare at him, mouth opening and closing, incapable of forming a coherent thought.

Hoseok just nods, easy, unbothered. “Some of these lines are intense,” he muses, flipping another page. “Do real professors talk like this?”

You are going to die. Right here. On the floor.

“I—” Your voice cracks. “I don’t know.”

He hums again, like he’s genuinely considering it, then—just as casually as everything else—he looks up and says, “You think he’s hot?”

Your heart stops.

Not in a teasing way. Not in a mean way. Just…like it’s a normal question. Like this is just an easy, natural conversation between two people who absolutely do not need to be having this conversation.

Your mouth opens. Nothing comes out.

Hoseok’s lips twitch, but it’s not a smirk, not a knowing smile—just quiet amusement, like this whole situation is genuinely kind of funny, and he doesn’t think it’s a big deal at all.

“Relax,” he says, closing the book with a soft thump. “I won’t tell Caleb.”

It’s so casual. So reassuring.

Like he really, really isn’t trying to mess with you.

Which somehow makes it worse.

Hoseok sets the book down with deliberate care, spine aligned parallel to the edge of the coffee table like he’s arranging museum artifacts. Your traitorous eyes track the flex of tendons in his wrist—medical resident hands, steady and precise, the kind that’ve probably held beating hearts in ORs. You bite the inside of your cheek until copper blooms.

He glances at the sofa.

You glance at the sofa.

Three cushions. Two throw pillows. Seventy-two inches of fabric that suddenly feels like the Grand Canyon between acceptable and catastrophic.

“Mind if I…?” He gestures to the spot beside your abandoned blanket nest, already moving before you nod.

The springs creak faintly as he sinks into the middle cushion, thighs spreading in that effortless way men do—knees wide, elbows propped, phone balanced on his lap. You sit next to him—two cushions away—and watch his thumb scroll through messages, the screen’s blue light catching the silver ring he always wears on his index finger. Surgical steel, he’d told you once when you’d asked. Sterile. Practical.

Practical.

Practical like the way his left knee now brushes the edge of your blanket. Practical like the faint cedar-and-disinfectant scent of his cologne. Practical like the half-inch of skin exposed when his hoodie rides up as he stretches his arms behind his head.

Don’t look.

You look.

Stop looking.

He shifts, a subtle roll of his hips that has no business being this distracting. The movement pulls the denim taut across his thighs, and you try—really, genuinely try—to keep your eyes anywhere else. The ceiling. The floor. The stack of medical textbooks by the TV. Anything but the way his thumb now absently traces the inner seam of his jeans.

“Told Caleb I’d wait,” he says, tilting his head toward you. The motion makes his throat work—Adam’s apple bobbing, chin catching gold in the lamplight. “Movie night. You’re welcome to join, if you want.”

Your tongue feels like it’s been replaced with felt. “I—I have… readings.”

“Readings.” His mouth shapes the word like it’s fascinating.

“For… neuroanatomy.” You gesture vaguely toward your backpack slumped by the TV stand, half-buried under a sweatshirt you’ve been using as a pillow. “Midterm next week.”

He hums, low and considering. “Limbic system?”

“Hippocampus. Amygdala. All the… emotional bits.”

“Ah.” His smile softens, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “The parts that make you want to throw textbooks at walls.”

You blink. “You… remember?”

“Your first-year meltdown over the cranial nerves? Yeah.” He chuckles, warm and rasping. “You called them ‘twelve little traitors’ and threatened to switch to art history.”

Heat crawls up your neck. You’d forgotten he’d been there that night—Caleb dragging him along for a pizza run, finding you knee-deep in flashcards and tears. Hoseok had quietly made tea while Caleb joked about selling your cadaver lab notes on eBay.

“Still think about it sometimes,” you mutter, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. “Art history sounds peaceful. No one dies in art history.”

“No,” he agrees. “But you’d miss this.”

“Miss what? The sleep deprivation? The existential dread?”

“The way your nose scrunches when you’re trying to memorize Brodmann areas.”

Your hands freeze.

He’s looking at you now—not the performative eye contact of someone making conversation, but the kind that pins you in place. Clinical. Observant. Like he’s cataloging your reaction.

“I don’t… scrunch,” you say weakly.

“You do.” His knee nudges the blanket again. Accidentally. Probably. “It’s cute.”

The air conditioner kicks on. You count the vents in the ceiling. Eight. Eight is a safe number. Eight is not the number of times you’ve imagined him saying that word in different contexts.

Cute.

Cute.

Cute.

Your lungs forget how to oxygenate.

Hoseok’s phone buzzes. He glances at the screen, then sighs. “Caleb’s running late. Some study group thing.”

“Oh.”

“You hungry?”

“What?”

He’s already standing, rolling his shoulders in a stretch that pulls his hoodie taut across his chest. “I’ll make ramyeon. You like the kimchi kind, right?”

You stare.

He’s in your kitchen now, rummaging through cabinets with the ease of someone who’s done this a hundred times. Which he has—game nights, birthday parties, that one time Caleb got food poisoning and Hoseok stayed over to make sure he didn’t choke on his own vomit.

But this is different.

This is him pulling two bowls from the shelf you can’t reach without a step stool. This is him filling the kettle with exactly 500ml of water because he knows your stove runs hot. This is him glancing over his shoulder to ask, “Soft or firm noodles?” like it’s a question that matters.

“Soft,” you croak.

He nods, turning back to the counter. You watch his hands—capable, unhurried—tearing seasoning packets with his teeth. The steam fogs his glasses when he leans over the pot, and he pushes them up into his hair, revealing the faint scar bisecting his left eyebrow.

Bike accident, he’d said when you’d asked. Twelve years old. Thought he could jump the curb like X-Games.

You’d dreamed about that scar for weeks afterward.

“Here.” He sets the bowl in front of you, chopsticks balanced across the rim. “Careful, it’s hot.”

You murmur thanks, staring at the swirling red broth. He sits closer this time—one cushion away instead of two. His knee brushes yours when he leans forward to blow on his noodles.

Accident, you tell yourself. Always accidents.

The TV murmurs in the background, some nature documentary about deep-sea creatures. Hoseok asks about your classes, and you answer in staccato sentences, hyper-aware of the way his sleeve brushes your arm when he reaches for the water glass.

“—and Dr. Park’s lectures are killing me,” you hear yourself say, chopsticks hovering over uneaten noodles. “She goes so fast, and the diagrams…”

“Want me to quiz you?”

Your head snaps up. “What?”

He shrugs, but there’s a glint in his eye—the same one he gets when Caleb challenges him to Mario Kart. “I handled multiple neuro cases last year. Could walk you through the basal ganglia.”

“You’re… busy.”

“Not really.” He sets his bowl aside, rolling up his sleeves. Your pulse thrums at the reveal of his forearms—dusting of dark hair, veins mapping paths you shouldn’t be tracing. “C’mon. Hit me with your worst.”

It’s a mistake.

You know it’s a mistake even as you fetch your notes, even as he pats the space beside him. Even as his shoulder presses against yours, radiating heat through three layers of fabric.

“Okay.” He scans your color-coded flashcards. “First question. What structure connects the hippocampus to the mammillary bodies?”

“F-fornix,” you stammer.

“Good.” His finger taps the next card. “Main neurotransmitter in the substantia nigra?”

“Dopamine.”

“And loss of dopamine here causes…”

“Parkinson’s.”

“Nice.” He shifts, knee pressing into yours. “Now point to your amygdala.”

You freeze. “What?”

“On your head. Show me where it is.”

“I—it’s—it’s medial temporal lobe, so…” You hover a hand near your right temple, acutely aware of his gaze tracking the movement. “Here? Ish?”

His chuckle vibrates through the couch. “Ish.”

“Shut up, I’m trying.”

“Try harder.”

You glare at him. He grins back, all white teeth and crinkled eyes, and something in your chest cracks open.

“Medial,” he says softly, reaching over to adjust your hand. His fingers graze your wrist—brief, clinical, devastating. “Deeper. Protected.”

You stop breathing.

The documentary narrator drones on about bioluminescent jellyfish. Hoseok’s thumb brushes your pulse point.

Accident.

Always accidents.

Then his phone rings.

You jerk back like you’ve been shocked. Hoseok answers with a calm, “Yeah?” while you stare at your knees, pretending your entire nervous system isn’t short-circuiting.

“Caleb’s downstairs,” he says, standing. “Forgot his keys again.”

“Oh.”

“You okay?”

“Fine.”

He pauses, head tilted. For a horrifying moment, you think he’ll call you out—on the shaking hands, the flushed cheeks, the way you’re clinging to a pillow like it’s a life raft.

But he just smiles. Gentle. Endless. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

The door clicks shut behind him.

You collapse sideways onto the couch, pressing your face into the cushion that still holds the warmth of him. Somewhere in the hallway, the elevator dings. Laughter floats up from the parking lot.

Four years.

Four years of this.

Four years of almosts and maybes and don’t be stupid, he’s just being nice.

Your phone buzzes. A text from Caleb:

𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝙷𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚘𝚔 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐?? 𝙽𝚎𝚛𝚍. 𝚆𝚎’𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚣𝚣𝚊. 𝚆𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎?

You type no with trembling fingers.

The couch creaks as you curl into yourself, knees to chest, forehead pressed against the spot where his ring had left a faint indentation in the upholstery.

Deeper.

Protected.

Somewhere in your medial temporal lobe, dopamine fires for all the wrong reasons.

→ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @cannotalwaysbenight @livingformintyoongi @itstoastsworld @somehowukook

© 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.

no reposts, translations, or adaptations

[holdmytesseract]

moodboard by the wonderful @chennqingg <3

...when hope is all you got...

[EoH Universe]

Daryl Dixon x fem!Reader feat. Teddy Dixon

Summary: When the prison falls, your family gets separated. Now it's all about finding each other again... Especially Daryl and your son.

Warnings: the usual TWD stuff, walkers, weapons, angst - a lot, blood, death,

The Road Era!

Word Count: 3,7k

a/n: I forgot that I wrote this story and remebered a few days ago. I thought for a second that I just dreamt writing this, but... Then I checked my docs and there it was. I never posted it, though. This has to change, 'cause I really like this installment of the AU. ☺️

EoH Masterlist °☆• Daryl Masterlist °☆• Masterlist

Daryl's breath was laboured as he stopped to run; back pressed against a tree and crossbow dangling from his hand. He squeezed his eyes shut; throwing his head back. Rest wasn't granted him for long, though... The snarling and growling of the approaching threat caused his body to pump more adrenaline through his veins. "Damn it," he cursed and clenched his teeth, before he started to run again. In distance, the archer could see the thick cloud of smoke; marking the fall of the prison.

Tears gathered in his eyes. He had lost sight of everyone... Rick, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne, Carl, you, the kids, Teddy - everyone. He didn't know who was still alive and who wasn't.

Gritting his teeth, he continued to run - not away from the prison, though... Towards the prison. He had to find you and his son. At all costs. "Y/N! Teddy!" He yelled; his voice echoing through the woods and probably attracting the walkers all around the area, but he couldn't care less. The archer was running high on adrenaline; the pain, anger and fear in his heart pushing him on. He was more than ready to fight.

"Y/N! Teddy!" The closer Daryl got back to the prison, the more walkers came into his way. He killed them all; not stopping - until they had more or less surrounded him; coming at the archer from all sides.

He grunted and took quick breaths; sweat rolling down his neck and chest. His eyes flickered back and forth to not lose track of which walkers would 'attack' first.

The tactic was good at first - but at some time he lost track. More than ten walkers being too much for him as well. Therefore, he didn't notice how the threat sneaked up on him; ready to take a bite out of neck - when a loud gunshot suddenly urged to his ears. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the walker behind him sinking to the earthy ground beneath him. More gunshots followed.

Daryl quickly fought off the last two walkers (for now) and spun around - his heart leaping almost out of his chest as he saw you standing there.

"Y/N!" The usually so composed man almost sobbed; running over to you and straight into your arms. "Daryl," you croaked out; holding onto him for dear life. "I-I heard your calls a-and came as fast as possible, I-" You pulled back from the hug and cupped his cheeks; eyes scanning his body for any injuries. "You okay, sweetie?" He nodded; smiling ever so softly. "Now 'm okay." You breathed out a laugh and leaned in to press your lips against his in a desperate, but sweet kiss. You would've loved to kiss him longer, but the archer pulled back. His eyes were sloshing over with worry; hands twitching on your waist. "W-Where's our lil' boy? W-Where's Teddy?"

You swallowed hard; lump forming in your throat. "I-I left him on the bus, I-" "The bus?" You nodded; tears pooling in your eyes. "I-I went looking for you, thinking that he would be safe t-there. I-I had to look for you, but couldn't take him with me. It would've been t-to dangerous w-with all these bullets flying..." Your head dropped, just like your hands from Daryl's cheeks to land on his chest. "G-Gods, I-I hope they made it."

You felt how the archer's grip on your waist tightened softly; thumbs caressing your clothed skin. "Hey, sunshine, look at me," he spoke in a low, reassuring voice. You did what he asked you; looking up in those seemingly endless blue-grey orbs. "We're gonna find 'im, 'kay? He'll be a'right. Teddy's such a strong kid."

You nodded. "I-I know, but he's still just a child after all..." Daryl dipped his head to plant a firm kiss on your forehead; his goatee tickling your skin. "We find him, sunshine," he said again, "C'mon. We gotta get outta here." before untangling his arms around you and gently pulling you along; hearing the threatening snarls of more walkers getting closer. "Let's find tha' bus."

Daryl's tracking skills were probably never more advantageous than they were now in this very situation. Unfortunately threw nightfall a wrench in the works. It was too dangerous to walk around all night. Especially with the two of you still being not that far from the destroyed prison, which still attracted new walkers. Daryl wanted to keep going, of course, so you had to be the reasonable one this time.

You had just come back from securing your small camp with old ropes and empty cans you two had found; creating a alarm system. Now, you sat down on the remains of a tree trunk, beside Daryl, around a small campfire. He was skinning and cooking the... snake he had caught earlier. You watched him work; knowing that you were in the safest place in the whole world... By his side. You just wished Teddy was, too... But giving up wasn't an option. It never was and it would never be.

"Here," Daryl gently nudged your side; interrupting your thoughts. "You gotta eat somethin'." You nodded and took the piece of cooked snake meat Daryl was handing you; taking a small bite. "Could be worse," you stated then and looked at your man, who answered with a grunt and shrugged his shoulders. "'S not bad. Had worse." "Oh, definitely."

Later that night - might as well call it very early in the morning, you had taken over to keep watch; insisting that Daryl needed some rest, too. It took you some convincing, but in the end, he gave in and granted his body some rest.

You kept your senses sharp; constantly looking out for any threats. And of course, it came how it had to come... Something - or rather someone found their way into your tiny camp...

Not a walker, though...

You had your rifle drawn and loaded; ready to shoot, as you pointed it into the direction of the quick steps on wooden ground you heard. You were hiding behind a thick tree only a few yards away from the camp.

The closer they got, the more picked your heart rate up. Your finger was hovering mere millimetres above the trigger; twitching - but to your sheer surprise and endless relief stumbled a familiar face out behind the bushes... "Beth?!" You breathed and immediately lowered your rifle; beyond happy to see one of your family members. It gave you hope that the others survived, too.

The blonde teenager looked at you wide eyed, as if she had just seen a ghost. "Oh my gosh, Beth!" You immediately lunged forwards; taking the young woman in your arms. You felt how her body relaxed against yours. "Y-Y/N..." "Are you okay?" You pulled back; giving her a quick once over. Beth nodded. "Are you alone?" Once again, she nodded. "A-Are you alone?"

You just wanted to answer something, when another voice cut through the air. "Sunshine? Ya a'right? Wha' 's goin' on?" Daryl. His footsteps could be heard as well; approaching. "It's all good, sweetie. I found Beth." Within seconds, he appeared from behind a tree; looking from Beth to you and back. Then he nodded and lowered his crossbow. "Ya okay?" "Y-Yeah..."

Of course, you took her to the little camp. "How did you find us?" You asked; giving her some water to drink. The young blonde woman shook her head. "I didn't search for you. I just stumbled across you." You smiled softly and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. "I'm glad you did." "What you think I couldn't make it on my own?" Beth snapped; giving you a frown. You shook your head, "No. I never said that. I'm just happy to see you; knowing you are alive gives me hope." and gave the teenager's shoulder a gentle squeeze. You could see in her eyes, that she immediately regretted her words. "I'm sorry... You're probably right. I wouldn't make it, I-" "Yes, you will, Beth," you interrupted her. "You are strong. Stronger than you think." In return, the blond gave you a small smile. "Thank you."

Then she looked around. "Where's Teddy?" Her question brought you back down on the hard ground of reality. You swallowed hard. "I-I... We don't know. We hope he's in the bus..."

Daryl, who had been a quiet participant of your conversation with Beth decided to chime in. "He will be in tha' bus," the archer said and subtly reached for your hand, intertwining your fingers and giving it a soft squeeze.

With the first daylight, you, Beth and Daryl got on the road again; trying to find the bus. It took you quite a while, but around midday, you finally found its tire tracks. "Are those...?" You asked as Daryl inspected the tracks; hope flaring up inside you. He nodded. "Yeah, 'm quite sure 's from the bus." You exchanged a relieved smile with Beth, since she was hoping Maggie and Glenn were probably in the bus as well. "Let's go!" You almost shouted; excitedly running ahead.

Your happiness didn't last long, though; got blown out like a candle within seconds. As you rounded the slight curve, you spotted the bus in distance; causing you to stop in your movements. The back door was ripped open and a lot of dead bodies were scattered on the earthy road. Familiar bodies. People you knew and once lived in the prison with you.

The moment of realisation hit you hard. It felt like your heart had just jumped over the edge of a cliff; free falling into its death. "No... No, no, no..." You whimpered; tears already starting to well up in your eyes, as you started to run again - straight for the bus. You heard quick footsteps behind you and Daryl's voice calling out your name, but you ignored him. You had to look for you son. You had to see if he was dead.

"Teddy!" You screamed from the top your lungs, but got no answer. Hastily, your eyes scanned the dead walkers, but Teddy wasn't one of them. Without thinking, you climbed inside the bus. "Y/N!" Daryl called out for you again, but once more you ignored him; your motherly instincts taking over.

You could feel your heart hammering against your ribcage, as you checked every nook and cranny of the empty, blood soaked bus. "Teddy!"

He wasn't there.

All you found was the red bandana he used to wear around his neck. Tears blurred your vision as you sunk to your knees; clutching the bandana against your chest. Teddy was gone, and you had no clue where to even start. Was he dead? Was he alive? The uncertainty ate you up inside.

Daryl and Beth reached the bus after you; the archer's eyes immediately scanned his surroundings. He didn't have to be an expert to know what happened. It was obvious. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he turned to Beth, "Ya keepin' watch, yeah?" and let his crossbow fall carelessly to the ground. Beth, who was shocked as well just nodded.

With a grunt, Daryl climbed inside the bus as well; spotting your shaking and crying form on the floor. Of course, he didn't hesitate and rushed to your side. A pair of strong arms lifted you up and embraced you tightly; catching you from falling. You buried your face in Daryl's chest; holding on to him for dear life.

The archer knew he had to be strong for you, but that wasn't easy. Teddy was his son as well. Keeping up a brave, strong face in this situation was impossible. He couldn't stop the tear from escaping the corner of his eye. "We're gonna find 'im, sunshine. I promise. He's out there 'n we're gonna find 'im. I ain't givin' up. Ya hear me?" You snivelled and lifted your head to look Daryl in the eyes. You could clearly see how much this affected him as well. The pain he felt.

Daryl lifted a hand and cupped your cheek; gently wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. "Ya hear me?" He asked again, and this time you nodded. "Y-Yeah..." Daryl gave you a nod as well, "Good." and pressed a lingering kiss on your forehead.

"Someone's been clearly here 'fore us, let all 'em walkers out 'n killed them. Perhaps got Teddy saved by the person who did this." "You think so?" "Could be, yeah," Daryl said; chewing on his bottom lip.

You stayed silent for a few moments; gathering your thoughts and trying to get a grip again. "Alright. Let's keep searching."

You stared aimlessly at the concrete ground beneath you; trying to process everything that happened the past two days. You didn't even have time to breathe. Well, at least that was how it felt like... Finding the fallen bus, camping in an empty but stocked morgue, which resulted into losing Beth to god knows who. All you and Daryl saw was the white crosses on the rear window. It felt like another blow into the gut - full force. Now you were back at trying to find Teddy and the others; knowing very well that you couldn't rescue Beth alone.

You sat across from Daryl on the hard ground of the empty, only halfway finished building on the top floor; gaze directed on the landscape beneath your feet. Terminus was your destination; hoping that the others saw the signs too and followed the tracks as well.

The orange flames of the little campfire warmed your skin, but it didn't change the fact that you felt utterly cold. Without hesitation, you stood up and crossed the small distance to sit down beside the archer, who took you wordlessly in his arms. From your position, with your head resting in his lap, you looked up at him; noticing the trouble in his eyes.

Something was off.

Well, clearly Teddy still missing was occupying him, but there was also something else on his mind. You could feel it - and you had a guess...

You lifted your hand and gently cupped his cheek. He flinched at your touch; had been clearly lost in thoughts.

"What's going on in that handsome head, huh? Besides being worried about Teddy?" You asked; voice merely above a whisper. Daryl lowered his gaze and shook his head. "Nothin'." You huffed. "You can't bullshit me, Daryl. Not after seven years of being together. When are you going to learn that this won't ever work with me, huh?"

The archer started to chew on his bottom lip; lowering his head. He answered nothing at first and you didn't push him; caressing the skin on his cheek instead and trying to provide him some comfort and reassurance.

"'S on me," Daryl whispered after a while. "Losin' Beth..." You frowned; feeling his scruff tickling the tip of your thumb. "Sweetie..." You started and shook your head. "Why would that be your fault?" He swallowed hard. "'Cause I jus'..." He exhaled shakily. "I jus' send 'er out. I shoud've kept ya both safe... I-" "No..." You interrupted him immediately; shaking your head. "This is not on you, Daryl. You hear me? It's not your fault." You gazed deeply into his troubled eyes; swallowing hard. "You did what you think was right. And it was. You protected her from that literal herd of walkers by sending her out." You paused for a moment; letting your words sink in. "I hate that we found and lost her again in such a short time, but... She's alive, Daryl - and that's what's important."

The archer chew on his bottom and said nothing; just looked down on you. You could see in his eyes that your words had definitely reached his brain, but also that he was still hesitating. So, you jumped into action. "C'mere."

Sitting up, you shifted your position and gently nudged Daryl; gesturing for him to switch positions. Within seconds was his head now resting in your lap; face nuzzled into your stomach and arms tightly wrapped around your waist. It was exactly what he needed - and you knew.

You buried your hand in his chestnut brown hair; gently massaging bis scalp with your fingertips. "Let yourself feel it, sweetie. Imma catch you, I swear," you whispered; other hand running over his leather clad back. You just held him then; trying to be his tower of strength.

Silent tears were wetting your t-shirt, but you couldn't care less.

At some point Daryl had slept in - something you were really glad about. He needed rest and sleep; the physical and emotional exhaustion of the last few days catching up on him.

You went to check the barricaded staircase, before you extinguished the small campfire and laid down beside your man; trying to get some sleep as well.

You didn't know how long exactly you and Daryl were sleeping, but it must've been quite a while, since the first rays of the morning sun didn't manage to wake you up. Something else did... The familiar snarling and snapping of teeth, alongside some shouts and the sounds of knifes slicing through skin and bone.

You sat up with a start.

Someone was fighting walkers.

Out of instinct, you immediately reached for your weapons and stood up. Moving to the edge of the opened side of the house, your eyes widened at what you saw. It wasn't just somebody, who fought against the walkers... It was Maggie and Sasha.

"O-Oh my... Shit," you cursed and ran over to the stair; trying to quickly move the barricade away. The noise woke up Daryl, of course. "Whatcha doin'?" He croaked out; voice still thick with sleep. "Maggie and Sasha are outside and surrounded by walkers! We gotta help them!"

No ten seconds later was Daryl by your side and helped you to get out of the building.

Together, you stormed down the stairs and floors, until you reached Maggie and Sasha outside; quickly helping them to kill the threat. Both women's eyes widened as they saw you and the archer, but there was no time to talk. You had to get rid of the walkers first - and you did. Together. Panting, you wiped some blood from your hand and smiled at the two family members you just found. "Maggie... Sasha..." They smiled back at you with tears in their eyes, and within seconds, the three of you were wrapped up in a hug.

"It's so good to see you," Maggie stated, while she went to greet Daryl; placing a hand on his upper arm. The archer gave her a soft smile and Sasha a nod - which she returned. "Likewise," you replied, before looking around. "Are you two alone?" Maggie and Sasha exchanged a look. "No," Sasha said. "Bob's with us. He went ahead. We have to catch up." You frowned; were slightly confused. "Why did he-" "Trust us," Maggie interrupted you; still smiling softly. "You'll see."

You and Daryl packed your things and joined Maggie and Sasha; following the tracks. After catching up, you got to know that they were looking for Glenn, of course, and heading for Terminus as well - what gave you hope that all your other family members would do the same. Daryl talked to Maggie about Beth and explained what happened.

It didn't take you long to catch up with Bob. You could see him walking in short distance. "Bob!" Sasha called out to him, which caused the man to stop and turn around. His eyes widened for a moment, before a bright smile stretched over his face. He turned around again for a few seconds, and what then happened literally took your breath away...

Bob wasn't alone. A way smaller figure appeared from behind him. A little boy you only knew too well. Teddy. "Mommy! Daddy!" He cried out the second he saw you two and didn't hesitate to instantly start running towards you and Daryl.

"O-Oh my god," you breathed out; hand reaching out to grasp your man's arm. Tears were glistening in your eyes. But this time, it was happy tears.

Nothing in this world could've held you back then. You stormed off; running towards Teddy and fell to your knees in front of your son; quickly taking him in your arms. "M-Mommy..." Teddy was audibly crying as well; beyond happy and relieved to see you, of course. He was still just a child after all. "I-I'm so sorry, baby... S-So sorry... I should've never left you alone," you whispered into his hair; breathing in his scent. Teddy's small arms squeezed you in response - and not just Teddy's...

Daryl had made his way over as well and was now perched on his knees, just like you; one arm wrapped around you, the other around his son. The little boy noticed the presence of his father immediately and quickly untangled his arms around you, in order to throw himself into Daryl's arms - and you happily let him. Unlike you, though, the archer stood to his feet with him; giving Teddy the opportunity to hug him even closer.

An opportunity the four-year-old took.

He wrapped his legs around Daryl's waist; clinging to him like a baby koala to a tree. You smiled warmly at the both of them; beyond happy that your little family was reunited - something you had to thank your other family members for.

You turned towards Maggie, Sasha and Bob, who were standing beside each other a few yards away; watching the joyful reunion with smiles on their lips. "Guys, I..." You had to hold back a few tears. "I can't even say how grateful I- we are...Thank you so very much." You walked over to them; taking all three of your friends in a group hug.

"You don't have to thank us, Y/N. We are family - and that's what family does," Maggie said. "Exactly," agreed Bob. "W-Where did you find him?" "The bus. He was hiding overhead. Smart boy," explained Bob. "We killed the walkers and found him," Maggie continued.

Everything made sense now.

"Again, thank you. I-I don't know what I or Daryl would've done if we had lost Teddy..." Maggie shook her head and hugged you again. "Don't think about that. He's here and safe." You nodded; "Let's find Glenn." giving her body a gentle squeeze.

And you did. Just like all of you found your way to Terminus...

Tags: @angelwings-crossbowstrings @belitoxx @fictive-sl0th @marvelcasey05 @loz-3 @whore4romance @stitchintimefan @bigbaldheadname @making-the-most-0f-it @erebus-et-eigengrau @km-ffluv @0-aubrie0 @sweetz1919 @mikaela-granger @secretsicanthideanymore @dilfdixon @txtttttttttttttt @dixons-sunshine @stiveroon @cakesandtom @mayday2007 @dixonsdarkelf @huntedmusicgardenn @ffsjustletmesleep

[callmearcturus]

i'm gonna share a writing trade secret

I am never casual about a character traveling. I hate to skip those intermediary parts because I have an almost spiritual feeling about travel, how being in transit is a great time for self-reflection. In a more dramatic story, having someone's travel plans interrupted mid-trip can be extremely effective and nerve-wracking for the audience.

So what I tend to do is use Rome2Rio. This site will compare different ways to get between two places, with flight or bus or train or hired car, whatever, and it'll lay out where all the stops and exchanges are and the time frames.

Then, I compared that information to google maps, zooming waaaaaay in and sometimes even going into street view to digitally walk around the place. I especially pay attention to metro stations and train depots, where the character will likely have some downtime, and look at recent photos of that place and the building map if the depot/station has a website.

There will always, inevitably been an interesting detail that I spot and fixate on, and I will usually stage the scene in the vicinity of that specific idea.

I always like to notice:

what is the flooring situation, what's it look like (this is because I grew up with the old MCI airport which had a gorgeous celestial mosaic flooring that has since been destroyed bc nothing is sacred)

how are the bus/train lines set up, how fucking confusing is navigating between lines (Shibuya Station you are a nightmare)

any cool art installations? if the place has a website look at the calendar to see if they have exhibits coming in and out. (you don't even have to use the exact exhibits, just get an idea what MIGHT be there)

what food had great reviews and what has terrible reviews

how much sunlight, how claustrophobic, can you see the surroundings

I might not use the exact details, but I find it... helps make a place feel Correct, to at least know this stuff

[jeonstellate]

currently writing the fic for this idea prompt, and i’m highkey pissed i can’t fit these in:

(won’t provide additional context, except that peter is six who kinda acts a little younger because . . . reasons.)

“Happy birthday, Alfred!” Peter flashes a smile that gets everyone, sans Jason, in the room stilling. They know that smile. “Here’s Uncle Jay’s gift for you!”

“It’s from all of us Outlaws,” Jason corrects while his nephew hands over the wrapped box to the Wayne family butler. “And Peter and Lian.”

Before Alfred, or anyone else, can say anything, Peter deems it important to throw his uncle under the bus right there and then. “Auntie Artemis said Uncle Jay accidentally left it at home because he forgot to set an alarm.”

Some can’t help but chuckle with amusement. Children really don’t have well-installed filters. “For shame, Jason,” Steph chastises playfully.

Peter notices the cakes on the table and leans forward dangerously without any warning. Had Jason’s reaction time been any slower, the former would’ve surely face-planted onto the cakes below.

“Careful, buddy,” he says after jerking his nephew closer to his chest and further from the table. He almost sighs in relief upon averting a crisis (read: Kori’s disappointment). “You don’t need to be that close to look.”

Peter doesn’t pay him any mind, green eyes never leaving the desserts that have captured his attention. “Is this one for you, Uncle Jay?” He inquires after a moment, pointing at the cake with Happy Birthday, Jason! elegantly written on top.

“Yeah.”

Peter hums a note that doesn’t sound impressed. “I like the one me and Lian decorated better.”

Jason doesn’t know how else to react to that besides avoid looking at Alfred, who baked and decorated the cake his nephew doesn’t seem to approve of. Everyone else is too stunned to move.

Jason follows what caught Peter’s attention on the ceiling. His eyes land on the unsuspecting chandelier.

“No, Peter,” he shuts down the idea barely brewing in his nephew’s head. “You can’t swing on the chandelier.”

“Aw.”

Somewhere in the room, Duke can’t believe his ears. “That’s hereditary? How the—”

Peter fixes him a stare. Eyes slightly widened, bottom lip slightly pushed out. He wisely averts his eyes. “Don’t give me that look. Artemis will have my head. And that’s if your mom doesn’t get to me first.”

“Jaylad, you’re injured. You shouldn’t be carrying—” Bruce starts to say while inching closer to where his third eldest stood.

Jason is quick to react. “Nice try, old man, but I know what you’re trying to do.” He shifts Peter to his other arm, the one that’s further from his adoptive father, and straightens his body even more in an attempt to hide his nephew from the other’s view. “I won’t let you sweep him away.”

“I’m not—” Bruce starts again, but this time stops in middle in his own accord. In a softer voice, he eventually admits, “I just want to hold him.”

Jason doesn’t let up his protective stance. “Peter doesn’t like strangers carrying him.” To strengthen his argument, he turns for back up. “Right, buddy?”

However, much to his utter astonishment, the boy that has been attached to him since he showed up unannounced is no longer where he last saw him mere fifteen seconds ago. Instead, he’s in the arms of the second eldest Wayne child and is now holding a glowstick.

Jason doesn’t even have a clue when the transfer must’ve taken place. He didn’t feel his nephew detach while his eyes were locked on Bruce.

Cass smiles triumphantly as she rests the child on her hip.

“Uh-huh!” Peter confirms enthusiastically, unaware of — really, uncaring for — how his current position is an unignorable contradiction to what he just agreed to. He waves the glowstick with fervor. “Look, Uncle Jay, I got a baby lightsaber!”

[dadyscumslutprincess20]

You kinda got me addicted to Kyung Jun (smut). Are you okay with doing another one? Or maybe just his love languages?

Kyung Jun x Fem!Reader (Black & Korean )

Genre : Smut ⚠️

Warning : pussy eating , rough sex , fingering , cussing

Small summary: You had a fight with your boyfriend Kyung Jun before coming to the school trip once you arrived at the location you quickly got off the bus grabbing your things before Kyung Jun could as you speed walk towards the building not really caring to hook to the internet since you had a small tape player that had music installed as you head to your room .. not realizing that your boyfriend was watching you with a pissed and annoyed expression

Sighing as you stare out the window music blasting through your headphones ignoring the others around you , feeling a small tap on your shoulder turning your head slowly taking your headphones off your head pausing your music in the process as you look at your best friend Lily (not a actual character) who looked at you before glancing behind both your seats raising a brow a bit confused before looking at the last row of seats in the back of the bus

There sat Kyung Jun and both of his minions.. he was staring right at you eyes never leaving your seated figure sighing as your lift your hand giving him the finger rolling your eyes before turning back around looking at your best friend who gave you a ‘what the fuck y/n’ face before quickly glancing at the trio only to turn back around with a terrified expression

“I really think your fucked when we get there” Lily whispers enough for just you to hear turning to her as your raise your brow

“Why..”reader replies a bit confused to why Lily looked terrified quickly glancing at Kyung Jun before turning around just as fast as Lily… He didn’t look happy at all he looked like he would tear your head off in any moment and it didn’t help that you and Kyung had a huge fight before coming on the school trip quickly placing your headphones back on your head playing your music as you try to look ahead and ignore Kyung Jun eyes as they stared daggers into your skull

After a few more minutes , the bus had finally arrived in front of the school quickly standing to your feet carefully stepping over Lily as you speed walk out of the bus being the first person off the bus as your classmates walks off the bus one by one grabbing your book bag and duffel bag before running towards the school once you made it in side the school you speed walk past the sign informing students with the Wi-Fi info and such not really caring as you head straight for your room stopping at your door quickly looking down the hall before opening your door and heading inside

Once you were inside your room you released a breath that you didn’t know you were holding turning to face the room as you took a mental note on the basic room decor , shrugging your shoulder as you walk further into the room forgetting to lock the rooms door not thinking anyone noticed you run off besides Lily who would be sharing a room with you , placing your bags on the side of the bed on your side of the room (right side) sighing as you decided to put on your sleeping shorts and half top

After you were changed in your sleeping clothes placing your bag with your other clothes in the small closet along with your dirty clothes in a bag your had for your dirty ones , closing the closet as you turn towards the room decided to lay on your bed and read the (your favorite ) manga you had bought along with you incase you ever got bored gabbing the manga as you turn to head for your bed only to be stopped in your tracks.. your door was open but it wasn’t Lily , there stood a pissed off Kyung Jun taking a step back as you watch him close the door behind him before slowly turning the lock eyes never leaving you

“What are you doing” Reader says as you become kind of nervous not knowing what he was up to

“Oh nothing I can’t check up on my girlfriend now” Kyung Jun says I’m a calm voice only you knew he wasn’t calm his aura was far from being calm your eyes watching as he takes a step towards you causing you to take a step back

“I don’t need you to check up on me , fuck off Jun” reader says rolling your eyes as the nervousness left your body completely your arms now crossed over your shoulders as you became a bit annoyed

“Jun, that’s not what you call me” Kyung Jun says taking the last few steps towards you causing you to step back until your back was against the wall your brows furrowed as you give him a fuck you look

“Fuck you get out I want to read go find your dumb friends” Reader says annoyance still lingering in her voice

Letting out a dark chuckle before Kyung Jun picks you up in his arms not caring that you told him to put you down turning as he walks towards your bed throwing your small body on the bed causing your eyes to go wide watching as kyung removes his jacket letting it fall to the floor his shirt soon following after his jacket once his shirt was off he slowly removed his pants throwing them next to his shirt and jacket leaving him only in his boxers his dark eyes looking down at you

“W-what are you doing” Reader says slightly nervous as Kyung grabs your ankles pulling you so you were on your back before climbing on top of you grabbing at your shirt as he pulls it over your head you hated it that he was able to make your panties soaked without even having to touch you , you admit that sometimes you liked when he got upset if it needed with him fucking your brains out you didn’t mind once he had your shirt off before quickly unhooking your bra sliding it off your arms throwing both your shirt and bra somewhere on the floor not really caring to much

Completely ignoring you before attacking your lips with his own his hands moving down your exposed breast his hand giving your breast a tight squeeze causing you to moan into the kiss causing him to smirk pulling away from the kiss as he leaves wet kiss down your neck making sure to leave a few marks before slowly moves down to your breast kissing the valley between your breast slowly moving to your breast that wasn’t getting enough attention giving your nipple a lick making you shiver before attaching his mouth to your nipple sucking and biting at your nipple causing you to let out loud moans

Pulling away from your nipple once it harden before moving to your other breast giving your nipple the same treatment his hands slowly moving down your stomach as they travel to your school skirt before pulling it up laying it a bit on your stomach as he rubs small circles against your soaked panties groaning as he feels how wet he got you quickly moving your panties to the side causing you to spread your legs a bit giving him access to touch you as you became more needy by the minute moaning as you feel his cold hand come in contact with your exposed pussy

Slowly moving his fingers past your soaked fluids before rubbing small but fast circles against your clit causing your body to jerk a bit from the sudden contact moaning as your eyes now lock with Kyung Jun hating how he looked at your with his stupid smirk slowly licking his lips watching as he slowly travels down to your dripping pussy leaving trails of kiss before giving your pussy a gently kiss grabbing one of your legs with his free hand pushing it towards your chest once his face was level to your dripping hole giving your soaked pussy a long lock catching your fluid on his tongue groaning before removing his fingers from your clit slowly inserting them inside your tight hole as he cuts and locks at your clit

“K-Kyung J-J-Jun ..” Reader moans out back arching off the mattress hands now gripping at the sheets slowly letting go of the sheets as one of your hands moves to grip at Kyung Jun’a hair as he groans causing vibrations to run through your body as you squeeze at your breast with your other hand not caring if anyone heard you , your mind only focused on how Kyung Jun eyes never let yours toes curling as you notice his eyes darken with lust feeling your walls tighten as a knot forms in your stomach

“Fuck your so pretty like this..” Kyun Jun says as he removes his mouth for a second his face covered in your slick as you feel the knot tighten in your stomach eyes rolled to the back of your head kyung smirks before reattaching his mouth to your Kyung pussy giving your clit long lick as your feel the knot in your stomach snap before feeling your juices cover Kyung removing his fingers align with his mouth before licking your juices from his fingers along with your slick that covered his mouth before climbing on top of you quickly removing his shirt as his lips attack your in a deep kiss

You were so focused on the kiss you didn’t see as he pulled his shorts and boxers down in a quick motion fight his harden 9inch cock a few strokes with his palm before lining his top up to your entrance before pushing his whole length inside your tight hole causing you to gasp in the kiss as he pulls away from the kiss smirking down at your not giving you time to adjust before he started to pound into you at a fast pace

Back arching off the bed as his coke moves in and out of your soaked pussy at a fast pace ignoring as you begged him to slow down he was pissed that you were acting like a brat so he wasn’t going to be nice to you he didn’t care that your cunt was sensitive grabbing your hands as he held them above your head by the wrist with a strong hold his other hand grabbing at your waist holding you still before picking up his past his cock moving deeper inside your tighten walls growing as he feel you tighten around his cock he loves the way you tightened around him your warm walks mad refusing to let him go as they pull him deeper inside your cunt his coke head kissing at your cervix

“F-Fuck..” Kyung Jun groans out as the bed begins to shake your eyes now in the back of your head as your kind couldn’t keep up with the violent attacks Kyung was giving your pussy your hands trying anything your could to brake them free only to result him Kyung tightens his hold on your wrist as his strokes became more violent your body shaking from the amount of pleasure Kyung was giving you , toes curling as your moans become caught in your throat

“F-Fuck that’s hot..” Kyung Jun groans out his eyes staring down at your stomach his cock soon twitching as you feel a knot form in your the pit of your stomach your walls tighten by the seconds Kyung strokes becoming more sloppy as his groans become more louder than they were before , back arching as you feel the knot snap in the your stomach your juices soo covering the sheets beneath you moaning as Kyung picks up his sloppy strokes before soon pulling out stroking his cock a few times before shooting his load on your lower stomach that he left visible

“Turn over..” Kyung says as he continues to stroke his still harden cock

[ts1depot]

San Marina Bus Edition™ is Out Now

As promised, I now have a working version of San Marina with working buses and bus stops running in-game. This is a save file version of the world (not another world file), so if you have San Marina already, don't panic. Just download the save file and make sure you have installed and/or placed the following before loading:

→ Lyralei's Bus Manager @ Simblr.cc

→ Sim City Transit Bus @ Fresh Prince Creations

→ Bus Shelter with Ads @ Around the Sims

💾 Link to More Information and Save File 💾