#It's why I only ever talk in tags unless it's important! it makes me feel like everyone is actually ignoring me :>

[cerise-on-top]

hEy SI!!!!!!!! how's you?? just a little bug who wanted to check in on its wonderful friend...,.,.... I hope you're doing well ^^ sorry I haven't spoke to you in a while by the way school is stressing me out 🥲/sil!!

Hey there, Luci! I'm doing fine, I've just been a bit stressed and depressed because of upcoming events ^^; But thank you for checking in with me, that's very kind of you :-) And don't worry about not responding to me, it's fine ^^ I can't send you an ask right now, but how are you doing! I hope you're doing alright :>

[blank-slate-jay]

Shared Warmth

Joel Miller x Male!Reader

Word Count: 6.8k

Summary: Joel brings reader to an abandon home, that he wants to call home for the two of you. Something erotic in Joel ensues seeing you in just your underwear.

Tags: Smut (18+), Anal, Fingering, Dirty Talk, Pet Names, Dom!Joel, Fluff, Established Relationship, no use of (y/n)

A/N: Longest fic I've ever written so far. I don't know how I managed to conjure this! Could've split this into two parts, but decided this is better as one post to make this more cohesive. Enjoy!

AO3! | Reposts are much appreciated!

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"You'll see," is what you had received.

A response with very little context, a saying with many different meanings.

You didn't know what to make of this, sitting behind him on the horse with your arms around his waist, you genuinely felt left in the dark. It was very much like Joel to leave you questioning the tones under his voice. Most of the time it was just Joel being Joel, being the closed off man that he was. But the man was in a very good mood, deliberately mocking your naivety with a chuckle.

You sighed, "where are you taking me", saying it more toward yourself than to Joel. Being nearly a day away from Jackson, the question was a reasonable one. After all, what purpose was there to go beyond Jackson for? A gated community was a blessing in times like these, and yet strangely for you, something felt off. Living there has made you feel out of place, made your relationship with Ellie and Joel seemly less meaningful. Perhaps being in a safe haven, with so many people, wasn't truly what you sought.

Bizarre for sure that if you say it out loud, you knew people would call you crazy. You yourself felt you might’ve lost your mind. However, you can’t deny your feelings. Those days, weeks, and months traveling with Joel and Ellie across the country - those were some of the best times you've had even with the looming danger around every corner.

Regardless of what was going through your head, you weren't complaining, being back out into the world. The orange glow of the sun only served to emphasize this notion, piercing through the branches just above your head. It created this relaxing setting, one you can bask in for an unhealthy amount of hours.

"Do you have an idea of where we might be goin'," Joel asked.

Cruel. Just damn cruel, asking you a question you knew he'd leave open ended. Still, you played along.

"I’m assuming it’s pretty big,” after relaying that the man hums finally providing you with a clue, even if its unspecified. “…and that you aren’t playing some trick on me. So, a mall?”

“Try again.”

“A museum?”

“Nope…”

You let out a frustrated grunt, wishing the ladder were true. “Lake?”

Joel took longer to respond, “Mmm,” the man thought about it. “Not quite, it’s close by, but not important.”

You scoffed, placing your head on his shoulder, unsure of what he has disclosed so far is true or not, "Should I already know what it is?" Maybe that'll give you the upper hand.

"I doubt you'd guess this," Joel responses.

"So I'm guessing that a no then?"

The older man nods, turning his head to you before replying with a, 'Yeah'. There was no use in trying by that point. The constant persistence wasn't doing you both any favors. Joel probably had a reason to keep it secretive, so why spoil it? Knowing ahead would've made the trip less intriguing, if not boring. And on the bright side, what'll come will actually be a surprise.

Rather than playing into Joel's trickery you let it go, lifting your head back up, "Alright you won, I forfeit."

"Finally givin' up."

You reply, “I think I have too. I’ve ran out of ideas,” you lied just exhausted by the mind tricks, “Unless you want me to keep going?”

Joel partly wanted you to continue, to get back at you for all the times you fucked with him. He was starting to understand the fun in it now and why you did it to him. He settled for one more jab at you, “Will you get it a right this time?”

"Shut it" you giggle, bumping the man's thighs with your legs. Your comment did do the trick, as Joel fell silent after your remark. You could tell the man was smiling though; his rising cheek gave it away. Some of you was certainly rubbing off onto him, to know the man was now more comfortable with you was flattering.

Joel then reaches down for your leg, placing his hand right over your kneecap, caressing it like it was precious. “Don’t worry now, sugar. We’ll be there shortly.”

His considerate touch, that softness in his voice. Those two components together were enough to send a warm feeling throughout your body. How easy Joel could just captivate you by his touch alone, you guessed that was just how love worked.

You nodded your head as if he could see you, humming to acknowledge his words. Again you laid your head against him, face now between the back of his bare neck and the collar of his blue shirt. Closing your eyes, you let yourself listen to the sounds of nature around you to pass the time.

---

Sometime later, you found yourself opening your eyes to the sound of Joel's voice. Your vision, well adjusted to the growing darkness of dusk, focused on the dirt path some feet away.

"We're here," Joel says, spiking your interest enough to get your full attention. You lean back from the man's frame, hands rubbing the bags under your eyes.

Taking a look at the dirt path, you gaze in both direction. One leading deeper into the forest and the other extended out into a clearing. You confusingly study the area, unable to spot anything of interest. No water, no structure, not even a tree with any unique properties. You couldn't help feeling a bit bewildered, some of that feeling escaping through your lips with a quick 'Umm'. Stealing a glance at Joel's side profile, you tried reading what little you could see of his face.

He nods, "Good. You're awake. It's just this way," he explains, spurring the horse to get them moving in the direction of the dirt path.

Huffing in relief you spoke, "Phew, not gonna lie you almost got me there," thinking Joel might've been toying with you still. He turns his head to you, claiming that he wasn't going to bring you out there for nothing. If the man had told you that some time ago, you would have a hard time believing him.

Trotting forward, the horse comes into close proximity of the tree lines. Just on the other side you could barely see something faint between the leaves; a building of sorts. By what you could see the distance made it difficult to tell with the addition of nature covering your view. The universe really made things difficult for you. For what what it was worth, you were sure Joel didn't want you to see it until you stepped out into the open field. Still, the suspense was killing you.

This wasn't going to last any longer as Joel turns the horse right into the clearing. The tree's now finally out of view, you were hit with the red beam from the sun, blinded by your curiosity and in exchange being blinded by the sun in return.

You squint some, grunting as your gaze trailed around the perimeter. There was lots of tall grass, a noticeable transition compared to the on's just behind them. It stretched far beyond what your eyes could already see. Of course your mind was then caught up by the building some distance away.

There was a house. Someone's house. A house, that looked to be in good conditions. Surprisingly the lone tree just beside it has yet to infect the home with any vines. It made you believe that someone had to have lived here not too long ago. That person was one lucky bastard to have that home to themselves, you thought, imagining how nice the interior had looked.

"Ain't that something", Joel spoke, pretending as if it was his first time being there.

You comment, "Looks lively." A good point compared to everything the two of you had seen on the way there.

But Joel corrected you, "It's empty actually, has been for awhile". You let out a quick 'Huh', taking in his words, further scanning the house. The sidings are a tinted white, slightly scrapped on some parts of the wall. The dark colored roof, contrasting with the siding, made the home brighter than it already seemed. The house stood tall, two stories at most based off the windows, with the first floor being linked with the porch.

It was both funny and disheartening how attached you felt to this home already compared to the one you, Joel, and Ellie shared in Jackson. You kill to live in a home like this, not that you hated your existing home, just this one felt...right to you. Exterior alone, it reminded you of your old house pre-outbreak.

"Can we go in," you asked. A silly question, like you needed Joel's permission to enter the desolate property.

Joel responded sarcastically, dragging out the phrase "Nooo", with his gruffy voice. You knew he was only kidding and was now becoming intrigued by what was inside. Even so, the invasive feeling creeping up your stomach didn't go away yet. You looked around, taking in a full scope of the area. You trusted Joel of course, something that had improved since you first met. But your vigilant, alert mind hadn't shifted in the slightest; only improved thanks to being with Joel.

You turn your head around, looking behind you and at the edges of the tree lines to ensure that no one was following or coming. Like it even mattered, Joel had already assured your safety. You guessed it was better safe than sorry.

With your head now facing to the left, you gaze over to the far side of the field. So far that walking there would be ineffective. The field, a tad bit sloped, dragged on into the distance stretching too far for you to even consider. The sun made the entire sight something you'd see only from a painting or photograph. Sure enough, Joel wasn't lying from earlier when he confirmed there was a lake, just far off at the ends of the slope.

Joel steady the horse, grabbing the reins tightly to slow her down to a halt. "Alright," the man sighed. You let go of his waist as he began to move, his boots shaking the stirrups while he steps down from the horse. He then reaches his hand up to you. You gladly took it, allowing the man to pull you down.

You thanked him, a small smile stretching across the side of your face as you looked at the older man. He reciprocated your gesture with a smile of his own, one that made the wrinkles near his eyes stand out. He didn't have to mutter a word for you to know that he heeds your words.

The man turned his attention then to the horse, letting go of your hand in the process. He grabbed the reins and moved the horse over to tie it up to on of the porch's pillars. While he does so, you made your way up the few stairs, the wood creaking beneath your shoes.

Your hands trailed along the rails, rough and also smooth against your skin. Your eyes darting up and down the walls. Closely the walls looked more worn down, not too badly but could use some improvement.

You turned to look back at Joel who was slinging his bag over his shoulder. The man brushes his hand by your arm and passes by you. He walked up to the door before pushing it open. He moves his back agains the open frame, "Come".

Peaking inside for a moment, there was no way the house was empty like Joel had inferred. "Empty, huh. Doesn't look the way to me.", you look at the man with a snarky look on your face.

He looked unfazed by your humor, the man's face falling a bit flat. It reminded you of the times he'd looked at you after having to endure some of your playful banter. Those times were fun back when you traveled the country together with Ellie.

"Get in" he insisted, sounding annoyed but also seconds away from chuckling.

You don't push your luck and brush by the man still with that look on your face as you pass by him. To wipe that look off your face, Joel smacks your backside causing you to yelp; biting his lips in sync. It was a bastard move, but you weren't complaining. Looking back at him was either rewarding or a mistake cause he was making the face you familiarizes yourself with, best described as hunger. God. Choosing your next action carefully was smart cause anything that insight him to grab and kiss you, would lead to something more...erotic.

Not giving into temptation, you turn your attention to the living space ahead, balling your hand into a fist and squeezing it with the other hand. "This is...quite the place," you stated, stepping further into the home. You weren't kidding. The place had an aura very reminiscent of a cabin, the amount of woodwork around the living room alone gave you that impression. However, the house looked and felt homey all the same.

You walked up to a small craved out sculpture, shaped like a bull, placed above the small fire place. While inspecting it's form you brought up a question, "How'd you find all this?"

"Me and Tommy we're riding out", he started as the man trailed over to the wall to place his bag down, "And I wanted to do some more exploring but Tommy wanted to go back. So I let him and luck would have you..," the man finishes by raising his arms up some like he was revealing something grand, "...got my hands on this."

You nod, looking away from him to fiddle with the small bull, "Cool, it's like a comfy outpost. I like it". You then used the bull like a pointer, motioning it in the man's direction, "You weren't gonna hold out on us were you?"

Joel shook his head, making his way over to you. "Firstly this isn't a toy," he says, grabbing the small figure out of your hand. He places it back into its original spot before resuming, "And secondly, I was going to tell you, specifically just you about this place."

He was? You raised an eyebrow in question, wondering what significance a place like this would even have. It wasn't somewhere you'd visited with Joel before, nor was it a house that held any meaning to you prior to arriving. So what gives? "Just me", you muttered.

The man smirked some, finding it adorable how dumbfounded you appeared. He stepped closer to you, close enough to where you could feel the warm heat from his nostrils flaring against your face. “Yeah, just you”, he repeated, his voice now closer to a whisper. 

You could feel his hand grasping at yours as you kept your eyes locked with his. “I’m sorry, I feel I’m missing something here”. The man, obviously still listening, lifts your hand up to his own face, gently rubbing it against his cheek. His scruffy beard, pricked your palm as you cupped the man’s face. 

The man wondered if he should even answer. Your palm, tender against his rough skin nearly made him forget how to speak. Made him almost forget what you had even asked. He had held it longer than he should've, feeling slightly guilty for holding something like this off from you. He felt you inquired more than enough today. 

With your palm, slowly being squished between the man's hand and cheek he explains, "I got this for us. At Tommy's...I know things have been different between us since we got there. We, spend a lot of time outside of town, sometimes don't even spend time with each other much anymore. I thought it'd be nice to have our own space again, you know away from...everything. When I found this it just clicked for me. Felt like we could call this place home."

Your face was at ease, hearing him say what had been on your mind, spiked your attraction to the man further than you thought was possible. Every word, every sentence hit the mark for you. For a moment, you could swear he had to have read your mind at some-point. Either that or being with you had made it easy to determine what was bothering you. Regardless, having a place faraway for yourselves sounded too good to deny, especially when it was exactly what you wanted.

You couldn't quite put your thoughts into words, simply letting out a confused giggle, unsure of how to follow up on Joel's reveal.

Joel takes notice of this, captivated once more by your expression. He then breaks the silence, "You've asked a whole of questions. Now let me ask you this, how do you feel about living here with me, sunshine."

You nodded immediately, maybe a bit too quickly and possibly too eagerly. "I'd...love to," the words finally falling out of your mouth.

The man response, turning his head some to kiss your palm between an utter, "Good." His lips softly trailed down, like he was following the curved lines on your hand. Each kiss felt delicate, purposeful, each with some kind of meaning supposedly. That was just within Joel's transcended mind, he couldn't help himself, he got lost quickly whenever he'd feel your touch.

You leaned yourself forward, pulling your hand away from his mouth to wrap it around the back of his neck. Tugging him forward you embrace him, finding his hips as a comfortable spot to rest your free hand. No surprise, Joel indulged, pulling you into his arms too.

The two of you stood for some time, merely appreciating and savoring the moment of intimacy. You didn't think any words could pinpoint how much you loved Joel. Not even the word ‘loved’ felt like it was doing him justice. It was beyond that.

“What did I do to deserve you," he mutters above your ear.

“Luck," you say.

He hums, knowing it to be true but hating the notion of life without you, fighting for you made it all worth something, made it mean something. He made small circles around your back, just being grateful he had you now, thankful that you made it to this point to be there in his arms.

"I'm making dinner," Joel says, catching you off guard for a moment. "Got the ingredients for your favorite."

You knew what he was talking about, it was meal you'd two shared before and you couldn't keep quiet about your enjoyment of the dish, even while eating the damn thing.

Luck would have you, again, you were about to experience that meal again.

---

You turned the running faucet of the soothing shower off, grabbing the towel just off the shower's hinges to wrap yourself in its warmth. Stepping out the tub, you began to dry yourself, wiping away all the sweat you'd built up after leaving Jackson. Once knowing this new place had running water, you were quick to jump for the shower, never skipping the opportunity to get yourself clean.

Joel was just downstairs prepping dinner for the two of you. You wondered if it was already finished since you spent way too long wandering the upstairs plane; checking the available rooms before finding the shower. You were sure it wasn't even done yet since Joel would've called out for your name by that point.

Wiping away the last remnants of water, you threw on some spare clothing, a shirt and just your underwear, from your backpack before stepping out the restroom. The cooler air hit your body, nothing you wouldn't accept since the season was a lot warmer; spring.

You made your way into the master bedroom. In this case, your shared room with Joel. Not much was in it. Compared to the other bedroom, which hosted nothing at all, this one at least had a bed and a few dressers. You weren't complaining since the room felt less compacted and more freeing.

Walking into the room you toss your towel onto the bed, taking in the open space, a stark contrast to your room back in Jackson. The thought of what you could implement to this room had your mind racing momentarily. Like what you could put within the corners or whether you should put any entertaining devices in the room. Maybe not the last part probably cause Joel would advise keeping those contained to the living room.

It got you pretty thrilled thinking about what you could do in general now that you weren't limited to a communities resources. This of course meant you didn't have as much to work with, but everything you gathered would or could be used to further improve your new home.

You started comparing your home back in Jackson to the one you have here. Down to it's interior, format, and spacing. You thought about the kitchen, dinning area, your shared room, Ellie's room. Ellie. Again you thought about her, a realization hitting you in the process. 'Fuck' you sighed under your breath. So caught up and enthralled by a nice change of environment, you hadn't even thought about her wellbeing.

At the moment, she was at Tommy and Maria's place, likely giving them a hard time as you'd expect. The usual for Ellie. But being so far away from her, not being there for her made you somewhat fazed; a pinch of disgrace too. That girl was tough and she needed to grow up around people to understand what it's like to live. But on the other hand, she'd follow you and Joel to the ends of the earth, she said it herself.

Throughout the wave of thoughts, washing within your head, you were by the window now. Hands perched up on the dresser just below the glass's border. The spot made for a great place to reflect. Perhaps this would be a good position to do it, overlooking the grassy plains, it gave your head a hub place to ponder.

If it weren't for you being lost in your thoughts, you would've been aware of the man standing by the door frame watching you; completely out of eyesight. Joel, leaning up on the frame with his arm, exhales an exaggerated sigh to catch your attention.

You turn, startled by the sudden noise. Realizing it was just Joel you relaxed. "You almost gave me a heart attack," you joked.

His presence definitely lightened you up, giving you something to distract yourself from any thoughts running in your head. You'd talk out how to settle Ellie's situation with Joel, it'll work out; you knew it would with Joel by your side.

"Sorry" he started, his eyes gazing upon your exposed legs. "Dinner's ready."

You nod, "Alright. I'll be down in a bit."

You thought after relaying this to Joel, that he'd leave and wait for you downstairs. But he didn't move, his figure remaining still as his eyes stayed focus on you. He nods too, but it seemed more that he did it subconsciously since his eyes weren't locked with yours.

The look was back and more prominent than ever. The dark look that you avoided earlier, was calling out for you to let him have you. Mixed with the half smile across his face made for a deadly combo.

You tried being clever, looking about the room to see if your bag was in sight. It wasn't, but you were sure it was still in the restroom after changing out your clothes. "I'm gonna grab my pants, really quick-"

"You don't have to" Joel says, his fingers playing with his nails. "I think you look fine already."

Failed, you tried getting to see if the man would hold off, tried keeping him at bay at least until you both were in bed. But no, you only drew more attention to your undergarments. To make matters even worse, Joel's gruff voice had caused a twitch between your legs. A slight growth a hardness, noticeable by both of you.

Joel bit his lips, taking his weight off of the door, "You're not too hungry, right?"

This was the one time where choosing your words carefully would be wise at the moment. However, you felt there was no turning back now. He wanted you, now. And you wanted him more. You sheepishly shook your head, "Not really", finally falling for the man's glare.

While you spoke, Joel already had closed the gap between you too, looking into your eyes for a moment. He hooks the front of your trousers with his finger, pulling you closer to him until his lips were locked with yours. You inhaled deeply, feeling a tingle shake your spine.

He cups the sides of your face, passionately parting his lips to slide his tongue inside. Fast as Joel was to get things going, you accepted. The warmth elevated by the mixing of each others taste made the tightness in your underwear uncomfortable.

Joel's huffs deeply into the kiss, his grip, grew stronger with each passing second. His weight started to shift your stance, causing you to back up until you hit the dresser behind you. You grunted against his mouth, not letting the movement stop you from continuing to brush your tongue against his.

Both moaning and breathing heavily, you grab at his collar shirt, playing with one of the buttons to get it open. You tried getting him to undress, a chance taken from you when he grabs your wrist tightly. The man wanted nothing but to feel your skin against his own. He wanted to savior the moment. He liked the build up, he loved the anticipation.

His hands were free from your face, but they soon started invading your shirt. He rampaged through it, running them around your shirt before sticking them in by your sides. You tremble at his touch. His hand created a warm sensation on your skin, reminding you of the times he’d draw circles on your back whenever you’d lay in bed together.

For you, gripping his jawline pulled you two closer, crotches colliding too. It peaked Joel’s interest, his eyebrows raising between the groans against your lips. Joel’s jeans made it difficult to tell, but it was clear you were hard, just as hard as he was. That got him to smile into the kiss, proud he could get you really erect quickly.

You parted your lips from his, only a few inches apart. You used the moment to catch some air, something you knew you wouldn't be granted later the further you proceed.

You questioned his smile, "What?" "Nothing," he says, his accent rolling off the tip of his tongue. "Just you". He waits a moment before throwing himself back into the fray, wanting your lips to be sealed with his.

Aggressive, he pushes you harder against the dresser, unintentionally crushing you moments before dipping down to grab your legs and halting you onto the wooded surface. The dresser creaked, not adapted to a person being onto but that didn't concern either of you. The man caress your thigh, slow and aimlessly, while his other hand yanked at the front of your underwear once more.

He wanted you to take them off so badly and you didn't waste a moment. You shook yourself, getting enough room under you to slip them off. Joel helped, his steaming breath hitting your slowly exposing skin made you pick the pace up. He help fully get them off, letting the cloth hit the ground. His gaze fixed on your now exposed erection made him forget to breathe.

“Now your turn”, you said.

Rubbing his hands down your legs, he reaches down for his zipper to unbuckled his pants. His belt clicked and his pants loosened, dropping everything done to the floor with a thud. He swiftly took his underwear off too, slipping it fully off and sliding everything off to the side with his feet.

You let out a shaky exhale, your eyes so baffled by how hard his cock was; rock solid and strictly standing upward. Your started pondering if you could even take it. Under these conditions you would have to take him raw. There had to be something to use, you thought something to make it easier for him.

“Hey”, Joel’s voice soft on your ears. He tilts your head up to hold your gaze, “Eyes on me.” He slowly caresses the features on your face, adoring just how amazing your eyes looked and how kissable your lips were. Those lips, looking at them intently he slips his thump across the bottom half. He wanted to nibble on them, gently bite to leave a mark on them; to leave evidence of his pass doings.

He used his other hand to play with your cock, making sure you were staying hard for him. You assisted him with your palm overlapping his; working in unison. It was subtle and worked to keep you both pleasured while focusing on the man.

Joel dipped his finger between your lips, “Open your mouth, baby”. Your lips separated and he slid his finger in. A bitter taste hit the roof of your mouth as he swirled his finger around. “Get it nice and wet for me. Gonna need it for the hole of yours.”

So this was the alternative. Normally you and Joel would talk about using some sort of cream for sex. With seemingly none around to use, your mouth would have to do. You started sucking on his finger for a bit, his thick finger, took up a good portion of your mouth. Not enough to suffocate like his cock, but enough to make you think about how to manage your tongue’s movement. After the first finger he switched it out for another, a small line of saliva leaking out every time he’d pull out.

Three finger were soaked now, three fingers you were sure would break you, more than his cock would. You shiver, trying to estimate the width of his fingers with that of his cock. It served no purpose other than question your capabilities. What good did that do you, especially now?

Joel releases your cock, and trails his hands down to your balls. You knew where he was headed, this wasn’t your first rodeo with Joel. You lifted your leg up, leaning back onto one elbow to keep yourself upright. Joel effortlessly threw your hovering leg over his shoulder, getting a view of what he’d been dying to see. Your hole, albeit at an angle was still visible and accessible which was the only thing that mattered to Joel.

The man, looked to your eyes for conformation, he wanted to make sure you were ready. There wasn't a hint of denial in your face, Joel loved that look.

Coming into close contact, he circles around your entrance. His rough fingers toyed with your hole, allowing the sensations to prepare you for his soon to come entry. God the feeling alone was making you wish he just put himself inside you, knowing it might hurt but still wanting him to push deep in.

No longer waiting, Joel pushes a finger inside, slowly. You narrowed your brows, the walls of your ass being breached caused a slight spark in your stomach. His finger slid relatively easily, getting your breathing to become shakier than before. It was nothing you couldn't take and his finger was satisfying, it might've been enough to make you cum. His second finger though, made itself known too, pushing in with the first.

You winced, wishing Joel had warned you. Two thick fingers inside was about right, it felt about the size of Joel's cock at it's hardest. Staying with this rhythmic push and pull inside your hole made you believe you were ready for him to fuck you. But one other finger remained, one still damp and set to go.

A yelp escaped your lips feeling the third join the other two. It hurt for sure, causing you to throw your head back as a jolt reaction. You bump the glass pane behind you, the light outside barely shining onto the side of your face. You reached up to grab at Joel's collar, the fabric bringing some level of comfort with it's pure softness.

"Relax..." the man groans.

Fuck you wanted to, but how could you when the man was expanding your ass with every thrust. It made you grip his collar tightly as you kept your eyes tight to prevent it a tear from falling. The feeling was both painful and enjoyable, the tingles running up your stomach never ceased and neither did the sting in your hole.

You started to tell, no, insist that he fuck you. It escaped your mouth through a whine, a part of you wanting him to just remove a finger or two to let you relax. You knew it had purpose, you knew why he was pushing your limits. The longer you held, the easier it would be for him to push himself inside of you. Still you begged, "Please...Joel...take me, just fuck me."

Through your closed eyelids you couldn't see the man, shamelessly smirking, "Oh yeah? Tell me how bad you want it, sugar pie."

You gasp, "Bad".

He groans, "Yeah?". He licks his lips, "Want me to go really deep in there, want to me fuck you real good."

"Uh...huh"

He pushes fingers deeper than usual "How badly?"

You gasped, "Really fucking bad. FUCK".

Joel groans, acknowledging your plead. If you wanted it that badly, he wish you told him sooner. He pulls his fingers out, the sounds of your hole getting him excited. It was wet now, just the way he liked it. In one swift motion, Joel flings your other, idle leg over his shoulder and yanks you forward until your backside was against his crotch. His cock, bumping into your balls got another sound out of you.

You relax into the dresser the best you could, letting your elbows rest and leaning your head back until it was laying against the glass again. It wasn't the most comfortable positions for your neck, you didn't pay much mind to this though as Joel began running his hands up your thighs. With your legs so close to his face, he also started leaving kisses and bite marks you knew would be visible the next day. He wasn't about to let you off without at least some marking, whether it'd be visible later or hidden by your clothes didn't concern him.

Breathing hard against your skin, his gaze turns back to his hard-on. He reaches for it, while overlooking your body. He lines it up to your hole pushing, not inside of you yet, but rather around the exterior.

Again with the teasing, you thought, wanting to roll your eyes but refusing to try. Did the man not tire of his own nonsense? You shifted your hip toward his cock, physically telling him to knock it off and shove it in you.

He locks eyes with you then, seeing your desperate and longing expression. You chewed down on your lips, seeing how the man's eyes had darken since last you laid upon them. He just smirked, looking down between your legs before pushing himself in.

It hurt but not as much as his fingers. The aftermath of those three invaders acted as a testament to how well you could still take the man in strides. For what it was worth, they did make it easier for him to slide into you.

He slipped in and out easily, smooth like butter. His thrust started methodically, getting familiar with your hole's interior again. He groaned, his cock pulsating against the edges, trying to find your sweet spot.

He wasn't able too, it wasn't that easy. You had laid there making hush moans that could only be audible for anyone within the room. It was striking and incredibly hot to Joel hearing you try to conceal your voice. It came off is if you were going to burst, like you were going to scream out his name, that was something else entirely.

Thinking about it gave him a surge, a rush that rapidly increases his pace. His hips smacking up against your ass, created a sound that vibrated your body. Each smack, was music to the man's ears, meld together now with your rising grunts. It probably was the best thing he'd ever heard.

You were losing it on the other hand. Your body trembled, your eyes became hazy, your mind completely in shambles; a mess best described it all. So much so that you had no idea what was even happening, questioning what was even real.

Were you becoming stupid with each thrust or did you completely lose your mind to him. His strides were beginning to make you see stars, more pleasing than the ones you'd see in the sky. A sudden overwhelming feeling rushes from your stomach all the way to your head, the strongest sensation you've felt all day. It made you feel light, like you had been consumed by the clouds.

This strange halt in your mind lasted for a minute before coming back from being on autopilot. You were semi-confused as your body was on a softer surface now. Your body lays flat, Joel's entire weight on top of you. Your senses were coming back to you.

The dresser was no longer your resting place but rather it was now the bed. Joel had lifted you up moments ago, still inside you, and crashed you both onto the mattress. Surprisingly that didn't snap you out of it, but what was even more confusing was the wetness near your stomach, just in between your stomach and Joel's. It was quite sticky. Wait, you stopped your mind from racing, ignoring Joel's rough groans in your ears for a second. You already came, you totally did. Your cock didn't feel restrained nor was it in any desire need to let loose any longer.

Shit, you thought, not realizing the man had satisfied you. You got lost in thought due to him hitting your sweet spot, it explained why your mind went into a frenzy. The feeling sent you over the edge again, jolting you back to reality this time; he hit it again.

You cry out as a response.

"Fuck, I'm gonna blow, I'm gonna fucking blow". Joel groaned.

You couldn't speak a word, it was too much, too much to bear. You dug your nails into the back of his shirt and pulled him closer with your legs around his waist. Your strength was dwindling, and you didn't have the voice to tell him to finish. If he kept it up any longer you were surely gonna cum again.

Joel's voice was deafening against your ears, his rhythm completely erratic and harsh against your hole. He went all out, posting himself up onto his elbows and thrusting into you like it was his last. He could feel the sharpness on his back, a deep sting from you nails pushing further into his skin. He watched as tears rolled down your face, wanting nothing but to wipe them away. He was right there, he could feel it rising up.

A few more rough thrusts did the trick. Joel grunted, holding his breath for a second as his cock convulsed before blowing. It came out fast, faster than he expected, squirting strings of cum in succession against your interior. He squinted his eyes, as he came quickly back down to your neck.

Joel's cock had settled, just as the two of you were. Exhausted beyond belief, you felt weak, one of your slipping off the man's back. You both relish in each other's touch, your breaths becoming steady at last.

The man's body shifts, causing you discomfort from still being inside of you. He reaches down to pull out, a quiet groan breaking free from your sealed lips. He used his other hand to cup and rub your cheek, his way of showing his gentleness after the affair. The man's cum oozed out, running down onto the mattress. You could feel how wet and loose it had become. Compared to the last time Joel had fucked you, you weren't as messy as you were now.

He then looked over to the side, seeing the towel you had used from earlier. He grabs it and wipes away the stains on your stomach.

You let out a sigh followed by locking eyes with Joel. They looked a lot more calmer, vibrant even just by his soothing demeanor.

As he finished wiping you clean the corner of his lips rose, "We should go eat."

Just like that, he had nothing left to say, acting as if nothing just happened. You scoffed at how quick the man could go from wanting to devour you to being a sensual man who wanted to give you the world. You weren't ready to rise from your position, not yet. You yank the towel out of his grasp before pulling him back down onto you.

Dinner can wait, just a bit longer.

[seangelfish]

WHEN THEIR S/O IS SICK

Featured characters: Kanata Yatonokami, Nayuta Yatonokami ♡ Tags: Headcanons and scenarios, fluff, established relationships, fem reader ♡ Word count: 685 ♡ Synopsis: How the twins take care of you when you're sick. A/N: Wahhh, I love them so much. I'm in love, truly.

KANATA YATONOKAMI

Kanata is never going to leave your side unless it's for something important. He berates you for getting sick, but it's only because he's extremely worried about you.

He'll spoon-feed you if you refuse to eat. He understands that you might not have an appetite right now, but he doesn't want you to starve. He even helps you when you need to drink water. As he lifts your head with one hand, the other holds the glass as he gently pours the water into your mouth.

He keeps to the schedule for when you need to take your medicine, so he reminds you each time. He'll spoon-feed you that too.

But most of the time, he'll just sit beside you – facing you. He lets you hold his hand as you drift to sleep. He won't move from his space especially if his mind is now preoccupied with many thoughts of you, hoping that you'll get better soon.

If he needs to write songs, then he'll have his laptop with him, but he'll keep by your side with headphones on, completely silent.

At times when you're asleep, he'll stroke your face, admiring how peaceful you look when you're not coughing your lungs out. He can't help but smile at this and even kisses you softly on your forehead. Thankfully, you won't ever get to witness that.

"K-Kanata..." you weakly say, reaching out for him.

He takes your hand in his. "What is it? Do you need anything?"

"Am... I... going to die?" you joke.

"Hey, don't talk like that...!" he hisses, pulling on your cheeks.

"Hehe, I'm just messing with you~" you laugh.

He sighs, squeezing your hand a little. "(Y/N), get well soon, okay?"

You smile as you bring his hand to your cheek, making him cup it. And he lets you – of course he does.

"Thank you for staying with me," you whisper.

"Mhm. I'll always stay with you."

NAYUTA YATONOKAMI

Nayuta's always been taken care of by Kanata, so it's finally his time to shine and take care of you! He wants to be seen as caring and responsible, so he'll do anything in his might to do so.

Like Kanata, he'll spoon-feed you if needed, but he's going to be really cheeky about it. He'll treat you like a kid as a joke, but he's just so fond of you that he finds the situation kind of cute.

He'll leave you alone if you need to rest, but when you wake up, he's already sitting beside you. He always greets you, asking how you're feeling. He's not one to stay beside you 24/7 because he thinks you need space, but he's always checking up on you as you never truly leave his mind.

But if you do want him to stay by your side for that long, then he will. He knows what it's like to be in your position, and having company always comforts him.

When you're awake and bored out of your mind though, he'll accompany you to watch videos on his phone together. Other times, he'll just tell you stories of his past or what he did the other day. He wants to keep you entertained, to make you laugh and smile. After all, being sick isn't fun.

He wants to hold you so bad, but he knows he can't otherwise he might get sick too. But that doesn't mean he didn't try to...

In the meantime, all he could do is draw circles on your palm; sometimes, lightly kissing your temple even when you tell him off.

"(Y/N), get well quickly, alright?" Nayuta says softly, peeling an apple for you. "I miss cuddling you..."

"Haha, is that the only reason why you want me to get better?"

"Heh, of course not. I want to see you back on your feet and healthy." He cuts the apple into slices. "Here. Now open wide~"

"Nooo, I can do it myself."

"I'm not letting you. Come on, (Y/N), be a good girl."

You roll your eyes but giggle, letting him plop the slice into your mouth.

"Thank you, Nayuta... for taking care of me."

"Anything for you," he replies, smiling.

Intro page | Paradox Live masterlist | Request rules

[freddie-77-ao3]

sup yall we're vibing here

anyway. hey, my name's freddie, and i'm finally trying to write an actual intro/master post which... we'll see how this goes.

important stuff is highlighted in orange.

so, basic stuff:

as I said, my name's freddie. he/him pronouns. i'm a college student (majoring in accounting, might add a psych minor). not gonna say which college but i'm currently in california.

i've been on tumblr since 2019 i think? not under this account, this started as a fandom account and then spiralled out of control... really fast. um, my regular tumblr which i've not actually opened in ages is @chronicchthonic14 so. yeah.

not particularly relevant to this blog, but i might mention it at some point so, i have autism and adhd. and some other things but. like. that list is very long and those are the two most relevant because i promise if i come off wrong/mean, i didn't mean to, i just forget to make my words normal. but. those are the two most referenced. if for whatever reason someone wants to know more or has questions you can send an ask ig?

i'm scottish, born there. moved to US when I was four. finishing uni and moving back.

some quick warnings

this blog definitely contains cursing/vulgar language, whatever you want to call it, so if you're not comfortable with that, probably not the blog for you, as i don't tag cursing or anything for you to filter out.

if, for whatever reason, if i ever reblog something that contains a slur (against racial minorities, queer people, anything) i will ABSOLUTELY tag that though.

also if anyone has any trigger warnings they think any content needs, please let me know-- asks, dms, comments, reblogs

the cursing thing also applies for sort of dirty jokes? think that only applies to like. two posts and very not explicit. those aren't currently tagged but if they get any more explicit they certainly will be.

queer identity because the explicit reminded me, i'm asexual, and probably straight. maybe bi? dunno, don't particularly care. and i'm trans. ftm. this isn't the blog i talk about that on usually though, unless it relates to a specific ask or a fandom thing.

which, getting into what this blog is for because i can't think of anything else i need to add here (guys let me know if i forgot important stuff, please, i'm an idiot!!! i will forget the important stuff and write random shit instead!! i've already deleted three tangents from this!!)

sooooo

fandoms!! ones i write and/or post about or will potentially post about

percy jackson extending to hoo, toa, tkc (definitely post way less about this), mcga (again, way less). haven't read TSATS or COTG yet, but spoilers are fine. i post way more about minor characters. write fanfiction for and have some posted (both on here and ao3) and a bunch of snippets.

dcu-- films, comics, animated shows, all of it. personally, my favorites are young justice (the comics, not show version), new teen titans, and batman inc (batgirls, nightwing, and red robin esp). late 90s yj run is my favorite, and i loved the DCeased event. favorite batman comic is definitely court of owls run. no fanfics posted, but some on docs.

mcu-- way less so, but have a stucky oneshot. slowly making my way through in timeline order.

throne of glass. i'm an aedion and chaol apologizer because they do a bunch of dumb shit but then WHO DOESN'T in this series. fanfics in doc, not posted.

this would go on for ages if i listed everything so instead, here's an ask i answered on my fandoms/genres and everything. feel free to send me asks about anyone. if you send me something about radium girls i may cry though (tears of joy) so there's your advanced warning.

main things you'll see on my blog are incorrect quotes, snippets, and the occasional fic

this^^

my... idk, contact policy? seriously what do i word this

asks are always open, anon is on.

if you send hate... whatever. i'll probably delete it.

unless i find it funny. then I'll post it. there's really little you could say to me that would hurt.

when i say asks are always open, you can drop anything you want.

literally anything

you need to vent? want advice? want to request headcanons? request a fic? give me a prompt? ask random things about me? something else I've forgotten? go right ahead

if you want to ask me to update my fics? go right ahead. sometimes i forget i didn't post something.

send as many asks as you want, i don't care if it might be spam

i can't promise i'll respond to asks in a timely manner, sometimes i open my inbox and forget they exist for months, i'm sorry. if it's something you really want answered you can send another one

dm's are alright? if you want to be friends or something, go right ahead.

anyone can reblog any of my posts/comment/heart, i don't care. you want to heart 50 things in a row? i adore you. if i had kids, you would get my firstborn

if we're mutuals you can ask for my insta/give me yours.

now, other accounts:

anyway, i think that's it?

[princeescaluswords]

I like Stiles as a character, but I often get frustrated by fanon diverging from canon, and the worst of it to me is the ways that Lydia treated by Stiles - as something he deserves, most notably when she kisses Scott and he's angry, which the fandom holds against Scott because apparently Lydia making choices means Scott is a bad friend - or in the scene when Lydia is high after the werewolf attack at the movie rental place, and the only thing that keeps Stiles from doing [something] is that Lydia calls out for Jackson rather than him.

I think Stiles is kind of a jerk, and I like him because of it, but the fanon Stiles used as a weapon to bludgeon canon Scott is... the dumbest thing in the fandom

Have you ever seen the frequent criticism on this site that certain people should have paid more attention in English class? This criticism arises from posts like the one I saw today, where a person was confessing that "people think Stiles is evil because he almost made out with Lydia while she was drugged up." I don't think Stiles is evil for doing that; it sounds like you don't think Stiles is evil. I've never actually heard anyone call him evil for almost giving into temptation. (The closest I've ever come to calling Stiles's evil is his behavior in Lies of Omission (5x09) and Status Asthmaticus (5x10) and I don't even go that far). What we do recognize that what he did in Lydia's bedroom in The Tell (1x05) wasn't the right way to behave.

Stiles's desire for Lydia is real and natural; it was his inability to recognize and respect proper boundaries that almost created a very bad situation. He did pull away when Lydia said Jackson's name; the realization that she was confused about who he was and not secretly attracted to him reminded him that his behavior wouldn't be the fulfillment of his desire but him taking advantage of her. It's a good scene that tells us about Stiles's weaknesses but also about his strengths: beyond the insecurity that leads him to fixate on the most unattainable girl in school and his constant disregard for proper boundaries, Stiles is a fundamentally decent human being.

So why do I, personally, bring up this scene when talking about Teen Wolf a lot? Stiles-stans (who are not really fans of Stiles but fans of Fanon Stiles or, more accurately, Self-Insert with a Stiles Name Tag) like to go on and on about how deficient a person Scott McCall, the lead protagonist, is because he was "obsessed" with Allison and lacrosse. They argue this to say why they 'dislike' him, but what they actually mean is that he shouldn't be the lead protagonist. But they never seem to remember Stiles's behavior when it comes to Lydia (or Derek's behavior when it comes to Paige or Liam's behavior when it comes to Hayden for that matter).

My position -- and I think the production shared this position -- is that Scott's desire to have a girlfriend and make first line on the lacrosse team is real and natural. However, his attempts to avoid recognizing and coping with the consequences of Peter's vicious assault could lead to very bad situations unless he took responsibility. Scott had to learn how to anchor himself -- which he did! He had to make sure he put what was truly important ahead of his relationship with Allison -- which he did!

I have always maintained that Teen Wolf is a bildungsroman, which is a story about children becoming adults. Throughout the series, Scott's growth is primary; he evolves from an asthmatic loser who feels like he sits on the sidelines of life into a True Alpha werewolf leading a war against those who would murder supernatural creatures out of self-interest. But he's not the only one to grow. Allison had her own story; Lydia had her own story; Derek had his own story (one of the best redemption arcs ever); and Stiles had his version of that story!

The problem is that there are a lot of people who didn't watch Teen Wolf as a story, but rather as raw material. They swooped in and picked up the parts that they wanted, like vultures devouring a carcass. They wanted Stiles and <insert white male love interest here> to be the focus of the show, as they were the focus of their interests, but they could do without the part where Stiles struggles to grow up. In response, they selected only the parts that fit their agenda. Thus, Scott becomes dull, obsessive, stupid, with a foolish no-kill rule, and an unearned hostility toward the Hale Family whom he shamelessly usurps, even though none of that description is remotely true. On the other hand, Stiles becomes the should-be valedictorian of his class, a master archmage, and a ruthless anti-hero ready to kill anyone to protect which ever white male character he loves this week, even though none of that description is remotely true.

Fandom, in the name of their own enjoyment, has boiled their understanding of the story down to "I don't like Scott" and "Stiles is not evil!" Nuanced takes like "Stiles had the courage to cross boundaries to protect others but that tendency also led him into some problematic actions" and "Scott didn't start out a heroic protagonist; he only embraced the mantle when he realized that the threats he had to face didn't care that he and his friends were teenagers." become difficult for them to understand and unpleasant for them to process, because they only really want Power Fantasy Stiles and Bad Friend Scott. Those bits and pieces fit into the pre-existing tropes that bring them pleasure. It's the limitations that frustrate them, not Teen Wolf's.

[ca-suffit]

my inbox got *so* quiet the last couple days but then I noticed something interesting.

almost everything was about sam or lestat again

then look at how virginia is posting now

and this

this side has always needed to pretend this is about something else so they don't have to talk about fandom racism. some of the asks I got might have been real but the timing of this feels sus. trying to get me to talk shit about sam but when I didn't post anything for days u decided to get the gossip rolling urself? that's what this is lol. faked outrage to stir the pot. u have to subtly aim at black fans again and also go deeper into ur weird parasocial sam reid feelings so u feel important and loved. wtf.

didn't u all send sam a fan art book and other stuff ur always being loud about cuz he mentioned having it in interviews a few times? don't u visit him on sets and tell him u luv him all the time (I've seen the posts lol). he's fucking with u so u will watch the show more and react just like this lol idiots.

the last fangs psa post also tried to pretend it was about this

the craziest thing about this tho is that after she was done aiming at the black and brown fans, she posts a big part about this white guy *with a lestat icon* but.............now it's about race??

isn't it weird how they can't keep to one story lol. it's all about hating lestat except for when u can't use that against a white lestat fan u wish would stfu so u pull the "I'm black" card instead and then reveal u have no friends lol.

this has never been about lestat or sam. it's an excuse because they don't have the range to speak about why lestat being judged for his ignorant white shit feels uncomfortable to them (especially if they want to fuck him, cuz I'm p sure fangs does). they get off power tripping on telling white fans it's okay to do racist shit if u hate the "right" ppl. her and keybearer are the first to do dumb shit to alienate themselves but blame everyone else for it. then cry to white fandom for hugs because they know how easy it is to get white ppl to feel good about shit if u stroke the fires of antiblackness in them. nobody is kicking u out of spaces unless ur doing some fuckshit but white ppl only hear "I'm black and ppl are being mean to me :(" and then rush to do the most racist shit ever because u just gave them a "good" excuse to do it. if a lot of black ppl are defending a white person who talks about antiblackness and ur the only black person saying that's wrong? u are the one who is the problem! especially because fangs and keybearer are both *not* american and nearly everyone from "this subset" is......and that is also the show's focus, that is louis' struggle! not to mention how fangs got upset about *this* in the cap but then had no issue pulling out talk of the fucking palestine genocide on a black american fan, to say that black americans don't suffer oppression. is this the real reason nobody likes ur bitch ass, mayhaps?

them being unable to let anyone know peace because of their own bad feelings is the most annoying thing. the show hits u over the head with the "memory is a monster" thing. we *know* we're gonna be seeing different versions of ppl and events and that's alot of what makes it interesting and fun. it's insane u keep pretending we're ignorant to this, as if u *also* haven't been crying for years now about "wait until lestat tells his side!!!!" we have fucking heard ur annoying asses jfc. WE KNOW.

but u have these ppl who can't hear a word against their fav without pulling out the books and showing u some sad lestat passage to change ur mind. girl shut up idc?? can't u let ppl like things as they come gd. what's the harm in enjoying the journey. u assholes are always saying ur so smart but then u have tantrums that the show isn't on book 12 already and ppl don't luv lestat enough yet. who tf cares? he's literally all the tags are whenever a 2 second clip shows up in any S2 thing rn, what are u even complaining about.

fucking crazy that this is louis' story but the focus is always on why isn't lestat getting more attention, why do ppl hate lestat, why is everyone mean to lestat. nobody frames it like that because then u'd v easily understand how stupid and racist this shit rly is. when u speak up in defense about any black character they literally accuse u of being the woke mob but ok lol. "did u listen to what jacob *a black man* said about the character being a crazy liar, sweetie??" (example 1, example 2) this shit is so obvious.

[sakurangelic]

Love Fool (1/?)

pairing: student!minho x student!gn!reader genre: enemies to lovers combined with school au summary: Lee Y/N is the new student of the MAXIDENT university. Though, it seems like Y/N gets in some trouble with the popular guy, Lee Minho, right in the first day. Do they grow to hate each other or... love each other? warnings: swearing, slight dirty jokes word count: 1.7k words a/n: my first mini-series!! because i'm absolutely obsessed with enemies to lovers au 1 | 2 | 3

It was your first day of university, and you were already late. Why so? 

Well, long story short, you were born here in South Korea but raised in America. You never found out why your mom moved from Korea when she had everything she wanted. But how could you complain when she was the reason you got here? You talked so much about how you wished you could study one day in Korea, and here you are now.

Maybe if the time zone differences hadn't created such a big gap and if you had arrived earlier in Korea, you would have gotten used to the time. One week wasn't enough, especially when you think of you settling down at your aunt's house till you got your school dorm. And even when you got your dorm, it wasn't that easy either. You had to pack your stuff again and carry it all to school. To your luck, your aunt lived not far from where you would study, so you could visit her from time to time.

But that wasn't important when you were running late on your first day, right? There was no denying MAXIDENT University was really popular, but it was still hard to get in. Despite that, you felt surprised to realise you almost got lost in the crowd. You just expected fewer people. To make yourself feel better, you reminded yourself that you weren't the only new student here, and other students probably felt the same as you do right now. They surely were able to get used to such a school and even make their name big...

"Watch where you're going next time!" you said in annoyance as you tried to fix your uniform after you bumped into a random student.

"Lee Y/N? Oh, you think you can tell me what to do? That's funny!". The student who just bumped into you scoffed and mocked you in a sarcastic tone.

Crossing your arms, you just looked up at the male you bumped into, frowning when making eye contact. "How do you even know my name? I've never met you before...", you paused for a moment as you realised you had no idea what his name was, but you quickly noticed the name tag and read it out loud, "Lee Minho".

"They should have put 'Lee Blind' on your name tag. Because you're clearly blind to not notice your own name tag." Minho eyed you from up and down, mumbling, "I'm surprised you saw mines in the first place." A cocky smirk formed on his lips as he went on, "But maybe I'm so popular that everyone knows me in this school!"

You cleared your throat. "Well, I don't know you, Lee Minho. I'm starting at this school today, and I'd rather not get to know you because of your horrible ass attitude".

A disgusted expression was visible on the male's face, raising an eyebrow. "Are you a freshman? A freshman like you wouldn't know someone like me, obviously. Unless you really have no friends or no social life! Have you ever thought about that?"

This man really seemed full of himself, and it pissed you off too much for the first day. "Well, for your information, I am a sophomore, and I don't need your nasty ass attitude to ruin my first day of sophomore year", you said, rolling your eyes.

"Oh really? I haven't seen you around. Perhaps you're that much of a loner."

You were losing brain cells each moment you spoke to him. Of course he hasn't; you literally just moved here a week before school started! Has he gone nuts? "I prefer to stay by myself because they don't give me attitude issues like yourself."

At this point, Minho started tapping his foot. He was obviously annoyed by the words. "Look, if you don't want to end up at the point where you hate your own life and wish you never existed, you can mind your own business and not fuck around with me! Dumbass". 

The last thing you needed, besides threats, was for him to blame you for the fact that he was on his phone and wasn't watching where he was going. "Maybe if you were just watching where you were going, this wouldn't have happened. Now, because of you, I'm a whole lot later to my class than I intended to be".

He shrugged.  "Doesn't seem like my problem! Maybe mind your own business and you wouldn't do these things to yourself, then blame others for your dumb shit."

You let out an exasperated sigh. "You got in my way, so don't try to blame me for your shit, because I didn't do anything wrong", you faked a sweet smile in the hopes Minho would finally get out of your way.

Tongue in cheek, he mumbled under his breath, "Stop acting so innocent, dumbass."

"It was sarcastic, but if you say so. I have to go before I'm even more late." You pushed Minho out of your way, annoyed at how your first day was already ruined by an annoying guy.

He just stood there and watched you leave, still mumbling under his breath and frowning. He could have continued the fight if he hadn't felt slightly bad. There was no way it would have been that, though, right? After all, it was the first year of being a sophomore for him too, and he didn't want to waste his energy on someone with such an attitude. That was a thought that was wandering around your mind and was the reason why you couldn't focus on class. You took a deep breath and started playing with your pen in the hopes it'd somehow get you back to reality. At least Minho isn't in this class, right? That's the same moment you hear the door opening and see no one else but Lee Minho walking into the class. How could he be so reckless? The teacher was scolding him, yet he just passed by without even making eye contact and made his way to his seat. You didn't bother to pay him any attention anymore... until he sat down next to you. It seemed like he didn't notice you either, until he also looked at the person on his right. "Since when do you sit here?" You ignored his words, not wanting to deal with the same scenario all over again Minho gave you a look of disbelief and quickly raised his hand. "Teacher! They don't sit here!" You were shocked and defended yourself. "You don't either sit here! Go back to your seat!" Minho turned at you with a frown and said, "I do sit here! But you don't!" "Says who? I don't see your name on this seat" "Neither do I see yours" "Whatever", you whispered in annoyance, as you got your things and moved to the very back. The male side-eyed you as he started to play with his pen. This class was boring as ever for him, while you were just doing your work silently. As you were trying to focus, a piece of paper suddenly hit you in the face. You quickly opened it and looked at it with confusion. ":P" And that's when you and Minho started writing back and forth to each other. "Why the fuck are you sending me a blep face?" "You don't even know who I am" "You're Lee Minho. I'm not a dumbass like you said >:(" "I never mentioned my name, so you have no idea who is writing this" "I can clearly see you're the one who's writing this" You watched as Minho read your last message. He slowly looked over his shoulder at you and stuck his tongue out, throwing the piece of paper back at you. "Put the tongue away, unless you're willing to use it for something else" A slight smirk grew on his lips as he handed you what he had written: "I am going to use it for something". You looked at him disgusted, writing him back, "Like what?"

"Guess" "Something dirty?" "Maybe" "Of course, boys like you are always looking to do dirty stuff" "Bold of you to assume I have ever done 'it' in my life" "You seem like someone who does 'it' with all the girls in this school" "Bold of you to assume I'm not single" "Your aura screamed single" "So did yours" "Well, I AM single" "I knew it from the start. That's why your prince charming didn't appear out of fucking nowhere" "Not everything is a fucking fairytale, for your information" "I know." "Then why did you ask why my prince charming didn't come and save me? I don't need saving." "Okay, so I can't even make jokes around you. Got it, humourless person".

You rolled your eyes, tongue in cheek, as you mumbled, "Wow, that Minho is so rude…". You quickly scrawled on the paper, "Whatever", before throwing it to the male.

"You did this to yourself. I tried joking around with you, and you took everything seriously. At least now I know you can't take jokes" "You weren't supposed to hear me". "Well, maybe because you were so loud that even someone from outside heard you".

You crumpled up the paper and glanced over at Minho. "Why are you so mean to me?"

He once again looked over his shoulder at you with a raised eyebrow and said, "I'm literally acting the nicest way I could with a stranger like you. This isn't even half of how mean I could be"

"Sure, whatever you say"

As the male was about to open his mouth, the teacher called out both of you. You and he slowly turn to the teacher, only to notice now that you guys were just a bit too loud and that you interrupted class.

"What?", Minho piped up.

"Detention", the teacher said with a firm voice.

"Wha—"

The teacher didn't hesitate to cut off the male and repeat the same thing with the same firm voice, "Detention. Both of you, Lee Minho and Lee Y/N"

"I did nothing! It was him who all started it", you said, offended that you would get punished because of the other one

"Detention, or I'll suspend both of you and double the homework".

Your teeth grinded, mumbling "Great start for the first day".

He got up and side-eyed you, mumbling back, "C'mon, I'm not going all by myself. You need to go too".

[emily-prentits]

tagged by @crime-wives <33

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

59! (one of which is actually not mine, but it's been passed off to me so i can write the ending. its a long story)

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

170,144 (I DONT WANNA TALK ABOUT IT 😭)

3. what fandoms do you write for?

at the moment i'm a little all over! i have wips for grey's anatomy, silk comics, and the 2019 carmen sandiego reboot.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Dance With Me - 326 kudos (Carmen Sandiego)

lately she's undressing for revenge - 298 kudos (Grey's Anatomy)

used to think loving meant a painful chase (but you're right here now, and I think you'll stay) - 250 kudos (Grey's Anatomy)

all the cuddles are for you - 222 kudos (Carmen Sandiego)

kissing you (again and again and again) - 199 kudos (Killing Eve)

5. do you respond to comments?

i try to! and i always get around to it eventually, unless it's a comment asking me to update etc otherwise it's not worth my time or energy.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

you're gone (and I'm all alone) for sure. the first and only time i've written main character death (so far).

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

uhh. i don't do a lot of that. but if i had to pick from my sparse collection, i'd say You Are In Love :) short and sweet and ridiculously fluffy. my love letter to meddison <3

8. do you get hate on fics?

i don't think so! i don't write for gigantic fandoms, so the people that read my fics are usually too glad to have a new fic to nitpick my writing lmaoo. and honestly if i did i don't remember, so it clearly wasn't that important to me. shrug emoji

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

yep! as for what kind... well. i'll write anything if i have a strong enough vision and motivation lol. even in my one multi, there's a vast range of stuff. i'm always open to explore!

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

i don't write crossovers, personally i don't care for them, unless aus count.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope :) and if someone tries it i will make their online life a living hell :)

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

yeah! i've co-written twice so far: burning (this is not a love story) with @which-star and it was intentional with @jackie-shitposts :))

14. what's your all time favourite ship?

thats a tough one 😭 but i'd have to go with silkcat from marvel comics. literally who is doing every dynamic so well like they do (no one is)

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

oh so many. SO many. including but not limited to: meddison season 18/19 neighbor au, meddison bloomington au, and are you mine? (i'm not quite yours). its exhausting having all these ideas and no motivation to write them :(

16. what are your writing strengths?

i'm told that i write complex/angsty feelings really well! and i'm glad i do lol because why is my brain like this if not to be a storyteller

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

little movements. i love them and need them. they kill me.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i'm open to it! i'm not fluent in any languages other than english, but i could probably string together some sentences in spanish if i tried (don't ask me about my latin abilities, pls and ty.)

19. first fandom you wrote for?

the 2019 carmen sandiego reboot on netflix! that show got me into writing and is also how i met my partners :)

20. favorite fic you've written?

oh boy you're making me choose 😭 i'll say that revenge is my top 1 SO FAR. second and third is tied between intrigue (hold your breath). and already yours. these three are some of the only fics i've written that i like enough to reread.

no pressure tagging: @walshies @which-star @lisascumslut78 @itsdappleagain @peridotglimmer @sucker-for-emily-prentiss and any other writers that want to! i always forget which of my mutuals write when im tagged in stuff like this. whoops

[burntblueberrywaffles]

Fic tag game

got tagged by @fangeek-girl ❤️❤️

How many works do you have on Ao3?

I have 7 works but 3 of them are fanfic lol

2. What's your Ao3 word count?

1896 words total. Your girl is definitely one for brevity LOL

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Wednesday, that one drabble I made for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and I've been writing for Star Wars (though I haven't posted anything yet) and Mrs maisel (i wrote a whole short fic for that almost a year ago but I forgot about it completely until I found it in my notes apps, I should get around to posting it)  

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I don't have 5 fics total but here's my current count in order:

1-Lies

2-The world's a little blurry

3-Pretend

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes always! the fact that people are READING my stuff and taking time to comment has me 🥺🥺🥺

My writing ao3 isnt linked to my main email adress though so sometimes it takes me a while to respond because I wont see it until I periodically check my fic stats

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

.....Probably The world's a little blurry let's be real (I'm going to fix it it in the next one in the series, I promise!!!)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

akdadhjgsjgd hard to say all my shit is angsty, I guess Pretend?? kind of, it's less of a downer than the other ones. The final part of Come a little closer will have a happy ending though I promise! (already finished writing the end, I just need to write the beginning lol)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No ❤️ I don't think any of my stuff has gotten enough attention for that lol

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

NO my ace ass has no experience with that so I wouldn't know how 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️(I might need to in some future project, fortunately a lot of my friends are perverts (affectionate) so I could probably ask for some guidance if it comes to that LOL)

10. Do you write cross-overs?

No, I'm not a big fans of crossovers in general so certainly have never felt compelled to write one.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

12. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No

13. What WIP you would like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

So many ugh I cant even choose, it's more rare for me to actually finish something than the opposite, that's why I'll never post anything unless the whole thing is finished (only exception is my current series, but that's because I felt like each fic making up the series were self-contained enough that they didn't need to follow up immediatly to work? if that makes sense - plus the first one was a one shot and only thought of how to follow it up after posting it)

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

ANIDALA MY BELOVED

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm really good at imagery and emotion (being a poetry writer goes brrrrr)

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

DESCRIPTIONS oh god I'm so bad at it. My fic are vibes only lmao, what are they wearing? where are they? what movements are they doing? NOT IMPORTANT how about I offer you 12 metaphors on how this character is feeling instead. (though I'm forcing myself to work on it haha)

I also struggle with any longer story arc... there's a reason all my stuff is so short lol

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

If it's in french it would be pretty fun since it's my ✨first language✨ hehe. For other languages I'd see if one of my friends speak it but otherwise idk if I'd include it bc I don't want to butcher another language, I've seen too many english authors put french through the ringer it's painful 😭

18. First fandom you wrote for?

I guess Julie and the Phantoms? I never posted it but I had a pretty advanced fic for that. unless you count the 13 reasons why fic I posted on wattpas when i was early teen but we dont talk about that

19. Favourite fic you've ever written?

right now it has to be The world's a little blurry, I just love how it came out hehe

20. What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

none right now.

Anyway tagging @nonamemanga @beri-allen @unlifeira @realmermaid333 @suchaladyy @witchysith @king-crimson-works @theycallme-thejackal and anyone else who might want to do it!

[marbles-for-breakfast]

I don’t identify as endo, btw. I just get lumped in with them bc I don’t have any memories of child abuse and I don’t like origin labels. I may very well be “traumagenic”. That’s not a useful distinction to me. I don’t care why I’m like this and I don’t think other people should care either. Even if I discover that I have significant childhood trauma, I won’t feel the need to say that was definitely the sole cause of me being plural. It’ll be intertwined with it, yes. Of course it will. But why should I be forced to assume it was the reason?

But because of all these things, your anti-endo posts feel targeted at me too. I don’t identify as endo, but I know that’s how you would identify me. Just because I’m not confidently traumagenic with no evidence of trauma. And just because I don’t hate endos for being confidently who they are.

When someone tells you they exist, believe them. Believe them until or unless you have actual evidence that they are lying. And “they’re lying bc that’s impossible” is not a valid reason, because guess what? You can’t just assume that something is impossible because it doesn’t fit into the story of OSDDID that people usually tell. You don’t know what’s possible and what’s not. No one does. Especially when it comes to brain stuff. The only way to know what’s possible is to LISTEN to people. If you think endos are all lying weirdos who want to be special and think that your trauma is a fun game, you’re not listening.

And I understand why you’re not listening. The narrative that trauma made you like this is important to you. And you know what? That’s okay. No one’s trying to take that away from you. We just want the freedom to have our OWN narratives about why WE are the way we are. Some of us (like me) want the freedom to be unsure. Or to simply not care. I don’t feel like I need a reason. And I don’t feel like I could ever really know for sure. But I understand that the reason is important to a lot of you. And I do respect that.

You can have your own spaces if you want. Stop talking shit about us (especially in shared spaces like the plural tag), and we’ll leave you the heck alone. I certainly think we should be allowed to have some separation between different communities based on origin. I mean, my experience is very different from willogenic systems. And I’ll admit that I sometimes have negative instincts towards them. It’s natural to feel some level of resentment towards people who got to have a choice where you didn’t. It can be confusing when they make the choice to be something that you worked hard to come to terms with, seemingly while skipping all the hardest parts! It’s not fair. But that’s also not their fault. It’s not their fault you were abused. It’s not their fault you never got a choice. It’s not their fault that being a system is so hard, and coming to terms with everything is such an overwhelming process. It’s not their fault it’s easier for them.

I don’t want to be friends with a bunch of willogenics. Maybe I’m not ready for that, maybe I never will be. I still think they have a right to make a choice that I was never given. I’m happy for them, that they got to do that. I’m happy that it was easier than what we’re going through.

I know that it’s possible to become a system through paths other than severe trauma because I have not seen any evidence that that is not the case. And the hundreds of people claiming to have arrived at this point through a wide variety of methods is all the proof I need that this is possible. Because I have no reason to doubt their own interpretation of their own experiences. How arrogant or stubborn would I have to be to do that?

Just let systems be ourselves, please. I want community. I want understanding. I want empathy. So let’s stop worrying about so much about why we’re like this, and focus on what we are, and who we want to be.

[nono-bunny]

Why do you people even watch ATLA if makes so many of you miserable?

WHEN did I ever say it makes me miserable lmao

So. First of all? I literally first watched/got to know this show as a kid alongside my little brother, tuning in to random episodes rather than watching it all in order on my own. I always respected it and thought it was cool, but it took me a bit to watch it all properly, and by that time I already watched the finale, had the inkling it was dumb, and when I watched everything that feeling was only strengthed

Like? Idk who you are but your question seems to imply you're a new fan coming in from the 2020 ATLA renaissance, and it's important to remember that's super not the case for a lot people. I grew up with the show! I keep rewatching it every couple of years! Not because I hate it and I want to get mad, but because I do genuinely love like, 90% of it- and most of the stuff I hate about it, and a lot of my anger towards it was born MUCH later than my first watchthrough. When you watch something you enjoy a whole bunch of times and get familiar with it, of course you're also gonna become aware of its flaws! And, as much as I hate having to say it, Aang as a character IS the show's biggest flaw- he doesn't carry his weight as the show's protagonist, and kid me could sense it, while adult me can now look at him and say WHY.

ATLA fan culture is a bit problematic in the sense that it's been put on such a high pedestal that it can seem weird when people criticize it, but like? There are parts of it that are DESERVING of criticism, heck, pretty much all of the people who worked on it who've spoken about it in the years since would agree that there are some stuff that either didn't age well or weren't well made in the first place, like- being critical of something or hating some aspects of it doesn't mean you hate the whole thing!!!

Fr if I didn't enjoy ATLA at all I wouldn't ever bother rewatching it, or engaging with the fandom, or consuming fan content... But I obviously do, given that I'm here speaking about it YEARS after I first saw it, because it resonated with me, and I love it! Even if I'm still mad as fuck about a lot of stuff that happened in the franchise over the years (and the finale, the can't be stressed enough), that doesn't detract from the fact that there are still more stuff about it that I love than I don't... Even if I tend to talk about the bad stuff because they make me ranty and I have to release all my thoughts somewhere else I'd explode lol. Btw, before I started being more active on Tumblr I'd just bombard my best friend with my thoughts on shit they'd never seen/played/experience so. Tumblr is genuinely just a good place for this because sometimes people see my thoughts and agree, sometimes they don't and it's all chill honestly

Watching ATLA for the most part makes me really happy, actually! But there are a selection of episodes that make me mad, and like? If you're not up to seeing less stellar reviews of the show, THERE'S A REASON I TAG EVERYTHING!! You can just block "anti___" tags, I respect that not everyone agrees with my takes on the show, and I specifically take care that they won't have to see them if they don't want to, so, really... Unless you ACTUALLY wanna have a discussion about my issues with the show, wouldn't it have been so much easier to just block either me or the tags and move on rather than question my enjoyment of something I dearly love for like, no reason whatsoever? Oh well whatever this was kinda a funny ask to get, thanks for the laugh lol "you people" cracked me up

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @somethingclevermahogony!

OC in 15

Since I've been working on MG3, let's do some Astra lines!

“As I remember Ivander tellin’ it, his family owns near to every bank in this city. I reckon we just walk in and look for the blue, pointy-eared bastard in charge."

“Eggs, baskets, all that. I reckon if’n we win this fight, I can hike my ass back up there and hope it’s all where I left it. If not, Avymere should be back on the throne by that time, and I ain’t humble enough to not ask for a reward for gettin’ ’em there. It’ll all work out.”

“Ya don’t really ‘whip up’ an illusion like that. Somethin’ simpler, maybe.”

“Don’t wanna escalate things, huh? Well, you picked the wrong godsdamned person, ’cause I’m gonna get in that fuckin’ office no matter—”

“Well, then why don’t ya tell us what’s sweeter than not bein’ marched to the choppin’ block with the rest a’ your magicky friends?”

“Nevermind, I reckon that’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard. Sign a contract without knowin’ the jobs? Why don’t you go shove that paper up your ass, instead?”

“Let’s wait till they’re done ’fore we freak out all proper like."

“That much magic’ll spread over a pretty decent area ’fore it starts to rot without its connection to a sorcerer. Just look at the big ole’ blasted desert out east for an example on why that’s what we in the business would call a bad fuckin’ idea.”

“I reckon we shouldn’t cut the fuse ’fore we light it. If Antonin wants us to make the Orphan Crusher 9000 or steal meemaw’s candy, we’ll figure it out. But it’s my guess that this is a runic sorta job, or somethin’ the Montanes don’t have the muscle for. That’s what we’re good at, after all. Antonin doesn’t seem like the type a’ guy to put that to waste.”

A fuckin’ what? A beast? Who keeps a godsdamned beast under their house? That can’t be up to code.”

“If you ever say some creepy as shit like that again, I’m gonna set your desk on fire. I can’t get outta this contract and neither can you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make your life real fuckin’ difficult. Don’t ever talk to Mashal or me like that again unless you’re ready to piss on your favorite important papers when they go up in flames, ya feel me? We are your business partners. Treat us like it.”

“Gods a’mighty, this family is messy….”

“Of course we are. I— I mean, if ya want to, that is. You’re my friend, Mashal. The first friend I’ve had…. The first friend I’ve had in a damn long time. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed bein’ around someone the way I enjoy bein’ near you.”

“I don’t know, love. I don’t think anyone deserves that level a’ power, but that’s the only way I can think to deal with it without makin’ a second Araunian desert, now with more sand and extra sorcerer’s poison. Maybe Avymere? They’re…. Naw, they grew up with too much power to begin with. What if we gave it to a goat or somethin’? Then killed the goat.”

“It’s a start, love. It’s a plan.”

I think her dialog is my favorite to write out of all my characters tbh

I'll tag @kaelie-quill @phoenixradiant @urnumber1star @cedar-sunshine and anyone else who wants to play :)

[writer66]

Chapter 2: S7 "A Distant Echo"

Hunter (The Bad Batch) x Femalejedi!reader

Series Summary: You've always liked clones... At least the ones that you fought with your old Master Obi Wan Kenobi, and your older brother Anakin Skywalker, after your training you became a Jedi Knight General. However, you weren't given a platoon but a small squad... Clone Force 99.

Chapter Summary: After a successful mission with The Bad Batch and Rex finding out that Echo is alive, The Batchers, Rex, Aria, and Anakin head to Skako Minor to retrieve Echo.

<Last Chapter

Masterlist

Genre: Strangers to Friends (sort of) to Lovers

Warnings: cannon typical violence, talk of death, mild injuries, the Force, slight cannon deviation (mostly in later chapters)

Word Count: 3k

Author Notes: As stated in the Masterlist these stories will get spicy so 18+ unless you are old enough to handle the content. I will not be using Y/N, the OC is Aria Skywalker, Anakin's younger sister.

Once back on base, Aria went to her Cambers to meditate on the shocking news Rex had told her. He had been alive, is alive, she couldn't believe her friend ARC Trooper Echo.

She thought she'd never her old friend ever again, the things that worried her know was how Rex was feeling and if Echo really is there on Skako Minor, what condition is he in.

Aria left her cambers and headed toward Anakin, Rex, and Hunter.

"Word is the general staff isn't completely behind this mission." Hunter says, "I admit the idea of Echo being alive is a long shot." Rex adds, "I'm sure the Council will approve the mission. Just remember, the primary goal is to learn how the separatists are predicting our strategy, whether it's Echo behind it or not." Anakin reassures. "Well, if you want my opinion, sounds like a trap, but me and the boys will tag along anyway, if only to say "I told you so."" "Just make sure you're ready if we get the go ahead from General Kenobi." Aria says. "If you're certain he'll approve the mission, why wait? Let's get going." Rex says looking at Aria then Anakin. "First, we have that thing to do." Anakin says to Rex suspiciously. "Uh, what thing?" Rex questions, "you know." "We don't have time for that, sir." "Yes we do" Anakin says quieter and more stern. "Well, I'll just let you two sort this out. I'll be waiting on the ship with the rest of the team." Hunter says, walking away. Aria smiles, as she walks closer to her big brother, "tell Padmé I say "hi and hope to see her soon!"" Aria says, teasingly, she has always known about Anakin and Padmé. She was there when they got married in secret, breaking the most important rule of bring a Jedi. Anakin just glares at her, "Hurry up, I'm late as it is." He says to Rex.

"Hey Bandana, wait up!" Aria says, turning away from Rex and Anakin. Hunter turns around confused, "Bandana?" He asks toward the nickname. "Yeah, I like to give all clones funny nicknames" "oh really, like?" "Well, Rex is Blondie, Hardcase is stupidity, Jesse is Boo-Bear" Hunter looks at her funny, "that one is a long story..." she laughs, "anyway, Bandana is a good one that's all you gotta know." He laughs, "okay, I believe you." Aria starts to laugh, Hunter had noticed her beauty since he first stepped off his ship. Knowing that she was a Jedi and he, a clone, he had to set his mind straight. Now meeting her, seeing that she is kind, funny, intelligent, caring, and like 3 billion other things, he wants to know her, and have her around.

As the Jedi and clone approach the rest of the Batchers, the rest of the batch can clearly see that there is something there between the Sergeant and the General. "25 credits, he falls for her" Crosshair spits out, "What?! No way!" Wrecker says, "No way, what?" Aria asks, "well, Cross says-" "Nothing" Tech and Crosshair say. Both Hunter and Aria look at each other with the same expression. "Okay then... You guys ready for another mission" Hunter says to his squad.

Aria is now standing beside Wrecker, the two had a couple fun banter moments on the last mission, so Aria thought that out of the others he'd be a fun one to talk to. "So, Wrecker, is it true that you're blind in one eye?" "Hey, how did you know that?" "Jedi intuition." Aria lied, Tech told her. "Cool! Yeah, it went blind after a failed attempt of blowing something up" "really?" "Yeah" "well what are the odds, Echo, the clone we're going to save potentially also blew up." "Sick."

Wrecker and Aria became fast friends, she even gave him the nickname "Big-Fella" and he even gave her one too, "Bite-Size", they both laughed as Wrecker was 6'6" and Aria only being 5'2".

Aria starts to connect with Tech as Obi Wan comes up and says, "Aria, where is Anakin?" Obi Wan says as he comes up to the Batch, "sorry, master, I haven't seen him since the last time I saw him." "When was that?" "The last time I saw him? Was definitely the time I saw him last." Aria says, smiling, "Aria..." "He went that way" she says, pointing him toward the barracks, as Obi Wan is walking away Wrecker and Aria look at each other and burst out laughing, and then he says, "that was awesome!" "I know right" "that is not what I would have called it-" Tech says "in fact you made his job much harder-" "hey googles, I'm just joking around" "goggles?" "That's my nickname for you." "What-" "She gives clones nicknames" "yeah! I'm Big-Fella!" Wrecker says excitedly. "Oh, but we already have names" "I guess, but I like to consider clones real people too, so I make funny names to connect with them" "wow" "what?" "It's just that, from the data I have collected, most other Jedi hate us." "Well not me goggles" Aria said, punching his arm. "Okay, well what's Hunter's, I'm guessing he has one?" Crosshair finally speaks up, with a toothpick in his mouth. Aria smiles "Bandana." Wrecker loses it, even though the name itself wasn't funny, the conversation they were having before about their Sergeant and the General made it worse. "Hey, that isn't even that worst one, I've given." "What about Cross?" Hunter asks, "I don't know, I haven't connected with him yet." Aria looks toward Crosshair, and he just death glares her.

Anakin and Rex came back with the go ahead from Obi Wan, now on the Havoc Marauder with the squad. Wrecker is lifting their Gonk Droid, Gonky, Tech is piloting, Hunter looking at control panels, and the rest of them are standing together in the middle of the ship. Anakin is looking at Crosshairs sniper, "so, how many missions has your team been on, Sergeant?" "Honestly, sir, I've lost count. All the action sort of blurs together." Hunter says, "I know you work with Cody sometimes, but who do you guys report to?" Rex asks. "Hmm... good question. Can't say I've got an answer." "Yeah!" Wrecker jumps in. There is a little turbulence as they got out of hyper space. Tech yells, "we are approaching Skako Minor. It looks to be a difficult landing." They all get into seats on the ship as fast as possible, Crosshair, Rex and Anakin go to the middle seats while Wrecker goes up front with Tech, leaving both Hunter and Aria the two at the back.

They safely land and Anakin asks, "Rex, what do we know about this place?" "On this part of Skako, there's a race of locals, the Poletecs. All we know is they're very primitive. " ""Primitive" is being kind. My intel says the Poletecs worship flying reptiles." Techs just as one jumps on the window of the ship and screeches. "What the hell was that?" Aria says, "Wrecker's twin" Crosshair says calmly, they both look at each other and laugh. "No Crosshair, it's one of those reptiles." "I want that thing off my ship." Hunter commands, "hold on! Hold on! Don't just run out there." Rex says, as they proceed to do just that. Both Anakin and Aria ignite their lightsabers, Anakin’s one blue and Aria’s 2 blue ones. "Hey! Get off of there!" Wrecker yells. "Hey, calm down. We need to talk to them." Anakin says, taking control of the situation, "why?" Hunter questions, "to let they know we come in peace and wish them no harm, so we avoid unnecessary battles." 2 more reptiles come down on them, and the one on the ship jumps off and grabs Anakin, dropping his lightsaber. Rex grabs it and starts shooting, "I have a thermal reading. Point-two-five east, elevation 175." Tech says. "Relax. I'll handle this." Crosshair says adjusting his sniper and using Tech's shoulder as a ramp. It is a grappling hock that latches on the reptile, "what are you doing?" Rex asks. "Going for a ride." Hunter responds in his raspy, sexy voice, as he attaches the end of the grappling hock to his waist and lifts off the ground. Aria was shocked for a moment, she stood in awe, but she was brought out of her trance by Rex and the others yelling to get back on the ship to follow their sergeant.

We all get on and strap in, Hunter's voice comes through the comm channel "Tech, I'm with the General, hone in on my signal." Tech does as he says, and they touch down slightly behind the clearing where Anakin was. They all ran out towards Hunter. Aria leans down next to Hunter to get a better view, "that creature still has a hold of the General." Hunter says to the group, noticing Aria, she looks at him them at Rex. "Rex, any ideas?" Aria asks, "we're going in, but remember what the General said. "No casualties, disarm only."" "We're on it, Captain. Wreck, Crosshair, rockslide!" Hunter responds, Wrecker moves a big rock down to the clearing and slides down after it while Crosshair starts to shoot the Poletecs' weapons out of their hands, then he shoots the winged creature in its leg with a tranquilizer, forcing it to let go of Anakin. The rest of them move in, the Poletecs start to speak in their tongue. "Tech, translate what he said." Tech starts to do translate, "he says he does not want our war on his planet. That is why he took our leader." "We didn't bring the war here. It was Wat Tambor and the Separatists." Anakin says calmly, Tech, then translates. "Tell him we apologize for what's happened." Aria says compassionately. "But tell him the enemy is holding one of our men prisoner in Purkull. As soon as we rescue him, we'll leave his planet, for good." Rex jumps in. Tech translates again, then the Polectec leader starts to speak. "The chief says he will provide us with scouts and lead us to Tombor's city. From there we're on our own." "Any help is better than no help." Anakin states. "Tell the chief thank you for their help" Aria says, offering a smile. Tech does so, and the scouts start to lead the way.

The scouts show the way and head back to their village. "I hope nobody's scared of heights." Anakin says, Hunter and Crosshair both turn and look at Wrecker. "Well, I'm not scared of nothing. I just... When I'm up real high, I got a problem with gravity." "Speaking of problems" Tech interjects, "I am no longer picking up Echo's signal." "I... I don't understand. You said it was coming from this city." Rex said confused. "I can only speculate, but it is possible there's a latency issue with the frequency caused by all these atmospheric disturbances." “Or…. maybe they sent the signal to lure us into a trap. And maybe your friend’s actually dead. Well, I can’t be the only one thinking that.” Hunter says, looking at Aria, she just shrugs. She’s known Echo for a long time and would love if he was alive, but she also had to be realistic. “Look, every mission could be a trap. This one is no different. I’m telling you, that signal is being sent by Echo himself! He’s alive!” “I think you’re letting your personal feelings get in the way because you left him for dead at the Citadel.” Crosshair says, “I had no choice. You hear me?” “Oh, I don’t blame you. I would’ve left him for dead, too. Besides, he’s just another reg.” Crosshair says making Rex angry, Rex retaliates by starting to fight Crosshair, and honestly Aria really wanted to join in because Crosshair was out of line. “Hey!” Wrecker yells, “why don’t you pick on someone not your size?” He says, lifting Rex off the ground, then throwing him a little farther away. Rex walks straight up to Wrecker and says, “you’ll be a whole lot smaller when I’m through with you.” “Hey! Guys enough!” Aria yelled as Anakin goes to break the tension between the two. “Aria, Sergeant, take your men and scout the area for a tower entrance. I want to talk to my Captain alone.

Hunter and Aria take the boys and start to do what Anakin said. “I could’ve taken him” Wrecker pouts. “Yeah, the Captain was way outta line.” Hunter says, Aria is in front still scouting, not listening to their argument, “I’m just saying that is all probably a trap.” “Oh my force! Can you guys just stop!” Aria yells, the Batch looks at her unexpectedly, “imagine it was one of you” she pauses and faces them. “Imagine, you had to leave one of your brothers behind, and now that there is a slight chance that, that brother is alive wouldn’t you guys care enough to try!” Hunter looks sheepish, “I’m just saying, yes Rex needs to understand that this might all be for nothing, but you guys need to understand he just wants his family back.” “Aria is 100% correct” Tech states. “Sorry, general, truth is for my brothers I’d do anything.” Hunter responds. “Good now let's get back to work.” Aria says. 

We find an entrance, and Rex and Anakin come running. "We're in business, General. Tech regained Echo's signal. It's coming from this tower. How's it going, Tech? " Hunter says. Tech is using his Keypad to hack into the tower. He is able to get the door open, "sorry it took so long." "Hey, Crosshair, check it out." Hunter says, ordering his brother. Crosshair goes in and says, "yeah, it's a lift." "Well, we already knew that." Tech states. Aria laughs, "wait, wait, wait. A lift? How far up are we going?" wrecker questions. "Don't worry Wrecker. I'll hold your hand" Hunter teased. "Hey! Cut it Sarge. Just give me some droids to crush." 

Setting up the lift, both Anakin and Aria reminded the squad that this is a stealth mission. “No blasting, No blowing things up. Nobody knows we're here.” Anakin finished, The door opened, revealing droids, Wrecker charges out followed by the rest of clone force 99. They start to destroy the droids. “So much for stealth” Aria says. 

 After Wrecker finished crushing many droids, he said, “Yeah! Hah! Ha-ha! Uh… sorry. I just got excited.” “It’s alright, Big-Fella.” Aria said. “I’ve still got a lock on Echo’s signal.” Tech said. “All right, men-” “what does that mean?” Aria said teasingly beside Hunter, “well… uh- you know” “do I?” “Alright you two, sort this out later.” Anakin said, giving his little sister a knowing look, her smile quickly faded. “Let’s hunt dome droids.” Hunter finished, “now you’re talking! Yeah!” 

They all walked into the main facility, Hunter and Rex destroying the first few droids. “Where exactly is Echo’s signal coming from?” Anakin asked, Tech responded “strange. I just lost the signal.” “What? How can that be? There’s no “atmospheric disturbances” up here.” Rex said, “Well, I have a new theory. I’m surprised I didn’t consider it earlier. The signal is only traceable during data transmissions. So until Echo dispenses more intel, I cannot pick up the signal.” “Okay, we’re splitting up.  Search every door. If someone finds Echo, contact the others. We go in together just in case there’s trouble.” Anakin said, looking straight at his sister, who just smiled and shrugged. Anakin, Wrecker, and Crosshair set off in one direction while Tech, Rex, Aria and Hunter set off in the other direction. Tech then says he regained the signal, we all followed them to a much bigger door, Hunter conformed that Echo’s signal was coming from there. “Tech, open this door.” Rex says as a message played on the screen by the door. “You clones are so predictable.” “Wat Tambor” Aria said, “Your algorithm predicted nearly every move you made to infiltrate Purkoll.” “There is no algorithm. We know you’re holding a prisoner of war here.” Rex yelled “prisoner? I don’t know what you mean, Captain.” “I am leaving here with my friend.” Rex said threateningly. “Your friend is dead. His mind is ours.” “Liar!” While Rex was having that conversation, it was a distraction as more droids showed up, “execute them.” Wat Tambor said. Hunter grabbed his knife and threw it toward the droids, Aria ignited her lightsabers, as Anakin, Wrecker, and Crosshair came running in. They all finished off the droid quickly, but more started to arrive. “Tech, Open that door for Rex and Aria!” “Yes, sir!” “I hope you find what you’re looking for, Captain.” Hunter says, Rex gives him a nod, then heads over to Tech and Aria as the door opens. 

Once in the room, Aria said “I don’t like the look of this” “neither do I” Rex agreed. Tech got right to it, starting to open the chamber above the controls. “I am definitely picking up a life-form in there. It seems to be a stasis chamber. I think I can get it open.” Tech gets the chamber open and a pale, frosty, Echo fell forward attached to a bunch of machinery. “Echo. Tech! We gotta get him out of here. Figure out how to unplug him from this mess.” Rex set Echo on the ground and Aria instantly saw that most of him was no longer man but machine, “what have they done to you?” Rex whispered, still in shock. “We-- We have to get to the shuttle to escape the Citadel. No! I’ll go first.” Echo mumbled “Echo!” “No, no, no” “Echo, It’s Rex. I’m here.” “Rex? You came back for me.” “Yes. Yes, I did.” “He’s not the only one” Aria said kneeling beside them, “Commander?” “Well General now” Aria said offering a smile. “What happened? Where am I?” “It’s okay, Echo.” “You’re safe now, just sit tight, trooper. You’re going home.”

Next Chapter>

[hechiima]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thought this would be fun with the end of the year!

1. How many works do you have on A03?

31.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

398,723. I'm really proud of this number tbh; never thought I'd write this much. Was hoping to hit 400k by the end of 2023 but I don't think that's gonna happen. Here's to hoping I hit half a million by this time next year!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

AA/DGS

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

You Ever Been In Love?

Things Are As They Are

On the Morality of Birds

Awkward Business

The View from the Gallery

No DGS fics. I know its a smaller fandom so it makes sense but still. 🥲 Also I swear I'll finish Awkward Business someday I'm just. So deep into Sherlock Holmes/DGS hell atm. ;A;

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I never do unless it's a specific question. I used to but then I got overwhelmed/I never knew what to say so I just stopped. That said, I read all of them and they really mean a ton to me!!!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Prob Running Late or Shoulder Pain. I'm not really good with angsty endings so I usually only keep it angsty in the shorter fics lmao.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Lololol I think most of my fics have happy endings so that's a hard one.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! Thankfully, I think the hate on fics trend has died down a lot since the ff.net days.

9. Do you write smut?

Hell yeah. Please read my smut I'm so proud of it. I'm also on a quest to boost the hmmk smut tag on ao3 so if y'all have any smut you wanna see for them lmk.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. My dream fic of a holmesverse crossover will happen someday though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Thankfully no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I've had a few translated to Russian and Chinese. Honestly it's insanely flattering when ppl ask to translate a fic like ough you liked my story so much you wanted to share it with others who don't speak English? It's so sweet. ;A;

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Okay so Mango and Krissey and I started an amazing pirate AU and l adore it. And someday. We will finish it. I believe in us. I'd love to co-write a fic tho so if anyone's interested please hmu I think it'd be so so fun.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Ugh. Johnlock/Hmmk or Nrmt have to be like. The only ships that made me insane enough to write multiple fics over so it's def them. I love insanely codependant relationships.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There's so many. But off the top of my head, I have a fantasy AU that Beau and I came up with that I still love a ton (Finding You) and want to finish and a Edgeworth ends up in a Gregory lives AU (In Another Life) that I'm not sure if I'll ever finish. The former is just so much work and the latter I've kinda lost the plot thread so. Ough. Sorry.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

aksfjjalsjflsjf everything else LMAO. That's why we practice!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I don't love doing it? I've done it like once for a fic where language was important but other than that I try to avoid doing it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

....hetalia..........it was the only other fandom i wrote for before AA. This was like in 2009/2010 tho I know better now but those fics ARE still up on fanfiction.net (: It sucks b/c sometimes I wanna compare my old writing to my current writing but I'm like ough. I cannot read these old fics.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I'd have to say A Study In Gold. I genuinely love that one so much. Thinking about hmmk early days makes me insane. I also really liked On the Morality of Birds b/c it was just such a supremely stupid fic.

@anyone who sees this and writes fic please feel free to do it! I'd love to see others talk about their fics <3

[nerves-nebula]

Not to like. Step in here and tell you about what sex should mean, but as someone whos allo with an ace partner, we have different meanings associated with it, but at the core is love and caring for each other. I think associating it purely with "something someone gets out of me" is definitely worrying, even if you do end up being ace. Sex isn't a transaction (unless its sex work but like thats not what we're talking about), it's a shared experience. Its not I take from you and you take from me, it's Im sharing something with you and you're sharing with me, and were giving each other this nice experience. For me its a shared closeness that I only choose to have with my partner and to my partner its an act of love and devotion he shares with me. I don't want to say "romanticize sex" but like, you might have to try thinking along those lines. Or don't, I don't control you. Im simply some guy that saw your post and was worried for you. If you discover you're ace, congrats tho!! I do think that perhaps working on how you see sex might still be healthy and helpful, regardless if you ever have any.

Anyways, peace and love. I hope you're doing alright and if not, I know things will get better.

(Also if you do choose to answer this publicly, which is cool, disclaimer that my take on sex is my own and if it doesn't match up with yours thats chill, I'm just a guy who's in a committed relationship where sex is viewed as a loving and fun thing. If your idea of sex is simply "its fun :)" that's cool too!! Sex is fun!)

oh i know that my view/feelings are fucked, thats why i tagged it as "ignore me im traumatized" goasdhgsdfmgas. im pretty sure im ace regardless cause im very much in the vein of "yeah sex is cool but have you tried reading webcomics" like im often thinking of other things id rather do and i can't say i've ever seen a person and wanted to do anything sexual with them myself right off the bat. so at the very least some kind of demisexuality.

i had a pretty ok view of sex until recently even with my trauma, was working on rehabilitating my thoughts about sex for a few years even! but a few months ago it kind of just all collapsed and im back in my Sex Isn't Real No One Actual Does That era where the idea of engaging in it makes me!!! not happy.

sex to me was about like, love and trust and was pretty important to me as like, an act of sharing myself with someone. but things got more complicated than that and now it kinda just hurts so. echh.

its ok tho cause if i ignore it its not real and also i cant cry rn i have a lot of homework to do.

[dreaming-for-an-escape]

Nothing says I like you like a bowl of Chipotle

Summary: The infamous Chipotle incident with Thomas and Adrian. Or rather what made Adrian ghost Thomas after he revealed his feelings for her.

December 18th, 2022

The Bloc in downtown Los Angeles was packed more so than usual. Christmas was right around the corner and the stores were filled with people who were doing some last minute shopping.

Among these late shoppers was twenty-three year old Adrian Nova Reyes, the bright young woman Thomas Stallard had fallen hard for. His feelings for her changed from platonic to romantic during their Sophomore year at UCLA. About a year after meeting her in the Introduction to Human Communication class they shared their Freshman year. They paired up for an assignment together and had been close ever since.

Thomas didn’t plan on falling for one of his closest friends, it just sort of happened. One second he was enjoying their study sessions and late night coffee and the next he was desiring to take Adrian on a real date. He wanted to take her out to dinner wherever she liked, followed by a walk on the beach with them holding hands if she chose to. She loved the beach, and he was aware that she wished she had more free time to go there.

Alas after four years of pining, with the two of them now attending UCLA School of Law, there’d been no date. What Thomas felt for Adrian though only became stronger over time. It wasn’t just some crush because he’d never felt this way for anyone else in his life, not even when it came to past his girlfriends. His feelings for Adrian were different.

It was too bad for Thomas that Adrian was oblivious. When it came to her schooling she was a genius but when it came to romance she was practically blind to it unless it was shoved in her face.

“That kid seriously needs to tie his shoes.” Adrian said, breaking Thomas’ thoughts and catching his attention. He’d been thinking about what he planned for tonight before his gaze went over to the other side of the escalator.

There was a boy who looked to be around ten years old or so going up the escalator. The lady, who Adrian assumed was his mother, was too busy talking on her phone to notice the way he was racing up the steps. And people wondered why so many accidents happened on escalators.  

“What? Are you going all Mallrats on me?” Thomas joked with a grin.

Adrian laughed before deepening her voice to sound more masculine in order to quote the movie. “Fear and respect that escalator.”

Thomas chuckled, feeling the tips of his ears burning. He was so smitten with her, even when she was quoting comedy movies from the nineties. “So where do you want to go next?” he asked Adrian.

The two of them just left Macy's after she bought gifts for her aunts, who were the last on her Christmas lists that she needed to cross off.  

“Are you sure there’s not any stores you want to go to?” Adrian returned the question, voice back to normal.

Thomas shook his head. He already finished his family Christmas shopping several weeks ago, and he bought Adrian’s gift back in November. Her gift was being kept safe back in his apartment. Aside from wanting to keep her company, there was an important reason why he met up with her to go shopping.

Their close friend Hannah was going to tag along until he told her what he planned to do. So like the crafty person that Hannah was, she made up some last minute excuse as to why she couldn’t join. It was crucial it’d only be the two of them since tonight Thomas was finally going to tell Adrian the truth about how he felt about her.

The Bloc was a perfect place to do so. Every year the shopping center would set up a giant Christmas tree with lights that changed colors and a tunnel where people can walk through.

If Adrian ended up saying she liked him back it not only would make him happy, but it would also be a good story to tell the others later on. A romantic confession under a Christmas tree? That was basically a Hallmark movie moment.

“I’m actually getting hungry.” Adrian briefly touched her stomach, over the burgundy sweater she was wearing. Her stomach had been growling while she’d been wandering around Macy’s and she’d been getting hungry for some Chipotle.

Although Thomas was hungry too, he wanted to visit the extravagant bright Christmas tree in the middle of the shopping center with Adrian. Except really wanted Adrian food, so he went with her to the closest Chipotle.

He thought maybe they’d go in and out very quickly but the line was so long inside Chipotle that there was music being played to occupy the customers. There was a change after two songs by Taylor Swift, and Hey Ya! by Outkast started blasting for all ears to hear.

"We get together, oh, we get together, but separate's always better when there's feelings involved... know what they say, nothing lasts forever!”

Adrian gently swung the Macy’s bag she was holding by her side. “This song is actually really depressing.” She breezily commented with a spark in her dark brown eyes when looking at him. “It has an upbeat melody but if you pay attention to the lyrics they’re actually pretty dark. The song’s catchy though, and that’s why people ignore the real meaning behind it.”

“And what is the real meaning?” Thomas asked, wanting to hear the explanation from her.

Adrian sighed, moving forward when the person in front of them started ordering. Considering she wrote a paper about the song back in her Senior year of high school, she knew the real meaning of it. “The song is about relationships and how people stay in them even though there’s no more love because they don’t want to be alone.”

Thomas felt his stomach drop a bit, though not enough to stop him from admitting his feelings for her. He was no stranger when it came to the harsh realities of love and relationships. After all, he was a child of divorce.

His parents were only married for three years and by the time he turned one years old they had separated. Growing up in two homes, living with parents who despised each other, should’ve made him cynical when it came to romance but it surprisingly didn’t.

Thomas’ own past relationships had been good, with all of them ending amicably. And ever the hopeless romantic, the twenty-three year old held onto optimism that he’d find true love in life.

“Do you think all relationships end up that way?” He then questioned, curious to hear what she would say.

Adrian was inexperienced when it came to romance based on what she told him. She’d gone on only a few dates and those never led to anything serious. He wanted to find out if she was a cynic or a realist because after all this time he still wasn’t sure. Adrian on occasion could be an enigma wrapped in a taco wrapped in a burrito.  

Hannah claimed to have a better read on Adrian given that she was her best friend, once calling her a hopeful cynic. They’d been at Dragon Boba when Hannah said that and as a result she got a couple of exaggerated laughs from Adrian before she ate the last of Hannah’s mochi donuts.  

“A lot of them, sure, but not all.” Adrian answered his question earnestly. She thought back to her grandmother and grandfather and her own parents, and smiled softly. “I think some relationships are just meant to be.”

The beating of Thomas’ heart found a good rhythm. Her words repeated in his head even as they moved on up in the line. He was so enamoured by Adrian he failed to see the group of college girls who were leaving with their food after checking him out.  

He only had eyes for Adrian who was politely saying what she wanted on her veggie bowl to the person behind the counter. Really, she could talk about anything and she’d have his attention.

When it was his turn to order, Thomas looked away long enough to say what he wanted for his burrito bowl before returning his attention back to the woman he was holding a torch for.

Adrian’s previous words were repeating louder in her head, blocking out the music that was playing. In the next ten seconds whatever grand romantic gesture he had for Adrian under the colorful Christmas tree was ruined.  

Adrian made a thinking face as she walked up to the cash register with Thomas by her side. “So should I get guac—”

“I like you.”

Adrian came to a halt, her dark brown eyes widening comically. Her question about getting guacamole on the side was forgotten.

Thomas saw her reaction but he couldn’t stop talking. The truth at last was out and it was too late to take it back. “I like you Adrian. I really like you….more than a friend should.”

Adrian felt like a computer that was short-circuiting. Oceanic blue eyed, tall, blond, super smart, and overall nice guy, Thomas liked her? She imagined a bunch of question marks over her head.  

"Wh-what, uh, I…um…" Adrian blinked several times, mouth dropping open. It wasn’t the only thing that dropped. The veggie bowl she’d been handed right when he revealed his feelings for her was now on the floor, leaving her shocked and crestfallen.

Her face felt hot and her stomach felt as if a bunch of bees were buzzing around in there. She suddenly wanted to duck her head into a bucket of ice water. Rather than standing there like a statue with a look of disbelief, Adrian began to frantically apologize to the Chipotle employees about dropping her veggie bowl.

The Macy’s shopping bag moved around with her rapid movements from cleaning up her mess, making it look more awkward than it already was.  

Thomas tried helping but Adrian stepped aside with her mess to throw it away in the trash can. She apologized once more to the employees before rushing to the door. When she got to the door she turned back to stare at Thomas.

The way his oceanic blue eyes were softly staring at her made her feel indescribable. Adrian didn’t know if the feeling was good or bad but nevertheless she didn’t stick around to figure it out in front of Thomas. She left without looking back again, running to her car.

Thomas' order was called out as he watched Adrian leave with a glum expression. He could feel the eyes of everyone in Chipotle who saw him confess to the girl he liked and her reaction before running away. He tried making his face free from sadness but it didn’t seem to be working based on the pity looks he was receiving.

“Don’t even worry about it, man.” The teenage male worker at the cashier said, refusing his cash. “It’s on me.”

Thomas lowered his hand, his surprised face mixed with the lingering dejectedness from Adrian’s departure. “Really?”

“Yeah.” The teenager then laughed. “Cause that was just brutal.”

Thomas frowned, taking his burrito bowl. He left Chipotle to walk where he parked, feeling more heart wounded than embarrassed. His heartache would get worse once finding out about the car accident Adrian was in a few days later after spending Christmas with her family.