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xq1zi · 9 days ago

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look of love

gaara x reader

warnings: not proof read, english not first language, and no capitalization.

word count: 2.4k

A/N: gaara needs more love. also i recommend the song “strangers in the night” by frank sinatra. it describes this fic perfectly i think and it wasn’t even intentional lol. also this kinda dumb

when the chunin exams had begun you weren't there due to being away on a mission with your parents. and when you came back so much had happened such as sasuke leaving the village. naruto going to go train with master jiraiya.

you would be filled in once you came back and saddened that you didn't get a chance to say goodbye to nartuo. but wasn't the end of the world since what caught your interest was the three they called the “sand village siblings”.

and was told how scarry a guy called “gaara” was. sure when this was told to you all of it already happened so you had nothing to worry about but still left a bad taste in your tongue.

but nowadays its peace was made with the sand village so nothing goes on with them anymore you gradually forgot about them. then you were told to go assist team 10 going to save the current kazekage.

after the cheering and sad moment for lady chiyo, he had gotten up to go back home. but he had looked around for a second to see who had come. then your eyes met.

it could be because he's never seen you. or simply you caught his eye for some reason. but for that moment it felt like staring into a person you've known for years. comfort. but it ended as quickly as it started.

then everyone went back to the village and naruto suggested that they should go out to eat. so many went to a restaurant to celebrate the fact that gaara is alive.

the restaurant had a second level balcony and you went out to get fresh air for a little while. then the door slides open. “oh, i didn't realize someone was already here.” a quiet voice says.

“oh no, don't stop because of me here.” you invited gaara to come out with you.

“i don't think we've met before. i was certain i had met everyone of naruto friends by now” he spoke again. “i was on a mission when you first came to leaf village so i didn't have a chance to meet you. im [name] nice to meet you.” your eyes couldnt leave his.

“same to you. gaara but i'm sure you knew that by now…” silent grew but looking into each other's eyes you didn't even notice it one bit.

but subconsciously without thinking, you blurted out the one thing that should've been kept inside. “you look so beautiful..,” quickly slapping your hand over your face and turning away from him.

when you saw him like this your cheeks reddeden even more but this time from the way he looks so cute in this moment. but as it was his power to interpret, nartuo came in looking for gaara. “GAARA THERE YOU ARE HERE COME DOWN- huh what are you guys doing here”

“nothing naruto, just getting to know one another since this is my first time meeting” you said back to him.” “oh okay!,” he gave his big smile “GAARA LET'S GO COME ON” he screamed even more, “very well, nice to meet you, hope we meet again.” he looked at you, seemingly not wanting to go. “yeah..same” both of you stand there before naruto starts yelling again.

a few days passed and you can't stop thinking about the feeling you got with gaara. then as it seems like luck was on your side you were given an assessment to go and give documents to the sand village. after three days of travel you arrived at the sand village. you were at the kazekage doors.

after you knock you hear his voice. “come in.” you opened the door and he looks at you with surprise. “ive came to drop off some reports from what..well you know happened.” you said a bit shyly.

“ah, yes t-thank you.” hes a bit red. “w-well ill be going now.” you said. “w-wait! well arent you tired? y-you should sleep before going,” gaara said without thinking.

not sure of what he was doing he continued on. “you can sleep within my residence, as a guest of the kazekage. rest for a while.” he was still timid but calmed down.

“you sure? i wouldn’t want to be bothersome.” everything seems like it’s coming to place. “you wouldn't, i can assure.” he replied.

“well i guess a quick power nap wouldn’t hurt,” you didn’t sleep that well and you could use a hot shower. “okay i’ll take you up on that offer.”

“good here, follow me.” he said. you two walked for a bit and got to the entrance of his home. then we walked over to a room.

it was nice and tidy. “take my room. my bed is more comfortable than the one in the guest bedroom.” don’t know why he brought you to his own room. but he felt so comfortable with you that he didn’t mind it.

“oh thank you so much.” you said in a genuine tone. “yes, no problem, have a nice nap.” he smiled at you then left to go back to his duties. once his presence left the room you quickly felt your heart racing. why was he making you feel this way? surely it can’t just be you feeling this away.

and you would come to the right conclusion because little to your knowledge he also felt his heart beating in a way he can’t explain.

you changed into some sleeping clothes you packed just in case. and slept for a while. but unfortunately the thing that woke you up was gaara coming into the room thinking you’ve already gone home. since it was only going to be a “quick nap”.

“forgive me i thought you would’ve gone home by now.” he said, very sorry for coming in while you slept. “huh?! NO DID I OVERSLEEP…” you shouted just a bit. “seems as though you did.” he said back. “awe man, wasted a whole day. i have to start leaving now.” you said while getting up from the bed and remaking it.

“i’m assuming you haven’t had dinner yet. it’s not good to go on an empty stomach.” gaara had a point there. “do you have anything in mind?” you said. “i can show you a good restaurant if you want,” he suggested. “i haven’t had dinner yet either”

“okay sure let me get ready and i’ll meet you outside” you replied and started to get dressed once he left. after being done you went down and met with him. and walked to the restaurant together. the two of you sat down and ordered.

“thank you so much for letting me sleep. saved me money and sleep deprivation!” he chuckled at the statement. “yes, no problem just wanting to return the favor to the leaf after coming to my aid” conversation was going smoothly. two of you ate and talked like you’ve grown together over the years.

then finally this moment came to a close and two of you stood outside the restaurant. smiles both placed on each other's faces. then when you started saying goodbye you said something.

“hey! gaara…don’t you feel like we’ve known each other for years. for some reason i’m so comfortable with you.” you said in a soft tone.

“well, yes i do feel like that. i thought i was simply imagining it.” he gave you a soft answer.

“my heart is telling me to keep seeing you or at least keep in touch…hope that doesn’t sound too crazy if you know what i mean.” you chuckled.

“no,not at all, i wouldn't mind. we can exchange letters until we meet again.”

“oh that 's so great! bye gaara!! you’ll get a letter from me once i arrive okay?!” you left giddy knowing that you took a risk and it paid off. faith is certainly doing its course.

over the past couple of months you and gaara exchanged letters. you would wait for his letter to come every time. of course many took notice now a certain type of bird will find you and hand you a letter. it would be rare that you two would meet but every time it was perfect.

“[name] spill we know you have a mystery man.” sakura said while ino stood next to her. “yeah we’ve been dying to know!!” ino went next.

cheeks red from the sudden accusation. you start to rebuttal them. “huh?! i don’t have a mystery man, what are you guys on about!” you wave your hand at them.

“lies! you receive letters from him and every time you read them your face smiles from ear to ear.” sakura shouting at you. this continues on for a bit after you reveal that it's been gaara you’ve been talking to. but nothing is going on.

“nothing going on my butt, you clearly have feelings for him!” ino said. “oh my it’s quite literally love at first sight!” sakura smiled. “sakura what are you on about?! It's nothing like that.” you defend yourself even though deep down you know it’s the truth.

“you can’t even hide it well. your eyes light up so much when you see his letter.” ino remarks. you don’t speak knowing it’s true. “you can’t even say anything because you know it’s true” sakura teased.

while you were enduring this torture, gaara seemily was also going through the same things.

“hey gaara i’ve been wondering who sends you so much letters.” kankuro said. “hey! i was just thinking the same thing!!” temari stated.

“oh, it’s nothing really. just a friend.” they both gave “ohhh”s. “who it’s it naruto? man is he surely consistent with them.” kankuro said. “well it’s a she so it’s not naruto” gaara corrected him. both of them were confused and shocked. “it's a girl?! who!?” temari interested in what her little brother is doing.

“she’s from the leaf. we met when they came to our rescue. for some reason we connected right away.” gaara said bluntly.

“are you serious? i wouldn’t take you for a person who would connect right away.” kankuro laughed. “well who is she? you haven’t answered that.” temari asked again.

“her name is [name].she wasn’t there when we took the chunin exams. so you didn’t get to meet her.” he answered. he gave a slight smile when talking about you.

“gaara do you like her as a friend or something more? you seem to light up as you talk above her.” temari teased him. “you should definitely ask her out if you do” kankuro joined in.

“it’s nothing like that.” gaara defended himself while a tint of pink appeared on his cheeks. this continued for a while seemingly with no end. but at the end of the day both of you came to the same conclusion. you both had a crush on each other.

when finally it came time for you two to see each other again. it was a bit awkward. “so gaara how have you been..?” you asked shyly while walking. “good, a bit tiring but nonetheless good.” he replied back.

“good, good, uhm gaara do you want to go somewhere? i know a really good place.” you said to him. “sure, lead the way.” he smiled at you.

while you led the way you too talked. with those quick silent moments where you two just look at each other with a deep understanding. just like falling in love.

“look gaara, how beautiful the view is!,” you said while looking over the beach as the sun goes down. and the waterfall falling into the water make a nice and calming sound that you can just fall asleep too.

“here!, come!! sit! look at this view gaara isn’t it great.” you said while being hypnotized by the view.

“yes. it is certainly beautiful.” gaara said but not looking at the view rather at you. the two of you sat there for a while listening to the waves and wind. you gave a sigh “gaara… i feel like i’ve known you for so long… i feel so safe around you.” you turned now looking into his eyes. drowning in them you lose yourself in them.

“i feel the same. not sure why but i want to stay close to you.” he turned red because he never felt so open like this before.

“me too…can i be honest gaara?,” he nodded so you continued. “i have feelings for you… when i first saw you i felt a sudden connection i know it sound silly-”

“it doesn’t. it’s not silly.” he interrupted you. “you sure?” you giggled. “i’m sure.” his smile was so bright.

“would you like to be with me?” he said. it was sudden even though you felt the same you were so shy to answer. “y-yes. i would!” you said while turned red. “good. thank you.” he pulled into a hug and kiss the top of your head.

after a couple of hours you two returned to his home. as it was closer. “so now that we are together…what do we do?” you asked.

“not sure what you mean.” he was confused. “i mean do you want to cuddle and sleep together?” you nervously laughed. “you can if you want.” he looked away with a slight blush. “you look cute, did i tell you that?” you giggled. he blushed even more.

you got ready for bed. his bed was large so certainly enough space for both of you two to have your own space. but you chose not too. embracing each other. and falling asleep as newley lovers. who seemingly fell in love at first sight.

did guys like it? i worked on it in class lol. i probably would make head canons for him or a part 2 if you guys want!!

#gaara of the sand #x reader #naruto x reader #gaara x reader #gaara naruto #gaara x you

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multi-fxndom446 · 10 months ago

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6 Months

John ‘Soap’ Mactavish X Reader

Summary: Johnny would come to your rescue any time you needed. He is thoroughly protective of you.

Warning: light angst, fluffy. Not much tbh. It may be a little rushed?? Idk anymore😭

Word count: 2.6k

•

This is Johnnys part two to his ‘You came? You called.’ Series.

His part one is here

Can’t tell if I hate this or not so hopefully yall like it🫶🏻

6 months.

6 months was how long it took before you introduced Johnny to your boyfriend. He wasn't sure if it was because he was deployed or because you were nervous about how he’d react to him

Because it was safe to say Johnny hated your boyfriend. It took him 6 months to meet him and less than 6 seconds to decide he hated him.

He didn’t like the way your boyfriend looked at you, or talked to and about you. He didn’t like the way your boyfriend's eyes would roam to other women when you weren’t looking. But he especially hated the way you smiled when you talked about him.

He hated the way your eyes would light up whenever his name left your lips. He hated the way you would blush when he would give you any sort of attention after ignoring you the whole night.

God if only you knew, Johnny would spend his days making you blush any chance he got. He’d give you so much attention you’d never have to beg him for a simple kiss on the cheek.

You’d never even worry about his attention being anywhere else but you because where else would they be if not you? His attention was already always on you, it had been since you two became best friends.

He tried to like your boyfriend he really did, or at least he wanted to be okay with him. Because your happiness topped anything he was feeling in the moment. He tried his hardest, he put on his best smile and was ready to lose you until he saw the cocky smirk your boyfriend had on his face when they made eye contact for the first time.

Johnny shook his hand stiffly as the other man sized him up. It was like he knew he had something that Johnny could only ever dream of having, your love. And what’s worse was the asshole never deserved it.

But he bit his tongue. Kept his opinions to himself, kept the harsh comments he had ready at bay.

Oh but how he wished he could hit your boyfriend, just once. One time would suffice. One time and he’d have it out of his system, one time to let him wipe the smug smile off his face.

That was all before your phone call though.

Now he was sat on his couch, knee bouncing anxiously as he tried to calm himself down. It was nearing the end of the second week of you staying with him and currently you were fast asleep in his bed, tears still staining your cheeks.

You were glad you left and he knew that but he also knew it was one of your longest relationships and when you loved someone you loved them with your whole heart.

Not only had he abused that but he tore it to shreds when he even suggested the idea of you cheating.

It made Johnny clench his jaw even tighter when he recalled the words. How would he think you were even capable of cheating when your whole world was him?

He couldn’t even fathom the possibility of ever laying a hand on you and it just made his body shake in anger the more he thought about it.

Although he didn’t really understand where this wave of anger came from, the moment his eyes landed on his phone he knew.

His phone was open on the coffee table in front of him, showing the text conversation between him and Price. His captain had just made him aware he was needed back at base in the next few days.

He never replied to it because instantly his mind was taken over with what he was going to do for you. The stress of trying to find a solution that would make you happy and keep you safe gave way to the thoughts of why you were hurting in the first place.

Then down the rabbit hole he went.

He stared long and hard at the message before he ultimately reached over and turned off his phone, leaving it there when he got up to go check on you.

You were still fast asleep when he reached his room and he took a moment to admire the scene in front of him. A scene he was sure he’d never have the pleasure of seeing everyday.

A scene of you wrapped up in his blankets, head resting on his pillows, on his bed. He couldn’t help the flutter he felt in his chest when he noticed you were also in one of his shirts.

His arms were crossed as he leaned against his door frame just taking you in when he noticed your phone buzzing and you rolled over to ignore it. He wasn’t trying to be nosy but he couldn’t help it when he caught a glimpse of your exes name from where he was.

Instantly he pushed himself off the doorframe and came closer. He stared down at your phone for a few seconds before declining the call and it was then he noticed the multiple missed calls and texts he had left you.

“Bloody Christ.” Johnny muttered to himself in distaste. How could the man not grab a hint?

“Johnny?” Immediately his attention was back on you. You, who turned to see who was bothering you while rubbing the sleep from your eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Course Bonnie.” He soothed as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to you while his hand came up to run through your hair as you laid your head back down completely content. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“‘S fine.” You watched him, noticing the way he wouldn’t meet your gaze.

“I need to talk to you bout something.” He said softly while he moved his hand to hold one of yours. “Price called me in early, I have to go back to base.”

You shifted so you could see him better and he could see the worry starting to creep inside you. “You need me to leave?”

“What? No. No Bonnie, that's not what I’m gettin at.” He shook his head and held your hand tighter. “I want you..I want you to come with me.”

“Johnny-“

“There’s some apartments near the base that we can rent. You’ll have the space all to yourself for the most part when I’m away on missions, but this way I’ll be closer to you and I’ll come home to you every chance I get.” He could see the way your eyes widened at his words before his words even registered to him.

‘I’ll come home to you.’

Suddenly he was pulling himself away from you, “or if you want to stay here, you’re more than welcome to stay in my apartment but-“ you cut him off as you sat up quickly to grab his hand in yours again and it made him pause to take a breathe. “But if you stay here I can’t protect you like I want to. If you come with me, you’ll be far from him.”

He studied you, waiting for your reaction but all you did was play with his fingers. He felt like the silence was going to consume him until finally you met his gaze again.

“Okay.” You nodded, “when do we leave?”

The amount of relief that flooded his veins was unparalleled. He squeezed your hand again, “Few days.” And just like that you were getting up from the bed to go pack the little things you had taken with you.

6 months.

6 months was all it took for you to uproot your life and move with Johnny closer to base.

6 months was all it took for you and him to settle into this new normal. You both agreed on just renting a one bedroom apartment considering he would be gone most of the time.

You had even Invested in one of those pull out couches so he could sleep on that whenever he would come home.

But you never put up a fight when he one day he would start coming home to you and crash into the same bed as you.

You never put up a fight when he’d unconsciously, (or consciously. You weren’t sure anymore) wrap an arm around you and pull you as close to him as he could before falling asleep.

6 months was all it took for you and Johnny to fall into a normal schedule. Even when he was gone for days or weeks at a time whenever he came home it was like nothing changed.

You’d have the apartment cleaned and have dinner ready for him. It all felt so normal for the both of you.

He’d always greet you with a smile and a kiss on the head or if he had an extra strenuous mission he’d hug you and hold you for what would feel like hours.

The first few times he’d come home after a long time away you were always worried there would be some awkward tension there, especially when you started putting more and more of your things out.

He never complained. He loved that you made the small space feel like home and he wouldn’t admit that he loved coming home to a place that made him feel like he was surrounded by you.

6 months was all it took for you to forget about your ex boyfriend.

It was such an easy thing to do when Johnny had now surrounded your every thought. Any which way you turned you were reminded of the fact that your best friend cared for you.

Any time he could sense you were starting to fall back into bad memories he’d be right next to you giving you a new happy memory to cloud the old one.

Anytime he knew he’d be away for longer than a few days he would use every chance he got to call you or text you, anything just to check on you and make sure you were okay.

You were sure you hadn’t thought of your ex way before 6 months because how could you? It was so easy to forget him when you had Johnny. Between the late night cuddles, the forehead kisses he had gotten so used to giving you and the more soft intimate moments of just being in his presence.

Moments like this, with his hand around your waist and the other grasping your hand softly while he swayed to some song he put on in the background.

All this happening because of a comment you made, during dinner, about never having danced with someone before. Something Johnny couldn’t let just go unnoticed.

Next thing you knew he was on his feet, hand extended to you. You laughed him off at first but he made a grab motion before he just ultimately grabbed your hand and yanked you up.

The both of you already danced through a few songs while you talked about things you would normally talk about during dinner but dinner was on the table long forgotten for this moment.

He told you all about his task force and about Ghost who he said he hoped you could meet one day along with Gaz and price.

“They already know all about ya.” He had said it so cheekily with a smug grin on his face that you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Talk about me a lot do you Johnny?”

He nodded immediately and tightened his hold, “everyday.” Your eyes widened at his response and you decided to leave it there while he swayed you through the next few songs.

He spun you around once before pulling you back into him and you smiled brightly at him before realizing how long you had been doing this.

“Johnny you don’t have to do this anymore, I think I got the hang of it after the first few songs.” You laughed at him softly, your cheeks turning a soft shade of pink when he looked down at you with a fond smile on his face.

“Course I do.” He grinned. “You been through enough recently, least I can do ‘s give you a night to remember.”

You shook your head in disbelief, your hand holding onto his tighter. “You’ve already been doing that since that night.” Your voice trailed off as you recalled when he had come to your rescue.

Johnny frowned when you wouldn’t meet his gaze and he moved the hand from your waist to grip your chin softly and have you look at him again. “And I’ll do it as long as I’m breathing.”

Your breathe caught in your throat when you saw the intense sincerity. “Johnny..”

“You know that don’t you?” His eyes searched yours, looking for something you weren’t sure what. “You know I’d do anythin for you?”

You nodded softly as you whispered a quiet, ‘I know.’ You moved the hand you had wrapped around his neck to cup his cheek, your thumb smoothing over his cheekbone.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe in. “What’re you thinking about?” You practically whispered and he opened his eyes again to look at you.

By now there was hardly any space left between the both of you and the hand he had holding your chin moved so he was also cupping your cheek. “Doesn't matter.”

“Matters to me. Please Johnny, what are you thinking about?” His eyes searched yours again before he seemed to find exactly what he was looking for and he moved forward slowly until his lips just barely brushed yours.

“How I don’t wan’ any o’ this to change.” He muttered against your lips. He loved the way he could see your gaze drop to his lips the second he did. “How I wan’ to have a life with you Bonnie.”

Your eyes met his again. “And how I really want ta kiss you.” You watched him swallow hard while he waited for your move.

“Then do it.” You whispered and it was all he needed to hear before he pulled you even closer and closed the gap.

His hand on your cheek moved up to tangle itself into your hair while the other moved down to your waist to pull you closer against him.

You couldn’t help the gasp of surprise by the intensity of his kiss, like he had been waiting to kiss you for as long as he could remember. Which he had.

When he kissed you it felt like everything was right with the world, like everything was as it should be now and you couldn’t help the way your hand moved to clutch onto his shirt for support.

He only pulled away when he felt your tremble against his hold and he was quickly scanning your face to make sure you were okay but you were already pulling him back down to you.

“I love you Johnny.” You muttered when you pulled away to breathe. The smile that broke out onto his face was a site you could get used to.

“Been waitin to hear those words for ages, lass.” Then he pulled you into a hug like he couldn’t believe this was actually happening. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.”

You were smiling too as you ran your fingers through his hair while he hugged you.

6 months could feel like a lifetime when spent with the right person.

Because 6 months is all it took for you to come to terms with the fact that you were irrevocably in love with John Mactavish.

And you had been all along.

The end

Also should I add more Ghosts characters to my scenarios? Like Logan and Hesh?

Also sorry if I disappear for a lil while again, gonna try and get more then one thing written before I start posting so then I can give u guys more content❤️

#call of duty x reader #call of duty imagine #cod x reader #call of duty modern warfare #johnny mactavish x reader #soap mactavish x reader #john mactavish x reader #johnny soap mactavish x reader

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ahmad-91s-blog · 2 months ago

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Help my family surive

Hi, I'm Ahmed, 33 years old, from Gaza. I hope you read this message. This message is from you, Hala, 9 years old, my son Qasem, 7 years old, who has special needs, and my daughter Amna, 5 years old, also with special needs, to the whole world. 🚨🚨🍉 Please help Hala, Qasem, Amna and my family to get out of Gaza as soon as possible. Donate to give them a safe life. Please do not ignore the message. 🙏🙏💔😭

On a dark night at the beginning of the war, our area was subjected to massive bombing. The explosions reached our home, forcing us to flee into the night, running amidst periodic explosions and searching for survival. We made our way to southern Gaza by morning, seeking refuge in Rafah

I am Ahmed. My life was beautiful. I owned a barbershop and my income was excellent. It covered my household needs and some of my children’s medical expenses. After October 7, my life changed and I lost my salon, my source of livelihood and my children’s livelihood. I was displaced and left my home and everything I owned. Everything is gone. Children with special needs need permanent treatment. I have a child who suffers from increased electricity in the brain and needs daily treatment.

@90-ghost

@aces-and-angels

@nabulsi

@gazagfmboost

@ibtisam @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @vakarians-babe @7amaspayrollmanager @fairuzfakhira @fallahsart @sayruq @humanvoreture @kaapstadgirly @sar-soor @dimonds456-art @plomegranate @commissions4aid-international @nabulsi @stil-macher @soon-palestine @communitythings @palestinegenocide @vakarians-babe @ghost-and-a-half @7amaspayrollmanager @kaapstadgirly @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @marnota @toughknit @flower-tea-fairies @the-stray-liger @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @vivisection-gf @communistchameleon @troythecatfish @the-bastard-king @4ft10tvlandfangirl

#free gaza #free palestine #free #save palestine #all eyes on palestine #gaza

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hellinistical · 6 months ago

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Minors dni. Reblogs highly appreciated.

Tw: cannibalism, fingering, oral (fem receiving), non-con, sub-reader, afab reader, stalking, kidnapping, blood, descriptive body horror, unprotected sex,

gojo, sukuna, childe, rafayel, xavier, knives.

Wc: 2.8k

He didn't mean to stalk you.

He didn't intend for it to go this far.

But he definitely didn't want to stop.

Behind the bushes in front of your window, he watched.

Watched you clean. Watched you eat. Watched you sleep.

What a pretty thing.

His fingers curled around the Japanese knife in his hand, but he took a deep breath, goosebumps rising on his skin as he imagined it all: First, the knife in his hands would glide through the skin on your cheeks, right by your lips. He'd give you a kiss and a permanent smile, digging his thumbs into the raw dermis. He'd take the two pieces and taste them. Would it be warm and savory? Maybe a bit tangy? The blood would surely be. Maybe he'd take a strip from your thighs next. The fatty areas would surely be delicious. But no, he wanted this to last longer, see where it went.

⁛⁛⁛

He saw you again- at the Walgreens this time.

He knew when you went to pick up your prescription- the one for the migraines. The anxiety. So he grabbed a job. Just as a cashier, nothing big, nothing special. Just enough to make small talk.

Though you'd usually only come for your medication, sometimes you'd grab yourself a treat. Press ons, the ones with the French tips. Maybe just for a day, for a party. Chocolate, the one with the hazelnuts. Never minded which brand it was, so long as it satiated that sweet tooth.

He remembered the thought he had that first day, when he imagined you. Bare, splayed out in the table, his hands in your blood, a toothpick in his mouth.

He wondered if you'd be as sweet as the chocolate you bought.

⁛⁛⁛

When you spoke to him the first time, it was with a sympathizing tone. Did he make up a sob story for the masses? Was it highly unlikely? Yeah, but he was just a stranger, so who cared? You gave him the benefit of doubt, and he bathed his mind in it.

You leaned in closer, only to read his name tag really, but he made his move anyways, pulling you into a little dip, as if he were wanting a dance. And he did. But the way his name rolled off your tongue, he needed it.

That was what he got this job for.

So he quit the very next day.

⁛⁛⁛

You asked him out. A small date, just to the movies. He found out you liked horror.

He remembered it.

⁛⁛⁛

You've been feeling…off lately. Like you were being watched, even in the bathroom. Your anxiety rose, and so did your stress.

So did your migraines.

⁛⁛⁛

You were running. Just a morning jog, something to clear your mind. But your adrenaline was pumping. You couldn't think straight.

The feeling- that stupid feeling that you were being watched! It crawled up your legs, your chest, gripling your heart before it got to your brain.

Then it was dark.

⁛⁛⁛

How did you get here, with your fingertips begging for clearance on the edges of the protruding, crumbling brick wall? With stale air, heavy with a metallic scent?

His breath was hot on your skin, trailing up your neck to your jaw to your ear. His right hand rested under your breast, the left on your hip, holding your backside against his pelvis.

"Pretty thing, what do you want?"

His voice was teasing, the hand on your hip now playing with your waistband, his cold fingers threatening to dip past the fabric, to graze your probably more-than-warm skin.

Your grip falters, but before your chin can scrape against the brick, his hand is on your throat. He catches you lightly, the pads of his thumb, index, and middle squeezing your skin gently.

A dry chuckle leaves his lips, the hand under your breast moving to your ass.

"Little love,"

You know to stay quiet, that if you were to even swallow hard his grip would tighten.

Goosebumps litter your skin, and you feel an odd thrill from it all; the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins as you still your body, your vision hazy but the knife on the table is still very much within his reach.

His hair is soft as it brushes against your shoulder when he leans over. Lips pressed to your skin, they whisper silent promises, not threats. A hand pulls on the waistband of your underwear, and it’s promptly pulled down, a harsh smack landing on your ass. You bite back a yelp, humiliation stinging as tears prick at your eyes. He chuckles, groping the fatty flesh for a moment before resting his hand on your waist, his thumb rubbing circles on your skin.

“And to think you tried to run- although I suppose praise is in order…you managed to surprise me.”

You feel something. Something cool and wet and gliding down your backside; spit. It goes down the curve of your butt, but he takes his hand, smearing it down to your folds, his thumb pushing past for a mere second before pulling away. He licked his thumb, and an airy laugh left his lips. His thumbs move down to your hips, pressing into the dips as he leans onto you, pushing your stomach into the bricks even more. It hurts, your chin is probably scratched, and you're cold, but damn it, you don't feel shame as you feel your knees shake in anticipation.

“You know, I didn’t expect you to actually believe that I was the pizza guy. Then again, I suppose having the prop did help. But still, you didn’t even question why the box wasn’t warm. Say…”

His voice trailed off as he pulled you away from the wall. Turning you over onto your back, he grabbed your chin softly, a faux kind smile on his face.

“You seem pretty flushed out, Y/n. You got goosebumps all over you.”

Taking your wrists with one hand, he guided you to the table, sliding the knife carelessly off of it as he laid you down on it.

"I wonder- and you can speak this time baby, I won't do anything, promise… I wonder if you're actually enjoying my touch. Maybe not the situation- I'd hope not the situation cause then you'd be a little fucked up- but maybe the touches." He giggles again, and you feel your stomach churn.

"I'm not fucked up."

"Oh? So you like my touches then?"

"I didn't say that."

It's like he can't stop laughing, and it seems mocking as he gets onto the table halfway, hovering over you.

He leans close to your face, close enough that you can see all the small blemishes on his cheeks.

"You didn't need to. I can feel it."

As if to prove a point, his hand goes to your thighs, sliding to your labia. Your legs instantly close around his wrist, thighs clamping down. He disregards it though, instead just pressing a kiss to your lips swiftly as he pushes two fingers into you to the knuckle. He swallows your gasp, the hand that was supporting his weight sneaking behind your neck, pushing you deeper into the kiss, the two fingers in you making a scissor motion widely, slowly.

Your eyes couldn't get any wider, truly. It was comical, how he managed to do just what he imagined: get you splayed out, bare and ready.

Though his appetite was gone, another one was readily introduced, and he gladly welcomed it.

He leans to kiss you again and you turn your head away, but he chases your lips anyways taking one, two, three kisses from you. He pulls his fingers out of you, disregarding the involuntary whine that left you as he licked his hand clean again.

You try to clamp your legs shut for good this time, but he forces them open, cupping your heat, pushing his palm where your clit was.

You all but hiss, back arching off the table before he pressed his free hand into your stomach, pushing you back down into the wood.

Your skin was ridiculously soft, and he thought about just how truly thin the layers of the skin were…. Why if he could just-

No, he couldn't. He needed to save this.

Instead, he nips at your neck, exhaling slowly.

"You know, I've been watching you- you probably knew that, right? You're a smart girl. I know; I've seen you study. You work hard, it's admirable. A shame there won't be any more of that."

His pinky and thumb separate your lips, and he pressed his index and middle finger in, not waiting for a response.

You didn't notice it till now: his skin was oddly cool, a stark contrast from your hot skin.

Mouth falling open, you inhale sharply, refusing to cry, to give him a sense of what you think would give him satisfaction.

His fingers go at a leisurely pace again, curling occasionally, searching, searching…ah, there it was. That spot.

He grins into the crook of your neck as he feels you tense up.

"That easy, huh?"

He doesn't allow you to talk, too busy abusing your cunt. Feeling the drool slide down the corner of your mouth to his cheek, he giggles again- that damned giggle.

You reach for any purchase, anything but him. Wincing as splinters dig into the skin of your hands, you don't ignore the pain, wanting the distraction from the man above you. Your heart beats faster, and he hears it, taking it as an opportunity to have the hand on your cunt move to rub up and down your slit.

Your lips part, your eyebrows try to meet. It was too many sensations; the fear of what was happening, the pain from the wood digging into your skin, the pleasure from the unwanted persistence of him. And that smile he wore.

There was something unnatural about it.

But whether you were more scared of him or the fact that you were enjoying this…that was what terrified you. Maybe you were fucked up.

But something surprising happened.

He stopped. You stopped.

"If you want me to stop, all ya gotta do is say so."

His hand almost retreats before you protest.

⁛⁛⁛

It's the first good look he has at your cunt. It's glistening, and pretty, and that feeling of hunger rises again. He salivated.

Swallowing thickly, he pushes himself off the table, opting to wrap his arms around your thighs, pulling you to the edge, bringing your legs to his shoulders. He bites your thigh, pressing his nose into it. The smell is dizzying. Sweat, arousal, and something else he can't quite name. But he loves it all the same.

His attention goes back to your pussy, and he levels with it, hot breath fanning over your folds.

Again you pull back, and again you're pulled back.

A low moan vibrates through him, almost muffled as he presses his tongue flat, licking a long stripe between your folds to your clit, teasing the bundle of nerves. You try your best to be quiet, small whimpers and pleas escaping every now and then. It spurs him on, his tongue curious, messy as spit and juices mix, the sounds coming from the combination disgustingly hot. Your walls clamped down onto his tongue, and his eyes rolled back.

He knew to save you.

His mouth wraps around your more than puffy clit, and as if he were making out with it, he sucks it hard before releasing it with a delightful pop, only to grab it with his teeth, biting gently. And again he brings his fingers, burying them again into you. A chuckle escapes him as you spew obscenities. He pulls back for a breath.

"I watched, you know. Your fingers… they weren't cutting it. You need this. You need me…you do. You really do…"

The pads of his fingers are rough, you can feel the callouses against your walls, but you can't seem to care.

A knot was forming in your stomach, and when he pressed his hand down right below your naval you choked on your breath, releasing.

With a content sigh, he drank you, a sheen of what was left resting on his chin when he rose up.

Tired, nearly overstimulated, you push yourself up, wary.

"Enough, you, I won't tell, I swe-"

"Shh, shh, shhh." He pressed a finger to your lips. You can taste yourself.

Rising back to his feet, he stands, unbuttoned his pants. Your eyes widened and you backed up, only for him to grab your ankle hard. It would bruise, his grip stronger than you expected.

"I'm not done. Stay still."

His tone briefly reminds you of the knife on the floor.

Your mind is still reeling, your legs still twitching from the abrupt orgasm. But he ignores it all, slipping himself out of his briefs. It's too fast, all of this. Too much, when his grip on your ankle hurts. Too much, when he twists it hard, no doubt spraining it as he holds it high to his shoulder, your other leg around his hip. Too much, when he swallows your scream with a kiss, pressing the head of his cock into you.

He shudders, the first sensation of your walls around him euphoric. He felt a high, and he had half a mind to just taste more of you right there.

The knife was on the floor though, and he was too engrossed to be bothered to grab it. Instead, he bit into your calf, his cuspids breaking the skin. Oh, how he loved that look on your face. The bleach eyes, the tears, the snot cause you can't stop crying…it was beautiful to him. All of it.

Warmth flooded his mouth the same as it engulfed his cock, but he wanted more. So again he bit, tearing the bite in your calf a little wider, the piece he managed to rip off resting on his tongue. It was like veal, or pork. Sweet, savory, firm. He moaned at the taste, swallowing slowly, savoring the remnants of the flavor that rested on his tongue. You mewled, terrified, excited, tired as his hips began to move.

It was awful, yet amazing. Contradictions and hypocritical all at the same time. It didn't matter to either of you, not when he pushed into you further, his shaft dipping in and out as you spread for him. Your clenched tightly, almost too much so before he tells you to relax, as if he hadn't just taken a bite from you. But you try. You really try. But it's not until he gets to the hilt that you release the tension. He grins, teeth faintly red from your blood. You can see a part of your skin in his mouth, but you don't have time to think, not when he thrusts in, and out, in, and out again and again.

He looks at your face, your slack expression making him giddy, more so than he's been the entire night. Something tugs at the back of his mind, telling him to take what he wants.

So he does.

He takes, and takes, and takes till your convulsing, eyes nearly rolled to the back of your sockets, bloody and drained, ready to meet your maker. But he's not satisfied yet.

Close, but not yet.

You look at him, pleading for him to let go, but it's impossible to, not when you look so pretty like this.

Hands on your hips with a bruising grip, your ankle is swollen, medical attention disregarded as it rests on the edge of the table, your leg off his shoulder. Your fine leg is still on his hip, your heel digging into the end of his back, right above his ass. You arch your back, becoming desperate to finish this already, but you know that's not your purpose right now.

"Can't…" He starts between skipped breaths, the adrenaline finally catching up to him, "can't believe no one's had the thought… they're all blind. All of them- you... you're perfect. Pretty, delicious. Sustainable. The rest... They're animals."

You didn't get it, too busy chasing a high you might not get.

He moans, leaning down into you, his arms on either side of you, his face pressed into your stomach. He'd surely go crazy from you. He was close, you both knew it. The way his movements became uncoordinated and sloppy, it was all telltale signs.

"When I'm done- I'm coming back, and don't you forget it. 'Kay?"

You nod yes. Of course you do.

And even if you didn't, he'd take it as one.

His balls tightened, and he felt it, the familiar sensation of release. Except instead of being on pictures of you, it was in you. He bit into your stomach, his arms slipping underneath you, pulling you closer as he came deep into you. You gasped, your palms digging into his shoulders, attempting to push him away, but he would not let up.

He laughs, loud, rambunctious, victorious.

And bile builds up in your throat. You swallow it back, demanding yourself not to throw up.

Salty tears stream down your face, but he ignores it. Soft, he pulls out. Happy.

And before you can get up, the knife is in his hands.

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madameminor · 5 months ago

Text

In More Ways Than One, Part 10.5 - Bad Batch x F!Reader - Brothers

Summary: Commander Core has a duty to perform.

Tags: No smut this chapter, just some feels.

Warnings: Sad feelings.

Notes: Is this bridge chapter longer than it normally is? Yes. Does a bitch give a kriff? No. Eat it up, beebees.

Also - a "dear clone" message is equivalent to a 'dear john' letter. If you aren't sure what that is, ask the Google.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 3.5 Part 4 Part 4.5 Part 5 Part 5.5 Part 6 Part 6.5 Part 7 Part 8 Part 8.5 Part 9 Part 9.5 Part 10 Part 10.5

THEN

Commander Core swirls his amaretto sour in his glass, watching the residue left in cylindrical waves slowly fall back down the sides. He mentally plays the conversation from earlier for the umpteenth time in the last 2 hours.

“Oh, Core! Its good to see you! I…I didn’t think I’d see you after my message.”

“Oh, I haven’t checked, wanted to surprise you! Didn’t want to waste any of my shore leave.”

“Oh…while I love the sentiment, that makes this part harder.”

“Baaaabe?”

“Just a second!”

“Oh, ah, I…I see.”

“I’m sorry, Core, you mean a lot to me, but… you did preface this with how you can’t be in a relationship…”

“You’re right, you’re right. I’m… happy for you.”

“Core.”

“No, its… its alright. I understand. I’ll… just be going then.”

“I’ll see you around 97’s?”

“Yeah, of course. When I’m planetside. Have a good night.”

He grunts to himself. What a weird thing to say to someone. "See you around 97s", what the hell for? He sighs, setting down his glass. Yeah, he was salty... he had really liked the guy. But... he HAD been the one to keep the distance - it just didn't make sense with a war going on. And its not like they couldn't still know each other, have a friendship without the benefits. Right?

He runs a hand down his face, trying to smooth away this painful confusion. This was all so new to him- sex and feelings, romance, love. And he didn’t have many brothers around him who understood from his perspective. Most of them were attracted to women.

Maybe it wasn’t that different? Maybe-

“Man trouble?”

Core looks up as a hand claps down on his shoulder, a brief glance at the five tattooed on the clone's right temple bringing a smile to his face.

“Like only a soldier can have.”

“A “dear clone” message, huh? I’m sorry, Commander. That’s not an easy thing to move through.”

Core saluted him with a drink and a small shrug. It was common enough to have earned a name. Didn’t make it any easier.

Fives waves at the bartender, indicating a drink for himself and another for Core, settling into his seat as he glances around the room. Core knew what he saw. Plenty of attractive men of all species littered the bar - flirting, dancing, drinking - only one or two of them were clones. Core smirks condescendingly to himself. Even with the risk of this pain, the need for sex and companionship drove them out here. Core was more here for the companionship, for the closeness, Fives was here more for the sex. Not that he could blame the vode. The sex was good too.

Core took a heavy swig of his drink. “S0, no brother of yours again tonight?”

Fives smirked as he leaned his elbows back against the bar. “We’re all brothers, commander.”

Core gave him a look through his smile. “You know what I mean, trooper.”

Fives nodded and looked back out to the bar. “Naw, not tonight. I’m still not sure I want him to come to this place. Not that he wouldn’t like it. It's just… not the clientele he’s interested in. Not his ‘community’.” He grinned at the Commander, using Core’s own words. His look turned thoughtful as he looked around. “Besides. It’s not so bad having something that’s just mine. We share everything, but it would be… a different story to share this. Since it’s not his.”

Core understood. He loved his brothers in command, but… this wasn’t their place. They’d be tourists here. And he didn’t want to worry about being on display.

He finishes his drink. “At least you can still share the women talk.”

“Oh yes, we can still do plenty of that,” Fives chuckles, still thoughtful. “And it helps to know that he understands me coming out on my own, having an experience he can’t be part of. No matter what happens, he’ll always have my back. That’s what brothers do.” He looks back at Core, hand clapping back onto his shoulder. “So just remember- you’ll always have us, Commander. Your brothers. No matter what happens.”

Something in Core relaxes, like muscles from their burden. Fives was right. He had something not a lot of people had. Brothers. Brothers by his side no matter what. He looks up with a small smile at his friend before the bartender places their drinks in front of them. They both take a glass.

“To brothers,” Core toasts

“To brothers,” Fives echoes.

Their glasses clink before they both take a sip. Core turns out to look at the bar, seeing some familiar faces of friends, a past lover or two.

Fives glances out at the throng. “How 'bout it, Commander? Ready to get up again?”

Core takes a deep breath and grins, grabbing his helmet off the bar. “Heck, I was never one to ignore a challenge.”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------

NOW

Core pours the amber bourbon into two glasses sitting on his desk, corking the bottle before passing one of them over to his guest. The Corporal sits straight backed in his chair, serious, the well trained trooper.

Is this really the Echo Fives talked about?

Echo takes the drink from him, looking at it with surprise. "How did you even get this onboard, Commander?”

Core smirks out a chuckle. “I’ve got my ways.” He takes a swig of his own. “Helps that my Jedi doesn’t mind a sip every now and then.”

Echo lets a smirk slide. “Hm. That does tend to make things easier.” He takes a sip, nodding appreciatively. He settles in and looks up at the Commander. “What can I do for you, sir?”

Sheesh, all business. You could crack an egg on that rigid expression. Fives must be rolling around in his grave.

Core leans back in his chair and crosses one leg over the other. “You never did make it out to 97s, did you?”

Echo’s brow crinkles in confusion. “97s?”

Core nods through another sip. “With Fives.”

Echo's brows shoot up. “No, never got the invite…” He leans forward. “You knew him?”

Core nodded. “Good man. Good trooper. Good friend.” He gulps down what's left of his drink and sets his glass on the desk. “All of us at 97s were devastated to hear the news.”

None of them had believed it. None of them could handle it.

Echo’s posture deflates a bit. He takes a large gulp to finish his drink and sets it on the table. Core fills the glass again as Echo leans back in his seat.

There. There he was - the brother who’d lost a brother. Not a Corporal, not a trooper, just… vod.

Echo’s voice is softer but still steady. “How… was he? After…”

“Broken, for awhile.” Core fills his own glass again, remembering. “He never did recover from not having you around. He moved on, still smiled, but he was never as carefree as before.”

Echo sighs, picking up his drink, staring at the liquid in the glass. “I… know the feeling. Its hard when you grow up with someone by your side only to find them… gone.” He takes another hearty gulp, the medicine for his pain.

Core watches his own glass for a moment. “I can’t imagine what it was like having him gone when you returned from Skako. I’m glad…” he looks back up to his guest. “I’m glad there was a squad waiting for you when you came back.”

Echo nodded solemnly. “I am too. They’re… unconventional, but that makes them more like Fives in some ways.”

“They’re still brothers.”

“They're still brothers.”

Core takes a gulp and sets the drink down, leaning forward, elbows on the desk. He didn't want to do this. Didn't have to do this. But, well... he did.

“Fives once reminded me that brothers always have your back. We’re lucky that way. No matter what happens with the wars, our jedi, our partners - we always have each other.”

A small smile. “That sounds like him.”

“Fives was important to me, and you were important to him. I owe it to him to watch a brother's back if he isn't here to do it himself.”

“Hm.” Echo nods absentmindedly.

“So, I’m asking this in my duty to Fives,” Core looks at Echo over his laced fingers. “Is sharing this woman really a good idea?”

Echo freezes, drink halfway to his lips. “Sir?”

“Your medic,” Core repeats. “Is sleeping with her going to cause problems for you and your squad?”

Echo quickly downs his drink. Core smirks - Fives used to do that when he was trying to cover something up. “Ah, sir, that’s just a…just a rumor.”

Core laughs good-naturedly. “Which is what I’ll tell anyone who asks, trooper. But I’ve seen you all together. When you live your life reading body language to find your ‘people’, you get very good at it. And you boys were practically screaming.”

Echo sighs in defeat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

“She’s not… no. No, she won’t,” he says solemnly.

“You’re sure about that?” Core presses. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the girl. Seems like more than enough to handle you all. But if you’re not careful...”

Echo rubs the back of his neck, more thoughtful than embarrassed. But... still a little embarrassed.

“It’s not… we’re not just sleeping with her, sir. She isn’t some bunker bunny we all let off steam with between missions. We all… care about her."

Core blinks for a moment. "Oh really?"

Echo nods. "She wasn’t even going to sign up for it if… that was all we wanted. But we all care about her, and we all… can make up for each others... deficiencies.”

Core doesn’t let up. “And you all agreed to this? Sober?”

“Yes.” Echo finally looks up. “I know it sounds a bit out there, Commander. But it... works. And… while it's nice to have someone who looks at me like that, wants to be around me, there’s... there's still a war. I have a duty, we all do. And knowing there are others, that if I can’t be there for her, can't..." he swallows "make it back… it makes it easier. It makes it work.”

Core huffs, nodding. “Well, its not nearly the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.” He seems sure. He’s a grown ass clone, can make his own choices, and he’s being sincere…

What would Fives have said to his brother now?

Core smirks. “I’m glad for you, Echo. That’s what he’d say.”

Echo huffs a smirk in return. “I think he would. Thank you, Commander.”

“Just know, if anything happens, you’ve still got us. You’ve still got your brothers. We’ll always have your back.”

Echo’s nods, saying almost to himself. “Thank you, Fives.”

Core smiles.

“Well,” Core claps his hand down on the table before leaning back again, “let me know if there’s anything fun I can do, besides keeping this a secret- especially since I’m stealing your squad’s cyarika for some ‘girl talk’. I’ll owe you big for that one.”

Echo snorts a bit, chuckling for a moment before he pauses.

“Actually, Commander....” he says thoughtfully, a glint of mischief in his eyes, “there is something you could do for me. And its just audacious enough to earn the Fives seal of approval.``

Core’s smirk is almost devilish as he leans forward on his desk. THIS is the Echo he'd waited to meet. About kriffing time.

“I’m listening Corporal. And I can already tell you - I'm all in.”

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

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#in more ways than one #tbb in more ways than one #tbb smut #the bad batch smut #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch x you #the bad batch x f reader #madame writes #tbb tech x reader #tbb echo x reader #the bad batch #polybatch x reader

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ghostfanwriter · 1 year ago

Text

𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 Part four 🧰💖

← Previous

💖 Pairing: Joel Miller x Virgin!Fem!Reader

🧰 Setting: Lincoln. Reader is Bill and Frank's daughter.

💖 Synopsys: Joel wakes you up with the news that he's leaving. And you have a hard time accepting that he's gonna okay outside by himself.

🧰 Features: Tiny little bit of touching, kissing and teasing at the beginning, but no smut for this one. Reader and Joel mention their past. Sarah is mentioned.

💖 Word Count: Around 7.5k.

🧰 About This: This one is scary for me for having no smut. So be nice to it, okay? Hopefully we learn a bit more about them and their relationship along the way.

💖 Author's Note: It took me forever (again) but it's yours 🩷

Angel.

The pet name never made more sense to him than right now.

Joel stands by your bedroom door, watching you sleep as the still soft moonlight entering your windows gently lightens your features. He smiles seeing the peaceful expression on your face — a rare sight nowadays.

He locks your door and carefully walks close to you, sitting on the edge of your bed and watching your body rise and fall with your soft and calm breathing.

He leans down over you, caging your body under his torso. He fixes your hair, pressing a sweet kiss on your temple and rubbing his nose affectionately on yours. You moan frustrated and furrow your brows, upset that someone's waking you up.

"Shh, it's just me, angel." He whispers gently, and you snuggle closer to him, smiling before even opening your eyes, his voice enough of a reassurance for you to look for his body.

He lays down by your side, opening his arms, pulling you into his embrace. When your head touches his chest he wraps his arms around you, hugging you tight.

"Morning, baby." He whispers, rubbing his nose on top of your head, your face buried on his chest, smelling his scent.

You moan lazily in response, wrapping your arms around him.

"Did you sleep well?" He asks, caressing your hair. You nod and hum in response, throwing your leg over his hips, giving him a full body hug, wanting to be as close as you can.

"Better if you were with me."

"Hmm, I know, baby, wish I could stay. Would sleep so well with you like this." He agrees, hugging you tighter and caressing your thigh.

"You got me real tired, though, slept like a baby." You add, and he hums, laughing softly, just holding you in silence for a bit.

When he feels your body softening under him and hears a low snoring, he squeezes your sides softly until you wake up, laughing.

"Do you wanna go make some breakfast? I'm hungry." He says, cupping the nape of your neck, caressing the hair covering it.

"But it's still a bit dark out." You say, opening your eyes for the first time and turning your head to look at the window, noticing the sun had yet not fully risen, and it was still early for breakfast.

"I know, but I have to leave early if I want to have as much sunlight as I can." He says, startling you.

Leave?

"Leave?" You ask, abruptly supporting yourself on your elbow to look in his eyes, glimmering with the faint moonlight lightening your room.

Suddenly you're wide awake.

He laughs, pushing you back down onto him. You lay down but keep your head away from him, watching his face.

"I was talking to your dads last night. About the things you need here." Oh...

He's not leaving leaving. Your heart finds a more comfortable rythym.

"On our way here Tess and I saw a few big department stores that your dads said they've never been to. Some may still have some things." He adds.

"You think you're still gonna find stuff just laying around?" You ask, your tone unintentionally bitter as you snuggle back to his chest, a newfound need to stay close to him taking over you with the news that he's leaving Lincoln for the day.

"Not all the stuff, I mean, supplies and hygiene are out of sight. But there may be some tools and other things your dads need. Frank said he wanted some paint to renovate the houses and stores." He explains. "Stuff like that I may find still."

"You're going by yourself?"

"Yeah, no need for anyone else. Should be smooth, go out, see what I can find, come back." He nonchalantly states, like if there was nothing to worry about outside the Lincoln fences. "Is there anything you want besides seeds? Those I won't find there."

"I don't know, don't think so. Dad wanted some paint, to work on a few things around our house." You say, your words still a bit fogged by sleep.

"Frank?" He asks.

"Uhum."

"Baby, I just told you that." He laughs.

"Hm, sorry." You laugh back, squeezing his back.

"Still sleeping, I see, my poor baby. Something got you too tired last night." He mocks you, squeezing your sides and messing your hair playfully, making you laugh.

"Stop it." You squeeze him back, digging your nails on his back until he stops. "He says we need to take care of this place. To make it look pretty." You try to change topics.

"He's right. Most of the houses here are in good conditions, just need some work to be habitable again. You need to take care of it."

You're too afraid of the answer to ask him why he was looking into the houses.

"So what do you say? Breakfast?" He asks quickly to take your mind out of it.

"Sure. Just gotta get ready first."

"Hmm, and what are you gonna do?" He asks, his voice barely audible.

"Shower, brush my hair, my teeth, moisturize, put on something nice, some perfume for you." You say, leaning closer to him to give him a kiss.

"Hmm, sounds good. Can I stay with you?" He lays on his back and pulls you on top of his chest.

"Can you pick my clothes for me while I shower?" You suggest, rolling on top of him, straddling his hips, sitting on him.

"My honor." He answers and you bend down to give him another kiss, a slow, savoured one, that gets even deeper with the thought of him leaving, being outside all on his own.

Something he's done thousands of times, but none of them after you two met.

He sits up, and you wrap your legs around his hips, never breaking the kiss. You feel his ziper against your panties and roll your hips with a soft moan.

"You've got some hormones on you, don't you baby?" He laughs, squeezing your ass and moving both of you closer to the edge of the bed, dropping his legs to the floor.

"It's your fault for making it feel so good." You respond with a smile, running your fingers through his soft, greying hair.

"I'll take it." He laughs, pressing your hips onto his lap one last time. "But I really need to leave early, and this won't be quick." He says, pushing you gently away from him and kissing the usual pout forming on your lips.

You get up, supporting yourself on his shoulders.

You stretch your arms towards the ceiling, and he runs his hands on your sides, their rough texture tingling your skin on their way. You lower your arms, hugging his head, smelling his hair while pressing his face on your chest.

He snuggles onto your chest, his hands, still under your shirt, squeezing your upper back, pulling you even closer to him.

When he pulls on the hem of your shirt you laugh, pulling his head away just enough to kiss his lips until he passes the shirt by your head, removing it from your body.

He tosses it on the bed besides him and kisses your belly, trailing kisses from your bellybutton to your breasts. He looks at you for any signs that he should stop, smiling when you lean down to kiss his forehead. With that he kisses his way around your left nipple, taking it in his mouth and sucking softly on it, humming when you moan, smiling and biting your lips.

You pull softly on his hair when he lets go, quickly sucking the other one into his mouth, his hands squeezing your back and reaching for the waistband of your pijama shorts and panties.

He gently pulls them down, his hands spread over your skin, squeezing your hips as he trailed kisses down your stomach. He pulls away and looks at you, admiring your exposed figure.

"You're a beautiful woman, baby. So, so pretty." He praises, his brows furrowing with his own words, his eyes wandering around your skin. "So soft, so..." He hesitates. "...perfect for me." He finishes, and you smile.

"So yours." You whisper back, and he gets up, pulling you into a kiss, his arms glued to your waist as he walks you backwards towards your bathroom. When you reach it he breaks the kiss.

"All mine." He says on your lips. "Now go take your shower." He squeezes your hips one last time and turns you around.

You get in the shower and he goes to your wardrobe to look at the options — plenty more than the ones he's seen yet. He goes by color; which ones he'd like to see you wearing last before leaving.

He picks a tight yellow shirt and a short white skirt. Then he picks a white pair of underwear. He runs his hands over them, feeling the fabric before setting them carefully on top of your bed. When he's finished, he goes to your window to watch the sun rise on the horizon.

...

When you stop the water he goes to sit on your bed.

He scans your bedroom while he hears you brushing your teeth. Right besides the bathroom door he finds a large painting that gets his attention. It's the view from your window, portraying a sunny day.

It's beautiful, and he's only able to look away from it when an even better view comes in — as you walk out the bathroom wrapped in a towel, holding the bottle of body oil Frank made you.

The air feels thicker, harder to suck in while his eyes trail your still not fully explored — and unfortunately covered — body.

You walk towards him and he pulls you closer, until you're in between his legs. You handle him the bottle, and he gently pulls the towel off your body, running his hands up your sides, mimicking how he touched you before you showered.

He runs his large hands up your back and gives one of your nipples a peck, sucking it in his mouth and pulling away when you moan.

"Can't get distracted now." He says with a smile, opening the bottle and smelling the oil. "Just like you." He whispers, kissing your belly and pouring a bit of the liquid on his hands before closing the bottle and giving it back to you.

He spreads the oil in his palms, starting with your waist and spreading it all over your torso, kneading your breasts when he gets to them, opening his palms for you to pour more oil on them.

You do it and he spreads the oil over your arms and your neck, turning you around to apply it on your butt and your legs, moving his hands slowly and intentionally, massaging your flesh as he goes.

He palms your inner thigh, and his index finger brushes on your folds, spreading some of the oil on them.

He turns you back around and palms your other inner thigh, the side of his index finger once again brushing against your folds.

This time he pushes his finger higher, in between them, making you moan when he moves back and forth, intentionally touching your core.

Your clit throbs with the stimulation and he hums, his other hand squeezing your back and your hips.

He continues his movements for a few seconds, his rough fingers mimicking what his cock did the night before, and you moan at how different it feels. How much softer and gentle the skin of his cock felt against your sensitive skin, that is now almost being bruised by his hand.

He kisses your bellybutton, and you look down at him, finding his eyes on you. You smile and lean down to kiss him, breaking the kiss to grab your panties, seeing how long getting ready is gonna take if he's in charge.

"I thought you were in a hurry." You say, pulling away from him and putting your panties on.

"I'm gonna have all the sunlight I need tomorrow, I don't mind wasting time like this." He shrugs, and you freeze.

Tomorrow?

"I thought you were coming back today." You say as he grabs your shirt and helps you put your arms through it.

"No, baby." He laughs softly. "I've got lots of stores to look at, and they're pretty far away. Maybe I could come back today, but I wanna take my time." He patiently explains, grabbing your skirt and opening it for you to put it on.

"And where are you gonna spend the night?" You ask while supporting yourself on his shoulders and stepping into the skirt.

"Gonna look for a place." He says while lifting the skirt, his fingers leaving subtle goosebumps on their way up.

"Aren't you gonna waste a bunch of time looking for a safe place?" You ask, wiggling your hips to get into it with your still oily skin.

"I promise I'll look quickly for a place, and if I can't find it I'll just be fast and come back." He says, slightly less patient. "Did you paint that?" He points to the painting of your window view, trying to dismiss the topic.

You look at it, but you're not happy with the news that he's gonna be out by himself for the whole night.

"No. Couldn't you use that time to look for things instead, so you can come back today?" You ask while reaching for the shirt he picked, and he shoots you a stern look.

Joel wasn't used to have someone question him, caring about him. So he didn't know how to react to it. His first instinct was to cut it, to tell you to leave him alone, to stop being so stubborn.

Because that's one thing you know how to be.

But he knew there was no intrusion in your questions; there was no trying to tell him what to do. There was only concern.

Still it was hard to shake off the annoyance your stubbornness set on him.

"I'll try to rush and find everything today. If I can't I'll look tomorrow too. That's settled." He states, the dryness of his tone new to you.

But for some reason it doesn't feel bad, like when your dads talk to you like this. It feels... Different when Joel does it.

"You could come back to spend the n—." You say quietly, but he stops you.

"I won't come back here to spend the night because it's too far and it's gonna take too long." His annoyance still present.

You wait for a few seconds, trying to bite your tongue and not ask any more questions.

But needless to say... You can't.

"Can I go?" You ask, with the smile of who knows the answer.

"No." He says, shaking his head.

"Why not?" You ask.

"Because I don't wanna babysit you." He says, laughing, and you frown.

"I don't need babysitting." You say. You've been out before. Your dad taught you how to handle yourself.

"I know. But I won't be relaxed if you're with me. Will be worrying about you." He says, hugging you tight, looking up at you.

"And how am I gonna know if you're coming back today or not?" You ask and he sighs, burying his face on your chest, taking deep breaths.

"She's just worried, she's not trying to tell you what to do." He reminds himself.

He holds your waist, his hands firmly squeezing you, pulling you even closer to him. He looks into your eyes, his own gaze softening at the amount of concern he finds on them.

"If I'm not back by dusk then I'm not returning today, baby. Won't be walking around at night in a place I'm not familiar with." He says, more calm. "I've been out by myself enough times to know how to take care of myself, you really don't need to worry about me." He adds.

It takes you a beat to get convinced, but his big brown eyes and his reassuring smile make it hard to not believe him.

"Alright, then let's hurry so you don't waste any more time." You say before taking your body oil back to the bathroom. "C'mon, let's go." You say as you grab an old bucket hat on your wardrobe and pull him up by his arm.

The sky's still brightening up when you walk towards the small plantation your dads have built along the years.

Joel insisted he'd carry the eggs, and you're carrying empty tote bags and a small notebook where you keep track of your crops.

He's been awfully quiet since you've left your bedroom, and you're almost power walking to keep up with his large steps. You grab his forearm when you reach him again.

"Are you mad at me? " You ask, almost out of breath, your tone already apologetic.

"No... No baby, I'm not." He says, noticing that you're struggling to keep up with him and slowing down. "Sorry, I'm distracted, didn't notice you were staying behind."

"It's fine."

"I'm not mad at you." He reassures you. "But I know what I'm doing, and I just don't like to be asked so many questions." When he's with you being honest feels easier to him, it's like you pull honesty out of him.

"You don't like it, or you're not used to it?" You ask, and he looks away, piercing his lips, furrowing his brows.

He looks back down at you before looking back forward.

You keep walking in silence for a while, the chirping of birds and your footsteps filling your surroundings.

"My dad painted it for me." You say, and he looks down at you, furrowing his eyebrows. "The painting in my bedroom." You explain, and he hums, remembering it. "Sometimes during winter I can get pretty blue, so he painted that for me to hang in front of the window when the weather gets too upsetting."

"That's nice. And he's really good.." He says with a smile, a genuine admiration in his tone, both for Frank's parenting and his art skills. "Do you know how to paint?"

"Oh, no." You laugh. "He tried to teach me, but it never turns out good. I can never make it look like the real thing." You say, reaching the plantation and walking to the vegetables you need for breakfast.

"Like a photo?" He asks, carefully measuring his steps to not step on any crops.

"Yeah, like a photo." You say, kneeling down where some potatoes, carrots and tomatoes are planted.

"Tomato?" He asks, setting the tote bag with the eggs on the ground next to him.

"Yeah. Just count how many ripen ones there are before you take any, so I can keep track of them, please."

He nods and kneels in front of them with a quiet grunt, carefully analyzing each one of the red, ripen ones.

"How many do we need?" He asks.

"How many are there?"

"Seven."

"Alright, we just need one."

"Okay. Taking one, gonna be six left." He confirms and you write it down on your notebook.

"Thank you." You say while you start trying to pull a carrot out of the soil. "Do you have anything to eat while you're away?" You ask.

"Yeah, some jerky." He says, not able to hold back the dissatisfaction with the dryed food as he watches you fight the vegetable.

"Did we eat all your Chef Boyardee yesterday?" You ask, looking up at him, scrunching your nose and grunting as you struggle to pull the carrot, and he laughs.

"Yeah, we did, actually." He admits, tapping your hands gently so you let go of the carrot and pulling on it right after, effortlessly pulling it out of the ground and rubbing the soil out if it.

"Alright, gotta make you something then." You say. "But what?" You wonder, and he looks at you. "I mean, it has to be something that's gonna taste good when cold, so you don't have to start a fire and catch any attention. Also it can't go bad too quickly." You rant, thinking out loud about what you could cook him.

You're excited by the idea of cooking him something, to imagine him outside the fences, all by himself, but eating something you made him. How he will think about you while eating, how he'll have energy because you cooked him something.

It feels good to think about taking care of him.

And he's just as lost in thought as you are.

Looking at you, his mind analyzing your face; how it shines under the bright sunlight, how your dad's old hat shades your face and how even with it, you still scrunch your eyes when you look up at him. How your nose scrunches along with your eyes, how you smudge your cheeks when you push some hair away from them.

You look up at him and hold his gaze for a second, his eyes scanning your face, a silly, distracted smile on his lips.

He licks his thumb and leans closer to you, cleaning your cheeks, right where you just touched.

"You've got dirt on your face." He whispers with a soft smile, his voice barely leaving his lips.

You lean in closer to him, but he puts his hand in front of your chest, looking over his shoulders, towards your house.

"No, baby. I've told you we can't." He says.

"Ugh, but it's so hard sometimes." You playfully whine with a smile, and he laughs.

"I know, but we have to keep it between us for now." He explains.

For now?

"I think my dad knows about us." You say before thinking, and he frowns.

"Bill?" He asks, his wide eyes giving in his fear.

"No... He'd have killed you by now." You nonchalantly state. "Frank. He asked me a few times how I felt about you."

"Hmm. And what did you tell him?" He asks with a cocky smirk, playing it cool even though he's genuinely curious to know what you've told your dad about him.

And what your dad thought about it.

"Nothing you should worry about. Nothing I haven't told you already." You say, laughing.

"And how do you know he's not gonna tell Bill?" He asks, standing up and offering his arm for you.

"Gonna grab another tomato." You say. "He said I could trust him, that if dad ever has to know, he'll know. But he won't rush anything."

He grunts, unsure about how he should feel knowing Frank somehow knows about you two.

"There's this thing my dad makes us... It's shredded chicken mixed with some creamy cheese or sauce. We eat it cold, kinda like a spread." You say, asking for his hand, and he helps you up. "What do you think? Could make you some pancakes or crackers to go along with it." You stand close to him, and he takes the bag with tomatoes and carrots from you.

"You don't have t—." He starts, bending down to grab the bag with the eggs.

"I'm cooking you something. That's settled." You repeat his words from earlier, trying to replicate his almost angry tone. Judging from his face, though, you don't sound as stern as he did. "What do you say?"

"Anything you can make me is great, baby. Can be anything." He says, smiling.

"Alright, chicken spread then. With pancakes. Maybe some roasted potatoes too." You say and he laughs. "Let's go back, got a lot to do." And you start walking, him following you close.

...

You walk silently for a bit, enjoying each other's company and taking in the — now stronger — sunlight.

"Did you think about anything you want?" He asks.

"What I want?" You ask, confused, noticing you're the one who's walking too fast this time, as he's a few steps behind you.

"Yeah. From outside. I wanna know what you want. For you, though, not the town. Not seeds, not paint. Something for you." He says, smiling, reaching you as you slow down. "A gift." He adds.

You rarely got any gifts, because there are no gifts to be given or dates to celebrate. And to imagine him looking for something for you, to think that he thinks about you, that he wants to make you happy...

It makes your chest hurt. But in a good way.

"Clothes, maybe? I'm getting tired of my own." You say, but regret instantly. "I mean, it's not important." You rush to say, feeling silly for asking for something so frivolous. "I just wish I had different things to wear." You say, your voice lower.

It takes him a few seconds to respond.

"Alright, that sounds important to me. But you gonna trust my fashion sense?" He asks, laughing.

"Oh you look at me enough to know what I like to wear, Joel." You joke, smiling seeing how his cheeks redden and his eyes soften.

"Fair. I'll just choose what I like, then. What I wanna see you wearing." He says, looking down at you. Noticing how nicely your shirt outlines your breasts, how curvy your hips look in that skirt, how he never thought he'd see someone like you ever again.

A true blessing, if you ask him.

"Just don't choose anything too short..." You say, mentioning the skirt he chose for you to wear today. "Or too small. My dads don't like it when I wear those near you, they wouldn't like you giving me something like that." You add. "Unless it's really pretty! Then take it and I'll tell them I asked for something similar." You say quickly and he laughs.

"Alright. Maybe I can bring you one or two things you'll wear only for me?" He asks, his tone suggestive but playful, and you hit him with your elbow, laughing.

You hope he does.

"Aren't you gonna look for something for yourself?" You ask, and he shrugs.

"Haven't thought about it." He admits. "I never go out to look for things I want. Just things I need."

"Don't you have any hobbies, anything you like to do?" You ask as you two arrive at your house.

He thinks for a second.

Hobbies and fun seem like such odd, far concepts for him nowadays. He doesn't have the time, energy or desire to do anything, ever.

But as soon as you ask, he remembers things that brought him joy in the past.

"I liked to play the guitar. Haven't done it since this whole thing started."

"A guitar sounds fun." You encourage him, opening the kitchen door and stepping in. "Maybe you could try and find me one too." You say, then you gasp and turn around to look at him with wide eyes. "Then you could teach me how to play it! Then we could play it and the piano together!"

He nods, holding your forearm, a small and sweet smile on his lips. He looks around quickly and licks his lips before giving you a long peck on the lips.

"It'll be at the top of my list." He laughs.

It will, actually. Anything for you is gonna be a priority.

You made omelettes and he made some orange juice. You're both eating while you prepare the food he's gonna take with him.

He's sitting on a stool, eating and watching you.

Daydreaming with a life in Lincoln, with having a routine like this. Waking up with you, picking your vegetables, making breakfast, eating together.

He doesn't know what would come after.

Could be go out and hunt or look for supplies, could be help your dads with whatever, could be sit down and make small talk, or just go back to bed and have a slow, lazy day with you, cuddling, talking and napping.

Anything sounded incredible as long as he knew by the end of the day he'd lay down holding you, feeling your body soften on top of his, and knowing he'd have the whole next day by your side.

Peace, at last. A slow, safe and comfortable life with someone to love, someone to care for.

Someone to love him, to care for him.

His fantasies are cut by your — neverending, he swears — curiosity.

"Can I ask you something?" You ask, focused on the pans in front of you.

"You just did." He says, and you turn back to look at him, finding him with a wide, silly smile on his face, his cheeks red. You can't help but offer him the same.

His jokes sometimes are exactly like the ones your dads make — specially Bill.

"How was it for you? The day it happened." You ask, shredding the chicken.

His expression changes. He locks eyes on the plate in front of him, and you notice he may not want to talk about it.

"You don't have to... I mean, we don't have to talk about it. I'm sorry." You add, noticing how reviving the day seems to affect him.

"No. It's, fine. I just... Just don't talk about it very often." He reassures you, a quick smile flashing on his lips before he eats another bite of his breakfast.

After that he goes silent, and you feel bad for asking.

"I had my name... embroidered on my clothes." You say, trying to bring the attention to you and not force him to tell his story. "My full name."

"So we call you by your actual name?" He asks, eating more.

"Uhum. Dad says he thought he should respect my parents decision, you know." You explain. "But he doesn't know when I was born. So we celebrate my birthday on the outbreak day."

"Really?" He asks.

"Really. He actually says it's his father-birthday, because he became one that day." You say, and Joel smiles, but you sense something else along with happiness in his smile.

He smiles to himself for a second. Thinking about Sarah. About how he misses being a father, how good it feels to be one.

How you and Bill remind him of himself and Sarah. How he cared for her the same way your dad cares about you.

"It was my birthday." He says, and you turn to look at him.

"No!" You gasp, it has to be a coincidence.

"Yeah. My last gift." He mentions the broken watch in his wrist.

"Is that why you still have it?" You ask, smiling.

"Yeah... That's why." He says quietly, smiling at the watch.

"Do you have anyone...? Any family?" You ask.

"I do. A brother." He says, thinking about him, how he must be handling things while he's away.

"Is he... You know... Alive?" You ask, almost whispering.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how." He laughs. "But he is."

"Does he live in the QZ with you and Tess?"

Thinking about Tess... About him and Tess, still makes your heart freeze for a second.

"He does. But he works with some people that... Like to believe they're doing something, that make him do stupid things all the time. So I'm constantly just saving his ass. Just like the day it happened. I was watching a movie, then he called me. Came back home to run away from the infected."

"It was all really just one day, right? My dads say everything just went down so quickly. Barely any time to prepare or do anything. I mean, Frank says that. Bill was prepared since ever."

"Yeah. One minute you hear an helicopter, the next there's a bomb, the next an airplane falling down—" He goes through the things he saw that day.

"An airplane?" You cut him, shocked.

"Yeah. Right behind our car." He says.

"Wow... I wish I remembered something about it."

"Not many good things to remember about that day, baby." He says, and you shrug. You know there aren't. "Where did your dad find you, again?" He asks, almost finishing his food.

"He says I was on a road near here, never let me get near there."

"Huh..." He says, thinking about all the skeletons he saw on his way to Lincoln. "He's right, baby. There's nothing for you to see there." He tells you with sympathetic eyes.

"Sometimes I think about them, you know. I think about what happened to them, what they looked like. God — I wish I knew what my mom looked like." You say, feeling your eyes and nose burn as your smile grows wider.

"I bet she was really pretty, just like you." He says, and you find a shy, sweet smile on his lips when you look over at him.

"I wish I had a photo of her, like dad has of grandma." You say.

"I have a photo too." He mumbles, the words leaving his lips before he decides if he's ready to share them with you or not

"Of your brother?" You ask, curious to see what another Miller man would look like.

Not that you think he could get your attention away from Joel.

"No... Not of my brother." He says, pausing to see if you're gonna take the subject somewhere else. Hoping you would.

"Of your mom or dad?" You ask.

Should he...?

He can't not tell you forever.

It's your right to now. To learn about it before deciding if you still wanna be with him.

"Of Sarah." He says, his voice small. "But it's getting old, starting to fade away." He rushes to add, as if trying to take your attention away from the name.

"Who's Sarah?" You ask, and he looks at you, his eyes red.

Where they red before?

He sniffs, then cleans his hands on his jeans and reach for something in his pocket.

He grabs a sort of wallet, and removes a small photo from it. The little girl in it is fading, but you can still perfectly see her. Her big eyes, even bigger smile, her beautiful curls.

"Oh, Joel... Was she...?" You start, the words sticking in your throat, not leaving your mouth. He hums in response.

That's why he didn't seem to want to talk about it.

Maybe that's why he was so hesitant in doing something with you.

"She was beautiful, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He laughs, his voice already threatening to break.

"She was." You say with a smile, still processing the new information.

"You'd love her. You two would be really good friends." He says.

"I bet we would." You say.

"She'd love you too." He says with a smile, tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"When did she...?" You ask and he looks at you, his eyes heavy. "I'm sorry, that's stupid. You don't have to." You add, and he smiles, thanking you for letting go of it.

"I gotta get going, it's getting late." He says, trying to take his mind away from such painful memories.

"But I haven't finished your food yet." You say quietly.

"It's okay, I'll wait, baby. Just gonna get my stuff ready, see if your dad's awake, gotta talk to him." He says, getting up and bringing his dishes to the sink.

"I can wash them for you, go sort your things." You say when he grabs the sponge.

He reluctantly lets go of it, looking outside the kitchen before hugging your waist from the side and kissing the top of your head.

"Thank you, angel." He whispers, and you smile back at him, watching as he takes his photo back, puting it back in his wallet and walking out the kitchen.

After a few seconds you hear him greet Bill, and you focus on finishing his food quickly so he can be outside for as little as possible.

You store his food on three separate containers. One for today, one for tomorrow, and one for backup.

You also made him a large bottle of coffee.

You take them to his bedroom and find him packing his backpack with a flashlight, a change of clothes and a bunch of other, empty bags.

"Hey." You say softly, and he turns to look at you, his frown dissolving instantly. "Your food's ready. Also made you some coffee, it's gonna be warm inside this bottle." You say, walking into his bedroom and handing it to him.

"Thank you, baby." He says as he takes the bottle. "Heavy." He smiles when he grabs the food.

"Ever seen your size?" You tease him.

"Too big?" He looks down at his stomach.

"Perfect." You respond touching his stomach, and his smile widens. He grabs your hand and gives it a kiss.

You sit on the edge of his bed, and he looks at the door.

"I'm just sitting, nothing else." You defend yourself. "We can't even talk?" You ask, a genuine frustration in your tone.

"No, baby. You're right, it's okay, I'm sorry." He says, cupping your cheek. "Thank you, gonna be a lot better than jerky." He says, lifting the container with his food, leaning down to kiss your head, right where you've parted your hair. You can feel his warm lips on your scalp, and his hot breath when he whispers: "Thank you."

"Least I could do, you're risking yourself to look for things for us." You say. "Had to show you we can take care of you as well."

"You've shown me that enough, baby." He teases, and you feel all of your blood rushing to your cheeks.

"I mean it, Joel." You playfully kick him. "You're staying here to help us, and you didn't have to. You are doing a lot." You say, trying to dismiss the wide smile on your lips.

There was really not much in for him, they had a deal either way, even if he chose to not stay and help your dads around.

"Your dads weren't the reason I stayed, you know." He says, looking at you. You smile seeing his big eyes scrunched by his own smile.

It feels almost like time stops when you stare at each other like this. Like God himself is giving you an opportunity to look into Joel, to try and read him, try and see in his eyes if he would ever consider staying, being with you.

If you're being silly for allowing such feelings and hopes go set roots inside you.

You do your best to sustain his gaze, but eventually fail, looking at his backpack.

"Is there anything else you need? Do you have enough water?"

"I think so." He says, showing you a large water bottle.

"Hmm. Don't you want another one? We've got a big one just like yours." You offer.

"No, it's fine, baby. Thank you." He smiles, wondering if you're not gonna offer to go in his place as well.

But you just sit in his bed, making him silent company while he finishes packing.

"Are there any colors I shouldn't bring?" He asks.

"For the paint or the clothes?" You ask.

"Your clothes." He responds. "I'm not actually bringing any paint, just gonna check if there's still any. If there are Bill said he'll go take then by car. Much faster." He adds.

"Couldn't he drive you there?" You ask, frustrated.

"Baby... We've been through this, huh? I know what I'm doing." He says.

It's not like you can help it though. You worry about him.

But for some reason sometimes it's hard to go against his word.

So you try and trust him.

"I don't really love blue, or every shade of green. So maybe stay on the warmer colors." You say.

"Why did you let me choose the blue dress, then?" He asks.

"For the bonfire?" You ask.

"Yeah, the one we chose yesterday." He says, not packing anymore, just waiting for your response.

"Hmm... Cause you liked it. And I want to wear something you like." You explain. "And it's not like I don't like blue, I love that dress. Blue is just a hit or miss, tricky color for me."

He grunts, making a mental note to not bring anything blue.

"What if I look for a dress for the bonfire, then?" He suggests, and you can't hold back the wide smile spread on your lips.

"Only if you find something you like more than the blue dress." You say, almost giggling.

"Gonna look for it then." He says. "Nothing blue or green, though."

Once again, a comfortable silence fills the room while you watch him concentrate on his backpack, muttering his checklist to make sure he has everything he needs.

And he likes that about you.

How you know when to leave him at it, to let him focus on what he needs to, and doesn't just ask for his attention all the time.

"Alright, now the most important ones." He says, packing his food. You smile, but when you notice he's done, you feel your chest tighten, and you shift in his bed.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay by yourself?" You can't help but ask.

"I think Joel's more than capable of handling himself, pumpkin." Bill says from the bedroom door, startling you.

But he doesn't scare Joel, who seemed to notice your father before you.

"I know he is. But I don't like to think of anyone outside the fences." You say, getting up to hug your dad.

He gratefully accepts the hug, wrapping his arms fondly around you, soothing you.

"Told her I've done this a million times. But she keeps asking these questions." Joel tells Bill.

"She worries too much." Bill says with a smile, pulling your face away from his chest and caressing your cheeks.

"I care. It's different." You say, leaving the room frustrated.

Of course you care.

You love your parents.

Maybe you're starting to love Joel...

How could you not worry?

They look at one another, confused.

"You're leaving already?" Bill asks, and he nods, putting his backpack on his back.

"Yeah. Gonna need my guns, though." Joel says, and Bill nods.

"Gonna take them. Meet you at the gate."

With that he leaves, and Joel follows after a few seconds, stopping on your bedroom.

He knocks gently on the door. When you don't respond he opens it slowly, finding you by your window.

He calls your name, and you look at him.

"Hey, baby. You gonna come down?" He asks.

"Don't know." You say, thinking about the questions Bill would ask if you hugged Joel in front of him.

"I can't go out without a goodbye hug." He says, coming close to you.

You don't hesitate in wrapping your arms around him, squeezing him tight, wanting to memorize his touch, his warmth. How he feels, how safe you feel in his arms.

"A see-you-tomorrow hug." You correct him.

You can't help the few tears rolling down your cheeks.

"I'm sorry for being so... Me sometimes." He starts. "I like how you care about me. Just don't wanna see you worried." He says, caressing your hair.

You pull on his shirt, squeezing his back.

"I'm sorry. My dads never leave, and when they do is by car, just for an hour or so. They never slept outside, I'm not used to it." You explain, your voice giving your tears in.

He pulls his head away, holding your cheeks, reading your face.

"I promise I'll be careful, huh? More than I've ever been. And I'll come back as soon as I can. In one piece. I have a good reason to." He says, smiling. And you smile back.

"Thank you." You say, and he kisses you softly, slowly rolling his tongue around yours, savoring your taste, memorizing it.

You melt in his arms, letting him take full control of you, hold you in place and keep you steady.

Indulging in him, his strong arms around you, his warmth against your chest, his beard scratching your face, his tongue rolling around yours.

Before you're ready to, he pulls away, licking his lips and looking into your eyes, his face inches away from yours.

"Miss you already. Won't sleep half as well without you." You say, squeezing him.

He laughs, staring into your eyes and kissing your forehead before walking out your bedroom, stopping at the door to look at you before walking down the stairs.

When you look it the window, you lock eyes with Frank, finding his arms crossed and a worried expression in his face. You feel a chill run down your spine, goosebumps cover your arms as he shakes his head.

'Please, don't.' You mouth, and he looks away from you.

You run down the stairs, and when you get to the door, Joel's just stepped out, and you arrive in time to listen to Frank greet him.

"Hey, Joel." He says, his expression not as friendly as always, besides his smile. "Thank you for this, Bill would've never let me go out for something so... Unessential as he calls it."

"Yeah, no problem. Gonna look for somethings for her too." Joel says, turning to look at you and smiling.

"For you too." You add, and he shrugs.

"Also, Bill asked for some tools. So it's not gonna be that unessential." He says, and Frank smiles, but you don't. And he notices your tension. "Are you alright?" He half whispers to you, and you just smile weakly and nod.

Bill joins you, standing besides Frank and looking at you and Joel, his frown as big as ever when looking at the two of you.

"C'mon. I'll give them to you at the gate." He tells Joel, who discreetly squeezes your hand before following your dad, not looking back.

You then experience something you never had.

You're afraid of Frank. You're afraid and you're embarrassed.

You just stand besides him, shifting your body weight from one foot to the other, silently watching your dad tap Joel in the back, give him his gun and one of his own. As well as a box full of ammo.

Then Joel walk past the gates, then there's the smile he offers all of you — and you selfishly claim as all yours —, then he walks away.

And your eyes burn. They burn but you hold whatever amount of tears they're ready to spill.

When you turn to go back inside, Frank holds your forearm.

"You and I are gonna have a very long conversation, young lady." He tells you sternly, and you flinch with the anger he's making sure to let cover his words.

Your parents have never been mad at you. Frank never talked to you with nothing but tenderness. You don't even know how you should feel about it.

"Okay." Your whisper, walking in and going back to your bedroom.

You spend the whole day thinking.

Thinking about Joel, how he's doing, if he's okay, if he needs something.

Thinking about your dad. About what he's thinking. How he's feeling. What is he gonna tell you, what is he gonna do?

Dusk comes, and you're on your bedroom window, watching the gates. As the sky goes dark and there's no sign of him, you feel your nose burn, and your eyes get wetter.

Before you drown in worry, you hear a gentle knock on the door. You turn around and find your dad, Frank, looking at you.

"Hi." You say quietly.

"Dinner's ready. He's not coming back today, let's go eat." He says, the dryness of his tone unfamiliar to you.

He stands by the door, and you know he's not gonna leave before you do. So you get up and walk towards the door. When you reach him he puts his arm in front of your chest.

"We're not doing this right now, but I'm really, really upset. We'll talk about this when your dad isn't around, but for now... Nothing happened." He says.

"I'm sorry." You say, not holding his gaze.

"I really thought I could trust you, darling." He says, and you sense more sadness than anger in him.

"Didn't wanna make you mad." You say, and he sighs.

"Well, if you've told me I wouldn't be mad. I didn't know you two were that close. I would've talked to him. Talked to you! There's so much you don't know, my dove." He says, lowering his voice when he almost yells.

"I'm sorry, dad." You really are, but right now you can't say much more than that. So you walk past him, going downstairs and trying to behave as normally as possible in front of your dad.

Trying not to show any shame, any worries.

Just act like nothing happened.

I'm really sorry it takes me so long to write this series. I really am. I just love it and want it to be as matured and thought out as possible, so I sit with it for as long as I can.

But I'm already working on the next part, and I'll really prioritize it 🩷

I hope you liked it! Feedback for this one is highly appreciated, I really wanna know what you guys thoughts about it since there's no smut and it's more focused on their relationship.

Love you all, have a nice one 🩷🫶🏻

Masterlist 🩷

#joel miller x reader #ghostfanwriter #joel miller x female reader #joel miller #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal's characters #joel miller fanfiction #dirty hands #tlou fanfiction

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eyesmadeofpearls · 2 months ago

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Doom rant

Isabelle x doom guy is NOT canon. If you ship them fanonically, that's fine! But please stop taking one article you saw and running with it because its getting annoying for some of you non-doom fans to try and lecture me on what's "real".

First of all, Nintendo does not own the doom franchise. And second of all, Isabelle is three years old in human years. She's not going to drink jack Daniels she's literally a puppy, she's going to drink apple juice and cry when she gets a knee scrape. They're in two different universes and the picture of their marriage was uploaded to twitter by Bethesda, not the official doom account. Although Bethesda owns the rights, IT software still owns the game. The one where they hold hands is not official and is photoshopped. The official doom account on twitter tweeted things about it as a joke because new horizons and doom released on the same date making them friends. In fact, in smash bros doom guy is a costume for the mii gunner, he is not an actual playable character. If john Romero was still working on doom, i doubt he'd be okay with them getting "married". John Carmack himself said they're just friends. Not to mention that Isabelle is an anthropomorphic dog?? He wouldn't have cute tea parties with her and would probably try to kill her at first because she talks and she stands on two legs. If you've played the game then you know that animals can become corrupted and remnant souls. Also, despite his helmet being able to detect hell energy, we've already seen that some demons don't have any in them. He'd likely think she's either 1. a hallucination (doom 64, his hallucinations never went away) or 2. she's a zombified human in a football mascot costume. There is nothing in his universe that looks like her at all, and the whole point of his character is to be untrusting of literally everything. I mean for crying out loud he shut himself away from humanity for a time being when everything was temporarily over. If he ever dated anyone again, it would be a human. Also who's to say she wont just die? She doesn't have any special abilities, she's a dog with no weapons against demons. She wouldn't even be able to find him at first she'd be wandering around. And again, there are demons that look human enough but are truly vile. He wouldn't trust her for a long time. Besides, how would she even make a portal to his world if the only existing portal around is one to hell? He'd question if she's from hell herself.

He's a grown man who's been alive for eons without dating anyone. He can live a life alone and he literally chooses to be loyal to his wife and son, he doesn't need a plus one. He's always been loyal both to daisy and his wife. If he hasn't given up on daisy what makes you think he'd give up on his wife and kid? He even cut himself out of the picture he keeps on his desk in the newer game because he blames himself for their death. Its implied he was killing a demon boss for killing daisy while his wife and child were burning to death in a village during the first invasion. The khan maykr has unused lines where he mentions doom guys wife and child and doom guy picks up the picture, there was also supposed to be cut scenes about them but things were time sensitive. The picture being under his table is because he cant bare to look at them, not because he moved on. Its meant to be an easter egg and tear jerker, you're not supposed to look too hard into it.

(in the original 1993 version John Romero wanted to make a story but John carmack was rushing it because he wanted people to look at the game and be surprised by the coding and graphics. John carmack was the brains and john romero wanted story but the story was dropped.) It wasn't until doom eternal that Bethesda gave him a proper storyline while John Romero retired from working on the franchise. He then handed it over to john Carmack who decided with Microsoft that he would have a wife and son named Chloe and hunter. Daisy daisy still exists, it's just that your dead bunny isn't exactly a proper reason to go to hell and back (quite literally). Not to mention John Romero okayed this choice as well in an interview but i forget which one. In short you don't need to worry about the game being "different" or think that it ruins the game somehow. The whole "he's a virgin!!" thing was retconned 10 years ago bud. Consider how the bit might be fake because its only source is a potentially made up screenshot whose true source was never tracked down. I also wouldn't be surprised in John Romero added him having a wife and kid And to all the "maybe he's just john wick" commenters have you considered that the dog was a gift to john wick by his wife? Because there isn't a real reason to get that enraged over an animal unless its of course that. The plot has plot holes but i head canon that the bunny was his sons bunny and losing daisy was like losing apart of his son. I feel like wife and kid or not, daisy or not, he'd still fight because who wouldn't? Humans are dying, what else can you do?

The former humans pretend to be your own soldiers, why would he trust her?

#doom 1993 #doomguy #doom video game #doom slayer #doom #doom eternal #Isabelle x doomguy #isabelle animal crossing #animal crossing #acnh #animal crossing new horizons #isabelle x doomslayer #canon vs fanon #crack ship

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the-daiz · 3 months ago

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Speed-o’-sound sonic, falling inlove?

Genre; fluff, hcs

pairing; Speed-o’-sound sonic x reader

A/N: THIS IS VERY LONG, I REPEAT, VERY LONG HEADCANONS!!! Anyhow no joke I’ve been obsessed with sonic for like 2 years now. Like non stop, its actually insane, I HATE THAT HE’S SO UNDERRATED MAN, i need more content of him 😞

There are only 2 possible answers: protective OR full blown unhealthy obsession (aka yandere)

me personally, I’m more leaning into the Protective maybe stalker-y instead of the obsessive sonic. Sonic in the show honestly navigates his emotions better than most of the people in my life so…

He’s hesitant at first, almost unsure of what the hell he’s feeling. That little flutter in his chest, that almost ghostly force that pulls his gaze towards you, that sharp yet gentle impale that strikes him in the chest whenever you catch him staring. It almost irritates him.

perhaps he was sick. Or maybe his subconscious was picking up on something dangerous emitting from you that he couldn’t sense…? Whatever it was, it kept pulling him back to you, whether it was to watch you walk through the streets as he hid in the shadows, (he convinced himself that you were up to something and planning for his downfall so he must keep an eye on you.) Or “bumping” into you while you’re grocery shopping. (He blushes when you wave at him) or even pass by your house and watch you as you sleep (wtf??? Well in his defense he only watches you for a minute or two then leaves haha)

When he picks up nothing weird about you, or nothing that would point to you being a threat to him, he starts becoming increasingly frustrated by these new set of emotions. He honestly takes a moment to himself to think, maybe while he’s training or taking a bath in a lake.

Sonic may have lived most of his life isolated in a ninja village, but it wasn’t like he never heard of romance (though he does detest it and deem it a waste of time, space, effort, strength, anything you could think of, really…) and he’s definitely seen it with how comfortable people are with PDA in the outside world.

but when he realizes… DENY AVOID DENY AVOUD, well, only for awhile, when he realizes that denying these feelings weren’t going to do anything but intensify them and even interfere with his day-to-day life. He decided he had to accept those feelings, and inturn, overcome them!

In order to overcome these feelings, he needed to understand why he had them to begin with. So he stalks you. Ten times more than he used to. Watching your every move, every decision, EVERY TURN. Picking up on every little quirk and action you did, the good ones, the bad ones, the embarrassing/awkward ones… and he found he was infatuated by all of them.

“why am I getting so much goosebumps these days… It’s like someones breathing against my ear.” -Y/N

Those minute-or-two stares at you while uou were sleeping, became longer as he memorized every smooth end, bump and feature on your enchanting face.

he tried to approach you after he realized his feelings, but oh, no, he did not expect his heart to be beating this fast, or his face to feel this hot, or his hands to feel this sweaty. When you spot him and give him a very normal greeting. He’s frozen in place and so incredibly hot. He dashes off with no further explanation, leaving you confused, but not questioning too much since he wasn’t the most normal individual from the start anyway.

Everytime he tries to say anything to you, he just stumbles and stutters, then quickly disappears in sheer humiliation.

He decides to just avoid you, but he can’t even do that with the way his mind keeps nagging at him about you. Constantly making everything he sees somehow trail right back to you. Oh do you see that? It’s a black bird! Y/N wore a black coat that one day. Is that a shoe? Mannn Y/N loves [shoe brand name]. *Sonic staring down at his hands* …Y/N has real nice hands- FUCK

One thing tho is that his interest in you doesn’t completely consume the rest of his life, he still can manage his life as normal as possible along with his training and rivalry with Saitama, it’s just a lot more of his time is spent thinking about/stalking you.

after lots and lots of trying , he found that he couldn’t get rid of the constricting feelings in his heart. And he didn’t even want to anymore, he almost adored how it made him feel. How you made him feel.

his love language is acts of service, he’s not good with physical touch or words of affirmation. So instead of trying to have a conversation with you, he starts doing more stuff for you. Watering your flowers when you forget (how does he know you forgot?? Creepy.) sweeping the dust away from your balcony with his speed. Or maybe help you with grocery shopping once he finally stops stumbling over his words as much.

How I’d imagine he’d confess, is if you confronted him first, considering his over all personality and lifestyle, the way he acts towards youis definitely not normal, its not hard to pick up on that. He denies it at first, just for a little while cause he is kind of embarrassed, but after realizing this might be the only way to successfully confront his feelings, he does confess to you, but isnt really romantic about it. More like “Yeah, I’m interested in you.” And just looks elsewhere with his brows arched downwards as usual, waiting for whatever your response might be.

If he stays stuck with his feelings for you to the point he can’t handle not really engaging with them (and I mean like holding hands or being close to you in general…) he’ll confess, again with the same blunt attitude but he’ll be more awkward about it like, I kinda wanna hold your hand sometimes, or stand next to you, or stare at your face, I think?

or he just kills you (and falls into a deep state of depression, Ill write about that scenario later, maybe)

ANYWAY, when his feelings are reciprocated, he’s just like “why??” not because he’s actually confused on why you like him, well, he is a little confused, as he is not the typical lover boy… but he mainly just wants his ego to be stroked by the person he’s been crazy over for the past few weeks.

again, his love language is acts of service, (and quality time now that he can be as close to you as he wants to be), so he’ll mostly do stuff for you, get your handmade gifts, and little stuff like that. He’ll always sneak into your house through your window, even if there was no problem with him coming thriugh the door. And he just stays there with you. Whatever you’re doing, he’ll just sit there and watch you do it, as you talk to him about your day. It makes him feel at ease, and the warmth he feels sprout in his chest when your voice reaches his ears, or when your bewitching eyes gaze lovingly into his, it makes him feel like he’s about to melt at the spot.

one thing you notice is that he often gets a bit sleepy or dozes off when he’s with you, even if its the middle of the day. It shows how at peace and how off-guard he is around you.

He’s not the romantic type so don’t expect him to give you nicknames, unless they’re insults.

as unexpected as it may seem, he rarely ever hurts your feelings. He’s very vigilant, and has stalked you long enough to know what upsets you and what doesn’t. So although he may be protective and slightly possessive over you, your relationship isn’t really “toxic” or even unhealthy.

if you’re a yapper, then you’re in luck, he LOVES listening to uou talk or gossip or info dump, and he actually listens very well. He doesn’t talk much on his own, you guys can have long conversations though, that’s no issue. But long, solemn silences aren’t a foreign thing in your relationship

but also, when he does talk its mostly about himself, his improvements, and stuff, he lovess when you acknowledge his achievements, especially if he didn’t point them out. I told you, he loves having his ego stroked, especially by you.

as for physical affection…no PDA, lets just get that out of the way, but away from prying eyes… He’s desperate, rough, aggressive and so so needyyyy. His kisses make you feel like he’s searching for something in there istg, you have to tap him aggressively a few times on the shoulder to get him to pull away before you suffocate to death. A lot of the time, your kisses don’t just end at short, simple, cute “kisses”, they lead to makeout sessions quite quickly.

He’s the cockiest, most narcissistic bastard alive btw, loves teasing you like crazy… but that’s all I’m gonna say.

anyway he love love loves you and would kill for you, very very literally.

him from one of the latest chapters omg he’s so pretty im kicking my feet and twirling my HAIIRIIRIRIRID

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