#Texas Detour

[littletroubledgrrrl]

[milkteahood]

texas heat

Thomas Hewitt x fem!reader

Warning: smut! minors dni!!!

Summary: basically a smut with a plot

Sweat broke on your forehead as you wiped it still half asleep. It was terribly hot to even rest. As your eyes opened and started to adjust to the darkness around you, thoughts about the whole situation were still fresh in your mind. How long has it been? You thought to yourself. A few months maybe? 4? 5?

You stopped counting the days after the first few weeks. What for anyway? It wasn’t like you were ever leaving.

***

“Come on boys! We are completely lost!” your friend spoke, gesturing with her hands.

“It’s fine! It’s all good. A little detour” the driver laughed without a care in the world.

“That’s right Sam! Stop being so difficult. Look, Y/N isn’t saying anything” the other guy talked from the passenger’s seat.

At the mention of your name, you looked up from your book, and then quickly got back to it. You weren’t actually reading, but they weren’t paying attention to that. If they did, they would’ve seen you didn’t turn any page in the last 5 minutes. Pretending was just a good excuse to be out of this circus of conversation.

You didn’t consider any of them your friends. And you were sure they didn’t think of you as that either. They were Sam’s friends. And Sam was your friend out of convenience, just as you were to her. You wanted to travel, and she didn’t want to be the only girl on the trip.

“Come on Y/N!” Sam started “whose side are you on?”

“Maybe we should stop and ask for directions” you finally raised a point.

“Yeah? And where the fuck would we stop for that?” the driver asked “there is nothing around here!”

A sigh escaped your lips and you finally put the book down, looking out the window. Then, suddenly, you pressed your finger on the window, gesturing in the distance “there, it looks like a house”.

Little did any of you know this was the beginning of a whole new chapter in your life.

***

Rubbing your eyes, you looked at the little clock on your nightstand. 11:30 pm it said. It wasn’t that late, yet you couldn’t remember when you fell asleep. Realistically, the only one still awake was Thomas. The thought of that made you freeze in place. Oh yes, you thought to yourself again the summer isn’t the only reason I can’t sleep.

Another sigh left your lips. You didn’t think you would end up in this situation. Spared by a bunch of cannibals for the sole reason you smacked the driver when he started insulting Thomas.

***

“Hello?” the driver’s friend… Jason? Jack? Jeremy? J something. You couldn’t remember. Your name memory was never your strongest suit.

“Hello?” J began knocking again. And a second time. Just before knocking for a 3rd time, a woman opened the door.

“Yes? Who are you?” she spoke.

“Oh hello ma’am!” Sam approached “we are completely lost. We were wondering if you could give us any directions”

Luda Mae looked all of you up and down before speaking “come inside. You will die of the heat before you get any directions”

The boys looked at each other and you looked at Sam. But ultimately decided to follow the lady inside.

***

The memories were still fresh and you were sure they would be for the rest of your life. As you lay on your back, looking around the room, you felt your heart skip a beat as another thought made itself apparent. Thomas. Or better said. Your crush on Thomas. In the past month or so, you tried your best to get close to him. You offered to help with everything and anything he needed. Yet, he did his best to avoid you. You weren’t dumb, you knew exactly why. He was absolutely terrified at the idea you’re just fucking around. Lying. Being nice to him so he wouldn’t kill you.

“For fucks sake Thomas. I was nice to you even before I knew you butchered people for a living” you whispered yelled alone, in your room.

***

“So kids, how did you end up here?” Luda Mae asked, trying to see if you would make a good addition to the Hewitt meat supply. Were you going somewhere? Was someone important waiting for you? What was the chance of people coming to look for you? Those were important questions that needed answers. They couldn’t risk killing someone that could potentially lead the police to them.

As the conversation was unfolding, the driver and J became more and more impatient to leave, and your head cocked when hearing some footsteps. Before you realized it, this massive man was sitting in the doorway, breathing heavily, not saying a word.

“Oh Tommy! Look! We have guests” Luda Mae said, looking at her son. Thomas was tall, a huge man, his apron covered in blood.

“Oh fuck! What the fuck is that? He looks like—” the driver said but didn’t get to finish whatever insults he was going to spew because you smacked him.

“Just shut up. For once. Not everything revolves around you and your daddy’s money. You can’t just speak this way to people” you said, while he looked you completely shocked. No one has ever dared speak to him that way. Let alone slap him.

And that was the moment Luda Mae decided you would be the only one left alive.

***

The floor was cooler than the bed. You stood up and looked at yourself in the mirror. It was so dark you could barely see, only managing to make out your silhouette. You stood there for a while, thinking of what you should do.

You liked Thomas from the moment you saw him. You tried to befriend him but all he did was ignore you. On the occasions he actually had to interact with you, he looked so tense, like he was on the verge of exploding. You tried to give him space, but it wasn’t really helping. And now you were pacing around your room, unable to sleep because all you wanted was Thomas. The man who killed your “friends”.

What the fuck is wrong with me… he’s a murderer, his whole family is crazy.

Yes and so are you. I mean, you’re not running. You think he’s hot. This man could dismember you in a heartbeat and you think he is attractive. Talk about fucked up.

You frowned at your own thoughts. Thomas wasn’t a monster. He did what he had to. Yet what was your excuse? Falling for him?

Your heart started racing. Yes, you were falling for him.

After what seemed like an eternity, you went out of your room, down the stairs and into the living room. You stopped in front of the basement stairs and listened. Thomas was definitely still down there and it was now or never.

In the basement Thomas was still butchering some meat, not hearing you walk in over the sound of his cleaver. He didn’t like you coming there, he always thought you would judge him, mock him even.

“Thomas” you spoke, your voice making him stop with the cleaver still in the air. He lowered it and turned to you, not saying anything.

“It’s late Thomas. Maybe you should call it a day” you spoke softly, almost afraid to startle him.

You didn’t get a response. Then, he just turned around and continued what he was doing.

This made you frown and it hurt a little. Maybe he was not liking you as much as you liked him. Maybe he didn’t like you at all. However this couldn’t be further from the truth. He did like you. A lot. Which is why he was so scared to be around you.

You bit your lip, a little too hard, and decided to approach him. The second your hand touched his arm, Thomas completely froze. His body was incredibly tense and all he managed to do was look at you.

“Did I do something to upset you?” you tilted your head “you always seem to ignore me. I’m sorry if I upset you at all”.

Thomas’s wide widened. You were apologizing to him? What for? You thought he was mad at you? But how could he? He grunted back at you. In the beginning it was very difficult to understand him, but now you could make up the words he was saying. He said no.

“Well then what is it?” you pressed him, gently rubbing his arm. His eyes looked like they could come out of his head, immediately shifting his gaze away from you, almost shaking.

“Thomas, Tommy, oh no” you reached for his other hand which was still tight around the cleaver. Gesturing for him to let it go, you managed to turn him so he’d face you. “You’re ok. Everything is ok” you said, looking at him. “I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward. I’m sorry. I will go upstairs” you gave him a bit of a sad smile and turned to walk away. Yet, you didn’t get to take two steps before he stopped you. As you turned to him, he gave you another grunt. Stay. This one meant stay.

Both of you were blushing. Your brave girl facade paled the moment you felt his hand around your arm. Compared to him, you were incredibly tiny and for that, he treated you as if you were made of glass. Because to him, you were.

You stepped in front of him, both of you looking at each other. You learned to be gentle with him, maybe even more gentle than he was with you. Because unlike you, he never had people not be terrified of him.

Smiling, you cupped his face in your hands, which caught him off guard, but he didn’t stop you. For whatever reason, you were here, you didn’t try to run away, and you were kind to him. Before he knew it, he was leaning into your touch.

“Tommy?”

He opened his eyes, waiting for you to continue.

“I really like you, Thomas”

His now open eyes were widened, staring at you, almost looking through you, waiting to see any shred of dishonesty. But there was none. You were genuine. He then couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with you. How could you like him? No. He didn’t care. You liked him. And he was going to take it.

He didn’t realize some time passed without giving you an answer, which caused you to mumble another apology. He, however, didn’t let you finish. You soon found yourself in a hug. A very tight hug. Which you happily reciprocated.

After pulling away, you both looked at each other and without much of a second thought, you pulled the other into a kiss. It was reckless and full of built up frustrations on both parts. You were the first to pull away.

“Thomas.. it’s difficult to kiss you with that mask on”

He didn’t say anything and looked away. He didn’t want to show you. There was finally something he had and showing you his face might ruin it. He grunted a no.

“Please..” you pleaded while cupping his face again.

He damned himself for being so weak around you. You looked sad and a little disappointed. He let out a huge sigh and slowly took off his mask, letting it fall on the floor and completely avoiding your gaze. Whatever disgusted face you made, he didn’t want to see. Only if he looked to see it was not disgust but love.

“Fuck me you’re handsome” was all you said before pulling him in and kissing him again. He looked like a deer in headlights, but quickly melted into your kiss, picking you up and placing you on his workbench.

Your legs were wrapped around him, your hands pulling at his hair while he was tightly holding you by your waist. You felt his erection press against you, so you pushed yourself closer to him, which caused Thomas to grunt and moan into the kiss.

Thomas was the one to pull away this time, spending some time admiring you. Slowly, you started to unbutton his shirt “you can help me with mine if you want” you said a little flustered.

He didn’t need to be told twice. Once you felt his excitement, you knew Thomas was coming out of his shell. Soon enough yours and his shirts were thrown on the floor, and you were making out on the cold and hard workbench. You didn’t care, you also didn’t care that his grips wound leave bruises. You just wanted him. He cupped your breast, gently squeezing, earning himself a moan from you and the confirmation that he is doing it right.

“Please Tommy” you whined between kisses, tugging at his belt.

He wanted to so bad. But what if he hurt you? He had no what what he was doing. But how could he resist you? His whole body was shaking, you were begging him to have sex with you. Him. He pulled away from the kiss and quickly undid his belt and pants, making himself moan as he pulled his cock out. Your heart skipped a beat seeing Thomas naked in front of you. You look off your underwear and pull him into another kiss.

You didn’t think much before starting to palm his length, causing him to moan into your mouth. Thomas started thrusting as you were stroking him. He could cum just like that, but you wanted more. And he did too.

As your back rested on the cold table, Thomas climbed on top of you, neither daring to break the kiss. You couldn’t even wrap your legs around him, a detail he found really cute. He pulled away from the kiss only to look at your expression again. Was this really ok? Is this really what you wanted? You looked so beautiful and so turned on. Rubbing yourself against his erection was all the confirmation he needed before slowly starting to push his cock into you.

Feeling him inside you completely knocked the air out of you, immediately kissing him again, moaning into his mouth. Your figure, your voice, your shaking body were making Thomas go feral. His grunts on the other hand made your whole stomach feel hot. Thomas was thrusting into you, firmly holding your waist with one hand and supporting himself up with the other. Your arms were wrapped around his back, face buried into his neck, trying to muffle your moans.

He was hitting all the right spots, causing your mind to go blank and your nails to dig into his skin. Once his voice became shakier, you knew he wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Oh fuck…” you moaned and he responded by thrusting even harder. It was almost as if your every moan was making Thomas go more feral.

His rhythm was becoming more erratic, signaling that he was getting closer.

“It ok Tommy” you said between moans “I want you. Fill me up, please Tommy”.

Saying that was enough to push him over the edge. After a few more thrusts he came with a low, guttural moan, completely intoxicated by you.

You were both panting and looking at each other afterward. He couldn’t believe what just happened. Were you a dream? No. You were there, smiling at him. Did that mean you were his now? Yes. Most definitely.

He picked you up off of the table, squeezing you close to him. He was still panting and so were you, yet, both happy and finally content.

[venuzasmuse]

𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄, 𝐞. 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬

— the holidays are meant to be festive, free of heartache and solemnity, but odds are forever not in your favor as you spend the holidays with your best friend alongside her sister, that broke your heart.

[rockstar!ellie au, best friend’s sister!ellie, kinda mean!ellie (for a few parts of the story)]

previous, next

warnings: reader is afab, not proofread, mature language, mentions of substance abuse (drugs), ellies a dick in this chapter srry guys, WHOLE LOTTA ANGST. smut & fluff in later chapters. POC FRIENDLY !!

this chapters kinda long because it’s still introducing the reader & ellie’s relationship dynamic so bare with me pls pls pls

upon arriving in texas, a wave of nostalgia washes over you as you peered over the horizons of the buzzing city streets.

the traffic was still— as long as you could remember— terrible. pedestrians raided the roads as if they had enough lives for the people on it and tenfold. you can recount the amount of days you'd be late for school because your brother, simon, took obnoxiously long in the bathroom. you could almost still smell his putrid sauvage cologne from here. the strong scent filling your senses— your head spun nauseatingly so.

you grapple with the map in your hand, flipping it every which way trying to give yourself a sense of reassurance as you and sarah navigated through the intersections. you loved your best friend but you couldn't sugarcoat the fact that her love for detours affected her driving skills poorly.

she'd listen to her gps for the first few hours and eventually get fed up with the alterations that emitted from the older device, completely tossing the given routes out of the window and using her intuition as a sense of direction instead.

"jesus, has texas always been this confusing?" the blonde exasperated, a heavy hand coming down to the steering wheel as a blare emitted from the vehicle.

you shoot her a glare that goes unnoticed and the car jerks as she overpasses the poor old lady in front of her.

"does it hurt you to have any patience?" you groan out. you slump in your seat and throw your head back against the headrest tiredly.

"patience never did anyone any good before." she declares sheepishly, a playful smile spreading across her pretty face.

your head lolls to the side to face the side of her head and you give her a playful eye roll.

"i swear to God, if we ever get caught in a drive by, i'd never let you live it down. even in hell."

she laughs a throaty laugh. sarah grabs your hand giving it a squeeze and shake, her demeanor excited.

"come on! don't be so grim. aren't you excited to be going back home? i mean it's been years." she switches to another lane, eyes trained on the rear view. "my dad is super excited to have you back. he said you're welcome as long as you need to be."

"that's only because we never gave him a choice before." you prompt. the two of you giggle.

"you know what i mean. i'm so hungry— maybe we can hit up mel's diner when we get there. i'd kill for their cheeseburgers right now."

you glance at the gps. "2 1/2 hours left" before y'all were to reach your destination. you groan, pulling your hat down to shield your face away from the blaring sun beaming down on your skin.

you'd be lying if you said that you had gotten any shut eye the night before. too plagued with overthinking, the dead of the night was filled with the sound of tossing and turning as you fought against yourself at an amateur attempt to soothe your own nerves.

trepidation dripped down your soul. you weren't sure how finally seeing ellie again for the first time would enfold. you had a plan to simply just avoid her but you knew you probably weren't going to keep up with that very long.

ellie was persistent and if she had any plan to resolve things, it wouldn't go unnoticed by a long shot. no matter how hard you tried to steer clear of it.

sarah knew about the reason why the two of you broke up. she was sympathetic enough to take your feelings about seeing her sister again after 2 and half dreadful years.

she witnessed first hand the aftermath of what ellie did to you. a brutal 9 nine months of you trying to build yourself high enough on a pedestal to be able to move on completely. she listened to you every step of the way, her ears open and her arms empathetic with every tear shed.

it was even worse when the media coverage began getting ahold of their band. 7 months after you and ellie had stopped talking completely due to your nasty breakup, her band rose to stardom and you could still remember how much dread washed over you to hear the sound of her playing on the radio for the first time.

you avoided her, in every way you could. if that meant no music for months until the hype of her album died down even just a little bit, then so be it.

but the limelight wasn't always as glamorous. you alongside of her family, despite not having heard from her in years, knew about how she'd been living because once the tabloids got a hold of her, the only thing plaguing the media coverage was about ellie.

who she was spotted with, newly sparked dating rumors as she was seen with a different girl nearly every month, and even the downfall of her newly acquired fame.

in pure janis joplin fashion, the height of her success came crashing down as people started suspecting ellie to be abusing drugs. it started when people began to notice how blasted she was in a few interviews. her nodding off didn't go unnoticed by a long shot.

in the spotlight, instances like this weren't uncommon.

you watch a talented person rise to the top, their talent evident as day as they showed it off to the word come plummeting down in a wave of wasted potential due to drugs and or alcohol. it was tragic and despite being as angry as you were with her, seeing the girl you grew up with live the way she was, created a moggy feeling in your chest.

eventually, the band made an announcement that their tour would've had to gone on a break due to "complications" but you and everyone else knew it was because ellie was in rehab.

as soon as she was discharged, the ongoing scarcity of contact between her and her family came to a brusque halt when joel offered for his daughter to come back home, at least until she was ready enough to face her new life again.

so when you found out that she'd be spending christmas with y'all, there was no doubt in your mind you'd have to brace yourself for whatever outcome would emerge from it.

"i'm gonna try and get some sleep. we still have a long way to go."

sarah boos at your resignation, exclaiming a few declarations about how you're leaving her to die of boredom. "you suck!"

you don't respond, simply smiling and turning your head as you're inevitably wisked away into a state of slumber.

❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

a somber tune draws out a melancholic melody on your record player, filling the corners of your cavernous room. the night breathes life through a soft breeze that grazes past your curtains. yet, as the sun sets and the cicadas begin to shriek, no amount of words in the english language can drown out the bitterness that sits in the pit of your chest.

no amount of rephrasing could rewrite the sorrow that consumes you whole, in this moment or the next.

you sit with the grief as your gaze lingers on the girl in front of you. ellie sits on the edge of your bed. she's faced away from you, as always, as she stares ahead at the neon lights that seep through the crevices of your room.

clouds of smoke forms around her figure with practiced cinematic effort and your eyes take her in with taut admiration.

you usually dread when the room grows quiet like this. the silence is blinding and tension is permeated in your walls. it leaves you high and dry and guts you with cynicism.

you wait for the moment for her to slip back into bed with you but it never comes. the thought of not being the placeholder of such intimacy rings in your ears like a bad case of tinnitus.

at least not this time around.

you sit up crawling towards her in desperate attempt to get her to look at you. you wrap your arms around her neck, resting your chin on her bare shoulder. empty viridescent eyes scan your face yet you can't seem to deconstruct any love tucked away behind them.

you knew deep down that what once existed fondly between the two of you was stripped away, little to nothing— a scarce void of recognition.

“what’s going on?” you hum out lovingly, as you press a prolonged kiss to her shoulder. “been quiet all night.”

the auburn headed girl heaved out a sigh as she dropped her head in her hands. she braced herself to face you, taking your wrists in her callused palms as she brought your hands to her mouth, pecking the backs tenderly.

“i.. i think we should talk.” she finally vocalizes. the words shoot fear down your spine, goosebumps arising were her lips once resided.

“about what?”

she gives you a look as she turns her body to face you, straightening her back a little bit more. ���so you know how i’ve been getting to practice with the band lately? because their guitarist ended up quitting?”

you watched her for a moment skeptically before nodding.

her words are caught in her throat momentarily as she looks down once more. “well, cat and them asked me to join their band.” a glimmer of gleam passes across her face as she breathes out a breath she was holding.

you furrow your brows, a smile breaking onto your face. “that’s great! i’m so happy for you!” you exclaim, grabbing her chin in between your finger to press a proud kiss onto her cheek.

you knew how long ellie had wanted to be apart of something like this. after years of supporting her, you were filled to the brim with joy that she was finally reaching a steppingstone to where she wanted to be in life.

yet, you could tell something was still bothering her as she tensed up in your embrace. “well, they offered me to join but..”

“but..” you trail, eyes still held with hope.

“cat said she knew someone in los angeles that knew someone that could get us signed to a record label. the only downside is we’d have to move over there.”

your face fell as her words fell on sensitive ears.

“move?” you let out a nervous chuckle. “but.. los angeles is across the country.”

capturing her bottom lip in between her teeth, you watch as she gnaws down on it regrettably.

of course, you were elated for her. over the moon.

hell, you would’ve done anything for ellie to make this happen for her, one way or another. but hearing the catch of finally being able to pursue her dreams had you feeling selfishly opposed to the idea.

surely, she wouldn’t have made such a rash decision without taking it up with you first. ya’ll had so many plans that were already set in stone. all you wanted was at least a heads up if they were going to be altered to accustom to ellie’s new schedule pertaining to her band.

“so, what did you say?” your tone faltering from ecstatic to one that could’ve fell on deaf ears if not attentive enough.

“i said yes. i agreed that i’d go with them.” her word vomit rushes out like a fountain and your hands drop from her face as you turn away from her in shock. she grabs your smaller face in her hands, as she tips her head down to meet your avoidant gaze. you shut your eyes, muttering out a “shit” as you felt the pathetic rush of tears burn at the back of your eyelids.

“baby, i couldn’t pass this up. this is my chance to finally get out of this town. i’ve wanted this for so long.” she pleads, dropping down to her knees in front of you.

“why didn’t you wait to at least talk to me about it, ellie? three months ago, we were just planning on moving in together! and what? now you’re just about to dismiss any say that i had in this?”

she lets out an exasperated sigh of defeat as she bargains with her response.

“this is about my future! this is something i’ve wanted for years!” she encompasses her bottom lip back in between her teeth, scavenging her scattered brain to make this situation better.

“you can come with me! didn’t you always tell me you’d follow me anywhere?”

you scoff, shaking your head. “i can’t just pack up my things and run away to los angeles like this with you. it’s expensive there and with the money we have saved up, we wouldn’t last a year in a place like that with just the two of us. we’d need more time.”

don’t cry. don’t cry. you think to yourself as you feel the waterworks begin to churn.

“we could figure it out! cat mentioned a bunch of-”

you scoff at the mention of the girl’s name as you stood up from your place on the bed, walking over towards your window as you dug your fingers through your unkempt hair.

“i can’t believe you made a decision about this with cat before you even mentioned it to me. i should’ve known it was deeper than that.”

ellie stops in her tracks, an expression of hurt painted across her face at the idea of you believing she had concealed intentions between her and cat. but could you really blame yourself ? it would’ve been hard on any girl to see that her significant other’s time was consumed by another girl. especially with the considerable amount of times they spent alone together.

you would’ve been a fool to not suspect anything at all but your love for ellie ran too deep; you didn’t think you could handle it if you lost her to another girl. so you kept quiet, giving her the benefit of the doubt and begged venus herself for the girl to not prove you right.

“it was never deeper than anything.” her tone was stilled as she stared at you with accusatory.

“can you blame me ellie? i mean seriously. you’ve been alone with her more in these past few months than you’ve even talked to me! some days, i don’t even hear from you at all because you’re with her!” your voice goes up an octave as tears begin to spill from your eyes.

“it’s because of—”

“what? the band?” you cut her off, not wanting to hear her myriad of excuses. “i see the way you look at her. you look at her like she’s the only thing you see.” you brush past her to grab your shirt, pulling it over your head hastily.

“the lingering looks, the canceled plans, the way you never tell her to stop fucking holding onto your arms the way she fucking does!” bitterness begins to overpower the solemnity paying homage to the pit of your heaving chest as you jostle her scroll of excuses back to her.

“i mean, god, ellie. has it ever occurred to you that you still have obligations to set boundaries in this relationship?” your tone is constraint from going back to normal.

“are you fucking serious?” she snaps, the pitch of her voice blending with yours in a chaotic cacophony. “i’m trying to tell you about how big of a deal this band is to me, trying to make up solutions, and you’re accusing me of leaving for fucking cat?”

“i mean it was her idea, wasn’t it?” you countered. you were at your breaking point with ellie. you felt like nothing you said would ever change her perspective so you gave up.

you no longer wanted to fight for someone that couldn’t care to think twice about how their actions inflicted hurt on you.

maybe this wasn’t about her leaving anymore. instead, as the conversation became more clear, the realization settled when you realized you were losing her.

“i’m not doing this with you.” you watch as ellie gathered her things in fit of rage, throwing on her flannel and slipping her feet back into her converses as grabbed her bag, ready to walk out.

a feeling of dread quickly dissipates all of the fury you momentarily had as you rush towards her, wanting to resolve this before the two of you went to bed upset.

“ellie. come on, please.” you grab her face, pleading with eager eyes for her to not leave when things began to get bad.

you knew your girlfriend was stubborn. often alternating between fight or flight when reality began to corner her. but you knew, this time was different. no matter what the two of you chose to do, it would change the trajectory of your lives together.

she avoids your eyes and you feel the warmth cascade down your face heavily. “don’t walk out on me. please. not like this.”

she finally looks at you and it’s hard to read her.

“i need to do this for me. not for anyone else. i’m not going to wait for you to change your mind if some ulterior motive you think i have will always be in the backside of your mind.” she asserted, planted in her obstinance.

“if you leave now, i’m not gonna wait for you to come back.”

her eyes scanned your own down to your lips back to your eyes before grabbing your wrists to pull your hands away from her.

“that’s up to you.” was the last thing she said as she turned to walk out of your empty house. the moment you heard the door slam shut, you dropped to your knees as the tears began to pour.

if there was one thing ellie was good at, it was keeping her word. ever since the the two of you were puny little teenagers, she still managed to keep ahold of all of her promises, even the smallest most frivolous ones.

it was something you loved about her because it showed her resilience and firmness. her ability to stand her ground. but as you sit with your hot head in your hands against the comfort of your bed that still smelled like her, you wished so desperately that the one quality you admired so much, wasn’t something she attained.

you knew there was no use in trying to change her mind or waiting for her to. she was set in her ways and held no exemptions, not even for you.

it was a thick pill to swallow but you knew, the moment she walked out that door, it was over.

the next few days were filled with no contact. your phone was sparse of any calls or messages except for one from your mother asking you to defrost the chicken or the occasional check up from your friends when they learned about what happened.

your room was a ghost town. her presence haunting you as a constant reminder in every corner. you couldn’t run away from her even if you wanted to.

you wished you were stronger in your ways. it would’ve saved you your dignity if you were prideful but you simply couldn’t bring yourself to be. you were the worst at staying mad— just wanting to fix things with your girl.

you even racked up some ideas about how ya’ll could make this arrangement work in a heap of desperation.

so when you rendered yourself enough courage to face the situation at hand, you made your way over to her house. you were hopeful that she wasn’t completely set in throwing it all away.

but when you reached her front door, all you were met with was a note that joel gave you that was left to him by ellie. his eye bags were deep showcasing his worry and lack of sleep and you saw a few more grey tendrils in his salt and pepper hair.

ellie had left a few mornings after the fight between the two of you. she left no trace of her behind to be gotten ahold of and you, joel, or sarah hadn’t heard from her since.

taglist: @bready101 @st4r-b3rries @vqxen

[mauswyx]

old ties, new beginnings

Thomas Hewitt x f!reader: ch2 // ch3

TLDR: By chance, Thomas encounters someone from his past and gets to be treated like a normal guy for an afternoon–except he doesn't want the treatment to stop.

WORD COUNT: 2.8K

CW: slight nudity, mention of dead animal [not actively killed], mention of scarring

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

The sun heated your face as your body floated at the water’s surface, bearing your naked form to the surrounding wilderness. Cicadas’ buzzing mixed with the sound of leaves rustling in the wind solidified just how alone you were. A flock of birds takes flight seeking sanctuary elsewhere, but you paid them no mind; the lake water lapping at your skin was bringing back memories from when you were young: memories of chasing fireflies in the evening, running around the campfire as mother hummed old songs you have long since forgotten, and swimming in this very lake with other children–making friendships that would only last through the night. Your lip curled as you remembered how the children...screamed? Why were the children screaming...?

You furrowed your eyebrows and tucked your legs beneath you to lightly tread the water. The heat must finally be getting to you. Shaking your head, you look around at your surroundings, hoping to bring back that nostalgic magic. The lake itself is massive, the portion you're in is only an offshoot of a much bigger body of water; the water’s edge is encircled by tall-dry grass, tall enough it had brushed against your elbow on your way down; the oak trees past the grassy-moat encase the path you took to get down here; next to the path sits your pile of clothes that you haphazardly threw off. You eye the small opening between the trees, as if trying to conjure up someone standing there. Only you know no one is coming, up the path sits an empty van waiting for you.

You had been on the road for some time, making your way across Texas was proving to take much longer than you expected. Though you didn’t mind, the long highways were just a means to escape an unsavory situation and to get back to your mother in San Antonio. It was in Lubbock that you decided to make a small detour on your journey, it would add a day but you simply longed to see your hometown. So when your tires popped, having driven over some loose nails, you cursed yourself. Town was a few hours walk away, but you’d surely die walking in this blistering-heat. Not to mention, you had heard about the town’s predicament and were willing to bet you’d have a better chance of finding an open store in the morning rather than the evening. It was settled. You’d just have to sleep in the busted van and get a headstart in the early morning when the weather was still livable. Which meant you had the rest of the afternoon to yourself…and knowing the area, you knew there was a very refreshing lake calling your name.

Another flock of birds cried out as they took flight, fleeing the area. This time you do look, following their shrinking figures against the cloudless-blue sky; you wonder what has startled them. But you don’t have to wonder for very long. The sudden sound of twigs snapping pulls your attention away from the birds. You whirl around and your stomach drops. There, in the middle of the previously deserted path, stands a large hulking man. A choked cry dies in your throat as your fight or flight refuses to kick in–you can only stare at him like a deer in headlights.

The tall grass prevents you from getting a good look at him [and you silently hope that means he can’t see you very clearly either] but from what you can see, you know that to say the man was huge was an understatement. His burly figure couldn’t possibly be hidden by the neighboring trees so you're surprised you hadn’t noticed his approach until now. His wide eyes, let you know he’s just as surprised to see you as you are him. The observation of his face leads you to notice that he seems to be wearing a mask-

A gasp escapes you, as your excitement pushes you slightly above the water. You raise a slicked arm to point at your intruder and he jumps back.

“I know you!” She suddenly exclaimed, eyes wide “Thomas Hewitt!”

Thomas ignored the sound of his name, too busy trying to calm his nerves. He hadn’t been expecting to run into cattle–not out here and not after having just finished a roundup. The last herd members were all accounted for, thrown in the basement by now. So why was this one out here and why was it nude? Usually if one was nude there was another one nearby. Thomas tried to wager where the other one could be hiding but couldn’t think properly as it continued to make noise.

“We went to school together!” it continued at his lack of response. 

What was it talking about? Better yet, why was it trying to talk to him? The screaming should've started by now. He let out a hesitant groan, shifting his eyes to the far bankside and grasping nervously at the side of his pants–it continued to stare at him from the water eagerly. He didn’t like this; this one was acting odd and it was making him uncomfortable.

What had it said? School? He tried to rack his memory of when something like that had once mattered. That era of his life was a long time ago and he had since tried to forget about those years: the most prevalent memories had always been the other children rushing to avoid him or the older teens and townsfolk shoving him around calling him a freak. He spared a glance at the meat in front of him now, he couldn’t imagine someone like that would look excited to see him now.

“Though, I guess you might not remember me—[y/n][l/n], I moved half-way through second grade.” it said with a sigh, seemingly disappointed that he couldn’t place it in his memories.

[y/n]..? The name did sound familiar. [l/n]...oh. Oh. A wave of shame washed over Thomas, he did remember you. 

He slowly nodded his head with a new-found remembrance and stepped out of the shadows of the trees. The sullen look on your face quickly morphed into an enthusiastic grin at the sight of his recognition. The lake rippled as you waded closer to meet him, before remembering your predicament. You quickly sank to the muddy bottom of the lake, being much closer to the shoreline now, the water only seemed to shield an inch or two under your collar bone. Your face heated as you tried to quickly cover yourself by hunching over and folding your arms across your chest. Your embarrassment went unnoticed by Thomas, who was still in disbelief. 

To anyone else’s standards, the two of you had never been friends, no but you were also never cruel to him���and that was as close of a friend as Thomas could get. Your encounters were always brief: you’d smile shyly at him in passing; hand him assignments—unflinching if your hand touched his; and occasionally you’d leave him a portion of your lunch on his desk...when no one was looking. You never truly spoke to him, especially not in the presence of others, though he remembered one occasion where the two of you had been left completely alone together. 

“What are you doing Thomas?”

With a start, Thomas looked over his shoulder at the girl standing a few feet behind him, just barely peeking out behind a tree. He hadn’t expected anyone to follow him into the shrubbery, so the sudden company made him on edge. Her voice had been just above a whisper and her eyes were focused on his hands. At the dead animal that lay torn underneath them.

His body tensed, readying himself for her to start screaming and calling him a monster like the others. But to his surprise, she only drew closer, peering over his shoulder.

Her eyes were transfixed on the neatly arranged bones that glistened under the specks of sunlight that filtered through the leaves overhead. His gaze was set on her though—waiting for her next move.

“. . .my momma says it’s good to honor the dead,” she muttered, turning to look him in the eyes, “I think you’re doin’ that just fine.”

That had been the first and last time you had spoken to him properly. Well, until now.

Thomas had pushed his way through the tall grass and now stood at the edge of the shoreline. You couldn’t help but smile at him despite your discomposure. You truly were pleased to see him, albeit a little surprised to find that such a scrawny kid had grown to be such a heavy man. He looked strong–well fed and taken care of and judging by his worn attire and toned arms you were willing to bet he was taking care of others as well. His eyes had stayed the same over the years, a stormy blue that reminded you of the sea. You had always liked his eyes. 

Having gotten closer, he could confirm it really was you. Your position and his height allowed him to fully take you in. He had never really cared for looks in general–meat was meat after all and a pretty face wouldn’t change that–but he allowed himself to acknowledge that you had grown up to be a rather charming young woman. His eyes trailed from your wet hair that clung to your face, to your crinkled eyes that no longer seemed to meet his own–your bottom lip quivered slightly, it must be cold in the water he thought. He followed a water droplet down to your goosebump-covered shoulders, confirming his suspicion. 

“Ahem. . .” You feign a cough, face having gone completely scarlet as you curl tighter around yourself.

He startled and shuffled backwards. He was so accustomed to looking at people like cattle he had forgotten some societal rules: like how men weren’t supposed to lay eyes on a woman’s nude form. He took another step backwards, ashamed to have disrespected you so openly; Mama would be so disappointed in him and surely you hated him now. His breath hitched as the thought and panic settled in–scrunching his eyes closed and hunching, he dug his fingers into the meat of his biceps with a whine–he didn’t want you of all people to hate him.

“Ah! It’s alright! It’s ok, Thomas!” The panic in your own voice distracted him, he opened his eyes to look at your worried expression.The sight of it released the tension in his fingers, even after all this time you were still being kind to him. He had disrespected you and yet you still worried for him. A sudden tightness overtook his chest.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s my own fault for thinking this was a good idea in the first place.” you continued, letting out a breathy laugh.

“Actually, could you do me a favor, Thomas?” he straightened and nodded, eager to make up for his offense, “could you bring me my clothes, please?” You gestured past his shoulder with a nod of your head and he followed your movement, peering through the swaying blades of grass for the clothes in question. His eyes landed on them sitting on a rock just a little ways in front of the old beaten down path. At the sight of them, he began to feverishly shake his head as if you had just asked him to cloth you himself; on top of the pile sat your undergarments–now that he saw you for what you were, a respectable woman, he couldn’t possibly do such a thing like touch your private garments. The irony of him staring down on you naked escaped him.

“Wh- Thomas!” You were laughing now, seeing his mortified expression “I can’t just keep talkin’ to you like this!” the water splashed around from you rocking around barely being able to keep yourself upright and your sides hurt from laughing; you let out a snort which only made you laugh harder. Getting stranded, naked, in front of your former classmate had definitely been last on your list of possible things to ever occur. 

Thomas couldn’t figure out what you found to be so funny, but he was glad you were enjoying yourself. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had laughed around him so genuinely and not at his dispense…he wasn’t sure it had ever happened before. Giving the pile of clothes another side eye, he snorted out a huff of air through his masked-nose. He was going to do right by you and get you out of that water with as much dignity as possible.

Your laughing fit had died down but you were still gasping for air and wiping a tear from your eye when water splashed up onto your face and the sun disappeared. Thomas stood over you, knee-deep in the lake; he had removed his button down, and was now extending it to you in a crumpled heap.

“Oh! Th-thank you, Thomas!”  You gave him a small smile, extending your arm out to take his offering. Once it was in your grasp, he gave a grunt of acknowledgement and marched away–he kept his attention on the surrounding trees and away from you when he got back to shore.

You watched him for a moment, having removed his outer layer exposed his off-white sweat stained t-shirt that hugged his body. The short sleeves of the shirt exposed old scars that varied in severity. The sight of them made your heart ache. Poor Tommy. You always knew how poorly the others had treated him and you hated yourself for not doing more; no one deserved to be treated that way, especially not Thomas. You sighed, unfolding the crumpled shirt in your hands wrapping it around you and fitting your arms into the baggy sleeves, making to start buttoning up the frayed buttons–your fingers faltered as your eyes shifted back to Thomas. He had crossed his arms in front of him in his wait for you to finish, causing his tense shoulder and back muscles to strain against his shirt. Your eyes raked over the muscles that only years of hard labor could produce. You were certain the flush on your face could be seen from a mile away; grateful he couldn’t see you, you forced your attention back onto the buttons.

The sound of splashing water alerted Thomas that you were now decent. He looked over at you only to find that seeing your clothed form was so much worse than just seeing you nude.

You had chosen to leave the buttons closest to the collar unbuttoned, giving him a clear view of your sternum while the hem of his shirt swayed at the middle of your plush thighs. The damp fabric clung snuggly against your wet skin–leaving little to the imagination. Thomas felt terrible. How could his working shirt feel so improper? It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen scantily clad women before: they showed up a dime a dozen in the sweltering heat and Hoyt kept magazines of women bearing themselves to the world but he had never paid any of them any actual attention. He had a job to do and even if he didn’t, he was certain that none of those women would revel at the thought of being touched by him. He resigned himself to knowing that he would never know the touch of a willing partner and had grown indifferent to the sight of a naked woman, but this felt different–you were different. He must have looked visibly distressed because you gave him a quizzical look before glancing down.

“Oh that’s alright nothing a lil sun won’t fix,” you gently pulled the sticking fabric away from you, “ ‘sides nothing you haven’t seen before right?” you winked at him and let out a giggle when he leaned away from you, his face flushing a deep red at your teasing.

“Come on, your pants are wet too y’know, let’s go dry off over there.” you smiled up at him before making your way to a clearing a few meters down the bank; the grass was flattened from sleeping deer, you presumed, and it looked like a nice place to sit and overlook the lake.

Thomas watched as you waded through the tall grass but his own legs seemed unmoving. Reconnecting with you had been so nice–too nice, it had made Thomas shirk his responsibilities to his family. His heart sank, he knew that sooner or later this was going to have to come to an end and you would no longer look at him with such kind eyes. You had stopped walking and were waving him over, trying to get him to follow. He sighed, turning his attention to the position of the sun in the sky. 

It wasn't time for supper yet, so it couldn’t hurt to keep pretending a little while longer.

[sinsofbeauty]

Red Stained Sunflower Pt.2

Fandom: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Game

Pairing: Johnny Slaughter x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Use of Pet Names, Suggestive Nsfw content, Mentions of Kidnapping, Obsessive/Clingy Johnny, Jealous Johnny, Small mention of murder

Requested?: Yee

Overview: Looks like you bailed on the little invitation Johnny had asked of you. It wasn’t because you didn’t want to, you actually got quite intimidated. Though that doesn’t stop him from seeking you out and making his intentions clear

A/n: So many of you wanted this to be a series, so here it is!! This is part 2 of 3!

Please comment if you would like to be tagged for part three!!! Enjoy!

Minors DNI!!!!

Part 1 - Red Stained Sunflower

“Hey Daddy?” You asked your father with the turn of your head. “How long are we gonna be in town for?”

He took a quick glance over to you before shrugging, “Oh maybe an hour or two. Just meeting with some old friends.”

You nodded your head and moved to look out the window. “I was talking to Maria on the telephone, she wanted to see if I could stop by the roller rink.” You replied to his comment. “Hope you don’t mind if I take a little detour.”

You were supposed to accompany Johnny out to the fields last night, but you decided to remain home instead. Now you were making arrangements with friends as though you weren't worried about the entire situation. You felt terrible, but you also couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the circumstances. Yes, Johnny was appealing, and his words would make you want to explode. But LORD! Johnny Slaughter was intimidating.

Your only concern on the trip into town with your father was the fact that you had essentially abandoned one of the Slaughter Brothers. How were you going to justify your absence because you were anxious? Private moments with him... Ugh!! You weren't sure how you would be able to face him after abandoning him in that way. Like, seriously. How were you going to explain to a man like him that the reason you didn't appear was because you're a virgin…?

Your heart was racing when you arrived to the roller rink. Even though you were still troubled by thoughts of Johnny, seeing the group at the rink's entrance helped you feel less concerned. Even if you weren't close to them, you had Maria there to keep you company, so it was well worth it to slip away from your father and his group of friends to spend time with your own. You immediately identified their faces. Connie, Julie, and Ana were all grinning and laughing as Leland and Sonny stood to the side. When Maria's eyes finally found you after searching, they completely lit up.

“Hey! Y/n over here!!” Her delighted voice echoed from across the street.

As you approach everyone, you wave and smile. They all appeared to be happy to see you, which gave you a strange feeling. Can't hold yourself to blame, though; you haven't been able to leave the house much because you've been so cooped up inside helping your father with his work.

“Hey guys!” You say, greeting them happily.

“Y/n! I’m so glad you could make it!” Maria gave you a nice warm hug in return. “You remember Ana don’t you? We brought a couple friends along if you don’t mind!”

“Oh no of course not! It’ll be fun!” You shrug your shoulders, waving your arm to brush off any doubt about more people. “Let’s go inside, yeah?”

Some of the group had their own skates, while others had to rent them when they entered the rink. Since you didn’t own any skates, you obtained a pair that fit you and sat down. Though you found yourself stuck tying and untying your shoelaces. Simply said, they weren't secure enough, and you didn't intend to break an ankle today. Before you notice someone roll over, you sigh and wipe your sweaty palms on your jeans.

“Need some help?”

In his sky blue shirt and navy blue jeans, which were fastened by a brown belt, Leland stood in front of you. The skates he had rented took the place of his shoes, and he was able to move around in them with ease. He was on the wrestling team in high school, and you somewhat recognized him from there. He also hung around with this little group of people. He was really kind to say the least, tall, strong, and fairly attractive for a young man his age.

Your eyes look up at the man who you nodded at with a smile. “Please, I’m having trouble tying them tight enough.”

The Texan smirks and bends down, taking one of your feet and pulling at the strings. “Let me know if it’s too tight, okay?” You nodded once more at his voice as he started tying your skates. Before moving on to the next, he questioned as to whether or not they felt snug enough for you. You felt good about it, and he was very considerate in making the gesture. “Alright, how do they feel?” He asked standing up.

As you rise up, you circle your feet before nodding your head in appreciation. “Perfect. Better than I could ever do. Thank you, Leland.”

His eyes squint when he gives a genuine smile, a gesture to your thankful remark. “Anytime. Say, I don’t see ya’ around here often. Do ya’… know how to skate?”

Oh dear God, you can't recall the last time you entered that rink. You probably haven't done it in months, and you weren't doing it frequently to begin with. You chuckle nervously while rubbing your hands together behind your back. “Uh… kinda? It’s been a while.” You admit to him. “I’m not the best skater but it’ll come back! I just get nervous when other people go fast past me.”

Just standing there made your legs feel like jello. You tried to move closer to Leland but all you did was sway back and forth. He chuckled at this, the male moving forward to grab your shoulders and prevent you from toppling. “I can teach ya’, practice makes perfect.”

“Says the one who was in the wrestling team.” You roll your eyes at him, making the man laugh in response. “I’d be on the ground more times than you’d like.”

“Hey! I’m a good teacher! We can go nice and slow at first, and you’ll still have a great time… in the rink, I mean. That sounded so weird…”

You giggled at his words, making his cheeks dust a soft pink. He was such a dork… cute.

“Come on guys! We’ve been waiting!” Exclaims Julie from the rink, making you and Leland look over.

“We’re coming,” You said, shifting past Leland with your wobbly legs as you made your way over. “I’m trying not to die. You guys are much more experienced at this.”

You almost went over with just one foot on that surface, but once you were stable, everything was good. Leland swiftly followed after you as you joined the others with a sigh of relief. Getting acclimated to the people and the surroundings took some time. You were still unable to go as quickly as Julie or Maria, who frequently sped by you.

“I’m gonna go around a couple times. Think you can handle it on ya’ own?” Leland asks, that genuine smile making you give one in return.

“For now. Go ahead, I’ll catch up eventually.”

After hearing your response, he quickly speeds away while teasing Maria and Julie about catching up. You chuckle, enjoying how this afternoon will play out. It was lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves. Being outside of the house felt wonderful. The gang laughed and joked as they skated around the rink. Leland was always there to catch you even if you were a little awkward and nearly fell a few times. He gave you a comforting smile as you both laughed despite how embarrassing it was. The group stopped to acquire some food after some time spent skating. Even though your heart was still beating from all the excitement, you were happy that you and your friends were having such a good time.

After a few hours, everyone departed the rink exhausted but content. You said your goodbyes and thanked them for an amazing time. You were relieved that you had chosen to go out with them as opposed to staying home or being barraged by your father’s older friends who wanted to talk to you.

“Hey Y/n,” Leland had said, catching you before you left. “I was wondering, I usually come around here at this time of day. Did you… wanna skate with me next week?”

You thought about it, and it didn’t hurt to meet some new people around. Even though he was closer with Maria, maybe a new group of people would be nice to hang around with. “Sure. Are you busy next Friday?”

“Great! Uhm… No, that should be fine. I’ll see ya’ then?”

You nodded your head, grinning as you left, feeling satisfied with the events of the day as you made your way back to meet with your father.

——

After a long, productive day, you were just finishing your shower at home. You check that your hair isn't excessively dripping before stepping out of the restroom while you're wrapped in a towel. No one was awake to bother you this late in the evening since your father was asleep. Your room was upstairs, turning left down the hall and another left past the bathroom across from it. Your father was immediately up the stairs to the right of the hall in his own room.

You entered your room and turned to lock the door behind you before turning on the lights. Despite the events earlier, your mind still wandered to Johnny. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. Once more, you were unable to remove him from your head. Another day without communication meant that you would have to make an effort to avoid having to give an explanation. You sigh and close your eyes before turning to head for your dresser. In spite of this, as soon as you open them, you jump and cover your mouth to stifle the surprised sound that escapes from you.

“Johnny!” Looking at the man who was idly sitting on your bed fiddling with his hair, you blurted out. Your heart was pounding furiously. What the hell was he doing here? How did he get in here? What is he doing here??? He just sat in the dark, waiting for you to come in like… like a weirdo!! “The fuck are you doing? Why are you in my room?!”

His clothing caught your attention because it was a little different from what he typically wore. He appeared to have just taken a shower because his hair was moist and combed back. His navy blue jeans were fastened to his hips by a brown belt, and his dark gray long sleeve shirt was rolled to the dips of his arms just above his elbows. He wore his worn-out boots, without gloves to protect his calloused hands, and grinned endlessly.

“Should really keep that back window locked. So much easier than havin’ ta’ lock pick my way in at night.” He spoke quietly, as if he knew your father was in the room next to him. Low, as if he knew what trouble sneaking in here could get him into. “Ya’ don’t look happy ta’ see me sweetpea. Did I do something~?”

“Well for one, you’re in my room… uninvited.” You drew closer to the man who was lounging on your bed, your brows furrowed at him, your nose flared. “And I’m in a towel…naked! What if I started changing because I didn’t know you were here??”

Your face instantly turned red as his smile grew larger. He wasn't even required to respond to the question. You snort before turning around and returning to your door to lock it. The worst-case scenario would be your father interrupting you two. Yes, you were a grown woman, but technically speaking, sneaking someone into the house would not look so inviting. Especially if it was the Slaughter boy.

“Jesus… just— why are you here?” You ask, turning back to the man who you didn’t realize stood in those moments you were turned around. He appeared... distracted. It seemed as though he was thinking about or bothered by something.

“Oh me? I jus’ wanted ta’ see ya’!” He said with the slight wave of his hands. “I wanted ta’ know whatchu were doin’, cause… obviously, it wasn’t me.”

“Yeah about that…” You trailed off, looking at the floor for a moment. It was… a nice floor. Maybe staring at it would help you think about how to tell him without feeling like a total idiot. “I just got… a little nervous.”

You looked up at the man as he surprised you with a chuckle. His facial expressions were unpredictable. He appears disturbed one second, then happy the next. Even just looking at him made you feel conflicted. Your hands were holding onto the towel that was about to fall down your body as he started to approach you. “Nervous hm? About what?”

You sighed as you cast a glimpse his way and fiddled with the towel covering your body. “I don’t know how to explain…”

“Come on now, ya’ don’t have ta’ be scared ‘round me,” Johnny gave reassurance while smiling oddly relaxed. Observing the shit-eating grin that emerged on his face, you gave him a little glare. “Okay maybe a lil’ bit~. But come on, it can’t be that bad!”

He makes you huff and shrug your shoulders in response. Why did talking about this seem so embarrassing? It was Johnny… In any case, he didn't have much to say about it. Right? You grumble, your mouth twitching slightly as your nose flares once more. “I didn’t come because… I was nervous about being a virgin.”

The last few words were mumbled, but it appears like Johnny heard them right away. At that instant, Johnny's lips curled into a wicked grin, which his hand moved to conceal right away. You shivered, a chill running up your spine at the laugh that burst forth from his throat seconds later. “That’s the reason? Cause, nobody’s taken yer lil’ cherry yet~?”

“It’s not funny!” You exclaim slapping his bicep, only to obtain another silly laugh from him. “It’s a sensitive thing! I have a right to be anxious about it!! Especially if… those intentions were indicated.”

“Oh honeybee, ya’ think I’d feel any different?” Johnny said with the shrug of his shoulders. “I mean— I’m a lil’ surprised! A pretty girl like you? I would’ve expected it to be long gone by now.”

“Well it’s not so you can stop teasing me about it,” You pout, crossing your arms with the shake of your head.

At that very time, Johnny was getting closer to you and dipping his head slightly. His eyebrows dropped, his gaze became unreadable, and his hands, which fiddled with his belt, twitched in anticipation as his voice abruptly shifted to a low tone. “How cute, and ta’ think, I’ll be the one takin’ it from ya’~.”

“Eh- You-…” You turned in defeat as the sentence that attempted to form failed miserably. You scowl and head to your dresser to look for something to wear. “God I hate you sometimes. I can just imagine how much it would hurt.”

Johnny smirked as he approached from behind you and gently grabbed your shoulders. “Oh I won’t hurtcha, much.” He replied. “I’ll go nice and slow for ya’ darlin’.”

“I doubt that,” Smiling, you respond before shutting the dresser door and turning to face Johnny. His eagerness was evident from the little shudder of his shoulders as his hands were now in his pockets. “You’re thinking about it too much.”

“Maybe I am~.” He says, slyly smiling while momentarily averting his gaze. “Ya’ know I can’t help myself doll. Even now, just lookin’ at ya’ makes me excited.”

You rolled your eyes after moving around him to your bed, placing your clothes on it with a soft pat. “I’m in a towel with nothing under it, of course you’re excited.” You say sarcastically.

“Well, ya’ did look good earlier today,” Johnny stated, making you freeze in place. He had a menacing smirk on his face when you turned to face him.

“You were in town today?”

“Jus’ happened ta’ be,” Responded Johnny with a shrug. “Saw ya’ walkin’ ta’ that lil’ roller rink on the side of town with ya’ lil’ friends.”

“Yeah, I had planned to go out with them that morning.” You spoke to him, fiddling with the towel.

Johnny moved a few steps closer to you while humming and tilting his head. “Oh I know! Ya’ looked like ya’ had fun, especially with pretty boy touchin’ up all on ya’.”

As much as how he seemed, his vocal tone also appeared to shift. He appeared agitated, as far as you could tell. You didn’t even have to mention Leland, he had been watching you that whole time. The encounters you had with the other young adult in question. He absolutely despised it. Just having the idea of how furious he would have been as Leland assisted you in any way he could. Was he… no, he couldn’t be.

“So, you’re telling me that you followed me and watched me with my friends today?”

The man's mouth twisted in annoyance as he let out a little giggle. “Curiosity got the best o’ me, I will admit.” Johnny said, his half lidded eyes looking away. He clenched his jaw and pursed his lips before turning to face you.

“Well, we’re just friends if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Sure– I mean, I have no problem with it! I mean if ‘e touches ya’ again,” Johnny lets out a laugh. “He never will, let’s jus’ leave it at that.”

“Oh? Is that so?” You ask with a smirk. “And to think, Johnny Slaughter is jealous of another man.”

“Jealous?! AHA– I’m not jealous!” He makes an effort to justify his obsessive tendencies, but it simply serves to highlight it. His eyes widen, “I jus’ didn’t like how ‘e was feelin’ up on ya’, how’s that bein’ jealous?!”

“You’re getting all defensive.”

“When??”

“Right now?”

“I’m jus’ sayin’ I’m not!”

You couldn't help laughing, which made the man snarl. It was cute how obvious he made it. Observing his vulnerable side manifest itself in this way due to someone else? Johnny's jealousy wasn't anything you anticipated. He was a man who frequently showed little regard for the actions or words of others. However, it was a different story when it came to you. He seems a little uneasy when his family would speak to you. The man appeared to be extremely possessive of anything he so claimed as his.

“Come on now, you don’t have to be scared around me,” You spoke.

Johnny's cheeks had turned a delicate shade of pink. He rolled his eyes at your remark and scoffed while shaking his head. “I ain’t scared sunshine,” He replied with his smile coming back. “If I was, I wouldn’t have snuck into ya’ house.” Your eyes widened in shock as the man grabbed your arm and drew you up against him. “I wouldn’t tell ya’ righ’ now, that yer my girl.”

“You don’t have me just yet.”

“Oh, I don’t?” Johnny lifts your chin and lowers his face to meet yours only a few inches away. “But ya’ want me, no? Jus’ lookin’ at those eyes ya’ want me.” Your eyelids flutter closed as he rubs his nose against yours. He was well aware of the fact that he had you. “I’ll treat ya’ like a princess darlin’, I’ll spoil ya’ so rotten that ya’ can’t get enough of me. Cause I want ya’, I need ya’.”

If this was a way for Johnny to swoon you over, he sure was doing it. However, you were curious to see how much further he would swing. He draws back his head and lets go of your chin as you open your eyes in order to tuck a hair behind your ear.

“You should tell me more.”

“Really?” Johnny says as his brows begin to converge. When he senses your seriousness, he smirks and lets out a tiny chuckle. “I’d kill for ya’, I’d die for ya’, I’m sooo head over heels.”

You smile, shaking your head. “You’re so funny.”

“Amused?” He hums, making you giggle in response. In return, pleased by the remark, Johnny snorts. “Needy lil’ thing aren’t cha’? Makin’ me all soft.”

“I thought you were excited.”

“Cheeky lil’ brat ya’ are darlin’,” Johnny scoffs. “If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be so damn close! Y’know– I wouldn’t be talkin’ fa’ someone who’s so red in the face.”

“You’re just as flustered as me,” You roll your eyes. “You should’ve seen your face when you got all jelly~.”

“Eh– I wasn’t–... sh-shut up.”

“Make me~.”

Johnny's eyes appeared to be playing cat and mouse with you. As if it wasn’t the third or fourth time he licked his lips this evening. His teeth were exposed in a ferocious smile, giving him an almost feral appearance. “Oh I could– but actually, it probably wouldn’t shut ya’ up sweetheart.” He takes your hips, making you softly gasp. “You’d be loud– no you’d be screamin’ honey. I’d make sure of that– oh I’d make sure, the only thing on your mind is me~.”

Johnny made a sound of interest as you placed your hands on his chest. The excitement he felt then was much greater. The way his hands drew you in his direction and the way they tightly grabbed your hips caught you off guard. Once more lowering his head, Johnny first brushes his cheek against yours before moving his lips toward your ear. His hands shifted, reaching your waist.

“Is that what ya’ wanted ta’ hear? How I’ll make sure those legs of ya’s are shakin’ when I fuck ya’ good? Hm? How I’ll make ya’ cum, over, and over on my cock? I can only imagine.” Your body tenses up in response to his comments, and he grins as a result. “Feelin’ ya’ squirm under me. That cute lil’ pussy clenchin’ so tight you’ll make my head spin. Ohhh darlin’, I wanna feel ya’ nails diggin’ in my back as I take ya’. Inch. By. Inch~.”

A subtle sound came from you. Considering that it was subconscious, you weren't sure if it was a whimper or a moan. Your thighs drove together as you made an effort to hide the sudden jolts that surged up through your abdomen. He... really did have a way with words.

“Awwwe~. Are ya’ gettin’ excited now?” Johnny had moved his head away from yours, taking one good look at your reddened face. His tongue ran over the top row of his teeth as he took one good look at your body. The rise and fall of your chest, your gaze struggling to meet his, and the mere sight of your thighs clamping together. Heh. How could he not notice? “It looks like ya’ are.”

You were startled, or perhaps more accurately, flustered. In that instant, Johnny made you feel just how you'd imagined when you'd read about getting hot and bothered in books. You were completely in shock as you stared at the man with your mouth open and nothing coming out of it. How could you respond to that? Could you… even respond? Observing his every move while remaining motionless, nothing came out of your lips, not a single word.

“Gotta question for ya’ doll,” He said, glancing at the wall for a moment. “Don’t have ta’ be shy now, I know what ya’ want. How about ya’ come down ta��� the fields like we planned, yeah?”

You swallowed thickly, seeing as he removed himself from you entirely. What a damn tease. “Tomorrow?”

“Preferably,” Responded Johnny. “Or ya’ plans with pretty boy can go bye bye next Friday, and ya’ can spend it with me instead.”

“You're still on that?” You say with a raised brow. “How do you even know we made plans?”

He growled and clicked the roof of his mouth with his tongue, his eyes moving away from you. “I heard ya’.”

“Heard me? Or you were eavesdropping?”

You and Johnny exchanged looks, and that glare gave you all you needed to know. Let’s be real, it’s a little odd knowing that he had been spying on you, but seeing him jealous was like seeing a spoiled little boy now getting what he wanted.

Johnny’s eyes fluttered closed with a sigh, crossing his arms in defeat. “Y’know— you… I— yer really gettin’ on my nerves!”

“Good,” You say with a small smile. “And I’ll think about coming tomorrow.”

“Oh there’s no thinkin’ honeybee,” Johnny said with a mischievous smile. “I’ll make sure yer there, I’ll steal ya’ if I need ta’— hell! If it means I need ta’ kidnap ya’.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“Maybe if ya’ wait long enough, you’ll find out~.”

Part 3 is up!! >>> RSSF PT.3

@optimsluv @chernayawidow @yixxes @marriedtoeddie

[trickphotography2]

'tis the damn season | Chapter 8

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Julie/Cece (OC, no physical description)

Word count: 8.3K

Synopsis: After six years away from home, Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin was finally going to make his parents happy and surprise his family by spending Christmas in Magnolia, Texas. Introducing his pregnant fiancee to his family is a culture clash, with rural Texas meeting California influencer. Though unhappy in his relationship, Jake knows he has to buckle down and do the right thing with a baby on the way.

The last person he expected to run into was his high school sweetheart and the one that got away, Julie.

The holidays are already going to be hard enough for Julie. Her home baking business, which had started as a fun side project, exploded after a few TikToks went viral. Just when she was getting the hang of juggling her job and business, tragedy struck. Facing her first Christmas as an orphan, the last thing Julie expected was to hear that once familiar nickname - Cece.

After almost a decade apart, Jake and Julie can't help but feel that old familiar spark. Even with the realities of their lives pressing in, they can't help but wonder what might have happened if just one of them had fought for their relationship all those years ago.

Chapter 7 | Master List | Ao3

Trigger warning: panic attack, mentions of miscarriage

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

Chapter 8

Julie woke to the sound of loud snoring. Biting back a groan, she resisted the urge to drive her elbow into Jake's stomach. She attempted to lift the pillow enough to put her head under it, but he'd completely abandoned his in favor of hers. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that Jake didn't snore often - it was usually after a long day or when he was exhausted.

But that was cold comfort when he sounded like a chainsaw. Gritting her teeth, Julie turned in his arms. "Jake," she said softly, not wanting to startle him awake. He didn't so much as twitch. Huffing, she gently shook him. "Babe." No response. In the dim light, she looked at him and felt her heartache at the bags under his eyes. When he was awake, he was so animated that it was easy to ignore, but she could see how tired he was. It had been a long week, and the tense set of his shoulders when he'd stood in his mama's kitchen that first day back made her wonder how much stress he'd been under back home. When she lightly ran her fingers over his cheek, the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. For a moment, she thought he had stopped snoring. But then there was a rasping noise, and his mouth fell open again, drawing in rattling breaths. 

Rolling her eyes, Julie leaned forward to kiss the tip of Jake's nose before gently untangling herself from his hold and the covers. His arms tightened around her when she tried to move away, but eventually relented. Carefully climbing over him, she grabbed her clothes from the floor and tiptoed into the hallway, closing the door behind her. After detouring into the bathroom to dress and pausing to plug in the Christmas tree, she collapsed onto the couch, pulling the blanket over her lap. 

Her eyes unfocused, she stared at the tree's white lights and let her thoughts wander. It had been such a long, emotionally exhausting day. She'd known that Christmas would be rough, but she hadn't anticipated it being that much of a rollercoaster. From waking up in Jake's arms to her daddy's letter, Julie felt like she'd been run through the wringer. And she knew that today wouldn't be much better. In a couple of hours, Jake would wake up and want to talk about what came next before he left. And then…

And then they would be right back to where they always were. Living two separate lives states apart.

Unbidden tears sprang to her eyes as she glanced down the dark hallway where she could hear Jake. She knew what he wanted: he would ask her to come with him to California and give them another chance. The moment he'd let those three words pass his lips, it had been written so plainly across his face. Jake still loved her and wanted to pick up where they'd left off.

A small part of her wanted to do precisely that. Julie knew that her time in Magnolia was running out. The town that had once felt so safe now felt suffocating. Everyone expected her to be the same girl she'd always been, not recognizing that she'd changed. She'd grown up in the shadow of so many people - first Mama's, then Jake's, and finally Daddy's. She'd never had the opportunity to become her own person here.

Julie wasn't sure where she wanted to go, just away. Somewhere she could figure out who she was, away from the expectations of others. Austin seemed the most realistic option, but it felt too comfortable. While she loved the city, it felt like taking another step backward - doing the safe thing. Other than her trips out to Annapolis, South Carolina, and her road trips to see Jake in flight school and Virginia, she had yet to explore much of the country. 

The thought of moving somewhere blindly and hoping for the best paralyzed her with indecision. What if it was a horrible mistake? 

Her heart whispered that California wouldn't be a mistake. Her rational brain reminded Julie of what happened the last time she'd followed her heart across the country. The thought of going through that again terrified her. 

It kept her from telling Jake that she loved him too, the words on the tip of her tongue every time he said them. It was irrational, but she felt that Julie would promise something she wasn't sure she could follow through with when she said them. 

The people in your life have always asked too much.

That line in Daddy's letter had struck her, and Julie knew what he meant by it. How many times had he told her to stand up for herself, that her voice and opinions were just as important as anyone else's, that she had to put herself first, and that she needed to stop putting her wants, hopes, and dreams secondary to others? 

It had been easier to follow others' wishes for a long time. As a little girl, people pitied her for losing Mama so young. They treated her with kid gloves, ensuring she was always cared for and watched. No one wanted to hear that she wanted to scream and rage - they expected her to be the quiet little lady. As a teenager, Jake had spun stories of escaping their small town and traveling to exotic places, promising her adventures when they were married and he was in the military. Her dream of starting her own bakery paled in comparison to that. 

But the one thing she would never regret was coming home when Daddy was sick. Nothing could have kept her from him when he called her and said, "Julie-bear, I have some bad news." He might regret asking her to move back to Magnolia, but she wouldn't trade in the world for that extra time with him. 

Pushing away those thoughts and concerns about her long-term plans, she focused on her immediate future. She still needed an oven, especially since she had a few orders in the next couple of weeks. The last thing she wanted to do was be stuck trying to figure out a new oven's quirks while working on a wedding cake. 

Grabbing her laptop, Julie pulled up the website for an appliance store and started her search. The prices would hit her savings, but it was a necessary evil. And now that she had her mama's travel fund… she pushed those thoughts away and focused on the website. The double ovens drew her attention - the idea of baking multiple things at once was so appealing - but they weren't in stock, and she wasn't willing to drop nearly $3,000. She'd been eyeing a countertop oven to do macrons in, which would get her through bigger orders. 

The little voice in the back of her mind said that the huge expense wasn't worth it if she was going to sell the house. But even though Daddy had given her permission to do so, it still felt wrong to think about selling. This was her home - the kitchen doorway still held the height marks Mama had made every year on her birthday that Daddy had continued after she'd died. 

Julie was so focused on her research that she failed to note the absence of snoring or clock the soft footfalls. She didn't notice Jake until he was standing at the mouth of the hallway, clearing his throat. The tree lights gave his skin a golden glow, highlighting the play of his muscles as he walked toward her. Her eyes ran the length of his naked body, a smile tugging at her lips as he came to stand behind her. Tipping her head back, she couldn't help but giggle at the sight of his hair flattened on one side and the sleepy look of disappointment on his face. "Woke up an' you weren' there," he grumbled. 

"Couldn't sleep with all the racket you were makin'," Julie replied. Jake's eyes narrowed before he leaned down to kiss her, his nose brushing her chin. His lips curved into a smile, and she couldn't help but laugh against his mouth. She remembered the summer he'd insisted on perfecting the upside-down kiss, just like in the Spiderman movie. Apparently, two decades had yet to steal the skill from him. 

"You're not supposed to laugh when I'm kissin' you, baby," he chuckled. “Mary Jane didn't laugh at Spiderman." At that, she laughed harder, feeling a flush of warmth that he'd been thinking the same thing. Trailing kisses down her throat, Jake placed a final kiss between her breasts before standing up. "Come back to bed? I don't wanna wake up without you again."

While he meant the words innocently enough, Julie felt the weight behind them. But that didn't stop her from closing her laptop and standing. Jake's hands wrapped around her waist as she coiled her arms around his neck. His lips were soft but insistent, and she could feel his heart beating against hers. When they broke apart, his forehead rested against hers briefly before lifting. The Christmas tree lights twinkled in his sea-glass eyes, and the words escaped before she could stop them. "I love you, Farm Boy." 

"I love you too, Cupcake." She could see the growing hope in his eyes, the words forming on his tongue. Unable to face it, she kissed him again, smiling when he groaned as her fingers raked through his hair. Jake's hands skated down her body, lifting her and encouraging her legs to wrap around his hips. "Love you so goddamn much, honey," he said, staring up at her. "Come -"

Her lips covered his, cutting off his words. His cheek lifted against her palm when she cupped his face, feeling his grin as he turned and walked them back to her room. Julie tugged off her shirt and let it drop to the floor, tilting her head back when his attention shifted to her breasts. The rough sensation of his facial hair against her skin made her gasp, legs tightening around him as her hips rolled. Jake chuckled, lowering her onto the bed carefully, pausing only to tug off her pants before his body covered hers. Julie could feel his cock, heavy and hard against her thigh, and felt herself clench. Curling a leg over him, she lifted her hip, feeling his answering groan against her throat as the movement shifted him so his cock rested against her folds. "You sure you don't have a condom?" he breathed, unable to stop himself from thrusting lightly, teasing over the apex of her thighs. 

It was on the tip of her tongue to say forget the condom, but Julie couldn't forget the anxiety of their two pregnancy scares. "I'm sure," she gasped when his lips closed around her nipple. Jake teased her for a moment before switching to her other breast and reaching for his phone. A quick glance at the time made him smirk against her. 

"Gas station's opening soon." Julie groaned, covering her face with a hand. Chuckling, Jake gently took her wrist and pulled it away, kissing her sweetly. "Don't worry, honey. Not gonna leave my girl hangin'." Wordlessly, he trailed his lips down her body, tongue dipping into her navel before settling between her legs. His arms wrapped around her thighs, tugging them over his shoulders. His cheek grazed her inner thigh, the course texture of his short beard causing her to shift. "Dreamed about this so many times, Julie." She felt her heart skip a beat, and her breath caught when he lowered his mouth, his tongue parting her folds. 

Jake was methodical as he took her apart with his talented tongue and thick fingers. Cece tugged his hair, trying to pull him away as he suckled on her clit even as her hips pressed against him. His hold tightened on her, his own hips grinding against the mattress to ease his aching dick. She tasted like heaven on his tongue, her choked gasps the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. And when her thighs closed around his head as she spasmed around his fingers, Jake thought about the rings sitting in the lockbox underneath the bed. It was too soon to ask her to put the engagement ring back on, a placeholder for the nicer one he would buy now that he could afford it. But Jake knew that's where they were headed. It's where they were always meant to be - he was her Farm Boy, and she was his Cupcake. 

For now, her sated expression as she collapsed onto the pillow, lips parted and face flushed, was enough. Her hands curled around his head, gently encouraging him up her body until their mouths met. She could taste herself on his tongue, his beard damp with her arousal. He pulled away to rest his forehead against hers, bracing an arm by her head to hold most of his weight from her. Julie kept her eyes open to watch him, his breath a soft pant against her face. When his eyes finally opened, they crinkled as he smiled. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey." He could feel her breasts brushing his chest as they breathed and fought the urge to rut against her. When her fingers combed through his hair, his eyes closed with contentment. "Keep doin' that, and I'm not gonna get out of bed." 

"Would it be the worst thing?" Cece's tone was teasing, and he groaned when she pressed a featherlight kiss to his lips. Forcing himself to roll to the side, he propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her, lightly running a finger around her nipple and watching the skin tighten at his touch. 

"As good as you taste, honey, I wanna feel you come on my cock at least once before I leave." He smiled and kissed her at her sharp inhale, saying against her lips, "Preferably more." 

"Better hurry, then." With a sigh, he rolled out of bed and grabbed his jeans, tugging them on as he watched Cece watch him. Carefully, he adjusted his erection before pulling up the zipper, winking when he caught her huff. After pulling on his shirt, he leaned down to kiss her again. 

"Don't move," Jake ordered. "I'll be right back."

"Drive safe. Watch out for black ice."

"You forget who taught you how to drive in the snow?" he chuckled, pressing against the hand cupping him through his jeans. 

"No, just know that you're gonna drive like a maniac, and you're rusty with winter skills, California boy."

"Farm Boy," Jake corrected, pressing his lips to her forehead. Cece's hand twined in his shirt, tugging him back toward her mouth. "Your Farm Boy."

"Mine," she agreed. When he didn't move away, Cece laughed and pushed against him. Jake groaned, slowly backing out of the room. 

"Stay there. Promise."

"I promise." With a detour to the bathroom to steal some of her mouthwash and splash water on his face, Jake left the house, yelling his promise to hurry. 

Laughing, Julie pulled back the blankets and settled in, reaching for her phone. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw the red bubble on TikTok saying she had over 20 thousand notifications. 

Between the cold jog from the house and how long it took Cece's car to warm up, Jake's erection had disappeared by the time he got to the gas station. Which was good because he made a beeline for the condoms, ignoring the knowing smirk from the kid behind the counter. He looked familiar, meaning Jake probably went to school with his sibling or cousin.

Package in hand, his steps faltered as he passed the snack aisle. He wanted to make Cece breakfast before he left, but with her oven broken, he wasn't sure if that would be possible. Was the stove working? Rather than risk it, he grabbed a couple of sleeves of the chocolate donuts she'd always gotten on their road trips. It was better than nothing, and he knew how much she loved the damn things. 

"Find what you were lookin' for?" the kid asked when Jake approached the counter. 

"I did, thanks," he answered, placing the items in front of the kid and reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. The cashier rang up the donuts, letting the condoms sit like it would embarrass him. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Jake tapped his card on the reader as the door opened with a tinkling bell. Glancing over, he saw the firefighter—Drew—stepping inside, bringing his hands to his mouth to blow on them. 

The two men eyed one another. Jake felt a hint of embarrassment that the last time he'd seen the man, he'd been half-frozen and in tears about his treacherous ex and, before that, had been trying to undo the damage done by said ex. He knew the other man cared for Cece, and if it hadn't been for witnessing their kiss at Mickey's, he probably would have thanked the man for taking care of the woman he loved. 

"You want a bag?" the cashier asked, snapping them out of the silent standoff. Jake glanced over his shoulder to see the kid holding up the box of condoms and felt an unfamiliar blush creep over his cheeks. 

"Yeah," he said, feeling Drew staring at him. Jake glanced over his shoulder, watching the other man move toward the coffee station. He suppressed a sigh, wishing he was back in San Diego, where the city was big enough to avoid awkward encounters like this. Snatching the bag from the cashier, he quickly exited the gas station and hurried toward Cece's car. As he turned the ignition, he saw Drew watching him, his face the picture of resignation. 

He would have to let Cece know about the run in, in case Drew decided to say something about it. And while he hated the idea of her being forced to have an awkward conversation, he couldn't deny that it felt good that the other man knew how serious he was about Cece. Even if he was leaving today, he wanted to ensure that every busybody and gossip in Magnolia knew exactly how much Jake Seresin loved Julie Ryan and how serious he was about her. About them. About getting back together and back on track to where they always should have been.

Jake glanced at the clock as he pulled onto Cece's street. He'd need to start heading to the airport in five hours - more than enough time to make a dent in the box of condoms and say goodbye to his family. Without his rental car, he'd need someone to drive him to the airport, and Cece had volunteered the night before, saying she would order her new oven on the way back. While he didn't want to do the sad airport goodbye, the two-hour drive would give him extra time to convince her to come for a visit in the next few weeks. If he could show her how great California was, he might be able to persuade her to move out there. If not, they would figure it out. He had just over two years left on his new contract, and if he had to figure out a way to keep the relationship going long distance and then turn in his wings? He'd do it.

The sun was just rising as he parked in the driveway. A smile tugged at his mouth as he thought about what waited for him inside. That this could be his new normal - nights sleeping in Cece's arms, waking up to her kisses, and coming home to her after a long day. He could picture her in his kitchen, countertops covered with her baking and machines. Her things crowding his bathroom sink. Her clothes beside his in the closet. Or they could find a new place. A little bungalow where they could build their life together and raise a couple of kids. 

But those thoughts disappeared when he opened the front door and saw Cece on the couch. It wasn't until he opened his mouth to tease her about not being where he left her that he saw tears streaming down her face as she looked at her phone, running a hand through her hair. "What's wrong?" Jake demanded, tossing the plastic bag onto the coffee table and sitting beside her. When he tried to pull her into his arms, Cece pushed him away and stood. "Honey? Talk to me." 

"I -" she gasped before pressing a hand to her mouth. Unable to get the words out, she tapped something on her phone screen. Jake paled as he heard Shayla's voice.

"Get un-ready with me while I give you a sad update about my pregnancy after my fiancé cheated with another creator on this app." 

Jake was on his feet in an instant, reaching for the phone. His fingers brushed Cece's as he took it, and she yanked her hand away as though she'd been scalded. On-screen, he watched with growing horror as Shayla cried crocodile tears while removing her makeup, dark mascara tears dripping down her face as she spun a web of lies about how Jake had brought her home to introduce her to his family and announce their pregnancy. How he made sure to run into his ex-fiancée and didn't tell her who she was. The whole family lied to her, and Shayla only found out when she stumbled across the truth when she found old pictures of them in his room - she actually showed one of him and Cece at the local fair as teens, his arm thrown casually over her shoulder, and another from when he proposed at his graduation. She went on about how unwelcome the family made her, even after they found out about the baby. And how she caught Jake and Julie kissing. After she confronted Jake about it, he told her to get over it because Julie was always going to be a part of his life. 

The most damning "evidence" was the video she'd taken at Cece's house, confronting them on Christmas for sleeping together. He was half-naked, and Cece peeked out behind him with her sleep-tousled hair. Shayla accused Jake of choosing his ex over his new family. She sobbed that he had kicked her out into the cold and told her to find her own way back to California. That they were done, and he didn't care about the baby. And how the stress of it all had made her miscarry, losing the one bright spot of the entire relationship. 

But the worst part was that Shayla had tagged Cece in the video. As Jake watched the video, comment notifications continuously popped up on the top of the screen faster than he could swipe them away. His heart broke with every one he saw.

Whore.

Slut.

Homewrecker.

Murderer. 

Death threats.

The video started over, and Jake quickly locked the phone, unwilling to hear Shayla's lies again. He let it slip from his fingers, and it thudded loudly on the floor. Cece sniffled, and he forced himself to move. She was hurting, and he needed to fix it. "Baby," he breathed, stepping toward her.

"Don't touch me," Cece snapped, moving out of his reach. They stared at one another; tears clouded Jake's vision as he looked at her. This was his fault. She was hurting because of him. Because he'd brought Shayla into her life. When she finally spoke, the venom in Cece's voice was like a punch to the gut. "H-how did she know you were here?" 

"I don't…" And then Jake felt his stomach drop. "Fuck." Pulling his phone from his pocket, he quickly entered the code and opened the location-sharing app. After they'd gotten back together, Shayla had suggested it to regain his trust. He'd added it and promptly forgot about it with everything else going on. "I forgot…she can see where I am." Quickly, he disabled the sharing, but the damage had already been done. "Honey, I'm so sorry." Her phone screen lit as more notifications popped up. 

"You should go." Cece trembled as she closed her eyes and turned her face away, unable to bear the sight of him. Her shoulders hunched as she wrapped her arm around herself. 

"Cece -"

"Go, Jake." Rather than listen, he moved closer and tried to hold her. Julie knocked his hands away, anger and hurt etched on her face. "I said don't touch me!" 

"Cece, please - you know that it's all lies."

"It doesn't matter!" she shrieked, pointing at the phone. "All that matters is that people believe what she said. And what it looks like. And—and," Julie's chest heaved as she struggled to draw a breath. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest as it struggled against the bands around her ribs. The edges of her vision blurred, and she felt a flush of heat. 

Jake watched as Cece clawed at her throat and quickly closed the distance between them, catching her hands and holding tight when she tried to pull away from him. "Hey," he said, voice firm. "Hey, look at me, Julie." 

"I can't breathe," she gasped. 

"Yes, you can, baby." His brows were furrowed with worry as he watched her. Recognition from his early days of flight training kicked in as he spoke calmly. "You're hyperventilating, honey. Need you to slow your breathing." Guiding one of her hands to her stomach, he said, "Breathe from here, Julie. Not from your chest - all the way down in your belly." Jake inhaled deeply and held it for four seconds before blowing it out. "Breathe with me now, baby," he said softly, placing her other hand on his heart. "In for the count of four. Hold it for four. Blow out for four. That's it, honey, again." Counting to four repeatedly, Jake watched the flush fade from Cece's face, sweat dotting her skin. When her knees wobbled, his hands closed around her elbows, helping to gently guide her to the floor as she continued to focus on her breathing. "That's right, baby, again. In - two, three, four. Hold - two, three, four…"

Tears streamed down Cece's face, and her hand dropped from his chest when he released it to wipe her face. His own tears went unchecked when she started to sob, gasping breaths that threatened to undo all her hard work. Shifting closer, he pulled her into his chest, ignoring the way she weakly pushed against him, her hands fisted in his shirt. He ensured his grip was loose enough that she wouldn't feel trapped. "I love you, Julie. You're alright, honey. I've got you," Jake murmured against her temple, pressing kisses into her hair. 

Eventually, Cece's sobs turned into sniffles and hiccups, and she seemed to sag against him. Her hands loosened in his shirt and fell away. Slowly, she lifted her head from the crook of his neck, and the blank expression on her face made Jake's gut clench. It was hard to reconcile her with the woman he'd laughed with less than an hour ago. Cupping her face, he ran his thumbs under her eyes before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. "I love you, Cupcake. It's gonna be okay." 

"They're calling me a homewrecking murderer. On my videos with Daddy." Her voice was flat, but her chin wobbled again. Jake never felt so helpless before.

"You're not, baby. You did nothing wrong. She was never pregnant, honey. That fuckin' bitch is just trying to hurt me, and she knows the best way to do that is through you." 

"Every video. All those people…" 

"Hey," he said, tilting her head so she would meet his gaze. Though their eyes met, hers were still dead. "Those people don't know you, Julie. It doesn't matter what they think. You and me? We know the truth, and we didn't do anything wrong." 

"We kissed. I kissed -"

"I kissed you," he said firmly. "You did nothing wrong. I was wrong to do it, but not you, Julie. You hear me? You don't deserve any of this." Jake felt a flicker of hope when her shaking hands covered his, drawing them from her face until she placed them at his side and slid out of his lap.

"You should go." 

"What? Cece, I'm not -"

"I want you to leave." 

"Julie -"

"Please." 

"I love you."

"I don't care." 

Jake had never felt pain before hearing those three words. The easy way they rolled off Cece's tongue so dispassionately. A simple statement of fact - she didn't care that he loved her. That he would do anything to protect her from this. To fix this. "I love you, Julie," he repeated, voice rough with tears. Wanting her to take those words back. "Please don't make me leave you? Stay with me, baby, please." When he leaned forward to kiss her, she turned so his lips brushed her damp cheek. 

"I don't want to be near you right now." She pushed to her feet, and Jake caught her limp hands, scrambling to stand. When he stepped closer, she shuffled backward, pulling away from his touch. Crossing the few steps to the front door, she opened it and looked at the floor. 

"Baby."

"Please." Gritting his teeth, Jake walked toward her and cupped her face, forcing her to meet his eyes, searching for any flicker of emotion. But she'd shut him out. He'd thought that her leaving him in Virginia had been hard, but this was agony - this time, he knew exactly what he'd done to cause them this pain. The taste of salt and sadness merged when their lips brushed, and he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm going to get my stuff from my parents', and then I'll be back. We'll figure this out, honey, I swear it." 

The door closed behind him when he stepped onto the porch, and Jake stood there for a long moment before forcing his feet to move. The sooner he got his stuff, the sooner he'd be back. 

"- bitch!"

"- you think my son would do that, Betty Roberts, you've got another thing coming -"

"Ally, you know what the doc said about your blood pressure."

"I don't give a fuck. She's not gonna get away with this, Will -"

"You can take your gossip and shove it where the sun don't shine, Betty!" Mama snapped. Jake hesitated in the doorway momentarily before shaking himself and jogging up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He threw open his bedroom door and grabbed his duffle, tossing it on the bed before collecting his things. Clothes were tossed haphazardly into the bag, and he didn't pause when Will appeared in his doorway. 

"Hey, thought I heard you come in. You okay?"

"Do I fucking look okay?" Jake hissed. 

"Stupid question. How's Julie?" 

"About how you'd expect when the internet's calling you a - " he couldn't even say the word. Not about Cece. 

"Right." Will scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say to his little brother. "Uh… you need me to do anything?" 

"I need to see if I can change my flight to a later one. I still…" Jake grimaced, running a hand down his face. "I still have to leave today, so I'm not absent over leave." When he'd bought the tickets, he'd wanted to get home with enough time to get settled before work tomorrow. Now, he regretted picking the earlier flight over the late afternoon one. 

"On it." 

"Jake?" Mama asked, coming up behind Will. The older man raised his eyebrows and quickly backed out of the room. "Where's Julie?"

"At her house. I just came by to get my stuff, and I'm headed back." Jake saw his mama twisting her hands when he heard the door shut. 

"I have to ask. I know that that woman lied a lot in her video" - he grimaced at the thought of his parents seeing that - "but did you tell her who Julie was to you?" 

"I…I told her that she was an old family friend. And the only other part of that fuckin' thing that's true is that I kissed Cece before ending it with Shayla. All the rest of it is lies." 

"Jacob." Her sigh was filled with disappointment as she closed her eyes. "Son -"

"I'm not gonna apologize. Not after all her lies and what she did."

"I'm not going to defend her. I think she's horrible, and I'm relieved I don't have to have her as a daughter-in-law. And you know how much we love Julie, but -"

"But nothing." 

"But you kissed another woman when you were engaged. And that is never okay." 

Standing to his full height, Jake put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Normally, Mama, I'd agree with you. But not when it comes to her. I broke up with Shayla because we didn't work, and I wasn't happy. And then she lied and told me she was pregnant and I wouldn't see my kid if I didn't marry her. I tried to make it work. And she lied about all of it. There was never a baby. My only regret is believing her and bringing her here. I shoulda never done that to y'all or Cece." 

Mama paled, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh, son. We thought… we heard you yelling about her not being pregnant, but we thought that maybe she had…"

The unspoken accusation stung, and Jake let out a watery laugh. "I would have never been mad at her for miscarrying. I wouldn't have married her, but I wouldn't have been mad." 

"That's not what I meant - "

"It is." Between that and Pops saying he didn't like the person Jake was, he was ready to get out of there. Slinging his bag onto his shoulder, he patted his pockets to ensure he had his wallet and phone, tugging on his Longhorns cap. With another cursory glance around the room, he nodded and stepped toward the door. Mama stood in front of it, and she reached for him, but he dodged. Pausing long enough to kiss the side of her head, he sighed, "I love you, but I need to go."

The resignation on her face hurt, but she nodded. "Make sure to say bye to your father. I love you, Jacob. And nothing's gonna change that." Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he dropped his bag in the kitchen. Ally was ranting about the video, and Jake hesitated before taking out his phone. If his family thought that he left Shayla for a miscarriage, he needed to fix that immediately. Pulling up the screenshots, he wordlessly placed the device next to Will, who was looking up plane tickets for him, and left for the barn. 

It took a minute to find him, but Pops was inspecting the equipment in the milk tank shed before he went to get the cows from the field. When the door opened, he looked up from his clipboard. The weary expression on his face let Jake know he'd seen the video, too. "Son."

"I'm leaving. I need to get back to Cece." Pops nodded, tucked the clipboard under his arm, and studied his youngest.

"She's a good girl, Jake." He nodded, unsure of where this was going. "Trust takes a long time to build and a second to break. Just make sure you know what you're doing there."

"I love - "

"I know you love her," Pops said, holding up a hand to stop him. "Just… be careful." The tug back to Cece was strong, but Jake needed his Pops to understand what had happened. He needed him to know that being with Shayla was his attempt to follow what he'd been taught - family is the priority. 

"Pops," Jake gasped. And the story spilled out of him. He told him about meeting Shayla when he was lonely. How she started filming and ignoring how uncomfortable he was with it. He badly wanted a marriage and family, and he tricked himself into thinking they could have that. And then realizing he didn't love or even really like her. His stupid action on Halloween and finding out about the 'pregnancy.' How he'd begged for Shayla to let him have the baby and her blackmail. He told Pops about convincing himself he loved her and that they could make it work when they got married for the baby's sake.

Tears slipped down his cheeks as Jake told him about seeing Cece again. How he regretted losing her and discovering his stupidity was why she'd left in the first place. How easy it was being with her, and the night they'd stayed up baking - listening to music, catching up, and dancing - had been the happiest he'd felt in years. Nothing had happened until he gave into a delirious moment of weakness and kissed her, unsure if it was a dream until she'd shoved him away. Of the guilt, knowing that he'd done that as his pregnant fiancée slept, or so he thought. How Shayla had intentionally destroyed Cece's work to punish him. Jake told Pops about Shayla's ultimatum of not seeing Cece again and being ready to make that sacrifice for his family. About how jealous he'd felt seeing Cece kiss the fireman, knowing he didn't have the right to feel that way. 

And then seeing the texts. The anger at knowing he'd been lied to, the grief of losing a child he'd never had, and the relief of not having to marry someone he didn't love. How numb he'd felt when the news sank in, and the comfort he'd felt when Cece cared for him. How shitty he felt when she finally broke down, knowing that he should have been there for her through all of it but hoping that maybe they could fix this. That they could work out all of their problems and be together. Then seeing the video. And being helpless to do anything as strangers believed a lie and tore them apart. Of Cece's panic attack before she shut down and kicked him out. 

"I tried, Pops," he gasped. "I just… I don't know how it got so fucked up." Bill sighed, placing his clipboard on the tank before pulling his son into his arms, hand resting on the back of his head. Jake shook with suppressed tears, gasping for breath. 

"It's alright, son. We'll figure this out." But as much as Jake wanted to believe his father, he couldn't.

A strange car was in Cece's driveway when he pulled her SUV in. Grabbing his bag from the passenger seat, Jake leapt the porch steps, fumbling with her keys. He'd been gone too long, and the clock was already working against them. Will hadn't been able to get his plane ticket switched - the later flight from Amarillo to Dallas was sold out, so Jake had to leave in two hours or face disciplinary action for not reporting to work tomorrow. 

"I'm ba -" Jake stopped short as the door refused to open past a crack. His eyes drifted up, catching on the chain that barred his entry. "Cece? Honey, it's me." 

But the woman who appeared wasn't Cece. Anger and disgust were written across her face as she glared at him. "What are you doing here, Seresin? Haven't you caused enough problems?" 

The voice helped him recognize the woman he hadn't seen in over a decade. "Lucy, please, I just need -"

"To leave," Cece's best friend since elementary school cut him off. "You just need to leave. She doesn't want to see you." 

"Then she can tell me that." Her laugh was cruel, and he threw a hand out to keep her from shutting the door in his face. 

"I'm pretty sure she already did that, asshole. Now give me her keys and go back to whatever hole you crawled out from. Jules was doing fine before you got here, and she's gonna be even better when you disappear from her life. Again." 

"Here," he said, thrusting the keys into the gap between the door and frame; she quickly took them. "Fine. But I'm not leaving. Not until she talks to me." 

Lucy shook her head. "You know what I've spent the last hour doing? I've been going through her business email and getting rid of the horrible things people are saying about her. These assholes are sending her interest forms for her cakes and telling her to write 'baby killer' on them. Because of you, Jake."

"Fuck." 

"Yeah. Fuck. And fuck you for bringing this onto her." Her eyes ran the length of him before she shook her head. "Call someone to come get you because I'm not letting you in this house."

"That's not your choice."

"Right now, it is. So let me do something you never could and protect Julie from you hurting her again." The deadbolt locking was loud in the morning air. 

Jake stared at the door for a long moment before lifting his fist and knocking. "Cece, please open up!" He heard Lucy telling him to go away but ignored her. "Baby, just talk to me!" But there was no answer. Gritting his teeth, he rested his head against the wood. "Julie, please." Tears pricked at his eyes. After a long moment, he turned and slid down the door, dropping his head into his hands. 

Cold seeped into his clothes as he sat there, listening to the sounds of the neighborhood waking. His phone went off at some point, and he glanced at it to see that Fanboy had sent Shayla's video in the Dagger chat with a plea for it not to be true. Unable to stomach the idea of talking to them, Jake sent the screenshots and silenced the chat. He ignored Mama's messages, asking if he was alright. Pops had promised to talk to Mama, and Jake knew she probably felt bad about her assumption, but he didn't have it in him to comfort her at the moment. 

When his fingers and toes went numb, he stood and stamped his feet to get the blood flowing, blowing on his hands. The cold winter sun did little to warm him, but he stepped off the porch and tried to soak it in. A glance at his watch showed he'd already lost an hour. Grimacing, he fumbled for his phone with clumsy fingers and glanced over the texts from his family without responding. The Dagger chat was full of angry messages on his behalf, which also went unanswered. 

With nothing else to do, he pulled up TikTok. Reluctantly, he navigated to Shayla's page and paused the video so he wouldn't have to hear her before looking at the comments. They were horrible. He was getting destroyed by them, but so was Cece. Unable to stomach them, he navigated to her page and clicked on her first video. He was relieved that comments had been disabled, so she wasn't subjected to any more hate. But as he searched, he found that others had picked up on the video and were doing reactions to it. Others had looked through Cece's video and picked up on his minor appearance in her one about preparing for the Mayor's party - they saw his watch as he reached for something and connected it to one of his many shots in Shayla's videos. 

Sitting on the steps, he scrolled the app, hating every moment. Seeing a few people defending Cece was heartening, but they were drowned out by the negativity. 

The sound of a front door opening made him jump to his feet in time to see Cece stepping outside. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Jake knew she'd been crying again. "Honey," he breathed, hurrying up the steps as she closed the door. But she held out a hand to stop him when he reached for her. A blanket was folded over her arm, and a coffee mug in hand.

"I didn't know you were here. I… I fell asleep not long after Lucy got here."

"Good. I'm glad you got some rest. Are you okay? Or" - he tugged off his hat and ran a nervous hand through his hair - "as good as you can be?" Her only answer was a shrug. He took the blanket she held out and threw it over his shoulders, tugging it close before taking a hesitant step toward her. He nearly groaned at the warmth soaking into his frozen fingers when she handed him the coffee mug. "Thanks." Cece nodded, shoving her hands into her coat pockets and hunching her shoulders as her eyes dropped. She refused to meet his gaze as he sipped the coffee. Sighing, he set the mug down and closed the space between them, opening the blanket and pulling her into his arms.

Cece tensed, then shivered. "You're freezing," she breathed. 

"'M fine," he murmured, pressing his lips to the top of her head. After a moment, her arms wrapped around him, hands sweeping up and down his back to try and warm him up. "I love you." The silence stretched painfully.

"I love you too," Cece finally said, and Jake felt like he could breathe for the first time since he left the house this morning. His arms tightened around her, and she ducked her head to rest her forehead on his shoulder. 

"I love you so much, baby," he said again. "We're gonna get through this." They were silent, taking comfort from one another for a long time. A truck turned onto the street, and Jake watched his sister-in-law park behind Lucy's car. She lifted a hand but made no move to get out. Frowning, he pulled back. "What's Ally doing here?" 

"I asked her to drive you to the airport," Cece said, eyes focused on his chin rather than meeting his. "I don't… I'm not okay to drive."

"Will you come with me?" Gently forcing her chin up, he studied her face and forced a wry smile. "I want you to come to San Diego, but I'll settle for the airport for now." 

"I'm tired, Jake. And… I think the space would be good for us right now." Her words, softly spoken, were like a knife to his gut.

"Julie…"

"Safe travels, Jake." But he refused to let her go when she tried to pull away. His eyes darted across her face, taking in her carefully blank expression. Still, the sadness and exhaustion were unmistakable in her eyes. 

"This isn't… you're not…" he forced himself to take a breath as his heart raced. "Don't disappear on me. Please, honey." 

"Text me when you're home." When he leaned down, Jake hesitated a moment and felt a rush of relief when Cece closed the gap to kiss him. "I love you, Farm Boy." 

"I love you too, Cupcake." 

Jake stood outside his apartment, exhaustion weighing him down as he unlocked the door. He was so ready to get inside and block everything out for the rest of the day. While Ally had done her best to distract him during their drive to Amarillo - feeling Tyler move was strange, and they'd had to stop a few times for her to use the bathroom - he hadn't been able to push away his worry for Cece. He wanted to be back in Magnolia, helping manage the fallout and holding her.

People stared at the airport, and one even hissed 'cheater' as he walked past. He put his headphones in and tugged his hat over his eyes while sitting at his gate. During his layover in Dallas, he'd texted Cece. It wasn't until he was boarding that she texted back, thanking him for the chocolate donuts.

It felt like ages since he'd bought those, not just that morning.

There was a weird smell in his apartment when Jake kicked off his shoes. For a brief moment, he thought it was just from being closed up for a week until he saw the kitchen counters were covered in something. Frowning, he walked closer and saw that ketchup, mustard, and chocolate sauce had dried on the surfaces. The kitchen floor was covered in a white powder, an empty bag of flour tossed in the middle. Every cabinet, drawer, and even the oven was open. "What the fuck?" he snapped, turning on the lights. His fingers accidentally brushed the ceiling fan, and he sputtered as glitter rained down and the fan started to turn. He hadn't realized that the floor was sparkling until then. 

And then Jake remembered that he'd given Shayla a key. 

"Fuck!" he growled. His bedroom door was open, and he carefully walked toward it. The blanket and sheets had been torn off his bed, and the smell of his cologne was overwhelming. The now empty bottle sat on the bedside table, and his shoes were tied to the ceiling fan. A pile of uniforms and flight suits was on the floor, covered in what he hoped was shaving cream. A melted line of chocolate bars dripped down his windowsill. His dresser drawers had been pulled out and turned over. All of his clothes in the closet had been tossed onto the floor. Reluctantly, he went into his bathroom and saw that CHEATER was written in lipstick across his mirror. There was a disgusting smell, and a glance at his shower curtain showed strings of shrimp strung on fishing line hanging from the rod. 

Fury blinded him, and Jake threw his duffle on the floor. Taking out his phone, he started to record the damage Shayla had done. And then, before putting too much thought into it, he turned the camera around and scowled at it. "Shayla Thompson was never pregnant. She lied to you for views and me because she didn't want to lose followers after I broke up with her. And I have proof."

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

Author's Note: We knew Shayla wasn't going to go down without a fight. And now Cece has more than just Magnolia staring and whispering about her. All Jake wanted was a quiet morning with the love of his life and time to convince her to come to California, and now he has to deal with all of this. Lucy was harsh with him, but she's just looking out for her best friend.

As always, thank you to @mamachasesmayhem for letting me scream in her inbox. She's also part of the reason that Cece gave Jake a chance on the porch, because the original plan was for her to kick him out of the house and refuse to see him before he had to fly out.

Read Chapter 9

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[andoutofharm]

i can’t believe they had to take a detour so pete could be a lil fruity with an nba player. band of all time

pete heard patrick was delayed and said hey jimmy we can go for round two my other boyfriend isnt even in texas yet

[thecrownestt]

Beyond all the obvious perks of dating a feedist/feedee, I do really miss going kinda nuts at gas stations/grocery stores off the cuff.

It's always that little voice.

"Good feeders wouldn't show up empty handed."

And it's a very cute little way of affection. She wouldn't know at the very moment that I'm snaking up and down aisles like the kinky mess I am, studying the options. She loves those. Oh but I can't just get her sweets. There needs to be some salty. Something with bread/carbs too. And then I'm stuck with an armful of snacks thinking about how I'll be feeding some of that to her... which is my little secret I get to keep until I get home from my original trip to the gym to work out.

And it does become near comical. If she lit up when I sauntered in with snacks the first time, then maybe I should seek that reaction... every time.

Post office? Add a detour to get $17 of junk food.

Went for a bike ride? Well how am I supposed to get my post ride Gatorade while ignoring the Texas Rolls near the checkout?

And there's no rationalization either. Is that a lot of food to bring home each and every time I leave the house? Yes? But you loveeee the snacks. I don't see the problem. I'm just your playfully idiot himbo feeder who can't connect the dots between your issues with those pants and my own shopping habits. I thought you thought I was cute when I brought home snacks? You think you're getting fat? I don't see how that is my fault. Let me be cute.

[missredherring]

My mind was wandering in the shower, as it does, and offered up some interesting thoughts:

What if Javier Peña was the Miller Bro's uncle, on their mother's side?

Javier and his sister are estranged, but he still keeps tabs on her through the family grapevine.

He thinks about reaching out after he returns from Colombia, but life happens and he forgets about it. Until Chucho gets sick and it's clear he doesn't have much time left.

Javi calls Joel and Tommy and explains the situation to them, leaving the ball in their court.

Later in the summer the Millers make the trip to the Peña ranch and stay for the hot months, getting to know these people who have only been names in their mother's stories.

But then my thoughts continued to wander further afeild and suggested: what if it was the other Javi?

What if Javier Gutierrez was the Miller Bro's uncle, on their mother's side?

When Javi helped his sister escape the clutches their crime family, he knew he wouldn't see her again for a long time, if ever.

After his father's death he searched for her and found her in the US, in Texas, settled down nicely with a little family(crime-free) of her own.

Then their cousin took control of the family business and made Javi the figurehead and he didn't feel safe staying in contact with her.

Years later, when their cousin is arrested, Javi turns over the rest of the intel to the authorities and frees himself from the shackles of the shady-side of the family business.

He focuses on his passion for movies and tries to contact his sister as soon as he feels it's safe.

What he finds instead is her sons, Joel and Tommy, by themselves with Joel's daughter Sarah.

No one answers a call from Spain. Why would they? So when Javi is visiting Nic in LA he goes on a detour to Texas and meets his nephews.

Summer comes around and Javi whisks them away to Majorca so the Miller family can see where their mother grew up and learn more about that side of the family, the good and the bad.

[mariacallous]

Mel Brooks, who mocked Adolf Hitler in his 1967 black comedy “The Producers,” has always made the case for satire as a weapon against tyranny.

“You have to bring him down with ridicule,” he told “60 Minutes” in 2001. “It’s been one of my lifelong jobs — to make the world laugh at Adolf Hitler.”

Of course, Hitler was long dead and there were 6 million fewer Jews on the planet when “The Producers” came out. Before and during World War II, satire proved a futile weapon against the Fuhrer: Charlie Chaplin made “The Great Dictator” in 1940, similarly reducing Hitler to a buffoon. But by the time the movie premiered that October, nearly 3 million German troops had smashed into France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

 The futility of satire was on my mind when, on the Thursday after Election Day, I toured a new exhibit at the Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. “Draw Them In, Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philip Guston” features two artists, one Jewish, one African-American, whose work wrestles with racism, white supremacy and antisemitism. 

Philip Guston, born Phillip Goldstein in Montreal in 1913, was inspired by the ferment of the 1960s to create a series of cartoonish paintings featuring hooded members of the Ku Klux Klan. In these almost cheerful paintings, the frightening avatars of white supremacy look like costumed children out of a Charlie Brown comic (or, more accurately, from “Krazy Kat,” a popular comic strip in Guston’s youth).

“These buffoonish Klansmen still today are a real rebuke, I think, to bigotry in all its forms,” curator Rebecca Shaykin, who organized the exhibit, said at the press opening. “They’re still just so incredibly powerful.”

About a third of the gallery is given over to Guston’s Klan paintings, as well as some of his earlier work. The rest features riotous paintings, cartoons and a film by Hancock, a Texas-born artist who was a child when Guston died in 1980 in upstate Woodstock, New York. Many of Hancock’s paintings directly quote Guston’s Klansmen: They are in painting after painting featuring “Torpedoboy,” a sort of Black superhero who Hancock considers his alter ego. The Klansmen try to lynch Torpedoboy; he fights back with what looks like a watermelon. In one painting, Torpedoboy appears to drive a spike through a Klansman’s head. 

In the exhibition catalog, Hancock describes what attracted him to Guston’s Klan paintings. “I fell in love with the forms, and how he used comedy to take the wind out of the sails of the KKK,” says Hancock. “He helped me understand where I could take” my own characters.”

Whether audiences appreciate the comedy depends on their sensibility; remember, it was decades before “The Producers” lost its “notorious” label and became a beloved institution, at least in its adaptation as a Broadway musical. For some, the Klan paintings by both artists could be triggering. In 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, four major museums certainly thought so, and postponed a comprehensive survey of Guston’s work. They explained that “the powerful message of social and racial justice that is at the center of Philip Guston’s work can be more clearly interpreted.” 

When the exhibition did open at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2022, the museum offered a pamphlet from a trauma specialist and a detour allowing visitors to skip the Klan-themed works. 

The Jewish Museum seems unfazed by that controversy. When I asked Shaykin about it she said the Guston-Hancock show had already been percolating when she learned of the postponement controversy. “It just made it more imperative, I think, that we bring Guston into the present moment and pair him with a contemporary artist,” she said. The only suggestion that images might be controversial is a sign outside the gallery, warning that the exhibit contains “explicit language” and “depictions of violence and lynchings.”

James Snyder, director of the Jewish Museum, also said the exhibit is right for the political moment. 

“We don’t do politics,” he said at the press preview, “but if you think about what happened the other day in the election, and where we actually really need to go, this show could not be more timely.”

What happened, of course, was the election of Donald Trump to a second, non-consecutive term. And if ever there was a rebuke to the power of satire, it is Trump. Trump was a nightly target of nearly all the late-night talk shows, where he was mocked as a racist, a would-be authoritarian, a grifter and a vulgarian. With just a week to go before the election, Jimmy Kimmel made a direct appeal to Republicans to reject Trump, calling him “the exact meeting point between QAnon and QVC.” For years Stephen Colbert wouldn’t even say his name.

Deserved or not, the jokes about Trump didn’t make a dent in his popularity — and perhaps they only added to it. In a recent episode of his podcast, “Revisionist History,” Malcolm Gladwell talks about the “satire paradox”: the idea that satire, by making the targets entertaining, actually makes them more sympathetic. He quotes Jonathan Coe, a British writer who argued in a 2023 essay that “laughter is not just ineffectual as a form of protest, but that it actually replaces protest.”

“Laughter, in a way, is a kind of last resort,” Coe tells Gladwell. “If you’re up against a problem which is completely intractable, if you’re up against a situation for which there is no human solution and never will be, then OK, let’s laugh about it.”

Not that Guston and Hancock are not deadly serious in their aims. The art is provocative and appropriately disturbing. The exhibit suggests that Guston, who changed his name from the identifiably Jewish “Goldstein” in 1935, later felt guilty about abdicating his identity — and as a result felt complicit with the Klansmen who sought to erase both Jews and Black people. “They are self-portraits,” Guston once said of the Klan paintings. “I perceive myself as being behind the hood.”

Hancock’s seemingly humorous works are also working through extremely grim themes. The Klan was active in his hometown of Paris, Texas, and in 2021 a KKK chapter planned a “White Unity Conference” there before it was blocked by the city council. Born in the mid-1970s, Hancock acknowledges in the catalog that he had benefited from the “heavy lifting” done by his elders in the Civil Rights Movement. But as a Black man and Black artist, he couldn’t ignore the legacy of racism. “It wasn’t until I was much older that I started to peel away those layers, or have them peeled away for me,” he says.

That’s why the most effective works in the exhibit aren’t satirical. At all. They include early work by Guston, who already as a teenager was depicting the Klan and lynchings in the social realist style of the day. Nothing about these dark, frightening images is cartoonish or ambiguous.

And perhaps the most arresting work in the show is a video installation by Hancock, showing scenes from the fairgrounds of Paris, Texas, juxtaposed with photographs of the lynching of a Black teenager, Henry Smith, which took place on the same site in 1893. Hundreds gather around the makeshift gallows to watch the execution. They seem to be having a very good time.   

“Draw Them In, Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philip Guston” is on view at The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., through March 30, 2025.

[h50europe]

Why use a plot device as a springboard for a fanon ship? There's no point. Over the years, they have had many chances to hook them up. Why would Bi Buck need a plot device to come out? Wouldn't he have sensed that Eddie has deeper feelings for him? That they are more than "just friends" as they live out of each other's pockets. He's the legal guardian of Eddie's son in case something happens to him. Why not confess their love for each other in the wake of such tragic events—when you're on the brink of losing each other? Wouldn't it be the most romantic thing? The ultimate thing to do? But no, the showrunner has decided to use a plot device. Eh, how lame. Even after so many years, why take a detour and not go for the "real thing." That's not a slow burn; that's more of a dumpster fire. How many detours will it take to get the fanon ship out of the harbor finally?

None.

Because Bi Buck was always meant to be Buck's arc and not the mass awakening of 9-1-1. Which sounds like a Zombie movie, by the way. If Eddie would be gay (even closeted), wouldn't Tommy have sensed it? After all, he spent much more time with Eddie than with Buck. And still, Tommy read Buck like an open book. But his gaydar didn't ping the slightest when he was with Eddie? That's ridiculous, especially since Tommy was closeted himself for years.

Eddie's arc is different. It's the arc of someone who needs closure. Eddie is living with a ghost. This behavior is bleeding into the dates he has had ever since and his relationship with Christopher so much that it destroyed it. Christopher is no longer a little boy. He's a teenager with a lot of baggage for such a young age. He's lost his mother twice—first when she left and then after she returned and died. Now, he witnesses his dad falling apart right in front of him. The final straw was the doppelganger incident. So, asking his grandparents to take him to Texas was not because Christopher didn't love his dad. He might not even like it there. The reason he did this was self-preservation. He didn't want to witness his dad withering away until he was gone, like his mother. A teenager's mind works differently, and in his case, even more so, as he has special needs. Now, Eddie has to cope with his loss in more than one way. So, he turns to the next best thing he knows, his job, and he functions there. He's on autopilot, being a good soldier, following orders. Anything is better than sitting at home alone.

Eddie is fighting on so many fronts right now that his sexuality is not on his bingo card, let alone hooking up with his bisexual friend. First of all, he needs to find out what keeps him in this constant state of grief. Playing husband and dead wife with the doppelganger didn't do the trick. Then he needs to find a way to convince Christopher that he can rely on his dad. That he is going nowhere.

So, by shaving his mustache, he removes his mask, which has hidden his feelings and true self since Christopher left. The plot with the priest made me think about soup kitchens and working with veterans. Maybe Eddie finds his way by attending veteran meetings or helping in a soup kitchen. It's a different approach to therapy.

While we are at it, in one of his cameos, Lou mentioned he might have known Evan in the past—someone who meant a lot to him, maybe someone he met during his time in the army. We know that Tim is open to ideas. What if this is one of those hurdles? What if this comes up (as Buck finds a photograph that has Evan and me written on the back), and Buck asks, "Do you think of him when you call me Evan?" Tommy could repeatedly assure him this is not the case, but it still raises doubts in Buck.

Buck could also have doubts about his first time with a man. That's when Josh comes into play. We know that Buck is a stickler for details and likes to learn about things in advance. Having sex with a man is something Buck has no experience with. It could be one of those hilarious talks that we had in the past.

Of course, these are speculations, and if you have come that far, thanks for taking the time to read.

[joshsindigostreak]

Jake lane…I have a gift for you tomorrow…

Description: When a young affluent hunter finds himself taking an unexpected detour in Tucson, Arizona, he finds himself drawn to a local dive bar with a rather ecclectic clientele, situated on an equally intriguing location adjacent to a cemetery. Cemeteries are neutral ground, so even if he found a Vampire to snuff out, he couldn’t. Especially with the owner of the bar being a Witch and watching him like a hawk.

Moonburn: Chapter One spoilers under the cut. Catch up on the prologue here!

Tag List:  @dannyandthekiszkas , @readyforthegarden , @sinners-go-to-drink-the-wine , @wideminded-dreamer , @runwayblues , @wildbluesorbit , @llightmyllovee , @rhythm-of-space , @sacredthefran , @writingcold , @alwaysonthemend , @wetkleenex-gvf , @josh-iamyour-mama , @lightsofthe-living-gvf , @gvfcinema, @sacredthethreadgvf , @losfacedevil , @jakekiszkasbuttsweat , @shutupdevvie , @hearts-hunger , @gretavanfleetposts , @ascendingtostardust , @mackalah , @andromeda-raine-gvf , @jake-kiszkas-smirk , @gracev0609 , @sacredjake , @earthlysorrows , @gvfpal , @myownparadise96 , @itsafullmoon , @gvfmelbourne, @twistedmelodies , @that-witchy-pan , @gold-mines-melting , @texas-bbq-pringles , @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface , @childinthegardenn , @char289 , @stardustvanfleet , @sunfl0wer-power , @holdingup-fallingsky , @bladenotblaze , @gretavanlace , @lipstickitty , @jjwasneverhere , @josiee-gvf , @peaceloveunitygvf , @musicislove3389 , @gretavanhockey , @gretavanazula

[dross-the-fish]

Do you have a timeline about events that happened in your timeline?

Like when the villains + characters were introduced?

I do have a timeline, I hope you have time to read it, it's long. Lawrence Talbot (universal's Wolfman) gets bitten and turns into a werewolf, killing his family on his first transformation. Quincey and Larry seek out Doctor Watson for help because they don't know who else to turn too and Watson treated the initial wolf bite. Watson is also suspicious because there were no reports of a wolf escaping from a zoo and there are no wild wolves in Britain. They begin seeking out possible cures for Larry, this puts them on track for the Jekyll/Hyde encounter. After some convincing Edward joins the team and begins researching a serum to cure Larry. Research leads them to vampire attacks. Watson recalls that Holmes disappeared searching for an alleged vampire in the countryside. They meet Theo but she doesn't join them, currently Theo is still on team Dracula taking refuge with the brood hanging around Dorian Gray. Edward has a small breakthrough after speaking to a sailor at a dockside pub one night, he's put on the trail to find Victor Frankenstein's alchemical research. This leads him to Walton's ship and the expedition to the arctic where they encounter the Creature Adam joins the crew after Watson convinces him. The crew return to England and find that vampire activity has increased, more people have gone missing and they are tipped off by Theo that Dorian Gray has been hosting parties that end in the disappearances of guests. Selma is summoned by the Harker family to join as she is a vampire hunter, she leaves Texas and arrives in the UK. She and Edward hook up. The crew investigate Dorian Gray and through Theo's help obtain invitations to his parties. Dorian seduces Adam, while Dorian is distracted the crew hunt for Dorian's portrait. Once the portrait is found the crew get their first insight to devil contracts. They steal the portrait for study. Adam obsesses over Dorian and has to be talked down from stalking and killing him. Theo is outed as a traitor and has to flee from Dorian's brood. She seeks out the crew for shelter and is offered that Edward will research a cure for vampirism if she actively joins the crew. Theo agrees. A letter for Sherlock arrives indicating that the managers of an Opera house in Paris are dealing with a haunting. Watson is at first, averse to leaving for France but after a suggestion from Quincey that it might be worth looking into if this Phantom is really supernatural. There is suspicion that the Phantom is a vampire or connected to Dorian Gray as Dorian keeps a residence in Paris and is known to frequent the opera. This leads to the encounter with Erik and the Daroga. While in France Adam requests that they take a detour to Geneva, he wants to see what became of the Frankensteins after Victor died. He finds that Ernest had survived and the Frankenstein family continues to live there, they have recovered from the tragedy and the new generation is happy and thriving. Adam is relieved and decides not to make contact for the time being but he does sneak into manor and look for more of Victor's research. He is seen by Ernest's granddaughter who instantly realizes what he is. He begs her not to scream and promises that he's not here to do her harm, he only came for Victor's notes. She allows him to take them. He apologizes to her for the harm he caused and she accepts, albeit warily and it's uncertain to Adam if her acceptance was the product of fear. He leaves well enough alone and vanishes into the night.

Further research into Victor's notes reveals that there is a journal missing, efforts to track down the journal reveal it fell into the possession of Doctor Moreau. While the crew gathers to find Moreau they are robbed by Griffin the invisible man in an attempt for him to steal back Dorian's portrait. Griffin is first sensed by Theo who can smell him and later by Edward who can hear his heartbeat. As Griffin tries to escape he is caught in one of Erik's traps. During his questioning at the hands of Edward, who has far too much fun with the interrogation, Griffin escapes. The crew track down Doctor Moreau, who is hiding on an island in the Mediterranean, Adam is disgusted by the treatment of Moreau's creations and incites them to rebel. He is horrified to discover that Moreau was inspired by Victor's work and used a twisted version of his methods to create the surgically altered "mythical beasts" he controls. The creations rise up and kill their maker, Adam asserts that it was their right to do so. In Moreau's lab they find clues that lead them to the Faust's homunculus and to the immortal ancient Egyptian, Imhotep (Universal's Mummy) The founder of alchemy and not entirely evil. Imhotep is able to raise the dead but only as soulless husks, he is intrigued by Adam as Adam may present a key to reviving his lost love. Imhotep is convinced to let Adam go and gives up the Homunculus, explaining that it can break a devil's contract. A mysterious woman named Marguerite (Faust) appears and warns the crew to return to the UK before they get in too deep. Before Watson can question the woman she disappears. Vampire activity has reached an all time peek. Mina Harker, Quincey's mother, begins to have nightmares and visions. A threatening man revealed later to be Dracula appears in London and seems to be following Quincey. Dorian has fled and his home is now taken over by a vampire named Carmilla who reaches out to Theo with an offer to join her brood. Theo declines, having found a home with the crew. It is revealed that Marguerite is Mephistopheles in disguise and he is building and army with the intent to gain a physical foothold on earth with a long term goal of overthrowing Heaven. The rest of the story focuses on the crew trying to overthrow Mephistopheles and I am still doing a lot of re-writes and moving things around but this is the broadest roadmap of events.

[eqt-95]

a new kind of romance, pt 8

part 7 | mistletoe magic - - - - -

🎆 | new years

Kara was late.

She was more than late.

Maybe that’s why she took the long way back to National City; first cutting down the Appalachian before soaring over the long expanse of Texas then diverting toward the Grand Canyon and finally getting lost over the Rockies.

Hours had passed. Too many, by Kara’s calculations. Even before her detour, midnight had come and gone. Fireworks rang in a new chapter and exploded in bright, bursting colors overhead as a taunting reminder. Because Supergirl didn’t have time for things like new beginnings no matter how much Kara Danvers wanted it. 

Because Kara was late.

She was more than late.

Now instead of fireworks, the expanse of darkness was broken by glistening stars in a cloudless sky. The silence was broken by the moaning of snowy mountains and the raging of rushing waters and the howling of winds, but that orchestra of sounds did nothing to distract from the thoughts rattling in her own mind.

Thoughts that hadn’t quieted for nearly two weeks.

It was in this state of unchanged unsettledness that she resigned herself toward the skyline she called home; a home where parties had ended and resolutions were made and the chance of a midnight kiss had passed.

Because Kara was late.

She was more than late.

Maybe that was why she lingered high above the city’s tallest penthouse littered with forgotten balloons, confetti, empty champagne bottles, and champagne problems. Because how could Kara hold it against the innocent lives caught in a burning building for the heartbreak her life was on the cusp of?

She watched a lone silhouette weave around the couch and chairs, stacking plates and collecting flutes. And oh how that silhouette looked stunning, dressed down into a familiar sweatshirt with cuffs bunched at the wrists and a stark contrast to the gown Kara knew Lena was wearing at the strike of midnight.

Because Kara was late.

She was more than late.

“Here, let me get these.”

Maybe it was the guilt and regret and ache to undo the last three hours of absence that made Kara miss the second silhouette and the second heartbeat and the way the first silhouette gave in to the offered help.

Plates were stacked in companionable silence until surfaces were cleared and the memory of an evening Kara had no memory of vanished, leaving only Lena and Andrea.

Maybe it was the denial and blind hope and arrogance that she still had a chance that made Kara miss the soft music playing through the penthouse and the way Andrea’s hips swayed to the tempo and the way she stepped into Lena’s personal space and the way she led her into the open area still littered with forgotten bits of glitter and color and spun her round and round and made Lena’s somber expression break into a gentle smile and sent a pair of hands that were not Kara’s securely around her waist.

But there Andrea was, standing in for a role Kara wanted to play.

“Any New Year’s resolutions?” Andrea asked mid-spin, and it made Kara’s chest ache.

“You know I don’t.”

Andrea hummed thoughtfully. “I guess hoping and resolutions are different.”

“That isn’t…” Lena began, halting mid-step and posture stiffening. “It’s different, Andy.”

And for a moment Kara found her own hope again in the way Lena stepped backward. It was shattered when Andrea followed.

“I know, I know,” Andrea replied, and the softness felt real - just as real as the way her hands tugged Lena back into her space. “That was tactless.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t,” Andrea said, a hand rising to cup Lena’s downturned face, “and I’m sorry. I just worry.”

“There’s no need.”

“Isn’t there?”

“Andy-”

“You can’t hold your breath forever,” Andrea whispered in a way that would feel intimate to Lena but was a megaphone in Kara’s ears. 

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

And Lena didn’t deny it this time with words. She confessed it with a broken sob. An exhale.

Kara was late.

She was more than late.

- - - - - - part 9 | dumplings

[meklarian]

Total Solar Eclipse as seen from Bromont (Montreal), Quebec, Canada April, 2024

Mistakes were made in the field, but I do have just this one image and its crop to share. Given that my plans took a long detour from the original plan to shoot in Texas, getting something sure beats getting nothing.

A huge thanks to my friend and her family in Montreal for alerting me to the clear weather conditions that gave me the best possible chance to both see and shoot the eclipse.

Most likely I will have another go from Sydney, Australia in 2028; and maybe from Spain in 2026.

(more eclipse stuff here)

[spicy-pears]

I'm not sure if this is how it works. But I have a drabble request? About a girl who's car breaks down a mile or two from the slaughter family gas station. And while she walks along the road listening to music, johnny starts to stalk her. And similar to maria start liking her as he follows.

Please and thank you 🙏🏼😇

𝑶𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒈, 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔.

𝓦𝓒:1.5𝓚

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕: 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍.

𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔: 𝑲𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓.

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒈

𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕. 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚❣️ 𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚.

(𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚.)

The wind caressed your hand as you let it hang out the car window. Your fingertips would surf the rushing breeze as the music brought your body to a joyful sway. "I'm in love, Sweet love. Don't you ever go away." With a loving smile, you serenaded your passenger. He sat so obediently in his seat, his black fur pushed around with the wind. At the same time, your nails gave him gentle head scratches.

You decided to take the solo drive back to Georgia. Preferring the peace of being alone with your calm pooch. Rather than being in a cramped car with bickering family members. Maybe you should have stuck with your family. You began to admit this mistake of yours. One wrong turn sent you cruising down the vast and long road through the countryside of Texas. This small town was so insignificant its name had the smallest text on the map. “The town of Newt” the fields of corn, sunflowers, and wheat was a sanguine sight. It filled you with the unrivaled serenity that bustling city life couldn’t provide.

Although the free vast countryside brought a timeless opportunity to enjoy nature. The small town seemed to be paused in time, the sparse buildings along the road. All seemed to be built back in the ’50s and ’60s. And hasn’t received any care or renovation since. Wood on barns began to run ragged with make-shift patch-up jobs with metal sheets. The singular diner in the area weathered through pouring rain, showing it through the copper rust stains that ran along its sign and roof.

Oddly enough, the only pit stop around kept updated gas pumps. You were almost tempted to stop and look inside the antique 60s-styled gas station. But a man working there peered into your eyes as you slowly drove by. A look you confused as unfriendliness towards tourists, a look you only needed to see once. Promptly, you turned away from the scar-covered, dark-haired man and continued on your way.

You didn’t fret much about the detour; you’ve been in similar situations. And each one proved to be a nostalgic time that fueled your fire for adventure. “You having fun, boy?” Your glance turned to your perfect passenger. His body curled into a bored ball of fluff, the sorry state making your lips twist into a concerned smirk. “Alright, we’ll be out of this town soon. Ten more miles, and we’ll be in Austin and back on track.” You began petting his coat in an attempt to comfort him.

 Another mile deep into Newt, the local radio tower would interfere with your radio. Cutting off your soothing music, and began broadcasting an eerie news story, "The search continues for a missing San Antonio native. A female college student, who was reported to be taking a trip to Corpus Christi, Texas. She's described as-". Suddenly, the radio began to conflict again, bellowing a loud blaring static. The interference would cause your car to stall, leaving your car at a sudden halt.

"Okay...time to get out of the countryside." The frightening experience made your heart beat fast. Leaving a throbbing feeling running down your veins. With your eyes shut tight, you calmed your nerves and kept your composure. Armed with the knowledge of how to fix your car easily, as this wasn't the first time. With a gentle sigh, you turned to your beloved dog, "Should I walk you first?". Excitement overtook the large pooch as his wagging tail gave the car a light shake.

You’d open his door with a loving laugh, setting him free. While you grabbed your headphones and cassette player. The cassette your mother gave you caught your eye as she painted little white daisies and wrote “y/n playlist.” You would pop the loving gift into your cassette player and began walking, treasuring the one-of-a-kind tranquility. While you dove deep into your own little world, you felt an unwanted tap on your shoulder. Forcing you to whip around, your expression confused and defensive.

“Excuse me, miss. I saw your car broke down back there. And I wouldn’t feel right leaving a pretty thing like you out here on your lonesome. Would you like to hitch a ride?” You instantly became suspicious of his niceties.

But politely, you smiled and shook your head to reaffirm your words: “No, I'm fine. I'm just walking my dog. Thank you though.”. You watched his face skew with confusion and scorn. The latter left you feeling awkward, as your words shouldn’t have caused such strong emotions. Regardless, you would awkwardly wave the strange man goodbye and went about your stroll.

𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏𝒏𝒚'𝒔 𝑷𝑶𝑽

Johnny was forced to stay in Newt. After his recent failure, a failure that gained the public a vivid description of his appearance. He preferred leaving home, as it left him a wider range of prey. But the report about him proved damaging to his hunting style, as any woman would now be privy to his nature. Unfortunately for him, being stuck in newt meant one kill every other month.

To not attract more attention to himself and keep trouble off the family's doorstep. Johnny resented the tight leash he was on; the restrictions felt like an insult. He carries his weight and more for the family, bringing home clueless girls and keeping the cold room well stocked. One minor failure with a few college girls shouldn’t gain such strict conditions.

Nonetheless, he was sometimes blessed with a rare treat. Women who couldn’t bother to learn how to change a tire taking long cross-country trips. And most of the time, they run out of gas or break down near one of the properties. Giving him the thrill he thirsted for. Sometimes, he would play nice, posing as a helpful hand that would repair their car. Only to offer them shade from the heat inside the gas station, like lambs to slaughter. This time, he would stubbornly and selfishly try something new. His failures gave him a new trick that sissy patiently crafted for him.

He saw you pass by the pitstop and instantly homed in on you. He found himself becoming "fond" of you. Instead of quickly subduing you, he followed you through the field. Until he realized he wasn’t the only hunter out today, the strange man you blew off would go back into the field. With similar intentions as Johnny, he wanted to catch you. What he wanted to do with you was unknown.

Johnny was no gentleman. He only cared for things that benefited him. And being the only hunter would benefit him greatly. He wanted to be the one to have you as he pulled out his harvesting blade; he committed to that conviction. He supposed he’d “save” you in the process.

The precious Texas oak trees swayed with the wind, almost on beat with the song playing. Your eyes closed, taking in the warm sunlight against your eyelids, singing with the serene feeling coursing through your body. “Strumming my pain with his fingers-“You came to a halt as you heard a burst of sinister laughter drowning out your music.

Your dog stood still, growling at the field of sunflowers, as you cautiously took off your headset. Your little world crumbled against the hauntingly quiet reality. No other sounds of life existed for a moment, not even the wind. Only the long, low chirp from the Texan cicadas which brought you unease.

"Careless city girl, I had to kill that man to save your hide!" Suddenly, you felt a strong arm wrap around your tiny waist from behind. While his free hand firmly pressed a chemical-soaked cloth against your mouth and nose. The potent vapor reminded you of cleaning products, how it made your eyes burn and water desperately.

Through your burning tears, you looked up at the now bloodied man you previously saw at the pit stop. Viciously, you would reach for the man's wicked face, digging your nails into the sensitive tissue of his ears. His pained wince eased into a demonic hiss. Your hopeless clawing proved fruitless, as the acidic smell made you grow weak. The hold on your face grew rougher, "Now quit your fightin'!".  

Your gaze was laced with exhaustion as your chest heaved lightly through the snug tank top that hugged the plushness of your chest. A final plea for release, you drifted your hand down his face. Only for him to keep smirking at you with an impatient glare. Latter of which made you feel like a tiny toddler fighting sleep. Ultimately, your body grew limp as you finally fell unconscious. "Good girl, pretty as a peach even.” Johnny would throw you over his shoulder, carrying his catch home. He would turn to your dog, patting his thigh, a subtle command for the dog to follow.

“Come on, big boy. Let's take ya’ll home."

~𝓕𝓘𝓝~

"Killing me softly with his song"