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frudoo · 1 month ago

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I am a plague tonight and I’m making it your problem 💀

John Price x tattoo artist reader… he finds them cos they specialise in neo trad stuff. The boys keep teasing him that his tattoos are aging worse than he is, colour fading and lines blurring, so John decides to treat himself, have a little self care time getting poked.

Doesn’t hurt at all, not with that pretty face poking him. Doesn’t she look so sweet when she concentrates?! Obvs he can’t help but imagine what else he could absorb her time with.

Spoiler alert it’s him

Emmy! Here's nearly 1,850 words worth of a prompt you sent me last year (oops)

Warnings: Alcohol consumption. Needles, obviously. Suggestive. Fem!Reader. MDNI.

Muppets, the lot of them, guffawing at their beloved captain over the rims of their condensed glasses. John is far from tipsy but not quite stone cold sober, a nice buzz brewing in his brain. It blissfully distracts from the idiocy of his drunken team and their jabs at him.

“Fookin’-” Johnny hiccups, then continues. “Ah reckon they’re fookin’ ancient! Wha’, Cap, did ye steal yer designs from a bleedin’ museum? The- the hero… herogilfibs… the heir-?”

“Hieroglyphics, y’knobhead,” Simon snorts, smacking the back of the Scotsman’s neck as he finishes the last of his drink.

“Tav’s go’ a poin’, sir,” Kyle grins mischievously. “Ya tattoos really are lookin’ worse than ya face, ol’ man.”

“Shove it up your arses,” John rolls his eyes, tossing back the rest of his beer before slamming the bottle down on the table. “You’re all coverin’ my tab.”

Slurred protests and pleas fall from the other three men’s lips as John leaves the bar without so much as a look back. The cool rush of evening air hits him, and John breathes it in gratefully. The smell of booze was starting to give him a migraine.

As he heads in the direction of his flat, the streetlights illuminate what little of his tattoos show past the sleeves of his t-shirt. The guys are right—his tattoos that were once vibrant and full of color have dulled, much like… well, himself.

God, when’s the last time he did something for himself that didn’t include going out to the pub or rotting in bed all day while on leave? He’s not even fucking forty yet, and still his knees creak, and his face is bone-dry, and there is nothing to celebrate in his life besides the fact that he’s been able to avoid death for this long. He’s in desperate need of something to look forward to other than piles of paperwork and the crippling knowledge that his next mission could very well be his last. That’s hardly any comfort.

He checks his phone and grumbles when he sees that it’s only eight o’clock. Fucking hell, he’s displaying more old man tendencies than he thought. He weighs his options; there’s no way in hell he’s walking back into that pub and risking more lighthearted insults—or, worse, actually having to pay for his own drinks. He could head back home and climb into bed, staring at the ceiling until it hurts to shut his dried out eyes. Neither choice is more attractive to him. With a groan, he turns on his heel and heads in the opposite direction of his flat, determined to find something to occupy his time.

It’s either fate, luck, or some sick joke that he ends up standing face-to-face with a little tattoo shop. He scans the outside of the brick foundation, reading the poster that they have hanging in the window. There are three artists here that specialize in realistic black and grey, and another who specializes in color. Back when John first got his tattoos, he wasn’t interested in having a certain style, he simply just pointed at the wall and told his artist to put it on him.

John sighs and reluctantly walks into the shop, looking around at all the art on the walls. It’s beautiful, of course, with intricate details in both large and small works done by the talented artists. Hopefully they’re as good with tattoo machines as they are with pencils and markers.

“Can I help you?”

John turns toward the voice behind the counter, his eyes widening slightly as he sees, quite possibly, the most gorgeous woman to ever live. Captain John Price, the big, scary bear of a man, whose mere presence is enough to demand respect, stammers over his words.

“I-I, uh… I’m looking to g-get, erm…”

“Sir, if you don’t know what you want, you’re welcome to have a seat and figure it out, or stop wasting my time,” the deity raises an eyebrow and John feels all the blood in his body rush south.

“Tattoos! I-I need to get my tattoos… replenished?” He hums, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

“Can I see what we’re working with?”

John is quick to roll up his sleeves, revealing sad, sun-worn ink. When your fingertips gently brush over the work on his freckled skin, he has to will every goosebump threatening to rise to stay beneath the surface.

“Damn, when did you get these done? The Renaissance era?” You joke, huffing through your nose as you look up at him.

“Been told they look pretty rough,” John grunts.

“Nothing I can’t handle. How much were you expecting to get done tonight?” You cross your arms over your torso—the man is fighting demons trying not to stare at the delicious crease of your cleavage.

“What time does the shop close?”

“How much money you got?”

“Touché.”

With a giggle that makes birdsong seem more akin to nails on a chalkboard, you lead him back to your station, plopping a clipboard of paperwork into his lap the moment he slides into the chair. Once he’s finished filling out all the forms, John takes a moment to admire the canvases decorating your area, humming with approval. It’s all clean, perfectly neat work. There’s no doubt in his mind that you’ll be able to turn the eyesore that is his old tattoos into something worthy of being displayed in a gallery.

You slump into your own chair, motioning for him to roll up his sleeve once again. He complies, of course.

“Since it’s just your bicep, I’m thinking we can get this arm done tonight if everything goes smoothly, which I expect it will,” you explain.

“Sounds good to me,” John smiles.

You grin in satisfaction, giving him a small nod as you snap on a pair of sterile gloves. While you shave and prep his skin, he leans back against the headrest, allowing his eyes to shut peacefully. It’s nice, knowing he’s doing this for his own benefit, not for the greater good of the world or the men in suits who order him around to do their dirty work for them. When he hears the first buzz of your machine, he opens one eye long enough to watch as you bring it to his skin.

“Ready?” You ask, and he hums his confirmation.

As expected, it doesn’t hurt. Not really. Compared to the countless injuries he’s sustained on the field—bullet wounds, knives to the abdomen, things he’d rather not think about at the moment—the pain is nothing. If anything, it brings him comfort. If he’s not hurting somewhere at all times, he tends to forget he’s alive.

“Considering you got these done back when dinosaurs were roaming around, it’s pretty good work,” you tease, and that makes his head perk up.

“Got jokes, do ya?” He muses.

“Oh, plenty. The night’s still young,” you wink up at him and John thinks he sees stars.

Truly, you are ethereal, tattoos of your own scattered across your supple skin. His crystal blue eyes trace over every inch of your face—the way your tongue catches between your teeth while you work on the smaller details, the scrunch in your brow as you trace over the thicker lines. You do the tiniest little dance between each stroke, and it makes him chuckle. He can’t help but admire you.

“Got a staring problem?” You tease, taking a break from filling in the outlines to wipe away the blood.

John’s face flushes, and he pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand in embarrassment. He’s hardly a humorless man, but the way you joke with him so freely has him blushing like an idiot.

“It’s okay. I’m used to elderly men checking me out.”

John groans as you cackle at your own words, but in reality it amuses him to no end.

“Do I really look that bloody old?” He grumbles.

“Nah, I’m just messing with you. You’re kinda… I mean, you’re a dilf,” you shrug.

“I’m a fuckin’ what?”

“Let’s just say that there’s a niche and you fill it perfectly,” you grin widely, enjoying the confusion written on his features.

He’s silent for a long moment, only the music playing over the speakers and the soft hum of your machine audible. Every time you move even slightly, his gaze follows. Normally, if it were anyone else you’d be uncomfortable, but he’s so charming and handsome. You welcome it, really.

“Do you have a wife? Kids?” You break the silence, meeting his eye briefly while you dip the needle into some more ink.

“Not hardly,” he answers, sucking his teeth. “Not for lack o’tryin’, though.”

“Sorry to hear that,” you bite your bottom lip, feeling bad for bringing the subject up.

“I’m not. It’s just reality that no woman goes after a grumpy ol’ man past his prime,” John chuckles humorlessly.

“Bullshit,” you roll your eyes. “You’re fucking hot. I bet there’s a whole group of women drooling over you that you’re not even aware of.”

“You seem pretty certain,” John raises his eyebrows, the corner of his mouth curling just barely upward.

“I told you, there’s a niche that you fill,” you double down on your statement, beginning to fill the linework of the final piece on his arm with color. “And, maybe, I just so happen to be an enjoyer of that niche.”

John’s heart skips a beat. His fingers twitch with excitement, and he can no longer hold back a smile.

“That right, love?”

“Ah, don’t go getting a big head, now,” you laugh, sniffling softly.

“Well, you sure know how to inflate a man’s ego,” he jokes.

“Keep that shit up and I’m charging you extra!”

“Do that and I won’t give you a tip.”

“Which kind?” You ask, biting back a snort as you watch his face contort with a scandalized look.

“Cheeky fuckin’ thing, you!”

Your shoulders bounce with your laughter as you finish the final touches of his last tattoo. You clean the entire area of his raw skin with alcohol wipes before carefully covering it with a few large pieces of saniderm. You smooth the wrap out gently, ensuring that there are no air bubbles. Satisfied, you lean back in your seat, disposing of your used needles and other supplies.

“You’ll leave this first saniderm on for about 24 hours, then you can take it off and gently wash the tattoos with unscented soap and warm water,” you explain, spinning your chair to face him. “You can come back to me tomorrow night, and I’ll replace the saniderm for you.”

“I’m all set, then?” He asks softly, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.

“Yes, sir,” you beam, telling him the amount he owes you. “Wait, one thing, though—I never asked for your name.”

“It’s John, love.”

“Well then, John,” you hum, handing him one of your business cards that oh-so-conveniently has your personal number written on the back. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The man slips your card into his wallet, radiant, sparkling eyes meeting your own as he stands.

“I guess you will.”

#ask me!#call of duty #cod #cod mw2 #captain john price #john price x reader #john price x female reader #fem!reader #tattoo artist!reader

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devosin · 5 months ago

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— LATE NIGHTS & FLASHING LIGHTS !! episode two : a day in the life of vil schoenheit

♡. Spotify playlist | Updates, every Friday !! — Vil Schoenheit x reader | Vil pov . .

Vil parked his car in a hurry, pressing his foot down on the brakes, until the car came to an abrupt stop, he could hear a loud crash in the back, and he can only assume something in his trunk broke. "Fuck", he stares down as his feet, trying to maintain his cool, he closes his eyes for a moment, his vision shaky.

VIl mentally starts counting, ‘one, two, three’ in an effort to calm down his heavy breathing.

The paparazzi and public were invasive, hell he'd always known that, he's experienced it first hand, from the time a fan broke into his car and waited for him, or the time the paparazzi camped outside a set, at midnight just to take candid pictures of him at his worst state possible, or the multiple times fan accounts and more, broadcasted his location like he was public property.

He's had his fair share of obsessive fans and run-in's with violent and severely intrusive paparazzi members, but never did he expect one to break into his fucking apartment.

Vil blinks away the tears pricking his eyes, finally getting his breathing back to a normal pace. He hadn't even seen the intruder, but security cam footage and the sheer state of his living room was a dead give away that someone had been there, and it definitely wasn't his housekeeper, considering there was footage on his camera’s of someone watching him sleep and the next morning his bathtub was filed with warm water.

Which also means whoever came into his home was close enough to him, to do just about anything.

“I have to move out”, he mumbled, leaning back into the carseat, as he stares into his rearview mirror, he closes his eyes, moments like this really made him regret working in the entertainment industry, privacy was something he had to shell out for doing something he adored, reality was cruel, wasn’t it.

Time: 7:36 am

Location: Outside Vil’s car

Vil places a cigarette between his lips, as he leans his body against the doorframe of his car, Vil move’s his hands, reaching into his pockets and pulls out a lighter, a second of contemplation passes before he decides to light the cigarette. He takes a deep intake of the smoke, before exhaling with a sigh.

His eye bags felt heavy, and his entire body felt sluggish and weighed down; he hadn't felt this shitty for months, Vil breathed out another puff of smoke.

He didn’t smoke a whole lot, but when he did, it was to ease his anxiety, which happened to be happening more frequently than it did in the past.

Time: 7:41 am

Location: Inside the studio

Vil walked around the set, looking around the studio, until Amanda, who seemed more than energetic at 8 in the fucking morning, approached him, “Vil, thank God you made it on time”, she said, placing her hands on his shoulders, the touch made him flinch, which she didn’t seem to notice . . ‘great . . she’s touchy’, he thought mentally to himself.

Vil walked around, following Amanda who seemed more than eager to show him everything, which included the mop the janitor left last night, and the stain on this specific wall they never got out but was too lazy to paint over, he debated on telling her that he could honestly care less, but he stopped himself because . . there wasn’t much of a point to doing that.

“Where’s y/n?”, he asked curiously, looking around the studio, and Amanda responded right away, more than eager to talk . . doesn’t she run out of breath, ever? . . “They’re running late, something about traffic”

“Excuses”, Vil mumbled under his breath, glaring at the hardfloor in front of him, “What was that?”, Amanda asked . . ‘oh so she has super hearing now too?’, “Nothing.”, Vil forced a smile.

“Actually, I think I have a meeting, um . . Amanda?”

“Really? Oh . . “, Amanda’s shoulder’s visibly slumped like some looney tunes character Vil notes mentally, the image buried in the back of his head, he’d laugh if only he wasn’t holding onto the edges of professionalism.

“Yeah, I actually totally forgot! You know, . . meetings!”, he explains, like he’s talking to a disappointed child, ‘the ice cream truck will come another day, sweetie’, he even does hand gestures, to further sell his point, which only makes him feel like he’s taunting her (he is).

“. . oh . . okay . . “, she mumbles, and then perks up instantly, “I totally get it, you should try this scheduling app I use—” fuck no.

“Look at the time”, Vil pretends to look over at his watch which died about two hours ago, right after he left the house in a rush of panic, today really wasn’t his day, “I really have to go”. . . go get a drink.

Editing everything actually made me want to kill myself, fucking hate canva and how slow that shit is.

Also, I was cringing so hard trying to write the "My beloved Vil" part, I could not take that shit serious, but delusional people like that do exist.

This was supposed to be a soft chapter then I lost the plot and decided to just go with it, after all, what's a smau without some drama, plus it makes sense since this was released on Friday the 13th, epic right.

Previous chapter | Masterlist | Next chapter . .

— LATE NIGHTS & FLASHING LIGHTS !! ♡. Synopsis : VIL SCHOENHEIT recently signed a contract under Descendant. Inc for his very own late night show, only to find out his co-star and fellow co-host is none other than Y/n L/n, someone he hates despite knowing very little about them and never having met them, previously. Y/N L/N, an actor who made their debut 3 years ago and hasn’t been able to catch a break since, recently decided to sign a deal with Descendants. Inc to host their new late night show “late nights & flashing lights”, as a break from acting . . Only to find out their favorite long-time actor will be co-hosting with them. Tune in every Friday, for a new episode of “late nights & flashing lights” to see if these two hosts can find a peaceful work-bond amidst their judgements . . and quite possibly even love? . .

♡. Want spoilers ?! . . Join my server . . !! (or to be namedropped <3)

— taglist ♡ ; @well-look-at-this , @honkai-freak , @kingnem10 , @merviolet-asks , @katzline , @pebble-bb , @meigalaxy , @lordbugs , @crowbird , @yuus3n , @azriel-sama , @reivelmin , @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 , @eliza-be-t-h , @feverish-dove , @yejiswifex , @l0v3r666 , @cece-cherries , @frootloopscos , @abell2029cluster , @ephemii , @alienlatteinspace , @frangiipanii , @vamprel , @kittycat246 , @jar-03 , @leifsclubroom , @everettelz ,

♡ . Ask to be tagged... (If you don't see yourself up here, I cant tag you)

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omelettewise · 7 months ago

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can you do the housewardens with a m!mc who collects a bunch of stuff? like cool rocks or gadgets (and he gives them to people he cares about a lot or has a big crush on)

A familiar books seems to shine, begging for your attention .. would you like to join in ..?

omggg hii... i totally havent vanished from tumblr.. its been like, a year and nearly a week !! so im back !! this was an interesting request and a bit w self insert(? since i do then to collect rock of gadgets and give them to friends/ family !! anon didnt specified much so im going to do little headcanons & scenarios !

some of them might be longer that others !! because i am under huge stress and writers block !!3kfjger gejrg send help (i wrote this at 3am)

(reader is gender neutral, and implied to be yuu !!) (no proof reading so maybe spelling mistakes !!)

-- Even if you two started with the wrong foot, as you did with almost half of the school...

-- Time went on and after the event's of chapter 2, both of you went into a more friendly territory, and not long after was when he started to notice the way you seem to collect diferent types of rocks, somehow you found a ruby and gave it to him like nothing ?!

-- Now even if he looks at you with a blank expression, the moment he gets to his dorm, carefully looking around his hands go to a drawer and he takes out a box, that kept every single rock and gadget you given to him safe and sound, perfectly clean too!.

" Oh, another one? .. and of amazing quality too, as long as you are not stealing them from anyone nor are you breaking any rules to get these, i am more than willing to take all of them. "

-- He smiled at you, your hands came into contact with his own as you handed him another of the pretty rocks you find, he can't help but think that only someone as gorgeous as you could find this type of good quality gadgets.

-- Oh?, and from where did you found such a good quality brooch, you aren't stealing from other people are you Herbivore? he chuckles as you looked at him annoyed that he would think of you as a thief. both of you know he doesn't mean it, and even if you were actually stealing them he would turn a blind eye

-- He does the same thing Riddle does, he saves them in a box away from any public eye, including Ruggie's. Every morning he checks them and makes sure every one is there, as he goes back to sleep.

-- He enjoys the feeling of your presence, nose twitching at the faint smell of that perfume he left on Ramshackles' door on your birthday, so he knew that a new rock or gadget was gonna be soon layed on his chest.

Leona's ears twitched as your footsteps became louder, one of his eyes opening slowly as he watched you carefully placed a shiny small rock on his chest, when you left his hand went to his chest grabbing carefully the rock with a caring yet tight grip in a case someone wanted to act funny and steal it from him.

-- Azul and you also didn't start with the right foot !!, but since you seem to have a fascination for the beach you guys started to bond quite a lot.

-- It was one of this days that the sea decided to give you quite the beautiful stone to gift to your beloved crush, a beautiful lilac that reminded you of the octopus that stole your heart without knowing.

-- You cleaned it really well, looked at the sea one last time as you decided to run as fast as your legs can let you, nearly bumping into Azul himself, who seemed startled as you placed the beautiful stone on his gloved hands.

Azul ajusted his glasses that slided a bit from his nose because of the jump you cause him since you appeared out of nowhere screaming at him when you saw him from the corner of your eyes. He cleaned some inexistent dust as he looked at you nerveous, his hand your hand. He felt the small rock placed on his palm, as you told him how much i reminded you of him because of the lilac color feeling the need of giving it to him.

-- You must be really naive if you think you can give him anything and not expect anything in return, Jamil is starting to get gray hairs because of you two. Kalim needs to stop throwing so much money, especially with how greedy NRC students can be.

-- The first time you gifted him an cheese shaped erased he felt to happy and also unable of using it because it's a gift from you !!.

-- And at the next day, there was a silver necklace for you, or if you are one of the gold people!, a beautiful gold ring was in quite the expensive box, behind it .. more boxes, with clothes and food.

" Ah, Hello !, did you liked the gift i left at your porch this morning?, i felt like its the least i could do for you. How do you feel about some ride on the carpet in the night?, or you can go and have dinner with us in Scarabia!, im sure Jamil won't mind. "

-- A rainbow diamond ? .. Dear potato from where you got this ?.

-- The Dwarfs' Mines .. !? Potato that so dangerous ! How and when did you go there ?!

-- A rainbow diamond is what you found the first day as a janitor, in that cave after the chandelier accident, you couldn't help yourself from grabbing it besides the magestone that Deuce grabbed. And until now, you have kept that diamond safe.

-- When you met Vil, your first thought was the rainbow diamond no one but him seemed fit for the gem in your eyes, every thing about him reminded you of the diamond, and so when the VDC camp started, late at night when it was just you two, you carefully gave the blond the perfect and beautiful rainbow diamond.

" How.. Potato, do you know how rare and expensive this is..? " Vil looked at you in a disbelief he masked immideatly, his gloved hands carefully traced over the beautiful gem, he hid how flustered he felt when you explained him that out of everyone in NRC, you only saw him fit to have such a rare and expensive gem but you didnt know it was that rare, he cleared his throat as he sent you off to sleep, considering how late it was. As he walked towards his dorm in Ramshackle he made sure to hide it very well as a small pink adorned his cheeks.

-- Since Idia barely comes out of his room, you mostly go find Ortho, giving him rocks and flowers. Some for him and Of course, Idia.

-- As you cleaned around Ramshackle, something fell on your head .. some weird blue heart shaped rock? weirdly specific, as you caressed the rock your thought drifted to the blue-fire haired man, such an awkward man that you couldn't help but find him endearing, and his little brother has always been there for you.

-- You placed the cleaning kit back into that small room, fixing yourself a little bit as you decided to give the rock to your crush face to face, you walked towards the mirrow hall then you stood infront of the mirror that lead to Ignihyde.

-- As you looked around, Ortho who looked beyond happy to see you there, taking your hand he lead you into his and Idia's room.

Idia jumped from his chair as Ortho open the door with a loud bang, as he was about to sigh and scold him, the familiar picture of his crush appeared, he jumped even higher as he tried to escape. He closed his eyes as he felt his hands touch something cold, his slim finger wrapped around your warm hands. His hair started to turn pink the moment you left the dorm, he could feel the smoke leaving his head, feeling like an overheated console. when he open his hands, he nearly fainted at the small heart shaped rock with a flower, putting the rock into his pocket, playing with inbetween his fingers, Idia looked the monitor screen with a blank stare with tainted cheeks.

-- Oh?, trying to court him now or are you not, dear child of man?.

-- When you first gave him a random rock you found outside of Ramshackle, he looked perplexed. Not only you were not afraid of him, but you were also actively trying to court him?. Oh dear, you two just met a few minutes ago, but he wont mind.

-- Infact he love it, and as dragons have their fascination for special types of treasure, of course as Riddle. Malleus has a special box where he saves all of the rocks and gadgets you had given to him.

" Child of man, are you aware of what this means .. ? " Malleus looked at you, many stones in his hands. Different sizes and colors as he looked at you crouched a few miles infront of him, colleting more rocks and gadgets to give him. If Malleus had his dragon tail out, it would be wagging like crazy, dilated pupils as he stared at the back of your head, with pure adoration as he extended his hands for the new pile of rocks that you are placing.

AND ITS NOW OFFICIALLY 6 AM AS I FINISH WRITING THIS !! I CANT TO THIS ANYMORE, im going to vanish for a year again because oh lord !!, i hope you guys enjoyed it (i cant put more tags?!?!?!)

#twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland x yuu #twistedwonderland #twisted wonderland x gender neutral reader #twst x male reader #twisted wonderland x male reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #leona kingscholar x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader

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raycatzdraws · 2 months ago

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Wind and Spirit have a bad time in the Sacred Realm!

It's my Spirit Tracks x LU fic / concept / thing! There are a couple written scenes which can be read on AO3! This is one of them and can be read [here!]. I don't see myself continuing this project, but even so, I want to say some thank yous (under the read more)!

The animatic has no audio, but if it did, it would be Robot Soldiers from Castle in the Sky.

---

The project isn't something I think I'll be finishing, but that said, it's been fun to work on.

I know it's just a silly unfinished fic and some art and maybe I'll come back to it, however, I am just a little guy with so much gratitude! It meant so much to me to be so welcomed by the LU fandom when I initially posted that Spirit Tracks LU art compilation in 2021. (this one!) The art and fic couldn't have been made without the incredible art, writing, support, and headcanon brainstorming from the people around me and the inspiration I found in their works and ideas.

Thank you to everyone who's left comments and kind tags!

Thank you to @esthelle-wanders for the excited comments and support over the years.

Thank you to @snowylynxx for her Spirit Tracks LU comics which gave me so much motivation and whose Spirit design I've been borrowing.

To @theegh0st. I adore your art! A frame from the pump trolley animation has been your header for so long and it's so fun to see it when visiting your blog. It's been an honor!

And thank you so much to Wicked (@spirit-tracks) and Train (@fuckit-hero-of-trains) for 1) being unhinged in the best possible way about Spirit Tracks and 2) for your incredible writing <3

If you like Spirit in LU fics, then I really recommend Keeping Track of the Little Things by wickedcriminal. Wicked started a headcanon post about Spirit [here], it got picked up and added to, I made some art, and Wicked made a fic. Spirit worrying about his place in the group and stressing about time management is a headcanon I'm fond of. Worrying about schedules is something Time can probably relate on, and so it's something I wanted to include for them to connect over in a moment of downtime. Though the setting and stakes are different, Wicked has already written something similar to how I imagine the scene would play out, and it's absolutely wonderful.

!!! The project meant so much at the time! Some of the work I did on the lore is so cool!!! There's a bit of lore about the Triforce that was given in OoT which we hadn't seen happen in a game, but that I wanted for the Spirit Tracks fic, so I plotted it out. So then (spoilers for Echoes of Wisdom) to see it in Echoes was really cool!!!! It was really validating that, yeah I read that right and executed it how it was meant to! >:) There's other stuff too, but anyways aaaa

I just don't see myself completing it, though. It feels kind of bad to give it away but I also need to be free of it. It's been nearly four years... which is wild!

Thank you again for reading and for the support and enthusiasm up to now. It means a lot to know there were people invested in a story I made. It's small and fragmented, but still. Thank you.

(maybe maybe maybe I'll draw a couple more scenes as I have been, but for the fic, I am releasing writing while also saying it's going to be unfinished and discontinued asjdsahdgs sorry 'xD is that a thing people can do? I think the scenes are cool! That's just,,, all I'm able to write I think. Can people post just- isolated scenes? ,,,, That's definitely a thing. I still felt like I should say something. ANYWAYS <3 See ya!)

#linked universe #lu spirit #lu wind #lu fic #animatic #04092022 #predating totk and eow with this one!!! ouph 'xD #long post #esthelle!!! thank you for your patience! TAT I got really nervous about posting this. it's been ready for months #ah man... here it is though!#I had fun throwing Legend off a moving train #that's the chapter before this one #*does a sick backflip off the edge of the platform like Link #*silly yelling as I fall #the fic has a whole outline. it's just been four years and I don't really have the same passion for it. I'm not really a writer #I gotta like- officially- put a pin in it. I'm free I'm free let me free asjhfgsjdfs #still I'm so so so grateful for those who inspired that passion anyways xD it was a good time!#thank you for being nice to me then and still

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jaggedamethyst · 4 months ago

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circuit breaker 🔬🌌 (part one)

tutor!jayce talis x reader, modern college au

content: reader is forced to take gen ed classes in order to graduate college. this unfortunately includes physics for which you desperately need a tutor for...jayce talis happens to need community service and is available to help. (references to adhd/neurodivergence in this chapter, that’s all)

notes: hiii. as i am on my indefinite break from golden boy, i wanted to start something else bc the yearn for jayce content can only be filled as long as i work to preserve him myself... so here’s my first official series!! double note, while this is modern, i still want to keep hints and references to the show/characters so they’re believable! so if you see viktor talking in a way that seems unnatural with dialogue, its just my smarty pants bf being his smart self with vast vocabulary. 🤍

word count: 1.5k

series masterlist here

。·:*:·ﾟ★,。·:*:·ﾟ☆　　。·:*:·ﾟ★,。·:*:·ﾟ☆

The absolute worst part of college is being forced to take the general education classes simply to graduate. You were an arts major, there was no reason for you to be cramming your brain with math equations so many years after high school—and yet here you were. Unfortunately, you waited until later in your university career to take on the required course load, and now you were stuck in one of the only classes with availability that worked with your schedule—physics. The thought of the class alone made your head hurt. The only upside was having it with a friend, albeit much more skilled at the subject, Viktor was always welcome company.

“I hate these weekly quizzes, I genuinely cannot afford to fail another one.”

Viktor chuckled, “The subject matter isn’t that difficult…”

“We can’t all be geniuses, Viktor.”

“Yes, some of us are more skilled than others, I’d say.” He moved to gather his books, the class having ended.

You mirrored his action, packing your bag as you spoke to him. “Natural skill or not, this shit is actually dumb…makes me feel dumb.”

“You are not dumb,” he reassured you, “It can be a lot to comprehend.”

You shuffled through the aisle, following behind Viktor as he moved toward the exit. “It’s these gen ed classes…why do I need to understand physics for liberal arts. Granted, I know the school is more tech based…but I changed my major! I should be free of the shackles of math by now.” You wiped a hand over your face, clearly exasperated.

You matched Viktor’s steps, picking up a bit to open the door for him. The slight breeze of the outside air brushed over you—cooling the heat that you didn’t realize was there. A breath left you, exhaling the bubbling rage in you.

Viktor reached a hand toward your shoulder, grasping it with a firm encouragement. “You will conquer physics. Natural skill…or not.” He smiled again, a teasing tone on his voice.

“Viktor!” You swatted his hand away, “I hate you! Could you at least offer a solution? These quizzes are literally every week. What’s the point of checking my comprehension if I know I’m gonna fail-“

“Listen, you will not fail. In fact,” he paused, “I have a solution for this little conflict.”

“The solution being?”

He stopped walking, an obvious look on his face, “Get a tutor.”

A scoff, “Yeah right. I’m not in middle school. I don’t need a tutor, Viktor.” You started walking again, “Besides, why can’t you just help me—you’re all the tutor I need!”

“I have quite a bit on my plate this term already. I have two labs, recitations, and work-“

“Which is just code for find time to see Sky, got it.”

He didn’t reply to that, not directly. But the way he blushed and looked away was indication enough. Viktor explained before that he and Sky have known each other practically their whole lives. They always saw each other around; the fact that they ended up at the same school was purely by fate, or chance, Viktor would say. That was, despite the relatively high probability with there being so few state schools.

He changed the subject, leading you across the street. “I know someone who would be willing to help. He mentioned needing community service.”

“Fine, I guess…”

“Good, because we’re here.”

You looked up, the student resource center labeled clearly in front of you. The prospect of walking in was already daunting. You loved independence and it often came at the expense of feeling incompetent when you had to ask for help. You confided in Viktor about that before. He figured the best way was to just show up, not giving you the opportunity to get yourself worked up and find an excuse to not go.

He opened the door, tilting his head towards the inside. “You got this.”

You shook your head, the idea making you nauseous. He returned the motion, this time shaking his head. You can do this.

It took a second, but you finally walked in, Viktor slightly on your trail. “He should be here, he told me he would be.” He continued as you nodded silently, “Oh, there he is.”

His back was to you, speaking to a woman he seemed to be friendly with. His shoulders were wide, making her barely visible to you from this angle—but she was undoubtedly stunning. You couldn’t help but acknowledge the way they so enthusiastically spoke. You didn’t want to interrupt, that would be embarrassing, torturous, even. Instead, you turned to the desk, eyeing the receptionist. She seemed to be close to your age…which somehow made you even more nervous—gosh.

“Hi…” You cleared your throat, “Hi, I wanted to ask about tutoring? Like for physics?”

Viktor nodded behind you, proud of the seemingly small gesture. He knew this was actually an immense step for you.

The receptionist greeted you back, “We do have physics tutoring available! There are a few student volunteers, but we usually assign according to those with a more free schedule…” She looked to her left, pointing to the QR code that faced toward you. “You can register here, it’s fairly quick and someone…” she locked onto the man across from her, still mid conversation. “Someone should be able to help you get started today actually…Jayce!”

You turned to see the man pause his conversation, a brow raising at his name being called. Recognition flashed in your direction as well, “Oh hey, Viktor.”

“Hello, Jayce.”

The man walked up to the counter, a more annoyed tone and body language accompanied him, then. It wasn’t genuine, but rather one out of familiarity, like he and the receptionist had known each other a while. It was quite jovial, actually. “What do you want, Cait?”

She rolled her eyes at that, “Someone needs a tutor,” she smiled at you before looking to him with a grimace, “You’re a tutor, correct?”

He shrugged, “I need community service.”

“Great, so you two are a match, then.”

Your phone suddenly became rather interesting—the simple intake form immediately became numerous pages long and excessively tedious. You felt his eyes on you, though, and saw a hand out towards you in your peripheral. “Nice to meet you…Jayce.”

You looked up finally, reaching to shake his outstretched hand. The only thing that came to you was your name—first and last, simple.

He half smiled, echoing your reply, “Jayce Talis. I like the formality.” He chuckled, dropping your hand.

You looked back silently at Viktor, a sort of terror on your face. He spoke then, “I should be going. Shouldn’t these two have their introductory meeting now?” He observed your twisted facial expression, looking towards the desk for a reply.

She nodded, “Great idea! It’s a short one, just getting to know one another and scheduling for later. You can use that room right there,” she looked at the computer in front of her for confirmation, “It should be empty for a few more minutes!” She motioned her hands for you two to hurry along. The man, Jayce…Jayce Talis…walked over and spoke to the woman he’d been talking to before. You couldn’t hear them, but observed the way he rubbed her arm before reaching for a hug. You tried not to stare, but you weren’t entirely familiar with the resource center and he was supposed to be leading you, you thought.

You trailed behind Jayce, turning back to see Viktor. He stood with a hand on his cane, the other with a thumbs up to you. You nodded, rubbing your hands awkwardly at your sides. You watched as Jayce opened the door, stepping back to let you in first. That was nice. You held a tight smile, a pleasantry you’d grown accustomed to displaying in uncomfortable situations such as this one.

Both of you sat down, a brief silence filling the room. Jayce spoke first, “So what brings you to tutoring?”

You swallowed, “I am not great at physics…I’m pretty bad at it actually…and Viktor said you could help.”

He nodded, “You two are friends?”

“Yeah, we met a while back. How do you know each other?”

“Lab partners, same major, rest is history.”

“Right…” A huff from you and the shuffle of Jayce reaching in his pocket were the only sounds in the room.

“So,” he scrolled on his phone, “You noted you have a hard time focusing. Is it just this class?”

“Not just physics, no. I have a hard time paying attention in general. Bad memory, disorganized brain, the works. Makes retaining the information really hard as you can imagine.”

“I get that, but we can work on that…find things that help you remember a bit better…make it more interesting.”

You could only blink as a response. This was the first time you could recall, besides with close friends, that someone didn’t make you feel extremely weird for not being able to stay focused. You often skipped from one topic to the next, forgetting your starting point. Conversations would float away from you, or you’d get too emotionally invested. People would call you loud, random, even. You appreciated that Jayce replied simply, concisely, offering a solution. Sure, it was his job…kind of…but it felt pretty good.

“Thank you.”

“Sure.”

He went over a few more questions with you—referring to the intake form you’d filled out on your phone. In no time, you had set a meeting time for the following day.

Both of you stood, collecting your bags.

“See you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

part two

#jaggedamethyst #circuit breaker #angst #jayce talis #arcane jayce #jayce talis x reader #jayce talis x you #arcane #arcane x reader #jayce x reader #jayce league of legends #jayce talis arcane #jayce arcane #jayce x you

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 months ago

Text

A Touch of Sweetness 5

Warnings: non/dubcon, mentions of crime, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: mob!Loki Laufeyson

Sister series to mob!Thor

Summary: you make a new friend, but that’s not all. (short reader)

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

“I can’t wait to try one,” you beam at the tarts on the cooling rack.

“Why don’t you?” Queenie asks as she wipes her hands on her apron.

“Well, it’s only polite we let others try them, right? Thor? Loki?”

“Oh, I don’t know if we should bother them right now,” she puts her hand behind her. “I’m sure they’ll find us when they’re ready.”

“Uh, yeah, makes sense,” you raise your shoulders to your ears. “Sorry.”

“Please, don’t be. I just don’t want to be in the way.”

“Me either,” you smile. “I feel like that a lot. My sister always makes me the odd one out. Her and her friends.”

“Oh, really. I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. I don’t want to tell on myself but I’m really happy we met. I hope... we can be friends.” You chew your lip as you look around.

“We already are, aren’t we?” She asks.

Your cheeks hurt as you smile gets even bigger, “really?”

“Sure. You think I bake for anyone but friends?” She snorts. “I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m not much of a homemaker.”

“No, you have to be! You always look so nice,” you insist.

“Ha, yeah, well... that’s what they like,” she swallows.

“They?” You wonder.

“Ladies,” Thor’s booming voice thunders in and you whip around to face him. “I smell something sweet.”

Queen mumbles but doesn’t respond clearly. You perk up, “tarts! They’re all done, if you want to try some.”

“Tarts,” he echoes in excitement and claps his hand, “I was of the mind for a different sort of sugar,” he steps around you and nears Queenie. He puts his large hands on her shoulders and draws her into a kiss. You avert your gaze embarrassed. “But a dessert would be nice too.”

You shift and wave at the tray of pastries. “If Loki wants some, there’s a lot to go around.”

“My brother? No, he disappeared a while ago. So is his nature,” he plucks a tart from the array. “But perhaps we will set one aside for him.”

“Okay,” you agree as Queenie turns and wipes the counter. She’s already done that but she seems to prefer the distraction.

Thor bites into tart, nearly taking half of it. He purrs and nods. “Very delicious.”

“She did most of the work,” Queenie says over her shoulder.

“We both did a lot,” you counter. “Really, it’s good?”

“Haven’t you tried one?” He asks through his mouthful.

“Not yet.” You turn and carefully cradle one. You lift it over your cupped hand to catch the crumbs and bite into it. “Mmm.”

“Queenie, please, you must,” Thor turns with what’s left of his and offers it to her. She turns to him and hesitates. She lets him feed her the tart and chews tightly.

She hums and hides her mouth behind her hand, “very good.”

“Well, it seems you’ve been quite productive,” Thor praises. “You should show sweetness around. Give her a lay of the land. Have a bit of fun. Can’t save it all for the night time, eh?”

He winks and she bats her lashes bashfully, “sure, um, come on,” she brushes by him and grabs your wrist. “I’ll show you the garden. It’s my favourite place.”

“Aside from the bed,” Thor chortles.

She squeezes you tight as she drags you away. It’s cute how much he loves her but you imagine you’d be just as embarrassed. You go with her easily, chewing on what’s left of your tart.

“You’ll have to take some with you,” she says. “I can’t possibly eat so many.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” she takes you through the back door and finally stops. You can sense her dismay.

“Are you okay?” You free yourself from her grasp and touch her shoulder. She winces.

“Fine,” she insists and crosses her arms. She marches ahead of you. “Just need some fresh air. It was getting warm in the kitchen.” She stops and glances back at you. “I don’t know how you’re not dying in that.”

You look down at your turtleneck and shrug, “guess I’m used to it.” You follow her and glance around. The yard is huge. There’s a pool and grotto, a canopy over a dining set, a gazebo at the far corner surrounded by lush rose bushes, flowers at the middle arranged around the immense fountain. It’s like a fairytale.

“This is so...”

“I know, it’s beautiful,” she agrees as if it’s a bad thing. “Do you want to see the birds?”

“Birds?”

She nods and beckons you after her. She takes you toward the gazebo and around to the rear corner of the yard. The stone wall is woven over with vines and you can hear the steady cheep within. Bright yellow heads poke in and out as wings rustle through the leaves.

“Wow!” You say.

“He gets them imported,” she explains. “Pretty but... stuck here...”

“They can fly away.”

“They are tracked,” she sighs. “Not that they get very far with clipped wings.”

You frown, “oh.”

“Well...” she sniffs, “things are a bit nicer with someone to share them with,” she stands beside you. “Aren’t they?”

You agree with a nod and gape at the wall of birds nesting between the vines. After a while, you trail after her into the gazebo and play on the wooden chessboard inside. The air smells like pollen. You while away the time, enjoying the lull as the breeze gently flows through the arches.

“Checkmate. I think.” You say.

She clicks her tongue, “yes.”

“Wow, I never played before,” you snicker.

“Don’t be a sore winner,” she sticks her tongue out.

“I’m not,” you retort.

“Well, maybe I’m a sore loser,” she pouts.

You laugh and when she does, you laugh even louder. It’s infectious as the two of you giggle in the curtained dim of the gazebo.

“Ahem,” the clearing of the throat also clears the air. You choke on your laughter and look in tandem to the shadow in the doorway. “I was told I am to return you to your home.”

Loki stands with a placid expression. Despite his unaffected demeanour, you notice that a strand of his hair has fallen forward away from the rest of his neatly combed locks and there’s a dark stain on his collar.

“Oh, already?” You wonder.

He checks the watch on his wrist, “my brother said so. It is after dinner time. I believe he has plans with his... companion.”

Queenie rises, “maybe next time you can stay.”

“Hm, yes, maybe next time,” Loki repeats deliberately. “Come on then. I’ve not got all night.”

You stand and give an apologetic smile, “bye, Queenie,” you murmur as she passes Loki. You follow her and stop just before him. “Did you have a tart?”

“A tart?” His brows arch.

“In the kitchen. We baked tarts.”

“Mm, perhaps another time,” he drawls. “Let us not linger.”

“Yes, sir,” you agree and wait for him to move. He doesn’t. You stare at each other. Finally, he shifts and extends his arm to gesture you out ahead of him. “Thanks,” you bounce past him and down the steps. “Oh look, you can see the moon already.” You point ahead as you cross the lawn ahead of him.

“Mm,” he follows you at a pace. “Suppose that is rather amusing.”

#loki #dark loki #dark!loki #loki x reader #series #drabble #a touch of sweetness #au #mob au #marvel #mcu #avengers #thor

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darknight3904 · 15 days ago

Text

Every Breath You Take

Chapter One- The End of the World

Tommy Miller x Fem!Reader, Slowburn!Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Summary: Living in Austin wasn't the most glamorous existence. At twenty years old, you still can't figure out what you want to do with your life. Unfortunately, fate steps in, leaving you to the mercy of the apocalypse and the kindness of your neighbor Joel and his brother Tommy.

General Warnings: This story is 18+. Included, but not limited to: Explicit smut (chapters will be marked with a ** ), canon typical violence, language, gore, and horror. Minor character death, child death, SA themes (not described in detail), suicide, and depression. These warnings may change at any time, as this story is not completed.

Reader, Joel, and Tommy are not polyamorous; the story explores romantic relationships with both Tommy and Joel, but not at the same time.

Word Count: 6.3k

The Last of Us Masterlist / Series Masterlist

This part depicts a suicide attempt. If you or anyone you know is struggling, check out this link.

@freythecrazyfae @greenwitchfromthewoods @amyispxnk @heartpatch I offer new Joel for you 🤌🏻

Friday, September 26, 2003, Austin, Texas

It’s your stomach that wakes you up. Hunger pains your middle half as you stumble out of bed towards the kitchen. The stove’s clock blinks 7:34 AM as you rummage through the near-empty fridge.

You press the button on the answering machine as the frying pan for your eggs heats up. The voice of your dad fills your ears as you crack your first egg.

“Hey, my trip is going well. Gotta big meeting later on today, and then I’m going to see Big Ben. I’ll pick up a cool souvenir for you.”

You smile at the thought of your dad bringing back a silly t-shirt from London for you. He’d been away for a week now on a trip for the company he worked for, something about helping expand into England and possibly the rest of Europe.

“There’s this awesome bakery here, the best pastries in the world…Oh also! My flight got moved, I should be back on Sunday around eight in the morning, I need you to ask Joel to borrow his truck, gonna need you to pick me up. That damn mechanic emailed me to say our car is totaled. See you soon, bye.”

You groan in frustration. Of course, it was just your luck that the little sedan you shared with your dad was done. You had gone grocery shopping right before your dad left, and it’d gotten hit in the lot by some idiot who hadn’t even left a note to apologize. Hopefully, your neighbor Joel will let you borrow his truck; you’d probably have to pay him the gas money, but at least your dad wouldn’t be stuck in some overpriced taxi.

You all but inhale your eggs before setting the coffee maker up to begin its morning brew. The loud yell of your neighbors has you scurrying out the front door, hopefully, you can catch Joel before he leaves for work.

“Morning!” Sarah greets you when she sees you leaning over the fence

“Good morning.” You smile and wave at her as she hops into the back seat

You always had a bit of a soft spot for Sarah. You’d been an occasional babysitter for her for a few years now, and getting to watch her grow from snotty brat to confident teen filled your heart with joy.

Joel is loading some crates and a tool bag into the bed of the truck as he says something to the Adler’s.

“Nice shirt.”

You turn your head to see the man you’d been crushing on for nearly two years now. Tommy Miller flashes you a warm grin as he gestures to your worn-out t-shirt that says AC/DC.

“Oh, um, thanks.” You squirm, feeling self-conscious in your sleep shorts and unruly bedhead.

“You actually listen to them or did you just buy the shirt cuz’ it looks cool?”

Ugh. How’d he know you bought the shirt based on looks? You roll your eyes and try to retain your confidence when Tommy laughs a bit, seeing through your facade.

You hadn’t even thought to put a bra on as you hunch your back a bit, trying to hide your chest away. Tommy looked so well put together, a nice button-down paired with a white tank sat on his body while his dark hair glistened in the sunlight, fuck he made you nervous.

Regretfully, you tear your eyes away from him to stare at his older brother, “Hey Joel.”

“Mornin’, you’re up early.” He takes note

“Early bird gets the worm.” You chuckle, as he nods, “I was just wondering if I could borrow your truck on Sunday morning? My dad is coming home and our car is apparently toast after that hit-and-run I told you about.”

“Shit, the one at the store? M’ real sorry.” Joel shakes his head, “I’ll let ya borrow the truck if you fill the tank up on the way back.”

“Deal.” You smile

Joel gives you a nod before turning back to his garage to load more stuff up. You’re about to turn away to disappear back inside but Tommy’s voice stops you.

“Been a while since I saw you.”

“Uh, yeah. Sarah’s last birthday party right?” You ask

He nods, “Aren’t you supposed to be away in college? You’re like 22.”

“20,” You correct him, “I’m taking a bit of a gap year or well, years. Gotta save some money first, plus I dunno what I want to do.”

Tommy nods, “Don’t rush it, it’ll come to you eventually.”

“Did you ever go to college?” You ask, thinking he might have some advice for figuring out your life.

“Yeah, I did-”

“You did one semester at the community college and dropped out after you failed your midterms.” Joel deadpans as he comes up from behind to slap his brother on the back.

“Well, I got experience.” He shrugs as Joel scoffs

“Yeah, experience in failing.” Joel shakes his head, “Now. quit flirtin’ we gotta drop Sarah off before we go to the site.”

Joel pulls his brother off, Tommy waving goodbye to you as your face burns, surely he wasn’t flirting with you. At whatever age he was, there was no way Tommy would be interested in you. A 20-year-old who had no current path in life. You call out to them as you suddenly remember what Sarah had said to you the last time you had watched her for Joel a few nights back.

“Happy Birthday!”

“Thanks.” Joel nods with a small smile on his back

“He’s officially a dinosaur now!” Sarah yells out the open window of the backseat of the truck

The engine turns over and you swear you hear him scold her and tell her “36 ain’t that old.”

You spend your day cleaning the house and hanging laundry out on the line in the backyard. Around noon you walk down to the small Dollar General that’s half a mile from your home. There isn’t much in the way of actual groceries but you can make do with the bag of rice you find on the shelf along with a bag of frozen broccoli from the shitty freezer the store has. This, along with the chicken nuggets in the freezer should hold you over until Sunday when your dad will be back to buy groceries with you.

The loud screech of police sirens tears down the road as you watch three cars whizz by.

“I don’t know what the world is coming to.” The cashier shakes her head as she rings your stuff up, “All day long they’ve been flying up and down that road.”

“Some people are crazy.” You hum, and she nods in agreement as you toss a pack of gummy bears onto the counter.

The walk back is short and peaceful as you soak in the last bits of summer heat Texas has to offer. Soon it will be in the low 50s and you’ll be bundled up in jeans and sweaters. You spend the rest of your day paging through the newspaper’s job section, hoping that something was out there that paid better than the shitty diner you were currently working at. Perhaps you could get a job at that new daycare center that opened last week.

Despite the day being uneventful, you’re tired and by 11 you’re tucked into bed, a movie playing on the little TV you begged your dad for your room when you turned 15. You’re dozing when the loud knock has you jolting from your bed. The stove’s green numbers blink 11:47 as you pass the kitchen.

You pad down the steps, glancing at the baseball bat that leans near the front door, you had placed it there as a sense of security, you didn’t think you’d actually need it but who the hell was knocking this late?

You inch the door open, keeping the chain secured and the bat hidden behind your back. Instead of an axe murderer, you’re met with the disheveled look of the block's favorite single dad. Yes, Joel was more loved by the neighbors than your dad was. After all, your dad didn’t offer to fix people’s fences and sinks for free.

“I thought you were like Freddy Kruger or something.” You say, undoing the lock and opening the door fully.

“Y’watchin’ too many horror movies, kid,” Joel says with a sigh

More like not enough. You love horror films.

“Listen, Tommy got himself in trouble. I gotta go get him. Could you sit in my house with Sarah? She’s already sleepin’ but I don’t wanna leave her alone this late.” He asks, “You can sleep on the couch til’ I get back. I’ll even pay you if you want.”

It's an easy decision, at this point Joel doesn’t even need to pay you to watch Sarah, you love hanging out with her. But, the idea of a possible extra ten dollar bill in your purse just for sleeping on the couch is hard to turn down.

Joel reminds you to lock your home’s door as he leads you over to his house and through the front door

“What kinda trouble is Tommy in?” You ask curiously as you breathe in the warm scent that was Joel’s home. A hint of vanilla from the candle you gave Sarah for her birthday along with the scent of what could only be described as man.

“Dumbass got arrested for punching some dude. I gotta stop at an ATM to get the cash for his bail.” Joel sighs as he rummages around a closet

“So much for your birthday being about you.” You laugh as he tosses a blanket at you

“Tell me about it. Fuckers been driving me nuts since he could walk.” Joel sighs, “My number is on the fridge, there's some leftover chicken wings if you’re hungry. Sarah won’t bother you-”

You nod, “I’ll be fine. Been watching her for like six years now, I don’t think she’s gonna start giving me trouble now.”

You shoo Joel out the door and lock it behind him before sinking into the worn leather of the couch. It’s already dim but you switch the lamp on the table beside you off, tossing your flip phone onto the coffee table. The couch smells like Joel, a hint of cologne followed by that musk men gave off. As if it’s magic, your eyes flutter shut, sleeping stealing you away.

You wake up to Sarah shaking you awake.

“Wake up.” She whispers

“Sarah…Go back to bed, your dad's out with your uncle.” You groan, trying to pull the blanket over your head

“The Adler’s dog got out. I’m taking him back,” Sarah says

You groan again but stand up when you hear the front door open. So much for Sarah not causing any trouble. You wrap the soft blanket around your body, slip your sneakers on, and follow her out. Cool air flows through the thin material of your pyjama pants and T-shirt. You sleepily watch as Sarah pulls the dog towards the front door. God, you wish she’d hurry up, you loved the girl but you also loved your sleep.

All of a sudden, the stupid dog twists out of her grasp and sprints off into the darkness, leaving the collar in Sarah’s hands.

“Mercy!” Sarah yells as the black and white dog books it into the night

“Well, shit.” You mumble, walking up to her watching the ball of black and white fluff disappear into the night.

“Now what?” She asks

You glance at the Adler’s open door and back in the direction where the dog ran off.

“Uh, I guess we're going to tell them we lost their dog. Maybe Mr. Adler can come help us look for him.”

Sarah nods and turns on her heel to walk into the home.

Something isn’t quite right when you walk into the Adler’s house. You’d only been there a few times but something was amiss. The air felt almost heavy as you followed Sarah closely. She calls for Mrs. Adler softly and you stop in the hallway, something red catches your eye on the carpet as Sarah walks towards the kitchen. You crouch down and stare at the spot, it looks like blood but you’re not entirely sure.

A loud scream as you jump and the little swinging doors that lead to the kitchen slam open.

“Run, Run!” Sarah screeches as you stumble backwards.

An inhuman growl reaches your ears as you shuck the blanket from your shoulders, grabbing Sarah’s arm and pushing her ahead of whatever it was. Had the dog circled back through the back door? Did it have rabies? All you knew was that-

What the actual fuck?!

Sarah pulls you out the front door and you get a glimpse of Nana Adler running towards you at an inhuman speed. A loud screech fills your ears as you and Sarah scramble down the walkway.

You keep your grasp firm on Sarah’s forearm, pulling her towards Joel’s home, eager to get inside and bolt the door.

Headlights illuminate you as tires screech, Joel jumps out before the truck even stops and grabs Sarah from you, hugging her and asking her if she’s hurt.

“Joel!” another voice yells

You spin around at the sound of Tommy’s voice. Nana Adler is sprinting towards you, something white dangles from her mouth as she wheezes and growls.

“What’re we doing Joel?!”

You notice the rifle in Tommy’s hands as he hesitates to take aim. What the fuck was happening right now?

Sarah’s shirl scream fills your ear as Joel steps in front of both of you, his strong arm swings a wrench, hitting Nana Adler before she can reach either of you.

“You killed her…” Sarah breathes when the old woman doesn’t get up

You stumble backward away from the scene, nearly tripping over your feet and the curb of the sidewalk as you bump into Tommy’s chest.

“Get in the truck.” He says softly, ushering you to the vehicle

“W-Wait we can’t leave her…we gotta call the police…”

You’re in shock as you stare at the body, Tommy pushes you into the backseat and slams the door, Joel does the same for Sarah as you run your hands over your face.

Sarah is asking her dad questions as Tommy speeds down the road. You don’t know what's happening. Just ten minutes ago you’d been blissfully asleep, cuddled up on Joel’s couch and now you’d watched Joel kill an old woman who was trying to…well you weren’t really sure what she was trying to do.

The truck is illuminated with an orange blaze as you pass a house completely engulfed in flames. You watch wide-eyed as what must be a dozen police officers and even three fire trucks speed past the home, not even dropping a bit in speed.

“That’s Jimmy’s place…” Tommy trails off as he stares at the home that's caving in on itself

Sarah reaches over to you, grabbing your hand. You glance at her, she’s never looked younger than she does right now. A frightened 14-year-old girl stares at you while her father and uncle debate where they should go, Joel suggesting Mexico of all places.

“I don’t have my ID.” You muster out, thinking of your wallet and license that sits abandoned in your purse at home, “I-I can’t go to Mexico…”

“We’ll figure it out.” Tommy says, “We gotta get somewhere more remote first.”

The truck slows and you whip your attention to the front where a man is waving from the side of the road. A woman, probably his wife, is holding a kid in her arms as she yells, their minivan a smoking mess behind them.

“What’re you doing?” Joel asks suddenly

“They got a kid.” Tommy reasons as he begins to pull off to the shoulder of the road

“So do we.” Joel reminds his brother, his icy tone sending goosebumps down your spine.

You watch the exchange as Tommy looks at his brother like he’s lost it.

“Keep going.” Joel orders

Even in the dark, you see the regret on Tommy’s face as he accelerates, the strangers screaming for him to come back.

You squeeze Sarah’s hand, pulling her closer to you as Tommy and Joel curse when they see the highway is blocked by bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“I’m scared,” Sarah whispers as you run a hand soothingly over her curly hair

“It’s okay.” You affirm, “We’re gonna be okay.”

You’re not sure if you’re saying it to her or to yourself as Tommy drives the truck right off the road and into the field.

“Fuck!” Tommy curses

You hear the whirl of a helicopter, a huge line of cars and trucks and god knows what else blocks your way.

“It’s the fucking army.” Joel groans, “Go north, we cut through town.”

You click yours and Sarah’s seatbelt as Tommy gets back on the road.

The town is a mess. People are screaming and running all over, cars are running lights and smashing into each other. You squeeze your eyes shut, praying this is all some bad dream and you’re still on the couch sleeping. The sound of glass smashing as you flinch, as you wildly look out the windows. A huge crowd tumbles out of the movie theater, Joel yelling for Tommy to reverse as he rests a hand on Sarah’s knee.

You watch as people jump on other people, it looks like they’re biting them and your eyes widen. Seriously, what the fuck was happening?

“Dad, Dad!” Sarah yells

You spin around to look out the back window, above you an airplane five times the size of your home is rapidly descending right for you, flames flying off its wings.

“Foreword, GO!” You scream at Tommy, leaning forward to smack his shoulder.

A loud scream fills the car, maybe it's from you, maybe it’s Sarah’s, perhaps even Tommy’s or Joel’s but the last thing you feel is your face smacking the back of Tommy’s seat before it goes dark.

The first time you met the Millers, you were 14. Freshly widowed, your father had decided to sell your childhood home and move from the countryside into the Austin suburbs. You of course didn’t have much say in it and got stuck packing your things into a UHaul and following him.

You had been struggling with a box of books when it had been effortlessly scooped from your arms. A tall man with dark brown messy curls stood in front of you.

“I got it.” He says confidently

“Thank you.” You huff tiredly, you had been unloading boxes all day and you still weren’t even halfway there.

You scoop up a lamp and lead him towards the house.

“M’ Joel. I live next door.” He nods to his home

You give him your name with a small smile as you hold the front door for him.

You hadn’t noticed it, but a little girl, maybe no more than eight years old, was clinging to the back of his shirt, shyly staring up at you.

“Oh, this is Sarah, my daughter.” Joel cranes his neck to see what his kid is doing behind him

You hear your father come down the steps, he and Joel introduce themselves to each other as Joel walks off into the house with him, leaving Sarah standing nervously in the entryway.

“Hi, Sarah.” You couch down to her level

“Hi.” She greets

You glance down at the stuffed rabbit she has tucked under her arm.

“Does your rabbit have a name?” You ask

“Mr. Peanut.” She confidently says as she rocks back and forth while staring at you with big brown eyes that match her father’s.

“Well, Sarah. I think we’re about to be great friends, I happen to think Mr. Peanut is the perfect name for a rabbit.”

“Hey! Wake up!”

The scent of smoke fills your lungs as you try to get your bearings. You’re upside down and Tommy’s arms are linked under your armpits, pulling you from the now flipped truck. He hauls you to your feet and gives you a once-over.

“You alright?” He asks, “Nothing broken?”

“I’m okay.” You mumble, wiggling your limbs.

“Nose is bleedin’, I think it’s alright though,” Tommy says quickly

You touch your face, and sure enough, your nose is gushing like a fountain down your shirt, Tommy pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to you.

“C’mon, let's move.” He motions

You both barely get two steps towards the other side of the vehicle where Sarah and Joel are before a flaming police car slams into the overturned truck, cutting you and Tommy off from them.

“Go to the river! We’ll find a way, Get her out of here, Joel, Go!” Tommy yells over the roar of the flames

Through the gaps in the cars, you watch Joel scoop Sarah up, she must’ve been injured in the crash. Tommy is saying your name and something else but you can barely register what's happening. All around you, the world is falling apart, people are screaming as others climb on top of them, snarling and wheezing.

It’s the motion of Tommy waving something in front of your blurred vision that has you coming to.

“Can you shoot?”

He’s holding a silver revolver out in front of you. You’d ask where it came from but you already know, after all this is Texas, everyone and their mother kept a revolver in their glove compartment.

“Look, cock this back,” He pulls the top bit of the gun back towards you, “Point, and pull the trigger.”

You nod, shaking hands reaching for the firearm.

“There’s six bullets in there, don’t start shootin’ unless I tell ya.” He commands

You’re practically glued to Tommy as he leads the way through the chaos. You wish you could squeeze your eyes shut but then you’d be tripping over your now untied shoelaces.

You’re not sure where the river is but you pass many people who are pinned down by others. Lucky for you their attackers seem to be too focused to pay much mind to you and Tommy. Your right-hand reaches out and fists the back of his shirt when one stands up about 25 feet away, staring right at both of you.

“Shit.” He mumbles

“What now?” You whisper

The man stumbles towards you, a low growl leaves his lips, his eyes are red, and his skin is pale; a deep bite mark is on his neck, blood flowing from it onto his once clean white shirt.

“Don’t move.” Tommy commands, his rifle raised to point at the man, “Let us pass.”

Then, all at once, the man begins sprinting at you both, a loud scream leaves your lips, and Tommy’s rifle goes off once. The stranger crumples to the ground, blood and brains oozing onto the pavement as you stare down at him.

“Let’s go, fast, Gotta find Joel,” Tommy says, stepping over the now-deceased man before offering his hand to you

“You killed that man…” You trail off, hesitant to take it.

Tommy rolls the man onto his back, long white tendrils of…something squirming out of his mouth, weaving across his teeth and down his cracked lips.

“That ain’t no man,” Tommy comments, “Not one I’ve seen before.”

Tommy all but drags you through town, weaving his way through back alleys and even through a busted open shop window, you don’t let go of his hand once the whole time.

The grassy slope that leads down to the riverside is a bit slippery from yesterday's rain. You can’t see Joel or Sarah yet but you’re sure they’re around here somewhere. Tommy hears it before you, the sound of Joel’s voice. He drops your hand and takes off in the direction of his brother and niece.

You stumble after him, tripping and landing on the muddy ground when you step on your laces. You groan, your body now caked in mud as you stand back up. The deafening sound of gunfire has you freezing. The sound of an automatic gun fires, followed by another shot that sounds like Tommy’s rifle.

A few more steps and the riverbank comes into view, Tommy stands there, illuminated by the headlights of what looks like a military vehicle. Another dead body lays at his feet, and a soldier, covered in gear, lays face down in the muck.

Your feet freeze when you see what Tommy has been staring at. Joel is hunched over Sarah, his hands and lower arms drenched in blood from the gaping wound in her stomach. He’s begging her to be okay as he yells for Tommy to help him.

It feels like you’re on a roller coaster the way your stomach is sinking as you watch Joel rock back and forth with Sarah, her limp body and empty eyes staring back at him. It’s a scene that's bound to haunt you all for the rest of your days.

Several snarls have you spinning around, Tommy calling for Joel. You’re not sure where they are but those monsters from Main Street are coming for you all.

“Joel, get up,” Tommy says, his eyes scanning the area warily

Joel remains still, his hand skimming Sarah’s face, closing her eyes for the last time.

“Joel!” Tommy yells, stomping towards his brother to try and pull him to his feet, “We gotta go.”

Somehow Tommy hauls Joel to his feet, his arm coming under his brother’s to support him. Tommy turns to you, his rifle slung over his shoulder,

“Let’s get moving north, get away from people.”

Your body moves on autopilot, following his orders. As you walk away from the gruesome scene, you hear Joel begin to wail Sarah’s name as Tommy drags him away from his dead daughter.

You’re not sure when you started crying, all you know is that your eyes are bleary, and warm salty tears are mixing with the dried blood from your nose. The three of you were currently sitting in an unfinished house, part of some new development that was being constructed for rich idiots looking to live near the capital.

The area was empty when you stumbled across it, unfinished homes looming in the brisk morning air, just barely illuminated by the sunrise.

You sit next to Tommy as he tries to get a better look at your nose which is aching from earlier. He wipes at your tears with his fingers before declaring your nose should be fine.

Joel hasn’t moved an inch from where Tommy dropped him. His back rests against the wall across from you, his knees are drawn up to his chest, and his head is cradled in his hands as he sits there still as a statue.

“There’s a porta potty outside, gonna go take a piss, I’ll be back,” Tommy mumbles, standing up

You rise to meet him, the least you could do is let Joel have a bit of privacy to mourn his daughter.

“I’ll come with you.”

You kick at the brown dirt and rocks under your feet, listening to the sounds of birds chirping. A stray cat trots by, unfazed by what has happened in Austin as it glances at you for a moment before continuing on.

The porta-potty stinks. You hover over the seat, thighs burning in exertion from the awkward angle, you are not interested in getting some horrid disease from this toilet as you pee. A sigh leaves your lips; at least the toilet paper was clean.

The sound of a gun going off has you yanking your filthy pants back up and clamoring out of the porta potty.

You race back to the house to see Joel flat out on his back, Tommy kneeling next to him, his hands holding Joel’s head.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Tommy scolds Joel as he holds him still to get a better look at the wound.

A low groan from Joel is all that comes in response as you stare at what looks like a bullet graze. Your eyes fall to the discarded rifle that is a few feet from his right arm.

“You ain’t dying on my watch.” Tommy huffs, pulling his button-down off to press to the side of Joel’s face.

You piece together what has happened, Joel has just tried to kill himself, just hours after Sarah had died.

“We have to leave, he needs stitches,” Tommy says, “There’s a truck parked behind the house, help me get his ass there.”

Joel is partly unconscious as you and Tommy drag him around to the back of the house, Tommy smashes the driver’s window in and unlocks the car. The two of you heave Joel into the backseat before climbing in yourselves.

You watch silently as Tommy hotwires the truck. You’re not sure how he knows how to do that but you’re glad he does.

The truck speeds down the road as your brain churns,

“I don’t think the hospitals will be open.”

“Red Cross, maybe the military will have something, just gotta figure out where,” Tommy responds, eyes fixed on the road

“If there is even still a military.” You mumble hopelessly

Tommy doesn’t respond and instead continues to drive.

It takes nearly all day but eventually, you spot it, a military blockade of sorts and a few tents painted with that red and white medical cross. It’s sitting on a high school campus in the football stadium that says “Home of the Austin Anteaters.”

Tommy stops the truck when five soldiers come out, all armed to the teeth and each wearing a gas mask.

They have you both pull Joel from the car who resists, mumbling a resounding no as Tommy gestures to his head and the wound on his side from last night.

One of the soldiers stares at the three of you as if they’re deciding whether or not you’re worth it. Then, they’re motioning and someone shows up with a gurney for Joel. They wheel him away and you’re left with Tommy.

“If any of you are bit or scratched, we shoot. Doesn’t matter what wounds he or either of you have. Better to tell us now instead of in there.”

“We’re both clean.” Tommy says for the both of you, “Promise.”

You nod, trying not to shake as they lead you past the guards and into the stadium.

“This way, miss.” One man says, leading you into one tent before Tommy is led to another.

A female soldier stands in the tent, a clipboard in hand, she jots down your name and age before telling you to strip, her face obscured by the gas mask she wears.

“Excuse me?” You stare at her like she’d lost it

“I need to make sure you haven't been bitten. We think that’s how the infection spreads. Until we can get some form of device to detect it, strip searches are how we’re keeping everyone safe.” She explains, “Please remove your clothes or I will have you escorted out of the zone.”

You huff a breath of air, she’s serious about this. You pull your mud-caked, blood-soaked shirt off before dropping your pants as well.

“Undergarments as well.” She prompts boringly

Tommy is standing on the other side of the tent when you emerge. Like you, he has a bag tucked under his arm, according to the soldier it was filled with an MRE along with bedding materials and water bottles.

“You alright?” He asks as the two of you are led to whatever temporary lodging the military had set up.

“Fine, just wasn’t expecting to be strip searched.”

“Tell me about it, the guy back seemed way too eager for me to drop my pants.”

You roll your eyes, his joke not landing the way he wanted it to.

As it turns out the “housing” the woman mentioned was just rows and rows of tents set up next to each other. The soldier leading you drops you off at a tent, hanging the clipboard off one of the tent polls before wandering off.

“Did they tell you when Joel would be done?” You ask, entering the small tent, tossing your stuff onto one of the cots

“Said they’d bring him to us provided he cleared the safety checks.” Tommy shrugs

He sits across from you on his own cot, pulling open the MRE that had been stuffed into his arms earlier.

“Chicken pesto and pasta.” He reads aloud, “One of the better ones.”

“You eat a lot of these when you were serving?” You ask, staring at yours which says chili macaroni.

“Yeah. Don’t eat the peanut butter they give ya, it’ll give you the shits for days.” He says

“Noted.” You nod

That night, it’s quieter than you thought it’d be for a field of tents filled with strangers. You lay on your side, unmoving trying to process what has happened, what you’ve witnessed. A pit of despair fills your stomach as you think of your father. Trapped in England, no way back to the States. Shit, he could be dead right now and there was no way for you to know. You think of little Sarah and the awful involuntary sounds she made when Joel tried picking her up.

At first, it's quiet, you barely hear it but slowly it becomes louder and louder. The sounds of crying, soft sniffles at first before they turn into full-blown sobs.

You turn on your side to see Tommy, curled up under his thin blanket, pillow stuffed under his head as he cries into it. You’re not sure what to do, do you turn away and let him cry in peace? Do you get up to comfort him? You feel numb. Like your brain can’t reconcile everything you’ve seen.

A choking sound comes from the other side of the tent, and you shift, reaching for the plastic water bottle that sits on the ground. Prickly turf tickles your bare feet as you take two steps over, closing the distance between you and your companion.

“Water?” You whisper

Tommy turns, sitting up, wiping at his red eyes like he didn’t want you to know he’d been not so quietly sobbing. He pats the cot, gesturing for you to sit beside him.

“Thanks.” He croaks, gulping it down.

“I can’t sleep.” You admit

He nods, “Me either.”

You remain next to him, your fingers fiddling with the caked mud on your pants. You wish that military lady would’ve given you something to change into. At least you weren’t alone, Tommy was still in his clothes from yesterday.

Your mind swims with ideas of how you might possibly reach out to your father. You can’t come to any actual conclusions though. Instead, you just keep seeing Sarah’s dead body and how Joel had called out to her as Tommy pulled him away.

You remember the first time you really met Tommy Miller. It’d been a Friday in July and your home’s central air conditioning had broken on what felt like the hottest day ever. You were rotting in the front yard because at least the outside had a breeze, unlike the stagnant air of the house. You’d called your dad about a million times to tell him the stupid unit had died right after he left for work, of course, you’d gotten sent right to voicemail each time.

“That ice pop is gonna be mush if you don’t eat it soon.”

Your head whips to your left, and your neighbor's brother leans against the fence smiling at you. You’d seen him around before in the past few years, Joel had said his name was Tim? Tyler? Something with a T. All you knew was that he’d show up incrementally, sometimes to watch Sarah, other times to give his older brother shit.

“Yeah well, so am I.” You huff

He flashes you another warm smile, “And why is a pretty girl like you, melting away in the sun?”

“AC went up in flames. At least there's a breeze out here.” You shrug lazily

“Where is it? I’ll take a look.” He offers, “No charge, I promise.”

You eye him curiously unsure of how to respond to this practical stranger offering to fix the AC unit for free.

“No thanks, I’ll wait for Joel to come back.”

Last summer Joel had revived it for you and your dad, he could do it again. Besides, you didn’t even know his brother that well. And sure, this brother was pretty hot but you were also pretty sure he was like 24, far too old to be looking at you, even if you had been 18 for nearly 6 months now.

“He won’t be back till’ 10. You’ll be sweating your ass off for another six hours.” He tells you.

Fuck, you can’t take another six minutes, let alone six hours.

“Fine.” You relent

Tommy, not Tyler or Tim, as it turns out is nearly as good as Joel was with the air conditioning. It takes about twenty minutes and a good kick to the unit’s side but he gets it going again. You race through the front door and hold your hands over the vents, laughing with delight when the ice-cold air hits your skin.

“I’ll take it that sound means I was successful,” Tommy calls from the front porch

You stop in the kitchen and pour him a glass of the sickly sweet lemonade you had mixed up last night before rejoining him outside.

“You’re a lifesaver.” You grin

Tommy mockingly bows and the lemonade shifts, dribbling down his fingers to the porch. He straightens and takes a long sip of the beverage,

“Almost better than a beer.”

Now you know he’s bullshitting you, you give him a playful shove and he smiles down at you, his dark curls glistening as he moves. Your face heats up, and a fuzzy feeling worms its way across your chest as he speaks again,

“Let me know if ya ever need anythin’ else, I’ll be over here more often.”

Next Part

Series Masterlist

Twas' the night before TLOU season 2...Joel, stay away from the golf course, please!

Brand new story, hope you all enjoy. :)

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