#and i prefer autumn or winter. maybe autumn more

[sl-ut]

you should probably leave

pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x fem!reader

description: joel is enamoured by his new neighbour, but old patterns will always be his downfall.

warnings: UNEDITED, slight age gap, slight smut, implied unprotected piv, protected piv, swearing, alcohol consumption, insecurity, angst, reader is given a birthday (she's a sag like me)

words: 10.8K (my longest fic to date)

date posted: 14/03/23

part two

(inspired by you should probably leave by chris stapleton)

OCTOBER 12, 1998

The weather was something that she was unsure if she could ever get used to. For her entire life, she had spent the entirety of the late autumn months dreading the first snowfall of the season before lugging out her extensive collection of knitted sweaters and fur-lined boots. Instead, her little archive of winter clothing was left in a cardboard box in her childhood bedroom, along with the majority of her other belongings that she had not brought with her on her grand adventure–if you could even call it that. 

The University of Texas at Austin had not been her first choice of school, or her second, or third; she actually had never even imagined going to school any further than a few hours from her hometown in Pennsylvania, and yet there she was, standing in front of her brand-new home, sweltering under the harsh Texan sun as she struggled to unload her packed car all on her own. Well, to call it her home would be a pretty tight stretch, as well as to label it as “brand-new.” 

The small bungalow-style house had caught her eye on a flyer in the grocery store, a listing for one female roommate in a cul-de-sac not too far from the city. It wasn’t exactly her dream home by any means, with an ugly yellow exterior and a kitchen that could certainly use an updating, but it she had recently been forced out of her own apartment due to her previous roommate preferring her boyfriend to live their with her instead and it was the nicest of the few places within her price range that would also accommodate the mutt she’d rescued during her first year. All things considered, it was quite literally perfect for her situation–plus her new roommate seemed to have been at least more considerate of her boundaries than the last, which gave her some hope that things might actually work out. 

Y/n grunted at the weight of the box, cursing herself internally for enrolling in school and owning so many textbooks as she lugged it up the front steps, dropping it just inside the door. She couldn’t help but grimace as she glanced up, meeting the watchful gaze of Manny, his furry little head tilting curiously–likely wondering why she was making so much ruckus and interrupting his nap. 

“Lazy ass,” she muttered under her breath at him, kicking the box to the side before trudging back out the door.

The next few boxes were filled with clothes and shoes, fortunately for her spine. She hauled several out, dropping each of them to the pavement of the driveway carelessly as she wiped at her sweaty forehead, apparently too enthralled in the work to notice the beat up truck as it turned into the neighbouring driveway.

“Hey there,” she turned to find a young man, his hair combed back to expose his effortlessly charming face to her, “You need a hand?”

She glanced down at the boxes at her feet, “I wouldn’t wanna bother you.”

A young girl appeared at his side, wide eyes peering over at the older female curiously. The man shrugged, puffing out his broad chest as he moved. Y/n almost laughed at how obvious he was being, only seconds after meeting her. The man gave off the impression that he had always thought fairly highly of himself, probably the quarterback of the high school football team, maybe even involved in the armed forces–the navy, she was betting. He crossed the barrier between the two driveways in two long strides, extending his hand out to her as he came closer. 

“I’m Tommy,” he flashed her a grin, his accent coming out thicker than it probably would have normally. He glanced over his shoulder, motioning for the young girl to follow him into the neighbouring yard, “This is my niece Sarah.”

Y/n smiled politely, shaking his hand lightly, “Hi, I’m Y/n. I guess it’s nice to meet some of my new neighbours.”

“Well, Sarah, here, is your neighbour. Me, I live–”

“What happened to Stephanie?” Sarah interrupted, “I didn’t know she was moving.”

Y/n turned her attention to the young girl, “She isn’t, we’re just living together now.”

Sarah’s mouth formed an ‘o’, the gears visibly turning in her head as she formulated her next question, “Are you guys dating?”

“Sarah!” Tommy choked on his spit, “I’m sorry–”

“It’s okay,” Y/n chuckled at his response before turning back to the young girl, “No, we’re not. I guess she just didn’t wanna be living here all on her own anymore.”

Tommy’s shoulders relaxed, the mortified expression leaving his features in favour of one that she might have even considered relief. He shook his head at his niece, giving her a hard stare, “I’m sorry about her. I figured that she would have some better manners by now–my mistake.”

Sarah swatted at him, a pout appearing on her lips as her brows furrowed. The girl didn’t quite understand how the question may have been taken with offence by some, and was quite miffed by her uncle’s insult. 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Y/n affirmed, “I think it’s actually a good thing that she knows about that kinda stuff.”

Tommy glanced down at the boxes, clear discomfort appearing on his features, “Alrighty then, how about these boxes?”

Y/n gave in, offering Tommy one of the heavier of the three boxes, while shifting the smallest and lightest to the young girl, who had been adamant in helping out. She instructed them to just drop the boxes to the floor by the door, not looking to take up much more of their time. 

A loud gasp escaped Sarah, her wide eyes falling on the mutt, who had appeared to have been equally as excited to see her as he rushed over, tongue lolling out of his mouth and tail flapping wildly. Sarah squealed when he barrelled into her, a fit of giggles leaving her mouth as he brought her to the ground and began to cover her face in slobbery kisses.

“Manny!” Y/n groaned, grasping the dog’s collar and pulling away enough for Sarah to sit up off of the floor, “Sorry, he’s just convinced that everyone wants to be his friend.”

“I’ll be his friend!” Sarah beamed, reaching out and squishing the dog’s face in between her palms, “I mean… Can I?”

Y/n shrugged, “As long as it’s okay with your…” She glanced at Tommy for help, unsure about Sarah’s parentage situation. He’d already made it clear that he did not live next door, but had never explicitly stated who did.

“You’ll have to ask your dad, Sarah,” He chastised her, “Anyway, we should get out of your hair now, let you settle in.”

Y/n nodded, “Yeah, thank you for the help, though.”

“No problem, ma’am,” He winked, southern charm on full display as he stepped out onto the front step, “Anytime for a pretty girl like you. C’mon, Sar.”

Sarah begrudgingly offered the needy pup one more affectionate squeeze before following after her uncle, leaping off of the step and bounding across to her own front yard. Tommy paused, hand resting on the railing of the step and giving it a firm shake. His lips pursed into a line as he let out a small huh as the bannister shifted out of its place, then back in under the pressure. 

“Yeah, Steph said there were all kinds of little things wrong with the place,” Y/n noted, “But hey, if it’s got four walls and a roof, it’s good enough for me.”

He chuckled at her, shaking his head, “You know, my brother and I are contractors, we could come over and help you fix things up if you guys wanted.”

She hummed, “I’ll mention it to Steph. Wouldn’t wanna just start making changes to her house while she’s not here, would I?”

Tommy hummed, “‘Spose that’s true. Anyway, I should go see where she ran off to, but I sure hope I’ll be seeing you around.” He shot her a cheeky wink before jogging back over to the neighbouring yard, leaving her and Manny among the mess of boxes in the entryway. 

Y/n huffed, glancing around at the mess, then at the furry little beast at her feet, who waited patiently for her to begin offering him her love and attention. She rested her hands on her hips, shaking her head softly, “Well, let’s just get this done, boy.”

– – –

Joel grunted as he clambered in through the side door of his home, sighing in relief as he slipped out of his heavy work boots and dropped the armload of groceries onto the kitchen counter. He could hear the TV on in the living room, drowned out by Sarah’s yell of a greeting. He rushed to put away the groceries, sticking the brown paper bags in the recycling before stepping into the dimly lit sitting area. 

Tommy was reclined on the couch, slumped into the worn leather like a pile of mashed potatoes as he balanced his can of Budweiser on his bent knee. He nodded to his brother briefly as he lifted the beer to his lips, hardly taking his eyes off of the football game on the screen as Joel plopped down next to him. The older brother leaned forward, pressing a small kiss to Sarah’s head so as to not disturb her as she worked on her homework on the coffee table in front of the couch before finally copying his brother’s position.

“The hell took you so long? You left the site the same time I did, and I had to go pick this shithead up from school,” he playfully kicked at Sarah’s leg, “plus I helped your new neighbour move in.”

“Supermarket was a zoo,” Joel moaned as he ran his palm flat over his face, then furrowed his brow, “What new neighbour?”

Tommy nodded his head back in the direction of the mustard yellow house, “Chick next door got a new roommate.”

“Uncle Tommy was flirting with her,” Sarah chimed in, not taking her eyes off of the math textbook in front of her.

Joel rolled his eyes, “Now tell me why I’m not surprised.”

Tommy shook his head, taking another large gulp of beer, “I know what you’re thinking, but this girl’s different. She’s not from ‘round here. Not sure where, but she’s got an accent. Canada, maybe.”

“You know what a Canadian accent sounds like?” Joel scoffed, knowing that his brother was prone to drawing his own conclusions. 

“Well, no,” Tommy frowned, “But I imagine it might sound like that. Doesn’t matter, I think I’m gonna ask her out.”

Joel grunted in response, turning his eyes to the game on the screen.

“She wasn’t flirting back,” Sarah grinned up at the two men, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her father’s growing smirk and giggling as his own laughter came tumbling out. Tommy kicked her again, only this time with a little more force, “What? You invited yourself over there and were all,” She puffed her chest out and deepened her voice, “Anything for a pretty girl like you.”

Joel rested a palm on his belly as he shook with laughter, his other hand landing on the top of his daughter’s head affectionately as Tommy crossed his arms, sulking. 

“I think she was flirting back,” he argued.

“She wasn’t,” Sarah reaffirmed.

Tommy leaned forward, “Now how the hell would you know anything about flirting, huh? You been doin’ a lot of it at school?”

Her face burned in embarrassment, sputtering for a response, “No, that’s gross!”

Joel frowned at her, shaking his head in feign sternness, “You better not be. Otherwise I might need to break out grandpa’s old hunting rifle.”

She didn’t utter another word, simply gathering her things in her arms and rushing off to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her as the laughter of her father and uncle followed her every step.

OCTOBER 17, 1998

Just under a week had passed since he’d first caught wind of his new neighbour, and Joel had yet to even see this woman. He’d noticed the new car in the driveway, and he’d picked up on the presence of the dog fairly quickly, especially after he’d caught Sarah tossing some of the vegetables from her dinner over the fence for him. Joel hadn’t paid it much mind, he was far too busy to be concerned with some young girl who didn’t seem to be causing much issues. 

He’d had words with Stephanie several times in the past; once for blatantly smoking pot on 

her front step when they were heading out for the day, then for leaving her garbage bin too close to his driveway, causing him to back into it and scratch the paint on his truck, and then once more when she’d had a little get together that ended up lasting until 4am, when the police arrived. He would normally have called himself a narc for having the party shut down, but it was keeping Sarah awake and the door had been shut in his face when he went over to ask politely. 

The day had been long, and normally he would have refused Tommy’s invitation to head over to one of the local dive bars, but after dealing with the shit-show that had gone on at the job site that day, he really needed a drink. Sarah was out of the house, anyway, having slept over at a friend’s house, so there was quite literally nothing keeping him away.

“Brother’s night, my ass,” Joel grumbled into his glass, glancing over to the corner booth, where his brother had joined a pretty brunette, leaving Joel to himself at the barside. He waved at the bartender, motioning for another top-up of his whiskey. 

A figure appeared at his side, leaning onto the bartop to call out to the bartender. Joel glanced over, his eyes raking over her radiant side profile in awe. He shot his gaze back to the glass of amber liquid in front of him, then briefly over to the girl once more. His eyes narrowed in on her pursed lips, noting how her brows furrowed in frustration as the bartender migrated to the other side of the bar. She turned to him suddenly, and Joel whipped his head back around to ensure that he wouldn’t appear to be some creep–though he was positive he certainly had been.

“Is it always like this here?” She asked him, tilting her head. “I swear, I’ve gone to three different spots along this bar, and buddy keeps looking in the other direction.”

He cleared his throat, “You not from around here?”

She smiled sheepishly, “Is it that obvious?”

Joel chuckled, “Just a little. You gotta get his attention, be firm. Here,” he tucked his index finger and thumb into his mouth and let out a loud whistle, nodding at the bartender as he rushed over. 

“Two vodka crans, please,” The girl smiled prettily at the bartender, then scoffed as he turned to begin pouring the drinks, “Shit, I guess I could stand to learn a thing or two.”

“It comes with time,” He frowned, realising that he may have implied that he was at the bar every other night, “I mean, not that I’m–”

She touched his arm softly, electricity running through her fingertips and into his bicep, “Hey, I’m not here to judge you if you’re not here to judge me, heh?”

He nodded, opening his mouth to speak once more when another figure appeared at her side. His smile dropped, taking in the sight of his next door neighbour, probably one of the last people he wanted to see on his night off.

“What the fuck is taking you so long–oh,” Stephanie narrowed her eyes at the older man, who simply turned and took another long swig of his whiskey, “Hello, Joel.”

“Stephanie,” he drawled, “How you doin’ tonight?”

She smirked at him maliciously, “Fine. Y/n, this is the guy I was telling you about.”

Oh, this is Y/n, he thought to himself, suddenly understanding Tommy’s instant interest in the girl. 

“All good things, I hope,” he sighed into his glass.

She shook her head, “Oh, just that you’re the neighbour from hell, and that you’re a narc.”

Y/n tucked her bottom lip in between her teeth, visibly uncomfortable at the confrontation. His eyes fell to her mouth at the movement, wondering what it might feel like to take that same lip in between his own teeth. 

“You keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night, Steph,” he huffed, praying to any god that would listen that she hadn’t completely turned Y/n against him.

Stephanie sneered at him, grasping one of the drinks from the bartop and stomping off, leaving a thick tension over the remaining two. Joel met Y/n’s gaze once again, noting the visible embarrassment on her face as she began to laugh slowly.

“Sorry about her,” She laughed nervously, “For the record, I know that she’s a little dramatic.”

“‘T’s fine,” Joel grumbled, swallowing the last gulp of whiskey, “You ain’t gotta apologise for her, she can feel however she wants about me.”

Y/n chuckled, a genuine one this time and Joel couldn’t help but carve the melodious sound into his memory, “I’m Y/n, by the way.”

He nodded, accepting the soft handshake that she offered, “So I’ve heard.” He noticed the slight furrow of her brow before he clarified, “I’m Sarah’s dad.”

Realisation crossed her face, “Oh, Sarah! She’s a real sweetheart.”

“Yeah, she is,” he smiled softly at the complement, “She sure likes you, and I’m assuming that it’s your pup that I’ve caught her feeding her broccoli to?”

Y/n giggled at him, “Huh, I’d noticed that he was especially gassy lately. Here I was thinking it was something in the water.”

Joel let out a loud laugh, then realised that he had not actually introduced himself, “Shit. Sorry, I just–” he coughed, “I’m Joel.”

“So I’ve heard.” She repeated to him, clearing her throat before turning to gaze at him through her lashes with a soft smile, “So Joel, is this seat taken?”

– – –

Y/n had not expected to have enjoyed herself quite so much when Stephanie forced her to go to the grubby little saloon, feeling incredibly out of place among all of the southerners. She had been hesitant to leave Manny on his own so soon after moving in, but the last thing that she had wanted to do was get on Stephanie’s bad side so early on. Then, she’d stumbled upon the devastatingly handsome man sitting all on his own at the bar, and her tune changed drastically. 

She sat on that stool for the better part of two hours after Stephanie had fucked off, leaving them to become acquainted with one another. Joel had offered her another drink, which she accepted under the terms that she would buy the next round, and against his better judgement, he found himself doing a shot of tequila with her as well. She smirked to herself when she took note of the flush that had crawled into his cheeks, and how cheerful his dark chocolate eyes looked under the dim lighting of the bar. 

Y/n had noticed Tommy in the corner booth, and how he had been blatantly pressing his southern charm onto the brunette under his arm in the very same way that he had to her, which made her feel much better knowing that he couldn’t possibly be that upset about her doing the exact same to his brother. 

Her hand had come to rest on his knee, leaning across to invade his personal space animatedly as she spoke, her own cheeks flushing each time that he grinned or laughed at her words, and she had lost count of the amount of times that she had rubbed her thighs together or considered smashing her lips to his. 

Tommy appeared at his side, clutching his shoulder in his firm grasp, “Hey Joel, you think you’re ready–oh, hey, Y/n.” His cheeks had turned red, one hand self-consciously rising to rub at his cheek, where the stark red lipstick stain had once acted as a trophy and was now an admission of guilt. Tommy pursed his lips, “Wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.”

She shrugged, “Steph forced me out.”

He nodded awkwardly, unsure of how to save himself in this situation. 

Y/n turned her head, catching sight of her roommate’s drunken attempt to seduce the bouncer before turning her attention back to the older of the two brothers, squeezing his knee once before sliding off of the stool, “Speaking of, I should probably leave, she’s gonna get us banned from here any minute now. It’s been nice, talking to you, Joel. See you, Tommy.”

Both men watched as she disappeared into the crowd, eyes trailing after her figure longingly.

Tommy huffed, “You think I still got a chance?”

Joel’s shoulders shook in a drunken fit of giggles, lifting his own hand to proudly show off the nine digits that had been marked into his skin, “Nope.”

Tommy’s jaw dropped, clear disappointment on his features before it was quickly replaced by pride, “Well fuck, brother. Didn’t think you had it in you.”

OCTOBER 31, 1998

Y/n wiped at the sweat on her brow, breathing picking up in delight as she turned the corner and the blinding yellow house came into sight. The sun had already begun to set by the time that she and Manny had set out on their evening walk, now settling low on the horizon and casting a golden hue to the world below it as Manny tugged on his leash, obviously also desperate to escape the heat. 

A loud honk sounded from behind her, muffled slightly by the music playing over her bulky headphones, drawing her attention to the dark pickup truck as it sped past, Sarah hanging out the back window with a grin on her face as she waved dramatically. Y/n chuckled at the young girl, allowing Manny to lead her into a faster pace as they grew closer to their house.

She slid the headphones down to rest around her neck, pressing pause on her walkman as Sarah rushed towards them. The girl paid very little mind to the woman holding the leash, instead dropping to her knees and reaching out for the excited dog’s face, laughing as he began to lick enthusiastically at her cheek. 

“Hi,” her gaze rose to find Joel as he rounded the bed of the truck, hand resting on the top of the tailgate as he tried his best to look casual, “sorry, this one never shuts up about that dog.”

Y/n smiled at him, warmth flooding through her cheeks. She’d only actually spoken to Joel a handful of times since that night at the bar, mostly simple greetings while Sarah occupied herself with Manny. Joel was too awkward of a person to try anything with Sarah present, and Y/n was too compassionate to question him about why he hadn’t bothered to call yet in front of his daughter. 

Y/n shrugged, “To be fair, he never shuts up about her, either.”

“Oh did he tell you that?” The man asked, brows raised playfully, “I didn’t know you spoke dog.”

“There are many things you don’t know about me yet, Joel,” She smirked at him, “Oh, happy Halloween, by the way.”

“Right,” Joel raised one hand to stroke his hairy chin, “Yeah, you too.”

Sarah glanced up from Manny’s pleading brown eyes, “Dad forgot.

Joel sent a sharp glare to his daughter, then smiled sheepishly at her, “Not too concerned about a holiday that’s got nothing to do with me, anyway–this one decided she’s too cool for trick-or-treating with dad this year.”

“Oh don’t feel too discouraged, I gave my dad the boot when I was even younger.”

“See?” Sarah pressed, glancing back at her father, “You don’t even like Halloween, I don’t get why you’re mad.”

Y/n widened her eyes and clutched her chest dramatically, “What do you mean, you don’t like Halloween? It’s like, one of the best holidays!”

Joel rolled his eyes, “Oh don’t tell me you’re one of those people.”

She pursed her lips, “And just when I was starting to like you, Miller.”

His eyes met hers, curiosity pooling into the dark mocha irises as he considered her words. He almost appeared apologetic; could he feel guilty about not calling her? Y/n did her best to not appear too shaken by his lack of contact–she hadn’t expected anything from him the next day, but after two weeks and still no call? She’d taken that as a sign that he’d been a tad too drunk when he had been so shamelessly flirting with her, and that he had no intentions of ever pursuing anything. 

Y/n was thankful when Sarah interrupted the pair, preventing her from spiralling into a nervous breakdown from her own inner monologue, “What are you dressing up as?”

The woman shook her head with a mischievous smirk on her lips, “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see when you come knocking at my door, huh?”

“No big plans?” Joel tilted his head, “I figured that roommate of yours would have you out on the town.”

She shrugged, “Steph’s out of town. Something about the drinks and the guys being stronger. Looks like it’s just gonna be me and my little guy here,” she gently clapped a hand against Manny’s side, “Well, us and a selection of horror movies.”

Sarah stood up, leaning into her dad’s side with her elbow, “How convenient, my dad will also be home alone tonight.”

Joel dropped his head in embarrassment–just leave it to Sarah to blatantly play the role of her father’s wingwoman. He refused to meet Y/n’s amused gaze, ears burning as Sarah continued.

“And he totally loves horror movies. He watches them all the time.”

“Oh really?” Y/n did her best not to burst out laughing, enjoying the sight of both Joel’s embarrassment and how confidently Sarah was trying to talk up her own father. She crossed her arms over her chest, doing her best to not make it too obvious how much she actually wanted to invite him to join her, but she didn’t want to display too much interest in him if he genuinely had none in her, “Well then maybe he should head to Blockbuster before all of the good ones are rented.” 

She raised her brow at him, signalling to him that it was his turn to make a move, as she would not be making any more. He nodded at her, red flooding his cheeks as he tried to muster up the courage to discuss the clear tension between them. 

Y/n smiled politely at them both, then glanced down at the heavily panting dog at her feet, “Well, I better get this guy out of this heat. See you guys in a bit, then?” She led the dog past them, glancing back over her shoulder, her lips pursed as she watched Sarah poke at her father’s side sharply. 

The young girl smirked at her dad knowingly, remaining silent, though the expression on her face made her thoughts very clear to the man. She scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest, “Christina’s sister is so right; all boys are stupid.”

The man scowled at his daughter, watching in silence as she moved around him without another word, disappearing through the front door without so much as another glance. Joel scoffed, shaking his head at her, and wondering how the hell his nine year old could be so goddamn right about the situation. 

– – –

Joel wiped his hands anxiously across the expanse of his thighs, attempting to rid himself of the nervous sweat that had collected in his palms as he stood on Y/n’s front step, mustering up the courage to finally knock. 

“The fuck am I doing,” He cursed to himself, shaking his head as he ran a hand over his face. 

Y/n was younger than him; not by a lot, but they were still in very different stages of their lives. He wasn’t willing to admit that he genuinely did like her, and considering that she was still a young woman and still in college, he wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for with him. Was it just some quick fuck that she wanted? Joel wouldn’t be opposed–hell, he was ashamed that he’d imagined such a thing more than a few times since meeting her–but he wasn’t sure if he could jump into bed with her and then move on with his life, nor could he expect her to be willing to just pick up the role of step-mother to his little girl. 

Joel had woken up on October 17, hungover as hell and struggling to recall any of his memories from the night before. He’d forced himself out of bed much earlier than he would have liked, needing to pick Sarah up before her soccer game. The man had stumbled his way into the shower, blindly going through the motions of bathing himself as the warm water slowly began to remove the fog from his mind. It was then, as he had reached out for his bottle of body wash that he noticed the smudge of blue ink on his skin, and then jumping in surprise at the memory of the beautiful woman who had given him her phone number–the woman who had him laughing like he hadn’t in so long and blushing harder than he thought possible–the woman who he hoped was now lying peacefully in her bed next door, preferably all on her own. 

The few times that he had seen her since then, he had thought about apologising for not calling and telling her the truth of what had happened, despite his embarrassment. He wanted to ask for it again, but every time, Sarah was there, making a fuss over the little pooch that never seemed to leave Y/n’s side. He wished that he were more confident in himself, more willing to speak to other women even if his daughter was there, but he simply would never be able to look at the young girl again if Y/n were to reject him. 

“Shit,” He swore loudly as he turned to rush off of the step, instead booting one of the carefully carved jack-o-lanterns onto the pavement of the driveway and watching in horror as it shattered on impact. 

“Joel?” He froze at the sound of the door creaking open behind him, smiling bashfully at the young woman as he did his best to not appear too guilty. Her eyes fell from his flushed face to the mess of orange at his feet, a surprised chuckle leaving her lips, “Damn, you really do hate Halloween, huh? Enough to come over here and start destroying my decorations, anyway.”

He sputtered for an answer, “I–it was an accident, I just knocked it off by accident on my way out–”

“Your way out?” She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the doorframe, “So what, you were just loitering on my front step?”

He scoffed at her, “I was actually on my way to apologise, but if you’d rather I just get lost…”

Y/n raised a brow inquisitively, “I’m listening.”

“I just–I’m sorry for not calling,” Joel admitted with a sigh, debating whether or not it would be best to explain exactly why, “For what it’s worth, I would have if I hadn’t washed it off by accident.”

An amused expression crossed her features as she mulled over his explanation, “You…washed it off?”

He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, “I did.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, as if she were trying to decipher whether or not he was being truthful, “Okay.”

His gaze shifted from side to side, uncertain as to what she meant, “Okay?”

“Okay,” She affirmed, “So what time did you wanna come over tonight?”

Joel swallowed the lump in his throat, “Tonight?”

Y/n shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the butterflies that slammed at the lining of her stomach and threatened to erupt, “Tonight. You said it yourself, Sarah’s gonna be gone all night, so would  you rather be home alone or come over? Otherwise, I’ll just be here by myself, scared and in need of a devastatingly handsome cowboy to protect me from Michael Myers.”

Blush spread across his cheeks, his hands coming up to rest on his hips, “I don’t know about ‘devastatingly handsome’, but I think I could handle some asshole in a mask.”

She grinned at him wickedly, “That’s what everyone thinks, but I guess we’ll see tonight, around eight?”

“Eight.” He confirmed, then glanced down at the mess at his feet, “And sorry about your pumpkin.”

“It’s alright,” Y/n smirked, “You’ll just have to work extra hard to make it up to me.”

– – –

Joel anxiously adjusted his shirt, frowning at himself in the window of her front door. Despite dismissing Sarah’s teasing by claiming that this was in fact, not a date, he’d taken her advice in showering the moment that he had gotten into the house. 

He was aware that she was flirting with him, but until he had gotten out of the shower, towel sitting low around his waist as he wiped the steam away from the mirror and took in his shaggy appearance, he had not been at all concerned about what activities the night might lead to. Staring at his own reflection, nervousness quickly began to settle into his bones.

He had made quick work with the clipper, shortening the length of his facial hair after several weeks of negligence and leaving his lower face to be covered by a light stubble. He put a little more effort into his hair than usual, running a thin layer of gel through it while noting to himself that it was probably time for a haircut. He even took things a step further, dabbing a few drops of some woodsy cologne onto his skin; the bottle had gone untouched for two years, having been a Christmas present from his mother.

“Are you wearing cologne?” Sarah asked as she appeared at his side, face painted to resemble a circus clown, “I knew this was a date.”

“It’s not a date,” He argued, doing his best not to jump in fright at her appearance, “Shouldn’t you be out on the town by now, Ronald McDonald?”

“You showered, put on cologne, and you’re bringing candy? It’s a date.” Sarah listed, “And I’m Pennywise, by the way. Christina’s sister is coming to pick me up soon. She says that guys always dress up when she goes out with them because they want her–”

Joel grunted, glaring at his daughter, “I want you to stop hanging around Christina’s sister.”

Sarah ignored his comment, “Is that what you’re wearing?”

Joel glanced down at his outfit–a clean pair of jeans and an old t-shirt that he’d probably gotten out of a beer box or something, “What’s wrong with this?”

“What’s right with it?” 

Joel considered his parenting style for a moment, wondering if he would be free of this headache if he had spanked his daughter once or twice in her life. Sometimes he forgot that the girl was only nine years old with how intelligent she was and how much more mature she seemed in comparison to other kids her age. 

“It’s not a date, Sarah.”

She rolled her eyes, “It could be. Come on.”

Sarah rushed past him, leading him into his own bedroom as she began to dig through his closet. She frowned with almost every piece that she picked out, tossing them behind her recklessly and ignoring her father’s scolding for the mess that she had quickly created. 

“Hah!” The girl pulled out an egg-plant button down and shoved it into his grasp, “I knew you had to have something that wasn’t that ugly.”

He grunted at her, but didn’t reply out of respect for her brutal honesty as he quickly shed himself of the worn t-shirt he’d previously been wearing in favour of the one that Sarah had chosen. Now, as he stood at her front door and internally decided for himself that this was a date, he couldn’t help but thank God for his daughter’s awareness.

Finally, after tugging at the hem of his shirt, he raised a fist and knocked heavily on the door. Joel choked on his own saliva when she appeared in the window, smiling sweetly at him when she pulled the door open. She had already changed into a pair of black yoga pants and a sky blue shirt that exposed just a tasteful amount of her midriff. 

“Hi, again,” she breathed, a smile forming on her face, “You look nice, purple is definitely your colour.”

Joel burned, “I–thank you. Sarah picked it out.”

Y/n turned to the girl, who had already ushered the dog up onto the sofa with her, “Well she has a clear eye for style.”

“She definitely thinks so, that girl damn near harrasses me about my clothes everyday.” Y/n laughed out loud, Joel’s ears tingling at the melodious sound, “You look great, too.”

Y/n beamed down at her outfit, shrugging to herself, “Thanks, I thought about keeping my costume on but I wasn’t entirely sure how much you would be into Strawberry Shortcake.”

Joel chuckled at her, glancing down at the object in his hand, “I brought beer, by the way. Wasn’t sure if I should bring anything, or if you even like–”

Y/n reached out, snatching the six pack from his grasp, “Ever the gentleman, cowboy. So, you coming in?”

– – –

The house was filled with laughter, both having nearly finished their first beer as they shared stories freely. Halloween played quietly in the background, though neither of them paid too much attention. Y/n did her best not to physically melt when she felt Joel’s arm drape across the back of the sofa behind her, resisting the urge to tease him for attempting to cover it up by faking a dramatic yawn. 

She brushed her fingers along the top of his thigh, smirking to herself as she watched his leg slowly shift closer to her, though he didn’t address the affectionate touch. He spoke to her softly, and made an effort to hold eye contact with her as he did to–she was starting to feel some guilt about the conclusion that he’d drawn about him after he’d failed to call her. Her own gaze continuously fell to his lips as he spoke, and she was sure that he had noticed by the way that his lips began to curl confidently. Her heart hammered in her chest, wondering how much longer she would need to wait before he finally made a move.

Joel, however, was wondering exactly how he possibly could make a move. While feeling confident around her, there was no way to escape the fact that he hadn’t been on a date in at least a year, and he could count the amount of women he’d slept with since Sarah’s mother on one hand. At various points throughout the night, he had considered leaning in to kiss her, but had successfully siked himself out each time. The first time, he’d been interrupted by the pooch who had been jealous of his owner’s attention being focused elsewhere, though he could only blame every other time on his own insecurity.

“Do you want another beer?” Y/n asked as he swallowed the last gulp out of his can, “Or I have wine and pop?”

“Pop,” he scoffed, chest rumbling with quiet laughter.

She raised her hand and slapped his pec as she stood up from the couch, “Fine, you don’t get anything.”

He laughed, watching as she disappeared into the kitchen and shamelessly admiring the shape of her backside in the darkness of the dimly lit living room. He sat there for a few moments, staring at the movie in discontent, sighing as he ran his hand over his face and murmured a nearly silent fuck it, and following after her. 

“Is it too late to apologise and get that beer?” 

She glanced over her shoulder at him, smirking as she shrugged coyly as she turned and leaned her back against the front of the refrigerator and holding the perspiring can out in front of her, “You’ll have to come get it yourself.”

Joel crossed the small room in two long strides, stopping as the can met his chest, though he paid it little mind as she stepped away from the fridge, pressing a fleeting kiss to his lips. He froze for a second, stomach clenching at the soft touch. 

“Sorry,” Y/n whispered, though her tone betrayed how unapologetic she truly was, “Was that okay?”

He didn’t respond, quickly taking the beer out of her grasp and tossing it onto the counter as he cupped her face, capturing her lips with his and pressing her back against the fridge once more. She smiled against his lips, fingers bunching in the material of his plum coloured shirt and tugging him even closer. 

His lips were chapped against her own, the telltale sign of a busy man who hadn’t been too concerned with his physical appearance up until now, though she could not picture another kiss that she had received in the last several years that would even compare to Joel’s. 

One of his hands fell, fingers splaying around her waist as he pressed even closer, parting his lips as he felt the tip of her tongue prod at the seam and allowing her to seek out his own. He moaned at her taste, fingers wandering to her hip and hesitating, almost as if he had been asking for her permission to move even lower. She grasped his hand, guiding it around to cup her bottom.

Pulling away for air, she giggled softly and fluttered her eyelids open to find him already staring at her with blown pupils. One of her hands slid up his chest, tugging at the collar of his shirt before her fingers trailed over his patchy beard affectionately, “I don’t know if this is too soon, but do you wanna move to my bedroom?”

Joel chuckled at her, squeezing her cheek through her yoga pants, “Lead the way.”

– – –

Joel worried that he might have gone into cardiac arrest as he struggled to catch his breath, back slouched against the headboard as Y/n slumped flush against his chest. The cotton sheets pooled around her hips as she continued to move softly, working them both through the aftershocks of their climaxes. The man sighed in appreciation as her lips continued to slide against his jawline and leave gentle kisses in their wake, her fingers still lost in his dark curls.

Joel’s own hands squeezed her hips as she finally slowed to a stop, helping her slide off of him and smirking to himself at the whine she let out at the loss of contact. She shifted, moving out of his lap and curling into the cool sheets on the bed next to him.

“How was that?” He panted, “Have I done enough to make up for lost time?”

She grinned at him, her own chest rising and falling with her slowing breaths, “I think I recall doing most of the work, actually.”

“Bein’ on top doesn’t mean you were doing any work, sweetheart, I think we both know that.” His eyes fell on the digital alarm clock on her bedside table, grunting to himself as he took note of the late hour, “Shit–how the hell is it ten-thirty already?”

She glanced over to the clock briefly, then back at him, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Staring down at her nude form, guilt began to eat away at him as he began to slide off of the mattress and begin gathering his clothes that had been scattered around the room. 

“Are you leaving?” His back was turned to her as he pulled on his jeans, though he could only imagine the look on her face from the emotion that dripped from her voice; she was disappointed, facing the reality that she would be abandoned after doing something so intimate. 

“I mean…” Joel coughed, “Yeah, I should probably leave. Gotta work early tomorrow, and Sarah’s got soccer practice, and–”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” She sat up, hugging her knees to her chest in an attempt to regain her modesty, “I get it.”

Joel couldn’t help but wonder how many times she’d done this. She seemed disheartened, but not entirely surprised at his decision to head out, as if she was expecting this time to be different from the others–as if she was expecting Joel to be any different from the other shitty guys she’d met since moving to Austin.

“Darlin’,” Joel cooed, coming to sit at the edge of the mattress and cupping her face in his large palms, “It’s not like that. I want nothing more than to stay the night, but I know that I won’t sleep a wink tonight if I do.” His thumb stroked her bottom lip as her mouth slanted into a small, saddened smile. He leaned in, pressing three kisses to her lips, each one longer than the last before pulling back, “Can I get your number? I promise I won’t ask for a third time.”

Y/n smiled at him, kissing him once more before snatching a pen off of the bedside table and scribbling on his hand, “You won’t get it if you ask for a third time, Miller.”

MARCH 12, 1999

Y/n sighed blissfully, gnawing at her lip to prevent any moans of pleasure as Joel worked himself into her over and over, his hips meeting hers with slow, meaningful movements as he did his best to keep both of them quiet. Joel wasn’t normally one for booty calls, though he had hardly seen her in the past few days and couldn’t resist when his mind had wandered while in the shower–and for the first time in what felt like decades, he could rely on the help of soft, feminine touches rather than his own fast and rough tugs. 

Her thighs shook, teeth biting into the pillow beneath her face as she pressed her hips back against him and arched her spine in pleasure. She met his thrusts enthusiastically, fingers winding into the sheets tightly. 

“Shit,” She gasped, “Joel, I’m gonna–”

“I know,” He rasped, “Shhh baby. Let go, I’ve got you.”

She didn’t hold back, allowing the white hot pleasure to run through her veins, muffling her cries in the plushness of the pillow. Her walls clenched around him, gripping him for everything that she could manage as he fucked her through it, head rolled back in pleasure as his own orgasm teetered over the edge. His fingers tightened around her hips, hauling her back against him a few more times before his seed painted the inside of the condom. 

His hands slid up from her hips, one pressing on her back to force her to lay flat against the mattress while the other cupped the soft flesh of her belly to roll her over. Joel took in her figure, eyes scanning her face for any signs of discomfort before dropping to her breasts; the man was absolutely entranced by the shape of her breasts, eagerly pawing at them during makeout sessions and suckling at them with the utmost love and desire as he fucked her. She smiled at him tiredly, hooded eyes admiring his own figure as he slipped out of her, sliding off of the bed and disappearing into the ensuite. 

When he returned, he wore a pair of black boxers and carried a maroon washcloth in his hand, carefully parting her legs and sliding the cloth through her folds, puffy and sore from his touch. He whispered an entirely disingenuous apology as he pressed lightly against her abused clit, chuckling to himself as she jumped. Tossing the cloth aside, he settled into the mattress next to her, sliding an arm around her waist and tugging her into his side, sighing in relief at the physical contact. 

The rising sun had slowly begun to peek through the blinds, filling the room with a soft glow in the aftermath of the third round. Y/n glanced at the clock on the far wall, sighing to herself as reality settled into her bones. She hadn’t intended on staying so long, especially after how eagerly the both of them had initiated the first round, having allowed herself to remain at his side until she felt his member begin to grow against her thigh once more. Now, after taking him inside of her three times over the past six hours, she knew that she would eventually need to get up and leave–a habit that they both had and hated when they were finished. 

She pressed careful kisses into his flesh, lips moulding to the sweaty skin of his shoulder and neck affectionately while her palm rubbed circles into his firm chest. Joel nuzzled his head into her hair, his own lips pressing to the crown of her head as he, too, appreciated the afterglow. 

Y/n’s body and heart screamed at her as she finally pulled herself away from him, hopping out of the bed and collecting her clothing from the floor. Joel watched her with sunken eyes, his attempt to remain stoic as he easily recognised what she was doing proving fruitless.

“You don’t–you don’t gotta go just yet,” he called to her, desperation lacing his voice, “Don’t gotta be at the site till eleven tomorrow–”

“Today,” she corrected, “And that’s in seven hours. Besides, I don’t wanna fall asleep and risk having to run into Sarah. I should probably leave.” 

He nodded slowly, continuing to watch her as she dressed and fixed her appearance, preparing herself mentally and physically for her four A.M. walk of shame. Joel wanted to call her back to bed again, to convince her to stay with him and promise breakfast in the morning, but instead watched helplessly as she disappeared into the dark hallway, and closed his eyes disappointedly at the sound of the front door closing behind her.

JUNE 2, 1999

Golden rays of sun peeked through the blinds, trailing up the length of the bed with each passing moment before finally gracing over the soft skin of the woman next to him. Joel laid in his bed as still as possible, one arm around her shoulders to keep her flush against his chest, savouring the intimate, domestic moment before it would eventually come to an end–it always did.

The alarm clock flashed the time tauntingly at him, as if mocking him for wanting to keep her there for much longer than he knew he could. This was undoubtedly the latest she had stayed in his bed; it was nearing six A.M. and she had yet to stir from her deep slumber. 

His eyes trailed the length of her bare back, his fingers pressing gently at the indent of her spine as he pushed her body impossibly closer to her and bathing himself in the feeling of her nude body against his own. Joel resisted the urge to shake the growing ache out of his leg as pins and needles crawled up the length of his limb, too afraid to move and wake her–he knew what would come once her eyes had opened, as she had done it countless times now. 

It was the twitch of her fingers against the soft flesh of his belly that alerted him to her growing consciousness, nails following the pattern of hair that covered his abdomen softly, drawing a quiet moan of delight from the man beneath her. He felt the curve of her lips against his shoulder, turning his head to meet her eyes as they fluttered open.

“Morning, cowboy,” Her throat was dry and her voice was scratchy, but her words still held the power of causing an eruption of butterflies in his gut. 

“Morning,” He leaned closer, the tips of his nose brushing her own before she swatted him away, covering her mouth self-consciously and mumbling something about morning breath. Joel chuckled at her, moving her hand away and planting a soft, closed-mouth kiss against her lips. 

Her smile grew, hazy vision flickering around the sun-lit bedroom as realisation dawned on her, “What time is it?”

Joel’s own smile faltered as he cleared his throat, glancing over at the alarm clock again, “Five-to-six.”

“Shit,” She groaned, a hand settling on her forehead, “I should probably leave. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” 

Joel shook his head at her, “You ain’t got nothing to apologise for. I like having you here.”

She pecked his lips again, fondness creeping through her at the man’s admission, “I like being here. But I should go before Sarah wakes up.”

Joel caught her arm as she moved to crawl out of the bed, “Stay.”

“What?”

“Sarah knows you’ve been coming around and leaving early in the morning.” He told her, thumb smoothing circles against her wrist, “She says she’s happy for me, but she said that she won’t approve until you start bringing that damn dog of yours over here when you come.”

Y/n chuckled, her eyes growing a thin red rim along her waterline, “What are you saying?”

“I’m asking you to stay. Every damn night you spend here, you go rushing out like this is just a quick fuck, but I think we both know that it’s a lot more than that. Just come back to bed, please.”

Y/n shook her head at him, glancing over at the rising sun through the blinds in contemplation before she finally shrugged, crawling back into the bed and settling against his naked form with a sigh, her hand resting on his chest as she massaged small circles into his sweaty flesh. Both of them relaxed into one another, enjoying the silence of the early morning and dreading the unavoidable fate of the alarm going off in the coming hour.

NOVEMBER 27, 1999

Y/n tapped her nails against the hardwood of the tabletop rhythmically, doing her best not to make her dissociation too clear as her friends and family chattered back and forth. Her mother was busy on her left hand side, sharing dozens of her favourite childhood photographs to Y/n’s friends with a fondness that only a mother could have, while the seat to her left was empty. The watch that she’d received as a gift from her parents sat on her wrist, the time ticking away as grief settled in her stomach, the realisation that he simply wasn’t coming eating away at her pride.

Her birthday was not something that she generally liked to celebrate, but knowing that her parents, siblings, and a few members of her extended family had orchestrated a trip to visit and celebrate with her had her counting down the days, especially after she had convinced her unofficial boyfriend to join them for dinner at one of the nicest wallet-friendly restaurants in Austin. Now, as she sat silently and watched as her friends laughed and cooed over possibly the most embarrassing photos of her while picking at their slices of birthday cake, her mind only wandered to where exactly he was, and how much more fun she would be having if she were warding him off of any of those photographs–especially all of the ones from her junior high years. 

She hadn’t had the chance to speak to him at all that day, having woken up after he had already left for work and dropped Sarah off at school. At the time, Y/n had smiled to herself, thanking him mentally for allowing her to sleep in on her birthday, though she was beginning to wonder if she should have taken the lack of birthday wishes as a sign. 

She actively avoided Stephanie’s gaze, wanting to escape the oncoming I told you so, and made as little eye contact as possible with her mother, who watched her sympathetically, and her father, who silently raged over the presence of the empty chair. Y/n now felt embarrassed over how much she’d actually gushed over the man to her family before dinner, wondering if maybe she was more invested in him than he was in her. After all, he had yet to officially ask her to be his girlfriend, despite the fact that she and Manny had taken up residence in his home at least four nights a week and that she had been included in more recent movie nights with him and Sarah. 

Maybe she was reading into it too much–something must have happened. Something happened to Sarah, or maybe Tommy had been locked up again. There was no way that Joel had forgotten her birthday, there was simply no way.

– – –

Joel’s feet ached, crying out in pain with every step and sighing in relief as he finally kicked off his heavy boots. The crew that he’d brought on for his most recent and highest paying job to date had given him hell that day, leaving him aching for nothing more than a hot shower and a peaceful night at home with his best girls. He hated having to tack on extra hours to his day, but not arriving home until after ten was something that he would have to deal with in order to finish the job, and he was hoping to save up to take Y/n and Sarah on a little getaway for a weekend in the near future. 

The kitchen was dim when he stepped in, and he was somewhat surprised when he discovered no plate of food left for him in the microwave, nor was there a pan of leftovers in the fridge. Instead, there was a single empty carton of a microwavable dinner on the counter along with an empty can of Pepsi. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, he shrugged it off, though he had grown accustomed to Y/n bringing dinner over and making sure that it was ready for him on days that he worked late. 

Soft footsteps rushed down the stairs, Sarah rounding the corner with a wide grin on her face as she held a small piece of paper in her hands. 

“Hey babygirl,” Joel kissed her head softly as he moved into the living room, even more confused when he did not find Y/n curled up on the couch with a stack of her textbooks, as she so often did while waiting for him to return. 

“Hi dad,” Sarah’s smile dropped, glancing back into the entryway in confusion, “Where’s Y/n? I made this card at school today but I figured I’d wait until after you guys came back to give it to her.”

The blood in Joel’s veins ran cold, his heart skipping a beat at the sudden realisation of why his house appeared to be so void of his girlfriend, “Fuck.”

“Dad?” Sarah’s wide eyes narrowed, all too used to her father’s undiagnosed case of short-term memory loss, though he had never ever forgotten something like this before.

“Shit,” He swore again, snatching his keys off of the counter and rushing to jam his feet back into his uncomfortable boots, “Sarah, go to bed. I’ll be back later tonight.”

The girl watched helplessly as her father raced out the door, tears welling in her eyes as she stared down at the happy picture she had pasted into the card and frowning as she feared the worst.

– – –

Joel arrived at the restaurant just before eleven. He knew it was a long shot, as the reservation was for seven-thirty, which he had purposefully written down and stuck to the fridge so that he would not forget. The few remaining staff inside shook their heads in pity at the man, quickly coming to understand his situation as he rushed inside, asking about the reservation with a bouquet of flowers in his grasp. 

His shoulders slumped as he parked in his driveway, trudging across the lawn into the neighbouring yard and knocking firmly on the door. He waited a few moments, cursing quietly as he got no response and knocking again. 

His frown deepened when the door swung open, a fuming Stephanie standing in his way. Her face burned scarlet, fists clenched at her side as she took in Joel’s pitiful appearance. She took a step forward, joining Joel on the front step and closing the door behind her. 

“The fuck do you want?” 

“Where’s Y/n?” He asked, ignoring her bluntness.

“She doesn’t wanna talk to you,” the girl sneered at him. “It’s one thing to stand someone up, even to forget their birthday, but to embarrass her like that in front of her family?” She scoffed, “you know, I warned her about you, but I took no pleasure in being right. You should have seen her tonight, barely spoke at all.”

The metaphorical knife in Joel’s gut twisted at her words, the fist clenching the bouquet tightening even further around the stems. He could picture her; all dolled up, chatting with her family as she eagerly awaited his arrival, her pretty smile dampening as time passed and eventual tears in her eyes as she realised the truth–he had forgotten about her. 

“Just let me talk to her,” he begged, “Please.”

Stephanie shook her head, “I think it’s best if you never show your face on my property again, Miller.”

“Joel?” Both of their eyes turned at the sound of Y/n’s voice, finding her peeking around the door curiously. “Steph, can you give us a minute?”

The woman sent Joel one final glare, patting her roommate on the shoulder before slipping back into the house. 

If the knowledge of what he’d done hadn’t been enough, Y/n’s appearance was the final blow to his gut. Her eyes were bloodshot, cheeks swollen and marked with visible remnants of tears. She wrung her fingers together anxiously, keeping her gaze lowered in shame as she closed the door behind her and turned to face him.

“Baby–” 

“Don’t.” Y/n interrupted, “Just explain.”

He sniffled, “I can’t explain it, or excuse it. We got held up at work, and I really need this job to be done and over with already. I’m so sorry, baby.”

She shook her head, lifting her sleeve to wipe at the underside of her nose, “You didn’t even say goodbye before you left this morning. Did you even remember at all?”

Joel bit his lip, “I’m sorry. Let me–”

“Joel,” Her voice cracked, “I love you.” His heart soared as she spoke those words for the first time, then shattered as she continued, “I understand that I’m not your first priority–that’ll always be Sarah and I can’t blame you for that. But, fuck, you suggested the restaurant, Joel. You spoke to my mom over the phone and promised her the best steak in town, and she sure seemed to like it, but you weren’t even there. I won’t ever be your first priority, but I can’t be your last, either.”

“Y/n–”

“I think my cousins liked it, you know.” She continued, wiping at her cheeks, “They’re the type to pray for your downfall, and I’m sure they were loving every second of the dinner once everyone realised that you weren’t coming. Hell, all I did all night was talk about how amazing you were, and then–” Y/n cut herself off with a quiet sob.  “You should probably leave.” 

“Don’t do this,” Joel cupped her face, dropping the flowers to the deck recklessly as he wiped the tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs, “Tell me what to do. Hit me, yell at me, do something, but don’t ask me to walk away.”

She looked into his eyes, and for a moment, Joel felt hopeful that she might actually listen to him, though all hope was quickly diminished as he removed herself from his grasp, reaffirming her statement as she stepped back into the house.

“You should probably leave.”

[yandere-sins]

So, uh, this is actually the Sintember story I did... last year :’D It’s a year and four days old, but I had it rotting for so long. Not gonna tag it because the poor mod on Sintember doesn’t need to see something so long off, but I hope you guys enjoy it nevertheless!

Fandom: Original Content   Pairings: Yandere x GN!Reader Warnings: Yandere, Violence (Implied Abuse, Implied Murder), Stalking, Obsessiveness, Posessiveness

Prompt: @/sintember Not again - You thought it was done, it was over. You survived, you moved on. And yet the horror continues. [Part 1]

»»———————— ♡ ————————««  

It took the last of your strength to push the door back into its lock, your whole body leaning into the wood to fight off the raging winds outside.

Heaving a deep breath, you leaned against your only defense against the blizzard, chuckling and shaking your head at your own thoughts. Turning around, you faced the firepit in the middle of your cabin, red and orange flames crackling and dancing, the heat licking at your exposed cheeks, the only skin visible beneath the wool and fur keeping you warm outside.

It felt welcoming and inviting, and you sighed. Putting down the firewood you gathered from outside, you hoped it would dry before the flames died. It was a pain to rekindle a lost fire, but you'd manage. You had always managed; neither a blizzard nor an unlit fireplace would bring you down after everything you've been through. In fact, you much preferred it to the challenges of the past. You'd take the raging blizzard and being snowed in all the time over what you experienced at the hands of the madman you had fallen victim to.

Your memories had kept you awake for most of your life, but they saved you more often than you had thought them capable of. They had always kept you alert and careful, gentle but wary. It was sad that none of them could bring a smile to your face, and you envied innocent children and happy villagers alike for their countless, precious memories. But you had none. If they existed, they were horrifying reminders to be cautious. Maybe that was just how your life would always be.

Peeling off the layers of clothing, you sighed at the relief of warmth driving into your shakey bones and icy skin. It had been worth it, in the end, going through all the pain, the misery. Even though the snow reminded you of the cold winter nights spent in prison with your enemy, huddled together out of necessity, you were thankful for the blizzard as it kept you hidden. The feeling of his hands on your body would probably never wash off, but at least now you were alone. Alone and free.

The next village was so far down the mountain that they couldn't even see your little hut. You'd walk two days to reach it, and two to get back, so you kept your visits sparse, the conversations even shorter. The fewer people knew about the ominous person living on the mountain, the better, and you didn't really need them, only occasionally venturing down for a new sewing kit or fruit you've been craving.

Spring and summer were easy to handle, with a stream nearby for water, birds to shoot, and the occasional goat passing by to milk. Since you were all by yourself, you didn't need much, your garden keeping you fed most of the year. But winter was different. In autumn, foraging and harvesting was still easy. However, you'd never get used to the harsh winters alone, praying every day you wouldn't hurt yourself or you'd run out of luck up here.

But regardless, it was safe. That was your main priority. Some may call traversing through three countries before deciding to settle on a lonesome mountain over the top, but you knew better. You knew that if there was even the slightest bit of chance that your enemy could find out where you were, he would. So, you took the challenges of survival every day in return for your freedom. At least, it had worked. You'd been rid of him for years now, and you doubted that would change any time soon.

Poking the fire, the sparks flying through the air elated you.

You had found solace in the little things, like a burning fire, a hearty stew, plucking the first carrots you grew in your garden and eating the masses of pickled vegetables you cultivated. While you were busy, you didn't think of the past, didn't agitate the wounds it left. Perhaps it was too optimistic to say you were healing from the trauma and the misery, but at least you weren't confronted by it every day. Sometimes, ignorance truly was bliss.

And you deserved peace, until the last second.

After stretching your arms over your head, you leaned down to place the firewood near the pit, hoping it would be dry by the time you'd wake up to stoke the flames again. You looked forward to sleeping in your bundle of blankets, most of them knitted by you and warm as an oven when you slipped beneath them. Maybe tomorrow, the blizzard would have lifted, and you could see if there was any damage to your cabin that needed your attention as long as the good weather lasted before returning to the warmth and safety inside. Every day you got to plan it all by yourself for yourself, but you wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

That's why you jumped at the loud bang against the wood, halting in your tracks, wondering if you misheard. Maybe the blizzard had thrown a branch against your door? It couldn't be possible for anyone to come to visit in this weather, and wanderers would have to get far off the main trail across the mountain to reach your hut as well.

Bang, bang, bang!

This time, you were sure what you heard wasn't a coincidence. No branch or storm would make three consequent drums, with noticeable space in between. You felt your breath hitch as you stood there, motionlessly. Part of you wanted to inquire who it might be, but a bigger part just wanted to stand in silence, hoping they'd leave. There were many dangers when living alone, even if only a single one truly scared you.

"H-Hello?" someone called out from outside. The voice was shivering but youthful, and you felt a knot tie in your stomach at the thought it might be a lost child caught in the blizzard. You took a few cautious steps forward, listening, hoping for a sign that it was safe to open the door.

"Hello? I- I am lost... is there a place to rest tonight? Please, it's so very cold!"

Gnawing on your lip, you made a decision. Anyone daring to thread on a mountain in a snowstorm was foolish and weary of life. Still, they didn't deserve the freezing cold misery that would be dying in the blizzard. You unlocked the door, mourning the loss of warmth you'd experience any second now as you invited the cold and the stranger in, but you couldn't be responsible for their death either.

To your surprise, when you swung the door open, it wasn't the frame of a young teenager or that of a child that awaited you. The figure was lanky but hulking, covered in more clothes than even you had worn. The fur covered all of their body, face hiding behind a mask and under a hat, and the darkness made it hard to see their eyes. They didn't wait for you to invite them in, their body shaking as they took a deep, cold breath before they stomped their snow-covered boots into your wooden cabin.

You let them pass you, too surprised by their appearance to react. You honestly had expected someone younger, more fragile. Not someone seemingly in good health and strong. And thus the stranger stood, thickly veiled in fur and clothes that should have kept them warm but were now dripping as the snow clinging to them melted in the middle of your home, positioned like a statue.

"I-I'll get you a towel and a blanket," you mumbled, shaking out of the confusion and surprise. They still needed help, and though they appeared fine, you knew how tricky snow-related illnesses could be unless you prevented them at the earliest possibility.

Walking to your closet to grab what you needed, you listened to the shuffle of clothes behind you, not minding the stranger stripping out of their snow gear now that they were in the warm safety of your home. You were looking through your options, the presence of another person in your lonely life feeling strange, yet you were too focused on providing help to them to notice the floorboards behind you creaking.

"Found you~"

You yelped as ice-cold hands wrapped over your eyes, letting go of the blanket over your arm as you clawed at the stranger. Suddenly, the voice was much clearer and less youthful, and you were pulled back into a body that felt oddly familiar against yours.

"What are you--" you hissed angrily, prying the hands off your face and falling forward into your closet, hitting your temple against the wooden shelving inside. However, your body knew better, from years of experience, than to falter under the sharp pain, and you twisted around, looking into a scarily familiar face.

"Long time no see, my darling."

Your mouth felt like it had been filled with sand. You couldn't even gulp as you stared wide-eyed at your enemy, the very same one you ran from years ago. The exact same one you never wanted to see again.

"It was kind of cruel to leave me hanging, back at the prison, you know? It was so cold and so lonely without you, so I came looking for you the moment I was free. Ehh~? Did I make you speechless? Are you that happy to see me?"

"No..." you muttered, shaking your head. That couldn't be happening. No. No, no, no.

"You shouldn't be here... you can't be here! I left you... I left you there to rot! I traveled so far, how... How is this possible?!"

Even as your voice bordered on hysteric screeching, you felt the tears of frustration and defeat burn in your eyes. Your whole world shattered as you watched your enemy heave a sigh, his expression turning gentle, empathetic. Reaching out his hands he brushed them along your arm, your cheek, the cold prickling where your skin met. You flinched, jerking back, and he followed, always one step behind you. He was a liar, a complete and absolute liar, and you knew it from the moment he placed his thumb on your cheekbone, wiping away the tears. There was no bone in him that pitied you; his body and mind were filled with glee as he watched your misery bloom.

"Oh, dear."

Closing in, he trapped you between him and the closet, his cold hands cupping your face gently, but his nails dug into the back of your neck possessively. He won, and you both knew it.

"I told you I'll always find you. Took me a while this time, but you can't run from me. You're mine, remember?"

Oh, you remembered. You remembered too well the days lived in fear and the nights spent huddled together on the prison ground, forced into his arms out of need of warmth. The day the guards released you was the one where you swore you'd change your life around. That you'd no longer live in the perpetual horror this man installed.

But here you were as if nothing had changed at all. As if the years running had lost all their meaning.

"I'm so cold, darling," he whispered, even his breath was icy as he leaned in for a kiss. You knew exactly what he longed for, even if you didn't want to give it to him. He wanted the same submission, the same relenting as you had given him in prison, where you allowed him his freedom to assault you with his love. Where you couldn't have fought him even if you wanted to. And now that he had found you, you realized he hadn't changed at all. All he ever wanted was to change your life into the life he always envisioned for you two, where you were his slave, and he had free reign over you, finally getting what he had always wanted.

Your eyes darted to your bedside table.

"It's warmer under the covers," you mumbled against his lips, and he chuckled, rubbing his chapped skin against yours playfully.

"I didn't think you'd be this direct. I like it. Come, darling."

You allowed your enemy to lead you to the bed before climbing on his lap and gripping his hair to force his head back. "Where's this coming from?" he chuckled, and you felt sick just hearing his licentious voice. "No worries, I'll let you hold the reigns if it's what you want. At least for a while."

You'd hear no more words from his filthy mouth or stare any longer into the darkness swirling in his eyes. This had to come to an end, one way or another, but true to his word, he allowed you to guide him to lay down in your bed, hands falling to your thighs and grabbing at your ass. You felt the excitement tenting his pants beneath you, and you knew that in his delusion, he truly thought this was the moment you were caving to his desires, his demands of love that never existed between you two.

But instead, you slipped your hand into the drawer of your bedside table, feeling the cold steel of the knife you kept there for protection. Your past self had been so afraid of him showing up that you couldn't sleep without feeling it. Finally, your anxiety paid off.

You had learned your lesson; the fear would never stop as long as either of you were alive. You'd never be far enough away, never safe, never heal, and never truly be free unless one of you was dead. No one would find his corpse hidden on this mountain; no one would come looking for him, you were sure. And neither would they for you.

You thought you had done a great job getting away; had started to move on and get over what happened to you. But you hadn't. You couldn't do it again. Couldn't endure the horror to continue all your life and couldn't run away far enough to escape it.

You couldn't do it. Not again.

Never again.

[theastrical]

Well hello there, one of my favorite writers. (Ssh don't tell anyone 🙃)

Diluc Kaveh Kaeya Zhongli + An s/o (i prefer fem! reader) who can sing oh so beautifully. More specifically, hum. The way they hum is like no other at all, it's a sad slow and melancholic tune. Like a fallen angel's melody echoing through the human soul.

So they've been distracted doing something else and the men catches them. But their lovely s/o is the shyest sweetheart out there so they just watch quietly in silence. A warmth filling their hearts, despite the coldness of the tune.

I guess you can say I've been caught a few times singing in a uhh depressive way lmao :') sorry this rq is lonngg. Take your own time to write!

melodies and genshin men!

genshin men reaction to their s/o’s lovely melodic humming.

diluc, kaveh, kaeya, zhongli x fem!reader

hurt comfort, fluff

notes: take care of urself and have a time for yourself hihic you deserve it~ <3

diluc’s way of showcasing his endearment:

He caught you off guard when you were planting your favorite flowers at the garden of his house. You loved taking care of the nature that’s for sure, and it seems nature loves you the same, even the birds start to chirp and the flower blooms magnificently with the existence of you in diluc’s eyes.

You were singing a lullaby, a children lullaby. a lullaby that can make you sleep just by hearing it. Diluc thought it was such an opportunity to seek the real you, the you that humms such a melodic tune without caring a single vision scheming into it; surprising you with an embarrassment at this case. Your voice are melancholic, it reminds him of the good old days, making him fell harder, even when some maids gossip around you…telling that your singing voice isn’t exactly like your voice…all shy with a very melancholic sad tune inside the chords of your voice.

So he secretly listens..before holding your shoulder…and hug you behind your waist. “i wonder…what makes my lady so beautiful today..? Her humming or her presence?”. Your blush is obvious and that satisfies diluc who ended up just kissing your cheeks out of adoration. The idea of you being all shy around him makes diluc want to kiss you even further…oh well, maybe soon?

“if you hum that lovely darling…how about you become the bird that wakes me up every morning..?”

kaveh’s way of understanding you:

it was a rough day, perhaps you were just trying way too much to have such an expectancy. The day ended up with failure and loneliness…kaveh isn’t home, he’s still proposing his architecture project to the academia. so you ended up writing down your feelings in your diary while you humm such a tune to closed off those feelings. You were too in depth with the tune and ended up not realising that he had knock on your door…

He had prepared a beautiful bouquet…and after hearing your pleasantly…sad tune, he hides and listen to your tune quietly. Not wanting to be caught; he takes off his shoes and everything just for you not to realise his existence.

Until—he hugged you from the back and it made your whole body tensed up. He whispers near your ear, his chin on your shoulder. “Why the sad tune..? It’s not like your diary is the only one you can make tales to…i’m here waiting for you to talk…”, per-usual, due to how shocked and shy you are from being caught…that one tear fell from your eyes. A giggle escape, although your cheeks are red and your eyes are watery. Yet he even continue to hum alongside you…no need for words, you guys are already in the zone.

Kaeya’s winter season:

You were crocheting kaeya’s pair of socks and his soon-to-be-beanie. He requested it long ago, maybe around 6 weeks before autumn ends, kaeya is a secret fan of your crochets…he loves handcrafts and he adores every creation you make with his whole heart. Today is almost winter, you know that he had ripped off his socks and his beanie was accidentally burn my klee…hence you’re out on your desk for around 9 hours now, just crocheting-crocheting-crocheting.

Out of listening to the music on your earphone, you start to humm a beautiful musical performance, the tune itself is creepy enough as it is, and your voice? It’s exactly like one might call a fallen angel voice. You continued to crochet like you don’t care about anything in this world. Unlike you, getting stuck in your own world is not kaeya’s thing, so he sneak up beside you, sitting down on the bed, while tilting his head, waiting for you to turn your head to him. He giggles. How cute is my little lady..she must be so focused, she forgot her husband has come home…he thought.

Suddenly an ad popped out and you were stressed! Your focus? All gone! Then when you look beside you…”hi” he smiles, like a crazy bastard. You almost scream from the surprise he planned. He helps you stand again even when your face are already so red…you hide your face whilst kaeya giggle, kissing your hand. “weird…everything about you make me all warm and fuzzy…even your lovely little humming are also sweet..”, he kisses your cheeks. “Why hiding it? I thought you wanted me to be happy?”…”then sing further, it’ll made me happier if you do.” He pats your fuming self as He takes your finished crochet.

Zhongli’s favorite orchestra:

zhongli secretly knows that you’ve been humming when he’s “asleep”. Yes, he’s not asleep. And yes he would only expose that he isn’t asleep when he wants to, cause this man doesn’t want you to know that he listens to your humming as if it’s a lullaby that drive him into dream land…it would make you all red and shy for WEEKS, so he refuse to expose it.

You didn’t know about his lies, you didn’t know that he has been pretending for months now. So you kept on humming…while cleaning the box where your used-to-be violin is at. You tried to prepare it all up, you tried to play it away from the bedroom as you hum, not wanting to wake zhongli up. Zhongli tries his best to sleep without your lullaby now…he needs to try it, but it ended up with failure. So when you came back from playing the violin…he was already wide awake, sitting.

you were so embarrassed, has he been hearing you singing and playing..? You never even sing or play your violin in front of your parents so…zhongli seeing it is already a big red “oh no” in her face. Now she’s all shy. Zhongli sighed for a moment before he gently pull you to bed…”sweetheart, sing for me..it’s not like you will die when i hear you…i can’t never let your beautiful “voice all ran out just like that…”, he cups your cheeks. “make me a lullaby that can make me fall harder…also sleep more peacefully my sweet little orchestra.”, he bops your red nose before kissing it sweetly.

Taglist: @esthelily @indarius @n0tamused @sangoqueenkoko @voidlesslove @lyralibra @eroxotckv @rikasurl @dailypenpen @daydreaming-paradies

[honeystar-is-alone]

Honeyfoot had always been instant he wasn’t the child-caring sort… but fate had other plans, so it seemed. Still, Phloxkit had an insatiable appetite, and with the plains of NettleClan’s territory burned away as they were, hunting on familiar territory was near fruitless.

Still, she was fed, even if he could feel his stomach rumbling.

He’d gone back to the clan’s home, of course- more in hope than expectation. It had all been ash, save for the remains of his clanmates.

He left them where they were, hoping the smoke had gotten them, rather than the heat and roaring terror.

Phloxkit could learn the truth when she was older. Perhaps they could reclaim this old camp, once prey had returned to the area, and the autumn and winter had passed.

They set out days later, a series of temporary nests in the grass serving as their homes. Phlox’s little legs got tired… often, but it was forgiven especially when a stand of stones, strewn about with saplings, was found by the pair; found and found to be uninhabited, even better. The ground was warm, and the tiredness of the last few days caught up with them…

Honeyfoot didn’t even complain with Phloxkit snuggled up against his belly, pronouncing his fur most comfortable. Idly he wondered how she was avoiding overheating like this.

Trying a different format today, where I put the text on the images instead of going purely for prose … please let me know which you prefer! Or maybe if you’d want text on images only?

[hvnnibalecter]

PUMPKINS AND CHOCOLATE. | S.R

surprise gift for my dear friend zo, @rhaerhaenyra.

PAIRING : Spencer Reid x GN!Reader.

RATING : FLUFF. PURE FLUFF.

A/N : English isn't my first language, so it is possible that there is some grammatical errors along the way.

summary : maybe you should have told Spencer that you were planning a movie night for halloween, with your favorite movie on the subject, and you probably should have told him it wasn't really considered as the most typical halloween movie ever made in the industry.

𖹭 Some people become incredibly gloomy as soon as the temperatures drop, winter depression according to specialists. However, autumn was your favourite season, the changing colours, the long days under the covers drinking hot chocolate.

Of course, it wasn't necessarily pleasant to have to put away summer clothes at the back of the closet to swap them for jackets and sweatshirts. However, you preferred sweatshirts to swimsuits, the sun was becoming far too aggressive to be appreciated anymore, no one wants to have sunburn that prevents you from sleeping properly.

So in itself, you were rather delighted with this change of season. A cup of hot chocolate in your hands, you ate marshmallows directly from the package, the promotion on the second package purchased had been too tempting for you to go home without it.

So that's how two hours later, you found yourself in the kitchen eating marshmallows with hot chocolate. Spencer was supposed to be home in ten minutes, you pulled your phone out of your sweatpants pocket to text him, asking if he had any plans for tonight. When he answered no, you felt a smile creep onto your lips, maybe it was time to educate Doctor Spencer Reid on Halloween movies.

Spencer had come back grimacing, you had raised your head from your sketchbook before frowning while he took his things out before understanding where his grimace came from, he had ink on his favorite shirt.

Spencer had started his first year at Quantico University, of course the former profiler had decided to be a criminology professor and you had pointed out to him, that ninety percent of the students, female -of course-, were only there for his pretty eyes.

He had raised his head and frowned, refuting that his students were in his class to study. Of course Spencer didn't realize that his students were too busy looking at him to take real notes on the subject. After eating a home-cooked meal, a roast chicken with seasonal vegetables -carrots, pumpkin, potatoes and green beans-, you had prepared yourself for the evening movie, putting on a sweatshirt ordered on Etsy with black cats and pumpkins.

Spencer had put his plate in the sink before approaching the couch, he put an arm around your shoulders while you launched the Disney+ app on the TV, Spencer frowned.

"Since my husband seems to be unfamiliar with the most famous Halloween movie, I think it's time you savor the experience properly, you smiled while looking at Spencer, let's educate you, my dear doctor."

"I don't think Friday the 13th is really considered a Halloween movie, Spencer replied with an innocent look. I thought you couldn't stand seeing blood in movies?" he added with a lifted eyebrown.

It was more fun than you expected it to be.

"Come on, I'm not talking about Friday the 13th, Spencer, you replied with a laugh."

Oh, Spencer seemed to be at a loss for words, he just watched the TV while you pressed the button to start the movie, he looked back at you when the opening credits announced the movie.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas? he asked in surprise. Isn't that a movie for kids?"

"Oh, Spencer! This is one of the most wonderful movies, Zero is absolutely adorable." you whined while looking at him, Zero was truly the sweetest thing in your opinion

"Zero?" Spencer replied, the genus was definetly confused now.

Of course, the scene that was playing on the screen was with Zero, so you motioned for Spencer to watch the TV, he bit his lower lip before deciding to watch the movie without making any comments, after all who could make any scientific comments or data, variables etc on a Tim Burton movie? You glanced at Spencer after settling down against him, hugging a cushion against you, Spencer Reid seemed to be absolutely enchanted by the movie. It was a memorable fall evening, maybe you'll remember to buy him a Pumpkin King mug when you stop by Target to do some shopping.

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS:💀 PERSEPHONE: QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD, GODDESS OF SPRING, THE DEAD, THE UNDERWORLD, GRAIN, AND NATURE 💐 (PART 1)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is PART 1 of the Persephone Demigod Headcanons. Due to the size limit of Tumblr, I had to split the entire work into two. [LINK TO PART 2 HERE] Hi everyone! It took me a bit to figure it out but here's what everyone has been waiting for! Persephone is just 1 out of the 4 works I have planned and written for, and these works will be categorized as the MISCELLANEOUS GODS due to not the fact these gods are minor or anything, but because I did mention this in an ask before and it's easier to think about due to the canon PJO world building. These works will be a bit more loose since I'm taking a shot in the wild so hopefully you guys like it. Thanks for reading!!

*Disclaimer: mentions of unusual births, life and death*

People have been wondering if Persephone would have a demigod of her own, considering Hades has his own children, but also it’s slightly more believable if people know about the story of Adonis. However, there are very limited ways that the goddess would give birth to a demigod, since she’s very loyal and in love with Hades, and vise-versa.  

How you could’ve been born:

You really could’ve been born normally where Persephone’s eyes fell upon a mortal, when it was during Spring or Summer, or when the autumn and winter months have been delayed. 

Honestly, I can see this going for either gender of mortal: If your mortal parent is male, Hades couldn’t have done much because he knows Persephone’s preferences are strict and the last human she fell in love was Adonis, that Aphrodhite herself loved as well, so, Hades worrying about her being (repeatedly) unfaithful is very rare so your mortal male parent is the exception. So don’t expect any or more demigod siblings of Persephone. Not totally out of Hades’ ire, but given how many demigod children he has, he really doesn’t say anything. If your mortal parent is female, I can see it being this unusual birthing process where some sort of guidance is required: maybe Persephone offered a seed that your female mortal parent swallowed and boom, you were born. 

You’re a cabbage patch baby or a rose baby. or you’re born from a Peach. Turnip baby. Any plant based births. Quite literally. Don’t ask how this exactly works, but it involves the blood, sweat, and tears of your mortal parent planting the seed that Persephone gave/helped and raised you together. 

There’s a story where a woman ate a red and white rose to give birth, and I don't think that's not off the books for Persephone to do. Offering the flowers or something for your mortal parent to eat and boom, here you are-

You were either or an orphan, a completely child/baby that was near earth or had died, and you underwent the same process that (Zagreus)  Dionysus underwent with the weird death-rebirth thing; where you were (SOMEHOW) taken in by Persephone physically then reborn as a child of Perseophone when she gave birth to you. Since you technically died, you lost half of your mortal self because of the whole dying thing, but was replaced with Persephone’s godly portion.

That said, you’re not probably a double demigod if you went through the whole rebirth thing: where before you were a demigod child that died before Persephone gave you a new life. If you are however, oh boy, the Fates have something planned for you and it will not be an easy/happy life for you; doomed or tortured by the narrative. Your happy ending will have to be earned and fought with blood and tears. Afterall, the more powerful the demigod, the less easy it is for them.

 Either way, I don’t really see Hades targeting you on the level Hera does to the children of Zeus; though you still might want to refer to Hades (very) politely as Lord Hades or Godly Step Father. Just good manners, you know.

Regardless, everyone at camp is very confused and looking at you in a mixture of wonder, uncertainty, fear, amongst a few. When you get claimed, it’s like Spring has arrived, even when it’s Autumn or Winter. Nature blooms all around you with such vitality no one has seen before, with flowers, grains, and crops sprouting underneath your feet and all around you. Once the claim is over, if it’s Autumn/Winter, the world reverts back and everyone can see the rot that surrounds them except for you as you walk. 

Everyone expects you to be either a “Flower prince[ss]”, a soft person like Spring, or “A Prince[ss] of the Underworld”, terrifying like your mother. However, while you may lean one than the other, you can be both. Afterall, Persephone may be one to bring growth and fertility to the earth, and everything, she is also just as much as Kore that lends to herself being the Goddess of the Underworld and the dead where destruction follows. On the other hand, it’s a pretty cool thought where you’re wearing a crown of flowers and being all soft looking but switch to something darker with the flower petals falling off, to reveal a crown of thorns with the shadows curling around you to almost seem like your face is a skull, and vise-versa. You do you.

When you walk on the earth, you’ll sprout flowers and plants underneath your feet but as soon as you raise your foot to step away, the plants will wither and die, leaving rot behind. Sort of like the God of the Forest walking in Studio Ghibli’s “Princess Mononoke” .

[PART 2 TO PERSEPHONE DEMIGOD HEADCANONS HERE]

[yuyusuyu]

yuyusuyu's 100 followers milestone event! — 02. mingi, i can't be your love

req by @4ssun : can i ask for mingi with #5 for a fem reader? preferably angst with little comfort at the end? no set scenario! ^^ congratulations on 100 followers!! <3

pairing. best friend! song mingi x fem! reader ft. choi san

genres/aus. angst with little comfort, non idol au, right person wrong time au

warnings. none but it is... quite a bit angsty (kind of? idk but if i were to describe it it's like an aching feeling)

rating. sfw

wc. 0.9 k

a/n. i am so so sorry for the lateness! uni is such a terrible thing >:( and i also rewrote this like... way too many times for me to count since i got this request hhhhh but this version is the one and i hope you like it! ps. i think my attempt at that little comfort part is... lowkey not little comfort help

NO matter what, without fail, you are always reminded how you will always be mingi’s best friend—nothing more and nothing less. but to you? mingi will always be someone that you can never have, someone that will never be yours no matter how hard you try to get him to love you just as you love him.

you hate how everyone fed your delusions, fed you lies for years and years that you and mingi would just… end up together; that it was inevitable. you two, to many, are soulmates. two people destined to be together no matter what. but at the end of the day, with each lovesick gaze he directs at his partners, you’re reminded that you can’t be his love.

or rather… you will never be his love. and every spring, without fail, you’re reminded of this because every spring, his love blossoms beautifully for a lucky person.

it’s a tough pill to swallow. the fact leaves you feeling remorseful on days where you’re overflowing with the love you have for your best friend. why can’t he see you as something more? why can’t he just look at you?

why can’t he just love you?

well, the answer is as clear as day to you. mingi already loves someone. he loves someone that isn’t you.

he always loves someone that isn’t you.

loving song mingi is horrible.

loving song mingi is like loving the sun, and loving the sun entails being in its warmth and never feeling cold. (only except you do. you feel cold once his warmth leaves you and is directed at someone else.)

and loving song mingi is like loving summer, and loving summer means there will be endless nights of laughter and smiles, endless promises declared under the beating sunlight and endless hours spent driving down the streets with the windows rolled down while singing terribly at the top of your lungs.

loving song mingi truly is horrible because loving song mingi means you have to see him love someone else in front of your aching heart.

and you can only hope that your longing slowly ebbs away like the tides of a beach on a summer night. maybe then… maybe then you can love someone who loves you back.

there was never a time where you weren’t with him and he wasn’t with you. mingi truly can’t recall a time where you weren’t together. even when summer sun begins to go down and is replaced by cold breezes, as summer transitions to autumn, you are always together.

it’s hard for him to even imagine such a thing—not being with you.

that’s a hard thing to imagine.

living it is… even harder, he realizes.

yeah, living without you is harder.

as he walks down the street, red and yellow leaves falling and crunching underneath the soles of his shoes, he wonders if that’s how your friendship was.

if that’s how it fell and ended.

it’s a thought he doesn't continue to entertain as he stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jacket and sings along to the song that plays in his earbuds, his voice barely audible.

mingi continues to walk down the street, eventually making it to your his favorite coffee place. before entering, he stops and stares at the sight in front of him, his gaze following after you as you keep walking away.

you didn’t even look back at him.

and yet he continues to look at you.

winter is by far the coldest season he’s experienced thus far. he has himself to blame for this. if he had been a little quicker, a little faster in realizing things, maybe you’d be keeping him warm like always.

after all, you were like the sun to him. or rather, you are the sun to him—so bright and warm. you make him feel warm, but he hasn’t felt that way in a while. it’s been so long since you both last talked to each other.

in fact, it’s been so long that it feels surreal to see you standing in front of him. you still look so pretty, and he notes that there are no longer dark bags underneath your eyes. you’re radiant; though, he supposes it’s because of the man next to you with a cat-like appearance. you’ve looked so much happier ever since he started seeing the two of you next to one another, seemingly glued to each other’s hips.

just like how you two used to be.

mingi knows that you see him, he can tell by the way your eyes widened slightly before softening. you smile at him and he smiles back just as you walk away, your laughter echoing loudly in your eyes at something the man says to you.

and at that moment, if someone were to ask him how it feels to love you, mingi would say that loving you is beautifully warm.

yeah, loving you feels like the warmth that hugs you when you walk in the snow. loving you feels like the warming pads that he carries around in his pockets, the ones he grips with all his might to not feel cold. loving you is like craving heat and warmth in the cold.

it wasn’t always like that.

at one point, loving you felt like blooming flowers.

but not it isn’t because mingi realized he loves you a little too late.

mingi loves you and you love someone else, and mingi will always love you while you used to love him once upon a time.

PERMA TAGLIST — @asjkdk @kodzukein @hrt4jeno @jeonride @lissiesykes @satsuri3su @atinytownclown @ad0rechuu @szakias @sanhwaism

[vodika-vibes]

Congrats on the milestone! May I have Crosshair x gn! Reader in a western AU? Thanks, and love your work!

Ranger

Summary: Two years ago, your entire family was killed by a madman with a gun. As the only survivor, you did your best to survive on your own, in the house they were killed in, but it was just too hard. So you left to start your own life. Now, two years later, and mostly healed from your loss, a ghost from your past has come to haunt you.

Pairing: Past (and hints of future) Crosshair x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1417

Prompt: Western AU

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Thanks! So I wasn't sure where to go with this story for a while, but I think I like the way I wrote it this time. I hope you like it!

You’re content with your life.

You’d never claim that you were happy, happiness belongs to other people, but life is good enough. 

It takes you over an hour to reach your nearest neighbor. No one bothers you at your home, you have a greenhouse for fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs year-round, and you have animals that provide you with meat.

You make two trips a year to the town. No one knows you, or where you live. 

And this is how you prefer it.

Two years ago, you were the sole survivor of a bandit attack that saw your entire family, as well as your family’s livestock, killed. Slaughtered to the last kitten.

When you were in the hospital, recovering from the attack that left you near death, the Rangers swore to you that they would catch the people who killed your family. That they wouldn’t rest until they were behind bars or in the ground.

It never happened.

A year after the attacks, the Head of the Rangers came to your home, your home, your father’s home, and told you that they had no evidence and no trail to follow. And so, the case was closed.

You remained in your father’s home for three more months, until the ghost became too much to bear, and you sold it to the first person who showed any interest and moved hours away, to the mountains.

A cowardly action? Maybe. 

But you couldn’t live with the ghosts of your family any longer, and the fear of the killers returning to finish what they started almost paralyzed you.

You like to think that you’re doing well now.

The injuries that nearly killed you two years earlier healed nicely, though they ache when it gets cold. Your nightmares have reduced to one every couple of weeks. And you’re no longer afraid of leaving your house.

Ironic, really, since the isolation should have terrified you. 

It’s late autumn now, and you’re a busy person. You have so much that you need to do to prepare for the harsh winters of the mountain region that you chose to live in. Starting with hanging the guide ropes that will help you find your way from your home to the barn and to the greenhouse if the storms get too bad.

You’ve already done your shopping in town for the long winter, and you’ve already prepared the house for the cold winter weather, now you just have to do the outside stuff.

So focused on making sure that the ropes are hung at a good height, that won’t hurt you or any of your livestock, you don’t realize that you have an audience until your dogs start barking. 

At first, you think it might be a wild bird, the turkeys are bad this time of year, but as you straighten and head to the front of the house, your heart sinks when you see the man standing at the gate.

Even after two years, you still recognize him.

Crosshair, a Ranger. One of the men who investigated the murders of your family.

He looks the same as the last time you saw him. Still clad in the black duster and holding the black hat that he prefers. His hair is still silver, and it’s longer than you’ve ever seen it before. The top is pulled into a neat knot.

He looks very handsome…and you don’t want to see him.

Still, your mama raised you right, so you whistle sharply, “Silver! Gold!” You call, “Heel!”

The twin Great Pyranese dogs, turn to look at you, and then scamper away from the gate, returning to their patrol.

There’s a familiar squeaking noise, and you turn your attention back to Crosshair as he pushes the gate open and steps onto your property.

“Silver and Gold, huh?” Crosshair asks as he approaches you, a small smirk on his lips.

“They came with the names,” You counter as you fold your arms over your stomach, almost defensively. “What do you want?”

“Can’t I come and visit an old friend?”

“We might have been friends once upon a time, Crosshair. But I haven’t seen you since my parents died. You didn’t even come to their funerals.”

“I was busy.”

You’re quiet for a moment, “Right. Of course.”

“I…” He sighs, “I’m sorry. I should have been there.”

“Yes, you should have been.”

“May I come inside?” Crosshair asks, “I need to talk to you.”

“No, you can’t.” You reply immediately, “But you can follow me while I work.” You turn to head back to where you were working, and you hear him fall into step next to you.

“You built all of this?”

“No. I bought it from someone.” You reply as you make your way back to the barn and kneel to pick up the rope that you were working with.

“Well, it looks nice.”

“Thanks.”

The pair of you fall into a slightly uncomfortable silence as Crosshair watches you work.

Once upon a time, you and Crosshair were lovers. You were happy together, or so you thought. You thought that you and he were going to get married. At least, that was the impression that you got from him.

And then he broke up with you. He said that the pair of you were moving too fast and that he wanted to focus on his career for a little bit. He swore, up and down, that there wasn’t another person.

At the time, you weren’t sure you believed him.

Honestly, to this day, you’re not sure you believe him.

You only had a day to mourn your relationship with him before your family was attacked. You know he visited you when you were in the hospital, but that was the last time you saw him.

“You look good,” Crosshair says suddenly.

“Yeah, well. Not being in a hospital bed with my throat ripped open will do that.” You reply.

“No, I mean. Just in general.”

You sigh heavily and stand, “Why are you here, Crosshair?”

He’s quiet for a moment, “There was another attack.” He finally admits, “Only, this time, there were no survivors.”

You scoff, “Lucky them.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Don’t I?”

He falls silent for a moment and then he sighs, “I know that it has been years, but I need to ask you some questions.”

“Let me guess, this was Tech’s idea.” You counter as you focus your attention back on your work, “Sending you to come and question me.”

“No. I came on my own.” Crosshair replies, “Well, Tech mentioned you, but I’m the one who volunteered to come and see you.”

“Of course you did.”

“Is it so hard to believe that I would come up with this on my own?” He asks, offense written in his voice.

You sigh tiredly, “Crosshair, I have a lot to do. I can’t tell you any more about the people who tried to kill me than I already did. And I really don’t appreciate you coming here to make me relive the worst day of my life.”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.” Crosshair counters sharply.

You recoil, as if he slapped you, and Crosshair closes his eyes, “I’m sorry, I…that came out wrong.”

“You know,” You say softly, “It took me a long time to get to the point where I can leave my house without being afraid that someone will come and finish the job. And it took me even longer to come to terms with the fact that I meant less to you than your job.”

“Wait—”

“I’d like you to leave, Crosshair. Now.”

“Will you let me explain?”

“I don’t owe you anything. And if I was a lesser person I might wonder where you were the day that my family was killed.”

He stares at you, slack-jawed, “You can’t possibly think that I had something to do with it?!”

“Of course not, but I’d still like you to leave.”

He doesn’t move for a moment, “I still love you, you know.”

“Sometimes, Crosshair, love isn’t enough.”

“It could be if you gave me a chance.”

“Please leave.”

“Alright,” He walks over to you and presses a light kiss to your temple, “I’m going to come back though. I messed up, two years ago. I’m not going to do it again.”

And then he’s gone, and you clench your hands into fists. 

Just because you still love him doesn’t mean you have to let him back into your life, right?

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

(Genshin Impact) Yoimiya, Eula, Lumine, and Kokomi forcing their S/O to sleep

Yoimiya's plan sets off the moment she drags S/O by the arm.

(Yoimiya) "Come on, we're getting you out of the room since you're not sleeping."

She forces them to sit down with her by the trees as she launches a few small fireworks into the beach sky, the two of them quietly watching the colors spark into life.

She has S/O cuddle next to them as they watch them go off slowly and faintly into the night.

She made sure to set them off in a certain rhythm to where it'd slowly make S/O drift off, not allowing them to move anywhere.

Once Yoimiya felt their head slump further into her shoulder as their breathing deepened.

(Yoimiya) "Hah, got it!...W-Wait, how am I gonna move them without waking...Dang it..."

Eula crossed her arms as her eyebrows narrowed.

(Eula) "Alright then, you have incurred my wrath, S/O."

With a snap of her fingers, the temperature in the room suddenly plummeted as S/O began to tremble.

(Eula) "Oh, would you look at that. The autumn breeze set in...No, I do not care that it is summer. It has set in, and you are going to bed. Unless you'd prefer the cold deathly touch of winter? I can accelerate my plans for vengeance if I deem it necessary."

If S/O was going to behave like a child, she'd treat them like one. Eula has zero time for nonsense that can be avoided.

...Maybe this is how it felt dealing with her sometimes.

Lumine's eyebrow raised.

(Lumine) "Oh, I can't make ya sleep can I? I know. But she can. PAIMON, GO!"

Utilizing her attack gremlin, Paimon flies around S/O like a gigantic annoying fly.

In the meantime, Lumine puts whatever they were working on in an organized matter, only relenting if S/O yields.

If they refused? Well:

(Paimon) "If you're not going to sleep, then make me some snacks! You got nothing better to do, right?!"

(Lumine) "What's that S/O? Sorry, I'm going to bed, can't help ya out. If you want, there's one spot open on it!"

Lumine makes sure to pay Paimon in whatever she wanted for helping her with S/O.

Kokomi understands where S/O is coming from. Sometimes there was work too important to be let remain.

That being said, she seldom gets a moment to herself and understands how much more productive and energy one can get if they rest, even for a moment.

She'll gently wrap her arms around them as she talks to them gently.

(Kokomi) "Dear, it can wait until tomorrow. If it'd help, I can assist you with whatever you're doing."

S/O actually manages to go to sleep, since they didn't want to force Kokomi to work harder than she already was.

Guilt tripping wasn't part of the plan, but hey, it worked.

[saphirered]

I saw your autumn/winter prompts

It’d be cool for you to do some fluff with Ashton for either cold nights or thunder and lightning

Love your stuff!!!

More prompt requests incoming! 😘

Miserable. This weather feels absolutely miserable. Ashton is uses to the rain and thunder but now it’s fucking cold. Freezing, frigid cold and fuck does it hurt. They can feel it in their bones, their entire body just hurts, more so than usual. The jungle is fine, perfect even. It’s like home. But they’re far from home. The heart in the jungle, lies far beyond sight and perhaps even mind. This fey bullshit is something else entirely and Ashton doesn’t quite like it. The weather seems to hate them especially. If there’s some asshole watching over them making this all happen, he’ll personally see to it that there’s a nice and comfy spot in the earth about six feet under. Fuck. 

All of those emotions disappear though. A burst of light illuminates the skies and with it your face. You look up at the sky and admire the tendrils flash before the disappear as quickly as they came. You’re a beautiful sight- It is a beautiful sight. Fuck. You’re beautiful. They’re in deep. Once upon a time Ashton thought this was fun while it lasted. A little teasing and flirting never hurt anybody but the line had blurred a long time ago. Ashton caught feelings and it’s very few times they’re unsure about anything. Your lips move but your voice is drowned out by the sound of crashing thunder. 

“Hah?!” Ashton leans in closer to hear as the ground shakes once more. 

“I said we should find some shelter!” You all but shout pointing at the sky and take their hand. So much for venturing off on your own and having a little voyage ‘back in an hour’. You hope the others have the mind to find shelter too. You send them a message just in case as you pull the genasi along through the trees and rocks until you stumble upon a cave. You’re not taking any risks and the lightning is getting closer. From here you’d be safe with cover, and still able to witness nature in all it’s grandeur. 

Letting himself be dragged along Ashton isn’t opposed to the shelter you’ve found because with his track record he wouldn’t put it behind any mischievous fey to set the gold in those cracks to attract the lightning. On the other side they too are a little curious to see what would happen… Maybe another time. Ashton curls and uncurls their fingers, rotates their wrists when you let go and take a look out at the oncoming clouds hiding the moonlight, or dusk-light should be more appropriate. You stay at the mouth of the cave to watch another rumble hit the earth in a cacophony and the lightning, quick as it passes makes this cave all the darker. Ashton can’t see shit and in an attempt to find a wall loses their footing. A crack, that’s luckily hidden by thunder saves most of the hit to his pride. But then fire glow appears in the palm of your hand. 

“Why are you on the ground?” You hide a chuckle as you watch Ashton give up on, life, existence, everything laying on their back, legs bent at the knees and groan. 

“I just wanted to be one with my element.” They speak as casually as they can but your brow furrows and you take a tentative step closer, and another and another. You kneel down and help Ashton sit up. Groans are not just a casual annoyance at this place, but something of discomfort. You caught on. Shit. 

“I can give you two a moment if you’d prefer but I don’t think that’ll do you much good.” 

“There’s room for one more. Plenty of the earth to go around.” Ashton jokes. 

“I was hoping there’d be plenty of you but I can settle for the rocks beneath my feet.” You jest and Ashton scoffs though the attitude is quick to slip when your arm hand touches their back. Even through their jacket, the warmth offers such a relief. “You doing okay?” Again your brow furrows. 

“Yeah. Yeah sure.” And so the comfort disappears. You pull back and just sit on your knees, hands gathered in your lap. Disapproval crosses your features. 

“Sure.” You deadpan and grab onto Ashton’s wrist, uncurling the fingers gently and clasping his hand between yours. You bring it to your lips and blow warm air. It doesn’t take much to see the instant relief cross their features. 

“Okay maybe I’m not entirely okay.” The look you give them is much akin to ‘ya think?’ and it hurts to admit to the way it makes Ashton feel inside. Then your features soften. You look out towards, the oncoming storm, to the lightning reaching out, and the wind rustling through the trees picking up. 

“Sit with me.” You simply say. It’s not quite a question as much as it is an order and Ashton does feel like they have a choice. It’s just a very tempting one despite their disdain for authority and following orders. You shift from your knees until you’re comfortable, looking out over the horizon. Everything seems so much easier when he looks at you. Everything is. You make it so because any doubt falls away. Ashton knows they’re on the right path because you’re there and as long as you walk it with them they’ll keep walking with you. 

Ashton shifts and sits next to you. He bumps your shoulder with his. You chuckle and bump back, though much likes the rock around, they don’t budge. The cold pain creeps up again and almost as if you know exactly what to do, you wrap an arm around their back, slipping your fingers under the jacket and lean your head on their shoulder. Just your sheer presence, and a little magic manages to numb the pain and that’s more than Ashton can say the majority of people they’ve had in their life have ever been able to do. 

“You’re so fucking confusing.” Ashton speaks before they think.

“Wow, so much affection.” You scoff but pull closer. 

“You are.” Ashton doubles down. “You’re a fucking disaster waiting to happen.” 

“But I’m your disaster.” You poke a finger at his chest. 

“Are you?” Again, speaking before thinking but that seems to be the right track. You take a deep sigh and Ashton’s heart stops, their breath stops. Time stops. There’s not but anticipation, both joy and dread loom overhead and they’re just stupid fucking feelings because end of the day you’re just you and you’re fucking amazing. That’s what you are. You’re fucking amazing. 

“I don’t know. Am I?” The both of you look at another lightning bolt striking close by. Ashton gives it a moment, letting the trembles of the earth fade and the light too, not but the dim orb behind the two of you offering the littlest of light. 

“Maybe you are. If you think you can handle it.” He looks down nudging your head from his shoulder. 

“First off, rude-“

“You’re the one using my shoulder as pillow, find a rock or something.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Will you now?”

“Yeah. A nice and comfy one.” You’re unreadable. That’s dangerous. Next Ashton knows you’re on your knees at their side, back facing the exit of the cave, your warmth has disappeared from their back but settles on their shoulders. It takes everything to not lean into the touch. Not that they have to because you lean closer. 

“This one seems plenty comfortable.” You close the gap, press your lips to Ashton’s. While you’ve shared your flirty kisses before they were just that. This kiss is different. This kiss is a lifetime unfolding however long it might last. This moment is as bright and beautiful as the flashes beyond the cover. You’re like a warm fire in the cold dead night and are simply a relief. You’re a certainty in their life when they have known so little. This might not be eternity but this is certain. You’re certain because you’re just fucking you and that’s all you’d ever need to be. Cover from a thunderstorm isn’t so bad out here. 

[emeraldelysian]

Ateez ✧ Giving Their S/O A Promise Ring

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Requested By: Anonymous Genre: Fluff Synopsis: How the Ateez members would propose to their S/O with a promise ring Wordcount: 1.9K+ Warnings: None that I know of, but let me know otherwise if there is anything! Note: Honestly, this is just some really fluffy, wholesome content for my favorite pirates. Also, Ateez was the third most talked about Kpop group on Tumblr this year and I'm so proud of us!! Thank you to the person that requested it and I hope you enjoy!

♡︎ follow, provide feedback, or reblog if you enjoyed but please don't repost or translate!♡︎

∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘

.·:*¨༺ Kim Hongjoong ༻¨*:·.

Hongjoong is one of the members to take the longest amount of time to propose with a promise ring, taking a few years before he feels comfortable doing so.

Would propose at night, during the autumn months

Would make sure it's in a quiet place, where you both are comfortable

Decides on a comfy rooftop date for you two, but would probably struggle with setting it all up, so he asks his members to help him

Really just wants to make everything perfect for you, and in order to do so, he believes he needs to stockpile every pillow

The boys will be going to bed without pillows that night, but it's worth it for the captain

Is very nervous on the inside, and it shows in how he lets you lead conversations for the night

When he actually decides to ask, he'll mention so many times how it's okay if you say no and he won't be mad

Basically is very much expecting you to say no to him, but even though that's what he's prepared for, he doesn't know if he could handle a no

This boy will look at you with the biggest heart eyes and smile when you say yes though (as if he doesn't already-)

Will probably stay up all night chatting with you after that, though, even though it will take a few hours for his heart to stop racing after that high

.·:*¨༺ Park Seonghwa ༻¨*:·.

Seonghwa seems like the type of person to take a bit longer with proposing a promise ring, taking around 2 years because he wants to really become close to you and allow you to join every aspect of his life as he would yours.

Would propose at night, during the springtime

Honestly, doesn't mind doing it in a semi-public place?

Not a super crowded one, but probably somewhere really meaningful to the two of you

Also, I know there's a really popular belief that Seonghwa would be the most classy type of boy to date, but he is a hidden nerd and will get you the cutest ring to match

You can tell he's nervous about it because he's talking a lot more than usual, trying to take his mind off of it

Will accidentally push it off until he realizes you have to get on the train to leave soon before he tells you to wait

Once he gets started though, he gives you the most romantic confession about how he's felt about you and how you've changed his life for the better

Somehow sounds very coherent and prepared even though all he could here is his rapid heartbeat pounding in his ears

When you say yes, he will give you the biggest hug possible, one that feels like it lasts for hours

.·:*¨༺ Jeong Yunho ༻¨*:·.

Similarly to Seonghwa, Yunho seems like the type of person that wouldn't take too long, but wouldn't be quick with it either, maybe around 1.5-2 years before he considers a promise ring.

Would propose during the day, maybe even before noon, during the winter months.

Prefers to do it really early in the morning, on a walk with you, when the streets are still empty and it feels like you're the only two in the world

Will get you a ring with a planet on it just so he could give you cheesy space pickup lines as if you aren't already together

Will not feel nervous at all, because he's accepted the fact that even if you'll say no, he will gladly wait until you're ready or at least have you as a friend in his life if it's not what you're looking for at all

Will make sure that you're in a good mood before he even thinks about proposing that morning, so he'll try to make you breakfast and coffee/tea

That doesn't mean he isn't super excited though like he cannot stop smiling and jumping around (the golden retriever energy is showing)

It actually comes as a surprise that he's asking you though, he's very good at hiding that he's going to ask you anytime soon

Will give you kisses all over your face when you say yes, and then hold your hand for the rest of the day

.·:*¨༺ Kang Yeosang ༻¨*:·.

Yeosang seems very much like the type of person to take it slow with his relationship so it'll take a few years before he's ready to propose with a promise ring.

Would propose at night, during the summertime

Because he tends to be busy during the day, nighttimes are really special in your relationship

He'll go out with you late into the night, and even if it's not the most exciting or outgoing dates, he enjoys the quiet moments he can have away from the world.

That's why the ring he wants to give you resembles the stars so you'll always feel that comfort, even when he's away

Wants to propose to you under the stars, away from people

The proposal is so awkward and cute because he's not the most comfortable showing his love verbally, his questions are very cryptic and general, using a very roundabout way of trying to ask

You understand what he's trying to tell you pretty quickly, but you tease him by pretending you don't know what he's talking about

Will end with him blurting out that he sees himself spending the rest of his life with you and that even though he's not ready to actually propose to marry you yet, he wants to give you a promise ring

Overall very very cute, and when you say yes, he'll just be so shy and blushy, and will just try to avoid talking about it as you tease him

.·:*¨༺ Choi San ༻¨*:·.

I genuinely think if he was dating someone, he'd give them a promise ring very very early on in their relationship, maybe 3 months unless his family or members suggest otherwise since he seems like he'd get attached to someone very quickly.

Would propose during the day, in the springtime

Will set aside the entire day just to hang out with you and go to the park

Will fail at trying to fly kites, but he'll make it so fun by trying to convince you that he definitely has enough air in his lungs to make the kite fly

When he sees a nearby cotton candy stand, he will get the biggest possible one and share with you

Basically just wants you to have the most fun day and see you laugh, especially with what he has planned

Wants to make sure that even if the promise ring scares you, the rest of the day will just be so filled with positive, fun energy, that it'll make you forget all about it

Is so filled with adrenaline though at just the thought of giving you the rings

He spent so long looking for them, and as soon as he saw the rose/sword pairing, he knew it was just perfect

Hearing you say yes to his proposal ended with him practically tackling you onto the grass in excitement and refusing to let go

.·:*¨༺ Song Mingi ༻¨*:·.

Mingi seems like the type of person who takes a while to truly let someone in, but when he does, he falls hard, so, it'll take around a year or so before he considers proposing.

Would propose during the day, in the summertime

Poor baby is so so nervous about it and even considers just not doing it

It's not because he doesn't want to, but the fear of you saying no or completely rejecting him overwhelms him

Funny enough though, he's very obvious when thinking about buying the promise ring so you're not surprised about it

You were just waiting for when it would be

That's why when you could hear him stuttering from the moment he met up with you that day, you knew that it was going to happen

It led to you somewhat comforting him too without him knowing it, trying to calm him down.

But he was also trying his best to make the day really special for you

There's an ice cream place you both go to often, so you were able to get ice cream and relax.

He could honestly have spent the entire day just listening to you talk while eating ice cream but he knew if he didn't ask to propose to you with the promise ring now, he wouldn't have the courage to do it again for a while

He still managed to surprise you with his ring selection as well, choosing a really unique pair with both your gemstones in it

Hearing you say yes was probably the second best thing he'd ever heard in his life (the first being when you said I love you, it took him weeks to get over that one)

.·:*¨༺ Jung Wooyoung ༻¨*:·.

Wooyoung goes from a more distant relationship to a very close one very suddenly, skipping a few steps of the "getting to know your steps" sometimes, so he'd probably propose within half a year.

Would propose during the day, in the autumn months

Literally wants everyone to know, okay

Like he will have his members hide and take a video of him proposing because he just knows that you'll say yes

And he will make sure to prove to you that he's worth that yes every single day

Will cook you breakfast and then take you to the carnival

Even coordinates outfits so the two of you match

Does not care how many tries it takes, he will win you a teddy bear, even if he has to bribe the guy at the stand to give it to him

Will try to impress you with his skills as much as he can, and if he doesn't win, he will say that the game itself is rigged

Will text his members when he's about to propose to you so that they can show up and hide in their respective places

The last ride he chooses is one with not a lot of people near it, especially if that's not something you're comfortable with

When you say yes, he pulls you in for the most passionate kiss as the other members cheer (except for Yeosang and San who teasingly boo him for not looking as good as you in the pictures)

.·:*¨༺ Choi Jongho ༻¨*:·.

Jongho seems like he'd have the best gauge of personalities and how people truly are out of everyone, so I think he'd probably be ready to commit to you and settle with you, but won't give you a promise ring until maybe a year or so after.

Would propose at night, during the winter

Really loves being bundled up and cuddling with you, it's his favorite time of day

Won't actually go out anywhere, instead preferring to have a really nice day at home

You two have a movie marathon, but he honestly isn't paying as much attention as he should be

He instead just keeps finding more reasons to love you

He genuinely cannot figure out a single reason why proposing to you with a promise ring would be a bad idea, because you were perfect in his eyes

The rings he bought were small but unique, looking like little branches wrapped around

It was such an innocent, beautiful combination that he really adored as soon as he laid his eyes on it

He asks you the question with so much love and adoration and just really soft

When you say yes, he puts the ring on your finger as you put the other on his before he cuddles into you more with a soft smile painting his lips.

[wifetomegatron]

countries and cities i've been to that i think the lost light crew will enjoy (vol. i)

i think ratchet would like switzerland. snowy alps, open green fields where purple and yellow poppies littered across the grass dance with the northern wind. he enjoys the secluded valleys and will spend hours just driving past the topaz lakes. he likes the quiet of it all, the serenity, the closure. he makes drift join him in their holoforms to walk, taking in the traditional log houses and brightly-colored buildings, shops, and restaurants surrounded by lush woodlands, upland meadows, and snow-capped cliffs. grindelwald because drift is fascinated by humans and their winter sports, ascona for when it gets warmer and the boats are out by the docks. in a first contact au, ratchet would most likely end up working in either zurich or geneva, working closely with earth's international bodies like the united nations to facilitate human-cybertronian relations. i can also see the medic crew stationed there as well; running the first cybertronian medical facility on earth.

drift, predictably, would prefer japan more. osaka and tokyo for its entertainment, where he and rodimus would spend hours exploring the nightlife in their disguises. at times, they would even go as their alt-modes. rodimus gets ahead of himself with all the attention he's getting. he'd travel through many prefectures, driving past the borders to clear his head — perks of having a conjunx that works closely with human organizations is that he gets exempted from all the paperwork — but always end up somewhere private, tranquil. the shrines, the forests, the mountains — he would even be bold enough to dream of settling down there. one time ratchet flew in to visit him at a resort by the foot of mount fuji, and his husband was neck-deep inside the natural saunas. content and purring, sinking into recharge against the stones.

i have a feeling brainstorm and skids would stir up trouble somewhere in the netherlands. most likely in the infamous lecture halls of leiden university, where great minds like descartes and rembrandt once walked in. they'd hate the weather, where the sun becomes optional the moment it hits autumn (even before, apparently.) the roads are small, so they'd have difficulty navigating at first, nearly driving into a canal because of how fast people bike. direct, with just the right amount of witty, the pair are glad to enjoy the company of dutchies without having to rely on their (human) food because nothing that they've seen looks appealing or digestible. getaway is also there, most likely in amsterdam, where his holoform is most likely to get cornered in an alley and have his bike stolen.

nautica would love the sea, the vast, great open oceans of southeast asia would be the perfect place for her. ever the adventurer, she would drag riptide and velocity with her to explore the islands of the philippines & indonesia. where she'd learn how to dive and swim with the animals past the coral reefs. sweet girl nearly cried when she saw a group of whale sharks. anode and lug are content sitting by the beach, sipping on their latest invention — coconut-infused energon. bali is where i imagine the girls ( and riptide ) would go for a nice getaway. the people are all smiles, warm and friendly, and passionate about their culture. even if the two are more inclined towards the sciences, the flourishing art and spirituality of the balinese people made them feel at home again. ( if not nostalgic for caminus.)

i know rodimus is living his life in spain. maybe it won't be his designated home on earth. but with the lost light stationed in geneva, where ratchet, minimus, and megatron are with the rest of the united nations council ( because there is no way they can park the ship anywhere in the new york branch ), barcelona was his first solo trip on earth without straying too far from his co-captain's watchful eye. it was the peak of summer and there he was under the sun. the people were only initially surprised, but then again, they'd probably seen weirder things than a sixty-foot-tall robot asking them if he could join their game of volley by the beach. he bumps into krok and his rag-tag team — who's also trying to get away from minimus — so that's how he and misfire end up nearly drowning after a competitive game of water tag.

[stealanity]

“ SUMMER LOVE(RS). ” ft. choi yeonjun

genre : exes to lovers, a bit of angst, but a lot of fluff

summary : that white sand beach was more than just a beach to you — it was a place dear to your heart. and today, sitting by the calm sea, your tranquility was disturbed by the reunion of an old memory.

word count : 1,000

matty's note : in honor of my platonic soulmate's birthday, i leave this second-hope writing on my blog. my pretty mona, my fellow balloon, and my another-life-roommate, happy birthday. i'm so happy to know you, and i hope to spend another wonderful year in your company. you're so dear to me, — i hope you know that.

the gentle summer breeze, the warmth of the setting sun on your skin, the sound of the waves in your ears.. all this seemed to come from a distant memory, when you were actually living it. watching the horizon with faraway eyes, you were thinking deeply about everything that happened here last summer. you remembered very clearly the bursts of laughter, the sound of liquor bottles slamming together.. and the sound of his voice. you remember his delicate hands, his radiant smile and his sun-kissed face. he was everything that made your summer a success : at first, you weren't too thrilled with your parents' decision, to spend the summer in a remote little village on the edge of the ocean.

but let's just say you quickly changed your mind..

staring at the waves beaching right in front of you, a peaceful smile on your lips, your fingers skimmed the water as you recalled the events of last year. as soon as you got out of the car, you left your luggage behind and headed to the sea, the cries of your parents at your back. you weren't paying attention, to anything — which led to your fatal fall. dead of shame and refusing to face your tragic fate, inwardly raging about how much you hated your parents ( just because they decided to come here ) you didn't dare raise your head a millimetre, only to hear an amused voice in front of you.

« can i help you? »

if his voice had a taste, it would probably be honey-flavored. you could have drowned in his words, it's as if a few syllables were enough to make you fall under his spell. raising your face slowly, the sun behind him obstructed your view — but you could see the beauty of his smile. hesitantly, you grasped his outstretched hand as he helped you to your feet, before he pretends to dust off your sand-covered clothes.

« are you alright? » he asked, and suddenly the words stuck in your throat. you couldn't speak, far too lost in the beauty of his hazel irises — how could a guy be so handsome? a crystalline laugh left his lips as he gently tugged on your handle to pull you towards the ocean, leaving you to face the sunset of your life.

« oh my god.. » you whispered, almost inaudibly. but the boy heard you and turned on his heels to face you again. « oh so you can speak ! » — feeling shame creep into your ears, you nodded apologetically, preferring to focus on the beauty of the landscape. you spent a few long minutes chatting with him, in front of the magnificent sun beating down on your skin.

and you could feel that maybe this summer wasn't going to be so bad after all.

just as you were about to leave, waving as you walked away, his voice caught your attention again.

« i'm yeonjun, by the way ! »

and this yeonjun gave you the most memorable and unforgettable summer of your life by becoming your first love.

but as all good things must come to an end, your sunny love story has given way to autumn in your heart — leaving your beloved beach for the buildings of your working life. obviously, you both tried so hard to make this long-distance love last, but little by little, day by day, the messages exchanged stopped, giving way to the emptiness of an icy winter.

you didn't realize that tears were running down your cheeks until a finger chased them away.

« are you alright? »

you knew that voice — that sweet way of talking. it was like caressing a memory and having my head filled with flashbacks, and when your eyes fell on his sunlit face, you thought you were swimming in a dream. « yeonjun? » you said softly, in an uncontrolled whisper that made him smile. the boy sat beside you, staring out at the ocean like the day you met, and you could see that he hadn't changed a bit. he was still handsome and warm.

« i knew i'd find you here. » your heart skipped a beat, because deep down you knew you'd come back here in the hope of seeing him again. resting your chin against your knee, you turned your gaze to face the waves once again, avoiding his gaze that burned your skin. « i'm happy to see you.. » he finally declared, tucking a lock of your hair behind your ear. out of the corner of your eye, you met his gaze : full of sincerity, with a sliver of sunlight in his pupil. it was so pretty, so electrifying, so captivating. and you couldn't lie about missing him terribly.

come to think of it, the end of your relationship was only the fault of the change of season. the hot summer made it evolve, he made it move with the waves and the white sand. autumn slowed it down, it dropped it like leaves from a tree. when winter came, it froze it in time — froze your feelings, your heart welcoming a sweet freshness. then spring brought new feelings, nostalgia has blossomed in you like cherry blossoms on trees.

the seasons have influenced your relationship, and now that summer's back, maybe it's time to give the sun a second chance to rekindle the flame of your love.

finally turning towards him, a smile on your lips, you offered him your hand.

« hey, i'm y/n. what if we spent another summer loving each other? »

the boy in front of you seemed amused by your words, smiling broadly at your behavior. then he moved his hand away from the sand, letting the sun shine on his skin and his smile, before he slips his hand into yours.

« nice to meet you y/n, i'm yeonjun. and i'd love to be your summer love. »

taglist ( fill out this google form to be added! ) : @invuwrld @lost-leopard-beanie

[howdoesagrapewrites]

𝘼𝙏𝙎𝙑 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧

Cw: no witty title, it's just headcanons about their weather preferences.

MILES MORALES is a totally a spring/autumn kind of guy, maybe slightly inclined towards fall, he likes the cafes and overall aesthetic, drawing on rainy days typa stuff. And he likes the cold weather outfits better, he doesn't get that cold, but his mom definitely tells him to wear more layers of clothing because it's cold and he'll get sick.

Heat resistance: 6/10

Cold resistance: 7/10

GWEN STACY is a summer girl, surprisingly. However, her heat tolerance is very bad, so it's common to her to have a killer headache after a beach day, she says it's worth it, she also sunburns really easily and has to apply sunscreen in copious amounts. She doesn't dislike the cold, but I think her favorite part of winter is the snow, she loves snowball fights (snowball wars, to her) and hot cocoa, she doesn't like spring as much since she became spider-woman, she doesn't have terrible allergies, but she has some, and it gets hard to breathe under the mask.

Heat resistance: 4/10

Cold resistance: 7/10

PETER B. PARKER is also an autumn enjoyer, he loves Halloween, loves the occasional rain, and it loves that the color palette reminds him of Mary Jane, he's cheesy like that. He likes winter too, mostly Christmas (I headcanon him as partly jewish, but he celebrates Christmas, you cannot tell me this man doesn't leave cookies for Santa), summer is not his favorite part of the year, but he learned to love it for his wife.

Heat resistance: 5/10

Cold resistance: 9/10

HOBIE BROWN has no preferences, I mean, he has them, but they're constantly changing. He likes winter/fall clothes better, but it doesn't matter, because this motherfucker has the best heat tolerance ever, he doesn't even break a sweat, it's 40°c outside and he's wearing a leather coat and combat boots while Gwen is becoming a puddle on the floor. He likes to eat ice cream, no matter the season, he also bites ice lollies/popsicles. 💔

Heat resistance: 10/10

Cold resistance: 8/10

PAVITR PRABHAKAR loves spring, he doesn't like that valentine's day is in winter, he thinks it should be in spring!! It's much nicer!! He also likes the festivals that occur that time of the year. He has mild allergies but not enough to make him dislike this beautiful time of the year. He likes the rest of seasons equally, but spring takes the grand prize by a long shot. He doesn't have particularly bad cold resistance, but he likes wearing a lot of knitted items.

Heat resistance: 7/10

Cold resistance: 7/10

MIGUEL O'HARA is a winter person. I think he really enjoyed summers when he had Gabriela, because she was on vacation and they did cool summer activities together. But now that time of the year brings him sadness, and he never loved the summer to start with, he doesn't like to sweat.

Heat resistance: 5/10

Cold resistance: 8/10

JESSICA DREW likes spring, she likes cold strawberry lemonade, maybe a beer after fixing her bike, he likes to get flowers for herself and be gifted flowers. She also strikes me as a morning person, so she loves those healthy breakfasts with fruits and granola. She likes having the summer vibe without the heat. She's another hot cocoa lover, but she wants to perfect the best recipe, and tries every winter, and she's a sucker for maple syrup, and can't wait to spend winters with his child.

Heat resistance: 8/10

Cold resistance: 7/10

MARGO KESS likes winter too, but it'd be most appropriate to say it's late autumn she likes staying indoors, but being able to go for a walk or simply step out of the house without a blizzard, she likes the freedom it provides, it doesn't force you indoors, it just makes it easier. She's adores the cottagecore spring though, but it's mostly the aesthetic, but it does feel nice to have some warmth hitting your skin after winter.

Heat resistance: 5/10

Cold resistance: 6/10

PETER PARKER aka Spider-Noir doesn't have much of a preference, his world doesn't have colors, so he can't fully appreciate spring, winter feels the most natural to him, but he'll pick summer because he likes seeing his Mary Jane in summer dresses. He has average tolerance for any climate, so he's quite indifferent.

Heat resistance: 6/10

Cold resistance: 6/10

PENI PARKER likes summer! She likes going to the pool, eating ice cream, going to convenience stores to buy icy treats, loves summer fruits, summer really cheers her up, spring is a close second though. She still likes winter, mostly the festivities.

Heat resistance: 9/10

Cold resistance: 8/10

GAYATRI SINGH likes spring, this is due Pavitr's influence, she always liked spring, but seeing him so hyped really pulls her heart strings, she also likes celebrating Sikh new year with her father, she has good childhood memories. She does hate something, and that's SWEAT, she hates it, she can stand sweaty hands, but she'd distract the other person and wipe her hands in desperation, and I'm sure she's the type of person who'd leave the bed because Pavitr was sweaty, or who'd take a cold shower in the middle of the night because of this. So summer is not for her, early spring is her favorite time. She also enjoys autumn a lot.

Heat resistance: 4/10

Cold resistance: 6/10

GANKE LEE is a winter lover through and through, he likes the snow, has mixed feelings about Seollal, but loves it most of the time, and his favorite part is staying inside drinking a hot beverage. He loves winter but has poor tolerance to the cold, like Gwen and summer, so he's freezing most of the time, but it's okay (he'll steal all the sweaters Miles doesn't use).

Heat resistance: 5/10

Cold resistance: 3/10

MILES G. MORALES was one of those kids whose nose constantly bled during the summer, he also fainted a couple times, he's embarrassed by it, so he always has a fan near him, and eats a lot of ice cream and cold drinks to lower his body temperature. He can't bring himself to hate summer though, it's his mother favorite time of the year, and he's a mama's boy. His favorite time of the year is also fall, because the weather isn't that extreme and he still gets to enjoy the cold.

Heat resistance: 2/10

Cold resistance: 9/10

RIO MORALES loves summer with her whole heart, she's the mom that makes caldo when it's hot like hell outside, she loves going to the farmer's market to buy fresh fruit, and she loves having a girl's night with her friends during the summer. She loathes the cold, not because she can't resist it, but because she is paranoid about her and her family getting sick. She used to give Miles those weird ass concoctions that claimed to solve every illness, she still threatens to give it to him when he's leaving home without a jacket. She trusts vic vaporub with her life.

Heat resistance: 10/10

Cold resistance: 7/10

JEFFERSON DAVIS is fucking cold blooded, when it's hot outside he acts like a lizard bathing in the rays of sunlight. Obviously his favorite season is summer. He wears so many layers under his police uniform he needs a bigger size during the winter. Jefferson loves Brooklyn and could never leave, but it's SO COLD, he has asked Rio more than once, "honey, do you ever feel like going back to Puerto Rico?" And she's like "Jeff what the hell???".

Heat resistance: 10/10

Cold resistance: 1/10

MARY JANE WATSON loves new year's eve and Christmas, winter really brings back beautiful memories of her youth with Peter, but MJ is a summer gal at heart. She has a (strictly monogamous) hot girl summer every year, she likes feeling sexy and desired by her husband and doesn't want to take the spark for granted. She loves taking Mayday to the beach with her, and buys her the cutest toddler bathing suits, they regularly buy matching ones, MJ wearing a bikini and May on a frilly onesie. Unlike the other snowbunnies in this post, she doesn't sunburn easily, just gets a lot more freckles. She still doesn't leave the sun screen behind, ever.

Heat resistance: 8/10

Cold resistance: 8/10

[tia-amorosa]

Hi 😊

Now it's finally autumn here. And at this time of year... how should I say it... I always get a bit more sensitive. Maybe some of you out there know that too. You sometimes feel a bit more irritable or sad. Especially when you're alone. Well, I'm never alone, I have carers around me day and night, but that's not the same as having a friend or partner with you. Well, I don't have a partner. And friends?... I only know most of them online and they live far and wide across the globe. And I'm a bit more receptive to my stories in the autumn and winter. I really lose myself in them, I think more about them. And so I hope that I can bring some good stuff again in the next few months. 🙂

I'm preparing the next part atm. And I'm thinking about whether it might make sense not to bring an episode every day? What would you prefer? At least on Tumblr it is possible to prepare the episodes so that they are only published on certain days. But I'm always so terribly impatient and would like to show what I've already done😅😊 ... Well, I'm still thinking about what would be the better option. I hope you have a great day!😘

[j-nope-not-today]

ENEMIES TO LOVERS W/ BERNARD ORRRRRR BERNARD X READER WHOS ALSO THE SPIRIT OF AUTUMN AND PREFERS HALLOWEEN :))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Truce

A/n: I tried my best to mix both, but I apologize if it doesn't make much sense. I hope you like it nonetheless.

Bernard the elf x reader

Oh great. Here comes Bernard. Mister Christmas trumps Halloween every year.

I've tried my best to be civil in the conversations we do have, but every year when I come to the workshop for the annual meeting he shows up and gets mad that I can't seem to put Christmas above the clearly better holiday. Halloween.

I mean who doesn't like Halloween? Apparently him.

"Change your mind yet?" He pauses in front of me holding a small wrapped present.

"Have you?" I countered before crossing my arms.

"How'd the meeting go?"

"If you must know everything is fine. Autumn is on time as usual and winter will be here shortly."

"Good to know. Then it can be Christmas." I gritted my teeth together at his words. The smirk sprawled on his face proved my point that he was just trying to get under my skin. Not happening.

"I'm not going to argue with you Bernard. You don't have to like Halloween more than Christmas, but you do have to respect that I like it more than your holiday. It's part of my season." I huffed out. I was tired of the back and forth.

I noticed his shoulders drop slightly before he smiled wider and held out the gift. I took it before looking up at him.

"What is this for?"

"A truce."

"But why?" He let out a sigh before dropping his eyes to the ground.

"I've been sorta rude to you in the past..so I wanted to say I was..sorry." At his final word he looked back at me. Hopeful I would accept it.

"Fine. Truce." I agreed.

He motioned for me to open the small package and I did. Laying inside was a small, black box upon opening it there was a handmade locket in the shape of a spider.

"Wow..this is beautiful..thank you." I looked up at him and for once gave him a genuine smile.

"I made it myself..I thought maybe I could respect that Halloween was more your thing."

"That's very kind of you...I have to get going though.." I skimmed my fingers over the locket before closing the box and giving him one last smile.

"Goodbye then y/n." I waved goodbye before I began my exit from the small workshop.

The season passed without any hiccups and the following year came by quickly. Me and Bernard for once had no rivalry when we met. It was awkward at first. Neither of us knowing how to approach the other with kindness. I was so used to having to be short and rude with him. It was a nice change though once we found something to talk about.

From that moment forward we were friends and the locket he made me found it's home around my neck. I simply couldn't not wear it. It was beautiful and represented something I held close to my heart.

The following year was much of the same, but it differed than my last visit. Bernard seemed strange. More interested in my personal life instead of my job as the spirit of Autumn. He grew closer during our conversation. Brushing his hand with mine. Just twice.

Which led up to this year.

As I made my way out of the meeting room and down into the workshop I spotted Bernard patiently waiting for me to exit. A huge smile sprouting across his face when he finally saw me.

"Hey! How have you been?"

"I've been well. What about you?" He brought me into a small hug before pulling apart and we turned to begin our walk out of the workshop.

"I've been doing alright. It gets pretty busy this time of year."

"Yeah Christmas is right around the corner." I laughed he laughed along with me before coming to a halt and I stopped beside him.

"Would you maybe uh consider..hanging out sometime soon..alone." He looked like a nervous wreck and I smiled at him.

"Of course we can."

"Awesome!" He gave me a smile before we continued our slow walk out of the workshop.

Our eventual parting of ways led up to our hang out. Which turned romantic very quickly.

"You kissed me?" I was stunned as I pulled away he began to stutter out.

"O-oh my I'm so sorry! I thought you liked me back but I was wrong i- I shouldn't have assumed that yo-"

"Bernard!" He froze and looked at me wide eyed.

"It's alright..I like you too..I just wasn't expecting you to kiss me is all."

"Oh.." He began to mess with a loose thread in his shirt and I leaned forward and placed my hands upon his.

"You can do it again if you would like?" I smiled at him and he smiled back

"Okay."

The following year wasn't a wait to see one another. We saw each other as soon as we possibly could. Soon enough I was spending spring and summer at the pole with Bernard. Autumn and winter led to a small series of breaks we had to take from one another as our jobs couldn't wait.

Each passing year I couldn't wait to see him. We grew closer and closer. Eventually I realized that maybe just maybe I liked him the whole time. Maybe the rivalry wasn't about the holidays. Just a small excuse for us to talk to one another.

I still settle on the fact that Halloween is far better than Christmas, but Bernard doesn't need to know that.