#and idk lays his head on his chest seeking comfort

[tennessoui]

😧

^^ quinlans face after he leaves his buddy to terrorize a few senators, comes back to find him talking to the one guy he really should not be talking with while pulling all his usual flirting moves, looks away only for the pair of them to disappear, blinks and sees his buddy running after his other buddy, doesn’t see him for a while before seeing him again looking very recently mauled and clearly disassociating only to lose track of him again, see that one guy he shouldn’t be talking with following him up to a restricted area only to be told not even an hour later that his buddy was stabbed by a sith who kidnapped the chancellor elect and now he’s in the halls of healing, unconscious and injured

[mysicklove]

𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆

DAY 24: SPREADER BAR

With: Zenitsu Agatsuma

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: Sub! Zenitsu, gn! reader, crying, reader kinda is pushy but Zenitsu is fine with it, VERY sensitive Zenistu, overstimulation,

A/N: I hope i didn't take this too far. Reader is kinda pushier than my other fics, but idk. kinda nervous about this one for some reason. tbh, I'm not really liking any of my kinktober fics </3

Zenitsu squirms. Plain and simple. Kiss his cheek and he is giggling like a school girl, touch his chest and he is shrinking away from you with a whine, stroke his cock and he is accidentally closing his thighs together. It was just instinctual, he’s sensitive, and even if he likes the touch, he seems to struggle staying still and letting it happen.

So, you bought him a spreader bar. Zenitsu adores handjobs, but its always a pain to keep respreading his legs (You once slapped his thighs as a warning to keep them open, and he immediately sobbed and begged for forgiveness. You never slapped him again). It was good to take measures into your own hands. 

But, he happened to be a little nervous about it.

“Y/NNNNN. Is this really necessary?” Zenitsu whines, his face pink from embarrassment at being completely bare in front of you. You were clicking on the cuffs to his ankles, while he lays against the headboard. 

You kiss the inside of his knee, before moving up closer to him. “You know it is. How am I supposed to make you feel good if you keep moving away?”

He pouts and looks away. “Don’t mean to.”

“I know baby, you’re just so sensitive. I love that about you,” You coo, leaning forward to kiss his temple. You rest your hand on his abdomen, and he flinches, eyes flickering to yours out of nervousness.

He looks down at his open legs and covers his face. “So embarrassing.”

“Hmmm. It’s cute, legs spread like a little whore. Only for me, hmm?” He whines at the slight degradation, moving closer to you to seek comfort in your warmth. But of course, he agrees, slightly nodding and playing with his fingers.

Your hand moves down to his cock, and he lets out an airy breath. Immediately you hear the clanging of the cuffs as he tries to move. You grin, glad his thighs aren’t stopping your antics, and pump him once, and then twice. His hand grips onto your pants and he looks up at you with pleading eyes. 

You continue, now going faster, and he keens, back slightly arching off the bed. He tries to keep his mouth shut, but it gets harder with every second. A minute goes by, and he is already spasming.

“F-Fuck slow down–You know I can’t!” He isn’t used to this, he usually gets a small break in the moments you take to pull away his legs. A chance for him to calm down, to not let his oversensitive body overwhelm him.

His legs are trembling and flexing as they try to force themselves together, but can’t. You continue your merciless pace, and his mouth hangs open, moans and whimpers falling with every second. Tears have already begun to well up. “I can’t. Wait, please! I can’t! Too much. It’s too much!”

You slightly slow your pace at his words and watch the way the pre drips down your hands. His thighs are shaking and he is twitching. Tears begin to spill over as he finally has a chance to catch his breath. You rub his face, brushing the drops away. “’m sensitive! Can’t keep up. You are going too fast, Y/N!” He sobs, and you coddle his face in apology, glancing back at the way his whole body seems to jerk when you reach the head of every slow stroke.

You coo at him, murmuring sweet nothings into his ear, as the spreader bar clanks with his movements. “But doesn’t it feel good, Zen? Your body is so reactive. You just need to relax and let it happen.”

He looks up at you with crocodile tears in his eyes and lets out a couple of sniffles. “Well, it did feel good. Just scary. Don’t got any control over myself,” He warbles, burying his face into your clothes for comfort.

You smile at him and begin to pick up the pace of your hand again. His hand tightens into a fist on your clothing. “Let me take care of you. I won’t let anything happen to you. Just gotta relax for me, yeah?”

A second goes by, and then two. “Mhmkay. Just, try to be gentle. Please?”

“Of course. Doing so well, ya know. Being such a good boy,” You praise, and he lets out a happy hum, soaking up the words. 

You slowly make your way to your original pace, ignoring the way he jumps, or tries to hyperextend one of his legs at the feeling. He begins to pant, and he’s clutching at you desperately, trying to keep himself relaxed, but also grounded.

Eventually, you reach your original pace, and his knees are caving in. He wants to close his legs desperately, but he can’t, and his body is reacting immensely to the intense pleasure. “Fuck. Fuck. Its a lot. It’s too much!”

“How does it feel, Zenitsu?”

He thrashes around the sheets, crying again, but seeming to enjoy it more than before. He doesn’t look afraid, just simply letting it happen. “Good! Mhmmokay im okay. Just–Just hard. Cant….Think!”

The bed creaks from his sporadic movements, and you are even having trouble keeping your hands on him. His hips are turning from left to right, and his back is arching occasionally. His mouth is open again, and his eyes are hazy. “Can’t last. I can’t!”

The bar continues to rattle, and his legs continue to strain against it. You are even worried that he might break it from the force of his movements. “You can cum whenever you want, my love.”

He doesn’t respond, just nodding his head, with his eyes slightly rolled back. His hands can’t stay still, interchanging from clutching at you or the sheets, to holding onto his legs to try to help stop force against the bar.

With his upcoming orgasm, the pleasure becomes more intense, and he begins to sob. “Fuck. S-Sensitive. Oh god, feels weird! Gonna cum. Please please please! It’s too much again!”

“You already have my permission, Zen. Relax, let it out.” He nods into your clothing and clings onto you like a lifeline but listens.

He cums, and it’s much different than before. He can’t curl up into himself, as he usually does, but tries to anyways. His body goes stiffer than usual, and he lets out three high pitches, broken moans. He shuts his eyes and arches his back into you. The white liquid coats his stomach, but he can’t even feel it, instead focusing on riding out the waves. 

He looks cute like this. It seems like it was his strongest orgasm in a while, and you are intrigued by it. Your hand slows down, and forces out the last couple of drops from the tip. 

You accidentally overstimulate him, and his whole body jerks and he lets out a whimpering sound. You gulp and pull away, trying to think of other thoughts, because overstimulating Zenitsu may be adorable, but if he reacted the way he does with a handjob, you may kill the poor boy with anything more.

But he blinks at you, eyes red with tears. “Again?” He breathes, still twitching occasionally from the aftershock. 

You gulp again, not sure if going again would kill him, or you.

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[7ndipity]

I just had a dream with Namjoon cuddling me and now I'm soft and in need of someone to cuddle with me 🥲

Soooo how do u think each one would cuddle with their S/O? I think Hobi would totally be braiding their SO hair if it's long enough, and maybe Namjoon would be kissing their SO cheeks?? Idk but that's what I've dreamed about and everytime I remember about it it makes me giggle 🥹🥹

How They Cuddle

Ot7 x Reader

Warnings: not proofread

A/N: These made me so soft while writing, I need someone to cuddle asap!🥺😊

Masterlist

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Jin: Jin likes when you sit across his lap with your head on his shoulder, so he can wrap his arms around and keep you safe and cozy while you watch tv or smth. Whenever he feels particularly tired or stressed, he likes to lay on your chest or tummy, listening to you talk about whatever until he eventually dozes off. His favorite way to sleep tho is with your head resting on his chest, feeling you slowly relax into him.

Yoongi: I think he likes it when you lean against each other as you sit side by side. It’s not exactly full-on cuddling, but it just feels comforting to him. He’s also a sucker for classic spooning, pressed against your back, an arm wrapped around your waist, face tucked against the back of your neck, breathing in scent. Sometimes when he’s in a needy or teasing mood, he’ll just come over and lay on top of you and refuse to move bc “you’re comfy”.

Hobi: Like you said, Hobi tends to let his hands wander, not always in a suggestive way(though that definitely happens sometimes) His braids/plays with your hair, traces patterns and words on your skin, counts your freckles, etc. He basically does all the same things that he loves that you do to him. He doesn’t really have a preferred position, tho he def dies a little whenever he wakes up to you spooning him from behind. It makes him feel so safe and loved.

Namjoon: Joon, I think, is a big fan of back hugs or having you lay on his chest. He likes that he can keep one hand free to hold a book or his phone, while the other is looped around your waist, keeping you close as you’re laying together. Sometimes at night tho, he seeks you out in his sleep, curling into your side with his face buried in your chest in the same way you do to him, arms wrapped tightly around your middle, clinging to you as if his life depends on it.

Jimin: Jimin loves any form of cuddling, but one of his favorite positions is when one of you lays back against the other's chest. He loves wrapping his arms around you and gently rocking you side to side, or how you play with his hands as he talks, how he can hook his legs around your waist to keep you from getting up, even though you told him you had to leave three times already. He also loves when you lay in bed facing each other, legs tangled together as you talk about your day.

Taehyung: Tae adores skinship, so he doesn’t really care what form it comes in. He likes laying on your chest or resting his head in your lap while you play with his hair. His actual favorite tho, is when you lay facing each other, an arm thrown over your waist, legs tangled together as you talk in hushed tones before bed or first thing in the morning, faces close enough that if he wanted to, he could connect your mouths with just a slight tilt of his head.

Jungkook: I think he likes any position that allows him to wrap his arms around you. Sometimes, he comes home and just latches himself to your back, following you around while you do your thing(in the same way that he does with the other members). Whenever you’re sitting together on the couch, he likes to pull you or your legs to rest across his lap, playing with your hands or jewelry as you watch tv. He’s almost always the big spoon, unless he’s feeling particularly needy, and then he likes to lay on your chest and listen to your heartbeat.

Taglist: @sopebubbles-replies @btsw1fe @this-must-be-my-tardis @whitefoxgirl @bethanysnow @coffeedepressionsoup @main-bangtansmauyeondan @feminympho @a-gayish-unicorn @dfqcsqueen @mother2monsters @comingupwithacoolnameishard @captainorangegoose @k4ngelz

[neteyamyawne]

🫀— You Promised

༄ Pairing : Aged!up!Neteyam x Fem!pregnant!Reader

༄ Summary : You never thought about losing your mate, atleast not when you needed him the most in your vulnerable state.

༄ Warning : Angst! Lots and lots of angst, no comfort, crying, pregnancy, major death, depression, sadness, dying of a loved one and more sadness, maybe a smidge of fluff.

༄ Prompt : Holding their mate's (or child's) unconscious/dead body

༄ Word Count : 2.7k Proof read.

༄ Note : I love making you guys cry, idk why, I cry myself when I write this kind of stuff.

༄ Glossary : [Yawne] - Beloved, [Olo'eyktan] - Na'vi clans' leader, [Iknimaya] - Na've rite of passage, [tsahik] - Na'vi clans' spiritual leader, [Uthuru] - to seek refuge, [Paskalin] - sweet berry, [Skxwang] - moron.

◦ Angstmas || Masterlist

It was like any other normal day only if you were in your home and not in another strange clan that you've never known except for stories and political talks.

You lay on the soft woven mat, made by your mate just for you, a hand on your swollen stomach as the life growing inside moves at its own pace while you rest from the tiredness that comes with.

»»————-　𑁍　————-««

You and Neteyam mated right after he passed his Iknimaya, being the first in line to be the olo’eyktan and you to be his tsahik but it was all came crashing down when your father-in-law decided it was better to flee for the good of the clan and for the family as well.

It was the second month of your pregnancy when you had to leave your home forever, the strength of your mates arms held you up as you cried in his chest, hands shaking like a leaf as you watched Jake renounce his position as the Olo'eyktan to Terasem.

The tears in everyone's eyes, Neytiri’s sobs, Neteyam could only stroke the side of your head, pressing a kiss to your temple as he lead you to his Ikran “It'll be okay, Yawne, believe me, we'll be alright, I'll take care of you and our little one” he whispered comfortingly in your ear when you both mounted his Ikran and he placed you in front of him, your face towards him as he draped and covered you with his own shawl, he held you against his chest tightly before he took off with his family.

He had one hand on Seze’s reigns, controlling her moves through the air and the other on your back, under the shawl that was draped on your body, your face buried in his neck, your arms wrapped around his waist, so you could rest comfortably on the rough journey, he caressed patterns on your back as everyone flew more and more away from the forest until it was just the expanse of the water in front of them.

Neytiri kept glancing at her eldest son, pride blooming in her chest as she saw how much of gentleman her son is, the scene could only remind her of the time with Jake during the war, when they aligned all the clans, with a small smile she looked away, giving the couple some privacy as she moved closer to Jake's Ikran, bob, while running her hand through Tuk’s braids.

»»————-　𑁍　————-««

It took a week or more to reach the metkayina clan, Awa’atlu, they accepted your Uthuru, with much criticism and nagging, but they did, it wasn't the same since then, there was always a deep feeling in the back of your mind, reminding you, again and again that something is wrong or would go wrong.

Even now, 4 months later, as you rested in the mauri with Neytiri on the other side making dinner while the others were out for their lessons, as Neytiri didn't willingly wanted to take the lessons and would rather look after you because it wasn't recommended for you to start your swimming lessons yet, she was always there for you, no matter what.

Even then, it's only been a month or two since Quaritch started his search spree across all the water Na'vi clans for Jake, that was the one thing everyone was alert for after Tonowari gave us the news, you didn't want to keep that in mind, not in your condition, not when it added to your ever growing worry.

Neteyam came back later, seemingly happy to see you resting on the mat he made, and because he loved the beautiful curve on your belly, the sign that his little baby grew safe and sound, he also knew that you didn't like the ocean as much as the trees back home but it was doable, plus he would rather have his baby in a safe environment than a hostile one, which was the only reason he loved this place, for the sake of his family's safety was all he cared about.

On a good day, you'd join the group, watching them learn in the depths while you sat in the shallow waters laughing at their failed attempts until your stomach starts to hurt from laughing while clutching your bump or learning new things with them, even successfully befriending an Ilu and riding it safely that you could have options to move around Awa'atlu.

But on days like these, when your exhaustion hits a little too hard, he couldn't help but lay down behind your back and just wrap his arms around you and pull you into his warm hug.

You always knew it was him, by the way he'd kiss your neck gently, one large hand on your belly as he strokes it softly, his head nuzzled in the Crook of your neck “You know you don't have to pretend you're asleep when I'm right beside you, Paskalin” he whispered, hot breath lingering on the curve of it.

You chuckled at the tickling sensation, giving in after he catches you in your pretend sleep, once again for the upteenth time, turning around to face him while he strokes your cheek with his hand as the other caresses your belly, peppering your face with kisses as you giggled “Did you eat anything, Honey?” He asked in a whisper, picking up after his father to call you sweet human nicknames that he loved. Like father, like son.

He was disappointed when you shook your head “how many times have I told you to eat something every two hours? It's not good for the baby, yawne!” He whisper-yelled at you but the answer he got from you was just a chuckle “I wasn't hungry, Ma teyam, and i wasn't feeling well either, Now let it-” he just shook his head in disappointment “tsk tsk tsk, you should have told me or sa’nu, she would have-”

The sentence was left unspoken when the loud commotion and yelling was heard outside, the locals were screaming at something or someone and loud cries were heard, both you and Neteyam got up with Neytiri and made your way to the rage going on inside the supply tent.

Neteyam kept his arm around your waist as you entered the tent, shielding you from the hands that reached out to hit or hold you or him. He was surprised at the sudden uprise until he understood what was happening when he took in the gossip and looks he was getting and looked at his father who was trying to explain.

Ronal’s Tulkun, Roa, was found dead or rather murdered by the human, as well as her babe.

»»————-　𑁍　————-««

When Jake apologized and made his preposition on how to save the other Tulkuns from further harm, Neteyam saw Lo'ak running away from the crowd towards the diving edge, calling for his Ilu, immediately knowing what he was upto, he went behind him with you in tow after him.

“No way you're rolling out of here, baby brother” Neteyam said sternly as he walked in on Lo'ak strapping the saddle on the Ilu, Lo'ak halted, rolling his eyes at his brother in annoyance.

“I have to warn payakan about the pingers!” He snapped back but lowered his voice when he saw you behind Neteyam.

“No! you've gotta keep your skxwang ass here, you understand me?!” Neteyam said with a hint of annoyance lacing his, he didn't want another one of his brother's stupid mistakes to be blamed on him, not right now, not when he himself was about to be a father.

“Neteyam…Calm down” you whispered lightly, holding his arm back, you didn't want him to blow off on Lo'ak again, it could be done quietly and patiently.

Lo'ak on the other hand wanted to try and reason with him to let him go “he's an outcast, there's nobody to warn him but me”

Neteyam huffed, placing a hand on Lo'ak’s head, holding his brother in place “bro… why do you always have to make things so hard?”

Lo'ak hissed, flicking his brother's hand off his head in anger and defiance as his tone shifted to an aggressive one “No. You mean why can't I be the perfect son like you! The perfect little soldier! Who does everything right, has the perfect life and a perfect little mate and family! Well I'm not you! Okay?!” Neteyam sized him up and Lo'ak took a step back looking up at his brother and lowered his voice again “I'm not you..He's my brother! I'm going”

You were taken aback at that, you grabbed his arm making him face you as anger simmered in your eyes at what he just said “LO'AK!! What are you talking about?! He's your brother! Stop this right now! Is this how you talk to your brother?!”

Lo'ak skipped a look between you and Neteyam nervously as he took another step back but Neteyam stopped him by grabbing his arm tightly and forcing him to look “He's not your brother, skxwang! I am! And don't you dare talk like that again”

But Lo'ak was having none of it as he twisted his arm out of his grasp just when Tsireya, Ao'nung and Rotxo arrived giving Lo'ak a good distraction to dive into the water for his Ilu, Neteyam growled loudly before patting on Ao'nung’s chest “we have go behind him, he's going to payakan” he said urgently.

But something in your heart panged when he said that, a weird unease spreading to your chest again and you called out to him “teyam…please, don't go” you didn't know if it was stupid or not but you wanted to believe it “please, it doesn't feel right”

He looked back at you after he called his Ilu and came up to you quickly, cupping your cheek in his palm, stroking his thumb over your cheek, his other hand caressing your swollen belly, as he looked into your eyes intently, connecting your foreheads together and kissing your nose “Shh… I'll be right back, I promise, don't worry, I just have to put this Skxwang back in his place again” he whispered lovingly with a smirk, kissing your forehead one last time and giving your hand a tight squeeze before diving into the water with the others and following Lo'ak.

»»————-　𑁍　————-««

Your heart was pacing a mile per second, the feeling of dread getting worse when it was notified by Lo'ak that Payakan was marked by the humans and Neteyam was their with them, Almost half of the clan, including Ronal and Tonowari were gone to save them, but all you could think of was Neteyam.

Hours passed and the sun began to set, spreading an eerie red and orange hue throughout the sky, no news of anyone or anything, only the sight of the injured or fallen warriors broughton back to Awa'atlu filled your mind with nightmares you only prayed stayed in your dreams.

You placed a hand on your stomach, the feeling of your baby moving against your palm was enough to give you some courage to call your Ilu and riding over to the scene yourself following behind another group of Warriors who were sent back to help others.

»»————-　𑁍　————-««

The sight was a horror to take in as you sat on your ilu looking at the havoc the place was in, the ship sinking, fire ablaze on the water from the oil spill, the sky dusted in a amber color and dark smoke, as if matching the hell beneath on the water but your heart dropped when you saw the rock Island… with others gathered together around something.

Urging your ilu over to it, you climbed off of the creature before you saw a body lying on the rock and dread filled the pit of your stomach, the feet looked eerily familiar but you refused to think about it, it couldn't be… a cold shiver running down your spine, goosebumps spreading over your body as your breath hitched, before you could confirm your suspicions spider pulled you back, shaking his head, but that's all it took for your worst fear to come true, gears in your head turning as a scream erupted from your throat which ultimately caught everyone's attention in horror when they saw you, when you realized what you were looking at.

“NETEYAM!!!!! NO NO, GREAT MOTHER, PLEASE” you ran towards him but Neytiri stopped you, catching your body in her arms as your cries rang out for everyone to hear, thrashing in her arms as Jake came up to you “Shh look at me, look at me…” he whispered holding you back and not letting you see his body yet, placing his hands on your cheeks and forcing you to look at him as tears already ran down your cheeks.

“NO NO NO, NETEYAM, LET ME GO PLEASE!! please….” You sobbed as they held you back, Neytiri couldn't hold back either as she hugged you, your loss was far greater than any others, your knees gave out from the shock as they caught you once again before they let you go, knowing there was no denying it “It's going to okay, it's going be okay” Neytiri whispered desperately to calm you but nothing could soothe you in this moment.

Your heart almost stopped beating in your chest as you saw his lifeless body, crawling over to his side, with trembling hands as you touched his chest that was now covered in his blood, cold lifeless eyes staring up at the sky, as sobs wrecked your body, crying over your mate, who promised you he'd come back, who promised to spend the eternity together, now gone, forever.

Kneeling beside him as your wails of despair shook the heart of great mother herself, shaking your head in disbelief, as you held his limp hand in yours, only if he listened to you, only if he stayed back!

Your head laid on his chest, like the thousands of times before where he caressed your hair, as he hummed a sweet melody for you so you could sleep peacefully in his arms, listening to his heartbeat as you fell asleep, was cold, quiet and unmoving, as if the once alive, beating heart, never existed, you sobbed on his chest, blood coating the side of your face but you didn't care, holding his hand as if he would wake up and smile saying this was all just a dream and he was there with you, like he said.

Lo'ak placed a hand on your shoulder to comfort you but it only fueled your anger towards himas you snarled at him viciously and everyone was taken aback “DO NOT TOUCH ME, STAY AWAY! ONLY IF YOU EVER DID AS YOU WERE TOLD TO THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED, LO'AK!”

Your anger was justified and no one dared to stop you or invented in between, Your screams hit him like bullets as he didn't say a word, stepping back as you turned back to look at Neteyam's face, still unable to register the fact that he's gone and would never come back to you or your child ever again and your weren't ready to face it just yet.

“Teyam, please… you promised, right? you promised you'd come back to us, please, you can't do this to me, teyam… I can't do this without you, you promised to be there with me, to hold our baby, to hold my hand, you can't do this to me please, we- we…” you couldn't even form words anymore as more tears streamed down your cheeks, breaking down to the point of no return as your cries rang through everyone's ears.

They all couldn't handle to see your desperate attempts and cries to get him back, in hopes to get you back, begging any greater force would listen to give him back, their hearts breaking even more as they saw you placing his hand on your stomach one last time as you broke down completely, your head placed on his chest, watching the horrific sight of a mate mourning over her other half as their symbol of love grew inside her.

You closed your eyes and held him close one last time, holding his hand one last time, laying your head on his chest one last time, his hand on your stomach to feel his child for one last time as he still watched the darkening sky unmoving “you promised…”

Ho Ho Ho : @cryinginthemoonpool, @luvv4j4ybe11, @xylianasblog, @plooto, @itchaboi-itchyboy, @pandoraslxna, @taylormarieee, @thewiltedpeony, @neteyamswillow, @danniackerman, @hotdsworld, @zafrinaxyz, @xstarsdiary, @moondaisye, @puddle-nerd, @eywxveng, @minnory, @neteyamssyulang, @tavsianus, @ele-sme.

©Neteyamyawne2023 | All Rights Reserved. Do not repost on other platforms, copy, steal, or translate any of my works!

[crystalflygeo]

Morning coffee? Morning tea... ft Neuvillette + fem!reader

cw/tags: this is just SUPER tender and vanilla sex ngl. Pet names (in french!!! <3) dirty talking if you squint?? itty bit of somno maybe? idk how to tag this y'all just smut with feelings.

notes: HI I DISAPPEARED AND COME BACK TO OFFER YOU NEUVILLETTE. I love him so much, I am down horrendous I love him I love him I love him AAAAAAAAAAAAA. The self control I had to practice not to make him speak full sentences in french lmao.

The room is dark and silent as you shift on the bed, yawning. You blink drowsily and realize you were asleep, only dreaming of Neuvillette’s soft touch, the brush of his hair, his gentle kisses and nuzzling, reserved only for private settings. You roll over and rub at your face, but the bed is empty.

Hm? Where is your husband?

It is very rare for Neuvillette to leave like this, unannounced. He’d always give you a kiss, hushed whispers telling you he has some business to attend to before slipping out of the room. Sometimes he doesn’t want to wake you and leaves a note instead, but now as you look around, albeit half-asleep, there is nothing…

Did something happen? You frown.

His side of the bed is still warm though, his essence lingers in the room, on your skin. He was definitely here not too long ago. The familiar scent of his cologne teases your nose and you decide to burrow into his pillow to chase it, hugging the soft thing wishing it was him.

Today was a day off, there was no need to worry about work or other responsibilities. Though you suppose Fontaine’s Iudex’s responsibilities never end…

You sigh and cling tighter onto the pillow, closing your eyes and desperately trying to recapture the essence of that dreamy state, sliding deeper under the warm comforter and rolling onto your side in the middle of the bed, slipping into memories of the night prior.

Neuvillette’s deep voice, the delightful sparks of electricity as his hands roamed your body and that feeling of being so full, complete and sated as he slid deep inside you from behind.

Oh, how you love him. Always so reverent with his affections.

Somewhere between the reminiscence of a high pitched voice you barely recognize as your own moaning his name, and Neuvillette’s low tantalizing whispers as he urges you to come all over his cock, you barely register the soft click of the door.

The subconscious is a funny thing and part of you wonders how can he be there and in your little fantasy at the same time.

Deep in the middle of your struggle between here and there, there is a soft rustle of fabric, and then the sharp clink of porcelain coming from the bedside table, sounds that pull you back from the drowsiness.

“Hmmm… Neuv?”

The bed dips slightly with his weight, and a soft caress at your hair has you stirring a little. The covers sliding off your skin and Neuvillette’s appreciative groan upon seeing your naked figure spread out before him brings you almost alert.

You feel the warmth of him sliding into bed behind you, his hair tickling at your cheek and his breath at your shoulder as he nuzzles here, planting a soft kiss. Strong arms circling your waist as he pulls your closer, your hips slotting together.

And then you hear him, in that husky smooth voice you’ve come to crave. “Ma chérie.” He beckons, soft and low in your ear. “Ma belle…” Your name velvet on his lips. Large hands shifting your body, maneuvering until you lay on your back. “Mon amour.”

You let out a soft sound of acknowledgement and he chuckles.  

Eyes still closed you tilt your head towards his shoulder, seeking to curl up to his chest and cuddle, but instead you feel his weight shift on the bed again. You whine and a tiny speck inside your head is ready to cry out for him not to leave, but before you can form a coherent sentence you suddenly feel him on top of you, his larger frame caging you, long locks sliding off his back and firm hands taking hold of your thighs, coaxing them to part.

“Let me take care of you, ma chérie.” He’s persuasive with both his touch and his words, spreading your legs gently, one of his hands sliding towards a calf where he squeezes lightly, your body soft and pliant like moist clay under the hands of a sculptor. “You’re so gorgeous… show me…” He kisses a trail down your neck to your collarbone, your chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm as you squirm a little, ticklish and aroused.

“Neuv…” You moan, eyes still closed but senses fully aware of him and everything around you. The room feels hotter, your skin simmering everywhere he touches. Your sides, your hips, your ass… lifting your bottom slightly to slide you into his lap, your legs instinctively curling around his torso and oh- “Oh…”

He shushes you gently, rolling his hips so his cock slides along your folds, teasing and rubbing at your sex, lathering on your slick and growing harder.

“So good for me…”

You whine again, eyes finally fluttering open to stare at his mesmerizing lavender ones as he ruts softly into you. It drives you insane, the want, the wait. And you claw and grip at the bedsheets in anticipation when the engorged cockhead catches on your hole for a moment before sliding again, poking at your little clit instead.

“F-Fuck… Neuv, please…” You groan breathlessly, arms reaching out for him to hold onto the pale skin of his shoulders.

He hums and finally guides himself inside, the first stretch making you keen and toss your head back into the pillow. You see his eyebrows twitch slightly, diamond pupils dilating. Your inner walls squeeze and gush as he pushes deeper and deeper. Goosebumps rising on your skin, sweat running down the back of your neck.

He bottoms out and groans, long and low, leaning into you to rest his forehead on your shoulder, savoring the way you clench before seeking out your lips for a kiss. It’s passionate, heated, but still sweet and you can’t help the smile that breaks when you taste his favorite tea on his mouth, bold, strong and decadent.

As morning light filters in through almost sheer curtains you gaze up at his face, the sharp elegant lines, his long lashes, his beautiful eyes and the slightly disheveled hair, partially falling over his face. You reach out with a hand and comb your fingers trough the white and blue locks, brushing them behind a pointy ear before sliding your hand back and reaching for a horn, petting it gently with pure adoration.

“You’re beautiful.” He says.

You make a sound that’s a cross between a scoff and a laugh, blushing and realizing that as much as you’ve been staring at him, he’s done the same. “Was about to say that myself…” You reply. You see the white pupils flicker, turning to slits and back to diamonds and a shiver runs through your body, acutely aware he’s still inside you. “I love you...”

“I love you too, ma chérie, more than you can imagine.” Your breath catches with his words, spoken so sincere, with such resolute feelings.

You are his, so wholly and utterly, but he knows he belongs to you too. Irrefutably intertwined, awakening long forgotten instincts on the old dragon. Neuvillette’s hands hold your hips again as he starts thrusting into you, filling you and then retreating ever so slowly. You bite your lip and try to push closer, canting your hips to that delicious feeling as warmth pool in your gut.

Your arms are back around his neck, fingers tangling on his hair and bodies pressing together as his pace increases steadily, gasps leave your parted lips. Your muscles already tensing on a tight coil.

Neuvillette hisses as he sinks into you, harder but not faster, aiming his cock right where you want it most, he feels you tighten around him, hot warmth sucking him right in and begging for more. It’s perfection that Neuvillette ruts into, pressing over and over. His instincts on fire telling him to lay his claim.

“I love you.” He says again, unable to stop himself.

You feel pleasure bubbling up, fast, faster than you’d thought, and intense. Your toes curl, legs gripping harder around him and your nails accidentally clawing at his back, surely leaving red marks on that pristine skin. He groans, the sound of skin slapping against skin getting louder, wetter. His thrusts aim deep, heavy and punctuated strokes that hit your sweet spot with accuracy. Labored breaths mixing together.

“Neuv, Neuv… ‘m so close, please pleaseplease-” You whisper desperate, needy.

His thumb finds your clit and you squeal as he draws lazy circles on it, lasting only a few more seconds until you can’t stand it any longer and come undone for him… all over him, gripping him tightly, head thrown back with a loud moan, eyes shutting close.

“Hah… that’s it, hng-si serré…” He mutters and smiles satisfied as he looks at you, flushed and tender, whispering tender words against your neck, love and adoration pressed against your skin before his fangs do as well. Keeping his carefully measured pace as you ride the high of your orgasm and he chases his own pleasure, releasing inside you with that same slow methodical drive and a hoarse primal groan.

You both lie there for a few moments, panting and feeling the aftershocks, soaking up on the feeling of each other. A tangled mess of limbs between sheets and blankets. Neuvillette carefully rests his body on top of yours and you coo happily, combing his hair with your fingers, scratching at his scalp gently as another kind of of drowsiness settles on you, leaving you feeling floaty and light in the afterglow of your lovemaking.   

Your bodies relax and wind down, putty against one another when he raises his head from his resting spot at your chest and kisses you again, short but not less sweet.

“Good morning, ma chérie.” He says, voice low and soothing.

“Morning…” You smile back at him. A little amused.

He slides off of you and you whimper, feeling the stickiness and a slight discomfort from the sudden emptiness. He leans over a little and reaches for something on the bedside table. “I brought you some tea.” He presents you the cup delicately, still warm.

You chuckle and scoot to sit up at the crumpled blankets, graciously picking up the cup and taking a sip. The tea is fragrant and sharp, the same taste on his lips minutes ago… ah, so that was it.

“Thank you, Neuv.” You peek at him from over the cup.

A warm tea and a good fuck… you could definitely get used to mornings like this.   

[luvvyouforever]

luke danes boyfriend headcanons ᡣ𐭩

synopsis: just a collection of sfw and nsfw headcanons for grumpy pookie bear luke danes! content: fluff, smut mdni 18+, manhandling, hugs, kisses, affection, handy man luke, choking, breeding, praise, oral, etc. author's note: more luke danes content please! he's soooooo

sfw ౨ৎ:

-you guys are either soooo grumpy x sunshine trope coded or just grumpy x grumpy. you could either be the sundress wearing, friendly, and brightening presence in his life that forces him to put some flowers on the diner's bar or you are just eerily similar, dressing in a similar, cozy way, huffing about putting some christmas decor outside. i do think he needs a little sunshine though <3

-one thing about him though is he is definitely a friends to lovers kinda guy. he likes to get to know someone really well before falling for them. he wants to build a solid base with someone first before he could imagine actually dating them. but once he falls, it's hard and fast, even though he'll vehemently deny it.

-is not very big on pda. it's nothing to do with you! he's just a private man who would prefer his personal matters remain that. personal. he might keep a hand on your lower back when you're walking next to each other, hold your hand down the street, and if he's feeling particularly sweet, pull you in close for a kiss on the head.

-in the privacy of home though? he is much more open to giving and receiving affection. LOVES when he's cooking in the kitchen or washing dishes or brewing coffee early in the morning and you come up to him and wrap your arms around his waist. is also a sucker for laying on the couch together with your legs in his lap. he'll keep his hands there and run them up and down your skin.

-really likes showering together. not even in a sexual way. just enjoys the quiet intimacy of moving around each other, helping the other rinse out all of the shampoo in their hair, and the smell of his more masculine products mixing with yours. would probably switch out his shower head to something that could accommodate both of you.

-you know that kiss in new girl when nick pulls jess in by her arm and holds her tight?

↑ that one? this is definitely how your first kiss went i think. and this is how he kisses you after an argument, before you go home for the night, or when he hasn't seen you in a while.

-idk he's just so like...gruff and manly that he kinda manhandles you around? in like a really sweet way though. more like pussy throbbing way. like if he needs to get something behind you, he'll gently scoot you over to the side. if you're about to run into something while you're walking, he'll tug you into his side and look at you with a slight look of scrutiny.

-will do all of the maintenance around your house for you. it's mostly because he loves acts of service and wants to do things for you, but also has this deeply rooted need to be a provider, the one you can call so you don't have to call anyone else. don't even think about calling a plumber if your sink breaks or something. he'll be over on a break and fix it for you.

-is an early riser. but that doesn't necessarily mean he goes to sleep early. in fact, it's one of his worst habits. you sometimes have to force him to go to sleep with you. even when you do get him into bed, he will toss and turn for a while. he always apologizes but you just sleepily mumble, pull him to lay on your chest, and he eventually gets comfy enough to sleep.

-it takes him a while to seek you out for comfort. i think it has something to do with his masculinity and feeling like a burden. he needs a lot of reassurance and reminders that you are here for him and that you want him to come to you with things on his mind.

-for him, comfort comes in the form of physical touch and validation. while he's talking, hold his hand tightly. he also likes when you're actively listening. if you start picking up another task while he's talking, he's gonna feel like you don't care. don't immediately offer solutions. tell him that what he's feeling is normal or valid or reasonable. once he feels supported, then you can start redirecting.

-gives such warm, full body hugs. i don't think he's an awkward side hug person. if he's gonna hug you, then he's gonna grab your whole body and wrap you up. his arms fit around your waist perfectly and yours fly to wrap around his neck. sometimes he squeezes you so tight that you have to tap his arm and catch your breath.

-is soooo the kind of man to offer you a flannel in the morning. you've woken up to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon in the kitchen. he looks over, notices you're awake, and bends down to give you a kiss on the forehead. with a cooking utensil still in hands, he picks up a flannel from the back of a chair and throws it towards you.

-would really like if you could work a little bit at the diner! would never hold it against you, though, especially if you already had a career you were passionate about! i think he would just love the added opportunity to spend quality time with you. his heart quietly flourishes seeing you interact with the regulars and bounce around the room like you've worked there forever.

-is just so domestic with you and loves the comfort and warmth being with you brings. really really loves you with all of his art and would truly do anything for you. you can call him at any time of the day and he would drop anything for you. is such a wonderful, grumpy, loving bf.

nsfw ౨ৎ:

-so you know how he casually manhandles you throughout the day without much thought? that definitely translates into the bedroom. you all are making out on the way up to this apartment, he's leading you to the bed, he not-so-gently pushes you down on the bed, and positions you where wants you most.

-depending on his mood, he can either be rough or incredibly doting and sweet. if he's had a rough day with annoyances after annoyances, his grips on you become tighter and you wake up with more hickies and he's pounding you down into the bed. if it's been a slow, loving day, or if it's something special like your birthday, he's much more slow and leisurely with it.

-definitely enjoys blowjobs. like it's okay to say that male characters like receiving oral, guys. luke is putty in your hands when you get on your knees before him and take him into your mouth. he likes to keep a hand on your head and while he tries to guide the pace at first, the closer he gets to finishing, the more he lets you take over.

-quickies, admittedly, are not his favorite. BUT someone is in the diner that he trusts to watch over it, he would let you lead him back into a locked storage room or upstairs for a quick round. or maybe two. a blowjob at the very least.

-is the type of guy to get really turned on when you're dressed comfortably and lazy. don't get me wrong, he really appreciates those times when you put in some extra energy to get dressed and he likes seeing you in dresses or nice pants, but something about you dressed in sweatpants with messy hair and no makeup on just does something different to him. morning sex is a common experience.

-knows how hot you think he is when he's doing all kinds of manly stuff for you. watching him fix your porch rail or carry up a heavy bag of concrete to fix your stairs has you biting your lip, ready to drag him into the bedroom right then and there. definitely uses it to his advantage too.

-enjoys going down on you, but it took him a minute to get really good at it. like he's moderately experienced, but he needed you to guide him where everything felt best. he would be lying though if he said he didn't enjoy the teaching and encouragement from you.

-probably teases you in bed. and not in the way that you're thinking. he's not big into orgasm denial or anything like that. BUT he does make fun of you sometimes. pokes fun at how needy you are for him in his deep voice. when you're moaning and screaming his name, he's all sarcastic like, "must feel real good, huh?" kind of an asshole but in a really hot way.

-calls you "good girl" in both a casual and sexual way. mostly without thinking too. like okok casually, you're on a phone call with him while he's telling you how to change the oil in your car and when you do something correctly, he's all like "good girl, now you'll have to screw the new filter in, okay?" and then in the bedroom, you'll be riding him and he's all deep in you with his head thrown back and he whispers this really rough "good girl" with the syllables drawn out.

-speaking of being deep inside you, he's pretty thick i think and stretches you out really good. and when he fucks, he goes in deep. like none of this just the tip stuff. he's getting in there. like i swear when he fucks it sounds like a shotgun blast.

-biggg grunter and "fuck" whisperer. buries his head into your neck when he's fucking you and you can feel his warm breaths against your skin and every noise he's making echoes into your ears. he definitely encourages you to make noise, though. he really loves the extra encouragement it gives him.

-i think he leans more on the vanilla side of sex, but i feel like that's because he just hasn't looked into any kinks. if he were to really think about what he finds hot, i think he would have a small thing for choking, breeding, and definitely realizes the love he has for giving and receiving praise. just let him wrap a hand around your throat, fill you with cum, and tell you how good you're doing. he'll be a happy man forever :)

[urf4vsc0rpio]

hi scorpio. seeing the words "freak scale" in a pretty cursive font is something i never though id ever lay my eyes on. and yet here we are.

how about fluff cutie patootie romance sweetie pie scale? 1-10 of course. we gotta make sure ur wife isnt lacking.

-dani lovr xoxoxo freak bot

Dimitrescu Sisters Fluff Scale

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Nothing just fluff, def ooc

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: -

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: I thought it would be funny HAHHAHA Nways dinner is served <3

I had to lay on the floor sm times just thinking abt what else to add

Bela Dimitrescu

Fluff Scale: 11/10

Look me in the eye and tell me this woman is NOT touch starved. Exactly, you can't bcs it's true

Sure she's busy most of the time but that doesn't mean she won't make time for cuddles

Poor girl is constantly stressed and done w her sisters shenanigans, give her a hug...

"Mmm..." She would mumble w her face buried in your chest as you ran your fingers through her hair, asking her how her day went.

When u guys first dated, I don't think she'd enjoy physical touch that much but would soon warm up to it and demands it always every damn time

You could walk into her room, see her busy and stressed n allat. The second you sat yourself in her lap, she'd immediately drop everything she was doing just to pull you closer and bury her face in your neck/chest while mumbling how much she missed you or how nice you smell

Waking up early? Don't even think about it, she'd whine and pull you closer "Don't go...just a few more minutes..." proceeds to cuddle in bed for an hour. R u gonna complain? HELL NO

Oh you're cooking? Would stand behind you with her arms wrapped around your waist and her face buried in your neck. "Bela I'm cooking..." "You can manage"

The second you open your arms, she'd immediately launch herself into your embrace.

Enjoys having her hair played w

Little playful nibbles and kisses have her heart

Would definitely kiss you all over just to hear you laugh

She's definitely the type to purposely brush her fingers against yours

Adjusts your collar, scarf, or hair with focused care, showing her attention to detail and thoughtfulness.

Would tots rest her forehead against yours after a kiss

Cup her face and she'd immediately lean into your touch with a happy hum. Trust me on this, I can confirm this fact cuz I'm married to her w 2 cat babies.

Def goes to u when her day is shit, crawling into bed and just laying on top of u, resting her head against ur chest to listen to ur heartbeat

Ur heartbeat = Absolute comfort

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Fluff Scale: 8/10

Bold but starved that's fo sho

Def wouldn't shy away from physical affection once she’s comfortable with her lover. Lowkey a natural flirt but also secretly craves genuine closeness which she masks with her playful teasing bcs idk...she's just built like that. Skibidi Alpha core

"Hah! Me? Touch starved!? Never!" While having you trapped in her embrace, refusing to let you go when you tried to squirm away just to prove her wrong

Would casually initiate lil touches but lingers longer than necesarry despite saying she doesn't care abt physical touch cuz it's stupid

100% would tackle u down playfully, saying that it's "just for fun and to test your strength" when in reality this is her way of seeking closeness w u w/o asking for it and embarrassing herself...cough and her ego cough cough

Pulls you into her lap w no shame whenever u two r alone "What? I can't pull my lover into my lap anymore?"

She’d want to be the only one you touch or hold and wouldn’t hesitate to make it known.

When u two r alone, Cassandra would soften. She’d lay her head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat, maybe even play w ur hair

Think of a manly dude cuddling his gf, immediately acts like he wasn't just whining softly when he saw her recording. Yea that's her.

Bold but starved that's fo sho

Grumbles when u point out how much she enjoys cuddling, says she's just bored but refuses to let u escape her grip

Def wouldn't shy away from physical affection once she’s comfortable with her lover. Lowkey a natural flirt but also secretly craves genuine closeness which she masks with her playful teasing bcs idk...she's just built like that. Skibidi Alpha core

She'd never admit it but she craves being held as much as she loves holding u. After a stressful day, she might just pull you close and rest her head on ur chest, staying silent but clearly seeking comfort which u happily give

Daniela Dimitrescu

Fluff Scale: 13/10

No words, just look at her.

This woman is CLINGY and she is PROUD.

Clings onto you whenever she can

Around you 24/7, either standing near u or just all up in ur personal space, clinging onto u like a koala

"This is y/n, she loves her personal space" "This is Daniela, Daniela also loves y/n's personal space"

Would be all over her you, always seeking physical contact. Whether it’s holding hands, cuddling, or resting her head on their shoulder, she craves constant reassurance through touch.

Being close to u = Ultimate comfort

Unbothered by how clingy she is, as long as ur aware of how much she loves u (and ur personal space)

Would tackle u before saying "Just wanted to be near u :3"

Kisses out of the blue

Just like Bela, she enjoys having her hair played w

Would pout and whine when u try to get up "Dani I need to piss..." "Okay and??"

Would giggle mischievously when she manages to pull u back down, clearly happy that she got her way

Eventually (reluctantly...rlly reluctantly) lets u go when u genuinely need to go somewhere

Also like Bela, wouldn't let u leave her bed "It's too early to get readyy!! Stay with mee" Proceeds to miss breakfast

She’d insist on sitting in your lap or making u sit on her lap, laying her head in your lap, curling up beside you with her arms wrapped tightly around you, just anything that involves being near u, she loves it

If cuddling was a sport, she'd ALWAYS win.

You'd be the first person she finds after a hard day, wordlessly throwing herself into your arms

Drama queen.

"You...you refuse to give me the affection I so desperately crave...?" you just said you were busy "Oh! I am hurt!" W her hand against her forehead and the other one on her chest "This is torture!"

Ur nightly cuddles consist of Daniela either falling asleep in ur arms or falling asleep w u in her arms, clinging onto you tightly as if you might just disappear if she were to loosen her grip.

When she’s feeling emotional or scared, Daniela would def crawl into your arms and cling to you silently, just needing the reassurance of your presence. "Bad day?" "Mhm..." "I got you, lovebug. I'm here" "Mm..." followed by small sniffles while u trace gentle patterns on her back which btw have I mentioned that she loves it when u do that? It's like the ultimate source of calm

She’d love giving and receiving soft, lazy kisses

Def enjoys playfully nibbling u.

[cyberg4n]

✧ 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄

paring: earth1610 miles x gn!reader

warnings: hurt, discomfort, crying, angst maybe idk, not proofread

a/n: pretend like miles never got abducted by his evil twin💀 my little snookums has been through hell and back

summary: miles comes to you, seeking your warmth and comfort.

you get into bed, pulling the blankets over your legs. before you slide under your sheets, you open your phone up — tapping on miles’ messages.

miles, please call me or text me. i’m really worried. why aren’t you answering????

you rub your temples, slowly feeling yourself heat up thinking about what might have happened to him. the last time you heard from him was when he told you he would be going away for a bit — due to “spider-man duties.” you didn’t think much of it because he always went on patrol. but the moment he had left, you realized something was off. it was a gut feeling. you stopped by his parents house, wondering if they could give you answers. but they said they hadn’t heard a word from him since. you even chased down ganke to ask him about it, but like the others — he said he didn’t know. now, you’re sitting in your bed, panicking.

you called his phone again, silently begging for him to pick up. you lay your head back on your wall, sighing. you take one last glimpse of your texts before turning your phone off. you look out your window, watching as the night slowly passes by. you hug your legs up to your chest, resting your head on your knees. for a minute, you just think of every different possible outcome that could’ve happened to miles, if he was hurt, dead, or alive. you exhale, tucking yourself back under your covers — reaching over to switch your lamp off. you lay back down, looking up at the ceiling. you closed your eyes, forcing yourself to sleep, but you couldn’t. you groan in frustration as you grab your laptop, deciding it was a better idea to watch a movie instead.

after a few minutes, you feel yourself drifting off to the quiet chatter from your laptop. you blink, waking yourself back up again — but your eyelids were too heavy. before you can fall back asleep, a loud thud is heard outside your window. you sit up, listening to the noise. silence. you shake your head, thinking it’s the sleep that’s getting to you. you close your laptop, placing it to the side before pulling up your blanket to your body. you toss to your side, closing your eyes. you hear faint thumping come from outside, but you brush it off. you hear something hit your window, before someone climbs in. you turn quickly, looking down on the floor. miles. you gasp, hurriedly kneeling on the ground. miles lays on your floor, out of breathe, his suit slightly ripped.

you reach over to him, shaking him. “miles?” you whisper. he opens his eyes, almost sobbing as soon as he saw you. he grabs you by your wrist, pulling you into his chest. he hugs you tightly as if you’re going to leave him. he breathes you in, kissing your face. “i’m so sorry,” he cries out. you pull away, a worried expression on your face. he sits up, leaning against your bed. “i’m so sorry i left you,” he pulls you in for a hug again. you hold on his shoulder for support when you look at his face. he looked tired. horribly tired. you could see dark circles around his eyes, and his grasp on you felt almost weak. his hands stayed on your waist, just crying into your neck. “miles, miles, tell me what happened. where did you go this whole time?” your breathe shakes with every word you mutter. he shakes his head, putting his hand on his forehead.

“i thought they wanted me,” he mumbles, his lip quivers. “but they lied to me, all of them. they—” he stammers, crying into his hands. you frown, holding him. although you didn’t quite understand the situation he was trying to describe, you understood how he was feeling. he buries his face into your neck, letting all his emotions out. you sit there on the floor with him, listening to him ramble about how they didn’t want him, how they all just had tricked him. he explains to you that he was an anomaly, a mistake — but you defend him, trying to reassuring him that he’s not. “miles, you’re the greatest thing that has happened to me. whatever those fuckers said about you, just— just screw them, okay?” he looks up at you, his eyes glossy. he sniffles, biting back another sob. “i don’t know what to do.” you tilt your head, “what do you mean?” you look at him, pleading for an answer. “i wasn’t supposed to be bitten by that spider.”

you scoff, eyes wide. “what are you talking about?” miles grabs your hand, wrapping it around his. “i’m a nobody, y/n. i don’t know if i can keep doing this.” he rasps out. you shake your head lightly. “what are you talking about?” he looks down in his lap, all the color had drained from his face, he looked like a ghost. “i can’t keep being spiderman if i was a mistake.” you mutter out a soft “no,” before grabbing his face, wiping away his tears. “it doesn’t matter what they said. who the hell are they to be telling you that you can’t be spiderman?” he doesn’t respond. he just stares down at his hands. “brooklyn needs you, your parents need you. i need you.”

he sniffles, leaning back into your neck, closing his eyes — just enjoying your warmth. you cradle him, letting him doze off in your arms.

please do not copy or repost my writings to any other sites !

[accihoe]

i’m sorry you received bad news recently :(

your dave fic was so good, it’s nice for someone to write him soft and sappy it was so cute i’d love if you could write more!!

love ur blog and hope u feel better 🌙✨

Hi there!

Thank you so much for being so kind, it means so much to me.

And I'm super thrilled that you loved the Dave fic!!

Your kindness is much appreciated❤️.

Since you added a moon emoji, I thought I might incorporate that into the story.

Here's a little something just for you <3

Moonlight 🌙

Pairing: Dave Mustaine x fem!reader

Summary: Y/N is awoken at night to an empty bed and seeks out for Dave. She finds him in one of the most heart-warming spots.

Warnings: mention of drugs like once

A/n: This will be sappy again. Thank you for reaching out, kind person, I appreciate you!

Also idk why but for some reason it's easier for me to write Dave fics in first person or a more personal narrative.

Xxxx

Y/N shifted onto her side, eyes blinking open and staring into the abyss of the dark room. With no idea as to why she was suddenly awake, Y/N reached out for her beloved, expecting to feel his warm skin and to pull him closer.

But she was met with cold, empty sheets. Perhaps he'd gone to the bathroom, she thought. But no, it was unlike Dave, and she heard no sounds from the bathroom. Y/N sat up, scanning the dark room for any sign of him.

She saw a small beam of light from the door that was creaked open only slightly. Perhaps he was thirsty? No, that's what they kept water in the bedroom for. Y/N slipped into her slippers and got up, fixing the strap of her silky pink nightwear and walked to the door.

She pushed the lavish door open. Her mind was flooded with memories from her apartment, her old creaking door, and how Dave promised he'd make it big and spoil her with a large house, which was exactly what he did.

She slipped out into the passage, following the stream of light. Thankfully, the upstairs floors were carpeted, so she wasn't making a noise on the floors.

"Honey?"

Y/N called out gently, not wanting to startle him.

There, Y/N found him. He was perched on the thick windowsill at the end of the passage, knees hugged to his chest, staring at the moon lit night.

She closed the remaining space, standing beside her husband.

"What're you doing up, darling?"

He asked, turning his head so that his cheek was resting on his knee.

"Bed was cold without you. And I should be asking you."

She tilted her head with a smile. He inhaled deeply, in thought, and turned his head back to the window.

His beautiful hair was tied loosely at the nape of his neck, shorter bits free, framing his handsome face. Y/N could see the frown etched on his brows, the deep worry hanging over him. His shoulders were slouched, contrasting to their usual proud and rigid stance.

Y/N reached out, laying a hand on his ankle. She stroked her thumb across his soft skin, urging him to let her in.

Dave took another deep breath, looking at the moon as he spoke.

"I dreamt about that again. About them. They day they kicked me out."

Though many years had passed since, Y/N could see that the hurt still weighed deep on his chest. She gave his ankle a gentle squeeze.

"I dreamt about different scenarios of what could've happened. Where I'd be now, with them. It was... it was nice to have my buddies back. We were all laughing, smashing watermelons. Just like we used to."

Y/N listened, his words weighing heavy on her own chest.

"I think you should maybe consider talking to them again."

"I don't know if I can. It still hurts so much. And when I do talk to them, I want to confront them. I want to know the real reason they kicked me out."

Her heart cracked more, knowing he still went without knowing the actual truth. Y/N kissed his calf, leaning her chin on his other knee. Dave smiled down at his wife, grateful for her presence. Even her silent presence comforted him.

"Why are you even out here anyway? You could've woken me up, love. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. But I didn't want to disturb you. Besides, the moon brings me peace. It reminds me of you. Obviously, I couldn't light up the room to see your beautiful face and bother you at who knows what hour. So I came here. Here to the moonlight. Here where I know you sit and wait for me, where you stare at the same moon and pray for my arrival."

His words shot into her chest, the sincerity, the way he knew her like the back of his hand. Y/N wrapped her arms around what she could reach of Dave, hugging him tightly. Her heart was at the verge of bursting, overwhelmed by her love for the man before her.

Dave looked at her rings shimmering in the moonlight.

"And in the other part of my dream, you left too. My drugs got in the way of us. You couldn't handle it anymore."

Y/N didn't know how to respond to Dave. His usage had been a tender topic in their relationship. But she knew he needed reassurance.

"Angel, I'm not leaving. This", she brought her hand up.

"ring, is but a mere symbol of my love for you. As long as my lungs fill with air, so long shall I love you. And even thereafter. You may have a problem, you may not. But that's what I'm here for. I'm your wife. And I'm going to help you through it. Alright?"

She leaned up, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm supposed to be the rock of the family. I'm supposed to be protecting and comforting you. "

He said softly.

"You do, Dave. But that's not what I need tonight,"

"....It's what I need."

He finished her sentence after a few moments.

"Come to bed, it's warmer there."

Y/N pulled away, holding her hand out. Dave took her hand, hopping down. Within a swift moment, he scooped her up, bridal style, catching her by surprise. Y/N laughed, hand on his chest.

"Just like the night we got married."

She grinned.

"It was full moon too then."

He observed.

"Ohhh, we better go hide from the wear wolves."

Dave sped up his pace, and once he'd laid her down on the bed, he locked the door, tugging on it to make sure it was locked. He shimmied up the bed and underneath the covers, worming himself to where he was half laying on top of her.

"There we go. Safe and sound."

Y/N hummed, cradling a hand through his loose fringe. She raked her nails over his scalp, scratching through his hair at the base of his skull. Dave groaned, face dropping into her chest. She felt the tension ooze from his body and disintegrate into nothing.

She took his hand, kissing over his ring, and then his palm, holding his palm to her face.

"I love you, David Scott Mustaine. And know that you are not shaking me off very easily. You're stuck. At least until one of us leaves this earth."

Dave smiled at her words, moving his chin to rest on her chest so that he could stare up at her, even though she was barely visible.

"Ditto, darling."

He husked, vocals strained from the position of his throat. Y/N leaned down, pressing a kiss between his brows.

"Get some rest, handsome. We've got a long day of doing nothing waiting for us."

He chuckled at her joke and turned his head, resting his cheek against her chest. Y/N stroked his hair away from his face, dragging her nails across his cheek and jaw.

Both fell asleep within in minutes, and when the first beams of sunlight creeped past the curtains, Y/N was awake. They were still in the same position. Y/N took that as her chance to admire Dave.

His long lashes fluttered over his cheeks as he dreamt, though she could tell by his expression it was a pleasant dream. Soft freckles were scattered across his fair skin, cheeks and nose rosy from sleep. His lips were puffy and slightly parted from sleep. And his ginger locks were sprawled everywhere, hairtie lost somewhere in the bedding. Y/N used her hands to gently gather the curls, smoothing them down to relieve them of the sleep friz.

Dave stirred, shifting. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. As soon as they were open they were on Y/N.

"Good morning, handsome."

"Good morning, beautiful. I had the best dream."

Y/N raised a brow, intrigued.

"We had triplets!"

Xxxx

Hope you liked it. Thanks again for your kindness.

[your-local-baguette]

Sorry this took kinda long

This turned into very quick made because i again accidentally deleted the original that looked like just relationship hc. im sorry if this wasn't what you were looking for

Suna rintarou

Curled up in tons of blanket, a four pm nap at his place, most definitely skipping pratice. but he usually grabs your waist when you get out of class dragging you to an empty classroom. You both would sit down and you sitting in between his legs snuggling into him, his arms around your hips and his head snuggling in your neck. You would either rest your head on his or pet his head while just snuggling into him. Once kita walked in you both in that exact position, you gave him a shush sign and he he nodded before walking out. He was nice enough to let you both like this and just walked back to the gym.

Kita Shinsuke

It would be in a comfortable silence, your usually sleeping using his shoulder as your pillow. He would be reading a book but actually just checking out your sleeping face,

To him its the most adorable thing ever, he looks like he is reading but he actually is just looking at you. He cant do anything else while your there just looking good, he'd drop his book and lay down while huggin you on his chest, just amazing.

When your not sleeping you'd be sitting on his lap while he just enjoy your presence, he adores your scent and usually just sniff your neck while your catching up with your family who's in [ county ]. He would sometime kiss your ear or temple, legit he leaves the most tender kisses ever.

Osamu miya

Chill guy you got there, this man actually simps more for you than his fangirls simps for him. He loves snuggling his face close to yours, him laying on you is more common than you laying on him. He would rest his head in the crook of your neck seeking warmth from it. You'd be massaging his back after a harsh pratice, when you would press on a tense area he'd arch his back snuggle in your shoulder, in reality Osamu is a big softie for you. His arms would go around your neck, he would sigh and smile against your skin.

Atsumu miya

Teasy and pervy but cuddling, yes absolutely. He would definitely lay on your cherries, he is shameless but he awfully good at cuddling. Apart from laying on your chest he would also lay on your ass while massaging your back. But he really like seeing you laying on his chest, sound asleep while he enjoying the feeling of him being spoiled by your sound asleep face.

Atsumu really like cuddles dates like you sitting next to him while laying on his shoulder, watching an anime or something. Its just a great relaxing method after practices.

If i do make one, the character will be a surprise!

[daddy-dins-girl]

Framed Around My Heart

Masterlist

AO3 link

Fandom: The Last of Us (HBO Universe)

Pairing: (platonic) Joel & Ellie

Summary: “We could’ve saved the world!” She shouted at him, her emotions running on overdrive in a way she hadn’t felt since their actual first night in Jackson all those months ago when she’d accused him of not caring about her. “The whole world, Joel!”

He stood in front of her, voice low and steady with his simple yet definite reply, “I did” - a breath. “I saved my whole world”

OR,

The first time Joel tells Ellie he loves her.

Word Count: 9.3k

Warnings: Swearing (it's Ellie y'all). Angst. Hurt & Comfort. PTSD Ellie. Briefly mentioned past violence. Joel and Ellie both being bad at feelings. Soft!Dad Joel (consider your ovaries warned!).

Notes: Takes place right after Season 1 ends. Joel and Ellie are back in Jackson. Idk when Ellie's birthday is, so I made one up...

They had settled in Jackson for a week now. Gotten the lay of the land, chosen their own house just across the street from Maria and Tommy’s, and soon would be assigned their first work details. Ellie was more than disappointed to learn that she was apparently “not old enough” to go on patrol duty and after a huge outburst towards the council that ended with Joel all but dragging her out of the building as she yelled at them that they were “fascist fucks” who could all “go to hell”, she’d eventually managed to calm down, but that didn’t mean she had to agree with them. She’d hated the idea of Joel going out there without her, almost as much as she hated the idea of herself being stuck in here without him; no matter how safe it was behind the walls. They needed each other, she told herself. It’s how they’d survived as long as they had. Unfortunately for her, Joel was assigned exactly that - Patrol Duty. Ellie had been tasked with stable duty. Readying the horses for the riders to take out which meant typically getting up extra early in the mornings, but on the bright side she didn’t have to speak to anyone and she was pretty sure all the horses loved her hilarious jokes she told them, unlike a certain surly old man she cohabited with who clearly was absent the day they were handing out senses of humor.

At least, she thought absently, she didn’t have to go to school. Yet. It was near enough for summer break to start that Maria had felt there wasn’t much point in her enrolling for a couple of weeks just to have three months off immediately. ‘Thank fucking Christ, finally some good news’, Ellie had muttered in response, earning her a disapproving glare from Joel. ‘Right, my fucking manners, Jesus, sorry’, Ellie responded, which just resulted in Joel tossing his hands up in the air, exasperated and Maria folding her arms across her chest. ‘What? I said sorry! That’s like, the definition of manners, how am I the asshole?’

Yep, they were settling in just fine.

…

Ellie hated days Joel would go on patrols. They were too long and the house too quiet with him not in it. Being alone with just her own thoughts as company was never good, she had soon figured out. At first she tried to just sleep the day away when he would be gone but it seemed she wasn’t able to sleep without him anywhere more than a few metres away from her. When they’d first moved in they both tried to be normal fucking human beings and sleep in their own rooms and their own beds but not less than an hour after they’d said their goodnights on their first night in Jackson Ellie had roamed out of her room to seek out Joel ‘just need to make sure the old fucker didn’t croak in his sleep or something’ she had reasoned with herself, only to take one step outside of her room and nearly trip over Joels legs sprawled on the floor as he had apparently set himself up just outside her bedroom door, sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the wall.

“We’re pathetic” Ellie sighed, sliding down the wall to sidle up next to him, head instinctively leaning onto his shoulder.

“Totally” Joel had sighed in agreement.

Shortly afterwards they had fallen asleep just like that, sitting on the floor, limbs spread across the hallway, and Joel’s back cursed him for it the following morning.

The next night, and for nearly two weeks afterwards, they had set up camp in the living room instead; mattresses on the floor just a few feet apart, Joel always closest to the front door, just in case but also out of habit. Finally, and maybe after Tommy had wandered in early one morning and teased them endlessly about having “sleepovers” and whether or not they braided each others hair too, they had agreed to try sleeping in their own rooms and most nights it went off without incident. Other nights however, Ellie would wake up covered in a sheen of sweat and flailing her arms wildly only to open her eyes suddenly and see Joel looming above her, grabbing onto her arms to try and still her and speaking calmly to her, hushing her. Whispered “babygirl’s” and “I got you’s” and “it’s me, it’s ok, you’re ok’s” whispered into the harsh darkness of her bedroom, reminding her of where she was until he’d brought her back down to earth and she’d settle again. She hated those nights. Hated feeling helpless like that, and like she was a little kid that needed coddling after her bad dreams, but dammit all if she didn’t immediately allow Joel to wrap her up in his willing embrace each time, seeking comfort in the warmth he provided. She could feel embarrassed about it in the morning, that could be Tomorrow Ellie’s problem because in the moment, Joel’s comfort was everything she needed and she’d take everything he offered.

The dreams tended to all be more or less the same. Winter. Snow. Fire. Smoke. Blood. David’s face; or what was left of it after she’d bludgeoned it unrecognizable with a very large knife. On nights where the dreams decided to be particularly cruel, she’d lose her battle against David. Those were always the most jarring to wake from and took her an extra long time to be able to fall back asleep afterward, if she could at all. Thankfully her dreams didn’t always cause her to scream or throw a fit in her sleep so she didn’t always wake Joel. Sometimes she seemed to just suffer through them quietly with a few muffled whimpers and tosses and turns in the bedsheets and Joel was none the wiser until she’d come down for breakfast and he’d notice the darkness under her eyes and could tell she had a fitful sleep. Despite not always waking up thrashing from them, she always remembered her dreams the next morning; whether she wanted to or not.

However the dream she had last night was somewhat new territory. She’d had it a few times in the past, but after nearly 2 months in Jackson now it seems to be happening more and more frequently, almost more so than her David nightmares. It differed slightly, night to night, probably because she didn’t have factual evidence to pull from, but it was always the hospital in Salt Lake City. Fireflies, Raiders, Marlene, Joel, and a hell of a lot of bloodshed. Each time she’d wake up from this dream in particular her head felt fuzzy, unsure. She hated not knowing what actually happened that day, maybe she’d be able to process it better if she had (not that she was exactly processing the whole David fiasco, she argued to herself). Joel had left out a lot of details. “Raiders attacked the hospital, I barely got us out of there” and that was it. And any time she’d asked him about it since he’d immediately shot her down and sternly told her not to bring it up again. Did he not realize that only stoked her inquisitiveness further? Has he met her?

She’d had the dream again last night only Joel had been one of the Raiders in her dream this time, slaughtering everyone in his path and she awoke only when he reached her, lying helplessly strapped to a medical bed with Raider Joel holding a gun tight against her temple.

Paging Dr. Freud, anyone?

She didn’t know what the hell any of it meant, she only knew she had to get to the bottom of whatever had happened in that hospital.

And so that was what was currently on Ellie’s mind today as she sat in the small window seat of her bedroom, knees pulled up to her chest as her gaze was locked to the outside, watching the small but bustling community of Jackson on this hot August afternoon. The sun was still high in the sky which meant it would be hours before Joel returned from patrol duty. Which meant hours Ellie would be here alone, with only her own thoughts as company.

Like she said, she hated days Joel was on patrol.

A knock on the front door a few minutes later pulled Ellie from her reverie and she quickly scooted off the window seat and headed down the stairs to answer it.

Swinging the door open, confusion crossed Ellie’s features as her eyes landed on a woman she had scarcely recognized. It was an older woman, Mrs. - something or other, Ellie couldn’t be bothered to remember. Parker? Patterson? Definitely a P name. Ellie recognized her as one of the town council members that she had had that delightful meeting with just shortly after her and Joel’s arrival. Given by the less than impressive look this woman was giving her right now, she remembered it as well and must’ve drawn the short straw today to come here to… well, what exactly was she her for?

“Is it Joel?” Ellie blurt out suddenly, panic evident in her tone. “Did something happen, is he OK?”

The woman looked confused for a second and then suddenly let out a small laugh and waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh heavens no, nothing like that Dear, I’m sure everything’s fine. I’m here on official town business. For you, actually, Miss Ellie”

“Oh…” Ellie’s face scrunched up at that. Ellie didn’t have any official fucking business with anyone. Other than being an official pain in Joel’s ass.

“I understand you will be enrolling in school this Fall” the woman began in way of explanation and Ellie nodded slightly. Don’t fucking remind her.

“Well I have here your registration form you’ll need to fill out and have your…” she paused, looking a little helpless, as most adults did when they tried to discern just who exactly Ellie and Joel were to each other.

“Have Mr. Miller,” she settled on instead, “sign it and then you bring it along with you on your first day so we can file it away in your record. I know we are a few weeks away yet but I like to get these out early”

“Oh, um, ok I guess…” Ellie shrugged, reaching out and grabbing the single piece of paper.

“Just a little formality” the woman waved her hand again. “You know, we need your basic information and things like that, just so we have it on hand, should anything come up and we need it”

Ellie wondered briefly then why Maria hadn’t dropped it off, or even had Tommy do it if she was too chicken shit.

“Just making my rounds to all the new students today” the woman explained, as if she’d been reading Ellie’s mind.

“Right” Ellie nodded. “Well uh… thanks, for the homework before school even fucking starts” she mumbled the last part under her breath but given by the tiny gasp and look of horror that flashed across the woman in front of her, Ellie’s certain she heard her.

“Alllllllrighty then. Take care then, bye bye now” Ellie quipped, slamming the door in the woman’s face. Something she’d seen recently in a movie that Joel had shown her that had her in a total fit of giggles for the entire night.

Ellie wandered back into the house and dropped the piece of paper to the coffee table before flopping herself down onto the sofa. She bent over the table to have a look at what information she’d need to be giving out before she decided whether she’d bother trying to find a pen to fill it out now or if she’d push it off to later.

Name. Ok, easy. Date of Birth. Well, she’d had a general idea. Would writing just the month and year suffice, she wondered absently. Known Allergies. The thought of writing “learning, via fascist institutions” crossed her mind and she laughed a little to herself but then remembered Joel had to sign off on it so she better not. Dude could be such a killjoy. Next? Parent(s) and/or Guardian. Pass? Joel, she’d guess was technically her Guardian? Whatever that meant. Why wasn’t there just a spot for “other human being reluctantly tasked, due to unfortunate fucking happenstance, with keeping you alive” Emergency Contact (other than above) + Relationship. Also pass. The only other person in this godforsaken town she even liked speaking to besides Joel was in fact not a person, but a horse named Shimmer. And she didn’t think quadrupeds counted for emergency contacts.The whole notion of Ellie being in an actual emergency and some townsperson running to the stables to tell Shimmer all about did give her a bit of a chuckle though. She made a mental note to jot that down in her notebook, maybe make it into her own little comic series.

Finally at the bottom, a signature line for “Parent and/or Guardian”. There it was again, taunting her, laughing at her.

In the end Ellie decided that no, today was not the day she would fill any of this out. She couldn’t answer half of it anyway, so what was the point. Stupid school. Even shitty FEDRA school knew not to ask orphans stupid fucking questions like this. Ellie folded up the paper into a small square and shoved it into the front zipper pocket of her backpack that was leaning next to the couch. Another problem for another day. Or hell she’d probably just throw it at Joel and tell him that the annoying old lady (who is somehow even more of a dinosaur than Joel and still alive) said it was his job to do it. Yeah, that might work.

With a heavy sigh Ellie laid back onto the couch cushions, arm coming to rest over her face as she tried to shut out the sunlight pouring in through the open windows. Maybe if she was bored enough she’d fall asleep and then Joel would be home.

…

Another two weeks had come and gone and Ellie’s Salt Lake City dream variation had now been haunting her almost nightly, completely replacing her usual David nightmares. Just two nights ago it had been traumatizing enough to rouse Joel from his sleep and he had come into her room as he always had when her screams woke him only this time, when she had become alert enough to notice his presence, she had shoved him off her damn near hard enough he almost fell off the bed.

“Ellie!” He had gasped at the surprise. “It’s me, it’s-”

“I know!” she scowled in response, shoving at his shoulder when he tried once again to reach out to comfort her.

“Ellie” he sighed, keeping his distance this time, but holding his hands out in front of him as if he was approaching some scared wild animal he was trying to coax into calmness.

“I’m not,” Ellie began and huffed, unsure what she wanted to say, she just knew she didn’t want his comfort. Not this time.

“I’m not a baby Joel! I don’t need you to come running in here every time I have a stupid bad dream. I’m 15 years old, not 6!”

Joel flinched, as if her words physically harmed him. She saw the look of hurt flash across his face before he swallowed hard, dropped his arms and gave her a short nod before pushing himself up from her bed and seeing himself out of her bedroom. Part of her wanted to chase him out of her room, tell him how sorry she was and fall into his arms and forget the exchange ever happened, but a larger part of her knew she couldn’t do that. Joel’s been lying to her. She isn’t stupid. She knows he isn’t telling her the whole truth (if he’s even telling her any truth at all) and it’s because of him that she’s having these nightmares in the first place. So no, he didn’t get to cause the nightmares and then run in and play hero for it. Not if she ever wanted to get to the bottom of what really happened.

Luckily the two days following that incident Joel had been on patrol so she hadn’t seen much of him. They’d have dinner together but it was mostly in silence. Joel would ask about her day and she would mumble a “fine” as she pushed her food around her plate and then she’d fake being tired and go to bed shortly afterwards, foregoing their usual movie or board games they’d do after dinner.

~~~

Joel remained seated at the dining room table long after Ellie had pretended to be tired and gone off to bed. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew her well enough to know when she was tired or when she was flat out avoiding him on purpose and this was certainly the latter. She’d been like this for days now and it was really starting to get to him. He didn’t know what had happened to cause it either. Sure she got moody with him sometimes, as all teenagers did around their parents or even authority figures, but she’d never been like this or for this long without at least a hint of what troubled her.

He thought back to just two nights ago when he’d woken up to her screaming and thrashing in her bed. That in and of itself was not unusual for her, but the way she reacted towards him was completely out of left field. She had shoved him off of her as if he were the bad guy, the one haunting her dreams, when all he wanted to do was hold her until her trembling subsided, the way he always had.

“I’m 15 years old, not 6!” The words she spat at him still plagued his mind. His heart nearly broke at that. Not at the fact that she didn’t always need him coddling her, he knew the day would come where she didn’t and he would be so glad for her (even if it did hurt his heart just a little to not be needed like that anymore as she got older) but the part that killed him is when she told him she was 15. 15! When had he missed that? When they’d met she had been 14, and if he wasn’t such an idiot he would’ve done the math and figured logically that hey, nearly a year has past since we met, shouldn’t you have had a birthday by now? But it didn’t cross his mind all the time they’d been together so he never thought to ask. But to hear her just gloss over the fact that she was an entire year older and he’d never acknowledged it or even knew about it, damn near broke him. Sure, FEDRA probably didn’t exactly throw you a party and invite all your classmates and bake you a damn cake but surely her birthday must have meant something to her, hadnt it? Enough that she would at least want Joel to acknowledge it. “Hey asshole it’s my birthday so you have to laugh at all my jokes today” or something similar at least.

One thing for sure, no matter what the hell was going on with Ellie right now, was that he owed her a damn birthday present.

...

The next day Joel had the day off from patrol, but Joel being Joel couldn’t just sit around his comfortable house all day and do next to nothing so he decided he’d be productive. Ellie had gone off to her morning shift at the stables anyway (and even if she hadn’t he had a good feeling she wouldn’t want to hang out with him regardless, if the last couple of days had been any indication) so he figured today was as good a time as any to get started on a project he’d been meaning to for the past month. So that’s how he found himself standing in the middle of his garage on this hot August morning.

He stood in the middle of the concrete floor scratching the back of his head, not entirely sure where to begin… The place had apparently, before he and Ellie moved into the main house, been a dumping ground for anything and everything that the residents of Jackson no longer had space for. There were broken appliances, boxes piled to the ceiling in some places, furniture, some lumber, and probably a hell of a lot more that Joel had yet to uncover. His first order of business had to be sorting through everything to see what would be kept and what could be tossed. See if he could make heads or tails of what was wrong with anything broken and if he could fix it, and for anything else it was a matter of whether anybody could make any use of it and if not, he’d get rid of it.

A while back he'd had the idea that maybe he could turn it into a decent hangout spot for Ellie, somewhere she could have her own space, have her friends over, that kind of thing. He remembered himself as a teenager taking over the family garage to practice with his band and he and his friends had spent every damn day for the better part of 3 summers in it, creating some of the best memories of his life. He wanted Ellie to have that too. Maybe, he thought inwardly, he could fix it up and surprise her with it. Try and have it ready to give her for her 16th birthday, whenever the hell that was.

He still had to get to the bottom of that, but first he had to get Ellie to even speak more than three words at a time to him; something which she hadn’t seemed to be able to do as of late. He had no idea what was going on in that girl's head these days, but he needed to figure it out. He would talk to her. Today, he told himself.

Joel kept busy for the next couple of hours. He’d started with sorting through the dozens of boxes, finding much more trash than treasure, just as he had figured he would. It was scorching outside and he was hot and covered in sweat but told himself he’d at least finish sorting through the boxes before he took a break so when he looked down to see the last box that required sorting he murmured a quiet ‘thank god’ as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm and then bent down to pick up the final box. Pulling the box out of the corner Joel noticed a small dark blue duffle bag that looked out of place shoved in behind where he pulled the box from. It wasn’t covered in a thick layer of dust like everything else in the room had been, and moreover, he’d noticed it because it was a bag he had brought home from a patrol a month or so ago. Back then it was full of movies, art supplies and a few other things he had found out on the road that he thought Ellie might like so he’d brought it home for her and given it to her that night.

“What the hell?” Joel wondered aloud, placing the box back on the ground and reaching instead for the duffle. He had seen her using the things he had brought home in the bag before so he was certain she hadn’t just taken the bag from him and tossed it in the back of the garage. Whatever was in the bag it seemed like she had been hiding it, and he’d silently hoped that whatever he found inside might give him some insight into just what the hell was going on with her these days.

~~~

It was late afternoon when Ellie finally decided to call it a day. Her shift at the stable was normally only 3 hours but today she knew Joel was at home and she was nothing if not a professional avoider these days so she decided to stay late and do an extra thorough cleaning of the stables and the horses. She stayed out there until the sun, high in the sky, became too sweltering for her to stand. Her clothes clung to her body from all the sweat and she was in desperate need of a shower. If she could draw that out long enough when she got home it wouldn’t be much longer until dinner and maybe she’d convince Joel to go to the mess hall tonight rather than dinner at home so they could at least have other people to look at while they both pretended she wasn’t completely ignoring him.

Yes, a perfect plan.

Her perfect plan however fizzled abruptly when she walked into their home only to find Joel standing in the middle of the kitchen, arms folded across his chest with an empty blue duffel bag hanging over a dining chair; its contents spilled all over their eating table.

Shit.

“I need to shower” Ellie said, hoping to ignore him and turning towards the stairs.

“Ellie Williams you get back here this instant” Joel demanded, his tone leaving zero room for argument and Ellie groaned, turning back towards the kitchen. She stopped a few feet in front of him, let out a heavy sigh and let her arms drop to her sides.

“What?” she huffed in annoyance.

“You know damn well what. Sit your ass down, we’re having a conversation” Joel snapped, pointing towards one of the dining room chairs and Ellie rolled her eyes but obeyed him, shuffling past to plop down on the furthest chair and folding her arms defensively.

“Now you wanna explain to me just what in the hell all this is?” Joel asked, arm sweeping above the table top that was littered with canned foods, her knife that Maria had confiscated months ago (“not until you’re 16 Ellie” - bullshit), a handgun (this one she had managed to steal from Tommy, she was actually quite proud of when she pulled that one off), a box of ammo (Joel’s) and a road atlas of the United States.

“Well if I gotta explain fucking canned beans to you maybe you should be starting school next week instead of me” she huffed.

Judging by the vein in Joel’s neck that looked like it was about to explode through his skin, maybe not her wisest move.

“Don’t get smart with me Ellie” Joel threatened, pointing a finger at her. “Just what in the hell you were doing with a damn ‘go bag’, huh? You plan on runnin’ away or somthin’?”

“No” she offered weakly, looking away, anywhere but at Joel. She knew he’d never physically harm her, but he had never been this pissed with her before either and she did not like it.

Joel heaved a heavy sigh. He knew he had to reign in his anger but damnit if she didn’t make it difficult on him.

“Well then what the hell were you doing kiddo” Joel said softly, a sigh escaping his lips as his hands fell to his sides. Yes he was angry but he wanted a real conversation. He squatted down next to her so they were at eye level.

“I need to know what’s going on up here” he said, lightly tapping his index finger against her head before she batted it away.

“Will you talk to me please?” he asked gently. He wasn’t above begging at this point.

“You promised” she mumbled under her breath, head still facing away from him and staring at the blank wall instead.

“What?”

She turned towards him then, rolling her eyes. “You promised. I asked you if everything you said about the Fireflies was true and you promised it was. Tell me you didn’t fucking lie to me Joel” she seethed through gritted teeth and Joel closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking a breath.

“This again, with the Fireflies? Ellie I -” he began but she was quick to cut him off.

“Last chance Joel. Last chance to tell me the fucking truth because if you lie to me again, I’m done. We’re done” Her words came out sharply and she saw Joel’s face flinch at her threat. She meant it too, she couldn’t live with someone who was lying to her about the single most important thing in her life. She wouldn’t live like that.

“I’ll fucking leave Joel, I will. I’ll do it when you’re out on patrol or fucking sleeping and you won’t be able to stop me. I’ll go to Salt Lake City myself and I will find out what happened, one way or another. And if I find out on my own that you lied to me, you’ll never see me again”

“Is that what the bag is for? Fucking road trip to Salt Lake City by yourself? Tryna' get yourself killed? Jesus, Ellie” Joel hung his head. He knew she’d do it too, and that thought absolutely terrified him. It scared him far more than whatever her reaction may be if he were to tell her the truth right now. Her running off like that, alone, and never seeing her again? Nope, no way. She could hate him for the rest of her life before he’d ever let that happen.

“Okay” he sighed with defeat, putting his hands up in surrender. Time to bite the bullet.

Joel stood up from his crouched position, his joints protesting when he did, and took a seat in the chair next to hers, folding his arms on the table.

“From the beginning” Ellie demanded.

“When I… came to, you know, in the hospital, Marlene was there” he began into the story he’d been dreading to tell her for months, unable to look her in the eyes, though he could feel her gaze boring into him from across the table. He wasn't sure how exactly he was supposed to tell her this. It would crush her, he knows. And how could he possibly make her understand? How does he tell her he'd burn the entire world down for her if it meant keeping her safe and have her not hate him for it? He'd failed Sarah. He'd failed Tess. He couldn't fail her, too. He wouldn't survive it, not again. Could she even grasp how he felt about her? Sure he wasn't exactly Mr. 'lets talk about our feelings' and neither was she, but he needed her to understand the simple fact that well, she was everything to him.

“God Damnit Ellie they were going to kill you!” he shouted, finally turning his head to look at her. “That’s the bottom line of it all, ok? They were gonna poke around in your fucking brain like a god damn game of Operation so they could remove the cordyceps and you’d be fucking dead”

Ok, maybe not exactly giving her the warm and fuzzies right now. He'd never been great with his words.

“No,” Ellie shook her head as tears began to well in her eyes. “That’s - that’s not true, you’re - you’re fucking lying!” she shoved hard at his shoulder but he barely moved.

“Ellie” he said her name softly now and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry baby, but it’s the truth. Marlene told me everything. She said that -” he sniffled quietly and wiped at his own wet eyes quickly with the back of his hand. “She said that they didn’t tell you so you wouldn’t be scared that you wouldn’t feel any pain and… they wouldn’t take me to you. Wouldn’t let me see you”. Fresh tears were streaming down Ellie’s face now that she frantically tried to wipe away with her shirt sleeve as she listened to Joel tell his side of the story.

He told her everything, even told her about his standoff with Marlene in the underground parking lot and how that ended and Ellie just listened silently, taking it all in.

“So you just... Killed everyone” Ellie summarized for him and Joel hung his head.

“Ellie” another sigh. “They had no evidence that their hare-brained scheme was going to work. They had no conclusive tests done and they wanted to murder their only test subject! Now I thought I was bringing you there to draw some blood or something, not cut your goddamn brain out of your head. Who knows if this hack Doctor even knew what he was doing!” Joel was getting revved up again but he couldn’t help himself, the anger he’d felt that day still bubbling at the surface all these months later.

“Could’ve been a goddamn Chiropractor for all we know, out there tryna play brain surgeon with my kids fucking head? Mnmm mmm” he shook his head and Ellie tried to ignore the fact that he’d just referred to her as his kid. “Not on my broken fucking watch, kiddo” he tapped his watch for emphasis as he stared directly into her eyes.

Her heart didn't allow her to ignore a comment like that and she'd felt it tighten in her chest, like all the air had suddenly been sucked out of the room and she could barely breathe. Ellie wasn’t sure if she wanted to crumble to the floor in tears or hit him as hard as she could.

She opted for neither and pushed herself back abruptly from the table and stood up and Joel followed suit, ready to grab for her if she had chosen this moment to make a run for it. They both stood still in a standoff, Joel could tell by the way her shoulders trembled that she was upset. He’d let her say what she had to say.

“We could’ve saved the world!” She shouted at him, her emotions running on overdrive in a way she hadn’t felt since their actual first night in Jackson all those months ago when she’d accused him of not caring about her. “The whole world, Joel!”

He stood in front of her, voice low and steady with his simple yet definite reply, “I did” - a breath. “I saved my whole world”

The words hung in the air between them, the silence growing heavily around them until finally Joel spoke again.

“I love you, Ellie” he admitted softly, looking straight at her as she lowered her head and twiddled her fingers nervously. He wondered absently if that was the first time she’d ever heard those words and his heart felt heavy in his chest at the thought.

“And truth be told, I don't care if that Doctor was the best brain surgeon on the damn planet and a cure was all but guaranteed, it wouldn't have changed my mind because I didn't have a choice. And I know you don't understand that right now and I don't expect you to. But I am sorry that I lied to you, ok? I am not, however, sorry for what I did and I will never be sorry for that.” he explained and she stayed still and silent in front of him so he continued. “Even if it means you hate me for the rest of my life, well… at least it means you’ll live to see it and I can never be sorry about that, not ever”

“I know you think this cure was your purpose Ellie but what if…” He stopped to shake his head before placing his hands on his hips and taking a breath. “What if you were my purpose?” He asked, unshed tears in his eyes as Ellie finally lifted her head to meet his gaze.

She let out a breath, trying to collect her thoughts before she responded but didn’t get a chance before the distinct crackling static of a walkie talkie coming to life grabbed both their attention.

“Joel, Ellie!” It was Tommy’s voice on the other end and he sounded frantic. Both Joel and Ellie were staring at the small black 2-way radio that was sitting on the kitchen counter. Joel made a move to grab for it before Tommy’s voice filled their small space again. “It’s Maria she -” his voice cut out as they heard Maria scream Tommy’s name from a distance away. “Oh shoot, I gotta go, we’re at the clinic!”

“Tommy!” Joel was yelling for his brother into the radio but getting no response. “Tommy! Tom- Damnit!” Joel huffed, slamming the radio back down on the counter. Leave it to his brother to call him with an apparent emergency, not tell him what the emergency was, and then go literal radio-silence on him.

“Let’s go” was all Joel said to Ellie and they were both running for the door.

The pair headed out into the street and made the short jog across town to where the clinic was housed. It was a two-storied brick building, one of the larger ones in town and one that thankfully by some miracle, Joel or Ellie had never had to visit before.

“Tommy?” Joel called out the moment they crossed the threshold inside, looking around but not seeing his brother - or anyone for that matter - in sight.

Suddenly they heard a bloodcurdling scream from Maria and both Ellie and Joel shared a quick glance before they both took off running up the stairs where the noise had come from.

They’d made it nearly all the way up the staircase when a second noise rang out through the house and this one stopped Joel dead in his tracks. He gripped the railing so he didn’t fall down the damn stairs as the distinct and familiar first cries of a newborn infant flooded the space.

“Holy shit!” Ellie whispered excitedly, also having come to a dead halt on the stairs when she’d heard the cry.

Joel took a minute to collect himself, holding the staircase railing in a death grip as he tried to get his breathing under control. That sound took him right back to the best day of his life, nearly 35 years ago when his little Sarah had taken her first breaths in this world and had changed his entire life in an instant. Hearing Tommy’s little one’s lungs working at full capacity would likely be the second best sound he’s ever heard in his life, Joel thinks.

“C’mon, lets go see!” Ellie said to him as she practically bounced up the rest of the stairs, eager to meet the latest Miller clan member.

“Ellie” Joel snapped out of his momentary daze to call out to her and she stopped just outside the closed door at the top of the stairs.

“Just, wait now” he told her as he climbed the rest of the stairs. Ellie obeyed, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation. He didn’t want to barge in on whatever state Maria might be in right now; childbirth wasn’t exactly something you wanted a big audience for, so they waited outside the door for a couple minutes until everything started to quiet and finally the door opened as a woman that Joel recognized as the town doctor came out.

“Oh, looks like we have visitors!” The doctor said to Joel and Ellie but loud enough that Tommy and Maria could hear her. She pushed the door open wider so that Tommy and Maria could see who it was and Tommy waved them inside.

“S’ok Doc, they're family” Tommy smiled widely.

Ellie froze for a quick moment, glancing between Maria and Tommy and back to Joel but Joel just put a hand on her back and led her inside, apparently she was the only one overthinking the whole “family” comment. She stared at the scene before her, Maria lying in a bed under some blankets with a small bundle in her arms wrapped in a crisp white towel and Tommy hovering over her with possibly the biggest smile Ellie’s ever seen from anyone before, one hand brushing the top of Maria’s hair while the other laid protectively against one of her arms that held the baby.

“It’s a girl” Tommy announced to no one in particular, not able to tear his gaze away from his newborn daughter. “Name’s Rose,” he continued. “Rose Sarah Miller”

Ellie chanced a quick glance at Joel for that. Tommy seemed up in the clouds somewhere and just tossed Sarah’s name out there as if it might not swallow Joel up whole but Ellie, with two feet firmly on the floor and not in the sky, needed to make sure he was ok. To her surprise, a smile that nearly matched Tommy’s crossed Joel’s features and fresh tears came to his eyes.

Ellie let out a breath of relief.

“She’s beautiful, Tommy” Joel said sincerely and Ellie had never seen him look so happy before. It made her feel warm.

“Congratulations to you both” Joel said and both parents finally tore their gaze away from Rose long enough to acknowledge them.

“Ellie,” Maria piped up a moment later. “Would you like to hold her?”

Ellie stared wide-eyed for a few long seconds before she finally looked over to Joel, silently asking for permission.

“Well, go on” Joel nodded towards the bed and nudged her shoulder with his.

Ellie smiled brightly and quickly crossed the room to where a large armchair sat next to Maria, the opposite side that Tommy was occupying.

“Do I just sit?” Ellie asked, she wasn’t sure what the protocol was, literally never having held a newborn before.

“Yeah, sit there, hold your arms out and I’ll pass her to you. Just always one hand under her head ok?” She instructed and Ellie nodded her head before sliding her backpack off her shoulders and dropping it to the ground.

“Rose, this is your cousin, Ellie” Maria spoke softly as she passed the small warm bundle of life over. Ellie quickly glanced up to Joel, eyes widened with pure joy at Maria’s words. She’d never been a cousin to anyone before. Hell, she’d never been anything to anyone before. Not really. And suddenly here she was, apparently now part of a family of 5.

Ellie was sure to have one hand under Rose’s head and the other arm cradled her against her chest as she held the tiny gurgling baby in her arms, mesmerized by her instantly. She now understood how Tommy couldn't’ tear his gaze away from her either.

“So fucking cool” Ellie whispered, playing with the tiny pink fingers that were reaching for her hand.

“Sorry” Ellie immediately admitted sheepishly. Maria didn’t like her cursing under normal circumstances, let alone when a newborn baby was in her arms.

Maria shot her a look but her mouth curled up into a small smile. “I’ll let it slide since you’re excited, but let me tell you if my baby’s first word is a curse, you are losing your babysitting privileges Missy”

“I’ll watch my mouth around her, I swear” Ellie assured her frantically before focusing back on Rose.

“Hard to believe you were ever once that small huh Ellie?” Tommy said with a laugh as Ellie stared down at baby Rose in complete wonder.

“Or that quiet” Joel added without missing a beat and Ellie rolled her eyes at him playfully.

“Don’t listen to him little Rose” Ellie cooed to the infant. “You and me are gonna be best buddies and we’ll gang up on your mean old Uncle Joel”

“Oh great so there’ll be two pains in my butt, can’t wait for that” Joel deadpanned before he crossed the room over to Ellie and held his hands out.

“Let me see that niece of mine anyway, you’re hoggin’ all the new baby smell”

Ellie grinned widely at how playful Joel was being and decided it looked really good on him. It reminded her of the first time she made him laugh, like really made him laugh. The night right before they met Henry and Sam when she had told him a stupid joke that left them both in tears from laughing so hard.

Joel completely relaxed when Rose got into his arms and he rocked and bounced her gently in his embrace. He looked completely in his element even though Ellie figured it has probably been decades since he last held a baby. He was smiling down at her and letting her small chubby hands grasp his finger and Ellie just watched in amazement. Babies had some sort of magical power or spell it seemed, she thought absently. These hardened fighters, killers, even, now all sat in this room as four big piles of melted goo for this tiny little human wrapped up in a bath towel.

They stayed for another hour or so, Ellie manipulating Joel into letting her have Rose again until the Doctor came back into the room, gently reminding Joel and Ellie that Maria needed her rest. Ellie groaned in disappointment but understood and passed the baby to Tommy after planting the gentlest kiss to the tip of her tiny nose.

“Now you let us know if you need anything” Joel said, his hands landing on Maria’s shoulders and she smiled up at him.

“We will, don’t worry”

“Come on kiddo, we better get home” Joel sighed, placing a hand to the back of Ellie’s neck and steering her towards the door. “These two are gonna need their rest, trust me”

They all said their goodnights and Joel and Ellie headed back down the stairs and out the front door.

“How fucking cool was that!” Ellie yelled up to the now darkened sky the moment they were outside. “A fucking baby?!”

“Hey what happened to watching your mouth?” Joel asked, but his tone was playful.

“I said around the baby, she can’t hear me now” Ellie said with a flippant wave of her hand towards the clinic.

Joel just hummed in agreement. He should’ve known better anyway.

They were nearly all the way home when Ellie stopped and slapped a hand to her forehead.

“Oh shit”

“What?” Joel asked, turning towards her.

“I forgot my backpack, I put it down when I was holding Rose”

Joel looked between Ellie and the clinic. They were more than halfway home already, not that it was very far, but it was late and Maria was supposed to be getting some rest.

“I’ll be quick, and quiet, I swear, in and out!” Ellie said briskly, likely already knowing what he was going to say and Joel sighed but nodded his head.

“Hurry up then” he gestured toward the clinic. “I’ll meet you at home”

Ellie ran off towards the clinic, not waiting for Joel to change his mind. When she got inside she slowly walked up the stairs, not wanting to make too much noise in case anyone was actually asleep. When she reached the top of the stairs and the door to Maria’s room it was partially open, she poked her head inside first to look.

Maria looked fast asleep but Tommy was slowly pacing the room with a slightly fussing baby Rose held in his arms as he looked down at her and talked softly, rocking her gently as he spoke.

“It’s okay babygirl, Daddy’s got you” he whispered into the stillness of the room. “I got you and I ain’t gonna let anybody ever hurt you, you hear me babygirl? I’ll keep you safe, always, I promise”

Tears welled up in Ellie’s eyes as she watched the two of them. She thought about Joel and Sarah. She had thought about them a lot tonight, and she wondered if Joel did too. Then she thought about how Joel had wrapped her in his arms after David and had all but said the same things that Tommy was telling his daughter now. She could hear the love in the way Tommy spoke to Rose and it hit her like a ton of bricks that it was no different than how Joel had spoken to her too.

Not wanting to dwell on that too much longer; or stand in the doorway prying on a private moment between father and daughter either, Ellie quickly swept away the tears at her eyes and gently rapped her knuckle against the wood door and peeked her head all the way inside once she had Tommy’s attention.

“Sorry I um, forgot my bag” she said sheepishly, nodding her head towards her backpack that lay on the ground resting up against the armchair.

“Oh, go ahead” Tommy whispered so as to not wake Maria. Ellie quickly crossed the room and grabbed her bag before quickly making her exit. Offering a quick wave over her shoulder as she left the room. She probably could’ve left it for tomorrow, but there was something important inside of it she decided she needed tonight.

Closing the door quietly behind her when she entered her home she was unsurprised to find Joel still awake and waiting for her. He was in the kitchen, gathering up all the items from the table and stuffing them back into the duffel bag. Ellie watched from the threshold, fidgeting with her fingers.

“We still needin’ this?” Joel asked directly, looking right at Ellie. The magical baby spell apparently over and reality settling back in around them.

“No” Ellie answered quietly, just looking at the floor.

“Good, put it away then” Joel replied, holding the bag out towards her. She nodded once and took the bag, grabbing the cans out one by one and putting them away in the cupboard. Her knife she’d slid into the side pocket of her backpack and she saw Joel’s eyes follow it but he said nothing; she figured he probably actually preferred her being armed anyway, for her own safety. She handed Joel the box of ammunition and left the gun in the bag, placing it down on the kitchen chair and shrugging at Joel.

“Tommy’s. I’ll… give it back to him tomorrow”

“Ok” was all Joel responded with and a silence fell over the room for several minutes.

“Look, Ellie” Joel began eventually, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. He looked tired. “I think I… Well, I said pretty much everything I needed to say, you know, earlier”

“I know” Ellie nodded, her voice quiet. She had a lot to digest, emotionally, after everything tonight.

“Are you… ok?” are we ok, she knows is what he means but doesn’t ask.

“Yeah” she says, and it’s the truth. She still hates that Joel lied to her, repeatedly, but after tonight, well, she can admit she understands why he did what he did.

“You keep going for family” Joel’s words from nearly a year ago ring in her head. She didn’t get it then, but she does now. She just met Rose an hour ago and she knows already she’d take a bullet for her if it came to it. Do anything to keep her safe, her little baby cousin, her family. Seeing Tommy with Rose made her think of how gutted Joel must have been when he’d lost Sarah and how of course he would do anything to prevent ever having to live through that again.

“My whole world.” She closes her eyes, remembering the pain on his face at the confession.

“Well, it’s late” Joel says matter of factly and it snaps her out of her reverie.

“Yeah, right” Ellie nods, hands still clasped in front of her and gaze still permanently fixed to the floor. She turns then and heads up the stairs towards her bedroom.

“Hey, Ellie” his voice stops her in her tracks and she turns, finally looking him in the eyes as he stands at the bottom of the stairs.

“When’s your birthday?” he asks, folding his arms over his chest and she puffs out a laugh. She wasn’t expecting that.

“Um… like April? Sometime… I don’t know what day exactly. When’s yours?”

“September 26th”

“Oh cool, so like exactly one month difference from Rose” she smiles, genuinely thinking it's pretty awesome that they were both born on the 26th day of the month. “Well, one month and like a thousand years or whatever” she finishes her thought, not able to help herself and Joel rolls his eyes.

“Ha ha” Joel deadpans. “‘Be nice to me now, or I’m not gonna get ya a belated birthday present”

“You’re gonna get me a present?” Ellie’s eyes lit up at that.

“I’ll think a’somthin’” Joel nodded. “In the meantime you think on it and pick a day in April so we can celebrate properly next year”

“Turning soft on me old man?”

“Guilty as charged I guess” Joel just shrugged and Ellie smirked.

“Goodnight Joel” she said and he nodded.

“G’night Ellie”

Before she could talk herself out of it Ellie quickly padded down the stairs and threw her arms around Joel’s waist in a hug, nearly knocking him over in surprise she thinks by the way he partially stumbled backwards before wrapping his arms around her too. He kisses the top of her head and then she lets go, turning around and scurrying up the stairs to go to bed.

She sleeps through the night that night, for the first time in months.

~~~

Joel slowly makes his way down the stairs the next morning, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he heads towards the kitchen to make some coffee. It’s early but he had heard Ellie go out the door for her shift at the stables and it woke him up. Not that he minded, he liked to be up early, even on his days off from patrol. Besides, he had a garage to fix up, he owed Ellie that birthday present, after all.

Wandering into the kitchen Joel prepared his coffee and went to bring the steaming mug to his lips but stopped when he noticed something on the table when he’d turned around. There was a piece of paper lying there with a smaller piece of paper placed on top of it. He picked up the smaller piece and read the note that was scribbled in Ellie’s familiar uppercase handwriting.

OLD MAN -

That dinosaur of a lady on the council with the stick up her butt said I had to fill out this form and that you need to sign it. Fascism wins again. Heheheheh just kidding, kind of. See you tonight. Chef Boyardee?

Love, Ellie.

Joel stared at the note, particularly the last two words and a smile reached his eyes. He folded it neatly and put it in his pocket to put it in a safe place later so he could hang on to it. If he’d had a picture frame he’d probably damn well frame it. Jesus, he had gone soft.

Next he picked up the form underneath and glanced over the information Ellie had given.

Name. Ellie Williams-Miller. Joel’s heart caught in his throat but he swallowed it down and kept reading. Date of Birth. April 26th, 2009. He smiled. She’d chosen the same day that his and Rose’s birthdays had fallen on. Cute kid. Known Allergies. None. Joel commended her for not writing in a joke about being allergic to learning or something equally ridiculous. Parent(s) and/or Guardian. Joel Miller. She had circled over 'parent'. There went his heart flip flopping in his chest again. Pull it together old man. Emergency Contact (other than above) + Relationship. Tommy Miller (Uncle). He’d bet Tommy couldn’t wait to be addressed as an Uncle again. He briefly wondered if Ellie would ever call him Uncle Tommy. Maybe he’d let her know that Tommy might like that and let her decide if she wants to.

The last line was for parent/guardian signature and Joel quickly scribbled his name down and then stared at the form again until his coffee had surely gone cold.

Ok, Maybe he needed two picture frames.

[khazadspoon]

idk I’m feeling introspective.

————

He wasn’t as at ease with his body in an act such as this as his partner was. John, who had truly ceased to be human nearly a decade ago, was made for violence. He was made for war, for taking and dealing damage, for leading others to do the same. Gentleness and kindness were not a part of his genetic makeup.

Snake, Big Boss, Vic Boss, or whatever he was called day to day, had no true notion of peace. And here he was, laying curled up against a man whose very name meant peace.

Kazuhira had fallen asleep not long after their carnal activities had ceased. His breathing was slow and steady, the air gently brushing over Snake’s shoulder and chest where the sweat was still drying on his skin. The warmth of him was something Snake was unused to. He rarely shared his space with another person; even in barracks as a young man he had been careful not to touch those he was with, keeping his distance unless it was necessary to hold someone with a dummy knife to their neck or pinned to the ground. Proximity was a luxury they were discouraged from seeking out.

So, despite his discomfort at the strange closeness he had with his sub-commander, Snake fought to keep still. Disturbing Kaz was the last thing he wanted to do, the man worked hard to keep them safe and unnoticed by hostile forces and a good nights sleep was too rare for their kind to squander. Snake kept his arm around Kaz’s waist and let himself feel the warmth of the man’s skin. He pushed the analytical thoughts of weak points and soft spots from the front of his mind. He ignored the part of his brain, innate and unmanageable at times, that catalogued blind spots and weaknesses.

Kazuhira feinted to his left more than his right. He favoured low attacks. He had a tendency to be distracted by sounds from behind him.

Snake closed his eye in the dark and squeezed it tight. Spots of colour appeared, patterns without meaning, a faint buzz that wasn’t really sound but sensation. He kept his muscles lax and controlled his breathing. Kaz stirred in his arms and breathed out through his mouth, the sound drawing Snake’s attention. He didn’t wake up. His body shifted, rolled, his arm heavy where it was resting over Snake’s midriff. Fingers curled against his ribs, almost ticklish.

This is dangerous, his mind told him. Attachment, loyalty, affection - all these things can lead to death of either soul or body.

Snake opened his eye and blinked against the darkness. His ruined eye stung.

His body wasn’t made for this. His heart and soul were blackened and charred, either dead or near dying, one wrong move from falling into an abyss they couldn’t climb up from.

But something inside him, something small and immortal, let out a faint but steady light. It flowered in his chest and warmth settled inside him.

He turned his head slowly, let his face find the soft, gently scented strands of Kaz’s hair. He breathed in the subtle smell of shampoo and soap. His hand on Kaz’s waist relaxed more naturally, his thumb caressing the soft unscarred skin.

Kazuhira slept peacefully against him. His sleep was deep and undisturbed by dreams. Snake could kill him so easily, sleeping or awake,and yet Kaz was sleeping as soundly as if he was somewhere safe.

Maybe he was. Maybe he trusted that Snake would deal with any danger that could assail them.

Maybe Snake would. Maybe, just maybe, weeks after whatever this was had began, Snake would kill and destroy to keep them safe. Both of them, together.

Kaz could say jump and he would ask how high.

It was dangerous.

Snake was comfortable with danger.

[sereisstuff]

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁

JJ Maybank x Fem!plus size reader.

Summary|| JJ Maybank has always been the apple of your eye, but he was your best friend. You wanted to keep it that way but JJ had other plans. What happens after he makes a move?

Warnings|| Angst? idk. Bestfriend!reader.

A/N|| So uh I kinda wrote this because I was bored and most of it was written twenty minutes ago on the doorstep at 3 in the morning. So do what you will with that information. I know it's a typical story but I'm getting the jist of writing for him. I am writing a part two for this but since it's like 4am I shall write it after <3

You couldn't help it, your ever-growing feelings for the cerulean eyed boy only fired the flames you unknowingly had lit for him. You were sick of it, that feeling in the pit of your stomach when he spoke. The way you melted by a singular touch, and the utter self-pity you felt when he would leave a kegger with another, awfully beautiful girl. You simply couldn't compare.

Although you weren't lacking in the confidence department, your tendency to become sullen at the thought of your appearance wasn't unusual. No one but you knew of these days, you felt as though a grey cloud lingered upon your head, spitting obscenities at you.

JJ was what one would define, your first love.

First and last if you could help it.

JJ had always been sweet to you, whispering flirtatious nuisances in your ears when your smile faltered. He admired your entire being if he could, to him; you were safe.

You'd admit, you kissed once but it was a drunken mistake and you'd never spoken about it, neither has JJ but that didn't mean you never thought about it. His sweet lips moved against yours, large hands placed on your wide hips as he squeezed as though your skin was his final breath. The way they rubbed against you in utter need. It was breathtaking.

You were never confrontational unless provoked and if he didn't mention it, neither would you.

So with a heavy heart, you watched yet another girl jog from the chateau as you sat outside. Watching the waves come and go as if they were never there, to begin with, warm blankets covering your ample body. If it hadn't been for the sight you witnessed, you would have called your morning perfect.

You shot a strained smile towards the sweet girl, her caramel eyes peering back at you as they stretched, reciprocating that same smile but with a glow; a pre-sex glow.

With your heart on your sleeve, you ducked under your blanket. Surrendering to its comfort, hoping that no one followed her out so you could linger in the moment for a little longer before dismissing yourself home.

But as the sun rises, surprisingly the flaxen-haired boy did as well, much to your dismay.

His rough voice entered your ears, husky from the events before. JJ was shirtless, standing in all his might as he leaned against the door, watching you succumb back into the fabric.

"Morning, sweet cheeks"

You barely moved, looking up at him for a singular moment and then gazing back out into the ocean.

"Mornin' JJ" you grumbled in reply, not chipper nor happy. Just sullen. JJ assumed it was because of the early hours you had awakened so he took it with a grain of salt.

Your legs were prompted on the couch, JJ stood momentarily admiring the way your thick hair fell against the sheets. The way the burning sun caressed your skin if beauty had to be defined he would say you.

The silence was deafening, to you at least. You waited until he left but he never did, instead of walking in front of you, tapping your leg.

He was your best friend before he was the apple of your eye and physical touch was a love language of his, one he shared with you.

You opened the blanket so he could seek warmth beneath your arms, his head laying across your chest as you wrapped him in the large blanket. JJ loved it when you did that, no words spoken; just pure understanding.

"What's up" he griped, looking up at you with inquisition filling those baby blue eyes.

"Nothing J, just thinking" you muttered, not wanting to wake the others. Your tone was soft and inviting, you hated the tender touch you so naturally gave him. You wanted it gone, not wanting to lose the friendship you had over some stupid crush.

JJ lifted your thighs, placing them on his lap as he swiftly moved from being under you to being beside you, his gaze strictly set on you with his undivided attention. It was shocking, JJ was one to fall dead asleep during these hours, his attention span wearing thin when it came to mornings.

"Don't lie to me, I know that look. You've got something on your mind" he persisted, you didn't want to make a big deal out of it so you shrugged, thinking of a lie.

"Don't worry about it J" you hummed, forcing once again, a smile on your face. Plump cheeks widening. JJ took the bait with hesitance, you were his best friend. His everything, he knew you like the back of his hand.

"Stop being so serious, it's weird" you laughed, feeling a slight weight lift from your shoulders once he scoffed, cocking a brow "I feel slightly offended by that but I'll take it"

"Why are you up so early anyways sleeping beauty?" He asked. Settling his palm on the lower part of your thigh, rubbing it in comfort for both you and himself.

"I could ask you the same thing, chasing away your damsel in distress" you reputed.

He sighed in response "am I the knight in shining armour?"

"No, you're more like the horse he rides," you joked, easing the rising tension. JJ stifled a laugh, mimicking your own with a sarcasm laced in his tone.

JJ enjoyed moments like this, utter bliss was what he'd name it. Just you and him, enjoying the moment in the embrace of the other, he felt his heart leap every time he stole a glance, chasing your line of gaze and seeing the glimmer in your eyes.

"I'm gonna go soon, I need to be home for my nephew" you spoke up, JJ finally sat straight. Peering at you.

"That's why you were out here, weren't you gonna say goodbye?" He asked, slightly hurt that you didn't think of him before you left. Not that you could help it.

"I see you every day J, besides. You were in the room with that girl, I didn't wanna ruin the moment" you grimaced. Lying straight through your teeth.

He wanted to ask why? He hoped you had. You were his favourite girl, he would always make time for you.

"Anyways J, mum is probably nearly here. You should head back inside"

"I wanna wait with you" JJ smiled. If there was one thing you admired and disliked about JJ, it was his persistence. He was a stubborn boy and that was something he could never change.

"Need to make sure my favourite girl is safe" he added, leaning into you more. You disliked the way your heart raced when his skin touched yours, the way he sunk into you with a sigh. Curling into your touch, JJ melted every time he was in your embrace and he loved it. It was a sense of security he's never felt before, one he needed to keep.

"JJ it's not like something is gonna randomly pop out and hurt me. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself" you seethed, rolling your eyes to the back of your skull. Fighting the smile on your lips.

"Not something sweet cheeks, someone." He corrected as though it was obvious.

"Oh god JJ" you laughed, tilting your head back into the armrest of the couch. Unaware of JJ's gaze, shining at the sight of your happiness.

He was so infatuated with you.

"Those bruises of yours are second skin at this point" you shook your head, patting his hair flat. JJ groaned feeling your touch, grabbing your wrist as you made your way into his strands. He felt at ease with you, he wasn't treading waters. He didn't need to pretend. You made him crumble.

"And my pretty girl always patches me up" JJ's tone was serious, pulling you up slightly with a jump. He leaned up as well with no restraints. Your brows furrowed at the sudden shift, having already moved twice. You were mostly staring out into the ocean so when you made contact with JJ's Hazen eyes, prominently shining with a certain intensity, you didn't know how to feel.

"You'll always patch me up, right?" JJ voiced, but instead of replying, you blink in confusion.

"Of course, I will, I can't let you be a walking infection"

Before another word could escape your mouth, in the spur of the moment. JJ had rushed into you, mouth clasped around yours. His palms were on the sides of your cheeks as his callous hands graced your soft skin. You were too shocked to move but your lips were unwaveringly entranced by the suddenty. Clasp in his spell. You melted towards his advancements. Taking a moment to indulge yourself.

His lips spoke for him as he pulled you in tighter, his breathy groans filling the brisk morning air. But you knew it was all so fast that you pulled away in shock. Pushing him off of you as you stood up. You didn't want it to be too good to be true...

"I can't do this right now JJ" your throat grew dry, you admitted you liked it but you couldn't fall into a bottomless pit. You couldn't be just another girl to him.

"Fuck I-" he stood, hand in his hair. A tick of frustration.

"No, no it's okay JJ. It was a mistake" you apologized, looking around for your sandals. Your mother was bound to come soon, dropping you back home before her morning shift.

"Fuck, I'm sorry. I just, I-" he profusely grew redder with the confusion heightening. You threw in your shoes not wanting to look at him, was he playing with you.

"Please let me explain" he rushed, you jogged down the stairs in a hurry. A total contrast to how you were moments before.

"I don't care right now JJ, it's okay." Your words were rushed as you tried your best to walk down the pathway of the chateau, you could see your mother's blinkers on and hoped he just dropped it.

"No, listen to me y/n. Please. It wasn't a mistake to me" he confessed. Jogging behind you, he was much faster than you and caught you just before you could begin running.

"JJ, I don't know what was running through your head but just drop it. Forget about it like how we forgot about the last time."

"Who said I forgot about last time?" He seethed, he had no right to be angry.

"Y/n I never forgot about last time, I've thought about it every day" JJ was trying, he wanted to apologise but he didn't regret it. He never did. When the stars blanketed the sky, twinkling in all their glory. He'd often peer up at the spots of fickle light and think about that night.

"I've thought about it every fucking day and it kills me. Don't tell me you didn't think about it either, I see the way you look at me." If JJ was one thing, it wasn't oblivious. He knew when someone enjoyed his presence, he wasn't the towns biggest flirt for nothing.

"This is stupid JJ, we're meant to be friends. That's all we'll ever be" you whisper shouted, watching the boy's brows knit together. He heavily disagreed, not understanding what you were trying to get at.

"Who are you trying to convince sunshine, me or yourself? Because I fucking know for a fact that your the only person I want" JJ moved towards you, he was looking down at you with his brows raised. His ears seemed heated and cheeks pinched to restrain himself.

"Don't spread that bullshit with me JJ, Your probably still drunk" your fingers plucked at his chest with menace. You pivoted in your spot, noticing your mother parked on the road behind the trees.

Walking back with flushed cheeks and tears riddling in your confused irises. You were never as synchronized as a calm oceans day, you were like the rough tides pummelling the sand and each other under the light of a storm. You couldn't control how you felt and that was your worst enemy. With one last glance towards your best friend, as he stood rooted in his spot. Cheeks red in anguish, you turned back around. Slamming the door shut.

A/N: yes yes I know the grammar is fucked, bare with me. I'll fix it in the morning <3

[moririki]

⤷ A BLOODSTAINED CONFESSION

RENGOKU KYOJURO X READER -> 3.6K
you patch up your fellow hashira after the hardest fight of your lives

REQUEST -> ✰
CONTAINS -> MUGEN TRAIN SPOILERS like before the cut and everything, mentions of blood + gore, so kinda angsty but definitely a fluffy ass ending, reader is a hashira but it's left ambiguous as to what element you are👍, i watched the movie two months ago so my recollection of dialogue and plot may be *slightly* off, near-death experience, idk how to write combat so i just... didn’t, reader lowkey thirsts over rengoku's back muscles and shit because why tf not, idk how injuries work aaaa
MORI'S THOUGHTS -> rengoku my beloved,,, he deserves the world,, i think i should have made this less angsty im SORRY (i rlly heard "extra fluffy" and it just went 👩🏻➡️ straight through my head huh) also i bet you guys missed me and my late-ass posting <3 but here i am!! for now!! yeahhhh!! i feel like the writing in this got a little repetitive so i apologise for that

APPARENTLY, THE DESTRUCTION OF AN ENTIRE TRAIN wasn't enough to end this mission. even with one lower six demon defeated, another much stronger one had replaced it. the arrival of akaza was a significant turning point in the battle, and one that you cursed yourself for missing.

you should have known that this mission would he more dangerous than expected when both you and rengoku had been deployed to the train, alongside three rookies. you should have known better than to let rengoku convince you to stay back and help evacuate rather than let him handle it alone.

he had been so full of confidence- squeezing your hand firmly before rushing off, leaving you feeling slightly lightheaded from the brief contact of his warm palm. you should have wished him luck, told him to be careful, anything, but he was gone before you had the chance.

you made quick work of evacuating the passengers of the derailed train, making sure that they were all confirmed to be outside of the carriages before entrusting their safety to zenitsu and nezuko. it was around when you had carried out the last passenger that you felt the ground rumble beneath your feet, coming from the other side of the embankment that you were currently placed at. 

before you gave yourself time to really think things through, you were shouting instructions to the pair of demon slayers and dashing off towards the source of the noise, hand readily placed on your sword. that was the direction that rengoku ran is all that went through your mind.

the scene that you found yourself facing did little to quell your fears. you reached two bodies first, recognising them as the hapless figures of inosuke and tanjiro. from a glance you could see the extent of their injuries, with the latter laying on the ground barely conscious. the boar-headed one could only stare at the fight happening several metres away, his shoulders slumped in defeat and swords hanging by his sides.

“there’s no opening,” he only whispered, barely audible. that much was true. even you had difficulty keeping up with the movements of rengoku and the demon that he was fighting. the fact that it had already been several minutes and that there was no clear advantage concerned you, and you unsheathed your sword.

“you two stay put, and learn what it means to be a hashira, alright?” you tried offering a brilliant smile, much like you had seen the flame hashira do so many times, but you hoped that yours didn't fall flat. from the slight relief shown on tanjiro’s worn face, though, you took that as a good sign.

without wasting another second, you rushed towards rengoku and the demon, assessing their movements. inosuke wasn’t joking when he said there wasn’t any opening, their movements equally matched. you took the chance and struck when rengoku managed to get the demon to stumble back. bringing your sword down in a vertical strike, you severed one of its arms, before taking a cursory glance back at rengoku to make sure that he was alright.

your wound did little to hinder the demon, as it simply chuckled before regrowing its limb.

“oh? another hashira? don’t tell me you think that this is a fair match,” the demon sneered as you held your sword in front of you, still nervously eyeing the blood that was beginning to drip at rengoku’s feet. it amazed you as to how he was still standing, let alone also ready to keep fighting, but you weren’t going to stop him with that amount of determination in his eyes.

“i wouldn’t say that you appearing after we had to fight an entire train was fair either, but here we are,” you glared at the demon, adjusting the grip on your sword.

“think you can hold on a little longer?” you asked rengoku, still facing the demon.

“always.” you could picture the steadfast smile on his face, lending you his strength whenever you needed it. you took a deep breath, starting your total concentration breathing and launching off of your foot, propelling yourself forwards.

you heard rengoku's footsteps right behind you, dependable as ever. when you swung your sword and sliced through, you knew that the flame hashira was there to follow through with a co-ordinated attack.

despite your best efforts, the upper six demon lived up to its status and provided to be more than a challenge for even both you and rengoku fighting him simultaneously. in fact, akaza had even managed to gain the upper hand a few times, leaving you with a cracked rib that was making it more difficult to focus and control your breathing.

but you and rengoku's big break arrived in the form of a rising sun that leeched itself into your surroundings. the glow was nothing but welcomed by you, though your demon opponent let fear flicker across its face for the first time this night as it turned foot and fled. the invisible adrenaline-fuelled strings that held you up snapped, and you felt the strength from your body sap, too spent to gove chase to akaza.

the bitter taste of defeat crushed you, numbing your senses as you barely heard the cries of tanjiro as he yelled at the retreating figure of akaza. you turned to your fellow yashira, eyes widening and senses returning as you took in the way he had slumped to the floor, head bowed as he kneeled.

"no, don't you dare," you mumbled, dropping to your knees too in front of him. panic gave your limbs a new purpose as your hands stretched out in front of you, seeking out the warmth rengoku still emitted even when mortally wounded.

the most pressing matter was the dark stain of blood that gave his uniform an unnatural sheen that was still spreading. you pressed a hand to the source of it, a large gash across his stomach that was much too deep for your liking. your other hand came to rest on his face, tilting his head up to look at you for any sort of good sign to cling onto.

"you better stay alive!" your voice was shrill, harsher than you wanted it to be, but those were factors you could hardly control more than the blood oozing from rengoku's stomach. you could see how unfocused his eyes were, and how heavy his head was when only being propped up by the waning strength in your hand. your own injuries had been forgotten, cast aside in favour for you to fear for the flame hashira's life.

and still, despite everything, the man still smiled. the blood covering half his face did little to mar its radiance. rengoku raised a shaking, bloody hand of his own, letting it fall heavy against your own as you felt your hold begin to slip.

"you're hurt too, you know." his words were more of a shaky exhale, though you heard it all the same. you felt a smile slip onto yours too as rengoku proved to still be so vigilant in the wellbeing of others.

"you don't need to remind me, shut up and save your energy," you whispered back. you didn't trust yourself to speak any louder in fear of your voice cracking.

"but.. i have to tell you something." the insistence in his eyes was back, burning into you so mich that you couldn't help but lean closer, trying to ease his burden of being audible.

"quit talking like you're dying." you were practically whispering into his ear, close enough to feel the rasp of his breath as he laughed, holding your hand tighter. his other hand came up to your own face, rough thumb brushing against the skin underneath your eye, wiping away a tear you never realised had tracked its way there.

"let me bandage you up." your voice may not have shook, but your hands definitely did as you disentangled them from rengoku's hold, urging him to put pressure on his wound while your fingers found purchase on the hem of your uniform and ripped off a strip of it. it was barely enough to cover his injury but you managed to wrap the severed cloth around his middle a few times, tying it tight and hoping that it was enough to stop the bleeding.

"just.. stay with me until backup comes, alright? you've got tell me something once we get out of here, remember?" rengoku nodded into your palm, smiling at your words as his eyelids fluttered shut. but you were close enough to still feel that he was warm, to feel the slight rise and fall of his chest as he managed to still breathe, and that gave you some comfort.

minutes felt like hours when you had to talk to fill the gap. whether it was to give rengoku something that tethered him to this mortal realm, or a way for you to distract yourself from your own pain, you onew that you would both have to tough it out a little longer, just until the others arrived.

"you know, i've always admired you." you were surprised at both his words and how clear rengoku's voice sounded. your grip on his hand tightened a little, and you leaned towards him so that your forehead pressed against his.

"this is hardly the time to say something like that, kyojuro." you tried not to laugh, the pain of your ribs starting to edge back in as the adrenaline left your body as the sun soaked your bodies.

"i just wanted you to know." you would have responded to the man if it weren't for the shouts that became all too clear. help was here, and everything was going to be okay now.

you didn't want to let rengoku out of your sight, but many insistent hands prised his body from your grip, and with barely the strength to speak there was little that you could do about it except succumb to the pain of your wounds and finally fall unconscious.

recovery was never an aspect of fighting that you looked forward to. when you finally came to, there were a few gripping moments of panic when you asked a nurse if rengoku was here, if he was alive. you had been assured that he was before the pain and medication kicked in again for a fitful sleep as your body healed.

but no matter how you were pressed back into bed, into the constraints of sleep, you never really felt like you were at rest. your mind was still racing to places your body couldn't as it pieced together the events just before you got hospitalised.

when you could finally get up without keeling over, you were stumboing your way through the hallways as stealthily as possible, leaning on walls for support and peering into rooms as you walked past, in search of your fellow hashira. your cards of luck had lined up when you stumbled upon his sleeping figure less than three rooms down from yours.

he looked a lot cleaner, still donning a serene smile even when unconscious and you felt the panic gripping your body loosen its hold. the throb of your most likely broken ribs was enough of an edge to keep you awake, and you made your way over to rengoku's bedside.

there was a convenient chair placed next to him, and you tried not to grunt in pain as you sat down in it. rengoku didn't even stir at your approach, and you resigned yourself to sitting there, studying his figure and resisting the urge to check whether he was actually breathing or not. if you focused enough, you saw the subtlest rise and fall of his chest, just enough to qualm your fears.

your concentration was broken as you heard the sliding door open again, and the hesitant voice of a nurse breaking your intense silence.

"ah, i'm sorry to interrupt but i need to change rengoku's bandages." to prove her point, the nurse raised her arm to emphasise the strips of fabric held by them. you stood up hastily, sending a cursory glance back at the still-sleeping form of rengoku.

like all matters regarding the flame hashira, you found your mouth and body working a little faster than your brain.

"it's alright, i can change them for you. i'm sure that you have plenty of other patients to tend to." the nurse nodded, though she still looked hesitant to hand you the bandages. you gave her a reassuring smile, stretching out your hand to take them. "i've had plenty of experience with this, don't worry."

the nurse appeared relieved, giving you a quick thanks before exiting and letting the door click shut behind her.

you turned your attention back to rengoku's sleeping figure only to watch him crack a single amber eye open and give you an almost sheepish smile. you couldn't help the flooding sensation of relief that drenched your bones, and you returned his gesture.

"i'm glad to see that you're alright." rengoku's eyes never left yours, and you felt yourself grow hot underneath his gaze.

"glad to see you too." you offered a hand, helping rengoku shuffle further up the bed with minimal effort on your side. despite the bandages covering a large expanse of his upper body, his grip on your hand was still stable and you bit back the fond smile threatening to bloom on your face.

luckily for you, rengoku seemed to get the message that he needed to get shirtless without you asking him, which saved you a whole lot of embarrassment. you weren't confident in your ability to look him in the eye and ask him to strip without blushing, though you did exactly that as your eyes raked over his bare skin.

littered with scars and covering taut muscle, it was hard not to let your eyes wander down his form. from the look on rengoku's face, he looked well aware of the effect that he had on you and fixing you with a practically imperceptible smirk. you were quick to ask him to turn around, and he obliged as quickly as someone with broken and bruised bones could manage.

his back was the same story, with broad shoulders and defined shoulderblades that had muscle twitching without you touching it. you sucked in a breath, way too audible for your liking, and tried not to let your hand stretch out to run your fingers down the expanse of his back. you were here to help treat him, not indulge in some fantasy of yours.

your mindset snapped back to professionalism as you grabbed hold of the fresh bandages, opting to put them on after you removed the old ones. while there was no sign of infection, you still grimaced at the bloody sight of rengoku's major wound. you tried not to show how much it had upset you, both now and in the moment, and your attention turned to your slightly trembling fingers.

you were careful to avoid where his skin was obviously discoloured from bruising, not wanting to cause him any unnecessary pain. he was warm to the touch, enough to invite you in with some false sense of confort before burning you alive. the way his back muscles jumped at your touch did little to help your concentration, but you shouldered on.

your mingld escaped you, insisting on recounting those painful minutes where rengoku was vpeeding out on the battlefield. there was a particular focus on his insistence to tell you something, and you bit your lip. surely, he would ask you at some point from now.

"how are your ribs?" rengoku's voice cut through the silence, its rasping edge acting as evidence of hiw soundly he had been sleeping earlier. while it wasn't the question you wanted him to ask you, you were never one to turn down conversation. especially from him.

"worry about yourself, kyojuro. i'm fine." your appliance of the fresh bandage meant that you would now have to be stood in front of him, a development that had your face flaming from the close proximity. silence set in, and all that distracted you from the rise and fall of his stomach was his breath tickling the sensitive skin of your neck. your eyes flickered towards the ceiling, relying on your hands to guide yourself instead.

you dared to glance down and saw rengoku’s eyes fixed on your face already. there was something about his softened features and the look in his eyes that had you scrambling to stare at the blank ceiling again. as much as you would like to retreat at every first sign if danger or confrontation, you knew that you woukd have to talk to him soon, whether it was you or him who brought up the conversation topic from that day.

taking a deep breath, you perched yourself on the edge of rengoku's bed, still maintaining a professional amount of distance from him. still close enough to spot how his smile brightens when you choose to stay. you glanced down at your fingers, twisting knots into themselves as they were placed in your lap. you almost cursed and placed them underneath you to stop that, but instead you fixed your gaze on the flame hashira's ever-present smile.

"do you remember when you said you had to tell me something? right after akaza?" rengoku straightened up a little, nodding. you gave a cursory glance to the bandages safely wrapped around him, and winced as you remembered how much blood had left him that day. 

as if he could tell what you were thinking, rengoku reached forward and took your hand in his. you sucked in a breath at the sensation of his calloused hands, wincing as your ribs ached in protest. you couldn’t bring yourself to break his stare as your fingers intertwined, and rengoku brought you slightly closer to him. the tension was palpable, and you squeezed his hand in an attempt to alleviate some of it.

“what did you want to tell me, kyojuro?” you were still closing the distance between the two of you, voice barely above a whisper because there was no need to talk any louder for him to hear you. everything about him drew you closer, and the thought of pulling away never crossed your mind. you finally stopped, inches away, staring at him expectantly.

“well, there was a chance that i was going to die that day, so i was going to be selfish and tell you that i love you."

it amazed you how he could say that with such confidence when that statement had effectively swept you off of your feet. you were well aware that you looked more than caught off guard- your eyes had widened, and your mouth probably hung open from shock. that was nothing to stop rengoku’s words, though. if anything, it only encouraged him to keep going.

"and when i said that i admire you, i meant it. i admire your strength and how willing you are to help others. i admire you when it's sunset and you're laughing and i admire the way your hands feel, especially here." he guided your hand to his face, letting it cradle his cheek as he rested his own hand at your wrist, not willing to let go. you were sinking into the warmth of his body, letting his borrowed strength keep you upright.

“and most of all, i admire you because i find your beauty striking in everything that you do.” you were silent as rengoku’s eyes searched your own, watching as his lips split as he laughed. “you’re crying again.” you raised your other hand to your cheekbone, feeling the liquid there that began its trek down the planes of your face. you wiped them away with the back of your hand, keeping yourself anchored to rengoku as you curled your fingers around his own.

you felt so light that you could float away, and you couldn’t  help but laugh and grin as you fully processed the confession of the man lying underneath you. tears still rolled down your cheeks, and you couldn’t help the bittersweet pang as you remembered exactly why he was here recovering.

“you really scared me back there, you know?”

“it wasn’t my intention.” you laughed through your sniffle, feeling his warm hand trace patterns on the back of yours. you shuffled forwards and, as best as your shared injuries allowed it, you gave rengoku a hug. while your arms were around his neck, his rested squarely on your lower back, and it was better than anything else you could imagine.

you pulled away, relinquishing the comfort of his arms in favour of looking him in the eye as you prepared what to say next. admittedly, it was a lot easier when you knew how the other person felt about you.

“you know i admire you too, rengoku, and i love you. so much.” joy rewrote itself within his eyes, and they almost glowed with how intense his emotions were after you uttered those words.

“you do?”

your yes came out as a barely audible breath before you were being snagged forwards by him again. you practically crashed against his lips, but you welcomed the sensation, pulling yourself closer to him and settling on his lap.

you sighed into the searing kiss, only truly appreciating his warmth now as you felt it spread through you. you kissed him back intensely, ignoring the dull ache of your ribs to chase the addictive feeling that you only got around him.

around the person who loved you back.

take a look at the menu - ,, ⛩ ·˚ ༘ ꒱

[workofheart]

levi ackerman relationship hcs

some modern headcanons, nsfw below the cut <3 it’s just levi brainrot at this point

definitely the type to follow (stalk) your spotify and check in to see what you’re listening to. if he has the time, he might even listen along and wonder what you’re doing. if it’s a particularly sad song or series of songs, he’ll know to send you a text to let you know he’s thinking of you

on that note, he also stalks your pinterest boards just to see what you’re into these days and (idk abt yall but i save pins of mens fashion) if he sees a cute outfit in your saves that fits his style, he might even try it out. reason being (though he’ll never admit to it) he loooves that kind of attention from you - when he looks particularly good and you can’t stop staring, it might just pull a smirk out of him

once you’re living together, he lowkey acts like a dad. might scold you for not closing doors, not turning off lights, all the like. he means well, honestly

however, doesn’t mind tidying up for you. folds your laundry, clears your plate, takes your jacket off your shoulders when you get home, just because it’s his way of showing he cares. definitely an acts of service kind of guy

really good at cooking! he likes spending days in the kitchen with you while he whips something up or tries something new and you just sit at the counter and talk to him. it’s a good way to catch up as your adult lives can sometimes get busy

if you fall asleep with earbuds still in, he’ll gently take them out for you before you go to bed <3 he’ll also plug your phone in for you if you forgot

occasionally reads aloud to you, especially if you’re having trouble sleeping. we all know he’s not much of a talker, but his voice is so relaxing and he doesn’t mind doing it if he knows it will help

the chillest, coolest boyfriend ever. he’s so mature, honest, and trusting, and you don’t have to worry about those high school dramatics when you’re dating him. when he chooses to date you, he’s serious about it - definitely not the type to just date for fun. he won’t hesitate to deny advances from other people, doesn’t care about what you wear, just fully devoted to you and wouldn’t even think about anyone else

i also think that with that dating in general, you would probably start out as acquaintances or maybe even friends. he needs to have a lot of trust in the person he chooses to date, so only after he’s known you a long time and you’ve made enough of an impact on his life for him to make it hard to let you go would he date you

speaking of, didn’t isayama say that levi would stutter around his crush? i can imagine him stumbling over his words, trying to cover it up with a cough, reaching to scratch his neck all sheepish, just getting all shy. even once you’re far past that stage of your relationship, sometimes you’re so upfront and bold, he can’t help himself :( you just make him so weak

braids your hair for you when you’re too tired to do it yourself - you’ll sit in front of him and his fingers are so gentle with your hair 🥺 he got the hang of it so quickly and has the dexterity to not tangle your hair and it always comes out so nice and clean, even if you’re just going to sleep in them

i peg him as a biiiig cuddler. not a lot of pda besides holding your hand, wrapping his arms around your waist, letting you hook your arm around his, etc., but in private he loves when he can just lay his head on your lap or chest bc then you can play with his hair, which relaxes him

he’s really intuitive and in tune with your emotions. if you’re feeling down, he’ll know, and he’ll also know if you need space or if you need comfort, both of which he is more than willing to oblige

he’s there to bring you cups of tea, maybe some cut up strawberries on the days you’re tired and want to sleep. will definitely tuck you in, and will also lay down with you for a bit if you ask

his go to way of getting you to talk is going on drives. 1) levi is a really good driver and 2) he’ll usually come and find you wherever you may be around the apartment, say something along the lines of, “i’m going on a drive, you wanna come?” or might just give you a look and jingle the keys around his fingers

it might take a little while of rolling through the backroads aimlessly for you to speak up, but when you do, he’s all ears. lets you talk through your thoughts, might prompt you further, offers advice if you ask for it. it’s also how you sort through relationship misunderstandings - they are rare, but all relationships have them, so it would be silly to present your relationship without them

i think that when levi is upset on the other hand, he’ll usually come to you for comfort. he isn’t necessarily looking for advice, but just to calm down and rest. some form of physical touch is good, like cuddling or napping, preferably where he can put his head on your chest so you can play with his hair

i think levi is the type of person to get a lot of intrusive thoughts or memories that he doesn’t really want to remember when they pop up, so having you as a distraction to hold him and let him know it’s alright is something he really appreciates

nsfw below the cut (18+)

unpopular opinion: levi is NOT the hard dom people tag him as. rather, i think of levi as a service top, so while he may be carrying out more of the work, you’re the one in control. getting you off gets him off 100%

considering he is usually very dominant outside the bedroom, he likes the opportunity to let you take control and direct him instead - it takes a weight off his shoulders

slow and smooth kisser. might put up a fake fight for dominance just to make it more fun, but eventually take the lead and kiss him dizzy

hearing your moans makes him unbelievably hard. the sounds you make go straight to his dick

and so: godly at giving head. he might edge you but it’s not to tease or as punishment, he just takes his time because he knows it feels better for you, and at the end of the day he wants you to feel as good as possible. your pleasure is his main priority.

knows how to use his fingers, knows how to use his tongue. knows what you like and picks up on it very quickly. i don’t think he’s that experienced but he’s got a good natural sense of what feels good - do not doubt him, he knows where the clit is 

he’s got a very wide range of capabilities for this, too. he can go slow and sensual on a calm sunday morning or absolutely dive in and ravage your pussy for more intense sessions - this is the one time he doesn’t mind making a mess 

making you cum is good for his self esteem/confidence lmfaooo he lives to see your flushed cheeks and heaving chest and be told he’s doing well. when you scratch his hair or cup his cheek as a quick thank you, his heart swells and his dick twitches

please kiss his neck, he will absolutely melt for you. especially the next day when he looks in the mirror and notices the little love bites you left him... he runs his fingers over them lightly and his eyelids get a little droopy as he remembers everything, will definitely seek you out for another round

tbh i don’t think he’s that kinky. he likes what he likes, i can’t imagine him comfortably degrading you or hitting you or anything like that. realistically, levi wouldn’t be having sex with someone he’s not in a committed relationship with. he wants it to be special and personal and therefore probably would not enjoy treating you poorly even if just for the sake of sex. if anything, he wants it the other way around bc he could easily be a bit of a masochist in bed

loves when you restrain him and ride the shit out of him, either by tying his hands to the bed or just pinning his arms down. likes when you “use” him to get off. put your hands around his neck and he’s putty in your hands

really loves when you tell him to cum - your voice is music to his hears and to hear it out loud and as a command has him doing exactly that. he’s not one to disobey orders lol. 

his brows furrow, his eyes squeeze shut, mouth falls open and lets out a low moan... jesus christ 

one more deep kiss, a quick clean up, and then he’s passing out with his head on your chest. after-sex sleep is some of the best rest he’s ever gotten

[arksiblings]

maria receives a late night visit from the ark’s resident artificial life form.

idk where this series is gonna live yet + i still have to name it, but i rly wanted to post this chapter for y’all to read <3 also once again, maria is jewish & zayde = grandfather. enjoy!

It’s unclear as to what wakes Maria in the middle of the night. 

The room is completely silent, save for the sound of her own breathing and the soft music playing from the alarm clock beside her bed. Nothing seems to be out of place - not that there’s enough light in here to know for sure. Annoyed at being awoken by seemingly nothing, she squints at the clock: it shines a bright red 2:27 back at her. A sigh escapes her as she snuggles back against her pillow with hopes to fall asleep again quickly.

The longer she lays there with her eyes closed, however, the more awake she feels. Several long minutes tick by before the fog clears from her mind enough to notice the goosebumps crawling up her arms and the way the back of her neck tingles. Her stomach flips - something doesn’t feel right.

Slowly, her eyes open for a second time. The clock reads 2:33 now, but that’s not what catches her attention; a pair of matching red lights creeping into view sets her bolt upright, a chill rolling down her spine as she clutches at her blankets like a lifeline. 

Maria’s sudden movements send something skittering away to hide behind the wooden, grandfather-sized rocking chair in the corner opposite her bed. She fumbles for her glasses, then the lamp. Dim, yellow light sends shadows across the room. It’s a bit easier to see now, though the space under the rocking chair is still cast in darkness. Wide red eyes peer out from that darkness at her, glowing abnormally in the lamplight.

With a heavy exhale of both relief that it’s nothing terrifying and reproach at being awoken so late in the night, she quietly calls, “Shadow.”

Her artificial companion inches his way into the light soundlessly. It’s a little unsettling, actually. How long had he been just standing there, watching and waiting for her to wake up? 

Maria decides to ignore the how and focus on the why. The little hedgehog hasn’t been around long, after all, and he isn’t exactly the most sociable creature. For him to seek her out, something must be amiss. “Why are you awake?” Her voice is scratchy from sleep. “Is something wrong?”

For all the staring he was doing a minute ago, Shadow seems reluctant to look her in the eyes now. He shuffles awkwardly in place and doesn’t respond. 

Tossing off her blankets, Maria slides onto the floor. Again, her movements visibly startle him, but at least he doesn’t go running for the hills this time. He stands about a foot away from her, eying her like he’s sizing up a threat.

“Sometimes,” Maria begins, crossing her legs to get comfortable, “I get tummy aches after dinner so I can’t sleep, or I have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.” Shadow looks at her blankly. It doesn’t deter her. “Um, or my body hurts and that wakes me up. Or it’s too hot, or I have bad dreams.” That one gets a reaction from him; his head tilts, and Maria latches onto that. She leans forward, elbows on her knees. Sympathetically, she asks, “Did you have a bad dream?”

He rubs his nose with the back of his hand. “…Yes.”

And he came to me? Pride wells in her chest. To have the trust of the Ark’s newest (and strangest) addition is not a feat to take lightly. 

(She probably should wonder how he got out of the room he was supposed to be being monitored in, but she’s a little distracted by her fascination with him.)

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

His answer is immediate and as gruff as the alien equivalent of a five year old can be: “No.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay.” She shrugs, scrunching her nose to push up her glasses. “You can sleep in here if you want though. When I have bad dreams, Zayde lets me sleep in his office while he works and then I don’t have any more bad dreams.” Smiling encouragingly, she rests against the bed frame with her hands in her lap. “I can even make you a little bed so you’ll be nice and comfy.”

After a moment of hesitation, Shadow nods. While he doesn’t look relaxed by any means, he at least seems to be gradually looking less uneasy.

Maria, on the under hand, is thrilled. It takes all her self-control to not jump into action, instead climbing carefully to her feet and directing Shadow to sit in the rocking chair while she gets everything ready. The entire time, she can feel his gaze on her, watching with rapt attention; it brings the same hair-raising feeling from earlier back. Unlike last time, though, it doesn’t fill her with dread - now it’s just the curious eye of a little kid.

A toy crib made of white plastic sits tucked into the corner of Maria’s room. Its current occupant is a small baby doll - she’d tucked him in before she herself had gone to bed that night. Gently she removes the doll and places it on her own bed. Then she pats the cushion inside the crib, wrapped in frilly pink sheets, and upon determining it much too thin, packs in the fluffiest pillow she has. On top of that goes one of her own blankets, baby blue and made of fleece and so big it drapes over the edges of the crib, and the finishing touch is the small pillow that came with the crib.

She drags the crib over to Shadow, still sitting patiently in the rocking chair. With a flourish she reveals his bed, flinging her arms out wide: “Ta-da!”

Shadow’s eyes widen the tiniest bit as he takes in the crib. He glances at Maria, unsure of what combination of words would explain how he’s feeling. 

“Well, c’mon,” she urges, taking a step away to ensure he doesn’t feel trapped. “It’s for you.”

That gets him to climb down from the chair. He approaches the crib cautiously, as if something’s going to jump out at him, and grips the edges to pull himself up on tiptoes so he can look inside. Another moment passes, then he looks up to Maria briefly before looking down again. 

Maria can practically see the gears turning in his head. She herself is pondering on what to say and when to say it when he finally hoists himself up over the rim, tumbling gracelessly into the crib. He sits up to drag a hand over the blanket, in awe of the softness and watching as the shade turns darker under his touch.

“This is the part where you say thank you.” Her tone is that of a parent reminding their child to be polite, but it still makes his ears lay flat like he’s done something wrong.

“Thank you,” he replies, a tad robotically. 

She smiles at him. “You’re welcome. Do you need anything else?” When Shadow shakes his head, she hops into her own bed and crawls up to collapse on her pillow. “Next time you need to wake me up, just call me, okay? Staring is rude.”

Only his eyes are visible over the walls of the crib as he blinks owlishly at her.

A involuntary giggle escapes her. “Shadow, I said that’s rude!”

He disappears out of view. Perhaps he’s upset at being reprimanded, or perhaps she’d simply embarrassed him. Regardless, he doesn’t resurface, but Maria still catches a glimpse of red and black spines as he struggles to find a comfortable position. Maria imagines him curled up like a little puppy in the middle of the pillow-mattress until a side of the fleece blanket is pulled into the crib - then she imagines he’s tucked into bed like her baby doll, and that elicits another giggle out of her. 

“I’m going to turn the lights out now, okay?”

“Okay.”

Maria sets her glasses neatly on the nightstand before pulling the lamp chain. The room plunges into blackness again, save for the faint red glow of her alarm clock and the hall lights through the cracks in the door. Despite it being nearly three am now, she doesn’t regret the time spent getting Shadow comfortable. She settles contently into bed with her blankets pulled all the way up.

“Goodnight, Shadow.”

A long stretch of time passes before Shadow replies, in a small voice, “Goodnight, Maria.”