#and then one of his hangers on tried to hit on me and I'm like! you can't get bitches on a set like that

[sonsband]

okay that last video... I went to a rap show where the second opener was a mess like he lost the crowd almost immediately and decided the best damage control was to prove it's harder than it looks so picked out two random white dudes who look like weed smells (80% of the audience tbh) to get on stage and rap. thrown in front of a sold out crowd with no warning and no ability, they sounded exactly like that guy.

[semperama]

AHHHHHH will you write me buddie for 56 "it brings out your eyes"????????? 😃😃😃

“It brings out your eyes.”

----

"Okay, which one?" Buck asks, holding up two different t-shirts, one sky blue and one salmon-y pink.

Eddie sighs and scrubs his hands over his face. He's been perched on the end of Buck's bed for what feels like an hour, watching him fuss with his hair and then rifle through his closet. "I don't know, Buck." He lets his gaze drift down Buck's body for what feels like the millionth time, trying to ignore the way it gets fractionally harder to breathe each time he does it. "The blue, I guess. It brings out your eyes."

Buck snorts. "I'm going to a club. No one'll be able to see what color my eyes are." He tilts his head to the side and grins. "Not that they'll be looking anyway."

"Oh my God." Eddie looks up at the ceiling and says a silent prayer for mercy. "This is why I told you I wouldn't be much help. What do I know about clubs?" Much less gay clubs.

"Come on, man." Buck tosses the salmon shirt down on the bed and starts peeling the blue one off the hanger. "I'm freaking out, okay? Are you sure you can't come with me?"

Can't? Maybe that was a lie. With Chris gone, he has no good excuse to stay home these days. But the last thing he needs is to watch Buck get hit on by random strangers--especially not if alcohol is going to be involved. He wouldn't even have come over to help Buck get ready if he hadn't begged him. It'll be the first time I've gone out since me and Tommy broke up, Eddie. I could really use a pep talk.

"I don't even understand why you have to go," Eddie says. He watches Buck pull on the shirt, tries not to linger too long on how it stretches around his biceps, over his chest. "Is this really a good way to meet guys? At your age?"

Buck gasps with exaggerated affront. "At my age?"

Eddie raises an eyebrow at him. "Last time we went out with Hen and Karen you puked in my front lawn and then complained about your hangover for two days."

"I did a bad job pacing myself that night," Buck says, his mouth twisted into what could almost be a pout. "Karen holds her alcohol better than I do. And anyway, they're older than us, so if they can go out--"

"They go out like twice a year. Together. As a couple. Not to meet people."

Buck's expression darkens. "Yeah, well. I'm not part of a couple, so." Okay. So Eddie fucked up with that one. He sighs, but before he can apologize, Buck spreads his arms out and swivels his torso a little. "Just...how do I look?"

He looks good enough to fucking eat, of course. The shirt hugs him in all the right places. His jeans make his ass look great. He must have found some new product for his hair, because his curls are perfect and soft-looking, begging to be touched. Eddie wants to drag him in by the belt loops and beg him to stay.

"You look great, Buck," he says quietly. Because Buck asked him for a pep talk, and so far he's failed the assignment. The least he can do is try to turn it around. The least he can do is be a good friend, not a selfish, jealous asshole. "Seriously, you're going to have guys falling at your feet."

The smile that creeps its way across Buck's face make it all worth it. He ducks his head, shrugs his shoulders up, and Eddie is stabbed by a longing so intense he's halfway to his feet before he realizes what he's doing and stops himself.

"I'll let you get going then," he says, shoving his hands in his pockets do he doesn't give in to the temptation to touch. "Let me know how it goes?"

"Yeah," Buck says. His gaze is searching Eddie's face. For what, Eddie doesn't know. "Yeah, of course."

Eddie makes it to the door, breath painful and ragged in his chest, before he hears Buck's feet pounding down the stairs behind him. He turns to look, to ask if there was something else, but he barely opens his mouth before Buck is there, one hand on Eddie's neck, the other wrapping around his waist, pulling him in so close it knocks the air out of his lungs.

Then, Buck is kissing him. Desperate press of lips, tongue licking into Eddie's shocked mouth. It's an electric shock, white heat spreading through him, painfully good.

But then as soon as it started, it's over, and Buck is staring at him, wide-eyed. Eddie wants to dive into that blue gaze and drown there.

"I'm sorry," Buck says. "I just--I had to try. I had to know, before I--"

"Buck." His fingers are curled in the back of Buck's shirt, and he curls them tighter, presses Buck closer. "Don't go," he says. "Stay here. With me."

"Okay," Buck says breathlessly. He looks like he has no idea what's happening, and Eddie knows the feeling, but they can talk later, figure it all out later.

"Good," Eddie says, and pushes his fingers into Buck's hair, pulls their mouths together again.

[so-idialed-9]

It's been over two weeks since Liam, and I'm...still not that OK. And I don't know if I will be. It hit me so much harder than I imagined. It still feels like we are in the wrong universe. This never should have happened. So this is just a rant about how I am feeling, in case you are feeling it too. Please, don't forget Liam. And don't let hangers-on steal his truth again.

I find relief and joy seeing videos and photos of Liam, or reading fanfiction about him. Thinking of him as joyful and silly and complex and loved and having challenges he can triumph over...we should never lose that. I never want him to be erased. I'm glad that wasn't stolen from us.

Seeing the fandom come back together, new people fall in love with Liam, and Directioners not let his entire life story be simplified or tragically recast or the bullshit narrative they tried to place on him, has been mixed.

On one hand, I'm deeply grateful Directioners were cultivated to analyze the shit out of PR-spun industry bullshit and know exactly how to undermine it LOUDLY. Without that, the sloppy, contradictory, false narrative about Liam would've been fully accepted. And now it never will be no matter how hard they try.

But I'm also sad because I would give anything for Liam to have had five minutes in a world that openly adored him as much as he deserved. See him bashful and glowing as people raved about his voice, dance moves, leadership, songwriting abilities...his warm eyes and cuddly affection and kindness to so. many. people.

I feel rage thinking about how Liam was FUCKING TELLING THE TRUTH about everything. He told the truth when he said the band was formed around him, that Simon promised him. He told the truth about leading the band - ten seconds of watching This Is Us shows that. He told the truth about Zayn's lack of parental support especially from his father, which must've impacted him severely. He told the truth about the industry and what he lived through. And people unfollowed and laughed at him, made him into a joke, but he was telling the truth the whole time.

And now, my biggest fear is that we could lose another member. I'm very worried about Zayn but almost afraid to not worry about the others as much. I know that all my worry isn't helping anyone and that feels worse, that there's nothing I can do.

And I fear that soon, people will stop paying attention and forget him all over again. Or let his story get swallowed up by people who never did anything but opportunistically live off of him.

[punkshort]

Chapter warnings: language, sexual situations, smut, blood and violence, angst, panic attacks

Chapter Nineteen

December 2004

The frigid winter snow whirled around you as you walked down the street, biting at your cheeks and nose as you made your way from Tommy's home to the greenhouse to start your shift. You shoved your gloved hands further into your coat pockets and tucked your chin into your chest, trying to prevent the icy snow from hitting your face. You knew the walk to the greenhouse like the back of your hand by now, relying on visual cues from the ground to keep you on track.

You were distracted with thoughts from earlier that morning, before Joel went off to work on construction of the wall around the new neighborhood. He started a few hours earlier than you, so he always tried his best to be as quiet as possible while he got ready, but you hadn't slept well last night, and you woke when you heard the shower turn off in the bathroom.

He had walked back into your room with only his jeans pulled on, unbuttoned and unzipped, with his hair slicked back. You could smell the soap on him from your spot on the bed as he rifled blindly through the closet to pick out a shirt. He twisted around when you reached up to flick the light on next to you.

"Shit, sorry, didn't mean to wake you," he said softly, turning back to the closet and giving you a view of his back muscles twitching under his beautiful, bronzed skin.

"Mmm, I'm not," you said as you leaned up in bed, your voice sultry and filled with sleep. He chuckled as he tugged a grey long sleeve thermal over his head. You swung your legs over the side of the mattress and padded over to him, wearing only an oversized t-shirt, your legs and feet bare. You wrapped your arms around his stomach from behind as he pulled a flannel from a hanger.

"Aren't you cold?" he murmured, trying to stay focused.

"A little," you admitted, running your hands lightly over his soft stomach, your fingers occasionally lifting the bottom of his shirt. He squeezed his eyes shut and brought one large hand up to cover both of yours.

"Maybe you should go back to bed. Warm up. You got a few hours before work," he said, cursing himself for his morality.

"Maybe you should join me," you suggested timidly, and his breath caught in his throat. The past few weeks he had noticed you were becoming flirtier and more suggestive, but neither of you had yet to physically take things further. Almost every night he would wrap you in his arms, your tongues probing desperately in each other's mouths, but that was all. In a moment of weakness once or twice he had skirted his hand underneath your shirt to graze your nipple, but the sounds you made and the way you arched up into his palm made him pull back, knowing he wouldn't be able to control himself if he continued.

“Sweetheart, I gotta get to work,” he told you gently, pulling your hands away from his stomach, but you let them fall to his hips instead, resting your head against his back. You could feel the vibrations of his voice against your cheek as he spoke. “It’d look bad for the boss to be late.”

You hummed as your hand shyly traveled down his hip to nudge at the hardness growing in his jeans. You could feel his body tense, waiting for your hand to shoot back to your side, but instead your fingers inched forward, tracing the outline of his cock through the denim. He let out a shaky breath when your hand fully covered his clothed length, his fist gripping the flannel still dangling at his side.

“Shit,” he whispered, tipping his head back and closing his eyes as your hand slowly ran up and down, lingering at the opening of his jeans. He could feel your hot breath through his shirt on his back, panting slightly in anticipation as you quickened the pace.

“Do you like that?” you whispered back, desperate to hear him. He swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.

“Yes. Fuck. Yes,” he muttered, taking his free hand from his side to brace against the wall. You smiled into his shirt, squeezing your thighs together, trying to find some friction for the ache that was building between your legs as your fingers reached the opening of his jeans and began to find their way to the flap of his boxers, but the hand holding his flannel jumped up to cover yours before you could find his skin.

“I-I don’t,” he stammered as he desperately tried to keep a clear head. “I mean, are you… fuck. You don’t have to –“

“Shh,” you said, and he sighed. “I want to. Please let me, Joel.” He thought about it for a minute before releasing your hand and letting his head fall forward to watch as your fingers reached through his boxers to pull out his cock, already leaking with precum. You wrapped your hand gently around him and slid your fist up, running your thumb over his slit to gather the wetness there and brought it back down. He dropped his flannel on the floor and braced both of his arms against the wall as he watched, slack jawed, while you pumped him up and down. You used slow, languid movements at first, enjoying the feel of his smooth skin in your palm, but you could tell from how tense his muscles were that he was desperate for release after so many months without your touch.

So, you flicked your wrist faster, deciding today was not the day to tease him. A groan bubbled up from his throat, his eyes glued to your hand as he began gasping for air.

“Shit, sweetheart, I ain’t gonna last long,” he croaked out, and you could already feel his stomach muscles tense against your arm. His hips thrusted weakly into your hand before an arm dropped and his hand gently grasped your wrist, guiding you up and down faster, showing you exactly what he liked, what he needed. He screwed his eyes shut as he felt his chest and neck grow flush.

"You gonna let go for me, baby?" you asked, mouth pressed against his back. He growled when he heard the term of endearment you reserved exclusively for moments like this.

"Yeah," he panted, "fuck, that feels so good."

It only took a few more strokes before he gasped, clenching his fist against the wall as he let out a strangled groan that vaguely resembled your name. You couldn't see, but you felt his hot spend painting your fist and dripping down your hand.

He stumbled forward, resting his forehead against the wall while you pulled your hand back and looked around, finding a washcloth Joel must have discarded when he entered the room. You offered it to him when you were done, and he weakly plucked it from your hand, turning around so his back was now leaning against the wall. He cleaned himself up and tossed it back on the pile of laundry, tucking his cock back into his jeans as he continued to catch his breath. He ran his fingers through his drying curls and looked you up and down, reaching out a hand for you to take before he pulled you against his heaving chest. You nuzzled into him before leaning back, intending to press a quick kiss against his lips, but instead his hands gripped the sides of your face, his heated gaze searching your eyes for something. You looked up at him longingly, then clutched his shirt in your hand and gave the material a tug, pulling him down to connect with his lips.

He began to walk you backwards towards the bed, your heart hammering in your chest as his tongue licked against your lips. You felt the back of your knees hit the mattress and he gave you a gentle shove. You flopped backwards on top of the cool sheets, then he hooked his hands under your knees. You gasped as he pulled you closer to the edge of the bed. He bent down, about to fall to his knees before you when there was a soft knock on the door. You both froze, staring at one another until you heard a second knock. You could see the pain on his face when he realized it was Tommy, probably wondering why he was late, and trying not to wake you up.

"Go," you whispered, and he shook his head angrily. You gave him a stern look and lifted a foot from the ground to press into his chest and push him backwards. He fell back on his heels but then stood up quickly, bringing his mouth to hover over yours.

"Later," he promised, his eyes raking over your body once more before whipping around to snatch his flannel from the floor. You tucked yourself back into bed before the door quickly opened and shut behind him, leaving you all alone until later.

It was no wonder you weren't paying attention when you walked straight into someone on your way to work. You stumbled backwards in shock when a pair of strong arms reached out to steady you. You flinched at the contact, still not fully comfortable with it, but it was something you were actively working on overcoming, so you refrained from wriggling out of his grasp. You looked up to find a man you had never seen in Jackson before. It wasn't uncommon with the way the town was growing lately. He had dark brown wavy hair, with some stubble covering his chiseled jaw and full lips. Your eyes finally came up to meet his, a piercing blue.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention," you told him, and this time you did pull away, taking a few steps back to introduce yourself.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jake," he said, shaking your hand.

"Sorry, I don't remember meeting you before, are you new?" you asked sheepishly.

"Yes, actually, Maria and Tommy just brought me in today. Tommy found me out there in the cold, offered me a place to stay. I was supposed to find him after I grabbed something to eat, but to be perfectly honest, I'm a little lost. Can you point me in the direction of the stables?"

"Of course, follow me," you said, turning away from the greenhouse to lead him in Tommy's direction. "This snow's coming down so fast it's hard to see your own hand in front of your face."

Jake chuckled and shoved his hands deeper into his jacket pockets.

"Tell me about it. Couldn't believe my eyes when he rode up and found me out in the woods in this, like my own personal savior," he joked, falling in step next to you.

"Yeah, most of us feel like that about this place," you pointed when you saw the barn come into view through the snow. "Stables are right there." Jake turned to you and gave you a wide smile.

"Thank you so much for the help. I'll see you around," he said, giving you a friendly wave as he stomped through the snow towards the barn.

You turned to backtrack towards the greenhouse, your eyes naturally gravitating towards the end of the street where the new houses stood, all empty until construction on the wall was finished. You squinted to try to catch a glimpse of Joel, but the snow was so thick, you couldn't see a thing.

You swung the door to the greenhouse open and you were instantly hit with a familiar humid heat. You stripped off your outerwear and hung everything up on a hook by the door, glancing around at the rows and rows of plants in various stages of growth.

"Carrie?" you called out to your coworker, "I'm here, sorry I'm late!"

A young girl roughly the same age as you popped her head out from the office with a smile. She tossed her long, straight blonde hair over her shoulder as she rolled her desk chair out of the room to see you.

"No worries, that snow is really coming down out there," she said as you walked towards her down an aisle of medicinal herbs.

"It wasn't even the snow's fault. I ran into a new guy who was lost, I told him I would show him to the stables."

"Which new guy? Carl?" she asked, and you shook your head.

"No, a guy I haven't seen around before. Jake? Tommy found him in the woods this morning, apparently," you shrugged as you picked up a pair of gardening gloves and slid them on.

"Is he cute?" Carrie asked you excitedly, and you rolled your eyes. Carrie was sweet and fun, and she never seemed to let anything bring her down. It was refreshing, although at times you wondered how someone could be so upbeat living in this world.

"Actually... yes, he kind of is," and she squealed. You pointed your finger at her and gave her your most serious face. "Do NOT tell Joel I said that," you warned. She giggled and nodded, begging you for more details. You went about your daily routine of pruning and deadheading the plants while you described what he looked like as she hung on your every word.

"Maybe I'll see him tonight at dinner and I can introduce myself," she replied, unraveling a hose to water some vegetables.

"Mmm, good idea. I'm sure Maria will walk him around to meet everyone after we eat," you said, wiping at the beads of sweat forming at your brow.

"Oh, before I forget. Do you mind working solo tomorrow? Doc asked me to stop by in the morning to observe a prenatal exam on Kate." Carrie was in training to become a nurse. It was probably considered one of the most important jobs in Jackson. Maria was always concerned about there being enough medical staff in town, and Carrie was a quick learner.

"Of course, not a problem," you told her. "How far along is Kate now?"

Carrie went on to tell you all about everything about Kate and what she learned so far from Bill, the town's doctor. You guiltily tuned her out halfway through her ramblings about cervical dilation and let your thoughts wander back to Joel.

The two of you have been dancing around the elephant in the room for the past two months. At first, you were grateful he didn't want to take things further, content with being close to him and enjoying how intimate it felt to just kiss, with no expectation to have sex. Then, one night he got carried away and his rough fingers found their way up your sleep shirt, palming your breast with his big hand. You thought you would reject his touch, but to your surprise it never came. Something clicked in your brain that night that made you think you were finally ready. Maria told you once to listen to your body, and you did. You arched off the bed to chase his touch, moaning into his mouth. He quickly realized what he did and pulled his hand back, leaving you wanting more. It only happened a couple more times after that, and each time it had you craving his touch with a burning need.

Joel seemed content to just keep things the way they were, always worrying about pressuring you. You had been laying it on thick for the past couple weeks, trying to show him you were ready, that you wanted more, but he kept turning you down. Until this morning.

"Yoohoo, are you listening to me?" Carrie asked, waving her hand in front of your face. You blinked at her, trying to downplay the flush on your cheeks.

"Sorry, what did you say?" you said, genuinely apologetic.

"I said, did you notice Tommy and Maria were sitting together alone after dinner the other day having drinks? I think he finally got up the courage to ask her on a date."

You and Carrie giggled about Jackson's worst kept secret. The whole town could see how Tommy had puppy dog eyes for Maria. You had confronted her last week about the lack of progress in her love life, pointing out that as promised, Joel and Tommy taken some of the work off her plate, giving her more time for a personal life. After a few shots at the bar, she finally agreed that she would take Tommy up on his offer for a date.

The two of you spent the rest of the day gossiping and preparing for the next harvest until 5 o'clock finally rolled around and you eagerly stepped back out into the blustery cold, giving Carrie a quick wave goodbye. The snow had died down, but the wind was whipping up fallen snow from the ground, making visibility difficult as you walked back to Tommy's house. The anticipation of later had been eating at you all day, counting down the seconds until you finished work and could pick up where you left off this morning. Your pulse thudded in your throat when you saw fresh boot prints leading up to the front door. You hoped Joel called it quits early due to the bad weather.

You stomped the loose snow from your boots outside as you pushed the door open, quickly shutting it tight behind you. The warmth from the fireplace already melted the snow from your face as you shed your coat, hat, gloves and scarf. You wiped the wetness from your cheeks with the back of your hand. You were sliding your boots off when you heard men laughing from the direction of the kitchen table. Frowning, you poked your head around the corner. Tommy was the first to notice you, calling out your name and waving you over. Joel was sitting next to him, and a third man was sitting with his back to you.

Your eyes immediately met Joel's as you walked over to the table, taking in his heated stare the moment he realized you were home, but Tommy didn't pick up on the tension. Instead, he extended an arm out to the visitor and introduced you to him. The man turned around in his seat to greet you and you finally tore your eyes away from Joel.

"Jake?" you said, surprised. He broke out into a wide grin and gave you a friendly wave.

"Nice to see you again," he said warmly. Joel's jaw ticked to the side, on edge about the familiarity.

"You two already met?" Tommy asked, and you nodded, ignoring Joel's stare.

"Yeah, we ran into each other this morning," you said, and Jake laughed heartily at your words. You frowned, wondering what was so funny, until he explained.

"Literally, ran into each other," Jake explained, and you realized you had unintentionally made a joke and gave a polite chuckle. "I was lost trying to find the stables, she was kind enough to show me the way."

Joel visibly stiffened next to Jake now, and you suddenly wanted this interaction to end as quickly as possible.

"Yeah, the snow was bad this morning, could hardly see a thing," you said, daring a glance in Joel's direction now. You could swear his nostrils were flaring. You couldn't tell if it was the fire or his intense glare that was making you sweat.

"Well then, this makes things easier," Tommy said, leaning forward on the table. "Jake's gonna be staying in the spare room upstairs, across from you and Joel. 'Til we get the new neighborhood up and runnin'."

You thought you saw a flicker of something on Jake's face when Tommy mentioned you and Joel sharing a room, but he hid it well. Instead, he smiled at you both.

"I'm a neat roommate, I swear. You won't hear a peep out of me," he said, holding his hands in the air.

You mumbled something about welcoming him to the house and excused yourself to head upstairs, your head spinning. You weren't sure why you never thought about Tommy needing to lend his spare bedroom, but it made sense at the rate the town was growing. Of course the houses were maxed out.

Based on Joel's body language during the whole conversation, you weren't surprised in the least when he swung the bedroom door open less than ten minutes after you left, making sure to shut it firmly behind him. All day long you had been waiting to be alone with him, but the look in his eye right now made you believe the evening wasn't going in the direction you hoped.

"Hey there, 'pretty girl'," he said, but there was no affection in his tone. In fact, it almost sounded bitter to your ears. Your eyes darted around, confused.

"Hey?" you replied, unsure of where he was going with this.

"'Pretty girl'," he repeated, taking a step closer. "He said he ran into a 'pretty girl' this mornin'. Guess now I know who." You could see his neck was red and he was clenching his jaw. Every part of you wanted to start a fight with him. You clearly did nothing wrong and you didn't deserve his attitude, but you had been aching for him all day and you didn't want to waste another second alone with him.

"Oh," you said quietly, your expression soft as you took a step towards him, holding his gaze. "You don't think I'm pretty?" you asked innocently, batting your eyelashes at him. His eyes shifted around the room, not expecting your reaction.

"'Course I do, that's not what I said," he told you, straightening up and steeling his gaze.

"No, what you said was you 'didn't know who the pretty girl was he ran into this morning'. Who else did you think he ran into, then?" You took another step, now invading his personal space, and lifted your hands to rest on his chest.

"Maria?" you teased, pressing a kiss along his jaw. You felt a muscle jump there but otherwise he remained unaffected.

"Carrie?" you suggested again, turning your head to place another kiss on the other side of his jaw, and this time you saw him gulp.

"Maybe Pam, from the kitchen?" You dipped your head to suck on the side of his neck, but you barely made contact before he was lifting you up and tossing you on the bed, quickly crawling on top of you and covering your mouth with his, immediately flicking his tongue against your lips to delve deeper.

You moaned as you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him as close as you could, running your tongue alongside his as you explored his mouth, which tasted faintly like mint.

You ran your fingers through his hair, scraping your nails against his scalp in the way he liked that made him groan. His hand reached down to grab your ass, making you squeal into his mouth. You had to break away to catch your breath, but he kept going, making a trail of kisses along your jaw, sucking harder than usual when he got to your neck, making you cry out softly a few times until he soothingly licked the spots he marked.

"Joel," you whined, lifting your hips up to meet his.

"Hmm?" he said, nibbling at your collarbone.

"It's later," you reminded him, and you felt his body tense. He lifted himself off you and used his forearms to support himself on either side of your head as he gazed into your eyes.

"I need you to tell me exactly what you want, do you understand?" You nodded vigorously. "You need to be honest with me. Tell me what you're ready for, and what you ain't ready for, alright?" And again, you nodded, the ache between your legs becoming unbearable.

"Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you," he whispered against your neck, and you felt like your heart was beating out of your chest.

"Your mouth," you murmured, and he smirked at the blush that spread across your cheeks.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, the words stoking a fire within you. He made his way slowly down your body: nipping at your breasts through your shirt, running his nose down your stomach, unbuttoning your jeans and biting gently at the skin he revealed as he tugged them down until he pulled them from your ankles and tossed them on the floor. He hovered his mouth over your clothed cunt, his hot breath invading the thin fabric, making you writhe in anticipation.

He hooked his thumbs around the sides of your panties and barely gave them one small tug when, for the second time that day, Tommy interrupted you.

"Hey, Joel! Let's get a move on, dinner's served soon. Gotta bring Jake to meet everyone!" he yelled from downstairs. You groaned and threw an arm across your eyes, cursing Tommy over and over.

"What the fuck," you muttered, frustrated. Joel sighed.

"Comin'!" He shouted back, and you groaned.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll make it up to you," he kissed the inside of your thigh and you whimpered, not sure how it would be possible to make it through another couple hours without his mouth on you.

The four of you and Maria sat around a table in the dining room listening to Jake tell the story of his experience during the outbreak. You thought you heard him mention he was from Seattle, but that was all you were able to absorb, your mind decidedly elsewhere.

You shifted in your chair, trying to distract yourself by glancing around the room. There were closer to 90 people who lived in Jackson now, and the dining hall was filled with their laughing and smiling faces. Carrie caught your eye from across the room. She pointed subtly towards Jake and mouthed the word 'hot', fanning herself while you stifled a giggle.

You felt Joel's thumb begin to rub a small circle on your back, his arm resting on the back of your chair. You had to keep yourself from leaning into him and burying your face in his neck, trying desperately to keep it together for just a little longer. As if he could sense your discomfort, he caught your eye when no one was paying attention and slowly ran his gaze up and down your body, making you shiver. He smirked, then casually lifted his glass to his lips, pretending to listen to Tommy while taking a slow sip. You watched his throat bob up and down and then he licked his lips, wiping away any remaining whiskey with his tongue.

Joel noticed your thighs squeezed together under the table as you tried to focus your attention back on the group, hoping the night would come to an early end. Maria was giggling at something Tommy said that you only half heard. Joel's effect on you had you feeling like you were drunk, but you hadn't touched a drop of alcohol all evening. Your gaze drifted around the table to find Jake looking at you, or more specifically, your neck. When he realized you caught him staring, he gave you a quick smile and turned his attention back on Maria. You subtly rubbed your neck, wondering what caught his attention when it hit you. Embarrassed, you pulled your hair over your shoulders to conceal the marks Joel left, but just as quickly as you did, Joel's fingers reached forward and flicked your hair back, exposing your neck again.

You turned to frown at him, but he was staring straight ahead, seemingly deeply engrossed with whatever Maria was saying until his eyes flicked to you and gave you a quick but firm shake of his head. He wanted everyone to see.

You couldn't take it anymore. You gave an exaggerated yawn before standing up from the table, drawing the attention of the group.

"I'm gonna head back, I didn't sleep well last night, and I'm wiped," you announced. Jake quickly stood up, pushing his chair back.

"I can walk you back, I've had quite the day myself," he said with a bright smile, but then just as quickly, Joel stood up, placing his hand on your lower back, and Jake's smile faltered.

"I got it. You should stay, mingle with some of the folks 'round here. They can give you the lay of the land." Joel said, unable to keep the frown from his face.

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, addressing you and only you. You nodded, not interested in whatever pissing match was developing between the two men.

"She's sure," Joel said lowly, almost like a growl, and you rolled your eyes at Maria, who muttered an "oh, brother," under her breath.

"Come on," you muttered, yanking Joel's arm away from the table and towards the door, leaving Jake to awkwardly sit back down, his eyes trailing after the two of you.

The cold night air took your breath away as you left the warmth of the Tipsy Bison, Joel's broad form following closely behind you.

"That was awkward," you murmured, burying your face in your scarf as you hurried down the street, eager to be alone with Joel and in the warmth of your bed.

"He's got a crush on you," he stated matter-of-factly, and you glanced at him out of the corner of your eye.

"Are you jealous?" you asked incredulously, and he scoffed. "Is that why you left these marks on my neck?"

He stopped in his tracks suddenly, and you nearly slid on some ice trying to come to a quick stop, turning to face him. The glow of the string lights hanging over the street illuminated his face, which you realized for the first time looked distressed and frustrated.

"Are you ok?" you asked him, your brows scrunching up in concern. He took a couple steps forward to close the gap between you and reached out a hand to pull your chin up to him, pressing his lips firmly against yours before pulling back, still holding your chin in his fingers.

"I'm fine. Just don't like anyone touchin' what's mine, is all," he said simply, dropping your chin from his grasp and continued to march down the street towards Tommy's house, leaving you breathless and hurrying to catch up. Part of you wanted to chastise him for claiming ownership over you, but you knew he didn't mean it in a bad way. Besides, you did the same thing to him in front of Amy, blatantly marking your territory by hanging all over him.

You caught up with him and looped your arm through his, pulling yourself closer as you walked.

"I'm not really tired, you know," you said, looking up at him. He tried to hide the smile that threatened to spill across his face.

"Yeah, I know," he smirked, and you felt your stomach flip.

You stumbled into your bedroom, Joel's arms wrapped around your waist from behind, his mouth finding a permeant home on your neck and shoulder. You twisted around as he kicked the door shut behind you, pulling him up by the collar, your mouths colliding messily. You whimpered at the heat behind his touch and kiss, which only served to spur him on. You fumbled with the button and zipper of your jeans, your hands not cooperating, shaking from anticipation. He swatted your hands away before breaking the kiss and sliding down to his knees before you. He peered up at you through his eyelashes, his gaze heated, and his pupils blown wide with need. His lips were parted and already swollen, and you imagined yours probably looked the same. His hands rested on the waistband of your jeans, and you wondered what was taking him so long until you realized he was looking to you for permission. Even in his wrecked state, he still had the presence of mind to check with you, which made you want him even more. You nodded, your eyelids heavy. You swallowed nervously as you watched him undo your jeans and slowly pull them down your legs, his eyes never leaving your clothed heat, which just so happened to be at perfect eye level.

He pulled both legs of your pants off and tossed them into a corner of the room once again, this time determined to not have any disruptions. Still on his knees, he ran his hands slowly and deliberately up the backs of your calves to your knees, and then finally resting on the backs of your thighs, right below your ass. You squirmed, one of your hands resting on his shoulder and the other finding a familiar grasp in his hair. He squeezed the backs of your thighs gently, bringing you forward ever so slightly so he could run his nose up and down the front of your underwear, drawing a low moan from your throat.

"Joel," you whined, tipping your head back and squeezing your eyes shut, desperate to feel him on you.

"Hmm?" he said, burying his nose against you and inhaling deeply, making you blush when you felt your wetness soaking through the fabric, no doubt making contact with his skin.

"Please," you whispered, and he instantly scooped you up, pinning you to his chest by your legs, making you gasp and scramble to steady yourself, your fingers digging into his shoulders. He took a few steps and deposited you unceremoniously onto the bed, your hair spread out around you like a halo. Your shirt had ridden up, exposing your stomach, and your legs were spread wide before him. His breath hitched in his throat when he saw the dark spot of arousal leaking through the fabric, his cock twitching in his jeans.

"Tell me," he reminded you, his voice strained.

"Your mouth, Joel," you rasped, not caring how pathetic you sounded this time.

He cursed and his fingers hooked the sides of your panties, tugging them off quickly and pressing his palms against the inside of your thighs to rest them flat against the bed, exposing every inch of yourself to him. You gulped, suddenly feeling shy under his intense gaze. You wiggled a little under his hold, your fingers finding clumps of the bedsheets to grip at your sides when you felt his hot exhale fan over cunt.

"Remember, you need to talk to me, alright?" he murmured, nipping gently at your inner thigh. "You gotta tell me what you want, or if you're uncomfortable."

You nodded and sighed, lifting your hips off the mattress greedily.

"I will, I promise," you whispered, then gasped when his mouth finally made contact. His beard was prickly against your skin as his tongue scooped inside you to collect the wetness waiting for him.

You arched your back off the mattress, your head thrown back in a silent scream. He hummed against you, pressing his lips flush against your folds and swirling his tongue into your opening, drawing out a satisfied moan from your throat.

He continued to lick and swirl his tongue into you lazily, like he had all the time in the world. The scratchy facial hair above his lip kept grazing against your clit as his tongue continued to probe into you, making your walls clench over and over. Your whole body felt hot as you struggled to catch your breath, your heart slamming against your rib cage.

His hands wrapped around the backs of your thighs and curled around so his palms could hold you open and still.

"Talk to me," he said, his voice muffled, his mouth was still pressed against your cunt.

"Good," you managed to choke out before taking a deeper breath, trying to clear your head so you could give him what he asked. "Really fucking good, Joel, fuck!" You gasped the last curse as his mouth finally traveled up to your swollen clit, flicking it with his tongue a few times before he sucked it into his mouth. Your vision was getting blurry, the sensation so intense it was causing tears to well up in your eyes. You blinked them away furiously so you could focus on Joel, wanting to commit the image of his head buried between your legs to memory, but one tear managed to escape down your cheek.

His gaze traveled up to your face at the exact moment you shed a tear, and he pulled back from you immediately. You let out a frustrated sob, your fingers gripping the sheets so hard you wondered if your nails would tear them. He brought himself up to hover over you on the bed, searching your eyes in a panic, but all you could focus on was his glistening mouth and the throbbing ache between your legs.

"What’d I do?" he asked, eyes widened in fear. You must have looked confused because he raised a hand to wipe away the tear from your cheek.

"Happy," you gasped out, "not sad, happy." And when he hesitated, you begged, "Please. I promise. You feel so good, please don't stop."

He seemed to believe you because he gave you a filthy smirk before finally descending back on your clit, picking up the same pace where he left off. You moaned softly as your hand drifted to the top of his head, tangling in his curls and bucking your hips up into his mouth. He groaned against you, the vibrations causing you to clench again around nothing. You could feel the pressure growing in your lower abdomen, but you were missing that full feeling inside that you needed to get you over the edge.

"Fingers," you managed to croak out, your head turned to the side, buried in the comforter. Joel slowed down upon hearing your request, feeling unsure. For the second time, he pulled back, eliciting a groan from you now.

"Are you sure?" he asked gently. He didn't want to throw cold water on the moment, but he was worried you weren't thinking it through. You turned your head and saw the concern behind his eyes, knowing full well he was thinking about what you went through the last time someone put their fingers inside you.

"Yes," you told him firmly. "I'm ready. I've given this a lot of thought, I swear."

He hesitated, searching your face for any sign of discomfort. When he found none, he brought his hand around to gently cup your inner thigh, stroking up and down your leg until you got used to his touch before he let his thumb swipe up through your folds, keeping his eyes glued to your face, making sure you didn't wince or shirk away before venturing further.

He placed his middle finger at your entrance and felt your walls clenching, trying to pull him in.

"Still ok?" he asked you with bated breath, and you nodded, spreading your legs further as he pushed his finger inside. He watched your back arch off the bed, your hands fisting the sheets next to you as you let out a whimper. He gave you a moment to adjust before slipping another finger inside and began to pump them in and out slowly, watching your reaction, his lips parted and his eyes blazing.

He could see the sheen of sweat covering your face in the moonlight, your eyes screwed shut as you parted your swollen lips, gasping with pleasure as the tension built back up inside you. He was so taken with watching you that you had to remind him again what you wanted.

"Joel," you whispered, "your mouth, please, I need - oh!" Your head tipped backwards again when his mouth enveloped your clit, alternating between sucking and swirling his tongue until he heard your breath stutter and felt your walls clench, warning him you were close. He flattened his tongue against your clit and rubbed it from side to side while he curled his fingers inside you to reach your sweet spot.

"Joel!" You cried out, not caring how loud you were or if anyone was home. "Oh, fuck, I'm gonna... Don't stop, don't stop, don't -"

You broke your chant with a gasp when the wave of your orgasm washed over you, your thighs clenching around his head. He kept licking gently at your clit and slowed his thrusts as he felt you come down from your high, trying to prolong it as long as possible.

When he felt your body collapse under him, weak and satiated, he finally removed his fingers, giving your thighs small kisses that he trailed over your hips and up to your ribs, taking special care to kiss the pink scars there before he settled onto the bed beside you, listening to you catch your breath.

A few minutes later you heard the water turn on in the bathroom in the hall.

"Shit," you murmured sleepily, rolling onto your side so you could wrap your leg and arm around him. "They're home."

"Good," he smirked, and you looked up at him in the dark curiously, his eyes closed. "I want that punk to hear whose name you're screamin'."

You leaned up on your elbow to look down at him.

"So you did make those marks on purpose," you said, and he shrugged.

"Told you. Don't like anyone touchin' what's mine." He opened his eyes and looked at you, his gaze dark and burning.

"Where's this coming from?" you asked softly, your fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt. He shrugged and stretched his arm out to wrap around your shoulders, pulling you back down to lay on his chest.

"Don't know. Somethin' about the way he looks at you just... bothers me, I guess."

"I think he's just being friendly," you told him, and he scoffed. "He knows we share a room. I think he can connect the dots."

"Well, if he didn't before, he sure will now," he chuckled, and you swatted at his shoulder.

"You're filthy," you teased him as you stretched your neck up to bite at his jaw, and he grinned. You ran your hand over his chest and tucked it underneath the collar of his shirt, your palm seeking out the warm skin on his shoulder, and you sighed.

"I missed you," you whispered. He understood what you meant. You missed this. This part of your relationship, the physical part that has been absent for so long.

"Me, too," he murmured, kissing the top of your head and rubbing your arm.

"I gotta go wash up, alright?" he said, and you nodded, rolling off him with a yawn and yanking the sheets over your half naked body.

He closed the bedroom door quietly behind him. The light in the hallway was still on overhead as he made his way to the bathroom. Jake swung the door open and turned off the light, looking up in surprise when he noticed Joel. He gave him a tight smile, extending his arm towards the bathroom.

"All yours," he said, moving to the side as Joel reached a hand into the bathroom to flick the light on. He grunted and made to close the door when Jake spoke again.

"Wish she could've stayed a little longer, we all had a good time," he said, motioning towards the closed bedroom door. Joel stiffened, picking up how he specifically wished you had stayed.

"I made sure she had a real good time here." Joel fixed him with a stern gaze and spread his arms across the door frame of the bathroom.

Jake stared back, his jaw twitching ever so slightly before he forced a smile across his face and gave Joel a nod, then turned to head back to his bedroom. Joel's eyes followed him until his door closed, then turned back into the bathroom to wash up.

"What are you smiling about?" Carrie asked you, nudging you with her hip as she passed by you with a flat of herbs. You flushed, unaware you had been smiling when you were zoning out watering the plants, thinking about the night before. More specifically, Joel's face buried between your legs. You could still feel the slight burn his beard left on your inner thighs, noticing earlier that morning they were slightly pink.

"Nothing!" you said hurriedly, but Carrie caught on when she noticed your blush, giving you a knowing look.

"Suuuure," she said, playfully rolling her eyes. "Can you forget about Joel for two seconds? I need your help." You laughed, but you could feel your blush deepen.

"What do you need help with?" you asked, brushing your hands against your pants.

"I need you to put in a good word for me with your cute roommate," she said, batting her eyes at you. "We talked for a few minutes last night, I think we got along pretty well. Can you find out if he likes me?"

"'Likes' you?" you giggled. "How old are we?" Carrie laughed and swatted at your shoulder.

"Hey, we aren't all as lucky as you," she wiggled her eyebrows at you as she continued. "Most people struggle to find love in the apocalypse."

"Yeah, sure, I'll talk to him next time I see him," you agreed. She thanked you, and then you felt a rush of cold air enter the room, warning you someone entered the greenhouse. Her eyes flicked over your shoulder and grinned.

"Speak of the devil. Hi, Joel!" she said, and you whipped around as he walked up the aisle of plants, waving to Carrie and giving you a warm smile.

"You ladies talkin' about me?" he asked, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you into him. He smelled like pine trees and fresh fallen snow.

"You're cold," you said after you felt his lips press against your forehead.

"You wanna warm me up, sweetheart?" he mumbled, and Carrie waved you both away.

"The both of you, leave, before you make me sick," she said, but she was grinning when you turned your attention back to her.

"I was gonna take her to lunch, that alright?" Joel asked, and Carrie nodded.

"Yes, go enjoy yourselves. I'll just be here when you get back, all alone," she said dramatically.

"I'll bring you something!" you yelled over your shoulder, but Joel had already wrapped you in your coat and pushed you out the door.

"This winter's been bad. We're way behind schedule on the wall around those houses. Thought we'd be almost done by now," Joel lamented as he finished up his lunch. You smiled at Seth when he dropped off the wrapped sandwich you had requested for Carrie and picked up your empty plate.

"It's ok," you assured him, rubbing his arm from across the table. "So we all have to bunk together for a little while longer. We'll make it work."

"I was just hopin' to get you a home by now, like I promised," he said, leaning back in his chair but kept his arm outstretched, enjoying the contact.

"It's just a few extra months, I'll be patient," you said, giving him a wink. He grinned, then leaned forward to say something that would make you blush when his eyes landed on Jake entering the dining hall behind you. You watched Joel visibly stiffen and the smile drain from his face. Frowning, you looked behind you, spotting the source of his mood shift pick a seat up against the bar, and you turned back to Joel.

"You're still jealous?" you teased, but this time he didn't smile.

"Not jealous," he shook his head, tearing his eyes away from Jake and back onto you. "Just protectin' what's -"

"-mine. Yeah, I remember," you finished for him, rolling your eyes. "You know, I am capable of protecting myself, too."

Joel shifted in his seat and drew his hand back from yours to pull at a loose thread on the cuff of his shirt, trying to block out the memory of the last man you protected yourself against.

"Yeah, I know. Just shouldn't have to," he mumbled. You could see Joel's mood was getting worse, then a thought occurred to you that might cheer him up.

"Well, I don't think you need to worry about Jake, do you know why?" you pushed, and he gave you a barely perceptible shrug.

"Carrie's got a big ol’ crush on him, she wants me to try to play matchmaker or something." He just continued to stare at you, not sure why you were telling him this.

"She's pretty. I'm sure he would be into her, too. If he really does have a thing for me, it will be a thing of the past very soon," you explained, then reached your hand across the table to him. "You don't have to worry, you know that, right?"

"All I do is worry," he said, shaking his head and weakly meeting your hand with his.

"I'm not gonna cheat on you, Joel," you said quietly, and his eyes shot up from the table.

"I know that sweetheart, it's not that. I'm sorry. I'm just... too much in my head or somethin'. I'll drop it." He rubbed his thumb over the top of your hand and gave you a small smile. You could tell he was being sincere, although you still couldn't figure out what was bothering him so much about Jake.

Out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw Jake turn around on his stool to look around the room, and an idea popped in your head. Before you could stop yourself, you stood up from your chair, Joel giving you a confused look as you rounded the table. He leaned back in his seat as you approached, looking up at you when you stopped in front of him. You sat down sideways in his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck, crashing your mouth over his hungrily, your tongue flicking against his teeth. He opened his mouth so his tongue could slide against yours, and just as quickly as it happened, you pulled back, leaving him chasing your mouth for more.

"What was that for?" he asked you, his brown eyes a shade darker and a smirk twitching at his lips. You rolled your eyes in the direction of Jake without turning your head, pretending to fix his collar. Joel's gaze slid across the bar to find Jake had, in fact, seen your little show.

"C'mon, walk me back to work," you said, standing up to put on your jacket.

"Gimme a minute," said Joel, shifting in his seat and pinching the bridge of his nose.

A couple days later, the snow had finally stopped falling. Joel warned you that morning he was going to work as late as he could to make up some of the time lost on the project due to the weather, so you made plans with Maria to have dinner together. You were dying for an update on her relationship with Tommy, so the timing was perfect.

You stomped the snow off your boots on Tommy's front porch before pushing the door open, the warmth of the fireplace instantly heating your chilled face.

"Tommy?" You called out as you shed your outerwear.

"Just me!" Jake called back from the kitchen, and you cringed. You knew Joel wouldn't like the idea of the two of you being alone, even though he told you he was going to let it go, you still didn't want to give him a reason to worry. You glanced at the clock. You were meeting Maria in 20 minutes, at least you had an excuse to leave.

"Hey," you said, poking your head into the kitchen. He was wearing a dark pair of jeans and a thermal forest green shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He brushed the hair out of his eyes when he looked up from the stove to smile at you.

"Hey, I'm making pasta, want any?" he asked, turning back to the stove.

"No thanks, I'm meeting Maria soon. But actually, do you have a minute? I've been meaning to ask you something." You forgot about your promise to Carrie, and now seemed perfect since you had some time to kill.

"Sure," he said, tossing a towel over his shoulder and leaning back, his palms gripping the edge of the counter behind him. "Just Maria? No Joel?"

"Girl’s night," you told him, pulling a stool up to the counter across from him. "This might sound super high school, but do you like anyone around town?" you asked, wincing at how dumb it sounded. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he cleared his throat, turning the burner off on the stove so he could give you his full attention.

"You don't have to answer that, it's just-"

"No," he said, leaning forward on the counter, his blue eyes drilling into yours. "It's fine. Yes, maybe I do like somebody. Why?"

"Well, someone I know has a crush on you, and she wanted me to feel you out, I guess? See if you'd be interested," you chuckled and you could feel your cheeks heating up. "This is so awkward, I'm sorry, I should've just told her to come talk to you herself."

Jake gave you a polite laugh, noticing your blush.

"It doesn't have to be awkward," he said with a grin, his hand inching towards you on the counter. "I didn't think she would be interested in me, I thought she was seeing someone," he said, regarding you carefully.

"Nope, she's single. So, you are interested?" you said excitedly. He nodded, his gaze dropping down to your mouth quickly before looking back up.

"Very," he murmured, and you clapped your hands together.

"That's great!" You glanced at the clock, realizing Maria would be there any minute. "Alright, well, I'll tell her at dinner-"

You were cut off when Jake's lips pressed firmly against your mouth, his hand coming up to grasp the back of your neck. You were frozen in shock, your mind scrambling at the unexpected contact, but when you felt his tongue trying to slip past your lips, you pushed backwards, nearly falling off your stool.

"What the fuck?" you yelled, wiping your mouth over the back of your hand. You stood up from the stool and walked backwards towards the front door, scowling at him. He looked genuinely confused, taking a step back to give you even more space.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about yourself," he explained, raising his hands up in front of him.

"No! I was clearly referring to someone I know, why would you think that?"

"I don't know! I thought you were being cute about it, like you couldn't come out and say it was you, but I was obviously wrong, I'm so sorry," he apologized, his eyes pleading. "Maybe I was just hoping it was you," he said a little sadly, and you felt your shoulders droop.

"My friend, Carrie," you said weakly. "I work with her at the greenhouse. She met you the other night, long blonde hair." If it wasn't awkward before, it sure was now. He nodded.

"Yeah, I think I remember her," he said quietly, then looked down at the floor, embarrassed. You shifted your weight, desperately wanting this conversation to end.

"I'm supposed to meet Maria," you said, reaching for your coat. "I'll just... I'll tell Carrie to find you, or something," you mumbled, tugging on your gloves and heading out the door, figuring you would find Maria on the way.

"Joel's going to be so pissed," Maria said, her eyes wide. "You can't tell him."

"I have to!" you groaned and took another sip from your glass, the alcohol burning your throat. "If it was the other way around, I would want to know." You buried your face in your hands, your anxiety through the roof.

Maria sat back in her chair, sighing. She knew you were right.

"There's no good way to go about telling him,” she said, and you groaned again. "Just maybe make sure Jake is far away from you when you do."

The doors of the Tipsy Bison swung open, and you could hear Tommy and Joel's voices heading in your direction. You squeezed your eyes shut and downed the rest of your drink.

Joel snaked his arm around your waist, standing behind your stool at the bar, giving your shoulder a kiss.

"Hey," you said, giving him a weak smile. "Did you get a lot done?" He took the stool next to you and ordered a whiskey from Seth. Tommy and Maria were engrossed in a quiet conversation, and you were pretty sure you knew the topic.

"Still a lot to do, but we did as much as we could today. You feelin' alright?" he asked, noticing your demeanor. "You look a little pale."

"Mhmm, I feel fine," you said, avoiding his eyes and choosing to look around the bar instead. It was busy tonight. You could see Carrie with a group of friends across the room. You had no idea what you were going to tell her.

The doors opened again and this time, Jake walked in, his eyes scanning the room until he found you. He took a step forward, then stopped when he saw Joel, who was taking a sip from his glass, oblivious to his presence. Your pulse quickened in panic when you saw the determination in Jake's eyes. He raked his hand through his hair and forced himself to walk in your direction.

"Let's go home," you said hurriedly to Joel, sliding off your stool and tugging his arm. He gave you a surprised look, but slowly stood from his stool to join you.

"Why?" he asked, pulling his coat back on. Maria saw you both get up. You must have given her a look because she turned and saw Jake making his way over, and her eyes widened.

"Uh, you were right. I don't feel good, I want to go home. Let's go," you repeated, grabbing his hand and heading in the opposite direction.

"Well, hold on, lemme say bye to Tommy," he said, turning around, but you grabbed his chin and yanked it back to face you just as Jake had made his way through the crowd. Maria slid off her stool to stop him, distracting him while you made a break for it.

"Take me home, baby," you murmured, and you could see the heat behind his eyes when he heard your nickname for him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said lowly, and you pulled him into the throng of people, quickly making your way to the door.

Joel's hands were on you the minute you opened the door to Tommy's, walking you backwards into the kitchen and pushing you against the wall. His mouth latched onto your neck, and you moaned, tipping your head back, arching away from the wall and further into his body. You raked your hands up and down his back as he lifted you up to wrap your legs around his waist, pinning you between him and the wall when his mouth made its way to the other side of your neck. You gasped when you felt him bite at your collarbone. He pulled back to plant a quick kiss over the bite.

"Sorry," he murmured, squeezing your thighs. "I'm not tryin' to leave marks on purpose this time," he assured you. You froze, guilt washing over you for letting yourself get distracted. He felt your body tense, so he pulled back further to look you in the eye. He must have seen something he didn't like because he frowned and let you slide back down to the floor.

You chewed your lip, trying to think of the best way to tell him. He could see you struggling, and the fear started to bubble in his chest.

"I need to tell you something," you began, "but you need to promise not to freak out." He shook his head and stumbled back to sit on a stool pushed up against the kitchen counter. You could see his chest begin to heave and you stepped forward, placing a hand against his heart.

"Breathe," you whispered, and he slid his eyes shut, taking in a deep breath through his nose and out through his mouth.

"Just tell me,” he said quietly, his eyes still closed. You could feel his heart fluttering under your fingertips.

"There was a small misunderstanding, but it's all resolved now," you tried again, and Joel nodded, his clenched jaw giving away his feelings.

"Jake kissed me," you said, quickly adding "but it really was a misunderstanding. I was trying to tell him Carrie had a crush on him, and I don't know how, but I guess the way I phrased it made it sound like I was talking about myself. But I handled it."

He hung his head, chin tucked into his chest. His shoulders rose up and down as he took slow, deep breaths, absorbing your words. You slowly dropped your hand from his heart, letting it dangle at your side.

"Say something," you whispered, your heart like a hummingbird in your chest, your ribs the cage.

"I'm gonna kill him," he said darkly. He brought his head back up to look at you now. His jaw was clenched, nose flared, and his eyes burned with rage. The tone in his voice sent a shiver down your spine.

"Joel," you warned, "I told you. I took care of it. He apologized, it's not a problem."

His eyes flashed with anger as he stood up, his fists clenched at his sides.

"And I fuckin' told you!" he roared, making you jump back. "He's had his eye on you since he got here! He knows you're mine and he still put his fuckin' hands on you!"

He pushed past you towards the door, shoving his boots back on and grabbing his coat in his fist. He swung the door open and stormed out as you scrambled to put your boots and coat on.

"Joel!" you yelled after him on the street, trying to catch up. He didn't reply, just shoved his arms through his coat and continued heading toward the Tipsy Bison. You jogged, careful not to slip on any ice, and reached him just as he was within view of the bar. You grabbed his arm and dug your heels into the snow.  He swiveled around so fast, you almost fell backwards. You swallowed hard when you saw his expression, his anger coming off him in waves.

"Please don't do this," you begged, gripping the sleeve of his coat so hard, your fingertips burned.

"I'm just gonna make sure it really is handled," he said lowly.

"How?" you whispered, unable to keep your voice steady.

"By breakin' his fuckin' jaw," he seethed, and he yanked his arm out of your grasp. He stormed up the steps and swung open the door to the bar, disappearing inside.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," you murmured to yourself, scrambling up the steps to the bar. You swung your head around, trying to find Joel, and then you spotted him. He was pushing his way through the crowd of people standing in groups around the bar, laughing and drinking, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

"Joel, stop!" you yelled, trying to follow him but getting swallowed up by the crowd. You kept shouting for him, but nobody heard you over the sound of the music and people talking.

"Jake!" You and the rest of the bar heard Joel roar, and the whole place fell silent, except for the music still playing. You struggled to push through everyone, now standing still and staring in the direction of Joel's voice.

You couldn't hear Jake's response, but you heard Joel.

"Outside. Now."

You broke through the crowd just in time to watch Joel grab Jake by the collar and drag him towards the front door. You and Maria exchanged panicked looks, then she pulled on Tommy's elbow, the three of you following in Joel's wake.

Outside, Joel had thrown Jake off the top step of the porch, sending him stumbling into the snow, but he managed to keep himself upright, swinging around with a scowl.

"Are you kidding me, man?" Jake said as Joel leisurely walked down the steps towards him. You vaguely realized a small crowd of people had joined you three outside, but you didn't bother to look.

"Joel," you tried again, your voice a little stronger now, but he held up a hand to silence you, eyes still fixed on Jake, stalking him like a predator. Jake looked past Joel's shoulder and met your eye.

"This who you want to be with?" He yelled to you, and your jaw fell open. "Look at him, he's crazy!"

"Don't talk to her," Joel snarled, and Jake let out a short laugh.

"Look, I get it," Jake said, backing up a couple steps. "It was an honest mistake. And I apologized right away."

Joel stopped, the muscles in his jaw twitching. You breathed a sigh of relief when Joel slowly turned his back on Jake and began heading towards you.

"Just thought you were looking for someone that could give you what you really need," Jake said to you.

Joel stopped in his tracks. You could see the switch flip, the same way you saw it in that closet in Kansas City.

"Shit," you whispered.

Joel spun around, punching Jake square in the nose with a distinct crunch. He stumbled back, clutching his nose, which was bleeding from both nostrils. He still managed to swing on Joel, hitting him in the eye. Joel lunged again, but Jake ducked and landed another punch, across the mouth this time, causing blood to drip from Joel's lip.

You covered your mouth with both hands, tears welling up in your eyes as you watched the brawl in horror, helpless to stop it.

Jake dodged another punch from Joel and tackled him around the middle, pinning him to the ground. He was only able to land one more punch before Joel rolled him over, now pinning Jake into the snow. Once Joel had the upper hand, it was over. His fists were merciless as he slammed into Jake's face over and over. It was silent except for Joel's grunts when he made contact, and the wet, mushy thud of his knuckles tearing into Jake's flesh. You realized Jake hadn't lifted an arm to defend himself after about the third punch, but Joel was still going, his eyes wild and uncaring.

"Joel!" You screamed, trying to snap him out of it. He either couldn't hear you, or he ignored you. You turned to the side, to the crowd of people watching the bloody scene before them, dumbstruck.

"Tommy!" You sobbed, his eyes glued to Joel, his jaw slack. Tommy blinked and looked at you, then realized what you were asking and rushed over to pull Joel away.

Maria seemed to snap out of it when she heard you yell, directing two men to help Jake up and take him to the infirmary. Tommy had Joel standing several feet away, his hand firmly on Joel's heaving chest as he quietly tried to talk sense into him. His knuckles were shredded, his eye swollen, already turning black and blue, and his face was splashed with blood. Some his, some Jake's.

Tears streamed down your cheeks, trickling hot paths across your cold skin. Maria pulled you into a hug and you sobbed on her shoulder.

"Why don't I take you home?" she murmured against your hair. You shook your head.

"I can't," you whispered, a fresh wave of tears washing over you. Maria shushed you and waved the crowd away, trying to protect you from prying eyes.

"You can stay with me," she offered. "I have an extra bed, it's small, but it'll do." You sniffled and pulled away, nodding.

"Thank you," you told her. You could already feel your eyes were puffy from crying.

She led you down the steps, past the snow painted in bright red blood. Joel seemed to finally come back down to earth when you passed him. He called out your name, but you ignored him, the same way he ignored you.

You heard Tommy say something to Joel about giving you some time, to go have a drink and get patched up. You could tell Joel was resisting but Tommy must have convinced him because he never followed.

Maria helped you pack some of your clothes while you grabbed anything you might need from the bathroom as quickly as possible. You were walking down the hallway when you heard the door shut and both Tommy and Joel's voices talking softly downstairs. You scurried into the bedroom and shut the door behind you.

"I think I have enough of your clothes, are you all set?" she asked as you shoved your toiletries into your backpack.

"Yeah, it'll be fine, I can come back if I need to," you told her, zipping the bag shut. You heard someone coming up the stairs and your heart began to hammer in your chest.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay and talk this out with him? You're always welcome at my place, don't get me wrong," she said hurriedly before Joel got to the door. You shook your head.

"I can't. Not tonight. I just... can't," you repeated, keeping your head down to hide the tears that were forming. You heard a soft knock on the door and looked up at Maria.

"I'll be downstairs, take your time," she said, and you nodded, your back to the door as you reopened your bag and shuffled some things around to try to look busy. She opened the door, unable to hide her shock from seeing Joel's face up close. She squeezed by him and muttered something about finding Tommy, then you heard the door shut softly.

"Where are you goin'?" Joel asked you, and you swore he sounded nervous. Good.

"Maria's," you said, your voice clipped. You heard him take a step towards you, then stop.

"Please stay," he begged softly, and you damn near gave in. You shut your eyes and took a deep breath, standing up to finally look at him, and you gasped. His eye was a deeper blue color now and more swollen than before. You wondered if he could even see. His face had been cleaned up from the blood, but his lip was still split, as well as a cut on his cheek you didn't notice before.

He visibly winced at your reaction, and again, you had to fight the urge to go to him.

"I don't think so, Joel," you whispered, then cleared your throat, trying to sound stronger. "I need some space."

His face crumpled at your words, and he hung his head in shame.

"I can explain," he said, looking back up to you, but you held your hand up to stop him.

"Do you even realize what you've done?" you asked him, your brows furrowed. "They could throw you out of here. They could throw me out of here."

"That'll never happen," he said firmly, but you shook your head.

"You don't know that, Joel. It's a goddamn vote. If people think we aren't good for this place, we're fucking gone," you snapped. Your anger was bubbling up now.

For the second time, Joel looked nervous. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and shifted his weight.

You sighed and picked up your bag, heading for the door.

"Wait, just... wait a minute, can we talk about this?" he asked, putting a hand on your arm. You looked down at his knuckles, all torn apart and still weeping a small trail of blood.

"I don't have anything more to say," you said. "I just need some time."

Reluctantly, Joel dropped his hand from your arm. You swung the door open, closing it behind you without giving another glance in his direction, and headed downstairs to Maria.

Chapter Twenty

Tag List: @chiogarza, @sparklejumpropequeen-777, @shotgun-shelby @partyofone3413 @nana90azevedo

[average-kitty]

Complete Bliss 💕

p2!

Warnings: Lanuage

Summary: A rough day at work turns for the best

word count: 2k

Some people may call you crazy, which is completely understandable but how could you not be a little crazy for being in love with this girl? She seemed perfect, sweet, quiet, put together, knew how to take a stand for herself… The kind of girl who would put you in your place if necessary, your kind of girl. You always wanted to try and talk to her after class or even in class but- you just couldn’t, that little interaction all those weeks ago was all you could manage for a little while- which was pretty sad for anyone who was watching from the sidelines, but you didn’t care- maybe watching from afar was better than actually trying to do anything and accidentally ruining it.

But of course, some people wouldn’t let that slide- “You're STILL not talking to her?! Not even saying hi and bye in classes or the hallways?!-“ Your friend screamed through the phone speakers, making you jerk the phone away from your ear- You two had been friends for a while even though neither of you had even met in person, you two were like best friends. “It’s not even that serious-“ “IT IS!-“ she squealed, making you lower your phone again, rolling your eyes with a soft scoff before placing the phone near your ear again “Your insane.” “You're insane for letting opportunities like that slip everyday!” She hissed through the phone as you chuckled softly “Piper it’ll happen when it needs to…” “Well it needs to happen sooner Y/N, i'm getting hella inpatient. If you don’t make a move yourself I’m gonna fly my ass over and MAKE something happen!-""OKAY BYE PIPER I HAVE WORK-“ You hung up the phone and sighed,rolling your eyes before groaning. You knew Piper was right about you needing to make a move but you just weren’t sure if it was the right time.

You sat up on your bed, rubbing your head before setting your phone down on your mattress and getting up and walking to your closet grabbing a random shirt off its hanger and slipping out of your school clothes and into the older shirt for work. You walked over to your dresser and grabbed a pair of shorts before grabbing your phone off your bed and checked the time- you were late. “SHIT-“ you quickly shoved your phone into your pocket and stumbled over your feet, hitting the floor with a light thud- groaning out of pain and frustration before grabbing your shoes and pulling them on. Sure you were terrible at keeping track of time, courtesy of Piper- but you knew how to hurry when necessary. You rush out of the door and find yourself running half a mile and bursting through the back door of your work- panting heavily as you let your head hang, before looking up and meeting the eyes of one of your favorite coworkers- Sam.

“Geez what’s got you practically dying?-“ Sam questioned with a small chuckle as you groaned.

“I was running late- I had to run over here again…” You mumbled as Sam gave you a small sad smile.

“If you keep showing up late you know Rachel is gonna fire you right?-“ Sam questioned as she set down the box she was carrying and walked over to you and tried to help you fix the mess of yourself you had made in your hurry to get over there.

“Yeah, but Piper kept me longer than I was expecting-“ You responded as you face scrunched at Sam licking her finger and wiping away some of your leftover mascara that had smeared, earning a chuckle from her.

“She seems to do that a lot.” Sam replied calmly, as you gave a light nod, putting your hair up in a lazy bun and sighing softly.

“She’s my best friend Sam, we live too far apart for me to just not talk to her one day-“ 

“Your being too sweet.” Sam replied as you roll your eyes.

“We’re practically married okay? I have to give her some sort of attention.” You retorted with a small whine, as you clipped on your name tag and put on the stupid apron you were required to wear.

“Yeah yeah, since you were late you can go reorganize the shoes for me.” Sam said as she picked up the boxes she had put down earlier.

You almost wished you didn’t run all the way from your apartment to work- you hated reorganizing the shoes… but you gave Sam a nod and walked out of the employee break room and over to the shoe aisle- your eyes widening in the amount of dread and horror you were feeling. The aisles were in complete disarray, shoes on the floor, shoes mismatched, just about everything that would need to be fixed, needed to be fixed. You groan and swear under your breath before you begin to pick up all the shoes not on the shelves and in their boxes. It was gonna be a long afternoon…

What felt like 3 hours of picking up after all those inconsiderate people you were finally done, sweating a bit but satisfied with yourself. Sam walked past and saw the large smile on your face and snorted softly, walking over to you and placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Surprised you actually did it, looks a lot better.” You gave a nod and continued to smile and your work before turning around to look at Sam.

“I’m gonna go work at the register.” Sam gave a nod as you walked off to the register, flipping up the slab of wood that closed off the register to customers and took a seat at an open register, sighing softly. Most of the customers were manageable for the rest of the day, you were getting ready to leave for the day but one woman walked up to your register to set down her basket, you turned to look at her before biting at the insides of your cheeks but you began to scan her items. Down to the last few things you stumbled onto an unmarked bag, raising a brow as you grabbed it, looking on every side and even on the inside of the bag for a price tag but you couldn’t find it. You looked over to the computer at your side and looked up the bag’s brand- it wasn't there, which either meant it was new in stock hadn't been put out or she had put her bag in by accident. But it couldn’t be a accident- 

“Ma’am I can’t check this out for you…” You turned to look at her, as her brows narrowed.

“Yes you can!” She hissed, her voice was extremely bitter and made you flinch back a bit.

“There’s no price tag, and I can’t find it in our stock…” you mumbled, making the woman even anger, raising her voice even more.

“Then just give it to me!” “That’s against our policy, you went into the back and grabbed this bag. I'm going to have to ask you to leave…” You whimpered.

The woman seemed even more furious as she slammed her fist on the counter “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!-“ She growled, you were going to respond but she kept going. This continued for the next few minutes before Rachel,your manager stepped in. Luckily she was able to get the woman to leave but you weren’t able to leave early which was incredibly unfair. But you had to suck it up, you were muttering to yourself and cussing out Rachel for making you stay as you set the bag under the counter then- 

“Hello?-“ that sweet and familiar voice rang out, you immediately shot up- slamming your head on the bottom of the counter that sat the register on top, making you groan in pain as you lifted up completely- rubbing your head. Meeting Tara’s eyes, ones filled with worry for your voiced pain. 

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?!-“ She yelped as you tried to laugh off the pain, wincing at the new bruise forming on your head.

“Yeah I'm okay… uh- if you could just hand me your basket I’ll get that checked out for you..!” You nervously squeaked up, Tara nodding and handing you her basket. You took out the various pairs of sweats,hoodies, crop tops, and a bunch of other clothes and scanned all of them, your eyes trying to peer up to look up Tara but your mind refused to allow it. You finished scanning her items and bagged them up before leaning over to the register and reading the number out loud for her-

“135.45$, Uh cash or credit?” You looked up from the register and offered her a smile, which she returned to your surprise and spoke up with a soft giggle. 

“Credit, my sister works here so I should get a 15% discount.” Your eyes widened a bit as you turned the card reader to her for her to stick her card in.

“Oh really? W-well who’s your sister?” You questioned as curiosity ran through your voice, as you watched her hand move over to Sam- your eyes widening.

“Sam, you know her right?” You glanced back to Tara as she was smiling at you, making you give a nod.

“Y-yeah!- she’s a good friend of mine actually!” Tara hummed in response as you grabbed her recipient for her, looking for some way to try and keep the conversation going.

“Say, you're in Film Study right? We should compare notes sometime, i-i struggle with the class a little bit.” You're lying, you love that class more than anything when it comes to taking note of the small details, but it was an excuse nonetheless. Tara glanced up to you as she grabbed her bags of clothes, shrugging lightly.

“Maybe, I mean it’d be good for both of us.” You tried so hard to hide your smile as you give a nod.

“Yeah! Maybe tomorrow in class or some other time? I get off of work at 6-“

Suddenly she cut you off- “I said maybe.” 

You felt like you had overstepped a boundary you didn’t even know existed yet, you kept your smile to try and seem un-bothered but the hurt was clear in your voice.

“O-oh yeah- sorry, Makes sense.” You chuckled as you handed her recipient to her,Tara taking it in her own hand as your fingers grazed her, sending butterflies through your body. You swallow nervously as you get ready to leave for the day, another coworker walking up to take your register before Tara called out to you.

“Hey, maybe isn’t a no. I’ll think about it.” You turned your head slightly as she walked out, a wide smile spreading across your face as you tried to keep yourself from squealing, practically skipping back to the break room. You took off your apron and name tag, stuffing them both in your locker as Sam walked in, making you freeze in your tracks. 

“What’s got you all excited?” She scoffed, looking you up and down, as you turned around.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!- anyways I’ve gotta go! See you tomorrow Sammy!” You bolted out the back door, before quickly coming back and grabbing your phone.

“Sorry I forgot this-“ before Sam could even get a word in, you slammed the door again- she didn’t get what sparked your sudden change in attitude but she was sure it was for some good reason. You walked down the street to your apartment,smiling the whole way as you blew up Piper’s phone- sending a text every other second as you tried to get home as quickly as possible. You rush to the elevator of your apartment building and rush in, quickly stepping in as you continue to blow up Piper’s phone, praying to god she hadn’t fallen asleep. As you stepped in your apartment room Piper finally responded, giving you the go ahead to call her- she sounded groggy and pissed off.

“Why did you send me 186 texts….. this better be good-“ she muttered.

“It is! Remember how we were talking about Tara earlier today? Well something happened-“ you were about to drop the bomb that you had gotten a date of sorts with Tara but Piper’s idea of what happened was completely different from what you expected…

“DID YOU TWO FUCK?!-“ She practically screamed as your face flushed a deep red.

“PIPER!-“ You hissed, covering your face with your hands. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!-“

“Wait was I wrong?” She squeaked.

“WELL DUH-“

did you guys like this one?-

[richeeduvie]

I love to stir the pot… imagine if when Logan and baby came out about her being pregnant, Kendall or Roman made some snarky remark about her getting an abortion

Glassed

Roman's looking like he's about to say something filled with blood, that it's about to burst on the tip of his tongue with his head low. His finger presses against his glass. You think he's been getting drunk, or...you know so.

You can't stop yourself from knowing him, even after all this time.

You don't catch Kendall's look or two at your bump. It's there, even in all it's slightness. You roll your head. Logan takes a bite of his meal. It's been a hard day for everyone. The pregnancy, perfectly difficult and cryptic means you're away from Waystar more often. So, you don't have all the details of what went down in the offices, but the tense, Roy routine silence and smooth but snarked banter tells you enough about the day. Logan's gone into another fight with his children.

"So, Pop - are we going to find out if Roy number five is a girl or boy or we'll they pop out as a genital-less surprise?"

Connor smiles sheepishly. You smile at him, taking Logan's hand.

"I've left it up to the patriarch of the house to decide."

"Each one of you were left up to chance, the next one will be no different."

"Abortion at the gender reveal would be fun."

Roman's soft and standard humor hits your heart like a baseball bat. Things clink and go quiet.

Except for your baby, who kicks - it would be something to celebrate and your muscles feel it so, but not with the silence. Not at this moment.

You turn over your fork, looking at the way Roman doesn't look at you.

"Let's not talk about abortion when the pregnant party is very willing to give this family another little member, Rome-"

Connor tries, turned to Roman. Roman clicks his head to the right as he scratches his cheek.

"You have a lot of material. Throw yourself a gender reveal party and when you and Dad cut into a cake - I mean, just imagine it, a coat hanger and baby bits in black and red icing-"

Before Roman's words can really hit you, his words are broken by the way glass crashes and cracks against the wall - just past him and his curled up upper body.

Clinking and yelling and everything else ensues. You realize your hand isn't holding Logan's anymore.

"Dad! What the fuck?"

"Jesus Christ."

Kendall's up and in Logan's face, Shiv's wide eyed with Tom's arm around her shoulders. Pissed, everyone's pissed or in panic.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

It's Frank's hand on your shoulder. "It wasn't me who was almost glassed. I'm fine, you okay?"

"I-"

"I'm fine! I'm fine, not the worst thing Dad, I'm fine, Dad. But not the worst thing I've ever said either. That gets a glass?"

It takes a one-second glance at his father, at your low-browed husband who still sits in his chair.

"Sorry, sorry - enough with the snaps. Fuck."

"What business is it of yours to defend his words, you want to stare down at me?"

"Throwing a glass during fucking dinner? Are you-"

"Everyone, just calm down!"

"I'm going, I've got chips in my ear."

Roman's himself when this type of thing happens to him. And it has, over and over and over. He pulls on his ear on the way out. You forget, with a hand to your stomach, that it's not Caroline or Marcia that has to settle Logan.

It's you. But you just swallow instead.

"I have to-I have to use the bathroom."

Logan barely listens with all his redden eyes baring into his second eldest son. You move out quickly, heels clicking against the floor.

You make your way to the bathroom. Your heart beats against little kicks.

Somehow, this is where you're the small one out of the two of you. The white and gold-trimmed door creaks and puts the sight of Roman dabbing his ear in front of you.

"Fuck your baby. Look what your baby did. If I was the one that stuffed you, it would've gotten my humor, but it'll probably get Dad's aim. It was better when we were younger, right?"

"...I think they found it funny. Do you wanna feel?"

Anything to make him feel better. It's instinctual.

You swallow. Roman looks at you through the mirror. He blinks and holds his bloodied tissue up.

"Wanna lick?"

"This is the second time they've kicked. They know how to take a joke, I think."

Then he's not looking at you and you would know what he thinks, even then - but the moment where both of you exist, unfortunately...you just want him to touch you.

Platonically, to feel his sibling kick. To feel him.

You watch Roman's throat bob and turn. His eyes follow your hand to your bump.

His throat bobs again as he kneels. He presses the red of his ear to your stomach.

He presses in. You watch his quick, uneven blinking at each kick - each flutter.

"At least someone can get that I'm the only one that says what we're all thinking."

[goddesspharo]

↻ FLIP FLOP: Jake's Pov from when he's awakes in Vegas.

[ask me for extras about my fics!]

↻ FLIP FLOP: the flip side of the waking up in Vegas scene at the beginning of can't fake what you can't break up with in Hangman's POV

(Also here now for housekeeping purposes!)

Jake's first extremely dramatic thought upon being yanked out of REM sleep by Phoenix's equally dramatic shrieking is that it feels like something died in his mouth and then that dead thing was unceremoniously moved to a shallow grave in his brain and now, in the cruel light of day, it is slowly rising from the spongy matter like a body washing up on shore at low tide – only there's not enough room in his scalp to accommodate the flotsam so his head feels like it's being split apart from the inside. He needs more sleep and a cup of industrial strength espresso, but he'd settle for Phoenix not ruining this for him – the this in question being Natasha looking flushed all over as she stands in the middle of his hotel room in her underwear and points menacingly at him with her phone while threatening to murder him for the crime of rocking her world – by reading Instagram captions out loud like he fucked a delusional Kardashian last night instead of her. (Jake blames Sammy for the fact that he is immediately able to clock that Khloe would be the delusional Kardashian who couldn't take a hint the morning after.) With a groan, Jake reminds Natasha that it's not a Vegas vacation if at least two people don't drunkenly wander into an Elvis chapel and take wedding selfies with The King. His mother has albums full of Jake dressed like Woody from Toy Story when he was in the first grade – that doesn't mean he was spending his days solving crimes instead of figuring out how the hell subtraction worked. Jake tells Natasha that the institution of marriage requires a little more than "pics or it didn't happen" to be valid while slowly stretching out his sore muscles. She has finally stopped yelling at him for three seconds – no doubt to marvel at the legal expertise he culled from watching reruns of The Practice – but when he looks up, what he discovers is even better than Phoenix losing the power of speech over his genius. Natasha Trace, the woman whose response to him flirting with her has always been to remind Jake that she'd be hard pressed to spit on him if he caught on fire – is shamelessly checking him out like someone who went for a test drive and now can't hide that she'd pay sticker price to drive this Mustang off the lot immediately. "I'm going to hop in the shower." Flashing Natasha a grin that is sure to infuriate her, he drawls in a low trickle, "Want to conserve some water with me?" Her face turns murderous within seconds as Nat slips on a hotel robe and loudly plots his demise. He'd make a crack about foreplay, but her grip on the hanger seems deadly. Jake settles for sauntering to the bathroom while whistling the Usher song that Gina played on repeat when Jake had a crush on the college sophomore his parents paid ten bucks an hour to teach them tennis one summer. Phoenix can deny that she's not hot for his bod as much as she wants, but his back looks like a subway map when he catches a glimpse of it in the bathroom mirror. It takes everything in him not to cry out when the scalding hot water hits the scratches, but Jake can't find it in himself to be too mad about it when he finds a red bird sketched onto his skin like a brand. Jake is still laughing about how proprietary Natasha is when he steps out of the bathroom a few minutes later and immediately needles her with, "You won't believe this, but I think you tried to draw a phoenix on my ass with a Sharpie last night!" He doesn't expect her to find it as funny as he does, but Jake is caught off guard when Natasha starts raging about paperwork instead.

[litcityblues]

I'll Never Forgive Netflix For This

They canceled Kaos after one season.

Now, to be fair, we had been evaluating the number of streaming services we paid for and were planning on canceling Netflix already, so I can't honestly tell you, dear reader, that our decision to cancel Netflix was solely based on the fact that they canceled Kaos after one season, but it sure as shit didn't convince me to stay.

I get that people have feelings about Joss Whedon these days, but not since Fox canceled Firefly have I been this outraged at a decision to cancel a show. I don't know- as it seems like streaming services cancel shows left and right these days, but man when Hollywood is struggling and the firehouse of streaming content is delivering way more quantity than quality, I don't get how you dump a show this damn good!

It doesn't help that I am a mythology nerd. I devoured old Penguin classics on 'Heroes and Legends of Greek Mythology', and I read The Illiad and The Odyssey (multiple versions, but the Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey is gorgeous-- her translation of The Illiad is on my shelf now) at an absurdly young age. This shit is my jam. I love this. If you are making a movie or a television show about mythology, I'm going to judge the fuck out of it.

(Parenthetical Time: Disney's Hercules is an abomination and I loathe it. Hades was never the bad guy. Troy with Brad Pitt was god-awful, but Troy: Fall of A City on Netflix was an incredibly good adaptation of The Illiad. I know everyone just loves Hercules The Legendary Journeys and Kevin Sorbo these days, but that show also did a really great job with the mythology of it all. Also, shout out to Madeline Miller for The Song of Achilles and Circe, both incredible, amazing books.)

All of that being said: Kaos was the best modern adaptation of Greek mythology that I have ever seen and unforgivably, they ended this show on one hell of a cliffhanger.

The story opens with Zeus (Jeff Goldblum in a bit of serendipitously perfect casting) ruling over a modern Greek world, where mortals are expected to pay frequent homage to him. An Olympia Day monument is vandalized in Krete and he becomes convinced that people are not paying him sufficient respect. He notices a small wrinkle and suspects that's aging (something that shouldn't happen to an immortal) and worries that it represents a line from a prophecy he was given by the Fates.

Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan) visits, hoping for more divine responsibilities, and when Zeus rebuffs him and Hera (Janet McTeer) sneers at him, he leaves, but not before stealing Zeus' watch. Zeus goes so far as to summon Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) to seek assurance that his prophecy will not come to pass.

Meanwhile, the mortal Eurydice (Aurora Perrineau) meets Cassandra (Billie Piper) who tells her that today is the day she will leave her husband Orpheus (Killian Scott) because she has fallen out of love with him. She goes to visit her mother, a Tacita Priestess of Hera's (Michelle Greenidge) who reminds her of her prophecy. It's the same as Zeus', which shouldn't be possible, but on her way home, she's hit by a semi and killed. A heartbroken Orpheus tries to commit suicide to follow her to the underworld, but Dionysus tells him there's a way for the two of them to be reunited again.

And from there, this show takes off! We find out about Ari and King Minos, and what happened to her brother Glaucus. The Trojans are here too-- refugees from the fall of their city. Riddy thinks she can pass through The Frame in the underworld, only to find that she can't, because Orpheus stole her coin and she's got to work 200 years before she can pass through and be Renewed. She meets Caeneus who, as it turns out, has the same prophecy as her and Zeus, and little by little, we find out that Prometheus has waited patiently for a chance to take down Zeus and he's not the only one then just when we're setting up for one hell of a cliff hanger with Zeus bleeding, the Meander fountain, the source of the Gods' immortality stops flowing and Hera leaves for an unknown destination, telling one of her children to 'gather the troops' and Ari strikes a deal with the Trojans against the Gods themselves.

And then, Netflix canceled the show.

I cannot tell you how awesome this show turned out to be. Joe McGann shows up as a one-eyed bartender named Polyphemus-- the name of his bar? The Cave. Suzy Eddie Izzard shows up as one of the Fates, Lachesis. Debi Mazar is an excellent Medusa. David Thewlis is Hardes, Cliff Curtis is Poseidon this cast is awesome! From Jeff Goldblum on down it's all just so goddamn amazing. The storylines, adapted from the original myths are updated so intelligently for a modern setting. But it's really the bickering, back-biting, scheming Deities themselves that this show absolutely nails. Hera is mean. Zeus is a tyrant. It's just all so perfect!

Overall: This show deserves at least one more season to finish the story and the internet was rightfully outraged that it was cancelled. As am I. My Grade: **** out of ****

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

This is just a little headcanon shit post. I may change my mind and add or delete people if I give it any extra thought. Also, I take appeals. So if there's someone you'd like to add or have removed, plead your case to me and we'll see what can be done. I'm flexible sometimes. This is kind of like a part 2 to Cheers To The Crazies.

Cheers To The Good Guys

Cheers to the good guys who love you so much they don't pay attention to your crazy. They let you rant and rave about how they didn't put the toilet seat // lid down. How they fucked up for the millionth time and didn't clear the microwave timer. The toilet paper is on the wrong way and the world will burn if it doesn't get fixed. A-G-A-I-N. Cheers to the good guys who still keep trying to load the dishwasher even though you've screamed at them relentlessly about how they're not going to get all of the dishes cleaned if they're piled in like that. Let's hear it for the guys who buy some chocolate and salty snicky snacks to have around the house for you when one of those goddamn cravings hits you out of nowhere. Because you know it will. And they know it will. And they know it's in their best interest to be prepared for something like this. Give it up for the good, smart, gentle and tough guys (when you need it) that love you more after you have a fight over something so fucking stupid even you forgot what it was about halfway through it. Cheers to the men who forgive you right away when you apologize for being a nutcase.

"Wh - oh my god. What the hell is this? Why are the bowls stuck together like this? Come - come here, please, baby. How are they supposed to get clean if they're basically stacked on each other like this? Exactly, they can't. So why did you - ugh. Never fucking mind." You walk to the bathroom and don't look where you're sitting and somehow still manage to make it all his fault, the seat being left up AND your utter lack of spatial awareness. "{S/O name}!!! Why do you keep leaving the toilet seat up? I damn near fell in this time!" Which only makes him laugh. It pisses you off that he's blatantly laughing at you. But you're also reminded of how beautiful his laugh is. How true and real it is. How true and real he is. He comes to the bathroom and peeks in at you, "Are you ok, y/n? I'm sorry, I'm sorry for laughing like that. But the image of your ass stuck in the cold toilet water, your legs hanging over the bowl --- ah, Jesus. S'too fuckin' hilarious to not think about, baby. Are you ok, though? Yeah? Come here, sweets. I'll rub yer bum to make you feel better after almost flushing yourself down the head. You want somethin' sweet? I grabbed your favorite candy bar the other day. Want me to get it for you? Go lay down on the bed. I'll be right there." You go lay down in your shared room and see that he's made the bed and folded the clothes (incorrectly) and put them away. Some of the hangers are backward and your OCD is raging off the charts right now. But he tried. He did it all without being asked. "Fuck. I'm a monster." You say to yourself as he comes back into the room. "What's that, baby? Did I do something wrong?" He looks at you with his sweet face and happy eyes and he's thinking about how much he loves you, no matter how much of a psychopath you are most of the time. Meeting his gaze, you start in. "You ... yeah. NO, no honey. You didn't do anything wrong. Thank you." You kiss him as you stand on your knees on the edge of the bed. He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close to him. “Ahh, didn’t do nothin’ special.”

[madhatterbri]

Beautiful Things Part 2 | Hangman A.P.

Summary: Oh my god. I’m not sure if you are currently talking requests but if you are I’m dying for a part 2 of beautiful things!

Author's Note: Happy Dynamite Wednesday, babes. 🫶

Hangman Adam Page Masterlist

Beautiful Things Part 1

Requested by: @bullet-clubs-bitch

Taglist: @magicalbuttertarts @mrsarcherofinfamy @smallestsnarkestgirl

"Go, go, go," she whispered harshly and pushed him. Adam scrambled out of the bed. He reached down to start putting his clothes on. Y/N grabbed her clothes, too. The once peaceful room is now filled with the rustling of clothes.

Adam finished first. She wondered if this was the first time he ever had to dress quickly before a girl's family member caught them. The blonde wrestler looked for a place to hide. He eyed under the bed before Y/N stopped him. "Bathroom,"

"Y/N? Is everything alright?" Matt asked and shook the door handle outside. Adam jumped around as he quickly placed his cowboy boots on. He rushed inside the bathroom and closed the door. One last quick inspection of any trace of Hangman. When none came back, she opened the door for Matt.

The room was tense the moment Y/N opened the door to let her older brother in. She tried to remain calm. Even as kids, Matt could always tell she was lying. Right now, she felt like the words I had sex were written on her forehead. Adam and Matt were friends. The last thing she wanted to do was destroy that friendship.

"I'm sorry, I was on the phone with one of my friends. Is everything okay?" She asked innocently. Matt sat on the bed next to her.

"Yeah, I just wanted to check in on you and talk to you about Hanger coming back. Make sure we are on the same page," he answered. His older brother authoritative tone sounded in the room. He meant business about this topic.

"It's fine. We are just friends, Matt," Y/N insisted.

"I still see the way he looks at you and lights up when he hears your name," Matt defended. Her heart fluttered at that. The boy may have been just as whipped about her as she was him.

"It's Adam. He just likes to get under your skin. We are just two professionals working for the best wrestling company in the world,"

Matt studied her for a few seconds and nodded. His face void of any emotion. She tried to keep her worry to a minimum. "Fine, hey, look, I have to use the restroom. Do you mind if I use yours?"

"Yeah, of course," she answered. Matt stood up to use the restroom. Y/N went to reach her phone and stopped. The realization of what she just agreed to hit her like a ton of bricks. "Wait! Matt!"

Matt stopped in front of the bathroom door. "What's wrong?"

"I... I had Taco Bell before getting to the hotel. You don't want to go in there," Y/N laughed nervously. Her face flushed in embarrassment. Matt would tell Nick, and they would never let this go. The things a person would do for love.

"Gross," Matt commented and backed away. He placed his shirt over his nose as if to block the smell. He walked to the door and turned to her before he left. "I'll talk to you later, sis,"

When the coast was clear, Hangman walked out of the bathroom. A cheeky smile appeared on his face. He waved his hand in front of his nose. "So, that's what that smell was,"

"Just shut up and kiss me," she groaned.

The next few weeks, they played it safe during their relationship. Stolen glances from across the room. A few winks here and there whenever the other graced the room with their presence. Subtle smiles and brief hand holding before work meetings.

They started to get boldly as time went on. A couple of the other wrestlers caught them kissing. They had to convince the others that they never saw them. Adam and Y/N would sneak into a room in the arena if they couldn't wait for the other at the hotel. One particular Dynamite night, their luck ran out.

"Come on. It'll just be a few minutes," she pleaded. Her hands grabbed his. Adam bit the inside of his cheek in deep thought. A few minutes alone with her before his match was tempting. He looked around to make sure they weren't being watched.

"Let's go," he smiled and kissed her.

Y/N opened a door. There was no signage on it, so she figured it wasn't being used. She walked backward inside the room. Their lips locked to the other. His arms wrapped around her. Her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Well, hey sis," Nick greeted. Adam and Y/N immediately pulled away from each other. Her brothers stared at them. She could barely look at them. The anger and disappointment on their faces. The thought of her losing her job became a reality.

"It's not what it looks like?" Y/N questioned. Her brothers shot her a look. They couldn't believe she would say something so silly. "Yeah, that wasn't my best moment,"

The room was quiet. Her brothers didn't look away from them. She swore they didn't even blink. They whispered amongst each other for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Matt stood up from his chair.

"I had suspicion when I left the hotel room months ago. You looked like when you would sneak out when you were in high school. Nick and I have been talking,"

"Are you guys going to fire me?" Y/N asked.

Matt ignored her question. "Be an Elite guy again, Hanger. Do our dirty work and we will turn a blind eye,"

"I'll do it," Hanger answered.

[sugawhaaa]

Keeho x reader

Lingerie~

(Need I say more about this fanfic?)

Warnings:smut. If it wasn't obvious

Genre:Just smut okay 😭

Pairing:dom!Keeho x sub!fem!reader

Themes:public sex, fingering

A/N:oh God I wrote this on the bus and things went way worse than I could of ever imagined. I'm not gonna share my embarrassment so just read Keeho finger fucking you instead 😃

Your cheeks flushed as you looked at yourself in the mirror. Today was the day that you and Keeho decided to shop for basically sex toys and lingerie. You knew you shouldn't be embarrassed or nervous because come on it's Keeho and you've been dating for like 3 years. Right now you were trying on a pink lingerie set that Keeho picked out and you had no idea what to think. You stood in the fitting room analyzing your body and the fabric that held on tightly to your body.

"What do you think?" Keeho called out from outside the dressing room.

"I don't know, come in here and tell me what you think," you said, unlatching the door so he could get in. He did as you suggested and swiftly went into the fitting room. He took a look at you up and down and told you to "do a little spin," you awkwardly did as he asked. "I think this is kinda plain and we can find something more interesting. But! If you like it that's totally okay we can get this one,"he said as he kept looking you up and down.

"No I don't like it," you laughed. You explained to him that you have one more to try on and if you don't like it you'll try another store. He nodded in agreement to your plan. You then guided him out of the small room and watched as his feet moved to the left and stood there waiting.

You took the pink set off before taking this really nice black one off the hanger. Keeho picked this one out with a big grin earlier but you don't really know how to feel about it. You tried your best to put it on properly but that was a difficult task. Keeho then knocked on the door gently.

"Need help?" He said softly.

"Nope I'm good," You said as you moved the strings around your body.

"Alright," He said with a slight worry still in his voice.

You finally got it all on properly and you let Keeho in again to take a look. As soon as his eyes fell upon you they transformed.

"So what do you think," you said with a smile as you spun the thin lace layer around. His eyes said it all, looking you up and down looking deep into every detail of your body. He started getting closer to you, his empty hands wishing to be filled with your soft skin. "Keeho?" You said innocently looking up at him.

"You're so hot," he stated as he slammed his hands against the cold wall behind you. Your jaw hung open as he started leaning down to your neck. His lips gently grazing over your bare shoulders. His hot breath present on your neck. You flustered at his comment and your cheeks heated up as your hands rested around Keeho's body. It didn't take long for his to rest on your hips kneading at your skin. That's when reality sorta hit you.

"Keeho wait, were in public," you murmured.

"And I'm horny," he stated as he started licking up your shoulder. You let out a little squeal at the sudden texture of his tongue. Your hands went to his shoulders pushing them gently. His right hand started going down your body, down, down, down when…

You let out a moan as he pressed his plam against your sensitive clit. Keeho grabbed your crotch harshly and for some reason it turned you on more than you'd like to admit. You slapped your palm against your wet lips trying to muffle your moans so no one would hear.

Keeho placed one of his wide hands between your thighs and guided them open. You slowly did as his actions suggested. Keeho moved the fabric around his fingers as his hot breath moved to your lips. Sloppily exploring each other's mouths as he moved his fingers up and down your sensitive clit. It got you frolicking around at his every movement. He slowly inserted two fingers making you gasp and claw his shoulders. Your head hung low as he slowly moved his fingers around inside you. You didn't know where to put your hands, or to throw your head back or hang it low. He had you seeing stars with only two fingers.

That's when he hit that gummy spot so deep inside you and you couldn't help but moan out his name. You shut your eyes tight as he moved his fingers in and out of you to hit that one spot continuously. That's when you felt warm, cloudy colored liquid dripped down between your legs. Keehos fingers stayed inside you gently and slowly moving around. Once your body relaxed he slipped his fingers out and stuck them in his mouth before moaning in satisfaction.

"Only two fingers," he smirked as you blushed and looked at the floor.

"Oh my God Keeho it's all over the floor and my clothes and this lingerie set that isn't even mine!" You said as you gestured to everything covered in your cum.

"At least everyone will know how good I can make you feel," he said with a smile that was too cute for what he just said.

"Great then you'll be the one explaining to the workers here what just happened in their fitting room," you said with a smile as you pushed him out of the room.

[raelle-writing]

DFF episode 5 thoughts:

Rambling some thoughts about the DFF characters, spoilers possible so I'm putting a cut

Jin - I was surprised that it seems like Jin isn't one of the bullies, I thought for sure he would be. Unless he's REALLY good at hiding how manipulative he is, he seemed to genuinely like Non (as a friend, I think) and wanted to befriend him. Especially since he fought back to his friends when they shit-talked Non... but then the question comes up, why is he friends with them if they're nasty and he's not? And why was he surprised at the way they talked to Non? Is he new to the group? Why did they accept him?

Tee - This episode made me a bit more sympathetic to him but also made me dislike him more at the same time? Because on the one hand he's in a really awful position where his uncle his using leverage of withholding the money Tee needs to help his sick father, and threatening to cut them off if Tee doesn't help with his criminal enterprise. And at the same time, Tee was so nasty and manipulative to Non I still had a hard time sympathizing with him. I'm interested to see how he and White got together, and if things with his dad resolve.

Top - Hated him, but I wish we'd gotten more depth. He doesn't seem to be part of the core of the friend group. He's just a mouthy hanger-on that doesn't have much beyond that, but I'd imagine his home life isn't good either since that's the direction the show has gone for the rest of the bullies.

Por - I felt bad for him, ngl. He had Regina George running the school vibes, but then his home life is tense. His mom babies and spoils him but his dad seems to disapprove of his entire life, and only care about Por as far as it extends to the dad's image. In the preview for the next episode, we see Por getting hit by his dad. It makes sense to me why he became the bitchy bully popular kid, since he has money but not love.

Fluke - He seemed to be part of the core of the group but also really quiet? Like it seemed like Tee, Por, and Fluke were the original three friends and the core of the group since they were the ones to convince Tee. But beyond that scene, Fluke seems really quiet and reserved. He's also the one to show disapproval of Tee and Top bullying Non and blaming the camera breaking on him, but he doesn't say anything about it or back up Jin.

Non - I wonder about him. He was presented as an entirely innocent victim this episode - but is he? He's taking medication for mental health issues, clearly. What kind? It is possible that he eventually snaps and causes something bad to happen... he shows s*icidal tendencies this episode, so is it possible he goes all the way later because of some of the bad stuff that Tee dragged him into? Or maybe he snaps and tries to hurt someone? I don't know, I'm interested to see what happens next. Currently I feel bad for him and wish the others would leave him alone, but we'll see if that changes over upcoming episodes.

Keng - Creepy. I liked him up until he pushed a ride on Non even tho Non didn't look like he wanted it. Now I wonder if he spotted a lonely, isolated kid and easy target and is harassing him... he could be the ❤️ in Non's phone. Idk but I don't trust him.

Questions I still have:

How did Keng end up dead? IS he really dead?

How does Tee's uncle play into all of this, as well as the money laundering with Non?

Did Non commit s*icide, did someone kill him, or is he still alive?

How does the politics and money laundering play into the broader plot?

How did Non end up going along to the vacation home when Por clearly doesn't want him to be there?

How does the cult play into all of this, if it does?

Are the present boys being haunted, or is it hallucinations? If it's a haunting, why did Top try to kill Jin when Jin was the nice one to Non, unless something goes wrong later?

Does Non like Jin? Does Jin like Non back?

Who is ❤️ in Non's phone?

How does the group not know if Non is dead or alive? Did his family never report him missing? Do they think he's abroad? What's going on there?

[burningknucklecraftworks]

I discovered a wonderful Etsy shop called ChadMakes, where Chad Healey sells Healey's Hidden Hangers and EZ Sheaths - a series of 3D printed magnetic products designed for sword enthusiasts and HEMA practitioners. His EZ Sheaths are awesome but he sells them with nylon straps. Perfect for HEMA, not as good for SCA people who are really into the look of leather. I asked him if he'd sell me four without straps for my shire fencers and he readily agreed!

I was expecting to just keep ahold of these for three months or so but I needed a little, simple leatherworking project for mental health reasons, so I did a test build with one using some chrome tanned utility hide, copper rivets, and a couple of iron rings from Menards. So far so good!

The only sword it doesn't work with is my personal rapier because the balance is totally wack, but I have an idea to fix that with a simple hook hanging from a third belt loop for catching the pappenheimer holes. But every other sword holds really nicely.

I'm definitely gonna have to do some sparring practice with this to make sure that having a bigass magnet on my hip won't affect how shots land. I can already imagine the comedy of someone trying to hit my leg and just magneting the tip of their sword to me instead.

Go give the maker of the EZ Sheath some love if you like this little project. I'm really impressed with both his designs and his customer service. I also tried one of his Hidden Hanger wall mounts and it is super nice. Makes for an insanely clean sword mount. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1267690423/ez-sheath-deluxe-sword-suspension-system

[lacyscabinet]

Can you do a nat x sister reader. Like the reader has a panic attack after a fight with their dad or something dramatic like that and big sister nat comforts them?

A/N: love this. I think big sis Nat is so cute and it's also a nice dynamic given her family situation. At first I was thinking about a headcanon but in the end I think that a one-shot fits this request wayyyyyy better. Hope u enjoy <3

MASTERLIST

Warnings: abusive parents, violence, panic attack

Sisters

Staying at home when Natalie wasn't there was one of your biggest fears, your father was unpredictable, one moment he could be watching TV in the living room getting drunk on cheap beer and the other he could be beating you up for walking too loudly.

Not that he would control himself when Nat was around, but usually, she had the strength to fight back, most of the time ending up worsening the situation, but still it felt safe to have her.

You were laying on your bed in your tiny bedroom when he stormed in, you instantly flinched and shot up from your resting position

"Hey honey, how was school?" He said, maybe, in another situation, in another household, it would've sounded like a question a caring father could ask his daughter.

You could smell the stench of alcohol even feet away from him.

"Good... I had a project" you answered, trying to close the conversation and make him go away

Instead, he stepped closer, wobbling slightly, "You weren't home yesterday when I came back"

You could feel a heated argument on the way, you felt scared.

"Yes...I was with my friends" you answered, extremely careful with your words

"Don't lie to me y/n" his tone starting to grow stern

You shook your head quickly "I'm not lying dad" you said calmly trying not to worsen the situation

He chuckled, but there wasn't any humor in his voice "You're just like your sister, lying, sneaking around, I bet you were somewhere with some boy, god, I was hoping at least one of my daughters wasn't going to turn out a slut, but guess what honey, you are just like your sister"

You could feel tears forming in your eyes, your hands starting to shake "No...I wasn't with any boy...and Nat, she's not..."

And before you could finish the sentence a sharp slap across your face caused you to lose your balance

"Are you talking back now!? Don't you dare talk back to me!" He spit at your face

"No... I..." you tried to defend yourself and his hand gripped at your wrist tightly, pulling you up from the floor

"Shut. the. fuck. Up." He yelled and slammed you against the wall, causing your head to hit the coat hanger.

Now that you were helpless on the floor, he started to kick, one, two, three, endless kicks.

Eventually he got tired and walked back to the living room, but not before shouting "If you keep sneaking around I WILL kill you Y/N"

You were left alone on the bedroom floor, with a bloody nose and a throbbing head, you let the tears stream freely now, big fat water drops falling down your cheeks and onto your wrinkled shirt.

Your hands were still shaking, and it only got worse, your breath becoming labored, knees riding up to your chest and your aching head nestled between your knees.

When Natalie got home your dad was gone and your mom was passed out on the couch, as soon as she got into the trailer she went straight to her room.

But when she passed your bedroom she heard your muffled cries and immediately opened the door

You were curled up on yourself, some stuff was scattered around your room and god, you were beat up

"Hey, what...what happened?" Nat asked, fearing the answer, making the big mistake of stepping closer and placing a hand on your trembling shoulder

At that you flinched and let out a terrified gasp.

"Okay, shhhhh... it's me, it's just me Y/N, me and no one else" she said slowly, not to startle you any further "can I hold you?"

You looked up, it was really just her, looking at you with concern.

You nodded and she softly pulled you in her arms, trying to shush your cries and cradling your shaking frame "It's okay, you're okay"

After a few minutes your sobs turned into soft sniffling, you rested your head on your sister's shoulder, then she broke the silence"Y/n what happened?" She asked, and after a few seconds she added "What did he do?"

You looked up at her "He got mad...and he just..." your eyes closed, trying to wipe away the memories.

She simply rubbed your back, feeling powerless.

There was nothing she could do to make things better and this was eating her inside.

That night she let you sleep in her bed to make you feel safe, trying to shield you from the harsh reality you were living in.

A/N: Dear anon, I hope this was enjoyable, for me this was one of the best requests I've gotten this far.

[bteezxyewriter12]

Boxer

Pairing- Mingi x Named Reader

Word count- 5.6k

Includes- Angst, Rocky Mingi, oral, pussy eating, cum eating, riding, squirting, multiple orgasms, fluff

Tag List- @mingtina @jaxxmine @yeosayang @delightfulmoonbanana @tannie13 @y00nzin0 @marsstarxhwa @yeosxxx @seokwoosmole @jjongsbebe @wisejudgedragonhairdo @meowmeowminnie @woo-stars @borntowalkaway @usagionthered @soulseobi05 @san-realblkwife @seonghwasstar @jejeyeppeo

Masterlists- check out for more fics

📝Masterlists 📝 ATEEZ Masterlist

📝Mingi Masterlist

Mingi POV

"Sorry I'm late. Sorry"

I lift my head at her voice, watching her run inside the dressing room

She darts toward her friend, our makeup artist Hae, handing Hae her bag, who takes it and puts it with hers

I watch her go to her manager

"Seriously Joanne?", he says when he looks at her, his eyebrows raised, "Again?"

I can't see what he sees because she has her hoodie up

"I told you yesterday though", she reminds him

"Yeah fine, you did", he sighs, "Go help Yunho, Mingi and Yeosang get ready"

Yes, she has me today

Thank god

I could stare at her gorgeous face without looking like a stalker

When she turns around and heads towards my direction, I hold in a gasp, seeing what her manager was looking at

Her bruised face

Dark purple and slightly swollen around her left eye, a bloody cut in her eyebrow, scrapes on her cheek and a scabbed busted lip

She's shown up like this a few times already, with bruises and cuts on her face

I don't know how she gets them

None of the guys know

And she only talks to Hae so I doubt any staff know

Obviously her manager does

I just hope she's not being hit by someone because that would piss me off

She doesn't deserve that

I'm concerned but no one else, including her, seems to be and it'd be weird if I said anything

As if I can talk in front of her anyway

She pulls her hoodie down then goes to the hangers that have our clothes for the video

She takes one set of clothes, looking at the paper with one of our names on it

"Mingi", she calls

I get up and keep myself from running to her

"Hi", she smiles at me, taking my breath away

"Hey Jo", I say, smiling back

That's about as much as I can say to her without going catatonic

I like her a lot

Like a stupid amount

Like love her

Ok not like love her, I do love her

And I want to ask her out but my mouth doesn't work too well when she's near me

She hands me the clothes, "Change and I'll fix the outfit"

I nod, going behind the changing curtain

"Yeosang", I hear her call, wondering what she has to do for him

He's already dressed

Changing quickly, I move away from the curtain, my eyes on her

She's sitting, with Yeosang sitting in front of her, wrapping some of his fingers with boxing tape

And I notice the same tape around a few of her fingers, but hers is stained with some dirt and maybe some blood under the tape

I'm not sure and I don't know why she has that kind of tape on

"Done", she says, smiling at him, making me jealous

"Thanks Jo", he thanks her, then leaves walking towards the set

"Hey Mingi, can you give me a few minutes? Apparently I have to wrap the guys hands in boxing wraps and tape"

I nod, sitting in a chair near her

I watch her as she does Seonghwa's, Wooyoung's, Jongho's and San's hands and fingers, her hands moving so fast as she does them

I tried to wrap my hand once with the long ass boxing wraps and it took me so long

She's moving so quickly, like she knows how to do this

Hongjoong is next and first she puts some kind of wrap glove on one of his hands

She takes his other hand, giggling, "You're hand is small Joong"

He smiles, "Yeah I know"

"Cute baby fingers", she compliments as she wraps tape around his ring finger

"Baby fingers? Look who's talking", he teases, holding her ring finger against his, "Mine's bigger than yours"

She rolls her eyes, "Ok I'll give you that"

I get insanely jealous watching their interaction

I wish I could talk to her like that but I can't

We have our own way of flirting, with looks and smiles but it's not the same as talking to her

It's all I can manage now until my brain remembers words and connects to my mouth again when I'm around her

One day

"Just Yunho left, then I'll get to you Mingi"

"Ok", I answer, watching Yunho sit down in front of her

She starts wrapping his hand when Hae comes over to her, "So did you win?"

She scoffs, "Are you even asking me that? Of course I won"

Won what?

"How bad was the other girl?"

She smiles, "Blood bath on her face"

Jesus Christ

Did she get into a fight?

Is that why she has bruises?

Did she beat someone up?

I didn't take her for that kinda girl

"Jesus", Hae

"To be fair she's a bleeder. All of us know that. She does too"

"But still", Hae says

She sighs, "Well what do you want me to do Hae? Go easy? Let them win? I have a title to keep. I don't want to lose it and risk not being able to compete"

She finishes tucking the wrap on Yunho's hand then moves to his other one

I'm so curious as to what she competes in

I'm sure she's amazing

Not like I'm biased or anything

"You still don't have to go so hard"

"Yes I do. If my opponents want to make it, they have to learn to take on someone who goes hard. God knows no one went easy on me when I started"

I'm so confused but honestly interested in this conversation

I want to know what they're talking about

"I guess", Hae frowns, "Any way isn't it hilarious that they have you doing this? And that they're doing this video?"

She raises her eyebrow, "Doing what?"

"Wrapping their hands like they're actually gonna fight"

"Well I can do it the fastest and tight enough so it doesn't unravel when they're dancing"

"It does feel firm", Yunho puts in, making her smile

"Thanks Yunnie"

"How did your wraps look last night?"

"Bloody. Had to throw them out. Gotta buy new ones ASAP"

She...she wears wraps?

And hers were bloody?

What the hell is going on?

"Hey you should show these guys how to punch", Hae suggests

She glares at Hae, "Why the hell would I do that?"

Have shrugs, "It's in their choreo. Maybe show them how it's done right so it looks like they know what they're doing?"

Hey, I know how to throw a punch

I've never punched anything or anyone but I know how to swing

"Yeah that'd be a no"

"Ok what are you guys talking about?", Yunho asks

I silently thank him because my curiosity is killing me

"We're talking about Joanne being a kick ass boxer"

"Hae!", she growls

"What?"

"No one here knows about that! And I kinda want to keep it that way", she growls through clenched teeth

"You're a boxer?", Yunho asks, surprised, "You're so little"

Hae laughs, "Yeah but don't be fooled. She can knock you out. She takes on opponents bigger than her all the time. And she always wins"

I watch Joanne's cheeks turn pink and it's so adorable

"Always?", Yunho repeats

"Always", Hae answers for her

"That's why you come in with bruises sometimes. Like today?", Yunho asks

She nod, "I had a match last night as Hae's big mouth told you. I won"

Jesus, she's even more amazing than I thought

And so bad ass

"That's amazing", Yunho exclaims, "Can you teach me to punch? Please? I have the knock out punch at the end of the video and I don't want to look dumb"

"I don't know if-"

"I'll ask the managers. It'll be quick. Just like a ten or fifteen minute lesson?"

She hesitates, then says, "Uh yeah. Ok. If your managers say it's ok, then I'll show you how to do a knock out punch"

"Great", he beams

Why can't I talk to her like that?

So easily?

Why do I have to be so...dumb and afraid?

She finishes wrapping his hand and he thanks her then leaves, Hae following him

"God I swear she's so obvious with her crush on him", she murmurs, coming over to me and kneeling down to tie the ties on my pants by my ankles

"Hae?", I ask, shocked

I didn't notice anything

"Yeah Hae. She totally likes Yunho. A lot"

Wow

Well I wouldn't notice anything because when she's around I don't notice anything but her

So forget about figuring out Hae likes Yunho

"Does he know?", I ask

She shrugs, tucking my shirt in my pants "No idea. You'd have to ask him"

I think I will

One of us deserves to have a girl

And at least Yunho can talk to girls

"No wait. Don't actually", she says, tying the tie on my pants waist, "If Hae finds out or Yunho acts different around her she'll kill me"

Ok I won't say anything

I won't do anything to make her life harder

"I won't", I promise

She smiles at me, my heart pounding in my throat

"I think I'm gonna wrap your hand first before we put the robe on, so come sit"

I sit in front of her, watching her while she gets a red wrap then sits in front of me

Slowly she takes my hand, fire running up my arm

Just from one touch

She holds my hand in hers, softly running the fingers of her other hand in my palm to straighten my hand, sending tingles up my spine

"You hand is huge", she smiles, starting the wrap, moving it around my hand slowly

"Yours is tiny", I answer, surprising myself

I didn't stumble over words or stutter

"Compared to yours, really tiny", she agrees

I watch her move the wrap slowly down my wrist and a little below on my arm

It occurs to me that she does this to herself

Or does she have someone who does it for her?

"You uh...wrap your own hands?"

She nods, "Yeah. When I train and when I fight in a match. I wear them under the gloves"

I look closer at her hands as she finishes wrapping my hand

At the tape around her fingers and knuckles

I take her hand in mine, holding it and softly touching her fingers

"You bleed?"

She shrugs, smiling softly, "Sometimes. If I'm hitting the bag without gloves and just the wraps. Or if I'm sparring with no gloves. Sometimes during a match if I'm hitting hard"

I had no idea how tough she is

I'm such a wimp, paper cuts hurt me

But she hits hard punching bags, she fights and she wins

Still, I don't like the idea of her getting hurt

Gently, I ghost my thumb over her split lip

"You get hurt fighting"

She shrugs again, "Part of the job. It doesn't hurt while I'm being hit. Only after"

"Why?"

I'd think getting a punch to the eye would hurt like a mother

"Because when I'm fighting, I'm thinking of winning, I'm planning my next hit, I don't have the time to feel the pain"

I guess I can understand that

She's so into the fight, nothing else matters

Some hair falls from her ponytail in her face and without thinking, I reach out, tucking the hair behind her ear

Her cheeks turn pink and she smiles shyly, her eyes down

And I realize what I did

Shit

What if she didn't like it?

What if she doesn't want to be touched?

Fuck what if I fucked up

I immediately take my hand away but she grabs it as I'm pulling away

Jeez she's quick too

She holds my hand, intertwining our fingers, slowly lifting her eyes to mine

And I can't look away

We stare at each other like idiots in complete comfortable silence

God she's so beautiful, even with all the injuries

They don't take away from her beauty

I'm contemplating on whether to just tell her how I feel when I hear my name

"Mingi!"

We immediately let go of our hands and she stands up, just as Hongjoong comes back into the dressing room

"Let's go Mingi! We need you for photos"

Fucking hell

I forgot I'm at work

"Coming", I tell him

He nods, then says, "Jo, Yunho wants you to come too. Something about punching?"

She nods, "Yeah I'm coming"

Fucking Hongjoong had to ruin the moment

I don't know if I'll ever get another one like it

"Here Mingi", she says, holding out the robe to me

Taking it, I put it on, the material so soft and silky she stands in front of me, tying the strings of my pants into a bow, then fixing the robe around me

"Can you bend down?"

I do and she fixes the hoodie, her arms around my neck

I just wish I could make a move

Kiss her, hold her back, anything

But I stand frozen until she lets go

"C'mon Mingi", she smiles, then starts walking out of the dressing room with me following her like a puppy

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

I watch her talk Yunho and Yeosang through punches again

"Keep your feet planted on the ground. Keep your right hand by your cheekbone and your left below your chin"

She demonstrates for them and they copy her

"A little lower Sangie", she says, moving his left hand down, "Good guys"

She gets back into the standing position

"We're gonna do a right cross punch. You have to pivot your back foot and do not straighten your right leg or you'll lose balance. Watch"

She keeps her hands in position, pivoting her foot which makes her hips and torso rotate

Then she goes back into the fighting position

She makes it look so easy

She does it two more times then turns to the guys and has them do it

Yunho straightens his leg, which she tells him not to do and to do the whole thing again

He does and gets it right

Yeosang got it right the first time

Going back into the position she instructs them, "As you punch, lift and extend your elbow and tighten your fist. Everything starts out relaxed but as soon as you punch everything should be tightened. I know it sounds dumb but you can make a noise while you punch. It helps your body get tight"

Suddenly she punches the air, yelling, "Aghhh", her whole body going with the punch

My god that's sexy

"You try", she says to them

Yunho throws the punch but he didn't extend his elbow right, so she goes to him showing him what to do, then putting her hand over his, moving his hand into the punch, talking to him as she does

And my entire body is in jealousy, wanting her to be touching me, paying attention to me

She lets Yeosang and Yunho practice, walking around them, praising or fixing their mistakes

"Are we ready?", the director asks

"Yeah", Yunho answers

"Get into positions"

"You'll do great Yunnie", she assures him, "You too Sangie"

"Thanks Jo", Yunho smiles

"Yeah thanks", Yeosang adds

"No problem. Have fun", she smiles

As she moves out of the way of the cameras she smiles at me, "You'll be great too Mingi"

"Thanks", I say, blushing

She stands with the other makeup artists, stylists and hair stylists, watching us and waiting to fix us for the next scene

I calm myself down because no matter how many videos, photo shoots or performances I do with her watching I'm always nervous

Always

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

We just finished the group scene and now it's time for my individual one

She comes up to me, fixing my pants and my shirt while a makeup artist fixes the foundation on my face and the hair stylist runs a comb through my hair

"Can you bend down Mingi?", she asks after the rest of the stylists back off

I do and again, her arms go around neck, pulling the hood of the robe over my head

Her fingers run in my hair, putting it on my forehead and fixing the hood

I can't keep my eyes off her, her pretty eyes concentrating on hood

Her eyes then move to mine and she smiles, "There. You look so good Mingi"

"Ttt...uh..ttt...thanks", I stammer like a moron

She nods then moves back, leaving me on the set alone

I snap out of my trance when the director tells me what to do during my rap

I nod, taking in what he's saying but also I'm aware of her

When the camera rolls, I take a breath as the music comes on

I start off facing away from the camera and turn when the rap starts holding my wrapped hand up

The back up dancers move in front of me and I pull my hood down, getting ready to go hard

When the dancers part, I come bursting through, doing the dance and rapping, my eyes flitting to her for a second

And seeing her biting her lip while she watches me

'Focus', I tell myself and keep going

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

Walking into the dressing room after the shoot, I sit down on the couch, exhausted

Between dancing my ass off and watching her watch me, I'm ready for a nap

"Time for food!", San sings out, all the guys hurrying out the dressing room to eat

We got a break for now, doing the photo shoot after

She's around the clothes rack, fixing the white outfits we have to wear later

I notice the empty dressing room, everyone probably running for food

I want food but I want to talk to her more

Now is my chance

Getting up, I close the door and lock it, once I'm sure everyone is gone

I don't want anyone interrupting again like Hongjoong did before

I don't know what I'm going to say or how

Maybe tell her how I feel because after today.....seeing her show Yunho and Yeosang how to punch, seeing her watching me while I was filming

I have to say something

Or try to

"Uh Jo?", I call

She looks up, looking around the room, "Where is everyone?"

"Probably getting food"

"Oh. Aren't you hungry too?"

"I uh yeah but uh can I talk to you first?"

She raises her eyebrow, "Yeah sure"

I nod, my palms sweating as I sit on the couch

She walks over to me, sitting next to me

Silence falls and I'm trying to figure out how to word this

"I uh....", I start, "Well I wanted to ask. Umm I mean do you...uh"

God I'm such a fucking dork, stammering like an idiot

"Mingi", she says softly and I look at her, "I think I know what you want to tell me"

I doubt that

"Tell me if I'm wrong ok?"

I nod

She reaches out to me, softly touching my cheek, turning my face to her

I look into her beautiful brown eyes, drowning in them

She leans forward her lips against mine in a soft kiss

Alright, maybe she did know what I wanted to tell her

She pulls away, looking at me, "Was I right?"

"Yes", I answer, then pull her back to me, my lips crashing into hers but still being mindful of her injured lip

She kisses me back hard, climbing into my lap, her arms firmly around my neck

I slip my tongue inside her mouth, hers immediately against mine, playing and I can't help but moan in her mouth

After a few minutes, she breaks the kiss, leaning her forehead on mine

"Please tell me this means what I think it does", she says softly, "I waited so fucking long for you, please tell me you feel like I do"

Oh my god, she has feelings for me too

I'm so astounded and so fucking happy

"I do Jo. I love you"

"Thank god", she whispers, relief in her face, "I love you Mingi"

Holy shit

I never thought that this with her would go this way

I thought she'd tell me she just sees me as a friend

This is everything I could ever want

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting but you don't have to anymore. I want to be with you"

She pulls back, a huge smile on her face, "Yes, a million times yes. I want to be with you so much Mingi"

I can't help but smile, "Good"

Then I pull her back to me in a kiss

As the kiss gets heated, I whisper, "I need you"

God do I need her

Right now

"Here?", she asks

I nod, "I can't wait. I need you right now"

She nods, "Me too"

Thank god

I don't know if I could of waited any longer

I stand up and put her in a sitting position on the couch

Then kneeling down, I press kisses to her neck as I gently push her back into the cushions

Moving my hands under her shirt, I slowly slide it up her body and off, her bra following

Pulling back I get my first glimpse of her and holy shit she's fucking hot

Gorgeous

Perky round boobs, nipples hard already

Tattoos on either side of her torso

And holy fuck she has abs

Not defined or chiseled but the faint outline is there and I had no clue that'd turn me on

But she also has some bruises from the fight I'm guessing

On her stomach, a big one by her ribs, and one by her chest

"Fucking beautiful", I whisper, running my hands all over her body, being careful not to press on the purple bruises

Her head pushes into the cushion, biting her lip, a look of pleasure on her face

"So pretty aegi"

Leaning forward, I press a gentle kiss to the bruise on her stomach

Then I move to the one on her ribs, spreading kisses all over it

Finally, I end with the one on her chest

"Mingi", she whimpers

"My baby", I whisper, then kiss her beautiful lips

As we kiss, I slowly move my hands down her body, feeling her soft skin

When my hands get to her pants, I move my fingers under the waist band, pulling them down along with her panties

She lifts herself up so I can get everything off

And my mouth drops when I see her completely naked

Stunning

More than stunning, perfect

Fucking perfect

I gently squeeze along her thighs, until I get to her hips, then I move my hands down, softly pushing her legs open

Wide

"Oh fuck", I groan when I see how utterly soaked she is, her pussy glistening in juice, a huge wet spot on the couch from her dripping hole

I move closer, placing my tongue on her and slowly licking up, tasting her

God so good

She whimpers, moaning my name and fucking hell I love hearing it

"Don't stop Mingi", she breathes

I definitely won't

I swirl my tongue around her pretty pussy, in between her lips, going at it like I've been waiting to eat her pussy for forever

Which is exactly what I was waiting for

She's so soft, so wet and getting wetter, it's dripping down my neck

I love it

I move my tongue along her throbbing clit, moaning as I feel it throb on my tongue

Her body arches, her legs shaking as she moans louder and it's safe to say that she loves it

I keep rolling my tongue over her clit again and again, getting lost in her shouts, in her

Her clit is begging me to suck on it, so I wrap my mouth around it, the throbs on my lips going straight to my hard cock

I'm so fucking hard it hurts

"Please Mingi", she begs, "Please"

God hearing her beg is such a turn on

I suck on her clit once, her entire body shaking, her hand plunging in my hair and pulling as she yells in pleasure

Every suck I give her, I make sure I increase my speed and force until I'm sucking hard on her little bump, loving the way it feels in my mouth

"Mingi...I....I...", she moans and I know

She's gonna cum

And I'm so excited for it

Sucking harshly, her hips fly up, she screams my name, body shaking as she cums

"Mingi, fuck Mingi"

Excitedly I let go of her clit and lick by her slit

A sweet taste fills my mouth and I can't help but moan as I swallowed her cream

"So good aegi", I praise her, "You taste so fucking good"

"Jesus Christ Mingi"

I look up at her from between her legs just in time to catch the lip bite she does as she's looking at me

So fucking hot

I lick up all her cum, then she pushes my head back

She moves down to the floor with me, kissing me hard, her tongue in my mouth

Pushing me back, I lay on the floor, kissing her as her hands move to my pants, pulling them and my boxers down

Breaking the kiss, she gets my shoes and my bottom clothes off

"Fuck", she whimpers as she eyes my dick

She leans down to put my cock in her mouth but I stop her

"No aegi"

Her eyes raise to mine, "You don't want it?"

I sit her up, running my fingers in her hair

"Of course I want it aegi but your mouth and lip are injured"

"I don't care", she whines so adorably

"I do aegi. You're not hurting yourself more just to give me a blow job. I can wait", I assure

She pouts, "If you're sure"

I nod, "I am. And I kinda can't wait to be inside you. I kinda been fantasizing about that for a long time"

She smirks, "Then I won't keep my baby waiting"

She sits on me and I feel her wet pussy soak my dick and my lap

Fuck, I like that I make her this wet

That she finds me this attractive and wants to be with me

She kisses me softly, grabbing on to the boxing robe

"You'd make a sexy boxer", she giggles, pushing the robe off me

"Oh yeah?", I smirk, helping her get my shirt off

"Yeah. You're so big Mingi. So many muscles. Here", she says, touching my upper arms

"And here", her arms move to my chest and continue to my abs, making my skin tremble, "And here. Fuck you're so hot"

She rocks her hips, grinding into my hard length, feeling so good, "And you're so fucking big here"

"I am?", I ask in disbelief

"Are you fucking kidding? You're dick is massive"

My mouth drops open in shock

"It's so long and fuck so thick", she continues, making my entire skin turn red, "I don't know how it's going to fit inside me"

Wait what?

Is that really a problem?

Because if it is I'll scream

"I won't fit?", I ask worried

"I'll make you fit baby, don't worry", she assures me, "There's no way in this universe I'm not riding your cock right now"

Well fuck

Thank god for that

She holds my length up and hovers right over me

She lowers herself, my head going inside her and getting soaked

"Fff..fuck", I moan

"Oh god yes", she groans, as she slips more and more down my length

I sit up on my elbows, watching her tiny hole split wide open to take my cock

She's leaking so much, creamy juice sliding down my cock, pooling in my lap

So fucking pretty

She actually bottoms me out, sitting right against my legs and I have no idea where she's putting me but I'm not complaining

Her hips start wiggling, moving in circles, her pussy wrapped around me so snugly

"Oh fuck", I moan, pleasure creeping up my spine

"Give me a few minutes to get used to you baby and then I'll ride your cock so fucking good"

I nod as she grinds against my dick, the fluttering of her cunt amazing

Taking her hand, I press a kiss to her back of her hand, then along her hurt fingers

She smiles softly, holding my hand in hers

I move my down on my elbow, the soft material under my arm making me slip

I catch myself, looking down at the robe under me

Quickly I grab it, ready to throw it away when I stop

"So do you really wear a robe?", I ask, looking from the robe to her

She smirks, leaning over, taking my robe and putting it on

Oh god she's so fucking hot

"Sometimes", she says

I can only stare at the robe just covering her breasts, her nipples poking through the silky material

She smirks at me, moving her hands on my stomach as she starts to bounce

Pleasure fills my body from her movements and I can't tear my eyes away from her

My mind is blown that she's sitting on my lap, riding my cock while she wears my robe

It's fucking everything

"Although I've never worn one when I was naked before"

Fuck

I can't speak, I can only watch her as she moves on me, completely mesmerizing me

Up and down, my cock disappearing as her cunt swallows me again and again

"My god Mingi. Your cock feels so fucking good", she moans, her hips rolling over and over again, taking me so deeply

Her movements get faster, fucking me harder

My head hits a spot inside her and she screams so loudly, calling my name, her back arching so beautifully

Her hands move behind her, on my legs, moving harder as she's basically jumping up and down on my cock, bottoming me out every time

"Mingi!", she calls, her cunt getting so tight around me I gasp, "I-"

"Cum for me", I ask, wanting to feel it

Her cunt is already so fucking tight, I can't imagine how it's going to feel when she cums

"Please", I plead

After a few more bounces, she takes me all in, orgasming on my whole cock, her body shaking on top of me as she calls my name

"Mingi"

So much pleasure rolls over me as her cunt pulses so fast, so hard

I can't fucking believe I'm getting this much pleasure from her orgasming

It's fucking mind-blowing and I don't want it to stop

So when she finishes, I hold onto her hips tightly and thrust up into her pussy

She moans loudly, holding on to my legs

I fuck up into her over and over, watching her cream completely soak and cover my cock, her boobs bouncing in my face

Her little clit is throbbing like crazy and she's taking every stroke I give her deep inside, crying for more

I've never had a girl this into sex with me

I'm not that experienced like the other guys so I'm always worried that I suck

But she seems to like everything I'm doing

I hit her spot hard and she cries, "There Mingi! Please baby, there!"

I nod, making sure I hit that spot each time I fuck into her

She gets tighter with every pound, body bouncing around like a rag doll

Crashing into her spot again, she yells loudly, coming again, her cunt spasming

"Mingi!", she yells while I groan, feeling the pleasure from her, feeling the way she's drenching my dick

"Mingi cum", she asks

"Sss..soon", I tell her, getting there

"What do you need baby? I want you to feel so good"

"I do baby. I feel so good. You feel good. This is the best I ever had", I say, my face heating up as I realize what I said

"Me too Mingi", she says, touching my chest, "Don't get shy now baby. Tell me what you need"

"Bbb...bounce aegi"

She nods, immediately moving for me, taking me in and out of her, slamming down, taking me deep

"Oh fuck", she cries, her legs working overtime as she rides me hard, her spot rubbing against my head

The pulsing is so fucking blissful and I need her to cum

Reaching out, I touch her clit, playing with it, rubbing it in circles

Her breathing gets harder as she bounces, her cunt flooding my lap

"Oh god Mingi! Mingi!", she yells, coming and I watch in amazement as her cunt fucking gushes liquid all over me

Oh my god, she's squirting

I made her squirt

"Oh Mingi!", she shouts, continuing her bouncing as she squirts, the liquid flying everywhere

And I fucking love it

She squeezes my cock so hard, the bounces and watching her shoving over the edge

I'm hurtled into intense ecstasy as I hold her on my cock, coming into her warm sucking pussy

"Oh fuck, Mingi. Feels fucking good", she moans, rocking on my dick, prolonging the pleasure

When it's over, I look at her, amazed

That was the most pleasure I ever had

She smiles as she breathes in, then leans down, her mouth against mine in a sweet kiss

I smile before I kiss her back, my arms around her, holding her tightly

She touches my cheek as she kisses me, sending tingles down my spine

She leans her forehead against mine after the kiss, "I love you"

"I love you", I smile, pulling her down for another amazing kiss

Fuck I'm so happy, so glad I finally tried to say something to her because now she's mine

All mine

[screechthemighty]

...so it turns out the reason I misremembered writing three chapters is that. Chapter three was mostly ready. Anyways, sorry to the tag for all of this, I'm unwell.

the unknowable tomorrow | a tristamp fanfic part three: wolfwood

.

Of course, he regained full consciousness by way of his face meeting the floor. 

The barrage of curses that erupted from him would’ve earned him extra prayers and a harsh talking-to back at the orphanage. Wolfwood rolled onto his back, his hand clutching his nose. Bloodied but not broken, probably. It’d be just his luck if it was. 

As if today couldn’t get any worse.

The space was pretty small, so his shoulders kept hitting things as he tried to stand up. Something soft, then harder…clothes on hangers? Where was he, someone’s closet? How the shit was he in someone’s closet? His memories weren’t loading right: no details, nothing he could use anyway, just a sense that everything was wrong. He needed a drink. A smoke. Both at once, and twelve hours of sleep to cap it off. Wolfwood stepped forward until he hit a wall, then felt around until he found the door release. “Where the fuck is my gun…?” he growled as the door opened.

The room on the other side belonged to a kid.

He knew from the art plastered to the walls, the small bookshelf beneath, and the stuffed toys that sat guard along the top. He knew from the size of the bed, and he definitely knew from the size of its occupant: a towheaded little boy in white, maybe five at the oldest, frozen in place and staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.

Shit. Shit, I’m the boogeyman, aren’t I?

“...easy…”

“NAI!” shrieked the boy. A second figure abruptly sat up in the bed, or maybe a second bed right next to it. Another kid, same age, same…everything, really, far as Wolfwood could tell. “REM! NAI!”

The second boy’s eyes fixed on Wolfwood. They were confused at first too, frightened, but they quickly hardened into something fierce. There were at least two heavy-looking toys within arm’s reach, and almost every kid that age Wolfwood had ever met had a deceptively good arm. So when the second kid reached for one, he did the only logical thing: he ran like hell for the door.

Good thing, too, because one of those toys made impact with the doorframe hard enough to break it. Wolfwood slipped through even before the door had fully opened and kept running. Long corridors, clean metal walls, it looked like…Ship Three? Was this Ship Three? Had they pulled him out of the rubble of July and brought him back? No, they wouldn’t have shoved me in a closet if they had. Vash might think he’s funny, but he’s not that kind of funny.

Footsteps. People. Wolfwood ducked around a corner just in time to avoid being spotted. The crowd ran past–two figures in the same uniforms he’d seen on Ship Three, two more with weapons. Security, probably. He could hear voices down the hall. Someone was crying, probably the kid he’d spooked. Wolfwood winced. Sorry about that, bud.

He had to keep moving, but for a second, he was tempted to turn around. Something about that scene itched at his brain like a worm bite. It was…familiar. Not just the group sleep setting, the scattered toys, the one kid determined to protect his frightened brother. Not just that.

Nai. That name…

The realization hit just as the sound of footsteps started coming his way again. His feet moved instinctively, but his mind stayed stuck in place.

Nai.That’s what Vash called him. Not Millions Knives. Nai.

They’d had the same face. Twins. Brothers. Blue eyes on the one he’d frightened. Blue eyes he knew, just much younger.

I’ve lost it, Wolfwood decided as he ducked down another corner. I’ve lost my mind. There’s no way -

There was another tear in front of him.

The rest came back to him then. July City. Vash in a tank with Knives. Meryl being sucked away, and that voice calling out to him from the void on the other side. It was calling to him again. nico. nico. nico.

“Who are you?” Wolfwood growled. He stepped closer, bracing himself for that pull again. His coat flapped slightly as he approached, sucked towards the tear, but it was more a slight breeze than the sandstorm he’d remembered. “Huh? What the hell is this?”

nico!

The footsteps were getting close again. Which meant right now his choices were mystery voice in the void and armed security that would probably have uncomfortable questions.

Wolfwood chose the mystery voice, but he wasn’t happy about it.

“This had better not be a trap,” he snapped as he jumped in.

The void just kept calling his name.