#and then tried to make it seem like Josh was upset by it?? by taking an unrelated clip of him with his middle finger up as part of a bit

[tyrannosaurustexts]

do you ever see something that is just so incredibly wrong that you can’t even figure out where to start with correcting it

[sigma-alpha-writer-chad]

Grow Up, Would You? [Josh Washington]

“I don’t know if you’ve changed any since middle school but I really hope you’ve learned the difference between pranking somebody and just being a fucking bully.”

You can also find this story on Ao3!

Chapter Two / Chapter Three / Chapter Four

[CHAPTER THREE]

Italics = Events taking place prior to the "present day" of the story!

It had been a quiet day, so far. That morning was easily one of the best I'd had in who knew how long. Everybody had been leaving me alone. I was grateful for the peace and quiet, though I couldn't relax fully. Somebody had to be planning something. Despite the thoughts, I wanted to have a good day.

I really wanted to have one good day.

The cafeteria was big. Rows of long, rectangular tables were filled with middle schoolers chatting about their day and eating their lunches. Some had home packed lunches filled with goodies they could trade off for something better or in exchange for cheating off homework, and some children had the school lunch. It was pizza today. Square pies with cubes of pepperoni on them. Many people didn't like them but they were always one of my favorites.

I looked around me. I couldn't see anybody who would've wanted to pull something on me.

I couldn't see Josh.

It had been years since anyone else had done anything to me without him participating or sort of approving it. If he wasn't at school that day, I would be free for the day. It was the only explanation I had that day for the lack of terror I'd faced.

I stood in the line for the pizza and spotted my cousin, Chris, and his friend Ashley. I called for them, and they allowed a bunch of kids in front of them to move towards my spot in line.

"Hey, cousin," Chris greeted me. "Last year of lunch together, huh?" He was one year my senior, meaning next year he would be in high school, a building separate from mine. "Is that why you seem to be in such a good mood?"

"Yep, you keep saying," I responded as a grin grew across my face. "Poor Jordan, without her big cousin around. Whatever will the humble 8th grader-to-be do?"

"Celebrate?" Ashley chimed in. "No more Josh, right?" I smiled wider and nodded. Chris made a face at Ashley for bringing it up. He obviously wanted to say something, but didn't. We moved forward in the line.

"I can't wait to have some peace," I admitted. For a moment I wondered what it would be like. Would the teasing and pranks really stop, or would they just be exacted upon me by someone else? I shook the thoughts from my head, but not my smile.

"Josh isn't that bad," Chris defended. "He's my best friend. Why are you so mean about him?" My expression faltered slightly.

"Why is he so mean about me? Why are you always on Josh's side?" I retorted. "You're no better, really. You're just my less mean cousin." I crossed my arms. Day ruined. "I'm tired of always being the one who is upset and ruins everything when you guys are the ones who upset me in the first place." Chris's face turned red in embarrassment and frustration, and I could tell he felt guilty, as well. He pushed up his glasses.

"They're just jokes! It's not my fault you're just a cry baby 7th grader and nobody likes you." I frowned, hard, and my appetite was no longer.

"Where is this coming from?" I asked, tears brimming my eyes. Chris was always sensitive yet defensive in 8th grade, quick to bite if he felt cornered. I tried to remember what my mother had told me about when people are mean to you for no reason - that they feel bad about themselves. I could see Chris's expression drop when I started to cry. At that point, though, it'd meant nothing. Time and time again he or Josh or someone else would make me upset, he would feel bad as soon as I started to cry, and then do it again the next week.

I left the lunch line and made a beeline straight for my homeroom class. Mr. Brown would allow me to just sit at my desk during lunch if I'd wanted, so oftentimes that's what I did.

He greeted me as I entered, but said nothing else as I went to sit down. He was the only teacher who seemed to understand I didn't like to talk about the pranks pulled by my peers, especially because the school would do nothing about it anyways.

"Somebody left something for you in your desk," Mr. Brown said. His expression was soft and mildly worried, likely due to the obvious tears I had running down my face. "Should we look together?" My lips pressed into a thin line as I nodded and my heart rate picked up. He stood up and made his way towards me.

"Who left it?" I asked warily, standing up as to not be trapped if water sprayed out of the desk.

Again.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "They were in and out pretty fast. Had a hood up." He placed his left hand at the edge of my desk, where he could lift it up. "Ready?" I nodded, and he slowly lifted the desk.

It was a flower.

Mr. Brown and I stood completely still for a couple of seconds. I sniffled and slowly moved my hand away from my chest to reach for the white flower. It was a daisy. My favorite? Mr. Brown's eyebrows raised and gave way to an expression of delight as I picked up the daisy to show him.

"Is there a note?" He asked, peeking over the wooden top of my desk.

"Uhm..." I leaned forward to look back into the desk. There was a pink piece of paper folded about a million times to be as small as possible. This failed miserably, the paper being too thick to even stay closed. "Yeah, I think so." I took it out and observed the parchment.

"A secret admirer!" Mr. Brown gasped dramatically. It suddenly occured to me how nosey and curious my teacher was. My face grew hot as I opened up the pink letter. "What does it say?" I shot him a look. He put his hands up and backed away. "Ok, I get it." He teased and went back to his desk with a small smile on his face. I looked down at the pink note in my hands as my heart pounded in my chest. Was it really a secret admirer? Or another dumb prank?

The handwriting was atrocious.

'Jordan, I saw this flower outside and I thought it was pretty and maybe I heard one time it was your favorite so I picked it for you. Don't get the wrong idea because this isn't a secret admirer and nobody likes you that much, especially not me.'

I was taken aback by the note. What kind of a note was this? I thought back to one of the animes Chris likes that he'd made me watch. There was a really mean girl who was very mean to the boy she liked to hide her feelings. Was this the same? I furrowed my eyebrows in frustration, confusion, and flattery. I would have to show Chris later. I put the daisy inside the letter and waited for the day to be over.

---

Chris and I sit on the floor of my bedroom, chatting about his previous trips to the lodge and what it would be like.

"A lot of drinking. Like, so much. Josh and I usually pass out at least once," Chris babbles excitedly. Even though he seemed very hesitant at first, he'd quickly come around to my invite. "I'm actually really happy you're coming. The twins are stoked, y'know?" I smile at him, and he continues on. "They're the ones who started the idea. Everybody comes up and spends a few days at the lodge and we all just party. This will be the second or third year without parents though, I think."

"I feel like that's a safety hazard," I sigh, laying on my side and propping myself up with the palm of my hand. "What if someone gets hurt or goes missing?" Chris shrugs.

"Then we do what we can and we call the police," he states. I shrug as well. I wasn't satisfied with that answer, but I understood that no parents meant more freedom and fun for us young adults. I scoot a little closer to him, a mischievous smile creeping across my expression.

"So... No adults, at all?" Chris side eyes me suspiciously, not bothering to turn his head.

"No... Why?" I know he knows what I'm about to say.

"No reason, just... Y'know, Ashley." He smacks both of his hands over his face in embarrassment, his face growing redder by the second.

"Oh, my God, Jordan, not you too," he sighs in annoyance. "I really like Ashley, I really really do but can't we talk about anything else for once?" I smile wider and shrug.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Josh," My smile immediately fades. Chris shifts to match my position, laying his chin on his hand and laying on his side. "Let's talk about Josh."

"Why do you want to talk about Josh?" Chris has a small smile on his face as he shrugs, mocking my previous body language.

"I was surprised when he took you to the bathroom," he admits. He rolls over into his stomach, his jaw on both hands now as he kicked his feet behind him like a gossipping school girl. "Crazy, right?"

"Yeah, I think he was just high, though," I say, chewing my lip. I can feel the tips of my ears redden. "You saw how he acted immediately afterwards, didn't you? The daggers he was glaring when I got invited to the lodge were sharp, man." I raise my eyebrows and move to mirror Chris.

"Daggers... Of love." He wiggles his eyebrows and makes a kissy face. I roll my eyes so hard it hurts.

"Ok, you watch too many soap operas or something," I laugh. My cousin sighs and rolls his own eyes. "Would you stop copying me?"

"Would you stop copying me?" I go straight faced and stare at him, hitting my swinging feet on the ground with a thud. He does the same, and a staring contest ensues. I squint. There's no way I was losing this. Time slows down, but luckily for me, I could already see Chris's eyes begin to water. I'm tempted to reach for his glasses slowly and take them off his face when his phone rings and he instinctively looks away, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Technicality," he groans as he stands up.

"A technicality is still a win," I gloat. I roll over onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. "Who is it?"

"It's your boyfriend," Chris teases.

"My abusive boyfriend," I snort. "What does he want?" he puts his finger up in a gesture to wait as he answers the phone.

"Hey man, what's up?" I mouth to Chris telling him to put the phone on speaker. He glares at me and mouths 'nosey,' tapping himself on the nose. I sigh dramatically and wait. "Yeah, I'm just at Jordan's house... Uh huh. Yeah. No, I'm spending the day with -" Chris sighs in frustration. "I'll ask her." I perk up. "Do you want to get pizza with Josh?" my eyebrow raises in suspicion and look Chris up and down. He rolls his eyes. "He only wanted me to come but I told him I'm not leaving you and so he's extending the invitation."

"Does he promise to be nice?" Chris puts the phone on speaker.

"Josh, do you promise to be nice?" he asks. There's silence before Josh laughs. A smile tugs at my lips, though I'm not sure why.

"Yes, Chris, I promise to be nice to Jordan." Chris looks at me, waiting for my response.

"Fine," I sigh dramatically. Chris smiles and gives me a thumbs up.

"Niiice, see you soon." Josh hangs up. A silence hangs between Chris and I. He sets his phone down and looks at the ground, twiddling his thumbs as if he's nervous, like he's about to say something he shouldn't.

"He doesn't hate you, you know," he says. I look up at him, but he doesn't meet my gaze. "I'm... I'm sorry, for... betraying you so often when we were kids." This takes me by surprise. Chris had changed, being kinder to me as we grew older, but I never expected an apology.

"I forgive you, Chris," I smile and stand up, giving him a hug. He hugs me back tightly and he lets out a breath he had been holding. "Don't apologize for Josh, though. He's not sorry."

"Still, Jordan, I meant it," Chris takes a step back, putting his arms to my shoulders and bending down slightly to look me in the eyes. "He doesn't hate you." I didn't know what to say.

"Chris, I don't know what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything. Let's just go get pizza. It's within walking distance."

"But it's cold outside."

"You have a coat." I groan dramatically as we start to leave, grabbing my coat.

---------

Chris opens the door for me as we walk into the pizza joint Josh had told us to meet him at. It was a homey, diner-like place with booths lined up against the walls for seating, bar stools at the bar, and a few circular tables for larger parties. In front of the bar was a sign that read 'seat yourself.'

"Looks like we beat him here," Chris mumbles. "Where do you want to sit?"

"A booth, by the window." I answer, walking ahead of him to take a seat at an empty booth near the back. Chris sits across from me and I furrow my eyebrows.

"What?" He asks. I don't want to tell him I'm worried Josh might sit next to me, so I shake my head and tell him nothing. A waitress comes to the table and lays a menu down. "Oh, we'll be a minute, we're waiting on somebody."

"Okay, hon, sure thing," she winks at Chris as she walks away. Chris shrugs off his thick coat to fall around his waist.

"Bro she wants you so bad," I say. Chris sighs, but he's smiling. "Hubba hubba." It had been an inside joke since our teenage years that every waitress or waiter wanted him. Of course, they didn't usually wink.

"Dude, guaranteed wife." He says, running his fingers through his hair dramatically, shaking his head. Suddenly the seat next to mine sinks, someone taking a seat next to me. Chris's eyebrow twitches in surprise and amusement.

"Hey, fellas," Josh grins, rubbing his hands together. "Pizza time? Did you guys order?"

"No, we waited for you, dude," Chris says. "I'm thinking just pepperoni, personally."

"Can we add some bacon on this bad boy?" Chris agrees, and both he and Josh look to me for an answer. I glance at Josh, who is staring at me rather intensely and gulp.

"Yeah, that sounds good." I smile. Josh tilts his head as if to see my face better and I feel my face grows warm with confusion and embarrassment. I ignore him, though I can tell he notices my flustered state by his wicked grin. I look at my cousin across the table, and his expression is that of surprise and curiosity. The waitress comes back, and we order.

Josh and Chris talk about the lodge. Past years, plans for this one. I feel a tinge of nerves and excitement. Everyone included talks so much about it, I don't know if I've ever done anything so hyped up. I'd never been to any huge events before, nor small, fun sleepovers with anyone other than Chris.

"So, Jordan," Josh snaps me out of my thoughts, bumping into me with his shoulder. I look at Josh, keeping my head tilted down shyly as I look up at him. He looks back at me, and I can see something in his expression I can't quite name. "Do you drink, or are you lame in that aspect, too?" He laughs and bumps me again. I frown.

"It's not my thing. I don't like being... Compromised?" I furrow my eyebrows, trying to find the words to explain myself. "I don't... I don't want there to be any opportunity for me to be taken advantage of in any way." There's many meanings to this for me. Someone could easily pull a cruel joke on me, film me vomiting and post it online, take me to the bedroom. Josh's smile fades.

"Is there anyone in particular you don't feel safe around?" He asks. I see Chris's eyebrows raised in surprise as he listens in, his eyes moving between Josh and I quickly as if anticipating what would come next. I'm surprised, too.

"What do you mean?" I ask, shifting in my seat uncomfortably.

"If someone is making you feel unsafe they're not invited." Josh states. His eyes are widened slightly and He's staring at me with an intensity I've never seen before. He's dead serious. I scan his face quickly. "Just say the word, Jordan, and it's done." I gulp.

"I-"

"Here you go, kids. Pepperoni and bacon, fresh out the oven! Be careful not to burn yourselves," the waitress says. She's very peppy and beautiful, a heavyset woman with curly brown hair draped over her shoulders and lipstick that was much too red for most, but perfect for her. We offer our thanks as she walks away. I glance back at Josh, who seems to have completely forgotten the intensity he was just showing me at the mention of my discomfort. Chris looks just as surprised as I am.

The pizza looks and smells amazing. The pepperoni was still sizzling, the grease popping. Chris, Josh and I are drooling and I realize just how hungry I was. It seemed torturous now to have to wait for it to cool down to avoid injury.

"Anyways, Jordan," Josh starts. I look at him again. "You don't have to drink, or whatever, even if it does accentuate your... your lameness." I frown again. "But no matter what, if anyone makes you feel unsafe please let me know... I've got no tolerance for that sort of thing."

"Do you promise not to prank me over the trip?" I ask, moving so that my body is facing him as much as it can in the booth. He does the same, straightening his posture as our knees touch. He doesn't move away from me.

"What?"

"Because that's my biggest concern, Josh, honestly," I admit. He seems taken back, glancing at Chris as if for help. "I don't want to wake up with my mattress in the woods or with a snake in my bed or rats in my coat pockets." I try to sound stern. Josh makes eye contact with me and doesn't look away. I almost shy away, but I hold. His eyes scan my face, for what I'm not sure. But it makes me nervous.

"Guys, you're freaking me out," Chris gulps. "Can we please just eat the pizza?" Josh's lips form a thin, straight line and he sighs, finally looking away from me.

"If it would make you feel safer and more comfortable and have more fun," Josh starts, placing his right hand over his heart and raising his left. "I will not pull a single prank on you." Chris's jaw drops. I open my own mouth to say something, and Josh puts some pizza into my mouth. It was hot, but just cooled down enough to eat. "Now eat." His face is darker, a light red dusting his cheeks. As I take the pizza from Josh, Chris and I lock wide eyes, the both of us shocked.

"Thank you," I say. Josh shrugs, his expression one of frustration and mild embarrassment.

"Yeah, whatever. Don't think too much into it," he sighs, his head turned away from me in an attempt to hide his expression. "Just don't want you to freak out and ruin the mood for everybody else." Instead of my normal frown, I smile to myself. This time, I had the feeling that he really was just trying to hide that he cared about me just a little bit - even if it was solely because I was his best friend's cousin. The number one sign that this was the case was still evident as I glanced under the table at my thighs.

Our knees were still touching.

-----------

Hey y'all, thanks for your patience waiting for the update. I work a LOT and on my one day off I'm busy, too. I try to have at least 3k words per chapter, so it takes a bit longer. Anyways, thank you!

Taglist: @sc4rrc @mattymxmo @cellyx33 @jenepleurepasbaby @kalynnjonas @spinback-kiva @frankcastlesvest

[left4dead4everr]

hiii! I was wondering if you’d be willing to write some yandere Josh Washington x gn!reader headcannons?

Like what attracted him to them, how he gets closer, creepy tendencies of his, etc etc

maybe how it changes before and after his sisters go missing?? Or just after, whichever you like!

Thank you so muchhh!!

Yandere!Josh Washington hcs

Pairings | Yandere!Joshua "Josh" Washington x GN! reader hcs

Game | Until Dawn

A/n | oh, I'm more than willing! Thank you so much for the ask! Honestly, Josh, as a yandere, is something I absolutely LOVE! I will say this one part gets a tiny bit suggestive, so fair warning for that x

-Oh, where to begin with josh

-Let's start with how he was before his sisters went missing

-Ever since he met you in his psychology class, he had a massive crush on you. Falling in love with how you think, act, your humor, all of you. Everything about you caught his attention and gave him something to look forward to throughout his day.

-Once you two became friends, you were inseparable! Practically attached at the hip!

-Eventually, Josh brought you to meet his other friends and even his sisters, beth and hannah, inviting all of you to the anual blackwood getaway!

-All of you quickly got close, which Josh loved. He wanted you to bond with his family and friends. He wanted you to become more a part of his life than you already were

-Well, he wanted that until one day, Mike took a chance to hit on you while hanging out. The moment he heard him talking to you in such a way, he felt jealous, a pang in his heart that he didn't quite understand.

-For a little while, he actually felt bad for feeling jealous. I mean, you two weren't together, so what should it matter to him..?

-From that day forward, he'd try to get you as far away from Mike or anyone who would flirt with you while still trying to make it seem as if he wasn't doing a thing

-To say he's in love with you is really an understatement.. He's infatuated with you. Somehow, some way, you managed to sneak into his mind and infect it. All he could think about was you, how you were, who you were talking too it was all so much for him and he didn't want to tell you what he was feeling I mean you'd totally think he was a creep

-So, for a while, he kept things casual. He kept acting as if he had just seen you as a friend, but behind that was something more;

-He had picked up these small..habits of following you around the campus of the collage you both went to. He'd watch you intently when you weren't looking. Scanning up and down your body practically undressing you and thinking about what it would feel like to have you all to himself, your bodies close together, he'd even take pictures of you while you weren't looking

-Part of him is ashamed, but that part he tried to keep dead silent.

-Now as..tame..as he was then after his sisters went missing things got so much worse

-You were there for him after the news of what happened got out. You were caring, loving, and oh so kind. That was your first mistake.

-After days of being taken care of by you, having you by his side nearly 24/7, and being checked up on by him, his infatuation grew into obsession.

-Just as you plauged his mind before, you did it again. This time, you were the only thing he could think about at all times. No one else mattered. You cared for him and loved him. You were obviously saying you were his.

-Whenever you would try to leave his house because you had work or classes or even just had things to do in your personal life, he'd get upset. Did you not love him enough? Do you not care for him? Maybe you just want him to rot away alone after losing his sisters. Why were you trying to leave him?

-His behavior got increasingly worse. Screw trying to hide his feelings for you, he made it clear he loved you. He was infatuated with you..24/7 love bombing always came from his side. Somehow, some way that led to you and him being together.

-When he wasn't telling you how much he loved you, needed you, cared for you, and showering you in compliments to the point it made you feel as if you were suffocating he often would guilt you if you tried leaving the house without him or do anything without him really. throwing himself in your arms and sobbing, muttering things about how he couldn't live without you, and at a certain point, he fully convinced himself that was true.

-Constantly he is at your side, he just wants to show his love. It's not like you're trapped or anything but if you go out he goes with you..if you talk to someone he find out who they are and all of their personal information just incase they get too close and well if they did, they'd be in for a rude. Rude. Awakening.

-Ignore how you haven't seen them in weeks! I'm sure their fine!

-Josh is just doing what he can to keep you in his life. To show you he loves you and you love him..right?

[builtbykittie]

Electrified

S.F.K x f!reader

Summary: Escaping an uncomfortable situation at a party, you frantically look for your best friend, just to find he was also searching for you.

Warnings: 18+ per usual, alcohol consumption, SMUT, semi public sex, unprotected sex (y'all know better), this is literally just porn... nothing too crazy.

Words: nearly 4.5k

A/N: Ugh another Sam friends to lovers? Yes. This is a Taylor Swift inspired fic🥰. Every time I hear this song, I think of Sammy (despite the fact he hates pop music) So I finally wrote about it, enjoy! (Disclaimer I literally didn't edit this much at all & I'm so sorry)

.

"Who are you trying to impress," Sam's eyes trace the shape of your body before looking back to the road. "Nobody," you fix the length of your dress in the passenger seat. "Why? You worried someone might try to take me home?" you smirk.

"Pfft, no," he rolls his eyes, thumbs drumming to the beat of the rock song piercing through your ears. "Then why do you care," you bicker with him as if you're siblings, trying to get each other as annoyed and worked up as possible.

The truth is, you couldn't care less if anyone else saw you. You only wanted Sam to see you, for some stupid reason. Sam is your best friend, and has been for years, so why would you even try to impress him? For the same reason everybody else tries to impress their person of choice, of course.

"Oh thank god. I'm saved!" Sam snickers as he pulls into his brother's crowded driveway. You giggle and roll your eyes "Sam you know I don't like parties, you're gonna have to deal with me eventually tonight."

"Yeah, well, I'm saved for now," he playfully grabs your knee and gives it a shake before pulling his seatbelt away from his body. "Oh shut up, you know you would gladly argue with me for hours," you unbuckle your own seatbelt, pushing the door open with your heel.

Sam helps you down from the passenger's seat, his large hand hovering over the small of your back, then gently grabbing your waist as you slip out of the seat until your heels touch the ground. "You got me," he grins. It's simple touches like these that keep you on your toes, a wave of electricity flowing through your body every. single. time.

You look around at the countless cars lined up in front of Josh's house, starting to grow anxious. "I'll be in there the whole time. If anything happens, just find me," Sam pats your back and gestures for you to follow him into his brother's house.

All you really want is to stay in and watch movies, but Sam wouldn't dare to miss his big brother's party, and you don't blame him.

Sam parts ways with you within just minutes of being in the house, instantly going to mingle with any person who catches his attention. You grow a little jealous, not just of the other people getting his attention but also of his social skills. You wish you could make conversation with people as effortlessly as he could, but instead, you hunt for any person you're relatively close with.

"Y/N!" You hear your name being called by a voice you could recognize from miles away. "Jake?" You locate him in just seconds, walking over and pulling him into a side hug. "You here with Sam?" Jake looks around for any sight of his younger brother.

"Yeah. He left me as soon as we got through the door," you smile, swinging your arm through the air as if to swat away a pesky fly. "Yeah.. Sam's an asshole," he laughs, but he can't seem to mask the look of concern playing on his features.

The unbearable sounds of Sam shouting with others only seem to make you more upset. You should be happy that your best friend can have fun and be himself, but it all just gets caught up in a fit of jealousy. "You don't need to worry about me. Do you know where Josh is?" You look around, having not seen Josh once at his own party.

"Hm, downstairs maybe. You know how Josh is, he's just trying to converse with everyone," you nod your head, giggling as you picture his adorable self going around to every single person here and making them feel welcome.

"Well, I'm gonna go look for him. I'll see you later," you wave, squeezing through and dodging everyone till you reach the stairs. There he is, his slim figure facing away from you as he talks to someone at the bottom of the stairs. You wait there only for a few seconds until Josh discovers you himself, swiftly making his way up the stairs "Y/N! When did you get here? Where's Sam?"

"There he is! We didn't show up too long ago. And Sam's gotta be around here somewhere." Josh pulls you into an embrace, stepping back and complimenting your dress. "Thanks, Sam didn't like it," you giggle "I gotta say, you always have the best parties. You truly are a man of many talents."

You and Josh are rudely interrupted by a woman's voice shouting your name, followed by a cold hand wrapping around your arm. Your brows furrow, giving Josh a puzzled look before turning around to meet eyes with a girl you knew, but not well enough.

She's obviously wasted, her eyes bloodshot, her skin a deep shade of crimson, not to mention the fact you can hardly understand her "I haven't seen you in forever!" You avoid any physical contact, lest she spills her drink on your brand new dress you'd spent all afternoon staring at yourself in. "Hey, Jen. Been a while, huh?" There's no doubt in your mind that this conversation would be 100% less painful if you had something in your system, but you were completely sober.

"Let me get you a drink," she pats your shoulder and gestures toward the counter that is littered with countless alcohol bottles, empty and full. It's as if she read your mind. You let out a sigh of relief, turning back to Josh but he's not there, and now you're surrounded by people you'd rather not be around.

Normally you wouldn't take a drink made by someone else, but these are Josh's friends, and Jen was 100% a girls girl. "Thank you," you take the drink from her hand, awkwardly sipping off the red solo cup filled with what tastes like a mix of vodka and cherry juice.

"We're playing games in the living room, you should come join," Jen grabs you, pulling you in the direction of the living room before you can even say anything.

"Oh no, I'm so bad at games, I'll just embarrass myself," you whine, but letting her drag you into the room of people nonetheless. "Not skill games, silly!" She points at everyone sitting in a circle, familiar faces looking up and insisting you to sit. It all feels so childish, like a bunch of high schoolers that got ahold of their parent's alcohol, playing games to get a rise out of each other.

You find Jake in the circle as well, a defeated smile on his face as he shrugs in your direction. "Fine," everyone cheers, scooting over to make room for you and the dark-haired girl next to you. Jake is sitting straight across from you, his sweet brown eyes calming you down and silently telling you to relax, to have fun.

You're not sure when, but at some point, the questions being asked have taken a sharp turn from being embarrassing yet harmless, to being strictly about the sex lives of everyone in the circle.

All color drains from your face as the bottle slows down, pointing straight at you. You already know the question is gonna be about you and Sam, it always is.

"Have you hooked up with Sammy yet? What's he like in bed?"

"I haven't... which is a surprise considering he'll take any girl home," you fail to hide the venom and jealousy that has laced your voice, everyone giggling and "ooh" ing like little children. "Just spin the damn bottle. I don't wanna hear about Sam's sex life anymore," Jake saves you from any more invasive questions, sending a wink in your direction.

You sit miserably through a couple more rounds and a few more drinks, the constant discussion of sex reminding you that you haven't gotten off in a while. You've been so busy for the past few days, you'd completely forgotten how long you've gone without a good orgasm.

Wetness in your panties becomes evident to you as you adjust your position. For every minute you sit there, the anticipation grows, your heart pounding and your hands trembling as you absent-mindedly search for Sam every other second. Your mind sifts through every possible affair, unsure of how to fix your problem. Do you relieve yourself in Josh's bathroom? Look for someone to go home with?

Finally, you stand up, your legs beginning to carry you away from the circle before your brain can even make a decision. "Excuse me," you ignore everyone's stares and questions, moving through the house as if you're on autopilot mode.

You still don't know where you're going, but when you find yourself subconsciously searching for Sam's face, it becomes apparent what you truly want. Now you're frantic, plowing through people and shamelessly calling his name. You're in a daze as you search every corner of Josh's house, not paying any care to how beside yourself you may look or how desperate you may sound to lingering guests.

Turning the corner to yet another crowded room, you run into someone's chest, exhilaration coursing through your veins and what's left of your inhibitions melting away as you realize it's Sam.

"Sam! I was looking everywhere for you!" you basically throw yourself onto him, smoothing your palms over his chest. "I was looking for you," his tone is sexy, hypnotizing sultry brown eyes stare into yours. You don't know if it's just the drinks, but there's a specific energy radiating off of Sam's warm body. If you stand there for long enough, breathing him in, you're sure that it will get you high.

An overwhelming feeling takes complete control over you, lifting yourself slightly to whisper in his ear "I need you, Sam." You shock yourself, unsure where your sudden bluntness came from.

You watch Sam's eyes widen and feel his chest rise and fall underneath your hands, his body growing unbelievably hot.

Sam's breath significantly picks up as you cup his face, rubbing your thumb across the warm surface. You back him into a dark part of the room, starting to press kisses against his neck.

He looks around in a panic, but luckily no one is looking "Y/N, we're leaving. Now." His lanky fingers wrap around your wrist, and he begins to pull you through the house, nearly running.

You both are far too turned on to say goodbye to anyone or pay attention to comments people make as you pass by. But to your misfortune, Josh stops you.

"Hey! Are you two leaving already?" Josh quirks an eyebrow as he notices something on Sam's neck, a smirk playing on his lips after connecting the dots. "Uh, yeah," Sam searches for an excuse "You know how she is with parties." Sam lifts your arm as you awkwardly smile beside him.

"Okay, well, it was really nice to see you. Enjoy yourselves," Josh doesn't pull you in for a hug like he normally would, instead just sending you on your way. His smug tone and grin would normally send you into a panic, but right now you couldn't care less about anything other than Sam.

You hope to make a beeline straight out the door, but you're stopped by yet another Kiszka brother and Daniel by his side.

"There you are. Leaving?" Jake's eyes flick down to the same spot Josh noticed, now you're curious. Sam nods "She's not feeling great and I'm her ride." Jake snickers and taps Danny with his elbow, a crooked smile growing on his face "I'm sure you are."

"Oh fuck off. Are you gonna let us leave?" Sam doesn't even try to act calm, the more you stand the more the anticipation builds. "You can't stay just a little longer?" Danny smirks, Jake bringing his hands up to rest on his hips.

"No," now you're incredibly impatient and unable to stand still as your arousal soaks your panties "I really don't feel good." "Awh... Well.. you heard the girl," Jake laughs through his words, sending a jab to Danny's side with his elbow. Danny slings his arm over Jake's shoulder as they begin to take steps backward "see ya!"

"Fuck. Finally," Sam breathes, and you look over to him, your lipstick painted all over his neck. "Sam," you whisper, but he's too distracted to hear it, or anything anyone is saying. Suddenly, the room erupts with hollers as Sam shoves you through the door.

"Sam, they all know," you whine, reaching a hand up to massage his scalp as he pulls you into his side. "Good," he pulls his keys from his pocket, unlocking the car and practically running to it. Sam walks around to the driver's side, and that's when you realize you can't wait any longer.

"Sam," you drop your head, fully aware of how desperate you've become. "What baby?" He opens the door, a smug grin pulling on his cheeks. "Sam I- I can't... I need you."

"I thought you'd say that," he snickers, slamming the door shut and pulling the door to the back seat open. You waste no time sending the door flying open and crawling in, locking the door behind you.

Your lips instantly find his, your teeth clashing into each other's as you smash your lips together. "What were you thinking?" Sam sucks in a breath as he backs you toward the door and hovers over you. Before you can respond he starts again "I mean seriously. Wearing this tiny fucking dress. Kissing me in front of those people. Getting me all worked up."

A whiney moan escapes your mouth as he lifts the hem of your dress, his cold fingertips grazing the skin of your upper thigh. "I knew you'd like it," you confess in a moan, lifting your hands and tangling them in his hair, pulling him into you.

Suddenly, he violently pulls the silk black fabric above your head. Your words obviously sparked a fire in him, a vicious one nobody could put out. Sam's fingers rake over your thighs then up to your unclothed breasts, groaning at the sight "You knew full well what you were doing dressed like this."

Sam takes your nipple in his mouth before releasing it with a pop and sucking a bruise to the swell of your breast. "So what if I did, Sammy?" You moan, arching your back into him. You reach down and cup his bulge, palming him as a devilish grin grows on your face.

"Then I'll just have to fuck you until you can't see straight." With that, he begins to trail kisses down your breasts to your navel, his finger drawing lines across your skin so close to where you desperately need his touch.

"Sam, please," you whine, back arching up into his touch as he kisses along the band of your panties. Your pleads are met with a sick laughter against your tummy "you're so needy, you know that?"

You couldn't roll your eyes back further in your head, trying your very hardest to not reach down and pull your panties off yourself. "You can't act like you don't need it just as bad, Sam. I know how bad you want to fuck me," you moan, knowing it'd set off something in him.

You were right, because without warning he swiftly pulls the tiny piece of lace fabric down your legs, leaving you completely naked. "Jesus, you're eager, huh?" Sam hums and brings his lips to your tummy, sucking the skin into his mouth before lapping at the raw skin with his tongue.

"You just can't admit it huh Sammy? You can't admit that I'm right?" You try to get him as worked up as you possibly can, your body rolling into his touch. "Wow. You're right, Y/N. I'm just dying to feel you," he rolls his eyes dramatically, but he's far from lying.

Slowly and painfully, Sam makes a line of kisses down from your navel to the very top of your heat. "Please.." is all you can muster up and your eyes clamp shut in anticipation, just waiting for him to do something, anything.

"Now you're being nice? What happened to the bratty girl who was here just a second ago?" Your breath hitches in your throat as you feel his hot breath against your core. "Sam, stop. Plea-" you're unable to finish your sentence when he suddenly points his tongue, dragging it through your arousal drenched folds.

You suck in a choked gasp, involuntarily pushing yourself against Sam's face, earning a hum against your heat. The vibration sends a shock through your body, your hands mindlessly flying to his hair "oh Sam..."

His tongue quickly warmed up to you, it was as if he already knew your body. Without warning, Sam shoves a finger in you, hitting a sweet spot as he does so. "Sam.. I can- I'm almost-" you're interrupted by your own moan as he pushes another finger in, instantly curling up.

Sam lifts his head to look you in the eye, stopping his movement causing you to whine at the loss of contact "can you do one more?" You're a bit taken back by the question "I- I don't know... Nobody's ever..."

"I know you can," he presses a peck to your clit and slowly slides in a third, stretching you out in a way you've never experienced before. "Oh- oh my god.. Sam,"

"Good girl... You're so tight around my fingers, baby. Are you close?" All you can muster up is a weak nod and a hum, pushing yourself down onto his fingers further. You find yourself holding your breath, a moan ripping through your chest as he presses the flat of his tongue against your clit.

You take the opportunity to grind against his tongue, your hips beginning to shake and your thighs burn when you feel your orgasm approach. Your movements significantly quicken, relentlessly grinding and pushing yourself against Sam's tongue as he viciously rams his fingers into you.

Within a matter of seconds, the burning pleasure flows through your entire body, your eyes shut so tightly you might need to pry them open as you mutter his name over and over.

"Fuck, Y/N," Sam breathlessly snickers, slowly pulling his fingers from you and rubbing the slick all around your core. He returns to hover over you, bringing his face down to your ear "you know... A couple girls tried to take me home.. but I was looking for you, Y/N."

Your eyes widen in confusion and you nod your head, silently telling him to continue. "I couldn't stop thinking about you.. that dress.. your body. I needed you. Only you," he takes the shell of your ear in between his teeth, gently biting down.

The confession sends a shiver down your spine and your mouth falls open once he finds a sensitive spot behind your ear. You reach up and push his head against your neck, you can basically hear your heartbeat in your ears as he continues to nip at and place open mouth kisses to your neck.

"I thought you didn't like the dress," you smirk, your other arm reaches down, desperately trying to find what you need so bad. "So greedy... you're not satisfied with just these?" Sam teases, dragging his fingers through your heat.

"Sam, stop," you moan, your body jolting at the touch. Another wicked snicker leaves his lips as he presses his clothed bulge to your core "that attitude isn't gonna get you anywhere, doll. Ask nicely."

As much as you hate it, you're ready to accept defeat. "Please, Sam. I need you. Please... give it to me," you whine, grinding up against his bulge. An animalistic groan bubbles up from from his chest as he props himself up with one hand, the other fumbling with his button.

"Need help with that?" You giggle, watching as he fails to swiftly undo his jeans. You don't let him respond, his head dips down to rest in the crook of your neck as you reach to finish the task yourself.

Within just seconds you get his button undone and his zipper down, pushing them to his knees and instantly cupping his erection. Suddenly, you start to process just exactly what is happening.

He lifts his head and you look into his gorgeous brown eyes, yours widening as you take in every feature of his face lit by the moonlight. "What is it baby? You nervous?" He smiles at you, his hands running down your body, squeezing painfully at your thighs.

"Well I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, Sammy," you confess, and his face softens, the devious smile that played on his lips visually turning into a fond grin.

"Oh, Y/N. There's no need to be nervous, I promise," he brings his head back down to softly kiss your lips, but you had something else in mind. You take the opportunity to palm him through his boxers, eliciting a desperate groan from him. You can tell he's been holding back, and it's painful.

You bite his lip as he pulls back, every ounce of doubt or anxiety draining from your body. "Tell me, pretty," he pushes his boxers past his hips, his unbelievably hard cock springing free. "You knew I'd like that dress?"

If you're being honest, you completely forgot you had even said that, but it's obvious he'd been working himself into a frenzy over it. "Sammy.. I wore it for you," you drag your fingers over his body, his breath hitching in his throat as you draw a line down his length with your fingertip.

"I wore it because I thought.. I don't know.. it'd turn you on..." You trail off, looking away from him and suddenly hyper-aware of your naked body. "Well it worked, didn't it?" He giggles, grabbing your face and forcing you to look at him "does this mean you've wanted to fuck me before tonight?"

"Well... I mean yeah," you reach down, grasping the base of his cock "are we just gonna lay here and have a conversation or do you want to fuck me, Sam?" A shocked look plays on his face which quickly morphs into a sinister smile "you're feisty."

You grasp the back of his neck, bringing him close to you and sucking on the skin behind his ear as you slowly stroke his cock. "God- damnit Y/N," Sam groans as he involuntarily fucks himself into your hand.

Just as he juts his hips to fuck himself into your hand, you move it, and push him down to be lined up with your dripping entrance. "Fuck me until I can't see straight, Sam," you whisper lowly into his ear, granting him permission to enter you.

"Oh fuck," he groans, your own noises mirroring his as he stretches you out so slow that the sting could become almost too much for you. You arm instinctively flies over his back, pushing him down closer to you "oh my god."

Within just a matter of seconds he begins to roll his hips, snapping them into the meat of your thigh and hitting a sweet spot just right. The moan that tumbles past your lips could disturb the entire first floor of the party still very alive and just feet away from you and Sam.

"Yeah you like that?" He punctuates his words with another sharp thrust, followed by a slow, languid thrust. "Mhm.." your eyebrows knit together, unable to form words as he keeps up this intoxicating pattern.

Your mind grows foggy, your only thoughts consisting strictly of Sam. "M- more," you whine and reach down to unbutton his shirt, desperate to feel his skin on yours.

"More? Are you sure you want that?" Sam struggles to form his own sentence as you clench and quiver around him. You nod your head frantically, pulling his chest down onto yours and arching your back up into him.

The slight change in position allowed Sam to go even deeper, the new leverage giving you everything you needed. "Oh Sam.. right there.. oh," you cry, clawing his back.

He feels too good

He hits an especially sensitive spot with a particularly rough thrust, a shocking wave of electricity flowing through your body. "Holy- holy shit..." you all but shriek, and you violently throw your head back, crashing into the door behind you.

"Woah- you okay?" Sam's movements never falter, keeping that same pattern. "Yes, Sam. Just keep- keep fucking me," you finally get the full sentence out after what feels like forever, and you know you're not going to last much longer.

You try to warn him, but your pathetic attempts to form words fail miserably. "Shit Y/N... you're so-" he interrupts himself with a guttural groan as his own orgasm to approaches.

Just as you requested and he promised, what was left of your vision completely fades away and you no longer fight to keep your eyes open.

Suddenly, fiery white pleasure viciously burns through your body and you're sure you've never felt anything like this before as you cry out his name over and over and over. "Shit. Shit shit shit," Sam's pleasure takes over his mind and you feel his hot release spurt inside you.

You're unsure just how much time has passed, but it's enough to bring you back down to earth. "Sam? You still with me?" You giggle, rubbing his back as you half expect him to be asleep.

"I'm here," he breathes, a wave of melancholy taking over your mind as you realize it's over. "I'm gonna pull out love, you ready?" All you can do is nod, clamping your eyes shut and preparing yourself. You bite back a whimper as he pulls from you, a mix of your juices dripping down your leg.

The last thing you'd expect is Sam going down and licking the mess up. A sharp, yet intoxicating feeling shocking your body as he licks through your folds and over you overstimulated clit.

"Think you could go another round?" You whisper, untangling his sweaty hair. His head shoots up to meet your eyes, a sinister grin playing over his features "go get in the front... We're going home."

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[hearts-hunger]

Read on AO3 | Masterlist | Taglist Form

Summary: For Josh, home is where you are. | Standalone in the Cabin Fever universe

Pairings: Josh x Wife! Reader (Josh POV) | Genres: domestic fluff, angst, hurt/comfort | Word Count: 3k | Warnings: a little mention of spice

A/N: I loved Josh's most recent insta caption about the stage being his ethereal living room he gets to share with us, but I also love hurt/comfort, so I made it angsty and fluffy for Josh and Baby. I hope you like it! ♡

“The stage is your ‘ethereal living room’?”

Josh looked up from the charcuterie board he was meticulously arranging to see you on your phone, presumably scrolling through the concert pictures he’d posted half an hour ago. He smiled.

“Yeah, you know.” He tapped a row of crackers into line until they were perfect. “The shows are a place where people come together to enjoy each other’s company. Somewhere that feels like home.”

You didn’t say anything. He glanced up at you again.

“Ethereal means — ”

“I know what ethereal means, Josh.” Your face went pink. “It’s just not usually a word you use to describe a living room.”

He was a little surprised at your tone; it bordered on sounding upset, but maybe that was just because he’d embarrassed you, though he certainly hadn’t meant to.

“I was just trying to help, baby,” he said gently. He tried for some humor. “And you’re right, it’s not usually a word you’d use to describe a living room. Definitely not our living room in the state it’s been in lately.”

That had the opposite of the intended effect, and he wished he could take it back when your face fell. “You don’t think it’s ready for tonight?”

“No, no,” he said quickly. “It’s ready now. Everything looks great. I just meant that we haven’t been as good about tidying every night, so it’s been a wreck recently.”

“Right,” you said, but it was doubtful and tense. “Well, I tried to get most of it done while you were at work — ”

“I know, baby.” He felt that he’d botched this conversation pretty badly, but you also seemed much more sensitive than you usually were. “It was a huge help, and I’m grateful that you did most of the cleaning when we made the mess together.”

“I didn’t make it quite as ethereal as a concert, though,” you said, and your laugh was a little strained.

He wondered at your fixation on the wording of his caption, but maybe you were trying to make it into a running joke.

“The Kiszkas wouldn’t know what to do with a living room too perfect for this world,” he teased. He set the board on the other side of the island and went hunting for the wine glasses. “Could you grab me the corkscrew, honey?”

You did as he said, but there was a pensiveness to your body language that made him worry. You’d been in a great mood all day, his happy bubbly girl, spending the day shopping and tidying and preparing for the dinner party you were hosting. Jake, Sparrow, Sam, and Danny were due to arrive any time now, and Josh had thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you after work getting your home ready for your family. He didn’t know what had brought on this sudden change in mood, and he racked his brain for what could have caused it and what he could do to fix it.

“Dessert smells really good,” he said sincerely. “Did you end up putting the strawberries in there too?”

You handed him the corkscrew and stood uneasily as he opened the Riesling, toying with the sleeve of your pretty dress.

“No,” you said quietly. “It’s just regular blackberry cobbler. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

A frown tugged at his features. “I don’t,” he said. He popped the cork out.  “Of course I don’t mind. That sounds great, honey.”

“It’s not very exciting,” you said apologetically.

He didn’t know where this was going. Surely you weren’t upset about the dessert you’d made, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what you really were upset about. He decided to stick with his usual strategy, which was mostly just continuing to be sweet to you. 

“I don’t need exciting, baby,” he said, kissing your cheek. “It’ll be perfect. I can’t wait to try it.”

Working together, but without your usual quips and jokes back and forth, you and Josh put the finishing touches on dinner before the doorbell rang. Josh put his dishtowel over his shoulder and went to welcome your guests in, and he was happy that you joined him.

“You look beautiful, baby,” he said. “I love that dress on you.”

You touched a hand to the neckline of your summery black dress patterned with little red cherries. “Oh, well, it’s only a sundress. But... thank you.” The usual enthusiastic enjoyment of his compliments he loved hearing was nowhere in your voice. He wished he could wait to open the door and ask what was bothering you, but the doorbell was now accompanied by rhythmic knocking the type of which only a drummer could deliver. 

“I’m telling you,” Josh said, trying one last-ditch attempt to coax a smile out of you. “This ethereal living room business — it’s better if it’s just our plain old living room with these hooligans.”

The smile you gave him was clearly only for his sake, not even reaching your eyes. Discouraged and unable to stall any longer, he turned the door handle. 

“I didn’t mean to push this on you,” you blurted. Your expression was anxious and regretful. “I’m sorry, Josh.”

By the time he’d processed what you’d said, the door was already open, and your family was coming inside full of laughter and bearing gifts of wine and appetizers and card games to play. He wanted to jump right into the festive atmosphere his brothers and sister-in-law brought with them, but he was completely preoccupied by your blurted-out apology for... what? What could you have to be sorry for? He looked across the foyer and felt his heart twist when he saw your strained smile as you welcomed your family inside.

“Alright, Kiszkas,” he said with more levity than he felt. He ushered everyone into the living room, pointing out the drinks and snacks on the kitchen island. “Eat, drink, and be merry. Dinner’s almost ready.” 

He asked Danny to watch the sauce simmering on the back of the stove, wanting to try and get a moment with you before dinner. He left Sparrow and his brothers chatting and snacking in the kitchen and found you in the dining room, double-checking the place settings you’d already made perfect an hour before.

“Baby,” he said gently. “What did you mean, you’re sorry for ‘pushing this on me’? Did you mean dinner?”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “I should have asked you before I planned it.”

He leaned against the doorframe. “You did ask me. Didn’t you?”

“I don’t think so,” you said sheepishly. “I think I just told you I was doing it, and you went along with it.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t mind,” he said sincerely. “I’m glad you planned it.” He debated giving you space or pressing a little deeper, and he risked the latter. He came around the table to the side where you stood.

“I’m glad we’re all spending time together,” he said. He took your hands in his. “I’d like to enjoy it with you, too, but I wouldn't be happy if you were unhappy.”

“I’m not unhappy,” you lied.

“Baby,” he chided tenderly. “You’ve been out of sorts for a little bit now, and I want to help you get back into sorts. I just don’t know how.”

You looked up at him. “Are you sure you’re happy with... all this?”

He raised a brow. “Dinner? Or, like, the universe as a whole?”

You sighed. “No, I mean... do you like being home? Maybe it’s a little lackluster after touring.”

“That could not be farther from the truth,” he said, without a moment’s hesitation. Was that all that was bothering you? 

“Silly girl,” he said with a smile. “Of course I like being home. I love being home.”

“But it’s... it’s just... me,” you said lamely. “Just our house.”

“I’m still not seeing a problem,” he said, affectionately teasing. “I love you, and I love our house, especially when it has all the people we love in it drinking all our wine.”

You didn’t say anything for a moment. Then — “Are you sure?”

For a moment, he couldn’t think of anything to say. He felt a surprisingly sharp flash of hurt at your doubt. He tamped it down to focus on you, his sweet wife, who apparently felt that his homecoming had been spent wishing he was back out on the road.

“Yes, I’m sure,” he finally said. He cupped your face in his hands, reading something sad and needful in your expression but unable to figure out how to fix it. “I love being home with you, baby. I miss you so much when I’m away. You don’t know that?”

He saw your eyes sparkle with tears and wished desperately he could understand how it had gotten this bad, wished he could figure out how to fix it.

“Hey,” he said softly. He kissed you. “I love you. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

“But it’s not — ”

“It’s perfect,” he said, gently cutting across your protest. “And though I love the way you open our home to our family, even just being with you, eating takeout in our pajamas, would have been perfect too.”

You gave him a watery smile at that, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“There’s that smile,” he said tenderly. He brushed the tears from your face. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like you weren’t enough, baby. You're everything to me. You’re my heart. You know that, don’t you?”

You nodded and kissed him, and he was so happy to have helped even a little. He’d probably ask about it again, try to understand what had made you think such a thing so that you'd never have to think it again. For now, though, your family was waiting, and you seemed eager now to get back to them.

“Don't tell them I was crying,” you said, running your hands over your cheeks, trying to hide the telltale signs. “Tell them we were having a quickie or something.”

He chuckled. “I'm not sure I’m skilled enough for that to be believable, baby. Less than five minutes is a lot to ask.” He kissed your cheek. “And I won’t tell them you were crying. That’s between you and me.” To his way of thinking, a husband's job was to protect his wife at her most vulnerable, not to expose her. These moments between you, the words and soft touches and intimacy you shared — those were just for the two of you, and Josh treasured the privilege of being the one you shared yourself with when you needed a little extra love.

You took his hand, and when he was sure you were ready, he led you back out to where your family waited. 

He saw you return to your usual self as the night went on, and he loved to hear your laugh and watch your smile light up your face as you spent time with your family. Sam, Danny, Jake, and Sparrow — they never failed to bring warmth and light with them wherever they went, and Josh knew that there was no better medicine than their terrible jokes and affectionate bickering and safe, easy love. You were always beautiful, but joy made you ravishing; you shone as brightly as the sun when you were happy, and he felt a weight come off his shoulders as you came back to yourself.

After dinner, you found a spot on the couch; as Josh went to fix glasses of wine for both of you, he watched the drama unfolding in the living room. Catty corner to you, Sam and Jake were playing guitar, Sam casually and Jake with characteristic seriousness; Sparrow sat perched on the arm of Sam’s chair, and Danny sat on the floor.

“Watch him,” Danny said, slipping a hair tie from his wrist and aiming it like a slingshot at Jake. “I bet he won’t stop playing.”

“No, Danny!” Sparrow giggled around the straw stuck in her wine glass. “That would be so mean to my poor Jakey.”

“He wont’ even notice,” Danny said, unable to hide an impish smile. “Watch.”

He shot the hair tie at Jake, and it popped him on the forehead before tumbling down the guitar and landing on the floor. Jake didn’t miss a beat.

Danny and Sparrow dissolved in uproarious laughter, and Jake merely rolled his eyes with a telltale smile.

“You’re all idiots,” he said.

“Not me!” Sam protested. He watched Jake’s fingers, invested in learning the tune now. “I’m trying to play with you, but geez, can you dial it down from rock god so I can figure it out?”

Jake slowed his playing, talking Sam through the notes, and good-naturedly accepted a kiss on his forehead from Sparrow. Danny tried to find the hair tie again and hit Sam with it when he did, earning himself a nudge with Sam’s foot that made Danny laugh and lean his head against Sam’s knee in apology.

Josh brought your drinks over to the couch and handed yours to you. “For you, baby.”

You accepted it gratefully and patted the spot next to you. “Thanks, honey. Come sit with me.”

He did, draping one arm over the back of the couch behind you, pleased when you scooched closer to him. He gave you a sweet, chaste kiss.

“Feeling better, baby?” he asked gently.

You couldn’t help a dull blush, but you gave him a bashful smile. “Yes. I’m sorry I was so... tearful earlier.”

“That’s alright, honey. Would you mind telling me what it was that got you so upset?”

You ran the pad of your thumb over the bottom of your wineglass. He was patient as he waited for you to gather your thoughts.

“It’s silly,” you said finally. “You’ll either laugh or be annoyed that I made such a big deal about it.”

He considered that. You usually took things in your stride, and neither of you made a habit of being offended or upset over trivial, accidental things. Whatever it was, it had hurt you, and he would validate that feeling no matter what it turned out to be.

“I promise I won’t laugh,” he said. “And I don't think I’ll be annoyed.” He really just wanted to know what it was, and he told you so.

Your nervous, wandering fingers found his, and he was content to let you play with his wedding ring. You brushed your thumb over the shiny gold surface.

“It was your caption,” you said. “You know, for those pictures you posted.”

He was bemused for a moment. “Oh. Really?”

“Yeah,” you admitted quietly. “There’s no greater feeling in the world than returning to the stage. It is my ethereal living room. A place where things feel lighter than air. I love you.”

If anyone had asked him to recite from memory the caption he’d written himself, he couldn't have done it. The fact that you knew it word for word told him you must have been saying it over and over again in your head since you’d read it.

He thought of the wording in light of your feelings and saw how it could have hurt you. It had been their first show back after a long break spent at home, and while you were in your plain old living room at home and missing him, he’d apparently been away in a much better living room doing much more exciting and wonderful things without you. Of course he hadn’t really been comparing a concert to the home he shared with you — it was only an Instagram caption, after all, and not a serious commentary on his life. But even though he felt it was reasonable for you to have known that, he also knew that sometimes the heart wasn’t reasonable.

He twined his fingers with yours. “Sweet baby,” he said. “I’m sorry it hurt you. It wasn’t my intention at all. I don’t know if it helps, but I wasn’t thinking about our real life living room when I wrote that. I just thought it sounded clever.”

“I know,” you said. You gave him a wobbly smile. “It was clever. It’s sweet. And the fans deserve a little love note from you. I just...”

“You just missed me,” he said, brushing his knuckles over your cheek. “I know, baby. I missed you too.”

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I’m sorry I made such a big deal out of it. I could have just been honest that I was upset. But really, I should have just taken it like you meant it and not started catastrophizing, thinking you weren’t happy at home.”

“Well, sometimes our imaginations run away with us,” he said, patient and kind. “For the record, I am happy at home with you, baby. You in your old sundress making regular blackberry cobbler is the kind of thing I dream about when I'm away from you. And if I could only have one, I’d pick our less-than-ethereal living room and be glad to share it with you for as long as I lived.”

You touched his cheek. “Why are you so sweet to me?”

“Because I love you very much,” he said simply. He kissed you. “Tell me you know that.”

“I know that,” you said softly, tenderly. “Of course I know that. I love you very much too.”

He kissed you again, taking his time, drawing you closer to him. You tasted like sweet wine and sounded so pretty when your breath caught, your fingers brushing through his curls, your heartbeat light and fast under his hands, almost ethereal.

From the other side of the living room, there was a vague commotion and contagious laughter from Sparrow and his brothers. 

“Should we check on them?” you asked, your voice muffled and smiley as you kissed him.

He chuckled. “They’re fine. Hush and let me kiss you.”

You did, and when you threw your arms around his neck to pull him even closer, he decided you weren’t ethereal after all. The two of you together, surrounded by the ones you loved, laughter and joy and music filling your home — it was something better than ethereal, something earthy and imperfect and steady. For all he loved his work, this right here was exactly what he wanted.

“I love you, Mrs. Kiszka,” he said gently.

You smiled and set everything right in his world. “I love you too, Joshy.”

@wideminded-dreamer and @spark-my-nature were particularly excited for this one so hey here you go <3

[oldiesstationlover11607]

i saw ur smut requests are open and i LOVE ur writing so much so i hope u dont mind if i request something!!

i would love to see experienced fem!reader x virgin torchbearer josh if thats possible 🫢 if u dont feel like writing it, dont be afraid to just delete the ask <3

lots of love!!!

- lisey

Virgin - Torchbearer!Josh Dun x Fem!Reader - Smut

Warnings: unprotected sex (do not do that lol eww), handjob, riding, virgin!josh + the trauma that comes with reading smut :)

Word Count: 2679

A/N: Sorry this took so long! Smut requests take a while for me but hopefully this makes up for it :) At least I'm getting to my requests lol

message for people who know me irl - FUCK OFF RN OR I WILL FIND YOU :)

Josh was a complicated person. With the complexities of being the leader of the Banditos it seemed he never got time to relax and truly enjoy the simplicities of life–things that the citizens of Dema had the pleasure of enjoying. You’d been with him for a few months before he brought it up in conversation, acting like you hadn’t known from the moment you saw him. 

“I’m a virgin,” he spoke clearly, breaking the silence of our conversation. Josh was staring up at the roof of the tent as you lay there in each other’s arms. You rolled over to look at him, my expression unsurprised. 

“I know.”

Almost immediately he sat up, leaving him towering over you. You couldn’t tell if he was upset at your reaction or not. Being a virgin wasn’t anything to be ashamed of–especially for someone as attractive as him. 

“Wait. How do you know?” He asked, his brows ruffled in a frustrated look. 

“The first time I met you… you seemed too innocent to not be a virgin. That, how focused you are with your work, and the way you reacted the first time I placed my hand here,” you chuckled, snaking your hand to his thigh. Josh’s breath hitched and he placed his hand over yours. “Why do you bring it up?” You could practically feel the smirk growing on your face, knowing you finally had the upper hand in the relationship. 

“I–” he paused. For once the Torchbearer was speechless. For once he didn’t have an immediate response. You tilted your head slightly, studying him. The hesitance, the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes–it was such a contrast to the strong figure everyone else saw. But here, in this intimate space, he was vulnerable, and you found that mix of strength and innocence intoxicating.

“You don't have to be so tense, Josh.” You tried to hold back the teasing tone but it slipped out. Your voice was soft but teasing, the sound low and smooth, almost like a purr. “I promise I won’t bite… unless you ask.”

His cheeks flushed, a deep crimson that spread up his neck, and his eyes darted down as if he couldn’t quite face your amused expression. You could tell he was trying to calm the rapid rise and fall of his chest, his breath quickening despite his efforts. It was endearing—the way he, the Torchbearer, was so utterly unmoored by your presence.

“I-I’m not used to this,” he stammered, his voice shaky but sincere. His eyes met yours again, wide and earnest, the firelight reflecting off his pupils. “I've never... not like this. Not with someone like you.”

Your smile widened at his confession. “Someone like me?” you echoed, stepping closer. Your hand rose slowly, giving him time to stop you if he wanted to, but he stayed rooted to the spot, frozen with anticipation. Your fingers brushed lightly against his arm, tracing the hard muscle beneath his skin, and you felt him tense even more under your touch.

“Someone... experienced,” he admitted quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, as though saying it aloud made him more vulnerable than ever.

Ah, so that was it. You'd suspected, but hearing it from him made your heart race with a mix of excitement and tenderness. He was a virgin. That explained the nervousness, the way he looked at you like he didn’t know where to start but wanted to be worthy of this moment with you.

“Do you trust me?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper now, leaning in just enough that your breath fanned against his neck.

He nodded quickly, almost too quickly, and you chuckled softly. His eagerness was palpable. Despite his nerves, you could see the fire in his eyes, the desire burning just beneath the surface. He just needed a little push.

“Good,” you murmured, your lips curving into a teasing smile. “Because I’m going to take care of you. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

You placed your hands on his chest, feeling the rapid pounding of his heart beneath your palms. His body was taut, filled with tension and anticipation, but his eyes never left yours, dark with curiosity and an unspoken need.

“You’re nervous,” you observed, your voice gentle, but laced with a hint of mischief. “I can feel it.”

He exhaled shakily, his breath hot against your cheek. “I-I just... I don't want to mess this up.”

You smiled at his sincerity, feeling a rush of affection for him. “You won’t mess anything up,” you reassured him, your hands sliding down his chest slowly, tracing the lines of his body. “Let me guide you. Just follow my lead.”

His hands hovered uncertainly by his sides, as if he wanted to touch you but wasn’t sure if he was allowed. You caught his hesitation and, with a soft smile, took one of his hands, guiding it to your waist. His fingers twitched slightly against your skin, unsure but eager.

“You can touch me, Josh,” you encouraged, your voice sultry and low. “I want you to.”

His breath hitched in his throat as he slowly tightened his grip on your waist, his hands trembling with anticipation. He was cautious, almost reverent, as if afraid of going too far too quickly. But you could see the hunger in his eyes, the desire that had been slowly building, waiting for the right moment to explode.

You leaned in, your lips brushing against his in a soft, teasing kiss. His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he froze, unsure of how to respond. But you didn't rush him. You kissed him again, a little deeper this time, guiding him into the rhythm. His lips were hesitant at first, but they grew bolder with each passing second, his body finally starting to respond to yours.

“Relax,” you whispered against his lips, one of your hands sliding up to tangle in his hair. “You're doing great.”

He groaned softly at your words, his grip on your waist tightening as his confidence slowly grew. His kisses became more urgent, more eager, as if he was trying to make up for all the time he'd spent waiting for something like this. The raw intensity of it made your pulse race, and you couldn’t help but smile against his lips.

The way he was so utterly lost in you, the way his body responded to your slightest touch—it made you feel powerful, in control. You could sense his growing need, the way he was trying to hold himself back, afraid of doing something wrong. But you wanted him to let go, to trust you.

You broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. His pupils were blown wide with desire, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

“You don’t have to hold back with me,” you said softly, your fingers trailing down his chest. “I can take it.”

His eyes widened at your words, his breath catching in his throat. You could feel the shift in him, the way the last of his restraint began to crumble. His hands moved to your hips, pulling you closer to him, and you could feel the heat radiating from his body. The sudden surge of confidence in his touch sent a thrill through you, and you smiled, loving how he was finally starting to let go.

You kissed him again, but this time, it was slower, more deliberate. You took your time, savoring the way his lips moved against yours, the way his hands roamed your body with newfound confidence. He was still nervous, still unsure, but he was learning, following your lead.

“You're doing so well,” you whispered between kisses, your lips brushing against his in a way that made him shiver as you unzipped and stripped him of his jeans. Breaking the kiss he removed his shirt as you stripped alongside him. 

His grip on you tightened, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he lost himself in the moment. You could feel the heat building between you, the tension mounting with every touch, every kiss. His inexperience only made it more intense—the way he responded to your every move, the way he looked at you like he couldn't believe this was real. 

Josh gasped sharply as your finger brushed against his bare skin, sending shivers down his spine. 

“Ahh… fuck,” he moans quietly, his hips twitching involuntarily as you feel him grown hard. Feeling exposed and sensitive, Josh bit his lip, unintentionally edging you on. 

“You good?” You chuckled, looking up at him. His eyes were closed but he gave a desperate nod. 

“I’m good. I trust you,” he whispered, “Just please don’t stop.” Wrapping a hand around his throbbing erection, you give him a firm squeeze. “Holy shit.” Josh’s head fell back, exposing the column of his throat. Tattooed arms trembled at his sides, muscles tensing and relaxing in time with his ragged breaths. You couldn’t help but smile at his reaction, feeling the power of having him in such a vulnerable state. His body was a mix of taut nerves and raw desire, and you could feel the tension radiating off him in waves. The way he responded to even the slightest touch was intoxicating, making your own desire burn hotter.

“Relax, Josh,” you whispered again, your voice soothing but commanding. “Just focus on what you're feeling.”

His breath hitched as your hand moved slowly, deliberately, along his length. His hips jerked up instinctively, and you pressed your palm against his stomach to keep him grounded. He was trembling now, his body overwhelmed with sensations he'd never experienced before.

“I-I’m trying,” he stuttered, his voice thick with arousal. His hands gripped your hips tightly, his fingers digging into your skin as if he was trying to anchor himself.

You leaned down, kissing the side of his neck, and felt him shudder beneath you. 

“You're doing great,” you reassured him between soft kisses, your lips ghosting over his skin. “Just let yourself feel it. Don’t hold back.”

Josh groaned softly, the sound deep and desperate, and you could feel him slowly losing control, his restraint slipping away little by little. It was thrilling, watching the shift in him as he gave in to the sensations coursing through his body. You could see it in his eyes, the way they were half-lidded with desire, his pupils blown wide, his breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.

His hands moved up your back, shaky but more confident now, pulling you closer to him as if he couldn’t stand the distance between you. You could feel the heat of his body against yours, the intensity of the moment building with every touch, every sound he made.

“Please,” he whispered, his voice rough and barely audible. “I need…”

“You need what?” you teased gently, your lips brushing against his as you spoke.

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking between your eyes and your lips, and you could see the conflict in him. He was still unsure, still fighting that last bit of nervousness, but you knew he was close to letting go completely.

“Tell me what you need, Josh,” you urged softly, your hand trailing down his chest again, feeling his muscles tense under your touch. “I want to hear you say it.”

“I… I need you,” he finally admitted, his voice trembling with a mix of vulnerability and desire. “Please… I need you.”

The raw honesty in his words sent a shiver down your spine. He had finally given in, and you felt a surge of excitement at the realization that you had him completely at your mercy. You pressed a soft kiss to his lips, your hand still wrapped around him, and whispered against his mouth, “I’m right here, Josh. I’ve got you.” You removed your hand and moved so you were straddling him, hovering just above where he needed you the most. “I’m gonna ride you, it’ll be a bit easier I think,” you said, pressing your lips to his. He looked up at you with a dazed, almost delirious expression, still riding the high of his handjob. 

“Y-yeah... okay…” he nodded slowly, voice hoarse with need. He reached up to tangle his fingers in your hair, holding you close. “I want to feel you,” he whispered urgently. As you lowered yourself onto him feeling the stretch more than you thought you would, you enveloped his rigid length. “Fuck,” you groaned, setting down as he hit the spot you need him most. His hands held your hips tightly, pulling you closer as he rolled his hips up to meet your downward thrusts. 

“More,” he pleaded shamelessly, lost to the primal rhythm. Josh's plea sent a surge of heat through you, a thrill sparking in the pit of your stomach at the way he was letting go, abandoning the restraint he had clung to for so long. His hands gripped your hips with a newfound intensity, guiding you as you rode him, moving together in a steady, building rhythm.

“Like this?” you whispered breathlessly, your lips barely grazing his as you spoke, your pussy walls clenching down on him. His eyes were squeezed shut, head thrown back as he nodded eagerly, too overwhelmed by the sensations to form a coherent response. The soft groans and gasps escaping him told you everything you needed to know.

His need was palpable, raw and unfiltered, and you fed off it, matching his rhythm with your own, pushing him closer to the edge with every thrust. The intimacy of the moment—the way your bodies moved in perfect sync, the quiet sounds of pleasure filling the space between you—felt almost surreal, like the rest of the world had faded away and it was just the two of you, lost in each other.

“Josh,” you murmured his name, wanting to anchor him, wanting him to know that you were with him in every sense of the word. His eyes fluttered open at the sound of his name, hazy with desire as he looked up at you, his lips parted, panting.

“I can't... I don't know how much longer I can—” he stammered, his voice hoarse, thick with urgency.

You smiled softly, leaning down to kiss him, a slow, deliberate kiss that contrasted with the frantic pace of your movements. “It's okay,” you whispered against his lips. “Just let go. I want to feel it.”

That was all he needed. With a low, guttural groan, his body tensed beneath you, his grip on your hips tightening almost painfully as he gave in to the rush of sensation, losing himself completely in the moment. You could feel the tremors running through him, the way he shuddered as his release hit, his breath coming in ragged, broken gasps.

You slowed your movements, riding out the waves of his climax with him, savoring the closeness, the heat of his body pressed against yours. His eyes were half-lidded, lips parted as he struggled to catch his breath, a look of pure exhaustion and bliss etched across his face.

When he finally opened his eyes fully, they were filled with something different now—gratitude, maybe, or even awe. He reached up, brushing a strand of hair from your face, his touch gentle, reverent.

‘That was…” He trailed off, still breathless, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I don’t even know what to say.”

You chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead before pulling away slightly to look at him. “You don't have to say anything,” you said quietly, tracing your fingers along his jawline. “Just know that I'm here, whenever you need me.”

For a long moment, the two of you stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, the weight of the world outside the tent momentarily forgotten. Josh was still the leader of the Banditos, still burdened with responsibilities that would never fully go away. But here, in this space, in this moment, he was just Josh—vulnerable, open, and utterly yours.

//

REQUESTS OPEN

[scarabsinthestardust]

Tender // Ch. 1

Josh x male OC

I tried to write this in a way that you don't necessarily have to read Better in the Morning if you don't want to, and I suppose you don't, but there are quite a few mentions of things that occurred or that were discussed in BitM. It may make more sense if you start there, but I don't think it's a requirement.

With that being said, this one is not going to be for everyone. Parts of this are going to get VERY dark. Each individual chapter will have its warnings, but I am going to go ahead and disclose that this will include a significant amount of child abuse, and in later chapters, domestic violence, which can be very triggering for some to read. There may also be mentions of religious trauma, something that is particularly difficult for me.

On that note, if you choose to read, I hope you enjoy and thank you for being here. And please forgive me for what's going to transpire.

/////

MASTERLIST

This fic is heavily inspired by music from the Ballroom Thieves. Take a listen on Spotify: Fistfight

word count: 2100+

CHAPTER WARNINGS: language; anxiety; depression; unspecific undiagnosed mental illness; mentions of alcoholism and vehicle accidents; mentions of hospitals; a very tiny mention of sex if you squint

I’ve always hated the rain. I hate soggy clothes and wet socks. I hate the sounds of it beating against the windows like an angry beast trying to gain entry. I hate the booming thunder. I hate the flashes of lightning, especially the burning smells when it strikes something. It keeps me awake, in a constant state of anxiety, preventing any semblance of peace in my rattled mind.

But Josh can sleep right through it.

He’s been my anchor during the storms, keeping me on solid ground. His soft snores, and sometimes not-so-soft ones, give me something other than the rolling thunder to focus on. I listen to his steady breaths and the occasional words he mutters in his sleep.

I never meant to fall in love with him, but like a spell that I cannot break, he pulled me into him. I’m hypnotized. This feeling is foreign to me, the feeling of caring for someone like I do for him. And I don’t think I will ever want to let him go. But eventually, he will inevitably find out who I really am, that I’m not a good person, and he’ll leave. He will find someone better, someone he deserves, and hopefully someone who deserves him. Until then, I will hold onto him as tightly as I can, and just hope I don’t ruin him.

It was months ago when I disclosed to him that I’m an alcoholic, fully expecting him to be revolted and to decide he wasn’t interested anymore, but that’s not what happened. There was pity in his eyes, an inescapable casualty I imagine, but not once did he ever treat me like I was less than a man because of it. When I told him about the accident, I never felt any judgement from him, nor any pressure of guilt, although I didn’t particularly need any help in that department. He told me was proud of me for working so hard at staying sober, but I’m not sure if I really earned that.

I had kept everything to myself for so long. I never even told Kya, my best and only childhood friend. I don’t know why I didn’t; I knew she would never judge me for those decisions I made. And she proved me right when word eventually reached her ears. Josh was so angry at her for bringing the liquor that night. I tried to explain that she didn’t know, but he had convinced himself that she was trying to sabotage me. I was annoyed that he wouldn’t listen to me, but he became so fiercely protective of me that I soon forgot my irritation. No one had ever shown that kind of passion in my defense.

Then Josh’s little brother Sam got into a car accident. It took weeks for him to come back from what seemed like the brink of death. I was with Josh when got the phone call. I clearly remember how he paled when he heard the news, and the heavy sense of impending dread that seemed to hang overhead. He was upset, rightly so, and practically shaking with worry, and fear. I did not want him driving alone, so I tagged along to the hospital.

Why are they always so cold? You would think a warm, cozy atmosphere would be more beneficial to the healing process. Instead, you’re plagued by the fluorescent lights, incessant beeping, and constant poking and prodding. They smell of formaldehyde, reminiscent of sickness and death. It made my skin itch, like hundreds of invisible bugs trying to burrow into me. I hated being there at the hospital, and more often than not I had the urge to leave, but then Josh would lay his head on my shoulder, tears staining his cheeks, and I knew I couldn’t leave him.

Sam was released from the hospital and is okay now, and Josh is finally home getting some much-needed sleep. I assumed he might want to be alone, but he surprised me yet again when he asked me to come over. He asked me to hold him when the events of the last few weeks caught up with him and the dam broke. I couldn’t understand why he was still crying; his brother was home and recovering. The worst was over. Perhaps I couldn’t wrap my head around it because I don’t know what it’s like to love someone on that deep of a level and come so close to losing them. So, I did as he asked, keeping him held to my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around him, until his body gave out from exhaustion, and he slipped into sleep.

It's almost dawn now. I’ve been awake since the rain started. How long has it been… an hour? Two? I tend to lose track of the time quite often. Josh is no longer latched onto me. Instead, he is on his back, arms sprawled out above him and one leg sticking out from under the blanket. I’ve gotten into the habit of watching him while he sleeps, still in a state of utter disbelief that someone like him was ever even remotely interested in me. But he doesn’t know me, not really.

The storm is worsening. The rain is hitting the window so hard I think it might break. I try to focus on the man sleeping next to me as my heart rate quickens. The room is still dark, so all I can see is his silhouette, but I’ve taken the time to memorize him, the shape of his nose, the small scar on his left cheek, the way his eyelashes sit against his skin when he closes his eyes. He’s always so soft and he smells like vanilla. Even after we’ve spent the night tangled up in each other, me buried deep inside of him, both of us covered in the scent of sweat and sex, I can still smell a hint of vanilla. There have been times when I’ve convinced myself this is all a vivid dream, because there’s no way that he’s real.

A particularly loud shock of thunder rings out, and I involuntarily squeeze my eyes shut. Breathe in. Breathe out. I feel myself starting to slip, but I can’t let myself, not here, not where he can see. I’m fighting to pull back and I don’t hear the rustling of the bedding next to me. My eyes shoot open when something softly brushes my cheek.

“Finn? You okay?” Josh’s eyes are on me, still drowsy with sleep, his features painted with concern. It’s daylight. When did that happen? And although the sky is still darkened by storm clouds, I can see his face now. “You were making noises. I think you were having a nightmare.”

Was I? “I’m good. Sorry if I woke you.”

“Not you. The thunder, I think.” He rubs his eyes and scoots closer to me, draping a warm arm across my chest.

The storm raging outside chooses this moment to remind us that it’s still there. Another impossibly loud boom reaches my ears, and despite my pathetic attempt to control myself, I jump at the sound. I expect him to laugh, to poke fun at me for being spooked by something so stupid. He doesn’t. “These Tennessee storms are wild, sometimes.” He nuzzles into the crook of my neck, and I breathe him in. “You ever been in Michigan during a snowstorm?”

“I don’t think I’d want to.”

He chuckled. “I definitely prefer the rain.”

I keep my thoughts on the topic to myself. I envy him for how easily he finds the silver lining in every bad situation. He sees beauty in all things, even where all I can see is destruction, and where all I can feel is hatred, anger, and fear.

It’s not as if I haven’t tried to work on it. I’ve seen therapists, taken medications, prescribed by psychiatrists, and attempted the holistic route with yoga and meditation. When those all failed, I resorted to self-medication. I was never one for how hard drugs made me feel, so I stuck with alcohol. I would have drowned myself in it, with no concern for how it affected those around me. And then everything changed when I saw myself in that little boy that I almost took everything from. I didn’t sleep for days after the accident, and I had nightmares about it for weeks. I saw that little boy in every one of them. I should have died that night; I was sure of it. I was convinced that fate made a mistake. I wanted to fix the mistake, to remove myself from the world that I didn’t deserve to be in, but I was too much of a coward to follow through. And most days, it feels like I’m being punished for it.

I’ve trained myself to be very good at hiding whatever battle I’m waging in my head. If masking was an Olympic sport, I’d be a gold medalist. But every once in a while, I lose my grip on reality and fall back into myself, into the memories of all the things I can’t escape from and that made me what I am today. Josh makes it hard sometimes. He’s just so fucking curious about everything. I know he means well; it’s perfectly normal to want to learn all you can about your partner. But when he pesters me for information I don’t want to share, it makes my blood boil. I bite my tongue, though. And when I meet his big, ‘baby cow eyes,’ I know I can’t stay mad at him. Something about him, something almost magical, draws me back into him and quenches the flames that threaten to burn me alive.

One afternoon during a particularly lazy day, he had planted himself on top of me as I laid stretched out across the couch. He was bored and fidgety, aching to get up and do something. So, he resorted to seeing how much he could annoy me. When I got sick of him poking at my sides and biting me like an angry piranha (he really is so childish sometimes), I abruptly sat up, pushing him backwards and pinning him underneath me on the opposite end of the sofa. It scared me how easy it was to overpower him, but he just laughed. It was all part of the game, and I was still in the running. “Are you finished?” I made sure to hide any sign of real irritation and grinned playfully. I couldn’t stand the look of hurt that would show in his eyes if he thought I was unhappy with him.

His brain jumps between topics and ideas quicker than I can keep up. It always makes me falter when he changes the subject so suddenly. “Why don’t you have an accent?”

“Uh, what kind of accent am I supposed to have?”

“Well, Kya has that southern accent. It gets stronger when she gets mad,” he giggled. Pissing off his twin’s girlfriend seemed to be a favorite hobby of his. “You’re both from the same place, so why don’t you have one, too?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I left West Virginia when I was pretty young. I guess it just didn’t stick.” The truth was that it was intentional. I hated to hear the remnants of that place in my own voice, so I forced myself to break the habits that gave way to the southern drawl. It’s more difficult to keep it on lockdown when I’m intoxicated, though.

I could tell he wanted to say more on the subject but thought better of it, and I was subjected to another sudden change of topic.

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that talks as much as he does. He’d ramble on about absolutely nothing for days if I let him. He’s loud and has an obnoxious habit of talking over people. He can be immature and stubborn, impossible to deal with once he’s made his mind up about something. And it drives me to want to rip my hair out how nosy he is, always wanting to be in everyone’s business. But on top of all that, he’s intelligent, he’s funny, and oh so sweet. He’s a brilliant ray of light in an otherwise dreary world, and my heart wants to sing for him.

He throws his leg over the top of one of mine, drawing us ever closer. It’s a little too warm under the covers, but I’ll manage. I run my hand through his curls, plush and messy, before placing a kiss on his head. I hear his breath even out and I know he’s fallen back asleep. I start to doze off after him, and I notice the storm seems to have let up, too.

TAGLIST @hollyco @fleetingjake @musicislove3389

[ficthots]

2F

A/N: Josh is an annoying neighbor. Come on, we all know it's true. This is what it would be like to be his neighbor. If you're lucky. As always let me know what you guys think and enjoy!

Warnings: SMUT. DNI if you are under 18. 18+ content only

Word Count: 8.2K+

Manors. You are taught them from an early age and if you are a gracious person, they stick with you throughout your adult life. Most people with common decency and respect for others can even mutter out a please and thank you on their worst days. These small things are ingrained in you from such earlier times that they truly become second nature at some point, simply transforming you into being a good person. 

The bigger person. A phrase you had heard since your mother first said it to you when you got in an argument with a school friend about them taking your Lincoln Logs without asking. Your mom had sat you down once you had gotten home from school that day and said while she understood how upsetting it could be, that you needed to try and see it from their point of view. Perhaps they didn’t realize you were using them or they thought you were done. Go back to school tomorrow, be the bigger person, and forgive them.

That mentality had followed you through life thereafter. You reconciled with your friend and were now able to apply that mentality to many petty disputes from then on out. However, being the bigger person is not always the best option. 

Take for example, your incredibly shitty neighbor that lives directly across the hall from you. That prick of a human being did not have a sensible or courteous bone in his body. It has been going on for months now. The incessant throb of a bass that jolts your walls and nearly knocks your favorite mugs from your shelves. A screeching of a voice that you cannot make out the words they are attempting to belt out, only offering a migraine. Starting near eight or nine every night and going well past midnight. 

After bitching to your mom on the phone for the millionth time, she suggested approaching them as kindly as possible. Let them know they are kind of disturbing the peace and move forward. The thought of crossing the hall and actually speaking to them for the first time ever had you on edge. 

You were going to try the friendly approach. Being a non confrontational person meant slipping an anonymous note under their door, a nice message and asking to keep it down attached to it. It did not work. A small bout of hopefulness spread through you as the music came to a halt that evening, letting the blood rushing in your ear to cease for only a blissful minute before starting right back up.

Being the bigger person. You had tried that. Attempting to see it from their point of view. There is a chance they did not realize how loud they were actually being. Offering a peaceful chance for them to quiet down, letting their neighbors think again. That was the entire purpose of the note. No embarrassing or awkward conversations between strangers. You truly thought it would work and they would realize their actions were actually quite rude and attempt to be a better neighbor.

Nope. Nada. Zilch. 

Whoever they were picked it right back up. A small, frustrated yelp left your throat. You were shocked that they had so blatantly ignored the pleas from their desperate neighbors. Was it too much to ask that after a long day at work to come home, watch trashy television, or simply read a book in quiet solace? No, it was not. 

And whoever was living across the hall was fucking that up. You didn’t even know their name. Only knowing them by the marking next to their door. 2F. You had never even seen them either, working opposite schedules obviously. Sometimes it seemed like they were gone sporadically for weeks at a time, signaling their arrival once again by the vibrating floors. 

You had reached a breaking point one night. What had been occasional night time music thundering in the building had seemingly turned into a near twenty-four seven parade. You attempted to ignore it to the best of your ability, even making yourself a nice cocktail after a rough day at work. 

It felt like you couldn’t escape it. Far too chilly to enjoy your patio, you wandered through the rooms of your apartment, trying to find any break you could from the incessant noise that seemed to follow you like a shadow of death. 

They had been home for weeks now, more than likely unemployed you assumed by the constant, never ending noise streaming from their home to yours. At first it had been the same as it normally was, annoying, but at least you were used to it. Until you woke up one morning to it. After that, it seemed to never stop. 

This particularly shitty day had you on edge, wanting to come home and soak in the tub, read a smutty novel about a mafia boss forcing an arranged marriage, and then fall asleep a tad bit tipsy. You were already working on the latter of your wants, second mixed drink in your hand and nearing its end. 

It was a Friday afterall. 

Your plans had come to a screeching halt when you arrived home and you could literally see their door slightly shaking. “Be the bigger person,” you whispered out, hand clutching your door knob and entering your own apartment. You tried. Truly you did.

As you had called it quits on the alcohol for the evening you knew you needed to get some food in your system or it was going to become a sloppy night. You made dinner, sat down to enjoy it, trying your hardest to tune out the high pitched wailing crossing the hall that was forcing its way into your space.

But when you missed what one housewife had said to another during a heated argument in Bali you had reached your limit. Feeling more confident with the liquor still in your system, you were nervous to approach them, but it needed to be done. It was time to teach the douchebag some manners.

Slamming your bowl down on your coffee table, standing from your sofa, and walking across the small hall to their front door, your fist connected with the wood, pounding on it repeatedly until the mystery person opened it. 

A curly, almost mohawk of a style sat atop his head. Some sort of beads swayed with his movement, moving across his bare chest, sweats hung low on his hips, his bare feet crossed as he leaned on the door. A large smile greeting you displaying the complete opposite emotion you were currently feeling. “Hi there!” He spoke loudly, excited and eager to speak to you. 

“Do you understand how loud you are? It has been months of listening to this every single-” you were nervous, trying to get your trembling hands to stop the shake, but he cut you off as you started your tirade. “You’re the note!” His smile somehow grew bigger, reaching behind him and grabbing the piece of paper from what you assumed was an entryway table behind the door. 

You nodded, starting back up, irritated that he had interrupted you whilst speaking. How incredibly rude. This kid seriously had no idea what manners were.“Yes and I tried being nice about it, but you obviously don’t seem to comprehend that you live in an apartment meaning you share walls-,” his eyebrows furrowed at your wording, the tip of his tongue poking out from behind his teeth. 

“We don’t share walls.” He had cut you off. Again. Your nostrils flared slightly at that, using that observation as your point of reference. “Exactly. We don’t share walls and yet mine are vibrating every day because of your music that you’re blasting. You can’t even pause it for a conversation!” A laugh escaped you at the end, arms crossing in disbelief at this guy. 

He rolled his eyes, smile never leaving his features as he grabbed his phone and hit pause. You took in a deep breath, already feeling the tension releasing. “It’s late, I got home from a crappy day at work, all I want to do is get some sleep and I cannot do that with you blasting whatever it is you listen to. Honestly, it sounds like the same song over and over which I mean power to you if that’s what you like to do, but please, just turn it down.” He hummed at your response, opening his notes app as you spoke. 

“Sounds the same,” he mumbled, typing that into the note. His eyes darted up to meet yours after he slipped his phone back in his pocket. “Did you say you were going to bed? It’s 9:30, grandma.” You gasped in surprise at his harsh judgment. “Listen,” he leaned to the side to see around you and squinted his eyes, “3F. You seem to be the only person that has a problem with this. I actually share walls with 1F there and they have never complained. Seems to be a you problem,” your jaw hung slack at his words. 

You narrowed your eyes to slits as you stared at him. “Just keep it down, asshole.” His eyes went wider, a scoff of a laugh billowing from his lips. “Ouch, 3F. That wasn’t very nice.” You turned on your heels, entering your apartment and slamming the door behind you. 

The music started right back up. The same song on repeat for the remainder of the night. You weren’t sure when it ended, deciding to sleep with your duvet entirely covering your head, but you knew it carried on late. You could tell by the endless tossing and turning all night. When you looked in the mirror the next morning, the deep bags that sat under your eyes confirmed it. 

You hated him.

Sitting at a dimly lit table in a dimly lit restaurant with your best friend meant you were struggling to view the menu. She grabbed it from your hands, putting them on the table and smiled at you. “Don’t worry, I know what we’re ordering.” As she quickly spewed your order to the server, you sat enjoying the low chatter and jazz music that flowed through the room. 

See, this was a respectable level of volume. 2F should take notes. Your eyes darted open as she slapped her hands on the table top. “What’s up with you? You look exhausted,” she sipped from her cocktail as she eyed you. “Wow, thank you, that’s exactly what I needed to hear today,” you rolled your eyes, grabbing a piece of bread and tearing it apart, stuffing it into your mouth. 

Her laugh echoed in the space, kicking you lightly under the table. “You know what I mean! Seriously, what’s up?” You sighed, leaning back in your chair as you chewed. “My shitty neighbor won’t stop playing his shitty music through all hours of the night. Last night was the second week in a row of it.” She nodded in response, checking her phone as she intently listened to you. 

Ha ha. 

“Report him. It’s a lease violation. Email your property manager and it’ll stop literally that day. Look at Shelby, can you believe she’s pregnant?” She leaned across the table, shoving her phone in your face, but all you could think of was how great of an idea it was. 

As she spent the rest of her evening gossiping with you hardly contributing to the conversation, you drafted out an incredibly detailed email to send to your property manager. 2F was going to shut the fuck up. He was going to be told to. By someone other than you. 

You sent the email the next morning, listing all of the hours that the music had been playing and how incredibly disruptive it was even after you had asked him to keep it down. You received a response within an hour saying that they were going to handle it. 

Entirely unsure how long you had been perched on a barstool next to your front door, offering a great view of your peephole, you felt giddy. Were you waiting to see if he was going to be getting the violation? Absolutely, and you were doing so with a drink in your hand, occasionally peeking into the hallway to see if it was happening yet. 

When your property manager appeared, you scooted the chair away from the door, too excited to sit, instead standing with either hand on the door, eye glued to the small view of the scene playing out in front of you. 

Watching through your peephole you sensed victory as a lease violation was, in fact, handed off to him. You cheered, a tad bit too loud, because once the noise escaped you, his eyes darted across the hall setting sights on your door. 

Your hand clamped down on your mouth, cursing yourself for being so stupid. When he knocked, your eyes went wide. Pretend you’re not home, you thought to yourself. “3F, I know you’re home. I literally just heard you,” your eyes squeezed shut, muttering a silent fuck. 

Opening the door, his fuming gaze met yours. “Hi, happy hump day to you. What can I do for you?” You gave a large smile, happy to finally feel in control of the situation as he held up the paper. 

“A lease violation. Seriously? You know this is a $145 fine, right?” You shrugged, acting as uninterested as possible, motioning your head down the hall to the other lone door on this hallway. “Don’t know. Maybe 1F got tired of it. Anyways, not my problem, but you have a great night.” A look skirted across his face that said do you really think I’m buying that before he spoke up, again.

“You know if you had asked nicely I would have gladly been more accommodating-” you cut him off, holding a hand up as you did. “Oh, I did! You chose to ignore it!” He shook his head, a small chuckle falling from him. “No, you did not. Slipping an anonymous note under my door, demanding that I be more quiet is not a friendly way of handling the situation.” 

You stood staring at him in astonishment. That’s not what you had done. The note was very well thought out and precise in how you worded your request. Did you include the specific rule from the lease? Sure, but how else was he supposed to know it was against the rules? 

He started back up, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “So, now you’ve asked for it.” Your brows drew together, scoffing in response. “Look dude, all I want is to come home and relax after a day of work. You ruin that,” he shrugged at your words. “And that noise is my work.” 

You couldn’t contain the gut punching laugh that fell from you at the absurd claim. “You’re telling me that being loud is your job?” He nodded his head, bottom lip lightly pushing out as he did. “You haven’t even asked my name 3F,” your arms crossed over your chest. “Because I’m not interested in knowing it. 2F suffices.”

His head slightly tilted at you, emotions displaying as he thought. It was like he was trying to figure you out. More than likely trying to figure out all the possible ways to piss you off. “Well, I would like to know yours.” You shake your head, deciding to end this conversation, stepping back into your home and closing the door with a no thanks being offered to him in return. 

2F had said now you’ve asked for it. What the hell did he mean by that? That’s what all of your thoughts had been about since you had closed the door in his face. It had been a little over a week since that day and despite the normal abhorrent noise, nothing else had happened.

Until you received a knock on your door.

Confused because you weren’t expecting anyone, you opened the door, a large smile gracing your face as you saw your property manager there, he offered a sad smile as he took you in. “Hi, Mr. Jameson! How’re you?” He sighed, a folded paper in his hands as he looked at his shoes. 

“Great and I’m sorry to be doing this, but I have to give you this and advise you to heed it well.” Your face must have displayed how muddled you were feeling because he sighed again, turning and walking down the hall. 

You opened it right there, crumpling it in your hand and storming across the hall, banging on his door as you did. When he pulled it open, his head had a tilt and a smirk on his stupid smug face. “3F! What brings you to my neck of the woods this fine evening?” You shoved the paper in his face, knowing he couldn’t read it because of the state it was in and the close location to his face, but you didn’t care.

“Disorderly conduct of a neighbor! Are you joking? This is literally what you do every single day,” he tsked at you, pulling his phone from his pocket as he did. “No, that’s what you do. According to the lease you are not to pester and harass your neighbors which,” he looked back up at you from his screen, “is exactly what you’re doing right now.”

You huffed, feeling anger coursing through your veins as you stared at the devilish little man. “I am not harassing you!” He sighed, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossing over his chest as he did. “I mean, you are. The note, the first interaction, storming over here and pounding on my door, that’s harassment 3F.” 

He couldn’t contain the laughter being held in his throat as he saw how irritated and befuddled you were. “You are such a dick.” You mumbled out, going back to your own apartment. Not only had he cost you your sanity, but actual money. Paper currency. He wasn’t going to get away with this. 

Absolutely not. For the next two weeks the noise never ceased. You kept your distance though, not particularly fond of getting another lease violation charge added to your account. Instead, you took another route. 

Being the bigger person, of course. You frosted the last cupcake, smiling at how uniform they all appeared. It was your olive branch. You were known for your baking, every holiday season you were asked to bring some form of baked goods. It was relaxing and a sort of therapy to you. 

As you knocked on the door, it opened with a woosh of air and you offered a kind smile to him. The kindest one you had yet. The tray was balanced on both your hands, a dozen cupcakes sat on it, and you could see he was taken aback by the offering. 

“Look, I apologize. I am the type of person who prefers ambiance and low volume noise compared to blasting whatever it is you play. Everyone has their preferences, I get it. Here is my peace offering.” You handed the tray over to him, pointing to one that sat in the middle. 

“Eat that one first, it’s my special recipe that everyone raves about. I don’t make it for just anyone so enjoy it.” He was dumbfounded, standing there holding the tray, speechless for the first time since you had met him. “Thank you!” He called out as you shut the door behind you.

The son of a bitch didn’t even attempt to apologize. Instead, he just took the damn cupcakes without even so much as the beginning of an apology. That’s why you didn’t feel bad. Not in the slightest. 

When he appeared at your door the next morning as you were leaving for work, you were surprised to see him up. Well, not that surprising. “You fucking poisoned me!”  You rolled your eyes, locking your door and adjusting the bag on your shoulder. 

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It was a little miralax in the one singular cupcake,” you checked the watch on your wrist and began walking down the hallway, calling out to him as you did. “Oops, I’m going to be late and I wouldn’t want to harass you anymore. Have a good one, 2F!” A cackle bounced off the walls as he groaned, running back into his apartment as you sauntered off. 

Okay, maybe you did feel bad. In your defense, the jackass deserved it. He couldn’t be nice to his neighbors despite their numerous attempts so you had to do what you had to do. Should you have put a laxative in the cupcake? Debatable. 

But you couldn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on it. You did what you did and screw being the bigger person. Not with him at least. You were a good person. A kind person. He just seemingly brought out the worst in you for some reason. 

All you wanted to do was slap that stupid smug look off his face that always seemed to be there. Expressing your anger in the form of violence sounded especially intriguing on a Sunday evening as you heard the remnants of a party happening across the hall. You were snuggled into bed, ready to call it for the night when you realized that it wasn’t just the normal throbbing of music he offered, but a plethora of voices shouting as well.

You honestly could have burst into tears on the spot. You had work early in the morning, not wanting to deal with the shit storm that this work week was going to be offering you, and he was over there being the most assholey asshole that you had ever encountered. 

Remembering your christmas gift from your best friend had been a state of the art pair of noise canceling headphones meant you were running to put them on and they had been your savor that night. Uncomfortable to sleep with, of course, but at least you could sleep. 

The work day was exactly what you had been expecting. Wanting nothing more than to come home and spend the evening trying to destress was halted as you rounded the corner for your door.

Bile rose in your throat as you approached your front door. Your hand went over your mouth, the stench of garbage flowing from the hall. A tremor appeared in your hand as anger surged in you, never having felt such animosity before in your life. Both of your fists pounded on his doors until he appeared, extremely hungover, but munching on an apple like he didn’t have a care in the world at the moment.

You pointed to the piles of trash that sat blocking your door, a fire dancing in your eyes as you stared at him, speaking through clenched teeth. “Get your fucking garbage off of my door. Now,” he looked around you, seeing the piles of trash and shrugged.

“Not my trash, 3F.” You didn’t have the energy for these games tonight. “Move your fucking trash. I know it’s yours. I know you had a fucking party on a goddamn Sunday. It is yours. Move it.” He was entirely unfazed, shaking his head as he took the last bite of his apple. 

“Like I said. Not my trash. Have a good night,” your mouth hung open as you watched him toss the apple core onto the bags of trash sitting at your doorstep. It took you almost an hour to get all of the tash bags moved to the trash shoot. 

After that night, you didn’t retaliate. He carried on in his normal irritating ways, but you couldn’t bring it in yourself to care. The headphones constantly rested on your scalp now, never leaving anymore. You connected the television to them, played your own enjoyable music, or just sat in the quiet. They were an actual god send. 

Work had been driving you up the wall, no problems could seemingly be handled without you and it was driving you mad. You enjoyed being good at your job, knowing you were succeeding and that people turned to you for answers to issues and questions was rewarding, but it seemed now that it was more about everyone turning to you for any little thing they could.

It’s why your best friend suggested going out one night to relieve the stress and tension from the work week. You jumped at the opportunity, going to your favorite bar and wanting to enjoy spending some time out and about, allowing yourself to think about anything other than the two most annoying things in your life right now.

Work and 2F.

You were standing at the bar, ready to order your first of what would be many drinks for the evening when you heard it. His voice. He had saddled up beside you, eliciting a groan to fall from your lips. “If it isn’t my favorite neighbor! What brings you out? I thought you hated enjoying things? It’s quite loud in here, are you going to report it?” You rolled your eyes, opting to ignore him and catch the attention of the bartender. 

“Two Moscow Mules!” You shouted out, seeing him nod as you went to hand over your card, 2F spoke up. “Put all her and her friends drinks on my tab. Thanks, bud!” You shot daggers at him, shaking your head and going to hand the card over anyways. 

“Absolutely not! Here’s my card,” his hand came over yours, pushing your hand back, a large smile taking over his features. “I insist! Especially after that hefty lease violation fine. It’s on me!” He turned and walked away towards his own group as you were handed your two drinks, fuming as you walked back towards her. 

She giggled, nudging her head in the direction he had gone in. “Who the hell was that? He’s fucking hot! I hope you keep tabs on him for the night,” you let a forced shiver roll down your spine, gagging as she spoke. “That’s my fucking neighbor from hell! The little goblin put our drinks on his tab. How stupid is that shit?” 

She choked on her drink, coughing as she laughed. “No fucking shit! Oh my god I had no idea he looked like that. If he were my neighbor he would be making all the noise he wanted to. Particularly at my place. In my bed! And I think he has the same idea because he bought your drinks,” she batted her eyelashes at you as she sipped her drink again. You waved her off, downing your drink.

“You’re disgusting! We’re not like that. At all!” She shrugged pointing in his direction. “Oh really? Then why is he staring at you like he wants to take you into the dingiest bathroom he can find and rail you?” Your face burned at her words, letting your eyes glance in the direction he was in and noticing his eyes locked on you. 

You set your drink down, moving back towards the bar once you noticed that his attention was back on his group, back turned towards you. Getting the bartender's attention you leaned over and handed him your card. “That guy over there? Put his drinks and his group drinks on this card, don’t charge his card,” he nodded his head, taking the card and taking another drink order for you. 

Sporadically throughout the night, you could feel eyes on you. You knew exactly who it was. Why he couldn’t keep his own attention on his own group instead of eyeing you all night, you had no idea, but it was starting to get beyond annoying. He had, quite literally, the largest eyes you had ever seen so it wasn’t like he could hide where he was looking. Not like he was trying to either. 

The night had been fun apart from your own personal stalker. Many laughs were shared between friends, one drink too many, but as the night wound down and you went to collect your card, the bartender assured you that 2F’s tab had been charged to your card. With your friend having slipped out a bit ago, you sat on a stool at one end of the bar, watching as 2F’s group left, having him head to the bar and collect his card.

You laughed seeing his face show one of confusion after being told his tab had been taken care of for the night. You watched as he mouthed who and as the bartender pointed at you, his head whipped towards your direction. You gave a wave, hopping from your stool and leaving the bar. 

When you got home, you fumbled with your keys as you tried to unlock your door. “3F!” You sighed, turning in defeat as you heard his voice echo in the hallway. “Yes, 2F?” He walked towards you, hands in his jacket pockets as he stood in front of you. His hand came from the pocket and your eyes went wide as you saw the amount of money he placed in your hand. 

You shook your head, trying to shove it back in his own hand. “That’s for picking up my tab at the bar, your tab at the bar, a cleaning service to come and clean your apartment for me placing the trash bags at your door, and for the lease violation.” Your jaw hung slack, not able to formulate any words, eyes looking up to meet his and see the soft gaze that sat on his face. 

“Oh my god, no. I can’t accept this. Take it, 2F.” He shook his head, putting his hands back in his pockets. A small laugh fell from his lips as he eyed you. “Josh. My name is Josh,” shaking your head, your eyes shut, an exasperated breath leaving you. 

“I don’t want your money, Josh. That is absolutely the last thing I want or need from you,” he took a step back as you tried to shove it at him. Your jaw set, irritation bubbling in your system at how stupid he was being. In what world would you just accept a huge chunk of cash like this? There wasn’t a world where it would happen. You wouldn’t. 

Instead you stepped around him with a shrug, hearing his laugh as you crouched down. “What are you doing?” One by one you slipped the bills under his door. “I told you I’m not taking your money.” You could hear the frustrated intake of breath as you continued with your task, not noticing when he stood to the side of you, unlocking his door and opening it.

Your neck fell back to peer up at him with a scowl on your face. You weren’t even halfway through with the stack of money. Reaching your arm up and forward, you hand grabbed onto the cool metal of the door handle and yanked it towards you, shutting the door as you two stared at one another. 

Letting your head fall back so your eyes could once again focus on the task you were trying to work on, you heard him let out a shaky laugh. “You are so fucking stubborn,” you only mumbled out a response, almost done with the cash when he crouched down to your level, locking your eyes to his. 

When you turned your head to face him, your noses nearly brushed against one another with how close he was to you. The smell of tequila was on his breath, you were sure yours had faint notes of vodka and ginger beer, but you were rooted to your spot. Not necessarily making any move to lean away from him or go further towards the man. 

His dark brown eyes had an almost ombre effect, you noted. Unlike most people who had the lighter hue near their iris, the eye growing darker the closer to the edge you got, his did the opposite. They were so dark near his iris that the chocolate practically melted into it. The outer color only got slightly warmer, only noticeable from this closeness. You could get lost in them for hours if you had the time to. Prick. 

The cupid's bow of his lips were not sharp, rather they rounded off at the top peaks, only marginally dipping down to give the plush skin a break. One thing you had taken into account upon the many interactions you had with him was that they were never chapped. Quite the opposite. Always glistening like he had just swiped his pink tongue along them. The picturesque teeth that you could have sworn were veneers from farther away, but upon closer inspection were his actual chompers. Bastard. 

A perfect nose. You were envious of it. What man needed a nose like that? Entirely unfair, you noted to yourself. He had some of the unruliest eyebrows you had ever laid your eyes on, but for some reason it worked. The unkempt hair paired well with the faux curls that were always a permed out mess. Why did you like it so much then? Asshole. 

While you took stock of who was taking up your personal space, he was doing the same. Reveling in the closeness to you. How your kneecap would knock against his every few moments, the hollowed out divet in the base of your neck as you took in stabilizing breaths, the flutter of your eyelids as you were attempting to process the situation you two were in. 

Josh took the opportunity that was being presented to him on a silver platter, knowing there was not going to be a better chance than now to act on this. The feeling of enamorment he had been reeling in since he had first set his eyes on you all those months ago. Trying to decide how to approach you, but when you approached him he was elated. Until the ridiculous feud began between you two. 

He was going to bridge the gap. Leaning forward and capturing your lips with his, hand cradling the soft skin of your jaw, lightly pulling you closer to him. You didn’t fight it. Not in the slightest. Instead, savoring it. How the feeling of him moving against you seemed to set you alight. Tingling from either the amount of time you had been crouched down or the nerves erupting in you with joy. Excitement. Yearning. 

You moved to deepen this. Letting your mouth fall open in greeting to him to explore you, learn you, relish you. When the tip of his tongue accosted yours, the noise that ruptured from within you was a mixture of a sigh and moan, feeling the heavenly encounter for the first time was unlike anything you had ever experienced before in your life. If you could have it bottled up to revisit whenever you wanted to or needed to, you would. 

2F took it as a welcoming invitation to continue on. A sense of relief washed over him, knowing you were indulging in this, accepting this, trembling for this just as much as he was. He wanted to chase you back to him when you retreated, breath stuttering in your throat, almost pained to come to a stop, even if just for a second. 

Your eyes opened, meeting his and you stood, taking his hand with yours and moving back towards your door, silently asking him to come with you. He followed instantaneously, swallowing thickly as you turned to open the door and lead him into your home. The sanctuary he had been destroying for months.

His hands found home on your waist, tilting your head to the side as he pressed himself against your back, the warmth of his breath fanned across the skin causing goosebumps to erupt all over your body. He wasn’t rushing, skilled hands knowing exactly what to do despite the slight tremor giving away the nerves that played at him despite his calm demeanor. 

As his mouth worked your pulse point, your hands sat on his, lightly squeezing as your breathing grew deeper. Uneven. Josh turned you around in his grasp, you wasted no time, letting your fingers card through his hair as his arms encircled you. 

His scent was intoxicating, something that made your head swim and cloud over with pure arousal. The feel of his facial hair running along your smooth skin had you pining. Your tongues danced in a rehearsed manner despite never having mingled before, but it felt known. Comfortable. Soothing. 

Despite your pleas and desperate noises, Josh pulled away from you. His hands moved to cup your cheeks, forcing your eyes to meet. “I’m not going to fuck you without knowing your name.” You swallowed slowly, his thumb skirting across your lower lip as you whispered it out.

He repeated it, eyes shut as he let it settle. You had never felt more one way than the other about your name, but as soon as it was graced from leaving his lips, you never wanted to hear another person say it again unless it was coming from him. 

Josh’s hands had lost their unsure hesitancy, moving to the underside of your shirt with poise and steadiness. His fingertips gripped and removed it, letting you two reconnect once more, not wanting to lose the contact again.

The pure temperature of his body was setting you on fire, your skins nearly sizzling as they pressed against each other. As Josh made his ascent from your mouth towards your chest, leaving peppered kisses along the way, your mind was reeling.

Unable to form coherent thoughts, any chance of intelligent sentences thrown out the window as he took a perched nipple into his mouth, sucking and nipping at the perked bud. 

Your breath caught in your throat, back arching into his chest. A smile played at his occupied lips, his free hand traveling from the curve of your waist to your abandoned breast. As his teeth held your nipple, his fingers twisted the other, eliciting strong moans to release from the confines of you.

When he switched, he didn’t give you even a nanosecond to catch your breath, continuing his motions. “Pl-please, Josh.” His doe eyes peered up at you, hooded with lust and a fire burning in them as he heard you moan his name for the first time. 

“What, baby? What do you need me to do?” Instinctively, your legs widened further, the small cloth covering your core dampened beyond belief, signaling your need for him. Wanting nothing more than for him to touch you. 

He shook his head, grabbing your chin in between his fingers, making you look at him. His voice was deeper, a gravelly tone accompanying it. “I need to hear your words, sweet girl.” 

Your head fell back, arms crossing over your face as you decided how bluntly you wanted to put this. Deciding you simply did not care, you groaned out, “Touch me, use me, demolish me. I don’t care, just please, fuck me, Josh.” 

Those seemed to be the magic words because in the blink of an eye your panties were gone, lost in the heap of discarded clothes, and your core felt his cold hands. 

Gasping, eyes shooting open to watch this happen, his fingertips moved your lips. The sticky signs of your excitement stretched as he lightly traced his hands around you. “God, look at you. You’re a fucking mess,” his words came out under his breath and his thumb slipped in the slick, gathering it and bringing it to his lips. 

As he sucked the digit into his mouth, your jaw slightly fell open. Watching Josh do this, act like this was mesmerizing. It was an entirely new side to him and it made you desperate for him. 

Josh moved behind you, letting your confusion become evident as he smiled. He leaned back against your headboard, pulling you to lay in between his legs. As your back met his chest, your head against his shoulder and neck, his cheek against your forehead, you were alight in anticipation.

“Relax, sweet girl. I’m gonna take care of you,” his legs hooked around your own, forcing them to remain open. His fingers reached down, collecting your wetness once again, bringing it to his mouth. “I will never get tired of that taste.”

Too entranced in the display of him, you didn’t notice when his hand had disappeared down again, but when you felt his thumb press against your clit, a small, surprised yelp left you. A permanent smirk was on his lips, memorizing your reactions and movements for the first time.

Given how thoroughly soaked you were, when Josh’s middle finger slipped into your entrance it was met with no resistance. It offered a sense of relief, not near enough to satisfy the craving you were begging for. 

Slowly moving his finger in and out, hearing the mess you were making on his finger, he quickly added another. As soon as the other entered you, he picked up his pace. Incoherent mumbling and moans tumbled from your lips as you felt yourself growing closer and closer to your release.

Josh offered words of praise as a silent scream escaped you, white light clogging your vision. You were contracting around his fingers, not wanting him to remove them, but it wasn’t enough. 

You were incredibly needy for more. Turning around in his grasp, your hands landed on either of his thighs. Reaching your hand out, you cupped his stiff cock, gently squeezing, and pulling his head towards yours. 

The sensation of his lips finding yours once again was palpable relief. You straddled him, having him remain where he originally was. The head of his cock rubbed against your slit, whimpers falling from both of your lips. 

Letting yourself sink down onto him, your eyes remained shut, head falling back as you took him all. Josh’s arms closed around you, crushing you to his chest. Slowly starting to move, the stretched sensation began to subside, immense pleasure taking over. 

His thrusts met your moves, both of you crying into the other's mouth, against their sweat covered skin, becoming one with each other. He alternated between leaving searing marks on your chest or neck, capturing your mouth, or uttering filthy words of encouragement. 

The two of you were close to your finishes, chasing your highs, your hands tangled in his locks and pulling as you felt it crash into you at a blinding pace. Gasping for breath, his cum leaking out of you and back onto his still hard shaft, you two leisurely came down from your highs.

You didn’t make a move first, letting Josh kiss all over your skin, licking the sweat away that poured from you both. Your eyes didn’t want to open, too heavy with exhaustion to even try. He moved you off of his lap, wiping you clean with a towel, and kissing your forehead as you felt asleep. 

When he left that night, you weren’t entirely sure what the next move was. Were things different? Absolutely. Was he still the prick that had been purposely fucking your life over for the last few months? Undoubtedly. Was he so attractive that your mouth went dry when you replayed certain aspects from the night before over in your mind? Unfortunately. 

The actual peace offering. The real olive branch. The non-poisonous ones that is. They were sitting on a tray, perfectly frosted, sitting in the shape of a large smiley face. Now, there could be the possibility that just the sight of cupcakes could cause a visceral reaction, but you were going to take your bets. 

Until the music started up. 

Your head snapped up and in the direction of his apartment. Wide eyes, jaw set, and shoulders tensing at the unbelievably loud music. It didn’t even sound like the normal noise, instead like there was a concert happening a mere fifteen feet away from you. 

Closing your eyes and forcing yourself to take a deep breath, you crossed the hall, tray in hand as you knocked on his door. There wasn’t an answer at first, so you knocked again, hearing a slew of voices on the other side of the wood. Maybe now wasn’t the time to do this if he had people over. 

When he didn’t answer on the second knock you quickly turned, feeling your face warm in embarrassment. His door flew open, your name escaping his lips to get your attention. You cursed to yourself, turning back around and offering a sheepish smile. His grew exponentially when he saw what you had in hand. 

You thrusted the tray towards him, trying not to peer behind him and see an audience watching this exchange. “For you. An actual I’m sorry for everything. Not spiked, promise,” you laughed at the end, doing the scouts honor salute. Before he could respond, someone who looked just like him appeared at the door.

The man’s eyes widened, a large beaming grin plastering on his features. “Oh my god, are you 3F?” A surprised expression took over your features, eyes darting between the two of them. Why did this stranger know who you were? Another figure appeared with the pair, startling you as he seemed to appear from thin air. He looked like the two, but stood a few inches taller than them.

“No way, 3F? We have heard so much about you!” The apples of Josh’s cheeks flushed red as he turned and handed the tray to the taller boy, speaking through clenched teeth as he did. “How about you shut the fuck up and go stuff these in your fat fucking hole, yeah?” You giggled at the exaggerated wink the boy offered him, taking the offering and looking back to you. 

“Well, it was a real pleasure getting to meet you 3F. I do hope my brother has learned your actual name, but he has no game so,” Josh cut him off, shoving him inside and slamming the door behind the laughing pair. 

His hands rubbed over his face, the tips of his ears burning like his face. “I am so sorry about them,” his thumb pointed over his shoulder in the direction where they had gone. You gently nudged him, wanting to egg him on. “Telling people about me, Josh?” 

Watching his eyes go wide and hearing him stutter over his words was far too entertaining. “Oh, no, no. I mean I mentioned some of the stuff to them and look they’re my little brothers so it’s like their thing to make my life as awkward as possible, like you should see some of the band interviews with them doing this shit-” you cut him off, eyebrows furrowing at his words. 

“You’re in a band?” He took in a short breath, head bobbing in response. “Greta Van Fleet. That’s what we’re called. That’s what the noise is that you’ve been subjected to for the last few months. It’s our new album and I get spurts of ideas at random times,” you nodded, finally beginning to understand his point of view. 

You eyed him, arms crossing. “Should’ve told me that. Maybe this all could have been avoided.” It was time. Time to be the bigger person.

Josh stood next to the table, dressed in a suit that perfectly encapsulated the entire being and existence that he is. The microphone in his hand, a glass of champagne in the other, speaking out to the guests in attendance. 

It was his incredibly long winded speech that everyone had been anticipating. The man did not know when to stop talking, but as his tale was about to wrap up, his eyes fell to you, sitting next to him. “Anyways, I’m not entirely sure what that story of Danny, Sam, and the giraffe have to do with this, but-” laughter flowed around the room at his tangent, your eyes filled with love and adoration as he held your gaze, “I am so glad my plan of being a complete neighbor from hell worked because I truly didn’t know how else to talk to you. I saw you when I was moving in and felt like the gods had sent you to change the entire directory of my life. You are my everything, my entire life, and I cannot wait to craft the rest of our story together.” 

You weren’t sure if you should have been happy or down right pissed, but as his co-best men all stood, raising their glasses, you wanted to table it. “To Mr. and Mrs. Kiszka!” The cheers erupted around the room, sipping from your glass and letting your husband lightly peck your lips before taking his seat.

“So your entire plan was being the biggest pain in the ass you could and hoping you would land me that way?” You leaned into his side as he beamed at you, leaning further towards you, lips landing on your cheek. “Yes, and it worked, my darling girl,” you rolled your eyes, downing the rest of your glass as he snickered in your ear, your giggles mixing with his as you watched his twin begin prepping for his turn.

Jake stood dead center of the room, microphone in hand as he began his speech. “Hello all. I want to say a quick congratulations to my brother and his wife. If there’s anything anyones ever been told it’s about being the bigger person. That’s not the case tonight. Joshy boy, strap in.  Now, everyone knows my brother peed the bed until he was eleven years old.” 

[littlemisslipbalm]

Demonology

Part 2: Unholy Affliction

Series Summary: A new demon has come to Nashville. Josh and Jake's ways of life have been thrown off by her arrival. The angel and demon have lived with an understanding of one another, but with Y/N stirring up trouble and asking questions, they're forced to work out a new normal. And why is she so powerful for a human turned demon anyway, that's unusual, right?

A/N: hiiii heres part 2!!! Pls like comment and reblog bc it helps and makes me happy to hear what you think! Also I’ve added a taglist form so add yourself to that and I’ll make sure you get tagged from now on! Happy reading <3

Summary: Y/N finally runs into the demon named Jake. What a night!

Word Count: 4.8k | Warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, 18+ descriptions of sex (no explicit smut yet), demon!jake ayo, i think that’s it

Taglist | Series Masterpost

Part Two: Unholy Affliction

She didn’t run into the odd angel and demon duo for two months. After the brief encounter outside of the speakeasy with both of them, nothing. She was enduring her second life back on Earth as best as could be expected as someone with little to no knowledge about the modern world with no one but her dog to talk to about things that really mattered. She insisted to Rori as they lounged around the apartment that she was having fun as he stared at her dubiously. 

She’d be more than damned to be upset that the other demon hadn’t come to find her. He probably thought he was too good for her or just didn’t care about her. Well, she definitely didn’t care. She didn’t need him to help her. Making trouble came easily to her. It was just everything else about being in this world that was hard. 

It was an accident when she finally bumped into him. At least, it was by accident for her. She had chosen to take the long way home from the bar she had made hers for the night. Swirling around to music she blared from the phone she’d picked up after a few weeks, Rori ran circles around her howling into the night. She sang along to the music and danced, staring at the waxing moon. Mostly alone, but she felt mostly alive. Wasn’t a total loss. 

She paid no attention to her surroundings. It was so late on a back road, it was unlikely anyone would be around and if they were around, she would make them sorry they bothered her. 

“Is this all you do then?” A voice from the shadows inquired. 

She recognized it immediately. She’d hung onto his voice as one of the few pieces of information she had about this ancient demon. Jake. Seemed silly to her that he didn’t have a more hellish name. It was practically still an altar boy’s name–she should use that on him if he said something really rude. 

She stops the music and her movements, coming to a complete standstill. “Jake.” 

He saunters out of the shadows, messing with his hair. He stares at her, waiting for an answer. 

“How do you mean?”

He rolls his eyes and gestures his hand to her body. “Party. Cause a little trouble. Get drunk. Wander home alone.” Sad.

She laughs, certain he was kidding, and choosing to ignore the stab in her chest she felt at the word ‘alone’. “I have my—Isn’t that the job?” 

“Just the trouble part. But altering bars to your liking doesn’t really fulfill that. There’s a lot of ways to get the job done even if your specialties are seduction and desire…” 

He narrowed his eyes at the end of his sentence. Jake thought she was silly. He didn’t take his job very seriously but he also couldn’t stand to see someone doing it differently than him. 

She didn’t feel shame but a certain strangeness about the fact that Josh had clearly talked about their night at the speakeasy to Jake. 

“You seem too young to be sent up to the big leagues. Nepo baby?”

“What baby? I don’t even know what that means.”

Jake sighs in exasperation. 

“Nepotism was around in the 70s before they dragged you down to Hell, yeah? A practice among those in power to give special preference to relatives. Erh,” Jake tried to think of a reference she might know. “Whatever. Forget it.” 

This was the third thing he added to the growing list of ways she seemed to be struggling in the modern world. This, the bars and how she wasn’t taking advantage of online ordering—he definitely hadn’t been spying on her these last two months, he just may have stopped by her place a few times. Just to see if she’d had her earthly access revoked or not. 

Jake tilts his head and his cheekbones catch in the light. He was a handsome demon. She liked his longer hair, reminding her of the boys back in the day. His brown eyes were sweet like his angel counterpart’s, but the yellow ones she had seen the other day had sent a shiver down her spine. 

“If I’m doing the job so wrong, why has it taken you this long to tell me? Maybe if you guided me or gave me information I could do the devil’s will a little better?” She tried to keep the unfamiliar nerves growing in her stomach away.

“It’s not in my interests to help you, per say.” He gestures a hand out towards the road she had been traveling, wanting them to keep walking. “But, unofficially, you're doing the afterlife life so wrong it's hurting my no good soul.” 

She falls into step with him, still watching him as he disregards her, pulling his sunglasses back over his eyes. “True demons have souls?” 

“My consciousness, whatever that I am, it doesn’t really matter what you call it. Just is the easiest term.” He grumbles. 

She smiles at his frustration with her. “So you’re gonna mentor me?” Her voice was relaxed, but she couldn’t hide the truth from herself. She wanted more than anything to have some guidance from Jake. He seemed to know what he was doing and while she denied it, she did feel unfulfilled so far. 

“I guess… It’ll get Josh off my back about your fiddling with the swing of the bars.” 

“You listen to your angel brother? And it’s really nothing, I don’t know why both of you keep bringing it up!” 

“Because people!” Jake stops, raising his voice shakily. He takes hold of her shoulders. “People have been talking about it. The first lesson of demonology is to make sure your work goes unnoticed. Evil is insidious. It doesn’t knock at the door or even bust it off its hinges, it seeps through the cracks, uninvited and unannounced until it's too late.” 

She’s alight at his touch. His hands are fire against her exposed skin that had cooled in the night air. He is literally steaming with passion and she can feel it falling off of him. She feeds off of it. Her eyes stare up into his unreadable face. His lips are parted in a perfect cupid’s bow–reminiscent of his angel origins. 

“And I don’t listen to Josh. It’s just impossible to get him to shut up.” 

She sighs, waving her hand at Rori who had returned from running ahead when he realized the two demons weren’t behind him anymore. 

“But why does Josh care?” 

“Because,” Jake shakes his head, letting go of her arms and starting to walk again. “If enough people get talking about it, then the Upstairs will eventually get a hold of it and ask Josh why he hasn’t put a stop to it.”

She’s still confused. “And?”

“For fuck’s sake…And Josh and I have a deal where we don’t step on each other’s toes. We do enough good and enough bad–at least, it had been enough–to keep the ones in charge satisfied. You’re fucking it up for both of us. Making us work.”

“It kind of sounds like what I’m doing is actually fine and you two are just mad because you don’t want to deal with it.” 

They reach a black door with a lamp to the right of it, illuminating the address number ‘666’. She stares between him and the number, tapping her nose. Jake shakes his head, twisting the door handle and grumbling something about how it was establishment-issued. The sound of the lock undoing itself is heard from inside the wall. 

He opens the door and responds indignantly. “Nuh-uh.” 

She laughs. “Uh-huh…No wonder Hell sent me up here. You’re slacking!” 

She follows him down the long dark entryway through an arch that opened into a 70s style conversation pit, completely carpeted in navy blue. The color of a deep night sky with only a few stars to keep it lit. 

“What do you expect? I’m a demon. Thousands of years old, I’ve paid my fucking dues.”

There’s a bottle of whiskey open on the coffee table in the center, half drank. In a blink of an eye, they both have full glasses in their hands. Jake doesn’t offer a salutation and drinks slowly from the glass and proceeds to remove his sunglasses. His eyes flicker between brown and yellow several times when they return to Y/N. He swore he’d seen her before.

“Plus, the humans are so much better at thinking up evil shit to do. Things I’d never even dream up.” He relaxes into his seating, looking altogether like he belonged here. Far more than he did in Heaven or Hell. 

She pulls her knees up to her chest and rests her chin on top while she takes a sip of the expensive looking liquor. She was trying to keep her eyes on Jake and her immediate surroundings rather than staring around the place with wandering eyes. It was expansive, filled with trinkets that looked older than most of the modern world, mixed in with incredible paintings and lavish decor. No house she’d been in had been this beautiful and some had been rockstar’s homes. Then again, she never had much time or lucidity to look around those places. 

Pointedly, she stared at Jake instead of the room. He had seen through her as a newbie with no real clue what she was supposed to do. She didn’t want to seem fazed by a little interior design. 

“So what do you do instead of Hell’s wishes?” 

“Play my guitar mostly,” Jake shrugs. “Then I write up a report on whatever shitty things humans have done in the last month and send it down to Hell as my deeds.” 

“You’re a musician too,” Her eyes lit up, her humanity slipping to the surface. “Tell me you play real music. Not the garbage that comes out of all the stereos around here.” 

Jake’s laugh is loud and obnoxious but she likes it. 

“It’s not all bad but I know what you mean. Nothing like the 70s around these days. Bet you would’ve liked the 90s though…There was some fantastic rock.” 

She moves closer to him, eager for Jake to talk about something she liked and cared about. He could be someone who could guide her and converse with. He shifts a little bit away from her and she tilts her head in confusion.

Jake nods at her as he swallows more of his whiskey. 

“I heard you succeeded in tempting Josh.”

“Not really,” She shrugs, immediately knowing why Jake was keeping his distance.

“Josh letting a demon kiss him to show him mystical porn…” Jake chuckles darkly. “That’s plenty of success.” 

“He’s challenging.” She tried to keep hurt out of her voice, but considering she hadn’t seen Josh either she wondered if she’d really scared him off. “Everyone else is too easy around here—and gross.”

Jake smirks. “It’s very impressive for such a minor demon to have gotten that far with an angel like Josh.” 

“It seems like you’ve had a corrupting influence on him,” she pushed back. 

“Well, yeah. But I’ve never macked on him in a speakeasy dressed like that.” Jake’s eyes wander over her figure. She wasn’t wearing the same thing as she had with Josh, but it communicated the same thing. All black, low cut and high cut all at once, and the carnelian necklace, glowing like a beacon. 

“I could make that happen for you two, if you wanted.” 

“I do not want that. At all.”

“Just checking. You sound kind of jealous.”

Jake shakes his head at her. “You’re rotten.” 

He couldn’t quite puzzle her out. She wasn’t like other demons he’d come into contact with over the years. They were solitary creatures and wretched. She wanted companionship, which was particularly human. And while she was good at the evil stuff, her desire for interaction and connection seemed to outweigh what should be her main prerogative: devilish destruction. 

She wanted to hear about his music rather than talk about how she’d almost successfully tempted an angel, for Satan's sake. Half the demons he knew barely registered music as an instrument of demonic work, much less took pleasure in it. 

“What were you doing in the 60s and 70s,” She asks. 

Jake smiled, memories flashing before his eyes immediately. His eyes go yellow at the question and she realizes it’s kind of like him closing his eyes. Like an internal eyelid or something. Something inhuman. 

Disraeli Gears began to spin on a record player somewhere in the room and her smile matched Jake’s.

“Cream was my favorite band back then. Clapton, he was the man.”

“I’m more of a George Harrison gal when it comes to British guitarists,” she says dreamily. “I saw Cream at the Troubadour when they were just starting out. But the Doors were more my style. Zeppelin, Stones and Hendrix too. God, those guys were something.”

“You were in the music scene?” Josh had said she was from Los Angeles. He hadn’t been specific about what she did.

She finished her drink and held out the glass for more. Jake just stared at it and suddenly the glass was full again. She grinned, taking a sip with a nod of appreciation. 

“Yeah. It’s what got me on the devil’s list. Sleeping with singers and doing way too many drugs. Started sneaking backstage when I was 15 and getting into trouble started about the second I walked through the door.”

Jake nodded with reverence. Her expertise made sense. Why she was so powerful, still unanswered. He finished his second glass and switched to the bottle, deciding to settle in for the night that was quickly becoming morning. 

The demons went back and forth, retelling ridiculous stories from the time where their lives first overlapped. Jake’s bad fashion choices. Her terrible taste in men. Jake’s inventions of evil. Their shared expensive taste for party drugs and liquor. 

The first whiskey and a second bottle were gone after a few hours and they were sprawled on the navy floor. She ran her hands along the soft carpet. 

“Thanks for finally coming to see me. Thought you hated me,” she murmurs.

“I hate two things in this world: Justin Bieber and global warming. I jus’ was worried you’d get me in trouble when you first got here. Needed to know if you were a snitch or not.”

She nods. Jake nods back, shutting his eyes fully. 

“Wait. Who’s Justin Bieber?” 

Jake cackles. “I keep forgetting you know practically nothing about what’s happened in the last 50 years. You’re like a child.”

Her eyes flash black at Jake’s teasing. Her defenses went up at any sign of embarrassment, but her head was swimming in brown liquor. She barely managed to sit up and stare meanly at him. With his eyes still closed, he didn’t even take notice. Though he heard her huff unhappily and it made him grin. 

“That why you need a friend? To show you the ropes of modern life?” He pushes himself up to lean on his hands. It was like he had seen inside her mind. “You kind of got sent back at a shit time. Sorry.” 

If she could still feel true shame, she might have blushed, but her body didn’t work like that anymore. Instead her eyes stayed black and her hair reddened. 

“Am I hitting a nerve?” Jake chuckles again, his cruel nature peeking out at her obvious discomfort, and his eyes flick yellow. “You’re lonely?” 

She huffs, feeling the liquor fueling a growing anger. Where was her blood-sucking dog when she needed him? Actually, she wasn’t sure if demon’s like Jake would bleed so maybe it was good Rori stuck to the shadows—i.e. gone to bed. 

“No.”

“You can’t lie to me, Sal.”

The name she gave to Josh sticks in Jake’s voice. It’s an accusation. He knew. How. 

“I’ve been lying longer than you’ve existed. I can see a liar coming from off in the harbor.” Jake continues, his jeering laugh makes her skin crawl. It’s like he’d slipped into a different part of himself. Different, but still clearly Jake. “You never asked about my speciality.” 

She had a feeling he’d tell her. Wherever he had gone to with his eyes stuck in their horrifying yellow form, he was in charge for the time being. 

“Tricksters, thieves and gluttons. Used to have lechery, but it got boring.” 

“I didn’t get to choose,” she mumbles. She had drawn her knees up to her chest again, feeling some semblance of anxiety.

Jake’s eyes flicked back to brown and his smirk turned to a frown. “You didn’t get to choose?”

“Do human-demons normally get to choose?”

“Humans don’t normally become demons,” Jake corrects. “But no matter, you’re supposed to choose.”

“I don’t know what else I would’ve chosen besides what I got, I guess. It’s just not something I’m actually passionate about.” She laughs at the irony. “I don’t want to sleep with just anybody anymore. I already did that. I just want to have a good time on my terms this time.”

He smirked with a little surprised laugh. “You’re sweet on my angel brother aren’t you? His pristine feathers got under your skin.” 

She was about to deny it when she remembered what had just happened when she’d lied to him. 

“I like a challenge. That doesn’t mean I’m only interested in him…But I need a bit of a game.”

Jake knew what she was saying. She knew it. Their almost drunken fight was forgotten. The subject matter moving along to something they had clearly been avoiding all night. Their desire. She liked the power Jake exuded, even if it scared her a little too. She wanted to see if she could get him, too.

Jake rolls his eyes and motions for her to come closer. “I bet you can’t get into my mind. Nothing you could show me could sway me into sleeping with you. How’s that for a challenge?” 

She smiled. “But don’t you want to sleep with me?” 

“Says who?” He spread his legs, his knees bowed out wide. He motioned for her to take a seat on top of him. “I could make myself look like Josh if you’d like. All I’ve got to change is the hair, our faces are the same. I know he’s been avoiding you.” 

He switches from ambivalent to cruel between sentences and she can’t find her footing. She swings her left leg over his body, settling into his lap. Her hands instinctively went to his chest as he stared up at her. He was a challenge in a different way to his angel brother. 

“Okay, lay the thoughts on me,” Jake puts a hand on her shoulder when she leans in, a knowing smirk on his lips. “And I know you don’t actually need to kiss me to transfer them. There just has to be some form of skin to skin contact.” 

She huffs in annoyance. “Spoil sport.” 

Jake laughs. “Go on, giddy up, girl.” 

She narrows her eyes at him, allowing them to slip to black as she raises her fingers to Jake’s temples. Her hands slink into his hair and take a rough grasp of his roots. He grunts in mild discomfort, but maintains his challenging stare, lowering his hands to her hips to keep her still. 

Her eyelids flicker like her eyes are rolling back in her head, but the spheres of inky black don’t change. Jake watches with tempered interest, seeing her process. 

Then his vision shifts, leaving his comfortable living room, it's cloudy, murky like a foggy night out on the ocean. It’s still familiar to him. Her figure appears through the mist, shifting with the fog. She steps closer to Jake and he now hears the lapping of the ocean and tastes the salt of the oceanair on his lips. She’d found a memory of one of his ships and made it the setting for this temptation. 

‘Your fantasies are all nautical themed,’ She speaks in his mind, her tone is curious. ‘Why’s that?’

‘Aren’t you supposed to be seducing me?’

‘Yeah, but I still have questions.’

Jake laughs inside his head and he hates the way he doesn’t hate her presence there and then he wonders if she can feel that feeling. This was new for him. 

The scene rocks melodically back and forth upon waves and a beautiful blue light descends on the room he begins to see. She’s a figure at the corner of it, leaning against a door, the entire room is cozy and she is surprised by the care that seems to exude from this recess of Jake’s mind. 

There’s a cool breeze, but overall the room is warm and Jake is sat leaning back upon the bed while he watches her approach. 

‘I don’t see anything.’ She murmurs. Jake feels a ripple in the vision, a strange dichotomy of the faux images she’s showing him and the plane of reality their physical bodies are existing on. She’s pressing harder into his real skin, in his living room, talking aloud. 

Jake says nothing. 

‘I know you have carnal desires, I can sense them,’ she continues. ‘Why are they so vague?’ 

In the vision, she has sat beside Jake now, staring at him. She looks a little different in the vision than how he has seen her physical body. Her hair is duller, her body weaker, she looks far more human to Jake. Still beautiful and sensual, but he wonders if maybe she cannot change the image of her soul in the ether as easily as she can on Earth. 

She is wearing a deep blue slip, the first time he’s seen her in a color other than black. He moves in the vision and her eyes widen, confused that he has autonomy in something she is meant to control. He brushes at her hair, allowing his hand to gently trail her face and neck.

‘I usually like to pleasure my partner. I like to give them what they want.’

She stares at him intently, feeling a shiver in her spine once more. Out of control.

‘Your big wide eyes, you’re like a helpless bug, even here. All confused why you’re not in control, showing me my deepest, darkest desires.’ 

She focuses harder on her task, searching through the wisps of memory in Jake’s mind. Like Josh, he had only allowed her into a small portion of his mind, but a small portion of an ancient creature was still cavernous. She flipped through the images in search of concrete memories rather than memories of desire. Memories of times when he had felt fulfilled, she saw him curled around beautiful women, sometimes strong and sometimes meek and she was surprised. He didn’t seem like the one to be soft in the bedroom, but she remembered his remark of giving what his partners wanted. 

‘You’re barely a demon. Still practically an angel.’ She mutters, feeling discomfort when watching the scenes of him with other people for some reason. 

‘I am not.’ His voice is warning. She doesn’t press. 

She kept digging, still unsure what to do to show him something that would tempt him. Images of him in bed alone surface after a while and she pushes harder, looking for the thoughts that had been in his head at that time. She looked for what he imagined when his hand was slipping around himself in the dark. The thoughts that made his breath quicken and his stomach shudder. Finally. 

She shifted the image, her figure below Jake and she feels a strange sort of deja vu. The Jake in the scene was over her and she was moaning the usual obscenities as his hair rocked around her. Jake’s actual consciousness was unimpressed. 

‘So sometimes I like it a little vanilla, so what? You’re still not convincing me to crave you, demoness.’

‘Your mind is strange. Hard to navigate, I guess.’

Vision Jake leans down to kiss her with a hum. ‘I like that.’ 

She shifts the scene, unhappy with him messing with her again. She shows them together in a few different positions and she feels herself pulling from the things she had shown Josh, hoping Jake couldn’t tell. She also shows Jake a scene of him between her thighs and she hears him groan, making her feel a little accomplished. 

The final scene, she had been holding onto in hopes that she would’ve flustered him enough before having to show it to him. It was risky, even for her. He was a strong demon and this could make him more upset than aroused. But if he hadn’t wanted her to access the idea, he should’ve been more careful. 

They’re in a beautiful room, draped in red and flooded with moonlight. She straddles Jake’s hips and she rocks back and forth on him. He hums as she runs her hands over every curve of his face, down his neck and across his shoulders. Then she speaks to him, her lips pressed against the curve of his ear, soft and insistent. 

‘You do not have to be good to be loved.’ She felt Jake push at her presence, but she continued, kissing at his sweaty skin. ‘You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.’ 

She kisses him deeply on the lips and vision Jake relents, giving in to her touch. Letting it consume him, he gets lost in the imagined moment, pulling her figure closer, wanting them to meld into one. In the vision, it’s almost as if they do, their souls twisting and touching in a way so foreign to the material world she was alight in a way she never had been before.

In his living room, she releases his head and her eyes flicker back to their regular color. Jake’s hands are strong, keeping her close as he blinks back to the physical plane. 

“How did you know to say that?” Jake breathes, feeling slightly off, but knowing he wanted Y/N here. “How did you see that?”

She feels the intensity of Jake’s question. “It was in a memory. You read the poem and then went to bed.” 

Jake nodded, still staring at her face but not quite her eyes, wanting her to continue. 

“I felt how happy you were that night when you came. The only thing different from other nights was that poem. Thought I’d give it a shot.” 

“Don’t ever speak of that to anyone. Do you understand me?” His fingers were burning at her sides. 

“I would never.” Her voice is sincere. She worries her lip, unsure if she should say what’s really on her mind. “I meant it.”

Jake looks up at her eyes for the first time since they had come out of the vision. “What?” 

She traces under his eyes gingerly with her thumbs, scared of him pushing her away. “I understand why you like the poem so much. I like it too. So, I meant it...You can tell me about your despair, and I will tell you mine.”

She pauses, watching Jake’s blank expression. 

“If you want. Challenge, everything, aside. I am a demon but I am also still a girl inside somewhere. Both exist within me and I don’t even like the demon stuff all that much. I’ve had 50 years to realize just how much I wish I’d done it all differently. Maybe I wouldn’t be seducing strangers as some sort of living dead eternal 27 year old. Maybe I could’ve been alive somewhere else right now, withering with a long line of family to love me as I died slowly.” 

“Oh fucking hell,” Jake sighs, releasing a hand to twirl a finger through her hair. .

“What?” 

“You’re fucking brilliant,” He shakes his hair out and then presses his lips against her just like he had in the vision. “You win,” He mumbles against her lips. 

She kisses him back, her arms snaking around his neck. “It wasn’t a gimmick. I’m serious.” 

“I know, and you win. Sincerity,” Jake moves his lips to kiss along her jaw. “Is extremely sexy, in a world where almost nothing is true. Fuck. You’re so soft.” 

She grinned up at the ceiling, befuddled but excited. 

“Do those people even know the gift they were getting when you went home with them?” His voice shakes with passion and desire. She’s certain this is not from her usual influence. Her powers hadn’t worked on Jake at all.

Jake was practically worshiping her because she was herself. Because she had found a real piece of him and shown it to him and connected with it. It felt better than any meaningless hookup she’d had before. Jake, the demon who had criticized her, was the gentlest lover she’d ever had. The sweetest soul she’d ever connected with. It felt so good to be seen.

-

To be continued….

let me know what you think

Taglist: @joshysgirl @ofthecaravel

[jupiterwrites99]

You're On Your Own, Kid -- 13

Trust Issues

A/N: Short and Sweet to build up for the next one

“How’d you find me?” She asked hesitantly, she couldn’t hear the others but if he had found her, they must not be too far. It had been five days since she had run from the Uleys cottage, and Sage had no plans on returning. She was trying to find her way back to Josh’s house from memory, though it was taking longer than expected.

“That doesn’t matter right now.” The man grumbled as he crossed his arms. Whether he meant to intimidate her or not, it was certainly working. “You need to come home.”

Sage scoffed, “Yeah, no thanks.”

There was no way she was going back there without a fight, which is exactly what she was prepared to do. Sage had enough self respect to not stick around where she wasn’t wanted and clearly, Sam did not want her in his pack if he was willing to shove her out like a misbehaving dog. The words he had used to describe her echoing in her mind. 

“Do you have any idea what you're putting Paul through right now?” Jacob argued, and her heart sank. Of course she did, she felt all of it. It's not like he cared what she was going through, if he did, she left enough of a trail for him to find her. If he was the one that had run away, she would’ve found him already. It's been five days, and nothing. No sign of her mate.

“He started it! He doesn’t want me…No one wanted me there, so I left. I made it easier for everyone else.” She exclaimed, the more she thought about the more upset she became. Maybe she was a runt after all and that's why Paul didn’t want her. Sage was spiralling and she knew it.

Jacob shook his head in disbelief, “He’s in love with you, Sage.”

“I saw him with your sister.”  The younger wolf pointed out. The image of them looking real cosy with each other crossed her mind. She tried to control the small ripple of betrayal she felt, like it never left her.

“That's what set you off.” A look of realisation hit Jacobs eyes, before taking a step closer to the she wolf, his hand held forward with his palm up. A sign that he wasn’t going to hurt her. “Sage, he doesn’t love Rachel, he never has. Paul broke her heart,  a lot, but she did it to herself by not leaving when he told her to go. “

Sage furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. His explanation lined up with Pauls, but it still didn’t make sense why he went to see his ex, “So why did he go see her then? He told me he had work.”

“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him that but you are the only thing that he truly cares about. It's time to come back now.” Jacob coaxed, and Sage could feel his desperation, so much so that she wondered if Paul or Sam sent him to find her. He was the one that got her in trouble, maybe they thought he could bring her back by making amends. Though in her mind, they already have. He apologised when he came out to talk to her that night.

“I can’t.”Sage shook her head. She had been a part of a corrupt pack her entire life. One that was quick to banish those who dared to defy the Alpha, or worse. She didn’t want to be subject to that hierarchy again. “I won’t be a part of Sam's pack, not even for Paul.”

“Why not?” Jacob asked. Sage admired his genuine question. The older wolf seemed to be the only one who cared, who even bothered to ask why. Paul and Sam just assumed she wanted to be in their pack because of the imprint, she never asked and now that Sam had shown his true thoughts of the w

Sage shifted uncomfortably, “He said I was dangerous, and I’m not.” She watched as Jacob opened his mouth to speak, and interrupted him quickly, not wanting him to agree with Sam, “That's not me!”

“Sage,” He spoke softly as the tears formed in her eyes. She wasn’t dangerous, not on purpose at least. She knew she needed to control her wolf better, but that was the only thing keeping her sane when everyone turned against her former pack. That's all she has.

Jacob wrapped his arms around the younger girl in a hug and she quickly tried to push him away, not used to the gentle kindness,“No!” She gave up quickly as he held on to her, “I spent my entire life feeling like I didn't belong in my pack, my family. I won’t do it again. I don’t agree with Sam, I won’t follow him.”

“I have a solution.” Jacob told her softly, asking,  “Do you trust me?”

[k-evans-reads]

In Living Color

Chapter 20

Summary: When Natalie Marton, lead character designer for Buzz Lightyear, meets the voice of Buzz, Chris Evans, the sparks are undeniable. But when their work pushes them away from each other, both physically and emotionally, will the sheer differences between their worlds be enough to force them apart?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Pixar Animator OFC Natalie Marton

Word Count: 3,953

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None.

Previous | Main Masterlist | In Living Color Masterlist

April 2022

The soft beep of Chris’ security system echoed through the otherwise quiet home just as he was pulling plates out of a cabinet. With a glance backwards over his shoulder, he watched as Lisa came into the kitchen, her face tired as her hands held a take-out bag from her favorite restaurant in town.  

“You look beat,” he chuckled as he took the food from her, but knew he felt the exact same way as she looked. 

“That’s what all mothers of the brides look like the day after a wedding,” Lisa shook her head as she sat down heavily on a barstool, taking a sip of water from the glass he’d sat out for her. Chris busied himself with putting their food on plates, sliding Lisa hers as he walked around the island to sit down next to her, putting his plate down in front of him. “Did you have a good time last night? I was a little worried about you.” 

“I had a great time. I love to see Shanna this happy,” he honestly replied, knowing how momentous the occasion was for his younger sister. He shook his head as he picked up his sandwich, brushing off her concern by saying, “Don’t worry about me, Ma. I’m fine.” 

Lisa shrugged back, holding a chip in her hand as she pointed out, “You’ve just seemed a little more subdued this weekend.” 

“I’m just tired,” he placated, knowing it was the truth. Between a heavy filming schedule – one where he was almost entirely alone, save for Josh and Dodger, on his off hours – and flying from Atlanta to Boston late Friday, spending all of Saturday with their entire family, then putting everything back in his suitcase and rolling it to where it now rested, next to the front door, waiting until it was time to head out for his flight back to Georgia. 

But Lisa simply raised an eyebrow at her eldest son, looking at him suspiciously as she suggested, “I thought it might have a little more to do with the fact that Nat couldn’t come.” 

His face fell into a small frown, knowing it was the truth. “That too,” he murmured. It’d been worrisome when Nat called – tired, but most of all under the weather and stressed – on Thursday, just as Chris was leaving set for the day. But the other shoe dropped on mid-morning Friday, when Nat called, extremely apologetic as she told Chris she wouldn’t even be able to make it out of bed, not to mention down to LAX to make it onto the cross-country flight to meet him in Boston that evening. 

“How is she doing? The poor thing sounded terrible yesterday morning when you had her on speaker phone,” Lisa asked him, her eyes worried as she recalled Nat’s strained voice. 

“I haven’t talked to her much since then. I tried calling her a few times this morning but she didn’t answer,” Chris informed her, his voice low as he shrugged, but was unable to quell the overwhelming worry that he felt for Nat.

“Hopefully she’s getting some sleep.” 

“God knows she doesn’t get it any other time,” he muttered, sighing as he paused and took another bite of his sandwich. “I’m not really surprised that she’s been sick so much lately, I don’t think she ever stops working.” 

“I’m sure she would have made it if she could,” Lisa tried to assure him, but her efforts fell well short.

“It’s not that,” Chris insisted, wanting her to know he wasn’t upset about the sickness leaving her behind in Los Angeles. It was about what got her to this point. “I know she wanted to come this weekend. She was crying on the phone when she said she couldn’t come and was really upset about it. I’m not frustrated about her getting sick, but just more that she has done nothing but work for the past four months.” 

“Won’t that be over with soon, though? She’s only busy while she has the two movies overlapping, right?” 

“That’s the thing though, Lightyear is completely finished,” Chris said. He knew it finished last month – having been on the email thread of the main crew celebrating, but having also seen Nat’s calendar with the deadline circled in red. He remembered her sky-high stress levels in the week leading up to that hard deadline, but then only got to see a fraction of the stress leave her shoulders as she jumped into the next projects, the next deadline, the task. “Her work load is just insane and she doesn’t ever say no to anything. She keeps saying that it’s a season but I’m not so sure it is.” 

“Do you feel like it’s different than it was last year?” Lisa asked, her brows furrowed as she listened to his words and ate her sandwich.  

“Definitely,” Chris agreed instantly. He remembered how carefree Nat was last year, coupled with them growing closer to each other and beginning their relationship. But now he felt like something had shifted inside of Nat, and he struggled to reconcile this overworking and burn out with anything that he knew Nat to be. “I know earlier this year it was because of the two movies overlapping, but I feel like it’s worse now that I’m working, because she just never shuts down for the day. Even when she visited here in Boston in February and Atalanta in March, she’d work in bed when I was falling asleep.” 

Lisa nodded as she listened to Chris, pointing out, “It’s a hard line because Nat’s job is who she is.” 

“That’s the thing though. Being an artist is who she is and her job was just what she did, but now I feel like her job is her life,” Chris replied, his hands flying in the air as he finished his lunch. “Her job has become her identity and I don’t know why. She never wanted that. Ever.” 

“Why do you think that is?” 

He struggled to answer her simple question, at a true loss for words. Nat to him was always so self-assured, strong, and capable. But now, from what short conversations they’d been able to have before he fell asleep or had to go back to set, or in between her meetings, he just felt as though she was doubting everything she did. She always brushed off his concern, saying she was fine, but his worry only grew larger with every passing day where she didn’t go back to being Nattie. “I honestly don’t know. Nat doesn’t care about doing things in a traditional way or being stuck in societal norms and that’s what I love so much about her. I love that Nat’s her own person in every way but I feel like she just keeps slipping into… I don’t know… what she thinks she should be doing or what she thinks it means to be successful. I don’t really understand.” He finally answered, feeling as though nothing he said would make sense to anyone except his mother. 

“I feel like this is maybe something you should try to talk to her about. Maybe just bring it up in a gentle way and see how she’s feeling,” Lisa suggested, her hand resting comfortingly on the back of his shoulder as she stood up to put their dishes in the dishwasher. 

“Lately when I talk to her it just feels… different,” he admitted, swallowing anxiously as all his fears came to the surface. “Nat’s always been honest. I’ve always loved how she’s just so open and upfront with her feelings but lately it just seems like she isn’t telling me the truth about what’s going on and isn’t open about things. I’m starting to wonder if maybe it’s more about her pulling back from me…” 

“Chris, I don’t want to see you just sit back and let it get to the point where it’s too big to figure out,” Lisa began, her voice more worried than it had been at the beginning of the conversation. 

“I think I just need to talk to her,” he nodded, moving to put the bag and containers from the restaurant in the trash can. His shoulders slouched a little as he added, “But we barely get time to do that anymore.” 

“Well if it’s worth it to you, then you’ll make the time,” Lisa simply – and firmly – replied.

“Nattie’s worth it,” he said, without a moment’s hesitation. “I love her so much Ma and I guess I’m just afraid that when we talk, what she says might be something I don’t want to hear.” 

“There’s only one way to find out,” Lisa smiled, then her look grew wider as she suggested, “Besides, the answer to all of this might be a lot more simple than you’re imagining it to be.” 

With a hopeful grin, Chris went to grab his coat and backpack from the living room before he and Lisa headed out for the airport, with Chris’ departure back to Atlanta rapidly approaching. He’d been looking forward to this weekend for a variety of reasons – celebrating his sister and her new husband, Daniel, getting to sleep in his own bed, see his niece and nephews, and be back home – but most of all, he’d been looking forward to seeing Nattie. It had been a huge disappointment that she couldn’t be there, especially with this uncertainty and worry that had cropped up in their lives, but he found himself counting down the hours until he could somehow get a visit in to see his girl, because he knew that once they were together everything would feel a lot more right. 

Mark stared at Nat in near-disbelief as she pulled the door to her apartment open, leaning on it for support. “You look like absolute shit,” he decisively told her before brushing past Nat and heading into her apartment, the smell of soup wafting from the bag he held. 

“Thanks for that,” she rolled her eyes as she shut and locked the door behind him then followed him down the hall, arms wrapped around herself as she shuffled down the hallway. 

“I just mean you really are sick, aren’t you?” Mark asked as he eyed Nat carefully, sitting down at her table. She rolled her eyes to herself at Mark’s obvious intentional distance-putting between them, but instead opened the bag that was sitting on the counter and pulled one of the soups out, grabbing a spoon on her way to sit at the island. 

“Well I’m not hunched over the toilet throwing up anymore like I was yesterday. I'd say I'm actually doing pretty good right now,” she shrugged, her eyes shutting as she tasted the chicken noodle soup. 

“Hopefully this soup helps,” her friend chuckled, a fond grin on his face. 

“Thanks for bringing it over, Mark, I really appreciate it,” she told him honestly. 

“Happy to,” he shrugged, brushing off her appreciation. “I knew you felt like shit and I’m sure having to stay home this weekend didn’t help.” 

Nat’s face fell a little at the reminder of what this weekend was. She and Chris were supposed to go to his younger sister’s wedding together back in Boston, spend time with his family, have fun, and let their guard down a little while surrounded by the Evanses’ closest friends. She’d been so excited, not only to be a tiny part of the family’s big day, but to also see him. Life had been…. Hectic, to say the least, over the last three months for them both. With Nat’s work schedule as busy as it’d ever been and with Chris spending his weeks in Atlanta, they were lucky to have gotten two quick visits in with each other, but her schedule and lack of sleep had taken its toll, leaving her with a stomach bug and a canceled flight and having to write an apologetic message to the bride. She was also disappointed, however, because she’d wanted to tell him about the latest news she’d received that Thursday morning. 

“Going to Boston has been the one thing I’ve been looking forward to and I had to get sick this weekend,” she admitted, a deep frown on her lips as she stared down at the still-warm soup. 

Mark sighed, a long and low sound from across the room. She picked her head up to look at him, seeing the concern in his eyes as he confessed, “I can’t say that I’m surprised with how hard you’ve been working. You haven’t really taken great care of yourself lately, Nat.” 

“Well you know how busy it’s been, and then with me taking off last month to go see Chris on set and then this weekend, I’ve had to pack in more,” she shrugged, trying to – not for the first time – brush off someone’s obvious concern and worry for her. 

“And the other day you were in that meeting for nearly half the day,” Mark recalled, the furrow between his brows growing as he tilted his head in curiosity. “What was that about anyway?” 

“Jamie didn’t tell you?” Nat asked, her voice trailing off in surprise. 

“No he was busy in meetings all day yesterday so I didn’t get to talk to him,” Mark informed her, but quickly asked, “So what happened?” 

“They offered me a promotion,” Nat told him, feeling a soft smile crawling across her lips as she looked over at him going on to explain, “They want me to be in charge of the animators for Inside Out.” 

Even from a few feet away, she could see Mark’s eyes nearly bugging out of his head as he exclaimed,“Are you serious, Nat? That’s incredible!” His excitement quickly turned to curiosity as he wondered out loud, “Are you going to take it?” 

“I’m not sure yet,” Nat muttered as her eyes fluttered back down to her soup as she watched the noodles floating as her spoon pushed around in the broth. She took a breath before glancing back to her longtime friend and revealed, “The catch is I have to move to Pixar headquarters.” 

“In San Francisco?” 

“Yeah…” 

“That’s an incredible opportunity though Nat,” Mark couldn’t help but bring up with a soft shake of his head, knowing all that this meant but asked, “What does Chris think?”

“I’m not sure, I haven’t talked to him. With his sister's wedding he’s busy and I kind of wanted to tell him in person,” she stopped momentarily to fish the tissue out of her sweatpants pocket, blowing her nose before telling Mark that, “I talked to my dad and sisters though and they all were excited. My dad kept telling me how proud of me he was.” 

“Your dad is always proud of you, no matter what.” 

Although she knew that Mark’s words were true, her dad being so full of joy and love not only just for her but for her two older sisters as well, there was more to it than just that. In her family, both Heather and Alex were apparently like their mother being more driven and structured whereas she took after her dad and inherited his love to dream. But when her mother had passed away and Eric was left a single dad raising three girls, so many of his own dreams were put on a shelf where they had since gotten covered with dust and forgotten. 

Although Nat knew that he didn’t resent one bit of it, and instead spoke about being so thankful to have his girls, she knew that there was a part of him that took pride in helping Nat achieve her dreams in a way he didn’t get a chance to. She could feel tears in her eyes when she remembered finding out how her dad had taken on extra hours to help scrape the money together to put her through art school and how he’d search through Goodwill every day on his way home from work to find art supplies for her. She held those memories so close to her heart, remembering the sacrifice he’d made for her, and still to this day wanted to make him proud. 

 “You have no idea how hard he worked to put me through art school though. This feels like proof all his hard work paid off,” Nat finally put her emotions into words, but knowing that the depth of what she felt couldn’t be summed up that simply. 

“Well if this is what you want to do, I’m happy for you Nat,” she knew just how true his words were. For the past decade, Mark and Jamie had been her best friends that were more like family. They had been there for her in every step of life and she was there for them in the same way and they all shared in each other’s sorrows and joys and this time was no different. 

“I don’t know that it’s exactly what I want to do but I feel like I have to,” Nat confided in him with a shrug and a brush through her disheveled curls, admitting simply,  “I can’t do this anymore.” 

“What do you mean? Can’t do what?” Mark’s voice was hesitant and his eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at her from across the room. 

“All of this,” Nat gestured vaguely as her shoulders shrugged. Her eyes dropped down to the soup as she felt the anxieties bubble out of her. “I can’t handle this workload that they keep adding more and more to and still have a life. I mean, it was fine when I was willing to dedicate more time to work but I don’t want to anymore, especially once Chris is done filming. With this promotion I’d have more set hours and flexibility, especially once I settle in.” 

“Nat, do you really want to give up being an animator though? You love it,” he recalled, his voice almost prideful. 

“I do but…I guess just more and more I keep seeing how badly I want more than just my career,” she admitted, pausing as she tried to muster the courage to admit, “I want my own family and time to create for myself and I want… Chris. I want a life with him, and this promotion seems like the only way to do it. With this promotion I can have normal hours and take time off and not be exhausted when I go home at night.” 

Mark’s head cocked to the side again as he looked at her, his voice tentative as he reminded her, “What about doing more of your own art and selling it? I was thinking you wanted to do that more.” 

“I do but that seems like something more down the road. I don’t think that’s enough to pay the bills right now,” she sadly confessed. She’d be lucky to scrape together enough to pay for rent, not to mention deal with her own healthcare, her own insurance, and supplies. “Besides, it seems dumb not to take this promotion. I mean, anyone in our department would kill for this job.” 

A single brow rose as Mark chuckled, “Me included.” 

“Should I be worried you put something in this soup?” 

“Maybe,” he shrugged with a smirk, but then the smirk dropped and he turned serious. “But seriously Nat, I’m so happy for you.”

Nat nodded to herself as she stirred her soup absent-mindedly. “I hope Chris will be just as happy as you are,” she spoke. 

“Do you think he won't be?”

“Honestly I'm not sure. It's not a secret that he's not been super happy about my hours,” she muttered through a frown. Although they hadn’t outright argued about her hours in a while, it was an underlying source of tension the past few months. “I know some of it he's just worried about me but the other part of me can't help but wonder if he maybe resents the fact I can't be with him as much as he wants.”

“He hasn't said that has he?” Mark’s eyebrow rose as he leaned his elbows on the table. 

“No but that's a bit of a conflict in the past where he's just used to doing what he wants and having everyone around him be able to go along with him,” Nat knew that there was a big divide in their lifestyles. She had a regular job, used to going in five days a week, having meetings, worrying from time to time about finances, and when to get groceries after a long work day. But on the other side of it, although Chris was down to earth, he was used to having a large bank account and for the most part, a fairly flexible schedule that allowed him to do what he wanted when he wanted and with whom he wanted. His life was much different than hers and that was just a fact that couldn’t be ignored, especially when Nat thought back to the fact she couldn’t seem to make a relationship work even with someone who had a similar lifestyle, noting, “And look what happened with Shane?  He expected me to drop everything for him too.”

“That doesn't mean it'll happen with Chris though,” Mark pointed out, his tone hopeful as he rushed to add, “I mean, if you want to do this then I’m sure he'll support that.”

“I do want to take this promotion. It’s the logical next step, right?” Nat asked, her brow raised as she looked at her close friend, one of the few people she trusted implicitly to guide her in this. 

“It’s a killer job, Nat. I know I wouldn't turn it down,” Mark told her, his hands waving. He looked at her seriously as he sighed and added, “Besides, like you said, it’ll give you more regular hours and flexibility so it’ll let you have time to create the life you want.” 

“I want something different, Mark. I want a family with Chris and I think we’re heading in that direction so I want to make some of these decisions so that we can have it,” she confessed. She knew it was a logical stepping stone to eventually a career where she could – maybe, hopefully – spend her days meeting virtually instead of on Campus, getting to join Chris wherever he was filming next, and getting that flexibility to start a family with the man she loved. “Besides, this job is more of a career. It feels like proof that chaotic, messy, emotional Nattie Marton can make her dreams come true.” 

Mark’s face fell a little at that self-conscious statement, assuring Nat, “You are, Nat. You’ve done what a lot of artists aren’t able to and I think you should take this job.” 

“I’m going to. It’s just too good to turn down,” she admitted with a small grin. 

With Mark’s proud smile and another congratulations thrown at her, Nat stared down at the now-cold soup in front of her, unable to think of anything but proving herself. Proving that she was capable, that she deserved this role, and that her choices in life paid off. For so long her own insecurities in herself and being the black sheep in so many situations left her feeling like the value she offered couldn’t be through her personality that had always been a bit much, but instead what she could contribute through work. She wanted to prove to everyone, most mostly to herself that all this work, all this stress, tears, late nights, and postponed things was worth it, and most of all, that she could do it, and was worthy of it.

A/N: We'll be back in May with the next chapters! Feel free to send us any thoughts between now and then!

[vikkirosko]

Headcanons

👓 Hannah Washington x Reader 🦋

When Hannah realized that she was in love with you, she felt hopeless. You were always surrounded by the attention of others and, although you and Hannah were friends, she doubted that you would be able to reciprocate your feelings. Her sister knew that she was in love with you, and also knew that her feelings were mutual. That's why she tried to help you be together, arranging meetings for you and hinting at each other's feelings

Thanks to Beth's efforts, you decided to tell Hannah about your feelings for her. For the first time since you met her, you saw her so embarrassed, but when she started crying, you were scared. You were afraid that your words upset her. You took a step towards her, trying to find out what happened and how to calm her down, but Hannah leaned forward, hugging you and muttering that she had the same feelings for you. When you heard that, you hugged her back, unable to restrain a sincere smile

Beth was the first to find out about your relationship. She understood that you weren't ready to tell others about it yet, but she couldn't hide the truth from Josh. When their brother found out about it, he was both happy and worried. He guessed that his sister was in love with you and was sure that you would be able to take care of his sister, but at the same time he was worried that you might offend Hannah. Several times he tried to go talk to you to make sure you wouldn't upset Hannah, but each time Beth stopped him

Next to you, Hannah seemed to blossom. She felt happy around you. You spent a lot of time together, you often went on dates for which Hannah had been preparing for a long time and after which she came home with a happy smile on her face. Her family was happy for her. For them, you were almost like a member of their family and they were happy to see you in their house at any time

🗻 Beth Washington x Reader📱

Your relationship with Beth has been going on for several years. You started dating at the age of fourteen and you've been together ever since. Many were surprised by your long-term relationship, because your friends in the few years that you were together managed to break up with their partners several times and often asked you for advice about relationships

You and Beth loved spending time together. At school, you had lunch together, when you had the same lessons, you tried to sit next to each other. Sometimes Hannah and Joshua would join you. Hannah was genuinely happy for you and Joshua was careful that you did not offend his sister. His concern seemed nice to you and you tried not to betray his trust

Together you protected Hannah from the ridicule of others. Every time you stood up for your girlfriend's sister, ready to get into a fight, while Beth took Hannah away from unpleasant people and calmed her down. Beth's family was just as important to you as your own family, so you tried to take care of them. Beth was grateful to you for that, even though you said she didn't need to thank you, because you did it from the heart

You and Beth were planning to go to the same college together. Even after a few years that you have been together, your feelings for each other have not weakened. You planned to spend the rest of your life together. You had plans for the next few years and planned to follow them

[animeniacss]

So Close Yet So Far - Mingyu x Reader - Chapter 6 - The Night to Remember

Synopsis: Your college friend, Kim Mingyu, has had a grip on your heart since the first day you met. Over the past few years, as you acquired more friendships and memories, those feelings only grew. However, recently, Mingyu has seemed a bit more distant, at least when it comes to any ideas of romance. It only gets worse when rumors fly that he's off to Japan to receive a marriage proposal! Unsure what to do, you wonder how you can keep Mingyu by your side without jeopardizing your friendship or your growing feelings. You never expected that waking up one drunken morning next to two hot angels would be your ticket into Mingyu's heart.

Genre: Romance, College!AU, Modern Fantasy, Comedy, Angsty

Length: approx. 5k words

Feat. Mina of TWICE

Chapter 6 - The Night to Remember

 You are my son, you are taking over my company, and you will do as I say!

           Mingyu closed his book, clicking his tongue in annoyance at that sentence continuing to clog up his head. He hadn’t spoken to his father in the past few days, since their heated argument. He ignored every call that came through, not wanting to deal with his father’s ridiculous request. He had more pressing matters to focus on. As he saw you order your smoothie up ahead, Hoshi practically hanging off your shoulder as he tried to decide his order, a deep hum escaped his throat.

           Why is she being weird? Did I do something wrong? He thought to himself. He crossed his arms, which tightened up the sleeves of his shirt. I hope after dinner we can go back to normal. Just the thought of your sad face made Mingyu’s heart hurt a bit.

           As Mingyu was trying to reorganize all of the thoughts in his brain, two people sat on either side of him. When he looked to his sides, Joshua and Jeonghan were there. Mingyu frowned, unamused.

           “What?” he asked.

           “Woah, what’s with the third degree?” Jeonghan asked, frowning.

           “We just wanted to see what was bothering you,” Joshua asked.

           “Nothing is bothering me,” Mingyu said. “Mind your business.” He felt the stare that they shared across him, and he huffed.  

           “Wow, they are perfect together, huh?” Jeonghan asked.

           “Almost as if we’re talking to her right now.” Joshua agreed. Mingyu frowned.

           “You guys can’t just leave her out of your mouth, huh?” he asked.

           “We only want to help her,” Jeonghan said.

           “With?” Mingyu asked. The men leaned back on the bench, shrugging without giving a real reply. Mingyu sighed. “Well, I don’t think she needs your help.”

           “Oh, she does,” Joshua said.

           “I can help her with whatever you think she needs help with.”

           “Can you?” Jeonghan asked, eyes widened. “Is that why you’re going on a date?”

           “It’s not a d-.”

           “It’s absolutely a date.” They both said. Mingyu felt his cheeks go pink, his heart sped up just a bit. “Does she know it’s a date?”

           “I have no idea,” Mingyu said. “I had to work at it just to convince her to go to a nice place instead of where we usually eat. I think she’s upset with me.”

           “Why would she be?” Jeonghan asked, looking at Joshua from over Mingyu’s shoulder. They were very curious to hear his reasoning.

           “I don’t know. I thought it was that rumor that happened when I went on my trip, but it doesn’t seem she’s gotten over it.”

           “…Is it a rumor?” Joshua asked. He blinked, unsure why that question left his lips. Sure, he was curious, but he felt like he should have been a bit more subtle about it. Especially when Jeonghan looked almost as shocked as Mingyu did. Mingyu’s eyes narrowed, but Joshua remained calm as Mingyu held up his hand, showing a ringless ring finger.

           “Yes. Just a rumor.” He said simply. “But I guess something else bothered her. I can’t make out what it is, and I don’t think she’ll tell me.” Jeonghan and Joshua wondered if he was seriously oblivious, or being vague due to lack of trust between the three. However, they decided not to press into that part too much. “I want Saturday to go well.”   

           “We can help you there!” Jeonghan said. Now, Joshua was the one to look just as shocked at Mingyu, both looking at the black-haired angel. “We see her all the time. We would love to make sure you have everything you need to make sure that you both have the best date ever.”          

           “It’s not a.” Mingyu stopped himself from repeating what he already knew would be ignored and sighed. “Why should I trust you? Every time I see you, you’re both arguing over her.”

           Now, both Joshua and Jeonghan were silent. “…You got us there,” Joshua said.

           “Yeeea.” Mingyu shook his head, wondering how these two seemingly perfect individuals were so…what was the word? Ridiculous?

           “She really does have the patience of a saint.” He muttered to himself. He looked between the two of them again.

           Try trusting them.

           “What exactly do you have in mind?” He asked curiously, looking at Jeonghan.

           “Aaaah, we’ve convinced you.” Jeonghan leaned back in his seat nodding his head. “What do you think she’s going to wear?”

           “Well, I-.”

           “Wrong!” Jeonghan said immediately. Mingyu flinched at the sudden shout in his direction, however gentle the voice carrying it was. “If this is your first date like you say, how would you know? You don’t. We will know.”

           “…How?” Mingyu asked. Jeonghan smiled.

           “You have to trust us.” Mingyu looked over at Joshua, who nodded in agreement.

           “We have no reason to steer you wrong.” He said simply. “For her sake, at least.” Mingyu felt a bit more at ease with Joshua’s comment tacked on, and he sighed.

           “Fine, I guess. Even though I am still horribly confused.” Before anyone could continue speaking, the group made their way back over, smoothie in hand. Hoshi handed an extra off to Mingyu, who thanked him. When they saw Joshua and Jeonghan there, you frowned.

           “When did you guys get here? We didn’t get you anything.”

           Joshua and Jeonghan stood up, approaching you as you sipped your drink. You looked between them, confused as you were taken by the arms. “Hey!” You frowned, trying to pull the drink to your lips again.

           “Let’s go. We need to talk.” Jeonghan said.

           “What?” You looked at Joshua, who only nodded in agreement before you were reluctantly led off down the dirt path. Mingyu leaned forward but stopped himself as you three continued to walk off. He sighed.

           “You would never think that two people that handsome would be so weird,” Minnie said.

           “Seriously,” Seungkwan said, sipping his drink. Hoshi set his drink on his lap.

           “I’ve seen it happen before.” He admitted. When everyone looked at him, he shrugged. “I don’t talk to him anymore.”

           “Oh, you’re boyfriend?” Seungkwan grinned as Hoshi shoved him.

           Meanwhile, you continued walking along with the boys down the path. “What are we talking about?” you asked. Joshua and Jeonghan looked at one another.

           “Yeah, what are we going to talk about?” Joshua asked.

           Jeonghan paused a minute, then shrugged. “I have no idea….” He admitted.

           You and Joshua looked at one another in confusion as Jeonghan let out an amused laugh.

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Saturday felt like it was so far away, but when Minnie showed up to your house early that exact morning with breakfast in her hand, you realized it was much closer than you thought. Joshua and Jeonghan were nowhere to be found when you woke up that morning. It seemed they most likely didn’t stay in the house as you slept, which was fine. Throwing on a quick outfit, you and Minnie headed down the street towards the mall.

           “I still cannot believe you turned down Mingyu’s credit card,” Minnie said.

           “Just drop it,” you begged. “I can find something nice that I can afford.”

           “Yeah, but-.” Minnie motioned to the large and extravagant boutique named Twenty-Eight Zero Six that you both were passing on your walk. “I wanted to walk in there and look like we were important.” You laughed a bit. “Imagine all of the workers showering us in name-brand clothes that models and celebrities are wearing!”

           “Sorry.” Was the only thing you could think to say in response. “I’ll buy us lunch if you drop it.”  

           Minnie pouted, nodding her head. “Fine, then.” When she grinned, you felt a bit more relaxed. “Regardless, we are going to make you look so hot for tonight.”

           “Oh, please.” You groaned, and Minnie led you into the first store.

           Meanwhile, nearby, two figures slip into the store right behind you.

           “I don’t think we should be spying.”

           “Relax. We’re just getting some intel.”

           “Why can’t we just ask her?”

           “Joshua, do you think they want us joining them on their girl’s day?” When Joshua shook his head, Jeonghan nodded. “Exactly. For this date to go well, we need to know everything we can and tell Mingyu. Not only will he be able to provide them with the best date possible, ensuring our success and re-entry into heaven, but he’ll also trust us a bit more, which also ensures our re-entry into heaven. It’s a win-win situation.”

           “But I thought you liked teasing him,” Joshua said simply. Jeonghan laughed.

           “I never said we were going to stop.” He clarified. Joshua shook his head before looking back over at you. He watched you and Minnie start scanning the racks of dresses nearby, pulling a few out and pressing them to your body for a quick mental image. “So, what information do we get by spying on them?” he finally asked.

           “Well…” Jeonghan hummed. “If we know what she buys, then we can tell him how to best match her.”

           Joshua felt a few more questions in his head as he watched Jeonghan step a bit closer, hiding behind a few racks of coats. He had a strong feeling Jeonghan was just winging it at the moment. Joshua stayed in his spot, shaking his head as he watched Minnie fill your arms with dresses. He saw you stumble a bit as you held the beautifully designed outfits and stepped forward a bit. However, he stopped himself just as you regained your footing. Both you and Minnie seemed to giggle a bit, before disappearing down an aisle.

           For a second, Joshua had to remind himself what his goal was to do on earth.

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           You had tried on several dresses, yet none felt…right. They felt either way too fancy, or not fancy enough. As you stepped out in a sleek black number, rubbing your hands along the velvet sleeves, you looked at Minnie. “Did you find the name of this new place online?”

           “No luck. Their socials must not be fully up and running yet. Weird.”

           “I guess when you have good connections to the rich you only need word of mouth.” You mumbled, turning to yourself in the mirror. “What do you think of this?” When Minnie looked up at you, she shrugged.

           “Eh. It’s ok. It looks like you’re trying too hard.”             

           “You’re the one who says I need to try harder.”

           “Not that hard.” She stood up from the chair. “I saw a few other dresses back there. I’ll go find some more. Try on that pretty red one.” As Minnie disappeared into the store, you closed the changing room door. You pulled it off the hanger, a strikingly deep red dress, with a shorter dress hem that it had compared to others you had tried on. “I feel like I’ll look ridiculous in this one.” You muttered to yourself, before reluctantly trying it on anyway.

           After looking yourself over in the mirror, you tried to imagine yourself wearing this dress to a fancy restaurant. Being seated below high-vaulted ceilings and chandeliers. Drinking wine as deep as the dress color. How would you do your hair? Makeup? What kind of accessories would match this? You felt so out of your element and you weren’t even at the restaurant yet. Looking down at your hands, you rubbed them together. Let’s try this. You mumbled to yourself. Lifting your hands, you snapped both of your fingers.

           Deeper in the store, Jeonghan and Joshua felt their eyes twitch, practically lighting up. They shot a glance at one another, dropping the magazines they had now been using to hide their faces as they sat on one of the benches. They had stopped following when you mentioned heading towards the dressing room and only looked up for a brief second to see Minnie restart her hunt through the aisles. They shared a look, setting their magazines down and heading over to meet you.

           When they approached the fitting rooms, they saw your shoes poking out of the dressing room, the only one that was full. Jeonghan and Joshua shared one more look, trying to decide what to do to get your attention in an…appropriate manner. Jeonghan simply stepped back and called your name.

           “Are you okay?” he asked. You took a second to respond by opening the door and stepping out in your current attempt at trying to find a dress. The minute the men saw you, their eyes widened in shock. You smoothed out the skirt which clung tightly to you, and fixed the sleeves that puffed out just around the upper arms to the elbow, before smoothing to a tight grip around your waist. It was slightly more low cut than what they normally see you in, showing that there was a need for a necklace. You seemed to notice their stunned silence, because you immediately got flustered, shifting in your seat.

           “You don’t like it?” you asked.

           “We didn’t say that,” Jeonghan said. He looked over at Joshua and immediately noticed that his friend was stunned to silence. “You look nice.” He nudged Joshua, finally bringing him back. “Right?”

           Joshua immediately nodded his head. “Yes. Of course.” He said quickly.

           “I need you guys to do me a favor.” You said. You saw the duo seem excited to actually be asked to do something this time, and that excitement made you a bit happy. “Can you go to the restaurant and get an idea of how fancy it is? I don’t want to feel too underdressed.” You pulled out your phone, showing them the few pictures and the name that Mingyu had sent you the night before. “It’s an Italian place in Ilsan.”

           “Aaah. Okay.” Jeonghan said. “We’ll go look.” He said.

“Okay. I need to know before tonight, alright? Now, go before Minnie comes back. I really don’t want to come up with a reason you’re here.”

Jeonghan nodded. “Fine, fine. Alright.” He looked at Joshua, who was still staring directly at you as you fixed your sleeves once again. You had now turned to look at yourself in the nearby mirror, trying to play with your hair to visualize how you might want it styled. As you stood upright, you held your hands in front of you, balled into a little fist.

“What are you doing?” Jeonghan asked.

“Seeing if I would look frumpy with flowers in my hands.” Your arms moved around slightly in front of you as you visualized what a bouquet might look like in front of the dress. “Since the dress is so short, I’m worried a big bouquet will look a bit ridiculous. You know?”

“Makes sense.” Jeonghan nodded.

“You think he will bring you flowers?” Joshua asked.

“I hope so.” you smiled. “I think flowers are romantic.” Joshua and Jeonghan made sure to make a mental note of that before you asked one final question: “You like this one?”

Joshua scanned you over one last time, and something in his chest beat just a second too quickly. He felt his ears go hot, and he quickly rubbed them a bit in hopes that would cool them down. “Yes.” He said.

When you smiled, his ears only got hotter. “Thank you for your help.” Before turning back to the mirror.

           Jeonghan nudged Jeonghan, motioning outside. “Oh.” Joshua shook his head. “Right.” He followed behind Jeonghan as they headed to the front of the store. He smiled a bit, before looking yourself over in the dress one last time. A few minutes later, Minnie came back and was practically screaming about how amazing you looked.

           Outside, Jeonghan turned to Joshua. “What was that?”

           “What was what?” Joshua asked.

           “THAT!” Jeonghan shouted, pointing to the door of the store. Joshua shrugged.

           “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He said. He simply walked down the road, swinging his arms a bit as if nothing had happened. Jeonghan blinked, looking over as Joshua turned around, hands behind his back. “You coming? Or am I going alone?” He asked. A groan left Jeonghan’s lips as he followed after Joshua, the duo immediately making their way down the road.

They needed to be back quickly. And their lack of flight was only felt in moments like these.

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           “I think the dress you picked is perfect,” Minnie assured. You sighed, the sensation of a brush running along your hair. You shifted nervously. “It’s just the right mix of formal and cute. The important thing is that Mingyu thinks you look cute.”

           “I guess so,” you said. You close your eyes, taking a minute to enjoy the sensation of your hair being brushed. The brush pressed into your scalp and pulled down, sending a tingling and comforting sensation through your head and neck. The door opened, causing both you and Minnie to look over. Joshua and Jeonghan strolled in casually, chatting to themselves as they did so.

           “Do they have a key?” Minnie whispered to you, leaning down to make sure they did not hear. “Mingyu doesn’t even have a key.”

           “I left the door unlocked.” That was all you could respond to.

           “We won’t be long,” Jeonghan said. When he saw you look confused, Jeonghan smiled. “Mingyu said he was getting ready at Seungkwan and Hoshi’s apartment.”

           “They asked us to join,” Joshua added. Your smile only widened at the idea.

           “Really? I’m happy to hear that.”

           “The restaurant you’re going to is nice. I think what you picked-.” Jeonghan motioned to the red dress hanging up on the bathroom door. “Will work just fine.”

           “Okay.” You seemed relieved at the news. “I would be so embarrassed to be underdressed.”

           “If you just let Mingyu pay we could have completely avoided that by going to a nicer boutique.” You ignored Minnie’s comment as she finished with your hair, pulling and tugging it in different directions. “What do you two think?” Joshua and Jeonghan looked up, watching as Minnie pulled your hair up into a curly updo. “Up.” She dropped it down, allowing your hair to fall loosely around your face. “Down.”

           Jeonghan and Joshua walked over, seeing your cheeks tint pink as they leaned close to examine you. Jeonghan reached out and tugged your hair up. He and Joshua muttered to one another before Joshua reached out and took hold of a few small strands, letting those strands fall in a frame around your face. The feeling of their fingers brushing along your cheeks and head made you feel a bit flustered, and you looked down at your lap.

“Don’t fall in love with us, now,” Jeonghan said, seemingly catching your feeling of embarrassment. Joshua laughed a bit as your eyes snapped back up at the grinning angel. “There.”  They leaned back a bit, and Minnie took a look as well. When her eyes sparkled, you felt a bit embarrassed.

“How on earth did you two decide to major in law or all things?” Minnie asked. As you felt your hair fall loose once again, you saw Jeonghan and Joshua look directly at you, amused smiles on their faces.

           “Yeah,” Joshua said. “How did we?” You grabbed the nearest thing – a pillow – throwing it at them as they hurried away in amused and playful laughter.

           “Get out of here! I need to finish getting ready.” You shouted. The men shouted their goodbyes to Minnie before hurrying out of the apartment and closing the door behind them. You sighed, crossing your arms. “They’re a handful.”

           “But they’re nice.” Minnie made sure to add. You nodded. “They seem like good people.”

           “Yeah. They are good people.” You repeated, smiling at the thought. You had only known them for about a week, but you have found yourself warming up to them much quicker than you had originally thought. The craziness of the situation felt normal now. You couldn’t imagine the duo not being around.

           “And they’re cute,” Minnie added. “I mean they look like two angels straight from heaven.” The laugh you emanated was a bit more…forced than it was before.  

           “Right.” You muttered out. A moment of silence rang through the room before you finally said: “I hope this goes well.”

           “It will,” Minnie assured.

           “I’m worried it’ll be awkward.”

           “Has it felt awkward?” she asked.

           “Mmm…” you took a moment to think about your interactions the past few days. “Yes and no.” You stated. “I feel like it’s been pretty normal. But whenever he tries to do nice things for me…I feel like I don’t deserve it.”

           “Like the credit card thing?” You nodded. “I had to admit I was shocked when he didn’t bring you anything from Japan this time.”

           “I know. But I already decided I can’t be upset. I didn’t ask for anything, he didn’t say he would get me anything. It’s alright. He’s already been very good to me.” You smiled sadly as you pressed your fingers together. “But still, I can’t help but feel my heart hurt when I think about it.”

           “That’s normal,” Minnie said. “Maybe he’ll be so stunned by your look tonight that he’ll buy you whatever you want afterward.” You laughed a bit, shaking your head. “Mingyu’s crazy about you; friend, girlfriend, whatever. He doesn’t treat us the same way he treats you. So, I don’t know what you did, but it worked.”

           You smiled softly. “I don’t know if I’d say all that.” You admitted. Minnie sighed a bit. “But thanks.”

           “Sure.” Minnie smiled. “Now-.” She patted your shoulders. “Let’s get you in that dress. I’ll go grab the necklace.” You watched as Minnie hurried to the bags you had settled on the chair. As you rose from your spot, you headed towards the bathroom, grabbing your dress and closing the door to get ready.

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           “Aaaah, Mingyu-Hyung! Come out and let us seeee.” Seungkwan begged from his spot on the couch. Hoshi sat beside him, typing away on his phone. Joshua and Jeonghan, who had just arrived, stood behind the couch and watched.

           “Alright!” Mingyu called. When he stepped out, closing the bathroom door behind him, Hoshi and Seungkwan gasped in dramatic surprise.

           “AAAAAA, Hyung! You look amazing!” Seungkwan gasped, rising from his spot.

           “Yeah, I’m jealous.” Hoshi grinned. Mingyu chuckled, fixing the jacket of his suit. He glanced himself over in the mirror once, before looking back at his friends. They were throwing compliments like they were tennis balls, each one bouncing off Mingyu as he grew increasingly flustered. Joshua watched his cheeks turn an embarrassed pink. Joshua saw Jeonghan was offering a thumbs up to Mingyu as he continued to make sure every part of his outfit was perfect. He took the focus on Mingyu to think back to you in the store, scanning over your hair and smoothing out the different parts of the dress that clung to your body. He looked over to Mingyu’s belongings on the table. He eyed up some flowers that sat on top of it all, a stunning and most likely expensive bouquet of roses just as deep a red as your outfit.

           When he looked back, he saw Mingyu approaching the group. Seungkwan and Hoshi looked him over, continuing to gush.       

           “She’s going to fall over. I can see it now.” Mingyu watched as Seungkwan pushed Hoshi to a clearer space, before dramatically falling to his knees and taking Hoshi’s hand. “Oppa! You’re so handsome, my gosh! Please let’s get married now!” The high-pitched voice made Mingyu snort.

           Hoshi, not one to ever give up on the bit, gripped Seungkwan’s hand. He dropped his vocal tone to a dramatic low: “My love, we shall run away together and be married in the morning!”

           “Oh my God.” Mingyu groaned, unable to contain his amused laughter as his friends continued to reenact a very dramatic scene. “This might be the worst drama scene I’ve ever witnessed.” In hopes of avoiding any more of the embarrassing performance, he looked over at Joshua and Jeonghan, both of whom were also amused by their antics. “Are you sure this will match?” he asked, motioning to his tie. “It was the closest to ‘deep red’ I could get so last minute.”

           “Perfectly,” Jeonghan assured.

           Joshua paused a second, watching as Mingyu nodded and smoothed out the tie. He finally said: “Comment on her hair specifically.” Mingyu blinked, slightly confused by the request. “She seemed the most concerned with how to style it with the outfit. I think she’ll appreciate that.”

           Mingyu nodded. “Okay. Got it.” he pulled his wrist to get a good look at his watch. “Okay, I should get going." He said. He turned to his friends, fixing his suit jacket once again.

           “Fighting, Mingyu!” Hoshi cheered, pumping his fists. Mingyu nodded, balling his fists up in determination.

           “Fighting.” He said. He looked at Joshua and Jeonghan, both of whom offered thumbs up of support as well.

           “Fighting.” They also said. Mingyu smiled, the mere idea that in a matter of minutes, he’d have you in his car driving to the best restaurant on this side of the country. You’d be on his arm for the entire world to see. He wanted to show you off as he grabbed his belongings and headed out the door. When it closed behind them, Seungkwan and Hoshi plopped themselves down on the couch.

           “Want to order dinner?” Hoshi asked. The duo nodded, before looking up at the angels standing behind them.

           “Hm?” Jeonghan muttered. “Aaaah, no. We have to go, too.”

           “Wha- you do? Where?” Hoshi asked, now fully turned towards the duo. Joshua and Jeonghan were hoping to catch a peek at the both of you starting your date, gathering information on how it goes to better help set anything up in the future.

           “Home,” Joshua said simply. “We have some homework to get done for next week.”

           “On Saturday night?” Seungkwan asked, frowning. “Wow. Handsome and studious. No wonder they’re so popular.” Joshua and Jeonghan chuckled. “Next time?”

           “Absolutely,” Jeonghan said. They wasted no time saying their goodbyes before heading out the door, hurrying down the stairs and onto the streets of Seoul.

“That compliment on her hair was kind of genius,” Jeonghan said, making Joshua look over. He shrugged their pace finally slowing to a brisk walk down the street.

“I just want it to go well.” He said.

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           “Spin for me! Spin for me!” Minnie squealed. You laughed, doing as she requested and allowing for her to see an entire view of you. She shouted. “Oh, he’s going to be asking for your hand in marriage after this!”

           “Oh, stop.” You laughed, though you felt a bit giddy when she said that. You looked down at the dark black pumps that you had fished out of your closet from a year or so prior, ones that hurt your toes but God damn it did they bump your height up just enough to be tolerable. You looked at the clock. “He should be here soon.” Minnie hurried over, making sure to check that your hair was perfect and your accessories laid just so.

           “Those two picked right with your hair. The strands frame your face so nicely.” Minnie’s compliment made you smile. “But I’m sure that means nothing to me. When Mingyu says it-.” You laughed a bit. “Okay, okay. You look perfect. Do you have your bag?”

           “Oh, uh-.” You grabbed your bag, a small, maroon clutch that you bought just for this outfit. It had a bit of silver décor that matched well with your silver jewelry. “Ready.”

           “I hope you have so much fun!” Minnie clapped her hands together. “I’m going to stay right here so you can tell me everything when you get back. No arguments.” You laughed a bit.

           “Okay, then.” You said. You were still admiring yourself in the mirror, unable to look away. The idea of this date – you hoped Mingyu considered it a date too - being the pinnacle of setting your relationship on a new path made you feel on top of the world. Nothing could ruin this night. You couldn’t let it.

           It was then that you heard the knock.

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           Mingyu was pulling up to the apartments, parking in his usual spot in the resident parking lot. Turning off his car, he got out of his spot to notice another nice car parked on the other side of the lot. Cocking an eyebrow, he took a second to catch a glimpse of who was inside. He did not see anyone, simply shrugging his shoulders. He had more important things to worry about as he headed into the door of your apartment building and towards the elevator

           Click. Click. Click. Each floor the elevator ascended made Mingyu shift nervously in his place. It was never-ending. To keep himself focused and sane, Mingyu fixed his tie and made sure every part of his outfit was smoothed out just right. The flowers were clutched in his hand, and the visual of them shaking a bit was the only way he could tell he was shaking. Relax, Mingyu. This is just like anything else. Don’t make it weird. His pep talks to himself continued as the elevator jolted to a stop. With a deep, confident breath, he waited for the doors to open before him.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶So Close Yet So Far🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

           “Coming!” You called. Hurrying over to the door, you felt a grin plaster on your face. Looking at Minnie, you smoothed out your dress one last time, and Minnie brushed a few rebellious hairs down onto your scalp once again. “Okay.” With a deep breath, you opened the door. “Hey-.” Your smile immediately dropped.

           Before you stood a stunning woman. She had long, curly black hair that dropped to her shoulder blades. Her skin was a porcelain white, colored meticulously by a few beautiful shades of beige and cream makeup. The only things that you caught on her face were a few scattered moles, one under her lip, and one on the side of her nose. It only added to her beauty. She rubbed her hand along the side of her tight black pants and fixed the sleeve of her lavender blouse. When she finally caught your eyes, your breath hitched at her stunningly captivating eyes.

           When she uttered your name, almost as if she was asking herself a question, you could only nod. Her smile only widened as she stuck her hand in your direction. “Nice to meet you. I’m Mina Myoui. I’ve heard so much about you.” 

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[love-and-greta]

Shower Power

To commemorate Greta playing Flower Power in Florida, I present to you…Shower Power. Yet another fluffy Josh fic.

And yes, I know my spacing is all funky in my posts, but I can’t figure out how to fix that after copying and pasting from my notes app. Maybe one day I’ll post from my computer, but I’m not too pressed about it. So hopefully it doesn’t annoy anyone!

Warnings: none! Just fluff :)

Enjoy!

____________________________________________

The drive home from work felt like it took an eternity. It took everything you had in you all day today to hold back the tears that threatened to fall at any given moment, and all you wanted to do was take a long, hot shower to relieve some of the tension that had made itself at home in your neck and shoulders recently. You greatly appreciated your promotion at work, but the newly added stress coupled with Josh’s impending leave for tour had you feeling all out of sorts. Admittedly, you had grown accustomed to Josh’s mere presence acting as a stress reliever for you and you weren’t sure how you were going to handle him being away this time around. These were feelings you kept solely to yourself, not wanting to add any extra stress to Josh’s plate. So, when you turned on to your street and saw Josh’s jeep missing from your driveway, you sighed in relief. You could open the flood gates and cry it out in peace.

The minute you stepped into the shower and closed the curtain shut, the tears started to fall, mixing with the water already streaming down your face. A nice, long breakdown in the shower was all you needed, right? Josh didn’t need to know just how much you depended on him. That would make you look too clingy.

As these thoughts swirled around in your head and the tears continued to flow, you heard the front door slam shut.

“Honey, I’m hoooome.” You heard Josh chuckle.

Shit. You quickly tried to compose yourself, knowing Josh was probably wandering the house to find you. Eventually he made his way into the bedroom and knocked on the bathroom door.

“Hey Birdie, you in the shower?” Josh called out to you.

“Yeah, hi babe. I-I’ll be out in a few minutes,” you barely managed to squeak out.

The door cracked open and through the sheer shower curtain you could see Josh poke his head into the room.

“Is everything okay?” Josh asked, a concerned look on his face. He wasn’t stupid. He knew when you were upset by just looking at you, or by just hearing your voice apparently.

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine.” You replied quickly, “just a long day at work.” You turned your face towards the shower head and closed your eyes, letting the spray of water mask any signs of emotion still present on your face.

You suddenly felt a draft of cold air on your back as Josh pulled the curtain open and stepped into the shower, slowly walking towards you. He tentatively wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into his chest, placing his chin on your shoulder.

“Babe…” Josh spoke quietly, placing a soft kiss on your jawline. “Talk to me.”

You leaned into his touch, immediately feeling the clasp of a belt press into your lower back. You spun around to see Josh standing fully clothed, the front of his shirt drenched, clinging onto his chest, and water beginning to stream down his face from his now limp curls.

“Josh, what the hell are you doing?” You gasped.

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Josh answered nonchalantly, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

“You seem to have forgotten to take your clothes off and the whole point of a shower is to bathe naked,” you said, rolling your eyes and gesturing to your own naked body.

“Well,” Josh replied slowly, “you needed me. There wasn’t any time to strip down.” He placed his hands back on your hips and stepped closer towards you, staring deeply into your eyes.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” He said softly.

The tears that you had managed to suppress upon Josh entering the shower, slowly began to well in your eyes again. You cast your head down to try to compose yourself, but Josh quickly grabbed your chin, tilting your face upwards to look into his eyes.

“You don’t have to be strong for me y/n. You’re allowed to feel whatever you are feeling.”

Upon hearing these words, you immediately burst into tears. Josh wrapped his arms tightly around you and let you cry. And boy did you cry; big, fat, ugly tears. Josh’s embrace never faltered and you felt more at home in his arms than you had ever before. He was a safe space, full of love and understanding and you slowly felt the tension you had been carrying around start to leave your body.

“I’m just really going to miss you,” you finally whispered, your eyes now dry from the tears. “And I’m scared that I might need you more than you need me. I don’t think I’m going to handle you being gone very well.”

Your admission made you blush, but you felt ten pounds lighter getting it off your chest.

Josh pulled back slightly to look at you and smiled, a small laugh escaping his lips.

“I think you’ve clearly underestimated just how fucking important you are to me Birdie.”

You gave him a quizzical look, your heart beginning to pound in your chest.

“You think I’m not going to miss you too?” He continued. “Coming home to you is the best part of my day. I can’t even handle thinking about not being able to wake up next you every morning, or kiss you whenever I want, or-or dance with you in the kitchen to our favorite songs. Trust me when I say I need you just as much as you need me. Maybe even more. You’re my rock, my world. Everything. But the important thing is, that we do have each other and we’ll get through this. We’re in this together babe.”

As soon as Josh finished talking, you grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and pulled him flush against you, placing your lips against his, kissing him deeply. You couldn’t find the words to express just how loved you felt by him in this moment, but you knew he felt your gratitude through your actions.

“I love you Josh,” you said breathlessly between kisses.

“More baby. I love you more,” Josh replied, moving his lips down to your neck. You sighed into his touch, threading your fingers into his damp hair.

“Maybe you should take those clothes off now,” you giggled suggestively, shivers running down your spine as Josh began sucking on the skin on your collarbone. You felt his lips pull into a smile.

“Yeah you’re probably right. My clothes are fucking soaked.”

[builtbykittie]

Gratitude

D.R.W x f!reader

Summary: while at a bar, two questionable men approach you and won't leave you alone, that is until someone saves you

Warnings: 18+ minors cover your eyes, sorta enemies to lovers, alcohol consumption, harassment(?), SMUT, oral (m & f), thigh riding, unprotected sex, anything else I forgot

Words: roughly 4.4k

A/N: This is something that's been sitting in my drafts since April but I do have some fics I'm really excited about! (& yes I changed one word in my name but I'm still the same person I swear)

.

You stare at the curly-haired man, your eyes sharp like daggers and your hot gaze burning on his shoulders. "I don't see why you can't just sit down with him, try to talk it out," Sam takes a swig off the bottle of beer in his hand and rolls his eyes.

"That is the dumbest thing I think I have ever heard you say. Do you seriously think I haven't tried, Sam?" You slam your glass down on the bar harder than intended "It just won't work out. It always ends in another argument."

Danny's kindness seemed to piss you off, of course being nice was a good thing, but that's not how he truly is. He carries himself to be sweet but in reality, he's nothing but a cocky asshole. That's not the only reason you don't like him though, the two of you were best friends for years until an argument that was never quite settled.

It was a stupid thing to end such a close-knit friendship over an argument, but you're stubborn and could never seem to get past it. People always tend to see Danny as a cutie but they don't know him in the same way you do, and that's about the only thing that pissed you off more than the man himself.

When Daniel's upset, he's bitter. However, Danny didn't tend to hold grudges, you being an exception, of course. What exactly started the argument is still a mystery, it was a mixture of everything piled up after a long day and added stress of their show going wrong.

You plant your face in your hand with a sigh, averting your gaze from Daniel talking with an unknown woman to your drink. "Y/N... You can't seriously hate him," Jake taps your knee, and your cheeks start to burn up.

As much as you'd like to say you felt nothing other than mere hatred and disdain for Danny, it would never be true. You could not help the despair you felt for the man who was once your best friend "You can't tell me what my feelings are, Jake."

"Oh come on, loosen up would ya?" Josh barges into the conversation, trying to lighten up the mood however he can. "Josh it's getting late," Jake adds, gesturing toward the door of the bar, surprisingly. He's 'mysterious' and without a doubt the shyest, but never the type to leave the bar because of time.

The brothers exchange looks and whispers before throwing back their drinks and standing up. "Hey, where are you going?" You sit up, looking around and locking eyes with Danny before whipping your head back around to the boys. "We're gonna go to my place," Josh wraps his arm around Jake "You're welcome to come if you'd like."

"Maybe I'll stop by later," you sigh, giving them just what they wanted. "Suit yourself, mama. See you later," Josh pats your head with a smile before beginning to walk through the building to the exit. By the time you realized they'd 'forgotten' Danny, it was too late, the door behind them shuts and they show no sign of remorse.

"Shit," you curse under your breath as you realize you knocked over your drink watching the boys leave, snatching napkins out of the holder that was conveniently placed right next to you. The alcoholic drink trickles down the bar and onto your silk blouse and skirt, ultimately ruining them.

Just to make matters worse, two men that you wouldn't particularly call charming approach you. "You okay?" one of the men speaks. You could usually tell someone's intention by looking at them, and this guy was clearly faking concern to get in your pants... or skirt.

"I'm fine," you mumble, not paying any care to them in hopes they will lose interest and walk away, but they don't. "Here, let me help you," the other guy leans forward, pulling on your shirt.

You start to panic, you've never been good with people, let alone drunk ones. "No really, it's okay," your voice grows shaky as you try to swat away his hands while also maintaining your clothes.

"Hey, baby, we're just trying to take care of ya," the one on your right leans closer to you "Why are you here alone, anyways?"

"My friends just left," you stutter, turning your head to look at Danny who is still having a conversation with the unknown woman. You start to hesitate, unsure if you should say what you're thinking "And I have another friend in here." You gesture to Danny with the smallest wave of your arm to make sure they're the only ones that saw.

Maybe if they think you know people here, they'll leave you alone. "Then how come he's not with you babe?" One of them speaks to you, his gross, warm breath hitting your hands.

"Don't call me that," you wouldn't dare to look up at the men, hands trembling as you continue trying to dry off your clothes.

You flinch back a few inches, tears forming in your eyes as one of them claps his hands together just centimeters away from your face. "Don't be a bitch," the man says just below a shout, his eyes yellow and narrow.

Just as the man goes to open his mouth once more, you feel another presence approach. Soon enough, the men are being viciously pulled by their shoulders and away from you one by one. "Leave her the fuck alone, will you?" It's Daniel.

You cowardly turn your head, watching as he pushes them away while they both shout curses at him. Danny makes sure they get as far away as possible before he can turn back to you.

You finally let the tears that have been puddling at your waterline fall, rolling down your bright red cheeks. "Hey, are you okay?" Danny's tone is drastically different from the last time you talked to him, possibly months ago.

"I'm okay," you stutter "They just- they came up to me and kept trying to talk to me and help me and-"

"Hey hey hey," you're cut off by the voice of your 'enemy' that comforts you much more than you'd like to admit. "I can drive you home if you'd like," Danny brings his hand up and rubs your arm, calming you down and helping you stand up.

You're being held by the man you swore hated your guts just 10 minutes ago, the same man who you couldn't talk to without getting angry and storming out of the room.

"Give me your keys," he puts his arm around you, holding his other hand out in front of you. "Daniel, for fucks sake, I can drive," you avoid eye contact with him as best as you can, stumbling with every other step.

"I know," he brings his index finger to your chin, lifting your face to look at him "Just let me do this for you." All you can do is roll your eyes and gently nod, digging through your bag and fishing out your keys.

You're lucky you parked close, it started raining not long ago and the temperature had plunged, not to mention the alcohol soaking into your clothes. You hear the door unlock and you slowly climb in the passenger side, impatient to get out of the rain covering your bare legs

The drive is quiet, your leg bouncing uncontrollably as you sit uncomfortably in wet clothing. "What made that guy do that?" Danny glances at you for a fleeting moment before looking back to the road.

"They kept trying to call me 'baby' so I just told him to stop and then he just-" You cut yourself off as you realize Danny had pulled into the parking lot "He clapped at me and told me not to be a bitch."

"What a prick," he murmurs, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door. "How're you gonna get home?" you unbuckle as he opens your door, concerned at how well you are getting along with him. "I'll call an Uber," he responds flatly, returning to his typical behavior.

You sigh at the thought of having to be alone in your apartment with the man you've 'hated' for almost three years, but can't stand leaving him in the rain after he'd saved you and even driven you home. You cross your arms, taking your keys from his hand and rolling your eyes "Come inside, please." Danny nods, following you up the steps and into the building.

"Do you want something to drink?" You offer, not looking back at him as you unlock your door. "I'm okay," he responds, looking around your dimly lit apartment as you kick off your heels.

You hadn't changed it around much after your falling out with Danny, and he certainly noticed that.

"Why did you do that?" You cower, your head hung low as you pick at the skin around your nail. "Why did you help me?"

"Well, I wasn't gonna sit around and let those guys harass you like that," he leans against the counter.

"Thank you," you avoid his face, turning around and grabbing a glass from the cabinet before filling it with water. "But I mean I am a total bitch to you," you finally get enough courage to look at his face "I didn't deserve that."

"Those guys were assholes, who knows what they would've done if I didn't step in," he inches closer to you, your entire body becoming flushed once again.

There was no denying you had a little crush on him, even before the fight, but you'd always just pushed your feelings aside.

"I'm gonna change," you say, nearly as a whisper "If you leave I swear to god."

After closing the door, you slide off your stained blouse and wet skirt, letting them fall to the ground. You open your dresser and pull out the first bottoms and a shirt you see, not realizing how skimpy they are until you slide them onto your body. Your ass nearly poked out of the shorts and your boobs filled out the tank top to the point your nipples would've been clearly seen if you hadn't kept your bra on.

"I'm sorry," you walk out of your room, brushing your fingers through your hair. "I'm just such an ass to you all the time and you still did this for me," you watch as Danny's eyes light up and wander down your body then back up to your face.

"I haven't been the best either," he flashes you his crooked smile, god that smile. "Maybe we could make it up to each other sometime," he takes a languid step toward you, pulling his hands from his pockets.

"Daniel," you drop your head to look at your feet, searching every corner of your mind to find the words that would describe your feelings. "I could make it up to you now."

Despite your voice being so quiet you wonder if you even said it aloud, Danny heard you loud and clear. "Yeah?" His voice is flirtatious and soft as he gets closer, just inches away from you. "How're you gonna do that?"

You look dead into his eyes, growing impatient "I think you know what I mean." You feel your body become hot and your breath shaky as the room goes silent. The thick and quiet atmosphere is interrupted by his footsteps, his hands grasp your waist and your arms wrap around his body, making sure he's not going anywhere.

You don't wait for him to do anything, instantly lifting yourself slightly by your toes and smashing your lips against his. You could get used to the way his lips mold so beautifully with yours.

It doesn't take long for the kiss to become intense and hasty. You pull him as close to you as possible, your breasts pressed so hard against his chest that it starts to hurt.

Danny pushes you back until you're pressed against the counter with force. His hands are as if they have a mind of their own, wandering all over your body that he's touched before, but never in this context.

"Fuck," you whisper into his mouth as you grind against his leg for any friction, impatiently pushing him back to unbutton his shirt. "How long have you waited to do this, baby?" His thumb sneaks up the hem of your shorts.

"You don't even know," you speak through heavy breaths, quickly shedding the shirt off his shoulders and continuing your attack on his lips. You feel a smile pull at his lips as he begins to lift the hem of your top, tapping your elbow for you to raise your arms.

You silently thank yourself for not caring to put on a new pair of panties, nothing to stop him after he's taken off your shorts. He tugs the fabric off your body and unclasps your bra so effortlessly, letting the clothes fall to the ground and be forgotten until later.

"Y'know, I've always hated it when you went around flaunting these tits," Danny whispers, one of his hands pressing your hips against his bulge as he involuntarily bucks into you, the other grasping onto your breast for dear life.

"Yeah? Why is that Daniel?" you reach down, frantically searching for the button of his pants. When you finally find what you're looking for, you fumble it a few times, causing a giggle to escape his lips. Another smile grows on his lips, and he juts his hips forward "I hate that you're showing off what's supposed to be mine."

You squeeze your thighs together in reaction to his sentence, desperately trying to stop the wetness threatening to seep into your shorts. His pants drop to reveal a very obvious tent in his boxers that makes your mouth water. He's big, you could tell just by the way he's straining against his underwear.

"May I?" You smirk, cupping his bulge and slowly sinking to your knees. He nods with that hypnotizing smile and pets your hair, you waste no time pulling down his boxers and watching as his cock is set free.

You swallow thickly, your eyes opening wide as you stare at him in awe. After enough time goes by and you hear a tiny giggle from Danny's mouth, you snap back into reality and wrap your hand around him. "Fuck you're gorgeous, y'know that?" He bucks into your hand as you spit on his length, swirling and moving your arm faster.

"I am?" You almost moan before kitten licking the tip of his cock which is just enough to elicit soft rumbling groans from within his chest. "Shit," he breathes, his hand flying to the back of your head "You gonna open up for me, princess?"

"Mm, maybe," you smile, significantly speeding up your pace. Danny impatiently grabs your jaw, tugging on your bottom lip with his thumb but before he can say a word you're taking him fully in your mouth.

A loud curse falls from Danny's lips, tangling his fingers through the tresses of your hair. You begin to bob your head relatively quickly, contrasting with the slow pace you've started with your hand. The throb you felt in your core was almost unbearable, and you knew you couldn't continue this for much longer. But you'd feel bad if you left him unfinished, especially since you were supposed to be 'making it up to him'.

When you detach your lips from his length and slow your movements to a stop, he bunches your hair in his hand and pulls so that you're looking up at him. You go to open your mouth but the smile playing on his lips tells you that he already knows. "Daniel, I can-" you try to explain, but you're silenced before you can finish your sentence.

"It's okay," he pets your hair "Go ahead and touch yourself for me." You look up at him through your lashes and nod "Thank you." You begin to impatiently slide your shorts off your body, shifting your weight to your knees, you bring a hand down and drag your fingers through your unbelievably wet folds. "Shit," Danny groans as you begin to slowly pump up and down his length with the other hand, brushing your thumb along his slit with every stroke.

At the same time, you draw tight circles over your clit. "Come on baby, let me feel that pretty mouth," he grabs your hair once again and pushes your face into his throbbing erection. "Yes, sir," you moan, slipping two fingers inside your entrance and attaching your mouth back onto his cock.

You start to grind against the heel of your hand, the sight of you fucking your fingers mixed with your choice of words drives Danny mad. You moan around him as he fucks into your mouth, thrusts becoming rougher and rougher with every one of your noises. "Fuck, fuck fuck fuck," Danny lets out a visceral groan "fuck baby you're doing so good."

Tears form in your eyes as you gag on him, your fingers significantly picking up pace. "You're so filthy," Daniel growls, his breath hitching in his throat as you let out a long, drawled-out moan against his cock. All of the muscles in your stomach tighten as you feel your orgasm approach, and your legs begin to involuntarily shake.

Deep groans tumble from Danny's chest and his thrusts falter, he's right there with you. You clamp your eyes shut, letting hot tears drip down your face as he continues to fuck your mouth, and moaning against him as you relentlessly curl your fingers up into yourself. "Fuck, oh god, keep making those noises," Danny moans, his jaw slack and his head thrown back.

One more thrust and one more curl of your fingers are all it took for the both of you to come undone. You fall back on your heels as hot pleasure takes over, and you feel warm strings of cum shoot into the back of your throat. You pull away from Danny, drawing in deep breaths as soon as you get the chance.

After you've fully rode out your orgasm, you pull your fingers from yourself and grasp onto Daniel's hot body to stand. Once you're up, Danny grasps your wrist, bringing your fingers to his mouth to taste you. The throb already returns as he hums in approval around your fingers, you need him badly.

"Fuck me," you breathe, looking dead into his eyes "I need to feel you, Danny. Fuck me." A sick laugh falls from Daniel's red lips and all of a sudden you're being thrown over his shoulder and moved into the living room. He throws you down on your couch, your back hitting the arm of it and your legs sprawling out.

His eyes darken at the sight, staring intently at your heat glistening in your arousal and you catch his cock bob up & down out of the corner of your eye. He steps forward and crawls in front of you on your couch, and you find yourself holding your breath as his face gets closer to your core.

You don't know why, but you're fully expecting him to get to the point. You're hoping for him to give you what you so desperately need, but he doesn't. Instead, he hovers over you, drawing a line of kisses between your breasts down to your navel, then up to your jawline. "Daniel," what you tried to make sound as stern as possible ends up sounding like a pathetic whimper as the ache in you're core grows.

"What is it baby," he smiles against your skin as he peppers kisses to your lower belly and slides his hands up and down your thighs. You hate when you have to beg, but you seriously consider it as you don't know how much longer you can go without his touch.

"Danny, please," you moan out, bucking your hips up when his fingers ghost over your heat. You hear a faint snicker, the vibration sending a shiver down your spine "Please what? Use your words pretty."

You let out a huff and roll your eyes "Daniel I'm not going to beg fo." You gasp and cut yourself off as he attaches his lips to your clit without warning, sucking the swollen bud into his mouth. "Oh my god," you stutter, your hands flying to tangle themselves in his hair.

Danny slips a finger inside you, but it's just enough to make you squirm. "Is this what you wanted? Y'know, you shouldn't mouth off," he rasps just before continuing his attack on your clit, slipping in another finger and viciously curling them inside you. "Yeah, but it- fuck. It got me somewhere d- didn't it?"

It doesn't take long until you're sent hurdling over the edge. Strings of obscenities leave your mouth as you grind against Danny's face, a wave of electricity shooting through your entire body. Before you can even fully come down from your second orgasm, Danny grabs you by the waist, throwing you into his lap and sitting up so that you're left straddling him.

Once you're able to fully see again, you throw yourself forward and shower his neck in kisses. Danny lays a slap against your ass, eliciting a yelp from your mouth "mm, you wanna be a good girl and ride me?"

You simply just hum against his neck, sucking a dark red mark behind his ear. Now you have the reigns, and you might as well have fun with it.

You move so that you're straddling just one thigh, wrapping one arm around the back of his neck as you begin to grind against his thigh. "What the fuck," Danny mumbles, a bead of arousal dripping out the tip of his angry cock as he feels your folds drag across his thigh.

Rolling your hips, you collapse into Daniel's chest, burying your head into the crook of his neck. The hand not wrapped around his broad shoulders flying to his cock. He gets over his confusion fast, instantly grasping your hips and guiding you along his thigh while you stroke him.

You can't help but laugh, your chest bouncing as your face is tucked away in Danny's hair. "Y/N?" He loosens his grip on your hips, but they continue to roll against him. The noise that escapes from your mouth makes it apparent that you're not crying, but doing the opposite.

"What's so funny? Look at me," Danny commands, grabbing your face so that your lips pucker when you look at him. "Nothing," you giggle, but it quickly turns into loud moans as the friction gets to be all too much for you.

To your surprise, Daniel wraps both arms around your body, forcing you to stop your movements. "What the hell?" You cry, mourning the orgasm that just got ripped out of your grasp. He violently pulls you into him, your forehead hitting the top of your couch and his nose brushing against the shell of your ear "Don't think you can act like a brat and then get what you want."

"I'm sorry," you whine, positioning yourself to be straddling him once again, looking at him through your lashes and acting as innocent as possible. You take his cock in your hand, which is unbelievably hard and dripping with precum.

"Let me show you how good I can be," you sit up, dragging his tip through your unbelievably wet pussy. Your breath hitches in the back of your throat as you line him up with your entrance, sinking in just the tip.

Your eyes instinctively fall shut, unholy noises tumbling from both of your mouths as you take him all the way in, slowly stretching out around him. You sit there for a moment, basking in the feeling of him filling you completely up.

After a few seconds pass, you lift your hips and drop them back down, feeling every inch of him. Your jaw falls open as your hips begin to move on their own, hands wandering over every inch of each other's bodies. "Oh fuck," you suck in a breath, rolling your hips and clenching around him.

"Oh don't do that," Danny growls, hands flying to your hips. Just as you go to bring your hips back down, he thrusts up into you. "Oh my god!" You wail, skin clashing together so rough you're sure you'll wake up with large bruises in the morning.

Your walls clench down even harder around him, if that was even possible. Animalistic groans bubble up from Danny's chest, his thrusts getting rougher by the second. "Fuck! Holy shit, Danny!" hot tears swell up at your waterline, the stinging of your skin crashing into each other's mixed with the feeling of his cock hitting all your sweet spots overwhelms you in the best way possible.

"I'm so," you're cut off by a moan ripping through your chest, your hips rolling on their own accord and tears falling down your cheeks. "I know baby, I know," Danny whimpers, delivering a sharp thrust into you that sends a jolt of electricity throughout your entire body.

Strings of curses and moans flow out of your mouth as fiery white pleasure takes over every one of your senses, your thighs shaking uncontrollably. "I just fuck, need you to go a little longer," Danny's hips falter as he fails to send another thrust. Despite the consequences of your orgasm still in full effect, your mind is set on making Danny cum.

Your jaw clenches and your face contorts as you squeeze around his cock. "That's it, baby, fuck me," he grabs your hips, pulling you against himself right before you feel his warm release spurt inside you.

Trying to ignore the involuntary shaking of your legs and the intense feeling of overstimulation, you continue to slowly fuck him until he comes down from his orgasm.

You slow your movements to a stop and collapse onto his chest, silently sobbing into the crook of his neck. "You okay?" He rubs your back, peppering kisses to your shoulder. "Yeah," you breathe, sitting up and wiping away tears, a smile tugging on your lips as you lean in to kiss him.

Sucking in a hiss, you slowly rise from his lap. "What happened to the girl that hates my guts?" Danny snickers, brushing hair away from your eyes. "She's probably still here somewhere," you smirk, cuddling next to him.

"Then we might just have to keep fucking until she's gone."

"Is that a challenge, Daniel?"

"Maybe."

[opinated-user]

Interesting that Courtney mentioned Lily being upset at hearing that incest is bad because she made a video in defense of “consensual” incest relationships https://drive google.com/file/d/1Weg46szDiUcxAKbipzDUyqan8t-G8nO4/view (add a dot in place of the space between drive and Google)

i was aware of this video and here's why it's interesting. (please notice the "directed by Tara Callie". Tara, the pedophile, bestiality lover that had an incestuous relationship with her younger sister, that lied to Brittany for years about molesting LO while she was sleeping to get a reaction out of her. the same tara that later turned out to be just LO roleplaying all her fantasies. keep that in mind)

(also the too long intro that was clearly inspired by Channel Awesome) 1. she starts the video showing a picture of a man who kept his daughter in a basement to keep abusing her and have children with her, that he also abused, as the first image that a lot of people have about abuse. she tries to say "most people think all incestuous relationship involve some form of rape and coercion, but what about the relationships that aren't like that, like when two adults or teenagers for that matter (because teenagers suddenly have the emotional maturity of adults/s) enter into this relationships willingly." apparently the debate wether this relationships (that she even recognize many, many times do include coercion or rape) is the same thing as when people debate the legality of homosexuality (despite how is even rarer to find queer relationship entirely based in abusive dynamics. not that it doesn't happen, but it doesn't happens at all in the same frequency as with incest does. remember that this is LO thinking that she's progressive) 1. it starts with LO making up an anonymous parent being concerned that both of their children came out about being in an incestuous relationship, coming to her... a brony in the internet talking about MLP, for advice about what to do about it. the screenshot of that anon was so out of nowhere and weird that Josh had screenshot it for one of his videos about LO, using it as an example of "LO tries to talk about very serious issue and fails". this father was an anon, but for some reason (that reason being LO made them up) LO will take their word as 100% true and will even make assumptions entirely on her own around this asks that weren't even implied, like assuming that there wasn't any coercion or manipulation in the relationship of these teenagers. the obvious explanation is that she can just say that because she's just writing her own fanfiction and try to make it seem real, but if it were real... this would indeed the most irresponsible, disgusting and absolutely abuse apologist response that LO could have given. even taking out of the way the allegations from Courtney or how this became a pattern of being obssesed over incest through out the years, this is a bad video with bad argumentation that started on a bad premise and LO should feel bad about it. no english teacher would say this was good. 3. speaking of "teenagers for that matter" who supposedly are mature and old enough to take decisions about their life the same as an adult could, the "son" in the relationships is 15 and the daughter is... 14. LO in this video argues that a 15 teenage boy in no way coerced his younger 14 year old little sister into a relationship. why? because that does against the fanfiction that LO has on her head where she managed to succesfully coerce Courtney into commiting incest and is never called out for it as a bad thing. knowing what we do know now about their dynamics, this is not really about convincing anyone. this is just the fanfiction of everything she wishes it was true and then have someone assured her that it was fine, it was okay, that she didn't do anything wrong, that it was all consentual. just like how the majority of Stockholm treats rainbow dash pedophilia as perfectly fine and not at all concerning.

4. following this logic (no coercion, no abuse, simply because LO assumes/wishes there isn't), this is the advice that LO tells this father about what to do about the situation.

that's right. nothing. this father should do nothing because if he does, it will only make the teenagers insist more on their relationship and also hate their father for trying to separate them. so he should let them do anything they want, potentially allow his son to keep sexually abusing and grooming his daughter, because they won't like it if he tries to stop it. but don't worry, because this is all consensual (that was never established, those bad writer habits of LO assuming that the reader has the same information she does attack again) and surely these teenagers that are under the age of consent know what they're doing. or in the perfect fantasy of LO it does at least. 5. something i didn't notice before... the music that is on the background is "lullaby for a princess", a fan made MLP song that Celestia dedicate to her sister as she reflects on their relationship and her banishing. just... gross in this context. it's literally romanticizing this fictional incest couple even from the background. it's disgusting. 6. "they probably thought long and hard about this. they probably had long talks about this before agreeing to it."... having long talk about something any sibling didn't want until they finally gave in is the definition of grooming. LO's literally making up grooming out of thin air (because those teenagers don't exist) and then try to argue that the grooming is fine because there was "consent" in the end. i don't think LO knows what coercion is, because that's exactly it. if you have to keep talking the ear off someone in order to convince them to do something, that's coercion and that's part of grooming. you're just not using the correct terms. 7. in response to "it's morally wrong", LO says that morality is subjective and varied. that's the mantra of many predators and abusers. just saying.

funny enough, she does say that murder is "the one thing we all agree is horrible to do and only fine in the most extreme of cases"... it's just weird to think that even while doing a "incest between minors is okay" video, LO was still less extreme that how she's now a days. something to think about, i guess.

8. "the only idea of objective good and wrong we have is illegal and legal." is that why LO keeps thinking that threatening people with a lawyer she doesn't have is going to do anything?

9. "nobody wants to be the villain. everyone wants to be the victim". with how much we talk here about how LO wants to be the ultimate victim, more victim than any other victim, this might explain why LO will never admit to any of the horrible things she has done. because she wants to be only the victim, not the villain. she didn't realize then and won't realize now that you can be both. being a victim doesn't mean that you can't hurt others and being a villain doesn't mean that you can't be hurt.

10. "sir, you can only accept their relationship or don't. and if you don't accept it then you'll never be able to fully embrace who your kids really are." i had forgotten how much LO keeps comparing incest with queerness. grooming and coercing a sibling is not "part of who you're", it's a issue you should get seen by a professional.

as my conclusion after rewatching this, i want to say this... even if Courtney had never come out to say a word, just by knowing how obsesed LO is with incest and to try to justify it any way possible i feel like anyone would have come out thinking that these weren't just fantasies at some point. considering that LO made that comic about his "hot sister",why wouldn't you think that this is all related? why wouldn't you be concerned for that sister and what LO might have done to them? all of this just so say... if you don't believe Courtney for whatever reason, then do you really think someone that does a video like this, a comic like that one and openly talks about incest so much as she does is really a safe kind of person?