#anyway. me just sitting here and hoping they’d go soon so I can go and watch Dff because esme killed me

[thasorns-moved]

Me sitting as a turkish person with pakistani people. Sometimes I understand because they speak in German but the switch to Urdu

[steddieas-shegoes]

scared to want you

for @steddie-week prompt 'exes to lovers'

rated m | 1021 words | cw: implied sexual content | tags: post breakup, getting back together, idiots in love, platonic stobin

❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

“Are you gonna stop staring at him anytime soon?” Robin’s voice asked loudly in his ear.

“Probably not,” Steve admitted. “He’s wearing my sweater.”

He saw Robin’s head whip around to look back at Eddie. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

It’s surprising to see Eddie here at all, let alone in Steve’s sweater. Eddie had moved back in with Wayne three months ago after an argument with Steve that led whatever they were to destruction.

Steve wanted more, Eddie had been afraid. Steve said he loved him, Eddie said he needed to leave.

Steve spent the last three months hurting. Eddie was wearing his sweater in public.

Everything was a little confusing right now.

“We should go, Steve.” Robin sounded angry now, and Steve loved her for it. She’d been the one to show up at his door a few hours after Eddie was gone and held him while he cried. She’d been there for weeks while he avoided everyone’s questions, went through the motions of being an adult while barely getting by. She had blocked Eddie on all of his social media and her own out of spite. “It doesn’t do you any good to sit here and pine after someone who hurt you.”

She was right, of course, but he couldn’t leave.

Eddie was wearing his sweater.

Eddie looked good in his sweater.

“Steve.”

Steve turned to Robin, who was smiling sadly back at him.

“I don’t think I can go without talking to him.”

Robin nodded once, always so understanding of Steve, supportive even when he didn’t always deserve it. She was the best, and he was about to piss her off.

“I’ll text you when I leave,” he said as he gave her a quick hug. She wouldn’t want to stick around to see what happens with this. “I’ll be fine.”

He wouldn’t, and she knew that, but she squeezed his hand in hers and left anyway.

Eddie hadn’t noticed him yet, or at least wasn’t acting like he had. He was standing at the bar talking to the bartender and a woman who walked in only a few minutes ago. Whatever he was talking about seemed serious, none of them smiling.

Steve walked up to the bar slowly, but with the sole purpose of talking to Eddie.

The bartender turned to him and smiled. “Hey, hon. You need another Sunrise, Sunset?”

Steve shook his head, but smiled at her. “No thanks, Kim. Just here to say hi to someone.”

When he turned towards Eddie, he was already looking back at him, biting his lip nervously.

“Hey, Eds.”

“Hey, Stevie.”

“Been a bit,” Steve swallowed. He didn’t actually know what he was trying to accomplish here. All he knew was there had to be a reason he was wearing Steve’s sweater. It wasn’t exactly his usual style. “Doing alright?”

The other woman seemed to catch onto what was going on, turning away and talking to the bartender instead.

“Um, yeah I guess.” Eddie was lying. Steve could always tell when he was lying. “You?”

“Been better,” Steve replied. “A little surprised to see you here. In that.”

Eddie looked down at what he was wearing and then up at Steve, cheeks red with embarrassment. “Laundry day.”

“Sure.” Steve sighed, rubbing his hand down his face. He just had to say something. Maybe closure would be good. “Can we talk somewhere else?”

Eddie nodded and started to walk to the back of the bar where the office and bathrooms were. Steve followed, assuming they’d go into the bathroom and hope no one came in. When Eddie led him into the office, Steve frowned.

“I don’t think we have permission to be in here.”

“I work here part time. Kim lets me take my breaks in here,” Eddie explained, closing the door behind them. “I didn’t know you liked this bar.”

“We’ve only been a few times,” Steve explained.

“Oh, you’ve um. You and your date?” Eddie was leaning against the desk, eyes cast down to his feet.

“No. Me and Robin.”

Eddie let out a shaky breath. “Right, good, yeah.”

“Eddie, look at me.” Steve stepped closer, could almost feel the heat coming off of Eddie’s body. Eddie looked up at him, eyes watery and bottom lip bitten red. “Why are you wearing my sweater?”

“I needed you.” Eddie’s broken voice was all Steve needed to close what little distance remained between them, pulling Eddie against him and holding him as tightly as he possibly could.

“I didn’t think you needed me anymore,” Steve said against his neck, trying not to get his hopes up despite Eddie’s tears now soaking his shirt. “You didn’t want me anymore.”

Eddie’s hands tightened in Steve’s shirt and Steve felt him shake his head. “I wanted you too much. I was scared how much I wanted you.”

“Are you still scared now?”

“Only that I don’t have you.”

Steve’s lips found Eddie’s, hopeful and desperate.

Eddie took control within seconds, turning them around so Steve was sitting on the corner of the desk, legs spread so Eddie could fit between them. Where he belonged.

As Eddie’s hands pushed Steve’s shirt up and Steve’s legs pulled him in impossibly closer, the thought that they were still in a public place occurred to Steve.

He ignored it as Eddie’s thumb brushed against his nipple and his teeth bit his bottom lip.

“Want you now,” Eddie groaned against Steve’s neck. “Want you forever.”

“Lock the door.” Steve ordered.

Eddie locked the door.

****

When they left the office, hair disheveled and suspicious stains on their shirts, they were met with a knowing look from Kim.

Eddie rolled his eyes and pushed Steve out the door by the small of his back.

“Still living with Wayne?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. Could we go to yours?” Eddie asked hesitantly.

“Only if it can be ours.”

Eddie stopped him on the sidewalk, eyes blinking furiously. “You would want that? After I left?”

Steve smiled. “Are you gonna leave again or are you gonna let me love you?”

“You can still love me?”

“I couldn’t not love you.”

“Then let’s go to ours.”

[moonstruckme]

Mae! I have a request that I am really hoping you can do!

Emt! Marauders with reader that is admitted to the hospital because she is very sick and dehydrated, so they have a hard time getting her IV in, and after being there for almost a day, her back is killing her because of how uncomfortable the beds are?

I know it might be a bit of an odd request but I would love this if possible? If not it's 100% okay!

Thanks for requesting!

cw: hospital, mention of IV

emt!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 618 words

Remus is moving his thumb back and forth over your hand, a slow, hypnotic drag, and you know he’s trying to get you to sleep but you’re too uncomfortable to manage it for him. 

You shift on your side, the muscles of your back stretching for one blissful second before the ache sets back in. You wish the hospital had one of those medieval torture devices that would pull you limb from limb until your spine stretched all the way out. You think it would help. 

Your poor boyfriend should be sleeping, too. He’s just worked a twelve-hour shift, and as soon as he got off he came here to sit with you. The boys had all been some mix of alarmed and happy to see you when you’d texted them that you were feeling funny and they’d come in their ambulance to find you ill and severely dehydrated, sitting down on your kitchen floor to keep from passing out. It had been an onslaught of scoldings and doting all the way to the hospital, whereafter they’d done their best to check in on you in between calls out. 

“Okay, dollface,” Sirius comes into the room with his usual burst of sound (Remus gives him a look, but it’s pointless; you were nowhere near sleep anyway), “prepare to fall head over heels for me.” 

“For us,” James says, coming in behind him with a large bag. “It’s not like it was only your idea.” 

“Yeah, but mine was the best part, so.” 

“What’s in the bag?” Remus asks, sounding quite lovingly exasperated with the both of them. You can only smile tiredly at the three boys’ bickering. 

“So nice of you to ask, Moony.” Sirius looks genuinely excited, his eyes clear and light. “In this bag is our girl’s salvation.” 

James sets the bag on your bed, taking out two pillows with a flourish. 

You gasp. “My pillows! You went back to get these?” 

“Yes, and it appears we forgot to lock the door on our way out of there the first time.” James smiles sheepishly, stacking them behind your back and head when Remus helps you lean forward. “It’s locked now.” 

“Thanks,” you say, meaning it with all your heart. Your back is already grateful for the familiar plushness, muscles you didn’t even realize were tight relaxing. 

“Oh, that’s not all.” Sirius grins at you, reaching into the bag again and pulling out some snacks from your kitchen. “We figured while we were there we might as well bring you some things you’d enjoy.”

“This is so thoughtful.” You smile at him as you take them. Your heart feels heavy and full. “Thank you guys.” 

“Are you feeling very besotted yet?” 

“Very,” you say, somewhat shyly. 

Sirius grins, leaning over to kiss your cheek. He’s careful to avoid your IV line, but his eyes go there, and he frowns when he sees the dull bruise forming around where he’d struggled to put it in. 

“I’m sorry about this, lovely,” he says, rubbing his thumb over the spot. 

“It’s fine,” you promise him. “It was hard, I get it.” 

“Remus could’ve managed it,” James says certainly. Remus blushes and Sirius’ lips tilt up in a half smile.

“Probably right,” he agrees, tone apologetic. 

“You’ve more than made it up,” you reassure him, returning his cheek kiss with one of your own. You rip open one of your snacks for emphasis. 

“I was trying to get her to go to sleep,” Remus says pointedly. 

“Oh, let her have a second.” James sits on the edge of your bed, gifting you a dazzling smile. “Five of those, lovie, then it’s nap time. We wouldn’t want our Moony to get cranky.” 

[otherone12]

HII ITS ME AGAIN !!!! OKAY SOOOO I had this idea right... how about a super fem super cute super "girl next door" reader x basement gee ?? :3 like the whole cheerleader x loser trope !!! I think that'd be like super cute !

Wait, Are You In A Band?!

Basement!Gerard Way x Reader

-> Masterlist

HEYYY!! WELCOME BACK!!! Sorry for took too long 😭 Hope u well <3!! Okayokay, I went too literal with the "cheerleader x loser" part, because I thought it was awesome make some "high school" plot, anyways, the fic turned really longer, with fluff and angst... hope u like it! <3 (If it turned out too different from what you imagined, let me know and I'll try to fix it :) )

PS: it's 2am in my time zone, so when I'm rested I'll revise the fic better.

Summary: After a late cheer practice, you was walking home, but you herd simomething comming from your neighbor's basement. Was he... singing? Maybe he wasn't just the weirdo kid at your school.

- Word Count: 6.400

- Warnings: None :)

- Ps: I'll not use y/n…

- Ps2: I'm brazilian, so english is not my first language... sorry if i wrote something wrong.

___________________________________________

1st Person POV (reader)

Here I am, making my way to my home after hours practicing the next cheer performance. Exhausted and with my ponytail, I was almost at home, but something caught my attention, a loud song coming from one of the houses in my neighborhood. The sound wasn’t clear, but I followed it, letting go of how tired I was, walking to the house I thought the sound was coming. Surprisingly, I knew whose house was.

I knew that Gerard was my classmate since ever, he wasn’t much of a talking guy, nor did his style match with the rest of the people around here. I'm not gonna lie here, I always had a bit of curiosity about him. Not too long ago, I found out he lives three houses away from mine. Part of me wanted to ‘casually’ knock there to say ‘hi’.

At first I didn't recognize the voice, but when I approached his house I was sure that it was definitely his voice. Enchanted by the sound, I stepped the closest I could, paying attention to the song. Wasn’t just Gerard singing what seems to be an authorial song, but there's a bass, at least two guitars and drums.

Wasn’t perfect but it sounded incredible in my ears. Hypnotized by the song, I stayed there to the end of it… damn it was really good. Before I could even think, I started to hear some voices that I didn't recognize, except for Gerard’s.

- Yeah, let’s run through it one more time, - He said

- Sure! Maybe we can try the second solo we talked about. - Another voice replied

- Okay Okay, I'm gonna drink something before…

Realizing they’d catch me if I stayed any longer, I hurried back home, my mind still replaying every sound I’d just heard. I was so exhausted that I practically collapsed onto my bed, but even as I drifted off, his voice echoed in my mind.

The next morning, I couldn’t stop humming a part of the song I’d heard. It was catchy, and I kept thinking about how much I wanted to tell Gerard how incredible they sounded.

When lunchtime rolled around, I did what I normally did: sat with the other girls on the cheerleading team, surrounded by the usual crowd of football players. But today felt different. I kept glancing over to where Gerard always sat alone in the corner. His brother went to a different school, and he didn’t really have a group here. I wanted to change that, at least for a moment.

- Hey, where are you going? - one of my friends asked, confused as I got up.

- Don’t worry, I’ll be right back,- I replied, giving her a quick smile before making my way toward Gerard.

He was sitting on the floor, with his lunch next to him, while he flipped through a comic book, completely distracted. I stopped in front of him, and as soon as he noticed me, his gaze went up to my face.

- Hi! Can i sit? - I asked, hoping I didn’t startle him too much.

He took a few seconds to answer, his cheeks turned light red, and he avoided eye contact.

- Uh… s-sure - His tone was shy, but i could feel that he was a bit happy - but your uniform-

- I don't mind. - Smiling, I sat next to him, then explained. - I'll change into normal clothes after lunch anyway.

- If you say so… - a shy smile appeared on his face.

- So… Hey, I heard you singing last night.. - When these words left my mouth, what was a light blush turned into a bright red tone on his face. And his eyes wide -. I didn’t know you were in a band.

- Y-you heard?! - he exclaimed, shock evident in his expression, his eyes met mine.

- Yeah I was walking home and… well we’re neighbors… so… - I tried to explain, with a soft smile, trying not not to scare him off or something.

- Can you please not make fun of this? - He sighed, anguished - Like, yeah, sure, call me weirdo, ask for me to do your homework or else but… can you not mention this?

- Why should I make fun of it?! - Not gonna lie, i feel a bit sad for him thinking of me like this, but i almost yelled - You guys are fucking awesome!

- R-really? Do you think so? - He calmed down, but a bit suspicious - I didn’t know you were into this kind of music…

- I totally am! Do you guys perform anywhere? - I leaned closer, excitement bubbling up. - I would love to see a full show!

- Not yet… - Nervous, he stopped to think - But if you want, you can come over to my house to, y’know, watch us practice… we're going to rehearse tomorrow... if you want to stop by after your practice...

- I would love to! - My smile widened, feeling a rush of anticipation.

After our conversation, I felt a rush of excitement as I got up to head back to my friends. I cast one last glance at Gerard, who was now fiddling nervously with his comic book, his cheeks still slightly pink, but there was a smile in the corner of his lips.

As I approached the table where the cheer squad sat, they looked up, curiosity evident in their expressions.

- Hey, where were you? - my friend asked, raising an eyebrow. - Why were you talking to him?

There was a playful tone in her voice, as if she was implying that I was flirting with him.

- Yeah, what’s his name again? Gerald? - another friend chimed in, a hint of amusement in her tone. - He’s a bit weird, don’t you think?

I hesitated for a moment, considering how to respond. I didn’t want to let on that I had been intrigued by Gerard’s singing. My friends wouldn’t understand, not now, they’d just tease me about it.

- Oh, we were just discussing a class project,- I said, trying to sound casual. - You know how the teachers are always assigning those weird group projects? He has some great ideas.

They exchanged skeptical looks, and I could see they weren’t completely convinced.

- A class project? Really? - She smirked. - You’re not trying to tell me you’ve developed a sudden interest in the ‘weird kid’?

- Come on, he’s just a classmate, - I said, shrugging it off, a smile plastered on my face. - It’s not a big deal.

But inside, I felt a spark of excitement that I couldn’t quite hide. I had made a connection, and even if my friends didn’t get it, I knew I wanted to see Gerard again, especially to hear him sing.

- Yeah, sure. - She said mockingly, getting up - Let’s change our clothes and go back to class.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Gerard’s shy smile and the way his eyes had lit up when I told him he was amazing. That spark of excitement kept me awake longer than I’d like to admit, and by morning, I already had a plan.

The next day , I casually told the girls that I needed to leave school a bit early. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I noticed their expressions shift, mischievous smirks spreading across their faces.

- Oh, leaving early, huh? - She raised an eyebrow, leaning in. - I bet you have a date with your ‘class partner’... I mean, classmates.

- Really funny. - I rolled my eyes - It’s just… homework.

- Sure, I totally believe in it… - She mocked and I blushed - You know, if you’re into him, you can tell us! We won’t judge... much.

I laughed awkwardly, hoping no one noticed.

- C’mon I'm serious, and I gotta go. - I started to pack my things - don’t want to be late.

- Alright, fine. Go hang out with your little ‘project partner.’- Another of my friends said, laughing - Just don’t come back quoting comic books or whatever he’s into.

- See you guys tomorrow. - With a chuckle, I leave the court.

I made my way to Gerard’s house, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. Part of me was still amazed that I was doing this, showing up at the "weird kid’s" house after practically lying to my friends about it. But I couldn’t help it; I was curious, and I wanted to see him in his basement. I knocked on the door and waited, glancing around at the worn porch steps.

The door creaked open, and Gerard stood there, his eyes widening in surprise.

- Oh, hey… you actually came!

- Of course I did,- I replied, giving him a warm smile. - I didn’t say I would if I didn’t mean it.

- Uh, C-cool - His gaze on the floor, and he seems to be nervous - Come on in, then.

As I walked into the house, I heard a voice call out from down the hallway.

- Oh, my big brother brought his cheerleader girlfriend home! - Mikey’s head popped out from around the corner, a teasing grin on his face.

- Mikey, shut up! - Gerard’s face turned bright red, and he stammered, clearly embarrassed. - She’s not- w-we’re not-

- I’m just a fan - I said with a grin, hoping it’d take the pressure off him.

- Yeah, sure. Just a fan.- He raised an eyebrow at Gerard. - Well, the others are already in the basement. I’ll grab my bass and be right down.

I followed Gerard through the house, catching a glimpse of various band posters and comic books strewn around. He opened a door leading down into the basement, where I could already hear faint sounds of tuning guitars.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, I spotted Ray and Frank, both of whom looked up in surprise when they saw me. Ray nudged Frank, and they exchanged a smirk.

- Well, well, looks like Gerard brought his cheerleader girlfriend to watch us practice,- Frank teased, waggling his eyebrows.

- Guys, come on… - Gerard groaned, his cheeks going red again. - She’s just here to watch. For the music… y’know…

- Yep, totally for the music! - I chuckled, trying to ease him - You guys were awesome the other night!

- Oh, she’s a fan - Frank said, giving me a wink. - So, we’ve got an audience now. Let’s make it worth it!

- Guess we can’t let Gerard’s cheerleader down. - Ray laughed while tuning the guitar.

Gerard shot them both a glare, but I could see he was smiling a little. We all settled in, and as the band began to play, I couldn’t help but feel like I was exactly where I was meant to be, watching Gerard and his friends create something that felt raw, real, and amazing.

As the guys settled into their instruments, I found myself a spot on an old armchair near the back of the basement. Gerard shot me a quick, nervous glance, as if making sure I was still okay with being there. I gave him an encouraging nod, hoping to ease some of his nerves.

As they played, I was really loving the music and the way each of them put their passion into the song. The lyrics were intense and Gerard's voice was mesmerizing. As the music played, my gaze wandered around the basement, looking at the absurd amount of comic books and CDs that filled several shelves (and the floor), as well as the posters on the walls. But soon my gaze turned to Gerard, and remained analyzing every detail of his performance.

all the mannerisms, the wrinkled sweatshirt, the slightly smudged eyeliner along with the dark circles, the pink lips and the long, messy hair. When the music ended, it took me a few seconds to regain my attention, which only came out of this trance when a voice interrupted my thoughts.

Suddenly, his voice broke through my thoughts.

- So… what did you think? - he asked, scratching the back of his neck, his eyes wide and hopeful. There was this nervous little shine in them that made my heart skip.

- It was amazing! - I said, grinning as I stood up, clapping a little too enthusiastically.

- Really? - He blinked, clearly surprised, and a tiny, bashful smirk crept up at the corner of his mouth.

- Yeah! - I stepped closer, feeling the excitement bubble up. - You guys are actually really good!

- Thanks! - Frank said, giving me a grin. - You should come every time we play!

- You think so? - I asked, hesitating a bit, not wanting to seem like I was intruding.

- Totally! - Mikey jumped in. - You’re a fan, right?

- Definitely! - I laughed, though I worried about my busy schedule. - I can’t promise every time, but I’ll come as much as I can.

Gerard’s face brightened, and for a moment, he looked at me with this big, relieved smile.

- I’d love that-I mean, we’d love that. I mean, it’d be cool to, uh, have you as, like, a regular… fan… - His voice trailed off, and I watched his cheeks turn pink as he realized what he’d said.

He fumbled with his words, his hands fidgeting as he tried to recover.

- I mean, just, it’s cool when you’re around, you know? Not just, like, ‘cause you’re… - He glanced down, clearly searching for words that just weren’t coming. - …It’s just… you’re really supportive, and that’s nice.

I couldn’t help but smile at how cute he was when he got flustered. It was like he didn’t know how to handle a simple compliment, and the more he tried, the more tangled up he got.

Ray chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.

- We get it, dude, - Ray said, smirking. - Breathe.

Gerard let out a shaky sigh, his gaze flicking back to me, the corners of his mouth curling up in a shy smile.

- Anyway, I gotta get going now, - I said, moving toward the door. - But hey, let me know when you’re practicing next?

- Definitely! - Gerard said, looking so relieved, like he’d just passed a test. - I’ll, um… yeah, I’ll let you know.

As I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of him still staring at me with that hopeful look. It was endearing, the way he looked both thrilled and completely overwhelmed at the idea of me showing up again.

After watching them practice the night before, I couldn't stop thinking about it. So when lunchtime came around, I found myself making my way over to where Gerard was sitting, alone as usual, tucked away near the back wall. He looked up as I approached, his eyes widening slightly, as if he couldn’t believe I’d actually come over again.

- Y-you… really want to sit here? With me? - He stammered, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

- Of course! - I laughed, plopping down on the floor next to him. - My friends won’t stop talking about the last game… as if I wasn’t there!

- Yeah, I guess they’re pretty into that stuff - Gerard cracked a small smile, relaxing a bit as I settled in.

- Too much, if you ask me… - I chuckled - I’d rather talk about something more interesting… like last night. Seriously, you’re incredible! Your voice? Wow.

His cheeks turned pink, and he avoided eye contact with me, but I noticed the thin smile on his face.

- R-really? I mean, I was just, you know… messing around. It’s nothing special.

-Then I can’t imagine how good you’d be if you were actually trying! - I teased, nudging him lightly. He let out a small laugh, clearly embarrassed but pleased. Glancing down, I noticed the comic book he had open. - What are you reading?

He launched into a surprisingly passionate explanation about the storyline, his eyes lighting up as he talked. Our conversation continued, and with each sentence, I felt like he was slowly opening up, sharing little pieces of himself.

By the time the bell rang, I was surprised at how quickly the minutes had flown by. I stood to head to class, but before I could turn away, he took a deep breath, looking like he was gathering every ounce of courage he had.

- Hey, uh, would you… maybe want to come over? Like… after school? Just us, you know, as friends. We could, uh, watch a movie or something?

My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t hold back a grin.

- I’d like that. What movie are you thinking of?

- Whatever you like, - he replied quickly, looking relieved and a little flustered. - My mom has some romance ones lying around… or I’ve got horror if you’re into that?

- I’m not that into horror, but maybe we can watch two movies. You pick one, I’ll pick one…

- Perfect! - His blush deepened, but he nodded eagerly. - My place, after school. Just us.

As I went back to the class, I couldn't stop smiling at the thought of being at his house alone with him… At the start, my feelings about him weren't anything more than friendship, but the more time I spent with him, the more I liked him.

The afternoon was completely normal, but everything was drowned out by the idea that I would see him after school. When the last period finally ended, he was waiting for me at the classroom door, so that we could go to his house together. He was looking down, fiddling with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

- A-are you still up for-

- Absolutely! - I answered, flashing him a smile. We headed out of the school together, walking toward his house side by side. As we walked, I felt my heart thumping with a mix of excitement and nerves.

In his basement, which was still the same, maybe a bit more messy, he picked up the movie he chose, but before putting it on the DVD, he glanced at me with an insecure look.

- A-are you sure that you want to watch this? 'Cause… you know… it’s alright if you don’t…

- Nope, this is fine, - I sat on his bed, crossing my legs. - Thanks for inviting me, Gee.

The name slipped out so naturally that I barely noticed at first. But Gerard did. His face flushed immediately, his gaze snapping to me. For a moment, he was speechless, trying to process what he’d just heard.

- Did you just..? Y-You…called me ‘Gee’? - He stammered. The corner of his mouth lifted into a shy smile, and he quickly turned his head, trying to hide his reaction. But he couldn’t stop himself from peeking back at me with an even wider grin.

- Oh! I…hope you don’t mind - I said softly, noticing how happy he looked.

- N-no, it’s… it’s actually… - He took a deep breath, his voice barely above a whisper. - I like it.

He sat down next to me and hit play on the remote control, then the movie started. During the movie we exchanged a few glances, and I could feel the atmosphere in the room getting cozier and cozier. In between movies, we chatted a bit about something, but unfortunately the evening ended more quickly than I would have liked.

As I got up to leave, Gerard hesitated for a moment, fidgeting with the edge of his sweater.

- Uh… I could walk you home, you know… since we’re, uh… neighbors and all, - He mumbled, barely meeting her eyes.

- I’d love that.- I smiled warmly, touched by his offer.

We stepped out into the cool evening, walking side by side down the quiet street. Neither of us spoke much, but the silence felt comfortable, filled with the soft sounds of our footsteps. When we finally reached my driveway, I turned to him, pausing for a moment before speaking.

- Thanks for tonight, Gee,

Before he could respond, I wrapped my arms around him in a quick, warm hug. For a second, he froze, his arms awkwardly hovering in the air. But he quickly hugged her back, his face burning as he tried to process what was happening.

- Y-you’re… welcome, - He managed, his voice barely a whisper. He couldn’t stop smiling, even though it looked like his face might actually be on fire.

- Goodnight, Gee. - I said softly, giving him one last smile before turning toward the door.

- Goodnight… -His voice was quieter now, but I could hear the smile in it as he called back. I waved one last time before stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

Damn, maybe I really liked him.

The next morning, I found myself practically floating through the school halls. The memory of last night. The movie, the hug, Gerard's shy smile… kept replaying in my mind. I wasn’t sure what exactly was happening between us, but something about it felt different… and exciting.

But of course, as soon as I walked into the cafeteria, my friends were waiting for me. They practically pounced on me as I sat down, their eyes wide with curiosity.

- Where were you last night? - One of them asked, a teasing grin on her face. - You disappeared after school and didn’t even say goodbye

- Oh, I was just… watching movies with Gee. - I said, trying to play it cool.

The table went silent for a second before they all broke into laughter. She raised an eyebrow, a wicked grin playing on her lips.

- “Gee”?? Really? You’re already calling him “Gee”? Are we going to start planning the wedding soon, or what?

- We’re just friends, okay? It’s not a big deal - I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my blush.

- Yeah sure - She teased.

This teasing lasted the entire meal, but all I could think about was how, despite all this, it was worth every second of the night before.

Those little moments with him, like movie night, kept happening. Moments when he would tell me about the lyrics he was writing, the characters he was creating for the comics and the movies he was watching; I could listen to him talk for hours, because the more he talked, the more excited he seemed.

Whenever I could, I'd go down to his basement to listen to his band rehearsals, and every now and then he'd show up at my practices too.

1st Person POV (Gerard)

Well, another rehearsal with the guys was starting and I was kind of waiting for the “audience”, but it wasn't long before I got a message “Heyy, Gee! I won't be able to make it to rehearsal today. They booked a practice at the last minute, sorry :(”. sighed, feeling that odd, deflated disappointment wash over me. It was strange… I’d never really “needed” someone to be here before.

- Hey, Gerard. Is your girlfriend coming? - Mikey’s voice cut through my thoughts, and his tone, so serious, made me squirm.

- No... - I mumbled, switching off my phone. - And she's not my girlfriend.

- Uhum… - Mikey said with a smirk.

I got up to fix the speaker, while the others tuned their instruments.

- So, Gerard, - Frank began, his voice way too casual, and I already knew what was coming - you and your cheerleader girlfriend going to the big football games this weekend?

My hands went up to my face, which I felt burning.

- Or maybe you’ll take her to one of those fancy parties - My brother is always helping, of course. - You know, all those exclusive high school events she probably gets invited to?

I groaned, trying to ignore them, but I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. I didn’t know what to say.

- Oh, or maybe you’ll meet her parents soon - Deep inside I thought that Ray wouldn't keep this going. Well, I was wrong. - You know, ask them for permission to hold her hand!

This wasn’t funny. It felt like everything about me and her was getting dragged into some weird joke. The truth is, I wasn’t even sure what I was doing with her, but this wasn’t helping me figure it out.

While they were joking, it felt like they’d hit on something way too real. I wanted to be around her all the time. I wanted to be someone she could actually like. But hearing them mock it just made it feel… impossible.

- I’ve told you guys, We. Are. Not. Dating! - I said, trying to sound firm, but even to my ears, it sounded like I was trying to convince myself.

- Oh, sure, Gerard. We believe you. Totally. - Ray rolled his eyes. - But you want it, don’t you?

I froze. I could feel my heart racing as I tried to make sense of what he had just said. Did I want it? Was that what this was about? I mean, I liked being around her. I liked talking to her, calling her, texting her... But actually thinking about being with her in that way? The way Ray was implying? I couldn’t even picture it without feeling my stomach twist into knots.

- I- I don’t know, man, - I muttered, feeling more lost by the second. - Even if I did... It’s never gonna happen.

I looked down at my hands, trying to keep my voice steady, but it felt like I was talking to a crowd instead of just my bandmates.

- Do you think she would ever want to be seen with me? Like, really? - My voice cracked a little at the end, I felt like I was about to cry. But I couldn’t help it. I was confused. Terrified, even. - Do you think she’d want someone like me?

- Dude, we didn’t mean to-

- Can we change the subject, please? - I mumbled, blinking fast, feeling that awful sting in my eyes. I looked away, hoping they wouldn’t notice the tears building up.

The truth was, deep down, I thought I might like her. Really like her. But it felt like wanting something that was light-years out of reach. I don't belong in the world she's in, it's all so beautiful, all so fancy, all so tidy, all so put-together... and I'm so wrong, broken, weird... Why would she like me like that?

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was scared that this was all a setup, like some cruel joke where she’d suddenly laugh and say, “Just kidding!”, as if she's about to drop a bucket of blood on my head, like in Carry.

But as much as it terrified me, I wanted to keep going, to take it as far as I could… maybe hoping, just a little, that she’d see something in me worth keeping around...

1st Person POV (reader)

After days of building up the courage, I finally managed to catch Gerard in the hallway. He was walking to his locker, absorbed in a comic book as usual, his dark hair falling perfectly over his eyes. My heart was racing, but I couldn’t back out now. Prom was coming up, and I didn’t want to go with anyone else.

- Hey, Gee! - I said, trying to sound casual, but my voice came out a little too high-pitched.

- Hey! What’s up? - He looked up, smiling when he saw me.

- Um, actually… I was wondering… - I think it was the first time I avoided eye contact with him, scratching the back of my neck. - Would you maybe, I don’t know… want to go to prom with me?

I spoke a little faster than usual, and Gerard’s eyes widened like I’d just spoken in another language. He stood there, staring at me, his mouth opening and closing as if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d heard.

- Wait-what?!

- Prom - I repeated, now feeling my own cheeks burning. - I know it’s not really your thing, but… I’d really love it if you went with me. We could go together, you know, as friends or… whatever you want it to be.

- You’re serious? - He asked, still staring at me in shock. - You… really want to go with me? Like… with me?

- Yeah, Gerard. - I nodded, giving him a small, nervous smile. - I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to. It wouldn’t be the same without you there.

- But… What about your friends? - He furrowed his eyebrows, with a concerned look on his eyes - Won’t they… won’t people think it’s weird? I mean, you’re… you know… you. And I’m…

I took a step closer to him, placing my hand on his shoulder, and giving him a thin grin.

- I don’t care what they think, Gerard. - He was looking in my eyes, I can't describe his expression… - I want to go with you. I’d be proud to be seen with you.

- You’re… serious? - His hazel eyes were glowing hopefully.

- Yes. - I nodded again, more certain than ever. - So, what do you say?

- I just… wow. - He panted and I shivered, afraid of him saying no - I really didn’t think you’d ever want… someone like me, at something like this.

- Well, I do. - my anxiety grew with every second he didn't answer - You mean a lot to me, Gee.

He finally smiled, shy and unsure but definitely a smile.

- Okay… okay, yeah. I’ll go with you.

- You will? - I grinned, feeling a surge of relief and excitement.

- Yeah,- he said, nodding as if he was trying to convince himself it was real. - I’d… I’d love to go with you.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, and the disbelief and wonder in his eyes made my heart swell. As I turned to head to my locker, I could feel his eyes on me, and I knew this prom would be something neither of us would ever forget.

1st Person POV (Gerard)

I couldn’t focus on anything else the whole day. My mind keeps replaying the sentence “Would you maybe, I don’t know… want to go to prom with me?” during all the classes. When it finally ended, I rushed to my house to meet the guys who were waiting for me to start our band practice. As soon as i steped int the room, i took a deep breath, and started:

- She… she asked me to prom, - I mumbled, scratching the back of my head, barely able to meet their eyes. - Like, she actually asked me.

The room went silent. Frank dropped his tuning fork, and Ray's eyebrows practically shot off his face.

- Holy shit! - Ray smiled - She really invited you?!

- Yeah, but… what if it’s a joke? - Suddenly, this thought came back to me, and I just couldn't hold it in. - I mean, what if she’s just playing some kind of cruel prank on me? Getting me to go so she can… I dunno… laugh at me with her friends or something?

- You’re being silly, dude… - MMikey said, shaking his head with a grin, trying to reassure me. - She really cares about you, I venture to say that she even likes you.

I shifted uncomfortably, glancing down at my worn-out sneakers.

- I just… I don’t know, man. I don’t want to look like an idiot showing up to prom, looking like… well, like me. - I gestured to my faded band shirt and old jeans. - She’s going to show up all… amazing, and I’ll just… I don’t even have clothes for something like that.

- Hey, don’t worry about your clothes. - Frank said, his hand on my shoulder - We’ll help you figure that part out. We can make a cool Gerard version of prom gear.

- I don’t know, guys… - I let out a doubtful sigh, but I couldn't help but feel a little better at their words. - I still feel like I’m walking into some kinda setup.

- Or… maybe it’s not. Maybe she actually likes you and wants to go with you. - Mikey shook his head.

- I guess… I mean, she did seem pretty genuine. But, man, I can’t mess this up.

When I stopped for a while to process everything, and realized that I was so nervous about the idea of her embarrassing me, I didn't realize that I could embarrass her if I did something wrong.

- We’re going to help you get ready for this prom, no question. - Frank keep encouraging me - This is your shot, and you’re gonna look so good, everyone’s gonna wonder why she got so lucky.

I couldn’t help but crack a shy smile, a tiny spark of hope flickering in my chest at his words. I appreciated how they were all backing me up. Still, the nerves didn’t fade. In fact, now I had to find something to wear... and I had no idea where to start.

But maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be a total disaster. Maybe, I thought as I looked at the guys with a nervous but hopeful grin, this might actually turn out to be the best night of my life.

1st Person POV (reader)

The night had finally arrived. My heart was thumping in my chest, and I could feel the butterflies fluttering wildly in my stomach. The dress I had picked out earlier in the week felt a little too tight now, my nerves making everything feel more intense than usual. I couldn't help but glance at the clock, watching the minutes tick by as I waited for Gerard to arrive.

What was I thinking? Was I making a huge mistake? Would he feel out of place at prom? I shook my head, trying to silence my anxious thoughts. I had asked him because I wanted him there. I didn’t care about what everyone else would think, and if he felt out of place, well, I hoped my presence would help him feel comfortable.

Then, finally, the doorbell rang. My heart skipped a beat, and I rushed to open the door, only to freeze for a moment when I saw him standing there.

Gerard looked... different. He was wearing a simple black suit, not too formal but definitely better than what I had imagined. His hair was styled neatly, but it still had that messy, Gerard charm. He looked slightly nervous, his hands shoved in his pockets, but his eyes lit up when he saw me. The nervous smile he gave me made my heart melt a little.

- Hey,- He said softly, shifting awkwardly on his feet.

- Hey, - I replied, suddenly feeling shy too. - You look… you look great.

- I do? - His eyes widened in surprise.

- Yeah, you’re handsome - I nodded, fighting the blush creeping up my neck.

- Thanks... You look… wow. Really beautiful - He scratched the back of his neck, looking down at his shoes as if he was embarrassed by the compliment.

- Are you ready to go?

- Sure!

The ride to prom felt like a blur. We didn't talk much—both of us were too nervous, I think. When we finally arrived, my friends were already waiting near the entrance, their eyes scanning the crowd as they laughed and joked. As soon as they saw me with Gerard, they froze, their expressions shifting in surprise.

- Oh my God, look who finally decided to show up! - one of them teased. - I knew it! You like him, don’t you?

- You’ve been denying it this whole time, but now it’s so obvious - My face immediately turned bright red. I opened my mouth to protest, but she wasn’t finished.

- You’ve been denying it this whole time, but now it’s so obvious. - All of them kinda laughed.

Gerard was standing a little behind me, looking equally embarrassed, his face flushed. I could feel his discomfort radiating off him, and I could tell that these comments were making him more self-conscious. He shifted on his feet, nervously running a hand through his hair.

I held his hand so we could walk inside. But my moves were interrupted by my friends.

- You guys look cute together, though. Admit it, you like him! - another one of them chimed in, her voice teasing, but with a hint of sincerity.

Once inside, we quickly found our seats at a table. The music was blasting, the lights dimmed, and the air was filled with the sound of chatter, laughter, and the occasional loud cheer from some of the other students. I could feel Gerard stiffening beside me, but I just kept my hand on his, hoping to offer some kind of reassurance. He looked around nervously, his wide eyes scanning the room as though he didn’t belong.

- Are you okay - I asked, in an attempt to comfort him. 

- I don’t know…-  he mumbled, his voice barely audible over the music. - I mean, I’m glad I’m here with you, but this is… definitely not my scene. You’re the only one who could ever get me to come to a place like this.

I laughed, feeling my heart flutter. I didn’t think he realized just how much that meant to me. The night was already feeling more perfect than I could have ever imagined.

Then, as the slow songs started, the room filled with couples swaying gently to the music. Gerard and I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, he broke the silence.

- I’ve never really done this before… - he said quietly.

- Me neither. - I smiled at him. 

And just like that, the awkwardness faded. He pulled me closer, and we started swaying together. He was still a little nervous, but he held me close, and I could feel his warmth, his pulse beating along with mine.

As the song came to a close, Gerard looked down at me, his face flushed. He cleared his throat, trying to hold back his nervousness.

- Thanks for making this the best night ever, - Gerard whispered, his forehead resting against mine.

This… - He hesitated for a second, then smiled shyly - seems like the first time I watched Corpse Bride for the first time… Awesome.

I giggled, then, without saying a word, Gerard leaned down and kissed me. It was soft, gentle, messy, romantic… everything I had imagined and more. He pulled away slowly, his eyes wide with surprise, as if he couldn’t believe he had just done that.

We stood there, not caring about the world around us. It was just the two of us, caught in the moment, and in that instant, everything felt right.

- You're welcome - I whispered back.

Smiling, I move to his lips again. His warm lips felt just right, now his hand came up to my cheek, as I wrapped my arms around his neck. This kiss was more confident, like something we both were sure that we wanted. I swear, I've never thought I would end up with Gerard like this… but there is no other place that I would rather be.

___________________________________________

~ So, that's it! Let me know if u like it! (i'm not sure if i liked this one...)

[soft-mafia]

Very Wrong Place, and VERY Wrong Time

warnings: nsfw, oc insert, fem reader, smut, VERY risky sex, established relationship, fingering, daddy kink, Buggy detaching his dick, kind of short, not really proof read

a/n: I’m backkkk I’ve finally came out of hibernation and burnout and I decided to whip up sometime spicy

Buggy still couldn’t believe that Y/n was on a lower level than he was. I mean, he was glad he hadn’t been freezing his butt off in level 5, but how was his girlfriend’s bounty higher than his?! What the hell did she even do?! It wasn’t fair, and frankly, emasculating. That all wouldn’t matter though as soon as they got out of here. Buggy was running up the staircase to level 2, with Y/n, and Mr. 3 in tow.

Galdino had to make one of his wax boxes for them to hide in until all of the beasts cleared out of the way.. which proved to be longer than initially thought. “Why the hell are they just sitting around?!” Buggy growled in a whisper, looking through a little peep hole. “We can wait until they’re asleep, then we can run.” Y/n suggested. “No way. That’s too risky, they’d wake up to a pin drop there’s no way all three of us are getting past them.” Mr. 3 replied.

“I can fight them off. I can keep them distracted while you two can run-” Y/n started, but Buggy quickly interjected.

“WHAT?! There’s no way in hell I’m letting you do that!” He growled, looking down at her. She furrowed her brows and squinted at him, “‘Letting’ me?”

He pressed his lips together, breaking a nervous sweat before looking back out through the peep hole, “Uh— let’s just wait for them to go away. There’s no harm in waiting, all of the guards are busy somewhere else anyway..” he gulped. Y/n sighed and leaned against the wax wall.

They had been sitting there for what seemed like forever. Galdino had taken a nap, Buggy was leaned against the wall, and Y/n rested on his chest, nestled between his legs. One hand rested on her waist while the other was gently brushing his fingers back and forth on her cheek, occasionally messing with her hair. It felt so nice to hold her in his arms after all of this mess, to have her cuddled up to him like the old times.

She moved her head up to rest against the crook of his neck, her hands coming up to rest on his chest. He swallowed quietly, perhaps he was a little pent up from being in this prison, or a bit frustrated from all of the bullshit he had to go through, but the way Y/n was rubbing up on him right now was making him antsy. He gently put his hand on her jaw and tilted her head up, placing a kiss on her lips, it was such a relief, like getting a sip of cold, fresh water after a good run. She looked up at him with her big eyes. “You ok, baby?” He asked quietly, softly, his words ghosting against her lips.

“Yeah.” She whispered back at him, hands moving up to hold his shoulders. “You’re so warm. I haven’t held you like this in so long..” He chuckled quietly, giving her another kiss, holding her jaw, his other hand moves lower down her body, down her hip, fingers moving into the hem of her pants, “Captain- not here.” Y/n whispered, looking over to where Galindo was napping. “Come on he’s sleeping!!” Buggy hissed, “Just a quickie, please!” He squeezed her hip, a pleading look in his eye.

“F-Fine.” Y/n bit her lip, moving back to straddle Buggy’s lap, she kissed Buggy’s bottom lip then looked back up at him, “Let’s hope he’s a heavy sleeper.”

Buggy grinned before pulling her in for a sloppy kiss, “Oh Y/n, you beautiful, beautiful girl.” He whispered, pulling her pants down below her hips along with her panties, “Be quiet for me?” He smirked. Y/n nodded and bit her bottom lip, watching Buggy detach his hand so his fingers could toy with her clit easily, she buried her face into his neck again to stifle her moans, whimpering against his skin, making him shutter and let out a soft breath, “Atta girl.” He kissed the side of her head, moving his fingers back and forth, his palm cupping over her pussy as he got her clit nice and wet, “Yeah, I know you’ve missed me.” He smirked, gently slapping her ass with his free hand, then rubbing soft circles around the area.

“Look at how wet you are for me, such a little slut, ready for my cock huh?” He teased, whispering in her ear as he continued to toy with her clit. Y/n let out a muffled whimper while grinding against Buggy’s finger, her hips moving on their own to get more pleasure, twitching and trembling. Buggy’s free hand moved to pull the hem of his pants down, low enough to where he could free his hard, throbbing cock, his thick blue pubic hair was a fluffy mess, “Gotta stay quiet for me, ok?” Buggy whispered to her again, before slowly guiding her hips onto his member.

Y/n had to squeeze her hand over her mouth to stifle her noises, his cock was thick, it had been so long since he’s fucked her she’s forgotten how girthy he was. Buggy grunted softly under his breath at the way she clenched around him on impact, “Shhh shh, relax.” He whispered, rubbing her back gently with one hand as he slowly eased her down to the base with the other, “There we go.” He grunted, then swiftly pulled Y/n’s hand away from her mouth so he could replace it with his lips.

As he moved her up and down on his cock, silently yet rhythmically, their lips molded together, sucking on the other like they were each other’s life support. Y/n’s hands slung around his shoulders, she moved her hips while bouncing on his cock.

He groaned quietly into the kiss, letting his penis detach so he could get deeper into her, hitting all of her sweet spots, letting her whimper into his mouth, “Fuck I missed this.” He growled into the kiss, giving her ass another gently slap, gripping onto her hips as he thrusted his cock deeper into her. “Ah..~ Captain..” Y/n moaned, their eyes locked for a moment before their lips locked again. Buggy had to make sure to keep her quiet, to make sure they could get away with this for as long as possible, but to also hurry it up to save himself from the embarrassment. His new friend wasn’t going to be napping forever, after all.

Buggy groaned, letting Y/n rest her head against his chest to stifle her noises while he leaned his head back and grit his teeth, picking up his speed, perfectly concealed within Y/n’s walls whenever he would thrust deep. He kept her steady, feeling her trembling and twitching beneath his grasp just urged him to keep going, the feeling of her trembling on his cock made him go crazy, closer to orgasm. “Captain.. I-I’m gonna cum.” She whispered breathily.

“Do it.” Buggy growled softly, commanding her to spill her juices on him, even though he loved her to bits, he was still her captain. Y/n arched her back, biting down on her bottom lip as she came, her walls clenching and fluttering around him, a sweet feeling between her legs as her pussy squeezed around his fat cock. Buggy smirked, that helpless look of orgasm on her face made him feel pride, he was really the only man who can ever see Y/n like this after all.

“That’s my girl, now let daddy do his work.” Buggy chuckled hoarsely, gripping her hips, his fingers gripping into her ass, he groaned deeply at the feeling as his cock moved in and out, he knew he had to be quick as he could hear the faint slapping noises grow louder. Y/n was still fluttering around him, still trembling on him, he grunted behind grit teeth as he tilted his head back again, beads of sweat running down his forehead and smearing his makeup.

He growled, then buried his mouth into the top of Y/n’s head to stifle a guttural grunt before releasing his thick load deep into Y/n’s pussy. They both panted heavily, Buggy was drenched in sweat and seeing stars. Y/n was leaning against him, still trembling, holding onto his slightly damp prison shirt, he smoothly pulled his cock out of Y/n and attached it back to his body, pulling up his pants shortly after. “Ahhh.. that felt so much better.” Buggy groaned, forgetting to whisper which led to Y/n quickly covering his mouth, pulling her pants up with her other hand, he did the same thing— although his hand was placed over top of Y/n’s.

“Shut up!! He’s still sleeping and we’re a fucking mess!” Y/n hissed at him, her cheeks still flushed from sex. “Sorry! Sorry!” Buggy croaked, his words muffled by her hand slapped over his mouth.

They both glanced over at Mr. 3, who was thankfully still asleep. They both sighed quietly in relief. Y/n fanned herself with her hand, “This is awful.. they had no showers here in the first place now I’m even more sticky thanks to you.” Y/n’s complaints couldn’t help but make Buggy chortle, he leaned back against the wax wall with his arms behind his head, tufts of fluffy blue pit hair peeking out from his torn sleeves, “Oh don’t be such a drama queen. I promise I’ll run you a cold little bath once we get back to the Big Top.” Y/n gently slapped him on the chest, “Put your arms down, your pits stink.” She frowned at him, putting a hand over her own face. “Don’t talk to me like that when you’re sitting there full of my cum you little brat!” Buggy snapped loudly, which earned a small groan from Galindo across the box.

Y/n and Buggy both turned to look at him with wide eyes as he stirred awake. “How long was I asleep? Are the beasts gone—“ he quickly covered his nose, “Buggy put your arms down, we’ve talked about this!!”

Buggy growled and sat up straight, “YOU GUYS ARE SERIOUSLY JERKS!!!!”

[alittlebitofloveliness]

He knows something is wrong the second he stumbles into the kitchen in hopes that a cup of coffee will stop the pounding in his head.

As soon as he sees his mother, all thoughts of caffeine evaporate.

She’s hunched over, usual blazing grin nowhere to be found. Her shift at the hospital was supposed to have started hours ago, and unless the world has ended while he was asleep, she’s not here because the hospital is closed.

Mom doesn’t miss work. In the years since dad left he thinks he can count on one hand the amount of times mom hasn’t showed up to a shift she was scheduled for.

Something is very, very wrong.

“Mom?” He winces at the gravel in his voice, moving soundlessly across the floor, tiles cool under his bare feet, “What wrong? What happened?”

She blinks up at him, grey eyes she’d passed down to him puffy and red rimmed, and he realises with a horrible jolt that she’s been crying. Call him a pussy or a mama’s boy all you like, but if there’s one thing he’s never been able to stand its his mom’s tears. Her’s or Susie’s. 

He thinks he might throw up. For once it has nothing to do with his hangover.

“Mom?” He asks again, hating the waver in his voice, the fact that it makes him sound ten years old again instead of nearly twenty one. 

“Susie’s gone.” Mom says blankly, staring right through him, and if he didn’t know any better he’d swear his heart just fell out of chest.

“W-what? What do you mean gone?” 

“She left.” Mom says again in that horrible, robotic voice, and Keith laughs because this isn't right, it doesn’t make any sense. 

His baby sister, his little Susie bear, gone? Where would she go? What happened? What’s happening?

“No,” he shakes his head, and then he’s laughing because this is so ridiculous, it isn’t real. Susie’s wouldn’t leave, not like dad did, wouldn’t leave him behind without so much as a goodbye no matter how much they’d fought over the last little while. Susie’s smart, she’s always been smart, smarter than him, maybe even smarter than Ponyboy. Susie was always gonna leave but she wasn’t supposed to leave now. “No, Susie ain’t gone mom, what are you talking’ about, she’s sixteen, where would she even go-“

He’s rambling, sounding drunk though for once he’s stone cold sober and he hates it.

Mom shakes her head, fresh tears welling, and holds out a piece of paper he hadn’t noticed before, her hand trembling.

He all but snatches it from her. 

When he look down, his sister’s unmistakable neat cursive mocks him.

Dear mom, 

If you’ve found this, by now you’ve probably noticed I’m gone. Then again, maybe you haven’t, and you’re just realising it now- it’s not like you’ve ever particularly noticed whether I’m home or not. 

I can’t stay here anymore. I’m leaving. I’m sorry. I know this feels sudden to you, but it isn’t to me. In fact, it’s been a long time coming.

Please don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. After all, I have been since I was six years old. 

Please don’t try and find me, and don’t send anyone else to find me either. You won’t find me, and it’ll only hurt you more. I won’t be in Tulsa, or anywhere nearby. I’ve got a plan, but this shithole town isn’t a part of it.

I’ll try and call you when I get a chance. Tell Keith he’s a shithead and a drunk and I still love him anyway even if I hate him too. 

I’ll miss you both. 

Love, Susie

The note flutters to the floor. His fingers are numb.

“No,” he shakes his head, backing away from the note as if it burned him, “no, she ain’t gone she wouldn’t- that’s not- this ain’t real.”

“Susie!” He tears down the hall, towards her room, the one with the yellow wallpaper and the Janis Joplin poster on the wall, “Susie, this joke ain’t funny, Susie girl-“

He throws open the door and stops in his tracks.

The poster on the wall is gone, the bed is made neatly with tucked hospital corners and a fluffed pillow. The curtains are open, but the tiny ceramic cat figure that used to sit on the windowsill is gone, and if he didn’t know better he’d swear no one had ever lived in this room at all.

He lets out a sound- a roar or a scream or something worse- and rips open the wardrobe, tosses drawers from the dresser, tears back the sheets on the bed, desperate for anything, any proof that his sister even existed.

“She’s not gone,” he vows, riffling through the empty jewellery box.

“She’s not gone,” he chants, sliding under the bed and pulling up the loose floorboard she used to hide things under.

“She’s not gone,” he tells himself, throwing open the empty closet.

“She’s not gone,” he begs, curled up in the wreckage of a room that no longer belonged to anybody, “she’s not gone, she’s not gone, she’s not gone.”

It doesn't matter how many times he says it. It still isn't true.

"She's not gone," he murmurs, and Susie is nowhere to be found.

[lunajay33]

Taste for Older Men Part.2

•⚰️🍂🍑•

Summary: Growing up with you never had much interest in boys your age but when your dads best friends stuck around more everything changed

Pairing: Cowboy Negan x f!reader

Warnings: age gap, evil boyfriend

Part.1

•Masterlist•

It’s been a week since everything happened, my parents have been extremely over supportive always, when I’d come down for breakfast they’d have wide smiles and cheery voices but I couldn’t hate them for it they’re just trying to make me feel better even though I was already happier than I’ve ever been in my life

I still work everyday at Negans farm but my parents still don’t know that we’re together and we’re not quite sure how to tell them, I mean he’s my dads best friend and I don’t want to ruin that but I also can’t give up Negan he’s all I’ve ever wanted so there’s got to be a way

I was in the barn pitch forking up some loose hay when I feel Negans arms wrap around my waist

“You know if I was gonna get more help around here I’d have told you my feelings way earlier” I laugh as I lean back into his chest

“Watch yourself lil lady I’m still your boss remember”

“Oh I remember” he spins me in his arms resting my hands on his shoulders

“So how do we tell my parents I don’t want to sneak around I want to be able to be with you when we’re around other people”

“I know sunshine, old man invited me over tonight to watch football might tell him then, and you can talk to your mother” I feel nervous about this but it needs to be done

“Hopefully they don’t rip my head off”

“If they’re going that route it’ll be me they rip apart” me smiles as he leans down to kiss me his grey speckled beard scratching against my face but it was something I craved when he wasn’t around

“Come on let’s finish up our chores before you get carried away like last time” I laugh as he groans

I got home early as Negan let me off to get ready for tonight and go through everything I want to say to my mom, he wanted that time too he had more to worry about but my father is an understanding man I just home he can understand this too

I stripped off my dirty work clothes and hoped in the shower, relaxing as the dirt and sweat from the day washed away down the drain, after I was all squeaky clean I got dressed in a casual pair of black leggings and a red long sleeve shirt, putting two braids in my hair then waiting on my bed anxiously

After another hour I picked up my phone and dialed Negan, after two rings I hear his voice and everything seemed to not be as stressful

“Hey baby ya alright?”

“Yeah I’m better now, just nervous”

“Don’t stress honey I’m on my way over now, we’ll get this settled” he said with a calming tone

“Okay I’ll see you soon”

We hung up and I made my way downstairs sitting at the kitchen island waiting to hear the rumble of his truck, soon the headlights shine through the window and he’s knocking at the door

I want to rush to the door and through my arms around him but contain myself and let my dad answer, Negans technically his guest anyways

“Negan! You excited for the game buddy?” My dad asked cheerfully as he patted him on the shoulder

“You bet, I meet you in the lounge soon I’ll go say hi to your wife and y/n!”

“Always with the southern hospitality!”

Negan rounded the corner and came into the kitchen where me and my mother sat I couldn’t help the huge smile that stretched my cheeks

“Negan so wonderful to see you again, last time was a bit crazy” I looked down a little embarrassed by that whole fiasco

“Lovely to see you too, and of course my dear little farm hand” he said brushing his hand down my back out of my mothers gaze making my skin chill

“Oh Negan she’s still behaving well isn’t she?”

“Mother of course I am”

“Don’t worry she’s always a great help, got myself a lil working lady”

I look up at him with so much joy and admiration before my mother clear her throat and snaps us out of our moment

“Well here’s two beers, better get in there before he makes a big deal about us stealing you away again” she laughed handing over the beers and began left the room

I look back at my mother who had a knowing look on her face, raised eyebrow with a slight smirk

“What?”

“I’m not stupid sweetie, I’ve seen the way you looked at him since he started coming around, only recently he’s been giving you the same look soooooo you have something to tell me dear”

“Don’t be mad, what I feel for him is real, how he treats me really show how badly Mike treated me and how much Negan treats me like a goddess, he’s a good man”

“I’m not mad, I’m glad you found a man who can treat you the way you deserve, hopefully your father will look at it the same way”

I down now we wait to either hear a fight or Negan comes out smiling

“WHAT?” I hear from the lounge, oh no

I rush into the lounge seeing my dad up in Negans face and he looked more betrayed than angry

“Dad, calm down it’s okay”

“How is this okay my best friend with my daughter”

“I love her f/n” he went silent and so did I this was the first time Negans declared his love

“You love me?” I ask as I step closer

“Of course I do, you’re a wonderful woman every moment with you I feel more happier and at ease than I’ve ever been”

“I love you too Negan” I lean up to wrap my arms around his neck and he held me tight

“F/n, you know Negan and he’ll treat her right compared to that excuse for a boyfriend she had before” my mom said then hearing my dad sigh

“I know it’s just a lot to wrap my head around, when did this happen?”

“The day we had the barbecue, he came and made me feel better about everything that happened and well our feelings just came out”

“I mean me and your mother knew how you felt about Negan it was pretty obvious, I guess I can eventually get use to this”

“My god was it that obvious?” I ask looking up at Negan and he had a sly smirk

“You didn’t make it sneaky when you’d look at me darlin”

Taglist: @azanoni @scorpioempress @fanficwriter5 @elliesr1fle @imimatcha4life @indigosparkle444

[thevoidstaredback]

Tales of Conquest, Warnings of Fools:

Letters Between Brothers

Damian Wayne,   Jan 15, 2014

Thank the gods you’re okay! I was so worried! When you didn’t answer, I assumed the worst, and then I saw the news and I freaked out! Seeing as you didn’t mention anything about accepting my help, I’m going to assume you don’t need it right now. The offer will remain open, however.

A lot has happened since my last letter, though you’ll forgive me for not going into detail. It’s gonna be a pain to get this to you at all, let alone if it had been filled with everything I want to say. What I can and will tell you is that my town has been put under a soft lock-in and a Media Blackout. Things and people and news can come in, but almost nothing and no one can go out. Everything is screened before it’s even considered for being able to leave the city lines. Something is here that the government doesn't want to get out to the general public. It took a lot to be able to even get this out, hence the huge amount of time between me writing it and you getting it.

I’ll keep the line open, but it might take a while for my responses to get to you.

Ancients, I hope you can come visit soon. If you need an excuse, we’ve got the only female purple-back gorilla in town! Her name’s Delilah. I can teach you how to communicate with her if you’d like!

Anyway, I gotta go.

من الجيد أن أسمع منك يا أخي.

Danyal

***

Danny was tired. He was ready to sleep for a week. He doesn’t care that he’s not gonna be allowed to because he’s gonna do it anyway. After beating Pariah Dark, Danny had laid on the floor for a solid hour before moving. When he finally got up, he moved the crown and ring to sit on the cushion of the throne. The orb he kept with him. He was gentle with it, careful to not hole it too tightly or too lightly. Then, he flew back to where Amity Park was floating.

“Where were you!” Sam demanded the second he landed in her room.

“Finding a way out of the Zone,” he said.

“And?” Tucker prompted, “Do we have a way home?”

Danny paused and then groaned. “Noooo.”

Sam inhaled deeply, frustration dripping from her voice like honey. “Then what took you so long to come back?”

Tucker finally looked up from his PDA and then startled. “Dude! You’re hurt! What the hell?”

“What?!” Sam screamed.

Danny looked down at himself. “Oh, yeah, did I forget to mention that?”

“Dude!”

“Okay, okay! So, you know that really scary Ghost King guy that Vlad decided to wake up because he’s a piss-baby who wants power?”

“Yeah?”

“Well,” he looked away from them and then held up his right hand, showing them the fire orb in his hand. “This is maybe kinda all that’s left of him.”

“Danny!” They both jumped away from him. “Did you bring the fucking Ghost King into my house?!”

“I wasn’t just- I couldn’t- Leaving it where it was seemed like a bad idea!”

“So you brought it with you!”

“Yes! It seemed like a better idea than leaving him where anyone could pick him up!”

Tucker calmed himself in the corner, taking large breaths. Sam closed her eyes where she stood, doing the same thing. After a few seconds she said, “Get that thing out of my house. Then, find out a way to get us back home-”

“Technically we are home…”

“-to Earth. When you’ve done that and the sky is blue and I can see fields on the horizon, then you may come back into my house. Okay?”

He backed towards the window. “I guess this is a horrible time to mention that I don’t know a single ghost that can help me?”

“Out!”

“Okay, bye!” He was quick to leave, flying away as Phantom, the fire orb still in his hand, though now he cradled it to his chest. He was stopped a few times by his classmates, trusting Phantom more than the ghost hunters. Anytime they’d ask him what was happening, he’d tell them that he had everything under control and that he was going to get them all back to their home dimension soon.

He didn’t tell them that he was freaking out. He didn’t tell them that they’d been there for six days now because he and Vlad are the only two in Amity Park who can keep track of time in the Realms. He didn’t tell them that he was working alone because the government decided to cut off all access to help. He didn’t tell them that no one even knew they were missing because of the same government. He didn’t tell them a lot of things. 

He’d learned, from watching other heroes in the world, that smiles and reassurances were the only things to keep people calm sometimes. So, that’s what he did. He kept the freakouts internal, and smiled at his classmates as they asked him to tell them it would be okay.

He flew over the edge of the island that was now taking the space of the Amity Portal. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was hoping that he’d be able to find someone that would help him as long as he picked a direction and flew.

It took an entire day, but he found someone who could help. Probably. The island was purple, just like all of them, and the only building on it was a dark clocktower. It looked like a grandfather clock, a balcony wrapped around the building just under the clock face. There were cogs floating in the space above and around it, as well as implemented into the building itself.

He dropped his flight, landing on the ground a ways from the door. “Ḵ̴͓̈́͌̔ạ̶̍s̵̥̤͠ ̴̤̽̓͛m̵̹̠̈́̂̍å̸̢͎̜̎ ̸̫́v̶͖͙̍̀̚õ̸̠͔̀i̴̍̕͜n̸͉̪͊̾̓ ̷̝̻͊̚̚t̷̬̩͝͝ú̷͔̟͖l̵̗̖͗͛̎l̸̻̫̂̀̕á̸̜͔̥?” he asked. The door under the glass pendulum window opened. He took that as an invitation and walked forward.

Inside the body of the clocktower was plain, a stone staircase winding up behind the ticking pendulum. He walked up every step, the fiery orb cradled in both hands against his chest. It was really warm.

There was no trap door or hatch at the top of the stairs. Instead, it opened up into the room behind the clock face. The wall opposite the clock face was covered in screens with orbs floating around, each one showing different faces and events and times. There was a small seating area right next to the giant window; that’s where he found his host.

“T̴̡̫́͊͝͠ē̸̞̱͑͊̃͝r̷̩͛͒͠e̶͉̠̪̎̔͂́̅ ̴͚̤͓̬̲͊͒̔̽t̵̢͉̗̺̲̑̌̅̚u̸̬̔͌͆ḻ̷̛̫͍̜́e̵̖̰͕̰̪͝m̷̳͎̘̮̞͝͠a̶͖̬͉̤͉̒̀̋s̸͖̱͓̪̪̈́́t̷̖̿̓͊,̸̢͙̮͊̾ ̷̡̲̱͖̲͑͆̔̕ń̴̠̪̈́̊̒̃ó̸̡̺̞͕͍́̽̀͆ō̵̦̅̔r̶̠̉͆̕ ̵̞̟̣̇̈̆ḱ̴̢͕͔͈̇͛͂͋u̵̫̲̎̀̀̽ͅǹ̵̢͖͚̜ͅį̴̠͖̠̪͗̒̓̅ǹ̸̝͒͊͠g̸͎̖̗͎̈́̃ả̸̮͉̱̀́̌̉s̷̡̞̼̃̿̏͂͊.” the ghost said. They were covered by a dark purple hooded cloak, a lighter purple tunic and pants underneath. Their skin was a light teal and their eyes were bright red. A black metal cog held the cloak on their shoulder, a glass door showed black clock and a pendulum in their chest. Floating upright beside them was a black metal staff, a mint green eye-like orb resting between the three prongs on the top. “My name is A̸̠̺̹̐̉̈̅j̶͈̐ą̷͈̩̱̣̑͐̎̔̉͝ ̸̛̹̮̹̦͆̊̇͘͜͝ͅm̷̢̲̳͚̞̄́̈ê̵̡̙̞̥i̷̡̹̺̺̼̟̽͜s̶̹͈͖̲̫̫̍̅t̶͖͈̓̽̍̒̋͝ę̵͔̠͐̍͛̒̈ͅŗ̶̡̲̺̩̯͌̓, but you may call me Clockwork.”

Danny bowed a little in greeting, the ghost’s very gaze pouring an intense pressure on him. “Greetings, Clockwork. My name is D̷̨̨̤̥̤́̈́͘è̷̲̟͗͒̾ë̶̩̥̪́́͠m̷͎̿̀̎ͅö̸͍̤̫̥͕́͂̓n̷̤̰̆͑͂̊ḯ̵̮̰͝ ̷̦̜̪̬̿͂̓͒̚l̶͓̬̣͚͈̉ȃ̵̰̭̮͈͐̿p̸͔̝̓̈͗̋ş̶̥̦̥͍̽͑͒̊, but you may call me Danyal.”

Clockwork nodded in return, motioning to the seats around him. “Please, join me.”

“Thank you,” Honestly, Danny had no idea where these manners were coming from, but they were here now and they seemed to be the right things to be doing and saying because he had yet to be attacked. And even when he’d gone to Pariah with the intent of a fight, they had a cordial conversation beforehand.

“There is a town from a Living Realm trapped in the In-Between Realm.” Clockwork said after Danny had sat down. “You seek a way to return them.”

Danny nodded. “Yes.”

“You walk a fine line, K̴͔̑͘u̸̙͌̋͠m̴̬̯̤̄͗̊̚m̷̹̜̟̣̈ḯ̴͚͕̙̗̥̀t̸͚̠̭̣͎̒̄u̷̺̹̫̅͑ṡ̷̞͆l̶̝̈́̌̅a̶̹̪̎̇̈̈̓p̸͎̬͖̺͊̾̽͜š̶̞̤͐͗͝.” Clockwork said. “The line between the Living and Dead is a thin one, and yet you walk with perfect balance.”

A million questions were going through Danny’s head too fast for him to fully register them. He asked, “Do you know what I am?”

The older ghost nodded. “You are P̷̺̞͆̓̇ö̵̯́̄̃̃õ̶̮͕̭l̷͕̪͉̮͚͆̽͆e̶̡̢͔̝̽̈͗̑l̸̢̖̗͇̐̿̕d̶̠̻̬̂̉̓̑̕ĭ̵̝̻͋̈ ̶̳̩̯̠͋̂̈́e̵̢̳̬̖̍͠l̴͓̼͒̄u̷̢̲͖̞̦̒̎̂s̷͙̪̘͊͒͆,̶̲͕͓͌̚̚ ̵̙̩͍͊p̶̫̼̪̝͑͘o̷̭̼̰̚o̸̖̭͓͚̲̽̓̅̏̕l̸͍͙̀̑̉ȩ̴̡̣͔̃̄͋l̶̟̫̭͗̌̊d̵̛̻i̴̺͈͉̔̂͘ ̷̜̯̣̙̍̅̇ș̷̌̂͝͠ư̴̰̿r̸̡̹͚̣͑ͅn̵̙͖̅̐̅ú̴͈͛̃͑́ͅḍ̶̖̱̍; T̸̬͒̆̎̈́͠õ̷̡̰̝͖̂̐e̴͙̊ͅl̸̥̥̹͚̩̥͊̄̀̔̈́͠i̴̟̜͖͔͓̦̔n̵̢͖͓͌͂ḛ̵̡̼͍̏̒͊̂͜͝ ̸͍̱͋̑͗ẗ̴̺â̵̧̞̰̣̰̬̝̊͌͊̆́s̷̤͍̱̜͙̑͒å̸͚͔̩̇̎͆͝k̴̲̅ä̶͕́̈́͂̎̂̏a̷��͋́̌͊͊̓͝ļ̶̯̤̍.”

“What does that mean?” he wondered.

They shook their head. “You will understand in time.”

Danny was quick to concede the point. “Can you help me return Ḿ̷̢̳̫̮̾͗i̶̧̩̣̐̓̓n̷̬̼̘̟̞͝û̸͔̰̠̞̒͘̚ ̶̦͋k̸̤͔͊̄́ŏ̶̮̦̬̫̙̐̂͝͠d̶̝̯̆̎̉̊͜u̵̲̬͒͜ to where we belong?”

“I cannot,” was the answer, “But I can tell you how to do it.”

Danny hesitated for no more than a moment before nodding. “Your help would be greatly appreciated, sir.”

Clockwork smiled. “No need to be so formal anymore, T̶̨͇͋͌͆͌́ä̸͇̰͓̿h̷̥̓͌͋̈̔̓t̴̗̻͚͈͚̺̓́̔e̴̢̯̱̓̄̎̾̆ḑ̷̬̔ḛ̷̱̭̙̪͑̃͌̓͐ ̵̭̯͔̈̈̇̓̕̕l̶̜̞̺̜̦̋̿̄͒͊a̶̢̼͈͆p̶͓̟̱̣̉š̶̹͋̄̕͝. You are welcome in Ḿ̷̢̳̫̮̾͗i̶̧̩̣̐̓̓n̷̬̼̘̟̞͝û̸͔̰̠̞̒͘̚ ̶̦͋k̸̤͔͊̄́ŏ̶̮̦̬̫̙̐̂͝͠d̶̝̯̆̎̉̊͜u̵̲̬͒͜ whenever you seek it.” The whole building was filled with the chime of a clock striking midnight. “To take s̸̡̮̤̽̓͝͝į̴̡̯͙͌n̴̤̅̈̌͊̃u̷͔̗̮͐ ̷̜̈̆̇̕͝k̵̢̰̙̗̱͂̄͋̈̈́ô̸̦͛̾̿͑d̸̢̡̪͇͋͗͝u̵̲̠͊̃̈͜ back to the Realm in which it belongs, you must use Ŗ̸̢̱̻͊̍́̐̒ä̴̯̫̗̪̑̕͠e̸̯̞͎͇̍v̴̲̥̲̊͜͝ṳ̵̀ ̷͓̞͇̙̑̍̏̏s̴̡̫͇̅̑̏õ̸͔͋̏̀r̴̛͚̰̔͆m̷̲̞̈́u̸̠͆̀̂͜ş̴͔̩̰̎̇̆̎̿ to open a portal. However, once you put it on, you will be announcing your claim to T̴͖̳̪̭̫͆͜r̴̤̻̳͔̭̪̭̅́̋o̴̲̍͌̂͒o̶̢̩̳͂̒͠n̵̩͕͖̟̈̆͐́̃͋̾.”

“Wait,” Danny said, worry seeping into his tone and expression, “T̴͖̳̪̭̫͆͜r̴̤̻̳͔̭̪̭̅́̋o̴̲̍͌̂͒o̶̢̩̳͂̒͠n̵̩͕͖̟̈̆͐́̃͋̾? I don’t want to be King! I just- I wanna be me.”

“And you will be, but you must first make your decision. You told T̵̳̪̂̌̎y̵̛̭̻̖̽r̴̹̰̗͝ḁ̸͚̟̈̆n̴͔̞͊̈͑ṅ̷̝̂-̷̼͙̼̏̃k̴̛̙̣̠͑û̶̘͍̞ň̷͈͇̲ỉ̶̛̗̺͜͝n̸͐̈́͜͠g̴̼̀ä̸̞͙̲́s̶͎̬͙̀͒ that you fight to protect, so now you must choose to protect. Claim T̴͖̳̪̭̫͆͜r̴̤̻̳͔̭̪̭̅́̋o̴̲̍͌̂͒o̶̢̩̳͂̒͠n̵̩͕͖̟̈̆͐́̃͋̾ and get s̸̡̮̤̽̓͝͝į̴̡̯͙͌n̴̤̅̈̌͊̃u̷͔̗̮͐ ̷̜̈̆̇̕͝k̵̢̰̙̗̱͂̄͋̈̈́ô̸̦͛̾̿͑d̸̢̡̪͇͋͗͝u̵̲̠͊̃̈͜ back to where it belongs, or refuse and keep s̸̡̮̤̽̓͝͝į̴̡̯͙͌n̴̤̅̈̌͊̃u̷͔̗̮͐ ̷̜̈̆̇̕͝k̵̢̰̙̗̱͂̄͋̈̈́ô̸̦͛̾̿͑d̸̢̡̪͇͋͗͝u̵̲̠͊̃̈͜ here between the L̷͔͕͔̂̿̆̾͠õ̸̭̙̮̭̽ͅp̸͚̲͍̐̚ͅư̶̐̍ͅt̷̡̰̙̚u̷͚̖͖̐̀̿́͝ḑ̷̟̲͔̭͗́̀ ̷̘̟̦́̾̒̑̕k̸͚̃ứ̵͕̘̥̩̾̓͑n̸̘̹̗̗͙̂͂̓͗͝i̷̳͕̝͂̓n̴̪̈́̇̌g̶̩͈̺̟͖̀̐̽͒̈ŕ̶̛̜͔͠ì̸̯̈i̸̠͎̳̳̓͠g̷̪̲̈́̽̐̌̄ì̸̮͌͒̌d̶͉̻̭̀̓͑.”

“That’s hardly a choice,” Danny said. Clockwork shrugged. “How do I use the  Ŗ̸̢̱̻͊̍́̐̒ä̴̯̫̗̪̑̕͠e̸̯̞͎͇̍v̴̲̥̲̊͜͝ṳ̵̀ ̷͓̞͇̙̑̍̏̏s̴̡̫͇̅̑̏õ̸͔͋̏̀r̴̛͚̰̔͆m̷̲̞̈́u̸̠͆̀̂͜ş̴͔̩̰̎̇̆̎̿?”

Clockwork’s smile hadn’t dropped at all during the conversation, but it did seem like they had only just started smiling. “You will know when you put it on.”

“Oh.” He remembered the little ball of fire in his hands. “When I beat T̵̳̪̂̌̎y̵̛̭̻̖̽r̴̹̰̗͝ḁ̸͚̟̈̆n̴͔̞͊̈͑ṅ̷̝̂-̷̼͙̼̏̃k̴̛̙̣̠͑û̶̘͍̞ň̷͈͇̲ỉ̶̛̗̺͜͝n̸͐̈́͜͠g̴̼̀ä̸̞͙̲́s̶͎̬͙̀͒,” he held the small orb in from of him, “he disappeared and left this behind. What is it?”

There was a twinkle in Clockwork’s pupiless eyes. “That is the very essence of his being; his T̸̼̈̏u̶͉̭̘̓̀ȗ̵͔͘͜ͅm̷̡̫͗͋̽. To T̵̨̉̈́̉͝a̴̗͉̪̐̾́̃ͅp̷̫̔̆̉a̴̗͉͛̈́̒͘͠ a ghost, you must End them by crushing or eating their T̸̼̈̏u̶͉̭̘̓̀ȗ̵͔͘͜ͅm̷̡̫͗͋̽.

“What?” Danny freaked out, “I don’t want to End him!”

“Then keep that with you at all times.”

“What’ll- What’ll happen if I don’t?”

“It would be within your best interest to keep T̷̢̥̟̈̎̀͆͝ÿ̴̪̍́͌r̷̯͍̹̔̎͠͠ȃ̶̮n̸̦̪̜̓́̽͑d̶͔͚̿͗́͘ȋ̸̢̪͉̕ ̵̩̎͐̒k̵̥̬͐̌u̷̢̎n̵̻̾̊i̶̧͖̳̅̽ņ̷̞̫̹̀̿̔̈͘ͅg̶͖̻̈̋̎͌͜͜͝a̵͔̱͍̺̓͝ ̵̰̲̤̈́̏̏t̸̺̫͙͐̽̔͐̎ú̵͖̗̪̠͊ụ̸̥̖̈̀̆̚̕m̷͇͕̮͖͑̀͝ with you at all times.”

Danny gulped and nodded, standing from his place. “Thank you for helping me, A̸̠̺̹̐̉̈̅j̶͈̐ą̷͈̩̱̣̑͐̎̔̉͝ ̸̛̹̮̹̦͆̊̇͘͜͝ͅm̷̢̲̳͚̞̄́̈ê̵̡̙̞̥i̷̡̹̺̺̼̟̽͜s̶̹͈͖̲̫̫̍̅t̶͖͈̓̽̍̒̋͝ę̵͔̠͐̍͛̒̈ͅŗ̶̡̲̺̩̯͌̓”

“It was my pleasure, K̸̡̧͕̇̑́̐̚͝o̸̧̰͕̯̿̐͠s̶͔͇͇̱̲͔̩̓̽͗̀͊̈m̶͉͇̟͆̄͆͆̈̉͘͝o̶̹̬̤̟̥̣̅͒́̇̇̆s̴̗͇̰̫͆͑e̴̪͕̲̪͎͓̾̚m̶̢͈̰̳̙̻̜̩̱̀̒ẹ̵̖̟͔́̃̒͑i̸̭̩̙͉̮͚̻̰̰̇̎̈́͊͘͠s̸̛̛͚̤̳̭͋̊́͒̔́̚̕t̴͍̮̱͈̹̞͊̋͂ḛ̸̢͙̺̼͍̬̙͍̣̽̎̊͘̚r̵̤̜̲̱̦̕.”

Danny left through the clock face, flying back towards Pariah’s Keep. It had been just under a day since he’d been there. Amity Park had been in the Infinite Realms for seven days now. Any attention drawn by them disappearing for a week could either be really good or really bad. Regardless, they’d all find out about their lost time as soon as they got back to their Living Realm and Danny was not looking forward to that.

He arrived at the Keep much as he had earlier. Though, instead of walking up the steps, he flew straight into the throne room. It was just as he’d left it. Before he went to the dais, he tried to calm his nerves by picking up the weapons from his battle. The daggers were re-hidden, the rapier re-sheathed. He picked up Pariah’s long sword and strapped it to his back, just under his tanto using the two halves of the former King’s cape.

With a deep breath, Danny finally approached the Throne, Crown, and Ring. He touched only the Ring, fearing what might happen if he even breathed on the other two, and slipped it onto the middle finger on his left hand. He felt a pulse of fury rush through him before it settled deep in his gut. The Ring itself changed from a simple black band to an obsidian ring encrusted with ice. It wasn’t cold on his finger, and was hardly noticeable.

Once again, he flew back to where Amity Park had been dropped. Once he was floating over the town, he reached for the power inside the Ring. It came easily to him, as though he knew exactly what he needed to do. He lifted his left hand, ripping it down in a quick motion. The green and black sky ripped open, blue calling the attention of everyone in Amity Park. He ignored them, pulling the rip bigger and bigger before pushing it down onto the town. He ignored the screams as the rip engulfed them. Then, once the last of the purple island was through, he zipped the rip up. In its place was the reactivated Fenton Portal. He used it to go home.

No one was in the lab when he got there, but he turned invisible anyway, making his way to his room to put Pariah Dark’s Core somewhere safe until he could get something to turn it into a necklace or something. He texted Sam and Tucker, telling them he was fine and that he was going to sleep before he texted Jazz the same thing. He told all three of them to wake him next week.

*

Danny woke up the next day because his parents had invited the G.I.W. over to study the Portal. He groaned and flipped over, shoving the pillow over his face. When that didn’t work, he sighed and got up. May as well be productive if he couldn’t sleep, right?

He was still so tired.

Sluggishly, he dragged himself around his room to get ready for the day. Then, with the fire orb that was the former Ghost King in his hand, he left his room and knocked on Jazz’s door. She answered immediately.

“I thought you were gonna sleep for a week?” Her answer was an explosion in the lab. She winced. “Right. What did you need?”

“Do you have-” He yawned. “Do you have, like, a chain or something? I gotta turn this into a necklace.”

She looked at the orb in his hand, slightly larger than a marble and seemingly made of fire. “Do I even want to know?”

“Not until I’m awake enough to explain.”

“Riight.” She turned and nodded for him to come in. “Let me check real quick, but I can’t promise I have something.”

“That’s-” He yawned again. “That’s okay.” He sat down on the armchair in the corner of her room, pulling the light pink throw blanket on the back on himself. It was really soft. His eyes drooped.

There was some shuffling for a few minutes, the quiet noise lulling Danny further to sleep. He startled when she shouted, “Here it is!” She turned to him, holding up two chains, one thrice as long as the other. “This should work- Danny? Are you asleep?”

He rubbed his eyes. “No.”

She smiled softly. “Why are you so tired?”

“No reason.”

“I’m sure,” she hummed. “Let me see that, okay? I’ll make a necklace for you real fast.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

“No problem.”

Again, the quiet noise of Jazz working started to lull Danny back to sleep. He shifted to get comfortable, closing his eyes for a minute. A minute that turned into a day and a half.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Jazz snarked when he left her room to eat breakfast.

He yawned, much more awake than before. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry about crashing in your room.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved off, “I crashed in yours, so we’re even.”

He reached up and touched the fire orb amulet that was now resting against his chest, fiddling with it as he watched Jazz make pancakes. “So, what’s the plan for the day?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have anything, do you?”

“Nope,” he said, “Just a let-” He froze. “The letter!” Quickly, he flew up the stairs and into his room. On the desk was the sealed envelope he’d meant to send when he got home the day Amity Park was pulled into the Infinite Realms. He found his way back down stairs, not stopping by the kitchen before going outside to have it delivered. He stopped short, however, when he registered where he was.

This was definitely Amity Park, and they were definitely back in their Realm, but everything had a strange tint to it. He didn’t think anyone noticed, though. The sky was slightly more green than blue, same with the sun and clouds, and it was slightly dimmer and colors were more vibrant, like during a solar eclipse. The ground and buildings all had a slight purple tint that made the shadows darker. Every plant, animal, insect, and person he saw had a barely-there glow to them.

He stumbled. What the hell? Was this a consequence of being in the In-Between Realm for so long? What did this mean for the people and animals living here? What did this mean for him?

“Are you alright, D?” Jazz asked from the door behind him. She must not see it, then.

“Um, yeah, just, um…Forgot my glasses.”

“Tsk. You need to get better at remembering them, Danny.”

“I know, I’m just…still not used to them!”

“It’s been a year.”

“It’s actually only been three months since I got them.”

“Just go mail your letter. Breakfast will be done soon.”

He waved behind him, going to stand in front of the mailbox. He was quick to put the letter in and close the door, flipping the little red flag up. He hesitated before going back into the house, though. He shook his head and moved before he could chicken out. Damian had reached out after two years and Danny wasn’t about to make him wait that long for a response. It would be childish.

The anticipation of waiting for a response was bubbling up in his stomach again. It was just like when he’d sent that first letter. This time, though, he knew he’d get a reply.

*

Damian was worried. He’d sent Danyal a response, but he’d yet to get anything back. He couldn’t blame his little brother, though. After all, he’d waited two years before finally answering. He wouldn’t fault him for not even opening the thing. However, he did worry if something had happened. When he’d looked up Amity Park again, he found that the whole town was on lockdown; Nothing was going in and nothing was coming out. That was lifted a day ago, though, and there was still no response.

His Father and his siblings all remained none the wiser to his communications. At least, he liked to believe that. Father was aware of Danyal, but he doesn’t know that he and Damian are - were? - in contact with one another. He would like to keep it that way.

He wanted to go visit Danyal soon, or maybe have him come to Gotham. There was so much to tell him, but only so much room on some paper. He wanted to know things, too! Ask questions and get more than a few words for an answer. He wanted to be able to see his brother’s face for the first time since they were six years old.

But he might’ve fucked it all up because he was a coward.

There was a Media Block on Amity Park, Illinois. It wasn’t obvious at first glance, but it was glaringly in the face of anyone looking into the town. He hadn’t managed to get much before he was found and kicked from the servers, but he did find news on two hero-like figures in the town; one of which was being debated as a hero or a villain. Damian thought it should be obvious if someone is a hero or a villain, but that’s just him and the rest of the world’s opinion versus this tiny little city in the middle of nowhere.

Father had caught onto his distracted state of mind and threatened to bench him if he couldn’t pull himself together. He tried, but he couldn’t keep his thoughts from wandering back to Danyal and how he was doing.

He refused to answer anyone when they inquired about why he kept spacing out. He knew it wasn’t like him, but there was a lot on his mind at the moment!

The very next day, a letter from Danyal arrived for him. Like the last one, this one had no return address, but he recognised the handwriting. His family - minus Alfred - were all suspicious of the letter because of the lack of information on the front, but Damian batted them all away and took the letter to his room, locking himself inside.

As soon as he finished reading it, he got a piece of paper and wrote out a reply. He was not going to make his brother wait any longer than he already had to.

Was Danyal this anxious about getting letters from him? He hoped so.

***

Danyal Fenton, Jan. 26, 2014

I am fine, as are all of the others. Thank you for your concern. Though, are you alright? I found the Media Block when I tried to access any information from inside Amity Park.

Your offer of assistance is greatly appreciated. Does it matter what I ask for? If not, then I have an idea that would require me to call upon you. If you are willing, that is. My family, though I am glad everyone is back together and tolerating each other, are stifling. Especially since I have taken up the Robin Mantle.

The Media Block is very concerning. What is the government hiding and why does it require them to soft-lock the town? Would you like me to contact the Justice League? This is something they will be able to help with.

I would be beyond delighted to come meet Delilah. If you are willing to teach me how to communicate with her, I am willing to learn. عسى أن تقود النجوم مسارك دائمًا. Damian Wayne

Translation 1 - Arabic: Good to hear from you, brother

Translation 2 - Estonian & Zalgo - May I come in?

Translation 3 - Estonian & Zalgo: Greetings, young King … Master of Time

Translation 4 - Estonian & Zalgo: Child of the Demon

Translation 5 - Estonian & Zalgo: Ghost Child

Translation 6 - Estonian & Zalgo: Half Living, Half Dead; A True Balance

Translation 7 - Estonian & Zalgo: My home

Translation 8 - Estonian & Zalgo: Child of the Stars … My home … your home … Ring of Rage … The Throne

Translation 9 - Estonian & Zalgo: The Throne

Translation 10 - Estonian & Zalgo: Tyrant King … The throne … your home … your home … Infinite Realms … Ring of Rage

Translation 11 - Estonian & Zalgo: Tyrant King

Translation 12 - Estonian & Zalgo: Core … Kill … Core

Translation 13 - Estonian & Zalgo: Tyrant King’s Core

Translation 14 - Estonian & Zalgo: Master of Time

Translation 15 - Estonian & Zalgo: Master of Space

Translation 16 - Arabic: May the stars always lead your course.

Part 9 Storyboard

[littlestarbigsky]

hey yall so i have covid (im feeling okay! my symptoms have been pretty mild :) so i’m about to have so much time to write- anyways here’s pt. 2 of this fic (it’s not technically a chapter fic but it’s also based off the idea of pony w breathing problems :)

so here’s darry helping pony with a breathing treatment, slight emetophobia warning (nothing graphic but it’s there)

“alright, kiddo, just try one more time for me, in and out, okay?”

darry knew if he couldn’t get pony under control soon, they’d probably have to go to the hospital. aside from them definitely not being able to afford hospital care on top of all of pony’s already very expensive treatment regiment, four trips to the hospital since september would definitely prompt a visit from social services. darry knew there was a chance they would take his brothers away, and even though it killed him to admit it, they’d be perfectly within their rights to do it.

the breath pony dragged in didn’t ease darry’s racing mind at all, especially not after he’d already used his inhaler twice.

it had all started with a small head cold, nothing out of the ordinary, especially since it was still february, but as all things did nowadays with pony, the illness had gone straight to his lungs. darry could hear him wheezing just standing up cutting vegetables for dinner, he was using his inhaler much more, and that dry, chesty, cough just didn’t seem to want to go away.

soda was normally the one who could take care of this, he knew all the tricks to get pony’s breathing calmed back down, but he was working a double and he made extra if he stayed after closing, so darry had no choice but to hunker down and prepare as much as he could. darry had initially brought pony into the bathroom and turned on the shower, the knob turned as hot as it would go, hoping that the steam would help with the cough, even if it was just for a few minutes.

at first, it had seemed like it was working, but when pony’s coughing fits started, it seemed like they never stopped. darry tried to get them under control, he really did, using all of their tricks he had already learned: deep pressure hugs, putting vapo-rub on his chest and neck, changing pony’s position about 100 times, nothing was working.

after an hour, he was seriously beginning to worry, sitting on the bathroom floor with a wheezing ponyboy leaning back against his chest, wrapped in a blanket. darry opened up the bathroom cupboard next to them and pulled out pony’s nebulizer.

“darry…” pony whined quietly, and darry felt him go tense.

“i know, honey, but we gotta get all this coughing under control,” darry ran a hand through pony’s hair, digging around in the cabinet for the medicine to put in the machine. “if this doesn’t calm down we gotta go to the hospital. and i’m gonna put more of that vapo-rub on you, that helped a little bit earlier.”

pony didn’t say anything. darry did what he could to convince himself it was because pony was conceding, however out of character that was for him. it was easier to tell himself that than think that he wasn’t complaining because he didn’t have the spare breath to.

he got the nebulizer set up and plugged in, all the while keeping pony leaned against him.

“alright, this should be good to go. can you sit up against the wall for me, little man? i gotta get the vapo-rub.”

pony shifted back and took the mouthpiece from darry as he turned it on, crawling across the bathroom floor to the edge of the bathtub where he had set up all of the supplies they may need. he picked up the tub of vapo-rub and shifted back over to pony, who was slumped against the wall, pulling in sad, short breaths.

“this might be a little cold, kiddo,” darry said softly. pony’s t-shirt had been balled up against the door so it wouldn’t stick to the vapo-rub earlier, so darry just pushed the blanket out of the way. they both pretended not to notice darry trying to feel pony’s heartbeat as he rubbed the gel over his chest. pony squeezed his eyes shut and darry felt his chest contract as he started coughing.

it felt like it would never stop once he got going, he dropped the nebulizer and pulled the blanket tighter around himself as he coughed uncontrollably. all darry could do was pull his little brother into his chest and pray that it would end soon. he knew how much pony hated the hospital, that they would just poke him and give him meds that made him feel funny and tired, but anything had to be better than this.

“i know, it’s okay, it’ll be over soon,” darry comforted, holding pony tight to him.

after a few more minutes, pony gagged and for a second it seemed like it was going to stop, but darry knew what was coming. he wasn’t sure how, but something in him knew to move pony as fast as he could. pony weakly pushed himself up onto his knees and threw up into the toilet.

it was miserable while it was happening. when he was done, he leaned back against the bathtub and pulled his knees up to his chest. darry slid over and pulled pony back into his arms, and as soon as the security of darry had wrapped itself around pony, the tears started.

“hey, don’t cry now, baby, i know that was lousy, but it’s over,” darry reached over and grabbed pony’s cup of water and held it for him as he drank feebly from the straw. “small sips, okay?”

even though it killed darry that pony had gotten sick, at least he wasn’t coughing anymore. he was able to get down some of his water and washed the foul taste out of his mouth.

“listen,” darry whispers, resting his cheek on pony’s head, one grounding hand on his chest while the other rubbed circles over his back. “can you try to do a little more of your treatment?”

pony sniffled, but nodded eventually. darry shuffled them both back over to the nebulizer, cradling pony in his lap and holding the mouthpiece for him as he breathed in the medicine.

pony was dead asleep when soda finally cracked open the bathroom door, darry holding their baby brother to his chest, the breathing treatment almost finished. maybe it was the blanket he was wrapped up in, or maybe it was because he was all curled up in a ball against their brother who was pretty big by any standard, but he looked so small. grease washed out of his hair, his skin pale and clammy, and their big brother rocking him gently, keeping him asleep while the medicine worked its way into his aching lungs.

“need me to take over?” soda asked quietly, and darry looked up at him.

darry shook his head, “i got him for now, go get changed and shower. i'm gonna bring him to sleep with me tonight.”

soda nodded, "i'll put away the nebulizer, you get him to bed."

once the treatment had finished, darry scooped pony up and carried him the few steps down the hall to his bedroom, gently setting him down on the bed before changing his own clothes. he slid into bed, pulling up the covers and tucking pony against him, his little wheezes finally starting to lighten up.

it wasn't perfect, but maybe it didn't have to be. darry could feel pony's heart beating and the deep breaths he was pulling in, and as much as he hated that pony needed a breathing treatment to get him to that point, it was worth it. if it meant that he didn't have to wake up coughing and not able to catch his breath. maybe his lungs would never really recover, but they knew how to get him better when they needed to. it was gonna be okay.

darry was almost alseep when soda quietly opened the door, hair soft and damp after his shower and dressed a pair of darry's old sweatpants, cuffed twice at the bottom because of how long they were. darry waved him over, and soda smiled, piling in next to his brothers and wrapping himself around pony’s other side.

“he sleeping?” soda whispered, darry barely nodded, exhaustion taking over. “good, don’t tell him i did this.”

soda pressed a gentle kiss to pony’s head and laid back down, already feeling drowsy next to his two sleeping brothers.

[nyoomfruits]

‘shush’ maxoscar or lestappen!

[ shush ] for a kiss to silence the other party

“The lease on my apartment is ending,” Oscar says, drops it in the middle of Max’s weirdly fond rant about the cats having developed the ability to open doors and using it mostly for evil. They’re sitting on the couch in Max’s apartment, Max’s toes tucked under Oscar’s thigh, Oscar’s feet resting on the little pouf in front of the couch. They’re both holding a half-eaten plate of stir fry, one of the few dishes Max can make without making Oscar wince repeatedly, half-watching an old episode of Friends on the TV.

“Oh,” Max says, frowns. “The Monaco one, you mean?”

Oscar nods. He got it last year, when he was in his second year of F1 still, and even though he’d just signed a multi-year contract with McLaren, it had felt presumptions, to assume this was going to be his home for a long time. And so he’d rented an apartment, just for the year, and see how he felt after.

And then Max had happened, right after the Hungary Grand Prix. Oscar had bumped into him at the party, mixed feelings about his own win, Max angry about his race, and they’d collided in something that was really only meant to blow off steam, on both sides really.

But then it had happened again. And again. And again. And then Oscar had started sleeping over at Max’s place more and more. They started spending time between races together, they started spending all of their time between races together. Oscar has a key now, to Max’s place, right next to the keys to his own apartment. One he hasn’t really been to in the past three months or so.

One of which the lease is ending soon.

“Yeah,” Oscar says. And he’s not asking any questions, because he’s bad at asking these questions, but Max has always been exceptional at reading him, so.

“Well, we will have sell most of the furniture, I think,” Max says, placing his fork down, because he still refuses to try and eat noodles with chopsticks. “Unless you want to keep some of it. But I hope not. That couch is quite ugly.”

“Thanks, Max,” Oscar says, but he can’t help but smile behind his own bite of noodle. It is a bit of an ugly couch, truth to be told. He hadn’t put that much thought into styling his apartment, just let the stylist at the store decide what he needed.

“You’re welcome,” Max says, smiling. “Anyway, do you think we would need a truck? Your clothes are mostly here already, we’ll have to take some of the decorations and stuff, the trophy’s obviously. Do you still have those plates from the one time I actually came over to your place for lunch? I quite liked those, maybe bring those. Maybe a truck is a bit much, I can ask Lando, he has this ridiculously large Range Rover for some reason, he might let me borrow it, we can shove all the stuff in the back. It’s not that far from your apartment to here, so it’s shouldn’t take us that long-“

And that’s, belatedly, when it hits Oscar. What Max is talking about. Why he’s so concerned about Oscar’s furniture and how he’s going to move it all and what he’s going to keep. Because to Max, the only really logical explanation is that he moves here. All Oscar had wanted was to open the conversation, talk about their future maybe. But to Max, their future has always been crystal clear.

It’s them. It’s here. It’s forever.

Oscar purposely puts his plate aside, leans forward, slow deliberate, takes Max’s plate away from him as well, and then, right in the middle of Max’s rant about Oscar’s decorative bed pillows, kisses him full on the mouth.

“Hey,” Max says, when he pulls away, looking slightly confused. “What was that for?”

“I love you,” Oscar says, because he doesn’t really know how else to say ‘I want that too’ and ‘thank you for everything you are’ and ‘you are my favorite person in the whole world’.

Max smiles, slow and soft and fond, and presses another kiss to Oscar’s lips. “I love you too,” he says, and then, just because he’s Max, adds, “Roomie.”

Oscar laughs, one that releases all the tension he’d been feeling about bringing this up, let’s his head fall forward against Max’s chest, takes in the familiar scent of laundry detergent and Max. “Don’t,” he warns.

Max laughs too, rubs his hand over Oscar’s back as Oscar picks his head off of Max’s chest and leans in for another slow, long kiss.

Roomies. Oscar will take it, if that means he gets to have this.

[babiebom]

When You Fall (VIII)

A/N: i got the sweetest message from someone(idk if they’d want me to call them out) and somehow it made me want to start on this chapter so I guess it literally just takes someone being nice for me to actually do something lmao. Also happy new year!! Also also whenever I’m writing one of these chapters and the tumblr notif shows up it jumpscares me. Like how do y’all know?

Tw: depression, reader decides to force themself to be happy, cursing. The usual

Wc:3.0k

Previous Next Masterlist

Sweat dripped from your forehead as you attempted to clear some of the farm from debris. It was taking long to clear everything, and though you knew that most of the land would be unused until you actually got enough money to plant more things and get a coop or barn.

Shadow ran around wildly, barking happily as she snapped her teeth at the air. It’s funny, watching her as she runs. Getting pets didn’t make being in a depressive pit completely go away, but they did make that pit less dark, less daunting and lonely. Mango lazed around on the porch, his tail slowly waving side to side as he watched you.

Sticking your rake into the ground and wiping the sweat again, you grin at your animals, letting out a labored breath. “Okay, so, I love you both very very much. And I’m sorry that I can’t take you but they’re hosting an Egg Festival in the town and I’m going.”

You move to sit on the porch, Shadow dashing to crash onto your lap. You open your arms and let her move her big body onto you with a roll. “And I swear I’m not going to enjoy being away from you both, but I have to go as part of my healing. I’ll be back soon.” Neither one of them did anything other than stare at you and then go about their own business as you get up and head inside to shower. Shadow trails behind you after a moment, her tail wagging so hard her butt wiggles along with it. You take one last glance at her as you finally get in the shower, hoping the day goes by quickly.

Walking into the town’s square, it’s like a decorating bomb went off. There are banners and decorative flags and other things littered around in a way that made you think whoever decorated spent way too long out here only for them to be messed up by the wind. There’s so many layers of tape that you feel irritated for whoever had to fix it.

“Farmer!” Pierre calls out from behind his booth. You want to ignore him, not really ready for social interaction but go over to him anyways. Forcing a smile onto your lips you lean on the booth counter, looking at the things he has stocked.

Some strawberry seeds, lawn flamingos, plants, a painting, a bright pink banner, a plush bunny, and a….decorative pitchfork? What kind of stock is this? What does this have to do with the egg festival? You blink a couple times and attempt to control the look on your face, maybe you could buy a couple of strawberry seeds. Even if you don’t plant them this season you can always wait. “Hey Pierre! Selling some good stuff?”

He smiles and moves his hand around, gesturing to his stock. “Yeah, looking to buy anything?”

“Sure…a couple strawberry seed packets…and that plush bunny.”

“It’s pretty cute huh? Okay that’ll be 2,500g.”

Your breath gets caught in your throat. 2,500g? The man has to be insane! What the fuck costed so much that you were being charged this much? “Yeah, prices are a little steep. But I have to make a living somehow,” he chuckles when he sees your expression. You try hard to keep your face in check, not wanting to snap on the man in front of everyone. You were here to make progress, not to make enemies.

After giving him the money you take your new things and stuff them into your backpack. The letter said the festival ended at two, and looking at your watch it was only 9:30. That meant 4 and a half more hours of agony trying to force yourself out of a depressive pit that you aren’t really all too sure you’re ready to leave just yet for the sake of getting better.

Well, at least there’s food…

Hurrying along, the sight of the buffet table makes your mouth water. Not eating breakfast and working all morning in a large field without totally knowing what to do is a bad idea, but now that you’re looking at all the different types of food you can’t help but praise yourself for how lucky starving yourself got you. Now you can eat, then when you get home you can pass out and sleep until tomorrow. Like another rest day that feels like a reward after running around in the dirt.

As you fill your plate with food, you can see Gus and what’s his name…’Clive?’ You think to yourself, nose scrunching in confusion, ‘No, that's a stupid name. Carl? It has to be Carl…what other C names are there?’ In your thoughts you almost drop your plate and gain the attention of the two men, Gus smiles brightly and waves you over while the other man averts his eyes. Weird…

“Hey Gus!” You smile warmly at the older man. There was a twinge of stress in his eye, but it seemed rude to point that out to him. His eyes moved over the rows and rows of food and it occurs to you that he must have cooked almost everything himself being the Towns Saloon owner and all.

“Hey farmer! I was just telling Clint here…you’ve met Clint right?”

You shake your head at his question. You had only seen him around maybe once and heard his name in passing from the blue haired girl who was talking to him when you passed by and from Maru when you were in the clinic. Thank Yoba Gus said his name or you would’ve been stood awkwardly just like you are but more so because you wouldn’t have known his name. “Oh well, he’s the towns blacksmith…anyways I was just telling him how I hope everyone’s enjoying the food. I’ve been cooking for days to get the food ready.”

“Days? Wow thats a lot of work…”

“Yeah I made fried eggs, boiled eggs, poached eggs, deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, chocolate eggs, you name it!”

“I mean it is the Egg Festival…”

“Yeah, not to mention the other foods. I’d be upset if it turned out horribly.”

You take a bite of whatever was on your plate in front of him, trying to make a show of how good it is, but not really needing to act because WOW can this man cook. How’d he even make this? His eyes light up at your expressions and mannerisms, his shoulders relaxing at the sight of you enjoying the food. “No Gus, I swear this is amazing! You don’t need to worry about anyone not enjoying the food at all!”

“Thank you for the kind words, Farmer, it means a lot to me.”

You nod vigorously, not wanting to ignore him but now overcome with the urge to stuff down as much of the food as you can. What the fuck was in this? Drugs? You can’t even remember the last time you were this hungry.

With your plate you walk around, smiling at anyone who talks to you, and try to carry on conversations that you didn’t really care much about. It had been weeks since you moved here, and you were just now meeting everyone personally. There were so many people living here in Pelican Town that you wonder how you had managed to avoid 60 percent of them whenever you ventured out.

As you make your rounds to the buffet table for the second time, the sight of a bright red cape catches your eye and the man with the eyepatch flashes in your mind. You hadn’t seen him since that day, but you had to find out what those stupid jelly things are.

“Marlon!” You call out, rushing to the man in the corner. He looked surprised that you were speaking to him, but made no moves to walk away or ignore you. Instead he looked slightly pleased. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

His eyebrows quirk up in amusement, “I could say the same about you, don’t hear anything about you going around.”

You shrug and realize that just as much as you stick to your farm, he must stick to the caves and mountains. Neither bad, but awfully lonely when you think about it. You wonder if there’s anyone he lives with up there. “I just thought that you would prefer to be adventuring or something…like in the caves?”

“Yeah, but even with my bad leg I never miss a festival.”

“Oh…say you know down in the caves how there are…things right?”

“Yeah the monsters?”

“Yeah um, have you ever seen the little Jello creatures? They’re really tiny and all but are like really strong for some reason, and jump at you like they’re legless spiders?”

“The slimes? Yeah you have to be careful with them. They might be easy to defeat but can quickly overwhelm you if you’re not careful.”

He frowns at you and you swallow. That’s exactly what had happened. The stupid things were just too much the more you ventured down. But you’d be ready for them next time, and whatever else is down there. “Yeah, they kinda kicked my ass last time I went into the caves.”

He nods solemnly, as if he could relate. Maybe he could relate, having a bad leg and an injured eye and living up there. There had probably been times that he’s gotten overwhelmed and hurt. The thought sends a shiver down your spine. If he could get hurt down there, and you have already been hurt, who’s to say that you won’t just die the next time you go down? It’s weird to think just how lucky you truly were when you were saved.

Thinking of being saved…your eyes flit around quickly trying to spot the man that had saved your life. Maru and Sam had said that Sebastian had gone down into the caves himself to save you, and even though you hadn’t seen him personally since meeting in the Saloon, the need to thank him was always in the back of your mind. And now you have the chance, Yoba you wished you were home.

You bid goodbye to Marlon and shuffled your way to the trio standing off at the bottom of the town’s square. Rehearsing what you’re going to say in your head, you hope that it would be a quick conversation, that you wouldn’t stutter over your words and that you wouldn’t act so awkward that they think you’re weirder than you are. But as you clear your throat as you walk up to them, regret settles in your belly at the looks on their faces. It was like being in school all over again and the kids that you thought were cool were too tight knit as a group and hated outsiders.

Before you could say anything Abigail speaks first, staring straight at you. “Do you think I’m too old to do the Egg Hunt?”

You frown at her in confusion before shaking your head. “No?”

She punches Sebastian’s arm as soon as the word leaves your mouth. “Ha! I told you I wasn’t too old. It���s like, why stop if I’m having fun?”

“How are you having fun searching for eggs with actual children?”

“Hey! Searching for eggs is like going on a treasure hunt! Besides, your sister does it too!”

Sebastian rolls his eyes at her, looking towards the river without saying anything more, choosing to sip on the punch in his cup. Sam looks like he’s suffering and you tilt your head, silently questioning him. “Ugh…it’s my doze…allergies.” His nose is so stuffed up that his words seem heavy. You wince at him and nod in understanding, Springtime wasn’t the best for people with allergies.

Sebastian clears his throat after a minute. “You know what I miss? The rotten egg toss.”

Both Sam and Abigail agree quickly, words coming out both of their mouths too quickly for you to really understand anything they’re saying. They’re very enthusiastic about it, recounting things that happened in previous years. In your confusion you look over at Sebastian, and he swallows his drink quickly. “We used to do a rotten egg toss, a couple years ago. It was only for like two years, Mayor Lewis put an end to it pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, too many people complained that it stunk.” Abigail laughed. It sounded pretty fun, tossing rotten eggs at a target or something, but the smell…ugh.

Before you could say anything else, Sam says he’s going to get more food before the egg hunt starts and they put everything away. Abigail looks between you and Sebastian and smiles. “I’ll go with him, either of you want anything?”

You shake your head, plate still full from the second round. “Maybe some punch? If it’s not too much trouble?” She shrugs and looks at Sebastian who just hands her his cup. She leaves without another word and without turning back. Ha…now it’s awkward…

“I didn’t think you were one for socializing.”

You’re surprised at his words, but think that in a small town there are rarely secrets. Everyone must know that you’re suffering. “Yeah um, just had a bad couple of weeks. I’m better now, though, ready to mingle and become part of the town…being alone is no good.”

He snorts, glancing at you and your heart stutters in your chest. Did he think you were joking? Were you that obvious in your dislike of talking to others? “Yeah sure…been there once.”

You don’t ask him what he means, understanding that he’s seeing right through your fake chipper exterior. For a minute the silence stretches on, but it’s not as tense and awkward as it was before. Maybe it was a good thing he could tell you were faking, there was no need now that it was only you two. “Y’know I’ve been meaning to thank you.”

“For?” He sounds disinterested, but when you look at his face he seems more…uncomfortable.

“You saving me? Your friends told me you went down into the caves to get me.”

“Fucking…yeah. It was no problem. You should be more careful, though, I was only able to help because I noticed that you didn’t come up.”

“Yeah…I really should…anyways. Thanks for saving me, hopefully you won’t have to do it again.”

He shrugs and says nothing.

“I owe you one.”

“Sure.”

The mayor claps his hands loudly, speaking into a megaphone that he’s holding. “If anyone is participating in the egg hunt, gather round. It’s almost time to begin!”

“You participating?” He asks, and for a second you almost say no before remembering that the whole point of coming was to become part of the community and bettering yourself.

“Yeah…you?”

“Nah…”

You nod and cough into your fist, unsure of how to separate yourself from him. “Well, I guess I’ll see you…later?”

“Yeah, sure. I’m either at home, or at Sam’s or the Saloon during the weekends…”

“Okay, cool.”

You walk away quickly, confused as to how you had somewhat made a friend of him? There was that saying that misery loves company…maybe he was the perfect person to be miserable with. He seemed like he had problems himself. Mayor Lewis claps a hand onto your shoulder a little harder than necessary, causing you to wince. “Enjoying yourself, Farmer?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s good! It’s about time you introduced yourself to the townspeople. Everyone was so excited to meet the new farmer in town and you just…disappeared. They thought you were a recluse or something!” He lets out a laugh that makes you frown. You had forgotten how much this guy could talk.

“Yeah well, family deaths will do that to you.” You keep your face straight as you stare at him. He coughs and sputters out some words before the conversation is effectively ended.

After another minute and a half the egg hunt begins and your heart starts thumping in your chest. The kids are already running off, and Abigail is darting around so quickly that you think that she’s going to knock one of them over. Looking at the other participants, the urge to beat them overcomes you. Winning at this means that you’re officially part of the community right? You’re putting yourself out there?

Your feet move without another thought from you and soon enough your basket is full with eggs. Looking at the others it seems theirs are too. You can hear Lewis counting down from ten and your heart races even more. How were you supposed to win this? You run across the square, hoping to get one last egg.

Five…

Where are the rest of the eggs? What the fuck is there no more?

Four…

In the corner of your eye something yellow gleams under the sun. An egg! Near the river!

Three…

You dash towards the egg, hand stretched out towards it.

Two…

A couple more steps to go, you’re unsure if you’ll get there in time.

One…

Your hand closes around the egg and into your basket it goes. Your heart thumps and your breaths come out uneven. But you made it! The last egg.

Lewis calls everyone back towards the center of town, eyes gleaming as he looks at everyone’s baskets. He seems happy to see more people participating in a dying tradition. There were only two kids in town so an egg hunt is bound to get boring as everyone gets older.

It takes five whole minutes for Lewis to count everyone’s eggs, yours being the last basketbhe gets his hands on. “Nine…ten…” Abigail groans in annoyance next to you. “Eleven! The winner is the Farmer! Come up and get your prize!”

Prize? If you knew there was going to be a prize you wouldn’t have tried so hard. Now someone was going to be mad at you for winning instead of them. You walk slowly to Lewis confused as to what he could be offering.

“Enjoy!”

He hands you a straw hat…well at least it’s helpful?

[hauntedhowlett-writes]

Title: cruel summer | chapter 2

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

Pairing: Joel Miller/Female Reader

Rating: Explicit (18+ MDNI)

Chapters: 6/6

Read on AO3 | Join the tag list

Summary:

Joel takes a contracting job renovating a master bedroom and bathroom while the homeowners are away for the summer on a cruise.

He wasn’t expecting their twenty-three year old daughter and the thoughts he’d have about her.

Content warnings: age difference (15 years), explicit sexual content

Additional tags: oral sex (m receiving), masturbation, dirty talk, pet names, angst, internalized guilt, Joel Miller is emotionally constipated but Trying His Best. Let me know if I’ve missed anything!

Joel stops eating lunch with you after that day in the kitchen. You try not to let it affect you, but you miss him. You miss the easy conversation and the way he makes you laugh without even trying. It’s hard to focus on studying with him constantly on your mind, especially when he’s so close but just out of reach.

A few days pass without any interaction with him at all. He comes inside and immediately heads upstairs and the only reason you even know he’s there is the heavy footsteps above your head.

So you’re surprised when one day he comes downstairs and heads straight towards you, stopping a respectable distance away. He clears his throat and runs a hand nervously through his hair.

“Sarah’s daycare just called. I forgot it was a half day for them, I gotta go pick her up,” he says. “I’ve got grout mixed upstairs. I’ll come back as soon as I can, but I’ll have to see if Tommy can come watch her.”

“Oh. Why don’t…you can just…bring her here? I can watch her, if you need,” you reply. He stops his nervous fidgeting, hands dropping to his side.

“Really?” He asks. “You don’t have to do that, I don’t want to interrupt your studyin’.”

“Not getting much done today, anyways,” you say pointedly. He presses his lips together.

“Right. Well, uh, if you’re sure. I’ll go get her now.”

“Why don’t you give me your cell number. You can call me if you change your mind and are going to take longer getting back here,” you suggest.

He nods, digging his phone from his pocket and handing it to you. You pass him yours from the table. After entering your number, you exchange devices again. You check your contacts, biting back a smile seeing the entry titled “Joel (contractor)”.

As if you wouldn’t know who he was.

“Okay, well. I’ll be back,” he says, heading out the door with a lingering look.

————

Sarah is sitting in her car seat, asking Joel a thousand questions about where they’re going.

“Daddy’s gotta work, sweetheart. But I’ve got a very nice friend who’s goin’ to watch you while he’s busy,” he explains. “We’re going to her house.”

“Oh. Does she have toys?” She asks.

“I’m not sure. She might.”

“I hope so. Does she have snacks?”

“Probably.”

Her questions continue in the same manner until he pulls into your driveway. She frees herself from her car seat and hops from the truck, running to the front door faster than Joel can catch up. She’s bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet as he pushes the door open, but she clings to his arm as he enters the hallway.

Joel checks the kitchen but finds it empty. He calls out your name.

“In the living room!” You shout back.

He’s surprised to find you surrounded by a couple large storage totes, digging through one and pulling out another box stuffed with what looks like fabric. You look up when they enter and smile brightly.

“Hi! You must be Sarah,” you say to his little girl, giving her your name as well. “Do you like Barbie dolls?”

Sarah nods, her grip loosening from her dad’s arm as you start to pull some Barbie dolls from one bin. Joel watches you tell his daughter about how they’d been yours when you were her age, and that they’re very excited to have someone play with them again. You open the box of clothes and accessories, Sarah’s face lighting up at all the options.

Watching you with his daughter feels like a fist to the gut. You’re so attentive and kind, patiently explaining the different dolls to her and their backstories that he just can’t look away.

It’s not until you look up at him and your smile falters the slightest bit that he clears his throat and says, “Alright, sweetie, you all good here?”

“Yes, daddy,” she says dutifully, focused on changing the outfit on one of the dolls you’d given her.

“I’ll be upstairs if you need anything,” he says, more to you than to Sarah. You only nod in response.

He trudges up the stairs with a lump in his throat and a vise grip around his heart.

_______

Sarah might just be the best kid you’ve ever met. She’s smart and funny, making up the silliest stories for the Barbie’s to act out. You can see why Joel is such a softie for her.

“Do you have anything else we can play with?” She asks after about an hour of playing with the dolls.

“Why don’t we head outside?” You ask, picking the toys up off the floor.

“Okay! Can I show you my cartwheel?” She asks, jumping up from the floor and trailing after you towards the back door.

“Uh, absolutely!”

She runs full speed out the sliding glass door, bypassing the pool and heading straight for the grassy yard beyond. “Watch! Watch!” She calls out to you as she plants her hands to the ground and shows off her cartwheel.

“Wow, that’s awesome, Sarah!” You call out. You dig in the pool storage and pull out a forgotten soccer ball that you’re pretty sure has been in there since high school. It’s a little flat, but it’ll do.

Sarah continues to do cartwheels through the yard while you kick the ball around. She catches sight of what you’re doing and runs over to join, watching as you demonstrate some of the footwork from high school sitting in the recesses of your mind.

Sarah eventually starts to complain about being hungry, so you head back inside to set up a snack for her. “Give me one second, sweetie, I’ll be right back.”

You jog up the stairs and head to your parent’s room. Joel’s wiping the excess grout from the shower tile he’s just laid when you tap on the doorframe to get his attention. He looks up at you in surprise, dropping the wet sponge in the bucket and standing.

“Hey. I was just about to make a snack for Sarah and I wanted to make sure she doesn’t have any allergies or anything?” You ask. He stares at you for a moment before taking a step closer, hand wrapping around the back of your neck and tugging your lips to his.

You’re surprised but your traitorous body responds before your brain can, your lips moving hungrily against his as you wrap your arms around his shoulders. He presses you back against the door frame, his calloused and slightly damp hands coming up to grip your face and angling it to his liking. His tongue slips past your lips and tangles with yours, making you whimper.

He pulls away all too soon, smoothing a hand against your hair as he stares into your eyes, his breathing quick and labored.

“No…no allergies,” he finally says. You huff out a laugh.

“Right…you could have just said that,” you joke. He cracks a smile.

“Get back downstairs. I’ll be done soon.”

________

Joel tried to do the respectable thing. He really did. He was going to let that one slip up be left in the past, move on with a perfectly normal working relationship. No more lunches, no more lingering in the doorway to talk to you when he comes in the morning and you’re still sleepy, sipping your coffee that’s more sugar than anything. No more after dark thoughts of you as he lays in bed palming his cock. Just him and the bathroom remodel.

But then you’d offered to look after Sarah, and you could have easily stuck her in front of the TV while you went about your day, but you gave her your undivided attention. He’d watched from the window as you showed her some fancy soccer footwork that he didn’t even know you knew how to do. You cheered for her when she landed six cartwheels in a row and then laughed when she crashed to the ground, dizzy and giggling. He’d watched you run around the yard with her on your back, a pool noodle held in her hand as she commanded you to charge forward.

And just like it always does when it comes to you, the weak walls of his resolve crumble around him.

To top it all off, you came upstairs to ask him the most innocent but thoughtful question and goddamnit, he can’t do this. He had to kiss you.

Now that you’re no longer standing in front of him, the logical part of his brain kicks back on and the guilt returns. What the hell is expecting out of this? He’s here temporarily, for a job, and so are you. You’ll return to school at the end of the summer and he’ll be here…what? Pining after a girl fifteen years his junior who could have any number of men her age falling at her feet?

Joel scrubs a hand over his face. Much as he hates to admit it, he’s going to have to man up and have a real conversation about all this. He pulls his phone from his pocket and shoots a text to Tommy to see if he can come over and keep an eye on Sarah tonight after she goes to bed.

________

Joel comes down about thirty minutes later and Sarah runs towards him, throwing her arms around his legs and hugging me tightly.

“We had so much fun, daddy! She watched me do all my cartwheels and we played calgary!”

You snort. “Cavalry, sweetie,” you correct.

“That!” She exclaims. Her head tilts back to look up at her dad with big brown eyes so full of love it makes your stomach flip.

“It sounds like you had a great day, baby,” Joel says, running a hand over her curly brown hair. “It’s time we head out.”

She pouts and Joel hits her with a look that’s so quintessentially dad that you have to bite back a laugh. The young girl sighs dramatically before stomping out of the room towards the front door.

Joel reaches a hand out towards you and you step forward, slipping your hand into his. “Can I come over later? To talk?” He asks quietly, fingers tangling with yours.

“S-sure,” you reply. He gives you one last nod before he lets go of your hand, heading out the door after Sarah.

_______

Tommy comes over around 8:00 that evening, after Sarah’s in bed following another chapter of James and the Giant Peach. He lets himself in, joining Joel in the kitchen where he’s cleaning up after dinner.

“Where ya off to this late, old man?” Tommy asks, opening the freezer and peering inside. “No ice cream?”

“Get outta my fridge,” Joel snaps, whacking him with the dish towel in his hands. “And none of your business, nosy lil shit.”

Tommy holds his hands up in surrender. “Geez, touchy.”

“I’ll be back in a few hours. Don’t go riflin’ through the pantry, either, I already hid the cookies.”

Tommy’s annoyed groan follows him out the door. In the truck, he finds your name in his contacts and opens a new text thread.

On my way.

_______

Your phone chimes on the coffee table, screen lighting with a message notification from Joel letting you know he’s on his way. It’s the first time he’s ever contacted you by phone, and you smile down at the brand new text thread despite the dry, no nonsense message.

You fight the urge to reply, fidgeting in your seat with nerves. You have nothing else to focus your attention on as you wait for Joel to show up. You’ve already cleaned up after dinner and your second glass of wine sits on the coffee table. You’ve changed into your pajamas, a pair of sleep shorts and an oversized UT t-shirt you’d stolen from an ex-boyfriend.

The man himself puts you out of your misery with a soft knock at your front door. You open it to find Joel standing there in another pair of jeans, dark wash instead of the light wash work pair he usually wears, and a soft looking flannel, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans.

“Hey,” he says, shifting his weight from foot to foot. His eyes roam your body, every place they linger tingling under his gaze. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah, of course. I’m surprised you didn’t just use the key.”

“Key is for the job. This ain’t part of the job.”

“Right,” you mumble, trailing behind him as he heads for the kitchen. “You want anything to drink? I’ve got beer.”

“Sure.”

You grab a can from the fridge and carry it with you to the living room, setting it beside your glass of wine on the coffee table. You take a seat, folding your legs under you. Joel stands near the doorway, like he’s not sure whether to sit or make an escape.

Finally, he joins you on the couch, a healthy cushion length of distance between your bodies. He smooths his palms over his thighs before grabbing the can of beer and popping the top.

“So…you want to talk?” You ask, breaking the tense silence. He sighs.

“I wanted to apologize. For what happened the other day,” he says, staring at the can of beer like it’ll say the words for him. “I shouldn’t have left you like that. After.”

You remain quiet. It had been shitty, getting left behind, all the adrenaline leaving your body and making you feel untethered. You’d cleaned yourself up and hidden in your room the rest of the afternoon, curled up in your bed.

“I don’t know what I’m doin’ here,” he confesses.

“Sure felt like you knew what you were doing,” you comment. Your smile is smug as you watch his cheeks heat.

“What I mean is,” he continues, throwing you a sharp look that reminds you of the one he’d used on Sarah that afternoon, “I don’t know what you’d want with a guy like me, baby. You’re goin’ back to school in a month, you’ve got dreams and goals I couldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, and you’re just a kid—“

“Don’t call me kid, Joel. I’m a grown fuckin’ woman, and I don’t need you making choices for me out of your own guilt.”

Joel clenches his jaw, his grip on the can of beer going tight enough to dent the aluminum.

“I don’t feel guilty about wanting you, Joel. I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal about it. We don’t have to define anything, we just…go at this with no rules. See what happens.” You shuffle closer to him, walking across the cushions on your knees until you’re kneeling beside him.

“No rules?” He asks. You can practically taste your victory.

You lean closer, bringing your palm up to turn his face towards you, his lips parting slightly as his eyes search yours.

“No rules,” you whisper.

________

This didn’t go at all as Joel had planned. He’d been intent on coming over here, apologizing for his behavior, and explaining that he wouldn’t be sending you any further mixed signals. That all of this had to stop.

But instead, he’s wrapping an arm around your waist and hauling you into his lap, his lips pressed to yours to swallow your gasp. His hands shift the long hem of your shirt out of his way so that he can grip your ass and drag you closer.

Your fingers find the buttons of his shirt, fumbling to get them undone. Your mouth leaves his to plant kisses to his jaw and down his neck, your teeth nipping as you go. Joel groans your name, his hips flexing as you push apart his shirt to expose his chest to your greedy hands.

Your nails scrape down his pecs, catching on his nipples and making him hiss, his head dropping back against the back of the couch.

Your weight leaves his lap and he looks up, ready to complain and haul your ass back where it belongs. But you’re dropping to your knees between his spread legs and looking up at him through your lashes as your hands smooth up his thighs.

“I want you in my mouth, Joel,” you tell him, voice pitched low. “I think about it a lot. What it would be like to suck your cock.”

“God, baby, I think about it, too,” Joel confesses, hips thrusting as you undo his belt and fly. He helps you shove his pants down far enough that his cock springs free, slapping lewdly against his stomach. “Put your mouth on me, sweetheart.”

Joel should have known you wouldn’t make this easy. You don’t listen to his plea. Instead, you wrap your delicate little hand around his throbbing length and give it a few leisurely pumps that have him gritting his teeth.

Then, holding his dick steady, you lean forward to grace him with just one little kitten lick to his head, tongue swiping through the bead of precum that’s already pooled at the slit. Your eyelids flutter and you hum appreciatively and Joel has to fucking will himself not to come all over your pretty face.

“You’re such a lil fuckin’ tease, aren’t ya,” he bites out. You give him your most saccharine smile, the mischievous glint in your eye unmistakable.

He places a hand on your head, fingers flexing against your scalp but not pressing or directing. No, this is your show and he knows that.

You lick up the underside of his cock before finally, finally taking him into your mouth. He groans at the sensation, the tight wet heat the best thing he’s ever felt.

At least for now.

You show him no mercy, taking him as far back into your throat as you can before coming up for air and circling the head with your tongue before diving back down. You gag a couple times, each time making your throat tighten around the head of his cock and making him moan out your name.

Joel catches movement below and lifts his head further to see your hand wiggle its way into those little sleep shorts you’re wearing. “Are you wet, baby? Did you soak yourself just sucking my cock?”

You nod, mouth too full to respond with words. You look so goddamn pretty with your mouth stretched around his thick length, your lashes wet with tears.

“You wanna come with me, sweet girl?” You nod. “Listen to me, then. Slide just one finger into that pretty cunt for me, okay?”

You nod again, doing as you’re told. He can’t see anything past this giant t-shirt you’re wearing and he growls in frustration.

“Bet that feels good, huh, darlin’? Ridin’ your fingers with my cock stuffed down your throat. Add another finger for me, that’s it.” You moan around his length, the vibrations nearly sending him over the edge.

“Can you take a third finger for me? We gotta get you nice and stretched if you’re gonna take my cock someday soon.” You give a little whimper as your motions pause while you work a third finger into your pussy. “That’s it, Christ, you look like fuckin’ sin, sweetheart.”

Eyes shut, you work your hand in the same rhythm as your mouth. When you start to get sloppy, Joel begins to thrust into your mouth.

“Focus on yourself, that’s it. You just worry about makin’ yourself come all over your fingers and I’ll worry about fillin’ this gorgeous fuckin’ mouth.”

With your other hand free, you use it to rub fast circles on your clit. It only takes Joel a few shallow thrusts before he’s spilling down your throat and you’re swallowing around him as you reach your own peak and crash through the ecstasy.

Joel waits until your limbs start to go limp before hauling you back into his lap, wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug.

“Wow,” you mumble against his shoulder, making him grin. You pull back to look at him and Joel hates the bit of fear hiding in the back of your gaze. “You don’t…have to leave right now, right?”

“No, baby, I can stay with you a bit longer.”

Joel’s fingers scratch lightly down your back, making you wiggle appreciatively. He fiddles with the hem of your shirt.

“Where’s this shirt from?” He asks innocently.

“Oh, it’s an ex’s shirt,” you murmur sleepily. Joel hums.

“Maybe I have one rule,” Joel says just as you’re nodding off.

“Hmm?”

“We’re getting rid of this fuckin’ shirt.”

[uhohwhathaveidone]

Hi! This is my first request ever haha and I love your writing. I was wondering if you could do one where Sebastian has just used Crucio on the reader (fem!reader if that’s okay, but I don’t mind!) but they don’t quite recover? And Sebastian takes them back to get help - maybe from Professor Sharp - but the reader mumbles something about having feelings for him as they’re being healed? I can imagine they’d be trying to defend him too seeing as he cast the spell. Just fluffy (and pretty angsty because imaginably the reader would be in a lot of pain). Thank you ☺️

A hurt/comfort? Sign me up!

For You (S.S)

I'm hoping to get more pudding soon, maybe jell-o? Anyway, a hurt/comfort fic where Sebastian has to use the curse on the reader is one of my favourite things, because you don't really know what people feel when they get hit with something like that. But I wrote it, so here's your heads up on broken bones, blood, numbness, pain in general, especially in the head, possible near-death(ehe). Sebastian is very stressed. Sharp is here and he's not happy, what are you two doing? Poor Ominis though :(

You stood with Sebastian and Ominis in front of the inmoving door, discussing how to open it. No matter how hard they pushed or pulled, it didn’t budge. “This is impossible, just look at this place!” Sebastian sighed, motioning to the locked door behind you. Someone had died in here, alone and with no escape. You worried that it would be the three of you to be stuck in there next, never found until someone comes poking their nose into the Dark Arts. Ominis stood in a corner, racking his brain for the answer. “There must be some way, why else would there be a door here?” You asked, walking back over to the dark door, and inspecting it. There was no keyhole, no way to wedge something into its side and pry it open.

You sighed again as you looked over to where Noctua, the person who visited before you, and died, had lay alone, noticing a piece of paper sitting on the ground. You looked at it curiously, crouching down and picking it up. “It says here that she was also trapped here, but there was a way out.” You read, walking over to the door once again as you kept reading. “Even if she was willing, she was alone and wouldn’t be able to use the spell to escape.” Sebastian’s face lit up and walked over to you. “What spell? Surely, she wrote it down.” You nodded, brows furrowed as you read on. Ominis had made his way over, hoping to leave the room as soon as possible. You reached the bottom of the page, eyes widening as you looked up at Sebastian. “Well? What spell?” You read the last line again, confirming what you had read. “Crucio.”

“One of the Unforgivables.” Ominis whispered, backing away. Sebastian furrowed his brow. “Why was she unable to cast it?” You read through the note again, putting the pieces together. “It has to be casted on someone, but not yourself.” Your eyes darkened, knowing that the only way to escape was to hurt someone, and you watched Ominis back away even more. “I won’t be a part of this, I refuse.” He says, returning to his original corner, shaking his head. You looked up at Sebastian, a look of sorrow filled his eyes. “That means one of us will have to cast it.” You nodded sadly, looking down at your feet.

“Cast it on me.” You looked up, shocked. Sebastian stood, his mind made up that he would be the one to go through whatever pain it may be. You shook your head, “Absolutely not. Do you know how painful that spell is? Who knows what will happen!” You argued, crossing your arms. Sebastian shook his head, “Clearly. But do we have any other choice?” You sighed, looking down at your hands. “We have another choice. You could cast it on me.” Ominis looked over, concerned. Sebastian’s eyes widened as he shook his head frantically. “No, I won’t do that.” “You must. Or else we’ll be stuck here until we die.”

“She’s right, Sebastian.” Ominis chimed in. Sebastian scoffed, turning to his friend. “Stay out of this, Ominis. You’re not part of this, remember?” Ominis hung his head, muttering something you couldn’t hear. Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair as he paced in a circle. “You won’t cast it?” He asked, looking at you, seemingly pleading with you. You shook your head, determined. “This is crazy. Insane. I shan’t.” “You shall.” Sebastian felt his eyes water, unable to break your determined stare. “You have to do it, Sebastian.” He sighed, walking over to you. “Are you sure?” You nodded, sealing the deal. Sebastian’s gaze softened as he wrapped his arm around you. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I know.”

Sebastian stood away from you, readying his wand. You prepare yourself mentally, trying to clear your mind of what you might go through, going through breathing exercises to calm your nerves. Sebastian took a breath in, giving you a look telling you that you could still back out. You nodded, squinting your eyes in preparation as he raised his wand. “Crucio!” You felt a wave of hot air wash over you, seeping into your skin and burning your whole body. You screamed as you dropped to the ground, your legs feeling like jelly as your blood seemingly boiled. It felt as if all your bones had been broken, only to be mended again and broken right after. Each beat your heart made went straight to your head, feeling as if nails were being driven into your skull. Your blood seemed to get hotter the longer the curse went on, lava seemingly coursing through your veins and out your eyes as you wept in pain. You felt as if you couldn’t breathe, the feeling of your lungs being squeezed caused you to gasp for air as you laid on the cobbled ground.

Sebastian stood there, eyes wide as tears slipped down his cheeks as he watched you in horror. Sebastian tried to cover his ears, unable to block out your screams. Sebastian whispers a string of apologies as he kneels, afraid to touch you in case it caused you more pain. Your ears ring as you feel the pain begin to subside, leaving you numb. Sebastian looked up to see the door begin to open, slowly and agonizingly. Red continued to travel along your body as the curse ran its final course, soon dissipating and leaving you there. Sebastian released the breath he was holding, placing a hand on your shoulder, smiling. “It’s over! The door opened!” Ominis walked over, standing beside Sebastian as he shook your shoulder once again. You stayed unmoving, the ringing in your ear causing your head to spin as you tried to gather your thoughts. When you felt that the pain was over, you tried to open your eyes, only to be greeted with darkness. Were your eyes even open?

The feeling felt familiar, as if you had experienced the situation before. You couldn’t move, unable to speak, unable to tell Sebastian that something was wrong. “Hey, come on, you need to get up now!” Sebastian said, his increasing worry turning to dread. Ominis felt his chest tighten, unsure what was happening, only hearing Sebastian as he began to plea with you. “Is she…ok?” He asked, grabbing Sebastian’s shoulder, and guiding himself onto the ground. “Does it sound like she’s ok?” Sebastian snapped, rolling you over onto your back. Panic only rose as he searched for a pulse, finding it as it faintly kept you alive. “The spell isn’t supposed to do this. That’s not how the spell was supposed to work!” He shouted frantically, moving his arms under you and lifting you up. Ominis stood, unsure what to do next. All he could do was dread, uttering a single sentence. “Is she dead?”

Sebastian didn’t respond as he hurried to the door they came in, now unlocked as well, and raced through everything they worked hard to get through. Ominis followed behind, cautious of his disadvantage while trying to keep up. Sebastian didn’t care if Ominis was behind him or not, his mind blurred as he raced his way to the infirmary, desperate to get you help. He turned into a nearby hall, nearly running into Professor Sharp, who looked at Sebastian in shock. “Mr. Sallow, what on earth are you doing?” Sebastian gasped for air, nearly dropping to his near in exhaustion. Sharp quickly noticed the state you were in and took you from Sebastian’s arms. “What happened to her?” He asked, speeding down the hall, Sebastian in tow. Sebastian could barely speak, uttering a few coherent words before gasping for breath again. “I don’t know…I don’t know.” “You must know something!”

You began to get feeling back in your face, specifically your forehead, with burned in pain. You twitched in Sharp’s arms, trying to say something. Sharp quickly looked down, examining your face as it contorted in a mix of pain and confusion. “We’re running out of time, hurry now!” Sebastian’s legs burned as he tried to keep up with the professor’s long strides, seeing the infirmary doors come into view. Sharp flew the doors open, startling the nurse on duty as she folded a sheet. Seeing a limp student in his arms, she quickly abandoned the sheet and pointed to a bed, grabbing her wand and a handful of potions. Sharp set you down, telling the nurse that something had happened, but Sebastian was unable to say what it was.

You struggled to move, feeling the nurse pouring different kinds of potions into your mouth, trying to listen to what was going on around you. “You need to tell me what happened, now!” You could hear Sharp begin to yell at Sebastian, and your mind began to fill with a painful panic. If Sebastian told him the truth, he would be sent to Azkaban, never to be let out. But if he didn’t, he would be in even bigger trouble; obstruction of justice was also a criminal offense. You could hear Sebastian stutter, and you mustered your strength to try and explain, the potions that coated your throat soothing your head and allowing you to finally feel your toes. “Dueling…accident.” It was the first thing you thought of, knowing that the consequences would only be detention, not imprisonment. Sharp and Sebastian looked over at you, Sharp moving closer to hear you. “Take it easy. What did you say?”

“We we’re having a friendly duel. Got out of hand.” You spoke, inhaling deeply and opening your eyes. Sharp narrowed his eyes, unsure if you were telling the truth. Sebastian nodded behind him, quickly backing you up. “Yeah, we were dueling. One of my spells hit something hanging on the wall, it fell and hit her in the head. Can’t you see the gash?” You furrowed your brows, slowly raising your arm and touching your temple. You pulled your hand back and stared at the blood that sat on your fingertips, warm against your cold skin. The nurse took your hand and quickly wiped your fingers, muttering not to touch your head until she could heal it. Sharp sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, turning to walk away. “I’ll deal with you two later.”

Sebastian watched as the nurse finished up her inspection, checking to make sure each limb was mobile and moving right, making sure your coordination was fine, and that you would overall be in near perfect health. She sighed as she left you, returning items back where they belonged and returning to her previous task. You sat up with a groan, looking up at Sebastian. He had tears in his eyes and a frown on his face, reaching down to take your hand in his. You tried to smile at him, hoping to break the tension. His gaze softened as he sat in the chair next to the bed, head hung.

“Why did this happen?” He asked, mainly to himself. You gave his hand a squeeze as he continued. “Why didn’t you just cast it on me? It shouldn’t have been you.” You furrowed your brows, “Why not? I wouldn’t cast it on you. It was the only way.” He looked up at you, a small trail of tears damping his cheeks. “But it wasn’t. You should have just used it on me.” You shook your head, “I would never forgive myself if I did. I would never put you through that pain.” Sebastian narrowed his gaze, “Why? Why are you willing to go through that pain instead?” You pursed your lips, looking down at where you were holding hands. “I did it for you.” “But why?” You glared at Sebastian, not believing that he could be that oblivious.

Sebastian continued to stare at you, confused, until you leaned over and kissed the top of his head. His face lit up as you turned away, trying to hide the pink that began to dust your cheeks. “Oh- I…you know?” He stuttered, and you couldn’t help but laugh. Eventually, Sebastian was able to get out a coherent sentence as he helped you out of the bed. “Me too. Uh, to…you know?” You nodded your head as you kept a hold of his hand, walking out of the infirmary.

Ominis met you a minute later, huffing as he tried to catch his breath. “Is…is she…okay?” He asked though gasps of air, and you tried not to laugh, knowing how hard it must have been to try and run over. “Yeah, I’m fine now.” You responded, watching as Ominis’ chest deflated in a sigh of relief. “Good…that’s good.” Sebastian patted his back as the three of you walked down the hall. “Let’s not do that again anytime soon.” Sebastian said, Ominis nodding in agreement. You pretended to be deep in thought, letting out a hum. “I was thinking that we go back tomorrow.” “Absolutely not!” “You guys do know you now have detention, right?” “How do you know that?” “Bumped into Professor Sharp, told me to let you two know.” “Dammit!”

[uc1wa]

hi girl!!!

i read your fics and i gotta say i LOVE your writing style its just 🤌✨🥹🥹

hope it’s not too much but since requests are open i was thinking reader in an established relationship with dick and being besties w jason and dick being a jealous lil shit🤭

OR maybe the other way around? idk i just love them batboys😩

don’t feel pressured to write this or anything!! just have fun and stick around. ill read anything you write anyway

lots of love ~ 🫧

HELLO?? THANK YOU SM this is so cute yes yes absolutely, thank you for the support you’re so cute :((

tags: alcohol, kissing

if a sane person had looked at the way dick was holding his glass right now, they’d fear for their life. his knuckles turning white as they held onto the glass that had an ounce of whiskey in it.

his blue eyes were dramatically dark as he watched his brother tap your shoulder from the small dance floor at the bar you all occupied that night. handing you the fruity drink of your choice, which you took with a ‘thank you.’

you looked over to your long term boyfriend now, smiling widely, which he could only smile back to. his eyes upturning with crows feet in the corners.

"i could’ve given her that, y’know?" he says to jason as soon as he comes back to take the seat he was sitting in before. and jason chuckles, "it was sitting there."

"i obviously didn’t see it," he huffs. dick isn’t jealous of his brother, he would never be. have you seen the man you called your boyfriend? he was toned, tanned, and had the prettiest face you could’ve ever seen. he was jealous of your guys relationship—like a high schooler. because he’s supposed to be the only guy who goes out of his way for you, not his little brother too.

meanwhile you’re in your own little world, making friends with locals who must live on the street that your apartments on and dancing with them, sipping the drink that dick had ordered for you and jason had brought to you. only looking at you, dick can only smile to himself. you were his type as much as he was yours, and watching you move so freely despite the rough work week makes some small butterflies fly around his stomach.

jason had moved into yours and dick’s spare bedroom a few months ago, claiming to be a temporary move. and he wasn’t lying, he was actively looking, but he had already found comfort in the bedroom that was his for the time being.

and at first it was so nice to see you and jason get along. you meshed well with everyone, and were already on good terms with him, so it was just natural that everything had worked out. until dick started keeping too close of an eye on things that started pissing him off. things that everyone else in the world would argue is normal. he wasn’t used to you being so close with another person that wasn’t him.

dick rolls his eyes at jason in the bar, leaving his cup beside his taller brother and going towards you with a tight grin. "hey, pretty girl. come here often?" he teases as he slides an arm around your back, coming to your front and holding your hips. you laugh, one arm moving to hold dick’s neck.

and jason has realized dick has been getting jealous and thinks it is the funniest thing to happen, it’s the source of amusement in the group chats with his friends. he catches dick’s eye, which then proceeds to roll and look back down at you.

that makes your boyfriend’s grip tighten and your body’s get closer, leaning down to whisper to you. "you look really good tonight, making me want to take you back to our room," where jealousy plays, so does possession and you smirk, leaning in to press a short kiss to his lips.

"if you make me go home now, i’m gonna be pissed at you," now it’s dick’s turn to laugh, making sure that you and him are in jason’s view. "wouldn’t dream of it, baby," he presses another kiss to your lips, this one longer before pulling away and continuing to dance with you, body’s touching and smiles wide.

small words of banter and laughter are spilled between the two of you while you continue dancing. your body moving in rhythm with dick’s to the sound of the music playing in the local bar.

"we should’ve eaten before we left," you say, finishing your drink and setting it on a high top table beside you, going back to dick immediately. "i’m gonna ask jason to make his ramen when we get back, that sounds good as hell right now."

and dick’s eyes narrow in a way that says ‘really?’ without needing to move his lips. "or i can make you something," he says, his hand holding tight on your waist. "i can cook so much better than him," and you know that, but jason’s ramen is the perfect drunk food. "i eat your cooking every day baby, don’t you want jason’s greasy ramen? i know you do."

he does, but like hell he’s going to say that. instead, he’ll figure out the sauces jason puts in it so that he can be the one to make it for you now on, no more asking his little brother for anything. (until you and jason plan to get on dick’s nerves again, purposely).

[priincebutt]

🖤 for firstprince please and thank you 🤭🤭🤭🤭

🖤 kissing while crying / goodbye kiss / desperation -- send a heart get a snip

“They’re sending me to Earth.”

The words sit between Alex and Henry, heavy and present, like there’s another person at the table with them. Alex’s mind tries to catch up with what Henry’s just said, but his expression is one of pure bewilderment. He reaches for Henry before remembering the guard monitoring their meeting, and thinks better of it. Last time he’d tried to touch his boyfriend he’d been physically escorted out and given a warning: if he did it again, he wouldn’t be able to continue visiting.

“I’m sorry, what?” Alex asks, his voice thick with the confusion that forms his brow into a little v of worry. He leans forward and clasps his hands in his lap, determined to keep his cool. “Earth is uninhabitable. That’s what they’ve always told us. They can’t just… Just because you’re a prisoner doesn’t mean you deserve to be sent to die!”

His last word rings out and Henry flinches away from it. The guard shoots Alex a furtive look but goes back to reading on his tablet, probably the latest news ping that held the report on the oxygen levels lowering, on how they’re running out of time and if the station can’t figure something out soon, there won’t be any hope. A whole civilization, snuffed out in space, another dying star in their own right.

“Research shows that after 100 years the Earth’s atmosphere should have corrected itself. They’re hoping this is the answer to the… the crisis.” Henry swallows thickly and looks away, then finally meets Alex’s gaze again. “My dad discovered the oxygen crisis. He wanted to tell the whole ship and that’s why they floated him. Now everyone knows anyway, and they’re trying to remediate it by sending us down as the test dummies. See if we can survive, if all of the radioactivity and poison is gone from the air.” Henry’s words are brittle with anger. He’d been arrested for being in alliance with his father, helping him crunch the numbers and uncover the ugly underbelly of secrets the Chancellor had been keeping from everyone. Henry’s father, an adult, was immediately killed, sent into space with no gear or oxygen to become a part of the universe again. Henry, being under 18 and still a child in the law’s eyes, became a prisoner to be re-evaluated on his 18th birthday.

It’s only days away, and he won’t even be on this ship to see it. He’ll spend his eighteenth birthday on Earth. And while he’s terrified to leave Alex and his mother and family behind, the thought of this new adventure… well. It kind of thrills him.

“Henry, you can’t go. What am I going to do? You’re going to die down there and I’m just going to have to sit here and live with that? You can’t go.”

“I don’t really have a choice, Alex,” Henry points out calmly. He understands why Alex is upset, but there’s nothing they can do now. The deed has been done. He’s going to Earth.

The guard stands from his chair and looks down at his watch. “Time’s up, you two. Out you go, Claremont-Diaz.” “Just like, five more minutes? Please?” Alex asks hopefully, and finally his hand reaches for Henry’s. When their fingers interlock he squeezes, and Henry feels tears prick at his eyes. He feels guilt for excitement for the upcoming journey to Earth, and a deep sadness over what he’s leaving behind. This has all happened so suddenly, they’d only told him he was going this morning.

“Sorry, no can do. You’re lucky your Ma is who she is and you even get to be here,” he points out. Most prisoners aren’t given any kind of visitation rights, but since Henry’s dad was one of the top scientists who kept this whole space ship up and running, and Alex’s mom’s position as a higher up in their shoddy government system, they’d gotten around it.

Henry can see the panic flickering across Alex’s face, and he squeezes his hand again, pulling Alex’s attention back to him. “Hey. Hey, Alex? It’s going to be ok. Look at me.” Alex’s dark eyes meet Henry’s, and Henry’s free hand comes to rest on his stubbled cheek. Alex’s chest rises and falls on his heavy breathing, and Henry knows he’s on the verge of a panic attack by how far off his gaze is. “It’s all going to be ok,” Henry says with a weak smile.

“Stay alive. Wait for me. I’ll be on the first ship out of this hell hole,” Alex mumbles softly. He lets out a sigh and presses their foreheads together, and the guard starts to say something, but Alex ignores him. If this is the last time he’s going to see Henry, he’s going to make it worth it.

The tears that welled in Henry’s eyes fall as Alex presses their lips together. It’s been months since he’s been kissed, and Henry melts into Alex, lets himself forget that this is maybe (probably) the last time they’ll touch like this. His fingers tangle in Alex’s hair as Alex’s hand rests on his waist, and for a moment they just exist, just the two of them, with nothing to split them apart.

But then Henry’s being wrenched back by his shoulder, and he curses as the guard fastens restraints around his wrists and forcefully pushes him back towards his cell.

“Wait for me!” Alex calls as another guard escorts him out. Henry loathes the desperation, the wetness on his face, this whole situation. It’s all shit. And now he’s got to go to Earth and fucking survive for Alex. He just has to make it long enough for them to be together again.

[like-a-bantha]

Lost/Loss

Summary: Everything changed after Eriadu. Hunter becomes withdrawn, and you can't help but worry about him. You do what you can to show him you're there for him.

Pairing: Hunter/GN Reader (No Y/N, no descriptions of reader's appearance)

Rating: T

Warnings: Angst, mentions of major character death

Word Count: 1.7k

AO3 | Masterlist

One week of radio silence. Our contact was supposed to get back to us five days ago with intel on Hemlock and his captives. Instead, we’ve sat around on Pabu tensely awaiting a holocall that we’re beginning to lose hope in receiving.

Phee was kind enough to offer us room in her home, and free reign of her holotable, to act as a sort of base. It’s been quieter since we were last gathered around this table. The usual boisterous laughter and interrupted rants replaced with worried silence broken every so often by a sea breeze that no longer carries the joyous sound of Omega and Lyana playing just outside. That mission, Hemlock, the Empire, took so much from us; it’s taken an incredible amount of effort from Hunter, Wrecker, and I to not allow these forces working against us to take our hope on top of it all.

Echo and Rex referred us to this contact not long ago, someone who they’d worked closely with during the war, someone they trust. I commed Echo. Hunter advised against it, said it wasn’t worth it, that all we could do now was wait. I snuck out to the Marauder to use the long distance com anyways. Of course, the conversation was brief, and he has as much information as we do. Sit tight. Waiting game. All that.

“How’re they holding up?” His voice low, even with the volume adjusted to its highest setting. He’d mentioned returning to Coruscant last time we spoke, it must be the middle of the night there. We always did have terrible sleeping schedules.

“Not well, but I mean…” I trail off, we both know the reason, we both hold some foolish hope that not saying it will make it less true, “They miss you.”

“But you don’t?” There’s that sass, that glint of normalcy I’ve both craved and feared these past two months.

A laugh escapes me as if on instinct, it sounds foreign, “Nah, thought I’d never shake you. So clingy.”

“You’re one to talk, you do realize it’s 0100 here?”

This, our shared brand of humor and sarcasm, too, feels so distant to me now. Slowly, it comes back to me, “Oh, I’m so sorry, did I wake you up? Were you sleeping?” 

“Like a baby.” His warm chuckle crackles through the com speaker, and mine through his. The silence that follows is warm, easing his way into broaching the question, “I take it he’s distancing himself again?”

I sigh, a deep sigh only brought about by reality, “I get it, I really do — and, honestly as bad as it sounds, I wish I didn’t because this kriffing hurts — but withdrawing like this, I don’t know why he can’t see it’s only making the feeling worse.”

“Have you told him that?”

“‘Course. He just says something about how we can’t give up and stares at the holotable. I don’t want to give up, I can’t give up, I just hate seeing him like this.” 

Echo hums, but just as he begins to respond, static and unintelligible voices play loudly through the speaker. “I’m sorry, I’ve gotta go. Good luck.”

I nod, wiping at my misty eyes as I reach for the switch to end the transmission, “Be safe. Talk soon.”

Silence. Mournful, somber silence echoes through the lonely hull of the once lively ship. Everywhere my gaze falls sits a piece of their history, our history; one of Tech’s unfinished projects, a drawing of the ship Omega had called extra credit, Echo’s favorite brand of instant caf. Unable to withstand the weight of these memories, I decide to take my leave and the silence follows me back to the cottage.

I return to a rare sight: an empty house. No Wrecker sitting at the kitchen counter disassembling and reassembling explosives. No Phee asking him to take it outside. No Hunter hovering over the holotable awaiting a call. No com to tell me to hurry back, mustn’t have been an emergency.

I make my way over to the holotable, fingertips gliding across its rounded edge as I approach Hunter’s usual seat. When I pull out the chair, I’m met with a sight that would normally make me laugh. His shredded scarf that he’s grown so attached to, destroyed on our last mission to gather intel, along with his prized bandana that appears to have shrunken in the wash. The best I can muster is a bemused huff, taking the bundle of abused fabric into my arms as I sit. Suddenly, I’m struck with an idea. It could be a very stupid idea, of course, but a very good idea doesn’t always equate to a very smart idea. It’s a perspective thing and seeing as the only perspective available at the moment is my own, I figure I may as well get to it before more perspectives show up.

After careful work, I neatly fold remaining fabric and stash it in my pack with my tools; as the designated mender of the group, I know firsthand there is no such thing as too many fabric patches. Returning to the table, finished product tucked delicately in my vest pocket, approaching voices grow louder and louder.

“I’m telling you, it looks good! Stop fussing, leave it… yeah, like that,” Phee’s voice nears the door, and I’m sure I hear Hunter grumbling about something. The door whooshes open and my eyes widen with surprise. When I meet Phee’s gaze, she seems to silently plead for backup, “You’re back! What do you think?”

She gestures to an unamused Hunter, visibly fighting the urge to fidget with the hat he’s wearing. It doesn’t look bad on him, very few things would, but he doesn’t exactly look comfortable. Unwilling to hold the spotlight any longer, he grabs the floppy brim and removes it from his head, tossing the garment onto the table as he takes the seat next to me. Unable to help myself, I lean forward with a smile and run a hand through his slightly disheveled hair.

“That bad, huh?” Phee sighs, Wrecker following closely behind as she heads for the kitchen.

“I liked it,” The glee still empty from his voice, even at something that would’ve garnered one of his trademark laughs a few months ago.

“Me, too, big guy.” Phee sets a crate of groceries on the countertop. Wrecker’s taken to cooking. Though he’s been much quieter these days, Wrecker seems like himself again when he’s preparing a meal.

Hunter’s gaze is locked on the table, silences between us were never tense like this. When he speaks, he doesn’t look at me. “How’s Echo.”

It isn’t a question, more of a remark, maybe even an I told you so if I really read into it. I answer it like a question anyway, “Good, but no word from the contact.”

He hums. The silence that follows deems the told you so unnecessary.

I reach into my vest pocket. Now’s as good a time as any. “I made you something.”

He hums again, gaze flicking away from the table for half a second in question. Right now, that’s probably the best I’ll get. I place an open palm on the table before him. After a moment's hesitation he rests his hand atop mine, palm up, and I look to his eyes as I delicately drape a band of maroon fabric with thin gold stripes across his fingers.

Hunter’s expression is unreadable, regarding the gift silently. I bite my tongue, attempting to hold in any preemptive apologies in fear that I may have overstepped. My flat expression shifts only when I see his eyes begin to well up, before the first sorry can push past the floodgates he turns to me with the faintest smile. A smile I haven’t seen in too long. His grip tightens around the bandana as he rushes to pull me into a tight hug. Instantly, my arms wrap around him, tears forming in my own eyes. “I love it,” his voice low, he places a kiss on my temple, “thank you.”

“I’m sorry I can’t do more.” My voice comes out a whisper, all of the words I hold back seem louder. “We’re going to get them back, Hunter.”

“Not without a fight.” He says grimly, holding me tighter, as if he’ll lose me the second he lets go.

“I know,” I pull back to look into his eyes, my hand coming up to cup his tattooed cheek, “but we fight as a team. We can’t keep bottling all of this up, we need to take care of each other, ourselves.”

Hunter rests his forehead against mine as he sighs, “You’re right.”

“I know. How’re you feeling?” He shuts his eyes as my thumb gently ghosts back and forth over his cheekbone.

He thinks for a moment before releasing me, opening his palm to look at the bandana in his hand. “Lost,” he turns the garment over, examining the back, “Loss. I couldn’t protect them. You, Wrecker, Phee, you’re all I’ve got now and I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you either.”

“Tech protected us. Omega, too. I think it’s cruel to put that duty solely on yourself, Hunter. It’s an impossible weight to carry on your own,” A tear falls from my eye, quickly sliding down my cheek before landing on my pant leg, “please, let me carry some.”

“Giving it away doesn’t sound easy, either.” His own tears threaten to spill over, I hope I never get used to the subtle, somber shake in his voice, “But I’d like to try.”

When he looks up with a sad, weary smile, I can’t help but lean forward and place a small kiss to his lips. I begin to withdraw, but Hunter’s palm cups my cheek and pulls me back in for a longer, gentler and tearful kiss. This time, the silence that follows is peaceful as he rests his forehead against mine once more.

His loose hair falls around his face and I accidentally pull a few strands into my mouth as I inhale. He chuckles a bit as I pull away, a sound I’ve missed dearly. I can’t help but let out a small laugh of my own, reaching up to once again run a hand through his curls, “It’s gotten so long.”

Hunter smiles, turning the bandana over once more before presenting it to me, “Do the honors?”

With a smile and a nod, I take the cloth from his grasp, delicately wrapping the fabric around his head and tying a single knot.

“It’s perfect,” He places a soft kiss to my knuckles, taking my hand in his, “thank you.”

The holotable chirps. Incoming transmission.

A/N: Someone pointed out Hunter's hair looks longer, plus the new bandana, I just had to get this out of my system. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think, comments mean the world to me! <3