#brown l shaped couch

[wearesaintagnes]

Walk Out Basement Large transitional walk-out basement image with a dark wood floor and beige walls

[rafikirder]

Open Family Room Seattle Large transitional open concept family room with carpeted flooring, green walls, a brick fireplace, and a media wall.

[kennadeek]

New York Transitional Basement

Large transitional walk-out basement image with a dark wood floor and beige walls

[selenabuniverse]

JAMFLY Sectional L-Shaped #Sofa with Side Storage #Review

[lovelyyellowdress]

Traditional Living Room in Seattle Inspiration for a mid-sized, carpeted living room remodel in a traditional, loft-style design without a fireplace and television.

[lovesickhughes]

A NONSENSE CHRISTMAS — jack hughes x reader

a/n: hello again!! i am so sorry for the delay on publishing fics for the christmas collection! finals szn came and went and then i had major writer’s block last week, so that delayed my writing, BUT!! i am finally done exams and now back to regular scheduled programming. this is only my second smut piece, and i’m still figuring out my style and what i enjoy writing, so please beware and be kind! more to come soon, i hope you enjoy!!

tags: jack hughes x reader

warnings: 18+ material — oral (f!receiving), unprotected sex, praise kink (please lmk if i missed anything!)

word count: 3.8k

series masterlist

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Jack loved spoiling Y/n with gifts, despite her constant protests every time a random bouquet of flowers appeared on the dining room table after she got home from a day out, or how almost every time he would come home from a long away-game stretch; he’d greet her alongside a gift he had found during his time away. Y/n was greatly appreciative of his gift giving, and repeatedly told Jack ‘he didn’t have to,’ but all she would receive in return would be a shrug of his shoulders or a remark along the lines of he ‘did it because he wanted to.’

And she would have thought that over the years it would slowly dissipate, especially around the holidays– considering it was the season of giving and that was part of what Christmas entailed– but, here she was with a velvet red gift bag placed on her lap with holiday themed tissue paper. 

“Jack, what did I say this year about the random gifts?” Y/n softly whined, her voice filled with warmth.

The brunette snickered from across from her, seated in the corner of the L-shaped couch, the plush cushions engulfing his frame. As Y/n  looked over at him with her eyes squinted in skepticism, she took in his appearance, his body covered in a pair of black joggers, paired with a light brown hoodie that made him look as comfortable and cozy as he could be; his lucious brown hair was messy under his white baseball cap that he wore backwards on his head, the brown tips of his hair sticking out the sides and back.

“I know you said no surprise gifts before Christmas, but this one’s different,” he assured, raising his hand out to her. Y/n tilted her head to the side, even more concerned at what was waiting to be revealed. “We’re both going to like this one.” He continued with a small smirk on his face, his tongue toying with the inside of his lip as he attempted to contain his grin. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/n  asked, her voice hesitant as she anticipated the reveal, and all Jack gave was a reassuring nod to prompt her to open the gift. 

Delicately pulling the tissue paper out of the bag, she began to see what appeared to be a dark green box, and immediately her brows furrowed in confusion as to what it would be. Typically Y/n was able to identify any gift she received from any friend or family member, simply by the shape of the packaging, but from Jack, a narrow, medium sized box that contained something she was able to tell was light when she lifted it out of the bag, completely threw off her perception. 

Y/n had placed the gift bag on the floor, next to her feet and balled up the tissue paper, throwing it into the bag, balancing the covered box on her knees before her. Lifting the lid of the box and letting the hollow bottom slowly slide off as gravity pulled it down, she slowly placed the lid to the side and investigated what looked to be a piece of dark red fabric. 

Y/n looked up to Jack for answers through her eyes; narrow and brows pulled together in confusion, “and this is supposed to be…” Y/n trailed off, waiting for Jack to give her an answer.

“You’ll see, baby, just keep opening the gift.” He encouraged, now shifting himself forward to rest his elbows on his knees in anticipation for Y/n to figure out what he had gifted her with.

She shook her head with a smile breaking through her mouth at her giddy boyfriend who looked like a kid in a candy shop as he watched. Y/n’s eyes avert back down to the box, and she reaches for the fabric that was neatly folded in the velvet interior of the box. 

As she pulled the fabric out, holding it between two fingers, she let it fall out in length and immediately it was like a lightbulb had been lit in her mind, cluing into what he had gotten her as a present. 

Before her, Y/n held a new lingerie set. 

When she looked over to Jack, now holding the see-through lace, a proud, smug smirk had already erupted on his face as she came to the realization. 

“You got me lingerie?” She questioned to confirm what rested in her hands, still in disbelief at the surprising gesture. 

Jack nodded proudly, “Mhm, y’know I had been thinking that I don’t remember you having a red set,” he paused, his eyes darting up as he acted as if he was blissfully previewing the mental image of her in a revealing piece of lingerie, “and I thought red was a pretty festive colour, so why not give you an early Christmas gift.” Jack stated proudly, a wide grin on his face as he quickly swept off his backwards hat to run a hand through his hair. 

For whatever reason that she couldn’t quite pinpoint, the smug, ego-filled look on Jack’s face rubbed her in a way that a craving for revenge started to erupt through her veins. He thought he could be sneaky enough to get her all flustered with the romantic gesture, that she wouldn’t know what to do with it or herself, but unbeknownst to Jack, in that moment she wanted nothing more than to get back at him, and have him a stuttering, breathless mess. 

“Thank you, J, it’s beautiful.” Y/n thanked with a soft, sweet voice, blinking her eyes in his direction with a bit more emphasis than usual. 

“Of course, babe, anything for you.” He mumbled as he came in to plant a wet kiss on her cheek. 

Quickly, Y/n turned her head to his, reaching her own hand to his jaw to stop him from turning away before she meet his lips, placing an intimate kiss filled with electricity on his soft lips. 

“Why don’t you stay here for just a sec, babe, I wanna see if this fits, then if I need a different size, we can get a different one.” Y/n said as she gave him another quick peck to the lips and raised a hand to rub his broad chest, feeling the toned muscles under the fabric of his hoodie. 

Jack hummed in approval before leaning back onto the couch with his hands placed behind his head to support his neck as he slowly watched her get up from the couch, feeling his gaze bleed through her as she walked down the hallway to the shared bedroom to change. 

While discarding her current clothes and slipping on the red lace, Y/n mentally cursed Jack for being almost too thoughtful, both of them knowing he knew the exact size she needed. But, Y/n didn’t want to let him get away that easy; to think he had won this unspoken battle of who would unfold first, so to heat the moment up, she quickly padded over to her bed, crawling onto the cushiony mattress and sprawled out on the plush duvet cover, posing in a way Y/n knew would catch Jack’s attention. 

“Hey, Jack! Can you come and help me? I can’t get this last clasp.” She called out to Jack who still was seated in the living room, waiting for her grand reveal. Y/n bit her lip in excitement as she heard his sock-clad feet pad along the hardwood floor, the sound increasingly getting louder the closer he got to the room, her blood vibrated with anticipation and lust as she knew the consequences of her actions that were about to come for teasing Jack. 

“You sure there’s a clasp, babe? I didn’t think–” Jack started as he turned into the bedroom, his voice immediately coming to a halt when he came face to face with Y/n posed on the bed, in the lace outfit that barely covered her body. “Oh.” Was all Jack said as he stood in place next to the door, arms dropped to his sides with his eyebrows raised in surprise. 

Y/n pulled herself up to her knees and faced Jack’s frame from the bed, her arms attempting to reach behind her body. “Yeah, I thought y’know, there was a clasp near the bra area I needed to do up when I put it on… I can’t seem to get it though…” Y/n trailed off, giving Jack a different energy as she batted her eyelashes in his direction and biting the inside of her lip. 

Jack had a different expression on his face now, one that was more lustful, his eyes seemed more dark with hunger, and she watched as his tongue trailed his bottom lip as his eyes never left hers. He slowly inched forward, quickly pulling off his hat to reveal his messy– but perfect– brown curls, and when he reached the side of the bed, closest to where Y/n sat, his arms reached out to her, while his fingers slowly danced on the side of her torso and pulling Y/n to turn around and have her back to him. 

“Why don’t you let me help with that then,” Jack said alluringly, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. Y/n’s body was now flush against Jack’s broad chest before he delicately leaned her forward to investigate the back of the lingerie piece, and her hands caught her weight, placing them on either side of her knees that were bent underneath her frame. 

Y/n’s breaths had changed their rhythm, now more slow but jagged as she focused on the feeling of Jack’s calloused hands slowly rubbing up and down her sides as he looked for the mentioned clasp. She could even hear his own deep breathing, each of them not needing words to explain how either of them were feeling. 

Jack hummed slowly, “Hmm, doesn’t seem like there is one.”

Y/n turned back around to face him, his figure towering over her as she looked up at him from the bed. “Oh, well that’s okay, it still fits amazing,” She assured, before a smirk pulled to her face, “what do you think, J?” She asked slowly as she dragged out the question, knowing her seductive tactics were becoming more effective. 

Jack snickered to himself, his tongue toying with the inside of his cheek and his one hand finding its place on her hip, tightly gripping the exposed skin. 

“I mean, baby, this is…” he trailed off, not being able to formulate the correct words to describe his feeling, “wow, I mean– you look stunning… I can’t even put it into words, you’re just making me think all kinds of nonsense right now.” He said as his thumb rubbed small circles on her hip bone, making butterflies erupt all throughout her body. He let out a breath, “I can’t even begin to explain what this is doing to me– and what I want to do to you– you are just… fuck, you are so gorgeous, babe.” He exasperated and Y/n smiled to herself, knowing her attempts at making him flustered were working in her favour.

“Well, why don’t you just show me what this is making you want to do to me?” She asked softly, her own hand reaching up to the side of his face to caress his cheek and jawline. Jack leaned into her touch, a small chuckle falling off his tongue as he smiled with his eyes closed. 

“Oh yeah?” Jack questioned. 

It wasn’t long until his eyes were back on Y/n, filled with lust and determination as he leaned down to place a kiss on her lips. This kiss was different, though. It was filled with desire, the type of kiss that was addictive and caused her to crave more and more. Y/n’s breath hitched as Jack deepened the kiss, her hands balancing her weight as she leaned back onto them as Jack continued to lean forward into the kiss, his hands finding either side of her face. Jack continued to kiss Y/n with need, his tongue sliding over her bottom lip before slipping into her mouth and dancing with her own, earning a moan to fall from her throat. 

Jack pulled away to stare into Y/n’s eyes, his lips now a darker shade of pink; swollen and wet from the contact with hers. His hands that were on her face, now trailed down to her waist, guiding Y/n farther back on the mattress as he followed to hover over her frame. He stood on his knees above her, Y/n’s legs trapped between his as she watched his every move. He reached for the hem of his hoodie with either arm, crossing his hands and swiftly pulling off the fabric to reveal his toned body. 

He reached back down to her figure, his lips finding hers once again as his hands were placed on either side of her shoulders to hold himself over. His one hand lifted to come to Y/n’s side, gripping her skin with his calloused hand, earning a response from her body as her back arched, pushing her closer to his frame. 

Jack pulled away from Y/n’s lips, earning a whine from her at the loss of contact before his lips attached to her jawline, kissing upward towards her ear with soft, slow kisses against the skin. When he reached her ear, she could hear his staggered breath as his lips reached for just below her ear, placing a long, wet kiss on the sensitive spot, making sure to suck lightly before making his way down her neckline. 

When he reached her collarbone and gave it the desired amount of kisses, he pulled away, looking up to Y/n who had never let her eyes drift away from his movements. He quickly leaned in for a peck to the lips before his hands found their way to each of the straps on the lingerie. 

“Y’know, as much as I love this set on you, baby,” he began, his fingers hooking under the shoulder straps, “fuck, is it ever making me want to rip it off of you.” He chuckled. Y/n smiled to herself as she watched Jack slide the red lace off of her figure, pulling it past her arms and down her torso, eventually leaving Y/n bare beneath him. Feeling exposed, her arms begin to cross to cover herself, but that was quickly stopped by Jack’s hands, who pinned them against her own body. “Don’t.” Was all Jack said, but she knew what he meant. He leaned forward, down so close to her head so that his mouth was right beside her ear, “why don’t I make you feel as good as seeing you in that little outfit made me feel.” He prompted, earning a nod from Y/n. Jack’s lips attached back onto her neck, more quickly this time trailing down to her collarbone before moving down her chest even further until her breasts were directly in his line of sight.

She silently watched Jack, her bottom lip between her teeth as her chest heaved up and down in anticipation. 

“Hmm?” Jack hummed as he looked up at her, his mouth just inches away from her nipples that urged for some sort of stimulation, making her squirm underneath his figure. “You want me to make you feel good?” He asked softly, his voice hoarse from whispering. 

Y/n nodded her head desperately, wanting some sort of feeling of release from Jack, but he only tilted his head. 

“Use your words, Y/n.” He continued, prompting Y/n to respond as his large, warm hands found each of her breasts, cupping the soft skin in his own. 

“Yes, Jack, please.” Y/n urged, her back pushing off the mattress 

“Please what, baby. Use your words.” He continued, making Y/n throw her head back in frustration and she could feel Jack’s smirk on his face as he rested his chin on her sternum. 

Y/n looked back up to Jack, whose eyes never left hers. “Please make me feel good.” She whined, a small pout forming on her lip and it was like a switch for Jack to begin sending pleasure throughout her body. Instantly his lips found her one nipple, sucking and swirling his tongue along the sensitive tip, earning a loud moan to release from Y/n’s mouth at the burst of pleasure that erupted through her veins. His other hand occupied her other breast that wasn’t receiving attention from his mouth, rolling her sensitive bud between his fingers, making Y/n moan and squirm underneath his touch. 

Slowly, his head moved further down her body until she could feel his warm breath on each of her thighs, the contrast of his rough hands gripping the soft skin of her inner thighs sent shivers throughout her body, and when Jack began placing delicate kissing trailing from her inner thighs to her core, the feeling of his tongue on her pussy felt electric– sending shocks of pleasure through her body. 

Jack worked effortlessly to make Y/n feel good, his tongue working in rhythms and in response to her body’s language; the squeeze of her thighs against his head, how her hand flew to his brown locks– gripping in pleasure as the knot in her stomach tightened– and the rolling of her hips as he continued to devour her like it was his last meal. 

“God, Jack, I’m close,” Y/n whimpered, feeling the climax of her orgasm slowly building as tingles fled through her veins. In response, she heard him hum and mumble words of encouragement, sending vibrations through her core and body. “Jack,” She called out again to let him know the knot in her stomach was about to come undone, but before her orgasm would flood through her body with euphoria, Y/n felt the cold air hit her pussy as Jack pulled away. He pulled himself up to meet her face and she squirmed under his body at the loss of contact. 

Whining in desperation, she reached an arm up to the nape of his neck and lightly tug at the curls as he leans down, catching his weight with either arms beside her head, and meets her lips, Y/n’s slick that had transferred to his chin now rubbing against her own skin. 

Jack pulls away, a grin on his face as he looks into her eyes, “I’ll let you come, Y/n, don’t worry about that.” He assured as his finger fell under her chin and tilted her head up. “But I want you to come all over my cock so you can feel how you in the little red piece makes me feel.” 

Y/n was left with her mouth agape, laying under Jack’s frame as she took in his words. While processing her own thoughts, Jack quickly slipped out of his pants and boxers, stroking his hard-on a few times as he adjusted himself at her entrance. 

As he slowly pressed into her, sliding in and filling her out, Y/n’s mouth fell further open than before, and she moaned at the feeling of Jack bottoming her out fully. Her hand found his own wrist that was planted next to her hip and grip his forearm tightly as they both adjusted to his size. 

“Fuck, baby, you’re so tight.” Jack groaned as he looked down to Y/n with hooded eyes, and she nodded in encouragement for him to begin thrusting. 

Immediately Jack begins to slowly pull away and before she can decipher the feeling, Y/n was welcomed with deep, thorough strokes and the sound of Jack’s skin slapping against hers. 

Her hand found her own clit to send a pulse of pleasure through her veins as Jack began to increase the speed of his movements, and his bottom lip tucked between his teeth as he focused on the sight below him and his thrusts, concentrating on the noises that fell from Y/n’s  lips with each stroke. 

“Jack,” she called out, unable to form a complete sentence as the pleasure that was erupting through her body consumed her. Jack's deep thrusts had now increased into a rhythm that left her at a loss for words. All that consumed the bedroom was the sound of their bodies intertwining and pleasure filling each of their bodies. 

“Yeah, baby? You like that?” Jack asked through staggered breaths, his own rhythm quickening his heart rate. “You look perfect taking my cock so good– such a good girl takin’ all of me.” He continued, clearly in a state of bliss as his own orgasm approached. 

“Jack, fuck–” Y/n called out to him, her eyes tightly shut as she focused on the orgasm that was on the brink of consuming her whole body. “Please, Jack, I’m gonna come.” She moaned, her head thrown back onto the pillows beneath her head as she felt the knot in her stomach release and the rush of euphoria, flooding her body and sending tingles all throughout. 

Y/n continued to whimper at the sensitive feelings as Jack continues to thrust, his own climax soon following after, and he remains in her for a moment to gather himself before slowly pulling out, earning a soft whimper from Y/n at the loss of fullness and slight ache from the fresh contact. 

Jack quickly plants a kiss on her lips before he slips off the bed to reach for the nightstand beside the mattress that has a soft cloth they kept at arm's length in case of needing to clean any messes from their adventures together. 

It wasn’t long after that Y/n found herself in a drowsy state, laying her head against Jack’s broad chest, his bare skin warm and covered with a thin layer of sweat from his prior movements. Jack’s hands found her hip, tracing small, soft and delicate shapes against her skin. Each of them laid in each other’s comfort, silence falling over the room as she came back to her senses. 

“So, what I’m gathering is I need more lingerie in my closet to make you pull that side of you out again.” Y/n chuckled as she looked up to meet Jack’s eyes. 

A smug smile erupted on his face, his thoughts clearly tracing back to the mental image of Y/n in her new outfit. “There’s no point.” Jack shrugged. 

She squinted her eyes and pulled her lips into a flat line, “and why’s that?” She pressed. 

Jack only chuckled, “because it’ll be off more often than you’d wear it.” Earning a playful scoff and swat of her hand to the brunette. 

[vantetaes]

LUNCH TIME 🫧🥂

CEO! GETO X GOJO X BLACK FEM READER

SUMMARY!!! yn is the assistant for the most well known author and sought after publisher. having to deal with him and his friend isn’t for the faint of heart.

WARNINGS!!! oral (f&m receiving), pet names, double penetration, threesome, obnoxious gojo

black heels clicked against the offices perfectly polished marble floors, echoing throughout the hallways past the tiny cubicles. your tinier-than-average skirt rolling up your thighs a little, drawing the intern’s attention. they stare, watching in awe as you bend over slightly to grab a stack of papers from the printer. a few strands of hair falling your your face, some get caught in your brown shimmering lipgloss as you rear back up. your cleavage peeking carelessly through your size-too-small button up top.

“morning gentlemen. papers on mr. suguru’s desk in-“ flipping your wrist up, you check the time. shiny gold watch displaying the time.

10:59.

“-one minute.” the men’s face falls as they scramble back to their cubicles, frantically searching for their research data. shoes clicking as you walk away, using your acrylic, you flip through the stack of sheets tucked in between your arm and underboob. the elevator dings open, snapping your attention back to the task.

level 10.

before the doors could fully close, a man sticks his hand in the middle to stop it.

“sorry, sorry.” he pushes his way in, fixing his suit and hair quickly. god he smelled good. you know it sounds creepy, but it’s radiating off of him.

“which floor?” you ask, not bothering to look over at him.

“uh, ten. thanks.” reaching inside of your skirts pocket, you grab your lipgloss, quickly reapplying it all over your brown and reddish lined lips. the man can’t keep his eyes off you. glancing over at him, he quickly breaks his gaze, blue eyes focusing on the ceiling in embarrassment.

“here for any specific reason?” noticing the white visitors badge.

the elevator comes to a stop.

“visiting an old friend. geto suguru.” upon exiting the elevator, you spot your long haired boss. he stood tall at the front desk, chatting with your coworker about something beyond you. watching as her filled lips form a big smile and the way she perks herself up on her spinning chair, all for him. blonde locks twirling in between her fingers and she swats the air playfully in a ‘oh stop it’ way.

only you and suguru knew the only reason she got this specific job was because her mom babysat geto as a baby.

“mr. suguru.” you speak, monotoned. the girl rears back in her seat, folding her arms over one another, unhappy with your sudden appearance. a nasty scowl crossing her face. the taller man’s eyes drift from his conversation right onto you and then the man you came up with.

“ah! gojo!” before he could over to where the two of you were standing, you stop him.

“hm. with all due respect mr. suguru, if you need anything important, come to me. not the receptionist. im going to put these on your desk.”

while walking away you hear a small -tsss- sound come from who you could only assume to be gojo.

“i like her. you need to keep her.” the words were faint as you turn the corner, finally revealing what looked like a huge mirrored wall. hand reaching out for the knob, you carefully push open the door.

revealing a large office space with two couches, multiple chairs, a large L-shaped desk with one on the side for you and your needs, and an amazing view of new york city to complete it. your feet pad over to the man’s desk, placing all the papers down in their respective piles. while knocking them all against the desk to ensure they were perfectly lined up to staple, the two men walk in.

“i know it’s like she doesn’t know when to shut-“

standing from being bent over, geto nods a little at you. they continued to talk while you finish off lining all the sheets up, securing them with the metal prongs. geto casually slips behind you, taking a seat at his chair. gojo opts for the couch, immediately manspreading despite his well put together appearance. you hear one of the men blow out a gust of air before they both chuckle.

“is there anything else you need from me, sir?” turning around, you can’t help but to notice the man’s gaze locked on your chest for a spilt moment in time. “sir?”

shaking his head, he just points to your desk.

“i need you to check emails for amelia and armando to ensure they sent the three thousand dollars worth of prints. after that, i need you to check in with mr. shelly on the ground level lobby to check if the security system company ever came out. after that call mark about setting up an appointment with a new author he found in kentucky-oh. mark p not mark q. after all that’s done, i don’t think i’ll need anything else.”

“jesus geto, do you want her to be able to work after today?” honestly you were just glad he said something.

“fine. fine. im starving. gojo, you hungry?” the white haired male nodded his head, rearing up from his position. “yn, you hungry?”

shrugging your shoulders, geto just laughed. pulling out his card, he politely hands it to you.

“um, i didn’t drive today.” you say a little nervous now. the man’s dark eyes staring deeply into yours. standing from his spot at the desk. he grabs his card, reaching in his bag for sunglasses.

“you’re coming with me.”

-

the blacked out car moved steadily down the road, the low hum of the radio the only sound filling the space between the two of you. you sat stiffly in the passenger seat, gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window. your fingers traced invisible patterns along the seam of your skirt.

geto’s hands rested confidently on the steering wheel, his movements smooth and deliberate. he was an effortless driver, the kind that made every turn and stop seem like second nature. his dark eyes stayed on the road, but you could feel his attention hovering, like a thread stretched taut between you.

no one spoke.

the air in the car felt heavier than back at the office. with each passing second. it wasn’t loud or overt—just an unspoken weight, sitting between, unaddressed but undeniable.

a faint sigh escaped your lips, more out of reflex than intent. you tensed, wondering if he’d caught it, but he didn’t react. of if he did, he hid it well.

the traffic light ahead shifted to red, and geto eased the car to a stop. he drummed his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, the rhythm almost too casual.

“you’re quiet today,” he said, his voice low and even, more observation than accusation.

you didn’t turn to look at him. “just tired.”

also the fact that this man scares the shit out of you?

he didn’t press further. the light turned green, and the car surged forward again, gliding back into silence. but tension lingered, thick and unyielding.

“i like your outfit today.” he speaks, eyes still concentrated on the road ahead. subconscious pulling at your skirt, he gently stops your hand, holding it in place on your thigh.

“you’re fine, ms. ln. i think the black looks nice on your skin.”

-

pulling into the small little shack of a store, eren begins to order while you watch around, making sure no one saw him. unfortunately realizing a couple of girls did in fact see him. they waste no time rushing into the store, star-stuck and eyes full of lust.

“you wrote my all time favorite books! i can’t believe you’re here!”

“oh my god i can’t wait to put this on my story! can i take i a picture with you?”

“is she your girlfriend? oh my gosh! we promise we wont tell!”

“how cute girls, give me just one minute to pay and then we can take a few photos okay?” he answers politely, trying to talk to the clerk. unmoved, the girls continue to shriek and push their phones towards the man, actively causing a scene for the onlookers wandering past.

“okay yall really need to move. this is ridiculous.”

you try to move the girls away from your boss while he pays as to avoid any potential accidents. while creating a barrier with your arms, one of the girls accidentally hits you with her phone. the sharp case decoration leaves a nice sized cut on the back of your hand to wrist. hissing you can’t help but rear your hand back to pop the girl in the face.

geto immediately pauses what he’s doing and yanks you behind him.

“touch her again and none of you will have jobs for the rest of your sorry little lives. see if you were being normal, you’d already have your picture. grow up.” he snatches the bag and takes you by the hand before rushing back to his jeep.

upon entering the vehicle, he immediately asses the damage. taking your hand back, you laugh.

“it’s only a cut, i’ll live.”

“what happened back there was completely unacceptable, im sorry-“

“mr. suguru, to be honest id much rather we just head back now.” you weren’t upset with him, just overwhelmed and unimpressed with his little fan club.

-

walking back past the tenth floor lobby, you and geto walk in to see gojo asleep. his head tucked between his tux coat and couch pillow. your boss shakes his head, placing the bag down on his desk. you return to yours, opening a small cabinet that held your first aid kit, and quickly bandage up the mark.

“im sorry that happened to you.” he says sincerely, pulling out three sandwiches. you just smile and gratefully take your food. geto tosses a canned drink at his friend, hitting him right in the groin. shooting up the white haired man grabs hold of his private area, yelping pain.

and that was the first time you had truly seen your boss laugh.

-

the living room was a cozy mess of wine glasses, half-empty snacks, and easy laughter. you leaned back on the couch, cheeks flushed from both the wine and the warm company of shoko and nobara.

“and the way he got on them.” you reminis, gesturing wildly with your glass, nearly spilling the wine.

“sounds like you’ve got a lot on your mind about him.” shoko teased, taking a sip of her drink with a sly smirk, red lipstick leaving a mark on the glass.

nobara laughed, tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

“i don’t know, shoko. sounds less ‘infuriated’ and more…interested?”you groaned, sinking deeper into the couch.

“no, no, no. definitely not that. hes just—” your phone buzzed on the coffee table, cutting you off. glancing at the screen. the name geto lit up like a beacon.

your friends exchanged knowing looks.

“speak of the devil.” nobara muttered with a grin.

“don’t you dare ignore it,” shoko added.

With a reluctant sigh, you picked up the phone and answered, trying to sound sober.

“um, hello?”

“yn?” his voice came through the line, smooth and familiar, but with that unreadable edge that always kept you on your toes.

“are you free?”

your friends exchanged amused looks.

“uh… yeah, i guess. why?” you asked, trying to keep your voice steady.

“i wanted to check on tomorrow’s schedule-” he said simply, his tone neutral. “unless this is a bad time.”

you glanced at your empty glass and the two smirking women in front of you.

“not a bad time,” you said, the wine making your words a little looser than they should have been.

“you’re just interrupting my girls’ night. so, you know. rude.”

there was a pause, then the faintest chuckle.

“my apologies. i didn’t realize i was competing with such important company.”

maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the lingering buzz from your chaotic day, but before you could stop yourself-

“careful, mr. suguru, flattery might actually work on me.”

the silence that followed was immediate and deafening.

shokos glass froze mid-air, and nobara nearly choked on a chip.

“what?” his voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable lilt of amusement.

your face went hot. “nothing! that was… the wine talking. forget i said anything.”

“i see,” he said, the smirk audible in his tone now. “enjoy your night, yn.”

“night!” you blurted, hanging up so fast you almost dropped the phone.

the room erupted.

“did you just flirt with him?” nobara howled, clutching her stomach. shoko raised her glass with a grin.

“that’s it. im officially never letting you live this down.”

you buried your face in your hands, groaning.

“i hate both of you.”

but even as they laughed, you couldn’t help replaying the sound of his voice—and the way your heart had skipped just a little too fast.

-

the office was buzzing with its usual morning energy—keyboards clacking, phones ringing, and interns darting around in a frenzy of misplaced enthusiasm. you stepped out of the elevator, coffee in hand, your head still slightly pounding from last night’s wine-fueled antics.

“morning , yn!” one of the interns chirped, practically bouncing in place as you walked by. you give a small polite smile, hoping to avoid any prolonged interaction.

jumping on the next free elevator, you fix your appearance before making it up to floor ten.

your desk was a welcome sight, an oasis of calm amidst the chaos. you set your coffee down, powered on your computer, and tried to focus on the day ahead. but it was no use; the events of last night kept playing on a loop in your head. the wine, the laughter, and, of course, that phone call.

“careful , mr. suguru, flattery might actually work on me.”

you groaned inwardly, cringing at the memory.

as if summoned by your thoughts, the door to geto’s office opened, and he stepped in, his presence commanding as always. he was already mid-conversation with gojo, who followed him out with his usual exuberant energy.

“ah, there she is!” gojo called out, his bright blue eyes zeroing in on you.

“yn, you survived the chaos yesterday. impressive!”

you offered a faint smile, already bracing yourself for whatever nonsense was about to come out of his mouth.

“good morning, gojo.”

“and suguru told me you were having a girls’ night last night.” he continued, leaning casually against the nearest desk.

“hope you weren’t talking about us too much. especially me—im shy, you know.”

you nearly choked on your coffee. geto, standing a step behind him, raised an eyebrow but said nothing. his gaze flicked to you, sharp and unreadable, and lingered just long enough to make your heart skip.

“don’t worry,” you said, forcing an even tone. “you didn’t come up nearly as much as you think you did.”

gojo laughed, clearly unfazed.

“ouch! well, suguru and i were just about to grab a meeting room. join us later if you’ve got time. we can debrief about yesterday.”

-

after giving all new interns their assignments, collecting over a thousand sheets of paper to turn into a writer, and setting up a meeting for geto, you’re finally able to meet up with the men.

making your way down the hall, you’re finally able to see two fulls head of hair. they sat in the large open room, going through power points and statistics. before continuing your journey down the hallway, your hands go down to smooth out your pleated black skirt, readjusting the red stockings underneath. the heels you wore today were your christian louboutin, ankle decorated with a small chained anklet.

gojo spots you standing in the walkway through the glass. his hand shoots up in excitement, motioning you over. geto turns around in his chair, legs spread open as he fiddled with his favorite pen.

slowly creeping the glass door open, music played softly in the background from the powerpoint. you slide into a chair at the opposite end of the table from them, sprawling out your side work for tomorrow, just to get ahead.

“i’d say your business will see twice the growth in the next months if you act quick and hire this girl!”

mr suguru just nods his head, eyes not leaving you.

“mr. ln.” he speaks up. “what’re you working on?”

“um, stats charts for last years book. the numbers are drastically different from this years best-seller.” your plump glossed lips pull into a small pout, looking at the numbers in actuality. geto can’t help but to imagine your perfectly polished smile wrapped around-

“gojo are we done here?” geto flips his watch up. “i have about ten minutes until i have an actual meeting to attend.” the two men bicker while you collect what you have and slide it to geto for his stamp of approval.

“you can just hold onto them until tomorrow.”

“some of it pertains to the meeting we have to go to. i reread the email and we missed something. got up early this morning to catch it.” you say nonchalantly, as if it was a normal occurrence.

when you actually just saved his ass.

“wow. you’re good ms. ln. thank you.”

-

you sat side by side with your boss, watching as other people presented their findings and works at different locations. your ink pen scribbled against the notes, highlighting imperfections and completely scratching out what you knew wouldn’t sell.

“im going to stop you right there.” you clear your throat, cutting off one of the girls speaking.

“i know you may think these wattpad stories are the best little slice of life books you’ve ever touched in your entire life. im here to say, on behalf on the man right here, we need something better.” geto watches firmly as you stand, the skirts hem riding up enough for him to see bits of your thigh tattoo. quickly sitting up straight, he acts as if he’s writing notes, but in his darkest mind, all he could think about was bending you over this desk to see how much shit you would talk then.

“we’re over the tweeny-bop, lucky charms, superficial, love stories. we need suspense. we need something the readers latch onto. something second book worthy. the way im seeing it now, none of you will make it out.” your finger tapped against the long rectangular table, hip propped up against it. acrylic creating a louder sound in the boxed room. the group of around eight people held their heads low, understanding that if you said it, geto meant it.

“our next meeting is going be be exactly a week from now. either you guys get me some great rough drafts, or you can happily look for another place to work. you’re dismissed.”

the rooms noise level raises as the men and women collect their sample chapters and belongings, scurrying out the meeting room.

“you’re so stern.” geto speaks up, his attention now locked onto one of the many chapters printed out, stamped, and distributed.

“learned from the best.” you say monotoned, collecting all your work. he walks behind you, stepping towards the door before offering-

“careful, ms. ln. flattery might actually work on me.”

-

finally around the end of the day, you sat at your desk, highlighting, scribbling, and even using white out to fix mistakes. gojo sat on your desk, legs swinging dramatically.

“why won’t you play with me?” he drags out the last word, fingers playing with all your desk utensils. swatting his hand away, you try to continue reading.

“because im not the one who invited you here for a week.” he sighs, standing from the spot on your desk, walked around mindlessly. hopefully he had finally given up. you were wrong. bombrushing you, he pulls your chair from under the desk, gaining enough leverage to lift you out of it.

“why are you so mean! i just want to be your friend, ynnn!” with your body in a cradle position, you try your hardest to get him off of you. loud giggles accidentally spilling from your lips as he inches his fingers into your side, right under your ribcage.

“so you do laugh!” he gasps, spinning you around once.

the large door to the room opens, exposing a very overworked and unhappy geto. tie dangled loosely off his neck, tux jacket thrown over his shoulders, and an old cup of coffee in his hand.

trying to get gojo to put you down, he doesn’t listen. rather, he walks you over to your boss who looks anything but pleased with you and your skirt that had officially rolled all the way up your thick legs, revealing a your white panties, decorated with a little pink bow and thin lace wrapping the hem.

“what’s this? hm?” gojo carefully sets you down on the floor, before you could fix yourself, geto’s hand shoots out, stopping you in the act.

“nothing! i was doing my work and your friend kept harassing me!” gojo scoffs in disbelief.

“hey you liked being held by me, don’t deny it.” gets eyes flick in-between the two of you. finally throwing all his stuff into the couch, his long slender finger points to you.

“over my desk.” eyes furrowing in confusion, you look at him a little longer.

“huh?”

“did i stutter? gojo, take off her skirt and bend her over my desk.” the white haired man wasted no time whispering in your ear.

“are you sure you’re okay with this?”

were you? youd be lying if you said you never thought about having sex with your boss. since you first became his assistant, he’s had you in a daze. lips always perfectly moisturized and stance always firm.

he was a man.

you shook your head yes.

as much as you wanted to be professional and to get everything done on time. you’d always wanted geto.

gojo on the other hand? secret bonus.

the man carefully unzips your skirt, tossing it to the other side of the room before backing you up, the small of your back hitting his friends desk. geto watches as you and gojo stare at each other in the eyes. his palms of his hands rub down the sides of your upper body, caressing the underpart of your boobs and ribs.

“can i take off your shirt?” he asks politely, nodding eagerly, you try to help him. only to be stopped by a well decorated hand. geto stands to your left, pinning your stray hairs behind your ear. the black shirt you once wore was no longer in your sight.

your white lace bra didn’t hide the fact that your nipples were rock hard , poking against the fabric, begging for attention. with a small whine, you bite down on your index finger.

gojo begins to remove his clothing while geto stood over you, his eyes full of hunger. lips attacking your exposed skin, leaving small red love bites.

“take her stockings off.” gojo says, only to be ignored by geto who was lifting you off the desk, walking you over to the large couch. he places you into a straddle on his lap, much larger hands feeling your freshly waxed legs. his lips connect with yours and you feel like a fire was started.

the way his tongue lusted after yours, you couldn’t breathe. his large arms held you securely on top of him, no chance of escaping. you couldn’t help but to try to fight for dominance, only to quickly lose with your boss placing a strong hand around your waist.

gojo takes a seat beside the two of you, geto making you lean over to kiss him. the string of three different salivas mix, hungrily dangling in between you and gojo. feeling your bosses hands yank down your bra, lips attaching to your swollen nipples, other hand gently massaging the nub. gasping into the kiss with gojo, he takes your hand, moving it to his boxers. your hands trace over his length to see what he was working with.

only to be shocked by the size of the man. geto’s hand shift from your body to unbuckling his trousers. gojo pulls away from the kiss, standing beside the couch.

“where you goin-“ breathe caught in your throat, geto flips you onto your back, eyes staring up at you hungrily.

“suck his dick baby, don’t worry about me.” the white haired man’s cock springs out of the black restraining boxers, bouncing a little because of the offices cooler temperature. your smaller hands wrap around his length, thumb collecting the precum that glistened from the tip.

he scoots closer. puckering your lips, you place a few teasing kisses on his tip, using your tongue to spell his name faintly. the man gasps, holding his shirt to his chest, wanting full, undisturbed view of you.

“that’s my girl.” geto says, he doesn’t even bother to pull your stockings down, opting to rip a hole through them instead. the loud unexpected sound caused you to jerk, getting pinned down by the hips.

he dips his head down, placing small, full lipped kisses to your burning clothed cunt. pulling them to the side, his lips waste no time attaching to your needing clit, using his tongue to gently travel the nub then slowly slipping into your hole.

gojo hands reach out to play with your perky nipples while you bobbed your head on his dick, moaning at all the sensation your body was being put through.

“im gonna cum sir-“

“already baby? we just got started.” gojo laughs, his hands creating a stronger grip on you.

getos tongue swirled inside your hole, using his thumb to gently rub your clit, eyes closed in bliss. his hands wrap around your thoughts face fully buried in you. pulling gojo out of your mouth you whine.

“please. please fuck me, sir.” you didn’t have to say that shit twice before the man’s climbing to position his larger member to your core.

“hold her legs.” placing his hands on you, he pushes until your knees are pressed against your ears. he sinks into you at an agonizingly slow pace, every inch filling you. your nails dig into gojos arm, mouth beginning to salivate at the slow strokes.

“taking this shit so good, fuck baby.” the wet sounds combined with skin slapping against each other was enough to bring you close to the edge. with your bosses dark eyes digging into your soul, he’s starts to pick up his pace, fucking your deep into the couch.

“flip her over”. gojo says, pulling off his boxers completely. with a few final thrusts, geto pulls out, his member jumping from the sudden loss of stimulation. you’re placed on your knees and hands, geto moves in front of you, back pressing against one arm of the couch while gojo positioned himself behind you.

“you’re doing so good for us. isn’t she satoru?” the man behind gives a hum of approval while using his tip to collect all the slick, hands on the small of your back, he presses down. the first stroke put you into a haze. geto watches your face contort in pleasure, dick growing hard at the sight again. using whatever ounce of sense you have left, you rear forward, taking him fully into your mouth, wasting no time taking him all the way down your throat.

“mouth so fucking good baby, god damn.”

the man behind you pounding so deep you can feel his tip dancing against your cervix.

“fuck im gonna cum- just just like like mm.” you warn, mouth dripping with saliva and precum, babbling in your state of euphoria. hands still pumping the other man, he grabs hold of your wrists, guiding you faster. the man behind you labored breathing filled the room, hands tight around your waist. the burning in your core finally releasing, causing a mess everywhere.

“imma fucking cum, oh shit.” he pulls out of you, spurting out his seed all over the couch, you fall on your stomach. getos eyes rolled to the back of his head, releasing long thick strings of cum down his chest.

-

after finally leaving the building, you had to be carried out bridal style by geto. gojo had gone back to his hotel, having to leave the next morning.

you and geto end up back at your apartment, standing outside as you took forever trying to grab the right key. the man stood firmly behind you, holding your heels patiently.

let’s just say it didn’t take long for him to be bending you over every surface of your home, ravaging you like a wild feral animal.

“wanna try the balcony next?”

© vantetaes. do not modify, repost, translate, or plagiarize any of my works. ageless/blank blogs dni.

inspo pics

[pedrospatch]

a safe haven l nine

Jackson! Joel Miller x Female Reader

series masterlist

summary: When you find out that you’re pregnant, everything comes crumbling down around you.

warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI. (TW) THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A SCENE THAT HEAVILY IMPLIES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. this chapter it also contains a very uncomfortable scene with reader and Luke, but despite the sexual nature of the scene, READER DOES NOT GET SA, BUT SHE DOES GET INJURED. INJURY there is a description of an injury as the result of DV HEAVILY IMPLYING STRANGULATION. PLEASE HEED THE WARNINGS. pregnancy, mentions of high risk pregnancy (not reader), mentions of child loss (not reader), mentions of pregnancy related symptoms (missed menstrual cycle, morning sickness), protective Tommy Miller, protective Joel, and last but certainly not least, feral Joel. this chapter is a lot, just proceed with caution if anything in bold can be a potential trigger for you.

word count: 11.8k

October, 2024

It’s the middle of October.

By now, the pain had become almost unbearable. Time certainly wasn’t healing the wound. 

If anything, time only seemed to be making it worse.

So, so much fucking worse. 

It drags, and you almost feel as if you’re paralyzed by it. But the only thing that you can do about it, about any of this, is just pretend. 

Pretend everything is okay.

Pretend it doesn’t hurt.

Pretend you don’t feel empty.

Pretend you don’t need him.

But you do need him. Oh, how you fucking need him.

The hole in your heart is growing bigger by the day, and only Joel Miller is capable of filling the void. Only he has the ability to make you feel whole again. Complete.

“Be honest with me—what does this look like?”

You pause your knitting and glance over at Maria.

With her due date approaching, you had offered to help her prepare for the baby’s arrival. At about six months, Maria was expected to give birth towards the middle of winter season, and instead of trading or having to use rations for certain baby items, like blankets, little socks and mittens, you’d decided to show her how to make them instead. Not only was it saving her from having to trade or use her rations on things that could easily be knitted, but it served as a decent, albeit temporary, distraction, giving your mind the chance to focus on something else other than how deeply you were hurting without Joel.

Tilting your head slightly, you eye the soft, butter yellow wool she’s holding in her hands. “Um, is that the start of another baby blanket?”

“No.” Maria’s face falls. “It’s supposed to be a hat.”

“Oh. Um.” You lean forward in the brown leather armchair you’re perched on, squinting hard at it as she holds it up. “Okay, yeah, I can kind of see the shape of it now. I can totally see it being a little hat for the baby.” She tosses you a knowing smile and you squirm slightly, heat prickling at your ears.

“I appreciate you lying to me.” She giggles and sets down her knitting needles beside her on the couch along with the ball of wool yarn. Leaning back, she places both hands on her belly and sighs. “At the very least this child will never go without a blanket seeing as blankets are all I’m capable of making.”

You flash her a small, but reassuring smile.

“You’ll get the hang of it, Maria, I promise. It just takes some practice, that’s all.”

“Well, now that Luke has put me on strict bed rest until I have the baby, I’m going to have all the time in the world to practice,” Maria remarks, exhaling another sigh. Craning her neck, she peers at your own knitting project, which you’ve been working on in something of a secretive manner in your lap and out of the expectant mother’s view. “What are you making over there, anyway?”

Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“I’m so glad you asked since I’m just about done.”

Crossing the last stitch, you set aside your knitting needles and then hold up the finished product. “What do you think of these?”

Maria’s hand flies to her mouth, tears welling up in her dark eyes the moment she sees the pair of little brown baby booties in your hands. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, a tear rolling down the side of her face as you stand up and walk across her living room to present her with the shoes. Sitting down beside her, you hold them out in the palms of your hands. With trembling fingers, she accepts them. “Kevin had a pair just like these when he was a newborn. I kept them even after he’d outgrown them.” She lets out a small laugh in spite of herself. “You know, I’d always complain that he was growing up too fast. I used to wish that I could slow time down a little so I could enjoy my son being that young longer,” she admits, sniffing. She reaches up, dabbing at her damp eyes with one of her hands. “And now Kevin is frozen in time, forever a three year old little boy.”

She sets the booties down on her belly and inhales deeply, willing herself to keep her composure.

Swallowing back your own emotions, you brush a single, stray tear from her cheek with your thumb. It wasn’t the first time that she’d opened up about losing her child—but Maria often kept her emotions hidden, tucked away along with her son’s memory. For the last several years, she’d dedicated most of her time and energy to Jackson and to its people, pouring herself completely into her role as the community’s leader. But now that Luke had placed her on strict bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy, Maria had no choice but to step down, temporarily handing the role over to Tommy, along with a small council she’d handpicked herself.

It hadn’t been easy for her, after all, there was only so much she could do to keep herself preoccupied while being confined to the four walls of her home. She found her mind wandering to Kevin a lot more often than not lately, and the pregnancy hormones did absolutely nothing to help in the matter.

“Maria?” you say her name softly. “You okay?”

She slowly exhales the breath she’d been holding.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she finally replies, sniffing again.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” She pauses momentarily. “I just—there’s a part of me that still has trouble believing I’m going to be a mother again. It’s been so long, you know? What if I’ve forgotten how to be a good mom?”

Dropping your hand from Maria’s face, you offer it out for her to hold. She accepts it and you give her hand a gentle squeeze as you vouch, “This baby, they couldn’t be any luckier than to have a mother like you, Maria.”

“And a fuckin’ hell of a dad like me,” a voice teases from the doorway.

Tommy, who had been down at the commune’s market picking up some potatoes for dinner, saunters into the living room with a brown paper bag in his arm. Setting the bag down onto a nearby table, he then makes his way over to his wife. Noticing that she’d been crying, he leans over and presses his lips against her forehead, softly murmuring, “You doin’ alright, sweetheart?”

“I’m alright,” she assures him with a nod. “I’m just extra sensitive and hormonal right now. The usual.”

He hums. “Uh, yeah, I kinda figured that out when you bawled your way through Old Yeller at the movies the other night.”

She pouts. “Pregnant or not, that movie’s a tear jerker, okay? Only people made of stone don’t cry when the dog dies.”

“She’s got a point, Tommy,” you agree with a shrug. “I cried too, and I’m not pregnant.”

Drawing himself back up to his full height, Tommy glances at the booties resting on Maria’s belly. He picks them up and holds them both in the palm of his hand. 

“Well, ain’t these just the teeniest things I ever did see,” he remarks with a soft chuckle. “Who made these?”

Maria jerks her chin towards you. “She did.”

Tommy’s eyes meet yours and it feels like a punch to the fucking gut—they remind you of his brother. “Almost feels like a crime, havin’ you make clothes for our kid for free,” he states, shaking his head as he hands them back to Maria. “You’re makin’ the baby’s entire wardrobe at this point, little lady.”

Sheepishly, you wave a dismissive hand at him. “I made one sweater and a couple pairs of mittens for them. I wouldn’t exactly call that a wardrobe, Tommy.”

“It’s a hell of a lot more stuff than we had before. I gotta be honest, it just don’t feel right acceptin’ all these things from you without payin’ somehow. I’d really like to at least trade you somethin’ for them.”

Shaking your head, you politely decline the offer.

“I appreciate it, but I really don’t need anything.”

“What ‘bout Luke?”

“He doesn’t either.”

“But—”

“Honey, don’t waste your breath,” Maria chimes in with a sigh. “I’ve been trying to get her to accept a trade all week long and she simply won’t budge.”

Tommy purses his lips together, slowly rubbing his chin in thought. “Okay, I’ve got an idea,” he proposes after a minute. “How ‘bout you and Luke both come on over and join us for dinner later tonight? That ain’t too bad of a deal, right?”

You silently mull over the offer for a second.

“If I accept the invitation, then will you two knock it off with all this damn trade nonsense?” When he eagerly nods, you sigh. “Alright then, I accept. We’ll come over for dinner tonight. Granted he doesn’t come home late from the clinic again.”

“Perfect,” he grins. “See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Knowing he only means well, you decide to be a good sport about it and smile at him. “No, Tommy. I suppose it wasn’t.”

“Great!” Maria beams. “We haven’t had a chance to get together for dinner in months. Lately when I see Luke, it’s as his patient,” she muses. “I have to admit, it’ll be so nice to have a conversation with him that doesn’t revolve around my uterus for once.”

Tommy jokingly makes a face. “Yeah. Tell the doc to leave all that medical stuff at the door before he comes over. Last thing I wanna hear ‘bout while I’m chowin’ down on some big, juicy bison steaks is what fuckin’ size my wife’s uterus is—”

“Tommy! That’s not funny!” Rolling her eyes at her husband, Maria turns to you to apologize but she stops short when she notices a sudden, not to mention drastic, change in your complexion. Frowning, she reaches up and touches your cheek. “Hey, you don’t look so good. Are you feeling alright?”

You can taste the bile at the back of your throat.

“I—I’m sorry, what did you just say was for dinner?”

Tommy shoots you a strange look. “Uh, steaks?”

The mere mention of the word sends a violent wave of sickness crashing over you—slapping your hand tightly over your mouth, you scramble to jump off the couch and make a beeline for their downstairs bathroom right across the hallway. You’d made it just in time to fall to your knees in front of the toilet. Clutching the sides of the porcelain bowl, you gag loudly, and the sickening sound of your retching bounces off the walls.

As your stomach heaves, you feel one hand gather your hair to hold it back and out of your face, while the other rubs soothing circles into your back.

“Let it all out,” Maria encourages you. “It’s alright, just let it all out. There you go, get everything out.”

Tommy pokes his head into the bathroom.

“She okay?”

“Tommy! Get out of here!” Maria scolds him over her shoulder. “She doesn’t need an audience!”

He holds up his hands. “Alright, alright! Sheesh, I was just makin’ sure she’s okay, you ain’t gotta bite my head off!” He huffs at her. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you two need me.” Without another word, he spins around on the heel of his boot and disappears.

Once you’re certain there’s nothing left, your trembling hand reaches for the handle on the tank and pulls it down, flushing the toilet. You then sit back, slumping against the wall. “Jesus. I am so fucking sorry. I have no idea what the hell came over me,” you groan, the embarrassment evident in your tone as you wipe at your mouth with the sleeve of your flannel shirt.

Maria peers at you with a suspicious glint in her eyes.

“You know,” she says, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear, “About five months ago, I went through a phase where I couldn’t stand the thought of meat—any kind, but red meat had to be the worst. I just could not stomach it.” Her hand falls away from your face and she rises to her feet with a labored grunt. Leaning back against the sink, she continues to say, “Poor Tommy, he couldn’t even mention it to me or I’d throw up on his boots. Not long after that, I found out I was pregnant.”

You stare at her, your lips parting slightly.  “Maria, you can’t seriously be insinuating—I am not pregnant. No, it’s not possible, you know that I can’t have kids,” you sputter out, furiously shaking your head. “There’s just no fucking way that I’m—”

Maria holds up her hands to stop you. “When was the date of your last menstrual cycle?”

“It was recent.”

“How recent?”

Silently, you start counting the weeks and you freeze the moment you realize you’d missed September completely, and October’s cycle had been due two weeks ago. You’ve been so lost in your own grief, so busy trying to keep yourself from falling apart, that you hadn’t even realized you haven’t bled since—

“August,” you breathe out in a terrified whisper.

The last time you had your period was in August.

August. 

Before you had slept with Joel Miller for the first time. 

Maria whirls around and starts digging in the medicine cabinet above the sink, and then in the one below it. After a minute of rummaging, she turns back around and extends a hand out to you, offering to help you to your feet. She lets out another grunt as she helps you stand. “I had one left,” she states, holding out her other hand to you, an individually wrapped pregnancy test in her palm. “At this point, I don’t think you even need to take a test, but it doesn’t hurt to have solid proof.”

You can hardly choke out her name. “Maria—”

She hastily shoves the test into your hands. “Just take it. I’ll be back in to check on you, okay?”

Not giving you the chance to protest, she steps out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

You look down at the test in your palm and then up into the mirror, meeting your own wide eyes in the reflection.

It can’t be possible. It just can’t be possible.

You can’t have children. 

With shaking hands, you unzip your blue jeans and then tear open the package. Your mind is in such a haze, you have to read the instructions three or four times before the information finally sticks. After taking the test, you lay it down top of the counter with the results window facing down. You pull your panties and jeans back into place and wash your hands using the bar of soap next to the sink—all the while, the sheer panic has started to settle in, the fear that accompanies it seeping deep into your bones.

Swallowing harshly, you realize it’d been well over the three minutes the package had instructed you to wait for the results.

“It’s negative. It’s negative,” you affirm quietly over and over underneath your breath as you pick it up and flip it in your hand. “It’s negative. It’s negative—”

You stop, and for a second, your heart feels like it stops too.

Horrified, you blink furiously, as if somehow you’ve misread the results—but there is no fucking mistaking those two solid little pink lines.

Your blood runs cold in your veins.

You’re pregnant. 

Luke hasn’t touched you in months.

And you’re pregnant. 

Luke hasn’t touched you in months. 

And you are fucking pregnant. 

Maria knocks lightly on the bathroom door.

“It’s been a few minutes now—can I come in?”

She waits, only to be met with complete silence.

“Hey, hon.” She knocks again. “Is everything okay?”

Again, there’s no response from the other side of the door.

“Christ, Maria.” Tommy suddenly appears beside her with a glass of water in his hand. Flashing his wife a teasing look, he quips, “Can’t you let the poor girl do her goddamn business in peace? What’s wrong with you, woman?”

Maria frowns. “I think something’s wrong.”

His playful grin falters. “What do you mean?”

“She’s not answering me.”

Tommy chortles, quirking an eyebrow at her. “Maybe ‘cause she’s actually in there doin’ her business?”

Hesitantly, Maria bites down on her bottom lip.

“What? What is it?”

“I gave her a pregnancy test to take.”

Tommy’s eyes widen. “You fuckin’ with me?”

Maria glares at him. “No! I’m not fucking with you, I’m being serious! I gave her the test and then told her I would check back in with her after she took it, but now she’s not answering me and I’m kind of worried.”

“The door locked?”

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think it is. Should we just open the door and see if she’s okay? I don’t want to barge in there but—”

Tommy hands Maria the glass of water. “Hey,” he calls lightly as he raps on the door with his fist. “Everythin’ alright in there?” He waits for a minute, but when you don’t reply, he grasps the brass doorknob in his hand and says sternly, “Now you listen here, little lady. You had best answer me right now, or we’re gonna have to come in, you understand me?”

Silence. 

“Last chance, talk or I’m gonna open this door.”

Nothing. 

“Alright then, suit yourself. Hope you’re decent.”

Tommy turns the knob, cracking the door open—when he doesn’t see you, he tries pushing it open further. The door stops halfway, and he peers around it only to find you sitting on the floor with your back against the wall, preventing the door from going any further. “Shit, she’s sittin’ right behind the goddamn—fuckin’ hold on, Maria! If I try shovin’ it open, I could hurt her!” Being careful so as not to hit you or step on you by accident, he squeezes his way into the bathroom. He crouches down beside you, cupping your cheek in the palm of his hand. “Hey, what is it? What’s the matter?”

Your eyes flicker up to meet his.

You can’t speak. You can’t move.

All that you can do is stare at him. Petrified. 

“C’mon, little lady,” he coaxes, softly. “Talk to me.”

“Tommy! Let me in!” Maria demands, impatiently. “Can you move her? I can’t squeeze through, my belly is way too big.”

Tommy slides one arm around your shoulders and the other arm under your knees. “I’m just gonna move you out the way so Maria can come in, alright? C’mere.” He gingerly slides you across the tile and cradles the side of your body against his chest. He then calls out to his wife, “There, that should be enough room!”

Maria pushes the door open and rushes inside. “Is she okay?” Gripping Tommy’s shoulder, she slowly lowers herself to kneel beside you. Her eyes go straight to the test clutched in your hand. She just about has to pry your ice cold fingers off the white stick one by one. “It’s positive,” she gasps. “Your results are positive—you’re going to have a baby!”

Tommy lets out a loud, gleeful laugh. “Did’ya hear that, little lady? You’re gonna have a baby! You’re gonna be a mama! Ain’t that great news?”

Finally, you snap out of your trance. Your eyes anxiously bounce between Tommy and Maria, heart pounding as they eagerly wait for your reaction with smiles of pure excitement on their faces.

“I—” Unable to utter another word, you burst into tears.

And they’re certainly not tears of happiness.

No, the sobs coming from deep within you aren’t full of joy at the news that you’re going to be a mother.

They’re pained. Cries full of sorrow, anguish, and fear. As the confusion flashes across their faces, all you can do is weep harder, and louder.

“Wait a minute, I thought you would be happy.” Maria’s hands reach for yours and she holds them tightly as she tries to understand what it is that is causing such a negative reaction. “You and Luke tried for a really long time to have another baby. Why are you so upset?” She keeps her voice calm, kind. Warm. It wasn’t that she was judging you—Maria wants to help you, however there’s no way for her to help you if she doesn’t know what’s causing your grief in the first place. “What’s the matter, honey? Are you afraid after what happened last time?”

“I can’t be pregnant,” you rasp out. “I can’t—”

“Hey now, it’s alright. C’mere.” Tommy shifts and he moves to sit down beside you against the wall. His arm drapes around your trembling shoulders in an effort to comfort you. As your entire body shudders with sobs, he pulls you close against his side, rubbing your arm with his hand. Once they’ve subsided and little hiccups are all that are left, he finally speaks again. “You can talk to us, little lady. ‘Bout anythin’ that’s on your mind. We care ‘bout you a whole lot. Y’know that, don’t you?”

“Tommy’s right,” Maria nods. “You’re like family to us. You can come to us about anything. We’ll do whatever we can to help you, okay?”

You shake your head tightly. “I can’t. I just can’t.”

She lets out a small sigh and glances at her husband with a look of defeat. “I think you should run down to the clinic and get Luke. He’ll know what to do to calm her down.”

“No!” you shout loudly, startling them both. “I—Luke can’t find out that I’m pregnant. He just can’t know, or else—” A fresh batch of tears spring forward as you clamp a hand over your mouth, muffling another wail.

“Or else what?” Maria asks, raising an eyebrow.

Or else he was going to fucking kill you.

Tommy grabs your wrist, gently tugging it away from your face. “Or else what?” He echoes his wife. “What is goin’ on? Is there somethin’ we should know ‘bout?”

Yet another sob escapes you and his fingers curl tighter around your wrist, firmly, but he’s careful not to be too harsh.

“We’re gonna need you to tell us what’s goin’ on.”

There’s no way around it. Around any of it.

You have to tell them. 

Swallowing harshly, you admit, “There is.”

The couple waits expectantly.

“The baby isn’t Luke’s.” You mumble it so quietly and incoherently that neither of them hear it despite being in such close proximity.

Maria furrows an eyebrow. “What did you say?”

“The baby isn’t Luke’s!” You cry out, yanking your wrist out of Tommy’s hand. “This baby isn’t his and that’s why he can’t fucking know!”

And just like that, the truth comes tumbling out.

Luke’s violence towards you.

Your romantic affair with Joel.

Ellie discovering the abuse and telling him about it.

Your stubborn refusal to let either of them do anything to help you.

You spare no details of everything that had taken place over the last several months, and by the time you had finally finished, both Tommy and Maria were rendered completely speechless.

“Can one of you say something? Please? Anything at all?” Your voice is small, feeble.

After a minute, Tommy pulls his arm from around your shoulders and stands up. He helps Maria up to her feet before he extends his hand to you. “Alright, first thing’s first. Let me get you up off this floor, little lady.”

His voice is soft, and so is his gaze.

“Tommy how can you—after everything that I’ve done? Your brother—”

“Please. Just let me help you off the floor and then we can talk ‘bout it. Okay?”

You accept his hand, allowing him to pull you to your feet. Much to your surprise, he doesn’t let it go as he leads you out of the bathroom and back into the living room where he sits you down on the couch. Maria, who hasn’t said a single word, takes a seat beside you.

Tommy kneels down in front of you, placing a warm and gentle hand on your leg. He almost looks a little bit guilty, as if he should have known what was being done to you behind closed doors. “Look, m’gonna ask you a question and I need an honest answer. How long has he been doin’ this to you?”

Anxiously, you start wringing your hands in your lap.

“Tommy, I can’t. Please, don’t—”

“Tell me,” he encourages you, softly. “When did it first start?”

Your throat bobs. “Two months after my dad died,” you confess, another tear rolling down the side of your face.

Maria stiffens. “Luke has been putting his hands on you for two years?”

“Yes.”

You can hear the shame in your own voice—shame for letting the abuse go on as long as it has, for everything to come to light like this.

“Fuckin’ hell.” Tommy sighs heavily and hangs his head. “Joel told me. He fuckin’ told me.”

You wipe at your swollen eyes with your forearm.

“What are you talking about, Tommy?”

He sighs again.

“Months ago, the day after the big summer party,” he begins to explain. “We were at the bar. Joel was askin’ me ‘bout you and Luke. Said somethin’ just wasn’t right when he saw you two together for the first time. He tried to tell me somethin’ was wrong and I—I didn’t fuckin’ believe him. Told him he was seein’ what he wanted to see ‘cause I knew he liked you. I fuckin’ told him that you and Luke were happy. He tried to tell me and I didn’t fuckin’ listen to him.”

“Tommy, please don’t blame yourself for this,” you beg him. “I’m the one who chose to hide it. This is my own fault, okay? This is all on me, not on you.”

Maria furiously shakes her head. “It’s not your fault and it sure as hell isn’t on you. You’re the victim here.”

Victim. 

The word makes you cringe.

“But it is my fault, Maria. I hid it from you guys for two fucking years.”

“But why? Why did you hide it? Why didn’t you come to us?” Tommy’s voice is strained. “You should’ve told us what he was doin’ to you. We—I could’a done somethin’ to stop it. I could’a helped you.”

“Because. I didn’t want to risk getting him thrown out of the community. Jackson needs him, Tommy.”

“Like hell we do,” Tommy rises to his feet. “Ain’t no way that we’re gonna tolerate that fuckin’ shit here.” With his hands curled tightly into fists, he spins around and starts heading towards the front door.

You stand and chase after him, catching him just as he opens it. “Where the hell are you going?”

“To confront that pathetic son of a bitch—”

“Tommy, please! Don’t do that.” Grabbing his arm, you shoot him a pleading look. “Please, think about this for a minute.”

“Ain’t nothin’ for me to fuckin’ think ‘bout, alright?”

“Yes, there fucking is! This town needs a doctor. They need Luke—Maria needs Luke.” You glance over at her just as she appears in the hallway with both hands on her belly. “God forbid that something goes wrong—she goes into preterm labor or she has a complication when she gives birth. Did you think about that?”

“We’ve got two nurses,” he reminds you.

“Two nurses who only know basic neonatal care. That’s it. If something serious happens, Maria’s going to need Luke. And the baby’s going to need him too.”

You knew you’d gotten your point across when Tommy turns to his wife, helplessly.

“Fuck,” he curses, slamming the door shut. “She’s right. I fuckin’ hate to say it, but she’s right ‘bout that.”

“I am right,” you state and his attention flits back to you. “Luke has to stay and you both know that as well as I do. For the good of Jackson, he has to stay.”

Conflicted, Tommy growls out in frustration. “So what, I’m just s’pposed to give him a fuckin’ pass? How the hell can you expect us—how can you expect me to let that motherfucker walk around this place knowin’ what he’s been doin’ to you over these last two years?”

Your fingers dig into his arm, a fresh batch of hot tears stinging your eyes. “Tommy, if this community suffers without Luke because of me, it will destroy me. The guilt will fucking destroy me.”

Finally, Maria decides to step in. “Listen, I know that you’re trying to look out for the people of this town and I get that. But you’re risking your own life by asking us to let him stay here.” She walks over to you, taking your hands in hers. “Honey, I know men like Luke because I used to prosecute men like Luke. I would take them to court on murder charges.” Her eyes find yours. “I don’t want to scare you, but if that is the only way for me to get through to you, then I will sit you down and I will tell you all about what happened to the women who swore to me their abusive husbands would never, ever take it that far.”

You swallow harshly and a chill runs up your spine.

“I’ll leave,” you squeak. “I’ll leave him.”

“And what if he doesn’t let you walk away?”

Tommy crosses his arms over his chest. “He will if I’m the one who fuckin’ talks to him. I ain’t gonna give him the choice. He has to let her go.”

Panicked, you furiously shake your head. “No! I can do this on my own, Tommy. I can handle him alone. I don’t need you to do it for me. I can fix this without your help, okay?”

“You can’t,” he says, firmly. “You just can’t.”

“Yes, I can—”

He cuts you off with a pleading look.

“You need to let us help you. Please. Let us help you.”

You had agreed to it, but only on one condition.

“I need a couple of days,” you’d told them.

Tommy frowned. “No. It’s happenin’ tonight. We’re gonna talk to Luke, you’re gonna pack up a couple bags, and we’re gettin’ you away from him. You can stay here with us for a while. You’ll be safe.” Taking notice of the shocked look on your face, he said, “I know you ain’t crazy enough to think I’m gonna let you go home to him tonight. Ain’t no way in hell.”

“I—this is all happening so fast. It’s too overwhelming, Tommy. I just need a day or two to process everything before I take that leap.”

“And give Luke the fuckin’ chance to hurt you again?”

“He hasn’t laid a finger on me in weeks now.”

Tommy scoffed, “Well, someone give him a fuckin’ medal!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “He hasn’t hit his wife in weeks! What a fuckin’ guy!”

You recoiled, his sarcasm stinging like he’d poured salt straight into the open wound.

“Tommy,” Maria glared at him. “Not helping.”

He immediately shot you an apologetic look.

“Shit. Sorry, little lady. I’m just real worried ‘bout you. I don’t like the idea of you goin’ home to him tonight, and much less knowin’ that you’re pregnant, y’know?” His eyes had fallen to your stomach with sudden curiosity. “When, uh—when do you plan on tellin’ Joel ‘bout the baby, anyway?”

Heat flooded your face and neck.

“I—I’m not really sure about that yet.”

“Jesus Christ, Tommy! She just told you that she’s feeling overwhelmed,” Maria chastised him. “Let’s take it one step at a time, okay? Our first priority is going to be to get her out of that house. She has already agreed to letting us help her, so I think there’s a bit of room for compromise. Here’s the deal.” She put a hand on your shoulder. “As much as I don’t want to let you go home to him tonight either, I’m going to allow it so you can take a breather. Tomorrow in the afternoon when you get home from work duty, I’ll come over and help you pack some clothes and necessities, and we can bring them over here to our place.”

Nervously chewing your lower lip, you asked, “And then what?”

“I’ll go confront Luke,” Tommy stated. “Best if you ain’t there when I talk to him, little lady.” He turned to Maria, placing a hand on her belly. “I don’t want you to be there either, sweetheart. I ain’t takin’ any chances and puttin’ you and the baby under stress so I’m gonna have to handle him alone, alright?”

Maria nodded, shifting her attention back to you. “So? Do we have a deal?”

Meekly, you had nodded in agreement. “Yes. We have a deal.”

The rest of that evening passes by in a blur.

Autopilot had taken over the moment that Tommy took you across the road and dropped you off at your door.

“Any problems, you come get me,” he’d said. “You come and get me. No matter what time it is, alright? You fuckin’ come and get me if he tries anythin’.”

All that you could do was give him a weak nod and then you’d turned around, slipping into the house.

You don’t remember cooking dinner.

You don’t remember looking at the clock, noticing it was well past dinnertime and realizing that Luke would be home late as usual. You don’t remember fixing him a plate and leaving it on top of the stove for him to find when he came home, storing all of the leftovers, and washing the small pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

You don’t remember heading upstairs afterwards, you don't remember taking a long shower, brushing your teeth or changing into your pajamas.

It wasn’t until hours later, when the bedroom door opened and Luke walked in, that autopilot finally disengaged.

“You’re still up?”

You’d been sitting on the foot of the bed anxiously picking at your fingernails without even realizing it until he glared at you—he’d always hated the habit and spent months smacking it out of you.

Ceasing from messing with your hands, you drop them into your lap.

“You’re home really late again,” you say, quietly.

“I made a last minute house call. John’s little boy came down with a hell of a fever tonight.” Luke sets down his satchel bag and shrugs out of his jacket—as he does so, you catch sight of the tiny, reddish purple bruise on his neck, right below his ear. Draping his jacket over a nearby chair, he arches his brow as if he were silently challenging you to confront him, as if he’s daring you to ask him who had given him a love bite.

You don’t care. You don’t care about what or who Luke has been doing over the last several nights when he’s been coming home so much later than usual.

Kicking off his black boots, he saunters over to you, his mouth stretching into a cruel, satisfied little smirk.

Oh, he knows damn well you’ve already figured it out.

He wanted you to figure it out.

“Spend the afternoon at Tommy and Maria’s again?”

“Yes. I did.”

“I see.” He hums. “She was telling me during her exam this morning at the clinic that you’ve been helping her knit some clothes for the baby. Is that so?”

“I have,” you murmur, looking down to avert his curious gaze as he stops in front of you. “We’ve been making blankets for the baby, too.”

Luke cups your chin, forcing your eyes back up to meet his. “Well, isn’t that sweet of you.” He roughly curls his fingers around your jaw, his thumb brushing along your quivering lower lip. He hums again. “Something about you seems different, darling. Been looking a lot prettier to me these days.” He lets go of your jaw and brushes your hair behind your shoulder, his finger skimming the strap of your cotton pajama top. “How long has it been now, sweetheart?”

Your throat goes dry, your lips parting in shock as Luke pulls it down your arm, his palm grazing over your skin.

No. This can’t be happening. He wants to—?

Without waiting for a response, Luke grabs one of your hands and places it over his belt buckle.

Noticing your expression, he laughs again. “Why do you look so surprised?”

“You—you haven’t wanted to touch me in months.”

Luke shrugs. “Well, what can I say? I’m suddenly in the mood for my pretty little wife’s cunt.” His grin stretches from ear to ear. “Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky this time. Maybe we’ll have a little one of our own running around this place. I’m feeling rather optimistic tonight.”

You’re going to be fucking sick all over him.

No, you can’t let him do this to you.

You can’t let him touch you.

He pushes your hand lower, right over his bulge.

“No!” Tearing your hand away, you jump up and roughly shove him away from you. “Don’t you fucking touch me!”

He stumbles backwards, but he catches himself before he can fall.

Your chest heaves a d he stares at you, bewildered at what you had just done. “I’m so sorry that whoever you fucked before you came home wasn’t enough for you, but you are not fucking touching me,” you spit at him. “In fact, you’re never touching me ever again because I’m leaving. I’m done, Luke.”

“Excuse me?”

“You fucking heard me.” Your voice trembles—you can’t be sure if it trembles out of anger or out of the sheer terror you feel. Maybe it’s a bit of both. “It’s over, Luke. This marriage is fucking over. I’m not putting up with what you’ve been doing to me for the past two years. I’m not going to tolerate it. Not anymore. I’m not going to allow you to keep on hurting me.” Lifting your hand, you slide your wedding band off of your finger and toss it at him. It clinks as it lands on the hardwood floor near his feet. “I’ll be out of the house by tomorrow evening.”

“Let me take a guess.” He speaks calmly, much too calmly, as he starts towards you. The time bomb has started ticking. “You’re going to move in with Joel Miller and his feral little rat of a kid?”

Hands curling into fists at your sides, you seethe, “Where I move is none of your fucking business, Luke.” He steps closer and your courage starts to falter. You can feel yourself wanting to back down—the thought of your unborn child is the only thing that keeps you from completely losing your nerve. “Here is the deal. You’re going to let me leave and you’re going to stay the fuck away from me. If you do that, then I won’t tell anyone anything about the things you’ve done to me. It’ll be like none of it ever happened. We both move on with our lives. Separately. Got it?”

He draws closer and closer. Much too close.

“Oh, you silly, silly girl,” he tsks. “Do you really think you can call the shots? Do you really fucking think you have the upper hand here? That you can make the decision to end this marriage, just like that?”

Closer, until his chest brushes against yours.

“Luke, I’m giving you a fucking chance here,” you say, backing away until the back of your knees hit the edge of the mattress. With nowhere else to go, to run, you fall backwards onto the bed, scrambling up towards the headboard. Your heart is pounding, too hard and too fast—would it give out before he even has the chance to get his hands on you? “Luke, please, just let me go.” Clasping your hands together in a plea, you beg him, your back pressed against the headboard, “If at any point in our relationship you loved me—if at any point in our marriage you actually cared about me, you will fucking let me go in peace. Please. Just let me go. Let me fucking go.”

Luke stands at the foot of the bed, his face blank.

Emotionless. There isn’t a single ounce of compassion in his eyes. No mercy. 

“Please,” you whisper once more. Curling both of your arms around yourself, you subconsciously protect your belly.

Luke reaches down and unbuckles his belt.

You watch, your stomach churning, as he slowly slides the black leather from the loops of his jeans.

“I’m not letting you go anywhere.”

“I mean it, Joel. Stay away from Luke.” 

Joel clutches his stallion’s reins tightly in his hands as the pair fall into a slow, easy trot behind Tommy and his horse, Ranger.

He follows his brother as he leads the way through the quiet, tranquil plains of Wyoming. Instead of scanning their surroundings for signs of potential danger, all Joel can do is think about you—that was all he could ever do these days, was fucking think about you and about that fucking night.

The memory plays over and over in his mind on a loop, torturing him day in and day out. It never fucking stops. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

“I mean it, Joel. Stay away from Luke. And maybe it’s for the best if you just fucking stay away from me too.”

That’s precisely what he had done. He had stayed away from Luke. And against his better judgement, he had stayed away from you, too.

“How’s it feel to be back out here?” Tommy asks over his shoulder. He tugs at the reins and gives Ranger the cue to slow his trot, giving Joel and his horse, Bandit, the chance to catch up and ride at their side. “Bet you couldn’t be fuckin’ happier to be off house arrest, huh?” he adds, a light joking edge to his tone.

After about four and a half weeks, Joel had made a full recovery, and he was cleared to return to patrol duties. Wanting to ease him back into the swing of things after so much time off, Tommy decided to pair up with Joel as his partner for that morning’s watch. The two took a route just a few miles west of the community, one that was scoured every couple of days since it was so close to Jackson’s main gate.

“S’alright,” he mutters with a shrug that causes him to wince. His shoulder’s still a little sore. Ellie had assisted with his physical therapy, badgering him every single night to do the exercises in some book she’d found in the town’s library with Dina’s help. He had full range of motion again, and that’s all Tommy had needed in order to allow him to return to patrol.

“You feelin’ alright?” His brother notices the slight look of discomfort on his face. “Shoulder’s good?”

“Any particular reason you’re bein’ so annoyin’ today?”

Tommy feigns offense. “You got fuckin’ shot, Joel. Just makin’ sure you’re okay. Jesus.”

Joel lets out a small huff through his nose. “M’fine,” he assures him. “Shoulder’s good. Still hurts a little and the cold weather ain’t doin’ a whole lot to help, but ain’t nothin’ I can’t handle.” Sitting back in his saddle, he lets his thighs close around Bandit. “Whoa,” he utters to the animal, his fingers squeezing the reins as he signals for Bandit to come to a halt.

“What’s the matter? Why are we stoppin’?”

“This route’s clear, Tommy. We should turn around and go find the rest of the group. Check and see if the other routes are clear too.” Joel clicks his tongue, prompting Bandit to move again. He steers the stallion and starts turning around to lead them back east, but then stops once more. He glimpses over at Tommy, who hasn’t moved a muscle. Noticing the odd, pensive expression on his face, Joel frowns, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Tommy chews the inside of his cheek, his apprehension written all over his face. “Uh Joel, there’s something we need to talk ‘bout and maybe it’s best if we do it while we’re out here, just the two of us.”

Confused, Joel’s eyebrows pull together. “What is it?”

His brother hesitates. His lips purse together, a sudden look of regret flashing across his features.

“Tommy?” Joel prompts. “The hell’s goin’ on?”

Exhaling a heavy sigh, he states, “You were right.”

“Right ‘bout what?”

“‘Bout Luke.”

Joel freezes in the seat of his saddle.

“You were fuckin’ right ‘bout him mistreatin’ her.”

His grip around the reins tightens, skin stretching thin over his knuckles so tight they’d gone white.

“She was over at mine yesterday afternoon. Ended up tellin’ me and Maria everthin’ ‘bout Luke and what he’s done.” Rolling his lower lip between his teeth, Tommy pauses for a second before repeating, “You were right. You were fuckin’ right ‘bout that bastard from the start and I’m real sorry that I didn’t fuckin’ believe you, Joel.”

Joel’s mind begins to race.

What had prompted you to finally tell Tommy and Maria about the abuse? Did something happen to you that he didn’t know about?

Ellie had been pretty good about keeping him posted. He would ask her about you the very minute she’d walk through the front door after her shift at the stables and she would provide him a full report.

“She’s fine. She ain’t hurt,” Tommy reassures him, as if he’d read his mind. “We’re plannin’ on movin’ her outta the house later on tonight.”

“What?” Finally, Joel speaks, his voice rigid.

Tommy holds his hands up in defense. “Now, hold on. I need you to give me a minute and let me explain—”

“She told you Luke’s been abusin’ her and you just let her go back to him? Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? Why didn’t you and Maria fuckin’ stop her?”

“Why didn’t you fuckin’ stop her the night you saw the bruise on her?” He shoots back at him. 

Joel stares at him, his lips parting slightly.

How did he fucking know about that? 

“She told us the truth ‘bout the affair too, Joel.”

“She did?”

“She did,” Tommy confirms with a nod. “I had a hunch, y’know. The day of the ambush, I thought I saw panic in her eyes when I told Ellie you’d been shot. Then I saw it again when she saw you there sittin’ on that table with a bullet in your shoulder, but I brushed it off. Thought she was just real worried ‘bout the kid seein’ as those two are thick as fuckin’ thieves, y’know?” Despite the serious nature of the conversation, he can’t help but let out a chuckle when he thinks of you and Ellie. “But now I know she was scared of losin’ you. That girl loves you, Joel. I know you love her too. I’m willin’ to bet it’s the reason you let her walk away that night. Why you kept her secret.”

“Jesus.” Joel exhales a shaky breath. “Y’must think I’m a real fuckin’ coward for knowin’ what he’s been doin’ to her and not doin’ a goddamn thing ‘bout it, huh?”

Tommy shakes his head.

“It’s a complicated situation, brother. She only did what she did for the good of the community. She’s still trying to do what’s best for Jackson, believe it or not. She, uh, she wants us to let Luke stay.”

“She wants you to let him stay?”

“Girl’s got too big of a heart. Doesn’t want the town to be without a doctor.”

“Ain’t no goddamn way you’d let him stay! After all the fuckin’ shit he’s done to her?” When his brother doesn’t respond, Joel narrows his eyes at him. “Jesus Christ. You can’t fuckin’ tell me you’re actually considerin’ it? Are you fuckin’ serious, Tommy? You and Maria would let that son of a bitch stay in Jackson? Knowin’ he’s spent two fuckin’ years puttin’ his hands on his wife?”

“Look here, alright? I don’t like the idea as much as you don’t, and neither does Maria,” he says. “But this ain’t exactly black and white, Joel. I really fuckin’ wish it was. But the hard truth is that Jackson does need a doctor, and unless one magically falls out of the fuckin’ sky, we ain’t got much of a choice here. My wife and child, they might need him, y’know? Maria’s considered a high risk ‘cause of her age. If somethin’ happens and there’s complications when she’s in labor, she and the baby are gonna need him. Our nurses, they ain’t really trained to handle things like that, y’know?”

Joel’s lips press together into a tight, thin line.

Of course it’s black and white to him—because he loves you. You’re his fucking priority. There’s no gray area for him. None.

But Tommy? His priority is Maria and their unborn child.

Joel can’t fault him for that, and he certainly isn’t going to try. But what about you?

“Listen, Joel. I know this is real fuckin’ hard, believe me I do. I care about that girl a lot, a whole fuckin’ lot. I saw her as family long before I knew ‘bout your relationship with her and before I knew she was—”

He stops abruptly, red splotching his cheeks.

Joel still doesn’t know he is going to be a father. Again.

“Before you knew she was what, Tommy?”

“Tommy!” A woman’s voice shouts. “Joel! Over here!”

The two brothers glance over their shoulders and see the rest of their morning patrol group heading towards them.

Tommy bites back a sigh of utter relief. That had been too fucking close.

He turns to Joel, lowering his voice. “Joel, I need you to listen, and listen to me real good. We’ve gotta take this one step at a time. First thing’s first, me and Maria are gonna get her outta that house. She can stay with us at our place for a while. She’ll be safe with us. That much I can promise you.”

“Then what?”

“Don’t know yet. We get her out first and then we figure things out from there. In the meantime, I’m gonna need you to stay calm, Joel. Please. Don’t go off and do somethin’ stupid, alright?”

That had been a lot easier said than done.

Joel needed to talk to you.

He needed to fucking see you. 

But his brother had been adamant.

“Don’t fuckin’ get involved, Joel. Not ‘til we get her out. I don’t want things to fuckin’ explode in our faces, alright? Let me handle this.” 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Joel leans back into the couch and looks down at the guitar in his lap—he’d just spent the last hour carefully polishing it in an effort to keep himself occupied. He thought back to that night you’d come over to gift it to him, how he had kissed you for the first time mere hours before you showed up on his doorstep with your father’s Gibson.

As he gives the guitar a gentle test strum, he recalls the request you made for him to sing you a song and a dull ache settles in his chest, right over his heart. He’ll sing you every song you want to hear, if given the chance.

Part of him is optimistic that he would get the chance.

You were meant to be his. He was meant to be yours.

He just fucking knows it.

Joel’s train of thought is shattered by the sound of the front door opening, and then loudly slamming shut.

“Ellie?” He calls out.

Her voice comes from the hallway. “Yeah?”

“C’mere, kiddo.”

Ellie grumbles incoherently as she walks into the living room, hair disheveled, clothes filthy, and her sneakers caked with muck from the stables.

Joel frowns at her. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Today was just really fucking shitty and while that was a great pun, for once, it was not fucking intended,” she sighs, crossing her arms over her chest. “If you called me in here to ask me about her, I’d save my breath. She stayed home today. She’s sick.”

Joel’s stomach instantly drops. “She’s sick?”

“Yeah. With like a really bad cold or something.”

Putting down the guitar, he questions, “And who told you that?”

“Dina,” Ellie replies, looking puzzled. “She said Luke told her—” She stops abruptly as he jumps to his feet and immediately shoves past her, heading towards the front door. She spins around on her heel, following him. As he flies down the porch and starts down the road towards your house, she is forced to jog along beside him just to keep up with his stride. “What, what? What is it? Fucking answer me, Joel, what is it?”

“She ain’t fuckin’ sick, Ellie.”

“What do you mean she’s not—oh fuck. You don’t think she’s hiding out at home because—?” Ellie’s heartbeat stutters when the realization sinks in. “Luke.”

When the pair arrive at your place, they find a very, very distraught Maria Miller standing on the front porch, her hands wrapped around the doorknob. “Hon, I need you to let me in!” She turns and pulls the knob, desperately. “Please! Open the door for me!”

Your tearful voice comes from the other side. “Go away, Maria!”

The sound of Joel’s boots prompt Maria to turn around. “Joel,” she breathes out his name in relief. “I can’t get her to open the door. Tommy went to see if we have a spare key for the unit. He hasn’t come back and I don’t know what to do.”

“Break a fucking window, maybe?” Ellie snaps at her.

Joel silences her with a glare and then takes Maria by her arms, moving her to stand behind him. “Open the goddamn door!” he commands firmly, pounding his fist harshly against the wood. He can almost feel the way you freeze on the other side the moment you hear the sound of his voice. “Open this fuckin’ door right now!”

Ellie chimes in, “Come on, please open the door!”

“Go away!”

Joel continues to beat his fists against the door. “Show me what he fuckin’ did to you!” He shouts as he drops his hands to the doorknob, clawing at it as if somehow that’s going to do the trick and open the door. “C’mon! Show me what that fuckin’ bastard did to you!”

“Please, go away, all of you! Just leave me alone!”

“You know we can’t do that,” Maria calls. “You’re going to have to open this door and let us—”

Losing what very little patience he has to begin with in the first place, Joel cuts her off. “I will fuckin’ break this door down if I have to,” he threatens. “I’ll cause a scene and let everyone in this whole fuckin’ town know what Luke does to you. Is that what you want?”

He hears the lock click almost instantly.

Finally, you crack the door open and peek out to show them your face. “There, you fucking see?” Your face is blotchy, your eyes red and swollen from crying. “I’m fucking fine! Now fucking go away!”

You try shutting the door, but Joel is too quick and slips the toe of his boot in, wedging it between the door and the doorframe.

“Move, Joel!”

“Nope,” he says, keeping it planted firmly in place.

Not wanting to break his foot, you let up and he shoves his way inside with Ellie and Maria trailing behind him.

Taking a clumsy step backwards, you gather up the front of your knitted cardigan in your trembling hands, bunching it around your neck to conceal it. “Get out! Please, just get out!” you beg them through your sobs. “Please leave! I’m fine! Look at me, I’m perfectly fine—”

Heart hammering painfully against his sternum, Joel walks over and he takes your wrists. “Let me see. Baby, please. Just let me see.” His voice is raw, thick, as if he were on the verge of tears himself. He just knows he’s failed you, failed to keep all those promises he had made about never letting anything bad happen to you. He’s fucking failed. Again. He tries to find your gaze, but you refuse to look him in the eye. “Let me see,” he chokes out again, the warmth of his skin a stark contrast against the iciness of your own. “I’ll force you if I have to, so please just show me. Please, just fuckin’ show me what he did to you.”

Letting out another agonized sob, you drop your hands and let go of the material, letting it fall back into place at your sides and exposing your injury.

Maria gasps into her hands. “God.” 

“Fuck.” Ellie’s eyes widen in complete horror.

Joel drops your wrists, taking a step backwards as his eyes glaze over the severe discoloration around your neck.

He feels fucking sick to his stomach, but it isn’t until he notices the clear imprint of a square belt buckle on the column of your throat that Joel thinks he might actually be sick all over the floor.

“What the hell is going on in here?”

Luke’s voice suddenly echoes through the foyer. He stands near the front door, looking thoroughly confused—that is, until he sees you standing there, exposing what he had done to you the night before with his belt. The very same belt he’s wearing now.

No one has the chance to speak.

No one has the chance to think.

No one even has the chance to breathe.

Joel charges at Luke. He roughly snatches the collar of his jacket and pulls him further into the foyer of the house, away from the open front door so that he has nowhere to run.

You rush towards them. “Joel, stop! No!”

Maria quickly hurries to stop you, grabbing you by the back of your sweater. She yanks you back and out of harm’s way. “Don’t!”

Horrified, you watch as Joel slams Luke straight into the mirror hanging on the wall—head first. He pulls him forward, then slams him back even harder, the impact completely shattering the glass. Hundreds of shards go flying across the hardwood floor.

“Oh shit! Watch out!” Ellie jumps back as a sharp piece of broken glass lands between her sneakers.

“Joel, stop it! Please, stop!” you cry out as Maria grasps your arm to keep you from jumping in the middle of the altercation. “Stop it!”

But Joel is too far gone. Ignoring your desperate cries, he wraps one hand around Luke’s neck, holding him in place. His other hand curls into a tight fist and he starts delivering bone shattering blow after bone shattering blow to his face. “You wanna fuckin’ hit someone?” He snarls as the man’s nose cracks beneath his knuckles. “You wanna fuckin’ put your hands on someone? Huh? Then you fuckin’ put ‘em on me! C’mon, I fuckin’ dare you to put ‘em on me!”

Throwing Luke onto the floor, Joel climbs on top of him and he secures both of his hands around his throat. He feels the uncontrollable urge to do to him what he had done to you—only, unlike Luke, he doesn’t need a belt, and unlike Luke, he isn’t going to stop.

He isn’t going to let him live.

Joel squeezes Luke’s neck, cutting off his oxygen.

“How do you fuckin’ like it,” he hisses, irises going from brown to black as he presses harder on his windpipe. “C’mon, tough guy, tell me how you fuckin’ like it.”

Luke feebly claws and scratches at his hands, gurgling as blood starts coming out of his nose and mouth.

“Joel! Stop!” Tommy rushes into the house, his boots scraping against the floor as he skids to halt. Without hesitating, he jumps into action. “Joel, stop! Fuckin’ let him go! Let him go!” He reaches down to pull him off.

“Look at what he did to her! Fuckin’ look at her!”

Tommy turns his attention to you, and the color drains from his face. “Jesus Christ,” he breathes out, shocked by the mark around your neck. He has half a mind to step back and allow Joel to finish the job, but with you, Ellie, and Maria watching on in terror, Tommy doesn’t have a choice. He grabs fistfuls of Joel’s denim shirt and tries to tug him off the man he’s about to kill. “Fuckin’ let him go, Joel! Right now! That’s an order!”

Luke’s attempts to fight him off grow weaker. His face is beaten beyond recognition, and there’s a pool of dark red growing under him, dripping from a deep laceration he’d sustained from the being slammed head first into the mirror. His hands fall from around Joel’s wrists. He’s close to losing complete consciousness.

“Joel, let him go!” Tommy bellows. “Now!”

“Tommy, be careful!” Maria warns him, worriedly.

Somehow, he finally manages to peel Joel off Luke. He shoves him up against the nearest wall, pinning him in place. Behind him, Luke coughs and sputters violently, gasping as he frantically tries to breathe some air back into his lungs.

“Fuckin’ let go of me!” Joel growls, his eyes wild as he drives his fists into Tommy’s chest. “I’ll fuckin’ kill him! Let me fuckin’ go!”

Tommy cups Joel’s face in his hands and tries to meet his gaze. “Hey, look at me, I need you to calm the fuck down—I said fuckin’ look at me, Joel!” He demands. “I need you to calm the fuck down. I know that he fuckin’ deserves it, alright? Trust me, it’s takin’ all the strength I’ve got in me not to fuckin’ let go, let you kill the son of a bitch. Hell, there’s a part of me that wants to help you fuckin’ do it! But it ain’t the way we handle things here. M’gonna need you to take a breath and calm down, big brother. If anythin’, just do it for her sake, alright?”

Joel’s chest heaves, his breaths rough and ragged as his eyes flicker over to you. His heart sinks at the sight of you sobbing uncontrollably in Ellie and Maria’s arms.

Groaning, Luke rolls over onto his stomach and spits a mouthful of blood into the floor. “You can fucking have her,” he rasps, looking up at Joel through swollen eyes. “Keep her. Keep the useless little whore.”

Blinded by white hot rage, Joel starts thrashing around in Tommy’s grasp and tries to break loose. “Fuckin’ call her that again you fuckin’ son of a bitch—”

“Shit.” Dropping her arms from around you, Ellie steps forward, standing protectively in front of both you and Maria.

“Get the fuck off me, Tommy! M’gonna fuckin’ kill him!”

Maria tucks your face into her shoulder. “Don’t watch.”

“Joel, fuckin’ stop it already!” Tommy struggles to keep him in place. “You’re scarin’ her half to death!”

“I don’t fuckin’ care—”

Tommy’s fingers curl around the collar of his shirt. He slams Joel back against the wall so hard, the mirror, or at least what’s left of it, falls. The square frame breaks in half when it hits the floor.

“Well, you should fuckin’ care! She’s pregnant, Joel.”

You lift your head from Maria’s shoulder. “Tommy.”

Ellie spins around on her heel to face you. She stares at you with wide, round eyes. “You’re fucking pregnant?”

Joel looks over at you. Just as shocked, if not more.

“What?” 

Tommy grabs his chin, forcing his older brother to look at him once more. “It’s true,” he murmurs quietly. “So please, just take a goddamn breath and calm the fuck down. For her sake—and for the sake of your child.” He releases Joel’s shirt and takes a careful step backwards towards Luke, who is still groaning in pain on the floor. Once he realizes Joel isn’t going to charge him again, Tommy turns around and grabs the injured man by the lapels of his jacket, pulling him up to his feet in a rough, careless manner. “Get the fuck up,” he says. He drags him towards the door. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Tommy? Where are you taking him?” Maria questions him.

“Town jail. M’gonna throw his sorry ass in a fuckin’ cell and leave him in there ‘til we figure out what to do with him.” He glances over his shoulder. “I’ll get the council together for an emergency meetin’ tonight.”

“Jesus,” Ellie mutters under her breath as soon as they disappear. “Did this really just fucking happen?”

Chest still heaving, Joel glances down at his bloodied, torn knuckles and then turns to you, his eyes meeting yours. The tension between the two of you is almost palpable.

Maria lightly clears her throat. “We should probably get out of here,” she suggests. “Let’s head on over to mine and Tommy’s while we wait for him to get back.”

“Are you cold?” Ellie asks, worriedly.

She holds up a blue fleece throw blanket she’d dug out from the hallway closet despite you warning her not to snoop around the house while Maria’s in the bathroom tending to Joel’s hand.

Shaking your head, you sigh, “I’m fine.”

“But it’s cold in here.” She drapes the blanket over your hunched shoulders. “Can I get you something? Water? Are you hungry? You should probably eat something—”

“Ellie, please stop with all the fussing.” You pat the spot on the couch beside you. “Just sit here with me. That’s all I need right now.”

Nodding, she sits down and angles herself toward you, getting a closer look at the wound you’d been left with.

“Shit,” Ellie mutters under her breath. Grimacing, she lifts a hand and gingerly presses her fingertips to your neck in disbelief. “Fuck, dude. How bad does it hurt?” She touches a particularly sore spot on the column of your throat and you hiss in pain. She retracts her hand and sputters an apology, “Fuck, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

Wincing, you assure her, “It’s fine. It’s just a little tender right now, that’s all.”

“A little?” she scoffs.

“Okay, maybe more than a little,” you admit.

Ellie observes you for a moment. “Are you okay?”

“It’ll heal, Ellie. It looks worse than it really is.”

“No, I mean—” Pausing, Ellie moves her hand, placing it on your stomach. “Is the baby okay?”

You glance down at yourself, almost as if you expected to see something different about yourself, but then you remember you’re only about six weeks along and there is nothing to see, no significant changes to your body. Perhaps it’s the reason why there’s a part of you having a hard time grasping that Ellie’s asking if the baby was okay. If your baby is okay.

After a minute, you nod. “Yeah, I think so,” you reply softly, putting a hand over hers.

Relieved, Ellie flashes you a small smile. “Good.”

“How are you two doing in here?” Maria appears in the living room with Joel trailing behind her. His right hand is wrapped up in a white bandage.

“We’re okay.” Ellie glances at Joel. “You okay?”

He gives a quick, subtle nod of his head. “M’fine.”

“We can take her home now, right?” When Ellie doesn’t ge the immediate response she’s seeking, she shoots him a tiny little glare. “She’s coming home with us, isn’t she? I mean, she fucking has to come home with us.”

He still doesn’t answer her question.

All Joel can do is stare at you, jaw clenched and his lips pressed into a tight, thin line.

“Hey, Ellie, how about we go into the kitchen and make some tea?” Maria beckons to her with her hand.

She snorts. “Seriously? Who the hell wants fucking tea after that fucking shitshow—”

Maria pins her with an exasperated glare. “Ellie.”

“Oh shit, okay. I get it now,” Ellie quickly realizes it’s simply an excuse for the two of them to leave the room. Dropping her hand away from your stomach, she jumps up to her feet and wraps her arms around you. Her hug is brief, but full of warmth and reassurance, as if she’s silently telling you everything’s going to be alright. She releases you and follows Maria to the kitchen, leaving you and Joel alone.

Nervously, you stand up, your knees wobbling.

You feel torn—torn between wanting to run over to him and jump into his arms, and wanting to run away in the opposite direction to find somewhere to bury your head in shame. You’d promised him he had nothing to worry about, swore to him you couldn’t bear a child, and now here you were, carrying his and putting a responsibility on his shoulders he didn’t ask for. A responsibility that, surely, he doesn’t want.

On top of everything else he’d been through with you.

No, because of you. And now this?

Somehow, you muster up enough courage to speak.

“Joel,” you squeak his name. “Say something.”

“You sure you’re pregnant?” He asks, quietly. He stands across the room, making no move to come closer.

Swallowing harshly, you nod. “I’m sure.”

“How long have you known?”

“I only just found out yesterday,” you swear.

“And Tommy and Maria fuckin’ knew before me?”

It’s hard to tell if he’s angry or if he’s disappointed—not that either was a better option than the other.

“I was here with them yesterday in the afternoon. I got sick out of nowhere. Maria’s the one who suspected it and suggested I take a pregnancy test when I realized I haven’t had my period since August. After the first time that you and I—well, you know.” Shifting from one foot to the other, you continue to explain, “It never even fucking crossed my mind, Joel. I didn’t notice anything. I didn’t notice the symptoms. Missing my period, the dizziness, and the nausea. I was so busy trying to keep myself from fucking falling apart without you that it all went right over my head.”

Joel’s harsh expression suddenly softens.

“I took the test. When the results turned out positive, I just lost it. I fucking lost it, and I told Tommy and Maria everything because I was scared.” Your voice breaks, and a tear slips out from the corner of your eye, rolling down the side of your face. Several more threaten to follow, but you blink them back. “They offered to help me, Joel. They wanted to get me out of the house last night, but I was too fucking stubborn. I didn’t listen to them. I thought I’d be fine for one more night, but when Luke came home, he wanted to be intimate with me.”

Joel sucks in a sharp breath. His anger boils in his veins all over again. “And did he—he touch you like that?”

“No, of course not. I didn’t let him. I couldn’t let him. I told him not to touch me and I pushed him away.”

“Then what happened?”

“I told him that it was over. That our marriage was over and I was leaving. That’s when he took off his belt and he—” Gesturing to your throat, you start sobbing again as images of the night before flood your mind.

Luke had done pretty horrific things to you before, but this? 

This had been the worst of them. He almost killed you.

“Baby.” Joel rushes over to you and pulls you right into his arms. “Shh, darlin’. S’alright,” he soothes. “S’alright, you’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Whimpering, you met into his touch, the very touch you have been missing with every fiber of your being. “I’m so sorry, Joel,” you croak into his chest. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

He pulls away slightly, peering down at you. “Sorry? For what?” Without even giving you the chance to answer, he assures you, “There ain’t nothin’ for you to apologize for, sweet girl. Alright?”

You let out a tearful scoff. “Joel, I’m pregnant. And it’s fucking yours,” you remind him, the guilt in your tone loud and clear. “Don’t you remember how worried you were about it? And how I told you that you had nothing to be concerned about?”

“Don’t put it all on yourself, peach.”

You almost smile.

Oh, how you’ve missed hearing him call you that.

“Look, this is on me too, baby. Part of me knew there was still a possibility, but I didn’t care. All I cared ‘bout was makin’ you mine every fuckin’ chance I got.” Joel’s hand cups the side of your face. He chuckles nervously and says, “Y’know, at one point, I kinda thought I was at the age where I’m shootin’ blanks more than anythin’ else. Guess we were both wrong, huh?”

“Joel—”

He cuts you off. “And if you’re worried I’m upset ‘bout you bein’ pregnant, you’re wrong ‘bout that too, darlin’.”

Surprised, you blurt, “You mean, you want the baby?”

Now it's his turn to be taken aback.

“Y’thought I wouldn’t want it?”

“Yeah,” you confess, sheepishly. “I thought you would be mad about this, if I’m being honest, Joel. I wasn’t sure if you’d even want anything to do with it.” Noticing he’d taken some offense to the notion that he wouldn’t want his own child, you exhale a small sigh and place a hand on his chest. “Come on, Joel, can you honestly blame me? When you were the one who was so damn worried about me getting knocked up in the first place? Wouldn’t you have thought the same if you were me?”

He grazes your cheek with his thumb. “Can’t lie to you, sweetheart. I probably would have.” Letting his hand fall away from your face, Joel takes a seat on the couch and pulls you down onto his lap. “Sure as hell wasn’t in my plans to have another kid in my fuckin’ fifties. But y’know, the idea of having a little one runnin’ around, it ain’t all that fuckin’ bad.” He pauses, adding with a faint grin, “‘Specially if he or she happens to look like you.”

Relieved, you lean into his chest, shoulders sagging in exhaustion. 

“You alright?” Joel murmurs, pressing a kiss into your hair.

Burying your face into his neck, you breathe him in. “I am now that I’m with you,” you confess as he wraps his arms around you, holding you tighter than he ever has before.

“M’gonna take real good care of you, darlin’. Both of you,” Joel reassures you, softly. “Nothin’s gonna hurt you, baby. S’long as you’re with me, nothin’ or no one is ever gonna hurt you ever again. Swear it on my life.”

[beansprean]

Support me on Patreon or send a tip on Kofi!

One day in January I thought, "wouldn't it be hilarious if there was an episode where the camera crew changes places with a crew filming a documentary on werewolves in california. and everyone is playing a werewolf counterpart version of their character?" And it all devolved from there. Ty to @vampireshmampire and @memosminifridge for riffing with me and coming up with hilarious ideas <3

(ID in alt and under cut)

ID: 1. Title card, close up on a full moon glowing blue, surrounded by swirls of fog and bands of purple, blue, and green light. Overlaid is tht title "What We Do Under The Moon" in the What We Do In The Shadows font, letters dark blue with a brighter blue to purple gradient at the bottom, backlit in white.

2. Wide shot of the werewolf character played by Kayvan Novak doing a talking head. He is wearing medium wash jeans, a grey tee shirt over a millennial pink vest, a small gold medallion around his neck with a matching crescent moon earring, and has his long wavy hair half up in a messy bun. He is sitting on a light cream L-shaped couch adjacent to a glass patio door letting in the sunlight and below a wall hanging that says 'live, laugh, lick'. The lower third identifies him as "Navid - beta werewolf". Navid leans back casually against the cushions and props one elbow up on the back of the couch, leaning his head into that hand, and says, "If I am to establish myself as the Alpha of the pack over Lionel and Niki, I must find a mate. Someone strong, powerful, and...nearby. In the same house even, if possible." As he speaks, he glances meaningfully to his left, where the character played by Harvey Guillen is standing behind the couch, his back to Navid as he fusses with a vacuum. He is wearing square retro glasses, airpods in both ears, brown chinos, and a short sleeved green button up unbuttoned to the sternum with a dog silhouette pattern and sleeves rolled up his biceps. His beard is well-kept stubble and hair is buzzed short on the sides, curls pushed to the side in artful disarray and sun-bleached a lighter brown.

3a. Close up on Harvey's character as he walks down the hall away from Navid's talking head. In the background, Navid whips around to lean over the back of the couch with an expectant grin, howling, "Gerardo!! Eavesdropping again? Do you have anything to add to this topic?" Gerardo barely pays him mind, tossing his reply over his shoulder: "No, sir. Seems like a werewolf-only interview. I'm going to go vacuum the alpha den, they've been shedding." 3b. Waist-up of Gerardo standing with his arms crossed, doing a talking head. The lower third reads "Gerardo Cordero de Luna, werewolf familiar (familiar is crossed out) apprentice." Gerardo says haughtily, "I am not a familiar! Only witches and vampires pull that nonsense. I'm an apprentice, and I'm part of the pack." 3c. Repeat. Offscreen, one of the crew asks, "And what does a werewolf apprentice do?" Gerardo goes a bit red, embarrassed, and glares off to the side, hesitating to answer.

The following are all cropped close ups on a mottled orange and yellow background from a colored doodle dump. 4. Waist up of Gerardo and Navid as Navid begs, hands laced together, "Gerardo, won't you let me bite you?" Gerardo avoids his gaze with a nervous grin, flapping his hand dismissively, and replies, "Ehh...not yet! There's still plenty for me to learn about being a werewolf! I've only been apprenticed what, 3 years?" "Almost 15!" Navid shoots back.

5a. Knees up of Navid and Natasia Demetriou's werewolf character, Niki. She is wearing dark red gradient high waisted leggings, a dark red low cut bralette with crossed straps in front, a fluffy cropped brown fur coat, a gold medallion matching Navid's, and multiple golden piercings in her ears with two large oval discs dangling from the lobes. Her lipstick and square cut nails are dark red, and her long hair is permed in tight fluffy curls half up in twin buns. Navid grabs his left wrist with his right hand and thrusts it at Niki's face with an anxious expression, asking, "I smell like I love him, right??" Niki curls her lip and cringes away from him, hands up to swat his arm away as she spits back, "Ugh, yes!! You stink up the whole house with your pining! There's no way he can't smell it." 5b. Knees up of Gerardo sitting on a light cream couch, reading from a book titled "Care for the Lonely Werewolf" help up in his right hand. Navid is laying across the couch, sans vest and hair loose, with his head resting on Gerardo's left thigh. His right hand is trapped beneath him, fingers hooked at the back of Gerardo's knee, and his left rests on top beneath his cheek. Gerardo's left hand his idly petting his hair. Navid stares intently into the middle distance, thinking, 'Perhaps I should be less aloof with him...'

6a. Bust of Gerardo, who is holding up an iPad in his left hand with a drawing stylus poised in his right. Navid, large and hairy in werewolf form but still sporting his dangly earring and little hair bun, is hugging him from behind, clawed hands on his shoulders and wet nose nuzzling into the side of his face. Navid's eyes are closed and his mouth is hanging open, tongue lolling out happily. Gerardo looks up at him with a fond, if confused, smile. 6b. Knees up of Navid raising a triumphant fist with a grin and confidently declaring, "He is playing hard to get, but he underestimates how hard I am to get rid of!"

7a. Waist up of Matt Berry's werewolf character, Lionel, who looks much the same but is casual in a light cream linen shirt unbuttoned well below his sternum tucked into matching linen pants, his only accessory the gold medallion matching the others'. He is standing in front of a countertop hosting a box of Thin Mints and cringes away with a drawn-out whine as Gerardo pops into frame to spray him with water, scolding, "No, bad Lionel!" 7b. Waist up of Mark Proksch's character, who appears to just be Colin Robinson dressed like Indiana Jones, as he walks into frame with a rolling suitcase. He smiles and waves, shouting, "Howdy, guys!!" Lionel stands in the background, hands on hips with an easy smile, and says. "Oh, look, it's our landlord Arthur Simon Santiago who lives such an interesting life in New York City and uses this condo as a vacation home!"

8. Group shot, knees up, of Lionel, Niki, Gerardo, and Navid smiling for the camera. Lionel has one hand on his hip and the other around his wife's waist, leaning into her. Niki has one arm thrown around Lionel's shoulders, flashing a peace sign, and the other held up behind Navid's head to give him bunny ears. Gerardo is standing slightly in front of her, one hand clutching a pamphlet for Tisch School of the Arts and looking a bit uncomfortable as if he had been dragged into the photo last minute. Still, he offers the camera a hesitant smile and allows his left arm to be crushed to Navid's chest as the werewolf pulls him close with an arm around his shoulders. Navid leans his entire body into Gerardo with a huge grin, flashing a peace sign with his free hand.

9. Uncropped version of the entire doodle dump, repeating images 4 through 8. /end ID

[eccentricallygothic]

YOU KNOW PARTY GIRL? The fix you wrote with ari? 😭😭 it was SOO good OML..

I was wondering if you could make a tiny little imagine if that version of ari caught you running away to get out of punishment 🤭🤭

First of all, thank you so much for reading and enjoying Party Girl, I appreciate you popping in here to give me your sweet feedback! Now, of course I can do that. Punishment and bratting are my top kinks! I am aware this is rather late but I really hope you still enjoy!

Sorry Brat

Warning(s): Ddlg, power imbalance, Daddy!Ari, Baby!You, m!dom, f!sub, couple tussling, running kink, chase kink, minor spanking, allusions to corporal punishment, manhandling, Ari is a giant, age gap, pet names.

.

"Oh, yes" much to your horror, Ari took your phone out from his other pocket now. "Your phone, how could I forget?" Unlocking the screen showing a picture of you two cuddled up on a camping trip, Ari tapped on your Snapchat app. "I am so proud of you for following all your rules and studying hard yesterday, baby" he said as he tapped through your many stories from last night before swiping to story settings to find him crossed out.  

You tried to speak but no words came out. How could they? When you had just been caught red handed like this? Ari wasn't stupid and the evidence of your delinquency laid right there in his huge palm.

So you did the only thing your mind deemed appropriate in the moment.

Wordlessly spinning towards the first route of escape you could calculate in this moment, it being the space between the large couch -that he was seated on- and the single seater placed beside it in a L shaped fashion, you pushed away the arm he had around your waist before you took off. 

Ari chuckled softly at your unrelenting audacity before he spread his muscular legs as he leaned back against the cushion after placing your phone on the coffee table. He turned his face in the direction you had dashed in, snaking his fingers through his luscious brown locks before he called out to you.  

“Really?” The male pushed the silky hair away from his face. “Let’s see how far you can get this time around, little bunny” yes, this wasn't the first time you had pulled this stunt. It was stupid. Because you already knew it was a futile attempt; a losing game before it had even begun. 

The first time you had done this, Ari had told you that he was inevitable before he had made you cry on his knee. With each spank he has assured you that you could never escape him. 

Not really. 

Ari sighed as he pushed his giant form off the couch and stood up to his full height, which was only a few inches shy of 7’. “Now that you have chosen to go about it like this, you better make sure I never find you, little girl” if not for the hellfire that was sure to be unleashed on your scared little ass upon getting caught, his words would have excited you.

Your heart thumped in your chest as you slowly peeked with one eye to see where he was. The apartment wasn't too big and your roommates' rooms were occupied. So that left you with the kitchen that was opposite of the little hallway where your rooms were and on the other side of the living room. 

As you saw Ari's huge form move about the main room with faux ignorance of your whereabouts, you felt like kicking yourself. You were such an idiot. First you had pissed him off by breaking his rules and then had lied about it, next you had chosen to away from him only to do so in a direction from where you couldn't even move anywhere else.

You facepalmed at your own stupidity before you scrambled forwards when he went to the kitchen just for the fun of it and looked there. That allowed you the time to hurriedly crawled to the couches and hide behind one. Ari had literally seen you run to your room, so staying there just wasn't an option anymore. As a result, you had no choice but come into the heart of the danger; the living room.

“Here, little bunny, come out, come out wherever you are~” Ari loved it when you put up a bratty little fight. That was why he was enjoying this. Because crushing and beating that rebellious resolve out of you -or rather, your ass- when he finally caught you was the best part for him. And Ari always caught you. So this useless little revolt from you made the catharsis of his rage even more satisfying.

It was like hunting game for slaughter. 

You had to press your palm to your mouth to mute your panting when he returned to the living room, a devilish smirk on his face as he walked with a slow and heavy foot, ripped arms held behind his back.

“Maybe she's here…” He ducked under a table and swished away the net drape that covered it. A cruel, deep chuckle left him when he didn't find you there. “Or… maybe here!” You jumped from the force he used to push the coats hanging on the livingroom coat hanger away. His shoulders shook in silent mirth when he didn't find you there as well.

The more Ari moved around the room, the more you followed suit from behind the couches, watching him with risky peeks every now and then to make sure you were still undetected.

“Ah!” Ari exclaimed when he approached the beginning of the hallway leading to your room. “That must be it!” You felt momentary relief wash over you as you lowered yourself behind the couch from where you were raised on your haunches. Placing a hand over your erratic heart, you sighed as quietly as you could manage and wiped your forehead with the back of your hand.

Taking a quick glance in the direction of the kitchen, you willed your tired mind to work. Ari had already checked it. So perhaps you could hide in there. And just maybe, by some miracle, the next time you’d see Ari some of his anger would have subsided. 

Yes, it couldn't be denied due to ample proof that doing stuff like this only sunk you into more trouble, but the almighty what if was a comfort in times of your self-inflicted anxieties.

Eyeing the kitchen, you raised yourself back up and placed your palm against the back of the couch to peek behind him one last time before you'd make your move. That was it. That was how you were going to make it out of this. Yes. It was a decent plan if you said so yourself.

But then…

“Hi” Ari's grin was nothing short of pure evil and your eyes widened as you gasped loudly when you finally looked only to come face to face with your pursuer. His huge form was hunched over the couch, causing him to appear as a cunning hawk, and you realized just now that he had become quiet– too quiet a short while ago. Your body went flying backwards in a defensive shock, everything went in slow motion, you spun around once more as a last ditch effort but alas! 

There was only so much luck a little girl could have.

“Oh, no!” Your smaller legs kicked furiously in the air as Ari scooped you up from behind by your underarms and effortlessly brought you to himself over the couch. Everything clicked back into motion in the present moment, breaking your mental state of slow motion. 

“Oh, yes” mock laced his tone as he sat down and threw you over his lap, giving you an initiating spank to get you to buck up.

You had a long day ahead of you.

[sceletaflores]

hey🥰can u plz plz plz do the nsfw alphabet with michael!!🤭🤭🤭

omg this was so fun thanks baby girl. everyone go follow rylea <333 this isn’t proofread so let me know if i messed up lol

..••°°°°••.°°••.••°°.••°°°°••.°°••.••°°.••°°°

|| Mike Schmidt NSFW Alphabet ||

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

mike didn't know much about aftercare before he met you, but he's gotten a lot better about it now. he always has a warm washcloth to clean you up after, and throws a fresh blanket over the two of you so you can cuddle.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

mike's in love with your hips. he always makes sure to touch them no matter where you are. curled up on the couch? he'll be rubbing circles over them with his thumb. out shopping? one hand in his jean pocket one hand on your hip as you walk. and you've definitely had hand shaped bruises on your hips from when he's gotten a bit too rough fucking you into the mattress.

his favorite body part of his is definitely his hands, mostly because you love them so much.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

when the two of you finish fucking, he'll always push his come back into your pussy when it leaks out, giving you another orgasm as he does.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

more than once he's swiped a pair of your panties and slipped them in his jean pocket before a shift at freddy's.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

he wasn't a virgin when the two of you met, but he was less experienced. he never had the time to mess around. he was a very eager learner though.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

definitely missionary. his biggest turn on is making you feel good, and watching your face twist in pleasure always gets him going more than anything. plus it’s easier to kiss you!

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

in the beginning he was goofy on accident, now that you've been together for a while he's more serious. not afraid to laugh during sex though.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

100% has a dark brown happy trail. he's not extremely messy, but he never goes bare. now that he’s with you he’ll regularly trim his body hair so it's neater.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

he's the sweetest partner ever. constantly checking to make sure you're okay even. just sooo caring and loving.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

mike used to jerk off pretty regularly but now that you’re more than happy to help, he does it less.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

big praise kink!!! he also loves when you pull his hair. this man is a sub through and through.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

this man spends all his time at two (2) places, home and freddy’s. so you two mostly do it in bed or the shower, but on the rare days that abby isn’t home other rooms of the house are put to use.

you’ve only fucked at freddy’s once, mike’s too scared to get caught by vanessa.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

literally you and everything that you do. every single aspect of you gets this man going like no other.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

he would never hit you, he’s only comfortable with light spanking. no degrading or bodily fluids (except spit).

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

his preference is giving. he loves eating you out, and has come untouched multiple times doing so.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

it depends. most times he’s slow and gentle. he prefers when you’re the rougher one, not vice versa, but once in a blue moon he can get a little rough with you if that’s what you want.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

quickies in the morning in bed or in the shower is all you guys have time for most days, so you partake in them pretty often.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

there was a lot of risk taking and experimentation in the beginning of your relationship. now you both know what each other like so there’s less, but he’s down to try new things here and there.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

mike has a solid two or three rounds in him before he taps out. however, when the focus is solely on you he can take the time to give you orgasm after orgasm after orgasm.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

he didn't own any toys before meeting you, now there's a small collection you’ve both amassed and use stuffed in a cardboard box sitting on the highest shelf in his closet. he’ll use them on himself from time to time but he prefers using vibrators on you.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

mike doesn’t tease simply because he doesn’t have the patience or ability to hold back from diving into your pussy. he loves to be teased by you though.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

mike is so loud. he just can't hold in his whiny whimpers and breathy moans. yes this man whimpers no one is surprised.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

mike comes a shocking amount. like this man comes buckets. the first time you blew him he was so caught up in pleasure that he forgot to warn you before it was too late. he absolutely flooded your mouth and drenched your face in come. he was mortified and apologized profusely until you got over the shock enough to show him how much you liked it by riding him so hard you both almost passed out.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

a respectable six inches, and girthy. shaft is creamy beige. tip is EC9EC0 pink. gains two inches when hard and curves up towards his stomach.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

mike says he doesn’t have a high sex drive but this man pounces on you any chance he can get. he comes up behind you when you’re making food and feels you up. he jumps into the shower with you to “save water”. he grinds his morning wood against your ass when you first wake up. this man is insatiable.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

mike is usually bone tired after but he always stays up to make sure you’re taken care of. when you’re both tucked in he can fall asleep in like fifteen minutes.

..••°°°°••.°°••.••°°.••°°°°••.°°••.••°°.••°°°

taglist!

@ebodebo @yuenity @mfdxz

[bookuce]

Fools Rush In

SUMMARY: Nessa wasn’t looking for love, neither was Joe, but when you know, you know.

*DISCLAIMER: This is a multi-part series. I do not own any of the characters in the writing except for the OCs. The book uses actual names of wrestlers. Josh is Jey, Jon is Jimmy, Trinity is Naomi, Joe is Roman. The book is not realistic and does not take place during real events, but some actual events (matches, storylines) could pop up in the story eventually. I DO NOT GIVE ANYONE PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE OR REPOST MY WRITINGS ANYWHERE. THAAAAAANKS. *

PAIRING: Roman Reigns x Black OC

TROPE: Love At First Sight

WARNINGS: Language, Smut, 18+, NSFW

WORD COUNT: 2.5K

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER FOUR

The doors to the loft suite that Joe was staying in swung open to reveal the damp pair. Nessa enters before him, her eyes immediately shifting to the high ceilings above them. Her lips part, and she lets out a breath. “Wow,” she starts. “I have never been in a hotel room this big before.” She says, turning to face the large man behind her. He was dumping their clothes onto the L-shaped couch in the center of the suite. “Calling this a room would be an insult, right?” She asks, getting a chuckle out of him. “This is like a condo.” She corrects herself.

Joe glances briefly at the floor, an award-winning smile on his lips. “It can be whatever you want it to be,” He says humbly. “Room works.” He assures her. Vanessa turns away from him once more, now walking over to the wall of windows that overlooked downtown Miami. Reflections of lights below filled her eyes, brightening them more than ever. For the first time, she felt like a tourist in the city she’s known her entire life. It’s the same one she’s known for thirty-two years. Same buildings, same lights, same trees, same ocean, same night sky, but here, with him in this room, it felt different. Something felt different. 

And he’d agree. 

The dazzling smile he wore so perfectly melted as he watched her. He's now putting one foot in front of the other. He felt great turmoil as he slowly walked toward her. Though his mind was sure of what Joe was about to do, his heart was beating out of his chest. His head filled with the thunderous rhythm of his heartbeat, but the vigorous flutter made him feel like he was having an out-of-body experience. Perhaps he was.

Silence makes Nessa anxious, and it’s quiet behind her—a little too quiet. She turns, meeting his gaze for only a moment. His large hands were on her face, pulling her in for a grand kiss. Slowly, she sucked in a breath, her body finally catching up to what was happening. Her lips would move against his in that same passionate manner from before. Her hands find the center of his chest, her nails curving around the mounds of his collarbones as she felt him out. Her fingers curl against the thickness of his throat before her left arm takes the lead and wraps around his neck. His warm hands moved from her face, his knees bending as his palms quickly found the flesh of her under thighs. He hoists her up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his thick torso with ease.

Her right-hand travels up his shoulder and down his back, capturing water droplets. His skin was feverish compared to the icy touch of his wet locks against her skin. Despite the contrasting temperatures, goosebumps developed, stimulating her.

Joe swayed slightly with this kiss, his equilibrium getting the best of him. He felt as if he was teetering on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall into the unknown. He takes two steps forward, pinning the woman in his arms against the glass behind her. She breaks the kiss, a loud gasp leaving her lips as she arches off the chilled surface. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He apologizes frantically. His brown eyes were wide with guilt. He takes a few steps back from the glass. “Are you alright?” He asks.

“I’m fine,” she promises. “It just…startled me, that’s all.” She laughs slightly.

“Okay.” He nods once. 

Silence fell on the pair as they searched each other’s eyes. Their chests quickly rose and fell as they recovered from that head-swimming kiss. Vanessa brings her free hand to his cheek, her thumb brushing over his cheekbone. Who was this man that had this beguiling hold on her? She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth. God, how can one man be so attractive, and what could he want with me? She thought. “Can I be honest?” He asks as if he could read her mind. 

Without a word, she nods, her eyes venturing down to his full lips. His lips appeared swollen and perfectly pink. “Would you…” He drifts off. Asking for sex was always awkward for him. “I mean, if you’d like?” He finishes. Consent was the number one rule of the game with Joe. He would do nothing she didn’t want him to do. If she just wanted to kiss all night, he would do that with no questions asked, no pressure given, but if she allows him to do this, he’ll make it an unforgettable evening for her. 

He didn’t have to finish his words for her to know what he was asking. He wanted her, and the feeling was mutual. She could feel her temperature rising by the second, the fever that Joe was feeling transferring to her. She’d release her bottom lip from her teeth, her body nearly screaming at her to allow him to put out the blaze that he started.

Slowly, she leans down, letting her lips hover over his. “I’m here, aren’t I?” she murmurs. If it weren’t for the glasses of wine, she probably wouldn’t be here in this room. She’d be in an Uber on her way home by now, and he would have let her go. Liquid courage prevails for both parties. Nessa presses a teasing kiss to his bottom lip. “Take me.” She tells him, now gently kissing his top lip.

Joe elongates his neck, closing that toying gap between the pair. Their lips reconnect for the third time tonight, but only briefly. He reluctantly parted from her, his head turning as he did so. His eyes darted around the room as if he had forgotten where he was. Brown eyes landed on the stairs that lined the east wall, his legs carrying them over to it. He ascends the steps quickly, taking two steps at a time.

Nessa glances behind them, watching as they quickly leave the first floor. She giggles, her legs tightening around the man.“Slow down. I’m not going anywhere.” She tells him. Joe stops at the top of the steps, a huff leaving his lips. His heart had an extra reason to soar thanks to the weighted cardio he had just endured. 

“I know, I know,” He breathes. “I’m just…” He drifts off when she pulls back to look at him. The moment their eyes meet, his thoughts leave. “Just…”

“Excited?” She finishes. He lifts his eyebrows at her, considering her word choice. He presses his lips together, pushing them up into his nose.

“Something like that.” He murmurs. 

Vanessa unwraps her arms from his neck, her small hands resting on either side of his face. He is one beautiful man, she thought. Though she wanted to tell him that, her brain would stop her. Joe is well aware of his beauty. He wakes up and looks at himself in a mirror every morning. Women probably jump at the opportunity to have his attention, and men likely envy him. Joe was undeniably handsome—there was no denying that. “Something like that.” She repeats. Her thumbs would brush over his cheekbones briefly before she leaned in to kiss him again. 

Joe could find his way to the bed now. It was a straight shot back, ten steps, and he would be there. One, he thought as he took the first step. He takes the next step, counting silently in his head with each step he takes. Nine, ten—. The front of his thighs hit the edge of the bed, informing him he had reached his destination.

He leans over and presses Nessa into the soft bedding beneath them, their lips still attached. His hands slide up the curves of her hips, his fingers wrapping around the elastic of her underwear. He breaks the kiss, standing from her. Joe taps her left hip, silently requesting to remove her undergarment. 

Without a word, Vanessa lifts her hips, allowing Joe to remove the damp panty clinging to her skin. He balls up the article of clothing and tosses it over his right shoulder. His hand would move between her legs, finding her warm, wet center. In response, she shivers at the feel of his hand against her. Two fingers would slide along her folds before slowly pushing into her. She sucked in a loud gasp as she squeezed Joe’s hips with her thighs, her back slightly arching off the mattress. He presses his right knee into the bed, leaning over her again.

Joe would kiss her lips to her cheek, trailing along her jawline, before burying his face in the softness of her throat. His thick fingers move slowly within her, pulling a scant breath from her with each thrust of his hand. He hungrily kisses her neck, biting and sucking to create little markings on her throat. 

Wow, they were really about to do this. Despite both previously deciding not to pursue this course of action, they ultimately ended up in bed together. Hypocrites. Drunken, lustful hypocrites. Oh well, this will be a problem for tomorrow if they want to consider it one. Either way, the pair would have to address it.

“Joe,” she moans, her hips moving against his hand now. Her breathing gradually became labored, her body feeling like a fire was consuming it. She was bound to orgasm soon. It had been so long since the last time she had even cared to be intimate with someone, and this feeling she was experiencing was not containable. His hand would quicken in pace, drawing her closer and closer to her climax. “Wait, wait…” she panted. She squeezes his hips with her thighs once more, her hips tensing as she does so. Toes would curl against the edge of the bed as Vanessa pushed her hips further into the mattress.

Her walls begin to spasm around his fingers as she cums. “God!” She exclaims, relaxing into the bed once more. Joe lifts his head from her throat, his dark hair covering their faces. Her chest rose and fell as she attempted to catch her breath. That was...wow. Their eyes would lock with each other only briefly. Joe removes his fingers from her, causing her eyes to flutter at the sensation. He brings his fingers to his mouth, slowly lapping her fluids from them. He maintained eye contact, humming at the taste while he did this.

That was the hottest thing she had ever seen before. Heat settled between her legs again, followed by a swelling pulse. Vanessa flips them over, trading places with the man now beneath her. She sits up in his lap, her hands grabbing the bralette she had on. She tugs it over her head, tossing it to the side to join her underwear on the floor.

Dark locks would perfectly frame themselves around his face as Joe stared up at the naked woman above him. His tongue would drag along his bottom lip at the sight. The growing bulge in his boxer briefs was aching to be free from its fabric confines. His hands would find her thighs, his thumbs caressing the skin beneath the pads.

Nessa reaches forward, her hand wedging between the bed and the back of his neck. She pulls the man up to her, their lips colliding in a ravenous kiss. Joe wraps a strong arm around her waist, lifting off the bed slightly. His other hand was peeling the elastic band of his underwear down, freeing his lower half from the piece of clothing. 

Without hesitation, Nessa reaches down between the pair. Her hand wraps around the shaft of his cock, positioning it at her entrance. She breaks the kiss, a shaky breath leaving her mouth as she lowers herself onto him. "Fuck," He breathes. Their foreheads gently pressed against each other in response to the feel. There was a moment of silence, broken only by the sound of soft panting as she started to move her hips. 

Her head drops back, exposing her throat to the man beneath her. His warm breath tickled her neck as his lips grazed its surface. Joe shudders slightly before allowing that muscle within his mouth to taste her skin. Though they just left a saltwater pool, she was surprisingly sweet on his tongue. At this moment, he decided to make it a mission to taste every inch of her tonight.

And so he did. It was an unforgettable night indeed. 

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

As if someone shouted at her to wake up, Vanessa's eyes opened suddenly. Her gaze meets the high ceilings above her. She blinked a few times before slowly turning her head towards the figure she was lying in bed with. Joe was sound asleep beside her, his hair shielding his face from sight. Her eyes widened as she quickly looked away from him. 

Oh God..., she thought, bringing her hand to her face. She pinches the bridge of her nose, gently shaking her head in disappointment. May the morning after regret commence. 

Carefully, she begins to remove herself from the bed. Joe's arm was draped across her body, holding her in place like a clip. Delicately, Nessa grabs his forearm and lifts it, careful not to disturb him. She gradually shimmies from the comfort of the bed. Once out of his arms and the bed, Nessa skims the room for her underclothes. She spots them on the opposite side of the room. 

She turned her attention back to Joe, watching him as she quietly made her way over to her bra and panties. She leans down slowly, her hands quickly snatching up the undergarments. Her heart beat thunderously in her chest as she peered behind her for the stairs. She descends them backward, keeping her eyes on the man sleeping peacefully in the bed on the second floor. Once he vanishes from her line of sight, she turns and rushes quietly down to the first floor. 

It has been years since the last time Vanessa had snuck out of a stranger's home. Seriously, it was a sport she ditched after college. Once her feet touched the first floor, Nessa put on her underwear. "What the fuck did you do?" She whispers angrily to herself as she moves through the living room. 

There was a dull aching behind her eyes from the alcohol she consumed the night before, and all the natural light pouring into this room was not helping her. Her clothes were draped over the back of the enormous couch that centered the room. She grabs the hoodie and sweatpants, quickly putting them on. Her phone was still in the deep right pocket of her pants. She fishes it out, immediately opening the Uber app. She needed to get out of here fast.

Her shoes were on against the wall next to the door. She slips them on, reaching for the door shortly after. With one last glance at the suite, she vanishes beyond the door.

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

A/N: AHHHHHH IT HAPPENED! THEY FINALLY HAPPENED!!! There was so many people who wanted this to happen in the last chapter, but I had plans! Plans that involved writer's block for several weeks at a time lmao. I won't lie to you, I been getting my ass kicked mentally for like a month now. Hopefully, everything will start looking up soon. Don't worry, it's just work that's got me drained.

Shout out to one of my friends for spamming me with nothing but Roman pictures for 5 hours to force me to finish this lmao

🏷️ list: @thesamoanqueen @whatdoeseverybodywant @headoftheetable @mzv11 @southerngirl41 @yana3sworld @wanderingreigns @wrestlingprincess80 @siriuslycee @vebner37 @astridxxxxxx @alichesmi @tshepisho @scarlettnoir01 @brokenglassslippers @reignsboy19 @sayyestoheav3nn @cyberdejos2 @empressdede @sisinever @truefant4sy @paigereeder @tbmotw @fearlesschimera @venusesworld @usoholic @sageispunk @bebesobrielo @jstarr86 @vibessonvibes @issahyland @fandomphasess @evilli0s 

[dontexpectmuch]

prologue - [lost in madrid]

-

series.masterlist

-

-

“yes, mum, i just arrived.”

your eyes focus on the keys on your hand, shaking slightly as you try to find the right one to open the door to your new apartment. your phone was between your shoulder and ear, a desperate attempt to keep the conversation with your mother going. your baggage is next to you, alongside some stray bags that hold all the remaining stuff for your stay here, and if it wasn’t for the nice man outside your building, it would’ve taken you even longer to carry all of those up to the third floor.

“mum, i’ll call you back, ‘kay? i have to get my stuff in.” you interrupt your mothers rambling, all her warnings and survival tips falling to deaf ears as your focus never shifts away from the keys in your hand.

you put your phone away, and try every single key one by one, frustration increasing. only at the fifth key did your door unlock, and you make a mental note to put a sign on that key, just to spare time next time. opening the door, you are met with the fresh scent of cleaning products, the light inside your apartment slightly stinging your eyes. and it looks just like in the pictures, nothing too fancy you note, bit just enough to make it feel like home for the next few months.

without getting too distracted yet, you turn around and quickly put all the bags and your luggage inside the apartment, making sure to take off your shoes as you go further inside.

the living room is bright, two big windows allowing all the sunlight to enter through, creating a warm and cozy feeling. your landlord included the furniture when offering you the place, taking off some of these stress off your back. it was quite simple, though you would never dare to complain.

an “L”- shaped dark green couch against the wall, a brown coffee table in front and a beige rug underneath. there some paintings of the city on the wall, a few plants spread around the room and on the kitchen counter, as well as a small tv and a bookshelf.

your eyes wander around a bit, taking in the look of your new home. then, you decide to move to the bedroom, which was also decorated in a simple way. beige walls with paintings, a queen sized bed, a closet, next to it is a white desk and a chair.

“maybe some plants to this room.” you mumble to yourself, eyes already looking for spots for the plants.

in front of the bedroom is the bathroom, with just the necessities one would need.

everything is simple, however you know that you won’t need any more. the price for the apartment was a catch anyway, and having furnitures included felt like winning the lottery.

your thoughts are disrupted by the sound of your stomach, reminding you that you haven’t eaten in a while. you move to the fridge, and though you know that there is nothing inside, you still open its door.

“grocery shopping it is.”

[kukurykunapatyku]

Happy *checks the watch* *checks the calendar* three-werks-after-birthday! Time is an illusion anyway. As a present I'm giving them the highest honor I can: getting partly redrawn from my family pictures <3

They were supposed to be on their best behavior but Niji ruined it of course (he sneezed 😔)

[ID: Drawing of ichiji, yonji, sanji and niji from one piece. Yonji, sanji and niji are sitting on L-shaped couch, ichiji is standing behind it, left from yonji. Sanji is lunging at Niji with angry expression, arms outstreached and mouth open. He's dressed in grey pants, blue vest and white dress shirt underneath. Niji is pressed into the couch, raising one hand in defense, the other grabbing Sanji's wrist, with one leg raised so that his knee is directed at Sanji's stomach, his teeth are gritted. He's dressed in blue frilly shirt, grey pants and brown shoes. He's got his orange googles and headphones too. Yonji is on the left side, watching it all unfold with distraught expression, partly turned away from the viever. He's dressed in flowy white shirt and black pants. Ichiji is leaning on the couch, one hand covering his face and the other resting on the cusion. He's dressed in pink blouse and black shirt underneath. Before them there is a wooden table and cake on a plate. The cake has three layers, it's yellow with purple and pink decorations. It's partly ruined, as if someone sneezed on it real hard, the third layer is spread on lower layers and even the table. /End ID]

Closeups:evil m&ms

[all-about-kyu]

Summary: Jaehyun finds a cute little café with a cuter owner on the first day of his vacation. Pairing: Jaehyun x fem!reader Tropes: spring break au Genre: smut Rating: R 18+ Warnings: language Smut Warnings: face fucking, degradation, name calling, slight dacryphilia Word Count: 1,875 Note: Thank you to @baljinciaga​ for beta/proofreading this!!

WITT Masterlist ៚ Chapter 2: Bikinis and Bathhouses

“Yo, this place is fuckin’ nice!” Mingyu bellows the moment they enter the bungalow.

“You’re the one who booked it. I’d hope you’d think it’s nice.” Youngkyun pokes.

He slips past the older and heads straight to the room he had been assigned to share with San. Changmin follows behind, wheeling his suitcase with him. Passing by the oversized sectional and the stairway, he finds his place in the master suite. Though Kino does complain about the red hair man getting the suite, it is only fair. He put the largest portion of money into the rental and should have the biggest space.

“Enjoy that couch, Mingyu. You’ll be sleeping there for the next week.” Jaehyun teases, “Maybe if you had put more into your idea, you wouldn’t be sleeping there.”

Mingyu grumbles but tosses his bag into the corner and flops onto the L-shaped sectional. Jaehyun climbs the flight of stairs and finds his roommate, Kino, already lounging on his chosen bed. Jaehyun takes one look at the garishly ugly cyan bedding and sighs. At least the view was nice, he could easily watch the beach outside his window, and by proxy, people watch as well. He has no idea how Mingyu managed to get a bungalow directly on the beach for the price he did, but he won’t complain.

“When are you thinking about going down there?” Hyunguu asks.

“Not today. I was gonna get changed and wander around the village. Did you wanna tag along?” the brunette replies.

“Nah, I’m gonna get settled for a little. That plane ride took me out.”

Jaehyun nods and grabs a random t-shirt and a pair of shorts from his bag to get changed. He ends up in a rather bland ensemble; a black t-shirt and black shorts. He puts on one of his silver chains to give some diversity to what he’s wearing. He overhears Youngkyun and San chatting about something when he exits his room. He can’t be bothered to eavesdrop, though. Once down the stairs, he sees Mingyu and Changmin lounging on their phones on the sectional. He asks them if they want to join him, but they’re still recovering from the flight, just like his other friends.

The village is cute enough; nothing jumps out at him, but nothing seems too boring. It’s a small village. He didn’t expect it to be a party town or anything like that. He sees a small cafe on one of the side streets and decides to go check it out. It’s a small little building. It seems to have been repurposed due to how the structure looks like the original architecture of the village. Other places look newer and more modern. He likes how this place looks, though; it has character in a good way.

The bell at the top of the door chimes quietly when he enters. He sees a girl behind the counter. She’s clearly bored out of her mind leaning over the counter. There’s no one person in the small building besides the two. She’s scrolling through her phone and hasn’t even said a word to Jaehyun; she hasn’t even looked up from her phone yet, for that matter.

“Excuse me,” he cuts through the silence, “are you open?”

You look up at him and immediately start sizing him up. You’ve never seen him before. Not many people know about your little village when the city is less than an hour away. He’s pretty. He’s really pretty. The way his hair is just wavy enough to give texture but not wavy enough to be frizzy (also thanks to the lower humidity today). The chocolate locks are mixed with bits of highlights. They aren’t overdone or too contrasting from the brown, but there enough to show.

“Yeah,” you nod, “it’s just not busy. It’s never really busy.”

“Well, you got time to tell me about this place?” he asks.

“There’s not much to know, honestly. How about I get you a drink, and then I’ll tell you.”

“Buying me a drink already? I don’t even know your name.”

“I never said it was on the house.” you tease back, and tell him your name in an offhanded comment, “Do you want a tea, coffee, fruity drink?”

“I’m Jaehyun. You can just surprise me with the drink.” he shrugs.

You start making a coffee for him. He seems like a black coffee kind of guy, but in this heat, an Iced Americano is the best bet. He just watches you for a while. His eye practically burn holes through you. When you hand him his drink, he smirks at you.

“I guess you know how to read people well.” he pats the bar stool beside him, “Come sit and tell me about this place. Though I’m much more interested in you.”

“I am working, you know.” you tease again, still coming around the counter to sit beside him.

“Didn’t you just tell me that it’s never really busy here?” he raises his eyebrow at you.

You sigh and start telling him about the village. Being born and raised here, you were raised to know everything about this place. You tell him what your grandparents told you about growing up. A whole lot of folklore and culture that not many people know about. He’s not paying attention much; you know that. His eyes have been scanning all over you since you sat down. Even when he sips on his coffee, he’s still fixated on you. Honestly, you would be doing the same if you didn’t get randomly lost in a rant about one of the folklore stories that doesn’t make sense to you to this day.

“So, did you remember any of that?” you ask, knowing he didn’t remember a thing.

“Honestly, much rather learn about you.”

“What about me?” you ask.

You lean forward, putting your elbows against the counter, and rest your head against your interlocked hands. You know exactly where this is leading, and you won’t stop it. You haven’t had the chance to hook up with anyone nearly as attractive as the man in front of you. It’s not often you see any new faces around here. Even when you go to the city, you don’t often get to have a hookup.

“You own this place?” “Yeah, it’s a family-owned business, but my parents retired.” you explain, “Are we going to continue with these mundane conversations, or are we going to skip right to the fun part?”

“Damn, right to the point.”

“You aren’t subtle, Jaehyun.” you chuckle.

His phone buzzes, and he checks it almost immediately. You can see him replying to a text. He writes back a reply as quickly as humanly possible before looking back at you. A smirk paints itself across his lips.

“Well,” he starts, “if you’re down, my housemates are all at the beach right now. We’ll be completely undisturbed.”

“How can you be sure they won’t come busting in while we’re at it?”

“They won’t.” he says definitively.

“So reassuring.” you tease, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to close early today. Give me ten minutes.”

He nods, and you go about your business shutting down everything you need to. Understandably, your mind was in other places, so you’re running on autopilot as you clean. His eyes follow you around the small cafe. The heat of his stare only serves to make you feel more ready to leave. You toss your apron on the hook next to the door to the storage room and then grab your bag. Jaehyun’s waiting by the door when you finally return to his side. He’s just as excited as you are despite him trying to seem calm and collected on the surface.

“Shall we be off?” he asks, pushing the door open for you.

“We shall.” you smirk.

“Oh fuck,” he groans.

You drop to your knees when he gets you into the room he’s staying in. You don’t waste a moment pulling his shorts down and getting his cock in your mouth. Jaehyun has a handful of your hair. He’s not holding it tight enough to pull it but just enough to let you know he’s in charge here. You look up at him with doe eyes as you place gentle kisses along his length. Once in a while, you lick gently; he shutters slightly when you do so and tightens his grip on your hair momentarily.

“You look like a slut on your knees for me. How about you get to work and suck me off properly.”

You whimper at his degrading words and loll your tongue out of your mouth. He smirks down at you; you take that as permission to begin. When your lips wrap his tip, you tease him still. You circle your tongue around him and hum slightly as you do so. While he is enjoying it, you aren’t listening to what he told you to do.

“Since you can’t seem to listen to simple instructions, I’ll take over. You’re already so cock drunk you can’t even suck my cock properly. So, sit there and be a pretty little whore for me.”

You think you could cum untouched from how he talks to you. Before you can protest, promise that you’ll do it properly, he fucks into your mouth. He sets a brutal, fast pace. Your eyes start tearing up as he continues to use your mouth. Your hands come up to his thighs to brace yourself. His thighs are firm too. Maybe he’ll let you ride them later.

“Are you gonna cry? You already look like a pretty little cockslut with how you’re letting me use your mouth. Crying’s only gonna make you look even more like one.”

You try to shake your head in disagreement, but how he uses you doesn’t allow for many replies. He pauses for a moment and then thrusts again with an even rougher pace. You moan around him and maintain eye contact for a few moments. When you close your eyes, he gives a particularly hard thrust. Making your eye open again, and a mewl escapes your vocal cords.

“If you want me to cum in your mouth like the cumdump you are, you will keep your eyes on me. Understood?”

You attempt to nod and watch how his face contorts in pleasure as he continues to fuck your mouth. You feel so used in the best way possible. You’re sure you’ve soaked through your shorts at this point, but you can’t be bothered to let him know that at this moment. His pace somehow grows rougher, and you can tell he’s getting close. His grip on your hair tightens, and he fully buries himself in your throat. With a loud groan, he cums down your throat. It takes him a few moments to recuperate, but once he does, he gently pulls back and looks at you with dark eyes.

“Should we get you taken care of too? You’ve been rubbing your legs together, trying to get anything you can out of it for the better part of the time. Sluts like you just can’t take care of yourselves, can you?”

“Fuck me?” you ask with pleading eyes.

“Gladly.”

COPYRIGHT STARLITMARK 2023© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED — reposting/modifying any fic or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations are not permitted. 

Networks: @kwritersworld​ @k-vanity​ @neohub​

Tag List strikethrough = unable to tag: @meowniee​ @cryoculus​ @2nk-3554  @yumekowhore​ @hyunjaespresent-deobi​

Send an ask or comment on the masterlist to be added to the tag list!!

[lee1504]

How about Aiden and Logan being friends, like watching a kid show together or playing video games? I hope you have a good day/night!!!

"I didn't know you lived that close by."

Logan's head jolted up. He was currently standing at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the cars to pass so that he could cross. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his beige sweater.

Behind him stood Aiden.

"What?"

Aiden stepped up next to him. He was still a bit shorter than him, by about a head. He wore the same clothes he usually wore; the iconic t-shirt with a smiley face and cargo shorts, along with his pair of bright red sneakers. Logan could feel himself getting blinder.

"I live close to you. Near Fountain Street," Aiden replied. As usual, he was grinning.

"Oh. That is close to where I live. I'm at Windmill Street," Logan said.

It became quiet.

Logan cleared his throat awkwardly. He anxiously waited for the light to turn green, so that the cars could drive away and he could go home to the flower shop. He loved plants, loved the feel of something he could help thrive. He didn't realize Aiden was speaking.

"--and that's why I'm better than everyone else. Especially Tyler, but don't tell him that." His reddish eyes turned towards Logan's brown ones. "You weren't listening, huh?"

Logan swallowed nervously. "I was," he said. "Just--"

Aiden laughed. "It's alright."

Finally, after a few more awkward moments, the light turned green. The remaining cars drove away, leaving Logan and Aiden on the empty street.

Logan started walking. He gripped on the straps of his bag. He's never felt more socially drained in his life.

"Logan," Aiden called. As if on instinct, he turned. Aiden still stood at the edge of the sidewalk. For someone so restless, he wasn't moving.

"...Yeah?"

Aiden's smile widened. "Since we lived close by, do you just wanna go to my house and play video games?"

+++++

"Just leave your stuff anywhere. My parents aren't home." Aiden tossed his bag on one of the L-shaped couches, strolling into the living room. The room was large, larger than his grandparents' flower shop. Logan hesitantly set his bag down on the floor at the foot of the couch, sitting down on the edge.

"Where's Ben?" Logan asked.

Aiden waved a hand dismissively as he crouched down in front of the large TV, hovering over a large box. He began digging through the box.

"Oh, he's with Taylor. I think he's waiting for her at school so that they can go home together with Tyler, too." Aiden paused whatever he was doing. "Now that I think about it, we all live kinda close. Even Ashlyn."

"Oh." Logan didn't know what to say. He shifted awkwardly on the couch, waiting.

"Oh! Found something!" Aiden stood, one hand on his hip. "Aha!" In one hand, he held a Nintendo Switch game card folder. "It's a shooting game!"

Logan perked up, sitting more forward. "A shooting game?"

"Yeah!" Aiden moved over to the TV, turning it on and connecting it to the Switch. He inserted the game card, then handed one of the controllers to Logan. He flopped down next to him, sprawled out on the couch.

"I bet I'll beat you," Logan said, paying more attention.

Aiden scoffed, rolling his eyes, grinning. "Is that a bet?"

Logan cracked a smile. "Yeah."

+++++

The next hour passed by in a blur. They played several more rounds, forgetting about the time. There were empty cups stacked on the table, along with a half-full snack bowl. Popcorn was spilled onto the glass table.

Suddenly the door to the house opened, revealing Ben. He looked surprised to see Logan there. He quietly took off his shoes, setting his bag down near the door.

"WHAT THE--HOW DO YOU KEEP ON WINNING?!" Aiden stood, spamming all the buttons on the control.

Logan smiled, not saying anything. Aiden's character was already at a low health, whereas Logan's was still half-full. He stood up too, calmly pressing at the buttons. Ben made his way into the living room, watching.

Finally, after several more minutes, Aiden's character died.

"NO! HOW?!" Aiden fell onto the couch. "Oh, woe is me...how could I have lost...?"

Logan laughed, setting his controller down carefully on the table. "You did good," he said.

"Good?!"

On the screen, a few words appeared.

Final Score: School Shooter (Player 1): 5981 i'm gonna win (Player 2): 3002

Logan grinned, seeing his score.

"Noooo..." Aiden groaned. "I failed...your aim is too good for me to win..." He sat up again, taking notice of Ben, who stood quietly behind the couch. "Oh, hi, Ben."

Logan laughed again, this time picking up his bag. He glanced at his watch. It had been one and a half hours since they left school.

"I better go now," he said. He handed his controller back to Aiden. "Well, bye. Bye, Ben," he added. Ben nodded.

"Goodbye, enemy," Aiden said, sounding as if he was mourning. He still smiled.

As Logan put on his shoes near the entryway, he heard Aiden's voice call back to him.

"Tomorrow? Same time?" he asked, smiling.

Logan smiled back. "Yeah, same time."

Aiden's smile grew. "Good. I'll make sure to beat you, then."

"Haha, whatever you say."