#but then like the closer it gets to my actual birthday i just DREAD it

[drawcupidsbow]

happy birthday isat :)

this took me Wayyyy longer than i thought it would so thats why its a bit late.. ehheh.... i really like how it turned out though !! extra stuff under the cut

okay. okay im gonna get a bit sappy here. bear (🐻) with me

isat has very quickly become my favorite game of all time which is not an exaggeration. never have i played a game that felt so real in its dialogue, characterization, and character interactions. it makes it so easy to relate to them all and so difficult to pick just One favorite. it cured my art block watered my crops fed my family etc etc. i had originally bought it nearly a year ago now. on christmas day to be specific! and for some reason i didnt actually Finish the damn thing until may. and whew did it consume my every waking thought. i havent had this much fun theorizing and being part of a fandom in general in so so long. thank you adrienne for making such a wonderful game and thank you isat fandom for being so kind and friendly! i actually feel like i can make an effort to have a presence here more than anywhere else and i hope i can become closer with all my mutuals and anyone else who wants to talk about isat with me for one million years

okay enough Heres the art you came here for

first time in like. actual years i did sketch then lineart instead of just cleaning up the sketch a bunch LOL so here is the sketch for this one

the dreaded lineart. this took the longest time and i never want to draw again (joke)

self explanatory. i had an idea to add loop but do Not have the energy to execute it currently. oh well!

if you read my big big paragraph of rambling thank you :3c That is all. Im gonna go take a break from drawing for a day or two and lay on the floor

[streetcornertwoam]

think I might be going through a depressive episode AND my birthday is a in a few days...

COINCIDENCE???

[permanentreverie]

will i ever have a birthday that i don’t hate with my entire soul

[sl-ut]

you should probably leave

pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x fem!reader

description: joel is enamoured by his new neighbour, but old patterns will always be his downfall.

warnings: UNEDITED, slight age gap, slight smut, implied unprotected piv, protected piv, swearing, alcohol consumption, insecurity, angst, reader is given a birthday (she's a sag like me)

words: 10.8K (my longest fic to date)

date posted: 14/03/23

part two

(inspired by you should probably leave by chris stapleton)

OCTOBER 12, 1998

The weather was something that she was unsure if she could ever get used to. For her entire life, she had spent the entirety of the late autumn months dreading the first snowfall of the season before lugging out her extensive collection of knitted sweaters and fur-lined boots. Instead, her little archive of winter clothing was left in a cardboard box in her childhood bedroom, along with the majority of her other belongings that she had not brought with her on her grand adventure–if you could even call it that. 

The University of Texas at Austin had not been her first choice of school, or her second, or third; she actually had never even imagined going to school any further than a few hours from her hometown in Pennsylvania, and yet there she was, standing in front of her brand-new home, sweltering under the harsh Texan sun as she struggled to unload her packed car all on her own. Well, to call it her home would be a pretty tight stretch, as well as to label it as “brand-new.” 

The small bungalow-style house had caught her eye on a flyer in the grocery store, a listing for one female roommate in a cul-de-sac not too far from the city. It wasn’t exactly her dream home by any means, with an ugly yellow exterior and a kitchen that could certainly use an updating, but it she had recently been forced out of her own apartment due to her previous roommate preferring her boyfriend to live their with her instead and it was the nicest of the few places within her price range that would also accommodate the mutt she’d rescued during her first year. All things considered, it was quite literally perfect for her situation–plus her new roommate seemed to have been at least more considerate of her boundaries than the last, which gave her some hope that things might actually work out. 

Y/n grunted at the weight of the box, cursing herself internally for enrolling in school and owning so many textbooks as she lugged it up the front steps, dropping it just inside the door. She couldn’t help but grimace as she glanced up, meeting the watchful gaze of Manny, his furry little head tilting curiously–likely wondering why she was making so much ruckus and interrupting his nap. 

“Lazy ass,” she muttered under her breath at him, kicking the box to the side before trudging back out the door.

The next few boxes were filled with clothes and shoes, fortunately for her spine. She hauled several out, dropping each of them to the pavement of the driveway carelessly as she wiped at her sweaty forehead, apparently too enthralled in the work to notice the beat up truck as it turned into the neighbouring driveway.

“Hey there,” she turned to find a young man, his hair combed back to expose his effortlessly charming face to her, “You need a hand?”

She glanced down at the boxes at her feet, “I wouldn’t wanna bother you.”

A young girl appeared at his side, wide eyes peering over at the older female curiously. The man shrugged, puffing out his broad chest as he moved. Y/n almost laughed at how obvious he was being, only seconds after meeting her. The man gave off the impression that he had always thought fairly highly of himself, probably the quarterback of the high school football team, maybe even involved in the armed forces–the navy, she was betting. He crossed the barrier between the two driveways in two long strides, extending his hand out to her as he came closer. 

“I’m Tommy,” he flashed her a grin, his accent coming out thicker than it probably would have normally. He glanced over his shoulder, motioning for the young girl to follow him into the neighbouring yard, “This is my niece Sarah.”

Y/n smiled politely, shaking his hand lightly, “Hi, I’m Y/n. I guess it’s nice to meet some of my new neighbours.”

“Well, Sarah, here, is your neighbour. Me, I live–”

“What happened to Stephanie?” Sarah interrupted, “I didn’t know she was moving.”

Y/n turned her attention to the young girl, “She isn’t, we’re just living together now.”

Sarah’s mouth formed an ‘o’, the gears visibly turning in her head as she formulated her next question, “Are you guys dating?”

“Sarah!” Tommy choked on his spit, “I’m sorry–”

“It’s okay,” Y/n chuckled at his response before turning back to the young girl, “No, we’re not. I guess she just didn’t wanna be living here all on her own anymore.”

Tommy’s shoulders relaxed, the mortified expression leaving his features in favour of one that she might have even considered relief. He shook his head at his niece, giving her a hard stare, “I’m sorry about her. I figured that she would have some better manners by now–my mistake.”

Sarah swatted at him, a pout appearing on her lips as her brows furrowed. The girl didn’t quite understand how the question may have been taken with offence by some, and was quite miffed by her uncle’s insult. 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Y/n affirmed, “I think it’s actually a good thing that she knows about that kinda stuff.”

Tommy glanced down at the boxes, clear discomfort appearing on his features, “Alrighty then, how about these boxes?”

Y/n gave in, offering Tommy one of the heavier of the three boxes, while shifting the smallest and lightest to the young girl, who had been adamant in helping out. She instructed them to just drop the boxes to the floor by the door, not looking to take up much more of their time. 

A loud gasp escaped Sarah, her wide eyes falling on the mutt, who had appeared to have been equally as excited to see her as he rushed over, tongue lolling out of his mouth and tail flapping wildly. Sarah squealed when he barrelled into her, a fit of giggles leaving her mouth as he brought her to the ground and began to cover her face in slobbery kisses.

“Manny!” Y/n groaned, grasping the dog’s collar and pulling away enough for Sarah to sit up off of the floor, “Sorry, he’s just convinced that everyone wants to be his friend.”

“I’ll be his friend!” Sarah beamed, reaching out and squishing the dog’s face in between her palms, “I mean… Can I?”

Y/n shrugged, “As long as it’s okay with your…” She glanced at Tommy for help, unsure about Sarah’s parentage situation. He’d already made it clear that he did not live next door, but had never explicitly stated who did.

“You’ll have to ask your dad, Sarah,” He chastised her, “Anyway, we should get out of your hair now, let you settle in.”

Y/n nodded, “Yeah, thank you for the help, though.”

“No problem, ma’am,” He winked, southern charm on full display as he stepped out onto the front step, “Anytime for a pretty girl like you. C’mon, Sar.”

Sarah begrudgingly offered the needy pup one more affectionate squeeze before following after her uncle, leaping off of the step and bounding across to her own front yard. Tommy paused, hand resting on the railing of the step and giving it a firm shake. His lips pursed into a line as he let out a small huh as the bannister shifted out of its place, then back in under the pressure. 

“Yeah, Steph said there were all kinds of little things wrong with the place,” Y/n noted, “But hey, if it’s got four walls and a roof, it’s good enough for me.”

He chuckled at her, shaking his head, “You know, my brother and I are contractors, we could come over and help you fix things up if you guys wanted.”

She hummed, “I’ll mention it to Steph. Wouldn’t wanna just start making changes to her house while she’s not here, would I?”

Tommy hummed, “‘Spose that’s true. Anyway, I should go see where she ran off to, but I sure hope I’ll be seeing you around.” He shot her a cheeky wink before jogging back over to the neighbouring yard, leaving her and Manny among the mess of boxes in the entryway. 

Y/n huffed, glancing around at the mess, then at the furry little beast at her feet, who waited patiently for her to begin offering him her love and attention. She rested her hands on her hips, shaking her head softly, “Well, let’s just get this done, boy.”

– – –

Joel grunted as he clambered in through the side door of his home, sighing in relief as he slipped out of his heavy work boots and dropped the armload of groceries onto the kitchen counter. He could hear the TV on in the living room, drowned out by Sarah’s yell of a greeting. He rushed to put away the groceries, sticking the brown paper bags in the recycling before stepping into the dimly lit sitting area. 

Tommy was reclined on the couch, slumped into the worn leather like a pile of mashed potatoes as he balanced his can of Budweiser on his bent knee. He nodded to his brother briefly as he lifted the beer to his lips, hardly taking his eyes off of the football game on the screen as Joel plopped down next to him. The older brother leaned forward, pressing a small kiss to Sarah’s head so as to not disturb her as she worked on her homework on the coffee table in front of the couch before finally copying his brother’s position.

“The hell took you so long? You left the site the same time I did, and I had to go pick this shithead up from school,” he playfully kicked at Sarah’s leg, “plus I helped your new neighbour move in.”

“Supermarket was a zoo,” Joel moaned as he ran his palm flat over his face, then furrowed his brow, “What new neighbour?”

Tommy nodded his head back in the direction of the mustard yellow house, “Chick next door got a new roommate.”

“Uncle Tommy was flirting with her,” Sarah chimed in, not taking her eyes off of the math textbook in front of her.

Joel rolled his eyes, “Now tell me why I’m not surprised.”

Tommy shook his head, taking another large gulp of beer, “I know what you’re thinking, but this girl’s different. She’s not from ‘round here. Not sure where, but she’s got an accent. Canada, maybe.”

“You know what a Canadian accent sounds like?” Joel scoffed, knowing that his brother was prone to drawing his own conclusions. 

“Well, no,” Tommy frowned, “But I imagine it might sound like that. Doesn’t matter, I think I’m gonna ask her out.”

Joel grunted in response, turning his eyes to the game on the screen.

“She wasn’t flirting back,” Sarah grinned up at the two men, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her father’s growing smirk and giggling as his own laughter came tumbling out. Tommy kicked her again, only this time with a little more force, “What? You invited yourself over there and were all,” She puffed her chest out and deepened her voice, “Anything for a pretty girl like you.”

Joel rested a palm on his belly as he shook with laughter, his other hand landing on the top of his daughter’s head affectionately as Tommy crossed his arms, sulking. 

“I think she was flirting back,” he argued.

“She wasn’t,” Sarah reaffirmed.

Tommy leaned forward, “Now how the hell would you know anything about flirting, huh? You been doin’ a lot of it at school?”

Her face burned in embarrassment, sputtering for a response, “No, that’s gross!”

Joel frowned at her, shaking his head in feign sternness, “You better not be. Otherwise I might need to break out grandpa’s old hunting rifle.”

She didn’t utter another word, simply gathering her things in her arms and rushing off to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her as the laughter of her father and uncle followed her every step.

OCTOBER 17, 1998

Just under a week had passed since he’d first caught wind of his new neighbour, and Joel had yet to even see this woman. He’d noticed the new car in the driveway, and he’d picked up on the presence of the dog fairly quickly, especially after he’d caught Sarah tossing some of the vegetables from her dinner over the fence for him. Joel hadn’t paid it much mind, he was far too busy to be concerned with some young girl who didn’t seem to be causing much issues. 

He’d had words with Stephanie several times in the past; once for blatantly smoking pot on 

her front step when they were heading out for the day, then for leaving her garbage bin too close to his driveway, causing him to back into it and scratch the paint on his truck, and then once more when she’d had a little get together that ended up lasting until 4am, when the police arrived. He would normally have called himself a narc for having the party shut down, but it was keeping Sarah awake and the door had been shut in his face when he went over to ask politely. 

The day had been long, and normally he would have refused Tommy’s invitation to head over to one of the local dive bars, but after dealing with the shit-show that had gone on at the job site that day, he really needed a drink. Sarah was out of the house, anyway, having slept over at a friend’s house, so there was quite literally nothing keeping him away.

“Brother’s night, my ass,” Joel grumbled into his glass, glancing over to the corner booth, where his brother had joined a pretty brunette, leaving Joel to himself at the barside. He waved at the bartender, motioning for another top-up of his whiskey. 

A figure appeared at his side, leaning onto the bartop to call out to the bartender. Joel glanced over, his eyes raking over her radiant side profile in awe. He shot his gaze back to the glass of amber liquid in front of him, then briefly over to the girl once more. His eyes narrowed in on her pursed lips, noting how her brows furrowed in frustration as the bartender migrated to the other side of the bar. She turned to him suddenly, and Joel whipped his head back around to ensure that he wouldn’t appear to be some creep–though he was positive he certainly had been.

“Is it always like this here?” She asked him, tilting her head. “I swear, I’ve gone to three different spots along this bar, and buddy keeps looking in the other direction.”

He cleared his throat, “You not from around here?”

She smiled sheepishly, “Is it that obvious?”

Joel chuckled, “Just a little. You gotta get his attention, be firm. Here,” he tucked his index finger and thumb into his mouth and let out a loud whistle, nodding at the bartender as he rushed over. 

“Two vodka crans, please,” The girl smiled prettily at the bartender, then scoffed as he turned to begin pouring the drinks, “Shit, I guess I could stand to learn a thing or two.”

“It comes with time,” He frowned, realising that he may have implied that he was at the bar every other night, “I mean, not that I’m–”

She touched his arm softly, electricity running through her fingertips and into his bicep, “Hey, I’m not here to judge you if you’re not here to judge me, heh?”

He nodded, opening his mouth to speak once more when another figure appeared at her side. His smile dropped, taking in the sight of his next door neighbour, probably one of the last people he wanted to see on his night off.

“What the fuck is taking you so long–oh,” Stephanie narrowed her eyes at the older man, who simply turned and took another long swig of his whiskey, “Hello, Joel.”

“Stephanie,” he drawled, “How you doin’ tonight?”

She smirked at him maliciously, “Fine. Y/n, this is the guy I was telling you about.”

Oh, this is Y/n, he thought to himself, suddenly understanding Tommy’s instant interest in the girl. 

“All good things, I hope,” he sighed into his glass.

She shook her head, “Oh, just that you’re the neighbour from hell, and that you’re a narc.”

Y/n tucked her bottom lip in between her teeth, visibly uncomfortable at the confrontation. His eyes fell to her mouth at the movement, wondering what it might feel like to take that same lip in between his own teeth. 

“You keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night, Steph,” he huffed, praying to any god that would listen that she hadn’t completely turned Y/n against him.

Stephanie sneered at him, grasping one of the drinks from the bartop and stomping off, leaving a thick tension over the remaining two. Joel met Y/n’s gaze once again, noting the visible embarrassment on her face as she began to laugh slowly.

“Sorry about her,” She laughed nervously, “For the record, I know that she’s a little dramatic.”

“‘T’s fine,” Joel grumbled, swallowing the last gulp of whiskey, “You ain’t gotta apologise for her, she can feel however she wants about me.”

Y/n chuckled, a genuine one this time and Joel couldn’t help but carve the melodious sound into his memory, “I’m Y/n, by the way.”

He nodded, accepting the soft handshake that she offered, “So I’ve heard.” He noticed the slight furrow of her brow before he clarified, “I’m Sarah’s dad.”

Realisation crossed her face, “Oh, Sarah! She’s a real sweetheart.”

“Yeah, she is,” he smiled softly at the complement, “She sure likes you, and I’m assuming that it’s your pup that I’ve caught her feeding her broccoli to?”

Y/n giggled at him, “Huh, I’d noticed that he was especially gassy lately. Here I was thinking it was something in the water.”

Joel let out a loud laugh, then realised that he had not actually introduced himself, “Shit. Sorry, I just–” he coughed, “I’m Joel.”

“So I’ve heard.” She repeated to him, clearing her throat before turning to gaze at him through her lashes with a soft smile, “So Joel, is this seat taken?”

– – –

Y/n had not expected to have enjoyed herself quite so much when Stephanie forced her to go to the grubby little saloon, feeling incredibly out of place among all of the southerners. She had been hesitant to leave Manny on his own so soon after moving in, but the last thing that she had wanted to do was get on Stephanie’s bad side so early on. Then, she’d stumbled upon the devastatingly handsome man sitting all on his own at the bar, and her tune changed drastically. 

She sat on that stool for the better part of two hours after Stephanie had fucked off, leaving them to become acquainted with one another. Joel had offered her another drink, which she accepted under the terms that she would buy the next round, and against his better judgement, he found himself doing a shot of tequila with her as well. She smirked to herself when she took note of the flush that had crawled into his cheeks, and how cheerful his dark chocolate eyes looked under the dim lighting of the bar. 

Y/n had noticed Tommy in the corner booth, and how he had been blatantly pressing his southern charm onto the brunette under his arm in the very same way that he had to her, which made her feel much better knowing that he couldn’t possibly be that upset about her doing the exact same to his brother. 

Her hand had come to rest on his knee, leaning across to invade his personal space animatedly as she spoke, her own cheeks flushing each time that he grinned or laughed at her words, and she had lost count of the amount of times that she had rubbed her thighs together or considered smashing her lips to his. 

Tommy appeared at his side, clutching his shoulder in his firm grasp, “Hey Joel, you think you’re ready–oh, hey, Y/n.” His cheeks had turned red, one hand self-consciously rising to rub at his cheek, where the stark red lipstick stain had once acted as a trophy and was now an admission of guilt. Tommy pursed his lips, “Wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.”

She shrugged, “Steph forced me out.”

He nodded awkwardly, unsure of how to save himself in this situation. 

Y/n turned her head, catching sight of her roommate’s drunken attempt to seduce the bouncer before turning her attention back to the older of the two brothers, squeezing his knee once before sliding off of the stool, “Speaking of, I should probably leave, she’s gonna get us banned from here any minute now. It’s been nice, talking to you, Joel. See you, Tommy.”

Both men watched as she disappeared into the crowd, eyes trailing after her figure longingly.

Tommy huffed, “You think I still got a chance?”

Joel’s shoulders shook in a drunken fit of giggles, lifting his own hand to proudly show off the nine digits that had been marked into his skin, “Nope.”

Tommy’s jaw dropped, clear disappointment on his features before it was quickly replaced by pride, “Well fuck, brother. Didn’t think you had it in you.”

OCTOBER 31, 1998

Y/n wiped at the sweat on her brow, breathing picking up in delight as she turned the corner and the blinding yellow house came into sight. The sun had already begun to set by the time that she and Manny had set out on their evening walk, now settling low on the horizon and casting a golden hue to the world below it as Manny tugged on his leash, obviously also desperate to escape the heat. 

A loud honk sounded from behind her, muffled slightly by the music playing over her bulky headphones, drawing her attention to the dark pickup truck as it sped past, Sarah hanging out the back window with a grin on her face as she waved dramatically. Y/n chuckled at the young girl, allowing Manny to lead her into a faster pace as they grew closer to their house.

She slid the headphones down to rest around her neck, pressing pause on her walkman as Sarah rushed towards them. The girl paid very little mind to the woman holding the leash, instead dropping to her knees and reaching out for the excited dog’s face, laughing as he began to lick enthusiastically at her cheek. 

“Hi,” her gaze rose to find Joel as he rounded the bed of the truck, hand resting on the top of the tailgate as he tried his best to look casual, “sorry, this one never shuts up about that dog.”

Y/n smiled at him, warmth flooding through her cheeks. She’d only actually spoken to Joel a handful of times since that night at the bar, mostly simple greetings while Sarah occupied herself with Manny. Joel was too awkward of a person to try anything with Sarah present, and Y/n was too compassionate to question him about why he hadn’t bothered to call yet in front of his daughter. 

Y/n shrugged, “To be fair, he never shuts up about her, either.”

“Oh did he tell you that?” The man asked, brows raised playfully, “I didn’t know you spoke dog.”

“There are many things you don’t know about me yet, Joel,” She smirked at him, “Oh, happy Halloween, by the way.”

“Right,” Joel raised one hand to stroke his hairy chin, “Yeah, you too.”

Sarah glanced up from Manny’s pleading brown eyes, “Dad forgot.

Joel sent a sharp glare to his daughter, then smiled sheepishly at her, “Not too concerned about a holiday that’s got nothing to do with me, anyway–this one decided she’s too cool for trick-or-treating with dad this year.”

“Oh don’t feel too discouraged, I gave my dad the boot when I was even younger.”

“See?” Sarah pressed, glancing back at her father, “You don’t even like Halloween, I don’t get why you’re mad.”

Y/n widened her eyes and clutched her chest dramatically, “What do you mean, you don’t like Halloween? It’s like, one of the best holidays!”

Joel rolled his eyes, “Oh don’t tell me you’re one of those people.”

She pursed her lips, “And just when I was starting to like you, Miller.”

His eyes met hers, curiosity pooling into the dark mocha irises as he considered her words. He almost appeared apologetic; could he feel guilty about not calling her? Y/n did her best to not appear too shaken by his lack of contact–she hadn’t expected anything from him the next day, but after two weeks and still no call? She’d taken that as a sign that he’d been a tad too drunk when he had been so shamelessly flirting with her, and that he had no intentions of ever pursuing anything. 

Y/n was thankful when Sarah interrupted the pair, preventing her from spiralling into a nervous breakdown from her own inner monologue, “What are you dressing up as?”

The woman shook her head with a mischievous smirk on her lips, “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see when you come knocking at my door, huh?”

“No big plans?” Joel tilted his head, “I figured that roommate of yours would have you out on the town.”

She shrugged, “Steph’s out of town. Something about the drinks and the guys being stronger. Looks like it’s just gonna be me and my little guy here,” she gently clapped a hand against Manny’s side, “Well, us and a selection of horror movies.”

Sarah stood up, leaning into her dad’s side with her elbow, “How convenient, my dad will also be home alone tonight.”

Joel dropped his head in embarrassment–just leave it to Sarah to blatantly play the role of her father’s wingwoman. He refused to meet Y/n’s amused gaze, ears burning as Sarah continued.

“And he totally loves horror movies. He watches them all the time.”

“Oh really?” Y/n did her best not to burst out laughing, enjoying the sight of both Joel’s embarrassment and how confidently Sarah was trying to talk up her own father. She crossed her arms over her chest, doing her best to not make it too obvious how much she actually wanted to invite him to join her, but she didn’t want to display too much interest in him if he genuinely had none in her, “Well then maybe he should head to Blockbuster before all of the good ones are rented.” 

She raised her brow at him, signalling to him that it was his turn to make a move, as she would not be making any more. He nodded at her, red flooding his cheeks as he tried to muster up the courage to discuss the clear tension between them. 

Y/n smiled politely at them both, then glanced down at the heavily panting dog at her feet, “Well, I better get this guy out of this heat. See you guys in a bit, then?” She led the dog past them, glancing back over her shoulder, her lips pursed as she watched Sarah poke at her father’s side sharply. 

The young girl smirked at her dad knowingly, remaining silent, though the expression on her face made her thoughts very clear to the man. She scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest, “Christina’s sister is so right; all boys are stupid.”

The man scowled at his daughter, watching in silence as she moved around him without another word, disappearing through the front door without so much as another glance. Joel scoffed, shaking his head at her, and wondering how the hell his nine year old could be so goddamn right about the situation. 

– – –

Joel wiped his hands anxiously across the expanse of his thighs, attempting to rid himself of the nervous sweat that had collected in his palms as he stood on Y/n’s front step, mustering up the courage to finally knock. 

“The fuck am I doing,” He cursed to himself, shaking his head as he ran a hand over his face. 

Y/n was younger than him; not by a lot, but they were still in very different stages of their lives. He wasn’t willing to admit that he genuinely did like her, and considering that she was still a young woman and still in college, he wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for with him. Was it just some quick fuck that she wanted? Joel wouldn’t be opposed–hell, he was ashamed that he’d imagined such a thing more than a few times since meeting her–but he wasn’t sure if he could jump into bed with her and then move on with his life, nor could he expect her to be willing to just pick up the role of step-mother to his little girl. 

Joel had woken up on October 17, hungover as hell and struggling to recall any of his memories from the night before. He’d forced himself out of bed much earlier than he would have liked, needing to pick Sarah up before her soccer game. The man had stumbled his way into the shower, blindly going through the motions of bathing himself as the warm water slowly began to remove the fog from his mind. It was then, as he had reached out for his bottle of body wash that he noticed the smudge of blue ink on his skin, and then jumping in surprise at the memory of the beautiful woman who had given him her phone number–the woman who had him laughing like he hadn’t in so long and blushing harder than he thought possible–the woman who he hoped was now lying peacefully in her bed next door, preferably all on her own. 

The few times that he had seen her since then, he had thought about apologising for not calling and telling her the truth of what had happened, despite his embarrassment. He wanted to ask for it again, but every time, Sarah was there, making a fuss over the little pooch that never seemed to leave Y/n’s side. He wished that he were more confident in himself, more willing to speak to other women even if his daughter was there, but he simply would never be able to look at the young girl again if Y/n were to reject him. 

“Shit,” He swore loudly as he turned to rush off of the step, instead booting one of the carefully carved jack-o-lanterns onto the pavement of the driveway and watching in horror as it shattered on impact. 

“Joel?” He froze at the sound of the door creaking open behind him, smiling bashfully at the young woman as he did his best to not appear too guilty. Her eyes fell from his flushed face to the mess of orange at his feet, a surprised chuckle leaving her lips, “Damn, you really do hate Halloween, huh? Enough to come over here and start destroying my decorations, anyway.”

He sputtered for an answer, “I–it was an accident, I just knocked it off by accident on my way out–”

“Your way out?” She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the doorframe, “So what, you were just loitering on my front step?”

He scoffed at her, “I was actually on my way to apologise, but if you’d rather I just get lost…”

Y/n raised a brow inquisitively, “I’m listening.”

“I just–I’m sorry for not calling,” Joel admitted with a sigh, debating whether or not it would be best to explain exactly why, “For what it’s worth, I would have if I hadn’t washed it off by accident.”

An amused expression crossed her features as she mulled over his explanation, “You…washed it off?”

He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, “I did.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, as if she were trying to decipher whether or not he was being truthful, “Okay.”

His gaze shifted from side to side, uncertain as to what she meant, “Okay?”

“Okay,” She affirmed, “So what time did you wanna come over tonight?”

Joel swallowed the lump in his throat, “Tonight?”

Y/n shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the butterflies that slammed at the lining of her stomach and threatened to erupt, “Tonight. You said it yourself, Sarah’s gonna be gone all night, so would  you rather be home alone or come over? Otherwise, I’ll just be here by myself, scared and in need of a devastatingly handsome cowboy to protect me from Michael Myers.”

Blush spread across his cheeks, his hands coming up to rest on his hips, “I don’t know about ‘devastatingly handsome’, but I think I could handle some asshole in a mask.”

She grinned at him wickedly, “That’s what everyone thinks, but I guess we’ll see tonight, around eight?”

“Eight.” He confirmed, then glanced down at the mess at his feet, “And sorry about your pumpkin.”

“It’s alright,” Y/n smirked, “You’ll just have to work extra hard to make it up to me.”

– – –

Joel anxiously adjusted his shirt, frowning at himself in the window of her front door. Despite dismissing Sarah’s teasing by claiming that this was in fact, not a date, he’d taken her advice in showering the moment that he had gotten into the house. 

He was aware that she was flirting with him, but until he had gotten out of the shower, towel sitting low around his waist as he wiped the steam away from the mirror and took in his shaggy appearance, he had not been at all concerned about what activities the night might lead to. Staring at his own reflection, nervousness quickly began to settle into his bones.

He had made quick work with the clipper, shortening the length of his facial hair after several weeks of negligence and leaving his lower face to be covered by a light stubble. He put a little more effort into his hair than usual, running a thin layer of gel through it while noting to himself that it was probably time for a haircut. He even took things a step further, dabbing a few drops of some woodsy cologne onto his skin; the bottle had gone untouched for two years, having been a Christmas present from his mother.

“Are you wearing cologne?” Sarah asked as she appeared at his side, face painted to resemble a circus clown, “I knew this was a date.”

“It’s not a date,” He argued, doing his best not to jump in fright at her appearance, “Shouldn’t you be out on the town by now, Ronald McDonald?”

“You showered, put on cologne, and you’re bringing candy? It’s a date.” Sarah listed, “And I’m Pennywise, by the way. Christina’s sister is coming to pick me up soon. She says that guys always dress up when she goes out with them because they want her–”

Joel grunted, glaring at his daughter, “I want you to stop hanging around Christina’s sister.”

Sarah ignored his comment, “Is that what you’re wearing?”

Joel glanced down at his outfit–a clean pair of jeans and an old t-shirt that he’d probably gotten out of a beer box or something, “What’s wrong with this?”

“What’s right with it?” 

Joel considered his parenting style for a moment, wondering if he would be free of this headache if he had spanked his daughter once or twice in her life. Sometimes he forgot that the girl was only nine years old with how intelligent she was and how much more mature she seemed in comparison to other kids her age. 

“It’s not a date, Sarah.”

She rolled her eyes, “It could be. Come on.”

Sarah rushed past him, leading him into his own bedroom as she began to dig through his closet. She frowned with almost every piece that she picked out, tossing them behind her recklessly and ignoring her father’s scolding for the mess that she had quickly created. 

“Hah!” The girl pulled out an egg-plant button down and shoved it into his grasp, “I knew you had to have something that wasn’t that ugly.”

He grunted at her, but didn’t reply out of respect for her brutal honesty as he quickly shed himself of the worn t-shirt he’d previously been wearing in favour of the one that Sarah had chosen. Now, as he stood at her front door and internally decided for himself that this was a date, he couldn’t help but thank God for his daughter’s awareness.

Finally, after tugging at the hem of his shirt, he raised a fist and knocked heavily on the door. Joel choked on his own saliva when she appeared in the window, smiling sweetly at him when she pulled the door open. She had already changed into a pair of black yoga pants and a sky blue shirt that exposed just a tasteful amount of her midriff. 

“Hi, again,” she breathed, a smile forming on her face, “You look nice, purple is definitely your colour.”

Joel burned, “I–thank you. Sarah picked it out.”

Y/n turned to the girl, who had already ushered the dog up onto the sofa with her, “Well she has a clear eye for style.”

“She definitely thinks so, that girl damn near harrasses me about my clothes everyday.” Y/n laughed out loud, Joel’s ears tingling at the melodious sound, “You look great, too.”

Y/n beamed down at her outfit, shrugging to herself, “Thanks, I thought about keeping my costume on but I wasn’t entirely sure how much you would be into Strawberry Shortcake.”

Joel chuckled at her, glancing down at the object in his hand, “I brought beer, by the way. Wasn’t sure if I should bring anything, or if you even like–”

Y/n reached out, snatching the six pack from his grasp, “Ever the gentleman, cowboy. So, you coming in?”

– – –

The house was filled with laughter, both having nearly finished their first beer as they shared stories freely. Halloween played quietly in the background, though neither of them paid too much attention. Y/n did her best not to physically melt when she felt Joel’s arm drape across the back of the sofa behind her, resisting the urge to tease him for attempting to cover it up by faking a dramatic yawn. 

She brushed her fingers along the top of his thigh, smirking to herself as she watched his leg slowly shift closer to her, though he didn’t address the affectionate touch. He spoke to her softly, and made an effort to hold eye contact with her as he did to–she was starting to feel some guilt about the conclusion that he’d drawn about him after he’d failed to call her. Her own gaze continuously fell to his lips as he spoke, and she was sure that he had noticed by the way that his lips began to curl confidently. Her heart hammered in her chest, wondering how much longer she would need to wait before he finally made a move.

Joel, however, was wondering exactly how he possibly could make a move. While feeling confident around her, there was no way to escape the fact that he hadn’t been on a date in at least a year, and he could count the amount of women he’d slept with since Sarah’s mother on one hand. At various points throughout the night, he had considered leaning in to kiss her, but had successfully siked himself out each time. The first time, he’d been interrupted by the pooch who had been jealous of his owner’s attention being focused elsewhere, though he could only blame every other time on his own insecurity.

“Do you want another beer?” Y/n asked as he swallowed the last gulp out of his can, “Or I have wine and pop?”

“Pop,” he scoffed, chest rumbling with quiet laughter.

She raised her hand and slapped his pec as she stood up from the couch, “Fine, you don’t get anything.”

He laughed, watching as she disappeared into the kitchen and shamelessly admiring the shape of her backside in the darkness of the dimly lit living room. He sat there for a few moments, staring at the movie in discontent, sighing as he ran his hand over his face and murmured a nearly silent fuck it, and following after her. 

“Is it too late to apologise and get that beer?” 

She glanced over her shoulder at him, smirking as she shrugged coyly as she turned and leaned her back against the front of the refrigerator and holding the perspiring can out in front of her, “You’ll have to come get it yourself.”

Joel crossed the small room in two long strides, stopping as the can met his chest, though he paid it little mind as she stepped away from the fridge, pressing a fleeting kiss to his lips. He froze for a second, stomach clenching at the soft touch. 

“Sorry,” Y/n whispered, though her tone betrayed how unapologetic she truly was, “Was that okay?”

He didn’t respond, quickly taking the beer out of her grasp and tossing it onto the counter as he cupped her face, capturing her lips with his and pressing her back against the fridge once more. She smiled against his lips, fingers bunching in the material of his plum coloured shirt and tugging him even closer. 

His lips were chapped against her own, the telltale sign of a busy man who hadn’t been too concerned with his physical appearance up until now, though she could not picture another kiss that she had received in the last several years that would even compare to Joel’s. 

One of his hands fell, fingers splaying around her waist as he pressed even closer, parting his lips as he felt the tip of her tongue prod at the seam and allowing her to seek out his own. He moaned at her taste, fingers wandering to her hip and hesitating, almost as if he had been asking for her permission to move even lower. She grasped his hand, guiding it around to cup her bottom.

Pulling away for air, she giggled softly and fluttered her eyelids open to find him already staring at her with blown pupils. One of her hands slid up his chest, tugging at the collar of his shirt before her fingers trailed over his patchy beard affectionately, “I don’t know if this is too soon, but do you wanna move to my bedroom?”

Joel chuckled at her, squeezing her cheek through her yoga pants, “Lead the way.”

– – –

Joel worried that he might have gone into cardiac arrest as he struggled to catch his breath, back slouched against the headboard as Y/n slumped flush against his chest. The cotton sheets pooled around her hips as she continued to move softly, working them both through the aftershocks of their climaxes. The man sighed in appreciation as her lips continued to slide against his jawline and leave gentle kisses in their wake, her fingers still lost in his dark curls.

Joel’s own hands squeezed her hips as she finally slowed to a stop, helping her slide off of him and smirking to himself at the whine she let out at the loss of contact. She shifted, moving out of his lap and curling into the cool sheets on the bed next to him.

“How was that?” He panted, “Have I done enough to make up for lost time?”

She grinned at him, her own chest rising and falling with her slowing breaths, “I think I recall doing most of the work, actually.”

“Bein’ on top doesn’t mean you were doing any work, sweetheart, I think we both know that.” His eyes fell on the digital alarm clock on her bedside table, grunting to himself as he took note of the late hour, “Shit–how the hell is it ten-thirty already?”

She glanced over to the clock briefly, then back at him, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Staring down at her nude form, guilt began to eat away at him as he began to slide off of the mattress and begin gathering his clothes that had been scattered around the room. 

“Are you leaving?” His back was turned to her as he pulled on his jeans, though he could only imagine the look on her face from the emotion that dripped from her voice; she was disappointed, facing the reality that she would be abandoned after doing something so intimate. 

“I mean…” Joel coughed, “Yeah, I should probably leave. Gotta work early tomorrow, and Sarah’s got soccer practice, and–”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” She sat up, hugging her knees to her chest in an attempt to regain her modesty, “I get it.”

Joel couldn’t help but wonder how many times she’d done this. She seemed disheartened, but not entirely surprised at his decision to head out, as if she was expecting this time to be different from the others–as if she was expecting Joel to be any different from the other shitty guys she’d met since moving to Austin.

“Darlin’,” Joel cooed, coming to sit at the edge of the mattress and cupping her face in his large palms, “It’s not like that. I want nothing more than to stay the night, but I know that I won’t sleep a wink tonight if I do.” His thumb stroked her bottom lip as her mouth slanted into a small, saddened smile. He leaned in, pressing three kisses to her lips, each one longer than the last before pulling back, “Can I get your number? I promise I won’t ask for a third time.”

Y/n smiled at him, kissing him once more before snatching a pen off of the bedside table and scribbling on his hand, “You won’t get it if you ask for a third time, Miller.”

MARCH 12, 1999

Y/n sighed blissfully, gnawing at her lip to prevent any moans of pleasure as Joel worked himself into her over and over, his hips meeting hers with slow, meaningful movements as he did his best to keep both of them quiet. Joel wasn’t normally one for booty calls, though he had hardly seen her in the past few days and couldn’t resist when his mind had wandered while in the shower–and for the first time in what felt like decades, he could rely on the help of soft, feminine touches rather than his own fast and rough tugs. 

Her thighs shook, teeth biting into the pillow beneath her face as she pressed her hips back against him and arched her spine in pleasure. She met his thrusts enthusiastically, fingers winding into the sheets tightly. 

“Shit,” She gasped, “Joel, I’m gonna–”

“I know,” He rasped, “Shhh baby. Let go, I’ve got you.”

She didn’t hold back, allowing the white hot pleasure to run through her veins, muffling her cries in the plushness of the pillow. Her walls clenched around him, gripping him for everything that she could manage as he fucked her through it, head rolled back in pleasure as his own orgasm teetered over the edge. His fingers tightened around her hips, hauling her back against him a few more times before his seed painted the inside of the condom. 

His hands slid up from her hips, one pressing on her back to force her to lay flat against the mattress while the other cupped the soft flesh of her belly to roll her over. Joel took in her figure, eyes scanning her face for any signs of discomfort before dropping to her breasts; the man was absolutely entranced by the shape of her breasts, eagerly pawing at them during makeout sessions and suckling at them with the utmost love and desire as he fucked her. She smiled at him tiredly, hooded eyes admiring his own figure as he slipped out of her, sliding off of the bed and disappearing into the ensuite. 

When he returned, he wore a pair of black boxers and carried a maroon washcloth in his hand, carefully parting her legs and sliding the cloth through her folds, puffy and sore from his touch. He whispered an entirely disingenuous apology as he pressed lightly against her abused clit, chuckling to himself as she jumped. Tossing the cloth aside, he settled into the mattress next to her, sliding an arm around her waist and tugging her into his side, sighing in relief at the physical contact. 

The rising sun had slowly begun to peek through the blinds, filling the room with a soft glow in the aftermath of the third round. Y/n glanced at the clock on the far wall, sighing to herself as reality settled into her bones. She hadn’t intended on staying so long, especially after how eagerly the both of them had initiated the first round, having allowed herself to remain at his side until she felt his member begin to grow against her thigh once more. Now, after taking him inside of her three times over the past six hours, she knew that she would eventually need to get up and leave–a habit that they both had and hated when they were finished. 

She pressed careful kisses into his flesh, lips moulding to the sweaty skin of his shoulder and neck affectionately while her palm rubbed circles into his firm chest. Joel nuzzled his head into her hair, his own lips pressing to the crown of her head as he, too, appreciated the afterglow. 

Y/n’s body and heart screamed at her as she finally pulled herself away from him, hopping out of the bed and collecting her clothing from the floor. Joel watched her with sunken eyes, his attempt to remain stoic as he easily recognised what she was doing proving fruitless.

“You don’t–you don’t gotta go just yet,” he called to her, desperation lacing his voice, “Don’t gotta be at the site till eleven tomorrow–”

“Today,” she corrected, “And that’s in seven hours. Besides, I don’t wanna fall asleep and risk having to run into Sarah. I should probably leave.” 

He nodded slowly, continuing to watch her as she dressed and fixed her appearance, preparing herself mentally and physically for her four A.M. walk of shame. Joel wanted to call her back to bed again, to convince her to stay with him and promise breakfast in the morning, but instead watched helplessly as she disappeared into the dark hallway, and closed his eyes disappointedly at the sound of the front door closing behind her.

JUNE 2, 1999

Golden rays of sun peeked through the blinds, trailing up the length of the bed with each passing moment before finally gracing over the soft skin of the woman next to him. Joel laid in his bed as still as possible, one arm around her shoulders to keep her flush against his chest, savouring the intimate, domestic moment before it would eventually come to an end–it always did.

The alarm clock flashed the time tauntingly at him, as if mocking him for wanting to keep her there for much longer than he knew he could. This was undoubtedly the latest she had stayed in his bed; it was nearing six A.M. and she had yet to stir from her deep slumber. 

His eyes trailed the length of her bare back, his fingers pressing gently at the indent of her spine as he pushed her body impossibly closer to her and bathing himself in the feeling of her nude body against his own. Joel resisted the urge to shake the growing ache out of his leg as pins and needles crawled up the length of his limb, too afraid to move and wake her–he knew what would come once her eyes had opened, as she had done it countless times now. 

It was the twitch of her fingers against the soft flesh of his belly that alerted him to her growing consciousness, nails following the pattern of hair that covered his abdomen softly, drawing a quiet moan of delight from the man beneath her. He felt the curve of her lips against his shoulder, turning his head to meet her eyes as they fluttered open.

“Morning, cowboy,” Her throat was dry and her voice was scratchy, but her words still held the power of causing an eruption of butterflies in his gut. 

“Morning,” He leaned closer, the tips of his nose brushing her own before she swatted him away, covering her mouth self-consciously and mumbling something about morning breath. Joel chuckled at her, moving her hand away and planting a soft, closed-mouth kiss against her lips. 

Her smile grew, hazy vision flickering around the sun-lit bedroom as realisation dawned on her, “What time is it?”

Joel’s own smile faltered as he cleared his throat, glancing over at the alarm clock again, “Five-to-six.”

“Shit,” She groaned, a hand settling on her forehead, “I should probably leave. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” 

Joel shook his head at her, “You ain’t got nothing to apologise for. I like having you here.”

She pecked his lips again, fondness creeping through her at the man’s admission, “I like being here. But I should go before Sarah wakes up.”

Joel caught her arm as she moved to crawl out of the bed, “Stay.”

“What?”

“Sarah knows you’ve been coming around and leaving early in the morning.” He told her, thumb smoothing circles against her wrist, “She says she’s happy for me, but she said that she won’t approve until you start bringing that damn dog of yours over here when you come.”

Y/n chuckled, her eyes growing a thin red rim along her waterline, “What are you saying?”

“I’m asking you to stay. Every damn night you spend here, you go rushing out like this is just a quick fuck, but I think we both know that it’s a lot more than that. Just come back to bed, please.”

Y/n shook her head at him, glancing over at the rising sun through the blinds in contemplation before she finally shrugged, crawling back into the bed and settling against his naked form with a sigh, her hand resting on his chest as she massaged small circles into his sweaty flesh. Both of them relaxed into one another, enjoying the silence of the early morning and dreading the unavoidable fate of the alarm going off in the coming hour.

NOVEMBER 27, 1999

Y/n tapped her nails against the hardwood of the tabletop rhythmically, doing her best not to make her dissociation too clear as her friends and family chattered back and forth. Her mother was busy on her left hand side, sharing dozens of her favourite childhood photographs to Y/n’s friends with a fondness that only a mother could have, while the seat to her left was empty. The watch that she’d received as a gift from her parents sat on her wrist, the time ticking away as grief settled in her stomach, the realisation that he simply wasn’t coming eating away at her pride.

Her birthday was not something that she generally liked to celebrate, but knowing that her parents, siblings, and a few members of her extended family had orchestrated a trip to visit and celebrate with her had her counting down the days, especially after she had convinced her unofficial boyfriend to join them for dinner at one of the nicest wallet-friendly restaurants in Austin. Now, as she sat silently and watched as her friends laughed and cooed over possibly the most embarrassing photos of her while picking at their slices of birthday cake, her mind only wandered to where exactly he was, and how much more fun she would be having if she were warding him off of any of those photographs–especially all of the ones from her junior high years. 

She hadn’t had the chance to speak to him at all that day, having woken up after he had already left for work and dropped Sarah off at school. At the time, Y/n had smiled to herself, thanking him mentally for allowing her to sleep in on her birthday, though she was beginning to wonder if she should have taken the lack of birthday wishes as a sign. 

She actively avoided Stephanie’s gaze, wanting to escape the oncoming I told you so, and made as little eye contact as possible with her mother, who watched her sympathetically, and her father, who silently raged over the presence of the empty chair. Y/n now felt embarrassed over how much she’d actually gushed over the man to her family before dinner, wondering if maybe she was more invested in him than he was in her. After all, he had yet to officially ask her to be his girlfriend, despite the fact that she and Manny had taken up residence in his home at least four nights a week and that she had been included in more recent movie nights with him and Sarah. 

Maybe she was reading into it too much–something must have happened. Something happened to Sarah, or maybe Tommy had been locked up again. There was no way that Joel had forgotten her birthday, there was simply no way.

– – –

Joel’s feet ached, crying out in pain with every step and sighing in relief as he finally kicked off his heavy boots. The crew that he’d brought on for his most recent and highest paying job to date had given him hell that day, leaving him aching for nothing more than a hot shower and a peaceful night at home with his best girls. He hated having to tack on extra hours to his day, but not arriving home until after ten was something that he would have to deal with in order to finish the job, and he was hoping to save up to take Y/n and Sarah on a little getaway for a weekend in the near future. 

The kitchen was dim when he stepped in, and he was somewhat surprised when he discovered no plate of food left for him in the microwave, nor was there a pan of leftovers in the fridge. Instead, there was a single empty carton of a microwavable dinner on the counter along with an empty can of Pepsi. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, he shrugged it off, though he had grown accustomed to Y/n bringing dinner over and making sure that it was ready for him on days that he worked late. 

Soft footsteps rushed down the stairs, Sarah rounding the corner with a wide grin on her face as she held a small piece of paper in her hands. 

“Hey babygirl,” Joel kissed her head softly as he moved into the living room, even more confused when he did not find Y/n curled up on the couch with a stack of her textbooks, as she so often did while waiting for him to return. 

“Hi dad,” Sarah’s smile dropped, glancing back into the entryway in confusion, “Where’s Y/n? I made this card at school today but I figured I’d wait until after you guys came back to give it to her.”

The blood in Joel’s veins ran cold, his heart skipping a beat at the sudden realisation of why his house appeared to be so void of his girlfriend, “Fuck.”

“Dad?” Sarah’s wide eyes narrowed, all too used to her father’s undiagnosed case of short-term memory loss, though he had never ever forgotten something like this before.

“Shit,” He swore again, snatching his keys off of the counter and rushing to jam his feet back into his uncomfortable boots, “Sarah, go to bed. I’ll be back later tonight.”

The girl watched helplessly as her father raced out the door, tears welling in her eyes as she stared down at the happy picture she had pasted into the card and frowning as she feared the worst.

– – –

Joel arrived at the restaurant just before eleven. He knew it was a long shot, as the reservation was for seven-thirty, which he had purposefully written down and stuck to the fridge so that he would not forget. The few remaining staff inside shook their heads in pity at the man, quickly coming to understand his situation as he rushed inside, asking about the reservation with a bouquet of flowers in his grasp. 

His shoulders slumped as he parked in his driveway, trudging across the lawn into the neighbouring yard and knocking firmly on the door. He waited a few moments, cursing quietly as he got no response and knocking again. 

His frown deepened when the door swung open, a fuming Stephanie standing in his way. Her face burned scarlet, fists clenched at her side as she took in Joel’s pitiful appearance. She took a step forward, joining Joel on the front step and closing the door behind her. 

“The fuck do you want?” 

“Where’s Y/n?” He asked, ignoring her bluntness.

“She doesn’t wanna talk to you,” the girl sneered at him. “It’s one thing to stand someone up, even to forget their birthday, but to embarrass her like that in front of her family?” She scoffed, “you know, I warned her about you, but I took no pleasure in being right. You should have seen her tonight, barely spoke at all.”

The metaphorical knife in Joel’s gut twisted at her words, the fist clenching the bouquet tightening even further around the stems. He could picture her; all dolled up, chatting with her family as she eagerly awaited his arrival, her pretty smile dampening as time passed and eventual tears in her eyes as she realised the truth–he had forgotten about her. 

“Just let me talk to her,” he begged, “Please.”

Stephanie shook her head, “I think it’s best if you never show your face on my property again, Miller.”

“Joel?” Both of their eyes turned at the sound of Y/n’s voice, finding her peeking around the door curiously. “Steph, can you give us a minute?”

The woman sent Joel one final glare, patting her roommate on the shoulder before slipping back into the house. 

If the knowledge of what he’d done hadn’t been enough, Y/n’s appearance was the final blow to his gut. Her eyes were bloodshot, cheeks swollen and marked with visible remnants of tears. She wrung her fingers together anxiously, keeping her gaze lowered in shame as she closed the door behind her and turned to face him.

“Baby–” 

“Don’t.” Y/n interrupted, “Just explain.”

He sniffled, “I can’t explain it, or excuse it. We got held up at work, and I really need this job to be done and over with already. I’m so sorry, baby.”

She shook her head, lifting her sleeve to wipe at the underside of her nose, “You didn’t even say goodbye before you left this morning. Did you even remember at all?”

Joel bit his lip, “I’m sorry. Let me–”

“Joel,” Her voice cracked, “I love you.” His heart soared as she spoke those words for the first time, then shattered as she continued, “I understand that I’m not your first priority–that’ll always be Sarah and I can’t blame you for that. But, fuck, you suggested the restaurant, Joel. You spoke to my mom over the phone and promised her the best steak in town, and she sure seemed to like it, but you weren’t even there. I won’t ever be your first priority, but I can’t be your last, either.”

“Y/n–”

“I think my cousins liked it, you know.” She continued, wiping at her cheeks, “They’re the type to pray for your downfall, and I’m sure they were loving every second of the dinner once everyone realised that you weren’t coming. Hell, all I did all night was talk about how amazing you were, and then–” Y/n cut herself off with a quiet sob.  “You should probably leave.” 

“Don’t do this,” Joel cupped her face, dropping the flowers to the deck recklessly as he wiped the tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs, “Tell me what to do. Hit me, yell at me, do something, but don’t ask me to walk away.”

She looked into his eyes, and for a moment, Joel felt hopeful that she might actually listen to him, though all hope was quickly diminished as he removed herself from his grasp, reaffirming her statement as she stepped back into the house.

“You should probably leave.”

[eightisviii]

Happy Birthday Kakashi!!!

My first ever contribution my all-time favorite husband hehe

First up, we've got a bday picmix:

Birthday crown for the birthday boy!!!!!!!

Second, I also made a video edit:

I love Sabrina Carpenter and Kakashi, it's a great combo fr

Then lastly, I made my first ever y/n x Kakashi (and first ever Y/N fic in general):

You've just gotten off work with just enough time to spare for some good alone time, your introverted inner self really yelling at you for using up all of your social battery for that whole week. You just can't help it; busy days, given your work, meant socializing. And socializing meant dread. But that's all over now. You've got your pay check, a little less patience, and you're on your way to the quaint little bookstore you often go to. Getting a book shouldn't take you too long since the bookstore visibly barely has any other customers. Feeling daring, you treat yourself to the erotica aisle, thinking you can read it to yourself later and get a much needed release after all that work tensing your muscles. As you look over the shelves of books with varying degrees of spice, you hear someone's footsteps approaching. Maybe they like erotica too? You hope whatever force of luck is out there that they aren't judging you for being there. After all, you're both browsing the same aisle, so what right would they have? You pretend to occupy yourself with the titles on the spines, fluttering your fingers past them. "Excuse me," a deep, masculine voice graced your right ear, thickened with what sounds like a Japanese accent. Soon, you felt just a bit of force making you abruptly step forward to let the person rush past you. Your attention was pulled, and you end up looking just a little bit to your left to find a man readily kneeling on one knee to browse a specific row of the erotica specific. He looks so focused, so determined. With the book pulled from its row, you got a good look at the cover of a man chasing after a sultry woman in the cover. And that's when it clicked: you know that shelf's title! "Makeout Tactics?" You blurt out. The man turned to look at you from that distance—bless this man's hearing—and his eyes gleamed a dark grey. "You know this one?" Again, that thick accent, though it actually doesn't sound bad when it's paired with his deep voice. More like heavenly. After a brief moment of fawning over the man's voice and internally mulling over your embarrassment in that situation, you answered, "Y-Yeah," albeit with a bit of a fumble, "who doesn't?" You recall that the book was a nationwide sensation, and there are rumors of an upcoming movie adaptation. Why would this man be so surprised that someone else also knows of it? "Ah, yes…" The man mumbled under his breath, the gleam in his eyes from before gone in an instant. And all of a sudden now you feel bad. He looked so enthusiastic just now… Maybe most of the readers who made the novel sensational in the first place aren't exactly up for chatting about it? You purse your lips and look around for an answer, as if it would magically appear and write itself on the floor tiles. "New edition," he followed through and tapped the cover for emphasis. "Most only read the first book." You blinked and figured that makes sense. Looking up, you find that the man is now a few distances closer than you swear he was earlier and your eyes widen slightly as your cheeks flush. The man sported a white hoodie over his head but it did nothing to hide his handsome features at this angle. The strong jaw, bedroom eyes, and strong physique. Why is this man even in the erotica section when he can get 'it' anywhere?! "Hmm… Do you recommend it?" You step forward, joining him in that section, and you can smell the fresh scent of cologne from him in this proximity.

"I know!" He proceeded to give you a readily made piece of paper with two numbers labeled Guy and Kakashi respectively. "We make friends here in America! You can text us on that." Your eyes glanced at Kakashi every now and then. What a strange day. You take the piece of paper regardless and open your mouth to speak. "And we're off!" But Guy was already dragging Kakashi by the arm somewhere else before you got a word in. You shut your mouth and wonder... You grip the paper a little tighter. You can contact that cute guy with this.

so will you? cus i def will. anws that's all for my contributions today, thanks for viewingg

[mostly-marvel-musings]

Birthday Boy

A/N: A little something for our favorite birthday boy. Written for @fandom-free-bingo Happy birthday Tony Stark! Leave a heart, comment or reblog if you enjoyed the story.

Pairing: Tony Stark x Avenger! F! Reader (our reader has Falcon-like abilities and Red Wing as well)

Warnings: 18+ smut, fluff.

Word count: 2675

Square filled: “You’re coming with me.”

Fandom Free Bingo Masterlist

.

“You’ve got one on your left, Y/L/N. He’s armed. And does nine o’clock work for you?”

Rolling your eyes, you ignored the last bit of Tony’s sentence and jumped into action. Disarming the Hydra soldier wasn’t a big deal for you, what was distracting was the constant commentary coming in from the snarky billionaire who was hard to push off.

It was his birthday and you were one of his closest friends, all he wanted to do was go out, party and spend time with you - meaning he wanted you to potentially hook him up with someone while he did the same for you. And then the two of you would bitch about your respective dates over breakfast the next day, laugh and get over it, like you always did.

But this time around it was different. You were finding it harder and harder to keep your feelings for the man at bay. You couldn’t remember when it all actually went from friendship to something more, maybe it was around your fifth bad date when you felt super down in the dumps, Tony had been the best listener, he always was, he just never got enough credit for it. You spoke all night, he wiped your tears and made you feel better about yourself. You felt truly seen and heard. That was when you realized what lacked in all the other boys that you had found in Tony, someone you wanted the most and someone you probably could never have.

Which is why you were avoiding spending another drunken evening with the man, you would probably end up spilling your guts and if he didn’t feel the same way, you’d be left heartbroken and you would lose a really good friend.

“Good job, Y/N. You’re a solid addition to the team, unlike Legolas over here with his carpal tunnel syndrome.”

You chuckled as you heard Clint swearing at Tony over the comms, shaking you head, you continued your way into the building to extract information. Once you were done, you stepped out and made your way over to the jet where you were met with an impatient looking Tony.

“What?”

“You haven’t answered my question. Tomorrow, you and me, out on the town? It’s my birthday in case you forgot.” his big brown eyes implored you for an answer, standing in your way until you did. Sometimes you hated how persistent he could be, and more than that the fact that you fell for those gorgeous eyes every single time.

“Well?”

“Ugh. Fine! I’ll go. But you’re paying. And you will drop me home in case I get shitfaced.” you sighed, pushing him away and towards the bathroom to change.

Now you were kind of dreading tomorrow as much as you were looking forward to celebrating with your friend.

.

“How about fishnet stockings over there? She’s got a rack that would get you googly-eyed.” you tried to avoid the disdain in your voice as you nodded at the blonde who sat at the far end of the bar.

Tony was sucking on a wedge of lemon post the shots you two had downed before he turned his gaze in the direction you were pointing at. He hummed in appreciation but did nothing about it, simply went on ordering you some more drinks.

“What?” you frowned, secretly hoping he wouldn’t approach the woman because it would break your heart but Tony wasn’t one to shy away from a challenge. Especially when it came to women. He just loved showing off how much he ‘didn’t have to try’.

Tony shrugged, not answering you right away, instead he pushed a drink towards you, his knee nudging yours now that he had slid closer. The familiar smell of his cologne mixed with motor oil and coffee filled your nostrils, making you wish just for once you could snuggle closer to him and just revel in his scent. Pushing your luck a little, you laid your arm across his shoulder and angled your body towards him, to your surprise he pulled you closer and kissed your temple, making your little heart flutter hopelessly.

“Careful Stark, the ladies are gonna think we’re together and you might end up having an off night.” you teased.

“Tony Stark never has an off night, sweetheart. Never.” his breath fanned your cheek as he spoke, raising an eyebrow up at you just to make sure you understood his point. A tingle went down your spine as his fingers caressed the back of your neck, lightly grazing your skin.

This wasn’t good. No. Not since your feelings were on overdrive.

“Then why aren’t you going over to Fishnets? Come on, I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to warm your bed.”

Tony made a face at your words, one that had you frowning because it was unusual. He never answered though.

“What about you, Y/L/N? No guy worthy enough for your attention here? I thought one of those suited up, boring businessmen would be up your alley. What do you think?”

You looked over to where Tony was pointing, the guys were certainly handsome and by the looks of it seemed quite well to do. Maybe you could go up to them, strike up a conversation and eventually go home with one, in hopes of forgetting about your crush. Yeah, you certainly needed to get laid, it had been a while.

“Alright then. I will if you will.” you finished your drink and slammed it a little hard on the table than you normally would.

“What?” Tony frowned.

“You and Fishnets. Me and Mr. Suity-man over there. We’ll see which one of us hits the jackpot.” you winked, steadying yourself before giving Tony a little shove. It was a distraction you needed. Maybe watching Tony work his charm on another woman would work in helping you get over him finally.

.

Tony felt his blood boil at the sight of the fancy-ass suited guy wrap an arm around your waist while you giggled. The woman next to him was practically throwing herself at him, not the least bit interesting when it came to conversations and was pretty much laughing at everything he said, even if it wasn’t funny. Normally he would have her back at the penthouse already, be done with before heading down to his lab and have her sent off before he had his first cup of coffee in the morning. But it was different, he had no intentions of sleeping with that woman. Or any other woman that wasn’t Y/N.

These days, he only had eyes for her. Y/N made him feel things he didn’t think he was capable of feeling. Being with her made him feel like he was worth something, like he was finally being seen for who he really was. Her laugh made his heavy heart a little lighter, her presence felt like warm sunshine on a cold day.

And now he felt like he was blowing his chance with you by agreeing to this stupid bet. Catching her eye, he raised his eyebrows to ask how it was going, chuckling to himself when she made a disgusted face. That sent relief flooding through his system for some reason, at least she wasn’t going home with that stupid, tall guy.

A few moments later you both caught up at the bar for more drinks, letting out collective defeated sighs and shaking your heads.

“This pub is dull. I’m going home alone, aren’t I?” you huffed, feeling dejected and placing your head against your hand as you looked at the woman Tony was supposed to talk to, she had a sour expression on her face before she stormed off to where your potential date was. Maybe they would hit it off, you thought with a laugh.

“You and I both, Y/L/N. So? What was wrong with him?” Tony mirrored your position, eyes curious.

“Ugh. The guy wouldn’t stop yapping about football, he hates all animals and he thinks you’re just a big show-off.” You rolled your eyes, downing a glass of water in between to keep yourself hydrated.

“I mean, he’s not completely wrong,Y/N.” Tony shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s called him that, hell, he had been called worse.

“Shut up. He couldn’t be more wrong.”

Something about your tone amused him though, the way you got so defensive about him kinda made him feel proud. And intrigued him to know more.

“I mean he had the balls to say you are a pompous, arrogant jerk who does things for nobody but yourself.” You scoffed.

“It’s not like he’s ever spent months in some cave in Afghanistan and escaped, turned his whole business around and bloody well succeeded, invented a frickin 'element, saved I don’t know thousands of lives? Formed the avengers? Been the most generous man I’ve ever come across and—”

Your sentence was cut short as Tony’s lips cut you off abruptly. Was it really happening? Utterly shocked at first, you didn’t respond for a few seconds which made him stop.

“Is that why you rejected him?” He murmured, now cupping your face tenderly with his hands.

“That and the fact that he wasn’t you.” You answered honestly, your heart thudding beyond control at this point as blood rushed to your ears and cheeks, turning them warm.

“You’re the only one I want too, Y/N. Always have.”

His confession turned your insides into mush, a grin forming on your face that you couldn’t control. It was just a little hard to believe that the man you wanted also wanted you in return. The kind of stuff only dreams and romantic novels are made of.

“You’re coming with me.”

Grabbing your hand Tony guided you out of the pub. And of all the people you could go home with, you were finally going with the one person you wanted the most.

.

There was a flurry of activity once you were back at Tony’s penthouse. Clothes strewn about, giggles echoing in the empty hallway along with fervent kisses.

Once you were down to your underwear, Tony stepped back to admire your body, his gaze darkening as he saw the lacy, red lingerie you wore. It was a happy coincidence but for him, it was enough to want you in every way.

“Is this my birthday present?” He pulled you flush against his chest, turning you around so your ass grazed against his growing erection. Lips pressed against your warm skin, his hands slid lower and lower until he cupped your clothed sex to find it damp with desire.

“Maybe this is? Hmm?” His breath was hot against your ear, fingers teasing your folds over your panties before sliding them aside to feel you.

Gently tugging on his hair, you turned around in his arms and pushed him on his back until he flopped on the bed, smirking up at you as you straddled his legs.

“Eager much?”

“Very much.”

Placing a hand on his chest, you lowered yourself on top and kissed him, smiling into it when it responded with equal if not more enthusiasm. Your tongue slipped past his mouth, earning a needy grunt from the man as you moved your hips deliberately over his, teasing his clothed cock as it eagerly twitched underneath you.

“How come it took you so long to kiss me, Stark?” your tone was light but accusatory as you nipped at his ear. The way he was kissing you first made you realize you weren’t the only one longing for this to happen.

“How come it took you so long to act upon your feelings, Y/L/N?” he inquired instead, holding your hips and sitting up with you, caressing your sides gently with a faint smile playing on his lips.

You knew he’d ask you this question, you took a deep breath and decided on going with honesty, he deserved to know the truth if this was ever going to work out. Whatever ‘this’ was.

“I didn’t know if you felt the same way, Tony. I was afraid of losing you. You’re a royal pain in my ass but you’re my friend, Anthony Stark. So whatever we’re doing here, or about to do, I don’t want it to affect our friendship, okay? I’m completely fine with the whole friends with benefits situation–”

Yet again, your little ramble was cut off by Tony’s soft lips, kissing your insecurities away delicately, allowing your heart to flutter a little.

“That’s the thing, Y/N. I don’t want to be your friend anymore–, you felt like your stomach dropped, for a second you couldn’t believe what was going on before he continued, “I want to be your boyfriend, the best and only one you’ll have. You’re my ray of sunshine and I want you all to myself. That is if you’ll have me.” he blinked up at you in all sincerity, fingers fidgeting against your skin nervously as he waited.

His confession sent a thousand butterflies fluttering in your belly.

“You need to stop cutting me off like that, Stark.” you murmured with a smile as you tugged on his hair, inching your face closer to him.

“Or what?”

You hummed, pushing him back down once more and letting your hair drape around his face as you slid a hand down his torso, down past his boxers to find his length eager for you. Your touch elicited a needy moan from the man as your fingers gripped him, giving him slow, lazy strokes.

“You’re bossy, I like it.” his mouth fell open at your ministrations, his breath coming in shallow.

You didn’t take long to undress then, kissing along his chest which was littered with scars the closer look you had. Tony hadn’t felt so vulnerable and yet safe at the same time, then again he’d never been with you.

You lined yourself up against him, watching him as you sank down on his cock, letting out a content sigh as he stretched you out completely. Slow at first, you began rolling your hips against him, feeling every last inch of him as you continued to kiss, swallowing his grunts.

“You feel so good, Y/N.” Tony sighed, digging his fingers into your hips, thrusting up into you for more.

“So do you, Tony. Fuck me, please.” your needy whisper was all he needed to flip you over so you were under him, still connected. Once he had your arms pinned above your head, he didn’t stop, didn’t stop until you were a writhing mess, crying out his name as he impaled you with his cock. His brutal pace had you clenching around him in desperation, wanting release as you clung to him.

“Come for me, Y/N. Let me hear you.”

Tony’s words undid you, making your pussy spasm around his length as you gushed, his name falling from your lips like a prayer. You were in a haze as his end approached, pulling out in time to come all over your thighs, spurts of his cum painting your skin white as he groaned in pleasure.

“I think that was the best sex I’ve ever had.” he panted, helping you clean up before cuddling you close, frowning when all you did was hum.

“I’ve had better.” you teased, his reactions always made the joke worth it. He tickled you until you begged for mercy, out of breath as you laughed with the man, feeling a sense of contentment being with him like this. His relaxed features and demeanor suggested he felt the same.

“Oh! I completely forgot!”

“What?”

“Happy birthday, Tony.”

💛Happy Birthday to our favourite ray of sunshine, Anthony Edward Stark💛

[enkas-illusion]

One of Your Guys

One of Your Guys - Part 3/3

Fandom / Pairing: Jujutsu Kaisen / Choso x f!reader

Rating: NSFW/Explicit - MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Content Warning: Fluff, smut, language, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, oral (f receiving), fingering, piv sex, lots of teasing.

Chapter Summary: You realise the difference between a stupid crush and actually developing real feelings for someone.

Song Dedication: Sweat by ZAYN / In Too Deep (feat. Kiana Ledé) by Jacob Collier 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

“My god! Again?” Mia sighs as she stares at you in disbelief. 

You’d paused the movie you’d been watching to take a picture of the dialogue displayed on screen. You’re sending it to Choso – because you know that he will find it interesting. You’ve been doing this a lot lately, hence the complaint from Mia.

Ever since the birthday weekend about a month ago, you’ve grown impossibly closer to Choso. You hadn’t planned this at all and initially tried your best to resist the feeling but you weren’t oblivious to the way your heart would flutter each time you thought of him.

You compare it to the changing of the season – you can’t stop the snow from falling just because you dread the cold weather. Similarly, you can’t ignore your obviously blooming feelings just because you’re scared of fucking it up again.

You’re smiling at your phone, even as you wait for his text. Nowadays, you have to physically force yourself to stop smiling too much. You fear that one of these days a stranger’s going to deem you crazy for smiling at your phone constantly.

“As cute as this is, I will disown you if you don’t do something soon. When are you planning to confess to him? Please put an end to my misery!” Mia groans. She’d been a close observer from the sidelines, watching you fall deeper and deeper for Choso. 

Each time you recall her question about how to know for certain that you like someone, your mind brings memories of Choso to the surface as evidence of the same. 

You’ve been hanging out with Choso after work sometimes on weekdays as well. It’s been almost impossible for you to stay apart. From the moment you wake up, you wish to talk to him to begin your mornings and miss him dearly on days you don’t get to meet him due to your different work schedules.

You had always paid close attention to his words whenever he spoke, but lately you find yourself wanting to take in every single detail about him with exact precision. You’ve memorised all his little habits and endearing idiosyncrasies like a photograph in your mind. 

This, you conclude, is the difference between falling in love with the idea of love and falling for a real person.

However, feeling the feels and actually acting on them are two completely different things. Each time Mia tells you to have the talk with Choso, you brush it off saying you’re waiting for the right moment. You both know that's just a lame excuse. The truth is that this time, you really are scared shitless of getting rejected by someone you genuinely like.

—

Although you like your work, you’ve officially become one of those people who eagerly look forward to weekends – however, your reason for such a desperate anticipation is different from theirs. Your desire stems from your longing to be with Choso the entire time. 

You’re currently grocery shopping with him, thanks to Mia’s orders – the cupid had sent you both to get a list of things for tomorrow’s brunch with the group. You’re arguing about the different brands of semolina flour to make the perfect pasta when you hear a voice call his name.

“Choso?” you both turn to look at the source of the voice and it’s a pretty brunette girl smiling at him. She walks to him and it looks like she’s about to lean in for a hug but decides against it. Choso smiles at her briefly.

“Hey, how you been?” He greets her.

“Choso… I thought you’d call! I’ve missed you.” she pouts as she bats her eyes at him. 

Usually, when you recognize game, you respect it. But looking at this chick, you feel a sudden rage to smack the flirting outta her. It’s annoying cause you’re aware you’d 100% pull the exact same shit in front of your crush. But the audacity this bitch has to flirt with your man (future tense) when you’re standing right next to him!

“Yeah… Sorry, I kinda got busy with stuff.” He lies. Although you know that he’s just being polite, you can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy deep down. It doesn’t last long, however, as Choso pulls you to his side, introducing you to her. 

She spares you half a smile when she introduces herself.

God, even her name is bitchy.

You extend your arm out to her and she shakes it. You know better than to poke the bear but you still act on your impulse, playing dumb when you ask her how she knows Choso.

“I’d love to tell you all about it but it’s hardly appropriate for supermarket talk.” she smirks at you. You simply give her a forced smile, refraining from saying something out of line.

“Well, we’re kind of in a rush so we better get going.” you excuse yourself as you put the bag of flour in your cart and pull it in the opposite direction. 

You hear her utter a ‘call me’ before Choso bids her goodbye, and returns to your side with hurried strides.

“We have to find three more items on the list.” he says as he checks his phone.

“Mia can get those tomorrow morning.” you say as you make your way to the checkout counter.

“They might be here somewhere…” he says, confused. You ignore him as you keep on walking, too embarrassed about feeling this way. 

He lets out a tiny gasp as he pulls at your bicep to stop you from walking, blocking your way with his body, “You’re jealous… Oh my god!” he chuckles, amusement laced in his voice, “This is so funny.”

You ignore him as you try to walk past him but his grip is firm on your bicep.

“What? No. Why on earth would I be jealous?” you lie, trying to maintain a poker face. He searches your eyes for something before deciding to drop the topic. He figures you’d keep on denying it anyway so he loosens his grip on your arm and you make your way to the billing counter.

When he drops you home, you hug him goodnight and tell him to leave before Mia has a chance to figure out that some of the items are missing. He laughs as he waves at you before driving away.

After you get back to your apartment, you don’t give Mia a chance to scold you as you promise her you’ll bring the remaining items first thing in the morning. So, you decide to go to bed early since you couldn’t afford to sleep in till late tomorrow.

—

You toss and turn in your bed for the umpteenth time. It’s almost 2am and you haven’t been able to sleep at all. You recall the encounter with Choso’s fling at the supermarket.

Let’s face it – it was pretty tame and yet it had you seething with jealousy like a teenager. This was just one incident, but how long will it take before someone braver than you makes her move and asks Choso out? It will be no one else’s fault but your own for having missed your shot. 

At 2am, the realistic and rational decision would be to force yourself to go to bed and think about this topic in the morning with a fresh perspective. But right now, you have nothing on your mind but a sense of urgency to act before it’s too late. 

Didn’t Ted Mosby say something about not following your heart after 2am?

Well… fuck Ted and fuck being rational.

You get up and hurry to your closet to quickly change into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. You put on your shoes as you grab your phone and keys as you leave your house.

When you step down into the parking lot, you realise this is an utterly stupid decision. You’re paranoid – being a woman, alone at night, in a parking lot is far from a breezy walk in the park.

What could possibly go wrong?

Before your brain can create any more scary scenarios, you run to your car and get in to get out of there asap. 

It’s a 10 minute drive to Choso’s apartment. When you reach there, you take the elevator to his floor.

You dial his number and press call. While the phone rings, you realise three things – you probably are going to seem insane but you don't care; it’s awfully cold and you should’ve worn something warmer; it is officially too late to chicken out now.

“Hello?” you hear his sleepy voice and your heart feels like it's about to burst out of your chest.

“Hi, could you please open the door to your apartment?” you say sheepishly. You’re about to repeat yourself when it almost seems like he didn’t hear you the first time, but you stay silent when you hear shuffling sounds on the other end.

He simply hums before cutting the call. In seconds, you hear the fidgeting sound of the lock. As the door begins to open, you consider running away and hiding somewhere. 

So pathetic… this is totally not on brand for you.

When you take in his current state, you feel heat rise up to your cheeks and you can’t help but check him out. His hair is tied up messily and he’s only wearing sweatpants, while his upper body is bared in all its glory. 

Although you feel bad for waking him up in the middle of the night, your heart melts at how handsome he looks and you grow weak in your knees. His voice pulls your thoughts out of the gutter. 

“Is everything alright? What are you doing here at this hour? Did you drive alone?” He speaks softly, eyebrows knitted in concern and voice a bit gravelly from sleep.

You’re about to speak but stop like a deer caught in headlights when you hear a soft voice speak from inside. It’s hard to see who it is since the only source of light is coming from his room at the end of the hallway where the door had been left ajar.

“You’re still up?” the voice calls to him. He turns his head to reply and you lean slightly to the side out of curiosity.

When you spot the silhouette of a girl in the dim light, wearing only an oversized t-shirt that’s too big to be hers, your heart drops. 

You simply stare at him while he replies to her, “Oh yeah, a friend’s here. Don’t worry, go to bed.”

You feel like you’re about to be sick… this isn’t what you thought was going to happen.

Did he really call her when he got back home?

When he turns back to look at you, he instantly recognizes your dreaded expressions. And in that moment, he’s glad your face is expressive to the point of betraying you – your eyes always expose all the thoughts you refuse to speak out loud.

He quickly speaks up, “That’s Sam’s girl… She’s staying the night with him.”

Sam… right, his flatmate.

Your face relaxes at the realisation. The hope returns to your eyes. 

It's not too late! Now’s your one chance!!!

“So what brings you here at…”, he pulls his phone out, the brightness of his phone screen almost blinding, he shakes his head to look at the time, “... 2:34 in the morning?”

You shuffle a bit on your feet as you speak, “I- I wanted to tell you something and it almost felt like I couldn’t wait another moment to do so.”

“Oh…” he pauses a bit, “shit- sorry, please come in.” he invites you, moving to one side to let you in. He closes the door behind you as you take your shoes off. He takes your hand as you walk alongside him till you reach his bedroom.

When you enter his room, he leaves your hand and turns around to lock the door. You’re certain he hears the not-so-quiet yelp that you just let out when you saw his back. You slap your hand to your mouth as you cover it in shock and stare at the tattoo on his back.

From what you can see in the dim lighting of his room, it's a dragon and tiger in red and black ink and it’s huge. You vaguely recall him mentioning he had a tattoo once, but you never would’ve guessed it’d be one that covers almost his entire back.

New kink unlocked – Choso’s back tattoo.

“You have a tattoo…” it comes out as a statement rather than a question.

He chuckles at your surprise, “Yes, I am aware. Sitting in a chair with tiny needles making your back bleed for hours is kind of an unforgettable experience, I'd say.” 

“It’s pretty…” your voice trails off as you watch him grab his t-shirt from the laundry basket next to the door and put it on in one swift motion. You sit on the edge of his bed as he leans against the closed door, folding his hands over his chest.

You fidget with your fingers nervously as you try to come up with the right words for your confession. “Sooo…” you drag on, your heartbeat picking up its pace, making you fully aware of how anxious you are. “Mia has been on my case about this for a while now…”

Nope. Weak start.

“Fuck.” You close your eyes to focus, taking a deep breath as you begin again, “Choso… I like you. I’d been putting this off since I figured I’d wait to find the right words to express how I feel. But I may never find the perfect words because with every moment we spend together, I find myself falling deeper for you.”

You continue as you open your eyes to look at him, feeling a bit braver now that the cat’s out of the bag, “I’m aware it seems like a cheap shot since it’s such a recent development. But my feelings for you are sincere. What I felt for Satoru was simply me romanticising a platonic friendship.”

You sigh and it’s so overwhelming that you feel like crying, “Maybe this sounds like I’m talking out of my ass but fuck…Choso I like you so much it hurts. I’ve never done this before because frankly I’ve never been in so deep with anyone before. I want to show you just how much you mean to me and my heart aches just thinking that maybe you don’t want me anymore since I was too dumb before to see what was right in front of me all along. I’m sorry for failing to see you… but I do now. And if you’ll still have me even after me acting like an oblivious fuck, I’m right here.”

You bend your head down to cover your face with your hands as you can feel the tears in your eyes. You want to redo the confession because no matter what you say, it feels far from enough. Your train of thought comes to a halt when you feel him grab your wrists.

He pulls your hands away from your face and you find him kneeling in front of you so that you're face to face.

“Aww… my poor baby,” he mocks you playfully, but he’s smiling so bright that he’s sure, at that moment, his eyes speak for him too. You use the back of one hand to wipe your tears while the other slaps Choso’s chest lightly.

He grabs both your wrists and holds them in the tiny space between you two. He brings one hand to his lips, softly kissing your knuckles and repeats the action on your other hand.

“I’ve liked you for a while now, I’m pretty sure it isn’t going to fade so easily.” he smiles at you.

“Please tell me you believe me when I say I like you more than I’m able to express with my words?” you say, wanting reassurance that he understands the truth behind your emotions.

“I do… I’ve been aware of it for the past few days now.” he confesses. You furrow your eyebrows out of confusion. He explains, “Remember how I always joke about you looking at Satoru with those eyes? Well, I kinda realised that lately you’d been looking at me that way instead.”

“Oh,” is all you say as you look down to bite your lip, embarrassed. Choso leans forward as his fingers tilt your chin up. On instinct, you look down at his lips before your eyes move up to observe the rest of his face. 

“So… you still like me?” you almost whisper. 

“I do.” he chuckles softly, “and it doesn't hurt anymore cause I know you reciprocate my feelings.”

“Hmm… I do.” You reply. There's silence, it's far from awkward but you decide to break it anyway.

You begin, trying to mimic a stern voice, “And by the power vested in me by God Almighty, I now pronounce you husban- AGH!” 

Choso hooks his arm around your neck mid sentence pulling you towards him, causing you to kneel with a soft thud on the floor as his laughter fills the entire room. You hug him back as you laugh along, feeling a sense of accomplishment for having made him laugh so hard.

When the hearty laughter is reduced to softer giggles, you sit back up on the edge and rub the top of your knees as they hurt a bit from the slight impact. He mutters a quick ‘sorry’ as his hand replaces yours, massaging the area softly.

There’s an unspoken agreement when your eyes meet again. He wants you to make the first move this time. So you do just that.

You wrap your arms around his neck as you close the distance and kiss him gently. It doesn't take long for Choso to take charge and deepen the kiss as he cups your face in his hands and stands up, pulling you up with him without breaking contact. 

When your lips part, breathing heavy, he takes a step back to pull off his t-shirt. You close the distance once again as your hands move up to his hair. You pull his hair tie out, letting it drop to the floor and lacing your fingers through his black locks to free them. Your eyes scan his face to take in how pretty he looks with his hair down.

He leans down within seconds to close the distance between you. His kisses get frantic and messy as he grabs your ass with one hand while the other snakes around your waist, caging you between his arms.

He moves away to hastily pull your hoodie over your head before throwing it to the side. He’s towering over you with your bodies flush against each other’s. You lean back till you’re falling on the bed behind you. 

Choso sits up as he hooks his fingers into the waistband of your pants and pulls them off roughly. A shiver runs down your body when you see the way he’s looking at you. His chest heaves as his breathing gets heavy, his voice comes out as a stern command, “Strip for me, baby.”

He moves back to stand at the edge of the bed to observe your movements intently. You turn your back to him, sitting on your knees. Your hands move to your back to unclasp the hook of your bra and you throw it across the floor. You turn around to face him, your hands covering your chest.

You lean back, supporting yourself on your elbows with your palms still covering your nipples. He damn near loses his mind when he hears you purr, feigning innocence, “Sorry… my hands are full, do you mind?” as you part your legs.

He doesn’t waste any time as he leans down to grab both your ankles, yanking you as he pulls your body near the edge of the bed. You let out a tiny squeal as your hands move to the sheets as you steady yourself.

Hooking his fingers into the hem of your underwear, he takes it off slowly as his eyes scan your entire body to memorise the view into his mind forever. When he discards the piece of fabric behind him, he grabs your right foot. He brings his lips to the top of your foot, peppering wet kisses up your leg till his face is just inches away from your pussy, his eyes locked in your gaze the entire time.

You can feel his hot breath, closing your eyes as you wait for him to kiss you where you really crave the touch of his lips. However, you open your eyes again when you feel him move away. He’s repeating his movement on your other leg, kissing all over your leg to rile you up.

When he bites the skin near your left thigh, you groan as you grow impatient and hook your leg on his shoulder in an attempt to pull him down closer.

“Patience, love.” he teases you as he moves up to kiss your stomach instead.

“Choso please…” you plead as your shaky hands move up to his hair.

“Tell me what you’d like me to do baby… since we’re so big on communication.” he teases. You say his name again as if to scold him, but it comes out more like a desperate whimper.

He’s on his knees near the edge of the bed as he repositions your legs to place them on his shoulders. He’s so close that the lack of his touch is agonising. He only needs to lean down a few inches to end your misery, yet he holds back, enjoying the way your body is reacting to his teasing.

“Eat me out baby… plea-” your voice gets caught in your throat and instead turns into a soft wail when you finally feel his lips on your skin. His fingers intertwine with yours, locking them to your side to keep them from moving as his tongue parts your folds with a gentle pressure.

You bite your lower lip to keep yourself from moaning out loud. His movements alternate between licking up your entrance and sucking at your clit. You arch your back and whimper as his tongue dips into your hole. 

He groans as his hands press yours deeper into the mattress to keep you from moving too much. You look down at him with knitted eyebrows and you feel as if you’re about to come just by the way his eyes look at your face.

“Taste so good baby…” he mumbles between kisses. When he notices you trying to restrain your moans, he lets go of one hand to slowly push two fingers inside you. He’s pleased when he’s able to elicit the desired reaction out of you as you moan his name, followed by a number of cusses while he pumps his fingers inside you at a steady pace. 

He goes back to sucking your clit while fucking you with his fingers. The combination of the two is deadly as you feel yourself getting close to your release. Your free hand grabs at his hair as your whole body starts shaking.

“Fu- Choso, don’t stop… don’t stop, ahh–” your voice strains as your head dips back and you close your eyes. You start shaking uncontrollably and as if on cue, his other hand moves up to apply pressure over your lower abdomen. You moan his name out loud with ragged breaths as you reach your orgasm.

You try to push his head away, not being able to handle how sensitive your pussy feels. But Choso doesn’t relent as his tongue laps at your folds to lick you clean, causing tears to form in your eyes due to the overstimulation. He stops when he hears your voice break, still panting as you come down from your high, your body twitching under his hold.

He moves up, kissing your stomach, the flesh under your boobs, the valley of your chest and finally licking up your throat till he’s levelled with your face. He kisses the corners of both  your eyes to erase the trail of tears that was left behind.

Your hands roam all over his back as you pull him down against you to kiss him on the lips one more time – he tastes of your cum with a slight hint of salty tears. Your legs wrap around his waist as you move a hand down to palm his erection.

He breathes out a quiet ‘fuck’ when your hand rubs him up and down from above his pants. You feel as if your brain is about to short circuit when you pull your lips away from his and briefly see a string of saliva connecting your mouths.

“Choso, please fuck me.” you beg softly. He nods before kissing your forehead softly as he says, “Your wish is my command, princess.”

He gets up quickly to pull his pants down along with his underwear together, freeing his cock from its restraints. He’s, what one would call, well-endowed… to say the least.  You feel yourself getting wet at how thick and veiny his dick is. You move back up to the centre of the bed as he makes his way to the bedside drawer to grab a tiny silver pack.

When he climbs up on the bed, you reach your hand out to caress his thighs. He tears the pack open with his teeth before rolling on the condom in a well-practised motion. When his eyes meet yours, they soften as he smiles at you. You smile back at him before you bite your lip, feeling the butterflies in your stomach.

He moves to sit with his knees just below your hips and leans down to spit on your folds, moving his fingers to spread the spit around your hole. He lines himself up at your entrance, slapping his dick over your pussy a few times before coating it with your wetness.

He looks up at you, pausing his movement to speak, concern lacing his voice, “Let me know if it hurts, okay baby?”

You feel the blood rush to your head at his words and you nod frantically. He hooks your knees over his shoulders before slowly pushing his tip in. You let out a broken whimper at how good he already feels as chills run down your spine at the sensation.

He leans forward till his chest is flush against yours and he has you in a mating press. He doesn’t break eye contact as he pushes inside you slowly till he bottoms out. Your eyebrows knit as you try to keep your eyes open.

A low grunt escapes from his throat as he moans your name when your walls flutter around his dick. Choso wets his lips as he grabs a pillow from the side to place it under your lower back.

“You good?” he says, his voice strained.

“Never been better.” you breathe out, looking at him with lust-filled eyes that are pleading him to not tease you any further. 

He supports his body weight with his left forearm rooted firmly in the space beside your head while his right hand comes up to your throat. His hold is firm as he tilts your head to the side with his thumb, dipping his face in the crook of your neck.

As he bites and sucks all over your neck, you feel your walls clench around him. He bites harder when he feels it, earning a moan from you in return. You plead, urging him to fuck you already.

“Not…” he whispers as his tongue flicks at one of your nipples, “...yet.” he repeats the movement on the other bud as well. Although everything he’s doing feels good, you grow desperate in the anticipation of feeling his dick fuck into you.

You wrap your hands around his wide shoulders as you speak, “Baby, please don’t make me beg so–.” Before you have a chance to finish your sentence, he pulls out to thrust deep in one quick motion. 

You scream his name way too loudly and you’re pretty sure Sam and his girlfriend heard you. Even if they didn’t, it would be impossible to miss the sounds of his balls slapping against your skin as he starts ramming into you with a steady pace.

His movements are precise, pulling out till only his tip is inside you before slamming all the way in. You shut your eyes, feeling every thrust and your nails dig into his shoulders when it gets too much to handle.

Your right leg slides off his shoulder slightly and you press it against his bicep, you can feel the sticky sweat on both of your skins as you keep on whispering lewd praises at him.

“You fuck… so good.” you moan breathlessly as his movements get sloppy. “Don't st- mhm- make me yours.”

“I’m gonna cum… fuck.. if you keep talking like that, love.” he groans, picking up his pace as the hand he had on your throat moves down to stimulate your clit. You’re kissing his shoulder when he does that and it causes you to bite into his skin to contain your moans.

A few more sloppy thrusts and Choso cums as he bites your neck a little too hard. You wail his name out of pain. He licks over the bite to soothe it a bit when he realises it as his pace slows down before pulling out completely. You miss the feeling of his dick inside you but he quickly lowers himself to fuck you with his tongue instead. His mouth and his fingers work together and it doesn’t take long for you to cum on his tongue once again.

When your breathing steadies, your grip on his hair loosens; just now realising that you’d been pulling his hair instinctively. He’s still peppering your folds with soft kisses. Your eyelids feel heavy as you pull at his bicep. He understands what you want and pulls himself up to face you, caging you between his arms.

His face looked fucked out and you know yours is the same way. You cup his face with your shaky hands.

“Hi,” he gives you an innocent smile. 

As if he wasn’t just fucking you into kingdom come.

“Hi,” you smile back as a blush creeps up on your cheek, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable under him. He kisses your lips softly and you close your eyes as your arms wrap around his neck. He leaves tiny pecks on your cheeks, eyelids, nose, chin till he’s covered your entire face with soft kisses.

You giggle under him as his lips move down to your neck. He nudges his nose so that it tickles you. You know what he’s about to do as he brings a hand to the side of your abdomen to tickle you there.

You scold him, still giggling, before it escalates, “Choso! No! Please… baby I’m tired.” 

“Well, if you ask so nicely…” he says as he stills his movement to sit up, but not before giving you another quick peck. You sit up to make your way to the bathroom to pee and you see him move to help you.

“I can go by myself,” you let out a chuckle but you'd be lying if you said your legs weren't feeling like jelly.

“Say yes for another round and you won't be able to.” He laughs as he takes in the way your naked silhouette looks, the bathroom light illuminating your figure before you close the door behind you.

If it were up to him, he'd be more than glad to stay up all night to hear your sweet moans, commiting to memory the way you scream out his name.

When you return, you find him standing near the bin as he ties the condom in a knot and puts it in the torn pack before dropping it in the bin. It’s a simple act yet you find it very attractive that he’s so organised. 

You get back to the bed as you watch his movements intently. He bends down to grab his sweatpants from the floor and rummages through the pockets to find his phone. When he touches the screen, it lights up again, making him squint his eyes.

“Why don’t you just put it on auto-adjust?” you laugh.

“Because then it becomes too dim even in broad daylight at times.” he complains as he places the phone on his bedside table. 

“Wait, do you want to set an alarm? I meannn, I’m all for missing brunch if I get to fuck you all day instead.” he says as he lies down next to you and pulls you into him till your back is pressed against his chest. 

“Choso, I'm tired!” You giggle and he hums in response. You twist your head to inhale his scent.

“Your perfume’s faded.” you note.

“Then what do I smell like now?” he questions and you turn around to face him completely, wrapping your arms around his torso.

“You smell of sweat…” you kiss his lips, “and sex…” you tug at his bottom lip with your teeth briefly, “... and me.”

He smiles into the kiss, “Is it your new favourite scent?”

“Maybe.” you tease.

“Guess I have no choice but to smell like it all the time now.” he says as he kisses your earlobe. You laugh and roll your eyes at him. He pulls the blanket over your bodies, pulling you impossibly closer. You continue to lazily make out for another 30 minutes or so, whispering sweet nothings, till you eventually fall asleep in each other's arms.

You don’t get to sleep much as you wake up when daylight breaks in through his window, softly lighting up the room. You find Choso sleeping with his head on your stomach, the blanket has since shifted to the edge of the bed. In the gentle morning light, you can see his tattoo better. You slowly caress the lines of the figure and it might be the prettiest tattoo you’ve ever seen. It’s red spider lily flowers peeking out from under the larger dragon and tiger tattoo.

When your fingers gently move over the scratches your nails had ingrained into his skin, you hear him groan softly. You pull your hand away, whispering a soft ‘sorry baby’ but he slowly brings his right hand over to intertwine it with your left hand. He pulls it to his lips, kissing the top of your hand.

He bites the skin gently, earning a quiet laugh from you. He opens his eyes to look up at you. His movements are lazy as he moves up, kissing above your belly button before coming up to rest his chin on your chest.

You run your hands through his hair slowly as you speak, “I’m sorry about your back… I'll make sure to cut my nails next time.”

“No, don’t. You can scratch my back all you want… battle scars, baby.” he snorts at his own joke, “Besides, I’d say I did a lot more damage than you.”

His fingers move the stray strand of your hair away from your neck as he observes the trail of hickeys running down from your neck to your breast. 

“Oh god…” you groan.

“What?”

“Mia…” you sigh.

“You don’t want her to know?” He speaks softly but sounds almost hurt.

“What? No, it’s not that. Believe me, she’s gonna do a happy dance since I'll stop being so insufferable in front of her,” you laugh before continuing, “but I had promised to get the remaining items on the list for her in the morning. She’s gonna be so pissed when she doesn’t find me in my room.”

“Ahh… no worries, we can go pick it up on our way, we still have time.” he smiles at you. 

“Sooo, round 2?” you blush as your fingers dance over his bicep. 

He laughs as he comes up to kiss your cheek, “You didn’t have to ask.”

You fuck for another two hours, exploring multiple positions that have you seeing stars as you chant his name on repeat. When you’re done, every single part of your body feels sore – even your throat isn’t spared as it feels sensitive from deep-throating him. You stop only because you decide it’ll be too late to get home on time if you stayed any longer. 

Despite Choso’s protests claiming you’d save time if you showered together, you take turns to freshen up. You tell him no and push him in the bathroom, he pouts dramatically but closes the door behind him as he obliges nonetheless. 

When you’re both dressed up and ready to leave, he pulls you in for a hug. You bury your face into his chest while he’s nesting his against your neck. You breathe in the freshly applied oud-jasmine scent and sigh, feeling intoxicated. He squeezes your body into his and you wrap your arms around him tighter as you both stay still in each other’s arms for quite a few minutes before you decide to leave.

Choso drives your car to the grocery store and asks you to wait in the car while he quickly gets the necessary items. It doesn’t take very long and you reach your apartment shortly after.

“Man… Mia’s gonna flip when she finds out we’re finally dating.” you smile, excited as he parks the car in the parking lot of your building.

“Dating?,” he questions, “Whatever gave you that impression, baby? We’re so platonic!” 

Before you have a chance to react, he cups your jaw with one hand to pull you in for a kiss. You laugh into the kiss and slap his chest playfully. 

“Kidding, you’re stuck with me now.” he adds, looking at you with a soft smile.

“You’re the one who’s trapped baby… heart and soul.” you say, trying to mimic his voice with the last words. It’s his turn to roll his eyes as he pulls you in again and kisses you slowly. 

The feeling of his lips against yours is so addicting and you don’t want to leave. If it were up to you, you’d stay in his arms forever, and then some more.

taglist: @lik0 @hueanhdang @dellalyra @aquamarine001 @personomy

[starpearlz]

Too fast for love -> Nikki Sixx

Request/ summary -> hey!! can you write something for nikki sixx where reader is tommy’s sister and reader and nikki are hiding their relationship from tommy? maybe he finds out and is like “you had me drum for songs about you wanting to do my sister?” idk.

Summary -> Tommy’s birthday leads to a very interesting conversation..

A/n -> this was so cute

1.8k words, not edited

Nothing is better than waking up to kisses on your cheeks and neck. You have a slight smile at the sensation as you opened your eyes to see a mop of black hair. It was perfect, maybe too perfect. The perfect amount of sunlight to where you don’t want to open your eyes and the perfect temperature. “Good morning..” you mumbled making him look up at you.

“Good morning..” he said before kissing you. You sighed into the kiss wrapping your arms around his neck pulling him closer. He pulled back cupping your cheek, “you slept good.. no grouchy morning.” He said making you chuckle, “no grouchy morning.. last night was too good to be grouchy.” You said biting your lip making him smirk.

Last night was perfect, watching Friday the thirteenth in theaters to throw popcorn at high schoolers. Then going to dinner.. which ended up being in a to go box because you two couldn’t wait to go home; hell, you couldn’t even wait to get in the apartment.

You pulled away from the kiss before it led to anything. “I know.. i want to too, but it’s a big day today.” You said making him groan shoving his face in your chest. “Can’t we just stay in bed all day.” He muffled out making you giggle at the vibrations of his voice.

“I wish.. but you have to be at the recording studio by two, and i have too set up for the party” making him groan. today is October third, Tommy’s birthday, the day we’ve been dreading. Tomorrow is our seven month anniversary. And we made a deal that if Tommy didn’t know yet we would tell him in seven months.. we didn’t realize that our anniversary was the day after his birthday.

You honestly want Tommy to know, you love Nikki more than anything. You really don’t know why you’ve kept it a secret so long.. but it’s time. You looked at Nikki who was still in your chest. “Nikki..” you sang as he groaned. You sighed sitting up which made him sit up looking at you.

You cupped his cheeks and gave a small smile. His eyes were closed in annoyance as you kissed all over his face making him laugh. You stopped attacking him and you looked at him with a smile plastered on his face making you giggle as he pulled you into another kiss.

—

You looked at the clock seeing it’s seven fourty-five. “Alright he should be here in about five minutes..” you told Nikki. Vince and Mick were in charge of stalling Tommy after the recording session, while you and Nikki were in charge of the actual party. The party was a hit, you rented a sick beach house with a pool and a huge living room and invited a shit ton of people.

You stopped the music and turned off all the lights, Thankfully you don’t have to scream at them to know it’s a surprise party. Everyone started laughing hiding in different places. You hid behind a lounge chair next to Nikki.

“Dude what are we even doing here.” You heard Tommy you held back a laugh. “Dude just shut up and hurry up.” Vince yelled back at him opening the door. “Why the hell is it so dark in here-“ he said before he found the light switch next to the door. “SURPRISE!”

Tommy had his mouth wide open. “Happy birthday!” You yelled walking over to him with Athena following you. “Did you do this?” He asked with the dorkiest smile on his face. “With the help of them.” You said throwing your hands up towards Nikki who was next to you, Vince and Mick who were next to Tommy. “Aw sweet dude! But hey be careful I thought Mick was gonna have a heart attack.” Making Vince and Tommy laugh while Mick groaned “I wish..”

The party was successful, as long as Tommy was happy was all that mattered. “You did good.” You heard Nikki as he sat next to you on the couch. “We, did good.” You told him smiling as he nodded. As he looked over at Tommy who was chugging a bottle of Jack. “Yep.. he’s having a blast.” You said smiling.

Nikki got up pulling you with him. “Come on, your job is done now you can par-ty!” He said pulling you to the bar making you giggle walking with him holding hands.

—

You groaned waking up to a bright light. You can’t get up.. something on top of you, and it’s fucking heavy. You opened your eyes too see Nikki head on your chest passed out with a bottle of Jack in his hand. Fuck your back, you looked around too see Tommy passed out on the floor too thank god he was in his stomach, you can see he was naked only wear white socks.

You nudged Nikki to wake up, “Nikki.. I need to get up my back hurts..” you mumbled shaking him now. Making him groan pulling his head up too look at you. “Get up, my back hurts!” You said pushing him off next too you as he groaned holding his head. You sat up and noticed all the mess.

“Damn.. I haven’t partied like that since Vince’s birthday..” you said stretching. You got up almost falling in the process. You wobbled to Tommy you nudged him on his shoulder with your foot. Making him wake up in shock pulling his head up.

“Birthday boy, your naked.” You told him as looked around. “What happened..” he said groaning as he threw his head back on the floor. “You had an epic party that’s what happened.” You told him grabbing a napkin and put it on his butt.

“Shit, that was an epic party tho.” He said chuckling deeply. You looked at the pool to notice someone floating. “Shit.. I hope their not dead..”

—

“Dude,” Vince grabbed your arm and pulled you into a guest room. “What?” You asked as he closed the door “dude last night you and Nikki were full on making out last night.” Oh shit, “if me and Mick didn’t pull you off you two would’ve done it in front of everyone.” “Shit.. do you think Tommy will remember?” He scoffed “hell no, I will be amazed if he remembers.”

You nodded, “yeah your right..” you heard a knock on the door and Vince turned to see Tommy peaking his head in. He gave a smile but it wasn’t his goofy smile it was a smile a mom would give “can you come over here please.” He said softly smiling again which made you tense “of course.. brother.” You said walking out the door and him following behind.

You sat down next to Nikki who was on the couch. “Good to see that you’re up.” You told him smiling, as he gave an awkward smile back. He had sunglasses on and was sucked into the couch, you can tell he was hurting from the night before.

Tommy grabbed a chair, you’re guessing it’s from the dining room and pulled it up in front of you two. “So.. I wanted to say thank you for the party, I really did have fun.” You gave a slight smile “I’m glad..” you said as he cleared his throat. “Even though..” oh shit, “I don’t remember anything last night.” You sighed in relief “but I did wake up to a reminder on my hand.” He showed sloppy handwriting on his left hand “I don’t know if I wrote this but it says, ‘don’t forget to kill Nikki for making out with sist’” he read out loud “and I don’t think you would make out with Athena.”

You looked at Nikki not really knowing what to say. “Um-“ “well—“ you looked at Nikki who looked back at you. He motioned for you to talk first, “well.. we actually have something to talk to you about..” Tommy face fell “oh god, don’t tell me you did it with him last night. No Nikki not my sister…” He threw his face in his hands. “No- no, we didn’t do it last night.” He picked his head back up and sighed “thank god..”

“But.. we do have something very important to tell you.” He sighed “ok go tell me I won’t get mad.” You stared at him, “well..” you moved closer to Nikki “we’re.. dating.” You told him grabbing Nikki’s hand. “YOU ASKED HER ON MY BIRTHDAY?!” You shook your head “No Tommy—“ “We’ve been dating for seven months.” Nikki said somewhat bluntly. Tommy’s face went blank making you tense.

“Tommy..” he started laughing like a psychopath “seven months.. whew that’s funny.” He smiled again looking at Nikki who looked at you “see I told you he would handle it ok—“ Tommy threw himself on Nikki and started choking him. “TOMMY!” you got up and tried to get him off “SEVEN MONTHS AND YOUR TELLING ME NOW!” Vince ran out of the room from the yelling.

“Well he found out..” Mick told Vince making Tommy turn around letting go of Nikki as you ran to him asking if he was ok. “YOU KNEW AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?!” He yelled at Vince making him run his temples “it’s not my relationship, and I only found out a while ago..” Vince mumbled. “And you Mick!”

“I’m not an idiot I knew even before they made it official..” Tommy turned around facing you two. “Seven months.. and you didn’t tell me?” Tommy said sadly making you get up “I’m so sorry.. I got scared, this is an amazing band! And I was scared that you’ll find out and never want to see Nikki again.. we made a promise that if we didn’t tell you we would tell you in our seven month anniversary.”

Tommy sighed, “I think I’m more upset that you told me now and not in March..” you sighed giving him a hug “I’m so sorry Tommy..” he sighed wrapping him arm around you “it’s ok.. as long as you don’t keep a secret like this for so long again.” You laughed “I promise.” You told him pulling away from the hug feeling a arm around your waist.

“And as for you.” Tommy said turning to Nikki making him roll his eyes. “I’m pissed that you didn’t ask me to date her.” Nikki threw his hands up in defense “if I had asked your would’ve said no!” “Of course I would have said no that’s my sister! But you still should’ve asked!” Nikki sighed nodding “alright.. can I date your sister?” “No.”

“Tommy!” “See!” Tommy sighed “obviously I’m gonna say no, but you’re still going to date her no matter what I say!” Making Nikki nod “yeah you’re right..” Tommy thought for a second then his face changed to disgust “wait.. so your telling me.. you had me drum songs about you wanting to do my sister? I’m gonna puke..”

[dreadsuitsamus]

Beat | Kensei Muguruma x Reader |

author's note: it's my baby's birthdayyyyyyy! i'm posting this a lil close to the finish line 🫢 but this is a cute lil thing i thought up and serves as a bit of a prequel to an idea i have involving this same au

pairing: kensei muguruma x fem!reader

warnings: a small bit of angst but moreso fluff, drummer!kensei, band au

Another day of being overlooked, another dollar. And he's happy that way; becoming a drummer is the best thing Kensei ever did! He gets to beat things for a hefty living, for goodness' sake, and his other band members do the majority of the talking during interviews, the hyping of the crowds in a show, the autographing, the music videos, and all while he gets to just sit there and look angry.

He loves his job. Nobody ever remembers the drummer.

Or the drummer's birthday. Not even the one person he's been admiring from the shadows of his drum kit since the band first formed some years ago.

The band’s in the midst of a summer tour and it's been a blast, even with the scorching temps providing third-degree seatbelt burns and humidity that drowns him in sweat even when he's not pouring his soul into what he's playing. And even without the busy day-to-day, it's not like Kensei really cares much about his birthday. It's but another trip around the sun and one year closer to requiring the dreaded doctor's appointment that allows a man's finger in his ass without even taking him to dinner first.

But throughout the day leading up to the night's show, he's quite bitchy. And that says a lot, considering his disposition isn't exactly sunny on a regular day. The crew steers clear and the rest of the band does the same, but you've never been one to let his bad moods destroy your own day, especially not since the first secret kiss you shared on the balcony of an after-party months back.

It's an hour before showtime and you're in hair and makeup when Kensei is sat down for his own hair. All day his jaw has seemed wired shut with how tense he is, and you find the veins in his forearms are particularly popping now that you've gotten a real look at him. Glancing his way, you meet his amber eyes in the mirror's reflection.

“Are you alright, Kensei?” You've only heard secondhand about his moodiness today, as you've spent most of the day away from your fellow band members. Perhaps as the only one brave enough to endure the blistering wind and scorching deserts that is Kensei’s usual demeanor, you can get him into a better mood before the show starts. After all, he's only got but so many extra sticks on hand!

“Yup.” He's actually responded!! That's a start!!

“Prooooooooooomise?” The batting of your lashes and the prettiest smile you have doesn't do much, admittedly, as all he does is narrow his eyes and get up from the chair and leave once his mohawk is properly styled and gelled in place. Sighing, though lacking defeat, you can only put a pin in it until you're out of the chair.

Kensei stares himself down in the bathroom mirror, fingers clenching tightly around the rim of the sink. He can't fathom why he's so upset; he doesn't give a single damn about his birthday. Perhaps that's not even the problem at all. Of course it's not!! He doesn't care about it, not one bit!

Woman couldn't even get me a stupid card? Didn't hafta have any money either.

He cares.

Knocking on the door breaks the reverie, and he nearly rips it off of the hinges in response. He's enough in his right mind to at least feel a bit of shame for the spooked look on your face, and he pointedly looks away when he speaks. “What.”

“I wanna talk to you for a second, is that okay?” Slipping your smaller hand into his and tugging him along before he can answer is quite the trick! You're smaller than him, so it's no secret he's allowing this to happen, but smug pride tugs at the corners of your lips anyway as you slip away to the tour bus for a moment of privacy.

“Is this necessary?” Kensei deadpans, and he's staunchly, stubbornly, refusing to look at you. “I need to warm up.”

“Just give me two minutes, okay? This is important.” Your hands rest on his chest, his heart thumping quickly beneath your palm. “I don't want you going into the show like this. What's going on?”

“Nothing, I told you that before!” He speaks too quickly and pulls away roughly, creating the space that pads his comfort zone and leaves him content; he's no people person. The bus is narrow, however, and he can't escape very far before you're following him.

Resigning himself to the fact that this is happening, Kensei has a seat in the recliner he claimed for himself long ago, the one that he frequently moves anyone out of so he can sit there himself, and he still won't look at you. It's infuriating. “Why do you care about anything that might be on my mind?”

The question punches a hole through your chest, and you scoff indignantly. The damn nerve of a man. “Are you serious? Never mind the fact that we're in the same band and have known each other for years, does it ring any bells for you when I say that of course I care about the guy I'm seeing??”

“That's what it is? You're ‘seeing’ me?”

“I thought I was!” Your arms cross over just below your chest. “What do you call it?”

Finally, those amber eyes look at you. And behind the fire in them lies a sadness, a disappointment that drags your heart down to your stomach. “I’d think someone that's seeing me would remember my birthday.”

“Oh, Kensei…” Dropping your hands, you slide easily into his lap, cupping his face with all the care you possess. That's what he's upset about? The poor thing has spent all day upset because of you; it's no wonder he's unsure of your relationship. “Honey, I didn't forget.” Your whispered promise is followed with a gentle kiss, and another, then another.

Ken’s not particularly convinced, but sweet kisses are the secret, unexpected way to his heart. He's quiet as usual, and you pop up quickly to rummage around your bunk, filtering through a few bags before you find something you searched relentlessly for, scouring the internet and utilizing plenty of experts and resources to find. It was never explicitly going to be a birthday gift, but the timing just so happened to work out. Coming back to his comforting lap, you hold the small velvet box out to him.

Perking his non-pierced brow, Kensei takes it. This better not be a ring— no way in hell he's ready for that. And his brother would never let him live down being proposed to by a woman! Laughing at the look on his face, you press another kiss to his cheek this time. “Relax. I'm not asking you to marry me.”

Kensei's thumb flips the box open and his brows fly all the way to his hairline. Inside is none other than the signet ring with his family crest on it, the one he'd pawned off years ago as a last-resort effort in affording his first set of drums to kickstart this crazy dream of his. “Babe…”

“I thought after the show I would give it to you.” You murmur softly, glancing down at the gold ring, the onyx stone displaying a proud lion; no piece of jewelry is better suited for this Leo. “And that we'd go out and celebrate, just the two of us.”

Kensei slips the ring from the box and it fits his left index finger gorgeously, just like it always did. The rush in his heart feels so good, the relief flooding his veins and bursting his heart with nothing but happiness. Not only did you remember his birthday, but you gave him the one thing he never thought he'd see again. There's no telling how much effort went in or how much money you spent on this— Maybe he is ready to marry you.

Cupping your face, Kensei kisses you deeply, his lips pressing to your cheeks, nose and forehead after. Warmth fills your face, a pleased giggle passing through your lips. “I can't believe you thought I forgot.”

“Everyone forgets the drummer.” Kensei shrugs nonchalantly, as if it's a mere fact of life.

“How could I ever forget the one that makes my heart beat?”

“Get any cheesier and I’m dippin’ tortilla chips in you.” Kensei snarks before another kiss, and you laugh against his lips.

The ring shines gorgeously in the stage lights as he hides an embarrassed smile into his fist when you, aided by the crowd of adoring fans, proudly sing him happy birthday and ensure that nobody forgets your drummer.

[lixenn]

I have some questions for Dave this time hehe

What was his first meeting with Chief like?

What was his original hair color?

I wonder if he gets along with Bel?

*crawls out of trenches, bloodied and covered in mud*

"I-" *huff* "I have fought in war and it was close but! I HAVE WON! The evil snippet has not defeated me!"

So now, I can finally answer this!! I'm sorry that it took so long Ein 🫠🥺🥺please forgive my tardiness 😣

Let me satisfy your curiosity!

Original hair color

Dave's hair used to be this really mousy brown and it just wouldn't do! No! He refuses! It was boring and common and absolutly clashed with his vibe so it needed to be adressed immediately. He bleached his hair the first time when he was 14 and it turned out horrible but he was still happy with his shitty dyejob because at least it was unique!

Dave and Bel

Do they get along? Ohhh boy, honey they get along like a house on fire! Dave and Bel often team up for pranks and mischief (Levi is one of their regular victims lol). Surprisingly Chief doesn't actually mind this relationship mostly because Dave tends to curb Bel's more ... homicidal tendencies. Dave prefers leaving his victims alive (though there's no guarentee for their sanity) mostly because killing them would limit his options for pranks. So when Dave and Bel plan mischief Dave puts his foot down about murder.

First meeting

As for that question....

Have a snippet!

The world is undoubtedly cruel. Criminally unjust. Life is filled with hurdles and hardships, with unimaginable challenges and dreadful chores.

Dan has been kicked out of his own office by an overly worried Lussuria.

(Honestly, the audacity of his doctor, the inhumanity. He is seriously considering a lawsuit.)

Apparently working for ten months straight without a break is “unhealthy” and “terrible for the skin, just look at those wrinkles Dani-boy”. Which is ridiculous in his humble opinion, he doesn’t have wrinkles. His skin simply has more character, more definition, that’s all. No wrinkles here, just a well-developed background story edged into his outer shell.

Nevertheless, Dan is left with no other choice than take the day off since he doesn’t want to deal with Lussuria drugging his tea again. One time was more than enough.

Well, at least he can use this opportunity to finally get some shopping done. His sister Is going to skin him alive if he shows up empty handed to her birthday again. Finding the perfect jewellery set to make up for his blunder took him some time but now he can at least cross that off his list.

He is slandering down the empty streets, enjoying the sunshine on his face, when his peaceful musings are interrupted by a body landing right in his path.

…

What?

Dan must have committed war crimes in his past life, it’s the only explanation. His former self probably kicked puppies for fun and slaughtered babies in their sleep because he can’t even take a stroll in the city without someone throwing bodies at his feet.

Puzzled and slightly annoyed Dan takes a closer look at the young man sprawled in front of him.

The first thing that catches his eye is the absolutely garish shade of neon green decorating the top of his head. Whoever did that dye job needs to be fired. His hair isn't the only thing that needed fixing though. He’s covered in bruises and dirt, blood is dripping from his nose and - Dan squints - is that a tooth on the pavement? Yes, it is. … Gross. Hopefully the guy knows a good a dentist.

The sound of footsteps alerts him to the arrival of even more people. Dan inspects the newcomers in irritation. There are three of them, all clad in ill-fitted suits, hair slicked back and fake gold rings on their fingers, making them look like stereotypical comic mafia goons brought to life. It would have been funny and something to laugh over with Squalo over coffee if said goons hadn’t interrupted his quiet afternoon with their petty disputes.

What a drag.

“You have five seconds.”

“Hah?” Goon #1 sneers at him, somehow turning even uglier in the process. “What do ya want, shrimp? Don’t ya see we’re a little busy here.”

Only sheer willpower prevents Dan from inspecting his nails in disinterest. Instead, he crooks an eyebrow, giving the idiotic trio his best deadpan fish stare.

“Three seconds.”

Goon #2 spots the Varia emblem on his hoodie and the Cloud clocks the moment he recognises what it stands for. He shakily points at Dan’s chest. “U-uhm… boss?”

“What?” Goon #1 snaps, but his gaze follows his friend’s finger and all colour leaves his face. “V-v-varia?”

Dan puts his hands in his hoodie pocket and smiles. “You rang?”

The way they freeze like a deer in the headlights. How they start quaking in their knock off designer shoes when realisations dawns upon them. The fear in their eyes.

Ah… making grown men piss their pants with a single look never gets old.

“By the way,” Dan drops his smile, his voice turning ice cold. “Your time is up. Better start running, boys.”

One would think that the Vendice are on their heels with how fast they scrammed.

Now, with that sorted.

Dan looks back the stranger who’s still lazing on the street. “You okay?”

“U-uhm yes…” he stutters with wide eyes that are filled with something uncomfortably close to awe. “Thank you so much.”

Feeling slightly awkward now, Dan avoids his shining gaze. “Don't mention it.”

“But-”

“Seriously don’t,” Dan interrupts him, combing a hand through his hair. He wishes this interaction was over already. He’s no good with shows of gratitude. “You should let a doctor check you over.” That should be enough polite concern, right? “I will be on my way then.”

Dan tries to speedwalk away to avoid further socialising but is hindered by a surprisingly strong grip on his hoodie.

Only his ingrained manners (thanks Mom) prevent him from breaking a hand and escaping anyways, which is probably for the best, the poor guy has enough injuries, no need to add broken bones to the list.

Dan turns around and sighs. “What is it?”

The young man gives him a solid try at puppy eyes. “What’s your name? I’m Dave by the way! You can’t just rescue me like a knight in shining armour and then disappear off into the sunset. That’s not fair at all.” He adds a pout to his pleading expression, which – in Dan’s humble opinion – just makes him look even more pathetic.

“Have you suffered head trauma recently?”

Dave cocks his head, confused. “I mean, one of them kicked my face for a bit but that was nothing, I’m good! They mostly focused on my upper body and limbs.” He lets go of Dan’s hoodie and lifts his shirt up to point at his battered torso in demonstration. “See?”

“Then, why are you spouting nonsense?” Dan takes a step back after he is freed from Dave’s clutches. “Run along and try to avoid getting beat up by shady men in the future.”

The puppy eyes start to fill with fake tears. “But they keep on finding me.”

Dan is suddenly overcome with a desperate need for coffee.

“And that’s my problem, how exactly?”

The responding grin sends shivers down his spine. It reminds him of Bel’s smug smile after he caught another one of his employees in his wire traps.

“Well, all your hard work would go to waste if they came back, wouldn’t it? So, how about you help a buddy out?” Dave winks and it would have been charming if his face wasn’t covered in dried blood. “You can start with your name and we will go from there.”

Dan barely lifted a finger, is this guy on crack? In fact… Is he trying to con him? This feels like a con.

Why did I even bother leaving my room today?

“Look, Dave,” he begins trying to salvage the situation, “if I tell you that Varia Housekeeping is always looking for new members, will you go away and let me enjoy the rest of my day off in peace?”

The other man’s jaw drops like Dan got on his knees and proposed instead of throwing in a job offer as distraction tactic.

Dan takes his surprise as an opportunity to exit the premises once again. This time he isn’t stopped physically but a broken “W-wait” still gives him pause and he reluctantly glimpses back. Dave has dropped his cocky façade leaving behind only shattered pieces and a tiny fragment of hope.

“Please. Tell me your name?”

His voice sounds fragile compared his confident tone before.

…

Dan has always been a sucker for the broken ones, hasn’t he?

Fuck it, in for a penny, in for a pound.

“You can call me Chief.”

---

Hope you liked the little sneak peak into Dave's mysterious past 😊! Honestly the delay was mostly because that meeting was fighting me with tooth and nail but I managed to get it done!

I feel like I wanted to add something else but I forgot because goldfish brain lol

Anyways keep being awesome like the legend you are Ein!! Hopefully I could brighten your dim days in study hell 💕✨😊

[strangelypenned]

Hello All! I figured since ao3 is down I’d post the first chapter of my fic Heavy Metal Healing here for those looking for something to read! I hope this helps you get by in the drought. If you enjoy this check me out on ao3 under the same username. The next three chapters are up there whenever the site comes back online. Enjoy! 💜

Summary:

When rockstar Eddie Munson and the battle-scarred Steve Harrington collide their journey begins with pain, but quickly turns into something extraordinary. As Eddie embraces his dominant side and Steve explores submission, their connection becomes a steamy oasis of healing and love. Amid pleasure and pain, they rewrite their stories in a harmonious and unconventional embrace. And let's not forget the party and Robin, who never miss a chance to tease them along the way! It's a provocative tale where hurt transforms into hope, and two hearts find solace in the most unexpected places. Get ready to feel the heat!

Chapter 1:

There were a thousand other ways Steve could be spending his Friday night. He had two papers due within the next week, a birthday party to plan, and a doctor’s appointment he was dreading. Yet here he was, allowing Robin to repeatedly stab him in the eye with an eyeliner pencil. Eyeliner he really didn’t even want to be wearing. Going to a show he was about 75% sure he wasn’t going to enjoy.

“Quit blinking Dingus. Unless you want to lose an eye." Robin barked as she jabbed the flat end of the pencil into his ribs.

"I'm only blinking 'cause you're stabbing me in the eye with a sharp object. Also, how much longer is this going to take? If we want to get to Indi on time we need to leave in like 15 minutes." He glanced at the clock over her shoulder. They had been playing dress-up for over an hour and a half now, and the venue was roughly that far away. If they didn't leave soon they'd likely miss the show altogether.

"Fine. Fuck, we'll just call this good then. I got what I wanted mostly done anyways. " She was franticly throwing stuff in her small makeup bag, finally releasing the iron grip she had on his chin. Standing on sleep numb legs Steve took a look at himself in the mirror.

He almost didn't recognize the person looking back at him, Robin had outdone herself. He was wearing her clothes for the most part. A pair of black jeans that fit a little too tight. He remembers watching her cut the holes into them a few weeks ago in a bored crafting fit. A faded black t-shirt that fit a little bit snugly around the biceps. A large golden sun painted across his chest. It matched the yellow polish on his nails, painted by a smiling Jane earlier that week.

What stood out the most though were his eyes. The dark liner drawing attention to the warm hazel. She had even done his hair, It floated around his head softly, looking fluffier than normal. Yes, Robin had certainly outdone herself.

"How do you feel? I didn't overdo it did I? I know it's different than what you usually wear, but you went on that tangent the other day about wanting to change your look. And I know you don't want to touch your move-out savings to do so so I thou-" He caught her eye in the mirror.

Turning he placed his hands on her shoulders, her outfit was a reflection of his. The differences were the denim vest she had covered in pins and patches, and her shirt being actual merchandise for the bad they were seeing. A large 'CC' was pained across her chest above a flaming coffin.

"Robs I love it. You did a great job. It's definitely different, but I wanted that. Now can we please get out f here before we miss the show?" She nodded her head enthusiastically as he tied his favorite yellow sweater around his waist.

"Normally I would harass you about bringing the comfort sweater, but It kind of works. That, and I know I'm pushing you pretty hard already taking you to a metal show and all." She threw the words over her shoulder as they trudged down the stars. Making sure to stand closer to his good ear.

" Well, you've been talking about this group nonstop for like three months now. So I might as well give them a chance. Plus the volume may ring through my thick skull a bit better." His doctor had mentioned something about music with heavier tones being easier to enjoy. Something to do with the base and the vibrations. It was one of the few reasons, other than making Robin smile, he agreed to go. Smiles didn't come as easily after their final round with the upside down.

"I really think you'll enjoy yourself if you give it a chance Steve. She gave him a knowing look as she buckled herself in. Probably picking up on his thoughts with that freaky telephony thing they seemed to have ever since the Russians.

"I promise I'll give it a chance Robbs. God knows I could use some fun," he mumbled the last part as he backed out of the driveway. She laughed at his words as they coasted up the street, hopefully heading for a much-needed night of fun.

🎸

According to Robin's hour-and-a-half-long lecture about the band, they were extremely lucky to be seeing them at this venue. Normally they played for significantly larger crowds, but this is where they had done one of their first shows. They tended to perform here whenever they were in town for nostalgia's sake. It being such a small place meant tickets were normally gone in a flash. Robin, the lucky bird, had won some radio contest. So not only did they get to go to a sold-out show, they got to go to a sound check and a meet and greet post-show. Truly the pinnacle of luck.

He was glad they would be arriving early. This would allow him the chance to survey his surroundings before the crowd set in. His nerves being shot ever since the final battle, as the kids had started calling it. Either way, being able to spot all of the exits before the show started and the people packed in helped. He felt some of the ever-present tension in his body abate at the thought.

He allowed himself to be tugged along by Robin who was all but skipping in excitement. It was nice to see her so amped up. Her excitement tugged at the corners of his lips, and he caught himself chuckling as they grew closer to the venue. The place was a converted bowling alley that still had a few lanes for guests to use before and after shows.

"Did I tell you we even get two free drinks? The royal treatment I tell ya. Must remind you of the good ole days." alluding to the high school nickname he grew to detest with time. She knew better than to actually call him it though. Something about it rattled his heart in the most unpleasant of ways.

"You didn't mention the drinks bird brain. Here I thought I'd be shelling out for overpriced beers. " She gave him a dead look over her shoulder. Both of them knew that he hated the taste of beer and mostly drank it for appearances in school.

They stood in line behind a handful of people, a select few also had early entry tickets. They were snapping bright red bracelets on the wrists of those with VIP entry.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, they were standing in front of a long bar. Robin was shoving a brightly colored cocktail into his hands. He had checked out again. A gift left behind from his fourth concussion. He looked at Robin with a questioning frown.

"It was about ten minutes this time." She rattled off looking at the watch she had taken to wearing when the checkouts had started. That was shorter than the last one so at least there was that. He had grounding tips for when he was at home or driving, but they tended not to work when out and about.

He nodded sluggishly and began to look at his surroundings. Ten or so people were floating around the space while a few people tinkered with equipment on stage. There were doors that led to what appeared to be a balcony, probably a smokers section. The bowling lanes glowed in various neon shades of pink, blue, and purple. They weren't in use but still shined brightly to the left of the stage. And there was the exit, perfect. He felt the slight tremble in his hands ease up when he located the doors.

"Hey Robs I'm gonna go take a quick smoke break and I'll be right back okay?" She looked at him with a question in her eyes, 'Do you need me to come?" He shook his head softly and gave a tired smile before heading for the balcony. He had quit smoking for a while at one point. But after the final showdown, late at night when the sounds of the upside down were loudest in his mind's eye, he found relief in the smoke.

As he stepped outside he noticed the air had picked up a slight chill. He set his drink down and quickly tugged his yellow sweater overhead. The worn fabric brought a level of comfort he rarely found in his closet these days.

Tugging his cigarettes out of his pocket and placing one between his lips, he came to the abrupt realization he had left his lighter in the car. He let out a quiet 'fuck'.

"You need a light?" A melodic voice asked from off to the side of him. He felt himself flinch, he hadn't noticed anyone else outside.

The link since ao3 is now back online:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48088879

[8myass]

.. thrill .. pairing. won hyuk x female reader genre. angst pov. second person (you, yours, yourself, etc.)  synopsis. you run away from your loving best friend :( wc. 0.5k cw. yandere!wonhyuk tw. kidnapping, implied noncon touching, slight gaslighting, pet name (‘baby’) a/n. i freaking love wonhyuk so much (stan e’last!), happy birthday to the prettiest boy!

You could hear footsteps approaching you, getting louder the closer they got to your hiding spot. You were dreading every moment that was bound to follow if they got a little too close. You were meekly crying on the cold, hard ground as you propped your back up against a dumpster in the dark alleyway, trembling at the thought of being found.

The sobs wracking your body were uncontrollable, you were so afraid your sniffles would give away your hiding place, but you were unable to contain yourself, fear was the only thing you knew right now.

The footsteps seemed to stop right in front of the alleyway you were in, causing you to hold your breath, eyes wide as you pleaded with the higher powers to let him continue walking, not turn toward you. You were beyond relieved when you heard the footsteps actually continue on, making you let out a long, drawn-out sigh. 

But all at once, your anxiety appeared again when a beautiful voice sang, “Found you~” right into your ear from next to the dumpster. You flinched at the sound, spinning your head to see the owner of the voice, tears forming rivers down your cheeks. He swiftly picked you up, holding you in his arms with your legs around his waist for stability, wiping your tears away with his thumb, a frown spread across his gorgeous face, “Why are you crying, pretty? Don’t you wanna come back home?”

“That’s not my home,” you sobbed, jerking your face away from his undeserving fingers, more tears strolling down your cheeks. “It’s yours. You stole me away from my home.”

“Nonsense, my love. It’s always been your home. Since the moment you stepped foot through the front door, that place was our home,” he smiled, letting loose a sinister-sounding laugh. You were sure he was insane by now. You’ve never looked at him in this sense, you were his best friend for years, it’s so hard for you to genuinely see this side of him. Waking up one day, tied up in the bed you once were so fond of sleeping in, disgusting feelings washing through you as the man you could finally deem a monster let his fingertips roam along places you’ve never imagined to be touched by him. “Our bed, too.”

You had every idea what he was implying, what he was trying to remind you of, all telling you what he’d do to you again if you were to continue your fighting. You had convinced him to cut you loose at his house, making a run for it as soon as his back was turned. You were so good at pretending he didn’t repulse you to the core that it made it easy to make him think you genuinely cared for him still. As soon as you ran, you were chased. You couldn’t make it too far, which is why you were sitting next to a dumpster in an alleyway like you were, you couldn’t have run any farther because you were so out of breath and panicked that you felt you were on the verge of passing out at any moment.

“Baby, let’s go home, okay? How does that sound?” with his words, you fell into the crook of his neck, defeated, giving up entirely. This was your fate, as cruel as it was, and you really just had to accept that you weren’t gonna escape him anytime soon. This was your new reality.

[p-ink-ink]

Dear Baby Avery,

When I found out that I was going to have you, I was happier than I had been in years. I have always wanted to be a young mom and I really thought that you were my destiny, made with love to be a part of our lives. I felt it in my soul that we were meant to be.  You made me actually look forward to March, instead of dread it as I have been for the last two years. I found out about you in August and you actually made me excited for the winter to come instead of wanting to soak up the last moments of Summer. Everyday I eagerly awaited meeting you, the days felt so long back then, every hour crawled by as I waited to hear that you were growing and safe inside. I wanted nothing more than to make it to the day where I would get to hold you and know you. Time moves much quicker now without anything to anticipate. Before I knew it, the months ran away with my sadness and Summer and Autumn ended quicker than I would have ever dreamed. Every minute brings me closer to the day you would have been born. I think often of how you’d be doing now if you were ever given the chance. How would our families celebrate you? When would the Baby Shower have been? How would your little kicks feel inside of me? Would you have been a little boy or a little girl? I think about what your nursery would look like right now as your date of arrival draws in closer by the second. You were due today, on March 14th, one day before your Uncle Connor’s birthday. I thought that was a sign from heaven. A sign that 2024 would be a good year. That I could breathe easier for once and trust that beautiful things can still happen. But it was too good to be true. Maybe you were always meant to be an angel to stay by your Uncle’s side, but I promise I would've given you heaven on earth if you were born my baby. 

Ten weeks with you could never be enough because you were meant to be here for my lifetime, you were meant to outlive me like every child should outlive their parents. Instead, you were given just a brief moment in time. I will never understand why these things happen. I wanted you so badly and I would have given you the best life I could have.  Now I will always miss your absence because I know how much sweeter you made my life for the beautiful, but fleeting moment in time that you were in it. You were meant for so, so much more than this my sweet angel baby, and I’m so heartbroken that the world couldn't be yours to explore the way you deserved to. Love always,  Your Mommy Forever♡♡♡

[postcreditscene]

Summer Post-Depression

It’s remarkably lonely coming out of such a crushing depression. Especially on the brink of change like this. Leaving the blanket of suicidal thoughts and the pillows of my prolonged girlhood is utterly terrifying. I, a girl who honestly did not plan to make it past the notable yet small age of thirteen, now have to pick universities, do my a-levels, wait patiently for exam results to know if my school will let me keep studying with them. My whole life is a painful and dreadful limbo now.

Summer holidays are always an end of an era in my life as my fall forsaken birthday comes closer yet again. This summer is decidedly my last as a girl and my first as a woman. Why? Because I finally don’t want to kill myself so badly that I need to make something of myself instead of just making sure the self survived. It clearly did as this is not a post mortem (although I may do one on my birthday, for the girl that will surely wither away for my more adult self). The past six months have been full of this, cramming the half of my classes I missed between gym sessions and fucking valorant matches has kept my mind occupied. Until now. Now I am sitting in the polish countryside, typing this on a sun warmed chair swing enjoying the last hours of silence before my aunt, her ape-ish husband and their rotund son come back. Nothing against my art of course, and every day I wonder what she did so wrong to be cursed with sons instead of daughters.

Either way, the peace will be over within the hour as my mother and her new boyfriend come back from their run. I’ve never met a man more loudly and confidently stupid. He is obtrusive. That is the only way I can describe him without being downright nasty and I’m really trying to stop doing that. Sadly after this holiday ad the following one in Paris with my father and his empty headed racist bimbo small-minded small-chested rotten in the soul wife I will be forced to live with my mother and her boyfriend in some sad new build house with his untrained poorly vaccinated dog and the fucking outdoor cat that I will be undoubtedly violently allergic to. Maybe I am a bit of a mean person. For context, my father’s wife forced me out of my own house (after having plunged me into living with her for a year, the attempts made during that year and the memories from that time are long forgotten) and my mother acts like a complete fucking retard as soon as her boyfriend is involved (for example, forgetting I exist, fucking off for two weeks at a time after my beloved childhood dog passed away, and most insultingly letting him call me ‘scary’). I had planned for this blog to be profound and not just a rant.

Circling back to the end of my girlhood and my subsequent rebirth as a woman (or just a teenage girl, god knows what kind of metamorphosis I will commit to). To simplify the goals of this transformation for myself, I’ve made a simply list.

• Get a boyfriend

• Go to school for at least 4/5 days of the week (I only did one full week of school last year about halfway through the spring)

• Fuck previously stated boyfriend (I might be scared of sex but I’ll totally get over that if he’s hot enough)

• Maybe get a girlfriend instead because dick is gross

• Go to the gym three times a week at least

• Plot some kind of cosmic level revenge on my sister who went fucking crazy and refused to do my hair before my school dance.

A very achievable list of goals for the summer and the following year of my life.

Back to the summer. I’m attending a wedding where there is apparently a very rich young man a year or two older than me that’s just finished studying at a boarding school in Switzerland who I’m supposed to be meeting. And he’s supposed to be handsome on top of that. What a catch (I’ll update you to weather he’s actually handsome or not). Perhaps a decent candidate to lose my ‘hold hands romantically’ virginity to. It is very hard being old and an ex-ugly still kind of strange neurodivergent woman. And now I sound like a social justice warrior.

Anyways, unbothered silence is over as is my writing session this fine morning. So I hope this serves as a half- decent introduction to my summer and my blog. Sorry that this is all over the place, I’m not good with introductions.

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Violence Masterlist

Arcadia (ao3) - paperstorm michael/luke E, 140k

Summary: Crisp, thin air. The rough scrape of blades on ice. The jumbled, unintelligible echo of male voices, ringing off the rafters and bouncing through the empty seats. The familiar smell, sweaty equipment and rubber flooring and Zamboni fluid. Luke’s taken to closing his eyes sometimes, cutting off his primary sense, and just absorbing the noise and the scent and the feel of cool air on his cheeks. That way, regardless of where he is, an arena still feels like home. Or, an AU in which Luke is a small-town hockey superstar who gets drafted to the Montreal Canadiens, Ashton is the bubbly team Captain, Calum is a defenceman with a bad habit of settling on-ice conflicts with his fists, and Michael is the NHL’s first openly gay player.

be safe (ao3) - booksteaandcake michael/luke N/R, 3k

Summary: luke tries to give the eulogy for his best friend's funeral, and remembers the one he loved the most who is now gone forever... michael.

come alive and bring the thunder (ao3) - merlypops michael/luke E, 36k

Summary: Prince Luke of the Faeries is forced to marry King Michael after a War between kingdoms threatens to tear their lives apart… and maybe Luke and Michael fall in love too. Maybe.

Exes and O's (ao3) - WhoknewZeus luke/calum M, 8k

Summary: AU: Calum and Luke actually dated before the band was formed, but broke up because of how horrible they treated each other. Now that they are no longer together, they can't help but want the significant other back. Read as they face unrequited feelings and the fear of becoming what they used to be.

How He Moves (ao3) - thesoulsailor michael/luke, calum/ashton E, 30k

Summary: Luke lives for the ballet, Michael lives for the moment, Ashton is a dance prodigy and Calum will do pretty much anything to win his boyfriend back.

In Memoriam (ao3) - paperstorm michael/luke E, 59k

Summary: An accident during a performance ends for Luke in blood and total retrograde amnesia; rendering his mind an empty slate that doesn’t know as much as his own first name. His band is left to help him reassemble the scattered pieces of his life, to coax his memories back, and to deal with the fallout when the most important thing is the one thing Luke can’t remember.

In The Middle Of The Night When The Wolves Come Out (ao3) - SilentlyFighting luke/ashton, michael/calum G, 26k

Summary: Everyone is a shifter, a werewolf, but each one shifts for the first time at different times. Some are born already able to shift, others shift during their childhood while some shift at around the same times as puberty. Luke's family, however, are unique; every member of this family have shifted at the age of 18. Well, everyone except Luke that is, who is still waiting for his chance and dreading the possibilities as he gets closer to the age of 19. When Luke finally starts to go through his shift, the boys are there for him and work together to keep him under control - especially Ashton. Luke learns new things from this experience, but it also brings him closer to some people.

Read to find out the rest.

It’s a hell of a feeling though (ao3) - thenewbrokenscene michael/luke M, 58k

Summary: [AU, actor/model Luke and musician Michael]

After a recent scandal and the subsequent publicity nightmare, Luke Hemmings doesn’t need any more trouble. He’s just trying to enjoy his best friend’s birthday party. But who the fuck invited Michael Clifford?

Mamihlapinatapei (My Brothers Best Friend) (ao3) - flowercrownmikey T, 46k

Summary: Luke Hemmings, 17, is popular and a year younger than his brother, Ashton. Michael Clifford is Ashton’s long-term best friend and a wannabe doctor. Luke gets into some fights, and a forbidden romance is an accident waiting to happen.

OR// Luke is reckless and sweet, and falls head over heels in love with his brothers best friend.

Potato Salad (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine michael/ashton, luke/calum T, 21k

Summary: “Can I have that?” asks the stranger.

Michael hums in his throat, confused. He looks at the stranger, but the stranger isn’t looking at him. His gaze is locked on the potato salad spilled out on the sidewalk. There is a pink flush to his cheeks, but it is different this time. It isn’t modesty. It’s embarrassment.

“If you’re just going to throw it away, can I have it instead?”

(In which Ashton is a homeless stranger who is starving, and Michael has a kitchen full of food.)

Protector (ao3) - starstruk97 luke/ashton M, 4k

Summary: There are certain rules that come with being the eldest of your group of friends, the number one rule being: Always protect your younger friends.

" From then on, Luke joined the group, and I had someone to protect and look after. Someone to teach and guide. A baby ‘brother’. And it was my favourite thing in the world. Still is. I don’t care how many fist fights, detentions, suspensions and groundings I have received for standing up for him, I don’t and never will regret any of them because each one of them saved my little bro some kind of pain. "

remember me for centuries (ao3) - orphan_account luke/ashton N/R, 14k

Summary: Luke knew who Ashton was. He knew of how pivotal Ashton was to the war, knew of the power that thrummed through the boy's veins. (Ashton could crush him with just a thought. Wasn't that scary?) He knew of the family Ashton came from, and knew that that made Ashton completely off limits to everyone, especially Luke.

So why did Luke want him so much?

somehow you kicked all my walls in (ao3) - orphan_account michael/luke G, 8k

Summary: a cliche Hogwarts au in which michael is a slytherin who doesn’t actually hate luke, and luke is a shy gryffindor who (almost) everyone loves.

the ache in his bones (ao3) - lovelymuke michael/luke G, 12k

Summary: Luke hates Christmas. None of his band mates know why until his boyfriend finds him curled on the kitchen floor a week afterwards, his pale chest beaten black and blue.

Too Little (ao3) - starstruk97 T, 2k

Summary: Luke hates being short. Always being told he’s too little or too young. People always baby him, tell him to be careful just because he’s tiny or the youngest. But what’s worse? When your best friends belittle you.

Or Luke is young and short, Ashton is overprotective, Ice hockey is rough, Luke gets hurt, but everything is alright in the end!

When we were young (ao3) - CliffordAffliction michael/luke E, 53k

Summary: Luke's older brother Ashton bullies him and even though Michael is one of Ashton's best friends he is always there to be Luke's protector

You Are The Moon That Breaks The Night (ao3) - thesoulsailor calum/ashton, michael/luke E, 120k

Summary: or a drunk walk home is destined to change Ashton's life forever.

[dannystheone]

Happy Birthday Wednesday! (Wednesday Lee/Enid Ler)

This Wednesday fanfic is dedicated to my beautiful girlfriend @nnainai She turns 20 years old! Everyone wish her a happy birthday and all the gifts and birthday tickles she deserves :> I love you honey you’re my gorgeous girl <333 

 It’s Wednesday’s birthday but she doesn’t see the appeal in celebrating. Enid decides to cheer her up on her special day. 

WARNING: small kiss at the ending :>

                                   ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 

 The sun cast rays of golden glow filtering through gilded trees. The sky was full of puffy clouds, and green grass waved at passer-bys from the gentle breeze. Boys played football with friends, girls chatted on picnic blankets, people walked their dogs happily. A picturesque day, but to Wednesday Addams:

 It was dreadful. 

 Wednesday turned from her window and walked back to her desk, which has turned into her dark comfort corner. Today was a day like any other, despite her parents ringing her phone and her crystal ball. They were insistent on wishing her a Happy Birthday, but today was anything but. Her dreariness to the occasion was physically draining, more so draining than how she usually felt. 

 Wednesday has never understood what was so important about birthdays. Despite the euphoric feeling of being one year closer to death, that was about as much enjoyment she could get from the supposed holiday. The more people tried to wish her well on this day, the more nauseated she felt. She never brought up the subject to her birthday to anyone she would consider a friend, and she preferred it that way. 

 Besides, there wasn’t a single day out of the year she didn’t put herself first. Yet, if Wednesday was supposed to enjoy herself *more* on this day, she’d rather spend it doing what usually consisted of her routine. She’d type more of her book listening to her carefully selected music, and grab some coffee before studying in the library. It sounded like a good enough day to her-

 “WEDNESDAY! EEEE!” Well, it DID sound like a good day. Enid flew into the room with all of the energy of a hyper-active child. Enid carried plenty of bags and presents for Wednesday, with Thing right behind her carrying more gifts as well. All the gifts were wrapped with black and white wrapping paper. 

 “Thing told me it was my roomy’s birthday and you didn’t tell me! These presents are totally last minute, but I’m excited to be celebrating at all!” Enid put her presents on the floor, and looked up at her with a bright smile despite Wednesday glaring at Thing for revealing her secret. 

 “Thing, I’m disowning you. I specifically said to keep it a secret.” Thing’s expression soured as it looked to the floor. Enid looked at Wednesday with a quizzical look.  

 “Secret? Why would you need your birthday to be a secret? We need to celebrate!” Wednesday folded her arms as Enid gave her a big hug. Enid smelled of sickeningly sweet Strawberry Shortcake perfume 

 “I don’t see the importance of birthdays. They’re loud, pointless, and exhausting.” Wednesday stepped back from Enid’s hug and took a seat on her bed. Enid quirked her lip as she thought for a big. 

 “Exhausting, huh? Well, are you exhausted right now?” Enid asked. Wednesday thought for a moment. A nap in the catacombs did sound promising. Her parents have been blowing up her devices to wish her well, and that’s been punishing enough. 

 “Well, actually yes. I suppose I am.” Enid’s grin turned sinister as she sat on Wednesday’s bed and wiggled her fingers in her direction. 

 “Sounds like you need a pick-me-up~ Considering it’s your 20th birthday, you do need about 20 minutes of birthday tickles, and one more minute for good luck of course.” Wednesday looked down at Enid’s wiggling fingers with a neutral expression, but on the inside she was screaming. Last time she was tickled by Enid it wasn’t...the worse thing in the world. But that didn’t mean she would just ask for it. 

 “...You put your hands on me, they get chopped off.” Enid had a knowing expression. Enid and Wednesday both knew that this was as consenting as Wednesday was going to get. Verbally, anyway. 

 “Sure, they’ll get chopped off. Matter of fact, let’s make the safe-word ‘Cleaver.’ Sound good?” Pfft. Safe-word. For tickling? How childish- 

 Well, that’s what Wednesday was thinking before Enid put her hands on her and started the tickling. Enid started gently skittering her nails around Wednesday’s ears and neck, the fluttering feelings surrounding her head. 

 “You can laugh you know. It’s kind of what you’re supposed to do in this situation.” Enid reminded Wednesday. Wednesday didn’t know where to put her hands, so she kept them balled in her lap as Enid skittered her nails down Wednesday’s arms. 

 “You’re lucky you get to do this- at ahahall-” Wednesday giggled as Enid strayed past her ribs in her tickling flurry. 

 “You’re right, I’m the luckiest wolf in the world~ I get to tickle tickle tickle my stoic raincloud of a roommate and watch her slooowly crack a smile~” Enid was actually a well-versed teaser, she knew how to make Wednesday feel like her skin was crawling. 

 “Ah! Ehehenid!” Wednesday squeaked as she fell back into her bed, her arms barely protecting her sides. 

 “Aww, you’re just giving it to me aren’t you? You’re not even pushing my arms away or anything~” Enid got on her knees to better lean in to Wednesday. She still gave her plenty of space while her fingers scribbled and sunk into her black suit jacket. For someone so menacing, Wednesday was quite small. Enid could reach down and squeeze the middle of her thigh without having to bend over much. 

 “Nohoho! Be quiehehet!” Wednesday’s braids splayed on the bed as Enid started tickling her tummy. Working out wasn’t a necessity for Wednesday, studying took quite a lot of her focus. Due to this, her tummy was modest and not at all hardened with discipline. 

 “Why should I? You’re the one making all the noise. What if you disturb the other students with how loud you are? That’d be totes embarrassing...” Enid scritched in Wednesday’s tummy, eliciting more giggles from her dark roommate. 

 Enid did have to say, seeing any other facial expression aside from Wednesday’s sour expression was a strange sight. But it was endearing. Wednesday’s laughing face was bright, and she had little wrinkles near her eyes and on her nose when she scrunched her face. Enid started to blush seeing Wednesday in such a giggly state. 

 Enid’s fingers started to slow. Wednesday looked up at her as Enid was barely tickling her now. 

 “Enid? What’s wrong?” Wednesday asked. Enid swallowed and balled her fist. 

 “I um...you just looked really pretty. When you were you know...laughing.” Wednesday sat upright with lightly pink cheeks. 

 “...Thank you. You look pretty today too.” Enid looked up at Wednesday with a shy smile. The two girls swallowed their nervousness and gently leaned in to share a small kiss on the lips. 

 “Happy birthday, Wednesday.”