#but you know. that really is just inserting something into canon that's not there at all. in canon they're just gambling with chai-un
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Hello, Miss Raven!
I hope you are having a nice day ^^
I was wondering since you don't have a Yuusona, have you ever thought making your own Yuusona like what traits, gender and personality would you have for them?
And how would their relationship be with Miss Raven would they be friends?
Sorry if I'm asking something you don't feel comfortable answering just feel free to ignore it. I'm enjoying your work and I'm new here so I hope I wasn't a bother! Love your work đŤś
Iâve thought about making a Yuu of my own on more than one occasion. However, Iâve never been a fan of the roles designated for self-inserts⌠Itâs hard to commit. Even if I were to make my Yuu less of a Yuusona (ie just Me but in the Twst world) and more of an OC (an entity totally separate from myself), I always lose motivation somewhere along the way.
Thatâs of course not to disparage anyone who has a Yuu though!! I just personally find it a struggle to design around a somewhat predetermined identity. Thereâs less freedom in a Yuu because they have to meet certain parameters in order to âmake senseâ in the story. For example, Yuus are generally from our ordinary world and magicless. I donât like having those limitations (and though I could go against it, Iâd refrain in order to not break canon lore). Thatâs why my first Twst OC is very far removed and exists as her own thing.
For fun, hereâs some of my scraped Yuu concepts, including doodles. They're not really "Yuusonas" though, more like original characters that happen to be filing in for Yuu:
Yuu 1: Mad Scientist Yuu
The earliest iteration.
This Yuu is ~16, male. Considered nonbinary at one point too.
The notes in the image basically describe him. Germaphobe, has lots of band-aids (because he is accident-prone), constantly tired + has dark undereye circles due to excess stress and lack of sleep.
Frequently seen in face mask, lab coat, and latex gloves.
âDonât bother meâ energy. Very curt with people and just wants to be left alone.
Claims to be an egalitarian because he âhates everyone equallyâ.
As the story went on, he would have learned to lighten up and work with others too. Basically, the same arc the NRC students have.
I didn't think too deeply about what his relationship with Miss Raven would be like... Most likely, he just dislikes and avoids her like he does the rest of the NRC population.
Yuu 2: âRobert Philip the Divorce Lawyerâ Yuu
Twisted from the divorce lawyer love interest in Enchanted đ YES, I SAID WHAt i SAiDâŚ
This Yuu is 35ish, male.
Has a very girly young daughter back home. She is basically his motivation to return.
His ex-wife left him. (YES I AM KEEPING THIS LORE.) Has sworn off love since then but is dating another woman for practical reasons.
Very anti-romance and anti-fairy tales.
Somewhat grumpy.
Logical, pragmatic. Some would say calculating.
Constantly arguing with Crowley because he knows his rights and how many laws Crowley is violating/j
He wouldnât have been a student but more like a faculty member and father figure to the NRC students. By being in Twisted Wonderland, he helps to mentor the boys as though they were his own children, and the boys in turn teach him about magic, imagination, and believing even in seemingly impossible things.
Had an idea about him finding true love in Twisted Wonderland too; this would basically be his Giselle. Maybe a kind lady from Foothill Town??
Robert!Yuu was going to be sort of a secondary father figure to Miss Raven. Crowley is her real guardian, but he's usually not fulfilling the typical duties of a guardian so Robert!Yuu has to step up. In a lot of ways, Miss Raven reminds him of an older version of his own daughter so he has a soft spot for her. He also tries his best to advise her on life and boys. I imagine that he and Miss Raven have that Hades and Megara scene where she's gushing about Hercules and Hades goes, "Please. HE'S A GUY!!"
Yuus 3 and 4: Twin Yuus
The bangs they have are borrowed from Robert!Yuu because I liked them and was too lazy to try something new outâ
Theyâre brother and sister, both 17. I wanted to play around with the concept of multiple Yuus in Twisted Wonderland at the same time. Twins because they are supposed to be âa mirror imageâ of the other.
The theme these two would explore is gender, particularly expectations vs reality.
They come from an old money family; each twin has very traditionally gendered expectations placed on them but their secret is they swap places and pretend to be the other twin so as to get out of their own responsibilities, as the girl is tomboyish and the boy is more feminine.
They continue this act in Twisted Wonderland in order to "protect" one another, but their relationship becomes strained with each OB. For example, the male twin would become increasing protective, feeling like it is his responsibility to keep his sister safe. This would earn him his sister's ire since he never smothered her before. The twins would eventually reconcile and come to reach a middle ground regarding one another's expression of their gender and how that informs their behavior toward one another.
In another variation, only the male-presenting twin would be isekai'd to Twisted Wonderland. It would later be revealed that "he" is actually a "she". The explanation that she provides for acting masculine is to rebel against the expectations of her family (who had arranged a marriage for her prior to her being isekai'd).
... But then there's ANOTHER twist 𤥠and it turns out that her "masculine self" closely resembles her actual twin brother (who is now deceased). The idea is that she partly acts this way as a trauma response and relies a lot on "speaking" with her brother for advice on how to move forward in Twisted Wonderland. Like, she has pretend conversations with him in her head.
Her character arc would have been centered around detaching herself from the expectations placed on her, as well as learning to let her brother go and become her own person.
ASDSBDABSDOSA I feel like Miss Raven would be so confused trying to keep track of the twins and/or the single twin's dramatic backstory. She'd be pretty cordial with them though! Maybe even tries to counsel them when they're fighting or closed off from others.
Yuu 5: Ara Ara Onee-san Yuu (WIP name is Sumire -> Suu -> her variation of âYuuâ, lol)
The best designed one, probably.
The only one with a proper name, too :v
She's 18 and female!
Started off as a joke between me and a friend. We were talking about how we think many of the first year students would be into "onee-san" types.
As you may or may not be able to tell by the design, she's meant to be a caring big sister character. Sweet, patient, and motherly. Even gardens and bakes! The type you know you can always go to when you need advice or comforting.
YEAH I GAVE HER DEAD ANIME MOM HAIR, SO WHAT???? The bangs swooping over one side of her face gives her sort of a mysterious air!
She looks very kind (and that's because she is), but she is also very air-headed. Like she'll pick up a worm and hold it in your face and ask you if you think it's cute.
Has a secret sadistic side. Not malicious and won't go out of her way to cause problems, but she'll gush about how she thinks you being frustrated or struggling with a task is "cute".
The arc Sumire would go on is one revolving around her status as the "older sister" of the group and finding a "pure" way of loving her friends. There's nothing wrong with having that role, but her issue is that she relies on it to be her personality and often gives away too much of herself at the cost of her own mental and emotional wellbeing.
It's like... codependency. She loves you because (whether she knows it or not) because she NEEDS validation from others. And because she wants that validation so much, she forces herself to be someone she's not at her core. Someone agreeable and sweet. That becomes very taxing for her.
If she feels as though someone is going to leave her, she'll either love bomb or have a mental breakdown in private. TO BE CLEAR, this is not healthy behavior and she's supposed to grow out of this obsessiveness over the course of the main story.
By that logic, she's more manipulative and selfish than she seems at a glance. I guess you could describe her true personality as being yandere or even menhara?? But she usually masks it well.
Miss Raven has a history of falling for pretty smiles, so I think she'd also be a victim of this one. She would look up to Sumire as like "the peak lady" and the big sis she's always wanted. REALLY feeding into her secret ego there, Miss Raven... and Sumire, being herself, would just giggle and pat her on the head to keep that toxic relationship going.
#disney twisted wonderland#twst#disney twst#twisted wonderland#twst oc#Yuu#twisted wonderland oc#Raven Crowley#notes from the writing raven#question#Hades#Megara#Enchanted#Robert Philip
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you would think that the scariest part of peaceful property would be the ghosts but no, actually it's the emotional damage. and also that bit in episode 6 when they forget which bowl has the real chickpeas in it and they just sort of guess even though peach has already put that guy in a coma because of his food allergy once because oh my god what the fuck
#this is a show with many ghosts in it and it's about peach's fear so i'll take this scene as more of a metaphor and that's okay#but peach. peach my darling.#in a literal way you can't be doing that (serving 25% chance of chickpea death because you want to trust home)!! you really cannot#*#peaceful property#a headcanon way to fix this would be. when peach tastes from the two bowls he CAN tell which is the right one.#and he just wants home to tell him. which would explain why peach is the only one So Sure it'll be fine and why he's THAT set#on serving this dish that could kill or at least very seriously hospitalize a man.#but you know. that really is just inserting something into canon that's not there at all. in canon they're just gambling with chai-un
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being a big fan of gender selectable and/or gender ambiguous characters is so hard because everyone defaults to calling them a guy all the time and it's like. i GUESS that's correct. i guess. you're perfectly free to decide that because that's the point of gender being choosable and im not one to dictate how you play or interpret your playthroughs or opinions on the game. im still gonna fucking kill you though.
#being a guy with a nonbinary durge trying to read analysis and fanworks is painful. yeah the default is a male dragonborn but like.#Give Me Something Here Dear Lord#yin-thoughts#i feel the same way about doctor arknights but if anything that's even worse bc they're not even a player insert#they're just an already existing person the player occupies the position of like a meatsuit. their gender is Doctor#i can only presume this is how undertale fans feel abt frisk and chara and kris (is an undertale fan and already knows the feeling)#idk how to express this. there's a difference between a character being canonically nonbinary and just like#having their gender decided by the player's own interpretation#and durge technically Isn't canonically nonbinary. but they ARE gender selectable. and there is a difference between canon durge and like#the durge you can make in the character creator on a durge route. but it's still always Really Jarring to see them default to being he/him#yknow?#this is all unrelated to my previous post btw this came to mind as an unrelated thought
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*gasps as I crawl up to this blog, covered in blood and sweat and gore* After 300 pages of story scenes, 700 pages of short stories, multiple documents of additional short story dumps, 7 folders, and some other things, I have successfully found at *least* FIVE romance scenes that aren't written with hatred and pain, aren't written out of spite, aren't made to be ridiculous and/or funny, aren't heavily made to be an allegory, aren't noncanon cause meh, AND aren't made to be a tragedy. At least 5 (it's sadly less than five but I'm done looking at what I didn't) small written things in over 6 years of Serious Writing that feature a romance that is soft, taken seriously, canon, AND not made to be purposefully ridiculous cause I Could Not.
All that to prove to a friend I could do romance softly and seriously after they shared something really very sweet and well written. ALL THAT JUST TO SHOW THAT I KIND OF ALREADY SHARED SOMETHING LIKE THAT A FEW WEEKS BACK
#i hate romance#it is suffering. it is pain. it hates me just as much as i hate it#AND THE THING IS#i may cry about my allergy to the feeling but I'm actually...okay???? with it???#like most of my beef with it is the fact that people expect me to think it matters personally to my life (no)#or that it's just...badly treated even in fiction trying to glorify it (that's the first problem)#lemon duck quacks#by the way the thing i finally shared was still very funny (to me) but honestly sickeningly cute and awkward#i cannot believe i wrote it#lets see...there was skies (implied romance though)#then two non canon ficlets (hence they didn't COUNT)#and two separate things that were 20 pages (ew. old writing) and 14 pages (a lot funner) but TOO LONG#so ...4 in total#i am almost certain that i DID have something in my fairy tale retellings folder#But You Would Not Believe The Amount of Romances That Focused on Dynamics Between People That were NOT The Main Couple#like i would have people react to it or have some Outside Dynamic between one of the couple members and someone else#discussing it#oh there was also the chives romance scene (had outside interference though and not really soft)#and another outside interference awkward flirting scene (so also didn't count)#and yes i KNOW for a fact that I inserted characters to interrupt romances on purposes because younger me disliked having them#but really and earnestly thought books should have it at least somewhere for non mcs#anyway i think will go lie down and contemplate my choice to use a sunday to hunt down any (relatively) sane romances I'd written
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ice, ice baby (literally) | max verstappen social media au
pairing: max verstappen x raikkonen!reader
the ice man may have never spoken, but his daughter never shuts the fuck up
based on the request from @blue-skyandstars
MASTERLIST | TIP JAR
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yourusername: taking names and kicking asses (and getting all assignments in on time with an appropriate amount of ass licking)
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user1: i love how she is so clearly kimi's daughter
user2: the only two blondes that don't freak me out
user3: insert that paris hilton clip "can i have two more of these little blonde bitches?"
maxverstappen1: what's an appropriate amount of ass licking and can i demonstrate on you?
maxverstappen1: wait! who said that?
yourusername: in your dreams car boy
maxverstappen1: trust me i see you in my dreams all the time
yourusername: so that's why you're always in the shower when i call you in the morning....
user4: i'm new here, are they together?
yourusername: wouldn't you like to know weather boy
maxverstappen1: she's actually my sleep paralysis demon, sorry to say
user5: they're so unserious
kimiraikkonen: keep those studies up i'm paying the bills
yourusername: i promise to use my status as a nepo baby for good papa đŤĄ
kimiraikkonen: proud of you.
user6: we love a self aware girly
user7: the raikkonen household really is the best balance, a guy who acts like talking causes him physical pain and a girl who couldn't shut the fuck up if she tried
yourusername: no way i'd rather it be
charles_leclerc: how many versions of that shirt do you have?
yourusername: enough...
charles_leclerc: and i'm the one who is a threat to national security when i go shopping
yourusername: that trouser collection should get you on some sort of list
user8: all these f1 drivers in her likes and comments and she's not cuffed... why is she fumbling so bad
yourusername: am I fumbling or are THEY?
user9: expose the dms please
yourusername: that would not be pg13 soz!
maxverstappen1
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maxverstappen1: oh look who decided to come back
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user10: max is so annoyed that she decided to go to school in the us that he makes all american fans lives hell by winning all the races
user11: so true of him
landonorris: matching books? you're such a simp
maxverstappen1: is a man forbidden to be in a book club? who backwards of you lando
yourusername: just because you can't read, don't take it out on us
landonorris: i can read!
yourusername: name the last book you read
yourusername: and that doesn't include searching your name on twitter
landonorris: can you go back already, you're so mean
yourusername: don't come for our two man book club if you can't handle the smoke
maxverstappen1: what she said
user12: i love how spring break starts and y/n doesn't even go to see her dad, straight to max
maxverstappen1: kimi is coming! i am NOT a bad friend who deprives y/n of her dad
user12: you're also scared of kimi
maxverstappen1: i'm also scared of kimi
danielricciardo: you're in my building and i don't get any baked goods... i see how it is
yourusername: as if max is allowed to eat them anyway they're for dad
danielricciardo: i promptly take back anything i've ever said
user13: max has got to be down bad to have that much baking equipment in his house when it's canon he can barely cook eggs
yourusername: if he wanted to he would
user14: is this confirmation?
yourusername: i hope those are paper straws you're grasping at
maxverstappen1: why wouldn't i make sure i have the equipment to get my worker bee to make me sweet treats (don't read that rupert)
user15: i'm on to you two ... there's something shady going on here
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sebastianvettel: she's too old, i miss when she was a nice and polite child
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user19: annual god father seb appearance
user20: y/n please work your magic to get him to a race this weekend
yourusername: i'm working on it! watch out for suzuka
user21: the people's princess truly
yourusername: rude! i am a very polite young woman đ
sebastianvettel: yes you are, but also when you were ten you didn't bother me with your love life
sebastianvettel: and you weren't so fussy with food
yourusername: I AM NOT FUSSY I JUST HAVE AN ACQUIRED TASTE
sebastianvettel: you asked me to uninvite lewis to our dinner plans because you "hate that quinoa shit, i'm hungry enough to kill a horse with my bare hands"
yourusername: and i'd say it again!
lewishamilton: first of all: rude. second of all: i knew there was a reason you and max get on so well - BLAND
maxverstappen1: just because my food doesn't turn my shit green or couldn't accidentally be sold in the rabbit section of the pet store doesn't make me BLAND
yourusername: i don't trust a man who makes non-alocholic tequila THE FACT IT GETS YOU DRUNK IS THE BEST PART OF THE TEQUILA ONLY WEIRDOS DRINK TEQUILA FOR THE TASTE
lewishamilton: gasp! you said you liked it!
yourusername: i try to be supportive okay :(
user22: well that was something
user23: max always coming to the rescue ... makes you think
charles_leclerc: i am sensing some blatant favouritism here
mickschumacher: i never get invited on baking weekends :(
yourusername: snooze you lose ladies
sebastianvettel: this is exactly what i mean y/n
yourusername: my bad! i'm sorry my god father loves me more than you :p get well soon
sebastianvettel: that's not-
charles_leclerc: consider yourself in beef
yourusername: it's on babe
user24: gosh i'm so confused WHO THE FUCK DO I WANT TO GET WITH HER
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yourusername: boy, oh, boy am i ready to finish this semester
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user26: i see tulips i do deduce that they are from max verstappen đ¤đ
user27: i hate you invasive leeches (i believe this and it is now my personal headcanon)
maxverstappen1: SEAT BELT PLEASE
yourusername: i swear i did đŤ
maxverstappen1: you need to protect the precious goods
landonorris: you never tell me that đ
maxverstappen1: you're not precious goods, hope this helps x
landonorris: i see how it is
yourusername: don't hate the player, hate the game lando
user28: they've either got the single most flirtatious friendship ever to exist or they're together
user29: if they are just friends and those flowers are from her actual gf - i am not being dramatic but i would take a long walk off a short plank
user30: i feel like they'd be the ultimate cockblocks for each other đ
kimiraikkonen: proud of you bub
yourusername: i am losing hair from academic stress i hope you're happy papa
kimiraikkonen: i am đđť
yourusername: i am losing hair - LOSING HAIR THIS IS A BIG DEAL YOU PAY FOR MY APPOINTMENTS
kimiraikkonen: you need a college education so you're not wasting all of my money - i also pay your sorority dues so be nice to me
yourusername: i'm tired let me be the low effort nepo baby i am meant to be
user31: can kimi raikkonen pay for my hair appointments too?
jensonbutton: is that MY CAR?
yourusername: you put me on the insurance?
jensonbutton: yeah for when your car was in the shop - i thought shelby was still in my garage?
yourusername: not to victim blame but having so many cars you don't notice one is gone, that's on you
jensonbutton: @KIMIRAIKKONEN YOUR KID STOLE MY CAR
yourusername: britt gave me the keys !!!!!!
kimiraikkonen: you got duped by a 21 year old, that's not my fault
user32: kimi when y/n jokes about dropping out 𤨠kimi when y/n steals one of jenson's cars đĽš
maxverstappen1
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maxverstappen1: ice, ice baby (except you're smoking hot)
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user35: WHOOP WHOOP LET'S FUCKING GO
user36: max already having the approval of kimi, that's my king
maxverstappen1: make no mistake i went to the raikkonen household with many offerings before i asked for his permission
user37: and if he had said no?
maxverstappen1: i would've asked y/n regardless đŤĄ
kimiraikkonen: đ¤¨
maxverstappen1: uh? i'm digging my own grave but i love your daughter so that's all the matters right? RIGHT?
kimiraikkonen: đ
maxverstappen1: WOULD IT KILL YOU TO USE THE KEYBOARD I'M HAVING A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN HERE
user38: the way max got given approval on live tv with more words than we've heard from kimi at any point in his career and he's still a shaking mess
user39: anxious girl representation
yourusername: you melted this icicle
maxverstappen1: eh i think you've always been a softy
charles_leclerc: like softserve ice cream? shop @lec now!
maxverstappen1: do you fucking mind?
yourusername: really? on the post of my boyfriend professing his love?
charles_leclerc: god forbid a guy chases the bag (also he called you smoking hot, that's hardly a profession of love)
maxverstappen1: you little rat
yourusername: lifetime supply of lec and a flavour named after us and consider yourself forgiven
charles_leclerc: i don't need your approval that much
yourusername: @kimiraikkonen @sebastianvettel you seeing this shit?
charles_leclerc: fine... weaponising your dad and god father is a low blow
yourusername: also! i love you baby - thank you for putting up with my constant yapping xx
maxverstappen1: i love you even more, i can't wait for you to finish college so i never have to share you ever again
kimiraikkonen: đ¤¨
maxverstappen1: AND YOUR LOVELY FAMILY
yourusername: they love you really maxy don't worry
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yourusername: i'm so talented, i brought three more championships to the family without even getting into the car
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user40: okay idk why yall were shipping anyone else, i've seen one picture of them being cute and am sold
user41: i'm so convinced this happened cause max saw people were convinced she was with other people on the grid and he had to mark his territory
maxverstappen1: yes i was jealous but can you blame me? prettiest girl in the world actually wanted me back. i will not fumble this
user42: i need my man to be this down bad for me
kimiraikkonen: cute.
yourusername: thank you papa xxx
maxverstappen1: THANK YOU KIMI, LOVE YOU KIMI
yourusername: i think he gets it babe...
maxverstappen1: first time i've got a non-emoji answer, i will savour it
user43: oh my i love them your honour
sebastianvettel: happy for you guys, see you guys soon
yourusername: love you seb!
maxverstappen1: thanks for the vote of confidence seb
sebastianvettel: you may be a literal nightmare child, but you're our nightmare child now
kimiraikkonen: what he said
maxverstappen1: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (i am ignoring that you called me a nightmare child, i was 17 give me a break)
yourusername: you guys he's crying hahahahahah
maxverstappen1: i just love you guys (y/n more)
yourusername: i love you too xx
user44: so liked now we've got the relationship reveal... when do we get both y/n and kimi in the red bull garage
user45: lets up the stakes and get max, kimi and seb in the 24 hours of le mans
yourusername: oh now you've started it - he's already on the phone to adrian
maxverstappen1: am i the first nepotism boyfriend?
kimiraikkonen: you might be the favourite of the in-laws if you get me a le mans win
maxverstappen1: y/n is an only child? i'm the only in law?
kimiraikkonen: yes?
maxverstappen1: I'M ON THE PHONE TO ADRIAN
yourusername: did i just lose my boyf to my dad?
fin.
note: babe the writer's block is back. but i'm fighting it. hope yall enjoyed this!
#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#f1 instagram au#f1 x you#f1#f1 social media au#max verstappen imagine#max verstappen fluff#max verstappen#max verstappen x you#max verstappen x reader#max verstappen fanfic#max verstappen social media au
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san angelo | one shot
what happens when joel miller meets his star-crossed lover?
big love to @mrsmando and @5oh5 for cheering me on with this one, and @bageldaddy for being my eyes, my ears, and - only sometimes - my brain.
pairing: joel miller x fem!reader summary: it's the summer of two thousand eight. after two weeks following his little brother cross-country on the back of a harley, joel follows him through the doors of a dive bar - where fate delivers him to you. warnings: story is inserted into canon, so cordyceps outbreak happens, sarah dies (off-page), joel dissociates, doomed love, lots of mention of fate, alcohol consumption, reader is a smoker, cursing, drunken one-night stand, oral sex, unprotected piv, joel's cock is massive, a lot of angst, a lot of fluff, a lil smut to tie it all together. enjoy! word count: 9.8k
moodboard | main masterlist | playlist [in case you wanna vibe in sad] | follow @macfroglets w notifs on to be the first to hear when i post đ¤
Palm lines.
Itâs the first thing he thinks as soon as she stops moving in his arms. The second her little whimpers cease, the moment her chest stops heaving and her eyes glaze over. Suddenly, Joelâs little girl weighs more than he can bear.
Palm lines. And he has no fucking idea why.
He closes his eyes and there you are. The whir of the ceiling fan, the tinkling of bracelets loose on your wrist. You have sorta earth hands, you told him. Or, well â they could be water, if you look at âem this way. I donât really know. Iâm still learning.
You told him that air hands were long, spindly. And Sarah was always a lanky kid â tallest on the soccer team, head and shoulders above the other girls by the third grade. Her hands, he thinks, must be air. They must be.
Her fingers are still twisted around his right now. Lifeless, slippery with the blood still wet and quickly cooling.
Joel cradles her, squeezing so hard that he wonders whether he might be able to fuse their bodies together. Lock them in some white-knuckle grip so that he never has to let go of her â never has to leave this hill covered in dirt and blood.
His palms are ruined; a maroon river carving its way down his heart line, dirt deep in the groove of his life line. Why does he even fucking remember what theyâre called?
Why the fuck are you what heâs thinking about, right now?
âTommy,â he says, opening his eyes again. âWe gottaâŚwe gotta get toâŚâ
Sheâs limp, draped over his thighs as though sheâs nothing more than a stretch of crimson curtain. He looks down at her and begs her to come back, begs her to open her eyes and look up at him again.
But the night is passing and sheâs still not breathing. Dawn is breaking and Joelâs daughter is dead.
He sucks in a shattered breath. ââŚto San Angelo, Tommy.â
The younger Miller stuffs his gun into the back of his jeans and paces over, soles coated thick in shit and grass. âI hear you, Joel.â
âYou ainât listeninâ to me, I ââ
âIâm listeninâ fine, Joel.â Tommy hooks his hands under his nieceâs arms. âNow, help me lift her. We canâtâŚâ his voice strains, fighting the death grip his brother has on the girl, ââŚwe canât leave her here.â
Joelâs frozen to the spot; sinking further and further into the earth. Staring at his open hands, the stains like rust on his palms. He says to San Angelo again, and Tommy snaps.
âJesus, Joel, enough! Iâve heard enough goddamn it! I see your hands, now â we gotta fuckinâ bury Sarah.â
Your fate line, your nail tickled, and Joel held his hand steady, It can change, if something big is coming.
Somethinâ big? he asked. A little younger, a lot more naĂŻve. Still a healthy dose of belief in the world, an echo of the god-fearing faith that raised him.
His hand felt so light, cradled in two of yours. He half hoped heâd never have to let go â just lie there with you forever. Your legs tangled with his, the sheets disturbed; the room injected with amber from the streetlights outside.
You nodded. A big shift, or something.
And he scoffed. He actually scoffed, right there and then. Incredulous. The hell kinda big shift is cominâ our way? he asked, laughing.
You just smiled back, shrugging. You were so fucking casual, that whole night. It wouldâve unnerved him, if he hadnât been so swept off by the sparkle in your eye, the glowing cherry of your cigarette.
Guess we just gotta wait ân see.
Itâs August thirtieth, two thousand eight.
Almost five thousand miles on the back of a Harley, and Joel just wants to go home.
He arches his aching back, palms flat against the crests of his hips, and blinks in the light from the food mart in front of him. Twenty-six, he thinks to himself, only twenty-fuckinâ-six.
Itâs ninety degrees out. An uncomfortable heat, for a man who feels ten years older than he really is. For a man who hasnât had a decent shower in almost two weeks. For a man whoâs spent the last six hours tailing the brake lights of his little brotherâs bike.
The sweat gathers sticky between his shoulder blades, prickles along the nape of his neck. Thereâs dust spattered down his bare arms and buried in the grooves of his knuckles.
Heâs tired. Heâs tired, heâs dirty, and goddamn, he wishes he was back home.
He holds a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun, the yellow sky melting to a purple haze. Squinting, he follows the soar of two swallows overhead, looping through the sky, until heâs rubbing the image from his eyes with the back of his wrist.
Heâs gotta remember to call Sarah before she goes to bed.
The door opens with the tinkle of a brass bell older and rustier than Joel feels. A swaggering figure splits the glow from the store in two â a figure with a pack of Marlboros in one hand and an already half-empty bottle of water in the other.
Tommy holds them both out to Joel, who swipes the water with a scowl.
âAinât killed you yet, brother,â Tommy scoffs, stuffing the cigarettes into his back pocket. He swings a frayed-denim leg over the seat of his Harley.
Joel drains the bottle, panting as he crushes the plastic in one fist. âDamn near tryinâ,â he mutters, tossing it in the trash. He runs his tongue across his bottom lip.
âWhere are we?â Tommy asks. He glances over his shoulder, staring from the cracked roads to the telephone wires overhead. A Syclone pulls into the lot; a dehydrated squeal as it rolls to a halt.
âSan Angelo,â Joel says. âOnly a few more hours to go.â He settles on his own bike, pulling his leather jacket over his shoulders. âWe passed a Super 8 coming into town, if you feel like restinâ up. Or â we leave now, be home around midnight.â
Tommy chuckles. âWhatâs the rush? We ainât gotta be anywhere anytime soon.â
And Joel agrees â for the most part.
His mom is watching Sarah while theyâre gone, and he reckons sheâs hardly missing him. Too smart for her own good, Joelâs realizing: plotting and scheming her way into staying up past her bedtime, drinking Pepsi at dinner, watching Curtis and Viper â and swearing that her dad lets her do it all, too.
But, still. He misses his kid.
Itâs the most theyâve ever been apart â time or distance. The longest he hasnât had her climbing up his back or hanging off his arm. The least heâs been called Dad since he was eighteen years old.
He justâŚmisses his kid.
He sighs, drumming his fingers on the body of the bike. âTommy, I gotta get back home to Sarah.â
âLook,â Tommy says, and Joel knows that the argument is lost already, âBy the time we got back, sheâd be asleep anyways. Letâs leave in the morning â first thing, I swear â and weâll be home in time for breakfast. Deal?â
They stare at one another, a stand-off in the parking lot. Both waiting for the other to break. The swallows gather on the roof of the store, basking in the weak wash of flickering fluorescents.
âCome on, brother,â Tommy pleads, âItâs one more night.â He lifts his helmet, punching it over his mop of shaggy hair, and kicks the bike to life.
Joel growls to himself, watching it drift over to the side of the road.
He considers heading to the Super 8 alone, grabbing a room only to shower and get some food, then hitting the road and leaving his little brother in the dust. Waiting for him to stumble through the door tomorrow morning â tired, groggy, probably hungover â while Joel, fresh as a daisy, drizzles syrup over Sarahâs pancakes and pours her orange juice.
Heâs a pragmatic man. Heâs a grown-up. Scares away the ghosts and ghouls and monsters of his daughterâs nightmares. Shushes her back to sleep in the crook of his arm, tiptoes as lightly as he can out of her room so as not to wake her.
Things like God, like the universe, things like horoscopes and laws of attractionâŚfor the most part, Joel can do without them. Has done his whole life.
But then â the glow of indigo overhead, and the mysterious shadows lurking behind the buildings. The birdsong tittering in his ears, the twinkle of the sun in Tommyâs helmet â something distant in the dusty sphere.
Something, someone, winking at him from far away.
Something a little heavier than the breeze nudges at his spine, and Joelâs arms lift â fitting his own helmet over his head. He swings the heel of his boot into his kickstand and revs the bike, Harley roaring as it joins Tommyâs out on the boulevard.
Murphyâs is a small, green bar on the corner of an intersection. All peeled paint lettering and buzzing fluorescents â the y burnt out and pulsing.
Joel doesnât think Tommy picked it for any reason other than the huge Lone Star mural on the side of the goddamn building, the way he tosses his thumb to it as they park up. A squint smirk on his face, muttering something like âs good to be home, big brother, as they hook helmets over handlebars.
Tommy leads Joel inside, their boots tacky on the wooden floor. Walls paneled by aged frames and sun-bleached photographs; air hanging thick with a smell like vinegar. The babble of slurred conversation is pierced by the sharp crack of pool balls breaking.
Metal-plate belt buckles snaked through strained jeans; low eyes which shift to size-up the two strangers. They all turn back to their fingerprinted glasses when Joel and Tommy settle into an empty booth.
It feels hotter in here than it is outside, stuffier. A thick humidity which clings to Joelâs bones, humming like the string lights draped from beams above his head.
Tommy reclines between the creaking leather cushion and the wall. He pokes at a yellowing poster of some Western, hums to himself, and then looks across the table.
Joelâs eyes loop once around the room before they meet his brotherâs. âWhat?â he asks.
âFirst round is yours, old man.â
âOh, is it, now?â He cocks an eyebrow. âThought this was your idea?â
A weedy grin stretches across Tommyâs lips. He needs to fucking shave, Joel thinks. Whiskers poking from around his small mouth like pine needles. ââs my birthday trip,â he reasons.
And can Joel argue with that? Does he have the fucking energy? Will it get him out of here and back to Austin any quicker?
âGoddamn it,â he grumbles. He pushes himself to his feet, heels of his palms against the tacky wood.
He wanders over to the bar, tugging on the front of his tee to unstick it from his damp chest. Slots in beside an ivory cowboy hat with a pair of jeaned legs. The man fixes his bolo tie and watches Joelâs hand as he flags the bartender down.
And then he feels it.
You.
Then he feels you.
First, the weight of you â crashing some into his back. He shunts forward from the suddenness of it, knocking his ribs against the bar, and lifts a hand to brace himself on the ledge.
And then â heat, like an iron. Like every hair and freckle on your skin is branded into his the second you come into contact with him. A feeling like the roll of a wave against his spine, a hand hooked around his forearm when he begins to turn.
âShit,â you hiss, steadying yourself on the curve of his shoulder. You glance down at your feet, clicking between your black boots. âIâm sorry, that wasâŚthat was my bad.â
ââs alright,â Joel says instantly. He holds his arm still until you let go and he sidesteps â though only a little. He watches, dumbstruck, as you rest your elbows on the bar and lean forward. His eyes linger on your back, trailing the crisscross straps wrapped tight over your spine.
You squint up at the menu pinned above shelves of crystal bottles. Your eyes move back and forth across the chalkboard, slowly descending until theyâre meeting his in the speckled mirror opposite â a sweet smile growing on your lips.
It runs like whiskey through Joelâs veins: warm and dangerous.
And the way his head spins, the way the world blurs for a moment into one swipe of color around you; the way your cooing laugh echoes between his ears long after heâs heard it â
Joelâs already intoxicated.
Heâs still staring when you pull back and motion to the bar. âYou can go first, by the way,â you say, waving a hand. âI wasnât cuttinâ in line. Just trying to read the drinks.â
âIâll wait,â he replies, remembering how to be polite, how to be charming. Old cogs long out of use jerking to life inside him again. âCanât read any of âem, either, anyways.â
It draws from you that same little laugh, a puff of air from your nostrils. You nod, biting your bottom lip.
Heâs quickly forgetting why heâs stood in this room, why heâs in this city. Heâd probably forget his own fucking name if you asked him right now what it was.
âânother drink, darlinâ?â a low voice interrupts, and youâre turning away.
Joelâs eyes follow you â a moth chasing something golden and radiant â as you face the wiggle of a snow-white mustache poking from beneath the brim of that ivory cowboy hat.
You shake your head, lifting two fingers with a bill slipped between them. âIâm good, thanks, George. Maybe next round.â You wave to the kid behind the bar â some name that Joelâs too fucking mindless to hear. Too distracted by the glint in your eye, the sparkle of your crescent moon earrings in the light.
If only he knew this feeling. If only he could put a name to it. As familiar as the sun and yet, brand new like dawn. His stomach swirls in a fleet of butterflies â as though heâs fifteen again, bumping elbows with his high school crush.
You nudge him, thumb pointing in the direction of the bartender.
Joel shakes his head. âLadies first,â he says, heart skipping when you hold his stare.
âNuh-uh,â you shake your head, âTold you I ainât jumping in.â
He asks the guy for two beers, barely taking his eyes off you. âAlright,â he leans in, lowering his voice, âThen let me buy you a drink. Make up for gettinâ in your way just then.â
You prop your chin on your knuckles, grinning as you push your twenty around the wooden bar top, dodging pooled rings of alcohol like itâs an arcade game. âI donât do that,â you say, eyes tracing the slick trail left by the bill.
âDo what?â
âAccept drinks from strange men in bars.â
His tongue presses against the back of his teeth, the taste of humor honey-sweet. âYeah? ân how long have you knownâŚâ he nods to the â what is he, sixty? Sixty-five? â year-old on your right, ââŚGeorge?â
Your gaze lifts, eyes wide. Apparently as impressed by Joelâs confidence as he is himself. âWeâre actually in a very serious relationship. Marriage proposal imminent.â
âDamn,â he mutters as the bartender reappears with two Coors, âAnd here I thought I had half a chance.â
You hum to yourself, studying him. Looking from his jaw across the span of his shoulders, his wide-knuckled hands and then back to his lips. Curious and wary, judging the strange animal stood before you.
And he knows heâs weathered from the weeks on the road, and all the years before that. Dirt under his nails and the light sheen of sun on his forehead. The flecks of gray through his thick, brown beard.
You take a deep breath, eyes twinkling, and tell him, âIâm here with my friend.â
âAinât that lucky?â Joel glances at Tommy. âIâm here with my brother.â
You look across to the dirty blond, sat tilting a glass candle in his hand. âHe single?â
Joel nods. âIs she?â
You nod.
âAlright. You wanna come sit with us?â
Your smirk answers his question. You take the beers, rings clinking off the glass. âRum,â you call over your shoulder, wandering off, âI drink rum.â
Joelâs gaze lowers to the sway of your hips. âRum it is,â he says, turning back to the bar.
âSoâŚa cross-country bike trip, and you wound up in San Angelo?â
Youâre on your fourth drink, the first one Joel hasnât paid for â and he only allowed it because itâs a Diet Coke (and maybe you got to the bar first, held his wrists with one hand so he couldnât stop you from slapping your own money down).
âYep,â Joel replies, pinching the lime from his drink and dropping it onto a napkin. âJust passinâ through. Shower, sleep, then head on home.â
âWhereâs that, then? Home?â
âAustin.â
âAustin,â you pout, âNice.â
Joel smirks, licking citrus from his fingertips. âIs it?â
âIâve never been to Austin,â Brooke chirps, fiddling with the umbrella in her piĂąa colada. She twirls the paper canopy and glances up to Tommy.
He snaps out of his slack-jawed gaze when he realizes what sheâs implying. âOh â yeah, wellâŚâ his head wobbles as he stutters, ââŚyou two ever come down that way, weâd be happy to, uhâŚshow ya âround, huh, Joel?â
Joel doesnât reply, staring back at his brother with the same amused expression you are.
Youâve been an inch apart all evening â doused in the dive bar darkness, the shrouded conversations and muffled TV static. The tip of your nose and curve of your shoulders lit only by the luminous signs dotting the walls.
Tommy and Brooke are already deep in conversation again about the best car Tommy ever owned. Joel watches as your eyes flit between the pair, entertained by the way they trip over each otherâs sentences. Your cheeks lift when Brooke lays a hand over Tommyâs, and he squeezes her fingers back.
Where did you come from? Joelâs thinking. He takes a swig of his whiskey, feeling your eyes on him. As he lowers his glass, you lift yours. When he turns in his seat towards you, youâre already facing him, back against the wainscotting. He smiles, and so do you.
Every movement feels choreographed, some merry dance only you two know. Youâre in your own little world.
Where did you come from, again, and where have you been my entire fucking life?
âSo, what about you?â Joel asks instead, swallowing â all warm-bellied and brave. âYou grow up here?â
You shake your head, taking another sip. âNope. Just liked it enough to hang up my coat for a few months. I grew up in Phoenix.â
âYou travel a lot?â
âIâve been around. This is the longest Iâve stayed in one place since I was a kid.â
He thinks of home: of Austin and its silver-snake river, burnt-orange jerseys and the pleated bunting lining Sixth Street. He thinks of late nights on lawn chairs, nursing a beer and shooting the shit with his brother. Keeping their voices lower than the buzz of the cicadas, looking more at the dusky sky than at each other.
âYou donât ever get tired of it?â Joel asks. âOf moving around so much?â
You scoff, breath clouding the inside of your glass. âThree weeks on a motorcycle starting to get to you, huh?â
He breathes a laugh, loose again. The cicadas fade from his ears.
Your head tilts in a shrug. âI donât know. I guess the universe keeps on surprising me.â
Joel doesnât do this. At least, he hasnât done this since he was a teenager â crate of beer under his arm and a chest full of courage. Heâs long forgotten the feeling of heat blooming in his cheeks, the twitch of his heart anytime you look at him.
But fuck, if there isnât something about you. Something in the way you move, the way you look at him. Something in the way you play with your straw, knocking ice cubes around and chewing on the plastic once youâve drained the glass.
Something â though itâs a little too early and Joelâs a little too tipsy to tell just what. He tries to remember that heâs pragmatic. A grown-up. He chases away the monsters in his daughterâs â
âOh, shit,â Joel says suddenly, scrambling to pull his cell from his pocket. Itâs nine thirty. He was supposed to â âI forgotâŚâ
A miserable tone from his Motorola cuts him short. The screen flashes an empty battery before fading to black. He jams a thumb into the keypad a couple more times, cursing at the winking symbol.
âSomeone you gotta call?â you ask.
He meets your eye and winces. âYeah, IâmâŚI said Iâd call an hour ago.â
âYou wanna use mine?â You twist around, fishing in your purse for your own. âWe can go outside.â
âNo, no, itâsâŚitâs alright, Iâm sure she wonât mind, she ââ
You shake your head. âShut up. Come on, letâs go. I could use some fresh air, anyways. Be back in a minute,â you tell Brooke â who nods and turns straight back to Tommy.
Joel extends his hand to help you out of the booth, then follows you to the door. The cool air tugs every nerve in his body to attention, pin-sharp when he steps out of that lazy heat. Under the emerald glow of the Murphyâs sign, he settles his glass on a window ledge. âNext roundâs on me, alright?â
You roll your eyes, pushing the phone against his chest. âJust call, Joel.â
One last apologetic glance, and then heâs dialing. He makes to wander along the curb, the tone already pulsing in his ear, when he notices â
âYou ainât brought a jacket?â
Youâre sitting on the ledge, clutching your elbows. Swatting midges from the light youâre bathed in, charms on your bracelets jingling. âHm?â
He tuts. âA jacket. Here.â He shrugs his own off, sitting it around your frame. Itâs warm from the bar and from Joelâs body heat, and you sink into it â letting the dark leather drown you as you rummage through your purse again.
âNice,â Joelâs eyes narrow, âFresh air.â
You hum into your hands, flicking your lighter. The cigarette trembles when you murmur, âWe all got our skeletons, I guess.â
He turns on his heel when a familiar voice picks up.
âHey, hey, MâYeah, sorry itâs lateâŚYeah, we got held up. My phone died, so Iâm usingâŚIs she stillâ? Can Iâ? Oh, Sarah. Hi, baby.â
His little girl begins chattering down the line immediately, telling Joel everything sheâs been up to since they last spoke this morning.
ââŚand then, Emily thought I was one of the Armadillos â I donât even know how, âcause they play in red, remember Dad? â but she did, and she slide tackled me so bad that Coach Thomson had to sub in Akari for me so I could ice my ankle. Grandma was kinda mad about it, but she took me to Burger King after to cheer me up, andâŚâ
Joel wanders back and forth, smiling to himself and scuffing the heel of his boot along the concrete â barely able to squeeze more than two words between her chirping. Itâs all, Yeah, baby? and Wow, sweetheart; all uhuhs and mhms until she finally quietens, excitement plateauing again.
âAlright, well. You know what time it is, right?â
âYeah,â Sarah groans. She knows it all too well.
Bedtime.
ââŚBut you didnât call when you said you would, Daddy, and itâs Saturday, itâs ââ
âI know, baby, I know. Iâm sorry. JustâŚsomethinâ came up. But Iâll see you tomorrow, right? Weâll be back before you know it.â
âWhereâs Uncle Tommy? Can I talk to him?â
Joel turns to face the bar. âHe, uhâŚIâm not with him right now, sweetheart. Iâll tell him you asked after him, though.â
Sarah concedes, and then begins asking questions Joel knows sheâs only asking to stay on the line a little longer â to stay awake a little later. But still, he answers each one â humoring her and, at the same time, letting himself listen to her voice just a little more before he has to let her go.
He thinks of scooping her up in the morning; thinks of being slumped on the couch after dinner with her head on his stomach â fast asleep with whatever movie she chose droning on in the background.
Despite the thousands of miles and close to two weeks between them â she makes him feel closer to home. She always does.
When Sarah asks where he is, he glances your way. Clocks your flat expression, the half-burnt cigarette hanging from your fingers.
You flick ash to the ground. Eyes unreadable beneath low brows, a tiny crease between them that Joelâs only just seeing for the first time.
âUhâŚâ he clears his throat, ââŚjust a little â a little north of you, baby. Home first thing, I promise.â
He tells her he loves her and she says it back, and he tells her to sleep well and she says that back, too. And then heâs hanging up â Alright, see you soon, bye, Sarah, bye-bye, byebyebye â and pressing his thumb into the red button.
He wanders back over to you â ears flat like a guilty dog, though he isnât quite sure why. He mumbles a quiet thanks as he passes the phone back, then stuffs his hands in his pockets.
You lean back, ankles crossed, studying him. Swirling whatâs left of the cigarette in your fingers â the smoke lifting like a winding snake to the dark sky. âSo,â you pout, âWhat are you doing flirting with me, if you got a wife and kid back home?â
His jaw ticks, a hand coming up to scratch his beard. âI donât have a wife,â he says.
You stare blankly, filter back against your lips. âOkay, then â a girlfriend. Does she know youâre out tonight with us?â
He shakes his head. âNo wife, no girlfriend. I donât have an anything.â
âBut you have a kid.â
Joel nods once, tongue in his cheek. âUhuh.â
And then the penny seems to drop. A small oh; your jaw slack and eyes wide. The cigarette smolders between your fingers. âFuck,â you whisper, âIâm sorry. I didnât mean toâŚâ
âNo, hey,â Joel steps closer, âYou didnât know. Itâs alright.â
He straightens the jacket on your shoulders. When you finally look at each other again, you snort.
âSorry,â you repeat, shaking your head. âIs she okay? Your daughter â is sheâŚ?â
âSarah,â Joel says. âSheâsâŚsheâs fine. Thanks.â
You look down, stubbing your cigarette against the brick. Voice quiet, you ask, âHer momâs not around anymore?â
Relief settles in his chest: youâre softening to him again.
Joel slots onto the ledge at your side. Shoulder to shoulder. He reaches behind and lifts his drink. âNot since she was a year old.â
Your mouth pulls in a wince. âJesus. Thatâs rough.â
He doesnât reply. He doesnât have to â youâre not asking him to explain â and he doesnât want to, either.
Youâre not stupid â youâve seen enough of the world to hear what heâs really saying. The darkest, dustiest corners of it â all the places no one ever wants to look.
You donât seem disturbed, barely even moved by the reality thatâŚwell, shit happens. People leave, families break; a two-car driveway is suddenly taken up by just a pick-up truck and a little pink bike with tassels.
He figures you get it. You donât need to know how can that be? â you justâŚknow that it can.
âSo, uhâŚâ you look up at him again, ââŚmy apartment is, like, five minutes away if you wannaâŚyou know. You can charge your phone, can shower â if itâs bugging you that much.â
Joelâs eyebrows lift. âOh, really?â
You simper, eyes thin. âReally.â
âCharge my phone ân shower?â He stands, palm flat against the wall above your head, and leans in. His face is inches from yours.
You look up, mirroring his expression. âYes,â your voice curls in a half-truth, âWhatâs the big deal?â
âWhat a goddamn line,â Joel says, smirking. âHow long you been sittinâ on that one for?â
His blood thrums faster, harder, louder in his veins when you stand up, hands on your hips.
âItâs not a line, Iâm serious ââ
âI didnât take you as the type, baby, I really didnât â but if thatâs how you wanna play this, then ââ
He feels you before he sees you moving, like heâs stood at that bar all over again. Your hands on his jaw, your chest pressed to his. Your lips â soft as satin, with a tinge of sweet rum and smoke â against his.
Joel barely misses a beat. He closes his eyes and lifts a hand to the back of your head, kissing you back. Itâs dizzying, the taste and feel of you so close; the wet of your tongue on his. The little scratches of your nails in his beard, the moans caught in your throat.
Dizzying â and fucking perfect.
You break apart and lean in to each other, catching your breath. Joelâs hands slip beneath the heavy leather of his jacket onto your waist.
âUnlessâŚâ you whisper, pulling away from him, ââŚyou donât want to. In which case, Iâll justâŚâ You twirl back towards the door, batting your eyelashes.
Joel smiles. He catches your wrist and reels you back into his body. âI want to,â he breathes, kissing you again. âI want to.â
âLetâs go.â
You make it to your apartment door, fumbling with your keys â and Joelâs hands are glued to your waist.
You miss the lock over and over as he kisses your neck, grazing the skin with his teeth. Anything to satiate the hunger quickly taking over, the tightening in his jeans.
He pulls you against his hips â rough denim grinding into the curve of your ass. He can smell your flowery perfume, a strange melding of peony and menthol sharp in his nostrils.
Itâs the hungriest heâs ever felt, he thinks â a starved animal pinning his prey to her flecked apartment door. He pauses, bottom lip damp against your neck; breathing a liquor-laced laugh over your skin.
You jam the key into the lock. The door finally shunts open and you spill inside, dragging Joel with you.
Your place is dark. Angled strips of streetlight thrown high up the bare walls and across the ceiling, splintered by tilted shades. The spill of a blanket draped over an empty couch; a pair of sneakers left on the rug. Joelâs knees brush by a houseplant guarding the door â heavy leaves which pfft when they sway out of his way.
Itâs half-decorated. Temporary. Caught somewhere between home and away. Little fragments pieced together into something the shape of home: a mosaic vase that scatters light across the surface of the coffee table; a beaded curtain pinned around the closet doorway.
Like youâre a little magpie, collecting trinkets of silver and gold until your nest feels like yours. Bags dropped long enough to keep a Monstera plant alive, not to put nails in the wall for the frames propped against the skirting board.
You shrug Joelâs jacket off, dropping it over the back of the couch. When you spin back around to him, he lifts your chin with two fingers and presses his lips to yours. You lead him down the hallway, tumbling into your room.
He follows you over to your bed, collapsing onto a tousled mess of sheets with his hips between yours. The hem of your dress rides up your thighs, bunching around your hips and revealing a flash of pink lace underneath.
The world around him seems to sober up for a second, sharpens into focus. It begins to seep in: the realization that he has you â some girl he met no more than two hours ago in a bar â pinned to your mattress. A slick gathering in your underwear and a weight building in his.
Right now, he should be sinking into squealing bedsprings in a Super 8. Bathing in the flicker of a television set twenty years too old. He should be showered and rested â ready to head home at sunrise, if not sooner.
But then something led him to you, and â well.
Thereâs no fucking helping him now, is there?
Joelâs fingers hook around your panties. He pulls down, leaving a trail of kisses along your bare leg, until that same pink lace is dripping from your ankle.
His eyes flash up to yours, love-drunk and sparkling. He pushes your knees apart, watching your velvet folds open for him, and â oh, he thinks, staring at the glistening arousal smeared around your cunt. Such a slick little mess for him already.
âGoddamn, darlinâ,â he licks his lips, âSheâs so pretty.â
You hum, hands lowering. Your fingers separate, spreading your pussy for him. Your middle finger swirls around your clit, dips along your seam. And the n, silky and shining, you lift your hand again and slip your fingers into your mouth.
âTastes even better than she looks,â you murmur, dappling your fingertip along your bottom lip.
Joel growls. He pushes down on your thighs, ignoring your little yelp, and drags the tip of his tongue through your slit.
âOh, shit,â you gasp, back arching. Your fingers knot in his hair, twisting and tightening. âShitshitshit.â
âMhm,â he hums against you, tongue pushing inside.
Fuck, youâre just so perfect: so soft and warm and fucking dripping for him. He laps at your sweet center, wet already spreading all over his mouth and beard.
A dampness blooms in his boxers. Heâs throbbing, fucking aching the longer he goes untouched. He grinds against the mattress, denim rough against his solid erection.
He lifts his chin, panting â satisfied by the way you squirm under the weight of him. âYou like that, huh?â he asks, a sodden kiss to your mound. âFuckinâ love it.â
He spits a thick bead of saliva, watching it dribble down your folds to your ass. His tongue swipes it back up, circling your clit, all slippery and swollen.
âFuck, Joel,â you moan, tugging on his hair. Your legs spasm, hips lifting.
He loves the sound of his name when you say it. Broken in two, a lilt to it as it rolls from your tongue and down his spine. Like itâs yours as much as it is his, now.
He sucks hard on your clit, his tongue flicking. And he can tell youâre close; can feel your hips starting to lose rhythm, see your back desperately arching higher and higher.
Joel groans, pushing up to hover over you. He cups between your legs, dabbing two thick fingers at your entrance, and pushes in.
Your pussy draws him in knuckle-deep. Your chest lifts, the loose neckline of your dress exposing more and more. You grab your breast, pinching your nipple â a roll of pebbled flesh between your fingertips.
He lowers his lips to your ear â watching as you toy with yourself. âCome on, baby,â he grits his teeth, âGive me one. Let me feel this pretty cunt.â
Your head rolls back into the pillow; a high sob as your orgasm crests. Clamping tight around him; a warm flood down his fingers.
Joel kisses you as you come. You look so pretty, he thinks, with ecstasy behind your eyes and his fingers between your legs.
Christ, he wants to be inside you so badly. Wants to feel your cunt do all this around his cock instead.
The blood rushes between his hips.
His fingers slip in and out, bringing you back around. Joelâs lips are on your neck, murmuring, âGood girl, thatâs my girl,â as you resurface.
Your eyes open again â glossy, glazed with the aftershock of your high. âFuck,â you breathe, playing with the hem of his shirt.
He pulls his fingers out and sucks them clean. Whips the tee over his head in one motion; another kiss tucked under your chin as you peel your dress from your body. He tosses it to the floor.
Still dazed, your body still trembling, you ask, âDo you have a condom?â All dreamy and distant, your hands trailing along his belt.
Joel pauses. Tilts his head, frowning. âIâm on a road trip with my brother, baby â the hell would I bring condoms for?â
You roll your eyes, sighing. Itâs the cutest thing Joel thinks heâs ever seen. You thread the belt through the loops of his jeans. âIn case you meet a really cool girl at a bar and wanna take her home, maybe?â
He lifts his eyebrows, impressed. He slips his salty tongue over yours again.
You moan at the taste. âItâs just IâmâŚIâm all out.â
His belt drops to the floor; buckle clinking against hardwood.
âWell, shit,â Joel whispers.
Itâs not exactly a scenario he predicted, setting off from Austin. Meeting you wasnât on the bucket list for the trip. Itâs another three, four, probably five things to add to the list of shit he doesnât do, shouldnât do, wouldnât fucking do if it hadnât been for you.
No, Joel thinks, groaning as you palm the solid shape of him â he didnât bring a goddamn condom. Jesus, the most he has in his pockets right now is fifteen bucks and a stick of gum.
You unzip his pants, shrugging the denim loose. âWe can just do itâŚwithout,â you offer.
Joel stares down at you. âYou sure?â
You nod, biting your lip. âJust pull out, right?â
âJust pull outâŚâ he echoes. Your hands are cold on his heated skin, but heâs not about to fucking stop you.
You tug his underwear down with his jeans, following the darkening hair from his navel down. Another quiet pull out passes your lips â your voice dissolving when you spot the thick base of his dick.
Joelâs shaft springs free, heavy against the inside of his thigh.
âHoly shit.â You push yourself up on your elbows, eyes flooding black.
His tongue runs along the bottom of his teeth. He thrusts forward into your hand, a glassy drop of precome dribbling from his slit.
Your thumb swipes across his flushed tip, fingers wrapping around his width. You roll his balls in your other palm, massaging and squeezing just the right amount.
âEasy, easy,â Joel whispers. Too much, too soon. He canât come yet, not until he feels your fluttering cunt around his cock.
Instead, you reach up â snaking an arm around his neck. You pull him back down, his naked body flush against yours, and hike a knee over his hip.
He grinds into you, his cock nudging between your legs. They fall apart for him â pliant and keen, like petals unfolding. He covers himself in your slick, his tip catching below your clit.
âPl-ease,â you whine, scratching at his shoulders.
Joel nips at your damp neck. âPlease, what?â he taunts.
Your breath is hot against his cheek â a stifling request which curls up in the shell of his ear. âF-fuck me.â
And his hips roll into yours.
âJesus fâŚâ your face buries into his chest, ââŚyouâreâŚyouâre so fucking big, Joel, I canât ââ
He nudges between your walls, groaning into your skin. Youâre even tighter around his cock, even cozier. âI know,â he pants, âI know. Take it, baby, know you can take it.â
You stretch around him, opening up the deeper he pushes. âFuckfuckfuck,â you pant, the thick hair at his base finally brushing against your clit. âFuck, Joel.â
âLook at me,â he taps your jaw, âHey. Look at me. Breathe.â
You exhale, hot and shaky across his lips.
âGood, thatâs good.â Joel nods. He holds you by the waist, lets you adjust to his size.
He pulls back, your cunt clamping around him. Halfway out, and then in again. Feeling you open up, inch by inch, until he builds a steady rhythm.
âJesus, baby, sheâs soâŚâ he moans, ââŚsheâs so goddamn tight.â
You drape an arm over his shoulders, a hissing pain where your nails dig into his skin. Yelping each time he bottoms out, your leaking cunt wrapped snug around him. âSo â goddamn â big,â you whine, a ruined smile on your lips.
He slams his body into yours again, watching the way your tits bounce. Nipples hard, skin tacky and shining with sweat. Your pussy pinches, and he starts to unravel.
Fuck the road trip, Joel thinks, fuck all of it. This is where he should be: in the middle of your bed, burrowed deep between your legs. This is the only place he wants to fucking be, right now.
So he fucks you harder; the headboard hammering against the wall. A fistful of the pillow, his knuckles whitening. He guides his cock when he slips out â a filthy sound as your clutch sucks him back in.
âFuck,â he growls, gripping your hips so hard he worries he might bruise you. His thrusts become sloppy â quick and desperate.
âSo close,â you gasp. Youâre squeezing him so tight that he sees stars. âIâm gonna â IâmâŚâ
Perfect, Joel thinks, watching you bloom. Youâre so fucking perfect.
He coaxes you through it. Slows enough to feel you come around his cock, your warmth as it gushes all over him. âThatâs it, baby, I got you. Shit, youâre gonna make me come.â
He pulls out just in time to coat your stomach; a throaty groan as he comes. He pumps his shaft, covering from your sternum to the plush of your tummy. It dribbles down your waist, spurts between your breasts.
He collapses over you, pressing his forehead to yours. His dick, soaked and softening, smears the ejaculate across your skin.
You giggle, leaving sticky kisses along his beard.
âYou okay?â he asks, breathless.
You nod, and his tongue dabs at the inside of your lips. You taste like sex and sweat â sweet and salt.
Joel shifts to the edge of the bed. He feels you follow, your lips featherlight on the curve of his shoulder.
You make to stand â going to clean yourself up, he reckons, your tummy dripping with his semen â and he locks a hand around your bare thigh.
âStay,â he says, voice low and rough â sex still smoldering. âLet me get you a towel.â
You smile, resting your chin on his shoulder. Your fingers link around the other side of his waist. âIâll get it. Just relax.â
And for a minute or two, you stay like that. Hooked onto one another, tired eyes closing over, breathing in rhythm. Your cheek on his shoulder, your knee brushing against his tummy.
Itâs simple; quiet and still. Joel feels like half a person â the other half tracing her chipped nails along his bare thigh. Eyelashes fluttering, teeth holding back a grin that she thinks might give her away.
Eventually, you move. Shimmy yourself down the mattress, swipe a crinkled tee from the ottoman â and slink off to the bathroom.
Joel lies back against the headboard, body sticky hot. He watches the shadow of your figure stretch across the open door. His eyes drift upwards to the looping ceiling fan â only half as dizzying as the sound of your humming in the next room.
And just when he starts to think he might be fucking missing you, you reappear in the doorway. Leant against the frame, some worn band tee hanging from your shoulders. Arms crossed; smiling back at him.
A rush of words floods to the tip of his tongue. You look beautiful. Your makeupâs smudged, chains of your necklace twisted; your shirt is frayed and splotched with faded stains â and youâre the most beautiful thing heâs ever laid eyes on.
He holds his arms out and you prance over.
You crawl over his figure, kissing your way up to his lips, and then turn in his lap. Cradled against his broad chest, your head nuzzling into the dark threads of hair between his pecs. You clasp one of his hands in two of yours.
âOfferâs still there for a shower, if you want it,â you whisper, kissing the pads of his fingers.
Joel tilts his head, mumbling against your temple, âWill you be in there with me?â
You answer something shaped like a tease, just as sharp with wit â but heâs too busy watching your nails trace his open palm. Too distracted by the sweet scent of your skin: a fresh burst of fruit, singed with the edge of tobacco.
âWhat do you do for work?â you ask.
He makes some sort of sleepy sound â a grunt, a hm? into your skull. âOh, uh â Iâm a contractor,â he says.
Your chin lifts. âThat why your palms are allâŚ?â Your thumb strokes light as lace against his worn skin.
âProbably,â Joel admits. He draws shapes on your thigh with his free hand.
âDo you sand the wood with your bare hands, or somethinâ?â
Joel scoffs. âAlright, alright. You liked my hands plenty, twenty minutes ago.â
Your cheeks lift, a low hum caught in your throat. You angle your head to let his lips trail along your shoulder, pressing into the hinge of your jaw. A dark nail following the landscape of Joelâs skin â each score and divot, the callused pads at the bottom of each finger.
âYou have sortaâŚearth hands, I think.â
It sits in the air for a few seconds before Joel turns to you. âWhat?â
âEarth hands. Or, well â I guess they could be water, if you look at âem this way.â You open up his hand, fingers stretched. âI donât really know. Iâm still learning.â
He looks down at you. Feels the now-steady pulse of your heart on his sternum. âLearninââŚhands?â
You snort. âPalm reading, Joel.â
His brows draw tight. He licks the inside of his whiskey-stained cheek. âYouâre into all that hippie shâŚstuff?â
You knock your knuckles against his chest, still staring at his hands. The hills and their valleys, the ravine-like lines; the worn skin and hatch marks.
âLetâs seeâŚYour heart line,â you whisper â more to yourself than Joel, but heâs listening all the same. âItâs pretty deep, which means the relationships youâve had have beenâŚimportant. But itâs kindaâŚit tails off right here, see? Itâs broken. SoâŚI guess they didnât end too good.â
Joel raises an eyebrow â playful, encouraging your timid smile. Keep figuring me out, he thinks, stoking the curious flame behind your eyes. âAlright,â he says, âNow tell me something you didnât already know about me.â
You gawk, holding his wrist up. âYou donât see that? The way it breaks up? Iâm not bullshitting you, Joel, itâs ââ
âNaw, I see it,â he nods, squinting a little at his palm, âJust â tell me more. Whatâs all these other lines mean?â
âWell,â you adjust between his hips, âyou got your life line right here. Short, which means ââ
âDonât tell me that part.â
âNo,â you roll your eyes, âIt just means youâre independent. You never needed much from anyone. And it runs past this mount â these are called mounts â right here. Venus: all to do with love and sexuality.â
Joel holds your open palm next to his, comparing them. He takes less than a secondâs look, lines his lips to your ear and says, âSeem like a pretty good match to me.â
You wriggle when he tickles your ribcage, trying to twist out of his grasp. Youâre laughing again â the same laugh heâs been hearing all damn night. The same giggle thatâs had his stomach somersaulting since he first heard it.
The room seems to light with it, this glow he feels from you â as if youâre the sun. Spent and still half-drunk; lazing with a stranger in the middle of her bed. Tracing the lines and scars on his palm, telling him how logical and grounded heâs supposed to be.
As if the world orbits around you â everything you touch turning to molten gold. And for what feels like the hundredth time tonight, Joel looks at you and wonders: Where the hell did you come from?
You hold your hand against his, folding your fingers perfectly together. The evidence of your night flaking from Joelâs knuckles; sweat still simmering on the nape of his neck.
He hasnât done this for years. Hasnât felt this gentle aftermath. Itâs usually a rush, a hastened zip and clink of his pants. An awkward dance, plucking clothes from the bedroom floor and pacing back to his truck.
Itâs never like this. Talking and laughing, holding and kissing. Questions about his parents and yours; his biggest dream as a kid, or the time you broke your arm falling out of a tree.
He tells you stories about growing up with Tommy; tells you Sarahâs favorite flavor of cake. He tells you about the time they tried to make it for a school bake sale, forgot to turn the oven off, and almost burned the damn kitchen down.
You snicker and tell him that never wouldâve happened if you were there.
Yeah, well, Joel smiles, I wish you were.
He notices youâre drifting off, despite your slurred protests and your weak grip on his wrist. He pulls you under the covers, curving his body around yours, praying that the quickening drum of his heartbeat wonât wake you.
His nose nuzzles into the curve of your skull, his hands link in front of your tummy. And he wonders whether his body was made with yours in mind.
He glances out at the sky â light starting to bleed from the horizon â and wills the turn of the sun to slow. Only a little; just let him stay here a little while longer.
Just a little while.
Dawn forces her way in eventually â more unwelcome than ever before.
Thereâs a throb between his temples which swells to life when the light floods past his pupils. âJesus Christ,â he grumbles, face turning back into the pillow. He gives you a gentle squeeze and then pushes up from the mattress.
You roll to the middle of the bed, still sound asleep. The sun spills golden all over the valleys and crests of your body. The bedsheets carve pathways up to your hips, dipping at your waist.
Last night, there was something so mystical about you â so otherworldly. Joel felt himself drawn towards you like a compass needle shooting north, the second he felt your weight crash against his spine.
A figure behind a cloud of smoke, like the mountaintops disappearing into a thick mist. And now, blood drained of alcohol, youâre just you.
Your shirt is twisted around your shoulders. Your lips puffy, mumbling to yourself in your doze. Makeup smudged like chalk under your eyes, and still â just as beautiful. Just as radiant as you were ten hours ago.
Joel rubs his eyes, sitting on the edge of the bed. He blinks down at his bare feet, the morning sharpening into focus. As he lifts his phone from the nightstand, the cable drops â hitting the wooden floor with a snap.
He pauses, shoulders hunched. Hears you stir over his shoulder, and turns around.
The earth of your body shifts beneath cotton hills, clouds of sleep clearing from behind your eyes. âHey,â you whisper, voice pretty and broken.
A little bird in the palm of his hand â that magpie curled up in her nest of gems and trinkets.
âHey.â He leans down and kisses your cheek. âSorry, darlinâ, I didnât mean to wake you.â
You wrap your arms around his wrist, tugging. âAreâŚare youâŚleaving?â
Joel feels a pang in his chest, and he doesnât know why. He takes a deep breath. Your scent fills his lungs and steadies his heart. âIâŚâ he sniffs, ââŚI gotta go home, baby.â
You give a slow and heavy nod. âS-SarahâŚâ
He strokes your head with his thumb. âYeah. Shh, go back to sleep. Itâs still early.â
He glances at his phone â itâs just after six. He knows Tommy will be waiting for him, parked outside the Super 8 and wondering where the hell Joel is. He knows Sarah will be, too â sat by the living room window, listening for the rumble of their bikes.
And still, he thinks â How do I fucking leave you? Leave this?
He shouldnât even be entertaining the thought. He has a kid waiting for him back home; soccer practice, packed lunches, homework and bedtime stories. He has work to do, bills to pay, a roof to keep over their heads. Itâs all waiting in Austin, two hundred miles away.
As though you can see the question flipping in his mind, you pull him closer. A weak finger in the palm of his hand, drawing circles. Your bleary gaze meets his, and you whisper, âIn the next life.â
Joel smiles. Twelve hours ago, heâd have laughed at the idea of it. Now, heâs not so sure. He kisses your knuckles, muttering, âPromise.â
Another wave of sleep washes over you, and youâre gone again.
Joel pushes himself from the bed, reaching for his clothes. His back twinges as he stretches, pulling his T-shirt over his shoulders. He steps into his jeans; pinches his belt between two fingers and lifts it from the floor.
He leans over and tilts your shades the opposite way, dulling your bedroom. He unplugs the charger, neatly winds the cord, and sits it on your nightstand. He fixes his side of the sheets: folds them over the mattress, tucks them in at your back.
With a deep breath, he makes for the door.
His jaw turns, eyes still low. Your dress is in a heap at the foot of the bed; a tube of lip gloss lying next to it. He looks up, following the landscape of sheets â the slope from your ankle to your hip. Your hunched shoulders, your cheek smushed into the pillow.
If he looks too long, heâll never leave.
The image burns golden into his eyes. He hopes for half a heartbeat that youâll wake again and pull him back into bed. Kiss him all over, whisper something sharp and sweet in his ear. Touch him and graze him and wrap yourself around him â anchoring him right here and now.
But you donât.
And Joel slips out of the room.
Jackson stirs to life over his shoulder.
A white lump in the snow-covered valley, the settlement seems so far away now. Tommy sets off up ahead, leading the way to the outpost. The blizzard is picking up â it almost swallows the silhouette of him whole.
Joel had tried to warn him: the weather would be too bad to see five feet in front of them, never mind any infected. But Tommy argued with the same determination that dragged the pair of them into that dive bar thirty years ago, and Joel didnât have half the energy nor the will to argue back.
Heâs thinking about you. He always is.
Your searing gaze over the rim of your glass; the weight of you against his chest. The tickling of your nail on his palm, severing each line and changing him forever. You and your palm lines.
You were just learning to read them. Joel didnât know a thing about any of it, and he told you so. You took his hand in yours and said, Here. Let me see.
He runs a thumb down his fate line, swaying in time with his horse. And he shakes his head with a little smile â he still remembers which one is fate and which is heart.
He still remembers all of it. He has earth hands. All salt and soil and solid as stone. His earth hands have gotten him this far, right? Twenty-five years and heâs still here. Gray and grown; stiff joints and sewn-up scars.
His head line has channeled more strangersâ blood than Joel can count. Mounts thatâve stopped breath in the throat of any man who crossed him. He doesnât think youâd recognize his hands anymore, if your fingertips traced over them again. Broken and bruised and bloody.
And he doesnât think heâd want you to â doesnât want you to meet the shadow of the man you knew back then. Heâd prefer you remember that same brown-eyed, soft-touched stranger with enough charm and naivety to survive anything. No need for bone-breaking fists or bloodstained hands.
Where are you, he wonders?
The answer knots deep in his stomach: the same old rope twisting into the same old shape. A fist of anger, of guilt. Some terrible cocktail of both, spilling poison through his veins.
Heâs terrified to wonder what mightâve happened if he had ever made it back there. What he mightâve found in your apartment â what he might not.
Where would you have gone, that day? Would you have fled, or would you have stayed?
You were smart, he knows that much. He saw the cogs of your mind turning right in front of him, standing opposite each other in that bar. Barely thirty seconds in and he couldâve sworn you had him all figured out.
But â oh, Jesus, you were kind. Open and willing to help a stranger with a dead phone and a tired smile. Would that kindness still glow as bright against the flicker of a world on fire?
A lone hawk swoops down before him, shooting straight between the pines. Joel slips his glove back over his freezing hand.
He thinks about you every day. Every fucking day, and it never eases. Never loosens. It keeps him up some nights â the truth heâs too afraid to look square in the face.
You live now in the back of his mind like a little ghost. His little ghost â still floating around that dusty city; the warm light of life and innocence still bright in your eyes.
Tommy glances over his shoulder. He gestures ahead as if to say, Would you take a look at this goddamn storm?
And Yeah, Joel thinks, Iâm lookinâ, brother.
All he wants is to go home. Jackson, Austin, the bedroom of your apartment in San Angelo. Just let me go back.
He blinks, and the snow melts to cracked asphalt under a lilac sunset. Tommyâs holding handlebars instead of reins. The horsesâ hot puffs of breath darken to clouds of smoke, choking from the exhaust pipes of the Harleys.
Youâre somewhere on the other side of town, waiting for him in the faint glow of a jukebox. Sipping whatâs left of your rum and Coke, fishing a twenty from your purse for the next round.
Just let me go back home.
He tugs on his horseâs reins and pulls off after his brother.
#joel miller#joel miller fic#joel miller x reader#the last of us#tlou#tlou fic#joel miller smut#joel miller one shot#fic: san angelo
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the longer i stay in fandom, the longer i think a huge amount of bad takes and discourse come from an... abundance of identifying with a character
to be clear, i don't think it's bad to identify with a character. far from it! i think that's part of what makes fiction so powerful.
and it's only logical people often attach to a blorbo because they're just like me, for real. a person will see some element of themselves-- their race, their gender, their sexuality, their hobbies, their family life, their specific flavour of neurodivergence-- and something just resonates. it gives them a way to explore and name this important part of themselves, a part they maybe didn't even know existed before it.
and everything is well and good until some split between them and the character shows up
because of course, no character, except an explicit self-insert written by yourself, will ever be a perfect 1:1 for your own experiences. so sooner or later-- maybe in canon, maybe in a fanwork-- your blorbo diverges from your lived experience in a huge way.
I think this is why shipping culture in particular gets so toxic. While it is by no means the only way to indulge with shipping, a significant portion is 'if i was in that character's shoes, i would choose X'. the fight becomes for your own self-identity.
but this gets expanded in other ways. a character who is revealed to be black when the majority of the fandom had just assumed they were white. or revealed to be queer, or maybe the 'wrong' flavour of queer. or fuck, even some more innocuous part of their backstory, one that's nonetheless so meaningful for SOMEONE, but now it feels like the story is saying, fuck you, we're doing something else
i don't know. i just feel acknowledging this perceived-attack-on-identity helps me understand why people react it what seems to be such outsized way to canon and fanworks alike.
at the same time, i think it's a really important thing to check in yourself.
it's nice, to see a character who you identify with. who resonates with for being like you. but it's also nice to acknowledge and appreciate the way characters are not like you at All. how great it is to get insight into this totally different lived experience. and to muse on how wonderful that recognition might be for someone who does have that background.
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In addition to Yor's epiphany scene, this scene was the other one I was most looking forward to in season 2 - a scene that, in my opinion, is one of the most Twiyor-ish scenes in the series so far đ
Why is it so significant? Because there was no reason for Twilight to put on any Loid Forger acting in that moment. He wasn't conversing with nor being scrutinized by anyone. So why would he give that soft smile followed by such affectionate, comforting words as "ăç˛ăć§/otsukaresama"? (this can be translated in many ways, but generally it's something you say to thank someone for their hard work).
The answer is because it's something he truly felt...he understood the sacrifice Yor made for Anya's happiness and genuinely appreciated it (if only he knew the sacrifice she made on the larger scale, lol). While he's a bit perturbed at first since some onlookers were snickering at him, it didn't take long for him to soften and then graciously carry his queen and princess the girls back to the ship đ
But Twilight overall was really soft in this episode and I loved it~ From his blush upon seeing Yor to the several times he gave that same soft smile when talking with/looking at her...I think Anya was right when she called him out on the ship about missing his wife đ
I liked how the anime conveyed his shock when noticing her bruised face...what must have been his thought at that moment? đ
The scenes of the family activities translated better in animated form in my opinion. While they were each only a single panel in the manga, they lasted a few seconds each in the anime, plus the addition of the insert song helped the with the comfy, wholesome vibe~ Also the part where Yor inadvertently chucks Anya across the ocean is still hilarious.
Loid's dorky skip at the beginning of the episode translated very well in animated form too đ
The ending of this chapter in the manga always felt a bit rushed to me...it quickly jumps from the aforementioned scene of them returning to the ship, to suddenly being home, reuniting with Bond and Franky, having a meal together, then Twilight meeting Sylvia, all within a few panels. Even though I wish the anime added more than just some additional scenes of the ship leaving the island, I felt it flowed much better in the anime since, just like the family activities, each scene in the ending lasted a second or two instead of being a single illustration.
But I love how this chapter/episode ends, with Yor, Anya, and Bond napping while Anya draws about her family vacation. This seems to take place the next day or maybe later the same day they got home, so makes sense they'd still be tired from the trip!
By the way, the manga has this additional scene showing that Olka and company are safe. Weird that the anime didn't stick it in at some point.
Also, the anime team didn't have to go so hard with this episode's key visual but they did...and I love it đ Might actually be my favorite of the key visuals so far!
I was very happy to see the "surrounded by liars" panel finally animated! This is such a funny scene and a great way to fully wrap up the cruise arc.
I also burst out laughing at Yuri's locker đ¤Ł
Damian is surprisingly laid back in this episode. I think the reason is because Anya's antics aren't directly involving him. He tends to go total tsundere only when she's actually talking to him, lol.
The new scene of Yor getting the keychains for her coworkers was a nice addition! Guess it's canon that Yor and Anya didn't sleep for the entire trip back, lol. Glad they got to spend family time on the ship too! (though I wish we could have seen Yor's reaction waking up in Loid's bottom bunk bed, haha. He must have brought her to his room since he wouldn't know where her room is. Unless she woke up before he even put her in a bed, in which case she would have been super embarrassed knowing he was carrying her around in public đ)
Looks like next week the anime will be changing the order of things a bit and giving us the Becky home-wrecking and Fiona chapters (the latter of which seems to have some anime original content?) The Becky chapter is one of my favorite stand-alone chapters...I'm already dying of laugher thinking about it đ
#spy family#spy x family#sxf#spyxfamily#loid forger#yor forger#anya forger#twiyor#sxf anime#becky blackbell#yuri briar
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Like A Prayer (Part One)
summary: best friends with wade youâre always being dragged into something even when heâs not trying to, what are you to do when you find the fate of your timeline in the hands of yourself, your chaotic merc and an angry wolverine whoâs hellbent on drinking himself to death?
content warning: romance, some angst, a little fluff, character deaths, canon-typical violence, smut, lots of cussing, mutual pining, found family, drug and alcohol use, reader insert but with no use of y/n cuz I hate that shit, deadpool being deadpool, mentions of poor mental health (depression anxiety and ptsd mostly), scent marking, the honda odyssey scene needs a warning all on its own MINORS DNI
a/n: lots of wade in this one but no wolverine just yet!
tag list: @allmyn1ghts, @oscarissac2099
Masterlist//Next Chapter
Not Ok
Flashes of images invaded your mind. You were in a tank, arms restrained to your sides as the oxygen was slowly sucked out of the chamber, suffocating you. Your nails digging into the leather cushioning beneath you as you try to claw your way out.
Now you were strapped to a table, an array of needles embedded into your arms and legs as you were injected painfully with all kinds of different things you werenât even sure of.
You startled awake before the sound of your alarm had a chance to rouse you from your sleep. Groggily you run a shaky hand over your face before rolling over to grab your phone checking the time. You still had about 3 hours before it was time to get up and get ready for work. Knowing you most likely werenât going to go back to sleep, not that you wanted to anyways, you toss the covers off of you and head to the bathroom.
You turn the water of the shower on, waiting for it to heat up as you stand back up you catch a glimpse of yourself in the bathroom mirror, taking in your disheveled appearance you sigh as you lean over the sink.
Thereâs visible dark circles under your eyes from being torn from sleep countless times over the last few months. You were sure why the nightmares had started back up again, it had been years since you had been freed from the Weapon X program so why was it all coming back now?
Pulling your tank top over your head you quickly undressed and hopped into the shower. The water cascaded over you, the warmth a welcome relief. You closed your eyes, as you felt your tired muscles slowly start to relax under the soothing spray. Lathering up your soap on a loofa you quickly washed and dried yourself putting on ample amounts of makeup to hide your dark circles.
Once dressed you sat down at your little table in the kitchen and helped yourself to a bowl of cereal as you checked your phone again.
So much shit was happening in the world, genocides, corrupt politicians running for power, starving children. It was all you saw anytime you opened up anything and it was all too much. The world was going to complete shit
You lock your phone and check the time, you still had about an hour before work. Slipping on your shoes you grab your keys and your bag and head out the door nearly bumping into Wade who was munching on a bagel in the hallway.
âJesus fuck Wade!â You said placing a hand over your rapidly beating heart. âYou scared the shit outta me!â
âMy bad pookie bear. Didnât know you worked today.â He said with a shrug adjusting his wig as he did so.
âAlmost every day this week.â You said with a sigh rubbing a hand down your tired face. You had been doing that a lot lately. âGod Iâm so tired.â
âI hear OnlyFans is really popping off right now.âWade said but it was hard to tell if he was joking or not with his straight face.
âYeah? So what, you and Vanessa can be my only subscribers?â You snorted with an exaggerated laugh.
âI know for a fact Colossus would pay top dollar for a sneak peak of your toes!â
The sound of your ex's name made you grimace. Not that you had any ill will towards him, you were both still good friends albeit a bit awkward now that youâve dated for a short time, but you still didnât want the thought of him anyway near anything sexual you did.
âHard pass.â
âSuit yourself.â Wade said taking another bite from his bagel and you two walked down the hall together.
You start to rub at your forehead as you felt a headache coming on as you walked, another occurrence that had started to happen more and more often.
âMore nightmares?â Wade asks, his voice laced with concern as he watched you.
âYeahâŚbut donât worry about it Wade.â You could handle yourself, a few ibuprofen and youâd be fine.
He calls your name, as if to say itâs too late not to be worried about you, but you wave him off as you dig around in your backpack for a second before pulling out a small black envelope.
âHappy birthday by the way! Youâre hard as fuck to shop for so I hope you like it.â You smile at him as you hold out the gift hoping to change the subject.
With an exaggerated gasp Wade tosses his bagel behind him and holds up his hands up in surprise before taking the envelope from you, and ripping it open. Inside were two tickets to a Celine Dion concert, one of his favorite artists.
âOh my-!â He starts with a gasp âI didnât even know she was touring!â He cried excitedly as he pulled you into a tight hug.
âYeah I had to basically stalk Ticketmaster for those so youâre welcome.â You said returning the hug.
âSugar booger! I love it!â He said releasing you.
âNow you just gotta figure out who to take with you.â You said as you bump shoulders with him. âMaybe PeterâŚ.oooor I donât know maybe a certain someone we all know and love who works at a particular strip club that we like to visit on occasion?â
âPeanutâŚâ Wade warned, you held up your hands in surrender. It was like a kid trying to get their divorced parents back together.
âLook, all Iâm saying is it wouldnât hurt to ask her.â
âIâll think about it.â He says quietly as he stares out deep in thought.
With that the two of you part ways, wishing each other a good day at work, Wade heading for his bike where Peter was waiting and waving at you, and you heading toward the bus stop.
Work at the pet shop was the same as always, mundane and mind numbing but it paid the rent so who were you to complain about it. You had your fair share of zooted teens coming in to ask dumbass questions and waste your time as well as the occasional fish snob who complained about the size of your tanks but all of that was typical of a normal day and honestly made it go by quicker. By the time you realized what time it was it was time to clock out and head on home to help set up for Wadeâs surprise party.
Once home you dropped off your bag and changed your clothes putting on a loose fitted t-shirt and jeans with a cardigan before heading over to Wadeâs place with a bunch of drinks. You didnât drink much but everytime Wade went out on a âbusiness tripâ, as he called them, back in his Deadpool days heâd bring you back a bottle of something.
Inside Wade and Blind Alâs apartment across the hall, many of your mutual friends were already busy at work setting up for the party. Colossus Ellie and Yukio were busy blowing up balloons and decorating while Dopinder Buck and Vanessa were busy setting up the food spread.
Looking around yourself you felt a small smile tug at the corner of your lips, all around you were the people you and Wade loved the most and you were incredibly lucky to have them in your lives after everything you all had been through over the years. A pang in your chest made you hold a hand over it and your smile dropped. Something still felt missing though and no matter how hard you thought about it you just couldnât place what it was.
âHow you doing sweetheart?â A soft voice pulled you from your thoughts. Whipping around you were pulled into a tight hug by Blind Al.
âIâm doing alright.â You smiled weakly âHowâd you know it was me?â
âIâm blind not deaf sweetheart,â she said âainât nobody else here sighing that hard but you and Wade and Wadeâs not here yet.â
âSorry.â
âYour dreams still giving you trouble?â She asks as she leads you further into the home.
âI wouldnât say dreams, more like night terrors but yeah they are a little.â You say as you place the bag said booze you bought on the kitchen counter and follow Al to the living room where she seated herself comfortably in her recliner. âItâs nothing to worry about though.â
âDonât bullshit a bullshitter baby.â
For someone who was blind Al sure could see right through you sometimes.
âIâm probably just stressed is all.â You try to downplay the situation but Al wasnât having it.
âItâs been months.â She says matter of factly.
âItâs been a stressful few months.â
âLook⌠I may not have been there when you and Wade went through what you went through in that program but itâs over now. Itâs done and that Ajax guy canât hurt you anymore.â She said resting a hand in her arm gently.
Al hadnât been a part of the Weapon X program like you and Wade had been but that hadnât stopped him from telling her in excruciating detail about all the horrible shit you both had gone through during it.
âI know Al I just-â you start but stop not fully knowing how to describe what you felt. âI just wish I could switch my brain off, just hit the reset button and be done with it but I- canât get the memories outta my head.â
âI know sweetheart itâs gonna take time but time ainât gonna do shit if you donât let people in to help you.â
You knew she was right but youâd be damned if youâd admit it out loud.
âWhen did this turn into a therapy session? I thought this was supposed to be a party.â
âSmart ass.â She said tapping you on the leg with her cane. âGo help Vanessa make the jungle juice before he gets home. Iâm gonna go see if that dumbass has any Bolivian marching powder left in his stash.â With that she stood to her feet and went to herâs and Wadeâs shared bedroom
âOh Al come on! I thought you guys were done with that.â You called after her with a frown.
âNot till Iâm dead babygirl.â She called back and if she could you think sheâd wink at you.
Back in the kitchen you and Vanessa make quick work mixing and setting up the drink you bought making light conversation as you do so.
âSo-â she starts off but pauses as if deep in thought for a moment.
âSo?â You ask curiously as you take a sip of the alcoholic punch taste testing to see if it needed anything.
âYou uh seeing anybody new yet?â She asks.
You nearly choke on your drink in surprise.
âN-no I uh no Iâm not.â You stuttered trying to compose yourself. âAre you?â
âY-yeah thereâs this guy. I met him at work, heâs kind.â
You could tell she was lying, but didnât speak on it.
âYâknow, I hear Colossus has been talking about you to Ellie a lot lately.â
Here we go again you thought.
âOh nah hard pass we tried that dance already didnât really work out.â You waved her off, but she continued anyway.
âIâm just saying heâs a nice guy, and heâs big, like everywhere, and made of metal, thatâs like totally your thing. Remember when we saw the Winter Soldier and you wouldnât shut up about Buckyâs metal arm?â
Not she was calling you out.
âJust think about it hun, you're always stuck up in your apartment or at work, youâre lonely and I think a little human connection would do you some good.â
âYeah alright Iâll think about it.â She smiles at you before caressing your cheek, like she was the big sister you never knew you had.
âBut only if you think about giving Wade another chance too.â You slip in âDeal?â
She contemplates for a moment before she smiles back at you again. You knew she still had feelings for the man and so did he.
âDeal.â
Before either of you could change the topic of your conversation the front door opened up again, this time revealing Peter and Wade.
âSurprise!â Everyone shouted as Dopinder Ellie and Yukio threw confetti into the air.
âOh you guys!â Wade gasps dramatically. âYouâre lucky Iâm not armed!â
âIf this was five years ago youâd all be dead.â He laughed as he went around hugging everyone.
The party went on without a hitch. Wade intermingling with everyone as he was passed around the room. You stayed in your own little corner as you watched sipping on your third drink for the evening. Parties werenât really your thing but for Wade youâd endure them when you had to. Just as you were about to move to get yourself another drink you spotted Wade and Vanessa talking quietly amongst themselves in the kitchen hovering over the punch bowl. With a smile just glad they were finally talking to each other you thought it better not to disturb them for the time being.
Soon after however you all found yourselves piling into the kitchen as Wade called for everyone to come and cut the cake. Wade snapped a few pictures on Yukioâs Polaroid, making some cheesy speech about how lucky he was to be surrounded each and every person he ever loved in one room, something you rolled your eyes at even though you had found yourself thinking the same thing just earlier, before going to make a wish blowing out his birthday candles as he did so.
The party continued to progress throughout the night and the stuffiness of all the bodies in the room was starting to get to you. Excusing yourself from conversing with Buck and Peter you step out into the hallway for a moment to try and get some air. Your head felt like it was swimming, probably from all the alcohol and not enough food, and you were starting to feel nauseated as a pounding sound hammered through your skull. Eventually you decided to take a step outside to get some actual air to see if that would help.
After a handful of greedy gulps of the fresh night air you finally decide to return to the party before anyone came looking for you. Once inside your hallway you spotted Wade first, but he wasnât alone this time. Surrounding him were at least 5 guys all dressed in black body armor and masks with weird electrical looking batons in their grasps. Immediately your defenses rose as you silently crept up behind them.
âOh peanut, you came back! Iâd offer to let you join in on the orgy but I donât think this guy hereâs down for sharing me.â Wade quips as he sucks on a breath mint leaning on his doorway. His comment drew most of the menâs attention towards you but not before he drew it back to himself. It seemed that they could care less that you were even there. âHeâs got this whole hate sex, love 'em and leave' em vibe going for him right now.â
âShut your mouth clown!â The guy in the front snaps as he goes to grab Wade by his toupee. Just as he grabs it an orange doorway opens up behind Wade and a pair of arms reach out pulling him inside causing his hair system to get ripped off.
âWade!â You shout as you sprung into action, using all your weight you shove two of the guys causing the three of you to fall through the strange orange doorway just before it closed behind you.
#logan howlett imagine#logan howlett x reader#wolverine imagine#logan howlett#wolverine x reader#wolverine#deadpool and wolverine#deadpool 3#platonic deadpool x reader#logan x reader#logan x black reader#logan imagine#logan#hugh jackman#like a prayer
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âď¸ â END OF YEAR REC REPORT: THE READER INSERT EDITION
hi lovelies!! as the year is coming to an end I wanted to work with my followers to compile a rec list of fics that have stuck with us as one massive thank you to all of the writers in our corner of tumblr/AO3. below you will find x reader fics from multiple different fandoms, and everything is in alphabetical order. I am grateful to all of you for the amazing work you do, and to those who participated!
extra note: I read through and tried my best to make sure everything is appropriately tagged (reader type and blushes included) but do let me know if anything needs amendingâor if you are on this list and wish to be taken off it. happy reading and happy new year! (and thank you to @namodawrites for helping with the banners ily)
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT â âď¸
fics: 100 fandoms: 23 total word count: đ
an observer of longing by shibaraki [ONESHOT] [18K] #: afab reader - childhood best friends to lovers - romantic and sexual tension - mutual pining - casual physical affection - love confession - eventual sexual content
Could Hajime really return your feelings? Tooru certainly thinks so. And Issei, and Takahiro. Seemingly everyone that has been within twenty feet of you.
I wanna be yours by gabseyoo [ONESHOT] [5.9K] #: fem reader - recreational drug use - stoner suna rintaro - friends to lovers - shotgunning - smut - face riding - unprotected sex - sex under the influence
Your usual smoking date with your best friend takes an unexpected turn after a certain song starts playing.
in orbit by neonghxst [MULTI-CHAP] [27K] #: fem reader - slow burn - fluff - angst - enemies to friends to lovers - childhood friends - breaking up/making up
You tend to have a habit of coming and going, life sending you away at odd intervals and guiding you back into his path without warning. Akin to two planets caught in each otherâs orbits, you pushed and pulled in a never-ending cycle. But if there was one thing Atsumu was certain of, it was that you would always find your way back to him (and this time, heâs determined to make you stay).
lover be good to me by suguwu [MULTI-CHAP] [30K] #: fem reader - soulmate au - slow burn - hurt/comfort - partner death (not kita shinsuke)
You meet Kita Shinsuke on a rainy summer day, with a sea of hydrangeas swirling at your feet. You know him instantly, as only a soulmate can. He seems like a good man. Like a good soulmate. But it's your wedding day.
miya atsumu and the chronic lovesick disease by fushisagi [ONESHOT] [12.6K] #: gender neutral reader - university au - fluff - friends to lovers - denial of feelings - mutual pining
The question comes to him one autumn night, surrounded by his friends and the chilly november breeze, asked by, who he assumes to be, just another nobody looking for money: what is it that you desire most, boy? the psychic asks, her saccharine smile forgotten when he looks into the crystal ball and all he ends up seeing is you. Alternatively: Miya Atsumu is not in love. what the hell? who would ever suggest something like that?
monster by satendou [SERIES: ONGOING] [13K] #: fem reader - unprotected sex - creampie - vaginal fingering - mentions of bullying - insecurities - described as blushing
You like horror movies, Tendou likes horror movies, what could go wrong?
storm chaser by amjustagirl [MULTI-CHAP] [163K] #: fem reader - post canon - domestic fluff - friends to lovers - romance - marriage - parenthood - angst
Living life with Miya Atsumu is like chasing a storm - equal parts exhilaration and danger. After all, itâs impossible to tame a storm.
the burden of being by sashimiyas [ONESHOT] [22K] #: fem reader - angst - fluff - amnesia - pro volleyball player osamu - unhealthy coping mechanisms
There was an Osamu who loved you once. Who loved Onigiri Miya so much he spent most of his waking hours there, supported loyally by the members of Hyogo Ward. A fire changes that and he and his twin brother adopt their old high school motto: we donât need the memories. Now theyâre gone and memories are all you have. So as an homage to the man you love, you reopen his restaurant back up for him.
the inbetween by oh-katsuki [ONESHOT] [25K] #: fem reader - manga spoilers - childhood friends to lovers - slow burn - angst - sexual content
You and Tendou have been best friends since before you can remember. You share everything with each other and over the years have fallen into a friendship with clear boundaries but intimate values. When you start to notice Tendou growing more distant, you begin to worry that heâs keeping more secrets than you thought.Â
there are reasons why a body stays in motion by gardenofnoah [ONESHOT] [4.7K] #: afab reader - strangers to lovers - fluff - eventual sexual content
You work too hardâkita knows it the second he meets you. Heâs not expecting you to take him up on his offer. You donât either, until you end up on his farm.
the blood of the witch is not ours by demxnscous [ONESHOT] [11K] #: afab reader - vampire miya osamu - strangers to friends to lovers - modern setting with a hidden supernatural world - blood and injury - eventual sexual content
The door opens. Osamu whines pitifully, a shallow breath that scarcely pulls at the lacerations along his body, blood of his own and of another creature matts his fur to his ribs, along his spine, and he lifts his head. âOh, fuck.â From the threshold, your eyes widen, a stranger to the fox you find.
to: tokyo, love hyogo by akimind [ONESHOT] [15K] #: fem reader - described as blushing - reunions - angst - fluff - exes to lovers
Your mind wasnât tricking you when it caught sight of this name from across the street you rarely frequent; it remains the same name even as you stand directly below now and reread that sign again. Onigiri Miya. âŚIâll meet you in Hyogo. The same echo. The same memory.
roommate osamu kiss by shibaraki [DRABBLE] [0.6K] #: gender neutral reader - pre relationship - fluff - roommate miya osamu - sleepy kiss
Osamu likes to think that unlike Atsumu, he has some semblance of control over his impulses. itâs a fine art. When you softly touch his waist as you squeeze past, or dig your feet under his thigh on the couch, or lean into his side as you share the small bathroom, he can will his body still and maintain the equilibrium youâve crafted together. But this morning he is frayed at the seams.
venus by saetyrn [ONESHOT] [15K] #: cisfem reader - mutual pining - alcohol consumption - friends to lovers - eventual sexual content - reader is inexperienced
After returning to Japan from studying abroad in California, Hajimeâs found that his desire for you has only grown stronger in his year away. He hopes you feel the same, and see him as he sees you. What he doesnât expect is for it all to go tits up when you ask him--your trusted friend--for help with losing your virginity.
wet haired kuroo by mrs-kurooo [DRABBLE] [0.8K] #: gender neutral reader - pre relationship - romantic tension
His hair lies flat, unlike the usual unruly, gravity-defying mess of black that sits on his head. Itâs still a little damp, slowly drying in the warmth of your apartment, a lone droplet of water dripping from the ends and landing on his towel. It hangs in his eyes a little, more so than usual and the urge to run your fingers through it overwhelms you - it just looks so soft.
a duke's son and a baron's daughter by katsukikitten [ONESHOT] [14K] #: fem reader - victorian era au - arranged marriage - pining - slow burn - suggestive content - lord bakugo katsuki - lord todoroki shouto
The room ebbs in the low light of flickering candles, people gather in clusters like lost geese as they honk their gossip at one another causing you to sigh. It would be another long night of mental games as your cold eyes fail to warm from the eccentric sights. Silk dresses, long gloves, shimmering gems, and endless drink and food. Yet you hated how little power you had over your choice of being here or not.Â
a light that never comes by mighty-mighty-man [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [430K] #: fem reader - enemies to friends to lovers - reader is an ex villain - worldbuilding - polotics - drama - eventual romance
After your life is saved by a quirkless middle-schooler, you find yourself roped back into the world of Heroism you've spent years trying to escape. Your mentor convinces you to take a job at U.A. that will bring you perilously close to your former best friend, Toshinori Yagi, who you have been avoiding since you mysteriously dropped out of high school in your third year. Being a Hero never gets any easier. And high school never ends.
all the times i told you by gardenofnoah [SERIES] [8K+] #: afab reader - estbalished relationship - fluff - intimacy - hurt/comfort - eventual sexual content
A sweet little multi-parter about being so in love it makes you sick, featuring Katsuki.
a withered rose by potionpeddlerpatchy [ONESHOT] [18K] #: fem reader - mythical au - reader is a nymph - god of sleep shinsou hitoshi - sexual content - dubious consent - somnophilia - manipulation
In the center of all the strange but wonderful opulence sat a giant glass orb propped so beautifully atop of a pillar, woven so intricately like vines, of tourmaline. You couldnât help but approach it, the alluring purple aura seemed to call out to you, reaching your delicate hand before you, nothing else crossed your mind that your desire to touch the orb's smooth surface. âYouâre a bold little one, arenât you?â Hitoshi spoke, chuckling deeply as he took in your startled form.Â
a world away by invie [MULTI-CHAP] [26K] #: fem reader - slow burn - timeskips - pro hero bakugo katsuki - parallel universes - dimension travel - feelings realisation - first meetings - fluff - angst - love confessions
He met you at 16 and hasn't known peace since then.
casual by ghostbeam [ONESHOT] [4K] #: fem reader - no quirk au - friends with benefits - friends to lovers - sexual content - todoroki family feels
âMy mom wants to meet you.â Itâs a sentence uttered as Touya pulls the T-shirt heâd discarded earlier (while he was pushing you toward your bed and sucking your tongue into his mouth) over his head. It comes as a shock, lying in your bed completely bare, still struggling to catch your breath. It shouldnât make you feel excited in the way that it does, not when Touya has been more than clear about the nature of the relationship between the two of you. Nothing serious. No commitment.
cruise universe by bfbkg [SERIES] #: fem reader - cruise au - pro hero bakugo - developing relationship - strangers to lovers - fluff - alcohol consumption - eventual sexual content
Your cruise holiday with your friends has got some pretty views, your favourite being the grumpy pretty blonde.
deceiving the duke by andypantsx3 [MULTI-CHAP] [30K] #: fem reader - regency au - class differences - romance - identity porn - eventual sexual content
When Camie Utsushimi elopes on the eve of her society debut, scandal threatens to destroy the familyâs prospects. Itâs up to you, a maid, to impersonate Camie throughout the Season, long enough that her elder sister can make a match. The only trouble? Lord Shouto Todoroki is also intent on making a matchâand that match, quite impossibly, appears to involve you.
fill my little world by shibaraki [ONESHOT] [20K] #: afab reader - no quirk au - single dad aizawa shouta - nanny reader - falling in love - eventual sexual content
You are employed by Aizawa Shouta to nanny for his vulnerable adoptive daughter Eri while heâs at work. As time passes you find yourself equally smitten with them both, longing for a more permanent place in their family.
heart of the ocean by secondhand_trash [TWOSHOT] [13K] #: fem reader - pirate au - inspired by princess bride - romance - pirate todoroki touya - angst with a happy ending - sexual content
You had met many sailors in your life growing up by the sea, but there was only one like him.
higher than the mountain, deeper than the sea by itoshisoup [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [50K+] #: fem reader - psychological drama - childhood friends to lovers - stockholm syndrome - hurt/comfort - noncon elements
Touya watches you stare feebly out the window, your fingers curled around those useless flowers he bought, and he finally understands why his pathetic excuse of a father could never find the words to apologize to his mother.
I'll make this feel like home by missmeinyourbones [ONESHOT] [6K] #: afab reader - angst - canon compliant - hurt/comfort - dabi centric - todoroki family reveal - sexual content
Touya was eight years old when his youngest brother was bornâthe same age realized that his house no longer felt like home.Â
incendiary by andypantsx3 [MULTI-CHAP] [30K] #: fem reader - enemies to lovers - quirkless discrimination - reader is a college student - romance- eventual sexual content
When you accidentally go viral in defense of quirkless people, an extremist group puts a target on your back. Pro hero Dynamight is the last person you want watching it.
in the dark of morning, you promise me the sun by kirketeer [MULTI-CHAP] [78K] #: fem reader - major character death - slow burn - grief and mourning - angst with a happy ending - eventual sexual content
When Denki, your long-term boyfriend, is stabbed by a villain on his way home from work, left to bleed out on the sidewalk only a mile from your apartment, you find yourself adrift. Strangely enough, it's Bakugou that helps with what comes after.
kingdom of ashes by shibaraki [TWOSHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - historical royalty au - prince todoroki touya - arranged marriage - sexual content - fluff - angst - hopeful ending
When you are suddenly uprooted from your life to enter an arranged marriage with Prince Touya you are unprepared for how greatly he defies your expectations, nor for how quickly you fall for him.
lights will guide you home by a11eya [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [22K] #: gender neutral reader - soulmate au - trope inversion/subversion - slow burn - getting together - falling in love - eventual sexual content
Soul-lights arenât as common in this day and age as they were in the past, before quirks, but theyâre common enough that people do still find their soulmates. At thirteen, you meet Bakugou Katsuki, and he lights up for you in orange and gold. You tell him he's your soulmate. He sneers and tells you that you aren't his. He makes your adolescence miserable until you part ways. You meet again as adults, late at night, in a grocery store, over a pile of bok choy. He apologizes for how he treated you when you were children. (In which you have a choiceâto reject Bakugou's apology, reject him, or to let him show you the man he's become, to learn with him what it means to love and forgive.)
one for the rules by alkhale [ONESHOT] [9K] #: fem reader - actor au - soulmates and identifying marks - romance - actor kita shinsuke - implied sexual content - reader described with long hair
â(Y/n)-san,â Kita whispers, low, just for you. Your eyes flicker nervously up to meet his, heart beating so wildly in your chest you feel like youâll explode. Any minute now. Thereâll be nothing left for him but little bits of nonsense. âI know I have no right to stop you⌠but please, if youâd be willing to wait, just a bitâŚâ Kita pulls both your hands together now, away from both your shared marks. He holds them in both of his and he gazes at you the entire time, a man truly from another era, from a lost era of things so hopeless romantic and earnest you feel like thereâs nothing you can do in the very face of it. Kita brings your hands up and he presses a kiss to your knuckles, peering up at you, eyes like honey, voice soft and warm and everywhere around you. âWould you give me the chance to show you my worth?â Kita asks. Ah, thatâs it. Your heart really canât take anymore.
passing peonies by dira333 [MULTI-CHAP] [34K] #: fem reader - recovery - mental health issues - returning to society - healing todoroki family - reader described to have a ponytail - angst
When the war ended, Midoriya Izuku had proven one thing: That Villains did not need to be killed to be defeated. That you could make friends from enemies. Touya Todoroki, formerly known as Dabi, had been one of those taken into the rehabilitation program. After one year of intense physical and psychological therapy, he's got the chance to prove himself. To prove that he can be a part of this world.
something just like this by ofmermaidstories [MULTI-CHAP] [200K] #: fem reader - strangers to lovers - pro hero deku - manga artist reader - eventual sexual content
It probably says a lot about you that your first thought on meeting Deku, international Symbol of Peace, isn't something like "Oh, wow," or, "Oh he's so nice," but is, instead, the un-Plus Ultra thought of, "I definitely wouldâve bullied him, in high school." At least until those muscles came in.
the cardinal rule by coopigeoncoo [ONESHOT] [9K] #: gender neutral reader - romantic comedy - bird puns - blood and injury
A story where Hawks learns that while humans might be awed by his flying skills, the bird population is decidedly less impressed.
the widening sky by ofmermaidstories [MULTI-CHAP] [37K] #: fem reader - merpeople au - merman bakugo katsuki - canon typical violence - grief and mourning - eventual sexual content - bittersweet ending
You donât believe your Grandmotherâs stories about mermaids â until you meet one.
triptych by narumi-gens [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [20K] #: fem reader - yandere chisaki kai - psychological abuse - angst - codependency - imprisonment - canon typical violence - sexual content
Your life is nothing more than a triptych, a work of art in three parts with each panel depicting a distinct period â a beginning, a middle, an end. And in the triptych that is your life, the central figure has always been Chisaki Kai.
when to cradle, when to pry by therealvalkyrie [ONESHOT] [1.3K] #: fem reader - established relationship - depresson and panic attacks - reader has low self esteem - hurt/comfort
As he re-learns the joys of loving you, Katsuki also learns how to help you back on your own feet when you need it. OR An "in the aftermath" look at the relationship in 'you feel love in the sodium'
11:49pm by shotorus [DRABBLE] [0.4K] #: gender neutral reader - fluff and intimacy
Gojo is larger than life, but you make him feel small.
all that is solid by grilledtandoorismoke [SERIES] [38K] #: fem reader - arranged marriage - curse user reader - described as blushing - hurt/comfort - domestic fluff - angst - canon typical violence
Coming from a family of curse users and the first person in three hundred years to have your clan's inherited technique, political machinations force you to attend Jujutsu Tech while having to agree to an arranged marriage to Gojo Satoru.
am I (25F) the asshole for fucking my boyfriend's older brother (28M) by rinhaler [ONESHOT] [10K] #: fem reader - sexual content - dom/sub dynamics - older brother ryomen sukuna - sex under the influence - cheating - daddy kink
I know it sounds bad but we got high and he's hot!!
blood and pearls by vennilavee [SERIES: ONGOING] [10K] #: fem reader - trueform sukuna - developing relationship - canon typical violence - cannibalism - eventual sexual content
A lonely water nymph washes up to the shores of an enchanted lake with dreams of the sun and the stars. Little do you know, that this enchanted lake belongs to the king of curses himself, Ryomen Sukuna.
candied hearts by mrs-kurooo [ONESHOT] [10k] #: fem reader - no curse au - hurt/comfort - fluff - third party infidelity - sexual content - body worship - size difference - pull out method
Gojo is a nuisance. What more is there to say.
cor unum by vampyrsm [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [130K] #: fem reader - trueform sukuna - slow burn - period typical sexism - body horror - cannibalism - blood and violence - eventual sexual content
A tale of how the Shogun's daughter ends up in the maw of one of the most fierce curse users to ever exist.
godmaker by firein-thesky [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [50K] #: fem reader - arranged marriage - angst - unhealthy relationships - parental abuse - canon typical violence - hurt/comfort - slow burn - eventual sexual content
And the form leans down, closer, as their voice drops to a murmur, all honey and thorns, the promise of something far greater than you. A storm to come. The future that you will bear upon the slant of your shoulders. And when they speak, you know theyâve cursed you; âI will teach you how to make a God.â
hey lonely stranger (won't you meet my eye?) by stellamancer [ONESHOT] [6.4K] #: fem reader - speed dating - unresolved romantic tension - jealous gojo satoru - allusions to canon typical violence
You attend a match-making event and who else should be there but the last person you want to see: Satoru Gojo.
how to be a dog by prettyboykatsuki [TWOSHOT] [37K] #: fem reader - yandere gojo satoru - manipulation and coercion - stalking - graphic depictions of violence - rape/non-con - forced intimacy - sexual content
"Of course you must learn to love, to love always and love entirely and to be wounded by nothing so much as the violence of your own love." - ANDREW KANE, HOW TO BE A DOG. With six eyes to see, it becomes clear. You are being watched.
intrinsic warmth by thatdesklamp [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [150K] #: fem reader - slow burn - childhood friends - mutual pining - angst - canon typical violence
You meet Satoru on 7th September, 1996. Some time later, you realise you love him.
let your hand become a blade so i may take it by seravphs [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [10K] #: princess reader - knight gojo satoru - royal au - forbidden love - period typical misogyny - childhood friends to enemies to lovers
Knights are bound by duty and honor, but Gojo is more devoted to his princess than he ever was to his oaths.
limerence by shibaraki [ONESHOT] [4K] #: gender neutral reader - friends to lovers - pining - masturbation - sexual tension
The little intimacies you shared together were a fix of Gojo's.
lucky by izvmimi [ONESHOT] [3.5K] #: fem reader - crack - plot heavy with a little porn - todo aoi's otaku behaviour
You meet someone desperate to win a competition.
men are so quick to blame the gods by awearywritersworld [SERIES] [16K+] #: fem reader - enemies to lovers - developing relationship - angst - fluff - canon typical violence - not canon compliant - jealousy
Your boyfriend is a heavy sleeper, leaving you to form an unlikely relationship with the curse occupying his body during the late hours of the night.
playing pretend by itadorey [ONESHOT] [5.4K] #: gender neutral reader - fake dating - friends to lovers - slice of life and humour
Gojo lies to Shoko in order to win a bet and you're dragged along for the ride.
đ polluted by heich0e [ONESHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - university au - sexual content - recreational drug use - sex under the influence - gangbang - double penetration - dubcon
"Weed doesn't make her annoying," Sukuna drawls, tossing the basketball up again, only this time away from himâyou watch as it curves gracefully in the air, swishing through the little net Geto and Gojo have affixed to the back of their dorm room door. "She's always annoying." [...] Sukuna's smirk turns into something even sharper, a smile unfurling slow and wicked across his face. "Weed doesn't make her annoying--it makes her into a whore."
seat taker by coconutdays [ONESHOT] [10K] #: fem reader - university au - biker geto suguru - sexual tension - fluff - strangers to lovers - eventual sexual content
You have a crush on the smartest and sexiest guy in your lit class who happens to ride a motorcycle with spooky season around the corner. what ever might happen?
still melting? by arminsumi [ONESHOT] [1.4K] #: fem reader - best friend geto suguru - romantic and sexual tension - flirting
Practicing putting eyeliner on your best friend, while sat in his lap. He can't help but take this chance to flirt with you. Of course, a certain someone interrupts your moment right at the end
sunset by princess-okkotsu [ONESHOT] [5.6K] #: princess reader - knight zen'in maki - reader implied shorter than maki - royal au - period typical attitudes - sexual content
Youâre a princess, though the last of several siblings, set to never wear the crown of your kingdom. The last to marry, you're suddenly betrothed after your father waged your hand in marriage in some game of bow and arrow. Though you and your knight, Maki, have been content with bottling up your affections for one another, this sudden betrothal has you both wishing for something you know you can't have.
they were just friends by wanderwithme [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [65K] #: fem reader - fireman fushiguro toji - slow burn - roommates - character death - eventual romance - described as blushing
Itâs 4:24 p.m. and the love of your life is cheating on you.
turn me like a beast / hold you to the floor by gardenofnoah [ONESHOT] [6.5K] #: princess reader - strangers to unfortunate lovers - hunter nanami kento - the fall of a dynasty - major character death - reincarnation - bittersweet ending
The world is at its end, and an unlikely pair finds solace in each other. To love is an animal thing.
wormwood by linkcities [ONESHOT] [25K] #: fem reader - angst with a happy ending - canon compliant - childhood friends to lovers - mutual pining - codependency - new beginnings
Absence festers in the presence of little yellow wormwood flowers, and you come to learn about how it goes hand in hand with lingering bitterness when you meet Gojo Satoru. or, As the young Godâs only friend, you are punctured with the burden of his companionship, regardless if you deem yourself unworthy of it.
éŁć | wind, moon by itoshisoup [ONESHOT] [7.5K] #: gender neutral reader - established relationship - fluff - romance
In which you drag Dan Heng halfway across the universe for a candied fruit skewer, and he gets a taste of the life that was once denied to him.
christmas countdown by suguwu [ONESHOT] [16K] #: gender neutral reader - hallmark au - holiday fluff - age gap - romance
Your company is taking on a new project and desperately wants the backing and expertise of retired CEO Jing Yuan. Dispatched out into the countryside to bring him on board, you find it won't be as easy as you think. Jing Yuan strikes a bargain with you: spend the upcoming days with him, until Christmas Eve, and he'll tell you exactly what it will take for him to come back if you don't figure it out yourself. Let the Christmas countdown begin.
nexus by ddarker-dreams [MULTI-CHAP] [51K] #: fem reader - yandere blade - codependency - eventual sexual content - dark comedy - space politics
You belong to a specialized group â the Arbiters â who are capable of influencing others' perceptions. Your clients hail from all corners of the universe to see their wildest fantasies come true. By establishing a link with them, they can experience a dreamscape of their choosing, more convincing than the latest developments in augmented reality. You have received many unique requests throughout the years. After the Stellaron Hunter's swordsman saves you from an early demise, you offer him the chance to experience any phantasia of his choosing. It is then that you're posed with a trying challenge: "Show me what it's like to die."
scrap metal by lorelune [TWOSHOT] [5K] #: gender neutral reader - captive reader - injury - use of a muzzle - non consensual touching - yandere blade - force feeding
Per Elio's newest script, the Stellaron Hunters take in a stray.
love like no other by nanamimizz [ONESHOT] [2.6K] #: fem reader - sexual content - established relationship - open communication
Al Haitham is man solemnly thought he would never find love, so when he has that and more the night turns...physical.
you didn't teach me how to forget you by haitaniapologist [TWOSHOT] [15K] #: ragnvindr fem reader - described as blushing - fluff - lovesick childe - possessiveness
You never thought you would find the boy who haunted your childhood in a trip to Liyue.
arranged marriages and well-kept secrets by dearayato [ONESHOT] [1.7K] #: gender neutral reader - established relationship - talk of marriage - proposals
Ayato props himself on his elbows, a smug smile adorning his face, âDonât worry love, the only person I see in my future is you.â
for you are the world by lorelune [MULTI-CHAP] [29K] #: fem reader - childhood friends to lovers - post trauma - fluff - hurt/comfort - chronic injuries - sexual content - protective diluc
You return to Mondstadt after many years away, sick, with an feeling that's all-too familiar and unwelcome.
bury me by deskaisers [ONESHOT] [8.8K] #: fem reader - described as blushing - stepcest - step brother oliver aiku - virginity - corruption kink - unprotected sex
Your father's new relationship was rather unexpected, but there was no way in hell you could have predicted everything else that came with it.
everything's better when you're honest by prettyboykatsuki [ONESHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - friends to lovers - professional athlete isagi yoichi - reader is sexually experienced - sexual content
you notice early on that isagi is always holding back something. the deeper into your relationship you go, the more you wish he'd let loose.
to my first love by by-moonflower [TWOSHOT][17.3K] #: fem reader - high school au to married au - non-linear narrative - exploring girlhood - fluff - angst - romance - suggestive - described as blushing
When you agreed to date itoshi sae in mid-October of 1993, you never imagined he'd be your first loveâwhose presence would continue to linger in your life, hauntingly, even if a year, two, or ten came to pass.
finding peace in the spontaneous wild (that is you) by tired-biscuit [ONESHOT] [26K] #: fem reader - university au - modern supernatural elements - friends to lovers - werewolf kiba - mutual pining - eventual sexual content
You run into Kiba at the grocery store, around two weeks after returning home from college.
đ tacenda by namodawrites [MULTI-CHAP] [100K] #: gender neutral reader - mutual pining - slow burn - childhood friends to lovers - canon typical violence - rivalry
Somewhere along the way trying to prove Neji wrong about fate and destiny, you fall in love.
den of wolves by kuramakakashi [MULTICHAP] [37K] #: senju reader - descriptions of gore - uchiha centric - canon typical violence - worldbuilding
Peace in our time â it was the dream your cousin had championed since childhood, and it was the foundation for all of his efforts to bring the constant warring between clans to a permanent end. And it was why he sent you into the den of wolves with only one order: Save Izuna Uchiha. Â
đ birds of a feather by namodawrites [ONESHOT] [18K] #: gender neutral reader - touchstarved - possessive behaviour - comfort/angst - canon typical violence
Knives rediscovers his humanity while recovering. You fight hard not to lose yours.
bittersweet by heich0e [ONESHOT [6K] #: afab reader - domestic fluff - sharing a bed - gentle sex - sweet soggy vash
Something shuffles in the dark. Papa left you a gun, too. Even taught you how to shoot it. Mama hated that. She hated how good you were at it even more. She used to say that shooting was gonna be your husbandâs job someday, and that even in a world this wicked Papa was teaching you things you didnât need to know. But now Mamaâs gone. And Papaâs gone. And the world is still wicked. And youâve got no husband, but you have a gun you know how to shoot.
and I know itâs hard enough to love me (but I woke up in a safe house) by seoafin [ONESHOT] [4K] #: fem reader - sharing a bed - tending to wounds - fluff - blood and injury
âMy husband and I would like a room. Weâre on our honeymoonâ. âIn this shithole of a town?â The innkeeper asks with a raised eyebrow, looking from you to Vash, who only lets out a sheepish chuckle as he scratches the back of his head. Despite his sluggish breaths, his slow blinking gaze, and the red slowly staining his shirt.
solar lunacy by bamsara [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [225K] #: gender neutral reader - slow burn - fluff and angst - developing relationships - blood and injury - posessive behaviour
You werenât a technician, you werenât a security guard, you werenât a daycare assistant. Youâre just an employee. Staff. The âjack-of-all-tradesâ employee with mediocre at best skills and specialty in none, tasked with doing miscellaneous jobs that robots couldnât do and human staff couldnât care to. The job is unpredictable, but it pays good and itâs relatively easy. Except for the part where all the animatronics are more sentient than you thought, and youâre roped into a mystery surrounding the Daycare Attendants, who are bit too curious about you for your liking. You donât think this was in your employee contact.
cryptid sightings by naffeclipse [MULTICHAP] [250K] #: gender neutral reader - cryptid au - reader is a cryptid hunter - horror - blood and violence - sleep terrors - non-sexual intimacy - posessive behaviour
Perhaps this would scare a person, being all alone in the woods in the dark, but not you. Youâre too intertwined with the paranormal and inexplicable. Itâs in your blood. That doesnât mean your heart wonât pound with terror when you face something with fangs and hungry eyes for flesh, but you donât run away, and thatâs what matters most. You will face the monsters.
celestial sundown by pillowspace [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [80K] #: gender neutral reader - god au - historical fantasy - slow burn - blood and injury - developing relationships - dimension travel
You are a peasant living in the middle of the woods, Sun is the god of day you brought back home with you, and Moon is the god of night tucked away in the Celestial Realm.
method acting by seeingivy [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [168K] #: fem reader - celebrity au - actor eren jaeger - enemies to friends to lovers - slow burn - miscommunication - eventual fluff - social media elements
Method acting is a very powerful skill. Using your own personal, physical, and emotional self and pouring it into the character on the screen makes for a powerful performance. Except when it's you and Eren - you're not sure where the acting starts, and real life begins.
public relations by crybaby-ink [ONESHOT] [12K] #: afab reader - office romance - boss/employee relationship - power dynamics - drama - politics - sexual content
Even though Zeke has had a little crush on you for a while now, heâs mostly okay with things in the office staying exactly the way they are. Mostly.
vestal virgin by bokutosdove [ONESHOT] [6K] #: fem reader - modern au - sexual content - loss of virginity - jean kirstein has a corruption kink - protected sex - implied dom/sub dynamic
A virgin consecrated and vowed to chastity; a chaste woman.
wild card by wellitcouldbeworse3 [MULTI-CHAP] [215K] #: fem reader - hunger games au - tribute levi ackerman - blood and violence - slow burn - psychological torture - character death - reader is proficient at archery - described as blushing
When you're selected to be the tribute representing District 12 in the 121st annual Hunger Games, you're pretty sure you're screwed. But, somehow, there's two things working in your favor. One: you're not half bad with a bow and arrow. Two: the male tribute from District 2 seems to have his eye on you...
âď¸ DEMON SLAYER
something blue by extrav1rgin [ONESHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - described as blushing - arranged marriage - angst with a happy ending - hurt/comfort - not canon compliant
Turning away you trace your way back through the route Giyuu had taken you down before. As you walk nearly silently you keep your ears out for the sound of another human. You find a note stuck to the door when you make your way toward it. If it was there before you mustâve missed it. âGone on a mission, will be back.â And you suppose thatâs that.
âď¸ HELL'S PARADISE
safe for one more night with you by nagumoan [ONESHOT] [3.3K] #: fem reader - established relationship - domestic fluff - humour - sexual content
You get to share one last night with your husband Shion before his work will steal him from the warmth of your embrace with the first rays of the sun in the morning.
âď¸ BUNGO STRAY DOGS
pharos by auraxins [ONESHOT] [14K] #: afab reader - mer au - eldritch mer chuuya - strangers to lovers - island survival - blood and injury - eventual sexual content - unprotected sex
âWho are you?â you call. âWhat business have you here?â âYou don't know?â barks the man, incredulousness in his tone. âYou summoned me here.â âI fixed the lighthouse,â you correct. âI did not summon anything.â
âď¸ TOKYO REVENGERS
from his mind to hers by embossross [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [102K] #: fem reader - dark content - patient x doctor relationship - sexual content - stalking - cheating
Forced into therapy, Hanma expects to waste his time and yours, but youâre not about to let the chance of a high-profile and higher paying patient slip through your grasp. The fact that youâre both attracted to each other doesnât hurt either.
âď¸ ONE PIECE
breathe me in by standfucker [ONESHOT] [7.4K] #: fem reader - inappropriate use of devil fruit powers - described as blushing - rough unprotected sex - creampie and breeding
As a woman in the Marines, the path to Read Admiral has been rough, but Smoker's been there for you since the beginning.
âď¸ BALDUR'S GATE
through the gates of horn and oak by sensoo [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [116K] #: fem reader - graphic depictions of violence - sexual content - fluff - F/M/M threesomes - spoilers marked by chapter
Each of them needs something different, but under the surface it's really the same thing. The burden of leadership is isolating and it is so difficult to carry on alone. Zevlor is trying to navigate through the shattered pieces of his life. Halsin is haunted by regrets and the tasks left unfinished. And you can't stop meddling in everyone else's affairs, even as you swear up and down that you're just trying to survive. Living is more than survival, but both are getting increasingly more difficult.
the five senses by nanamimizz [SERIES] [9K] #: fem cleric reader - non-sexual intimacy - angst - hurt/comfort - developing relationship - exploring trauma
A five part mini-series with everyone's favorite high elf vampire focusing on non-sexual intimacy and the budding relationship you foster with the guarded rouge.
âď¸ TWISTED WONDERLAND
uniform by giratinazero [ONESHOT] [2.4K] #: fem reader - non-sexual intimacy - undressing
With one gloved hand he reached up, threading his delicate fingers through a loop in the heart-shaped collar to drag you down to his height. Riddle slowly, purposely ran his eyes up and down the length of your bodyâ you could feel the frustration that simmered just under the surface, like a teapot left on the heat and about to burst with steam.
âď¸ MORTAL KOMBAT
inescapable by dynamites [ONESHOT] [7K] #: gender neutral reader - light angst - crossing timelines - pining
From half across the somber battlefield, someone keeps glancing your way.
âď¸ BLEACH
cherry coloured funk by grinmjows [ONESHOT] [8.7K] #: fem reader - described to have dark hair and pale skin - explicit incest - sexual content
You usually find the moonlit nights strangely empty, for when you call your brother's name through them, he never answers.
desperate measures by ghost-party [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [27K] #: fem reader - modern au - transactional relationship - sugar daddy - age difference - dom/sub dynamic - sexual content - violence
After youâve been laid off from your job, your friend Rangiku recommends a very specific kind of dating app â one where rich, lonely men seek younger partners to spoil. Reluctantly, you decide to give it a try. You tell yourself itâs a one-time thing, and that you have no plans on becoming dependent on anyone, let alone falling for them. But Sosuke Aizen makes you rethink everythingâŚ
âď¸ IDOLISH 7
in the eyes of the tide by namodawrites [ONESHOT] [15K] #: gender neutral reader - merman au - secret identity - angst - hurt/comfort
Oogami Banri is a calm, unassuming man. His first and second impressions of you had been undignified to say the least: encountering you passed out on a bench outside of a little shop, sheltered beneath its slanted tiled awning; assisting you to escape a cave during high tide, too afraid of the strange shapes youâd seen in the water to make the short journey alone.
âď¸ GOD OF WAR
and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face by vampireloverz [ONESHOT] [8.8K] #: fem reader - pre-canon - size difference - sexual content - unprotected sex - canon-typical violence - described with body hair - reader is lifted by character
You hum to yourself, curious about what business he has in the woods, maybe it has something to do with whatever mysterious thing he has wrapped in foreign fabric. Through the days, you find yourself thinking of him. This warrior, this man, so elusive he feels almost like a ghost. You find yourself earnestly looking forward to the next time you come across each other.
âď¸ DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
kinktober: monsterfucking by mintmatcha [TWOSHOT][5K] #: cisfem reader - original character romance - racism in a fantasy setting - sexual content - monsterfucking
After months of adventuring with your party, you can't help but be curious about a certain dragonborne...
âď¸ THE HUNGER GAMES
the death of an actor by uzurimisery [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [36K] #: fem reader - fake dating - misogyny - reader is dr. gaul's daughter - sexual content - unhealthy dynamics
Y/N Gaul the Capitol's unregulated daughter of Dr. Gaul. Argumentative, independent, and hindrance to Coriolanus Snow's life plans.He can't stand you, youâre impossible for him to read. When your mother concocts a hairbrained plan to better set up her protege youâre caught in the crossfire and forced to play the part of Snowâs lover. Now if only the lines of what's an act and what was real wouldnât get so blurry.
âď¸ DC UNIVERSE
callipygian by onesmartcookie78, pennydragons [MULTI-CHAP: ONGONG] [70K] #: original female character - described as blushing - canon typical violence - enemies to friends to lovers - secret identity - batfamily drama
"She knows that ass. In fact, she'd spent the whole day staring at pictures of it. So she is absolutely, 100% certain that ass belongs to Dick Grayson. Now, if Dick Grayson wants to run across the rooftops dressed in spandex, that's his prerogative. The problem is, he's not just Dick Grayson. No. Dick Grayson is Nightwing. And she has questions." She hadn't been trying to figure out who he was. In fact, she was trying to uncover the identity of the Red Hood. But now that she knows, she can't go back.
let me just add there are an infinite amount of other amazing fics that will not have made this rec list purely due to the time constraints, submission limit and lack of reach, etc. your fic is valuable and loved whether it made the cut or notâplease do remember that!!!!!!
#m.navi#hq x reader#bnha x reader#jjk x reader#hsr x reader#bllk x reader#trigun x reader#x reader fic#x reader fic rec#fic
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In The Shadows
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 2.1k
Warnings: secret relationships, non-canon, profanity
Authors Note: This is a reader insert fic, but the background is basically the reader is Draco Malfoy's twin sister. If I have forgotten any warnings, do let me know, please!
Your content consumption is on you.
âWhy was she wearing your jersey, Mattheo? Answer me that: why does another woman get whatâs mine?â You demand, walking into changing rooms. You knew everyone was out; you counted them yourself. Mattheo was standing up, waiting for you to arrive.Â
âI could ask you the same question. Why are you wearing another manâs name?â Mattheo retorts, stalking towards you. Heâs used to you cowering, becoming putty in his hand, but this time, you were defiant. You were not going to let him intimidate you.Â
âI donât think Iâve met someone with such pathetic critical thinking skills,â You shot back. âItâs not just âanother manâs last nameâ like you so kindly said; itâs my fucking last name, Riddle. If you used your brain for once in your goddamn life, youâd see Iâm wearing my brotherâs jersey. Why am I wearing my brotherâs jersey? Because someone is too fucking embarrassed to be seen with me that he refuses to let me wear his. Iâm beginning to think you just want me for sex, and thatâs isâ
Mattheo stops his advances, caught off guard by your aggression. He was not at all used to you standing up for yourself. Not to mention reducing his love for you to merely sex. â...Donât say that, love. You don't mean that you know I love you; it's justâŚâ
âIt's just what, Riddle? Your father? Do you realize who I am? Who my family is? I'm a motherfucking Malfoy. I am the daughter of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy, the fucking death eater.â You look up at him, all your insecurities manifesting into anger.
âNoâŚyour brother,â Mattheo says meekly.
You look at him dumbfounded. âMy brother? You're worried about my brother? My brother couldn't punch his way out of a wet paper bag. Are you worried he'll tell our father? Baby, father would be happy I'm dating the literal Dark Lordâs son. That gives him a leg up, so to speak.âÂ
Mattheo raises his hand to cup your cheek before he hears the changing room door open. He immediately takes three steps back as Astoria walks in, his jersey in her hand. âHere you go, Matty.â She says, a nauseatingly flirtatious tone in her voice. She gasps when she sees you, grabbing onto Mattheoâs bicep. âWhat are you doing here? This is the menâs changeroom.âÂ
To his credit, Mattheo steps away from her but is not quick enough for your liking. âShe was just...â he began before you cut him off, your jaw tight, and a look of pure hatred burned behind our eyes.Â
âLeaving.â You spoke with absolute authority. âGoodbye, Riddle, good fucking riddanceâ You turn and walk away without even a second glance. However, you do linger at the door, silently hoping he comes after you.
You could hear Astoria laughing, âshe actually believed she had a chance with you? She really is an embarrassment to her family. Now letâs go; I have a reward for you!âÂ
You walk away after that, knowing youâll only break your own heart more. You walk away, the tears threatening to spill. How can you be sad about something nobody knew about? What do you say when people askâŚwhat do you do? You move on in the shadows, just as you were loved in the shadows.Â
You navigate your way through the Slytherin common room, staying near the walls and doing your best to avoid the partygoers. You have no desire to party; all you want is your bed. It was then that you felt a familiar, calloused hand grab your wrist. Turning around, you come face to face with Mattheoâs captivating smile. For a moment, you nearly forgot everything he put you through.
âI was wondering when youâd show up, Mally. A party is not the same without you.â He says, pulling you close and nuzzling his nose against your neck while wrapping his arms around your waist. You wanted to believe him, believe that he finally decided to love you publicly, but you could smell the fire whisky on his breath. He's drunk.Â
âYouâre drunk, Mattheo. Leave me alone; Iâm not partying tonight.â You say, pulling away from his grip. âGo party with Astoria; she must be just dying to spend time with you since youâre single, after all.âÂ
He looks at you, confusion twisting his gorgeous features. âIâm not single? What do you mean, Mally? Iâm dating you. I have been through the 7th and 8th year. I want to stay with you.âÂ
You sigh, stepping back away from him further, with tears prickling in your eyes. âThat would mean so much more if you werenât drunk, Matty. Itâs over for us, donât make this harder than it needs to be.â You turn from him and slip effortlessly into the writhing student body.Â
You collapse on your bed and release the sob that had been building in your throat all afternoon, ever since seeing Astoria wearing Mattheoâs jersey. âItâs better this way,â you told yourself; this way, you can find someone who loves and appreciates you in the open, not hiding you away like some dirty little secret. You cried yourself to sleep that night with Mattheo's shirt tucked tightly to your chest, not wanting to wake up the following day.
The following days dragged on. You did everything you could to avoid your ex, but it was getting more challenging by the day. One night, after you and Mattheo had been partnered for Charms, you broke down to your brother, confessing everything. Your 2-year relationship with Mattheo, your âbreak up,â all of it. You cried in Dracoâs arms for hours, and like the dutiful brother he is, he consoled you the whole time, quietly seething. How dare someone do this to his beloved sister? How dare someone reduce her to tears like this?Â
You were almost asleep, floating just on the precipice of dreams while Draco was reading you a story, when there was a knock on your dorm door. You move to get it, but Draco stops you. âYou need to sleep, moon. Iâll answer it.â He says softly, pushing your hair from your face.Â
You heard the door open, and Draco stepped out into the hallway. What you didnât expect to hear, however, was the conversation.Â
âWhat are you doing here, Riddle? Havenât you done enough?â Draco says, his tone angry.
âWhat are you talking about, Draco? I came to check on her, but she hasnât been answering my messages; sheâs ignoring me. I just want to talk to her. Is that so bad?â
âWhy would you keep her a secret, Riddle? My sister is brilliant and incredible. She is more my father than I could ever hope to be. She is the greatest duellist this school has ever seen, which is why sheâs the Slytherin Dueling Club Captain, and you threw her away for Astoria? All she ever wanted in her life was someone to see her for who she was, not what she could be. She hoped it was you, but keeping her a secret, that's not what you do to someone you love. Leave her alone, Riddle.â
Draco shut the door before you could hear Mattheoâs response. It warmed your heart that you had someone in your corner, your confidant, your protector. You now understood what Fred and George were saying - having a twin is the best thing.Â
You pretended to sleep as Draco walked back over, but you felt his lips land softly on your temple. âGoodnight, little moon. Iâve got you.â
Mattheo catches you in the hallways while you are walking between classes with your brother several days later. âMally, wait, please... talk to me. There has to be a misunderstanding. Please.â He looks like he hasn't slept in days.Â
âFor the last time, Riddle, leave me the fuck alone!â You yell while pushing him away from you, but he comes back like a moth to a flame. Clearly, you were going to have to tell him in a language he would understand. Once he got within arms reach, you punched him square in the nose. You could feel the cartilage break under your fist. âI told you, leave me alone, Riddle! You had your chance with me, and you gave that up.â
Mattheo holds his nose while looking at you in complete shock. Everyone in the hallway was looking at you in complete shock. You walk away, Draco hurrying after you, leaving Mattheo to deal with his broken nose himself. You could faintly hear a commotion happening behind you, but you didnât dare look around.Â
The rumours began mere hours later and steadily built up momentum as the days passed.
âDid you hear Mattheo Riddle got his nose broken by that Malfoy girl last week?â
âDid he actually? How did Tom react?â
âI still canât believe Mattheo got his nose broken by a girl.â
You were growing tired of all the gossip about you. You heard from Draco that Mattheo had started withdrawing from everyone; clearly, he was, too. The guilt began to eat you up alive - was he actually that in love with you that your separation was this hard on him? Thereâs no way he loved you, not with how he acted; maybe he was just embarrassed. Hopefully, he was just embarrassed, but you couldnât worry about that; you had bigger things on your mind - the Dueling Club tournament.Â
You sit back, watching your team dominate, cheering them on and giving the newer ones points before they step into the ring. You have to sit with the other house captains, something about rules or whatever. You clock Mattheo, sitting a few seats down, but pay it no mind.
Slytherin and Gryffindors were neck and neck; this next duel would decide who won that year's tournament. You stepped up for your house, stepping into the ring amongst hoots and hollers. After some intense planning, Harry Potter steps into the ring. The whole room fell silent. The Chosen One, the boy wonder up against Hogwart's greatest dueler. This really would be a duel to remember.
âI guess weâre doing this, Potter.â You chuckle, taking your wand from your robes and holding it comfortably in your hand. You scan the room before your eyes lock with Mattheos, and you see a myriad of untold emotions. His eyes draw you in, locking you in place. The world beyond you slips away, melting into a sea of nothingness; nothing mattered to you more at that moment than Mattheo.Â
Until, out of your peripheral vision, you see a spell coming hurling your way; instantaneously, you snap into action, quickly casting a barrier and returning the spell at him. âThat was a good try, Potter,â You taunt, waiting for him to engage again. His eyes burn into you before slinging spell after spell at you. One or two of them connected, but it wasnât enough to win.
âFuck you, Malfoy! Fight back, you coward!â Harry hissed, growing more and more agitated as the duel commenced. He was getting sloppy, precisely what you counted on. He may be âThe Chosen One,â but that doesnât change the fact that he is a hothead and a thoughtless dueler.Â
âEasy, Potter, donât lose your head,â You taunt again, stalking around the ring like a predator stalking its prey. You watch closely, taking note of his actions as you patiently waited, waited for the right time to strike.Â
Now.
You go on the offence, unloading a flurry of harmless attacks, each one hitting its target with deadly accuracy. Within seconds of your attack, that match was called, and Slytherin was named winner of the Tournament. Your whole house jumps up and swarms you, chanting your name. You were enjoying all the celebration when you saw Mattheo pushing through the crowd. You prepared yourself mentally for whatever argument was about to ensue, but when he reached you, instead of starting an argument, his lips collided with yours.Â
The kiss was electrifying, hungry, desperate, and everything you needed it to be. Mattheo's hands danced their way down your face to the side of your neck, resting there as if they were always meant to be thereâŚand perhaps they were.Â
âYou're mine, do you understand me?â He growls as he breaks the kiss. âNo more of this ignoring me bullshit. I know where I fucked up, but I need you back, Mally. Please, no more hiding, no more keeping you a secret.â
You look at him, seeing the vulnerability heâs showing in front of everyone. He bites his lip, and his hands begin to tremble ever so slightly. You knew in your heart what to stay.Â
âYouâre a goddamn idiot, Mattheo Riddle, but youâre my goddamn idiot.â You punctuate your sentence with a kiss, sealing everything.
#mattheo riddle x reader#mattheo x you#mattheo riddle imagine#mattheo riddle#mattheo riddle angst#slytherin x reader#slytherin
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The Lookalike
â Summary: The first thing you remembered after your death was an argument. âNo, this isnât one of my fucking sluts.â The man behind you exhaled, frustrated. âThis is a present for you. Something to help you work through your Alastor fixation.â You awaken in Hell as the near-spitting image of a certain infamous radio host. Unfortunately for you, you immediately fall into the clutches of his nemesis.Â
â Warnings: hermaphrodite!reader, deer!reader, crying!reader, they/them pronouns used, explicit content, reader is in Hell for a reason, Valentino, canon typical scenarios.
â Author's note: This is now a complete series! Part I Part2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 6 BONUS SCENE Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Epilogue
The first thing you remembered after your death was an argument.
âWhat the fuck, Val? You canât just come in here and dump a fucking body on my fucking floor. Christ.â The first voice was a manâs, the intonation weary rather than angry. He walked towards you, each footstep reverberating through the floor and through your tender skull. âLook, I donât want to be in the same room with you right now.â
âThis isnât a body.â The second man spoke from behind you, and you could practically hear him rolling his eyes. Dimly, you took stock of your situation. You were on the floor. Your head hurt. Your body felt weird.
âOne of your sluts, then. I donât fucking care, just get it out of here.â
âNo, this isnât one of my fucking sluts.â The man behind you exhaled, frustrated. âThis is a present for you. Something to help you work through your Alastor fixation.â
No, your body wasnât just painful, but really weird, like all of your joints werenât quite where you remembered them. You were pretty sure your ears were in the wrong place. What had happened?
âOh, fuck you, Val. I donât have a-â The man in front of you stopped mid sentence, an audible intake of breath. âOh. Oh, fuck. What the fuck, Val?â
The second man made a pleased noise deep in his throat, and laughed. âSee? I know what you really want.â
âFuck me, thatâs, uh, some resemblance.â The first manâs voice slowed, tone shifting from annoyance to something closer to awe. He moved closer, and you felt the air shift as he crouched next to you, getting a closer look. âWhere did you get them?â
âWe had some idiots posted near the east side boundary who were meant to look out for Alastor. This one was just lying in the street. Wrong color, but you know the saying- life gives you lemons, you see how many you can insert into one slut.â
âFucking hell.â The first man leaned in closer, and you squinted open your eyes. Blue was most of what you could see. Glowing blue. He placed a hand on your shoulder, and you gave an involuntary sound, a static crackle and a whine like a capacitor with a faulty mount. âOh fuck, they even sound like him! Val!â
âWhatever you say, snookums.â Val exhaled again, the air moving as he walked away. âPheremones on the cabinet if you need them, you can thank me when youâre done with your new toy.â
âWhere am I?â you asked, your voice feeling deeply unfamiliar, a coarse, crackling edge to it. Groggily, you lifted your head, still squinting. The man who had stayed was glowing blue, and you squinted at him uneasily, your eyes not quite working as you expected. Where were your glasses? âWho are you?â
âOh, fuck, that voice is so fucking close. This is so great. Hey, can you look at me real quick?â A blue hand caught the bottom of your chin, guiding your head, and you found yourself staring into a rectangle of blue. âCan you say Iâm sorry Vox?â
âWhoâs Vox?â you asked, genuinely puzzled. âWhy are you a television?â
âOhh fuck.â The man let your chin drop, withdrawing his touch. âYou really are new here, arenât you? Fucking Val.â He sighed, and as your eyes adjusted further, you could see his face was digital, a pattern dancing across the screen. âAlright, first off, Iâm Vox. Letâs get you up.â
His hand around your forearm, Vox helped you to your feet. Which you didnât have. You had hooves. You looked away, feeling faintly nauseous, and nearly tripped as soon as you were standing, only Voxâs arm holding you up. You made another sound of distress, a static whine.
âHey, hey.â Voxâs tone shifted again, from his previous intense interest in you to something softer. âYouâll be okay. Letâs get you to the bed.â
Stumbling, you made it to the bed, and Vox lowered you carefully onto the sheets. They were a dark blue, the thread count so high they were almost silky to the touch.
You pulled your legs up onto the bed and started feeling the length of them with your fingers, the familiar knee to the unfamiliar cleft of the hoof, your panic continuing to rise. âWhatâs happening to me? Is this even real?â
âFuck me thatâs hot,â breathed Vox, his gaze on your hooves for a moment before he tore it away. He sat beside you, hesitating before placing a hand on your shoulder. âYes, this is real. Everyone goes through this, yâknow. Iâm a fuckin-â he gestured to his face. âYou get used to it.â
Alarm flooded your body. Used to this? With your legs too long, and your ears- and whatever the fuck was growing out of the top of your head- you didnât even want to think about that. Tears welled up hot in your eyes, and you swallowed down a sob, something that came out sounding like the pop of a small capacitor bursting.
Vox watched you with a hungry fascination. âHey,â he said, reaching across to brush the wetness from your cheeks. âItâs hard. Fuck, I know itâs hard. Let me take care of you, okay? I can take care of you.â His arm snaked around your shoulders, and you found yourself pressed against Voxâs chest, his other hand a gentle pressure at the small of your back. Vox smelled faintly of hot plastic and windex, but his body was warm, and welcoming, and you nuzzled into his collar as the tears came, half static sobs that shook from your diaphragm up through your shoulders.
âHey, baby deer, itâll be okay.â Voxâs palm smoothed your back, rubbing slow circles over your shoulderblades as you cried. âIâll take good care of you, youâll see.â His claws went to your collar, undoing the top button of your shirt with thumb and forefinger.
You looked down, surprised, as Vox undid the second button. âWhat are you-â
You paused, staring into his eyes as you considered your situation. The other guy had dragged you here as a gift. Vox clearly wanted sex. He was warm and his hands were deft, and you were all alone in a strange new place. You had one piece of leverage, and that was your resemblance to whoever this Alastor guy was. Your best bet, realistically, was to play dumb, spread your legs, and negotiate once you had a better grasp of the situation. Or murder him in his sleep, either worked. If you started asking too many questions you risked Vox realizing you had a brain.
âWhat are you thinking?â Vox asked, hands paused over the third button of your shirt.
What was the dumbest, sluttiest answer you could give to that? You thought fast, improvising. âHow do I kiss you?â you asked, blinking away tears. âI mean, can you kiss-â
Vox gave a toothy, slightly superior grin. âOh, that? Câmere.â Saying that, he put his hand on the back of your head, and pulled you close. Your nose nearly touching the screen, you could feel the heat of him. He was bright so you closed your eyes, your lips pressing against the flatness. And then. Lips. A curve in the glass, and an opening. He probed his tongue against your lips, and you opened your mouth for him, letting him inside. The feel of his tongue was like the surface of the screen but more intense, a throbbing electrical signal as it twined against yours. His tongue was also huge, large enough to fill your mouth and extend down your throat, though Vox didnât push, letting it instead extend between you, the length dripping with saliva. He kept one hand in your hair, the other on your back, and you found yourself crawling into his lap, sitting astride his thighs as you kissed. Your whole body was unfamiliar, but arousal took the edge off, a pulse that ran through your core and-
âOh-â you breathed, breaking the kiss, becoming aware of the unfamiliar sensation in your own pants. An aching tightness and a pulsing slickness.
Vox withdrew his tongue, his expression one of concern. His gaze followed yours down to your pants, and a triumphant look returned. âYeah, I have that effect on people.â
âI- I think I have more parts than I used to.â You swallowed, the static in your voice crackling. âIs that normal? Does everyone-â
âShow me.â Voxâs response was instant, and when you hesitated, his hand went to your waist, encouraging. A little shimmying later and you were on your back, naked from the waist down, cock engorged, cunt dripping.
âOh, fuck. Fuck me. Fucking hell.â Voxâs screen glitched slightly as he knelt between your knees, his stare frank and hungry. âThat is. Oh, man.â
You closed your eyes, feeling yourself heat under his gaze, tears threatening to well in your eyes again. âDoes it⌠itâs not weird?â
âYou are perfect,â said Vox, with the absolute conviction of a man about to ruin his own pants. He crawled up over your body, pushing your unbuttoned shirt open, his touches on your skin almost reverent, the static field from his screen making the fine hairs on your chest stand on end. He kissed you again, giving a groan of satisfaction as his clothed erection pressed against yours. But being exposed like this, even under worshipful eyes, was hard, and you felt the telltale ache in your throat, your face wet with tears as Vox pulled back a little.
He didnât scold you but hushed you, hand gentle on your damp cheek. âItâs okay, Iâm gonna take such good care of you, youâve got no idea. So you just relax and leave it to me.â
Slowly, you nodded, looking up at him. Crying hadnât been your plan, but it seemed to be helping.
âFuck, man, those eyes.â Vox made a noise, continuing under his breath as he undid his belt. âI didnât know those eyes could look so trusting, fuck me. Youâre fucking beautiful, you know that?â
The tip of his cock was the same luminescent blue as his tongue, the shaft darker. He held your knees under his arms and pushed into you, his stare for you as greedy as it had been from the moment he first saw you, and as good as his word he was gentle with your body, the strokes sweet and slow. You knew intellectually that his gaze was for some guy who happened to look like you, but even so, it was hard not to get caught up in the moment, not with the attention he paid to you, optimizing the slow roll of his hips to hit the good spots inside you as his fist closed over your cock, pumping in time.
A soft mewl escaped you, the first sound you had made without the static filter, and Vox grinned. âSee? Iâm taking good care of you, arenât I?â
âY-yes,â you managed. The way he was fucking you made it difficult to form a coherent sentence.
âSay my name. Say Yes, Vox.â
âY-ye-â you gave a whimper mid word as he hit the good spot inside you again, palm tightening around your shaft. You swallowed, and tried again. âYes, Vox- ah!â You felt a twitch from his cock as you said his name, a line of broken pixels down his screen.
âOh, fuck me, thatâs the good stuff.â Vox made a staccato groan, fingers briefly tighter around your shaft. âTell me youâre sorry, and you should have joined my team.â
âIâm s-s-â Sorry vanished into white noise as Vox set a harsher pace for the two of you, the roll of his hips becoming a snap, making your breath catch as your pleasure built. âIâm sorry Vox, it was a mistake, I should have joined you-â
âYouâve joined me now though, havenât you? Gonna cum on my cock,â said Vox, with the absolute conviction of a man who could already feel the twitch of your cunt around him.
âFuck,â you whimpered, feeling sensation crest. You hadnât expected to cum, not in this unfamiliar body with this unfamiliar man, but the combination of his intensity and the dexterity with which he fucked you proved your undoing, sensation pulled tight through the core of you.
Voxâs expression was an indulgent leer. âThatâs right, baby, let go,â he said, and you could only give soft animal and radio interference noises in response as he tipped you over your edge. Your orgasm was a hot white second of nothing but bliss that left your new body trembling and twitching. You came over your own stomach and chest, Vox giving a groan of his own when he saw it. âFuck me thatâs a fucking work of art.â
With you spent he worked on his own end, both hands on your hips, fucking a brisk rhythm into you that had you whimpering through your aftershocks.
âAlastor,â Vox groaned as he came, his eyes glazed as he looked down at you. His spasm into you was another new sensation, a staticky sort of frisson run through you, a shiver through your core and up your spine as his cock pulsed inside you.
You stayed in that position for a few moments, both of you still and panting, Vox not yet soft inside you, still holding your legs under his arms. Tentatively, your reached out and touched his forearm, and this stirred him out of his fugue. âShit,â he said, blinking. âRight, uh, donât move.â Gingerly, he withdrew from you, your cunt giving one last echo of a spasm in protest, and you watched him from the bed as he retreated into the bathroom, returning with a damp towel and tissues. âLetâs get you cleaned up,â he said.
Vox lay alongside you, wiping your cum from your chest with an attentiveness that was equal to any he had shown while fucking you. His strange, rectangular head was warm when the sides brushed against your skin, and you found yourself scooting a little closer to his body. You caught a glimpse of a pleased expression on his face before he pushed a finger under your chin and you tilted your head back so that he could clean the last of the cum from your collarbones and neck. True to his word, he was taking good care of you. Maybe you wouldnât have to murder him in his sleep after all.
âSo, who is Alastor, anyway?â you asked. Vox froze, but you pushed a little further. âI mean, if Iâm pretending to be him, itâs better if I know, right?â
âOh, man.â Vox gave a deep sigh. âFuck, where do I even start?â
You nestled closer to him, tucking your head against his shoulder, and after a little awkward adjustment, he settled with his arms around you. He radiated heat, and you felt yourself relaxing at the physical contact, your heart rate and your breathing slowing. Tilting your head back, you brushed your nose against the outer frame of Voxâs head, and he gave a soft sigh of contentment. âYou donât have to tell me if you donât want to,â you said, playing the ingĂŠnue.
âNo, no, youâre right.â Vox tilted his head, his strange lips brushing against the tips of your ears and making you shiver. âItâs a long story, but I guess you should know.â
#vox x reader#vox x you#vox x alastor#hazbin hotel vox#hazbin vox#vox the tv demon#hazbin x reader#hazbin hotel x you#hazbin hotel x y/n#vox x y/n
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wish you were sober â seok matthew
seok matthew x reader, slight myung jaehyun x reader
wc â 6.9k genre & warnings â fluff, light angst, crack, friends to lovers, alcohol consumption, vomitting in one scene, kissing/making out, jealousy, zb1 friendgroup antics, HAOBIN AND GYUBRIK CANON SRY, boynextdoor and kiss of life cameo, reader has hair long enough to be tucked and held back playlist/inspired by â apt. by rosĂŠ & bruno mars // sober II by lorde // wish you were sober by conan gray // urs by niki // lovers rock by tv girl notes â wrote this mainly bc my life changed the moment matthew read my sign in the jebewon con, finished it the day matthew was @ the prada event. and in both instances, i've gotten significantly more ill, so here's this very self-indulgent, self-insert fic (where aspects are derived from my own experiences) <3 if you enjoyed reading, please do reblog and leave feedback! request to be part of the taglist! masterlist
synopsis â as far as matthew knows, you still liked another man. yet, your friendship with him takes a sudden turn over a drunken confession... or three.
(or in other words, the three times you confess to matthew under the influence but he never believes youâuntil you tell him sober.)
the first time you confess to matthew happens on the night of hanbinâs graduationâno, not a confession of love but one of attraction.
if matthew has to be completely honest, he still doesnât know what to make of your words. over the course of three years, he wouldnât have suspected your interest in him. if anything, heâs under the impression you still like jaehyun. yet, everything shifts the moment he stumbles into the same bathroom as you.
âhanbin, have you found yourself a job?â gyuvin pops the long awaited question.
more than half of the group finds themselves in the kitchen. matthew knows that gunwookâs coming from soccer practice and yujin had to stay home for a doctorâs appointment the next day. as for you, he remembers seeing you with julie on the search for jaehyun and sungho.
the graduated fellow groans. âdonât remind me that iâm unemployed. this whole job search is going to kill me.â hao chuckles as hanbin rests his head on his shoulder.
gyuvin slings his arm around jiwoongâs shoulders. âoh, donât worry! iâm sure this employed man can make something happen, right?âÂ
âme? you should be asking ricky!â all eyes land on the blond who sips away on a drink. âheâs the one with a family business. iâm barely making it in that goddamn nine to five that iâm still mixing shit for you college students.â
ricky elbows jiwoongâs side, causing the man to yelp. âyou could be asking me for a job if you really hated the one you have now.â
âreally? you could save me?â jiwoong almost gets on his knees until matthew holds him back.
âplease donât do that. not everyone knows you here.â
the man complies and puts his hands together. âricky, please. i might just kill myself if i have to deal with another overtime. i mean, i canât even remember the last time i properly hung out with you guys.â
âi donât think anyone expects you to stick with us all the time. you have a job.â taeraeâs point only brings him to a fit of laughter as jiwoong tickles him.
regardless of how loud taerae and jiwoong are, the rest of the group continues to discuss hanbinâs dilemma. âbut yes, i could make something happen if you really want,â ricky offers.
âreally? thank you!â hanbin hugs him. âitâs almost impossible to find a job. i donât know why.â
âtell me about it. i canât even get an internship. iâm already willing to settle for an unpaid one but no one seems to be accepting,â taerae complains as he leans against the wall.Â
hao swishes around the alcohol in his cup. âthat does make me wanna ask what the upcoming seniors are planning to do.â his eyes darted between taerae and matthew.
taerae grins. âthe goal is to become a trophy wife.â
âof course it is.â gyuvin laughs before leaning against ricky. âiâm marked safe. i donât know about you guys.â
jiwoong groans while taerae rolls his eyes at their public display of affection. âyou donât have to rub it in our faces.â
âyeah, whatever. what about you?â ricky looks at matthew. âare you still planning for medschool or is there another career crisis happening again?â
he shakes his head. ânah, iâm still pretty set on med school. next year is going to be hell for me.â
âah, that means matthew is going to be the one providing for his partner! taerae, nowâs your chance.â hanbinâs joke has everyone bursting into laughter.
taerae dramatically clears his throat, choking in between which only makes them wheeze. âmatthew, can i be yours?â
matthew gets closer to his friend, his face only a few inches apart before saying, ânot until you let me become yours.â at his double down, everyone starts to make gagging noises, including taerae who physically cringes.
âget a room!â
âdamn, no kiss?â rickyâs joke in contrast to gyuvinâs complaint has jiwoong chuckling.
âyeah, you know what? fuck you, guys. iâm going to find someone at this damn party.â with that, taerae ventures off. jiwoong follows without another word.
gyuvinâs phone rings in his pocket. as he brings it out, he sees a message. âoh, gunwookâs already here! iâm gonna go grab him.â ricky trails behind his partner, leaving matthew with the other couple.Â
hanbin looks around before asking, âhey, where is y/n?â
âlast time i saw them, they were looking for myungjae and sungho.â matthew chugs down his drink before letting out a sigh.
âi wonder when theyâll finally grow a pair and ask him out, or just do something about it,â hao wonders out loud as he stares off into the crowd. âitâs almost painful to watch. i feel like i need to play cupid.â
âwait, why havenât you been helping them out?â
hanbinâs question has matthew laughing in disbelief. âyou think i havenât? iâve done almost everything to push them. i even told them all the signs that show heâs clearly interested, but y/n wonât budge. iâm surprised theyâve been sane enough to not say anything even while drunk.â
it almost seems like their conversation summoned jaehyun into the kitchen as he comes rushing to them. âoh, speak of the devil. we were just talking about you,â matthew says with a smile until he sees worry taking over jaehyunâs features.
âguys, i think y/n had too much to drink.â
matthew stands up straight. âwhere are they?â
âin the bathroom with julie.â
without another word, matthew makes his way to you while jaehyun follows. âwhat even happened?â
ây/n was fine, i swear. with how they were acting, we all thought they were just tipsy. but it was like watching a sudden switch from that to⌠genuinely almost passing out.â
itâs not that matthew doesnât trust jaehyun. if anything, he would trust him any other day to watch over you, but tonightâs events only show that jaehyun still has much to learn about you. the guilt in his voice only shows how much he cares.
as soon as matthew spots sungho and natty outside of the bathroom, he rushes to them. âoh, thank god youâre here. julie is helping them freshen up right now,â sungho says.Â
âwe werenât trying to get them blackout drunk, we swear. we really thought they were okay, but i donât think they ate enough before drinking. me and julie were helping y/n as they were throwing up but they kept looking for you.â
matthew rubs his chin over nattyâs explanation. âcan i go in?â
âuh, let me check.â natty knocks on the door before swinging it open.
âmatthew, weâre sorry. we really didnât know,â jaehyun apologizes.
before matthew can say anything, julie exits the bathroom. âi think they puked out whatever they could. just make sure they stay close to the toilet.â
without another word, matthew makes his way to the doorway. he sees your hunched figure by the bathtub as you sit on the tiled-floor. in your drunken state, you donât notice him as you quietly sing a melody.
matthew shouldâve been filled with worry. yet, he thinks back to nattyâs words, and the image of you looking for him plays in his mindâand itâs a smile that he canât get rid of.
once he closes the door behind him, your eyes snap to him. âmatthew! youâre here.â your slurred words bring him to a chuckle.
matthew remembers the last time you were this drunk; itâs funny to find you in the same situation after telling him multiple times that you wouldnât drink that much ever again. he crouches to your side, taking in the sight of your disheveled state. ây/n, i thought we werenât going to drink that much anymore.â
âi know,â you hiccup before your eyes shut, âiâm sorry.â
sure, you were always a mess whenever you drank this much, but you were never intolerableânever to matthew. (after all, heâd deal with you in your most intoxicated state over the others.)
his hand reaches out to tuck some strands behind your ear. at the presence of his warmth, your cheek snuggles against his palm. âyou donât have to be sorry. itâs okay.â you melt into his touch.Â
without thinking, his thumb caresses your cheek, etching invisible shapes onto your skin. he watches you twitch over the action, and your eyes meet him once more.Â
matthewâs ready to draw his hand back, help you stand up and escort you back to your placeâ
âyouâre so pretty.â
his movements halt. matthew doesnât know if he heard you right or if the alcohol is getting to him as well.
âhuh?â
and the next thing you say stops him from breathing. âyouâre so cute.â
itâs not unusual for you to compliment him, really, but somethingâs different about now. maybe itâs the alcohol or the distance between you two, but all matthew knows is that your words carried some weight different from other instances.
perhaps now is the worst time for matthew to be stuck in a daze. youâre drunk. he shouldnât be making a fuss over the nonsense you spout, which is why he fails to catch the telltale signs of your impending nausea. (and you clearly wouldnât have caught yourself in your intoxicated state.)
before you both know it, you throw up on yourself, and that finally snaps matthew out of a haze. heâs quick to grab the trashcan and bring it close to you. as you vomit, he holds your hair back. it keeps on going, and going, and goingâat least matthew will take that as a clear sign that youâre done for the night.
on the next day, matthew asks if you remember what you said last night. when heâs met by your confusion, he knows better than to not think anymore of what you said then.
(and instead of sharing your slurred words, he tells you of the vomiting mishap in the bathroom. jesus fucking christ, i am not drinking ever again, you say in embarrassment.)
ever since that night, matthew has made it a habit to ask about your progress with jaehyun. itâs not that heâs running away from the events of that night. after all, hanbinâs right; matthew should do a better job in playing cupid for you and jaehyun. yet, all questions pertaining to your relationship with the boy were always met with a shrug and a refusal to dive into the details.
a few months pass. something romantic has yet to develop between you and jaehyun. at this point, matthew is feeling hopeless about the future you dream with that boy, but he isnât the type to give up. he knows that thereâs something between you twoâall you need is a push.
âhappy birthday, gyuvin!â everyone cheers as their cups clink against each other.
the birthday boy grins as he leans on rickyâs shoulder. âthanks, everyone. iâm glad you guys are here,â he mumbles. his cheeks have gone red and his words are starting to slur. considering how long the party has been going, matthew isnât surprised to see gyuvin very much intoxicated.
for his birthday, he decided to invite his friends from his other social circles; basketball jocks, gaming nerds, and even student council folks take over his house as they talk and play over drinks. gyuvin thinks now would be the best time for all of his friends to meet. still, most of the group sticks together.
âyou know, you should just hire me to bartend for your parties. everyone in this party seems to be chugging the drinks i mix for them,â jiwoong jokes as he bumps his shoulder against gyuvin.
âisnât the next party going to be halloween? are we even planning to host one?â hanbin asks.
taerae tries to recall the previous arrangement. âdidnât we agree to spend halloween with yujin?â
ânah, we decided on christmas. yujin said he has plans for halloween, so we can host or just find another party to crash.â gunwookâs response brings the whole group to look at him. he raises his hands in defense. âdonât look at me! iâm not offering to host.â
âdoes myungjae not plan to host one?â haoâs question seems to be directed at matthew with how his eyes are on him.
jiwoong brings his hands together. âperfect! he might hire me.â
matthew rolls his shoulders back. ever since he tried playing cupid, he doesnât know why everyone seems to go to him for anything related to you and jaehyun. first, it was when gunwook wanted to know about jaehyunâs schedule. next, it was gyuvin when he asked if jaehyun and his friends would be attending this party.
itâs not like matthew knew everything about myung jaehyun.Â
(unfortunately, it doesnât help that he only has jaehyunâs schedule because he had to find a way to make you spend time with him. what doesnât help his case any more is that he only knew of jaehyunâs attendance because he wanted to make use of this party to push you to do something.)
âi wouldnât know.â matthew takes a sip of his drink. âand, wouldnât hanbin know? heâs closer to myungjae than i am.â
âwe should just ask him. where is he, anyway?â hanbin looks around.
âprobably with y/n, or something,â ricky jokes before swaying in his spot with gyuvin. âany update on that? whatâs been going on with them.â
all matthew does is shrug in response.
âguys, hear me outâŚâ gyuvin calls on the groupâs attention. âtruth or dare.â
a beat passes.
âletâs go find myungjae.â
âyah! itâs my birthday.â gyuvin pouts over haoâs reaction. âdonât you guys think itâll be fun?â
jiwoong scoffs at gyuvinâs question. âfun? the last time we played, it resulted in someone losing their clothes and me almost losing my job from a tweet you guys made.â
âi thought you hated your job, anyway.â taeraeâs comment results in a scolding from jiwoong. âwhat?! iâm just pointing it out.â
while some were against the idea, others were onboard with gyuvinâs idea. âiâm sure itâll be fun. letâs get myungjae and the others to join in as well,â gunwook suggests.
then, it hits matthew that this is itâthis is the opportunity that he needs to push you. under the guise of a simple and fun game of truth or dare, he could maximize whatever option you choose. âiâm in.â
everyone ends up agreeing with gyuvinâs game. from there on, all matthew needs to do is grab you and jaehyun and hope that his plan moves forward. (and get his other friends to join, sure.)
matthew is lucky that heâs able to spot julie in a sea of students. while sheâs busy chatting with the seniors, he realizes that you and jaehyun arenât with her. he continues to move through the crowd. the last thing he wants is to see you too drunk to function, especially when the universe presented him with the perfect opportunity for you and jaehyun.
yet, it comes to his surprise that he sees you in the corner, whispering into the ear of your crush with your hand against his chest. the grin on jaehyunâs face is enough for matthew.
maybe you didnât need your friendâs help. just from the distance (or the lack of it), matthew thinks you might have everything under control. that means that matthew can sit back and allow you two to unfold this romance.
but thereâs a sting in matthewâs chest. heâs sure itâs not a heart attack; it should come in a form of squeezing, and the pain should spread throughout his body. yet, the one heâs experiencing is merely an ache. maybe he should hold himself back from drinking any more.
âhave you found y/n?â gunwook rests his hand on matthewâs shoulder. before matthew can respond, gunwook spots you and jaehyun. âmyungjae! y/n!â at his call, you two snap your attention to them. matthew can already tell how intoxicated you are from how you spin your head to his direction. âcome! weâre gonna play a game.â with that, gunwook takes his leave.
matthewâs suspicions are further proven with your inability to walk straight to him. âmatthew! there you are,â you giggle as your arm links with his. your hiccup brings matthew to look at jaehyun.
âhow much did they have this time?â
âless than the last time, but iâd still argue quite a lot.âÂ
while matthew and jaehyun try to find the group, you continue to latch onto matthewâs arm as you walk sluggishly. âdo you not drink a lot?â matthew asks jaehyun.
the boy hums for a moment. âi do, but i think itâs better if i drink less when iâm around y/n. at least iâd be sober enough to take care of them.â
matthew has no reason to doubt jaehyun, especially with an answer like that. he knows that jaehyun would care for any of his friends; jaehyunâs always been the type to help out his friends with any task, but his choice to take that extra step tells matthew enough of his adoration for you.
âwhat are you guys talking about? are you talking about me?â you slur the question as you tug on matthewâs arm. âit better be good things.â
matthew canât help but laugh.
as soon as matthew and jaehyun spot the rest of their friends gathering into a circle around a bottle, the three of you quickly find your own spots to settle into.
jaehyun takes a seat near sungho, leaving some space beside him. before matthew can go somewhere farther to sit, your grip on his arm holds him back. âhey, stay with me.â matthewâs eyes flicker between your drunken expression and jaehyunâs gaze fixed on him and you.
âyouâre okay. youâll be with myungjae.â
matthewâs confident that you would agree to sit beside jaehyun. after all, the boy took care of you for most of the night. yet, your grip never falters, and nothing couldâve prepared him for the last sentence you mumble, one only for him to hear.
âno. want you with me.âÂ
matthew stills. the music becomes muffled and the chatter surrounding him falls silent. instead, the beating of his heart fills his ears as heat rises to his cheeksâand he doesnât know why.Â
âhey! sit down!â gyuvin calls him out. with all eyes on you two, matthew doesnât want to upset you any further. if he pushed to sit somewhere else, it would only cause a scene, and thatâs the last thing he wants on his friendâs birthday. matthew finds himself sinking into a spot beside you.
the game proceeds accordingly, where most chug some more alcohol with every round that passes. secrets spill out of peopleâs mouths and laughter seems to fill the air. and for some reason, with all the times thatâs passed, you stayed leaning against matthew.
at least you werenât drinking along with the others.
after multiple interrogations and embarrassing dares, taerae spins the bottle. âplease please please, donât make it me again,â he prays as everyone watches the bottle go in circles.
âiâd laugh if you had to do another one,â gunwook says before taking another shot. âactually, iâm going to hope it lands on you!â
taerae tackles his friend to the ground over his comment, making him yell out complaints. yet, the universe works in taeraeâs favorâand also matthewâs.
âoh my god, finally!â taerae cheers as he sees the bottle pointing at you.
you blink a couple of times. âoh, fuck me.â your head finds its spot behind your hands.
âi have been waiting for this one.â taerae rubs his hands together. âtruth or dare?â
you have always been the type to choose truth. with the groupâs history with dares, you werenât the type to take that risk, which is why it comes as a surprise to everyone when you say, âfuck it, give me a dare.â
this is it. this is the opportunity that matthew needed. âi have a dare!â he beats everyone from spitting out any useless suggestion. as soon as all eyes are on him, he glances at jaehyun before saying, âi dare you to do seven minutes in heaven.â
your eyes go wide over matthewâs suggestion. âwhat the fuck?â you smack his arm. âno way in hell am i going to do that!â
ânu-uh! a dare is a dare,â ricky argues. âdonât try to get out of this.â
gyuvin speaks up, âif it helps, you donât have to do anything with anyone. take this as your opportunity to bond with someone, get your heart-to-heart talk or something. but you can also make out with them, we donât really care.â before he can take another shot, ricky stops him from doing so.
you groan at your friendsâ insistence. âbut with who?â
the stars are aligning for matthew. heâs about to chime in with the perfect nameâ
âwhat if we just spin the bottle again?â all hope shatters for matthew, and myung jaehyun is to blame. âthat can determine who will be with y/n. itâs completely by chance.â
before matthew can interject, gyuvin claps at jaehyunâs suggestion. âyou know what? youâre so fucking smart. letâs do that.â with how intoxicated the birthday boy is, no one seems to go against his idea, including you, and matthew fears what will unfold once that bottle lands on someone that isnât jaehyun.
as soon as gyuvin reaches out to spin the bottle, matthew shuts his eyes in hopes that the universe would listen to him in the same way it did with taerae. heâs not even doing this for himselfâitâs all for you. he wants you to win as much as you do with yourself. (he hopes that, at least. he needs you to believe that you have something with jaehyun as much as he does. if you didnât, then this would go nowhere.)
âoh.â
matthew says one final prayer. he opens his eyes at the sound of gyuvinâs reaction, and what he doesnât expect to see is the bottle pointing right at him. matthewâs convinced that the universe is going against him.
âwell, lead the way, birthday boy,â jiwoong says.
matthew glances at you, expecting to see disappointment, but he only sees an expression heâs never seen beforeâand one he canât decipher.Â
it doesnât take a while until you and matthew are shoved into gyuvinâs walk-in closet. gunwook says theyâll keep the game going, but matthew attempts one last time to get out of this dare, only for the door to be shut right in front of his face.
as the shuffling of footsteps grow distant, matthew finally accepts defeat. he looks back to see you sitting on the floor with eyes shut. maybe you need these minutes to sober up. after all, who is the best person to take care of you if not him?Â
matthew finds himself on the floor with you. seven minutes could easily pass with you two; not a single word needs to be said. but tonight, time seems to stretch into an eternity. matthew hates it.
he takes in the sight of you; your shirtâs disheveled and your nose scrunches from the heat of the room and alcohol. still, most things remain the same. your arms cross with every moment your eyes long for rest and your steady heart sounds throughout the room from every exhale.
since when did matthew notice all the small things about you? itâs not like you two were friends longer than he is with hanbin. he still finds himself forgetting trivial things about his friendsâwith you, it comes easy.
your eyes peel open, and for the first time, matthewâs nervous around you.
âyou feeling better?â
you nod before sitting up straight. âyeah, i think the alcohol is leaving my system.â
âthatâs good.â
seconds go by.
âso,â matthew clears his throat, âhow are you and myungjae?â
a laugh escapes you, not like the ones whenever he cracks a joke but something heâs never heard before. âweâre okay.â
matthew waits a couple of moments until he realizes you werenât going to expound. âoh, so now, i donât get to hear you yap about your crush?â his comment manages to earn a laugh heâs familiar with.
but itâs turned into a reality. he canât remember the last time you actually talked to him about myung jaehyun. if anything, itâs almost like you donât want to talk about the boy to him.
matthewâs never been the type to force you to share anything, really, but he realizes itâs been a while since you mentioned the boyâs name. itâs impossible for him to ignore that. and tonight, he can blame his curiosity on the alcohol.
âare you hiding something?âÂ
âitâs not that.â
matthew hums. âthen, what is it?Â
silence falls on you two.
he takes the lack of your response as a sign. to not push any further. to not be curious. to respect your privacy.
to sit back and watch it unfold.
to forget all that youâve said on that drunken night.
âmyungjae and i are just friends.â matthewâs eyes snap up to meet yours. âweâve always been just friends.â
âbut that can change. i mean, i could help you! iâve seen how much he cares for you, iâm convinced he likes youââ
âmatthew,â you cut him off, âlike i said, weâre just friends.â
he frowns. âiâm confused. just because youâre friends now doesnât mean you canât be something more.â
your breath hitches, and his confusion deepens.
âyou really think that?â
itâs at this moment that matthew spots something different about you tonight, one heâs never been on the receiving end of to experienceâyour glossy eyes filled with strong, bittersweet yearning.
and he holds his breath before saying, âyes.â
the bass of the music fades away. the heat of the alcohol means nothing. matthew could care less about who he came with to this party.
right now, itâs just you two.Â
âi donât like myungjae.â your reveal causes matthew to frown. âi havenât liked him for a while.â
âoh.â
you nod. âyeah.â
matthew has a million questions running through his head. what caused the change or heart? how long ago did you know that? is there something wrong with jaehyun and he never saw?Â
âiââ
âwhenââ
he shakes his head. âsorry, you go first.â
âno, itâs okay. what were you going to say?â
âitâs just⌠i wanted to know when you realized that.â
a chuckle leaves you. âeven before hanbinâs graduation party.â
âyou couldâve told me! if i had known, i wouldnât have kept pushing you to do something with myungjae.â matthew hides his mouth in embarrassment.Â
you shake your head. âitâs okay. i didnât tell you becauseâŚâ
matthew notices your fingers fiddling with each other, an unconscious habit of yours whenever youâre anxious, and his confusion grows.
he doesnât want you to think he canât be trusted with your secrets, your stories, everything about you. after all, he wants to be your friendâyour personâand how can he do that if you felt an ounce of shame to tell him that? he needed to let you know thatâ
âi like you.â
time stills for a moment.
for once, matthew doesnât know what to say.Â
âtimeâs up!â the door swings open, revealing gunwook and taerae whose grins are lopsided. âdid yâall enjoy the heart-to-heart?â gunwookâs question is an innocent, light-hearted one, but the silence hanging between you two is nothing of the sort.
before matthew knows it, you let out a giggle. âof course!â in your attempt to stand up, you almost lose your footing, causing taerae to reach out to you. âsorry. i donât know why but i feel a lot drunker than before.â
your slurred words only makes taerae shake his head. âoh, my silly lil alcoholic. letâs keep it going!â
the three of you exit in high spirits. yet, matthew finds himself stuck in his spot.
stuck in his memories.
stuck in the last conversation.
stuck in your words.
stuck in denial.
âyah, matthew! hurry up! weâre still playing,â gyuvin shouts from outside of the room.
because youâre drunk. you probably didnât mean anything you said, like how you didnât mean what you said at the last party.Â
for the rest of the night, you continue to enjoy gyuvinâs birthday.
matthew attempts to do the same.
itâs been two months since that conversation. on the morning after the party, you admit to the group that you lost recollection of the events that transpired on gyuvinâs birthday. with how much the birthday boy drank, he found himself in the same boat as you. taerae says that itâs only best that you donât remember anything from that night, mainly to save his pride.
but matthew remembers it all. he remembers how you looked at him that night, how your breath hitched, how long the silence was all before you lied.
and he knows you lied.
all it took was one sight of you on a date with jaehyun for him to realize that.
matthew couldnât believe he showed up to the halloween party, not because he wasnât the type to deny an invite, but because itâs being hosted by jaehyun.
he has nothing against him, really, but the conversation in the closet shifted everything; his dynamic with the boy, his thoughts surrounding your relationship with jaehyun, his feelings towards you. matthew prefers to keep his distance out of respect for you two.
that doesnât mean he wonât talk about it with others.
âi really donât think theyâre together.â
âhanbin, did you completely forget what i said?â matthew shakes his head. âthey were on a date.â
he finds himself in the kitchen dressed as saiki k with an almost-finished bottle of soju in his hand. while the rest of his friends were off somewhere, hanbin and hao, who were dressed in stitch and angel onesies, stayed with him.
hao takes a sip of his drink. âhowâd you know it was a date? they couldâve been hanging out for all you know.â
âwellâŚâ
âsee! you canât even defend your point.â
matthew groans. âthat doesnât change anything. iâm sure of it. i mean, they came in a couples costume!â
âtheyâre matching with sungho, you airhead,â hao points out.
hanbin laughs before adding, âas the incredibles, too!â
their doubtful reactions causes matthew to roll his eyes. he chugs the remaining contents of his bottle before grabbing himself another. âi thought i could trust you two.â
âand you can!â hanbin tries to snatch the bottle but fails. âdammit. just be responsible, okay? itâs already hard enough dealing with jiwoong and taerae when theyâre drunk.â
hao sighs. âand you know, jiwoongâs drinking heavy tonight because he got laid off. hoping ricky can help him out.â matthew twists the cap open and drinks straight from the bottle once more. âhey, iâm still saying you should trust what weâre saying. whatever y/n shared in that closet might not be a lie.â
despite their attempts to convince matthew, he knows the truth. thereâs no point in trying to prove him otherwise. so for now, heâll drink the night away.
âiâll see you guys later, or something.â
âmatthewââ
he doesnât spare a second to hear their protests. as much as he loves his friends, he needs some space to wallow in silence. all he longs for is a quiet space away from everyone with enough alcohol to forget everything.
âmatthew!â
this is the last voice he wanted to hear, especially at his state. he sees jaehyun and sungho together dressed in black and red.
âoh my god, youâre matching with riwoo! youâre saiki k, right?â sungho asks.
matthew forces out a smile before nodding. âyeah. incredibles?â he points at the logo on their chests.
âyep! you should take a pic with riwoo!â jaehyun suggests
matthew wouldâve agreed any other day, but he couldnât talk to him. he didnât want to ruin his relationship with the boy just because of his emotions. âmyungjae, i would love to, but i have to go.â
âare you okay?â
when concern paints jaehyunâs features, matthew is reminded once more that there is nothing to hate about him. he needs to get over this whole thing. if youâre happy with jaehyun, he should learn how to be happy for you, too.
a sigh leaves matthew. âyes, sorry. i just need space, if thatâs okay.â
âof course. i hope youâre okay. do you want me to bring you to a spot where itâs quiet?â
matthew shakes his head before reassuring the host, âitâs okay, iâll figure it out on my own.â and with one final nod from jaehyun, matthew walks off.
he passes through the crowd, exchanging brief greetings with familiar faces, until he reaches a hall filled with doors. most rooms were already occupied, and the last thing matthew wants is to know what theyâre doing. all he cares about is finding an unoccupied room where he can drink the night, the confusion, the pain, away.
once he reaches the final door, he quietly begs the universe to give him what he needs. as he swings the door open, he notices that the lights are off, and thatâs enough for him to believe itâs unoccupied. without sparing a second thought, he shuts the door behind him before letting out a sigh.
it takes him a few seconds for his vision to adjust. with the moonlight cascading over the walls, heâs able to take in his surroundings. as soon as he spots a shelf filled with poetry books, he realizes heâs in jaehyunâs room. matthew couldnât believe what the universe is making him undergo. he found himself in the bedroom of someone he desperately needed to get away from, but heâll make do with the last unoccupied spaceâor thatâs what he thought.
âmatthew?â
âholy shit!â he jumps along with his heart. as he clenches his chest, his eyes dart to the source of the voiceâonly to see his friend, his supposed something. your chin rests on jaehyunâs mattress as you stare at him; the same, glossy eyes he witnessed in the closet. matthew clears his throat before standing up straight. âsorry, i thought i was alone.â
you shoot him a tight-lipped smile. âno, sorry i didnât say anything as soon as you came in.â
a beat passes.
âwhy⌠uhm, why are you sitting in the dark?â his chest throbs as he asks the question.
what if you were there to meet with jaehyun later in the night? or what if you had already met with him? maybe he doesnât want to know the reason after all.
âneeded to be somewhere quiet,â you answer. he watches you take a sip from a big bottle of vodka. âsomewhere away from the party.â
if you need space, matthew is going to give you that. after all, you were in this room before he arrived. âokay, iâll go leave,â he says as he turns his back on you.
âno, itâs okââ
âitâs okay. you were here first, soââ
âmatthew.âÂ
how your voice wavers is enough to stop him. from leaving the room. from wallowing in pain.
from abandoning you.Â
he looks back, only to be greeted by the sight of you in tears. the moonlight shines against your figure, making you glow in the dark room, and he feels all resolve crumble.
matthew rushes to you. as he takes a seat beside you, he sets the bottle on the floor before his hands reach out to cup your face. âwhatâs wrong?â he asks as his thumbs wipe the tears.
you donât spare him an answer; all you do is stare right back at him as the tears stream down your face.
matthew thinkâs he fucked up. was he busy with his issues to notice yours? did you need him? (as much as he needs you?)
yet, as soon as your hand reaches up to hold his, he realizes that this is all wrong; the distance, the physical touch, everything about this doesnât respect what you have with jaehyun.
âiâm sorry.â he rips his hands away. âi shouldnât have done that.â
his apology brings another flood of tears from you. âi thought we were friends.â
âwe are friends.â
âthen, if weâre friends, why couldnât you give me an answer back then?â
matthewâs heart stills. âwâwhat?â
âi remember everything.â
the axis of his world tilts.Â
âfrom the bathroom to the closet,â you sniffle, âi remember what i said, and i meant everything.â
all he knew then meant nothing to the present.
matthew canât tell if the alcohol was affecting his senses. maybe heâs hallucinating, or his intoxicated mind is planting delusions that he wishes were part of his reality.
but he blinks hard, and he still sees you.
âplease say something.â
matthew takes one breath. âi just⌠i donât understand. i mean, iâve been going like, 5 months, thinking those were meaningless words. even in the closet, you said you were too drunk. and you always claimed you had no memory the next day. i even thought you were on a date with jaehyun the other day.â as you scrunch your eyebrows at his admission, he takes it as a sign to explain. âi donât know. i saw you two alone a few weeks ago, and i just assumed so.â
âwe were just hanging out. thereâs nothing going on between us.â
he shakes his head. âwell, how am i supposed to know that? when iâve been going through these months thinking all you said was bullshit until now?â
when guilt flashes in your features, he takes a moment to let his words sink in.
he watches you fiddle with your fingers before saying, âi just want to know why you did all that.â
âis it enough to say that i was scared? i mean, i used the alcohol as liquid courage. but in both times, i couldnât tell if you felt the same, so, i panicked and said i donât remember anything.â
one thing that matthew knows about you is that you were afraid to take risksâno, not in decision making but in relationships. he knew that the first time you held yourself back from introducing yourself to jaehyun, and he remembers when you finally approached the boy with at least 5 shots into the night.
âcan you say something? anything?â you ask.
and all times, he understood your hesitancy. every time you second guess yourself, heâs the only person who knows when to act as your safe space or a pushing force.
âtell me again. tell me what you told me in the closet, i need to hear it from you.â but when your mouth parts open, ready to repeat the three-word phrase, he cuts you off. âwhen weâre sober.â
this time, he wants to know if heâs a risk worth takingâwithout the alcohol.
âtell me when morning comes, then youâll know.â he sees confusion flicker in your eyes. âbecause i canât risk anything when weâve drunk our hearts out tonight.â
if thereâs another thing matthew knows about you, itâs that you hate unfinished conversations. yet, a nod from you is enough for him to know why it would have to wait until tomorrow.
from there, matthew stands up before taking his leave.
all he can hope is that you wonât forget the next day.
when morning comes, matthew can hear a knocking on his door. he makes his way to the doorway, rubbing the exhaustion off his eyes, before swinging it open.
âi like you.â
his eyes snap open to see you, whose eyes arenât like the other nights but with something heâs familiar withâhope.
âi like you,â you repeat, âand iâm telling it to you now, without the alcohol.â
this time, matthew doesnât have to doubt your words. he doesnât have to shut down his friendsâ attempts to comfort him. he doesnât have to deny what he feels towards you.
without saying anything, his hands dart towards your waist before pulling you close to him. shock casts onto your features. as one thumb finds its way under your shirt, etching constellations that you two will only know of, his other hand reaches to tuck your hair.
his lips meet yours. as his hand travels down to caress your face, your arms slowly find their place around his neck. somehow, everything feels right, almost like you two had done this before. yet, the taste of your lips is one heâs never had. as your nose brushes against his, he canât help but breathe you in like youâre the last thing keeping him alive.
as you attempt to pull back, he tries to chase your lips. âmatthew,â you call out his name before he draws you back in for another intoxicating kiss, one where the buzz of alcohol could never compare to.
âdonât,â he mumbles in between, âlet me have this.â he pulls you into his dorm with ease and shuts the door behind you. matthew pushes you against the door with his lips still on yours, hands exploring your figure.
from there, you donât protest.
maybe heâs wanted you much longer than you did. maybe heâs wanted you ever since you revealed your crush on jaehyun and he never allowed himself to dwell on his own feelings. maybe heâs wanted you since the first time heâs ever set eyes on you.Â
but one thing he knows is that he wants youâmuch more than you do with him.
(and heâd never allow you to think he wants you any less.)
networks taglist: @kflixnet @k-labels @blankjournal @zumblrnet @kstrucknet
zb1Â permanent tag list:Â @deinsleeps
story taglist: @seokkiez @loserlvrss @itaerae
@blandtako @gong-fourz @rentenwins @pandagirl753
#works of moni#kflixnet#bjnet#k-labels#kstrucknet#zerobaseone#zb1#zb1 x reader#zb1 imagines#zb1 fluff#seok matthew#seok matthew x reader#seok matthew imagines#matthew x reader#zb1 angst#seok matthew angst#seok matthew fluff#zb1 crack#seok matthew crack
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đđđ¤đ¤đđ¤đĽ!đđđđđ đđđđđđđđ đđ¤
âšâ Ëâ§ď¸ľâżâŕ¨ŕ§ââżď¸ľâ§ Ë ââš
ellie williams x reader | mini fic for casual
casual m.list | tlou m.list
âšâ Ëâ§ď¸ľâżâŕ¨ŕ§ââżď¸ľâ§ Ë ââš
ŕ¨ŕ§ ellie is very musically talented, sometimes sheâll hear a few notes in her head and within half an hour, sheâll have a pretty decent tune
ŕ¨ŕ§ sheâs the founder of âthe infectedâ she came up with the name when she accidentally cut herself and the cut looked really gnarly n infected and then she was like.. woah thatâs a pretty sick name
ŕ¨ŕ§ jesse and dina teased her about the same bc it sounds like sheâs go a uti
ŕ¨ŕ§ it took her awhile to convince jesse and dina to join her band because 1. too much drama and 2. jesse didnât care for being on stage
ŕ¨ŕ§ she coaxed him into it by telling him that dinaâs gonna get a lot of fanboys/girls n sheâll leave him in the dust for good
���ৠshe carries her journal everywhere with her in case inspiration strikes when sheâs grocery shopping
ŕ¨ŕ§ she also carries around a guitar pic because she likes to have something between her teeth and since sheâs trying to quit smoking.. this is the next best thing
ŕ¨ŕ§ she will NEVER EVER admit this to anyone but the reason why she moved to Seattle to start a band was because of Kurt Cobain (also why she has short hair and wears flannels)
ŕ¨ŕ§ everyone should thank joel for him showing ellie nirvana bc without it, she may have never started a band
ŕ¨ŕ§ ellie sometimes deprives herself of music because she doesnât want to make anything thatâll make ppl say âthat sounds like <insert band name>â itâs torture but it works
ŕ¨ŕ§ ellie wouldâve totally been the lead singer but she prefers to write and compose rather than be in the spotlight
ŕ¨ŕ§ she wasnât surprised when the band was starting to get traction (she in fact was and had to take a lap around the room)
ŕ¨ŕ§ her fans paint her as this âplayerâ which she kinda revels in bc it gets her more pussy (she actually kinda hates it bc it makes her feel like a bad person but hey GAME IS GAME)
ŕ¨ŕ§ she LOVES pop punk shows, one time she saw a bigger band and their show was so crazy, like crowd surfing, people pushing against the barrier, guards having to keep them in the pit, and everyone screaming the lyrics⌠she hopes her band will be that big one day
ŕ¨ŕ§ she loves attending concerts but she canât help but compare herself to the other bands
ŕ¨ŕ§ sheâs an audiophile, she goes to best buy just to compare headphones and their sound quality then leaves with nothing (ofc)
ŕ¨ŕ§ every ellie in the ellieverse is a nerd, itâs a canon event, this ellie is not only a comic book nerd and a space nerd.. sheâs also a GUITAR NERD !! (new ellie unlocked) she knows every type of guitar, yes, even the one that was made a minute ago in new guinea!
ŕ¨ŕ§ ellie got her job at the guitar shop she works at bc during the interview, she completely nerded all over the place about the guitars on the walls, the old manager didnât even need to go further in the interview, he slapped a name tag on her (he messed up and her name is elsie now) and booked it outta there
ŕ¨ŕ§ she takes her job very seriously, itâs cute to see her working, itâs like watching a young bill gates talk about his apple products except this bill gates is wearing a raggedy flannel (she says it makes the customers trust her more bc it makes her looks like kurt), messy hair, and glitter from the concert last night
ŕ¨ŕ§ she stays up to date on the latest guitars
ŕ¨ŕ§ fun fact: she only gets her guitars from joel, her loving dad who runs a guitar/woodwork shop back in jackson :)
ŕ¨ŕ§ speaking of joel, he supports ellieâs dream of being in a band because he wanted to be a singer when he was younger and he sees that younger self in ellie, it makes him happy when she talks about the concert she had last night.. itâs almost like heâs talking to his 20 year old self
ŕ¨ŕ§ even though joel supports it, it still scares him, he doesnât want ellie to end up like him
[a/n]: okay thatâs all for now!! hope you guys like this mini thingy :3 iâll write the next part tmrw!!
#ellie the last of us#ellie willams x reader#ellie williams#ellie x fem reader#ellie x reader#ellie x you#ellie fanfic#ellie tlou#ellie williams x reader#ellie x y/n#tlou x you#tlou x y/n#tlou x reader#tlou fluff#tlou smut#tlou2#tlou fanfiction#ellie williams x you#ellie williams fluff#ellie williams smut#ellie angst
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Why does Fablepaint draw such mean spirited art of Rocky. Is it a personal sense of humor kind of thing? Or does disturbingly mean spirited art the only way for FablePaint to draw this character. Is it possible for some more lighthearted and optimistic stories regarding Rocky to show up anytime soon? Iâm not saying this to try to be offensive or aggressive, I just think the worldâs depressing enough, why make the fictional world sad as well. I do love the comic, I just wish it was happier.
I don't think Fable's art of Rocky is especially mean-spirited. At least no more so than mine has been. Rocky has always been a character with a knack for getting himself into trouble. I do know that Fable likes Rocky and finds various aspects of Rocky's personality and circumstances pretty relatable. I think a lot of what you're seeing actually comes from a place of affection, and maybe even a little bit of vicarious self-deprecation. I will tell you from my own experiences, this is very common among creators (myself included). A character may not be an intended self-insert of any sort, but you inevitably still end up with bits and pieces of yourself reflected therein. And in many ways, you're also inevitably sorting out some turmoil close to your own heart through the character and the story they inhabit.
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About the broader topic of sad things in fiction... Yeah, the world is harsh, cruel, and unfair even at the best of times, but I don't think art that fully disregards this does much service to anyone. The most fluffy, pastel-colored, marshmallow-mild media will still tend to present us with some conflict, because that's how a story manages to resonate. It's hard to convey something meaningful about human resilience, or abiding love, enduring friendship, confronting inner demons, triumph over injustice, or about the absurdity of living without acknowledging the darkness. Even if you're just writing something to make light of the implacable dark, it must be there for you to laugh at.
I think it's fine to use fiction as a temporary retreat from your own real life concerns. And I think it's fine to have comfort characters who you turn to when you need some uplifting. There are a lot of really sweet and lovely fan-works featuring Rocky out there that are much gentler with him than Fable or I will be. You can stick with those! That's okay! But canonically, he's part of a story about a tumultuous time in history, and a tumultuous time in his own troubled life. He's a flawed character surrounded by other flawed characters. He's willfully taken on the role of a violent criminal, in fact. And though I don't think the story of Lackadaisy is without happy, silly, lighthearted aspects, it's not only that. I can't change that without undoing everything I've been working toward. I hope that's understandable.
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Your Yuu is and will ALWAYS be valid!
For anyone who might need to read this.
I saw a tweet about this and some people talking about it here on tumblr, and I honestly feel like I'm saying something obvious but I want to reiterate the following:
Schrodinger's Yuu: All Prefects are canon and not at the same time. Self Inserts included and especially.
The anime, manga, and novel are adaptations, correct? Which means the game's story will always be the original story, right? (this is a rhetorical question)
This isn't even a case of a series, book or movie where fans simply start imagining themselves in a story that has nothing to do with them.
NO, we didn't make ourselves the main characters of the story, the GAME made us the main characters of the story. One of the main mechanics of the game is to insert ourselves into that world.
Self Inserts or OCs prefects have always been part of the game experience and story.
All this to say that no matter what prefects appear in the anime or appeared in the manga, they are not the real prefects because there is no "real/canon" prefect, because both they and we are ALL the "real/canon" prefect. The character default name is literally Yu/Yuu (You).
And that's not just something we decided, it was always the intention of the game. They knows our names and wishes us a happy birthday.
And if you want to ship yourself with the characters, guess what, you can! I myself can't help but do it. Because let's face it the game kinda indulges you to do that. And if you don't want to do it, you can not do it too!
So whatever comes with the anime release, don't let potential new annoying "fans" ruin your enjoyment of Twisted Wonderland when the game itself wants you to be able to enjoy it this way. â¤ď¸
The only people who can tell you what is canon or not are the people who make the game, not other fans like you or me. Whatever fans say are opinions, not facts, just like this post, you choose to give it whatever importance you want.
And at the end of the day Twisted Wonderland is just a game: the most important thing is that YOU HAVE FUN however you want, not who is right about something. đâ¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk *mic drop*.
JOKING đ
đ
*comes back and pick up the mic again*
PS: And if there really wasn't going to be any kind of potentially friendly/romantic relationship with the player, explain the Valentine's Day merch. With messages written by the characters to those who buy the product! đ (it's a rhetorical question)
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