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reiding-writing · 10 months ago

Note

Spencer who learned like a whole sss language or something niche like knitting, so he can teach it to reader cause he heard her talking about how hard it is to find a good teacher???

acts of service [ s.r ]

Summary:

Hobbies are supposed to be relaxing. So when Spencer sees you dwindle into frustration at your newfound hobby of embroidery, he takes it upon himself to teach you better than any low quality youtube tutorial would.

WARNINGS: unserious threat of self-induced harm, lots of mentions of needles and piercing things, horrible description of how to do a chain stitch 😭

pairing: spencer reid x gn!reader

genre: fluff

wc: 2.0k

masterlist!!

a/n: i genuinely spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out how to do a goddamn chain stitch because lo and behold, the internet sucks when it comes to tutorials 😭

Spencer watches from across his desk as you re-attempt a stitch in your embroidery hoop for the sixth time before giving up and throwing the hoop down on your desk with a huff and leaving to get a cup of coffee, muttering something under your breath about “Stupid stitches,”

He’d been watching you try in vain to learn to embroider for almost three weeks, and it was getting to the point where he was frustrated for you.

You’d picked it up as a way to relieve your stress whilst working, and instead you’ve manged to frustrate yourself to the point where you’re literally having to remove yourself from your desk to calm yourself down.

“Are you alright?” Spencer raises his eyebrow at you as you return to your desk with a cup of coffee cupped in your hands, and you sigh as you take a seat.

“I’m two minutes away from sticking my embroidery needle in my eye so I don’t have to look at this monstrosity anymore-” You place your mug down on your desk, holding the embroidery hoop to your face to judge your own creation.

“Please don’t,” Spencer’s tone carries genuine care for your well being, but its also followed by a laugh on the back end which indicates he knows you’re not serious.

“Why do I do this to myself?” You ask the question to no one in particular as you lean your head over the back of your chair, swivelling it back and forth with your foot as a pivot and leaving your hand to fall into your lap.

“Studies have shown that having hobbies, particularly creative ones, can decrease the amount of cortisol produced in our bodies over time, leading to an overall more relaxed state of being,” Spencer mirrors the way you turn in your chair as he watches you, answering your rhetorical question as if it were completely serious.

“I can tell you right now that I am the exact opposite of relaxed,” You exhale through your nose, joined by a shake of your head as you straighten your posture once more. “I think its time I cut my losses and give up,”

“No you should keep up with it, it’ll be much easier once you’ve got the hang of things,” He tilted his head slightly at you as he voiced his encouragement.

“Easy for you to say Mr. ‘I have an 187 IQ and an eidetic memory’,” You roll your eyes at him, although your expression betrays the fact that you’re not truly antagonistic towards his intelligence. “Half of the tutorials i’m watching don’t even actually show how to do anything,”

Spencer chuckles as your eyes examine the three straight lines of red stitching in the fabric like you were trying to incinerate them with your mind before discarding the hoop to the corner of your desk to actually get some work done.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

It’s two weeks before the topic of embroidery comes up again, you sat cross-legged and hunched over in your jet seat on the way back from a case in Montana, eyes boring into the fabric as you tried to create a shape vaguely resembling a circle.

“You shouldn’t hunch over like that you know,” Spencer sat down in the seat next to you with a yawn, leaning back against the padding of the leather chair with his head tilted in your direction. “It’ll tighten the muscles in your neck and give you a tension headache,”

You huff at his chastising of your posture considering his own but straighten your back nonetheless, holding your embroidery hoop at eye-level as you carefully puncture the fabric.

He’s glad to see that you haven’t given up on embroidery yet. Partly because it’s good for you to have a hobby that had zero relation to your job and partly because it meant that his 18 hours of research over the last ten days hadn’t been in vain.

“If you’re going in a circle it’s better to use a chain stitch,”

Your eyes flicker upwards at Spencer’s suggestion, wonky thread oval forgotten about as you narrow your eyes at him slightly in an accusatory fashion. “How do you know that?”

“I uh-” Spencer blinked a few times, eyes flickering across the jet’s cabin as he tried to find a reasonable explanation for his sudden knowledge in embroidery that wasn’t because he wanted to be able to teach it to you. “I know a lot of things,”

His intelligence was usually a valid excuse for whatever niche bit of information would come out of his mouth, but you knew for a fact that he had no prior knowledge on how to embroider something. He might have known the history of it at a stretch, but how to physically embroider something? Absolutely not.

If he had he would have told you weeks ago. So this was definitely something new.

“Mhmm, apparently so,” You nod with clear suspicion riddling your expression, but you weren’t about the turn away his help just because you were suspicious of the origins of his newfound expertise in embroidery. “Alright genius, show me then,”

You hold out the hoop in his direction and he takes it from you with an awkwardly endearing smile, un-stitching your botched attempt at a circle and turning the hoop at an angle so that you could see what he was doing.

It was only six stitches, but the way he passed the needle through the fabric was effortless, and it left a perfectly symmetrical blue circle in it’s wake.

“Chain stitching is much easier to curve than straight stitching due to the nature of how the needle passes through the fabric,”

If you weren’t so beholden to his ability to be good at absolutely everything he does you’re sure you’d be a little jealous. Or maybe it was the way his eyes glistened as he looked at you. No. It definitely wasn’t that. You were just grateful he was willing to help you, that’s all.

“Show me how to do it then if it’s so easy,” You shift yourself towards the leather arm that’s separating the two of you, leaning your elbows on it to watch him more closely as your eyes locked on the way the pads of his fingers held the needle.

“Here,” He held it out towards you, blunt side up, as an indication for you to take it. “I’ll walk you through it,”

You take the needle from him with a raised eyebrow, one that only continued to rise as he passed you back your embroidery hoop as well and leaned towards to to angle the fabric at a 45 degree angle towards himself so that he could see what you were doing.

“Alright, so first you want to pierce the needle through the back of the fabric towards you and pull all of the thread through,” You follow his instructions as he speaks, nodding once you’ve garnered yourself a big loop of thread that’s connected under the fabric at one end and your needle at the other.

“Alright?”

“Alright, now go back through that same hole from the top, and bring the needle back up through the fabric about a centimetre downwards, only half pulling the needle through,” You furrow your eyebrow slightly but try to follow him, although he stops you as you attempt to pull the needle all the way through with his hand on top of yours.

“Don’t pull it all the way back through,” He adjusts his body to face a similar direction to yours. “Here, let me help,”

His hands brush the tops of yours as one comes to assist you in holding up the hoop of fabric and the other guides your fingers in holding the needle. His skin is frigidly cold against your own, although whether that’s just because you run hotter than him or the fact that he’s so close to you you feel like you’re internally harbouring volcano you’re unsure.

With his hand guiding your own, you reinsert your needle back through the original hole you’d made from the top down and pierce it upwards through the fabric a little further across, leaving both the tip and the end of the needle above the fabric with the middle underneath.

“Good yeah, now this is the complicated bit, you need to get the rest of your thread,” He loops his ring finger around the excess thread, and makes an effort to move his fingers as slowly as possible so that you can see exactly what he’s doing. “and wrap the start of it underneath the tip of your needle,”

He demonstrates his words as he speaks, pulling the beginning of the loop of thread tight underneath the tip of the needle before slowly pushing the needle all the way through the fabric until it’s free once more, and there’s a small looped stitch in the fabric.

“And then to create your next stitch you do the same steps, but start inside of the first loop,” He again demonstrates his words as he uses your hands to make a second stitch that, like the name suggests’ creates a two-stitch chain from where the stitches are connected.

“See, really simple, just a little convoluted in terms of instructions,” His eyes turn away from the fabric and back towards yours once he’s finished his explanation, although yours remain on your needle. “Think you can do it on your own?”

It takes you a second to come back to your senses, and you blink up at him blankly for a moment before nodding, a soft “yeah I think so…” echoing from your throat.

You didn’t have the heart to tell him that you were to distracted by the way his hands moved against yours to listen to a single thing he said.

“Let me know if you need any more help okay?” He gave you that awkwardly endearing smile that reached his eyes and made you want to scream into your hands at the prospect of being so perfect.

You return it with a half-stunted nod as you desperately turn your eyes downwards to your fabric again, unable to look at him any longer without flushing red light a traffic light. “Yeah thanks-”

“I’ll teach you how to do a running whipped stitch next, it uses two different colours of thread,”

Whipped is right-

Spencer’s tone held all the enthusiasm of a child who’d just learned that you could mix multiple colours to create a new one, and it easily rubs off on you as you resign yourself to actually listening to what he’s trying to teach you instead of just fawning over how it feels when he touches you.

“Can you- show me how to do a chain stitch one more time?”

“Of course!”

The minute his hands touch yours again you know you’re done for.

#spencer reid #criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds x reader #mgg #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds fluff #asks 🫶

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shawtuzi · 2 years ago

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no thoughts head empty just househusband!reiner

cw: black fem!reader, breeding kink, exhibitionism, lactation kink, kinda sub!reiner, mommy & daddy kink—i’m probably forgetting something but pls enjoy regardless

sfw

househusband!reiner who gets up before you every morning to make you your favorite breakfasts and coffee—yes he will pour the entire cup of coffee out if it’s even the tiniest bit too sweet. when it’s time for you to go he always makes sure to bid you farewell with a goodbye kiss.

househusband!reiner who will either have your lunch packed in ready in the morning for work (he leaves you a cute or spicy little note in every single one he packs) or will come to your job and surprise you with takeout.

househusband!reiner who spends his free time watching tutorials on youtube on how to style little black girls hair for your guys’ daughter. that is his baby right there and he absolutely loves seeing how happy she is after he finishes her hair.

househusband!reiner who constantly gets hit on by other moms whenever he picks up your daughter from ballet practice but he don’t even pay them women no mind too enamored in how cute his little angel looks in her leotard and tutu.

househusband!reiner who prepares a sweet treat every tuesday and thursday for your daughter when she gets off school or the two of them will make the dessert together and surprise you with it when you come home from work.

househusband!reiner who keeps the house nice and tidy all hours throughout the day—until your daughter comes home. her favorite game is to throw all the throw pillows and couch cushions on the floor and walk on them pretending that the floor is lava. whenever reiner tries to clean up the mess she uses those oh so cute puppy dog eyes and convinces him to join her.

househusband!reiner whose lock screen on his is a picture of you and him at the hospital holding your newborn little girl. his home screen is a picture of the two of you on your wedding day, his arms were wrapped around you from behind, pressing a kiss to your cheek and you were smiling probably the hardest you’d ever smiled in your life. those two pictures meant the absolute world to him and he’d rather take a punch to the face than ever change them.

househusband!reiner who is a superb cook!! your daughter has never been a picky eater and it’s bc reiner’s meals are so damn good! every time you come home after a long day at work the table will already be set and there’s a plate waiting at your spot. if you’re working a late night he’ll have a big plate of leftovers waiting for you.

househusband!reiner who doesn’t give a single fuck that he’s a househusband no matter what anyone says. he loves catering to his daughter and hard working wife and at the end of the day he’s probably getting more play than they ever will. there’s nothing that turns a woman on more than a man who actually helps out around the house so best believe you and reiner are getting it in every other night.

nsfw

househusband!reiner who is a god tier pussy eater like this man is the definition of a munch. his fav thing to do is suckle on your clit while three of his thick fingers are shoved inside your clenching cunt. if you’re on a time crunch he knows how to make you cum in less than two minutes with ease but if he’s taking his time he’ll quite literally spend hours between your thighs until you push his head away in need for a break.

househusband!reiner who is soo whiny when you ride him you have to either cover his mouth with your hand or gag him with your panties. he loves when you take charge and even degrade him. no one on this earth is gonna be able to call reiner braun a ‘whiny little bitch’ and walk away still conscious except for you.

househusband!reiner who sometimes sneaks into your showers in the morning and fucks you silly. his intentions are pure at first but once you feel his hands start to grip at your waist/ass or wander to your lower region you know that he’s feeling a lil needy and who are you to deny your sweet husband?? that’s how you always end up pressed against the tiled wall while reiner hits it from the back, whining and moaning into your neck about how good you feel wrapped around him and how lucky he is to have a wife as beautiful as you were.

househusband!reiner who has the biggest breeding kink known to man. he’ll take any opportunity he can to cum in your sweet pussy and mumbles out little ‘thank you’s every time you let him. he’ll also settle for cumming on your pussy, ass, tits, etc.

househusband!reiner who is also into exhibitionism!! if you’re at your office he has no problem sneaking under your desk and throwing your legs over his shoulder and eating your pussy till your legs are shaking. if you’re a couple of glasses of wine in at a dinner party and suggest to sneak off to the bathroom together he’ll be trailing right behind you, his dick already semi-hard in his dress pants.

househusband!reiner who has a massive obsession with your breasts. he loves loves loves when you let him lay in your lap and and suck on your nipples while you jerk him off into overstimulation. if you’re wondering he one hundred percent drank your breast milk. the first time he did it he just couldn’t help it! it hurt his heart hearing how much pain you were in when your breasts were so full with milk so he quickly, yet gently lifted your shirt up and latched onto one of your nipples.

“r-rei,” you gasped gripping onto his hair to pull him away, your breast milk dripping down his chin. “what are you doing love hm?” you breathlessly giggled wiping the milk from his chin. reiner nuzzled his face into your tits, leaving gentle kisses on the smooth skin. “hate hearing how much pain you’re in when they’re full—i wanna help you. will you let me help you? please?” all it took was one look into those pretty brown eyes and you gave in letting him latch onto your nipple once more. by the time he was done he came in his pants and your panties were a soaked mess—safe to say whenever your breasts were feeling a little extra sore you went to reiner for help.

househusband!reiner who has a raging mommy kink and has no shame about it. it kinda ties in with his breeding kink—whenever he’s got you folded in half, thighs clapping against his pelvis he’s whispering the most dirty promises in your ear the word ‘mommy’ will slip past his kiss swollen lips a couple times.

“f-fuck mommy you feel so good shit,” he growled wrapping his hand around your neck. reiner leant down to give you a sloppy kiss full of tongue and teeth flashing before pulling away, “m’gonna fill you up n’ give you another baby i promise. you’d like that wouldn’t you mommy?” his moans were becoming more whiny and breathy and his thrusts were becoming sloppier by the minute—you could tell he was close and you knew exactly how to make him reach him peak. “yes d-daddy please—ah! p-please fill me up, ‘wanna carry your baby again.” reiner let out a loud groan, his hips stilling as spurt after spurt of his hot cum filled you up, your greedy pussy squeezing him like a vice to get every drop out. reiner rested his sweaty forehead against yours breathing out a small ‘thank you’. although the seemed tired and ready to call it a night that was far from the case. reiner let out a hum before sitting back up—suddenly you were flipped onto your stomach ass up, reiners still hard dick rubbing between your soaked folds. “we have the night to ourselves and you think i’m gonna tap out after four rounds? i must’ve really fucked you dumb huh? silly girl now arch that pretty back for me.”

#reiner braun #reiner braun fluff #reiner fluff #reiner braun smut #reiner smut #aot fluff #aot smut #attack on titan smut #attack on titan fluff #snk smut #snk reiner #reiner x black reader smut #reiner x black reader #reiner braun x black reader

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caffeinatedcatlover · 16 days ago

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With a little help from Cherry, I present the little pop-up coffee cup I made. (Watch the video to see it in action) Today I reached 1.5k followers and I wanted to say thank you to all of you!💜 Thank you for making this little space on the internet so nice and inspiring!

[ credit for the template and tutorial: extremepapercrafting.com ]

#caffeinatedcatlover #journal #journaling #pop up #pop up book #notebooks #hobonichi #hobonichi weeks #notes pages #bujo

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kisses4kei · 2 months ago

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Tsukishima Kei headcanons *!!* °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

lets go! ૮₍´｡ᵔ ꈊ ᵔ｡`₎ა

(some are general and some are boyfriend hcs!!)

꩜ never post on Insta unless its pictures of you!

꩜ he sends you songs that remind him of you!

꩜ the most awkward person youve ever met. He tries to act smug and sly but always fails!

꩜ SKINCARE KING!! He has a multi step skincare routine that he has too stick too!

꩜ knows the tea/drama on EVERYONE and always talls yamaguchi about it!

꩜ gives you gifts and stuff that he remind him of you!

꩜ is always sweet and kind too parents and elders

꩜ RICHHH bro always has moeny and loves to spend it on you

꩜ had a musicals phase in middle school and would watch "slime Tutorials" all the tiime..

꩜ active adrianne lenker and clairo listener. He is in touch with his emotions!!

꩜ Loves Iced coffee drinks at least one cup a day. The only hot drink he likes is tea!!

꩜ his headphones die all the time and he always forgets his charger in the worst moments.

Thanks for reading! °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

#tsukishima kei #headcanon #tsukishima x reader #tsukishima fluff

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nogenderbee · 8 months ago

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♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖? 𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖?! ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: hiii!!!! hru? i have a little bit specific request, hope thats ok!!!

idk if u know the translation from the song “karakuri pierrot” by miku, but basically shes gettin dumped cuz her crush left her waiting on the date and never came 😭

id like to request smth based on this song with fantasista squad, like, they forgot abt the date and then theyre like😨😨😨😨((a happy ending would be appreciated <3

sorry if its too much, if it bothers you just ignore this LMAOAAOAO😭😭😭

anyways ty and bye!🤍

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Hii! I'm sorry but u don't do songfics but it still sounded interesting so I just based it on your description! Hope it's alright!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fluff

Affiliation with @virtualbookstore

"What the hell is wrong with this strand..."

Akito muttered to himself as he tried styling his hair a bit more elegantly. He had a date at a restaurant with you today and he prefered to look properly on it.

He was fully focused on his hair, getting a bit annoyed... he let our so many curses, even Ena came to his room and gave him instecutions just so he could shut up! But despite her tips... he had that one annoying hair strand that he couldn't get a hang of...

He finally decided to just look up some tutorials on internet, when he noticed the time... it was half an hour after the time you agreed to meet! And the amount of messages he got from you only told him how pissed you could be now...

He decided to drop his tries at calming the strand and just get to you as soon as he could, hoping that you were still there... you didn't leave this place yet, right? At least you haven't texted him about it...

He tried not to run to not sweat in his suit, so he settled on quick walk. When he arrived he noticed you getting up from a bench, clearly disappointed and about to leave, and he couldn't blame you for it...

"I'm sorry... I... I had a little problem."

He points at his hair strand as soon as he walked up to you, and you couldn't help but chuckle. He was dressed formally but that strand was ruining everything about this style!

"Hehe~ You really did. You could've asked me, I would've helped you..."

"I guess I will next time... you look beautiful, thank you for waiting for me... let's catch up, alright? My treat. And we can go to mall after it..."

You knew how much he hated going to mall, and now he didn't even said anything about not caring your bags so maybe he will? He really looked like he wasn't lying so... might as well forgive him for this one time situation, right?

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @yulikesminori @toyaswif3y @miya-akane @hayillaaaaaaa - come get your pancakes lover!

Toya actually wasn't late, he'd be even 5 or 10 minutes early in this tempo so he walked calmly. It was when he was walking past some granny who was clearly struggling and he couldn't just walk past without caring...

"Excuse me, are you alright?"

And that's how it started... it turned out the older lady had a problem with getting 2 bags up to 4th floor, so of course he helped. And after he did that? She offered him some cookies, cup of coffee and even a small chat... she was so nice and chatty he couldn't just say he needs to go...

So thinking he has the time, he accepted it and didn't even realize it was half an hour that passed untill he looked at his phone, and finally excused himself.

"<I'm aware I'm running late, please wait just 10 more minutes for me, I'll be there soon and explain everything to you.>"

He texted you in a hurry as he picked up his peace and quickly walked towards location of your date.

When he finally arrived, he was just a little bit out of breath but quickly sat down next to you and as soon as he catched his breath, he explained everything to you.

And honestly, how can you even be mad at someone as pure as him? He just wanted to help person in need after all... sure, it's still 30 minutes delay but just this time, maybe he can be forgiven for that...

"And when I thought she finished telling me about her cat's story for past 15 minutes, it turned out she had 3 more cats..."

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @yulikesminori @toyaswif3y @miya-akane @toyaslove @bl4cktourmaline @infernoram - come get your cookie lover!

It may be a simple date, but for Tsukasa? It was big event and he had to look dazzling! He didn't care if he was rejecting 5th outfit by now nor did he about passing time... he thought he still had time and continued looking for perfect outfit for your date!

And when he finally found it... the perfect outfit! He finally reached for his phone but froze upon seeing the time... he was 1,5 hours late already and had around 17 unread messages from you!!

"<Y'know what? Fine. I'm going home. Thanks for nothing.>"

"<I'M SORRY PLEASE DON'T LEAVE YET>"

"<Too bad, I'm already home since HALF AN HOUR>"

He could feel his heart sinking and he knew all of that is his fault alone. So he got up quickly and ran straight towards your house.

After around 10 minutes since Tsukasa's text, you heard a knock on your door, so you of course went to open, just for flowers and chocolates to be showed into your face when you did.

"Please forgive me... I wanted to look my best and... I had hard time deciding..."

"You're always looking your best... you could've just came..."

"I know, I should. And I'm really sorry that I didn't! Please let me take you out on a date... this time I'll be an hour early."

He had desperate look in his eyes as he tried to convince you to give him just one last chance... but whether you give him this chance or not, is only up to you! I mean... he does assure you plenty of times to set multiple alarms next time just in case... maybe he'll indeed do better from now on?

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @bad-the-an-enjoyer @yulikesminori @alicewinterway18 @nenes-numberonefan - come get your future star~

Rui hummed gentle tune to himself while he was working on a robot. He was fully focused but he forgot to mute his phone... so he kept hearing notifications in the background but ignored it, thinking it's Tsukasa having spider under his bed again... and that could wait a little bit~

But when notifications became too much, he finally checked it and his face immidietly turned to pure shock and nervousness when he noticed it's his partner... and it hit him, he forgot about the date! He quickly opened your texts and rushes to respond while he got dressed.

"<We can cancel it I guess...>"

"<Nononono!! I'm coming now, I'm so sorry for making you wait! Please give me 5 more minutes, I promise to run!>"

At this point, he was panicking, he just grabbed essential things and of course little gift he prepared for you, and ran out of his house.

When he arrives, you were just sitting on a bench with head in your hands, obviously disappointed and it was obvious he hurt your feelings. Seeing that, he immidietly rushed to you and wrapped his arms around you and caressing your back.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... It won't happen again, I promise..."

He could only wrap his arms around you tighter and he tried fighting the tears himself, realization of him driving you to this point finally hitting him. But now, he'll do his best to catch up for his mistake and make this date one to remember.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @yulikesminori @toyaswif3y @bl4cktourmaline @infernoram @superstar-ethereal - come get your crazy inventor~

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nickssidewitch · 7 months ago

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Is It Destiny?

Destiny, an upcoming YouTuber, meets Matt Sturniolo in a café in New York City. They part ways after their brief encounter there, but keep up with each other online. What will happen when they meet up in person again for the first time in months?

Warnings: Fluff, Meet-Cute, Smut (SoftDom!Matt x Sub!OC), First Orgasm, dry-humping/grinding, Oral (Male-Receiving) w/ deepthroating

(And yes, the Layla in this fic is the same Layla of my previous fic, “Chris’s Dilemma” as this is technically a chapter 2 of a series I plan on writing!! 🥰)

***

New York’s colder than what Destiny remembered of it. The gray, fuzzy sky blew a sharp, chilly breeze that pricked the skin of her face every time it brushed against her.

She was there from Florida– a big difference in climate to New York– for a Creator Summit that YouTube was hosting, one that she had attended for a few years now. It proved to be a great networking event for her and many other creators. She’d already met so many good friends and coworkers there, so she decided she should give this year a go.

Among those she had met was her best friend Layla, who has been a close companion of hers since the very first time she went to the Creator Summit.

Layla at the time was a creator on the rise, gaining popularity with her makeup tutorials, travel vlogs, and fashion hauls, while Destiny was simply a consumer of Layla and other creators’ content, deliberating on whether or not she should join the industry as well. While walking through the streets of Miami, where her first Creator’s Summit was held, she stumbled upon Layla vlogging her own experience for her channel. And after the two shared their greetings, they’d become inseparable since.

The second Summit that Destiny attended was where she met two other friends, Dawn and Malia. Dawn was a full-time musician and part-time YouTuber, and she was set to perform for both days of the Summit, which was why Destiny was there a week earlier. Malia, a sports journalist who was the wife of one of the biggest soccer players in the world, occasionally made her own Youtube videos as well. They all would hang out together from then on, forming their own little group that not only they loved, but the fans loved as well.

As she walked down the bustling pavements of the loud and proud city, she came across a little coffee shop. It was genuinely little: not more than 20 chairs, two at each table, and some content patrons enjoying their drinks as they sat at each one. Some were on their computers, a couple of what looked like college or highschool students were probably having small conversations about the latest school gossip, and a cute elderly couple sat with what Des believed to be their granddaughter. It was such a small and intimate community in this café, and Des was happy to join them, even if only for about 15 minutes, to escape the chilly autumn winds and the rush hour of the city.

She walked up to the line and waited her turn, looking up at the menu options to figure out what drink best suited her mood for now. The problem, however, was that Destiny was quite an indecisive person. Whenever she was presented with options of anything, she never had any idea to come up with a final answer, and would usually depend on someone else’s response. A curse, indeed.

Almost as if they could sense this exhausting personality trait of Des’s, a voice spoke up beside her. “I personally like the cinnamon cappuccino,” it suggested.

Destiny looked over at where the voice was coming from; it was a young man, seemingly around the same age as her, with short brunette hair, striking blue eyes that laid under hooded eyelids. His thin lips were a cute shade of baby pink that arched in a warm smile at her. She looked down at his hands— his attractive, veiny hands adorned with the prettiest rings and tattoos— and noticed him holding a small cup of what she would assume was the cappuccino he suggested to her.

“Oh, th- thank you,” was all that Des could manage to reply with. Her brain was still processing what was happening. That man is too pretty to be interacting with me, she thought to herself. She truly didn’t believe it.

“No problem!” He said with the same warm and pretty smile on his lips. His voice was subtle in his suggestion– not overenthusiastic or pushy– yet it was so charming and approachable. He took a sip of his beverage and licked his lips before speaking again. “It seemed like it was your first time here, so I just wanted to help you out somehow.”

“Oh, well, thank you for that,” Des chuckled and continued, “It is my first time here actually. I lived in New York for a little bit, but relocated to Florida with my family. Last time I was here was around 10 years ago, and this café wasn’t here at the time.” She walked up one spot in the line as it was nearing her time to place her order, but the man walked up with her, almost as if he came to the café with her. Usually Des would have an issue with this— some random man walking up to her out of nowhere and starting a random conversation— but something about this man made her feel comfortable. He intrigued her, not just appearance-wise, but something about his aura. So, she didn’t mind his actions at all.

“Oh, Florida? The weather must be a huge shock for you, then,” The man laughed to himself. “Why come to New York in the winter? The aesthetics? Or you wanted to do some free cryotherapy?”

Des laughed and made another step closer to the café employee. “Nah, I’m here for…” She paused as she thought about how to word this– she didn't want to seem like another one of those pompous influencer girls. As the lightbulb lit up in her head, she smiled and continued with her answer, “For a work event.”

“A work event, huh?” The man inquired. Des noticed a smile creep up on his lips and she swore she could hear a small chuckle escape. Did he catch onto her vagueness? “I don’t wanna seem like a creep, but does it have to do with YouTube stuff?”

Shit. He got me.

Des responded, “Um, yeah. It’s YouTube stuff. A little summit for creators”.

“Oh, I’m aware of the event,” he reassured her with a slyness to his voice, almost like he was familiar with the event (he was, obviously). “I’m Matt,” the boy introduced himself, extending his hand for Des to shake it. The warm and welcoming smile never left his lips. “I noticed I didn’t really introduce myself. My bad.”

Des shook Matt’s hand, but the moment their hands touched, it felt like her knees started to wobble. His hand… wow. The skin was so soft and warm. She could finally feel the veins that she noticed when she first looked at them. The rings adorned on his fingers were cold to the touch, causing her to wince internally. Her mind started to wander into places it probably shouldn’t wander the first time you meet someone— things of a rather erotic nature— but she quickly caught herself and managed to utter, “My name’s Destiny, but people call me Des for short.”

He repeated her name to himself, “Destiny?”, and a smile appeared on his lips. “I love that name. It suits you. Really pretty.”

Des’s cheeks grew warm and a tinted darker brown as her brain processed Matt calling both her and her name pretty. Did he know he was a pretty boy? She should tell him? Should she? Would that be weird? Who cares? Maybe he would be flattered. Or maybe he wouldn’t? Maybe he-

“So, you mentioned you were here for the Creator Summit?” He asked, interrupting her thoughts. Des nodded, and Matt chuckled to himself before continuing. “I’ve been there with my brothers, since we’re creators. It’s a good event. Lots of nice people there. You can meet creators old and new. It’s a great way to network.”

“Yeah, it’s not my first time going there actually,” a smile began to beam on her face as she thought of her first two times there, and memories of her, Layla, Dawn, and Malia meeting popped up in her mind. “I met some of my closest friends there a couple of years ago.”

“Aw, that’s really sweet,” Matt took a sip of his own hot cocoa before continuing, “Maybe you’ll make more friends this year.”

There was a beat of silence between the two of them as they both took their respective times deliberating on what to say next. And then Matt offered something that Des would have never believed.

“Maybe we can be friends?” He asked, before his brain caught up with what he was saying, causing him to clear his throat and follow with a nervous chuckle. He clarified, “Not just ‘creator friends’, but maybe something more?”

Des’s heart didn’t skip beats this time; she could have sworn it fully stopped beating for 5 seconds. She noticed a blush appear on Matt’s face before she averted her eyes from him.

Matt noticed her look away for a bit, and he made his eyes travel to find hers again, wanting to decipher if she was weirded out by the question or if she was just thinking about it. He did word it kind of weirdly, but maybe she didn’t take it that way.

Her next words confirmed the latter. “Sure. We can be friends,” she finally answered with a smile on her face, and Matt was relieved.

The more Matt studied her face, the more he noticed how cute of a nervous wreck she was. The way her cheeks seemed to grow more of a rosy undertone, the slight tremble of her hand as she held her coffee cup, the way she would never give him direct eye contact unless he manually brought his eyes to hers. He could understand it though; meeting new people is always difficult.

“Cool!” He said, and with that, it was time for Des to order her drink. “One medium cup of your cinnamon cappuccino, please,” Matt could hear her order, and he was warmed by her actually taking up his suggestion.

Des finally finished with her order and stood by the side of the counter as she waited for her drink. “So, ‘friends’,” She uttered to herself and looked towards Matt, who heard what she said and nodded in agreement.

“Yep, friends,” he returned. “And since we’re friends, maybe we can keep in touch?” Matt caught his words and realized how weird he must have sounded. So, he followed it up by saying, “I mean, you don’t have to give me your number or anything. E-mail is fine. Or something else; I don’t know,” all followed by a nervous laugh and trembling hands.

Des chuckled for a bit before she silenced herself, not wanting to seem like she was laughing at him or his obvious nervousness (she knew she probably came across as obviously nervous in his eyes). “Well, I never heard of friends exchanging emails; that’s more of an associate or coworker thing.” She heard Matt start to laugh, which gave her an okay to release the chuckles she kept to herself aloud alongside him. It was cute to see him flustered, but she appreciated him not wanting to seem too forward.

“Oh yeah, true. I just didn’t want to seem like I was pressuring you to give me your number or contacts or anything. I know how that could feel,” Matt reassured her, but he could tell by her body language that she seemed comfortable at the moment. Her smile was soft and warm, not forcing any teeth to fake her happiness. She wasn’t a loud talker, similar to him, and their auras just seemed to mesh so well together.

“I’ll give you my number and my Instagram,” she said as she pulled her phone out from her backpack.

Des took a sip of her cappuccino. The smooth and decadent flavor of the drink mixed with the presence of Matt as this moment soothed her in the midst of the New York pandemonium.

“So, where’re you going after this?” Matt asked her curiously.

Destiny took another sip of her drink. “I’m going back to my hotel,” she answered. “I heard it’s gonna rain later, and I know New York gets dark and kinda hectic when it rains.”

Matt laughed, “Yeah, it’s kinda like Massachusetts, where I’m from.” He drank his coffee and continued, “Everyone’s just in a rush to escape the weather.” Another minute of silence passed before he spoke up again. “Do you want me to walk you back to your hotel? I’m not busy right now, and I know the streets can kinda get confusing with the crowds and everything.”

Des blushed and stammered as her brain processed his question. “Um, well, I mean I don’t know- I don’t want to put you in the middle of all of that, too.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m kind of used to it by now, trust me,” he insisted, and he was indeed used to it, his mind flashing images of the crowds of fans that would follow him and his brothers in big cities like this. “I can help you carry your bag.” He directed his eyes to her backpack sitting on the chair next to hers.

Des blushed. “Oh, well, thanks so much, Matt,” she said with a genuine smile. She didn’t expect him to be so… chivalrous. It was attractive, but just not she was used to when it came to men.

The two got up from their seats, Matt lifting up the bag and her carrying her coffee, and left the small shop. He held the door open for her, as he knew a gentleman should.

Matt adjusted the strap of Destiny’s backpack as the weight tensed on his shoulder. He really didn’t mind carrying it for her though; she was worth the hassle. Des walked in front of him, leading the way as he happily followed. As he continued to walk behind her, he could smell sweet fragrances passing him by; the scents of the oils in her hair mixed with her perfume blended well together.

They both finally stopped and looked up at the marquee of the building which read “The Maximilian”. “Well, this is my hotel,” Des said.

Matt smiled and handed her the backpack. Their hands brushed against each other’s, causing Matt’s heart to skip a beat and Des’s breath to hitch. They weren’t expecting that brief touch, but it seemed as if it was fate’s doing, as if the divine had used invisible magnets in the pair’s hands that attracted them to each other.

Des let out a small chuckle as she regained her composure. “It was nice meeting you, Matt!” She said with a smile, and the man could have sworn his knees were nearly jelly as he heard her goodbye.

Matt smiled back. “You, too. I’ll text you, trust me,” he added the last part with the utmost sincerity. He hoped that she trusted him with that.

“I know you will,” Des said as her mouth just went with the flow of the moment, flirting with the man without even consulting with her brain first. Matt chuckled and began to wave goodbye as she walked into the hotel.

Des rushed to her room and quickly shut the door as she jumped onto her bed. She was like a giddy, giggly nerdy kid who just got the cool, popular boy’s attention at school, flailing her legs around excitedly and screaming into her pillow. Was she excited about talking to a cute boy? Yes. Was she also fighting for her life and having a lowkey panic attack because she spoke to a cute boy? Also yes. Was the screaming and kicking her feet up a mixture of the two emotions? Absolutely. And what happened a few minutes later set her off even more.

Ding! An unsaved number texted her, and the text read, “Hey, it’s me, Matt! It was nice to talk to you today! Enjoy that coffee. Hopefully we can talk again soon!” followed by a smiley face.

“Fuck me,” Des uttered to herself in disbelief of what she had gotten herself into.

***

Throughout the next 5 months, Matt and Des had been talking to each other on and off, sometimes about their growing Youtube careers, other times about casual things like their hobbies and their families. They would mainly text each other, but as they got more comfortable with each other, texts turned to Discord calls while playing Fortnite or silly little Roblox horror games, and silly littles games became late-night Facetime calls while doing their nighttime routines or while snuggled up in their beds. There were some nights where one would catch the other fallen asleep during the call. You know, the stuff friends do.

Matt would usually talk to her at night, but throughout the day he would find himself sending her little memes or even photos of things that reminded him of her. His brothers didn’t really know all the details. In fact, they virtually didn’t know anything other than the fact that they’d notice Matt sneaking texts underneath the table whenever they would eat together, that he’d get distracted on his phone when they filmed car videos, or that Matt was a bit more enthusiastic about waking up in the morning, sometimes even waking up earlier than the two of them, which was uncommon for him. It was weird, but at least they could acknowledge he seemed more up in spirits.

Destiny’s friends would ask her about the guy she was talking to, but she wouldn’t make it a big deal. “We’re not even dating,” she would say as an excuse, which was reasonable, of course. She didn’t feel it was appropriate to introduce them to someone she wasn’t even sure she would be romantically involved with. She didn’t want to get her hopes up to the point where a rejection would physically and mentally destroy her. She would, however, give them little details about him such as how he was a YouTuber, or that he had siblings, or how they met at the Creator’s Summit in New York. They would have little investigations (especially Layla) about who the mystery man could be. But up to this point, they still haven’t figured him out, which was great for Des.

Des and Matt’s friendship was working very well, even with the physical distances between them; Destiny living in Florida and Matt constantly traveling between California and Massachusetts. But that’s the thing: their relationship was long distance, and long-distance relationships can only go so far before the proximity becomes a problem. Des decided to bring it up one night during one of their FaceTime calls, stuttering her way through her part of the conversation as she tried to find the best wording for her suggestion to reunite with him in person. She was going to LA anyway to stay with her friends for a half-vlog-half-vacation trip, so she thought it would be nice to meet up with him, even just for a day or two.

Matt laid in bed as he received the information, seemingly calm if one looked at him from a distance, but his heart was actually pounding out of his chest. A heap of questions began to rush through his brain. She wanted to meet up with me? Oh my god, what does that mean? As friends or like… Oh gosh.

He simply nodded his head and gave her a promising smile. “Of course. I think it’s about time we hung out in real life again. We said we’d be more than just content or online friends, right?” His cheeks heated up as he heard Des’s cute little giggle from across the screen.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she replied. “So, I’ll text you all the details of my flight and my schedule and everything.”

“Okay, sure,” he said. As his anxiety grew, there were more thoughts. Fuck, is she coming to my house? Do I have to go to where she’s staying?

“It’s 2 AM already? Damn, I’m gonna go to sleep. I’m supposed to go to the nail salon with Dawn tomorrow.”

“Aw, okay. It was nice talking to you. Goodnight! Love y-” Matt quickly bit his lip as he heard the last two words about to slip from his mouth. Hopefully, she didn’t hear me.

“What’d you say?” Des asked. Thank God she had a genuine look of confusion on her face, and Matt mentally wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I was saying ‘Goodnight and sweet dreams’”, he answered as he played off his Freudian slip. “The phone must’ve glitched.”

Des smiled. “Oh okay! Goodnight to you, too, Matt.” And the call ended.

And even more thoughts rolled in. Oh my God, what if I embarrass myself around her like I almost did? Does she even really wanna see me, or is she just saying that to be nice? What clothes do I wea-

“Matt!” A voice said, and a knock coming from his door snapped Matt back to reality. He realized it was Nick.

“Yeah?” he called back out.

“Is my charger in your room?” Nick opened Matt’s door a bit to speak to him more directly. “I texted you about it, but you didn’t answer, so I had to make this long ass, unnecessary trip all the way from my room to yours to ask you.”

Matt brushed off the shade and jolted to look around his bedroom and grabbed Nick’s charger as he noticed it on his nightstand. “Yeah, I got it. Hold on,” he said as he got up and walked over to his bedroom door, handing Nick the charger through the crack he had open.

“Thanks,” Nick expressed, before he saw the look on Matt’s face. “Are you good? You look pale… paler than usual,” he continued. He was joking with him, but there was a genuine concern there.

Matt raised his eyebrow at his brother. He knew why Nick would say that, but he had to deflect somehow. “I’m good! Don’t worry about it.” He feigned a smile.

“Well, that makes me worry.” Nick refuted.

“Well, I said don’t worry about it,” Matt snapped back, before sighing as he realized he was getting tense. “Trust me, I’m fine, Nick.”

“Okay…” Nick said with a hint of hesitation. “Well, goodnight. And keep your notifications on, please? I hate walking back and forth.”

Matt nodded and watched Nick walk off before shutting his door. A wave of relief caused him to sigh before walking towards his closet and taking a look inside. He analyzed each shirt and pants on the hangers and racks, leaving him with just one thought.

I guess I gotta prepare from now…

***

The door to Des’s place swung open and she looked around, taking in the view of the interior of the house she was staying in for the week. She was finally in LA for her little vacation trip with her friends, and thank God she was able to rent her own place for the time being.

As she finished getting herself settled in (and by finished I mean putting her luggage to the side until she remembers to unpack later), she decided to let everyone know of her arrival, including Matt. She laid onto her bed and texted him “I’m in LA right now! Just arrived this morning” with a little heart face emoji as the cherry on top. She placed her phone on her nightstand and connected it to her charger as she went into the bathroom for a quick shower to wash herself off.

***

Matt looked at his phone as it sat on the stand attached to the Desboard of his car, the ding interrupting his focus as he continued to drive home. He had just finished having a meeting about a book he was working on, one that discussed anxiety and mental health from both a personal and professional perspective. He had been working on this book as a secret kept from his fans for about ten months now, constantly holding meetings with co-writers and editors, as well as doing interviews with therapists of all kinds.

Matt tapped onto his phone and it revealed a message from Destiny which read “I’m in LA right now! Just arrived this morning” with a smiley heart face emoji. His heart jumped as he started to think about what his life will be like this week with her finally being in close proximity to him. They made a promise that they would hang out for some time while she was here for the rest of the month, he just had to figure out when and where exactly.

Luckily, he had some days where he wouldn’t be having book meetings. But, he had to figure out how to designate time away from Nick and Chris. He really didn’t want to, but he felt that he had to. He and Des weren’t technically dating, technically not even real-life friends outside of the half-hour they spent in that coffee shop in New York. Bringing her up out of nowhere to his brothers would make them confused, but hiding her from them also felt like a crime. He couldn’t risk it though.

As Matt arrived home, he quickly texted Des his itinerary for the week and called her, a smile never leaving his face as he began to suggest things that the two of them could do together. He told her about a cute crêperia where they had “the best crêpes he has ever had”, and about a little botanical garden that he recently went to with his brothers and his friend Madi. In the back of his mind, he could get her a special flower there? He chuckled as he thought of the millions of ways to express his gratitude for her coming all the way to LA wanting to spend time with him in the midst of her busy schedule. But… were they dates? Honestly…

He wasn’t even sure yet. Here came the self-doubt.

***

Today was their first day meeting in-person since their time at the café in New York.

Matt waited outside of a brunch place he had suggested for the two of them to eat. He kept his eyes peeled for Destiny; he didn’t want to miss a second with her.

After a few minutes of aimlessly scrolling through his phone to pass the time, he finally heard a familiar cute voice from his right side. “Hey!!” Matt turned and looked at Des holding her hand out for a shake. Almost as if his body reacted involuntarily, his arms wrapped around her body for a hug.

Des was startled at first, but his touch and the warmth of his body instantly calmed her. The two shared a tight embrace before Matt pulled away to look at her, all of her. “How’ve you been?”

She noticed his eyes on her, almost like he was examining her, which would make sense since their first time seeing their whole bodies in person after a while. “I’ve been well!” she answered with a smile, the same smile that almost made Matt want to fall to his knees back at the coffee shop where they first met.

“Yeah?” Matt asked rhetorically. But, the way he said it… something about it made Des’s heart jump. And not only her heart had that reaction; Des shifted her position a bit as she felt the bundle of nerves between her legs pulse. Her brain did its best to shove those nasty thoughts in a vault and lock it as she nodded her head and asked back, “How’ve you been?”

Matt answered, “I’m good. But, even better now that you’re here.” He smiled, causing Des to let out a small titter, not knowing how to really respond to that. The Generation Z jumped out and came to her rescue, following the small nervous chuckle with a “same”.

Matt chuckled back and said, “Well, we should head inside. I hope you’re hungry, ‘cause you’re gonna want to eat everything off this place’s menu.” Matt’s face lit up as he saw Des laugh at his joke. This girl really knew how to make his heart flutter without even trying. And with that, he placed his hand on her upper back, swung the door open, and escorted her into the building. He swore he could feel her breath hitch as he touched her.

***

Their little date went well. They spoke to each other with the same energy as they would usually do over the phone. It was face-to-face now though, which added an extra layer of intimacy amongst them. They started to notice things about each other, especially in their body language, that they had never noticed before, since those months on FaceTime they pretty much always saw each other from the chest up with the usual “fit checks” being the only full-body exceptions.

Every moment Des would glance up at him, he would already have his eyes on her, then would quickly look away as he realized she caught him. She noticed that he never looked at his phone other than to check a phone call from his brother Chris, giving her the green flag that he actually paid full attention to her. She saw how he would bite his lip every time she shifted herself in her seat, and how he would stroke his hand through his hair whenever she complimented him, a sort of nervous tick. It was cute.

Matt was just as observant. He would watch the way she ate her food from the moment she picked it up with a fork, to the way she would chew, to the way she would swallow and wipe her mouth in case anything was on her lips. He noticed her fidget in her seat, especially when she was being complimented or praised. She would even shift sometimes when he would crack a little teasing joke at her. It was cute.

How the fuck would they both get through the rest of the week if they kept studying each other like this?

***

To answer the question, it went pretty well despite Des and Matt being in their heads about it. They checked off every box they had planned in their joint itinerary, with Matt showing her in some of his favorite places in LA, and Des happily following along, happy to learn more about the area, Matt himself, and their personal dynamics together.

The final stop for this week was Matt’s office where he’d met up with book editors and publishers before. He had a meeting earlier that day and everyone had left, so he knew he could take her here. It would be perfect: no distractions, no people walking in to disturb the flow, he could show her around and give her the inside scoop about his project, and he didn’t have to worry about being around her with fans or anyone watching their every move. And the added bonus of him still wearing his semi-professional office clothes. Just perfect.

He walked her around the office, showing her concept boards and first drafts, and told her about his book. As he spoke, he noticed the way her face would light up. Did she like the book that much? Or did she like the fact that he liked making it?

They finally finished the tour, and now they’re sitting on the gray couch in the room together, wondering what to do next.

“It’s been nice to spend this week hanging out with you,” Matt said, the satisfaction in his tone aligning with the words he spoke. “I just really love your energy.”

Des’s heart skipped a beat as she registered his words. Love my energy? she asked herself. “We only met in person for at most 30 minutes in that café,” she said with a laugh, and then continued, “And now we’ve only spent a week sneaking around together. What’s there to love?”

Matt’s body shifted, spreading his legs in a more relaxed stance as he felt himself get a bit tense. She was right, he could admit to himself. It’s only been a week of talking to someone face to face for the second time ever and he’s making such a bold claim. But, he meant what he said, and explained, “I mean, you’re just such a sweetheart for one. You actually sit and listen when I speak, compared to other influencers I’ve met. With a lot of them, you can just see them thinking about how to turn a conversation we’re having into content for their next TikTok or YouTube video.” He paused as he noticed her doe-like eyes looking right at him, taking in every word, before continuing, “You can see it in their eyes: just ideas and thoughts flooding their brains, blurring their vision. But with you, when I look at your eyes, they’re so big and bright and clear. It’s like you’re listening not only with your ears, but with your eyes, too. They’re so… so beautiful.”

Des’s heart stopped. Literally stopped. Beautiful?...

BEAUTIFUL?

She quickly mentally slapped herself to get back to reality after that word stopped her in her tracks. “Oh, um, thank you, Matt.” She smiled anxiously, and she noticed Matt glance down at her lips.

Matt’s legs spread a bit more as he could feel something coming on (more like something turning on…). He watched as Des bit her lip and shifted herself on her side of the couch. She was having the same reaction as him.

“Des, I’m serious,” he added onto his previous statements. “You’re beautiful. Not just looks-wise. Your personality… I just-” he bit his lip, his brain stopping him from continuing.

It was like his brain and his heart were fighting for dominance. Would it be logical for him to express his deeper feelings to her now? Or does he say “fuck logic– I’m just gonna tell her I love her”?

But there was a third opponent in this internal battle– and it wasn’t even internal. Matt kept his legs spread, trying his best to make his dick comfortable. He wasn’t getting a boner on purpose (he swears!), but Destiny was just too gorgeous. Her aura and her presence around him just made him get flustered, and ultimately, sexually frustrated.

He was just a man. Insert shrug here.

Matt patted the spot on the couch next to him and gestured over at Des for her to come beside him, and Des obliged, scooting up next to him until their thighs met.

At this point, they were looking into each other’s eyes, as if some force made them physically bound to stare at each other. Matt continued his confession telling Des, “I just wanna let you know, I really like you. I know we said we would be more than creator friends– which we are!” He paused to think about his next words. He absolutely did not want to fuck up this moment because of his anxious, misspeaking tongue. He sighed to relieve himself a bit and spoke again, “I know we’re friends and we’ve only been friends for some months now, and we’ve only hung out in person for a week and a day in total, but I feel something with you. It’s not just platonic.” He stopped himself from saying anything more for the moment because he really wanted to study her reaction. He knew that actions spoke louder than words, and that was very true in his and Des’s circumstances since they were both not the most outspoken people. The best way for him to really gauge Des’s thoughts was just by watching her.

He could see Des’s eyes wide and trance-like. They were staring into his own, but not actually looking at him at the moment. She was listening to him— the same way he told her that she truly listened to him with her eyes. And she was processing everything. Well, he did just admit his wholehearted more than platonic feelings for her, so it would make sense. He continued his admission, adding “I think I’m in love with you. I’m falling for you pretty hard. And it’s confusing since it’s so sudden, but I really wanna… try things out with you.”

Des bit her lip and shifted in her seat. Another nervous snicker, followed by an “Um..” made the somewhat hopeful look on Matt’s face start to dissolve. Did she not like what he said? Was she weirded out by him? Fuck… what if the feelings weren’t mutual? Or worse- what if she didn’t want to be his friend anymore?

“Matt?” Des’s voice interrupted the man’s thoughts. His eyebrows rose as his eyes jumped between her lips and her eyes, in some way to decipher what she was going to say next.

Des herself was also trying to decipher what she would say next. She wanted to immediately jump in Matt’s lap and kiss him. She wanted to just say “yes, yes, yes!” with pure excitement. She wanted to even satisfy him with her body, sealing the deal of any sort of romantic and sexual relationship. She wished she was just that type of spontaneous girl who could just love and accept him– all of him– with open arms.

But, she wasn’t. And she was well aware of it. All of her thoughts and feelings began to flood her brain, her mouth didn’t even know what words to form next. So, her eyes decided to take the reins.

Tears formed at the corner of her eyes, which juxtaposed the smile on her face. Were they tears of joy? She wished they were simply that: tears of joy. But, they weren’t. They were a mix of different feelings: a culmination of anxiety, fear, embarrassment, and joy that overwhelmed her. And her body just decided to release them all in the form of crying.

Matt saw her begin to sob, watched as her chest heaved in excess, how the tears just ran down her face without any force or strain, how little whimpers escaped her throat, and it absolutely devastated him. Des wasn’t just crying, she was having a nervous breakdown, a panic attack, a reaction his body was familiar with. He instantly coiled his arms around her, rubbing on her back to bring her back to some sort of tranquility. He let go of her after a few seconds, not wanting to make her feel claustrophobic, and placed his forehead against hers. It was like his body didn’t want to fully let go of her– it wanted to stay close and help her feel better. So, he began to start breathing, 4 seconds of an inhale, 4 seconds to hold his breath, 4 seconds of an exhale, and 4 seconds to hold once again, repeating the process intentionally to let Des follow at some point.

Des picked up on his breathing technique as her arms around him felt his respiration through his back. She began to follow his process, and after some time, it calmed her down. Matt and Destiny’s eyes met again as she looked up at him, and that’s when she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. It was her way of showing gratitude without a “thank you”, for words were not needed in that moment. All they needed was serenity. All they needed was each other; they were each other’s serenity.

As the moment continued and their comfort levels increased, Matt noticed Des getting closer to him, like she was trying to get on top of him. He helped her with this motion, getting her on top of his lap, and held her. His body cradled hers, not wanting to let go. If he could hold her like this forever, he would. Her aura, what he imagined was a light, fairy pink, blended with his sky blue to create the most beautiful shade of lavender. It looked like the way the sky would have a purple hue whenever the sun went down. A sunset— that’s what they were. She was the sun; shining more brightly than any other star in the universe. His world seemed to revolve around her. He was the Moon— one would only notice him if they looked up at the sky, and even then they probably wouldn’t see him at his full potential. Those mere, almost fleeting moments where the Sun and Moon would meet in the sky— their first meeting at the café in New York, the phone calls and texts they shared, and this whole full week of them being together in-person— created these beautiful colors of red, orange, and purple. And that’s what this blooming relationship between Matt and Des was: the purple hue of the sunset, where the Sun and Moon would enjoy each other’s company before they bid adieu to one another. The Sun’s light would still bask on him in the night, and on some days one could point out the glow that the Sun left on him even on their busiest days.

Des clung to Matt like a koala, with her legs wrapped around his waist, and her arms around his neck. The two enjoyed each other’s warmth for a few more moments, truly engraving this moment in their bodies and minds. Des took it upon herself to make the next big move, to hammer a nail in their relationship.

Her lips pressed against his suddenly. Whether it was out of passion, comfort, or anything else, she didn’t quite know. But something about Matt helping her out of that state of vulnerability allowed her to break open her seal and release the spontaneity that she didn’t even know she had within herself.

Matt didn’t hesitate to reciprocate, following the movements of her lips with his own. She tasted the way he expected her to taste– like the mocha-flavored lip gloss she applied onto her lips after every meal they shared. It was divine and matched with her sweet, decadent composure. He knew at that moment that he wanted more of her, right here, right now.

Matt released his mouth from hers before any further actions– before a tongue slipped in, before a nip at a lip, before a whimper or moan could be emitted. He needed some sort of rite of passage, so he gazed into her eyes to ask his next question. Or rather, suggest something to her. “Des, I wanna do more with you… I wanna make you feel good.”

Destiny smiled softly at his disclosure, and nodded her head slowly. “O-Okay,” she stuttered. She knew what he meant, of course. He wanted to shift this to a more passionate atmosphere. She wanted it too, she couldn’t lie, and her desire rose as Matt leaned in to kiss her forehead.

The man’s arms massaged her shoulders a bit before starting to slowly inch down the sides of her body. His hands stopped above her hips, and he looked into her eyes again for a subtle consent to touch her there. Des nodded and smiled before looking down to figure out what he would do next.

His hands finally placed themselves on her pelvis and began to massage her. He wanted her to feel comfortable with this new boundary being crossed, and by the way she started to lean into his body and place her head in the crook of his neck, he could tell that she was.

That’s when he began to guide her hips to rock back and forth on top of him. The instant relief flowed through his body, causing Matt to sigh. He could hear a small whimper come from Destiny’s mouth as she, too, began to feel him against her.

He continued to guide her, keeping the pace slow, yet pressed her into his lap more to increase the friction. Matt swore he could feel Des’s mound through her pants, which motivated him to please her. Grunts and moans were all Matt could let out at the moment; the dirty talk would have to come later once he was out of his trance.

Des’s head was fully in between Matt’s neck and shoulder. She kept her arms around his neck to stabilize her upper body, while her lower half was being fully controlled by him. She began to spill moans from her mouth as he pressed her into him more, and the best part was that she didn’t feel the need to conceal them. She loved this feeling, not only because he was pleasing himself and her, but because he felt comfortable enough in the relationship to want to try something like this. They were on the same page, and this was just the cherry on top.

Matt’s grip onto Des’s hips suddenly loosened, and the grinding stopped. He was getting close, but he didn’t want to just use her body like a toy (at least not so early in their sexual relationship). He wanted to really feel her. He wanted her to use him for her own pleasure. “You wanna ride me, pretty girl?”

Gulp. Des removed her head from the crook of his neck and looked at him. She swallowed a lump in her throat before nodding her head, trying to fix herself onto Matt’s lap in a way she thought would help her perform to the best of her abilities. The thing is, her abilities… weren’t quite able. It’s not like she hadn’t ridden something before– if the pillow adjacent to hers on her bed counted as something. But, an actual human man? Not a part of her resumé. She finally sat herself down, but hesitated with commencing her next moves.

“Have you ever done this before?” Matt asked curiously, although by the lack of movement she gave from her end and the awkward position she sat in on his lap, he could already tell the answer.

Confirming his suspicions, Des shook her head and lowered it. Was she ashamed?

Matt placed his fingers on her jaw and brought her head back up to face him, making sure her eyes were aligned with his. His lips curved to form a smile, one that was hopefully reassuring for her. “It’s alright, Des. It’s normal. It’s okay. If you ever wanna stop, just pinch me or bite me or just say no. I’ll be fine,” he paused to kiss her forehead, “We will be fine. Okay, pretty girl?”

A blush appeared on Des’s cheeks, and she nodded, giving him a kiss back onto his cheek. Matt then helped to adjust the girl on his lap, making sure both him and her were comfortable with their positions. He grasped her hips and then her ass, but made sure to keep eye contact with her, studying the microexpressions on her face in case she ever gave a sign of discomfort. Then, Des began to rock her hips back and forth, mimicking Matt’s earlier guidance. The pleasure between her legs came back again as she felt him through his pants, rubbing against her sweet spot.

Matt bit his lip and threw his head back as the pleasure he felt shot up his spine. His Destiny, his gorgeous girl, was on his lap, riding him through his pants.

He groaned as Destiny continued her movements, the urge of throwing his head back again quickly diminishing as he began to plant kisses against her ear and the back of it. He could hear her little sweet whimpers of ecstasy in his own ear, and it drove him to lift his own hips up to collide with her rotating hips. His groin met with hers with such force that the vibrations of impact flowed through the two of their bodies, causing their soft pants and whimpers to grow into louder moans. If dry-humping caused them to have these sorts of reactions, one could only imagine what penetration would make them feel like.

Matt knew that the sounds of friction against their clothing mixed with their moans wasn’t enough to complete the symphony. He needed to add one more piece. So, his lips began to twitch as his brain transferred sweet-nothings to whisper to the girl on his lap. “There you go, baby… That feels good?” He murmured, the softness of his voice contrasting with some undertone of a rasp that sent shockwaves through Des’s ear all the way to her pussy. The pulse at her clit quickened and the wet spot in her panties quickly flooded the entire area. She nodded and threw her head back, making Matt lean over and grab her to keep her from falling backward. This new position created a delicious angle for Matt to begin thrusting his hips with more intention, almost to the point where he looked like he was actually fucking her. “I know, baby, you’re feeling good. Good girl…”, he stated while he stared into her eyes, furrowing his eyebrows as his own stomach started to churn with pleasure.

Des’s moans started to become more sporadic the closer she got to her orgasm. Matt took the opportunity to reach one of his hands down to her mound and begin rubbing at it, his finger doing its best to find where he believed her clit to be. He felt something, similar to the feeling of the tip of a nose, and knew that he hit the jackpot, so he began to rub at that spot the best he could through her pants.

The feeling of the moment finally caught up to Des and she felt herself begin to unravel. Her body began to shake as she orgasmed, almost making her fall out of Matt’s grasp.

Matt pulled her body close, wrapping his arms around her waist with a grip tight enough to contain her trembling, but soft enough to give her some sort of comfort. He softly cooed at her, whispering small shushes and giving her small pecks of his lips by the temple of her head. “It’s okay, honey,” he whispered into her ear. “You’re okay. I’m right here. It’s just me, okay?”

Des brought her head between his neck and his shoulder as her body shook with the intensity of her orgasm. It was embarrassing for her. She knew it shouldn’t have been. Matt probably wouldn’t care if that’s how her body reacted to pleasure. But what if he did?

Almost as if he had heard her worries through telepathy, he uttered, “No, no, no it’s okay to shake. Shaking’s normal.”

“I’ve never done that before,” Des admitted, causing Matt to cock his head. She clarified, “I’ve never cum before… especially not with someone else.”

Matt kissed her temple and began to rub her back. He didn’t have a problem with her admission at all. “You feel good though, right?” She nodded, and he continued. “That’s all that matters,” he stated with a sincere and heartwarming smile.

Her warm chestnut eyes looked into his icy blues, the contrast between them being highlighted by the bright sparks of ecstasy that they now both shared post-orgasm. Des was normally intimidated by eye contact, but with Matt she felt… comfortable. Safe. Trust.

And that trust is what gave her the confidence to make this request.

“Matt… if you’re still up for it,” she paused to swallow the lump of saliva that nearly stopped her from getting her words out then continued, “Can I suck you off?”

Matt was indeed up for it. He didn’t have an orgasm from their grinding session, which he was initially thankful for because he didn’t ruin his pants. But with Des’s request, he was now double-thankful for not cumming. He could now enjoy a blowjob from his favorite person without the fear of him (or his dick) being overstimulated or overwhelmed.

“It’s okay, you can do whatever you want. Whatever feels comfortable. I wouldn’t ever force you to do anything,” He replied. In his own mind he added, I could force my dick down your throat… with consent though-

His thoughts were stopped as he watched Des get on her knees between his legs, looking up at him with those doe-eyes. Those same fucking doe-eyes that got him hard in the first place were now looking up at him, yearning for his dick.

“Fuck,” He mumbled, and he pulled his pants down to help her get started. Her soft, warm hands pulled down his boxers, causing his erection to spring out in its precum-coated, red-tipped glory. It was desperate for some relief, something more than just a couple rubs through fabric— it needed a warm and wet cavern to dump its release inside of.

The way her eyes looked at his dick could have cum right then. But he held his composure, and pet her head as he watched one of her hands wrap around his shaft. Matt chuckled as he noticed her trying to jerk him off. “You have to lube it up; I don’t have any foreskin, sweetheart,” he said with a laugh.

Des laughed as well as she realized her mistake. “Oh, right,” she told him. Noticing the pre-cum began to slide from his tip, she used some to wipe onto him, and Matt winced at the contact. He bit his lip as he watched her stroke his cock, and when her eyes met his, he, again, did his best not to cum all over her face.

Des finally knew it was time to do what she yearned for. So, she bent her head down and released some saliva onto his tip, then used her hand to coat it all around his dick. When she was ready, she wrapped her lips around him, and began to suck.

“Ah, shit..,” Matt groaned. He leaned his head into the back of the couch, truly living in this moment– the moment that his girl Destiny was finally making direct contact with his dick. It was purely heaven.

Des brought her head up and down his length, doing her best to get as much surface area as she could. When she got comfortable and noticed Matt’s face of bliss, she brought herself as far down his dick as she could and began to suck from there.

Matt’s hand grabbed the back of her head, however he didn’t tug on her hair; he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or in any sort of pain. He wanted his girl to truly enjoy herself— He knew he was. “Your lips… oh, shit,” was all that he could even conjure out of his own lips.

Des chuckled, causing vibrations to move through his cock all the way up his spine, making his brain receive all the pleasure from those feelings. The girl continued to do her best to suck him deeply, not quite deepthroating, but still getting deep enough to feel him at the back of her throat. It was surprisingly pleasurable for her, and the proof was in her panties as her clit throbbed the way it did when she rode him.

“Fuck, you feel so good, Destiny,” he moaned out, jutting his hips. He tried his best not to overpower her— he really did.

But, she just felt too damn good.

“Des, I want to go deeper, are you okay with that, sweetheart?”

He heard (and felt) an “Uh-huh” come from her mouth, and he immediately took action.

His hips bucked in her mouth with haste, the tip hitting the back of her throat which caused her to make the most disgustingly beautiful noises. “Good girl,” he stated through grunts, “good fucking girl. You’re taking me so well, baby.” He stopped speaking to listen to her noises. They were cute gags with little gaps in between each stroke of his cock, both from the impact of his dick’s rhythm inside of her, but also from her trying to keep herself alive with short and quick breaths through her nose. He had heard those sounds in porn before, yes. But with Des? That was something else. She wasn’t just some personal pornstar for him, she was like his doll. And although this was their first time together, he loved to play with her, and he anticipated the many more times he could play with her again, the many more possibilities of getting nastier with her, the many more times be could be romantic and soft with her, the many more times he could just simply be with her.

“Fuck, Destiny, I’m so close,” he moaned out, and his feet planted themselves on the ground as he did his best to restrain himself from cumming too early while still thrusting into her mouth.

Des didn’t respond simply because her throat was occupied with being thrusted into. Her hands held onto his thighs as his thrusts got faster, and she knew he was getting closer to an orgasm.

And finally, with a couple more thrusts and some praises, he finally released, closing his eyes and groaning proudly. But, he noticed that she might not be comfortable with him ejaculating inside of her mouth, so he pulled out to minimize the chances. He looked down at her and noticed that some did end up in her mouth, while the rest landed on her cheeks and nose.

But, Des didn’t care about any of that. She fully accepted it all, and leaned her mouth back onto his dick to suck the residue from his tip. This stunned Matt, but he didn’t question it since she looked too damn good doing it. Des smiled and licked her lips as she finished. “You taste nice,” she complimented him.

Matt laughed and petted her head and brought his hand down to hold her jaw and caress her cheek. “Oh yeah? I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

Des cocked her head to the side as she questioned what he meant mentally. Matt noticed and continued, “For when I taste you!” He grinned as he continued, “I know you’re probably gonna taste better than me.”

Des smiled and blushed. He wanted to taste me? She asked herself.

Yes, he wanted to taste her! And not only taste her– he wanted to touch her, tease her, make her cum around him, choke, gag, bite, kiss, spit, swallow, everything. He wanted to do every single damn thing to her.

But, that would have to be for next time.

#sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #chris sturniolo #nick sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #nickssidewitch #sturniolo triplets fanfic #sturniolo triplets smut #matt sturniolo smut

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pascalpvnk · 9 months ago

Text

my funny valentine

pairing: pre/no-outbreak!joel miller x gn!reader

summary: joel attempts to ask you to be his valentine empty handed. it simply won’t cut it.

word count: 1.7k

warnings: 18+ MDNI, no descriptions of reader (joel picks them up once), no specific timeline (i hc that sarah is 5/6, no mention of joel or reader’s ages) but DoorDash and YouTube tutorials exist, brief smutty mention but no explicit smut, joel’s biceps, assertive reader, silly man thinking he can do the bare minimum, silly man righting his wrongs, one (1) mention of his mother, lots of kisses, lots of fluff, no use of y/n

a/n: i switched from past tense to present tense midway through writing, so if anything was missed in editing in the beginning, please let me know :’) this is a very action driven fic rather than the world building I’m used to so I’m sorry if it’s repetitive. not beta’d. divider by @saradika-graphics

HOW TO SUPPORT PALESTINE // IMPORTANT FOR TLOU READERS & WRITERS

masterlist // fic recs

The bitter burn of dark roasted beans stimulates your taste buds before being soothed with the coffee creamer in the mixture. The stovetop clock reads 8:09. Normally Joel would be up by seven, have his coffee and breakfast and switch out the laundry by this time. Instead he’s snoring the morning away in his bedroom, probably sprawled out over the whole bed now that you’ve been up for a bit.

You enjoy the quiet as the two Millers are lost in deep slumber. The younger of the two had been worn out playing house with her dolls much past her bedtime. You didn’t mind, as you were waiting for Joel to return home from work anyway. He made his appearance soon after you tucked Sarah into her bed, eyelids heavy and shirt sweat and dirt stained.

Exhaustion was an understatement. You gave him a warm kiss, despite his argument that he smelled bad.

You always stink, I don’t see the issue, you teased him.

A huffed chuckle escaped him as he wrapped his arms around you. Smartass.

You two shared a shower, washing one another’s bodies from the day’s grime gently, relieving stress in more than one way. Joel has always been clingy when he’s tired, his hands never wanting to let you go. So you found yourself pressed up against the cool tile of the shower wall, Joel filling you to the brim until the water ran cold.

He was barely able to pull on a pair of boxers before his body had succumbed to his fatigue the moment his head hit his pillow.

You laid beside him, delicately brushing his damp curls behind his ear, similarly to how you did when you awoke, this time his curls dry and stuck up every which way.

Joel doesn’t find his way out to the kitchen for another twenty minutes, a pair of plaid sweatpants hanging on for dear life lowly on his hips and a black cotton shirt barely concealing his ever growing biceps.

“Mornin’, baby,” he rasps, kissing the top of your head to grab your attention as you repeat his greeting back. His lips capture yours, groaning at the prominent coffee taste swirling on your tongue. He reluctantly pulls away, admiring the way your eyes sparkle as you look up at him.

“Prettier than a painting, honey,” he sighs, rounding the counter to the coffee maker. Carefully opening the cabinet above, he grabs his favorite mug, coincidentally the one you and Sarah had picked out for him for Christmas. If dad can’t fix it, no one can, is printed on both sides of it with a little toolbox. She was giggly the entire time he was unwrapping it, a precious sound that replays in your mind each time you see it.

Joel grabs the coffee pot with one hand while scrubbing his other over his beard, unkempt and due for a trimming soon.

“So…I was thinkin’ about Valentine’s Day,” he starts, completely filling up his cup with the steaming brew. “Would ya wanna go out or have a night in?”

“Hold on, cowboy. I don’t recall being asked to be your valentine, so as far as I know I’m not doing anything,” you shrug.

His brow cocks up at your comment mid-sip. You know your relationship advanced fairly quickly, seeing as the upcoming Valentine’s Day is the first you two are celebrating together. More than half of your belongings have found a cozy new home at Joel’s place and your own bed hasn’t been slept on in over a week. Your anniversary isn’t until April, but the quick progression doesn’t mean you want to skip out on the little things. You don’t wanna get comfortable.

“Okay then,” he clears his throat, the tips of his ears and peaks of his cheeks flushing. “Will you be my Valentine?”

You give him a once over, empty handed sans his coffee.

“Is this how you wanna ask me?”

“Um…’spose not,” he stutters, visibly surprised with your assertiveness. “Hold onto that thought, baby. I’m gon’ ask ya properly.”

Joel starts to put his mug in the microwave and leave the kitchen. Your soft voice startles him as you call his name.

“Woah, woah. I don’t want you to go right this second,” you chuckle. “You look too good for anyone else to see this morning anyways.”

A smirk creeps onto his lips, matching yours. Your lips meld together as you drag him back to his bedroom until Sarah awakes.

Joel makes his way out of the house later in the afternoon, a few stops in mind for his valentine’s proposal.

He feels like a giant oaf wandering the aisles of endless amounts of candies and plushies. A few eyes wander towards him as he stares blankly at the assorted chocolates. Christ, just pick something and get outta here, he thinks to himself while scratching his freshly trimmed scruff.

“Anything I can help you with?” A voice startles him. He looks up at the shop employee with a small smile.

“Mind givin’ a second opinion?” He chuckles, watching her come a bit closer. “Which one ‘a these would you wanna get from your partner?”

She scans the shelf for a moment, settling on a heart shaped box. For safe measure, she grabs the miniature version as well.

“You can’t really go wrong with chocolate. I’d want the bigger one but it can be pricey so they have the smaller one too,” she smiles as she hands him the two options. The gears start turning in his head as a new idea comes up.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he smiles politely, tucking them both in his basket. “I ‘ppreciate the help.”

The clerk nods and returns to her assigned position, leaving Joel to explore some more. He ends up buying double what he had anticipated, but for good reason.

He finds himself at a local Trader Joe’s. The bouquets that the previous shop had pre-made were alright, but Joel knows that you deserve far better than those. He picks up bundles of baby’s breath and greenery after choosing the perfect main flower, classic red roses. He grabs a few more groceries you had mentioned were running low before checking out. He’s feeling pretty proud of himself, how hard can assembling a bouquet be?

Turns out Joel is a little in over his head with the flowers. He’s stuck himself with thorns, which he assumed were already removed, more times than he can count. He wishes his momma was next to him, giving him better directions than the internet can provide. You’re the only person he’s brought back home that his mother truly approved of, which meant the whole world to him. So therefore, he simply cannot mess this up.

He settles his bloodied fingers under the running tap as he cuts the stems off of the plants to an even height. This part is second nature to him, cutting things evenly is his livelihood after all. He cuts a few of them down to half of the size, separating them from the rest.

The video he’s pulled up instructs him to open up the roses next, something he would’ve never thought to do himself. He turns each individual bud upside down over the sink, twisting the stems between his palms until the flowers look alive. Assembly of the buds seems easy enough, just a pattern.

Rose, greenery, filler, turn, repeat.

Once he’s satisfied with his work, he ties the ends of both bouquets he’s created with rubber bands before wrapping them in brown paper. He borrows some pink ribbon from Sarah’s crafting supplies for the final touch on each.

Joel’s phone buzzes with two notifications at once.

‘Your delivery driver will arrive shortly with your order!’

‘Hey, baby. Sarah and I are heading home shortly. I don’t feel like cooking tonight so I can pick something up on the way.’

He makes his way to the front door, flipping on the porch light before responding to you.

‘No need, sweetheart. I have dinner covered. See you soon.’

Joel completes the message with a heart emoticon before sending. He gathers all of the stem and leaves from the sink and throws away the scraps before wiping down the dampened counter. The gifts are assembled on the coffee table, a clear divide between what he got for you and Sarah.

He retrieves the takeout from the driver, giving him a cash tip before taking the food to the kitchen. Joel completes any final touches he may have missed until he hears your car doors closing in the driveway.

“My sweet princess,” he grins the moment his little girl steps into the house, leaving you trailing behind with the bags in your hands.

“Daddy!” Sarah calls out, running into Joel’s arms as he meets you both at the door. Kisses are littered across her plump cheeks, her squeals filling the quiet space. He reopens the storm door for you with one hand as Sarah occupies the other, hanging on his neck.

“Hey, beautiful,” he greets you, gently grasping your chin between his thumb and pointer finger before planting a firm kiss to your lips. His thumb caresses your skin as he pulls away. Sarah wiggles out of his grasp to inspect the wafting takeout scent from the kitchen. She doesn’t even make it halfway before she lets out a dramatic gasp.

“Teddy bear!” She yells, beelining to the setup in the living room.

“What did you do, Joel Miller?” You ask, suspicion lacing your tone. He chuckles at your ambiguity, giving your ass a small love tap.

“Why don’t’cha see for yourself, hm?” He smirks, collecting the plastic and paper bags from your grasp. You join Sarah and admire your presents. His heart doubles in size watching his two favorite people look so incredibly elated.

Joel sets everything down on the couch to join you two.

“I got flowers too! Daddy got us flowers,” Sarah grins, holding up her miniature bouquet matching yours. You find your way to him, snuggling up to his side in a hug.

“I do good? Will ya be my valentine?” He questions timidly, assuming he did at least decently by the bright smiles beaming on yours and Sarah’s faces.

“Yes, yes of course I will. It’s perfect, baby, thank you,” you whisper as your arms wrap around the back of his neck. “I’ll show you just how perfect you did after we put her to bed, hm?”

You swear his cheeks are the hue of the roses he gifted you. For once, he fully believes he hasn’t messed everything up this time. He sweeps you off of your feet with a spin, peppering your face with kisses.

“I love you both so much.”

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#fic: my funny valentine #my writing #joel miller #sarah miller #joel miller fluff #joel miller fanfiction #pedro pascal characters

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