#happy valentines day for everyone !! hope u have a good day !! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

familyvideostevie · 1 year ago

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it's your turn for choosing

this was born out of a prompt request from my dear, dear, @softlyspector. this is for you, becca!

getting asked out via a smudgy scribble on a coffee cup | valentine's day prompts

joel miller x reader

summary/warnings: joel stops by your coffee shack every day. it's not your fault you're a little in love with him because of it. | modern au, fluff, flirting, jesse and cat and ellie cameos, game!joel in my head. i have not been a barista so sorry to all baristas if this reads wildly off-base. | 5.6k

a/n: it's giving rom-com! happy valentine's day. a bit different from my usual fare but hopefully it makes your heart warm. love u. thank u always to @macfrog and @bageldaddy for your eyes.

___

7:32 am. It’s helpful in this line of work to know exactly when you’re fucked.

The espresso machine has been on the fritz all week and despite how much you want your current method of fixing it to work – banging a fist on the top until it stops wheezing – all signs point to today being a very bad day indeed.

You’ve only been open for two hours.

Here for three, awake for four. God, you’re tired.

Anyway – you’re fucked. And there’s nothing you can do about it.

You call the time of death on the machine and search for something you can write on.

The Zone – a stupid name, but you can’t be bothered to change the sign that came with the place – is a coffee shop that sits between towns.

Your coffee shop.

It's more shack than shop, not really a zone of anything, just an order window and a five-drink menu. It's the kind of place that appears like a mirage for tourists right before they get on the highway at an ungodly hour and serves as a quick stop for everyone else. You open earlier than any other place around to get the truckers and the farmers and close when you stop being able to keep your eyes open.

The faded brown clapboard building is no bigger than an RV. The paint is chipped and the roof is a too-bright shade of green and you serve your drinks and the occasional sweet treat when you can get a good deal off of the baker two towns over through a window. It’s not a fancy chain, it’s not a drive-thru. You’ve got a bathroom and a few rickety cafe tables and chairs and no fucking common sense since you like it.

You even love it, some days.

And the craziest part is that it works. Even on mornings like this one, when your espresso machine breaks during the lull between rushes and your part-time help calls in sick and you’ve spilled coffee all over your apron twice – it works.

You tear off the lip of a cardboard box and write in big block letters: NO ESPRESSO TODAY. Maybe Tess, the baker, knows someone who can fix it. She knows everyone.

“Fuck you, you piece of junk,” you say. You give the machine another smack for good measure.

Someone clears their throat and you whirl around, makeshift sign in hand.

You’ve been doing this long enough that a handsome customer doesn’t phase you, but the man standing at your order window makes your stomach swoop for just a second.

“Morning,” you say, summoning your smile. “Hold on a sec, let me just –”

You lean out the window and wedge the piece of cardboard against the napkin holder on the ledge.

The man’s gaze drops to read. You take the opportunity to look at him.

He’s tall and broad – if you had to guess, you’d say he works on one of the farms around here. He’s tan, dark hair threaded through with grey. His arms are crossed and you wish he wasn’t wearing a jacket so you could see his forearms. His denim shirt is undone at the top and you fixate on the chorded column of his throat, on the teasing glimpse of chest hair underneath.

The guy looks tired.

Bone-tired, the kind of exhaustion you see when you look in the mirror. It comes from hundreds of early mornings and late nights, from hours on your feet and plenty of worry. He’s got lines at the corners of his eyes and a few around his mouth and you find yourself hoping they’re from laughter.

“No espresso,” he reads, slow and unhurried. His drawl fits in with most of the folks around here, but you’re sure you haven’t seen him before. You’d remember.

“Hope that doesn't scare you off,” you say. “Still got everything else.”

“Everything else being…” He glances at the chalkboard that serves as your menu.

DRIP COFFEE. LATTE. CAPPUCCINO. TEA. HOT CHOCOLATE. All written in your blocky hand in white paint.

“Three options.”

Trial and error have taught you that simple works best. You’ll make anything people ask for, so long as you know how and have the supplies, and if they’re nice about it you won’t charge too much extra.

“Can I get you one of those three options?”

You’re not trying to rush him, but the next wave of people is bound to show up any minute.

“Black coffee will do,” he says. His mouth tugs up at the corner into a smirk that makes your face feel hot. “If you have that.”

“Thank you for taking pity on me,” you say, going for teasing and missing the mark by a mile. You just sound tired and genuine. “You just made my morning.”

He looks amused and you turn from him, unable to hide your grin. You pour a steaming cup and snap the lid on.

“Pretty shit morning if this is makin’ it,” he drawls.

You hand him the cup and your fingers brush.

“You have no idea.”

He eyes the sign again and then your stained apron. “I got some notion.” He tugs his wallet from his back pocket and pulls out a $5 bill. “Keep the change,” he says.

You want to refuse, to thank him, but a few more cars pull up and Mr. Black Coffee just raises his cup to you and heads back to his truck.

Well, shit. You hope he comes back. A tipper like that, and hot? You sure wouldn’t mind if he became a regular customer. __

You call Tess that afternoon and she does know a guy, so the espresso machine gets fixed and things go back to normal. Your part-time help returns in the morning and nothing else breaks.

Today is uncharacteristically warm for the season. The inside of The Zone is almost stifling, always at least 15 degrees warmer than outside, and you keep wiping your sweaty hands on your apron as you make espresso after espresso for the lunch crowd.

Cat, a spunky girl who likes to practice her latte art when it’s slow, takes orders at the register. You keep half of your attention on her and half on the four drinks you’re working on.

“Black coffee, please,” someone says to her. Someone whose voice you recognize.

“Can I get a name for that?” Cat asks. It’s busy enough that calling names is easier than calling orders, no matter how small your menu is.

“Joel,” he says. You let the milk steam on its own and pour the black coffee before Cat can do it.

“I’ve got it,” you tell her. “Can you finish up those drinks?”

She shrugs and you swap places. You know you’re sweaty and coffee-stained but you smile at him and hand over his coffee.

“Hot coffee on a day like this?” you tease. He – Joel – is sweaty, too. The collar of his work shirt is dark with sweat and his hair is a mess. He must be here on his lunch break. He takes the cup from you and slurps a long sip as a reply to your question.

You laugh. Joel looks pleased.

“Operatin’ a full menu, I see,” he says, pulling out another $5. “Glad you got it fixed.”

“It’s still a piece of junk,” you shrug. “Just don’t tell anyone I said that.”

He waves off your offer of change and raises his cup at you, taking a few steps backward towards his truck.

“Thank you,” he says. He eyes the tag on your chest and tacks your name on at the end. It sounds good from his mouth.

“Bye, Joel,” you say. His lips twitch but you barely have time to think about it before you have to take the next few orders.

The line dies down and you step away from the register to help Cat with some cappuccinos – your least favorite drink by far due to all the damn foam they require – and she eyes you.

“Dude,” Cat says. “What the hell was that?”

If it wasn’t already a billion degrees in here you know your face would feel hot.

“What the hell was what?”

She can’t reply for a few seconds while you grind beans for some espresso.

“I didn’t even know you knew how to flirt,” she muses, tapping a frother full of milk a few times. “That was pretty bad flirting if you ask me –”

You turn the grinder on again to drown her out.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you yell. She rolls her eyes at you until you turn off the machine.

You tamp down the grounds and slot them into the machine.

“I mean, not my type at all, for like, so many reasons,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “Way too old for me, for one. Man, for another. But I see the appeal, I guess. Seems like he likes you. And was that a five-dollar bill? Black coffee is two bucks, last time I checked –”

“Can we get back to steaming milk, please?” you snap, more embarrassed than mad. “I am not taking flirting advice from a teenager.”

“I’m twenty!” she sputters. “Wait, so you admit that you like him?”

“Milk.”

Cat is right, though, and you know it. You just don’t see any harm in having a crush on some guy who comes to your coffee shop. Running this place means you see hundreds of people every day. You know their names, you ask them about their kids and their pets and their jobs, and you smile at them even on your bad days. It’s just part of the job. The daily interactions keep you afloat, make you feel more solid in your own life. People see you, they recognize you, they know you – even if it’s just because you make them coffee.

Maybe Joel will keep coming back. Maybe he’ll become one of the regulars you know things about.

And if you have a crush on him?

No harm done. He’s nice to look at.

And he tips well.

Joel stops by again.

And again.

He comes in every morning – sometimes at lunch – and orders the same thing. You learn the rumble of his truck by ear alone, the crunch of his boots on the gravel. Sometimes people in line say hi to him and a smile works its way onto your face on instinct when his voice reaches your ear. It’s never slow enough to have a proper conversation but he smiles at you, tells you he likes the flowers, your new apron.

All of it is flirting but maybe not flirting.

Maybe he’s just being polite.

Also, he keeps overpaying.

One day, almost a month since you first saw him, he doesn’t come in the morning. When you don’t see him in line at lunch, either, you’re a little disappointed. The weather is perfect – not too hot, not too cold, the sun shining – and you want to see him in the sunlight.

The day crowd is long gone and you’re only an hour or two from closing when his truck pulls up.

“I was getting worried,” you call as he walks over. Usually, he’s got some kind of dust or paint or something on them – Joel is a contractor, you’ve learned through your brief encounters, not a farmer – but today his clothes are clean and un-ripped.

“I’m honored,” he says.

You have his cup ready by the time he reaches the window.

“I’m just surprised you can get through the day without a cup of coffee.”

He snorts and hands you his cash.

“I can’t,” he says. “Had shitty home brew this morning.”

He takes a sip of your coffee and sighs. Your heart picks up and you don’t hide your grin.

“What’s with the schedule change?” you ask.

He smirks. “Miss me?”

You scoff and cross your arms. Heat rises in your chest and you feel almost giddy.

“Just curious,” you say. “Don’t let it go to your head, but you’re my favorite customer.”

Joel laughs and scratches the back of his neck.

“Reckon that’s the tip.”

“Actually, ordering a cup of black coffee is the way to any barista’s heart.”

Joel’s eyebrows climb up his forehead.

“Ah,” he says. He takes another sip, his eyes dancing with mirth. “‘Course.”

“Nah,” you say with a teasing smile. “I’d never be so shallow.”

There’s no line behind him but you expect him to go back to his truck, anyway. But here he is. Talking to you.

You grab a rag and wipe down the counter to keep your hands busy.

“I’m, uh. Meetin’ one of my kids here,” Joel says. The sudden shyness that accompanies his admission is a surprise.

Your eyes dart to his hand but you see no ring, nor the pale shadow of one.

“Both of ‘em moved to the city recently. Ellie – she’s comin’ up for the night.”

“I’ll bet you miss them,” you offer. You’re not sure why he’d want to bring his daughter to your coffee shack, but you’re not complaining.

Joel smiles at you. It’s a sad smile but still a good one. The affection in his eyes is raw.

“Sure do,” he says. He tucks one hand in his pocket and takes another sip of his coffee. “But it’s good for them. Sarah – she’s a little older – is in school and Ellie is workin’ on her music and whatever else she’s into these days.” The pride in his voice is clear.

“Well, I’m honored you want to bring her here.” You gesture to your slightly sad sitting area and the empty lot behind him.

Joel looks ready to argue with you when a faded, older version of his truck pulls up. Music leaks from the open windows and the driver bops her head to the beat a few times before shutting it off and hoping out, thumbs flying on the screen of her phone.

“That’ll be her,” he says drily. “Hey, kiddo.”

Ellie looks up from her hands, tucks her phone in her back pocket, and grins at Joel.

She doesn’t look a thing like him, but the connection is obvious. She moves like him, her shoulders set like she’s ready for a challenge at any moment. Joel sets his coffee down at the window and meets her halfway for a hug.

You look away and busy yourself with restocking whatever you can get your hands on.

“Dude, you come here every day?” Ellie asks. “Joel, this is so far from –”

Joel talks over her.

“Drive go okay? Sarah said they’re doin’ shit on the 35 –”

Ellie huffs.

“Yeah, yeah, some traffic getting out of the city ‘cause of the fucking lane closure, but otherwise fine.”

“Good.”

You turn to face them, a genuine smile firmly in place.

“Hi,” you say. Joel picks up his coffee again, which Ellie eyes with a scowl. You introduce yourself to her. “You’re Ellie, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Ellie frowns. Behind her, Joel’s mouth twitches but he says nothing. It’s a lie, obviously, but something tells you he doesn’t mind and she believes it.

“Really?” She throws him a glare and then rolls her eyes. “You gotta stop telling strangers about me, man.”

“Someone’s gotta warn ‘em,” he says.

She laughs. “Hey, fuck you!”

“Only good stuff,” you say. You like her. “Joel says you’re working on your music?”

Ellie’s eyes light up. “Oh, yeah,” she says. “I’ve got an audition next week.” She turns to Joel. “I brought my guitar ‘cause I have a fuck ton of songs to play for you.”

He puts a hand on her shoulder and she settles a little.

“I bet they’re real good.”

Ellie flushes and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well. You have to hear them first.”

You feel a little off-balance again, like you’re on the fringes of something you shouldn’t be seeing. The love on Joel’s face is clear as day.

“Do you want some coffee?” you ask her.

Joel winces. Ellie gags.

“No offense,” she starts, eyes darting between you and Joel. “I know Joel is fifty percent coffee on a good day, but it’s not my thing.” She looks at the menu and narrows her eyes. “I had a mocha the other day and didn’t hate it. Do you make those?”

“Look at that,” Joel says. “You’re convertin’.”

“Am not,” Ellie says. “It’s got chocolate in it, dude. No shit, I like it.”

“Yeah, give me a few minutes,” you laugh. “I’ll put lots of chocolate in it.”

They sit at one of your tables and you hear their laughter in the background as you make her drink.

It’s strange to see Joel like this – to build up on the man you’ve imagined him to be in your mind. Father never occurred to you. It makes sense, though, like a missing piece of him slotted into place. But it also makes the crush feel a little more real. Now that he’s more than your favorite regular customer. Now that you know a piece of him, of who he really is.

It makes you want to know more.

You finish her drink and call Ellie’s name. They both stand and Joel digs in his wallet again.

“Don’t you dare pay me, Joel,” you say. You direct your next words at Ellie. “Really. I’m just honored you stopped by.”

She eyes Joel and he eyes her right back with the same look. She must have learned it from him.

“Yeah,” she says. “Me too.” She grins at you with all of her teeth. “Joel loves this place. Talks about it all the time.”

She takes a sip of her mocha and her eyes go wide.

“Wait, this is fucking good. Man, I see why you drive –”

Joel clears his throat.

“We’re off,” he says. “Thank you, as always.” He sounds softer than usual as if being nice to his daughter is the best thing you could do for him.

You suppose it is.

“You’re welcome, as always.”

Ellie knocks her shoulder with Joel’s as they head back to their trucks. She must be whispering something to him because he swats her away with a groan and she cackles.

They both wave at you as they drive away.

Joel keeps coming in the mornings, and your conversations return to their fleeting cadence. Even so, it’s hard to deny that your crush on him has kicked into high gear.

You try not to let your gaze linger on his lips, on his throat. On his hands when he takes the cup from you, how your skin brushes and it makes you warm all over. You think about how he laughed, how relaxed he was around Ellie. You want to know what he’s like outside of your small daily interaction. You want to know what he eats for dinner, how he spends his weekends, what he listens to on the radio.

You want him.

Business is busy, which helps. A kid from a few towns over – Jesse, he’s called – signs on to work part-time, mostly for the second half of the day. He’s been a barista before so the training is minimal, but it still changes the flow of things. He’s a charming guy and the regulars take to him easy enough.

It’s you who is distracted.

One morning, Joel comes in as expected. Jesse is working, too, trying to clock some extra hours this week.

Joel is on the phone in line, his attention somewhere else. He’s frowning, a deep crease between his brows as he waits in line. All it would take to smooth it away is the press of your thumb.

You try not to stare and probably fail, but manage to take and make the orders ahead of him without making any mistakes, though your whole body feels alight.

He hangs up right as he gets to the window and sighs, giving you a tired smile.

“Howdy,” he says. You set his coffee down in front of him and he pulls out a ten-dollar bill instead of a five.

“Joel –” you say, but he interrupts you.

“My brother called and said he needs breakfast,” Joel grumbles. “Y’got any of Tess’s bear claws?”

Right, they work together, you remember. He’s mentioned Tommy in passing.

“I think so, just hold on a sec.”

“Take your time,” Joel says. It sounds like he means it, even though there’s a line behind him and he probably needs to get to work.

You do find a few bear claws in the box Tess gave you early this morning when you stopped by the bakery.

“You’re in luck,” you say, putting it in a paper bag. “Well, Tommy is.”

“Savin’ my ass,” he tells you when you hand it to him. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

The word sends a jolt of lightning through your whole body. He doesn’t even seem to realize he’s said it but your world shifts slightly on its axis. Sweetheart.

He turns on his heel before you can give him change for his cash, his phone ringing.

“Jesus, Tommy, I said I’d –”

You let him fade into the distance and smile at your next customer.

“How can I help you?”

A few orders later you end up next to Jesse making some lattes.

“Was that Joel Miller?” Jesse asks. “Before. The guy with the black coffee and bear claw?”

You startle. “Um. It was. How do you –”

“I didn’t know he was a customer here,” Jesse says. “Does he come in a lot?”

You unpack a few more cinnamon buns that Tess gave you this morning. “Yeah, every day.”

“Damn,” he says. “He must really like your coffee.”

“Are you trying to say it’s bad coffee, Jesse?”

He huffs a laugh. “No, boss, ‘course not.” He grinds beans for a few seconds but continues once he’s done, steady hands tamping down the results. “I just know he lives like, a half-hour away. And that there are plenty of coffee shops there, too.”

You narrow your eyes. “How do you know him, Jesse?”

“His daughter, Ellie, is a friend of mine,” he shrugs. “Went over to their house plenty of times in high school.”

“Well. He’s a contractor, right? I bet he has a job out here.”

Jesse clips the espresso into the machine and starts on some milk.

“I’m not saying he doesn’t,” he muses. “I am saying that it takes at least 30 minutes to get here from where he lives.”

It’s silly. You’re half-flattered, half-confused. Yeah, you like Joel, and yeah, you’re pretty sure you’ve been flirting every day for over a month. But you figure it’s convenient for him. Coffee and an ego boost all in one.

But if he’s going out of his way to come to The Zone? Well, maybe it’s not just for the coffee.

“Your coffee is good,” Jesse stresses, seeing the gears in your mind turning. It looks like he’s trying to hide a grin. You need to stop hiring young people who have keen eyes and big mouths.

“I think the ice needs a refill,” you say, snapping back into focus.

“He might be here for something else, too -”

“Go refill the ice.”

He throws up his hands with a smirk. “I’m going!”

7:24 am. You’re on your own again and you’re fucked.

The espresso machine is working perfectly and the early rush has ended. The weather is beyond shitty. Rain falls in sheets and the sky is so dark it feels like the sun didn’t bother to rise. It pounds on the roof and blows in the window every time you open it. The awning does nothing to shield customers as they shout their orders over the wind at you. Your fingers are going numb and your front is damp enough to set your teeth chattering.

Joel’s truck pulls up and – well. You’re fucked. And he’s why.

You’re fucked because you can’t stop thinking about him. You can’t stop thinking about what Jesse said. What Joel said. Sweetheart.

A harmless crush turned into something more intense, something heavy in your stomach. You want him earnestly, fully, with every piece of you.

And you still barely know him. But you want to.

Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the fact that you’re damp and cold and frustrated with your own heart and brain. But you see his truck and you decide to do something about this stupid crush.

You write your phone number on a cup with steady hands and set it aside for Joel. You scrawl on it as neatly as you can: Want to get a drink somewhere else sometime?

It’s a bit of a coward’s way out. You should just ask him, say how you feel to his face. He’d probably like that better, anyway. But, well, this just feels safer. He could ignore it, he could throw it out, he could see it and decide to never come back.

Sweetheart.

Somehow you don’t think he’ll do any of those.

The rain lashes against the window so hard you don’t open it until you see the lonely figure approach. The morning rush has been a morning trickle, a few brave souls venturing out for something from you.

Joel, it seems, is one.

You open the window and are greeted with a spray of mist.

“Gimme a sec,” you tell him. It’s so windy he leans in close to hear you. He’s wearing a jacket that’s ill-suited for the rain, his hair plastered to his forehead. Your fingers twitch with the need to brush it back.

You quickly fill the cup you’ve set aside and pass it to him with two hands so it doesn’t blow over.

“Brave of you,” you say. He’s in the rain and you’re both getting soaked but you want to talk to him desperately. It’s a buzzing need at the front of your brain. “Thought the weather would get you, too.”

“Told you,” he all but yells over the wind with a flash of white teeth. “Shitty coffee at home.”

“Drive safe, Joel,” you tell him. He nods at you and jogs back to the truck, cup in hand. You won’t be able to see if he reads it from here, but you hope so. All you have to do is wait.

And wait.

The rain stops.

You’re still waiting, phone silent.

Sunshine peeks through the clouds with a slightly surreal post-storm glow. A few more folks have made their way to The Zone but today has been slow. The clock ticks slowly towards 3 pm and your phone does not ring.

“Don’t be stupid,” you mutter. “He’s working.”

You step out of the shack and into the slightly humid air, the gravel under your feet shifting wetly. The tables you’d set out this morning are, mercifully, still there, though they’re spattered with rain. You might as well close up now.

You’re bent over the last of the chairs, wiping them down with an old rag. You’re focused, so much so that you don’t pay much attention to the hum of an engine and the crunch of tires behind you.

A door slams but you don’t turn around.

“Sorry,” you call over your shoulder. “We just closed.”

“Shame,” he says.

You whip around and find Joel, hands in his pockets. He’s in a different shirt than this morning and his jeans don’t look soaked. You’re still damp, water stains on your pants and shirt.

“Oh,” you breathe. “Hi, Joel.”

He smirks. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you outside of that window,” he says, before jutting his chin towards the tables. “Can I help?”

You’re very aware of your whole body all at once. He’s looking at you, drinking you in like you’re his morning cup of coffee.

“Uh, sure,” you say. You want to ask why he’s here but the words won’t come. “They go in there, in the little closet on the right.” You point to the open door to the shack.

He dips his chin low just once and then crosses the distance between you in three big strides. He grabs the chair closest to you. The t-shirt he’s wearing shows his arms and you feel what he’s just said – it’s weird to be in the same space like this. You’re outside but he feels so big.

Joel’s arms flex and you swallow, following him with another chair. He stacks his in the right place and holds a hand out for yours.

“What did you write on it?” he asks, casually.

The words don’t totally register. “What?”

He doesn’t answer. His arms are crossed, brow furrowed. Your mouth goes dry.

“On my cup. This mornin’.” He keeps his gaze on yours and for some reason, you can’t look away.

“Oh – you, you didn’t see?”

He shakes his head. “Was rainin’, remember? Got smudged before I got in my truck.”

“Right.”

You tear yourself away and leave him standing there. Maybe you should just lie.

But then you think about the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when you make him laugh, and how he asks you how you are and how he brought his daughter here and how he tips and how he drives all this way for your – for you.

Joel waits, his footsteps the only indication he’s followed you.

You turn around.

“I wrote my phone number,” you say. “And I asked you on a date.”

The corner of his mouth pulls up and you think he’s…blushing?

He rubs a hand over his beard and you hope he’s hiding a smile. Your heart is in your throat, beating so loud you worry that he can hear it. All of your bravado sinks into the damp ground at your feet. Maybe you’ve read this totally wrong. Maybe he’s just a nice guy, maybe your coffee is just really good and your employees are fucking with you. He’s here to let you down easy, to tell you he’s not even available, not interested, not –

“Alright,” Joel says. He walks towards you and tugs his phone from his back pocket. “I’ll take that number.”

Oh.

He hands it over and you type it in, heart jackhammering in your chest. But you watch his face, see the quirk of his mouth and his blush and it makes you brave.

“And the date?” you ask, giving it back. Your fingers brush and your heart keeps pounding but your nerves take a sharp turn away from doubt and towards excitement.

“Well, you gonna ask again?”

You both seem to have found your footing with whatever this is. The flirt in him is back full force, and he’s looking at you in that way of his. You want to know all of his expressions. There is so much to learn.

“Are you going to say yes?”

“S’why I came back,” he admits. “Figured you’d be closin’. Hoped you’d be free.”

“So you could read the cup?”

Joel takes the other two chairs and heads for the door again. You trail him. God, his arms are distracting.

“Most of it,” he says. “Couldn’t make out the last few numbers, though.”

“Well, once we’re done here, I’m free. If you wanted to go on a date with me.”

Joel turns and you’re in the small space at the same time, your chests almost pressed together. You must smell like sweat and stale coffee but you watch as Joel inhales, eyes on yours.

“I do,” he says.

It would be so easy to kiss him, a quick, chaste press of your lips to see what he tastes like.

His pupils dilate and you sway into him for a breath before you realize what you’re doing and step back outside.

You take a deep breath of fresh air. “Great.”

He rubs the back of his neck with one hand and you head for the tables.

“Y’know,” he says. “Ellie’s been on my ass about this.”

You laugh, high and bright. “Has she?”

“That girl ain’t capable of missin’ an opportunity to stick her nose in,” he grumbles, but it’s affectionate.

“Well, I think she’s smart,” you goad.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “Reckon she is.”

Joel’s brows furrow and he takes a few quick steps into your space, so close the tips of your shoes almost touch.

“Oh,” you breathe. “Hi.”

“Hold still,” he says. He reaches for your face slowly, slow enough that you could pull away but you don’t. He brushes something from your cheek with the pad of his thumb.

“Grounds.” His voice is a little hoarse.

“Thanks,” you breathe.

He smirks but the flush creeping up his neck tells you he’s not wholly unaffected. It makes you feel…it just makes you feel.

Joel Miller likes you.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” you say.

His eyes widen slightly and he leans in just a little but you slide out of his space with a grin.

“The sooner we finish up the sooner I can buy you a drink.”

Joel laughs, loud and full. “Oh, how generous of you.”

“You’re very lucky,” you say.

“I agree,” he drawls. He taps your chin with one knuckle.

His eyes sparkle and he smiles, looking luminous in the post-storm sunshine. You see a flash of a future – watching him drink coffee in a kitchen instead of through the window of The Zone. Your hands meeting over a shared table, fingers tangling, that smile directed at you in the morning light.

Giddiness rises in your throat and spills out of you in a delighted laugh of your own. Joel just grins.

“So,” he says. “Where’re you takin’ me?”

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, general masterlist here!

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fluff

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ryemackerel · 18 days ago

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THE BOYS IN VALENTINES OUTFITS OAGAHAHGHH THEYRE SO STINKY. HAPPY VALENTINES TO EVERY INCREDIBLE PERSON OUT THERE!!! And yes. that means YOU READING THIS! YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD DAY OR ELSE!! Sending lots of love to all of you. :-]

The main four + a gift for my wife @starrixle :-] oh my goodness and yes I advocate for starmackerel to be the ship name i love you vro

I drew the sillies wearing Valentines inspired outfits! Matt with a simpler and really cool look, Edd’s fashion sense being ALL OVER THE PLACE /AFFECTIONATE, Tom sporting the checkers and insisting he just half-assed it (but trust me he looks amazing), and Tord literally bullshitting his outfit with the stupidest shirt.. and easter eggs to the “PP Pals” and “Brow Bros” badges from Paul and Pat. :-) I spedran this bc I have an appointment HAGAHAH BUT!!

I had so much fun working on this, and I loved how it turned out <3 Hoping you guys enjoy it too!

AND AS FOR ALL OF YOU!! If I could give everyone, every individual person a box of chocolates I WOULD!! Digital chocolate boxes for all. and hugs. happiness everywhere. Wishing the bestest day to all of you folks, to my friends and my partner. <3 Thank you all!!

SPEAKING OF PARTNER!! STAR!!!! YOU DORK YOU FUCKING GOOBER I LVOE YOU BRO!?!!!! Thank you so much for the times you spent with me and the little moments we shared together <333 I’m going to see u and HOLD U SO TIGHT GOD. That little doodle is for you. You are too awesome you deserve the entire world bro. Thank you for everything <333

#eddsworld #eddsworld fanart #eddsworld matt #eddsworld matt fanart #ew matt fanart #ew matt #eddsworld edd #eddsworld edd fanart #ew edd #ew edd fanart #eddsworld tom #eddsworld tom fanart #ew tom #ew tom fanart #eddsworld tord #eddsworld tord fanart #ew tord #ew tord fanart #ryemackerel art thing

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really-into-fictional-ais · 18 days ago

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Happy nearly late valentines!! I did this in 10 mins so ignore how horrible it looks i just wanted to show that i too am alive and well on this day (or night seeing as its 2352 rn for me lol)

Anyways uhm happy valentines!! I hope it was good for everyone and if nobodys told u yet today (or even if they have) I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

#lotus rambles <3 #lotus art #ooo two lotus tags in one post? what is this the end of the world!!??#anyways i love u all sm and hope u had a good day #im gonna ramble in the tags so i dont have to add a read more section wahahahaha >:)#i was meant to do a sketch of me and edgar today but i ended up going to the aquarium and then got really REALLY motion sick #i had to sit in a dark room for half an hour cause of it :(#anyways in my head i am kissing edgar >3<#electric dreams edgar #edgar electric dreams #electric dreams 1984 #electric dreams

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midnight-mourning · 2 months ago

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DECEMBER IS OVER!!! New Year, What's Next?

Well chat, with literally three minutes to spare we finished out DCA December IN December, and then of course you got a little bonus thingy as well hehe :)

So! Having said that, wanted to take a moment to talk about some plans, what to expect to see from me next, and so on

BUT FIRST, I would like to take the time to thank everyone who sent in requests for this little event, I appreciated every single one of them, and had SO much fun writing, I hope everyone enjoyed the little stories I wrote, couldn't have done it without everyone sending in such creative & unique ideas, thank all of you so much!

@monsteractiasluna @juukai @deviouscrackers @zenkaiankoku @buzzybee3 @fishm0ther @divinit3a @zoranight16 @cosmic-quakes @soupdweller @lizyxml @pip-plz @theinfamousmaybelle @lizyxml (again <3) @rosescarletful @crystalmagpie447 @buzzybee3 (again <3) @kaprisvn @vypridae @twomanypockets @zenkaiankoku (again <3) @juukai (again <3) @rosescarletful (again <3) @rosescarletful (again <3 <3 thank u tempest you helped feed the people fr) @twomanypockets (again <3) @pip-plz (again <3) @divinit3a (again <3) @baby-bloos @alynwrench @baby-bloos (again <3) @ccccaptain-clownyyy @luckyyyduckyyy

Additionally, thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged, or commented on these fics, it's so very appreciated (I would tag everyone but there are, a startingly large amount of you 😅) I will come clean and admit that I am always a little nervous when I upload my writing, so knowing that people enjoy my work when I share it is, humbling, to say the least <3

Okay! Now to get into it, below the cut just so people dont have to scorll through my rambling plans & such (there is a POLL however that even if you skip my nonsense you should vote in pretty please ^-^)

So, despite some shortcomings with me getting a bit behind (curse you sinus infection & finals week) I'm really happy with how this went!

I'll be taking a break for a bit and def will NOT be posting as much as I did near the end there, BUT I'll still be writing per usual, especially since I have two weeks left to my break. Before I get into what you can expect to see, wanted to do a quick interest check on whether people would like me to do something similar for Valentine's!

Since I'll be back at college again I won't be able to do a full month again, buuuut, I should be able to handle 14 days worth, if the interest is there I would open up requests probably the last week of January so I had time to get started/ahead. So,

Rules would be the same as for DCA December, except with a Valentine's Theme!

Now that that's taken care of, here's what'll be going on with me as we start 2025!

I'm working on Holiday Spirit ch. 2, should be posting either today or tomorrow! Still aiming to get it done before I go back to school so expect quicker updates now that requests are finished :) (you can find out more about this story here)

Confused Spirit ch. 36 is also in the works! I'll be honest in that my sinus infection JUST cleared up a week or so ago, and additionally i've been facing a bit of writer's block with the story just bc of where we're at and I want to make sure it's really good/properly expresses what I'm going for with this fic, but I'm working on getting more out to you all soon, as well as working on getting ahead again while I have time, thank you all for your paitence with this one, it's very appreciated <3 (if you don't know about Confused Spirit, you can find out more here, it's my current main dca project :D)

DCA December will be reviewed for spelling and grammar mistakes and be uploaded to ao3 throughout January, if you'd like to read anything again (or you're wanting to get caught up and have a better reading experience) you can see the masterpost here, which will have the ao3 link once I get started on editing

Getting into non-fic things, I'll also be working on organizing my blog so things are easier to find as I know it's a bit messy currently >_< bear with me as it gets fixed up

I really want to improve on my art! After collecting things up for my 2024 art summary, i realized I've improved a lot but still have more room to grow (and many ideas that I want to see made by a more skilled hand >~<) so, expect to see some art things from me floating around including but not limited to: my trick or treat responses (im sorry these are so late, it's brutal out here), Cast of CS refs, more Holiday Spirit doodles, magma things, CS chapter promos, & new refs for the CS boys! there's some more things i have planned but I am keeping them a secret for now ;)

Okay! Think that's everything, thanks again to everyone for making this a whole lot of fun, and can't wait to share more with you all in 2025! Happy New Year!

#dca fandom #fnaf dca #dca fic #x reader #confused spirit #holiday spirit au #mm dca december #genuinely enjoyed this so much #and also have met so many cool people because of it!#so excited to share more soon #the CS/HS content coming y'alls way is #fun #i'll say that :)

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oldiesstationlover11607 · 22 days ago

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Hi hey it's me the Frank obsessed girl hello hi there

I'm afraid I need to have seconds if it's not much of a problem

I'm starving for a little sweet Valentine's Day fluff but like a rlly rlly rlly fluffy adorable cutie patootie Valentine's Day full of love could be a day in or a day out idm

In conclusion whatever u want to write but as a Valentine's Day special 💕💕💕

Sending love and good wishes and hoping you start the new year amazingly 🖤

Valentines - Frank Iero x Drummer!Reader

Word Count: 711

A/N: Just in time ;)

I’d always considered Valentine's Day to be a dumb holiday. There was never really any point, let alone anyone to spend it with–until Frank came along. I never expected him to be the type to celebrate the holiday, often citing those generic holidays as nothing more than quick cash grabs by corporate America. We’d spent years as friends, eating at diners every Valentine’s as we toured across the country with it quickly turning into its own little tradition. He had only just asked me to be his girlfriend a few weeks before, everything between us had slowly been growing, finally reaching its crescendo. “You’re not seriously telling me you haven’t planned anything for him?” Gerard mumbled from the couch, a coke with lemon in his hand. I tilted my head back and forth, thinking it through. “I don’t know, it just seems like if we were going to do something, we would’ve planned it already. It’s tomorrow,” I sighed. Gee had already told everyone about his plans for Lindsey and was practically bursting at the seams with excitement. “You’re overthinking it,” Gerard said, shaking his head. “Just do something simple. It’s your first Valentine’s together, right? It doesn’t have to be a big production.” I groaned, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah, but it feels weird. We never did anything before, and now suddenly, just because we’re together, I’m supposed to start caring about Valentine’s Day?” “You don’t have to care about the holiday,” he countered. “Just care about Frank.” I sighed. That was the problem, wasn’t it? I did care about Frank. A lot. I just wasn’t sure if he’d even want to do anything. He hadn’t mentioned it at all, and I didn’t want to be the one to force some corny Valentine’s tradition on us when we’d spent years laughing about how ridiculous the whole thing was. “Look, just do something small,” Gerard continued. “A card, maybe. Or grab takeout from that diner you guys always go to. Something that feels like you.” I nodded slowly, letting the idea settle. Maybe Gerard had a point. I didn’t need to go all out—Frank would probably hate that anyway—but acknowledging the day in some way could be nice. That night, I found myself at the corner store, staring at the rows of Valentine’s cards. They were all too much—over-the-top declarations of love, glittery hearts, cheesy poetry. None of it fit us. But just as I was about to leave, I spotted something tucked behind the others. A simple, black-and-white card that read, You’re my favorite pain in the ass. Perfect. I bought the card and grabbed some takeout from our usual spot. When I got back to the apartment, I hesitated before scrawling a note inside the card.

Frank—Happy dumb corporate holiday. You’re still my favorite part of every day. Let’s go eat some greasy diner food like we always do. Love, (yeah, I said it) Me. I sealed it up and shoved it in my jacket pocket before I could second-guess myself. The next evening, when I met Frank at the diner, he slid into the booth across from me, shaking his head with a smirk. “You know, I almost got you something for today, but then I thought, nah, she doesn’t care about this holiday.” I rolled my eyes, pulling the card from my pocket and tossing it onto the table. He blinked, surprised, before picking it up and opening it. As he read my note, a slow, warm smile spread across his face. “Damn,” he said, setting it down carefully. “Now I feel like an ass for not getting you anything.” I shrugged, taking a sip of my milkshake. “You got me dinner. That counts.” He chuckled, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “Alright, but next year, I’m getting you something so obnoxiously romantic, you’re gonna hate it.” I snorted. “I look forward to it.” And just like that, we had a new Valentine’s tradition. Later that night, as we packed up after band practice, Frank caught me by the arm. “By the way, drummer girl, I think you might just be my favorite pain in the ass, too.” I laughed, twirling a drumstick between my fingers. “Better get used to it, guitarist boy.”

CHECK MY ACC FOR REQUEST STATUS

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crescencestudio · 1 year ago

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๋࣭⭑ Devlog #38 | 2.27.24 ๋࣭⭑

How is it already almost March omfg.

Anyways Happy Valentine's Day month!!! This year, I was swamped with work, so I didn't get a chance to make Valentine's Day art. I did make a Valentine's piece last year though.

BUT we did have beloved @magunalafay make these Valentine's Day cards this year for the community!!! <3 If you missed it, well Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!

She made these as a gift, and I love her very much. Maguna u r so talented

This month was pretty busy for me, but I'm super happy with the progress made this month ^^ I feel like I've started the year off in a pretty good groove after it being all over the place for a hot second, yay!!!

This past month, Etza and Druk's routes. With the revamped demo finishing its revisions, it left a lot more time for me to focus writing on full route development.

If you missed the announcement, I FINISHED Etza's first draft!!! YAAAYYY!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!

That means 4/6 routes are finished in terms of the base writing, which is so exciting to MEEEEE. I've always seen Etza's draft as The Milestone because with their route finished, it would mean the four Central routes are done writing. And to me, while there's a good chuck of writing left, we are nearing the end of it.

There's only two routes left and that means it's about ~100k words which is CRAZY compared to when I had ~300k to write (:cries:). Even if that sounds like a lot, once I start chipping away at those routes, that 100k goes into the "double digits" aka 90k...80k... etc. and that makes me want to pee my pants

We also finished editing Druk's route, yay!!! So we reached a lot of milestones this month ^^

We are nearing the end of the Vui background commissions. It's very bittersweet; I'm so used to mentioning him in my devlogs now </3 There's only like 3(?) more BGs left for him to make, and then all of the BGs for the game will be finished. Very Wild! I think Alaris will have 25ish BGs, and they are all Stunning.

It's been a while since I showed you all a BG, so I'll give you all a preview of one I just got in!

Isn't it cozy? Guess whose house hehe

I personally have been doing a lot of sprite work this month to finish the final art assets for the demo. I added some expressions to Druk and Aisa that I'd been procrastinating (I don't even know why I was procrastinating them). And I finally finished Mom and Kimura's updated sprites! Patreon already saw them, but I'll show the new versions here too ^^

Preview of Mom (left) and Kimura (right) updated sprites. Now everyone's sprite styles are cohesive YAY!!

Aside from sprite work, much of my "art" time has been on finishing up/putting together the last of the screens for the GUI. Specifically, I got THIS BABY up and running. She is my crowning glory.

Memory Screen to Replay Unlocked Free Time Dates

Oh my god.... You all have NO IDEA how much of a pain this was to code. There is a transparency gradient going on in the left and right B&W previews (courtesy of community programming angel feniks/shawna).

And then the effort to have the Titles and Descriptions of the Previewed Date change tilted me on Multiple Occasions. But we finally got it to work thanks to bestie @siyo-koy pointing out I just coded one stupid "if" statement wrong LJAFSLIEFJIEJ. But the effort was WORTH IT because I'm so proud of her!!! I hope you all like it too as a way to relive Free Time Dates. I had a lot of fun with the Titles and descriptions.

I also put together the Stats and Affection Screens

Preview of Personality Stats & Affection Screens

So I coded both of them a bit differently from each other. The Personality Screen shows you a breakdown of your traits so far. Think of it like a pie graph! So in the preview picture, your choices indicate you are 33% Brave, 16% Charismatic, etc. I felt like this was a more natural way to portray personality rather than how many bravery points you've collected so far!

And then for Affection, it works in a more traditional way, where it counts it based on how many you've gotten out of the total amount you can get. This way, as the story progresses, how close you are to the person reflects how much your relationship as developed!

I've also added little descriptions underneath each that change depending on the percentage. So for example, if you have gotten 82% of the affection points for Kuna'a, the description of your relationship might change as well hehe

Other than that, I've mainly focused on getting the demo together. We released the beta demo earlier this month (? LOL). And the feedback has been so kind!!

A lot of this month was spent polishing so that the demo can be ready for early access and eventually public release. I updated sprites, made sure music crossfades with each other so that transitions between soundtracks feel smoother, I added/polished all of the screens I needed to (e.g., Memory Room, Full Credits, Cleaning Music Room, Adding Stats Screens), and I FINALLY as of yesterday added the Voiced Lines!!

One thing I added in the Extended Demo that I'm really happy with is the use of Extended Pronouns (courtesy of Angel Feniks). Below is a preview of how it works now!

Preview of Extended Pronouns Function. Credit to Feniks

Basically, you can choose multiple pronouns for yourself, including custom pronouns (e.g., xe/xem, fae/faer, etc.). On top of that, you can choose how often you'd like the pronouns to alternate (e.g., every line versus every scene) and what kind of terms you'd like to be used for you (e.g., neutral vs. masculine vs. feminine)!

Overall, the demo is getting closer and closer to release!!! Early Access will hopefully be ready by the end of this week or next, so if you all would like access to it, please feel free to subscribe to my Patreon for this upcoming month! Available to Wyvern tier ($5) and up.

I didn't have any time to really play any games this month because I was drowning in work LMFAOSLJIEF. I did play the Threads of Bay demo by @lavendeerstudios and it was GORGEOUS! Very cute game with lovable characters and charming visuals. Andrew, I will have your number

Every other section was really long, so I'm going to throw it here even though it's not market research. But Intertwine recently hit 600 ratings, which is crazy. Thank you for still enjoying that game even if it's not one that is my main focus anymore. I'm really happy people still like it :on the verge of tears:

Anyways, this has been a long devlog. Here's to continuing to Ball in March. Hope you all have a great rest of your month, and I'll talk to you soon! <3

#alaris #devlog

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schrodinger-swriter · 1 year ago

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Can you do D, G, K, U & V for Charlie?

D, G, K, U, and V for Charlie

Fitting to ask do a Valentine's today! Perhaps if I'm feeling up to it later today I may do a short list of characters and make a large post of how each character would do Valentine's... oh but that's so many characters... hmm.. I may just do the more popular ones!

I hope you enjoy Anon! C:

DATES:

She loves going out and doing something! A park, a carnival, a movie! As long as you're with her and having a good time she's going to love it! Don't want to go out? She's down with making a fort and watching movies with you in it! Snuggling under a blanket with her partner is enough.

GIFT GIVING:

She gives you a lot of gifts, some of them a material and others not. She makes you unique songs, singing them to you in person. Though... I suppose it is something physical if she decides to record it for you. Alongside that, she gets you just about anything she sees that reminds her of you.

Charlie will happily accept nearly anything you give her, and she's going to be thanking you throughout the day for thinking about her.. it makes her feel mushy inside, you might see her eyes tear up in joy.

KISSES:

She loves giving cheek kisses, she views them as sweeter than ones given on the lips. She still kisses you on the mouth, of course! She's just more likely to go for the cheek!

She wants you to pepper her entire face his kisses, she doesn't have any spot in particular she wants kissed more than others.

UPSET:

She can read you... fairly well. Sometimes your feelings can go right over her head, especially if you're fairly good at hiding them. Though as soon as she realizes something is amiss she's going to prod to find out what's wrong. She's still... learning to respect boundaries with this sort of thing, she just wants to make sure everyone is happy and thriving. Please communicate with her so she can do what she needs to do! She might start overthinking if you shut her and everyone out! She does little things around the house... well the hotel.. for you so you have less on your plate, as well as preparing an evening activity she knows you enjoy!

VALENTINE:

She makes you a CD mixtape of the songs she's made for you. The casing for it is decorated to suit your style. Of course, along with hearts. This ties back in with G, naturally. She would be sure to give you all kinds of sweets as well. Oh.. she would totally give you one of those giant stuffed animals.. She's a sucker for the Valentine's stereotypes, being satisfied with being treated to gifts and the standard romantic gestures.

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel imagine #hazbin x reader #hazbin imagine #hazbin x you #charlie morningstar x you #charlie x you #charlie x reader #charlie imagine

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piowasthere · 1 month ago

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Hello, this is your Secret Valentine. c: I was trying to find more info on your mer!au but couldn't find much besides what's provided with their references. I am unfortunately unfamiliar with SAMS, so I'm unsure how their personalities and relationship differ from canon. Would you mind expending a bit on them for me? Even if it's just a few bullet points on their quirks and how they interact with one another. I'd greatly appreciate it! Thank you and I hope you have a fantastic day and rest of your week.

What? Someone asking me about my lil AU? Wanting to know more?omg r u trying to kill me with happiness? /lh

so like I said before, they kind of differ from both canons actually (both canon to fnaf and to sams)

Sun's more of the silly, happy, chirpy, curious fella

he's friendly if he likes you. But he's also a bit of a bitch. The type to sneak up on you from behind to scare or splash you just cuz he can and he thinks it's funny, it's all affectionate tho he can 100% be a sassy, passive-aggressive, sarcastic ASS if annoyed too bad (think more HW2 toxic, sass queen Sun)

he also has a beef with a surfing board, idk what that is about lmao

Moon is more of a collected, silent figure watching from the back

up until something catches his interest that is, whether in a positive or negative sense he's the quiet kid 101, doesn't talk, doesn't engage, looks at you like he's judging you constantly or planning your demise (it's both) and then he gets comfortable with you

he's very protective of the whole familiá and is like the first person to call when something wrong is going on there are very few ppl that can get to him and get the ✨ sillies ✨ out (namely Sun, Earth & Solar in a special way; Monty too if he gets the pass into this AU) but once they do, he's a real chill guy, likes to tease and cause mischief too, for good measure

Sun's & Moon's relationship between each other is more brotherly leaning

tho, everyone's just kinda adopted in and not actually related, mainly cuz they're all different species (and that's also the reason why they all typically stay in different 'ocean zones' and meet once one travels out too far 'n stuff)

they had a 'rough' start but progressively getting better, overall just really caring for one another and being siblings it's quite hard for me to explain it w/o bringing in like 3 years of the show kekw-

there is a Y/n option and they're just kinda whatever u want or need them to be but for now it's in its own AU's au bubble it's just not part of the 'canon' I have going on for it in the bg of this whole thing just for funzies stuff

oh, and I am sorry for the late reply I started writing some stuff down but couldn't get it right, it was too long, then got hit with the worst headache, dizziness, and jazz and trying to work further on it just hurt so then I just scrapped it

here is all the info I think u'd need for this tho if not or curious, just ask away, I'll provide the best info I can (preferably as specified as can be, I am bad with answering questions ;_;)

unless u do wanna go angst, then imma drop back the cut 6 paragraphs of it.

I am pretty open about it, it's just for entertainment after all I ain't gon go choppin' heads for getting smth 'wrong' or interpreting it in your own way it's all good <3

(apologies for any mistakes or nonsense spouting, headache remains)

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bl4nk-pag3 · 2 years ago

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— White.

synopsis: You, who swore would never humiliate yourself like that for a guy, proceeds to do exactly that.

pairing: ricky × gn!reader

warnings: its a little angsty at first, not exactly fluffy, the reader is not feeling loved. gunwook is their friend. open but hopeful ending!

word count: 1.5k

a/u: I don't have a song this time, but I imagine ricky as a white cat way too much and this is inspired by that. Feedback is appreciated!

It was white day.

Not that it matters, nobody got you nothing on Valentines day, you didn't had this type of connections with people.

Obviously, your friend joked about giving you chocolate if his valentine didn't accept (he was a sweetheart like that), but fate be made, the valentine accepted, and now you have to see a smiley Gunwook kicking his feet at the cute card named to him by, apparently, Junhyeon.

You didn't exactly known junhyeon, but everyone kinda knows junhyeon, so it wasn't that strange that Gunwook would fall for him, but him reciprocate? It was kinda cute, see your best friend happy always made you happy anyways, even if you are indeed a lonely soul in school.

— Sorry... I got a little carried away. — The huge and bright smile on Gunwook's face was almost blinding, causing a huge contrast between the large and imposing figure despite being adorable, and you, who looked more like a bag of sadness than a human being, and it was obvious that the tall boy would notice, blinking his round bright eyes in his direction, making you feel even worse than before. - Are you okay?

That question could be an insignificant from anyone, but for some reason when it was Gunwook, you already felt the urge to cry completely invade you in an overwhelming way, because that was the truth, he really cared, and it made you sad not knowing what to say to him. Pulling a paper from inside your book, making origami had already become an inevitable habit to control anxiety, a small hobby from when you was a child that ended up lasting until now, with each fold it was as if it slowly became easier to deal with the whole environment.

— I don't know... There's no reason for me to be sad, right? I wasn't denied or anything — That was true, you had never come out so you hadn't had any disappointments during Valentine's Day, but now you questioned whether it was a good decision as it felt even worse dealing with the weight to be truly alone.

— You should give something to Ri- —The sharp edge to Gunwook's speech came in the form of your hand firmly pressed against the Korean's full lips, widening your eyes in pure panic as you looked around to make sure no one had heard him just saying your crush's name like it was the dumbest thing in the world.

— Have you finally lost your mind?

Ricky was a difficult topic, complex to talk about so vaguely. To say that he was popular was almost to diminish the relevance that the chinese boy had in the school, you would never dare compare him to any other popular person in that school, he looked much more like a prince walking among commoners than just someone charismatic who was a class leader like Gunwook. He was handsome, smart, silent and graceful in everything he did, it was impossible not to fall in love with him and you were no exception, but you weren't a person who deserved any attention from the other either, which again left you feeling a bit downcast.

— How would I give him anything? What does he not have? Only on Valentine's Day did I see chocolates and more chocolates fall out of his cabinet... The door wouldn't even close anymore! — The words rushed out of your mouth and you wondered if Gunwook was keeping up, but it was just the only way you could talk about Quanrui without completely freaking out and slamming your head against the wooden table. Muttering low and putting your face in your hands, you really didn't know what to do, but now that Gunwook had already put such an idea in your head, it was inevitable for your brain to go through several scenarios where you declared yourself and were completely humiliated.

— You could give him this flower... I really like your origami, maybe he does too!

Gunwook was literally like a beautiful fairy full of flowers and sparkles around him as he talked so romantically about proposing to the most desired boy in school, while you at most looked like a shrunken, disheveled ugly goblin trying to believe you might have a chance with the handsome prince. You felt pathetic looking at the paper flower in your hands. Quanrui was the greatest example of money there was, why would he accept that piece of garbage?

— I think I'm going to pass getting humiliated today... I'll go ahead to the club — You didn't feel so comfortable in that noisy and busy room anymore, and the idea of ending up somehow ruining the amazing day Gunwook was having just for be unloved was giving you a headache.

Packing your things into your bag, you smiled at Gunwook, shifting your gaze for a moment to the flower on top of your desk, deciding at the last moment with a glimmer of hope that your romantic side hadn't yet been crushed by bad feelings, only to take into account your best friend's worried look in your direction, with no intention of actually delivering it to its intended recipient.

And even with all those thoughts pretty much settled in your mind as you left the room in a bit of a hurry and just slowed down the halls, your feet took you almost automatically to the cabinets where you'd first noticed Ricky a few months earlier.

He was beautiful that day, but it was hard to find a day when he wasn't. However, what was different was that he looked out of place, with a large, dark sweatshirt covering his entire body, with the hood pulled so far forward that it was difficult to even see the blond strands that were so distinctive on him. Obviously you had already heard about the Chinese boy who was a prodigy and above all he was extremely handsome, but seeing him like that trying to hide from the almost empty corridor made you forget for a second who he was, genuinely caring for him as a person, and it was exactly at that moment that you decided to talk to him, in an audacity that you had never shown to anyone, just trying to know if the boy was okay and receiving a nod in response.

Such a stupidly simple encounter made you so in love with him, who would have thought.

Now you could notice the strange coincidence that your lockers were really so close to each other, subtly touching your nameplate and sliding just two to the side to find his, "Shen Quanrui", very imposing, really suited him and every appearance it carried. With a smile on your lips, it was almost strange not to see any gifts overflowing through the bars outside the cabinet, but maybe the girls were really waiting for him to answer someone, not desperate to get a chance. Deciding to let the side that listened to Gunwook speak louder inside you, you took the paper flower to the locker openings, placing it inside until the end of the stem, but keeping the flower itself outside with a proud smile in the face.

And would you really have left it at that, resigning yourself to your platonic crush going anonymous forever and maybe one day eventually getting over what never would happen... If it weren't for the chill that went down your spine a few seconds after your silent statement, causing you to spin on your heels and find yourself face to face with a confused Ricky, looking at you only to then stare at the flower hanging in his locker.

— Hm? Y/n...? — It was almost a sin to hear your name come out of such a calm and melodious voice in such an awkward situation, even more so with Ricky's eyes shining in complete expectation trying to understand probably why you were there when he hadn't declared himself at any moment in Valentine's day, or how you had the courage to be humiliating yourself in such a way when no one else had done it... The possibilities were many, and all of them painful making you want to disappear into your own clothes.

— Hi, Ricky... — The awkward silence stretched after that, with your eyes wandering to your feet that restlessly rocked in place, but curiosity soon made you look at Quanrui noticing that he was also moving the box of sweets in his hand, as if he couldn't think of a way to say anything. Feeling your stomach sink at the thought that you were somehow preventing him from proposing, you didn't know if you wanted to cry or throw up with despair, but both options seemed reasonable. — I'm sorry, I must be disturbing you...

— No! — The tall boy’s hand were warmer than you would have guessed, curling completely around your wrist as if he was afraid you would run away again, which made you look at Ricky confused, trying to understand what that meant until he cautiously stretched out the box in his hand towards you. — Sorry it took so long...

#zb1 imagines #zerobaseone imagines #ricky imagines #zb1 #zb1 fluffy

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