#i wasn't going spend more than a couple minutes to make this edit because no.

[noonslullabies]

I love the process of creation, but damn, I have fun dismantling stories and rebuilding them for my own enjoyment.

[echobx]

The Resort - Rudy Pankow × fem!reader

summary: y/n and Rudy haven't been together for a long while but he invited her to an OBX event

word count: 2.7k

warnings: semi-secret relationship at first, light miscommunication, meeting the parents, smut, p in v (protected), fluff

author's note: idk okay. I just wrote this and it's not edited bc it's 2am and I'm not gonna turn my laptop on now to actually edit this. but I hope there's something here for you to enjoy. it's also my first time writing rpf so please be brutal (/gen) with your reviews. this is also loosely based on the dream I had last night.

The heat hit your face like a punch to the gut as you stepped out of the screening room. Quickly you made your way over the palm tree lined path past the main building of the resort and towards the small cottage where Rudy and JD were staying. The key card Rudy had given you worked to much of your surprise without any issues, and when you stepped inside you could enjoy the cool air again.

You let your bag fall down next to the door and padded towards the noise the two men were making. Playing video games was their way of coming down from the long flight you had had.

“Hi,” you spoke up and sat down on the bed behind them. Jonathan turned his head for a second to smile but Rudy ignored your existence completely, which did annoy you a little, but you brushed it off as he was focused on the game.

“The screening was good, you guys did a good job with this season,” you said while letting your hand run over the soft fabric of the throw blanket.

“Yeah, was hard work,” JD replied quickly, but your eyes were trained on the back of Rudy's head, hair disheveled as always as he ignored your existence.

“Do you wanna do something later?” you asked sweetly and he paused the game to turn around and look at you.

“I'm trying to win a game here. Just go to the pool or something,” he told you rather harshly before getting back to his game, not even minding that JD was giving him a confused look. And your heart felt heavy at the rejection, but you left anyway, knowing when to not cross a line with him.

You decided to explore the resort by yourself. It wasn't how you had pictured this trip when he had invited you. You had thought he would spend every free minute with you, doing anything a new couple would do. But you should've guessed as much when he had booked your ticket for you to be seated on the opposite side of the aisle from you.

You couldn't be mad, even if you wanted to be, because the fact that you were there was more sign of his affection than anything you'd ever done. Especially considering that you still needed to keep your relationship secret.

So you spent your day walking along the beach, watching other guests play tennis and reading at the pool.

For dinner you had picked out a floor length dress with a waterfall back. You had bought it specifically for this trip. The purple satin sat perfectly on your body, accentuating every single curve and making you feel like you could actually belong into his world.

When you got to the restaurant most of the cast and their respective guests were already seated, including Rudy who looked at you for a moment, taking it all in before diverting his gaze back to Chase, who he'd been talking to. You'd be lying if you said it didn't hurt, but you couldn't let it show, so you took your seat far away from him and chatted with Madison instead. It was a nice dinner with lots of laughter and even more wine for you.

Before you could order dessert Rudy got up and pulled you away, towards your room, but he didn't step inside.

“Did I do something wrong?” you asked, your breath smelling of merlot.

“No, baby. It's just very stressful, and you know how the rules are,” he whispered while brushing a strand of hair from your face.

“Will you come inside?” you asked and he sighed, cupping your cheek in his large hand.

“You look very beautiful tonight,” he complimented you, not wanting to give you a straight answer.

“I’m so lonely without you.” You were basically begging him to give you any kind of affection, but he refused.

“You know we have the promo shoot tomorrow. I can't be late for that. I'm sorry, darling.” With a quick and gentle kiss to your lips he was gone, leaving you all alone once again.

You slept in, ordered a late brunch to your room and watched your favorite movie to fight the light hangover before you faced the sun. But once you did go outside you met up with Mariah and you talked for a while, she was accustomed to Madison's tight schedule around the release and filming rather quickly, but to you it was still difficult. Of course it was easier with your job being mostly remote with a handful of zoom meetings each month, but it was still something you needed to get used to.

That was your greatest fear when it came to dating Rudy, that people would call you a trophy girlfriend, someone who was only interested in his money. They had said the same thing about his ex, but he never really talked about her, so you couldn't be sure how much of it was true.

And still, you didn't want to spend this weekend working, not when it was such a beautiful place to be, even without your boyfriend being with you 24/7. He had to work and you were lucky to be there. That was just how it was.

You decided to skip dinner that night, just like you had breakfast and lunch, which didn't go unnoticed by Rudy who showed up at your door just as you were about to order in again.

“Why aren't you dressed?” he asked and you shrugged your shoulders and walked back into the room, wearing nothing but underwear and a bathrobe.

“I don't feel like sitting miles away from you, having to do small talk with people that think you'll replace me soon.”

“You know I wouldn't do that,” he argued, following you and pulling your back flush to his chest. “Will you please put something very pretty on and join me for this very boring dinner?”

“Will you sit next to me?” you whispered and he kissed your cheek.

“I'll make them change the seating chart.” He took his phone out and called the manager while you got ready, putting on light makeup and a short dark red dress.

“Stunning as always,” Rudy told you after you were done putting on your heels and you left for dinner.

Just like he had promised you were allowed to sit by his side, his hand on your thigh under the table half of the time, but his head as always turned to his friends to entertain them. That's just how he was and you loved him for it.

He didn't show too much affection when you were with others, maybe you should've picked up on that before but now it was glaringly obvious. It wasn't that he wanted to keep your love completely hidden, but by not showing it off too much he felt more secure in it. Especially because he didn't want you to experience all the bad sides that came with dating a popular actor like him. The fans could be rather viscous and he just wanted to protect you.

However, he still didn't want to stay over that night and you didn't understand why.

“There's this fan meet and greet tomorrow, and they want to do the full program,” he explained while leaning in your door and holding onto your fingers.

“Can I come? Watch you from the audience?” you smiled sweetly and he nodded.

“Maybe I'll even let you ask a question,” he flashed his brows a single time and you giggled.

“Mr. Pankow, I was wondering how such a handsome, smart and very delicious guy like you hasn't managed to lock down a pretty lady yet,” you pretended to hold a microphone out for him.

“Hmm, no comment,” he grinned and pulled you into a longing kiss. He tasted like whiskey and smelled like cedar. “Tomorrow night, I promise,” he whispered against your lips before stepping back into the hallway. “Sweet dreams, princess.”

“Goodnight, big shot,” you blew him another kiss, that he caught, before closing the door and getting ready for bed.

The next morning you found yourself chatting with a woman at the coffee machine at the breakfast buffet.

She was a true sweetheart of a lady, way better than your own mom but you didn't have the guts to tell her that, after all she was a stranger.

“My son works too much, that's why we decided to fly down here and meet him as a surprise,” she explained while waiting for her cappuccino.

“Oh, that's so sweet. What does he do?” you asked innocently.

“He's an actor, you probably don't know him though. I always say, one day he will get the big roles, but he says as long as he's doing something that he loves it's already perfect and I don't want to argue with that,” she laughed a little and took her coffee mug away to make space for your own.

“My boyfriend thinks similarly,” you nodded.

“What does he do?”

“I don't know if I'm allowed to say to be honest, with all those NDAs and stuff, who knows who's listening,” you smiled and she nodded.

“Yes, that's probably better. Are you alone? You could sit with us if you want to?” she offered and you didn't have the guts to turn her down.

The whole duration of the breakfast you talked about various things, including but not limited to your work and hobbies and all the things the woman and her husband told you about their life and especially all of their sons.

“I think if your boyfriend dumps you, I'll play matchmaker and see if my son wants you,” she laughed after you had mentioned the lack of affection you had experienced with Rudy over the past week leading up to the trip and now.

“Only if he's single too by then,” you point at her with a joking sincerity.

“Of course. Well, right now he's all in love, just like you,” she sighed happily. “Every time he calls me he doesn't want to stop talking about her, but have we gotten to meet her yet? No.”

“I'm sure he will get to it soon,” you assured her, but when your eyes fell to the clock on the wall you almost kicked the table over while jumping up.

“I'm so sorry, I have to go. I have a meeting in twenty minutes and I'm not even dressed for it yet. I'm so very sorry,” you apologized profusely but she let you go with a smile and a wish of good luck.

You got to the huge conference hall just in time for security to let you in with your VIP pass, but there were no more seats left so you decided to just stand on the sidelines.

You watched them all walk in, the interviewer announced everyone separately, and you couldn't help but holler a little as your boyfriend stepped onto the stage, his eyes snapping over to you and giving you a big smile.

He was charming and polite while trying to stay as professional as the interviewer and his friends let him. But the fans were more ruthless than that, asking rather specific questions about the plot of the show and you couldn't really follow them with most of it. But you loved to see him interact with them, the smiles he brought to their faces.

You didn't dare to step up and ask a question, not wanting to draw any attention to yourself, not more than he already was by staring at you half the time he looked into the audience.

“Are you in love?” a little girl, not older than ten asked him and Rudy chuckled.

“Maybe, but I don't think I should spill all my secrets today,” he replied and she nodded and gave him a salute that he reciprocated with a smile. Your heart was fluttering at his declaration. There wasn't really a plan on when you wanted to make it official, but you knew it would be his choice in the end and you'd support him either way.

“You had heart eyes all week, bro,” Chase clapped on his shoulder and Rudy let out a nervous chuckle.

“We'll see,” he replied swiftly and the interviewer took the cue to move on.

You waited until the fans had left the room before you made your way towards the back and into the hallway that led to the waiting room. Rudy whisked you away before you could step inside, pressing his body against yours in a deep kiss that robbed you of both breath and any sense of direction.

“What was that for?” you asked breathlessly, while holding into his chest and looking up at him.

“Because I was such a jerk two days ago, and because my parents are here and I kind of promised them they could meet you,” he tilted his head to the side as if to ask for permission and you nodded.

“I'd love to meet them.”

But what you hadn't expected was to look at the same two people you had shared your breakfast with. But they seemed just as surprised by it.

“What a lovely coincidence,” Rudy's mom took you in a hug.

“Fate or something,” you laughed softly and Rudy pulled you back into his side.

“You know each other?” he seemed more confused than you had ever seen him.

“We had breakfast together this morning,” you explained and he nodded.

“So I don't have to do all the introduction shit?” he grinned at you and you nodded.

Rudy's parents shared even more embarrassing stories with you know that they knew it was okay to do so, and although he tried to stop them at times, he really didn't seem to care. All that mattered to him was that the bunch of you got along, which was a success already.

“You know what I think is incredibly cute?” You looked up at him, his arm draped over your shoulders as he walked you to your room, so you could get ready for dinner that night.

Rudy smiled and you got lost in the blue of his eyes. “You gonna tell me soon or keep staring, beautiful?”

“The autographs and pictures. They are always so excited for it. And believe me I get it,” you sighed and opened the door to your room.

“Yeah? Where do you want it to go?” he teased, letting the door fall into the lock.

“What to go?” you ask while bending down to open the straps of your shoes.

“Where do you want me to sign my name, baby,” he growled and pressed himself against your ass.

“Everywhere,” you sighed while leaning up and against his chest.

That's how you found yourself in bed, riding him and playing with your tits.

“Oh, fuck!” You moaned and he smirked.

“We should name them,” Rudy rasped, sitting up to press himself fully against you. “Should give them some pretty names, like, perfect one and perfect two or something.”

You gave him a mischievous grin as the idea jumped your mind. “Jessie and James,” you giggled and he forced your hips to a stop, planting his feet in the mattress to be able to fuck you from below.

“You're so fucking crazy, baby. You know that?” he groaned, repeatedly hitting your g-spot with his thick and long cock.

“You should fuck me raw then,” you teased but he laughed, his thrusts growing sloppier the closer both of you got to your release.

“Soon, darling,” he sighed and quickly flipped you onto your back to fuck you harder and faster to your orgasm. And the way his cock massaged your insides made your eyes roll back with pleasure. Clamping down hard around him it only took a few more thrusts for him to finish too.

“Now I can make it official,” Rudy laughed through his heavy pants while lying by your side.

“What changed?” you asked, looking over at his sweaty body.

“I did,” he whispered and kissed you again before getting up and leaving for the bathroom. You didn't quite understand what he meant by it, but you took the compliment as what it was. Rudy was ready to show you off and you wouldn't have anything against it.

please don't copy and/or post my work onto other platforms! ~e©ho

taglist: @redhead1180 @spideysimpossiblegirl @drwstarkeyy @princessmaybank @ijustwantttoread @kys4-20 @immyowndefender @julczimozart @m2m2m2 @mochimms @itsme-again

[isa-loves-you]

The Confession | The Group Chat | Pt.1

In this the group boys or readers confess their feelings/start dating. THANK YOU ALL FOR LIKING MY SILLY LITTLE STORIES <33

Isaac- It has been days since people started shipping you and Isaac. It's not that you were embarrassed by the thought of being with Isaac, but you were embarrassed by what he might think of you. For the past week you would try to either make yourself look busy or try to fill your schedule as much as possible, so you didn't have to face Isaac. This morning you had seen the boys leave to go film a blog and you had thought Isaac went with them, but it turns out that Isaac wasn't feeling well and stayed behind. "Hey, is it okay if I come in?" It was Isaac peeking his head into your room "sure" you kept your eyes on your computer so you wouldn't start getting nervous facing him. Isaac wanders around your room, glancing at your screen from time to time to see what you were doing. you just pretended to work on stuff until Isaac turned your chair around "I know why you've been ignoring me and i don't like it" "you do?" you said nervously asking him "no. I don't know, but I don't like it, "Isaac said sickly. you were fighting yourself inside trying to decide if you should tell him or not "so after i read that fic one of our fans made and seeing the edits i got embarrassed, and i don't mean by our fans but because of what you might think if i do have feelings for you". he stared at you trying to figure out what to say, "you like me" Isaac said looking at you with the biggest smile on his face "well yeah?". another minute had passed but this time Isaac was just smiling at you the whole time "do you want maybe wanna go out" Isaac asked like an excited schoolgirl, you couldn't help laughing at his goofiness. "I would love to, but don't tell no one i don't want people to know" "sure thing" Isaac exclaimed while running out the door to go call nick and tell him.

Softwilly-After that night Nick had devoted his life to try and get close to you, and he was doing a pretty good job. you and him almost hung out every day and whenever you were out in public people thought you were a couple. Earlier that day you had called Nick to see if he could help you pick out some furniture from Ikea; after you guys messed around in the store you guys had gotten some food and headed back to your apartment. "Oh, hey i forgot to tell you about ralph" you said looking for you keys, after saying the name ralph nick had felt the "y/n I'm sorry but i need to tell you something before we go in" you stopped looking for your keys to see that nick looked nervous and was trying to hype himself up to tell you. "The day i had met you i thought you were the coolest person and when i spend more time with you i started to like you more. I don't care if you don't like me or about your boyfriend Ralph. I just want to let you know that I want to be with you more than friends. ``. you stared at nick trying to find something to say but you were mostly confused on why he thinks you're dating your dog? You finally grabbed your keys out and unlocked the door while Nick just stood there trying to find a response in your face; once you opened the door Ralph had run out and tried to jump onto you and nick. "This is Ralph and he's the sweetest boy ever" you smiled at Nick while he looked confused but yet satisfied that Ralph was a dog and not a person. "Now about your little speech, I like you too Nick and I think it would be great if we could be something more than friends. '' You took your bags from his hand and whistled at Ralph to get into the apartment. "Oh yeah. yeah, that would be great if you would li-" you cut nick off by giving him a kiss on the cheek "goodnight nick, text me in the morning" you gave him a smile and walked into your home leaving nick stunned and swooping in your hallway.

Tanner- After winning discord Batchelor you and tanner kept in touch through a text here and there or doing videos together. you loved talking to tanner no matter what mood you were in or what happened in your day he always gave you something to smile about. you live in Dallas Texas and was in Austin to check out some stores; while being in Austin you texted tanner to see if he wanted to have lunch together which he said yes to. You guys sat down at an outside burger place and started to talk; after small talk the conversation of tanner liking you came up. "I mean it's just a little crush, it's not like I'm totally obsessed with you and have a picture of you on my while" "Damn I was kinda hoping you did." You guys shared a laugh, but you weren't lying you kinda wish he did. "It's okay tanner I don't mind you having a crush on me since I have one on you" you said trying to play it cool, he looked around and pointed at himself making sure you're talking to him "yes dum dum I'm talking to you". you guys just sat there at smiled at each other to see who would ask first "so do you wanna you know be the girlfriend to my boyfriend" tanner asked while curling the long hair stand, he didn't have to make is question goofier "of course, who would ever say no to the great tanner". you guys broke out into a laugh and just smiled like idiots at each other; after a few seconds tanner whipped out his phone and took a picture of you and asked you permission to post it which you okayed. After your little lunch date, you went home and showered from being in the Texas heat. Once you sat down to look at your phone you saw people freak out over tanners Instagram post of the picture, he took of you earlier with the caption "first date kinda nervous". you couldn't help but be so happy that you got this man to date you.

[bellaxgiornata]

She Lit a Fire [Chapter One]

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Fem!Reader

Summary: It's been nearing six months since your mother passed and nothing about your fast-paced life feels right anymore. Not knowing what else to do with the inheritance left to you, you quit your job on a whim and book a few weeks stay at a seaside cottage in a small town in Ireland. Unsurprisingly, you're quickly drawn to the handsome bartender at the local pub who curiously doesn't drink–and who also happens to live just down the beach from your cottage. The pair of you end up in a whirlwind romance, but when it comes time for you to leave, Michael is crushed when you refuse to continue things. Though you're certainly surprised to find yourself Stateside two months later pregnant with his child.

Warnings/Tags: 18+; contains smut, mostly fluff but some angst, and an eventual unplanned pregnancy

a/n: Okay, I wasn't planning to share this for another couple of days, but I got it edited up and I was just too excited. I've started on chapter two already, so here you go! Feedback is always appreciated! Full chapter list can be found here.

Standing before the little white cottage nestled in front of the green hillside behind it, you heard the taxi that had just dropped you off beginning to drive away. The gravel road to the right of you crunched loudly under the car’s tires as it disappeared. And then, not even a minute later, you were alone. 

Readjusting the duffle bag slung over your shoulder, your left hand clutched the handle of your suitcase as you stared at the wooden front door. For a moment you stood there, mesmerized by the view of the place you’d be staying and the picturesque background behind it as you fingered the single key on the keyring in your right hand. Without the rumble of the taxi's engine in the driveway, you could hear the sound of the waves crashing ashore behind you accompanied by the sound of the gulls flying overhead. It was already far more peaceful here than back at your apartment. Back home all you heard were the sounds of traffic and police sirens on the streets below and the occasional shouting rising up from the sidewalk.

Coming to Ireland had been something you’d admittedly done without much forethought. You weren’t entirely sure why you’d picked this small seaside town of Dunnis Port out of anywhere that you could’ve gone, either, but when you’d been absently scrolling through places to stay on Airbnb, you’d spotted this cottage by the ocean and something about it had drawn you to it instantly. Maybe you were being a little ridiculous, but you swore it had been your mom somehow pushing you to come here. So you’d booked the cottage for the next handful of weeks and then immediately booked a flight to Ireland.

And now here you were, silently wondering what the hell had made you quit your job and disappear to another country. Though you didn’t know how else to spend all the money your mother had left behind to you. You were, after all, her only child. And your father had never been in the picture. Admittedly, you'd also grown tired of the monotony back home ever since your mother’s unexpected passing. Everything had just felt…pointless. You found yourself yearning for something more, though you had no idea exactly what it was that you seemed to be missing. You hoped getting away might help you discover whatever it was, though.

With a deep exhale you took a step forward, beginning to make your way up the paved walkway and towards the cottage as you rolled your luggage behind you. It was nearing seven in the evening here in Dunnis Port and the sun was starting to hang lower in the gray, overcast sky. A shiver ran down your back as you stopped in front of the door, placing the key in the lock. You wished you’d have at least looked into the weather in Ireland before you’d left. How foolish of you to assume that a seaside town in northern Ireland would be warm just because it was the beginning of June–it was barely sixty degrees fahrenheit when your plane had landed and the temperature was only dropping. You hadn’t exactly packed for this weather, which meant you were now going to have to do some shopping tomorrow. 

While fortunately Kenmare Cottage was about a mile walk from Dunnis Port's downtown, unfortunately Dunnis Port had no transportation services. Which meant you’d be walking everywhere unless you called a taxi service in one of the larger cities almost twenty minutes away. And that also meant tonight you’d be on foot making your way to the Sheep’s Head Pub that you’d spotted when the taxi had driven through the village’s small downtown a bit ago. You figured you’d find a market tomorrow and deal with having to carry groceries back to the cottage when it wasn’t dark and hopefully would be a bit warmer outside. After that long flight you’d just gotten off of–and with how late it was getting–you figured you’d toss your luggage down, get a good look at the cottage you’d be staying at for a few weeks, and then begin your little trek to the pub for some food and a much needed drink.

Which is what you were doing now. Rolling your suitcase just into the sitting room, you’d rested it up against the back of the gray sofa before dropping your duffle bag onto the sofa’s cushion. Absently rubbing a hand along your sore shoulder from where the strap of your bag had steadily been digging into it, your eyes took in the quaint decor in the cottage. It certainly looked cozy and comfortable, just like the pictures had made this place seem. You figured when the sun was actually out and shining there would be a lot of natural light in here. Looking out of the large window to your right, just beside the little television, you noticed you had a perfect view of the beach and the waves rolling up on shore.

Meandering to the little kitchen just off of the sitting room, you weren’t surprised to see it was barely larger than the kitchen in your apartment considering the size of the cottage itself. All of the cabinets were white with rustic black handles and the countertops were a beautiful butcher block. There was a small wooden table with two chairs situated underneath one of the windows. On the adjoining wall just beside the circular table there was a door that led out to the small, fenced in back garden. A myriad of colorful flowers were blooming against the stone fence and you noticed a cozy bench on the paved patio. A perfect place to read when the weather was nice, you figured.

After having quickly examined the kitchen, you made your way towards the short hallway just off of the sitting room. Poking your head into the room on your right, you found a decent sized bedroom with a queen sized bed that was covered in multiple decorative pillows resting atop a white duvet. Your body practically begged you to step inside and collapse onto it after that long flight, but you knew you’d regret not grabbing dinner if you did. 

Glancing through the door to your left you found the bathroom which boasted a large walk-in shower. You’d figured the owner of the property must’ve remodeled this bathroom recently based on the appearance of it. There was a white and black patterned tile floor and that luxurious shower which you hadn’t anticipated being quite so large–it looked even more inviting than it had in the photos. Though you were a little nervous about the uncovered little window situated beside the shower; even if Kenmare Cottage didn’t have neighbors immediately next door, you still worried about someone spotting you stepping out of the shower through it–though it did offer plenty of natural light.

Eyes still focused on the little bathroom window, you noticed it was steadily getting closer to sunset. You had no idea what time the Sheep’s Head Pub stopped serving food, but you hoped if you started your long trek there now, you’d be there in time to eat something and have a drink or two. Maybe the alcohol would warm you up for your walk back to the cottage afterwards. And maybe someone working at the pub would be able to direct you to a place to buy better clothes and some groceries tomorrow.

By the time you’d reached the pub, you were shivering beneath your sweatshirt. You’d long since shoved your hands into the pockets of it in the hopes of keeping them warm while you’d walked. As the sun had further sunk lower in the sky and the night had gotten colder, the walk managed to somehow feel like it had doubled in length. By the time the sights and sounds of Dunnis Port’s downtown met your eyes and ears, you felt a sense of relief flood you. You didn’t even care if the pub was still serving food at this point so long as you could warm up somewhere for a few minutes and have a drink.

Reluctantly removing your hand from the pocket of your sweatshirt, you opened the door of the pub and were immediately met with a wave of warmth and a myriad of chatter and laughter. As you stepped inside, the energy of the place itself almost seemed to wash over you like a soothing balm to the cold. There were a few patrons scattered about at various tables talking animatedly with each other and a few others seated on the stools at the bar counter, partially full glasses of beer in their hands. This place seemed far more lively than you’d anticipated it to be considering what a small town Dunnis Port was. 

Taking a moment, your eyes curiously scanned around the pub that was somehow both a mixture of modern and rustic simultaneously melded together. As you made your way over to the bar counter, pulling out a red stool and settling down onto it, you couldn’t help but notice this place felt oddly welcoming. Despite the unexpected temperature, Dunnis Port seemed to have been a good destination choice.

While waiting for one of the bartenders to take notice of you, you glanced back over your shoulder through the front windows of the pub. The sky was a wash of faint purple and pink as the sun began to vanish below the horizon, the colors contrasting with the gray clouds still hanging low in the sky. The opposition of the bright, warm colors overtaking the gloom was beautiful and you couldn’t help but lose yourself in the view as you watched the last sliver of sunlight slowly fade away.

“Somethin’ I can get ya?”

Startling on the stool in surprise at the sound of the voice, you swiftly spun back around. On the other side of the counter was a man who looked just a few years older than you judging by the slight gray in his dark beard. He had dark brown hair and tattoos along his right arm that were visible beneath the sleeve of his black and somewhat fitted tee-shirt. But what really caught your attention was the glimmer of something light and undecipherable in his hazel eyes as he stood there leaning forward with both of his hands splayed wide on the bar counter, a white towel slung over his shoulder and a friendly smile on his face directed at you.

He was easily the most attractive man you’d ever encountered and you were quickly overrun with nerves.

His head tilted a bit to the side, the corner of his lips quirking up a bit higher. “Not from ‘round here, are ya?” he asked.

“What makes you say that?” you questioned back. 

You were shocked at how much bolder the question had sounded than you actually felt with his eyes on you. He chuckled in response, the sound of it pleasant and captivating. He dipped his head towards you in something akin to a nod before he spoke.

“American accent is a dead giveaway,” he pointed out, his own Irish accent only further drawing you into him. “And I happen to know just ‘bout damn near everyone in Dunnis Port.”

“Ahh,” you replied, your hands nervously coming to rest on the bar counter as you clasped them together. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Are ya stayin’ at the Carrigan House?” he asked curiously, dark brows knitting together.

“The what?” you asked.

He grinned, shaking his head. “Take that as a no,” he answered. “The Carrigan House is the bed and breakfast ‘round the corner from here. But if ya aren’t stayin’ there, I assume you’re at Kenmare?”

You nodded, fingers tightening nervously around each other. You hadn’t expected this handsome stranger to be so interested in chatting with you. Though, you figured he must not get too many new people to chat with outside of his usual patrons. You were probably just a novelty to him. 

“Kenmare Cottage, yeah,” you answered him.

“Bit of a walk dressed like that, isn’t it?” he asked, eyeing your sweatshirt.

Biting your lip, you awkwardly ducked your head. Heat made its way up your neck and into your cheeks, embarrassment flooding you. “I suppose now is where I admit to not realizing just how cold it actually is here,” you replied sheepishly. “I may not have expected the weather to be like this in June and didn’t exactly pack accordingly.”

The man chuckled again, the sound only further causing your face to flame. Internally you cursed yourself for being so ignorant when you’d booked this trip. You should have looked into the weather and done some research for the place you’d planned to spend a few weeks. You shouldn't have been so uncharacteristically spontaneous.

“Ahh, well, it’s usually ‘bout twenty or so degrees durin’ the day,” he told you. “Or, s’pose you’d call that seventy or so? Get’s a bit cooler in the evening’s though. And it tends to rain.”

“Great,” you muttered under your breath.

He laughed lightly yet again, the sound causing you to look up at him from beneath your lashes. His eyes were creased at the corners, a genuine smile spread across his lips. You had a strong feeling that you'd get lost in those eyes if you stared too long.

“Not the beach holiday ya planned, I take it?” he asked in amusement.

You shot him a tense smile, shaking your head. “No, not exactly,” you admitted.

“So,” the man asked, pushing off of the bar counter and straightening back up, his demeanor turning almost business-like, “you waitin’ on your other half or can I get ya somethin’ to drink?”

Eyes narrowing curiously back at him, you asked, “Other half?”

“Oh,” he replied, his head once again tilting curiously to the side as his brows faintly drew back together. “I just assumed ya were here on your honeymoon. Newlyweds are the ones usually stayin’ over at Kenmare.”

A nervous laugh bubbled out of you before you could stop it and you quickly shook your head. “Oh, uh, no,” you told him. “I’m not newly married. Or married at all, actually. It’s–it’s just me.” Clearing your throat, you nervously averted your eyes towards what appeared to be the kitchen behind the bar counter. “Is the kitchen still open? My flight got in not that long ago and honestly I’m starving.”

“Yeah, it is,” he answered. “I can get ya somethin’ to eat if you’d like?”

Attention returning to him, your eyes lingered on the way he was staring back at you. He almost seemed to be studying you even more closely now than he had been previously and that had you feeling even more nervous. You shifted in your seat, your hands clasping and unclasping awkwardly along the countertop.

“Is there something you’d recommend?” you asked shyly.

The bright smile gradually returned to his face as he nodded. “Certainly, though I doubt it’s what ya would probably order,” he replied.

One of your brows rose up onto your forehead. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” you questioned carefully.

“It means,” the man continued, his smile turning almost cheeky, “that ya look like you’d order the fish and chips off the menu because it’s familiar and safe.”

Your other brow shot up onto your forehead as you openly gaped at the man. He laughed at the look on your face, which normally would have sent you bolting straight to the door, but when his own face lit up with a warmth that reached his eyes, your breath briefly caught in your throat and your mind went nearly blank. What you wouldn’t give for this stranger’s playful teasing to be something more than friendly banter. 

“Do you make a habit of insulting your customers?” you asked, trying to recover while ignoring the heat of embarrassment once again on your face.

“‘M’sorry, I didn’t mean it as an insult,” he said, his laughter subsiding but that glimmer of amusement remained in his eyes. “Ya just look like you’re…tryin’ to play it safe? That’s the sayin’, isn’t it?”

“And you think I shouldn’t be?” you asked back.

The man shrugged easily as he rested a single hand back onto the counter and leant in towards you. Your pulse sped up at the way he was looking down at you, his hand half a foot away from your clasped ones.

“‘M’just sayin’ if you’ve come all this way to Ireland then ya might consider tryin’ somethin’ ya normally wouldn’t," he suggested. 

Swallowing hard, you fought the urge to blurt out something you'd regret–like how you'd like to try him . You weren't generally the type to have casual one night stands, nor had you come to Ireland with any intention to have some sort of romantic fling while you were here. Though, truthfully, you had no idea why the hell you'd come here to begin with, but maybe he had a point. Maybe you did need to step out of your comfort zone.

“So what do you recommend?” you asked him.

“Potato soup.”

You shot him a flat look. That was not the suggestion you were expecting.

“Soup?” you asked in disbelief.

"Hey now," the man said, holding up a hand and grinning back at you, "don't say it like that. ‘S’good soup and it'll warm ya up. Trust me."

"I don't even know you," you said, the comment slipping out before you could stop it.

He laughed lightly again before reaching a hand up and pulling the towel from off of his shoulder. Entranced by his hands, you watched as he wiped them on the towel before he tossed it back onto his shoulder. After, he extended his right hand towards you over the counter with a smile still lingering on his lips.

“Name’s Michael," he told you.

You hesitated a moment, eyeing his outstretched hand before you gradually unclasped your own, nervously placing yours into his. Clearing your throat, you told him your name, your heart racing when his calloused and warm hand firmly gripped yours in response. 

"Now ya know me," he teased, releasing your hand. "So, would ya like a menu or would ya like to trust me?" 

"I uh, I guess I'll trust you," you replied, quickly clasping your hands back together on the countertop and awkwardly wringing them together. 

"Ya want a beer with that soup?" he asked, raising a questioning brow. 

You nodded, lip caught between your teeth. You swore you could feel the ghost of his hand still lingering on yours. It was distracting. 

"Yes, that'd be–be great," you stammered. 

Still grinning, he lightly rapped his knuckles along the countertop, his gaze holding yours as he did. Something stirred in your chest at the extended eye contact, your stomach knotting anxiously.

"I'll be right back with that for ya," he said, murmuring your name softly. 

Continuing to worry your lip between your teeth, you couldn't fight the way his shift in tone had affected you just before he’d turned away. Your eyes tracked his movements, watching him walk away from you and towards the kitchen. Unable to help yourself, you took in the view of the muscles along his back with the way his shirt was clinging to him. Just before he disappeared around the corner, your eyes dipped down and caught the way his dark jeans hugged the curve of his ass. Immediately you inhaled a sharp breath, eyes dropping down to your hands.

This man was going to make it damn near impossible for you to ever visit this pub again. You were positive you’d only end up flushing and stammering around him like a teenage girl. And that would certainly be embarrassing. 

Sliding out of the bar stool, you felt warmed from the inside out. It probably shouldn’t have surprised you that Michael had been right about the potato soup–it was a vastly better choice than the fish and chips you’d surely have ordered otherwise. And that beer he’d poured you had certainly done wonders on warming you up. It was admittedly stronger than you were used to, but you hoped that meant you’d just be more resistant to the cold on your trek back to the seaside cottage. 

There was a small part of you that was a bit disappointed that you hadn’t spoken with Michael again after that brief interaction when he’d dropped off your soup and your beer. Though you kept telling yourself it was for the best. Developing feelings for a man who lived in another country–and who might also be married or seeing someone himself–seemed like a very bad idea. You didn’t need to further complicate things in your already complicated life. But still, you couldn’t help but let your eyes occasionally stray towards him as he chatted with an older couple at the opposite end of the bar while you ate. You’d also expected him to be the one to give you your bill before you’d left, but it had been a sweet albeit blunt older woman who’d told you her name was Debbie. She’d also given you directions to a market downtown that you could visit tomorrow to pick up some groceries to stock the cottage.

Now that your meal was paid for, you were ready to get back to Kenmare and settle in for the night. Stuffing your hands back into your sweatshirt pockets, you turned and headed towards the pub’s exit. Your mind was already back on that bed you’d seen before you left; you were looking forward to getting back and kicking off your shoes before climbing in and falling asleep. But you barely took two steps towards the door before you heard someone calling your name. Pausing mid-step, you turned on the spot in confusion before seeing Michael standing behind the bar counter, a small smile on his lips. If you were being honest, he almost looked a little nervous himself right now.

“Sorry, just meant to tell ya that ya should stop by Flanagan’s before ya left,” Michael called out. He gestured a hand towards you as he added, “For some more weather appropriate clothes while you’re visitin’. It’s just down the street from here.”

Awkwardly tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, you sent him a timid smile. Somehow that beer wasn’t quite dulling your nerves but making them worse. 

“Thanks, I’ll do that,” you told him.

Turning back around, you were about to leave until you heard Michael speak again. The sound of his voice drew you to an abrupt halt and left you wondering why he seemed determined to continue the conversation.

“Was the soup a good choice?”

Looking back at him over your shoulder, you noticed the smile on his face still looked somewhat shy. Which was a stark contrast to the bold teasing he’d been doing with you just a bit ago. 

“Yeah,” you answered. “It was actually. You should tell your chef that it was delicious.”

Michael’s grin widened at your words, that timid edge to him melting away as he leaned forward, resting an arm along the bar counter. That little glimmer returned to his eyes. “Ya just did.”

“Oh,” you said, overcome with another rush of nerves with the way he was eyeing you. “Well I–I certainly enjoyed it.”

“Glad to hear it,” he replied. “S’pose I’ll be seein’ ya ‘round then.”

Your stomach gave a nervous jolt at his words. It was almost as if he wanted to see you again, but that seemed a little far fetched. Humming out an affirmative noise, you sent him a quick wave before ducking your head and hurrying towards the door. The sooner you got back to the cottage, the sooner you could bury your burning face into the pile of pillows on your bed and overthink this entire interaction. And maybe while you were at it, you’d also scream into that pile of pillows about the fact that you’d suddenly gone and formed a stupid crush on a man who lived almost three thousand miles away from you.

[kanmom51]

JM Choreography practice BTB

A little late to the table here, been MIA for a couple of days, so I'm playing catch-up at the moment.

Before I touch on JK's visit, just wanted to mention JM's work ethic again.

We talk about it, JK talks about it, Suga talks about it, and here we see it once again. Man gives his all and above. Spending hours on end practicing the choreography.

When we were talking about just how busy JM was, when JM was saying he's been working day in and out, making his way home in the wee hours of the morning to sleep and back to work in the past couple of months, this is what he was doing. JM gives it his all.

Now to JK's visit.

I will start by saying that my gut tells me we probably wouldn't be seeing this if not for JM dropping JK visited him during the practice in his live. It is what it is.

And even though we got to see them together, we got the bare minimum highly edited and cut to almost nothing. It is what it is.

The little that we got to see was awkward, subdued, cautious. Super cautious. It is what it is.

With all of that said, the tone of voice, the eye contact, the lingering looks, the hand holding. It is what it is.

So, even then, or perhaps somewhat because of all of the above, there was no mistaking just how different their interaction is.

It is what it is.

Clearly, to whoever has a brain, these two are ok.

So why did it feel so weird? Why did it seem so different than Hobi's visit to the MV set?

First of all, we were given practically nothing. We didn't see JK arrive, nor JM's reaction to his arrival (thinking back to previous BTB's - MV shooting BTBs - did we ever not get the initial reaction at arrival when another member showed up to cheer or support?). We got less than a minute of JK's visit, just a few seconds of actual Jikook interaction. Lots of cutting and editing going on.

This was one of those interactions that you need to watch and rewatch to notice what's going on, what's said, how it's said. And getting K-army's perspective here was super important too.

I'm assuming everything I'll be bringing up here has already been mentioned, given I'm a couple of days behind here. Still, I thought I'd put them all together while giving my perspective on them.

Let's start with JM's beanie. The too big on him beanie.

Not only do they either have the same beanie each or share the one, but they also seem to wear it similarly?

I'm kind of betting on the same shared beanie option given how ever so big it is on JM.

JK showed up at the practice, first time we see him he's sitting down watching and talking to JM.

As I mentioned, no footage of JK's arrival and their initial interaction. And clearly this isn't the start of their conversation.

The full interaction at this point:

This is where it feels really awkward. Perhaps the camera shoved in their faces, knowing they have to be cautious.

Also, JK insisting JM to show him the choreo.

Actually, what JK said was: "do it (for me) once".

This is JK saying to JM: "no, do it once more for me". No honorifics, no filters, just a boyfie excreting his boyfie rights.

JK, he has his way of telling JM just how much he is there for him:

Sometimes we need to be reminded:

JM asks JK not once, but twice to come again.

That no from JK. That wasn't a no, not for reals. Lol.

That was JK being his natural teasing/flirting self with JM. That was the same JK we saw here:

Even with the hat and mask, those eyes of his are such a tell.

Yes they were subdued. JK even more so. Yes, it felt a little stiff and awkward, like the two were either out of practice how to behave in front of the cameras when together or it's the dancers there that they felt they had to hold back or the two combined.

And yet, with all of that, JM found his way to JK's jewels.

I can't help but wonder if the camera really didn't catch it all or if this was some good editing going on. My bet is on the editing, lol.

Not first time we've seen JM go for the jewels.

I want to end this post sharing something that might not be too popular, but me being me, I felt the need to be honest with y'all.

Seeing this BTB left me very sad.

I know I was supposed to be overjoyed finally getting the two in one frame, something we've been deprived of for months, but it left me with a bitter sweet taste in my mouth.

Seeing how held back they both were, more so JK, how cautious and subdued they were, it just hit me hard.

Even more so when I had something to compare with - Hobi's visit.

How open and happy and touchy and just free they were, as opposed to how cautious and subdued and awkward JM and JK were. JM and Hobi's interactions getting over twice the screen time. Hobi's arrival and initial interaction not edited out.

It's not that I haven't known for a long time now that these two, that from end of 2020 through the end of 2021 made strides towards opening up the door to the closet, if you will, with more and more stretching that rubber band, loosening it up, pushing the boundaries more and more, have been pushed back deep into that closet.

By circumstances, by the company, by choice (? I think not really).

And seeing their interactions here and how sanitized they were, by themselves and by the editors, it made me sad.

At least they had the hand holding to fall back onto.

And the eye contact.

We know they know each other thru and thru. We've seen at times how they speak to each other, not a word exchanged.

Oh, how I wish I knew what they were conveying to each other.

And that lingering look of JM's.

We saw you Jiminah.

We saw you!!!

[romanarose]

Darkness on the Edge of Town: Chapter 1

Joel Miller X Reader

Chapter 2

Masterlist

Summary: While heading home for a mandatory lockdown, Joel stumbles on something he wasn't supposed to see with FEDRA guards and steps in. This, unfortunately, lands with him spending unexpected time with a young woman. Oh, and there's only one bed.

warnings!: attempted gang rape, physical hard with a gun, mentions of blood, canon typical violence, lmk if I missed anything! EVENTUAL SMUT

A/N: This was supposed to be a one shot. Now I'm not sure how many chapters we're looking at. Three minimum. Also, I KNOOOOWWWWW this follows the biggest Romana trope: Protective! Man protecting a woman. I will not apologize.

EDIT: This was originally posted as an OC fic, because I had bigger plans for it, but I honestly lost a lot of steam on it. I was going to give up on it tbh but someone sent an ask asking about a chapter 2, and I hate to disappoint! So I'll be condencing the story and making it a reader fic. hoping you guys like it! ****************************

As the sun was setting, Joel walked to his home, trying to savor the last of the outside he’ll have for the next couple days. The local government had made a mandatory few day quarantine for no discernible reason other than to exercise control, remind the citizens who was in charge. A week, give or take, without work wouldn’t be great by any means, but Joel and Tess at least had a partnership, so they weren’t completely on their own. This week, however, Tess was gone. She was making a trade with Bill and Frank when the lockdown announcement came out, and Joel had to radio over for her to stay there until it ended. This meant that he had a week alone in his tiny apartment room without Tess knocking on his door for one reason or another.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” A woman shouted from the alley he was passing.

Joel’s survival instincts said to keep walking; wasn’t his business, wasn’t his problem, wasn’t him or Tess or any of their allies. He didn’t need to get involved. But Joel knew right from wrong, and as much as he liked to pretend to himself he wasn’t a good person, that he wasn’t the same person he was before Sarah died, he couldn’t keep walking. Plus, Tess would kill him if she knew he walked away from this. Turning down the alley, he saw you being pushed and pulled by some soldiers; all men. One pulled you by the shirt so you were flush against him, and you shoved him off yourself, making the young man hit the alley wall. This action earned you a pistol whip, causing blood to come out of you forehead as you cried out, stumbling backwards into the arms of another man, and Joel couldn’t stand back any longer.

“Hey!” He shouted, striding further into the alley. One of the soldiers grabbed your arm, keeping her to him and away from Joel. “What’s goin’ on here?” He said, eyeing the men. He was more or less familiar with them, some he knew their names, some he didn’t but recognized their faces.

One man he had dealt with, a trouble maker who liked to use his power to his benefit and was surround by rumors of his treatment of women. Nothing could be proven, and no real accusations were made; they wouldn’t go anywhere if there had been. His name was Ross, a younger man than Joel was by a few decades, one of those who had been teenagers when shit went south. That age had been terrible in the ‘before’, a time of confusion and soul searching for anyone, and all that had been interrupted by losing everything. This created a lot of inner turmoil that never settled for most. Some killed themselves, some managed it, some became god awful people.

Ross spoke, eyeing Joel with a smirk. “Curfew, Joel, you know the rules.”

“She’s still got ten minutes.” Joel spoke firmly, his stare intense on the younger man, letting him know he wasn’t backing down. His eyes connected with yours. Joel wasn’t an idiot, he knew there were different dangers in this world for women, something he’d likely never have to worry about outside of concern for Tess.

Not phased by Joel the way many others were, Ross continued his hold. “She lives on the other side of town, she’s not getting there on time. But don’t worry” He laughed lightly. “We’ll escort her”

If Joel wasn’t certain what they were planning, the way they laughed and smiled at each other told him. With a grunt, you kick your leg hard against his shin repeatedly, causing him to shout and push you off of him to stop the assault on his leg. Joel took the opportunity, grabbing your dirty shirt and yanking you back behind him. Surprisingly, you smack his arm in return. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

“I’m trying to help you” Joel grumbled to you.

“I don’t need it” But none the less you stood behind his broad body.

Ross was less pleased now. “Lockdown is in 5 minutes, how you gonna get her home before then, Joel?”

Joel hesitated. This was the last thing he wanted this week, a week where he had an excuse to stay home, be alone and wallow in his own misery, but there was no way he could live with himself if he just left you. “She’ll come with me”

Ross eyed him, obviously irritated that he’s losing. “You didn’t seem like the type to take in a charity case… or do you have some ulterior motives.”

Joel didn’t play games. Turning on a heel, you were now in front of him and he pushed you forward and out of the alley quickly. “Go”

You shoved him off you, whispering harshly. “Stop fucking touch me!”

“Go” But he kept his hands off you.

As they turned the corner, he heard Ross call out to them. “Four minutes Joel!” His voice echoed mockingly. “Better hurry!”

But Joel was already speed walking.

“Where are we going?” You scrambled after him.

“My place.”

You stopped in your tracks. “I’m not going with you.”

Turning around only briefly, he took one long stride towards her, pointing his finger. “You have two choices. Go with me to my shithole,” He pointed back towards the alley. “Or you can do with them. Up to you.” He saw you glare at him as he turned back around; he did his part and you were an adult, you could make her own stupid choices.

He heard you footsteps. You quickly followed him.

Joel and you barely made it in time.

The room was… a room.

One bed, a beat-up old lounge chair, a dresser, table and two chairs. The ‘kitchen’ was a small stove with a single burner, but it didn’t look very used; the microwave did. To the left there was a door, presumably to the bathroom. You stood in the doorway awkwardly, body tense and stiff.

Joel gestured vaguely around the apartment and grumbled something she didn’t quite understand, but she assumed it didn’t really matter what he said.

“Nice place” You said, looking around.

Looking slightly defensive, he replied. “No one’s making you be here”

You frowned at him. “I was trying to be polite, but fine, you live in a shithole.”

“Yeah, well, this shithole is where you’re stuck for the next few days, unless you wanna risk it with Ross” He said with a little bite, before feeling just a bit bad. When he glanced over at you, you were harshly glaring at him. “I’m Joel” He muttered under his breath.

“Yeah” You scoffed. “I picked up on that between you yanking me around”

Joel turned to face you, crossing his arms in annoyance. “You’re welcome” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Undeterred, you crossed your arms back, hips cocked as you stood in defiance, seeming to consider your next words. Then, as nervousness flickers around your face, you seemed to realize the position you were in. Looking away and to the floor, you spoke softer. “Thank you. I know this isn’t… ideal”

“Don’t worry about” He grabbed a flannel shirt and sweats from his drawers and tossed them abruptly at you, then motioned for the bathroom. “Showers o’er there. There's… um…” He hesitated. “Under the sink.”

You furrowed your brow, confused. “What’s under the sink?”

Running a hand through his hair, Joel turned away and pretended to be suddenly very interested in the lamp. “You’ll see.”

“Sounds like a threat, but okay.” You murmured as you shuffled into the bathroom before stopping and turning around, telling him your name.

He gave a nod, barely acknowledging you as you disappeared into the bathroom. This was going to be a long fucking week.

When you took in the dingy bathroom, you decided to see what he was talking about beneath the sink. When you opened up the small cabinet, you found possibly the last thing you were expecting to see in the bathroom of the world's grumpiest man. Pads. The initial surprise you felt was quickly overtaken with a swell of warmth. You wondered about the type of man he was before the outbreak. The last 20 years had broken some of the best people down, the need for survival tearing people apart… but you firmly believed good people remained good deep down, someone inside them, even if it only came out when necessary. And today, as you faced down a group of men with evil intentions, it was clear that this was a situation he couldn’t ignore. You’d seen a lot in your years, more than enough for several lifetimes.

The bath felt nice, even if it was cold, as did his clothes, as well worn as they were. When you padded out into the one room place, you saw him standing over what could barely be called a stove.

“It’s just shitty canned soup, you can have some. I don’t got a lot here, but enough to get us through.”

“Thank you. I can pay you back once I get home”

“Hm.” Was his non committal answer.

A pause.

“And thank you for stopping-”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I mean it-”

Joel whipped around, his eyes intense and alight. “I said, don’t mention it.”

You shut your mouth but glared at him, letting him know he was being a dick. And yet, you really weren’t in much of a position to complain, were you? He had saved you from an attempted gang rape, the act of which caused him to have to put you up in his home, share his clothes, his water, his food… All the while giving no indication he had any ill intentions of his own. How many people would do this for a stranger?

He got his food, sitting at the table and once again gesturing vaguely towards the ‘kitchen’, prompting you to get food for yourself. You didn’t feel you weren't exactly wanted at the diner table, so you looked around for another place to eat, moving over to the chair. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d sat on, but it wasn’t the best either. A new problem was glaring as they ate in silence.

There was only one bed.

You piped up. “I can sleep on this chair.”

“Yeah” Was all he responded.

Clearly, he meant for you to sleep there anyway. It was going to suck, but it was better than whatever was planned for her in the alleyway.

Wordlessly, he walked off and shut the door to the bathroom and it wasn’t long before she heard the water running to take his own cold bath. Amazing bedside manner, really. Top tier. You tried to remind yourself you were looking a gift horse in the mouth, and brushed off your bitterness. When Joel immerged, he didn’t look at her as he walked past.

“So,” You started.

“No.”

“How long have you-”

“No.”

“Do you at least-”

A loud groan as he scrubbed his face, signaling you to stop.

You sat there, staring at the wall while Joel went about his business before you heard him call to you. “Hey. C’mere”

You turned around, eyeing him suspiciously. “Why”

“If you want your fucking forehead infected, that’s on you”

“Wait!” You scrambled up, walking over towards him where he had some basic first aid. “Sorry, I-”

“Sit” He directed to the chair at the table, not making eye contact.

Doing as you were told, you sat down at the table, looking up at Joel as he bent over you. You winced as he applied the disinfectant. “You could sit-”

“No” Despite his harsh tone, his touch was gentle, careful, and moving away when you winced.

“So” You tried to start a conversation again. “Joel. That’s Hebrew, right? Are you J-”

“Stop.” Joel briefly put his hands down, standing straight up. From your view on the chair, you suddenly realized how tall he was. His eye contact, when focused on you as it was now, was all consuming. “We’re not friends, we’re not going to come out of this as friends, we’re gonna be lucky if we don’t rip each other's head off. So how about you stop talking, and I stop wondering if I can drown myself in the bathtub every time you ask me a question.” When you didn’t argue, he oh-so softly applied a bit of antibiotic ointment, careful not to waste the little he had.

“Well, that was a bit blunt” You commented as you studied his face. Handsome, older; graying but not falling apart. His accent was southern, but where? You could not place, but that would explain his sense of duty.

“You asked if I was Jewish an hour into knowing me, and out of nowhere. I don’t think I’m the blunt one here” Joel muttered again, but this time there was a hint of… something else. Not quite playful, there was nearly no change in his tone, he was just as gruff as before, but the way he spoke indicated it was almost a joke. Almost. But not quite. He stood up without another word and washed his hands of the antibiotic cream and remaining blood that had oozed out. Grabbing an extra blanket from the drawer, he tossed it at you aimlessly and hit the light.

“Go to bed”

“It’s 8pm”

“Go. To. Bed.”

“Old man”

This received no response from him, but you laughed to yourself.

“Good night Joel.”

A loud sigh was the only response you got.

**************************

I'VE NEVER WRITTEN FOR JOEL SO PLEASE BE NICE! I don't know a whole lot about this universe or the world building so I'm so sorry if this is wrong. But I love Pedro so so so so much and I love TLOU so far!!! Please leave a comment if you like what you see so I know people want more, and reblog if you are so inclined! It's the only way to spread my work on this sight!

Shocker. The fic is titled after a Springsteen song. Joel Miller Listens to Springsteen, Melloncamp and Petty and I will not be taking criticism at this time.

And! Be sure to check out my other Pedro character fic, Take Your Time with my boy Frankie Morales! Tagging some I think may be interested, if you aren't interested in Joel fics just comment to be removed!

My love, @welcometostayingawake @trinkets01 @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @luciannadraven33 @howaboutcastiel

[megadan94]

Okay, I wanna talk about the best and most adorable moment between August and Jane in the entire book. It's the scene the story ends on, and it's absolutely perfect.

It is from the Collector's Edition though, so don't read below the cut if you want to read it for yourself first.

Spoilers for the Collector's Edition:

I adore that they proposed to each other with the train tokens!

Because, like, the train is what brought them together, and the tokens invite you to ride the train. So an invitation to the thing that brought them together is being used as an invitation to spend the rest of their lives together. That's so sweet!

But also, the train itself wasn't an entirely positive experience, especially for Jane, and especially at first. At first, it was an entirely negative thing, and yet, in the long term, it became something she looks back on fondly, simply for the fact that it brought her to August. They're saying "I'd go through it all again to be with you".

She even talks about how she feels like this was always destined to happen, even from when she herself was a child, decades before August even existed. She wouldn't have had things any other way.

Also, Jane started saving for a ring the minute she moved in, and she started thinking about marriage the moment she arrived on the platform. That makes the scene where she moves in with August even sweeter than it was, and it was already the sweetest scene in the main book. Because she was thinking the whole time "this is the start of the rest of our lives, we're gonna live together, buy a house together, spend our whole lives together, and it all starts here".

I also loved how the proposal happened right after Myla and Niko's wedding, and how that was what inspired Jane to propose the next day. Seeing a queer couple being happily married made her want the same thing, even more so than she already did. I love seeing queer people inspire each other. And it's fitting, because Jane was also an inspiration for them, due to her legacy from the 1970's.

Then there's the part where August tells Jane "I'd marry you with a piece of lint on a string, I'd live in a refrigerator box with you". Again, adorable, August really would do anything for her girl.

And the way she tells Jane that she doesn't need to propose right now, like she can't quite believe this is happening, like she still has trouble believing how much Jane loves her. And the way Jane just says "August", because she needs her girl to know how serious her commitment is and how much she loves her.

I also loved how private it was, I would definitely like to see how the other characters react when they break the news, but for the proposal itself, it was nice how quiet and personal it was. All of their best romantic moments are like that.

I also liked how August proposed back to her. Like, Jane is the more chivalrous one in their relationship, but every now and then you see August subvert that, like in the "I like being taller than you" scene where she makes Jane lean up to kiss her.

So while I will always want more OLS content, this was the perfect note to end August and Jane's story on. It affirms and solidifies everything that came before.

[topsytervy]

Graduation Present ~ Quinn Hughes

synopsis: Quinn flies from Vancouver to Michigan to watch you walk across the stage and he gets you the best graduation gift you could have asked for (besides a puppy)

word count: 2,574?

warnings: swearing, spelling/ grammar mistakes, small mentions of drinking, i think thats it.

Note: this may contain more mistakes than usual solely because my computer decided that while I was editing this it was going to make me miserable in every way possible. Acting slow, whenever I would correct my spelling and grammar with the suggestions it would duplicate the word or smush it together with the next one and listen, I was over it after the first five minutes of it pulling that shit so I pushed through it the best I could and fixed what I caught that it messed up. So yeah. Enjoy :)

~~

"Quinn!" You shouted, running down the steps of your parent's front porch as you watched your boyfriend unload his bags out of the car in the evening light.

A small smile made its way on Quinn's lips as he turned around and saw you running towards him, holding his arms open slightly for you and when he felt your arms wrap around his waist, his wrapped around your neck, arms resting around your shoulders.

He was absolutely exhausted from his long day of travel but seeing you lifted his spirits.

"Hey, gorgeous. Missed you." He mumbled into your hair, kissing your temple and letting himself relax slightly.

You and Quinn had been dating for a while, having known each other longer thanks to Luke being friends with your younger sister. Back in high school when you and Quinn got your license, it wasn't uncommon for you and Quinn to run into each other when one of you were picking up or dropping off your siblings. Sometimes you even took Luke home if Quinn wanted to hang out with friends. And then both of you ended up attending University of Michigan so you two stuck together as much as you could since you two were familiar with each other.

Summer going into sophomore year of college was when Quinn had asked you out and when sophomore year came to a close and Quinn was getting ready to go to Vancouver, you two decided to give long distance a shot. Both of you were pleasantly surprised at how well it was working out for the two of you.

Of course there were times when Quinn or you would wish you two weren't so far from each other, however you both knew you had a couple of times throughout the year that you two could spend time with each other.

Like now. The offseason had officially started and Quinn couldn't have been more grateful of the timing so he could watch you walk across the stage and get your diploma. He only wished he could've gotten a slightly earlier flight.

"Missed you too," you replied, kissing his cheek before burying your head back into his neck.

"Alright, lovebirds. Pack it up before I vomit all over the grass." Jack hollered, not entirely thrilled that he had to be the one to pick up Quinn at 7 o'clock at night.

"Why don't you go inside and stop watching us then?" Quinn shot back, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

He hadn't held you since you visited him during spring break so he’d be damned if he was going to let his younger brother tell him when to let you go.

You heard Jack groan as you pulled back a little and kissed Quinn on the lips, followed by a 'get a room' before hearing the front door open.

"Quinn!" You heard Ellen say and you pulled away from Quinn so she could hug her oldest son.

"Hi, mom," he greeted her as he wrapped his arms around her.

"So glad you were able to get a flight out. Are you hungry? We saved some dinner for you." She pulled away and looked at him, waiting for his answer.

"I could eat."

Ellen smiled before turning back to the house. "I'll fix your plate while you get settled in." And then she was gone.

"Feels good to be back?" You asked, reaching into the trunk and grabbing Quinn's backpack to carry inside.

Quinn made a noise of disapproval at you grabbing his things before he took his bag from you and picked up his duffle. "Of course it does, my love." He told you, kissing your lips one last time before slinging his backpack onto his shoulder. "Am I rooming with my girlfriend or am I forced into a room with my brothers?"

You grinned, grabbing his hand as you closed the trunk for him. "I'm going to be your roomie if that's okay."

"Sounds better than okay." He answered, following you towards the house.

Once inside, you grabbed Quinn's bags from him and before he could protest, you told him to sit down and eat.

He reluctantly sat down and you disappeared down the hall to set his bags in your room.

"Quinn! It's good to see you," your mom beamed as he sat down with the plate his mom handed him.

"Good to see you too, y/m/n. How have you been?" He asked.

"I've been good. How about you?"

"Doing alright."

"Sorry about the season, Quinn" your dad chimed in.

"It's alright. There's always next season." He scooped some mashed potatoes onto his fork and took a bite, glancing down the hall when he heard your footsteps coming back into the living room, giving you a smile as you sat down next to him.

The next hour consisted of Quinn catching up with his family and yours, his plate empty next to him.

You glanced over at the clock on the wall and stood up, stretching. "I better get to bed. Early day tomorrow." You sighed, grabbing Quinn's plate to wash before heading to bed but he grabbed it back from you.

"I'll wash this really quick and then I'll join you. I'm beat."

You smiled at your boyfriend before bidding good night to everyone, heading towards the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face. As you looked in the mirror while you brushed your teeth, you watched Quinn sneak in next to you with his own toothbrush, grabbing your toothpaste as he wets the toothbrush.

You basked in the domestic feeling of it all as Quinn asked you about a quick rundown of tomorrow as he brushed his teeth.

"Wake up, get ready, go to graduation, take some pictures, come home, eat, relax." You told him, Quinn's hand coming up to your hair to hold it back as you spit into the sink, rinsing it down the drain as you rinsed off your toothbrush.

Quinn nods, following suit before turning to you. "You're amazing, you know that?"

You smiled. "I've been told once or twice by a certain someone."

Quinn wrapped his arms around your waist, "only once or twice? Then I'm failing as a boyfriend." He joked, kissing your nose.

"Sure you are. You only get me flowers and chocolate every Valentines Day, birthday and anniversary. Always making time for me, even if it's just a five-minute phone call, no matter how busy you are. Oh, and let's not forget the care package you have Luke drop off every month when I'm on my period, which by the way, he’s tired of being your errand boy and told me to tell you to just send it through the mail. You’re totally failing as a boyfriend."

"You deserve it all." He placed a kiss to your lips. "I'm so proud of you y/n and you deserve nothing but the best. Especially now."

You brought your hands up to cup his face. "And you deserve the world because you're the best, Quinn." You told him.

"Oh my god. Seriously. You two are taking over the bathroom now?" Jack’s voice cut through the air and Quinn groaned as you let out a giggle.

"Come on, Quinny. Let's go to bed before we make Jack sick." You grabbed Quinn's hand and pushed past Jack.

"You two better not do anything," Jack called after you two but you two pay him no mind, disappearing into your bedroom and closing the door most of the way, leaving it open enough for when your cat inevitably decides to join you.

Quinn knew you wouldn’t though, at least not for another hour. You're excited that he’s here with you and that tomorrow you will walk across the stage, all the hard work you put into school finally paying off.

You and Quinn climbed into bed, facing each other as you moved closer to him so you could snuggle into his chest and he draped his arm around you, letting his hand softly rub your back as he attempted to lull you to sleep.

And as tired as he was, he listened as you quietly rambled about whatever came to your mind, humming every once in a while, so you knew he was still awake and listening. Eventually though, you trailed off, letting yourself shut down for the night as Quinn continued to rub your back, watching as your eyes fluttered close before he closed his own.

"Night baby. Love you." He whispered as he pulled you closer.

"Love you too, Quinny. Sweet dreams." You managed to get out before letting yourself finally fall asleep.

**

You sat down next to Quinn, slumping against him as his arm went around your shoulders as friends and family gathered around the bonfire your cousins had started, a beer in Quinn's hand as he chatted with everyone. You were in a hoodie that belonged to Quinn at some point and a random pair of pajama pants, your third, and final, outfit change of the night after changing from your graduation dress into something you wouldn’t mind getting something spilled in after you got home that afternoon.

Quinn glanced over at you when your aunt walked away for another glass of wine, letting his mouth drop next to your ear.

"You okay?"

You nodded. "Just worn out."

Quinn smiled as he kissed the top of your head. "Long day for you. I’d be surprised if you weren't."

"I'm surprised your voice isn't hoarse considering how loud you were cheering. The world won't believe me when I tell them Quinn Hughes was actually loud and excited for once," you teased as you looked up at him, "it was like you and Jack switched personalities for the ceremony. Your reaction to me graduating was almost the same reaction that Jack had when Luke got drafted to the devils." you finished, referencing how loud Quinn cheered from his seat when you walked across the stage, matching the volume with half of your family as you stared straight ahead, your face starting to heat up.

You caught a glimpse of all of them though when you walked off the stage. Your immediate family along with 4/5 of the Hughes family all stood up and cheered as Jack and your extended family remained seated, clapping before Jack caught your eye and shot you a thumbs up.

"Baby, you are one of the few people I will stand up and cheer for like that. You know this." Quinn’s smile grew as he brought his beer up to his lips and took a drink, swallowing before speaking again. "I think that you should go upstairs and take a power nap."

"If I take a power nap, I might not go back to bed when I get up and I can't risk messing up my sleep schedule." You tried but Quinn shot you a look.

"You won't mess it up. It's seven pm. You'll be up no later than 9 and you'll go back to bed at midnight." He said, nodding towards the screen door. "Go take a nap."

You sighed, leaning more into Quinn. "Fine, I'll take a nap but I'm taking one right here." You told him firmly, closing your eyes.

You felt Quinn move slightly, pulling the hood of your sweatshirt over your head before resting his arm back around you and starting a conversation with your sister, the sound of their voices putting you to sleep.

You stirred awake a couple of hours later, blinking as you gathered where you were.

The chatter between friends and family had died down quite significantly, along with the bonfire, just a baby if a flame dancing along the wood.

You heard your dad and mom bid Quinn a quiet good night before you heard footsteps and then the screen door opening and closing behind them.

You let out a small yawn and Quinn looked down at you, brushing the hair that had fallen into your face away.

"Don’t you feel better after that nap?" He cooed and you shrugged, sitting up straight and stretching.

"I still feel tired if I'm honest." You responded, looking around to see everyone gone.

"Well then let's go to bed, yeah?" Quinn said, going to stand but you grabbed his bicep to stop him.

"No. Let's just stay out here for a bit longer. Have some us time." You said, sticking out your bottom lip for good measure.

Quinn smiled at you, pulling you back into his arms as he leaned back on the bench, and you felt your own smile grow.

You sighed as you closed your eyes again, basking in his warmth. "Thank you for being there for all the late-night breakdowns and making sure I took care of myself."

Quinn pressed his lips against your temple. "Anytime, baby." He paused for a second before continuing. "What are you going to do with your free time?"

You laughed. "Free time? Right. Well, going to start applying for jobs, that internship I had this year should help land one fairly quick, and while I'm doing that, I'll pick up some more hours at the job I have." You shrugged. "I'm just gonna go with it, I guess. Wherever the wind takes me."

You felt Quinn start moving so you sat up, allowing him to do the same. "I have a graduation gift for you." He told you as his hand went to the pocket of his sweatpants.

You watched him pull out something slim before he handed it to you, your eyes skimming over the words that were on it.

"It's a ticket to Vancouver. It's your ticket to Vancouver." He whispered.

You looked up at him, "what?"

"I want you to move in with me." He started, "we've been together two and a half years and I wasn't going to ask you to move to Vancouver when you were still finishing your degree, so I figured I'd wait until you graduated. You can apply for jobs there and we won't have to go months before we can see each other in person again. It's okay if you don-"

You cut Quinn off by pressing your lips to his, your hands cupping his cheek, the ticket still in your hand and Quinn kissed back, his hands going to your waist.

When you finally pulled away, Quinn spoke. "I'll take that as you're coming back to Vancouver with me towards the end of the offseason."

You nodded. “Absolutely. I'll start looking for jobs and I'll put in my notice at my work in the next couple of months."

"Or," Quinn started, "you could put in your two weeks tomorrow and you can spend the entire summer with me at the lake house."

You bit your lip as your hands dropped from his face to your lap, ticket still in your hand as you stared at it.

You felt Quinn take your hands in his. "Let yourself have one last summer vacation like when we were kids. No responsibilities. Just fun."

You smiled before nodding. "Okay. I'll put in my two weeks tomorrow and then once I'm done, I'm all yours for the summer."

Quinn pulled you into his chest as he leaned back once more, kissing you yet again. "And all mine after summer." He mumbled against your lips.

You chuckled before pecking his lips one last time and let yourself rest against him. "Yes. And after summer too."

~~~

[lostrealities0]

Depressed Mikey one shot because I had a rough day and wanted comfort.

TW: missed meals (unintentional), low self-esteem thinking.

It's not heavy but I'll be honest, I have no idea how to gauge it.

Also only minor editing. Let me know if there's any mistakes!

Mikey woke up at noon.

"Shit," he grumbled, flipping onto his other side. Sleepiness stayed with him, despite sleeping for 9 hours. The idea of leaving his bed sounded awful, but after glancing at his alarm clock again, Mikey dragged himself out.

He hated waking up late. All that time, wasted.

Sitting at the edge of his bed, Mikey thought about what to do. It was too late to cook breakfast and lunch was whatever anyone wanted. Clothes, notebooks, and various other things were littered across his bedroom's floor.

To do list:

- clean room

Since Mikey missed breakfast without warning, he should make up for it with an awesome dinner.

To do list:

- clean room

- awesome dinner

Mikey looked at his clock again and sighed. Those too alone would probably take up the rest of the day. Sure, it was only noon, but his room was a mess! Plus, he always gets distracted, so that's gotta be like...3 hours at the very least. And dinner...well, he didn't even know what he was going to make yet, but it was probably going to be a while, and he had to spend time planning it too!

Mikey hated waking up late.

Still feeling groggy, he opened his phone to check social media before cleaning. Several artists that he followed had posted, and he made sure to like and comment on all of their art. Seeing that he got a few new likes and comments made him smile. Mikey wasn't used to getting compliments about his art outside of family, so it always made him feel giddy.

Continuing to scroll, he ended up following a couple more accounts, interacting with various posts and binge reading a comic series or two. Seeing people's stories and characters reminded him of all of his projects.

To do list:

- clean room

- awesome dinner

- webcomic/graphic novel series

- that one art piece

- tv show w/ leo

Stopping himself from adding more, he reminded himself, "Focus on the priorities." Mikey glanced at the time.

It was 2?!

Mikey nearly dropped his phone. "Shit, shit, shit!" He started bouncing his leg aggressively. He just wasted another two hours. His room was still a mess, dinner was unplanned, and now he definitely had no free time.

Nearly lunging out of bed, Mikey began to clean.

Well.

He started to think about cleaning.

There was so much. All the notebooks would have to be separated into their categories. His desk would also have to be cleaned since that's where several things would be put away. Art supplies ranging from epoxy resin to jewelry were scattered everywhere, which also meant he was going to have to figure out where and how to put away his resin stuff since it was new. Speaking of which, his supply shelf was disorganized again but he couldn't fix it because some supplies were still being used.

Mikey closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Start with something easy. He scanned the train car.

Clothes. Clothes were easy.

Laundry bin. Fold. Drawer. Laundry bin. Laundry bin. Drawer. Fold. Fold.

Mikey worked for a total of 10 minutes before someone interrupted him by knocking on his door. He didn't need to hear Raph speak to know it was him. His knock was always gentle, gentler than his other brothers'. It also had a deeper sound due to the size of Raph's fist.

Sure enough, Raph peaked his head in. "You doin' okay, big man?"

"Yep! Just cleaning." Mikey sent his big brother a glowing smile.

Raph was quiet for a moment. "Want to come out for a minute? It's 3 and you haven't eaten yet today."

Mikey froze. 3? No, no, no, no, no, it was just 2! How long had he been thinking.

Raph stepped in a little bit. "Mikey?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. Um, yeah! I can do that."

The blatant concern on his brother's face didn't leave his eyes, but he smiled softly. "Are you sure you doin' okay?"

"Yeah, just tired."

---

Apparently, Mikey could not do that.

Whether it was because of not eating at all that day, accidently eating too fast, stress, or a combination of those, Mikey felt sick. He had returned to his room to continue cleaning when his stomach flared up in pain. After a few minutes of trying to fight through it, Mikey collapsed onto his bed, curling into himself. Almost immediately, his eyes felt heavy.

No! He already slept enough today. He didn't need to waste more time.

But, with his stomach it's not like he could do anything. Mikey texted Leo, who immediately told him to take some ginger pills and try resting.

"Sorry, you're feeling bad Mikey. Anything we can do?" Leo watched as Mikey raided the med bay.

"Thanks, but I'm okay. Just laying down had helped."

Leo eyed him. "Alright. Make sure to take it easy."

Laying back down, Mikey stewed. It was 4 something, his room is hardly better, he hadn't even begun to think about dinner, and now he physically felt awful too.

Sighing, he put on a relaxing playlist and closed his eyes. There was no way he was going to be able to concentrate on doing anything, so might as well take a nap.

---

Mikey woke up disoriented. He was sweaty from all the blankets he piled on himself. Something was coming from his phone. It took him longer than he would like to admit to realize the "something" was the music he had put on. He turned it off.

It was 7.

Mikey felt like crying.

He did absolutely nothing and the day was gone. Completely wasted.

He always wasted his time. Day after day, he would only work on one or two things. The rest of the time was spent goofing off.

Planting his feet on the ground, Mikey stared at his room. It taunted him. All his dreams and interests were displayed. All his failures. He was never going to finish any of those projects.

Wasting time.

Mikey went to stand up but found that he couldn't. His limbs wouldn't move. His body didn't respond.

Tears started forming. Why was it so hard to do this? It was just cleaning his room! All he had to do was pick stuff up and move it!

He didn't move.

Wanting to scream, Mikey started scratching his arms. Why couldn't he do anything?

Half an hour passed before Mikey was able to force himself up.

Focus on the clothes. Just pick up the goddamn clothes. That's it. All he had to do.

Still feeling frozen, Mikey grabbed his headphones and put on one of Donnie's playlists. It was a loud one, electronic and noisy. He typically didn't like webcore and related genres, but Donnie had said that he liked listening to this because it quieted his mind. It was overstimulating, but that was the point. According to him, it allowed him to work without the burden of thinking.

Each step taken was a battle in his mind, but he made it to the clothes. Just pick them up. It's so easy. Stop wasting time.

Mikey grabbed them. Sighing from relief of actually doing something, he folded. Music blasted in his ears. He thoughts felt muffled, not completely gone but out of the way.

To do list:

- clean room

- awesome dinner

-webcomic/graphic novel series

- novel

- tv show w/ leo

- thank Donnie for playlist

In no time, all the clothes were put away. Mikey looked for something else that was easy.

Books. Those just had to be put on the bookshelf. He could do that.

Done. What next?

Notebooks just had to be sorted and put away, that's easy. He moved them all to his bed. There were two categories: desk or shelf. The important ones are put in his desk for easy access while the others are put on the shelf.

Project - desk. Random interest - shelf. Random interest - desk.

Once he was done, Mikey picked up the desk notebooks before freezing. His desk was a disaster. He would need to clean that before he could put these away.

He would have to figure out what to do with the various notes and papers. More books were in a stack, with a box of snacks on top. His laptop had his drawing tablet, mouse and headphones on top, with wires everywhere. Pens, pencils and some coloring books were there too.

Mikey sat down on his bed.

It was okay. Just focus on one thing at a time. The shelf notebooks could still be put away.

Raph knocked on his door again as he carried them.

"Wow, you've done a great job Mikey!"

Mikey thought that was generous, considering all the stuff still on his floor. Sure, it was better, but it wasn't clean.

"Thanks, Raphie!"

Not wanting to freak out in front of his brother, Mikey ignored the desk problem and chose his skating gear to put away instead.

Raph sat on his bed. "Whatcha listenin' to?"

Mikey shrugged, "Some music."

Mistake number 1. Mikey always played music on speakers unless he was dealing with something. He had specific playlists for certain moods, and his brothers always picked up on it.

Case in point, Raph frowned. Mikey ignored it and picked up a book he had missed earlier. "Can I listen too?" Raph asked.

Mikey moved his snack box to his bed and picked up the stack of books on his desk. "I don't think you'd like it. It's one of Donnie's playlists."

Mistake number 2. Mikey didn't like that kind of music, except for a few songs.

Raph sighed. "Mikey...what's going on? You've been in your room all day and you seem tense. You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Mikey quietly said. "I'm just a little frustrated, that's all."

He watched as Raph got up to grab Dr. Feeling's glasses, putting them on after returning to his spot. He didn't say anything, but the look on his face was full of encouragement. Mikey sighed and sat next to him. He told Raph about sleeping in. He told him about his plans. He told him what happened. He told Raph everything.

"I can't do anything!"

"Woah, that's a big thing to say. You can do lots'a things Mikey. You can paint and draw. You're an amazing cook-"

"Good that did today."

Raph was silent for a moment. "It's not your job to cook for us. If you aren't feelin' up to it, it's okay."

"But I wanted to cook!" Mikey's eyes stung and he looked away. "I want to do things! But when I try, I freeze! I sit and sit and sit doing nothing. Not just today. Everyday. I'm always wasting time, doing nothing."

"What? Mikey, you literally made an incredible drawing yesterday! And the day before that, you were working on your thing with Leo!"

"Those were the only things I did though. The rest of the time, I was just goofing off."

Mikey was suddenly pulled into a hug. "You don't need to be workin' all day. Hell, you don't need to work at all. What's important is if you're doin' what makes you happy, whether it's one of your stories or playin' video games all day."

Tears flowed from Mikey's eyes as he melted into the embrace. He felt Raph softly rubbing his shell. "We love you, Mikey. I love you, and I'll always be here for you."

[endwithajadestrick]

Complaining About the Pacing in Ahsoka

I know that I am being a real (medium-sized) curmudgeon about this, but I have chosen to embrace it. Manager, I would like to log some complaints re: the latest episode of Ahsoka.

Spoilers ahead:

This is more of a general gripe, but it really hit me this episode that this show is so slowly paced. Every episode could have been half the runtime without cutting any character beats or plot information. This feels especially apparent when you consider that most Clone Wars and Rebels episodes really are about half the length of one Ahsoka episode, about 20 vs. 40 mins. And episodes of those series are not light on plot or action. Clones and Rebels were, however, plotted more around mini arcs, usually of 2-3 episodes (because they were gearing those shows for kids), which would necessitate that the writers' room keep things tight. You set your board, get in, and get out. But Ahsoka only has one story arc for its eight-episode run and just not enough depth of character drama or pace of action to fill that runtime out. (It is probably worth mentioning here that Dave Filoni is the only credited writer on the series.)

You can especially feel the ponderous slowness in the establishing shots. Why do they go on for so long! It's usual to have a shot or two giving us an idea of the landscape our heroes are in, but in most films and shows those shots only come out to a few seconds of screen time--because we don't need them to be longer in order to get the information they're supposed to transmit. Further environmental detail can be picked out while you are watching your characters do other things.

This episode spends about two minutes just showing us Sabine walking through the Noti village. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of time, but in TV time a lot can happen in two minutes. For example:

Here's a compilation of the Finn vs Captain Phasma fight moments from The Last Jedi.

It is 2 minutes and 34 seconds long--including bits that were cut from the theatrical version of the film! How many beats, actions, and dramatic reversals are fit into those couple of minutes? Quite a few!

By contrast, nothing happens during Sabine's introduction to the Noti village. We aren't seeing anything with each changing shot that feels new or emphasized like it's information that we're going to need to remember later on. It's just wasted time, and I feel like it's anecdotally emblematic of a larger problem with the show. Lots of dead air between actions, wasted time that could have been trimmed in the writing or editing phase.

The first Star Wars movie is about two hours long, and I reckon about as much happens in that film as has happened so far in Ahsoka, which is about twice that length (around 260 mins to New Hope's 120). It's easy to overlook in light of all the other cool stuff A New Hope has going for it, but a lot of what makes that first movie work so well as an action adventure is how fast it's taking you from moment to moment, non-stop from gun fight, to character meeting, to escape, to subterfuge, a brief respite where our guys philosophize, and so on. Ahsoka is already working with a lot less charm and verve in front of and behind the camera than that film. It really can't afford to be lackadaisical with its pacing.

As stated above, I am a curmudgeon, and a lot of my problems with this show can probably be chalked up in part to the fact that it just didn't get me in its pocket out the gate. I wasn't especially charmed or intrigued by anything going on in episodes one or two, and I was subsequently less inclined to roll with the rough bits further down the line.

I want to be on board with it, and it has a lot of aspects I genuinely enjoy that make me believe that with a little spit and polish the finished product could have been shaped into something genuinely fun. I like Ray Stevenson's Baylan Skoll (Titus Pullo stans, arise!). His ambiguous schemes for the future are genuinely intriguing and ominous, and he feels like a fresh take on the dark-sider baddy, next to the cackling Emperor, cold-blooded cyborg Darth Vader, and rage monster Kylo Ren. He's very "I am the only one who can truly see the big picture." Oh ho, betcha you can't! But, as the kids say, let him cook.

I also think Eman Esfandi was perfectly cast as the live-action Ezra. In just a couple minutes of presence, he exudes warmth and charm (though I could have done without the blue contact lenses. They just look wrong, and would anyone have cared that Ezra's eyes are brown now?).

But none of what should be the big beats in this show have really landed for me so far, including this week's big reunion between Sabine and Ezra. Seriously girl, you gambled with the fate of your entire galaxy for just the shot at saving this man, and the most you can summon upon seeing him again for the first time in (checks official calendar) "9 to 12 years" is some middlingly witty banter and a lukewarm hug? I'm not someone who thinks that Ezra and Sabine's relationship is/should be romantic, but come on. Tears should have been shed! This has been Sabine's raison d'etre for the whole show. This, not becoming a Jedi, is what we are told she really cares about. If she won't get emotional about it, why should I?

And for the record, I don't want to put the blame for this on either Esfandi or Liu Bordizzo. I suspect that it's a writing and directing problem. And on that note, this week's episode was directed by Jennifer Getzinger, an experienced TV director with a pretty solid track record, whose resume includes both high emotional melodramas and prestige series, so... paging Mr. Filoni?

There are numerous talented actors and artists who have given a lot to this show, and many fans ready and eager to give it love. I just wish that the story were giving as much back to them.

[whysojiminimnida]

Welcome To MiniMoni, or Jungkook Is Just Screwed Isn't He

Because let's be honest...

Cameron Phillip as Jungkook is not entirely wrong. But before we go barrel-rolling off to some toxic Jeonlous narrative that, well, okay, in this case it kinda DOES exist but only a little bit and it's not toxic, it's normal; Let's all enjoy twelve minutes or so of a nice compilation of some sweet and fun moments between Namjoon and Jimin:

Edited videos are always suspect to me unless I am (A) watching them for fun and not for evidentiary findings; or (2) they're not really trying to prove anything. But let's be reasonable here - nobody honestly thinks that MiniMoni are a thing, do they? Plus it's a really cute video with a lot of great moments. Props to the creator.

(photo collage cr. @sherwynphilip)

Cute boyfriend-looking guys in couple fits, okay, I guess I could see it if like a Jeon Jungkook didn't exist. They do look very pretty together. And there's nothing they love more than a good selca.

Honestly, I could ship it if not for the existence of the Jeon half of the Jeon-Park household. And the possibility of Namjoon just not being into guys.... BUT WAIT I STILL THINK HE KINDA IS THO. The Jimin effect also exists and I really don't care who you are, it's pretty obvious that Joon enjoys Jimin's visuals, his intellect, his emotional support, his friendship and his ass affection.

Jimin has an ability to find the emotional center of people around him. He is reportedly highly emotionally intelligent and is a caregiver, a gift-giver, an encouraging, kind presence (when he isn't being a total Slytherin) to his friends. And I think Joon appreciates that about him. Meanwhile Joonie stimulates Jimin's brain, his artistic side, his sharp wit and his need for affection and praise. Namjoon has no problem giving Jimin what he needs in any of those areas. That they also happen to find each other attractive is not necessarily a bad thing, and in this case, a little chemistry goes a long way. They kind of provide each other a safe flirtation outlet, if that makes sense.

It is very normal and not weird for two close friends to also be like "yeah, would possibly hit that if it wouldn't gank up the friendship and/or if I wasn't already otherwise involved." Happens all the time and it's not exclusively masculine.

WHICH BRINGS US TO WHY JUNGKOOK IS JUST SCREWED OKAY.

Jungkook's first real guy crush was, apparently, Namjoon. This is based on stuff Kook has said about joining BTS specifically because of Joon, and about his thighs, and his basically spending 2012-2014 just following Namjoon around like a puppy.

So Jungkook admires/crushes on Namjoon and Namjoon admires Jimin who flirts with the world but is in love with Jungkook, this actually does read kinda like bad fanfiction. Or maybe good fanfiction. IDK y'all I just show up here and make observations and post shit. I can't be held responsible for what these grown ass men do in front of a camera. Or behind it for that matter.

The upshot is, Namjoon is aware that Koo crushed on him first. He is also well aware of the Jeon-Park situation having been thoroughly exposed via my personal favorite show, Namjoon In The Middle, for well over five years now. Six, really. Maybe seven. Whatever, HE KNOWS OKAY. They ALL KNOW. Nobody's hiding from anyone in BTS. These guys got their boundaries all trampled on before most of them were out of their teens, they don't even know how to act most of the time.

And Jimin is also aware that Jungkook liked Namjoon maybe better right at first and he is not above caressing a wow-thigh here or there if he needs to get a point across. And sometimes he do. I don't know what the point was on this day but something was going on.

But let's please notice, Jimin is not the only Slytherin in Bangtan. Not by a long shot. Y'all got to stop villainizing Jiminie when Namjoon knows exactly what's up and he's just letting this ride and encouraging it if not openly initiating. And it's not the only time.

Maddest I've ever seen Kookie was at this fansign, please ignore the overt misspelling of "avert" and understand that I have an image limit I'm working against here, anyway, boy was PISSED OFF. Namjoon just triggers him when it comes to Jimin. And I don't find this "toxic" behavior. This is normal behavior. Normalize the idea that sometimes in relationships, especially as-yet unestablished ones, insecurities happen. Doesn't make him toxic, makes him human, get off his dick okay.

Maybe he knows something we don't or maybe Jiminie kinda uses Joon to rile up his man or maybe, maybe, Namjoon is also sometimes a Slytherin. To be fair Joon is owed certain compensatory enjoyment for having to be the Jeon-Park Police but somehow he lets Jimin get by with shit and kinda dishes it Koo's direction, historically, and I haven't figured that out yet.

But ...

In the last couple of years, as the Jeon-Parks have grown up a bit and solidified their own bond, Joon has also grown up a bit. Because I don't think it really damaged his and Jimin's friendship, but I do think he and Jungkook realized that while they are never gonna be the tightest duo in Bangtan, they do work together, they do both love and care for Jimin, and they are friends. Just, not Jinkook-level friends. MiniMoni are always going to be one of the closer pairs, and Minkook is kinda... a little on the side-eye side. But still cute. So things have mellowed a lot. Jungkook in particular has mellowed a lot. And as of late 2021, MiniMoni are still MiniMoni-ing and the Jeon-Parks are still Jeon-Parking and all is well (including Namjoon, I hope, he should be testing negative for COVID like, soon, right?) So that's my take on those guys. Cue the cannons. I'll be behind the sofa if you need me.

[ironunderoos]

Highschool au where bad boys Justin hammer and Quentin beck dare bad boy Tony Stark to flirt with nerdy peter parker. Sad or happy angst that is up to you

Oh boi anon, this prompt got me goiing! I love high school AU! 😍 I'm four chapters in and still writing 😊😅😆

Since I'm still editing a lot in later parts I'll post the first chapter now and hopefully the rest of the story over the coming days. Thank you so much for this lovely prompt!💖

Dare part 1

"Stark!"

Tony leaned on his locker and didn't turn at the voice calling his name. The sniveling but at the same time arrogant tone made clear that Justin Hammer was about to enter his personal space and despite him being his friend Tony did not particularly like him. Furthermore, he had no inclination to respond to someone barking his name. Enough of that at home.

Well, friends as a term was also a stretch when it came to Hammer and him. Their dads were business associates, very rich and powerful men in the weapons industry, and thus Hammer understood the life Tony led: being the single heir to a worldwide operating business, raised with more money than brain cells and getting more nanny time than family time - that kind of thing. Justin also tolerated most of Tony's antics or simply ignored them. However, if someone would have asked if he liked being around Justin, Tony would have had to admit that this wasn't the case.

"Stark! Stop ignoring me, asshole!"

Tony rolled his eyes but didn't turn. Hammer expected everything in the world to move as he commanded and if it didn't he used insults until it relented. He'd spent as much time in detention as Tony just because he couldn't get into his head that teachers didn't take it well to be called names. Luckily this was the last year of school for both of them. Soon they would be going separate ways (hopefully) and wasting their fathers' money on different universities.

Justin finally appeared in Tony's line of sight, his baby face screwed up in what might be anger. It looked more like a guinea pig with depression.

"Hammer," Tony finally acknowledged him and Justin's expression turned from angry to his usual mild discontent.

"You're an asshole," he stated for good measure and then, now that his was established, turned to lean next to Tony against the lockers. It was still a couple of minutes before the bell would call them to their first lesson and both boys used it to pose a little in front of the younger students. Justin mimicked Tony's bad boy image, even got himself a leather jacket and ripped jeans, but Tony knew that he changed into slacks in the backseat of his car before arriving home every day.

"Morning." Beck, the third member of their not-really-friends group emerged on Tony's other side. He didn't bother with wearing clothes that screamed what an independent and tough guy he was. He looked rather normal. Until you spend enough time with him to see the demons waving from behind his eyes. Nobody wanted to cross him since what happened in middle school.

Tony, Hammer and Beck were a bit of the bad boy gang of this tech oriented school. All of them had been caught smoking, taken their share of detention for skipping lessons and Beck even hacked the schools floor cleaner to make it flush the teachers' room with soap water. Beck wasn't rich, he hadn't seen a nanny or a butler in his entire life. But he shared Tony's aversion to playing by the rules and Justin's narcism, so he somehow belonged.

"I heard you fucked Christin Everhardlast night," Beck continued the conversation.

"You-... what?!" Justin turned to him, his face flushing red in an instant. He had a crush on the school's head girl for ages - one of the reasons Tony had done it.

Beck snickered, amused by the unrest he already caused. "Didn't you do her boyfriend last week?"

Tony shrugged. "I wanted to see what she liked about him."

Hammer looked as if he was ready to burst. "You're insufferable Stark! What did you do to get in her pants? Pay for it? I bet she did it for money right?" He sounded angry, but also a bit hopeful when he checked out Christin from afar.

Tony stared down on him, keeping the disgust only barely from his face. "I'd say I'm charming, Hammer."

Justin didn't look at him, too much was occupied with ogling Christine's ass in her tight jeans.

Beck snickered. "Confident, huh?"

That made Hammer turn back to them.

"Your so-called charm is bullshit. It doesn't work on everybody, Stark!" he sneered and crossed his arms in contempt.

Tony tried to ignore him but Quentin leaned in. He grinned. "You always hunt down the most famous and most popular, don't you? Like some kind of collector."

Tony eyed him suspiciously.

"They're all vain. Ready to become a scratch in your bedpost just because you're your fathers son."

Justin's eyes gleamed when he nodded. "Yes! That's it!" He completely ignored that nobody stumbled over themselves to get into his bed.

Tony however, glared at Quentin.

"What did you just say?"

Beck grinned. "No offense. People are like that. But I bet…" He made a dramatic pause that almost made Justin wet himself in anticipation. "I bet you're not so successful on someone more… smart. And humble."

Tony's eyes grew small. "And who might that be, huh?"

"Well…"

But Justin interrupted him. "Someone like… like…" he looked around. "Him!" He pointed to the other end of the hallway, to a boy in a too large sweater, who tried to reach into his locker without disturbing the group of girls standing in front of it. The girls didn't even notice his struggles until a pile of books, pens and papers poured out and tumbled onto the floor. Parker turned red as a signal light and apologized profoundly to the girls who stared at him. They turned and moved away from him while he crouched down to gather his things. He tried as best as possible to not draw any more attention as he already had and shoved everything back into the locker, but of course something stuck and the pile landed on the floor again.

Someone chuckled.

Tony cringed.

Finally the locker closed. His head between his shoulders Parker stormed off to the closest boys restroom - obviously to hide until the first lesson started.

Humble, huh? In a school like Midtown Tech, that was bound to produce future engineers and geeks, that boy was the nerdiest person Tony had ever seen!

"Peter Parker," Quentin quipped and Tony stared at him in disbelief. "Nice choice! Sounds like a bet, huh?" Before he could say a thing however, Justin butted in. "It is a bet. You get Parker to let you into his pants at the end of the week or your reputation is in shambles!"

Tony's fist wanted to meet that grin so badly, but he was one step away from getting suspended forever so he swallowed it down. It couldn't be so hard right? That Parker boy was obviously in dire need of someone. Anyone. That could also be Tony. He would have him wrapped around his finger by Wednesday and be done with it.

"It's a bet."

Part 2 can be found here

[citylighten]

Hi! I hope you are having a fantastic day! I am just going to go ahead and apologize for the plethora of questions you are about to read, but, I can’t help it! Your story has me HOOKED! Like, I’m sure you’ve seen the notifs. Ok, enough rambling, here it goes…

First, how long does it take you to set up a scene

Second, how are you so good at writing?!

Third, what made you want to write about Eve?

Fourth, was there any research involved?

Fifth, is that your personal reshade/gshade?

Sixth, what do you use to edit your photos?

Final (not a question at all) This joint? This joint right here? Stellar. Please give yourself a pat on the back, standing ovation, round of applause all the things.

Oh, and Marcus is fine, but no. lol. Never! Between him and the "messy" momma, aht! Aht!

Tierra is the bestie I need, lol.

Sal is dope.

HEYYYY SO I was away from my computer for awhile. Then I opened up my iPad and saw I had so MANY notifications. It had me like

I’m really glad you enjoy the story! There’s a lot of juicy (and perhaps even DRAMATIC) content coming up as we progress onward!! But I’m gonna break down these questions. Sorry to my followers in advance for the length. 😔

First, how long does it take you to set up a scene? It really, really depends. There are some lots I have made from scratch that have taken roughly two days to complete. These lots include Sal’s apartment, the bowling alley Sal and Eve went to. Then there’s some lots that were shells and had to be decorated. These lots include Eve’s home which is made by @ceeproductions And other lots? They’re either downloaded ( @beansbuilds is my FAVORITE creator when it comes to builds with @alexisarielgaming being right behind her ) or they're 'borrowed' from friends like @trucktoast who made the Reverb nightclub for his own gameplay, but because I didn’t want to make my own nightclub, and all the ones I found were too high-scale looking he let me download the lot.

Now, with the lot and decorations out of the way, I only need to know how I’m going to be using this lot for the scene. And because I don’t make my own poses, I need to think of ways I’m going to make the scene easy and work with the poses I have downloaded and also still get what I want across. If I don’t have a couples pack, this requires mixing-and-matching different poses which can take a few minutes. But with that said, a one person scene doesn’t take long at all. Just a few minutes. A two person scene? Let’s say ten minutes or maybe a little more depending on if I’m vibing with the angles. Then there’s the above mix-and-matching poses I have to do when it comes to two sims. Then, scenes with four or more sims takes forever. A scene like the nightclub sequence literally took hours and more than one day (I had to give myself a break). I had it set up as a FUNCTIONAL nightclub, so I wouldn’t just be relying on deco sims. And there were times where the townies would sit where Sosha or Ke’Sherri was sitting and I was like, “PLEASE!” Could I have posed all these townies? Yes. But, I wasn't going to spend that much time getting things perfect. Then the Marcus & Eve argument sequence had to be done separately from the scene where Sal was waiting outside the cinema. So it didn’t take long, but I still had to make sure that I could get these scenes to ‘line up’ the way I wanted.  But the best thing to do is to keep sims in the same household for scenes they’re in together. And also, sometimes to just see them generally do things on their own (like walk, box, or shower) is better than posing them.

Second, how are you so good at writing?! I DON’T KNOW. I’m honestly a super harsh critic of myself! I question the script and overthink my dialogue like nobody’s business. I also closely tie my writing with music, like I’m always listening to something or thinking of ways that a song can reflect my characters or story.

Third, what made you want to write about Eve? Well, Eve is my baby. 😭 But on the real, I wanted to write a romance. I don’t really let myself write romance. I’m really into crime & comedy with romance being more of a side thing. When I was younger I had a, ‘I’m not like other girls phase I don’t fall for CHEAP ROMANTIC PLOTS’ but as I’ve gotten older I’m like you know what? Romance is nice. Nothings wrong with it. I want to write something sweet and character driven. When it comes to Eve’s characterization I just love the boujee black girl aesthetic? I eat it up visually. But waaayy more importantly than that, I wanted to tell a story about female loneliness because I don’t feel like there’s enough media that portrays that. Sure, we have depictions of women’s rage or women embracing their sexuality, but where are stories of women who are in lonely solitude? Who struggle with not just boyfriends, but keeping adult friendships? I always felt like white male characters were allowed to be written in this matter, but women (E S P E C I A L L Y black women) aren’t. We also aren't really allowed to be shown as shy introverts, either. 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Fourth, was there any research involved? For the boxing segment YES. I watched videos for beginners and took literal notes. Fifth, is that your personal reshade/gshade? So, I use reshade and the preset I use is called s-drama. But to be honest, I don’t even think I installed it right. Like, I have the textures and everything, but I really tampered with the other options to get a different effect than what’s shown in the preview images. Sixth, what do you use to edit your photos? Take my screenshots with reshade. THEN I take it to photopea (a good, FREE alternative to photoshop. Highly recommend it.) and enhance the color with a psd, although I have the psd’s strength cranked down to 34% sometimes higher depending on the scene. I blur things in the background and boom! It’s ready! (Then I put all the caps, both raw and edited on a hard drive cause yeah. I can’t have them taking up space.) ANYWAY THANK YOUUUU. 🥰🥰Everyday I see Marcus in my game (or if I’m dressing him up) I’m like you’re too cute to be doing this. I’m wasting a good looking sim on this bullshit. 😭😭

I hope you keep enjoying the story! There’s still a lot to cover. Will Eve enter a relationship with Sal?! Will Marcus redeem himself?! ( cause trust me, he’ll be reappearing eventually ❄️☃️ ) Will she EVER let go of her grandparent’s home!? Only time will tell!!

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE ❜

✨ REQUEST: hermanikiiiiiii i wanted to request you the prompt number 1 with coco cruz!!thank you, love you muchisisimoooooo💕💕

✨ PROMPTS: “Wait, you love me? Like Garfield loves Lasagna?”

✨ MADE BY: Juls.

Gif credit: to my lovely @supervalcsi.

WORDS: about 2k.

❚❙ A/N: this writing hasn’t been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I’m sorry about that. If you find a description about body or a word out of place or something that makes you feel uncomfortable / unrepresented, let me know by a private message and I will change it delighted ❤

❚❙ JOHNNY ‘COCO’ CRUZ MASTERLIST.

❚❙ MASTERLIST.

❚❙ JOIN MY TAG LIST.

When you heard that Coco had been shot, your heart suddenly stopped. It was four days ago in some kind of dog's fight, as Chuckie told you at the scrapyard. Bishop needed someone to take care of him while they were investigating what happened, so you offered yourself without doubting it.

Much to your regret, you are only two good friends, even if you feel more things that you can't explain, about which you haven't talked with anyone. And thanks to your work in the hospital, you managed a room only for him, so he could rest as much as he wanted, as much as he needed. But your back hurts like hell after being sleeping on the sofa, close to the bed, just to make sure that you were able to attend to all his necessities for minimal they were.

These days there, you have learned a lot about him, about his curiosities, about his fears; spending his time awake talking with you to keep his mind entertained, to not think about the pain in his lower abdomen. Your mates took the bullet in a jiffy, but, normally, the sorrow remains for a couple of weeks. Luckily, he only complained when the hour of the next turn of medicines was close.

You have tried to not think about your feelings the time you were in the hospital, but it was impossible. All you wanted to do was to lie by his side on the bed, embrace him between your arms and kiss him, having to conform yourself with holding his hand and resting your cheek on the mattress. Your eyes have never left his eyes, not even when he was sleeping, on alert in case of an unforeseen because of pain, or an infection, or God who knows. You were really paranoid.

“You ready?”

Coco glared at you, slightly tilting his head. You had asked the same question five times in the last two minutes. Offering him a hand to secure himself, the mexican put down from the hospital bed, ready to leave and go home. Angel and Gilly had cleaned his house, even if you insisted to Bishop that you could do it. But he asked you back to stay with him till the next morning, so he wouldn't stay the night alone until they came back from the other side of the border.

Two knocks in the opened door brought you back to reality from your own thoughts, in the meantime that you helped Coco to wear his leather kutte. Directing your tired eyes to the entrance of the room, you found three Vicki's girls, happily waving their hands. Raising an eyebrow confused and your lips pressed, they came in without asking.

“Papi, we've missed you”. The latin and playful tone of voice from Mariela, as she swung her hips to your friend, gave you shivers.

In just one sight, your presence was pushed to the background. These girls hadn't even called to ask about his state of health and, now, they were there as if they did all the work you did —delighted, of course. Trying to keep calm, you put Coco's clothes into his bag, zipping it when everything is ready.

“No te preocupes, we take care of him now”. Carolina sentenced with contempt and superiority, grabbing his stuff ready to abandon the hospital.

“Yeah, mami. Go home and rest”. His words hurt. More than a bullet.

Preferring their company besides yours let you know that he hadn't taken in count what you did. And yes, you did it because you wanted, but you also thought that maybe could mean a step ahead. But it wasn't. Not saying a word, doing anything but a simple nod with your chin, you grabbed your bag to step out from there. Ashamed. Feeling stupid.

Two weeks have passed and Coco has come back to the clubhouse. This time you have been doing extra shifts to compensate for your lost days taking care of him, almost walking like a zombie from home to work, and from work to home. So, when Bishop invites you to a party in his honor, you decline it. You are too tired physically to assist and tired mentally for foolishness. What is the point of going to a party to see Coco having fun with those bitches? You have had enough after two weeks without receiving a single text to thank you or to know how you are. He hasn't even cared about the fact that you haven't shown up in the club for two weeks. That's the little he thinks in your friendship.

Zapping from one channel to another, you try to find something to watch. A movie, a tv show, whatever that helps to distract your mind, while you enjoy thai noodles with beef. Finally finding an action movie, you cover yourself with a cozy blanket, grabbing the cardboard box to start your dinner. The ringtone of your phone interrupts your calm, with Coco's name on the screen. At first, you don't want to answer, but he continues insisting for more than three long minutes. Hanging up and calling again. With a furious growl installed in your throat, you leave over the table your dinner to grab your phone.

“The fuck means you aren' comen'?”

He doesn't even let you say hi or how are you.

“It means that I'm tired and I have to work at five”.

“I don' think one damn beer reverses your sleeping schedule, Yo' Grace”.

“Fuck you, Jonathan. I've been working double shifts to cover the hours I was taking care of you in th—”.

“Nobody asked you to do it”.

Eyes widened and your heart racing. You can't believe he just said that.

“Yeah, nobody did. But your hermanos preferred to be on the other side of the border. Your putas preferred to be partying and sucking dicks in Vicki's. And your mamá sent me pal' carajo when I called to tell her what happened. I did it because I was your friend. Because I cared about you. Because seeing you there with… all those tubes was killing me. That shit continues giving me nightmares every fucking night. But you shit on that. You kicked me as soon as your putas came to the hospital”. You don't know when you have started to cry, more than because of the rage than because of the sadness. “I'm sorry if I'm too tired to drink a fucking beer, but my job is more important than a person who doesn't give a shit about me, who hasn't called or text me in two weeks, who only wants my company when no one else is around. Have fun in your damn party and fuck all those whores to thank them for picking you up from the hospital, but didn't care about how you were after being shot”.

Hanging up, you toss the phone somewhere on the table, wrapping your body with the blanket and lying down on the sofa. Trying to contain the tears, the only thing you earn is to cry bitterness. You can't understand why he only has noticed your absence at the party. What has changed? Probably it was his egocentrism working, wanting to be surrounded by a lot of people, not caring if they're his friends or not. But you're done being his lapdog.

About to fall asleep, the angry hits in the main door make you suddenly wake up agitated.

“Open up!”

The rage is consuming you again after hearing the strong mexican accent, taking three long strides towards it to receive him with your reddened crystal eyes.

“What the fuck 'you want now? Haven't you had enough beating myself up?”

“You're fuckin' dramatic”. He spits in your face, stopping with a foot the slam to his about to close the door again. “I didn't talk to you because you were working, bu' you didn't talk to me either”.

“Yeah, because you were served with your bitches. Go fuck yourself, Jonathan”.

“Don' call me like that again”. Coco grunts taking a step into your house. “You had to work, they came to cover your back”.

“Oh, please, don't make me laugh. They just wanted to have the credits of taking care of you, so you will expend more money with them. That's the only thing they care about you. Wake up from your world of fantasy, Coco. If you weren't part of the MC, you wouldn't be a shit for them; just another fucking soldier with a broken home”. You can't help but push his chest with both hands, driven by anger.

At first, he doesn't say anything. He looks thoughtful, being aware of the truth in your words. And it hurts that you have to be the one to open his eyes. The problem is that you weren't thinking while talking, pulling your gaze away from him and pressing your trembling lips, one against the other.

“I'm sorry”. You babble, cleaning your tears with the back of your left hand. “I didn't mea—”.

“But you said so”. Coco interrupts you with a husky tone of voice, bristling every inch of skin of your anatomy. “That's wha' I am without my kutte. An ex-soldier, a criminal, an outlaw. I spend my money on them because they take care of me, one way or another”.

“I did it too”.

“So, what? What you want? Money? Tell me an amount”.

Squinting at him, you can't help but chuckle with a painful and bitter laugh.

“I did it because I love you, not because I want your money”. You confess, knowing there's no going back. “I don't care about your money, nor your job, nor about your kutte. I love you because you make me happy. After all, for me, there's nothing better than a hug of yours, because you… you are simply amazing. You're intelligent, funny, loyal. And I wish that you could see yourself through my eyes, Coco”.

He, not saying anything, is killing you slowly. Barely breathing, you cross your arms over your chest to hide the fact that your lungs aren't receiving any air.

“I thought that after being shot, you realized you only live once. And that… after being those… boring days with me, you realized that you preferred the company of these other girls. The funny part of being alive. So I just pulled myself away”. Taking a small pause, you bow down your head, cleaning your tears again. “These weeks have been torture. I've written you a lot of texts that I haven't sent… and I've been a lot of times about to call you. But 'you know that… feeling when you think... the other person is not gonna answer you, because maybe is too busy for you? That shit has been destroying me”.

Hoping that Coco finally is going to speak, he remains silent. Looking at you openmouthed, processing all the information you have just give him.

“Can you, ple—please, say something?” You beg almost shaking.

“Wait, you… love me? Like… Garfield loves lasagna?”

Raising your eyes, pouting at him, you know that he's trying to make you laugh after understanding all the pain you have been through. Lonely. Without talking about it with anyone.

“I'm sorry, mami… I just… fuck”.

Cupping your cheeks onto his hands, Coco slams his lips on yours, tasting the salty tears you have shed because of him. The sloppy kisses bring some more air to your lungs, calming your racing pulse and making you feel less unhappy. As your fingers get intertwined in his shirt, crinkling under your grip, he urges you to walk backward so he can close the main door with a kick.

“God knows I'm so fuckin' sorry… Please, forgive me”. Coco's whispers brush your lips, keeping his eyes closed just like yours. “I'm gonna take care of you now, okay?”.

Nodding in silence, you place your arms around his middle back, hiding your face into his chest. His strong scent brings you back to life, while his arms wrap you tightly to comfort all the pain he has provoked you without knowing it.

“I just want you, ma'. No one else. Just you”.

[karlajoyner]

Stole My heart (Owen Patrick Joyner x Reader)

A/n: Hey guys so there’s this imagine let me know if I should make a part 2? Possibly a smut? I don’t know let me know! Also let me know if I should post these on wattpad too!!!

Warnings: None

————

"Owen seriously if someone catches us I'm gonna kill you"

"No ones gonna catch us. They're filming a scene" He mumbled leaving a trail of kisses down my neck.

"That's what you said last time"

"They didn't catch us" He said pushing my shirt down my shoulder.

"Yeah but they almost did- wait. Are you? Owen" I scolded pushing him away.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"What do you mean what? The makeup department will literally kill me if I show up with another hickey. Then their gonna interrogate me like they did last time since there are limited people I see daily" I groaned.

"They're not gonna kill you y/n. Relax"

"I can't relax. Now that we landed a season 2 the chances of us getting caught are much higher now. Plus my character has such a bigger part now" I spoke pacing back and forth in the dimly lit room. Julie's room set to be exact.

"I know. But you can't let that get to you now. You did amazing the first season and your gonna kill it this season. And if we get caught then oh well"

"Oh well? Oh well. Owen I already told you I don't want anyone to know about us until-"

"Until we're sure it's not gonna effect our worth ethic. I know" He muttered sitting down on the bed. I sighed realizing he was upset. It was never my intention to date my co-star. Let alone fall in love with him. But after spending countless of hours on set and off set with him there was no denying the chemistry. And what to everyone seemed like an amazing friendship was actually something more.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I wish things could be different but-"

"But this is your first big part. I get it" he said moving to sit me on his lap.

"I'll back off. We'll just have to keep sneaking around"

"Owen-"

"No harm. No foul. If this is what I have to do to be with you I'll do it" He said kissing the spot he had previously been sucking on.

"And I'd do it again" He whispered kissing my skin once more.

"And again" Another kiss.

"And again" He spoke finally meeting my lips. The kiss last longer than the ones shared previously. It was much more passionate on both ends. The risk of getting caught high.

"Owen" I giggled as he flipped us over on the bed.

"Yes?" He questioned as his fingers made their way up my shirt.

"Baby" I moaned as his hands cupped my left boob.

"Mmm" He muttered against my lips.

"We've got to get back on set soon. I have a scene with Jer" I panted pulling away.

"Don't do it"

"Owen" I warned.

"Fine" He groaned getting off me.

"But for the record if they did know we were dating I would not give my approval for the stupid kissing scene" He said kicking the ground like a little kid. Referring to the fact that my character became Reggies love interest this season.

"Be careful there babe the jealousy is peeking through. Just be lucky he's married and they cut it down from a whole make out scene" I teased checking myself in the full length mirror.

"Yeah yeah. God the unholy things I would've done to you in that bed" He whispered in my ear as his hands explored my body.

"Don't temp me Joyner" I said a smirk making it's way onto his face.

"I'm here!" I called running onto set.

"Finally! Where were you?" Charlie asked exasperatedly standing beside Kenny who was looking at script at hand.

"We don't have time to interrogate her Charlie we've got to get this scene filmed if we wanna stick to schedule. Y/n next time be on set 5 minutes before"

"Yes Kenny. Sorry I was um was distracted. Lost track of time" I said noticing Owen had walking onto set casually going to talk to Mads and Savannah.

"Okay so this scene your gonna walk in on cue to your mark. Find Luke sitting on the couch playing his guitar. Sentimental talk. Confess your undying love for Reggie. Then Jers gonna come in tell y/c/n he loves her too. But he can't be with her because he had this girlfriend back in 95 who he never officially broke up with. Then he says screw it. You kiss. End scene"

"Oh the kiss. That's this scene?" I asked finding Owen who was deeply in conversation.

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

"No, no I'm ready" I said not expecting to have to do this in front of my secret boyfriend right now.

I sighed going to stand on my beginning mark. I watched as Charlie did the same.

The lights dimming in the studio to replicate nightfall.

"And action!" Kenny yelled.

I opened the barn like doors walking in slowly.

"Oh Luke. I didn't know you were here sorry I'll go-"

"No. No it's okay. I was just messing around. What's up?"

"I was looking for Reggie"

"Looking for Reggie? Oh he's with Alex and Willie. He should be back soon"

"Then I'll just go. Thanks I guess"

"Wait. Can I play you something?" Charlie questioned taking a hold of my wrist.

"Um sure. Why not?" I asked sitting down next to him. I listened as he began strumming his guitar to a familiar tune. A small smile forming on my lips.

"That was great Luke. Did you write that? Maybe about someone whose name rhymes with Judy" I spoke in a teasing matter.

"No. Actually Reggie wrote it. About someone who name rhymes with yours" He said a blush forming on my face.

"Okay. I get what your saying" I said playfully rolling my eyes.

"Good. I thought I'd have to follow up with home is where my horse is" He said making me giggle.

"How could I possibly tell a ghost who died 25 years ago that I'm completely head over heels for him?"

"Maybe the same way your telling a ghost who died 25 years ago right now" Charlie said jokingly bumping my shoulder.

"Right... I just- I don't want to get rejected by a ghost. It's one thing when they're alive but if the dead doesn't want me I think that's saying something"

"Y/n, Reggies in love with you. He'd be thrilled if you showed any romantic interest in him. At least more than you already do" He teased me once again.

"Thanks Luke. I just hope he doesn't freak out on me like last time"

"Last time?"

"Yeah last time I brought up relationships in a topic he got all weird and left. So I just never did it again"

"Oh. Look y/c/n back in 95 we had a decent following and a ton of girls following after us" A strange look forming on Charlie's face.

"Okayyy" I stretched out the word.

"And Reggie. You know him he uh well he's a fl-" Charlie words were cut off.

On cue Jeremy strolled into the studio set as Charlie and I sat facing each other stiffly.

I stifled a giggle knowing this would later be edited so it'd look like Jer flashed in out of nowhere.

"Y/c/n? Luke?"

"Oh Reggie. Hi" I stood up continuing the scene.

"Hey. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be home"

"I was. Julie invited me over for a bit and I thought I'd say hi before I uh left. I though maybe we could talk for a bit"

"Oh. Okay yeah" He slightly smiled before turning to the brunette beside me.

"And what are you still doing here?" Jeremy asked looking at Charlie.

"Hey, I was just leaving man. She's all yours" Charlie smirked at us before walking off set.

Jer and I paused until his footsteps could no longer be heard before continuing.

"So um what did you want to talk about?"

"Just um stuff" I said standing still in my spot.

"What stuff?" He asked coming to stand in front of me.

"Luke. He played me your song" I said picking up the piece of paper with chicken scratch from the coffe table.

"Lifer Girl?" I finally read the title before looking up into his brown eyes.

"Uh yeah. I'm still working on the name. Did you like it?"

"I loved it. This lifer girl. She's one lucky girl. Do I know her?"

"Of course you do. Your practically the same person" he said a piece of my hair falling to the front of my face. I nervously played with my fingers as he pushed the strand behind my ears.

"Oh. Can you tell me about her?"

"Well she's funny and makes me feel happy when I'm around her. She's really smart and her grades skyrocket compared to what mine use to be. And she's beautiful, drop dead gorgeous" He whispered tilting my head up with his fingers.

For a moment I looked up into his brown eyes wishing. Longing for them to be someone else's. I felt his finger leave my chin before he turned away dramatically.

"I shouldn't"

"Shouldn't?" I asked curiously.

"I can't"

"Can't? Why not?" I questioned once more.

"Y/c/n there's something I need to tell you"

"What is it Reg?"

"Back in 1995 you know before we died. I uh-"

"You what?" I asked urging him to continue.

"I had a girlfriend and well then we died. So we never officially broke up" Jer said.

"Oh" I mumbled backing away from him.

"I get it"

"No wait y/c/-"

"No Reggie it's okay. Your still in love with her. Of course you are. God how could I be so stupid to think that you'd actually love me. Let alone like m-" My eyes widened as I felt him crash his lips into mine completely going off script. Which wasn't uncommon. But it was supposed to be a short kiss. There were lines that were missing.

Slowly I pretended to sink into the kiss. Pulling away after a couple of seconds amongst hearing the word.

"Cut!" Kenny yelled Jeremy finally letting me go.

"That was amazing! Spectacular! Great improve Jer! We're done with this scene!" He called out to us. But all I could focus on was the look plastered on Owens face. He was hurt. But not because of the kiss. But because of the fact that he couldn't do that. Not out in public anyways.

"Yeah great going Jer" I commented to the boy in front of me.

"Thanks y/n. You did great too" He said getting near me.

"But if I were you I'd go talk to your boyfriend before he bursts" He whispered in my ear leaving me wide eyed.

"H-how'd you?"

"Know? Please everyone knows. I mean you guys aren't great at hiding things. There's actually a poll between Kenny and Charlie. Whichever one of you slips up firsts. My bets on Owen" He chuckled.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Seriously"

“Who was the first one to know"

"Sonya in makeup. The first hickey you showed up with only matched with the timeframe that you and Owen had been together. Clearly not getting lunch like you had said you were"

"That long?" I asked.

"Yup" He spoke popping his p.

"Just don't tell anyone I told you. Carolynn insisted I put you out of your misery"

"Thanks. I think" He smiled at me before walking away.

A grin began to form on my face as I made my way toward the blonde who was leaning against a wall twirling one of his drumsticks in his left hand.

"Hey. Great scene back there" He commented as I now stood in front of him.

"Thanks. You know Jers a good kisser and all but I think your better" I spoke aloud noticing Savannah's and Madison's head whipping towards us.

"What?" He asked making sure he heard right.

"You heard me Joyner" I spoke giggling at his shocked reaction.

"Now shut up and kiss me would you?" He tilted his head to be extra sure. Something I adored about him.

He always wanted to make sure I was certain about these things. I simply nodded feeling his arms wrap around me bringing his lips to meet mine.

I smiled into the kiss as he turned us around pushing me up against the wall. I giggled upon hearing clapping around us from the cast and crew.

"Finally!" I heard Savannah shout.

"Keep it PG kids!" Kenny shouted laughter following.

"You owe me 20 Gillespie!" He yelled again followed by a groan by presumably Charlie. I finally pulled away first leaving Owen in shock.

"I'm gonna need you to come back to reality lover boy" I said rubbing my thumb against his cheek.

"What made you change your mind?" He asked keeping a tight hold on my waist.

"Let's just say you have Carolynn to thank for that. Apparently everyone knew"

"What? How?"

"I guess we weren't as good at keeping a secret as we thought"

"How long?"

"First hickey"

“That long?"

"That's what I said" I laughed as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"You two are so cute"

"Thanks Mads" I smiled at the girl.

Finally able to wrap my arms around the boy who had stolen my heart without any warning.

[knockknockchicagopd]

A SERIE WITH HANK VOIGHT. CHAPTER I.

❚❙ WORDS: about 1.5k

❚❙ A/N: this writing hasn’t been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I’m sorry about that. If you find a description about body or a word out of place, or something that it makes you feel uncomfortable / unrepresented, let me know by a private message and I will change it delighted.

❚❙ GIF credits: to the author.

❚❙ Tag list: @melblacc @rebelwrites @skyofficialxx @sesamepancakes @scarletsoldierrr @mondefantastique @that-chick212 @enbyamaro @inlovewith3 @ocetevasgirl @sophie-writes @destynelseclipsa @jadakiss13. If you want to be added to my tag list, send me a message.

Grabbing your backpack once you have kept all you need before going to work, you go downstairs following the smell of freshly made coffee. People in the hospital aren't wrong, it's like a drug. You have never been a big fan of coffee till you started to work in the Chicago Med. Since then, you always have a cup in your hands. Checking the hour in your phone, you calculate how many minutes are left for your shift to start. This morning you have woken an hour earlier than normally and seems like you have the house for your own, after Charlotte and Elizabeth have already left for their Firehouse.

Placing your stuff close to the door, you lead your barefoot to the kitchen to have a cup and pour some black hot coffee in it. Sitting over the counter, you spend your time checking some emails from Doctor Manning, your sponsor at Emergencies; test results, consultations and information about your practices in your free time. She is helping you more than anyone in your life with your career, keeping your head focused and your ideas firm.

The doorbell rings, making you raise both eyes from the screen. You're not expecting any visit and the postman came a while ago, and for an instant you're tempted to not open the door and continue with your coffee in silence, but your curiosity ends up winning. Leaving the mug over the counter, you attend to the call. But what you find pushes you into a surprised shock. Hank Voight.

The last time you saw him was the morning before to be arrested. The long hours locked in an interview room, being interrogated about his plans and his shenanigans, come to your head in a sight. The police ‘kindly invited’ you to the District to talk about him. They offered you a deal in exchange for information about him. But you rejected it. Not because you were in love with him, but because you didn't know much more than them and, even so, you're not a whistle-blower. He helped you when everybody turned their backs on you, after being falsely accused of stealing meds from your ambulance, when you worked as a paramedic. You didn't owe him any kind of favor, he didn't ask you to hide his shit. You did it because you want.

But you haven't known anything from him during the last year, more than a couple talks you have had with Erin. He rejected all your visits in jail, never responded to your calls or your letters. Nothing. And now, he is in front of you. Serious grimace as always, looking rested, wearing that dark blue plaid shirt he was wearing on your first date. You remember to tell him how much you liked that shirt, how good he looked with it on. Traveling down your eyes, the badge on his belt next to the buckle earns all your attention. And you can't feel more confused.

Hank Voight being a cop? Again? How is it possible? Who took him out of jail? You knew that his sentence was from six to eight years. It's been just a month and he's walking free again. The pressure inside your chest, racing up your heart, prevents you from breathing with normalcy. Licking your bottom lip, you try to say something but nothing comes from your mouth.

“May I come in?”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you give him enough space to walk inside before closing the door again, behind your back. You want to punch him, shoot him, stab him (...), but you also want to hug him and kiss him, and know how he has been. When you knew he was being sent to Stateville, you thought you would never see him again. It doesn't matter who he was, what he did and who he helped to, he was a cop. And cops don't survive in jail.

“I heard you jumped from the ambulance to the Chicago Med”.

Hank is taking a look at your living room with curiosity, keeping his hands inside the pocket of his black jeans, turning around to rest his waist against the back of one of the sofas there. Raising an eyebrow you can't believe he has heard things about you and that he still cares. You nod in silence as crossing your arms over your chest with your lips pressed.

“I feel proud of you”. He utters then, shrugging briefly. “I always knew you'd be a good doctor. Is in your veins”.

“What are you doing here, Hank?” Putting away the quackery by waving a hand close to your chest, you can't help but tilt your head with confusion.

“I've missed you”.

As soon as he pronounces these words, a bitter and sarcastic laugh from you fills up the place. Shaking your head and rubbing the bridge of your nose, you can't believe this incompressible situation you are in. He stands up with the clear intention of coming closer, he stops dead when you raise both hands between the two of you while taking a step back.

“One year, Hank. One damn year waiting for… anything from you. A call, a text, a letter… Anything!”

“Erin was in contact with you”.

“Should I be… thankful?”

“I didn't want you to get implied”.

“Bullshit. I was since I decided to be by your side. The cops didn't handcuff me because I was working in the fifty-one and Boden knows my family, and knows me since I'm a kid”.

“Yeah, Erin told me 'bout that”. He pulls his gaze away for a moment, rubbing his right cheek. “You covered my back”.

“And you kicked my ass”.

“I wanted to protect you”

“You didn't! You pushed me away! You abandoned me!”

Hiding your face into your hands, you can't help but feel impotence being aware that you still love him after all. You really thought that he cared about you, that all the promises he made once would become real. But then, he suddenly cut any contact with you, for the exception of Erin. Raising your reddened eyes, you watch him grabbing a cardboard fold from under his jacket, to offer it to you.

“I didn't. I put you under protection. That was part of my deal with the State Attorney. Three cops have been following you all day since I walked into Stateville”.

Stupefy and looking at him with parted lips, feeling your lungs out of air for a second, you hold the fold to open it. Pictures, monthly reports, a copy of your tests for the EMT (...).

“Listen now, I was trying to survive. I was trying to have a plan before talking with you, but it took me more than I thought it could. I blinked and I was out of jail again. I'm leading the Intelligence Unit in the twenty-one now, and you're the first person I've seen besides my unit”. Carefully, Hank takes a step closer to you, slowly, hoping you don't take another back. “You've been the reason why I've been fighting all this time and I ain't pretending to come and change your life for a sudden. Only, to make sure you're good”.

“I wasn't. And I'm not”.

Slamming the fold against his chest, you try to walk away from him, but he stops you. He has that look in his eyes that tells you he's not going to leave you again. As his fingers get closed around your forearm, you try to contain the tears. His hand caresses your skin so softly that gives you chills, bristling it, till lacing his fingers with yours. Your heart jumps, just like it did the first time he held your hand that cold night of October two years ago, after insisting on driving you home.

“I've to come back to the Unit”. Hank whispers bending his head towards yours. “I can pick you up tonight. Have dinner. Talk. I will answer any question you have, I promise”.

He lands his other hand on the back of your neck, pressing his rough lips on your forehead, feeling his thumb stroking the back of your hand so tenderly that the only thing you want is to run away with him far from Chicago, far from Illinois and, why not? Far from the United States.

“One thing I want to make very clear, sweetheart. I never stopped loving you... Tell me you know it”.

“I do”. You sniff nodding, not being capable of looking up at him.

“If you don't want to see me again, but you need my help one day, don't hesitate”.

As soon as Hank abandons your house, your heart collapses, breaking into a bittersweet crying not knowing what to do. Not knowing to whom you can talk about it. Not knowing how to confront the mix of feelings and sensations dancing inside your chest, barely breathing as the whinings become louder. Holding the fold closer to your torso, you drag your feet over the parquet back to the kitchen trying to find a solution to all this mess.