#let’s watch the twilight zone
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
eat-applez · 1 year ago
Text
A lot of times when people say “I’ve memorised an intro!!” They mean they’ve memorised the song in it or something, not me though, no no no, I can recite the ATLA and Twilight Zone intros without breaking a sweat.
4 notes · View notes
stllmnstr · 3 months ago
Text
sacred monsters: part one
Tumblr media
pairing: lee heeseung x f reader
genre: academic rivals to lovers, vampire au, slow burn
part one word count: 19.3k
part one warnings: swearing, blood and all sorts of other vampire-y things, semi graphic descriptions/depictions of violence, I don't know anything about publishing and wrote about it anyway, not quite as much in this part, but I want to forewarn you that while there is still nothing explicit, we do get a little ~sexier~ than most stllmnstr fics
note/disclaimer: I have been itching to write an enha vampire fic for ages because hello? the material is RIGHT THERE!! this is a story I'm super excited about, and it's definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone. in order to help build this world, I did draw from some outside sources. primarily, a lot of the vampire lore and some plot elements are inspired by the dark moon webtoon series. I did also pull some things from twilight and other well-known vampire myths. lastly, there is a section with "poetry" in it. these "poems" are translated lyrics from still monster, chaconne, and lucifer by enhypen. some are in their original form and some I altered slightly. everything else is straight from yours truly! as always, happy reading ♡
soundtrack: still monster / moonstruck / lucifer - enhypen / everybody wants to rule the world - tears for fears / immortal - marina / supermassive black hole - muse / saturn - sleeping at last / everybody’s watching me (uh oh) - the neighbourhood
⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖
A literature student in your third year of university, you’ve been dreaming of having your writing published for as long as you can remember. With a perfect opportunity dangling at your fingertips, the only obstacle that stands in your way comes in the form of a ridiculously tall, stupidly handsome, and unfortunately, very talented writer by the name of Lee Heeseung. Unwilling to let your dream slip out of reach, you commit to being better than the aforementioned pain in your ass at absolutely everything.
But when a string of vampire attacks strikes close to your city for the first time in nearly two hundred years, publishing is suddenly the last thing on your mind. And, as you soon begin to discover, Heeseung may not quite be the person you thought he was.
⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖
The last sip of your coffee tastes bitter on your tongue. Acidic, like it was left to brew too long. Or maybe not long enough. Your limited knowledge of coffee extends to its effects on your alertness and little else. 
Taste has always been an afterthought, something of little consequence. Besides, some bitterness is to be expected when you take your coffee black. 
Suppressing the small wince that always follows your final sip, you set the reusable thermos down on your desk. Next to your open notebook and favorite ballpoint pen, it settles in nicely with your other class essentials. 
Call it poetic or romantic or unbearably pretentious, but you actually do prefer to take your notes by hand. Partly because it feels more fitting for a literature major and mostly because your laptop is on its last leg and between tuition and rent, you don’t exactly have the funds to shell out for a new one. 
Frowning at the bitter taste that still lingers on your tongue, you feel another pang of regret for forgetting to pack your water bottle this morning. But no matter. Today is a day for optimism. The bitterness now only means that your imminent victory will taste that much sweeter in comparison. 
Because today is the last day of the fall semester of your third year. Which means that this is the last morning you’ll be sitting here in this lecture hall in the minutes preceding 9 am. 
Which means that today is the day of your professor’s long awaited announcement. You still remember the day, nearly four months ago, when he first told the entire room of undermotivated, overcaffeinated students about it. 
A publishing opportunity. A real, actual publishing opportunity. Something most literature students would sell their soul for. 
Because Professor Kim, while a rather mediocre professor who prefers to dish out criticism and bite back praise, has an excellent eye for great writing. So much so that nearly twenty years ago, he founded his very own publishing house. 
Known by the name New Haven Publishing, it’s a small operation that deals mostly in short pieces that are marketed more for niche literary circles than mass public appeal. Being published by New Haven may not be a straight shot to the New York Times’ Best Sellers List, but it’s still professional publishing. 
And a week into classes, he announced that for the first time ever, he would be choosing one of you to not only intern at New Haven the following semester, but also to publish an original piece of short fiction with them. 
You’ve been fantasizing about it for months now. You can already imagine it. A piece of your very own, marketed and edited by professionals. Published and complete with Professor Kim’s stamp of approval. 
It’s what you’ve been craving ever since you decided to switch paths and pursue literature studies at the end of your first semester. It’s everything you’re sure you need. Validation that your writing is good, that your words are worth reading. 
Hell, maybe it will even earn you the approval of your parents. 
And, perhaps most satisfying of all, you will have officially beaten Lee Heeseng once and for all. You don’t want to speak poorly of the rest of your classmates and their writing abilities, but this has always been a competition between you and him. 
Or, at least, it has been for you. 
It’s the last day of the semester, and honestly, you wouldn’t be surprised if Heeseung still had a hard time remembering that the internship was even happening. Then again, you wouldn’t exactly be shocked if he couldn't remember your name, either.  
And if you were hard pressed to choose only one thing, that would probably be what annoys you the most about him. Not the way his hair is alway somehow perfectly mussed. Not the way his writing is painfully beautiful and poetic that you swell green with envy just thinking about it. 
No, the root cause of your infinite ire when it comes to Lee Heeseung is how damn aloof he is. Like his classmates and professors and even his greatest rival aren’t worth the effort of remembering. 
And it’s not like it’s because he’s got some kind of crazy social life outside of academics. Other than mandatory discussion groups, you’re not sure you’ve ever seen him so much as talk to anyone. 
But that’s just the way he is, you suppose. 
Perfect Heeseung with his perfect hair and his perfect writing and perfect attendance record doesn’t need anyone but himself—
Wait. 
Perfect attendance record. 
Glancing at the clock mounted high above the front door of the lecture hall, you can hardly believe what you’re seeing. 
8:59. 
There’s no way. There’s no fucking way that the universe is rooting for you this hard, that the stars are aligning this perfectly. 
Despite your doubts, the second hand continues its onward march. You suppress the sudden urge to bounce your leg in a matching rhythm. 
He has five seconds. 
Four. Three. Two. One. 
And it’s official. A ridiculous amount of pent up tension drains from your shoulders as your spine straightens. You can’t believe it was that easy. 
A semester of agonizing over every word, every sentence, every assignment you handed in for this class. A semester of panicking over missed buses and waking up way too early just to make sure you always beat the clock. 
But today is the day where everything comes to a head. 
And Lee Heeseung is officially late. 
Professor Kim, at the beginning of the semester, had only two pieces of advice to offer his students that were suddenly all gunning for a shot at being published:
One: “Don’t make me read awful writing.”
And two: “Don’t be late to class. I have zero tolerance for tardiness.”
Heeseung has just broken a cardinal rule. One row down, nine seats to the left from where you sit. It’s the place that would usually be filled with an annoyingly broad set of shoulders and distractingly sharp jawline. In fact, Heeseung usually beats you here most days. Not that you’re keeping track, of course. And not that it matters. 
Because this morning, this fateful morning, that particular seat, his seat, is glaringly, gloriously empty. 
Your eyes flicker over to it again without your permission. But you can’t help it. You’re so antsy now, teeming with self-satisfied excitement. It’s almost unbelievable actually. A golden stroke of luck that he chose today, of all days, to be late.
In fact, you think the more you stare at the empty seat, Lee Heeseung is such a reliable presence that the entire lecture hall suddenly seems a bit off kilter. Tilted too far in some precarious state of imbalance. 
Your smugness is still there, yes, but now there’s also a heavy feeling beginning to settle at the bottom of your gut. Why on earth is Lee Heeseung late?
You’re so distracted by his absence, the endless loop of possibilities and explanations running through your mind, that you almost miss the second abnormality of the morning. 
Because now the clock reads 9:04, and Heeseung isn’t the only one missing. 
All at once, your attention is on the podium at the front of the lecture hall. It’s empty, too. And Professor Kim may be a hardass, but he’s no hypocrite. Never once throughout this entire semester has he ever begun a class even a millisecond late.
Frowning, you pull out your phone to confirm that the clock on the wall is not playing tricks on you. Maybe there was a power outage or something, and maintenance hasn’t had time to correct it yet. 
But your phone screen lights up, and 9:05 is the time that stares back at you. 
Glancing around, no one else seems too particularly bothered by this. There are a few titters, a few annoyed grumbles that sound like hypocrite and double standard where they reach your ears. 
But still, the clock ticks forward. 
The minute hand has fallen another two notches when the front door finally opens, Professor Kim striding in unhurried. Despite his lateness, his steps are steady, even. There’s nothing frantic or apologetic about the way he sets his briefcase down next to the podium, pulling out his laptop and a small stack of notes before clearing his throat. 
As the students around you fall silent, class begins as it always does. Other than the time, nothing is out of the ordinary. 
But your spirits are still high, and you figure you can cut your professor some slack. Maybe he ran into a bad bit of traffic or spilled coffee all over his shirt. Maybe he’s too embarrassed to draw more attention to his error and has decided that not acknowledging it at all is the best course of action. 
Oh, well. It’s no use ruminating on it now. Settling back into your seat, you do your best to focus your attention on the front of the room and not that damn empty chair. But the distraction isn’t necessary for long. 
The clock is just striking 9:12 when a second late arrival draws the eyes of the class to the front door of the lecture hall. Like your professor, Heeseung maintains a certain air of composedness as he makes his way towards his seat wordlessly. 
There’s a moment, a fraction of a second, where Professor Kim pauses, letting a sentence drift into silence. 
Twelve minutes late. It’s a rookie mistake. For a fleeting moment, you almost feel bad for him. Because surely Professor Kim is about to make an example of him. No one walks into his lectures late and leaves unscathed. 
Wincing, you remember a handful of weeks ago when a poor girl that sits a few rows behind you arrived late. Not only had Professor Kim stopped the entire flow of his lecture to draw attention to her tardiness, he had also assigned her an extra short story for homework. One on the merits of punctuality.
But the ebb in the lecture begins to flow again, the moment passing as soon as it comes. Heeseung settles into his chair. Your professor resumes his sentence. 
For the remainder of the class, you do your best to pay attention, but you’re having trouble finding a point. It’s not like he can assign homework or an exam or a discussion on the last day of the semester. 
Like you, most of your peers are fully zoned out, just waiting for him to get to what everyone has been dying to know for months. 
Who’s interning at New Haven? Who’s getting published?
But distractions in this class have never been hard to come by. More than once, you find your wandering gaze drifting to the back of Heeseung’s head. Usually, you’d be bitterly admiring how soft his hair looks. But today, there’s only one question that plays in your mind as you stare. 
What on earth happened that made perfect Lee Heeseung late?
Your thoughts are only interrupted by the sudden shuffle of small movement around you as everyone sits up a bit straighter in their seats. 
“Ah,” Professor Kim glances at the time. “That wraps up our semester, then. As promised, I would like to announce the student who will be interning with New Haven Publishing this upcoming semester. And, of course, the student that will have the opportunity to publish an original piece with us.”
He pauses for a moment, looking down at his notes. You wonder if the people sitting close to you can hear the way your heart pounds in your chest. 
Please be me. Please be me. Please be me. 
The rushing in your ears is so loud that you almost miss it. But not quite. Because the sound of your own name is something you’d recognize anywhere. 
Because it was your name that he said. Not anyone else’s. Not Heeseung’s.
You. You did it. 
You’re officially going to be interning with New Haven. You’re going to be published. 
When he asks you to stay a minute after class to discuss the details, it’s all you can do to nod. Butterflies are still scattered in your stomach. 
As the rest of the students begin to file out, you pack up your materials with hands that shake slightly. It doesn’t feel real. It feels too good to be true. You poured your everything into this all semester long, and now it’s actually happening. 
Your mind is a mess, and an erratic movement almost sends your empty thermos flying. Luckily, you snap out of it long enough to  catch it before it hits the ground. With everything packed back into your bag, you make your way down to the podium on slightly unsteady feet. 
A handful of passing classmates congratulate you on their way out, and you smile in return. 
You’ve almost made it to the front of the lecture hall when a body blocks your path. It takes a moment for your brain to register the identity of the offender. And once it does, it spits his name with venom. Heeseung. 
Oblivious and self-centered as always, he nearly knocks you over. Rolling your eyes, you move to step around him. Apparently whatever gift he was given for writing doesn’t extend to his spatial awareness or consideration for others. 
But as you lean to the left, he follows the movement, still in your path. Your gaze snaps up, eyebrows raised when you find him already looking at you. 
Oh. So it’s not a spatial awareness problem, then. He’s in your way on purpose. 
As always, his expression is infuriatingly blank. You can’t get any sort of read on him, and it unnerves you. Irritates you. Here he is, blocking your path, and the only thing he has to offer you is an empty, silent stare.
You could just say excuse me, force your way around him, and be done with it. You should. The semester is over, your professor’s decision is made, and you have no stake left in this game. 
But you’ve been biting back snarky comments and masking irritated expressions with mild indifference for months. The nerve he has to block you. The utter gall of it all. To physically stand in your way when he’s been your metaphorical obstacle to success all semester. 
When every time you look at him, you still remember that one sunny afternoon, early in the semester. The time you tried, actually tried to be his friend. When he waved you off like a buzzing fly that was nothing more than a nuisance. 
You inhale, weighing your options. His head tilts slightly at the movement, and it’s your last straw. 
There’s poison in your voice when you bite, “Oh, what? Now that I’ve proved myself, you can spare some time out of your day to talk to me?”
Heeseung’s eyes widen, lips parting slightly. It’s the most emotion you’ve ever seen from him, and he’s wasting it on shock. As if he can’t quite comprehend why the girl he’s been giving headaches for months might not want to stop and have a friendly chat with him. Not that you imagine he’d even be capable of that if you tried. 
Already, you regret your comment. In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have said anything. You’d be just as detached and cold and aloof as he was on that day you hate to think about. You still remember it like it was yesterday. Without your permission, the memory floats front and center to your mind. 
It was warmer, then. The last clutches of summer were still holding on tight. Sunlight was bright in the sky, and it felt like a good time to breach the barrier of your comfort zone. 
Class had just ended. Usually, Heeseung was one of the first to leave. You had to pack up abnormally quickly just to catch him in the quad right outside the lecture hall. 
But you did catch up to him.
And in a voice braver than you felt, you asked, “Hey, it’s Heeseung, right?” 
You’d been brighter, then. Still full of an energy you haven’t been able to muster since midterms. Not yet burdened by the weight of assignments and rejection, your disposition was as sunny as the sky above. 
Heeseung hadn’t bothered to dignify your question with an actual answer, but he had at least stopped walking, and that seemed like an invitation at the time. Now, with the power of hindsight, you wince. You should have spared yourself the regret.
You remember watching as he pulled out his earbuds, tucking them back into his pocket before turning his attention to you. Or at least half of it. Even then, you never felt like he was truly looking at you, hearing you. His mind always seemed off in the distance, preoccupied somewhere you could never quite reach. 
You recall being nervous, heat in your cheeks as you tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear. His eyes tracked the movement like a cat tracks a ray of sunlight. Lazily, intently. With an energy you weren’t quite sure what to do with. 
Instead, you had stuttered, “I, uh, I wanted to tell you that I thought your analysis today was brilliant.” The worst part is that it really was a brilliant analysis. Although you’d never admit that today, and much less to his face. 
Instead, you cringe just thinking about it. You should have taken his blank stare as a sign. You should have just let the one-sided conversation die there. With at least a little dignity and some of your pride left to spare. 
But you hadn’t. 
“I never thought about the use of sunlight as a metaphor for life. I mean, now that you’ve pointed it out, it seems kind of obvious.” The memory of your nervous giggles settle like rocks in your stomach. “Anyway, I feel like I’m rambling, but if you ever want to get together and look through assignments or review each other’s analyses, I’d love to—”
You’d heard his voice before, of course. In class discussions and presentations. But never this close. And never directed at you. 
He kept it short, his interruption, his response to your shaky offer. 
“I’m busy.”
And that was it. Two words. Two fucking words. And not even an explanation or an I’m sorry or a sheepish expression to go along with them. 
With that, you’d watched, a bit helplessly, as he pulled his earbuds out of his pocket, put them back into his ears and turned away from you before you could realize just how thoroughly you’d been rejected. 
With a sudden haze in the air and hope dying in your heart, your friendly smile slipped into confused dismay as you watched him track a steady path across the quad. 
If your cheekbones felt warm before, you were sure they must have been aflame by then. After all, it was your body’s natural response to the crushing weight of the embarrassment and thoroughly bruised ego he’d left you there standing with. 
Fine then, you’d resolved after walking as quickly as you could in the opposite direction, sending a prayer to the heavens that no one from your class had just witnessed the most mortifying interaction you’ve ever had. If Lee Heeseung wanted nothing to do with you, the feeling could be mutual. 
In fact, it was probably for the best. You were vying for that internship and if the past class discussions were anything to go by, Heeseung would be your only real competition. If he was too busy for you, then you would just have to be too busy for him. 
Too busy perfecting every assignment and acing every exam. Too busy drowning in dictionaries and thesauruses and reference materials to make sure everything you submitted was perfect — no, scratch that — better than perfect. 
Too busy to attempt another conversation or interaction or do anything but nod along politely whenever he did make an unfortunately great point in class. 
So, no. Heeseung doesn’t get to dictate your time or attention or conversation now that you’ve actually been awarded with a publishing opportunity, now that all of your efforts and dedication and late nights have paid off. 
If Lee Heeseung wants a bit of your attention on today of all days, at this moment of all moments, then you’re just going to have to be too busy to entertain him. 
Standing in front of you, still blocking your path to the podium, Heeseung has the nerve to look confused. As if you have no reason to give him the cold shoulder. As if you’re the one being unreasonable here. 
His brow furrows further. “What?” It’s the third word he’s ever spoken directly to you. It makes your blood boil. “No, I…” he trails off. You can practically see the gears running in his mind, like this wasn’t the conversation he expected to be having. Like he has no idea how to navigate it now. “I was just going to say that you should maybe reconsider.”
Your voice is ice when you ask, “Reconsider what?” 
“Well…” He’s treading in dangerous territory, and he seems to realize it too. “The internship,” he clarifies, and it’s the second most insulting thing he’s ever said to your face. 
You screw your eyes shut. Cold and detached. Blank and aloof. All the things you should be. But you’ve always run a little hot. And end of the semester exhaustion finds you more willing to throw caution to the wind. 
“You have got to be fucking with me.” Eyes reopening, you’re met with that same expression of mild shock. Brows raised, lips parted. And god, he even looks good like that. “Yeah, right. Let me guess, so you can do the internship and publish a piece of your own? If all you came over to do is insult me, then save your breath.”
“What?” He still looks so damn confused. “No, I—”
You don’t want to hear it. “I have nothing to say to you.” If he won’t get out of your way, you’ll just have to go through him. The shoulder check is maybe slightly more intense than it needs to be as you shove your way past him. He barely stumbles back an inch. It makes you want to rip your hair out. “Besides,” you add, not bothering to turn back to look at him. “I’m busy.”
It’s a dig at him, yes, but it’s also true. You are. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and Lee Heeseung is not about to ruin it for you. 
To your unending gratitude, he doesn’t try to intercept you again. Your path to the front of the lecture hall is clear, and Professor Kim is just tucking his laptop back into his briefcase when you reach the podium. 
Ultimately, it’s a watered down version of the million times you’ve imagined this moment in your head. Even coming on the tail end of the most annoying interaction you’ve had in months. Professor Kim congratulates you again, and hands you a printed schedule of when you’ll be expected at the publishing office for the first time. 
There are also submission dates. Deadlines for you to submit drafts of the piece that you’ll be publishing. You take it all in with a beam and enthusiastic nods, mishap with Heeseung from minutes ago all but forgotten. 
That is, until Professor Kim’s gaze lands somewhere over your shoulder after he tells you he’ll also send you a follow-up email with all the information you need. 
You watch as his expression shifts, something uneasy, distrustful entering his gaze as he looks beyond you. “Something I can help you with, Mr. Lee?”
Following his gaze, you turn to look behind you. The lecture hall is empty, students cleared out from the class that dismissed nearly five minutes ago. All except for one, that is. 
Gone is the shock from Heeseung’s delicately sharp features. Instead, he wears his mask of indifference again, betraying no emotion. You must be imagining the way it looks almost strained this time, as if he’s forcing his expression into neutrality instead of it there of its own accord. 
Wordlessly, his gaze shifts to you. 
And now it’s your turn to be confused, but you won’t let it last long. At least not outwardly. You’re quick to match his gaze with nothing but pure ire, venom dripping seeping from every inch of your glare. 
Is he seriously still trying to ruin this for you? So much for being busy. 
“No, sir.” Heeseung shakes his head. He’s addressing your professor, but he’s still looking at you. A muscle ticks in his jaw, betrays a hint of tension. “I was just on my way out.”
True to his word, he begins a steady descent towards the front door. 
Your professor clears his throat, turns his attention back to you, resuming the wrap-up of your conversation. 
You’re extra grateful for that follow-up email now, given the way movement in your periphery distracts you from Professor Kim’s last few statements. Instead, your focus hones in on the even footsteps that carry Heeseung to the door, allow him to slip through it silently. 
It must be a trick of the light, must be a figment of your overworked, over irritated imagination. But you swear you see him linger there, just on the other side of the small glass window carved into the door. 
Professor Kim says his parting words, and you thank him one final time. If there’s an unnatural quickness in your footsteps as you turn to leave, you tell yourself that it’s because you’re excited to get started on your draft, not because you have the sneaking suspicion Heeseung is still standing just on the other side of the door. 
But you swear that’s his silhouette you see as you draw closer, shrouded in shadows but distinct all the same. You’re debating the merits of shouting at him or maybe accidentally shoulder checking him again as you pull open the door handle, a little more roughly than you intend. 
But the only thing that greets you on the other side of the door is a nearly empty hallway, save for the pair of students bent over a laptop a few paces away. You ignore their twin expressions of shock as you let the door fall closed behind you, much more calmly than you opened it. 
…..
The blank expanse of your notebook stares at you accusingly. 
You’d stare back, if that would somehow make words appear on the page. Sighing, you reach for your long forgotten cup of tea sitting on your desk. Taking a slow sip, you realize it’s gone cold. 
That just makes you double down on your frustration. How long have you been sitting here, waiting for inspiration to strike? 
People always talk about the merits of a change in scenery, but ever since you started your first semester of university three years ago, your favorite place to write has always been here, at the small, simple desk that sits in the corner of your bedroom. 
Back then, writing was a hobby. Something to do when the last of your biochemistry homework was finished. A way to release pent-up stress and tension from long days in the university lab and long hours feeling like you were drowning between all of the extra study sessions, TA workshops, and office hours. 
At first, it had been worth it. You maintained high grades and high spirits. Mostly because of the small sprinkles of support your parents showered you with. 
Every little You got this! that lit up your phone screen on dreary afternoons and We believe in you! that made your evening lectures a little more bearable felt like tokens of your parents’ affection. Something tangible to show for the care they held for you. 
Most of all, you cherished the We’re proud of you messages. You can’t remember the last time you received one. 
And it’s not like they were mad, exactly, when you told them you wanted to change majors. They did their best to be supportive in the ways that they knew how. 
For your father, that was concern. “Are you sure? Literature? What do the job prospects after graduation look like?”
And for your mother, that was letting you know that she thought you were capable of more. Of better. “It’s not that literature is bad, sweetie. It’s just… Well, you’ve always been such a smart girl…”
You get it; you really do. All the questions and prodding comments that felt like criticism were wrapped in nothing but love. But that didn’t do much to soften the sting. 
In the end, it was this desk that made you follow through with your change in major. Slumped in your hand-me-down chair late one Friday night, half finished lab report sitting untouched in your bag, the threat of tears burning at the corners of your eyes, all you wanted to do was write.  
To put into words the feelings and emotions and fantasies and frustrations that you could never seem to express otherwise. To commit a piece of your soul to paper and wonder if maybe, just maybe, there was someone else out there who would read it and find a sense of solidarity, of common ground. 
You submitted your official change request the next morning. You never regretted it once. 
But your parents still make comments, still share their concerns. And for the last three years, you haven’t had anything to show for it except for empty promises. But now, you have something. A real something. 
Publishing a story of your own is the exact validation that you need that your choice was the right one. And it’s the proof you need to assuage your parents’ fears, to show them that pursuing literature was the right call. That you can carve out a life for yourself with it. 
You’ve fantasized about this for years. For the chance to have your voice heard, your words read. There are a million half-baked thoughts and partially written drafts scattered in your notebooks and digital documents and on the corners of takeout napkins that have been lying in wait for a moment just like this. 
But no matter how hard you stare at the page in front of you, the words just won’t come. The more old drafts you scour, the more amateur your writing feels. The more you feel like maybe Heeseung should have won the internship over you. 
It’s a miserable cycle your brain works itself into. The less you write, the more you criticize, the more you wonder. 
What if he hadn’t been late that morning? What if Professor Kim was hoping to choose him instead? What if the reason he didn’t say anything when Heeseung finally arrived in class was because he was so disappointed that his first choice wasn’t an option anymore?
Groaning out loud to an empty room, your head falls on your desk with a muted thud. 
It’s there, facedown on your desk, where an idea strikes you. If you can’t manifest a draft out of thin air, maybe you just need some parameters. A general guide to get the creative juices flowing. 
Lifting your head back up, you push your notebook to the side and reach for your laptop. Opening a web browser, you navigate to New Haven Publishing House’s homepage. 
It’s a simple website, reflective of its simple namesake. Chin in one hand, you click the link that reads Recently Published. 
The list that pops up is modest. Unlike a larger, more corporate publishing house, your professor’s self-made enterprise is churning out new releases at a slower rate and smaller volume. 
Perusing the titles and descriptions, you note that the vast majority of the works are short form fiction. There are very few full length novels. The majority is made up of essay and poetry collections, short stories, and memoirs. 
Scanning the list again, a title close to the top catches your eye. 
The Thirst for Revenge: An Analysis of Contemporary Vampire Activity. It was published less than a month ago. 
Your cursor hovers over the link, brow furrowing. It strikes you as odd that something so… archaic would be published so recently. 
Professor Kim has always come across as a discerning man. Someone that prides himself on his well curated taste. 
But vampires… that’s hardly a headline worthy topic these days. 
While most people still practice caution walking down dark alleyways at night and some even go so far as to carry charms infused with garlic cloves, monsters of the night are by and large a thing of the past.
The entire species of bloodthirsty, ravaging immortals were hunted to near extinction almost two hundred years ago. Those that survived relocated to remote areas. Some adapted to life in the countryside by learning to enjoy the taste of animal blood. Others found humans willing to donate small portions of their own blood intermittently. You won’t pretend to understand, but you suppose it’s preferable to the alternative.  
Some still hunted in the traditional way, of course, but vampire attacks on humans are few are far between these days. After all, vampires, as a means of survival, have all but forsaken major urban areas. Population density spells demise for their species. 
You’d have to confirm through research, but if you remember correctly, the last recorded vampire-related death in your city was nearly two hundred years ago. 
Without bothering to click on the link, you continue scrolling down. Honestly, it was probably just a fluke. After all, who knows? Maybe there’s some niche circle out there that enjoys analyzing vampire literature, regardless of how outdated it is. 
The next title seems a bit more promising. Shadowless Nights. The brief description marks it as a short story published half a year ago. 
You click on it, take a sip of room temperature tea while the page loads. 
Night was my favorite time of day, the first line reads. 
I loved the stillness of it all, the all encompassing serenity. With the moon in the sky and stars in my eyes, every moment felt like a secret between me and the universe. Something we alone shared. 
I whispered secrets to the earth and held hers in return. My days felt like dreams. Distant, blurry, faded. It was only then, in the distinct stillness of midnight, that I truly came alive. 
Interesting, you think. It’s a bit more melodramatic than you expected, but maybe your professor prefers a poetic touch. 
In the night, I earned peace. And in the night, I learned fear. 
It came slowly at first, that sinking feeling of dread. The horrible suspicion that made the hair on the back of my neck feel sharp, the air in my throat feel shallow. 
But if I have learned anything of monsters, it is that they revel in that fear. That sickeningly overt reminder of mortality, of humanity. The way I couldn’t help the racing of my pulse, the darting of my eyes. 
He enjoyed it, toying with me from the shadows. Watching me become desperate, watching me become weak. 
But it paled in comparison, I’m sure, with what came next. Every story has its climax, and every beginning has its end. For him, it was the sweet, clean taste of my blood. 
Wait. Another vampire story? One was strange enough, but for the last two published works at New Haven to be vampire related doesn’t feel like a coincidence. Especially since the more you read, the more you realize it’s not as much of a story as it is thinly veiled anti-vampire rhetoric. 
The dramatized descriptions of a weak, innocent female lead being victimized by a faceless, bloodthirsty monster. It just feels… strange. Outdated. Irrelevant, even. 
Clicking back to the list, you scan over the next five entries. All of them are more or less the same. Some are more metaphorical than others, abstract in their rhetoric, but the topic is always the same. And the conclusion always affirms the immense, inevitable, irredeemable blight that vampirism is to the world. 
It’s just bizarre. Especially considering that Professor Kim never once had you analyze any anti-vampire propaganda throughout the entire semester. In fact, you were never assigned to read anything vampire related at all. 
If this type of literature is so central to his professional career, it doesn't make sense to you that he wouldn’t incorporate it into his class. Especially considering the fact that he was awarding an internship at New Haven to one of the students. 
You take another long sip of cold tea. Well… you could try to come up with something that aligns with the current profile of New Haven’s recently published works. It’s not like you’ve ever written anything related to vampires. Maybe you just need to think of it as a writing exercise, a challenge of sorts. Producing a piece that feels relevant and fresh even if the central topic is a bit out of style. 
According to the revision schedule Professor Kim gave you, your first draft issue in a week and a half. The same day that you’re set to go to New Haven for the first time and tour the office you’ll be interning at once winter break is over. It’s an ambitious timeline, but he did specify that he’s looking more for a solid concept than a well polished draft. But something in you wants to have more than just a concept. You want his approval, to impress him. 
So you have a week and a half to come up with a draft that will catch his attention, that will convince him that you were the right choice for this opportunity. Not anyone else in your class. Not Heeseung. You. 
A concept that will excite New Haven Publishing House’s usual reader base, that will maybe actually earn you some commercial success. 
A story that will prove to your parents that literature was the right choice for you. That your words do matter, that you can make a name for yourself with your writing. 
Well, you think, suppressing an internal groan, it looks like you have your work cut out for you. 
…..
Despite your admitted lack of vampiric knowledge, once you have your topic, the words start to flow. You’re not sure if it’s your best work. You’re not even sure if it’s good. But it feels a hell of a lot better than staring at a blank page for hours. 
This afternoon finds you in the corner of your favorite coffee shop. Mostly because they offer half priced lattes on Wednesdays. As you make a dent in yours, the pen in your other hand continues to fly over the pages of your notebook, occasionally stopping to scratch out a word or rewrite a sentence. 
The bare bones are there. Just like in the handful of stories you perused on New Haven’s website, your plot features a young woman. It’s a historic setting, mostly because you still can’t quite bring yourself to write vampires into the modern day when the reality is so starkly different. 
And it’s not a vampire story. At least not at first glance. Instead, you weave an enduring metaphor to symbolize a parasitic relationship between two lovers.
The woman in your draft is young, full of life and energy and optimism. And she dreams. Vivid, brilliant dreams that she clings to in order to escape the harshness of her reality as a lower class woman in the countryside. 
Her husband, however, is a brute. Older than her and with a decidedly less sunny disposition. When he learns that his health is failing, he discovers that he can heal himself temporarily by stealing these dreams from her. 
So, no. It’s not overtly about vampires. But it does fall into step with some of the more abstract anti-vampire tropes you came across in your preliminary research. 
Crossing a dark line through the word you just penned, you sigh. 
This is the fastest you’ve put a story together in ages. It’s cohesive, and the writing is solid. Your use of metaphor is strong and concise, and the prose feels true to your identity as a writer. 
But something in you withers a bit with every new word you commit to paper. It’s not that you hate your topic. If anything, it’s just that you have no stake in it at all. It doesn't feel innovative or exciting or representative of your creativity. 
No matter how easily the words flow out of you, something about it just feels… flat. One dimensional. 
You need something new. A different angle or an alternative perspective or… Or a fresh set of eyes. 
Struck with a sudden idea, you pull out your phone, plan taking form in your mind. The literature club at your university hosts bimonthly peer review sessions, and you haven’t taken advantage of them nearly as much as you should. They’re a chance for any writer, literature major or otherwise, to come together and workshop any piece of writing of their choice. 
Tapping your finger impatiently on the table, you wait for the page to load. The fall semester did end almost a week ago, so it may be a long shot. You’re not sure if the club typically holds sessions over winter break. But as you pull up the club’s calendar of events, a small smile tugs at your lips. 
Luck seems to be on your side this time. It’s written there in plain, bold font that there will be a session this upcoming Friday evening. That means that if you attend the session and get some solid ideas for revision, you’ll have exactly five days to refine your draft before you present it to Professor Kim. 
The idea of having not only a topic, as the schedule outlined, but an actual complete,  well-written draft to show him next Wednesday, turns your small smile into one that overtakes your features. 
Energized with a new vigor, you reach for your pen again. It doesn’t have to be perfect, you remind yourself, even as a turn of phrase makes you cringe. Even as a piece of punctuation feels out of place. It just needs to be written. You just need to have as much content as you can to share on Friday. 
Besides, you’re sure that a second opinion will help you fine tune this story into something you’re proud to share, something you’re excited to attach your name to.
The afternoon is quick to blur into early evening, and you’re still bent over your favorite corner table. Coffee long drained, you’re full of a new confidence. The thought of proving yourself suddenly doesn’t seem like such an unachievable, out of reach task. 
And when you do finally gather up all of your belongings and make your way back to your apartment for the night, you’re sure that this is the exact boost you needed. 
That same stroke of self-assuredness carries you all the way through a finished first draft. It’s rough and messy and littered with loose ends, but it’s tucked away in the bottom of your tote bag with a smile as you haul it to classroom number 105 in the university liberal arts building Friday evening. 
You pause at the door to the classroom, only for a moment. The inhale you breathe in is deep, full. Nodding to yourself once, you push open the door. 
You haven’t been to one of these workshop sessions since the second semester of your first year, back when you had just switched to a literature major. You remember being wide-eyed and incredibly protective over your work. It was hard to part with it, to let anyone else read over the sentences you were so unsure of. The writing you had little confidence in. 
But your partner had been kind. Another girl in her first year, she had nothing but gentle feedback to give and reassurance that your writing was worth reading. Honestly, it was such an overwhelmingly positive experience that you would have come back for more sessions if you weren’t constantly struggling to find minutes to spare in the day. 
You’re hoping that tonight will be just as rewarding as you enter the classroom, tote bag in tow. But as you survey the space around you, your face falls flat, easy going smile dropping from your lips. 
You weren’t expecting a big crowd, considering that it is winter break and most students are deliberately avoiding campus right now, but you were hoping there’d be more than one other person in attendance. 
Well, you think, deciding to look on the bright side of things. At least you’re not the only person. 
The other attendee is sitting in the far corner of the room, occupying a desk near the front of the classroom. At the sound of your entrance, they turn to face you. 
With that, your small disappointment is quick to snowball into an intense wave of exasperation. Because why is the universe so hellbent on playing games with you?
Your mouth drops open without your permission. “Heeseung?” 
Your sudden outburst fills the room and lingers long into the awkward silence that follows. You hadn’t meant to say anything, but really, what are the god forsaken odds?
If he’s bothered by your reaction to seeing him, Heeseung doesn’t show it. Instead he looks strangely… relieved. It makes absolutely no sense for him to feel any sort of relief at the sight of you, but it’s hard to put a more apt descriptor to the way tension drains from his shoulders, crease between his brows softening as he looks at you, scans you from head to toe. 
A moment of stilted silence passes between the two of you. Another. Your heartbeat feels too loud in your chest.
You exhale, a cross between a scoff and a laugh so humorless it could freeze a flame. Weighing your options, the most tempting by far is to just turn on your heel and exit the way you came. 
Heeseung seems to read your intention before you can commit to it. 
Breaking the heaviness in the atmosphere, he acts as if you’ve greeted him like an old friend, not as the source of all your recent headaches. 
“Hi,” he nods, so tentatively you almost want to let your jaw drop open in shock. Almost. 
Because what the fuck does he mean by ‘Hi?’ This has to be some kind of mind game, some way to get in your head and ruin this for you. 
“Right.” Your lips pull into a tight line. You don’t bother to return his greeting. “I’m just gonna go, then.” Hiking up your bag on your shoulder, you turn to do just that. Your first draft will just have to be unpolished. Oh, well. You’re sure Professor Kim will have better feedback for you than Lee Heeseung ever would anyway. 
Once again, Heeseung’s voice cuts across the classroom. “Wait.” There’s a command in his voice. Gentle, but firm. Insistent. So pervasive that you find yourself following without really meaning to. 
Mind made up and dead set on leaving, now you’re just annoyed. What a waste of a Friday evening.
“What?” You turn back to him. You’re not sure if there’s more venom in your voice or your eyes. 
And Heeseung, who commands a classroom with quiet grace, with his steady, unwavering presence, suddenly looks so damn unsure. As if tormenting you is uncharted territory. As if he’s never once left you in the cold with flaming cheeks and a thoroughly shattered ego. 
“I…” he trails off, not quite meeting your furious gaze. “Didn’t you come here to get feedback?”
“Right.” You scoff again. “Because I’m sure you’d love nothing more than to tear my writing to shreds. Forgive me, but I’m not interested in being the butt end of your joke tonight.”
“What?” If you didn’t know any better, the ignorance he feigns would be rather convincing. “That’s not why I’m here.” He shakes his head. “I brought something I want reviewed too.” 
Your brow arches. He can’t be serious. “Even if I did stay,” you counter, “you’re actually the last person I would want to read my work. Feel free to be offended by that, by the way.”
For a solid minute, Heeseung just looks at you. He wears that same damn deer-in-the-headlights expression he had after you brushed him off when he intercepted you in class the other day. He pauses, weighing words on his tongue. “Look, ____.” The sound of your name on his lips strikes a strange chord in you. Until now, you were certain he didn’t even know it. “Did I do something to offend—”
And no. Absolutely not. No way are you rehashing that day in the quad with him now. 
“You know what,” you interrupt. You need to go. Now. You need an out. “I’m actually, like, super tired. I think I’m just gonna head back, and—”
But then it’s his turn to cut off your train of thought. “It’s your piece for Professor Kim, isn’t it?” Heeseung takes your silence as confirmation. “Publishing is a big deal. A second set of eyes will only make your work stronger. And if you hate my feedback, it’s not like you have to use any of it.”
You hate it. You despise the way his reasoning matches your internal monologue nearly word for word. The way your thoughts align exactly. 
You pause, a decision weighing heavy on your mind. He is an excellent writer… There would probably be substance to his feedback. Real, actual, good substance that you could use to make your writing bloom into something truly amazing. He could be the exact spark you need to make your story come to life. 
You purse your lips. “What’s in it for you?”
Heeseung smiles, a nearly imperceptible quirk of his lips. He knows he’s won. “Like I said, I brought something I’ve been working on.” There’s an intention you can’t quite read behind his gaze when he adds, “I want to know what you think of it.”
Hook, line, and sinker.
With a grumble, you take reluctant steps towards where he sits on the opposite side of the classroom. And if you slide down into the seat next to him with a little more force than necessary, well, it’s just because you’ve had a long week. No other reason. None at all. 
“Fine,” you relent, reaching to pull your notebook out of your bag. “You get twenty minutes.”
“That’s not nearly long eno—”
“Thirty,” you concede. “And don’t push it.”
Sensing your disdain, Heeseung doesn’t respond. Instead, he accepts the notebook you reluctantly hand him with an outstretched hand and an open palm. The transfer between the two of you is gentle. You have the distinct sense that he’ll treat your work with care, in more than one way. 
Still, something in your heart seizes at the thought of letting your work be read. Of letting him be the one to read it. 
In return, he offers you a notebook of his own. Bound in brown, aged leather, it’s certainly much more refined than yours. Of course. 
He hands it to you still closed. Staring down at the cover, you ask, “What page?” It feels intrusive to start flipping through his writing uninvited. 
“There’s a bookmark.” Heeseung nods his chin towards the small piece of paper sticking out of the top edge that you missed at first glance. 
And then the transfer is complete. A piece of your heart is spread open on his desk, and a piece of his soul is in your hands. 
Ignoring the way your fingers tremble with a slight shake, you delicately open his notebook to the bookmarked page, letting it fall open on the desk in front of you. 
At first glance, the writing strikes you as odd. The paragraphs are strange lengths, ending at random junctures instead of extending all the way to the margins. And then it hits you. They’re not paragraphs. They’re stanzas. 
Poetry. Lee Heeseung writes poetry. 
You sneak a sidelong glance at him out of your periphery. He’s already engrossed in the pages of your notebook, pausing occasionally to jot a note down on a scrap piece of paper. His brow is furrowed, and there’s a tension in his jawline that only makes it sharper. 
Still, the image of his profile is shrouded in a distinct sort of softness. The kind of effortless beauty that feels like it should be reserved for intimate moments in the dead of night, secrets passed between lovers. It’s wasted under the fluorescent lights and patchy, beige walls of an underfunded classroom, but you waste another minute staring at him all the same. 
For a fleeting moment, it’s not hard to imagine those hands, those long, delicate fingers maintaining an even grip on a ballpoint pen to write something as romantic as poetry. 
Shaking your head, you clear the errant thoughts. Instead, you turn your focus back to the page in front of you and begin with the first poem. Forcing your eyes to focus, you read. 
As if nothing happened,
She looks at me
With shadowless eyes.
But it is me who has been 
Forgiven and reborn countless times.
You inhale. Exhale. Short and succinct with a distinct twinge of tragedy. That was… not what you were expecting. Pushing forward, you move onto the next entry. 
Even the stars in the universe
Will close their eyes one day.
Underneath their watchful gaze,
All of these moments are precious.
For memory, for regret,
I will carve them
Into the repetition of the moment.
Again, you pause, taking a moment to breathe. It’s so… melancholy, so poignant in its evocation of pain, of regret. While you’ve been familiar with Heeseung’s ability to analyze the hell out of a novella, this was not something you thought you’d find in his repertoire. And the more you read on, the more you realize these aren’t flukes. This is his identity as a writer, or at least a significant part of it. 
The world that abandoned us
Slowly turns to ash. 
But I don’t feel the pain. 
I only feel the cold.
My god. You nearly close the notebook on instinct. Without your permission, your eyes flick ove to the desk next to you. The broad set of shoulders that fill the seat. What has this boy been through? Why is he letting you read this? 
Heeseung looks up. Not at you, but the movement is enough to startle you out of your staring. Returning your eyes to his notebook, you read the last entry on the page. 
A shaded castle with no sun
The thick scent of dying roses never fades. 
In a broken mirror, I see myself. 
And my reflection whispers, “Monster.”
The breath you release is long. Audible. You’re overcome with the urge to run your fingers over his words, to feel the indents his pen made as he carved pain into the page. His writing is gorgeous. It’s beautifully, tragically haunting. Of that much, you’re certain. But you have no idea what to do with that information. 
His words feel too raw, too terribly intimate. Like something that was never meant for your eyes. You can’t understand what on earth possibly possessed him to let — no — to encourage you to read these. 
You can’t fathom any kind of feedback you could offer him. These feel like pieces of his soul, not something to be commodified or commented on in a writing workshop. Discussed in the cold, unfeeling walls of an old classroom.
Despite the discomfort that lingers with each passing stanza, his writing has an almost addictive quality. Over and over, you find yourself rereading each brief poem. You’re searching for meaning, for clarity, for something hidden between the lines that you missed on your first handful of reads. 
Thirty minutes pass in a trance, and Heeseung, true to his word, is the one to break the silence when your half hour is up. 
Mind still reeling, you realize with a sinking feeling that you have absolutely no feedback to give him at all. 
Instead, you turn to face him. Throwing a meaningful glance at where your notebook still lies open on the desk in front of him. Doing your best to not look too hopeful, you ask, “Well?”
For a moment, Heeseung just looks at you, an unreadable expression on his face. Tension pulls at his temple, his jaw. Frustration seeps from beneath his skin, and you can’t tell where it’s directed. 
“Oh, come on,” you prod when his silence extends even longer. “I know you’re dying to spill the gory details of how grossly incompetent I am and how horrifically amateur my writing is, so don’t—”
Heeseung wastes no fanfare. “This is awful.”
Your lips flatten. “Or just cut right to the chase.”
He’s quick to clarify. “But not for any of the reasons you just listed. I mean, sure, there are some craft issues here, but even those seem like a result of your concept.”
“What’s wrong with my concept?” The edge of defensiveness in your voice escapes without your permission. 
Heeseung just levels you with a look. Returning his gaze to your notebook, he reads from your draft verbatim, “...Stashing away the light from her life. Tucking it into his back pocket like extra change just for the satisfaction of temporary happiness. It was never love that bound him to her, but the promise of a never ending fountain of life. Of wishes and thoughts and hopes and dreams that he could use to sustain himself as long as he subjected himself to the numbing pleasure of existing at her side.” 
He raises an eyebrow, turns back to you. “I mean, really, ____? I’ve read some nauseatingly vitriolic vampire pieces in my life, and this just about has all of them beat. Besides, the whole vampire thing just feels so… irrelevant. Do people still read this stuff anymore?”
Your first instinct is to defend yourself, your work, even if his thoughts mirror your own. Before you can, Heeseung is pressing on. You don’t have the space to get a word in sideways. “I mean, what happened to the writing from that piece you presented back in September? I don’t remember all the details, but there was something about watching birds land on water and connecting it to the feeling of belonging but never truly fitting in.” He looks at you again. There’s more emotion, more glittering life in his eyes than you’ve ever seen from him before. “That was a fresh take and a well done metaphor.”
Your mind is reeling. It’s far too much information to take in all at once. But something stands out amongst the rest. Because that almost sounded like— 
“Was that a compliment?” It seems unlikely, but you can’t find another way to take his words. “You paid attention to my presentation?” 
You liked it? You don’t ask that question out loud, but the needier parts of you crave his answer anyway.
“Yeah, of course I did. Peer review was a mandatory component of the course.” Heeseung’s cheekbones remain the same, even, honey-tinted tone, but you swear you see a flash of embarrassment in the way he averts his gaze. 
“Well, yeah.” It’s not a justification that holds much weight in your mind. “But you don’t exactly seem like the type to really pay attention to other people’s stuff. Especially if you think it’s not worth your time.”
“I just told you your presentation was good, didn’t I?”
You arch a brow. “Yeah, right after you finished calling my draft horrific.”
Heeseung shakes his head. “I didn’t say it was horrific…”
“Oh, please. Spare us both the semantics. That’s what you meant.” You’re not sure why your mind always goes back to that day in the quad, but you find yourself still sore from his rejection, his new assertion of your work poking at old wounds. Picking at poorly healed scabs. “And it’s not like you were jumping for joy at the chance to review my work back then, either.”
Heeseung’s brow furrows. You can practically see the gears turning in his mind. You’re not sure if it makes you feel better or worse, the fact that he doesn’t seem to remember that day at all. 
In the end, you decide to spare him the effort of empty recollection. With a sigh, you spill your shame. At least this time around, you’re the only two that will bear witness. “That one day in class. Back at the beginning of the semester. We had to present our analysis of that one short story. You remember, the one about planting seeds in bad soil.” Heeseung nods, but there’s no spark of realization. Not yet. 
Continuing, it only pains you slightly to admit, “Your analysis was brilliant, and I gushed about it in front of the whole class. Laid it on thick with the compliments. And then after class, I stopped you in the quad.” Something flickers over Heeseung’s features. A memory tugging at the back of his mind. “When I asked if you wanted to review each other’s pieces for the next assignment, you completely brushed me off.”
Brow still pulled downwards, Heeseung is thinking back to that day, too. But it doesn't seem to hold the same awful, leaden weight in his mind. “I didn’t brush you off,” he argues. “I think I said I was busy.”
It takes a lot of willpower not to let your jaw drop open. “That’s brushing someone off!” Your voice is too loud for the near empty classroom, for your close proximity. “Like literally the textbook definition. Everyone knows that ‘I’m busy’ is code for ‘leave me the hell alone.’”
Almost imperceptibly, Heeseung’s features soften as he watches yours strain. The fluorescent light bulbs that fill the room suddenly don’t seem quite as harsh when he says, “Well, that's not what I meant. I was busy.”
It’s hardly a satisfying answer. But you suppose it makes little difference. If he wants to stick to his story, you’ll continue to feign indifference. “Whatever. It’s not like it matters now anyway.”
And then your mind is back on his poems. His beautiful, tragic, gorgeously phrased stanzas scribbled in his handwriting. Fragments of vulnerability that he handed to you without hesitation. 
It’s like comparing apples to oranges in a way, but there is no doubt in your mind that between the two of you, the writing he brought tonight is better. Better than your story, better than most things you’ve ever written, probably. The imagery is evocative, striking in a way you’ve never quite been able to achieve no matter how many seminars and workshops and lectures you attend. 
Not for the first time, your brain dangles a dangerous thought in a place where you can’t avoid it. What if Professor Kim chose wrong? What if Heeseung hadn’t been late to class that day? Would you be sitting here with a mediocre draft and a raging inferiority complex?
You’ll never know, not really, but you find yourself asking anyway, “Why were you late to class that day?”
As soon as the words leave your mouth, you wish you could take them back. It’s not like his answer will change anything. And it’s invasive. Far too personal to ask someone you barely know. That up until thirty minutes ago, you actively avoided. 
But maybe the universe is on your side for once. Maybe you got ridiculously lucky and he didn’t hear you, despite the fact that it’s dead silent in this classroom. Maybe—
“What?”
Or not.
Well, you’re committed now. “The last day of class. When the winner for the publishing opportunity was announced,” you clarify. “You were late. Honestly,” you add with a wry smile, “you’d probably be the one writing overdramatic vampire slander right now if you hadn’t been.”
It’s a self-deprecating joke. It might land poorly, but you’re hoping it will lighten the atmosphere. 
A dark shadow crosses Heeseung’s features. “Trust me, ___. You winning had nothing to do with me being late that day.”
If he thinks flattery will get him anywhere, he’s wrong. You can feel your frustrations bubbling in your throat, clawing at your mind. You won. You beat him. So why doesn’t it feel like it? Why doesn’t it feel like anything you do is ever good enough?
“C’mon, Heeseung.” He doesn’t deserve your anger. At least, not now. But he gets it anyway. Insecurities and inferiority and frustration all wrapped in rage. “You were practically a shoe-in, and everyone knows it.”
He’s just as insistent. Leaning towards you slightly, he looks anything but aloof now. “No I wasn’t. Professor Kim chose you to intern with him. He read both of our submissions all semester and chose you to publish with his firm. I told you, your writing is good. Really good.” Glancing down at your notebook, he adds, “Even if this one is a bit… uninspired.”
A compliment and a slight. His version of the truth, wrapped up in a bow and delivered right to your waiting ears. You don’t know whether to be furious or overjoyed. Maybe it would be best to feel absolutely nothing at all. It scares you, just how much weight his opinion holds. 
But approval from him has its way of feeling like a long sought victory, and now the air feels fraught with something delicate, fragile. Precarious, even. 
It’s early evening in a threadbare classroom. The most neutral territory imaginable. But it’s the two of you, alone, secluded. And suddenly, that frightens you. 
“Right.” You won’t tell him ‘thank you’ for the compliment or ‘go fuck yourself’ for the criticism. Both options feel like you would be revealing too much. 
Instead, you take a glance at the clock. It’s not late, but it’s an excuse. “I should probably get going.”
Heeseung exhales. Leans back in his seat. “Of course,” he concedes easily, reaching to hand you your notebook.
You do the same with his, almost sad to watch his poetry pass from your hands to his. It’s odd, the way his words already feel like something you’ll miss. 
You realize then that he hasn’t asked you for your opinion on his work. For your advice on how to make it better. In all honesty, you’re relieved. You haven’t the slightest idea what you would say. 
So instead, you busy yourself with repacking your tote bag. In your haste, you knock your pen off of your desk. The sound it makes as it strikes the thinning carpet can’t be loud, but it feels thunderous in your ears. 
As you reach to pick it up, Heeseung does the same. There’s a moment, fleeting but unmistakable, when the skin of his hand brushes against yours. 
Instantly, Heeseung recoils as if you’ve burned him. His hand is back in his own space at a speed so fast you nearly miss it. 
It was an accident, a tiny blip with no real consequences, but the way he’s looking at you with those damn eyes makes you feel like you should be apologizing. 
“Sorry.” The severity of his reaction stings like rejection. It’s not like he’s exactly your favorite person either, but at least you have the common decency to not look repulsed at the thought of touching him. At the accidental brushing of your hands. 
Heeseung frowns. Shakes his head slightly as if to clear his thoughts. “No, I…” he trails off, letting his words hang in the air for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he concludes, but it feels disingenuous. And he doesn’t bother to elaborate. Looking over your shoulder, he reads the clock on the wall. “It’s getting kind of late. Where are you parked? I can walk you to your car.”
His hands are busy putting his notebook back in his back. It’s a considerate offer, but coming on the tail end of everything else, it doesn’t hold much weight with you. His words don’t match his actions, and you decide you’d be a fool to take them at face value. 
“Don’t bother. I’m walking home, not driving.”
Heeseung freezes, hand still inside his bag. He’s not looking at you, but you feel the weight of his attention all the same. “Do you need someone to walk with you?”
The way he phrases the question makes you feel like a burden. He’s asking if you need someone to walk with you, not offering because he wants to. A subtle difference maybe, but the last thing you want is to feel like you owe him any favors. 
“No, I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” He does look at you now, concern painted across his features. “It’s getting dark earlier these days, and—”
His words are wasted on you. You’re already halfway to the door. “I’m sure.” But before you leave, you decide one more hit to your pride can’t worsen the damage that’s already been done. At least this time, it will be by your doing. Standing under the doorframe, you turn back to him. “Thank you for your feedback. It was good to hear an honest opinion.”
Your words sink into the air. Linger for a moment. 
Heeseung nods. Something in his jaw tightens. “You know, if you do decide to change topics, I’d be happy to read whatever you write.”
It almost sounds like another compliment. Or maybe another insult. Either way, you’re sure that even if you figure it out, you’ll still have no idea what to do with it. You nod, only once, and then your back is turned again before you can linger too long on any of it. 
But his words, the sweet ones this time, replay in your mind the entire walk home. 
Maybe if you weren’t so distracted by the ghosts of compliments, you’d have noticed the pair of quiet, even footsteps that trailed after you in the distance. That only retreated once the front door to your apartment was pulled shut and locked tight behind you. 
Then again, maybe not. Heeseung has always had a knack for going undetected. 
…..
You wake up the next morning with Heeseung’s words replaying in your mind. 
Awful. Irrelevant. And of course your favorite, ‘nauseatingly vitriolic vampire piece.’
In the faded glow of morning light, you groan out loud to your empty bedroom. The worst part of it all is that he’s not even wrong. But it’s Saturday morning, and your first draft is due on Wednesday. The thought of starting a new story from scratch and writing it to completion within that time frame is enough to make you want to curl into a ball and screw your eyes shut until you can pretend the world outside your bedroom is nothing but a figment of your imagination. 
So no, you don’t think you can start over entirely. But maybe, just maybe, you can rework things. Tweak the narrative to feel less cliche, less outdated. More true to you. 
Part of you wants to abandon the vampire concept entirely, convinced it’s what’s holding you down. The other part is hesitant to do so based on New Haven’s list of recently published works. 
And while Heeseung’s criticism was the confirmation you needed that your story needs reworking, it’s not like he gave you any ideas as to what you should change. What direction you should take.
Nauseatingly vitriolic vampire piece. That seemed to be Heeseung’s biggest problem with your draft. Not that it alluded to vampirism. No, you think he disliked that it was a tired and rehashed propaganda piece on the inherent evilness of vampires. 
Everyone knows that vampires were monsters. Writing about it, no matter how many metaphors and symbolic phrases you wrap it up in, just isn’t interesting. 
That’s the route you’ll take, then, you decide. You don’t have to invent a new concept out of thin air. You just need to find a way to bring something new to the table. Something worth reading. Climbing out of bed, you switch your pajamas for clothes more acceptable in public. 
And then you make your way to the university library. 
Just as you suspected, it’s essentially empty. Between long rows of meticulously shelved books, vacant study rooms, and community computers, the only other person you see is the librarian that greets you as you arrive. Even her eyebrows raise in mild shock to see someone else during the break, and on a weekend at that.
Heading to the second floor, the first section you peruse through is historical records. But between old newspapers, reports, and journals, the content itself is quite cut and dry. Detached descriptions of vampire attacks that only contain details of the date, time, and death toll aren’t exactly riveting. And you don’t think they’ll do much for your feeble draft. 
Before long, you move away from the nonfiction section. Navigating to supernatural fiction on the third floor, you start browsing titles. Vampire stories make up a rather small portion of the texts, and from what you can tell, the vast majority align with what you found on New Haven’s website. 
From Demons of the Dark to Left in Cold Blood, you doubt that most of what you find will offer any kind of new perspective. But on your third, slightly desperate scouring of the shelf, you make a discovery. 
It’s a small, nondescript book. The muted tones and faded lettering on the spine go easily undetected amongst the much flashier copies of anti-vampire propaganda it’s nestled between. 
Pulling the book out from the shelf with a delicate touch, you flip the cover face-up in your hand. 
Sacred Monsters: A Collection of Essays on the Origins of Immortality
It piques your interest. At the very least, it seems different from all the other novels. 
Book in hand, you make your way to a nearby desk. Once you’re settled in, you pull out your notebook, opening to a new page with the intention of taking notes. 
The book you lay on the desk next to your notebook seems like it’s lived a long life, the old scent of dust and aged paper and time all contained within its pages. Flipping open the front cover, you look for an author or publication date. But there’s nothing there, not even a title page or a table of contents. 
Glossing over the slight oddity, you decide the beginning is as good a place as any to start. 
The Taste of Blood, is the title at the top of the page. 
And the first sentence begins:
It is neither sweet nor particularly savory. There is no distinct aroma, no compelling flavor profile, nothing that appeals to the eye or excites the taste buds. The only merit is the fact that it is necessary. For even those blessed with immortality know what it means to survive. And even those cursed to live forever know what it means to die. 
Frowning, you flip back to the cover, as if that will provide any clarity for the strange passage you just read. But nothing is different. Nothing new stands out. Just the same, faded title. No author or indication of any kind of publication date. 
Intrigued, you turn back and resume where you left off. 
Some are said to enjoy the act. The purity of release, of giving in to the instincts that can be convinced into domesticity but never fully silenced. I have never found such relief. The ghost of my humanity has always been stronger than the voice of the monster, even as he screams with unbounded ferocity. 
Without it, I feel incomplete. With it, I feel irredeemable. Even now, I dodge the truth, omit the profane. I have seen many moons, enjoyed their silver glow. I have stolen the very same pleasure from countless others. And yet, I struggle to call it by name. I cannot reconcile the battles waged in my bones, the war fought in my mind. 
There is no winner in either. All that remains in the taste of it. Lingering on my breath. Haunting my waking dreams. That which I cannot name. 
The taste of blood. 
In my fervor, it soothes like honey. In my regret, it turns to ash. 
And still, nothing changes. And still, nothing remains the same.
-- Anonymous
Well, if you were looking for something different, you found it. Because what the absolute fuck are you reading? If you didn’t know any better, you’d think it were written from the perspective of a vampire. 
Then again, shelved in the fiction section, you suppose it’s plausible. Actual vampires may have housed little room in their consciousness for anything outside of bloodlust, but it is an interesting idea to think of vampires as conflicted. Haunted by the brutality of their innate instincts. 
You’re not exactly sure how or if this will be able to influence your own story for the better, but something about it makes you want to keep reading. 
Alone, tucked amongst the dusty shelves of a neglected section of the library, you lose yourself between the pages of the mysterious book. 
As the title indicated, it’s a collection of essays. Most are quite short, around the same length as the first one you read. And none are claimed by an author. All are signed off with the same boldface type that spells Anonymous. There are subtle differences in the writing though, stylistic choices that make you think that more than one person wrote these essays. 
Despite that, they’re all woven together by a common thread. The first essay, as you discover, was not a fluke. Every single one is written in first person from the perspective of a vampire. 
The writing is compelling, humorous in places and deeply upsetting in others. It seems odd to you, just how much humanity is captured within the pages, within each turn of phrase. 
You feel inclined to root for the narrator in some stories and abjectly horrified by them in others. But never once does the writing make you think that vampires are incapable of self-actualization, of reflection, of morality. 
In all honesty, aside from Heeseung’s poems, it’s the most interesting thing you’ve read in ages. So much so that by the time you realize you’ve finished the last essay, the winter sun is teeming dangerously close to the horizon, and the library is nearing its closing hours. 
The notebook page you intended to use for notes, to jot down points of inspiration, is still woefully blank. But as you make your way back to the front of the library, the small, strange book comes along with you. 
Stopping at the front desk to formally check it out, the librarian frowns when she enters the number from the spine into the system. She clicks around on her computer for a moment longer before handing the book back to you. 
“I’m sorry, but the book isn’t coming up in our system for some reason. Would you mind writing down your student ID number for me? I’ll have to enter the information manually.”
You oblige her request, tucking the book into your bag before you leave. 
It’s chilly outside, the cold clutches of winter gaining a full grasp on the crisp, frigid air. After a long day in a stuffy library, the freezing air is almost soothing. Tucking your hands into your pockets, you turn towards the direction that will take you home. 
You’ve barely taken five steps when a voice calls your name from behind. Pausing, you turn to find the source of the sound. 
“Heeseung?” But there’s no mistaking it. That is most definitely Lee Heeseung, currently jogging towards you on the otherwise empty sidewalk in front of the university library. 
He catches up to you easily, no sign of perspiration or even a hint of breathlessness when he asks, “What are you doing walking alone at night?” As if you’re the strange one in this situation.
You give him a once over. The loose jeans and dark winter coat he wears are nothing special, but he wears them well regardless. You suppress the urge to sigh. “I could ask you the same.”
“Fair enough.” His tone is too light, too casual. Like he’s forcing it. Like he’s hiding something. “Are you headed home? I’ll walk you there.”
And if you weren’t suspicious before, you sure as hell are now. Why on earth would he want to walk you home? “I’m fine, thanks.” You turn away from him, heading in the direction of your apartment and hoping he’ll take the hint. 
Your wish goes ungranted. He matches your pace easily, even as you try to quicken it. “It’s after dark, ___. And there are a lot of…” He trails off, searching for the right word. “strange people out at night these days. I’m not letting you walk home alone.”
Lips tight, you don’t bother looking at him. The idea of Heeseung letting you do anything makes you want to throw things. “I’ll be fine.”
But he’s persistent. He’s all smiles and a strange amount of desperate when he says, “Either you let me walk you back or I’ll just follow you at a weird distance, which will be far more uncomfortable for both of us.”
That makes you stop in your tracks. And now you do turn to look at him. “Well, when you put it that way…”
Heeseung nods, “Exactly. So—”
You arch an unimpressed brow, crossing your arms over your chest. “It sounds like you’re the strange person at night I need to stay away from.”
Heeseung sighs, matches your eye. A strand of hair falls into his eyes, and he pushes it away with long fingers. “Are you gonna start walking or are we gonna stand here and argue a little longer?”
“You don’t even know where I live.”
“What a great night to find out.”
You stare at him a moment longer, lips tight. You don’t want to be the one to give in, to hand him any kind of victory, no matter how small. 
But it is getting late. The walk from campus to your apartment is never one that’s made you uneasy, but it never hurts to have someone at your side. Besides, you think he was serious about following you. He’s made it clear that he’ll be tagging along one way or another. 
“Fine,” you huff, arms still crossed over your chest. “But only because the streetlight a few blocks away is out.”
Heeseung inclines his head, a minute acknowledgement. There’s a hint of movement at the corner of his lips. “Naturally.”
You resume walking, and he falls into your pace with a practiced ease, hands in his pocket, eyes on the stars. It’s a cloudless evening. The sky above you feels vast, immense as the last rays of daylight lie to rest on the distant horizon. 
With a slight shiver, you pull your jacket tighter around your body. Heeseung notices the movement. Parts his lips as if he wants to say something. Changes his mind. Closes them. 
You’ve just reached the far edge of campus when he breaks the steady silence. 
“How’s your draft coming?”
“It’s…” You trail off, not sure how well honesty will serve you here. It feels vulnerable, like a blatant weakness to admit that you’ve got nothing. But something about cold air and the vast expanse of night has you wanting to tell the truth. “Not great.”
Heeseung lets your response settle. Turns it over in his mind a few times. You’ve noticed that about him. He’s careful with his responses. Weighs his words before breathing them to life. “Still looking for inspiration?”
“I don’t know if it’s inspiration I need.” It’s easier to talk to him like this, when your eyes have something to focus on, when your body has the constant repetition of steps to occupy part of your mind. Without little distractions like these, Heeseung has a way of becoming all consuming. “I feel like I backed myself into a corner with the vampire concept. I’m not sure if there's really anything there to explore that won’t feel outdated and irrelevant.” 
“Mm,” Heeseung muses. It’s noncommittal, neither an agreement nor an argument. “Maybe. You said it yourself; vampires are nothing but bloodlust. Riled completely by instinct. Nothing left of their humanity.”
Frowning, your footsteps almost falter. “I didn’t say that.”
“Forgive me.” If there’s a tinge of bitterness in his tone, you suppose it must be because of the cold. The fact that he’s wasting his Saturday night walking you home. “Heavily implied it.”
“Honestly, the only reason I even wrote that story was because there were a lot of similar ones on New Haven’s list of recently published works.” Your reasoning feels almost stupid when you admit it aloud like this. You’ve always prided yourself on your originality, your commitment to staying true to yourself as a writer. But when push comes to shove, you let your desire to impress your professor get in the way of that. “I wanted something that would align with their usual publications.” 
You’ve admitted a weakness, a poorly made choice. You’re expecting ire, more of that haughty contempt. But Heeseung’s mind is going in an entirely different direction.
He’s not questioning your abilities, not even alluding to them at all when he asks, “What do you think of vampires, then?”
His question catches you off guard. Why on earth would he care about that? “What’s it to you?”
“My bad. We can just walk in awkward silence if you prefer.”
It takes a ridiculous amount of your energy to swallow the laugh that bubbles in your throat. Since when did Heeseung crack jokes? Since when did you have to fight the urge to giggle at them like a schoolgirl with a crush? You suddenly find yourself grateful for the cover of night, the way shadows make the heat on your cheeks undetectable. 
But his question still lingers. Ruminating on it, your mind flickers to the small, odd book currently sitting at the bottom of your bag. 
Sacred Monsters. 
It feels like a strange combination of words, two concepts that shouldn’t fit together. 
“I think it’s more complicated than that,” you breathe. You don’t know if it could possibly be true, the idea that creatures of the night have a high level of consciousness, the ability to moralize, to feel conflicted. But it certainly makes for a more interesting story. 
“I mean, vampires had to have some level of base cognition, right?” You’ll never know for sure, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. “They were hunted to near extinction, but they put up a good fight. They hid. They fled. They tried blending in as humans. Some resorted to drinking animal blood. I guess there’s no way of knowing, but that doesn’t feel like pure biology or an evolutionary response alone. It feels like… something a human would do.”
“Wouldn’t that be worse?” Heeseung’s voice is low. If the faint hum of faraway traffic were any louder, you might not hear him at all. “For them to know what it means to be alive and still make the choice to take that away from someone else? To exist as a parasite.”
“It would certainly be tragic.” The words of the first essay come back to you. 
For even those blessed with immortality know what it means to survive. And even those cursed to live forever know what it means to die.
“It’s a fatal flaw, a cruel design. They need blood to survive. The very thing that their bodies used to create on their own. It’s parasitic, yes, but that doesn’t make it animal instinct. I can’t imagine the horror of having to experience that with the burden of human consciousness.” 
You feel the weight of Heeseung’s gaze on the side of your face. “It’s still evil, is it not?”
His words feel heavy, weighted under moonlight. Though you can’t imagine why, you have the distinct sense that your answer is important to him. 
“Like I said, I think it’s more complicated than that. Taking someone’s life is evil, yes, but that was never unique to vampires. Is a vampire that chooses animal blood still evil just because they’re a vampire? Is a human that chooses to kill another absolved of their crime just by virtue of being human?”
Your words settle into the space between you. 
“That,” Heeseung finally breathes, “would make a much better story than the one I read last night.”
This time, you do laugh, a light airy thing. It feels easy, lighthearted as some of the tension drains from the atmosphere.
“Unfortunately, I’m not so sure Professor Kim would agree. Based on everything New Haven publishes, he seems to have some weird anti-vampire vendetta.”
As you round the corner, your apartment comes into view. Nodding toward the staircase that leads to your front door, you tell him, “This is me, by the way.”
Heeseung glances at the stairs, then back at you. He shoves his hands into his coat pockets. “When is your draft due?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” you groan. “Wednesday.”
“Mm,” he winces, an offer of understanding. “What time?”
“I’m supposed to be at New Haven by three, so—”
“What?” Heeseung cuts you off, expression suddenly tense, voice suddenly sharp. “You’re going to the publishing office?”
“Yeah.” You nod slowly, unsure why that would possibly warrant such a strong reaction. “I’m dropping off my first draft and getting a tour. The internship starts right when spring semester does, so he told me I could come in person to familiarize myself with the space first.”
“Right.” Heeseung nods. The tension in his jaw doesn’t relax.
It’s all so strange. He always seems to be speaking in riddles, dealing with invisible problems you can’t detect. 
You’re tired and confused, and the moon that hangs above you doesn’t feel like a remedy for either of those things. In fact, it might be making things worse. 
Because despite the way you feel like you’ll never quite understand him, bathed in the shimmering glow of moonlight, Heeseung looks… 
He looks like all the things you’ve been trying to avoid calling him for the duration of the semester. Ethereal. Beautiful. Maybe even kind, at least when he wants to be. 
After all, you’re standing at the base of your staircase with company, and it wasn’t due to any insistence on your end. 
The silence lingers. A string somewhere is pulled taught. 
You’re standing still, and you’re still a little breathless when you tell him, “I should go.” You don’t want to. You’re not sure why. 
Again, Heeseung only nods. 
The movement sends shadows dancing over his features. The bridge of his nose. The plane of his cheek. The line of his jaw. Things you’ve never let yourself linger on. Things you’re having a hard time looking away from now. 
 But he’s seen you home safe and sound, and even nights under the stars have their inevitable end. 
It occurs to you then that you have no idea how he plans to get home, or even how far away he lives. 
After he walked you home,it’s the least you could do to offer, “Do you live far? I could help you pay for a cab or something if—”
Heeseung shakes his head. He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “It won’t take me long. Besides, I like to walk at night.”
“Okay.” It feels strange, trading these bits of kindness. You’re craving some normalcy, something unwavering. So with a final wave and a small goodnight, you climb the stairs to your door. 
You couldn’t say for sure if his eyes follow you on the way up. You feel the heat of them, the weight of a steady gaze on your spine. But it’s a fickle sensation and you’ve been wrong before. And you can’t quite bring yourself to turn around and look. 
The door closes behind you. Surrounded by the stillness of an empty apartment, you release a long held exhale. It drains out of you audibly. You hadn’t even realized you were holding your breath. 
…..
Dawn breaks Wednesday morning and carries with it a certain kind of dread. 
Despite your efforts, and there have been many, your draft remains far too close to its original state for your satisfaction. No matter how many times you pour over Sacred Monsters, you can never quite seem to find a way to make your submission more interesting while also staying true to New Haven’s general themes. 
If anything, the book has been a distraction. Long hours that you could have spent editing or revising or rewriting were instead dedicated to detailed web searches with a variety of keywords and spellings that never seemed to bear any fruit. 
It doesn’t matter which search engine you use. It doesn’t matter which database you browse. Other than the copy sitting on your desk, Sacred Monsters doesn’t seem to exist. 
But the annoying, wonderful, awful thing about time is that it passes. Time doesn’t care that you haven’t found it in yourself to produce a draft you’re proud of. Time doesn’t relent just because you always feel like it’s slipping through your fingers. 
And Wednesday morning turns to Wednesday afternoon with the same steady predictability as always. 
You’d like to think that you know the area around your university quite well, but New Haven’s main office is in an entirely different part of the city. You’ll have to leave now if you want to catch the bus with a little cushion of time to spare. The last thing you want to do is be late to your first day. Especially since the draft tucked neatly into your bag isn’t one you can hand over with confidence. 
To your relief, the bus is relatively empty. You tuck yourself into a seat and thank your lucky stars that you missed the afternoon rush. 
Popping your headphones in, you’re searching for something to fill the time. There’s the draft sitting in your bag, of course, but the last thing you want to do is spend the next thirty minutes agonizing over it. For now, it will just have to be the mess of mediocrity that it is. 
Instead, you reach for your phone. Maybe some mindless scrolling will be what you need to put your nerves at ease. 
But when the app loads, the first post you see doesn’t have you giggling or rolling your eyes or scrolling on without a thought at all. Instead, your spine straightens, shoulders suddenly tense. 
Because the words you’re reading are not something you ever expected to see in your lifetime. 
Three dead in suspected vampire attack, the latest headline from your local news reporting channel reads. 
Clicking on the article, the details are hazy, but that does little to lessen the grip of fear that makes a sudden grab at your throat. Fragments of sentences capture your attention as you scan the page. 
Three bodies found near the river…
Bite marks on their necks…
No trace of recent animal activity in the area…
Eyes widening with every new piece of information, fear claws at your throat. 
Bodies completely drained of blood.
Two hundred years. Two hundred years of the belief that vampires have all but been eradicated. Shattered in one fell swoop. 
And in your city, of all places. At the river. Somewhere you’ve been. Somewhere you wouldn’t think twice about going. It’s not particularly close to your apartment or university, but it’s not exactly far enough away for comfort.
You shudder, suddenly grateful that Heeseung was there to walk you home last night. Not that he would be able to do much if you did stumble across the path of a vampire, but—”
Oh god. Oh god. 
Heeseung. 
You have no idea if he made it home safe after parting ways with you and you have no way of checking. He hadn’t made any indication as to where he lived before saying goodnight. For all you know, he could have been heading in the direction of the river. He could have been at the river. Right when the attacks occurred. 
Doubling down on your phone, you scour the article for any information you can find on the victims. Objectively, it’s probably a good thing that they’re described only vaguely. Probably an intentional choice to protect the privacy of grieving friends and families. 
But ‘three victims, two men and one woman, all in their early twenties’ does very, very little to assuage your terror. In fact, it only heightens it. 
Blood pounding in your ears and dread pooling in your stomach, thirty minutes passes in the blink of an eye, you nearly miss your stop. But as you get off of the bus, you’re spiraling. Should you even be here? It feels wrong, leaving such a terrifying loose end untied. 
But then you think it through a little further. Even if you got back on the bus, rode it all the way to the stop by your apartment, you have no idea where you’d go from there. You may have shared insults and confidence and a moment under the moonlight with Heeseung, but you don’t know anything about him. Where he lives, where to reach him, where he could possibly be right now. 
But Professor Kim might. You’re sure that student information is strictly confidential, but if you explain the situation to him, he might be understanding, might just be willing to bend the rules a bit for you. 
So with a heaviness in your heart and fire in your footsteps, you double check the address of New Haven’s office and start walking away from the bus stop. Your surroundings are not a primary area of your focus, but it does strike you as odd how deserted the whole area seems. 
Other than a few residential looking buildings, the street you walk is mostly empty lots. Abandoned houses. Not the kind of place you would consider ideal for any business. 
Despite the cold morning sunshine, the afternoon has brought a cover of clouds. Squinting towards the distance, you wonder if you should have brought your umbrella, just in case. It almost looks as if it’s going to rain. 
When you do finally find the building, you have to stop to double check the address. Not only is there no signage, but New Haven’s supposed headquarters looks just as run down as all of the other buildings in the area. 
Frowning, you reread your email. The address does match the faded numbers next to the front door, and Professor Kim seems too meticulous to make a mistake like an incorrect address. Then again, he also seems too well off to run his publishing company out of a decrepit building far away from any of the city’s major business centers. 
But you won’t bother worrying about it now. Even your dreary first draft feels like an afterthought at this point. Who cares if the building’s not what you expected, if the location isn’t ideal? Right now, you need to focus on finding Heeseung, on making sure he’s okay. 
Because the alternative…
No, you refuse to let yourself spiral there either. But the pressure of grief borrowed from the future is already pressing firmly against the backs of your eyelids, blurring your surroundings. 
As you approach the front door, you notice a small, faded placard. 
New Haven. Well, at least that confirms that you’re in the right spot. Even if it is a bit odd that they left off Publishing. 
Standing at the door, you hesitate. Should you knock? Just walk in? You take a sidelong glance at the window, scanning for any sign of movement. But there’s nothing there. In fact, it looks as if the lights are off. 
Dark, quiet, desolate. Strange, yes, but not something you’ll waste time ruminating on now. 
You knock once. Twice. The sound echoes; the only response is the whistling of the wind.
Deep in the pit of your stomach, a sense of unease begins to build. It feels off, like something is wrong. Senses on high alert, you force the feeling aside. You need a way to find Heeseung, to make sure he’s okay. Besides, the lingering unease is probably just the anxiety of not knowing if he’s safe. 
Steeling your resolve, you reach for the door handle, twisting it tentatively. It opens slowly, the hinges groaning in protest. As if the building itself doesn’t want you there. Stepping inside does little to shake the feeling. Dark and devoid of any decoration, the interior is nearly as gloomy as the sunless sky outside. 
And even the layout of the building is strange. The front door opens to a long, dark hallway with no lights on. It’s eerily quiet. Too quiet. Too empty. You weren’t expecting a welcoming party by any means, but it’s hard to imagine anyone, much less Professor Kim, even being here. 
“Hello?” You call, clutching your bag a little closer to your body, suppressing the shudder that licks at the base of your spine. “Professor Kim?” You wait a moment, but sustained silence is the only response. 
Forcing your footsteps forward, you tread tentatively down the hallway. After all, you didn’t come this far just to turn around. Especially now that Professor Kim might be your only way of finding Heeseung. 
Taking slow steps down the dark hallway, you pass two doors, both of them pulled shut. The end of the hall opens into a larger room, still empty of any furnishings. It certainly doesn’t look like a publishing house. It doesn't look like much at all. At the very least, there’s a bit more visibility here, faint traces of faded daylight streaming in through the half drawn blinds on the other side of the room. 
Turning to your left, you see another door. This one is also pulled shut, but there’s a name placard on the front. Drawing closer, you read your professor’s name. It still doesn't feel right. Ducking down slightly, you check the gap between the bottom of the door and the hardwood floor for any sign of light, of movement. But it’s just as dark, just as quiet as the rest of the strange building. 
As you stand back up to your full height, you raise a hand to knock. Just before your knuckles make contact with the door, you see it. An odd array of crimson stains near the handle. Peering closer, your brow furrows in a combination of disgust and confusion. 
If you didn’t know any better, you’d almost think it looked like blood. 
But that doesn’t make any sense. None of this does. You won’t pretend to know Professor Kim, but he’s never shown up to a lecture with so much as a hair out of place. Why on earth would he run his publishing company out of a building that’s nearly falling apart? Why would there be strange, suspicious looking stains on the door to his office? Why would it be empty at the time he asked you to come present your draft and tour your future internship location?
You have no idea what to do. Opening the door to his office and letting yourself in would feel like an inappropriate invasion of privacy, but you’re at a loss. This entire thing is so strange. 
Before you can decide how to proceed, you hear something. A faint noise, barely there, but distinct from the wind that still whistles outside. It’s disjointed, arrhythmic like the sound of hushed voices. Overlapping. Arguing, maybe. 
Inclining your head, your brow creases further. It sounds like it’s coming from your professor’s office, but how could it be? The noises are too muffled, too distant to be coming from right in front of you. 
You lean closer. Deciding you’re past the point of maintaining decorum, you press your ear to the door, careful to avoid any of the suspicious looking stains. 
For a moment, you hear nothing. Half convinced the voices were nothing but a figment of your overactive imagination, you almost pull away. 
But then you hear them again. Still muffled, still indecipherable, but undoubtedly louder than before. Which means they must be coming from behind the door. The voices pause, suspend you in silence once again. 
And then you hear another noise, different this time. Less like a voice and more like movement. Scuffling, maybe. Feet dragging against the floor. It’s punctuated by a strange gurgling noise. Something wet and thick and throaty. The kind of sound that makes you wince in a subconscious reaction. 
And then a sudden thump has your bones jolting beneath your skin, everything muscle in your body tensing as you suppress an uninvited gasp. Because that didn’t sound far away. It was loud, too loud to be anywhere but right on the other side of the door. 
Mild unease is quick to transform into sheer panic as you stagger backwards on shaky footsteps. You need to leave. You need to leave now. 
You’ll find another way to get ahold of Heeseung, to make sure he’s okay. And maybe there’s a rational explanation for all of this. Maybe this is an old New Haven office and Professor Kim forgot to send you the new address. Maybe there’s an email in your inbox now, and he’s apologizing for the oversight and rescheduling your draft meeting. Maybe he’s—
The sound of the front door you walked in through minutes ago slamming shut kills the train of thought. This time, you can’t bite down the noise that crawls up your throat. 
It’s stupid, from a logical perspective. A fatal flaw of human nature that your first instinct is to scream. To alert whatever danger surely lurks nearby of your exact location, the precise depth of your fear. 
But the terror that leaves your lips is muffled. It comes from behind, the palm that covers your mouth. The outline of a body that presses into your back, forces you into submission with a hand around your wrist.  
You thrash against the ironclad grip to no avail. Dig your heels into the ground but find little purchase in the hardwood floor as you’re dragged backwards, every nerve in your body singing with terror as you’re forced into a dark room. Even with your elbows flailing and head jerking, the grip on you remains steady, firm. 
In the end, it’s a bite that frees you. The hand that covers your mouth drops away as soon as you sink your teeth into the flesh of your captor’s fingers. There’s a muffled grunt of pain in your ear as you spin on your heel. 
Again, it’s stupid. You should be running, sprinting in the opposite direction, but everything in you is begging to know. To gain some sense of control over the situation. Eyes still adjusting to the dark and blinded by fear, you turn to find—
“Heeseung?” Your mind is spinning a million miles a minute. There are too many thoughts, too many emotions to keep up with. Relief. Fear. Confusion.
Relief, because he’s okay and he’s here, but—
“What are you doing?” You have a million questions that demand answers. “Why are you here? Why did you grab me like th—”
“Are you okay?” Heeseung takes a step closer to you, reaches his hands out as if to grab you again. Thinking better of it, he lets them fall back to his side with a slight shake of his head. There’s terror in his eyes too when he clarifies, “You’re not hurt?”
“No, I…” What the hell is going on? “I’m fine, but—”
A flash of relief makes itself apparent on Heeseung’s features before they’re morphing again, regaining all the urgency, the fear that was there before. He’s serious, gravely so when he tells you, “We have to get out of here.”
“Okay,” you stumble forward as he reaches for your wrist again, intent on tugging you behind him. “But I don’t understand. What’s—”
“I’ll explain everything later.” He’s frantic, you realize. Desperate. And so terribly afraid. Emotions you’ve never seen him wear. Not in the cool, calm mask of indifference he had in class. Not in the faint flickers of vulnerability from stolen moments under moonlight. This is different. This is so much worse. “But we have to go. Now.”
With that much command in his voice, that much fear in his eyes, you’re putty in his hands. But in the end, it makes little difference. The door to the room he’s dragged you into opens with a resounding bang before the two of you can make your escape. The sound is so loud, so frightening that you feel reverberations in your marrow as the door collides with the room’s interior wall, no doubt leaving a sizable dent.
And standing there, shrouded by the gray tones of sunless winter daylight, your professor blocks the room’s only exit. 
Instinctively, you take a step closer to Heeseung. He does the same, pulling you towards him, behind him, until half of your body is covered by his. Peering over his shoulder, the sight that greets you is one that will haunt waking nightmares for a long time to come. 
Professor Kim, who always prided himself on maintaining a neat, clean appearance couldn’t be further from that now. His clothes are ripped, hanging from his body at odd angles, adding an element of disfigured monstrosity to his silhouette. 
And his eyes. His eyes. Bloodshot and so wide they must hurt, they dart around the room, narrow in on you and Heeseung like he doesn’t see humans. Only targets. Enemies. Prey. Mouth open and snarling, you swear you see a glint in his mouth, the shape of a tooth far too long and pointed to belong to any normal person. 
But even those things you could force yourself to forget. 
What horrifies you the most is the blood. Even in the shadows, the unnaturally potent shade of crimson is unmistakable. It stains him, covers him, drips from him. Seeps from his clothes and his skin and his mouth. 
Panic clawing at your throat, you suppress the urge to vomit. 
“Get behind me,” Heeseung whispers, low. “Now.”
But a split second of averted attention is all your professor needs. Professor Kim, lover of literature, beacon of taste, a role model you’ve looked up to since the first time you stepped foot in his class a handful of months ago, pinches a tiny object between his long, bony, blood-covered fingers. And then he throws it. 
With startling precision, it whistles through the air, races through a hazy cloud of confusion and panic before it strikes its target true. 
It doesn’t hurt, not really. The hand that flies to the side of your neck is instinct, more than anything. But the fingers that linger on your pulse point don’t find the smooth expanse of your unblemished throat that they usually would. 
Because there’s something there now. An object lodged just beneath your jaw. Delicately, you draw your hand back in front of your face. There’s no blood on your fingers, but that doesn’t stop them from shaking. 
As you look over Heeseung’s shoulder, the world starts to blur around the edges. Darken, as if your eyes are closing of their own volition, against your will. You see him retreat, the terrible ghost of your professor. In the dark, he looks almost forlorn. Regretful. 
“Fuck,” Heeseung whispers. He doesn’t see the way your professor spins on his heel, runs in the opposite direction. His attention is trained fully on the space beneath your jaw. “Fuck.”
“Heeseung?” Your voice sounds strange to your own ears. Distant, muffled as if you’re submerged beneath water. You have so many questions. 
But it’s suddenly so cold. And you’re so tired. Wouldn’t it be nice to just lay down? Rest for a moment? Surely that couldn’t hurt anything. 
Your legs are wobbly beneath you, and you would collapse to the floor in an ungraceful heap if it weren’t for the two hands on your waist, supporting your weight. 
“I’m here,” he tells you. Cold. When did it get so cold? Your eyes try to focus on Heeseung, but your vision is swimming. You wonder if he would be warm. “I’m right here. Just… fuck.”
Gently, he eases you both to the ground. The floor is hard beneath you, but it feels like a reprieve. You’re tired of holding the weight of your body upright. Your blinking is becoming slow, lethargic. Your head is suddenly far too heavy for your neck. 
Slowly, Heeseung removes his hands from your waist, relocates them to either side of your jaw. With the care of someone well versed in patience, he delicately maneuvers your head to the side, exposing the length of your neck. 
Whatever he finds there must be displeasing. You can’t imagine why. You can’t think much of anything. The world has taken on a sort of dreamlike quality in which everything feels loose, fluid and unburdened by the laws of any physics. 
“Fuck,” he whispers for the fourth time. The curse scatters over your cheekbone like a kiss. 
Pulling back slightly, he meets your half-closed eyes. “I’m sorry.” It sounds like a prayer. “This might…” he swallows, something in his resolve wavering. “This might hurt.”
Pain. You can barely conceptualize the sensation. It feels like a distant memory. 
And then he’s tilting your head to the side again. His face draws closer, overcomes the last of your remaining senses, demands the full attention of what’s left of your consciousness. 
You think he might kiss you. Whatever desire remains in you almost wishes he would. 
Your eyes flutter shut, lips parting slightly as your eyelashes fan against the tops of your cheeks. 
But his mouth never finds yours. Instead, you feel the soft caress of his lips against the side of your neck, a fleeting touch against the sensitive skin just beneath your jaw. Inhibitions whittled to nothing, you shudder against the sensation, release the airy ghost of a sigh.
He was wrong, you think. With his mouth on your neck, pain is the last thing you feel. 
You feel his lips part against your skin, chasing away some of the cold that has only seeped deeper into bones, into the very essence of your being. 
And then you feel it. Whatever capacity for sensation that remains all focuses on the sudden flash of agony as his teeth pierce the skin of your throat. 
The tiny moan that escapes your lips is pitiful. Your ability to think, to rationalize, feels like something that’s dangling in front of you, just out of reach. Your body is too heavy, too weak to respond to the flash of searing pain as your skin is pierced deeper. 
He can’t speak, but you feel the shallow vibration of a hum against your neck. Soothing, calming. His hand that doesn’t bear the weight of your head moves to push a stray strand of hair from your forehead. It’s gentle, reverent. In complete opposition to the war he wages against your neck. 
Mouth still full of you, a groan escapes him. It’s heady, throaty, and you feel it travel the length of your spine, settle in the pit of your stomach. Sensation is the only thing tethering you to this world, and you can’t quite tell if this is pleasure or pain. 
He pulls back, the absence of his steady heat leaving your jaw vulnerable to the chill in the air. 
“Hold on,” you hear. You can’t pinpoint where the noise comes from. Sound surrounds you, washes over you in a strange uniformity. You feel the ground fall away, something warm and solid behind your shoulders and under your knees.“We’ll be there soon.”
Floating, you think. You must be floating. It’s hard to tell. Moments are bleeding into one another too quickly for you to keep up. 
Eyes closed, body molten, you relax into the steady grip that carries you. 
And the last thing you hear before reality loses its hold is the fervent, whispered sound of your name. 
⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖
CONTINUED IN PART 2 (which can be found on my masterlist!)
⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖
note: THANK YOUUUUU for reading!!! this is pretty different from what I usually write plot wise, so I hope it made for a good read. vampire heeseung and this oc are near and dear to me, and I'm excited to continue their story. the rest of this fic is fully plotted and partially written. I'm actively continuing to work on it, and hearing your thoughts/theories/screaming/feedback/etc. is great motivation! as always, I love know what you're thinking. ♡
1K notes · View notes
rueclfer · 1 month ago
Note
smau request- maaaybe tomura trying to convince reader to wake up and hang with him super late bc he’s def a night owl & they end up staying up until sunrise; flirtation & heavy petting etc as we love to see it
i wrote this at 2am my brain is fried but waow loser/slightly more confident shiggy ily+ enjoy this mix of written and smau <3
twilight zone // tomura shigaraki
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
"oh my fucking god, knock much?" tomura exclaims, spinning around towards you in his swivel chair.
"shut up." you yawn, rubbing your eyes away from the bright PC screen illuminating the room. "like you weren't expecting me or something."
from his desk, tomura watches you click the door behind you and crawl into his bed. you pull the comforter up to your chin and nestle into his mattress as if he was the one that intruded on you in his own bedroom.
"wasn't half-sure if you were even going to come." he murmurs before shutting down his PC, diminishing the only light source in the room.
you feel the bed shift beside you as he stiffly lays down. "might as well light some candles too while you're at it." you tease.
despite how groggy you sounded, tomura could hear you signature smirk in your voice- the one that never failed to irritate the fuck out of him. he hadn't thought this far ahead- wasn't even expecting you to respond to him this late at all. all he could think about was how quick his late-night confidence was dwindling into nothing, making him squirm a bit in his own bed.
"i'd prefer to not have to look at your face." he mutters.
owch.
you don't respond. the exhaustion was ready to take over once your head hit the pillow. you think about the last time you had been in his bed like this.
it was about a month ago when you found yourself too drunk to even form a cohesive sentence. he didn't understand what you were blabbering about, but once he saw your swollen lips, flushed cheeks, glossy eyes, and handle of whiskey under your arm, he just assumed the worst.
you were drunk, touch starved, and desperate, but of course he knew better than to let you sloppily smash your lips into his like you intended two when you stumbled into his doorway. he spent that night half asleep in his gaming chair, periodically reaching over to make sure you were still breathing with his trash can pulled up next to your side of the bed.
once you sobered up the next day, he scolded you. relentlessly. strings of obscenities dripping from his mouth.
from that point on, he made sure to always find a way to keep you two at bay- something that he himself wasn't even sure how to go about. elbow nudges. kicking your feet under the dining room table. laying your legs over his lap on the couch without you asking. pats on shoulder. all to make sure that night never repeated- unsure if he could handle you throwing yourself all over him again.
"are you fucking falling asleep?" you feel a jolt on your shoulder as he shakes you awake. "wake up."
"i'm tired." you whine.
"well stop. i didn't invite you here to sleep in my bed." he huffs.
"the fucks got you up, then?"
"nothing."
you go silent for a moment.
"don't be annoying or else i'll leave." you deadpan.
"don't ask stupid questions then." he returns the attitude. "isn't it obvious? i can't sleep. can't even game right now. i just want to..." he voice falters at the end.
"...hang out with you, i guess."
oh.
your jaw slightly gapes open in surprise, spikes of heat crawling up your neck.
you tightly grip the fabric of the comforter. "well, when you say it like that, it sounds like you actually like me." you chuckle.
"didn't say that. we live together. bothering you is my only option."
"lucky you, i love when you bother me." you scoot closer, noses onto a few inches away from one another. "and even more when i bother you."
"yeah, i know. it's like you can't resist me or something." he pulls the comforter up over his mouth, shyly muffling his words.
"i should be thanking you then, right? thank you so much, tomu, for letting me lay in your bed with you. please. i want you. i need you. it's all i can think about when i'm just across the hall from you. " you roll your eyes.
he scoffs. "wouldn't be the first time you were pathetically begging for me either."
"as if." you spit. "i'd never."
"but you have."
a beat of silence passes. you press your lips together as hotness comes over your body while the events of that night surges back to you.
"you said you'd never bring that up again." you clench your teeth, cringing at the memory of tomura retelling that night's endeavors to you the morning after.
"needed to humble you a bit." he chuckles. "told you it's not a big deal though if you're still embarrassed about it."
"no shit, i'm still embarrassed." you tug the covers up to your nose. "i tried getting at you and you rejected me. i'll never live that down, tomu."
tomura goes quiet for a moment. he must've been thinking. he does that often- retreat back into his head when he isn't sure about what else to say. or maybe he had finally fallen asleep.
you glanced over his shoulder to the analog clock sitting on his desk.
4:27AM.
it was late- or early. maybe these past few sleepless nights had finally caught up to him, hopefully to save you from having to relive an embarrassing moment.
to him, tomura's brain was malfunctioning. crashing. blue screen error.
"uh. wait." he begins, breaking the silence. "reject' isn't the right word. you were drunk. i just did what anyone else would have."
"call it what you want. i just wanted a smooch and you weren't with it. it's whatever, i'm over it, you heartbreaker." you dramatically sigh.
"well, i'll give you one now if it'll get you to shut up."
it was your turn to error and crash now.
"really?" your eyes widen.
tomura's breathing stops. he wasn't sure what gave him the confidence to say that outloud. maybe it was because he couldn't clearly see your face. it was almost like you weren't there- like he was speaking out into the void that made it so easy for those words to slip out.
he didn't mean it. right?
"yeah."
fuck.
"-if you want though." he quips.
please shut the fuck up.
"last month wasn't a rejection. i just didn't want you to only want me when you're drunk, you know."
stop talking.
"but you're sober now and we're talking about it and i just-"
your lips crash into his. it catches you off guard as much as it does to him. despite how much you enjoyed listening to him ramble out his nervousness, you couldn't risk losing another opportunity to kiss him.
your hands crawl up to the side of his neck, rubbing the tender skin below his jaw as you draw him closer to you. the floodgates have opened now. tomura met your lips with the same eagerness.
you were pressed up against one another, legs intertwined, sharing a breath and heartbeats as your hands glided over each other's bodies.
your stomach was twisting with anxiety. how long had you been waiting for this moment? all of those shy glances around the apartment, subtle touches, and hidden affections had clearly not gone unnoticed.
his hand runs from the nape of your neck to your lower back where he slips his hand under your shirt, causing you to pull away in surprise from the sudden contact.
"your hands are freezing, tomu." you gasped. "what the fuck?"
"sorry." he sheepishly mutters against your lips. he keeps his hand against the soft skin of your back, lightly rubbing the area as an apologetic gesture as it warms against your body.
"sorry." you repeat, humiliation starting to creep up your neck as you two settle with the realization of what line you two had just crossed.
a beat of silence passes.
"um. so." he coughs.
"so...yeah." you respond.
it wasn't long before you two started giggling to one another like a couple of children.
"shut up." you laugh, hiding your face into the pillow.
"guess i did say you coukd have anything you want if you came over." he breathlessly chuckles.
"please. shut. up." you squeak out. "i'm going to sleep. it's already like..." you peer over his shoulder. "almost 5:00AM, tomu. good fucking night."
you turn around, letting your back face him. you could die right now. melt into this mattress and into nothing. thank god it was dark and thank god he shared this humiliation with you.
he slings his arm around your waist, bringing himself flushed against your back.
"i'm not tired." he mumbles into the back of your neck, peppering kisses into the soft skin. "stay up with me."
you mentally kick yourself. because you do- not that there was much left of the night to get through, anyways, but because when the night's haze dissipates, you'll be dealt with a bigger issue that you wouldn't be able to pass off as a drunken mistake.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
575 notes · View notes
nyashykyunnie · 4 months ago
Text
˗ˏˋ Jinwoo x Nerd! Fem! Reader: Drabbles ◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ ˎˊ˗
ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕘 𝕁𝕚𝕟𝕨𝕠𝕠˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ
・┆✦ Entry : 037 ✦ ┆・
Tumblr media
╰┈➤ ❝ [ Moonstruck ] ¡! ❞
Jinwoo can be what you call a jock . Is he not? 6 feet tall, a finey built body fit for the demanding sport he chose, undeniably attractive to the ladies with his looks that of an idol— You get the point.
But to him, he wouldn't have it any other way. Not that he is narcissistic of course.
It's just... Well,...
This life is way better than what he had to go through when the gates were open. Sure, he hasn't completely sealed the gates away, but this peace is still uncomparable.
As he looks up at the grey skies, he finds himself tearing from the clouds and looking at your distant figure from the bleachers busily jotting down something in your little notebook.
He heard of you from his many friends, or should he remain with them with how snarky they are? They often described you in degrading means, openly mocking your appearance, and discussing well... Your interests.
From what he heard, you were quite the eccentric person back then. Almost everyone in this class came from the same elementary school after all. They said you used to be the loudest most obnoxious girl in class, which led you directly into being the figure of mockery for young kids.
It was obvious that history made you into the reclused person that you are today. He never really pays attention to anyone, but Jinwoo somewhat knew of your presence around him— After all, he sat behind you.
Other than that? He never knew anything else about you.
⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ଳ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ⋆ ౨ৎ ˚ ⟡ ˖ ࣪
Jinwoo sighs as he packs up his notebook after the subject has ended. He was feeling deathly bored despite the fact that he needs to think about the research project that the previous teacher had assigned.
"..." He feels two gentle taps on his shoulder.
"U-uhm..." Jinwoo looks back, looking back at your awkward demeanour. "...Erm... We're assigned together for this project?.."
"Ah right," Jinwoo hums, "Wanna talk about it now? It's a free period after all"
"Sure..." You fidget in your fingers, actively avoiding Jinwoo's eyes that he found intriguing but didn't point out.
"The teacher wants us to discuss something about geology something" Jinwoo says boredly. "Any ideas?"
"..."
He watches you shrink to yourself and he clears his throat.
I must have come off as cold, he thought.
"I'm fine with anything," He said. "I'm not too good with these stuff so..."
"Twilight..." Jinwoo hears your small voice.
"Pardon?"
"We can do... The twilight zone." You say.
"???" Jinwoo tilts his head. "What's that?"
"...!" He watches you perk up, a distinctive glimmer in your eyes as you start shaking your fists a little. "I-it's uhm... The twilight zone or the mesopalagic which is underneath the epipelagic and is beneath the ocean surface and erm... Well, it's 1000 meters deep and since it's so deep it's really really dark, the only light you can see are the occasional bioluminescense flickers which is like a small light made by the deepsea creatures. I-it's basically made by a chemical reaction between luciferin and luciferase which are respectively a light-emitting molecule and luciferase is an enzyme. S-since the mesopalagic zone is really dark compared to the epipalagic zone that can still has a bit of light and algae can still have photosynthesis. The mesopalagic zone instead uses chemosynthesis that happens around hydrothermal vents and uhm... Methane seeps. Bacterias on the uhm sea floor, the very very bottom or inside other animals use the energies in err... Energies that are stored in chemical bonds of some stuff. We can use that for our research."
"..." Jinwoo felt like he just died three seconds into your little rant trying to explain what the twilight zone. He can't even recall one or two words from all that talking you did which he in turn felt a little guilty for. "S-sure... Let's go with the mesopela....Thing."
And that was the start of your friendship with Jinwoo.
He didn't really think much of it, the two of you managed to get a perfect score in the research project because of your extensive knowledge of the deep sea.
Jinwoo thought that would be end of his interactions with you, and yet he slowly finds himself looking for your presence. At first, it was just simple goodmornings and hellos whenever you both pass by eachother by the hallways during lunch— To him starting some small talk with you.
It really started so simple, it really did. But slowly, Jinwoo found himself purposely triggering your nerdy side.
At first, it was just him making an excuse to prolong the conversations. But now? He was actively listening to whatever you tell him to. He still had trouble memorizing or processing the many names and chemical, biological stuff you yap on and on about but in the end— He finds himself wanting to know more about it.
He wanted to learn more about you.
The sea really seemed to make you the happiest seeing how you perk up as you start explaining the life cycle of a sperm whale, or how beautiful the cetaceans are in general.
Because of your non-stop obsession with the deep, Jinwoo finds himself listening to whale songs that somehow helped him relax more at night.
He'd always have multiple nightmares whenever he slept, sometimes he dreams of his father's death, most times it's him relieving the agony he had gone through leveling up and the phantom pain of dying multiple times— Despite his age they still haunt him.
And when Jinwoo finds himself in the torturous cycle of death and misery, he hears the distant hum of whales. In his nightmares, he would follow those songs and get pulled out of his hell.
And he swears, that in every nightmare you would be the one to reach your hand out and taking him into paradise. He would wake up with his outstretched palm towards the ceiling, a tear falling down his cheek.
He craved to touch your fingers at that very moment, he wanted to feel the gentle caress of your digits on his face, the warmth of your skin against his, the sound of your tender voice reverberating in his ears as you explained to him all about the things you love.
Jinwoo would never really realize that he himself is growing soft on you. He knows that his friends would never shut up about how gentle he is around you, but he never really believes their words.
What's so wrong about him wanting to bask in you anyway?
He just wants to bask in your presence, drown in the moment just as you are with your love for the ocean.
⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ଳ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ⋆ ౨ৎ ˚ ⟡ ˖ ࣪
"My king" Igris's small head appears, hovering over Jinwoo's shoulder. "The queen, she's"
"Out with it," He says immediately as he had just had just finished changing out of his track suit.
"...She's hyperventilating, a few unruly morons decided to mock her of her unfortunate past and she is unwell," Igris explains. "Your orders, my lo—"
"Shadow Exchange."
Instantly, Jinwoo had transported himself to where you were. He wasn't too worried about you catching him, since you were too distracted pacing back and forth nibbling at the edge of your fingertips.
He shakes his head, knocking on the desk to catch your attention.
To which it did but it startled you.
"A-ah, Jinwoo..." You sputter, not meeting his grey eyes again as you fumble on yourself. "I... Didn't see you there."
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you" Jinwoo smiles gently, "Wanna go somewhere cool for a bit?"
"But... We're in school?" You tilts your head, watching him offer up a hand, waiting for you to accept his offer.
"It's okay, just trust me in this" He said.
You were hesitant at first, but eventually, you place your palm on Jinwoo's. He pulls you a bit close, his towering figure in front of you. But somehow, you felt completely safe as long as he is here.
The ground beneath you both would shift, from the pristine while tiles of your school to blue water reflecting your images. You throw your head up above your head, and up in the sky you could see fluffy and full white clouds moving ever so slowly.
"H-how?" You asked, baffled, your knees trembling as you feared that you will fall into water since you don't know how to swim.
"It's okay, it's okay" Jinwoo cooes, gently lifting your chin up. "Look at me. Look at me."
His grey eyes were so gentle, full of tenderness as it gazes upon you.
"Don't be scared," Jinwoo smiles, "It's all mine, so there's nothing to be scared of"
He then brings another hand out and flicks his finger, where the lovely sound of whale songs would catch your attention.
Your gaze would befall to your right, where a giant and majestic humpback blue whale would gracefully swim on the air.
More would appear around the both of you, from giant cetaceans to different species of jellyfish as well as sharks would fill the sky— All of them swimming about.
You find yourself so utterly mesmerized, your heart almost drumming out of your chest as you reach your hand up in the air, to which a few fish would come to your direction and nuzzle your fingers.
"It's kissing my fingertips, tickling me..." You say, your gleaming eyes looking at Jinwoo who was just watching you the whole time.
In his mind, Jinwoo would recall the conversations he has with his friends. They would never shut up about how he cant stop himself from hovering around you. How Jinwoo can't stop himself from ghosting his fingers around you. How his eyes cant hide away the adoration in them whenever you are in his sight. It was like he's this lovesick puppy.
And they're right.
He is utterly and completely devoted to you. He wants to give you everything that he has in his person, he wants to give you his paradise. If he can, he would rip his heart out and offer it to you.
He wanted to give you the world.
Everytime he listens to your ramblings, he finds himself lost in your presence. It was as if you yourself was his very own version of a lullaby.
And he wanted nothing more than to protect and love you.
"It's okay," Jinwoo says, intertwining his fingers with yours before bringing the back of your hand up to his lips— Where he would lightly kiss your knuckles. "Everything here, so long as I'm around you— You'll be safe and sound."
"Nothing and no one can ever hurt you, alright? So please, just keep talking like you always did, I like hearing about your love of the ocean. I want to see the prettier things of this world, so won't you tell me more?"
⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ଳ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ⋆ ౨ৎ ˚ ⟡ ˖ ࣪
That was the day that Jinwoo became your boyfriend. Days spend with him are full of love and adoration... Minus the little anxiety you have in your heart as a lot of kids in your grade would disappear. The only similarity with them was that they all used to be your past bullies that you would tell Jinwoo and people who would mock you behind your back. But since you have Jinwoo, you'll be alright. The police will be in charge of that. That is,... If they are even smart enough to figure out who this little serial killer is.
Tumblr media
꒰ 🪼A/N: I swear I will make the Jinwoo vs Sylus soon as well as the sequel to the Assassin au. But as of now I'm still stuck in writer's block with those and I am still figuring out what to do with everything else. ꒱
Tumblr media
ʚ(੭´͈ ᐜ `͈)੭ .。✧・゚: ~♡ — All stories written by kyunnie; translations, reposts, plagiarism are strictly forbidden.
485 notes · View notes
phoenixyfriend · 5 months ago
Text
AU where Xanatos is "redeemed by the power of cute," but it's actually a psychological whammy caused by Obi-Wan being supernaturally adorable as a species-specific juvenile defense mechanism, and is functionally immediate brainwashing by the 13yo who doesn't know that's what he's doing.
Tbh this is mostly just Defense Mechanism that makes Xanatos harmless, but in a way everyone finds very concerning and uncomfortable because it's kind of mind control.
Someone (@dracothulhu) asked if it was related to Mimic Spider AU, and it is not! Mimic spider AU is just "ohhhh you wanna fuck me so b--PSYCH! EATING YOU."
This is more "I'm a little baby, I'm SUCH a little baby, you don't want to hurt me, you could never hurt me, I'm so adorable I'm so cute doesn't it just kill you to think about hurting me?"
Mimic spider AU is just Hot and Confident. This is straight up Mind Whammie.
@threebea also thought brood parasitism, and offered:
I'm trying to figure out a reason for the Stewjoni to have like brood parasitism where they will stick their young with other families for awhile before picking them up Used to do it to Mandoalorians all the time, and it's part of the reason the Mandalorian adopt anything stereotype got so strong. Stewjoni looking at Jedi: those seem parent shaped here you go
Which is great, except I actually started with the idea of it being kind of the inverse!
(That said, I won't actually say no to the brood parasitism option.)
Xanatos: had been about to kidnap and put him on a deep sea mine now is feeding him pudding Is it he's acting normal but doing weird things or is he suddenly talking to Obi-Wan like he's an adorable puppy
He's kind of zoned out.
Xanatos: look at him so cute Omg Obi-Wan: standing there Xanatos: kriff I don't have a camera - also from threebea
Also cuddles! Which Obi-Wan actually Does Not Want. But if he's Very Very Still then maybe Qui-Gon will find him and fix this.
Like if a tiger held and groomed you and you just were waiting Very Still for the zookeeper to distract it and/or load up the tranq.
After the days he's had he'd perhaps like a cuddle but not from this guy Lol Xanatos: so soft The effect only works on humans and near humans so it didn't work on the hutt and (can't remember the other species) on the ship
We can say it works through the Force and that's why the Hutt is immune.
"Stewjoni are targets of slavers" but specifically for illegal adoptions. It's lucrative, because most bounty hunters last about twenty seconds before they give the crying baby back where it wants to go.
And most of the immune ones get caught by planetary defense forces.
So if you CAN steal a baby, the profit margin is insane, since it's so damn hard to do, but the baby up for illegal adoption is sooooo cute.
(…this concept would be hilarious with one of those "Tor adopts baby Ben Kenobi to turn into a weapon" AUs. Still a shitty childhood bc Death Watch can justify a lot under the umbrella of Teaching Self-Defense. But interesting.)
IF YOU HAVE READ TWILIGHT: do you remember the bit about vampire babies being so cute that people would let them slaughter entire villages without a qualm?
It's like that, except Obi-Wan doesn't have dreams of mass slaughter and it only really activates as a Threat Response.
I guess the evolutionary trigger is it's kind of a paralytic You can't move far from where you stole the kid
Which is exactly right!
424 notes · View notes
nana-au · 7 months ago
Text
JJK Men React to Finding Out You Like Them
G.Satoru, G.Suguru, I.Yuji, F.Megumi
(I got carried away with Gojo's.. mb)
𓂃⊹ ִֶָ
G.Satoru: You could not stand him and his stupid, annoying, ugly (undeniably pretty) face.
Shoko and Geto swore you two bickered like an old married couple. The two of you would scoff, sometimes even pushing each other’s shoulders just to remind the other one who was stronger. It was down right childish the way you both interacted with each other. Pinching and hair pulling. Arguing over who was right and wrong, sometimes even arguing against obvious facts just to piss the other one off. You couldn’t stand his pompous attitude and he couldn’t stand the fact you weren’t in awe of him like he believed you should be. He made every hair on your body stand straight just by his voice or the way his figure loomed over you as he teased you. 
“What’s this for?” He mocked, pinching your cheek you dusted with blush. 
“None of your business,” you assured him, attempting to punch him in the gut. He would swiftly dodge it, continuing to mock you. 
“Surely it isn’t for a boyfriend. I feel bad for any guy dumb enough to be interested in you,” his glasses would slide down his nose as he looked over your figure. You didn’t hesitant to tell him to suck a dick, and it didn’t even cross his mind to not tell you that you wished you could suck his. “I’d never let you though,” he assured you and you would huff out a ‘thank God!’. You would attempt to storm off, but he kept body blocking you, and you were adamant on not making bodily contact with the guy. “Where are you going?” he quizzed and you begged him to drop it - that it was none of his business. You were getting really worked up, more so than usual. His assumption wasn’t necessarily wrong, you were trying to leave for your date with a barista from the coffee shop you frequented in Tokyo. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll have to let Sensei know. Can’t have you up to no good.” 
“Then go tell him!” you huffed. You were going to be running late if the asshole in front of you wouldn’t move. “God Gojo, you are so childish,” he only stuck his tongue out at you. You were about to start shaking with anger and against your better judgment you confessed to him. “Fine! It’s a date, make fun of me all you want when I get back,” your chest was heaving and your blood was hot. To your sudden shock, Gojo stepped out of your way wordlessly and watched as you took off out the doors. 
The next few days felt like the Twilight Zone. You did your makeup again and Gojo didn’t even bother to flick your cheeks. When you mentioned to Shoko how nice the weather was, he didn’t argue that it was ‘Just alright’. While Suguru, Gojo, and you were taking turns sparring, he didn’t hide the defeat in his face when you kicked dirt onto him after knocking him on his ass. To you, that was really the last straw. You started to feel evil for continuing your usual antics while he just took it. A few more days went by of you both ignoring each other until one afternoon you were eating lunch with Shoko talking about your date. Geto and Gojo took their usual seats across from you as you both discussed what transpired. “Maybe he doesn’t want to sound needy,” she said when you mentioned he hadn’t texted you back still. 
“He probably thinks you're ugly,” Gojo said nonchalantly. It was the first sentence he had spoken to you in days and you had to keep your jaw from dropping to the floor. You weren’t even sure if he really spoke or if you imagined it. Perhaps your brain was filling in the words you wanted to hear from him. Not that you wanted him to call you ugly per se, but the silence from him was worse than the insults. 
“So he talks.” His eyes rolled cartoonishly at your words. He stuck a spoonful of rice in his mouth before talking,
“Giv-up,” he mumbled, some rice spilling out of his mouth. Your face contorted with disgust. He swallowed, continuing, “You're unlikeable”.
“Yeah ‘cause you’re so likable yourself,” you scoff. He continued eating and the table dropped it, all choosing to change the topic. 
Honestly, you were sure that would be your last conversation with Gojo. You went about your days without his obnoxious presence. You went on another date and were getting fairly close with your favorite barista, even inviting him to meet Shoko. You all agreed to meet up at his cafe and you were awed as he described to you the drinks he made you two. You sipped them and listened as he rambled on about the ristretto shots and the milk foam. Shoko grew bored quickly, but she was happy you were happy. 
The bell attached to the door chimed, and the blood in your face drained, leaving you sickly pale. Gojo waved to you, pointing out to Geto where the three of you sat and dragged him along. “What is he doing here?” you frantically asked Shoko. She covered her face to hide her amusement, she had to give it to him, he was about to make this deathly boring conversation into an incredibly entertaining one. 
“Since when do you drink coffee?” Gojo asked you, pulling up a chair and sitting next to you. “I thought caffeine made you sick?” he pouted at you, pulling away the latte. He wasn’t wrong, you did tend to feel unwell after having caffeine, but since when did he care? 
“I can handle myself, Gojo,” you spat. Gojo ignored you, taking two big gulps from the mug and finishing it then and there. 
“Wow you made this?” he asked the guy. He nodded, looking incredibly confused. “Tastes like shit.” With a quickness you were out of your chair and pulling Gojo by the collar of his button down. “Be right back,” he snickered to the barista as you dragged him out the door. 
“What is your problem?” You begged. He looked shocked, telling you him and Geto were just walking by when he saw you and Shoko. You were bewildered by the way he was acting, completely stumped as to what you should even say. His hand grabbed yours that was still gripping his collar. He pulled it off and pushed it against the wall, his hand caging yours as he leaned against your intertwined fingers. His eyes watched your lips as you kept opening them to speak, but closing them when you kept losing your words. 
“Is this not what you wanted?” His words were breathy and hard to hear. “I know you are doing this-” His free hand gesturing to your figure, “to get a reaction from me.”
“You’ve really lost it now, Gojo,” you couldn’t hide the blush though. He smiled at you regardless, and your legs began to feel weak. It hit you like a truck. His smile was cocky and genuine. It wasn’t coated with his usual delusional smirk, but an all-knowing, teeth-showing grin. It was then you grew nauseous with the knowledge Suguru snitched on your drunk confession. 
You hardly remembered that night - Geto had shared his bottle of Jack Daniel’s and you were too much of a lightweight to keep yourself from admitting to him that you enjoyed Gojo’s teasing. That you were infatuated with the white-haired sorcerer and you had really started to like him. That his cocky attitude was not a turn off like you tried to convince yourself and that when he stood over you, making you feel small, you weren’t mad at him but mad you enjoyed the feeling of being towered over by him. 
“I’m not dating just to make you jealous,” you tried to stand up for yourself. You really weren’t, the guy just asked you and you had nothing better to do. You got free drinks out of it too- really that was all it was. 
“How could I be jealous when I know you like me?”
In Suguru’s defense, when you called him a traitor he assured you it was an accident. He just wanted to get Satoru out of his funk. The day he caught you looking all dolled up, just to find out it was for another man, he couldn’t get out of his own head. He also didn’t understand why he couldn’t. He pestered his best friend for days over it and Suguru had to throw in the towel. You liked him because he heard it from you. And Satoru liked you because he knows his best friend more than anyone. 
It was all worth it in the end, because things went back to normal. (Except for the small detail that Satoru and you were now a couple). 
𓂃⊹ ִֶָ
G.Suguru: The older boy’s reaction made you swoon.
You were a year below him at Jujutsu Tech and you were in awe of his cursed technique and if you were forced to be honest, in awe of him. You must’ve looked like a lost puppy following him around when you insisted on watching him train, joining him to find a snack at the convenience store, and insisting on learning about all the curses he had under his control. He was so kind about it too - always dismissing Gojo when he would groan about how insistent you were. “How can you put up with her? She doesn’t have her own life,” he would say, poking his tongue out.
 “She’s just curious, Satoru,” he would reply. He wouldn’t kid himself though, he found you absolutely adorable and didn’t mind having you under his arm all day. You weren’t much younger than him, but you felt as though he held infinite wisdom. Your eyes would twinkle up at him as he shared stories of his missions and his lips would tingle watching yours twitch with ‘oohs” and “ahhs”. He adored the way you would watch him as he ran around the track, shirtless and dripping with sweat. When you joined him he couldn’t help but keep your pace just so he could keep his attention on you. You didn’t know this when you finally confessed, but he was as infatuated with you as you were with him. He was obsessed with how obsessed you were with him. He was by no means struggling in attracting women, but to have you be so casually faithful to him, it was too hard to not take advantage of. 
The day you decided to dress up really pretty for your weekly Tuesday walk to Tokyo for lunch at his favorite place was the day you officially confessed. You wore the skirt the two of you saw one day while window shopping - the one he said reminded him of something you would wear. You even applied lip gloss even though you despise the fact your hair always gets stuck in it. “What’s got you looking all pretty?” he would muse. 
“Sugu, I like you,” you admitted, quick like pulling off a bandaid. You hadn’t even made it out of the school’s grounds when you confessed. He held out his arm to stop you and blocked the way with his tall figure. 
“I already knew that, little one,” he cooed. “Let’s go, we don’t want to be late,” he grabbed your small hand in his and continued forward. It wasn’t an official response, but you knew him so well that it was official enough for you.
𓂃⊹ ִֶָ
I.Yuji : You swear the boy must be dumb.
Your friends would definitely describe you as the shy type. You never talked out of turn or made your true feelings known so blatantly - but with Yuji - you were really trying. If Yuji said he was hungry, you would always be there to hand him his favorite candy. When his face was caked with dirt and sweat after a mission, you were there with a cloth to clean him up. If he so much as got a paper cut you would insist on applying a bandaid to his finger. You couldn’t tell if you liked helping him more than he liked being helped. He would always smile at you, warm and sincere. His eyes would hold yours, cheeks flushed a light pink. The way he would look at you, head angled down to get a good look at your face, the innocent scrunch of his eyebrows..
“You’re such an amazing friend,” he would say and you had to blink to keep your eyes from rolling back into your head. 
One day as he was happily sipping the ice cold tea you bought him, munching on the little pastry you went out of your way to get after he announced - very loudly - how starved he was, you decided enough was enough. 
“I like you,” You told him bluntly. He finished chewing his last bite before telling you he liked you too. 
“You’re a really good friend,” he smiled. You could feel your body begin to shake as you repeated what you said. 
“I like-like you, Yuji. Not friend-like. Like-Like.” Your hands went to grip the grass beneath you, desperately trying to ground yourself. His eyebrows scrunched, as if he was trying to process your confession. You couldn’t hold his eyes when he didn’t immediately respond. You turned your attention to Maki and Nobara who were training not far in front of you. Your eyes couldn’t focus on their figures as your body shouted at you to get up and bury yourself in bed for the day. His hand found your thigh, and you jumped slightly. When your eyes met him again, you swore you never saw him look so serious. His lips were in a thin line, eyes twinkling. 
“Maybe I like-like you too,” he spoke only above a whisper and you melted on the spot.
𓂃⊹ ִֶָ
F.Megumi: The boy was always in his own little world
That’s what you really liked about him. His ability to be quiet, observant, and at times lost in his own thoughts. All though, trying to get him to notice your crush on him would be harder than pulling all of your toenails off one by one. You would lay in Nobara’s bed as she admired the outfits she bought that day, trying her best to ignore your groans. 
“I should just give up now,” you whined. You had finished a long winded rant about Megumi, how he never reacted to your attention in the way you craved him to. 
“You should give up. I’m sick of hearing it,” Nobara lovingly teased. “Or you could just tell him,” You would gasp at the idea and bury your head into her pillow. 
You always found yourself to be the type of girl to read everyone’s feelings. People were like books to you, except for him. Before joining Jujutsu Tech, flirting was second nature to you. But when you saw his messy black hair and cold blue eyes your brain short circuited. You sure would try to flirt though. Giggling at his jokes he thought no one heard or playing with your hair in conversation. You would buy a new perfume and ask him to smell you, or ask if he liked the way you did your makeup that day. He would flush red and obey your asks. He would tell you that you smell great or that your eyelashes looked really pretty, but he would end it there. 
A couple days had passed since your rant to Nobara and the four of you were out in Tokyo. Yuji had insisted you all join him to the movies, and with nothing better to do you all obliged. At the theater you paid for your drink and popcorn and made your way to your movie when you noticed Nobara and Megumi weren’t following behind you. You shrugged it off and sat down with Yuji to watch the previews. The lights had already dimmed and the movie just started by the time Nobara came with Megumi in tow. “Sit,” she commanded him, referring to the spot next to you. You watched as Megumi - stiff as a board- took the seat beside you, and continued to shuffle around in his seat trying to get comfortable. 
“What happened?” you whispered to him, scared of what Nobara had done to make him act so odd. He didn’t respond and kept his eyes glued to the screen. It went on like that for a while, him still squirming awkwardly in his seat and when a jump scare came on screen and he didn’t react you turned to him again. “You act like you saw a ghost,” you joked to him. He replied dead serious.
“Just saw Nobara, that’s all.”
“What did she do?” You weren’t really sure you even wanted to know. After what seemed like hours of silence he asked if you really did like him. 
“Is it true what Nobara said?” Your mouth fell open and he was now completely facing you. You were all there for a screening of a horror movie and right now the main character was in a dark basement making it hard to see any light on Megumi’s face. From what you could see though, he looked flustered but maintained his eye contact with you. Thanks to Nobara it was now or never, and you meekly shook your head at him. He scratched the back of his neck and you could see his Adam's apple bob in his throat. Your face was hot watching him process your confession, not sure if you wanted to punch Nobara or thank her for finally putting you out of your misery. Even if it did mean Megumi no longer wanted to be near you. “I’ve just never had someone tell me that,” he finally spoke. ‘I don’t hate you, just give me time to process that,” he asked. You nodded and turned back to the screen, trying to focus on the protagonist dodging death. You had grown as stiff as him and noticing, he put his hand on your thigh, squeezing it lightly as reassurance. You both were red in the face, eyes glued to the front of the theater but not actually watching what was on it, lost in your thoughts. The process wasn’t smooth for you two, but your confession made Megumi realize his own feelings. Why he felt nervous when you were in the room and why he doubted his words before speaking to you. You both worked on it together, and your confidence with each other grew. It wasn’t long before you two went to Tokyo alone or sat in each other’s room late at night just talking. Megumi was your boyfriend by the end of the year, and you felt as giddy around him as the day you first met him. 
546 notes · View notes
toomanystoriessolittletime · 9 months ago
Text
Mistakes
Summary: You were tired of men making decisions for you. Even though they had your best interest at heart, all they ended up doing was breaking your heart more and more. After reuniting Joel with his brother Tommy (your Ex who left the QZ without telling anyone including you) in a town called Jackson and an overdue argument with Joel Miller you finally confess your feelings for him, spending the night with the older brother, only to wake up alone in an empty house with him and Ellie gone.
Pairing: Joel Miller x fem. reader (former Tommy Miller x fem. reader)
Wordcount: 6.4k
Rating: E
Warnings: angst, pining, feelings, Joel Miller not being good at those feelings, past heartbreak, current heartbreak, mentioned of miscarriage, more angst, also some smut (unprotected sex), kissing, mentions of violence, stitches, blood
A/N: this summary sucks but I have no idea how to make it better. Let’s hope the fics doesn’t suck like it lmao
follow @toomanystoriessolittletime-fics and turn on notifications to get notified when I post new fics
Tumblr media
It was like entering the twilight zone when the gates opened.
People were wandering the streets with smiles on their faces. You could hear children's laughter. Some people stopped and nodded towards you as you passed by them on the horse the people who had found you had put you on. 
Your gaze always slipped back to Ellie and Joel in front of you. Watching them closely. 
The woman who had talked to Joel, Maria, had not given you much more information other than to follow them after she learned Joel’s name and that he was looking for his brother Tommy. 
But you had seen in her face that she recognised the name. 
If you were honest with yourself you never believed you would really find him. Tommy. 
It had been such a long time since Joel had heard from him last and the only reason you agreed to join him in his search for Tommy was because you were scared of losing the last connection you had to your previous life. 
Tommy, Joel and you grew up together. 
When you thought of them you thought of summers at the Miller’s pool. Of thirteen year old Joel trying to teach five year old you how to swim while six year old Tommy kept trying to pull you under the water. 
The little shit. 
Of course as you turned older your interests changed, yet you all still managed to spend at least a week of the summer break together out for mischief. 
And then it all changed when Tommy Miller kissed you. 
It was after Joel left for College and if you were honest with yourself you had been crushing on him for a while at that point. 
You and Tommy had been together for two years before you found him kissing another girl. 
God, you had been so heartbroken back then. 
He had been your first real boyfriend and a tiny part of you thought he'd be the man you would marry and have kids with. Sixteen year old you had her life planned out to the dot. 
It had taken years for you to accept him as a friend again. 
Joel and you had become closer in the meantime. He’d told you all about his plans to open his own business and that he wanted to propose to his girlfriend. 
You were also the first person he told when he learned that he’d become a father. 
He had been scared but so happy. 
And you knew from the moment you saw him hold Sarah for the first time, that he would move heaven and earth for his little girl. Nothing would stay in his way. Not when his girlfriend left him with a toddler, not when both of his parents died, leaving him to deal with everything on his own. 
Sarah was his whole world. 
Until the world ended. 
The years after that were dark and painful. That was the excuse you used, that you needed to feel something different for at least a little moment, when you started to sleep with Tommy again. 
Which went on for years even after you made it to the QZ.
Until he left without a word. 
Leaving you and his brother again to pick up the pieces. 
“Tommy!” you heard Joel shout and your eyes followed his gaze, his horse stopping as he jumped off. 
He looked different. Older than you remembered him. But there walking down the steps was indeed Tommy Miller. 
Joel had found him. 
His eyes found yours as he hugged his brother, whispering your name in disbelief. 
For a moment, a small moment you were beyond relieved to find him alive and well. Anger replaced that feeling pretty quickly. He was alive and well and in a fucking functioning town without ever sending a fucking message?
You had stopped counting how often you had been almost killed on this mission to find him because Joel and you thought something had happened to him and he needed saving. 
You closed your eyes, swallowing your anger, finding Ellie watching you when your eyes opened again. 
“Let’s have something to eat,” Maria said next to you and you gave her a sharp nod, leaving the Miller brothers behind. 
Tumblr media
You hated the fact that you cried when you were angry. 
Tears were streaming down your face as you showered under the warmest fucking water you had felt in years, scrubbing your body furiously. 
The nerve he had. 
Not only was he perfectly fine, no he was married and about to be a father. 
You didn’t like the way his wife Maria kept glaring at Joel not trying to be sneaky about it. 
You could only imagine what he had told her.
He used to blame Joel for what you all had done after the outbreak on your way to the Boston QZ. You had always argued about it in the privacy of the shitty apartment you shared back in the QZ. Because Tommy was a fully grown man when he killed those people. He could have stopped and left. But it was easier to blame someone else for the decisions he was too scared or cowardly to make. 
You could only hope that you’d be out of here first thing in the morning before you’d explode. 
Tumblr media
Of course life had other plans. 
You walked into the house across the street just as Maria tried to warn Ellie about Joel. 
“But there are clearly things you don't know about Joel,” you heard Maria say. You stopped outside the window to listen.
“Oh, like how he used to kill people? I know about that,” Ellie said.  
“So then you understand my concern.”
“He doesn't do that anymore,” Ellie defended him. 
“He stopped killing people?” Maria asked and you rolled your eyes. 
“Innocent ones. And Tommy did it, too. Are you worried about him?” 
You chose that moment to walk into the house, finding Ellie sitting in the kitchen, Maria cutting her hair. 
“Tommy was following Joel. The way you are now,” Maria said looking at you. 
“No offence but you have no idea what you are talking about,” you said and she raised her eyebrow. 
“I think I do,” she said, putting the scissors down. 
“Yeah? You are comparing a fourteen year old girl to a fully grown man who had all the time in the world to step away and stop what we did back then. But he didn’t. He never stops. He’s a fucking…” you stopped yourself, taking a deep breath. 
“He told me about you. About how he regrets leaving without a word,” Maria said. 
You scoffed. 
“Sure he does. He always regrets doing things after he did them. That’s why he never sent word that he’s alive.”
“That’s my fault. And he didn’t know that you’d be coming to look for him,” she said.
“That’s what family does. We look out for each other. But maybe we’re not family anymore. Come on Ellie,” you said and she got up from the chair immediately, walking towards you. 
“Stop,” Maria said and you sighed. 
“I’ll take her to the movies and you…. I think you, Joel and Tommy need to talk.”
Tumblr media
“You’re angry,” Joel looked up at you as you sat down next to him. He was trying to fix his boots. 
“I thought I wasn’t anymore but…. Fuck look around this place? I’m just so… Fuck I really want to punch him,” you groaned and Joel chuckled. 
“I know the feelin’,” he sighed. 
You let your head fall against his shoulder, closing your eyes. 
You felt his lips on your temple. 
„You gonna tell him?“ He whispered. Your opened your eyes, shaking your head. 
„Don’t think he would care,“ you mumbled. 
„I think you would be surprised,“ he said quietly.
You both sat there in silence for a moment. 
„I’m weak,“ Joel said after a moment. You sat yourself up, your head turning to look at him. 
„What do you mean?“ 
He sighed, not looking up at you as he focused on fixing his shoes. 
„Lately, there are these moments where the fear comes up outta nowhere, and... my heart... feels like it's stopped. And I have dreams. Every night,“ he said quietly. 
You carefully put your hand on his shoulder.
„What kinda dreams?“
„I don't know. I can't remember. I just know that when I wake up... I've lost somethin’,“ you saw the tears in his eyes. You knew something had changed in the last weeks. He was more quiet, staring of in the distance when he thought you weren’t looking. 
„I'm failin' in my sleep. That's all I do. It's all I've ever done is fail her again and again. I fail you again and again. I see you die ever single night in my dreams and I…“ you put your arms around his shoulders, tears running down your cheeks. 
„I can’t protect you anymore,“ he whispered and you tensed.
„I’m gonna… I’m gonna ask Tommy to take her. I’m just gonna get her killed. Both of you. I know it. I have to leave…“ you did not give him a chance to continue, jumping up from your position. 
„You gonna ask Tommy to take her? What about me? You gonna just…. Let him take me too? Because you know I won’t leave her. We’re all she has Joel,“ you said, your voice getting louder. 
„You could stay here. It’s safe. You would be safe…“ he said but you shook your head. 
„Stay here with Tommy? Super happy Tommy who finally got the right woman pregnant?“ You yelled. 
He said your name, pleading but you shook your head. 
„You know, I should have seen this coming. I knew I would end up alone. First him, now you… I really thought that you felt…“ you shook your head, „How silly of me to think it would be different with you…“ you laughed bitterly, stubbornly brushing the tears away. 
You took a deep breath. 
„One day you are gonna wake up and realise that the only reason why you feel so alone, is because you pushed everyone away. Because you think you don’t deserve to be cared for. Tommy, Ellie…. Me….,“ you shook your head before you looked at him. 
„Don’t bother asking Tommy. I’m gonna leave with her first thing in the morning. You’ll never gonna see either of us again,“ you said before you turned around, ignoring him calling after you, hoping you’d made it back to the house before you broke down. 
You hadn’t even crossed the street when you heard your name being called, Tommy’s familiar voice startling you. 
You just walked faster, not bothering to stop. 
„Please just…“ you felt his hand on your shoulder and you whirled around, glaring up at the man you once loved so much. 
„Leave me alone,“ you gritted through your clenched teeth, before turning away from him. 
„It’s what you Miller’s do best,“ you called over your shoulder before you made your way back to the house. 
Tumblr media
You laid awake in bed when you heard the door open. 
You had told Ellie in the most gentle way that it would only be you who would take her to the fireflies. Of course she had questions, and you promised her to answer every single one once you were on the road. 
She had fallen asleep rather quickly before you made your way to the biggest bedroom. You just laid down on the bed, fully clothed staring at the ceiling as the hours passed by. 
You were broken, you had been for a long time. 
The only thing you could always count on to keep you going was Joel. 
He was your rock and part of you always thought you were his. Even when he was with Tess or any other women. At the end of the day, once he needed someone to talk, to really talk to, he always came to you. 
He held you when you found out you were pregnant after Tommy left. 
He was there when you woke up in pain, he was there when you found out you lost the baby.
He was always there. 
And along the way you fell in love with him. 
You turned your head to look at Joel who was standing in the door just looking at you. 
It was like there was something in the air all of the sudden, the hairs on your neck standing up as his eyes moved over your body, his gaze lingering on your lips. 
„I’m sorry,“ he said quietly, slowly walking towards you. 
When you didn’t say anything as he stopped in front of the bed he slowly sat down, reaching for one of your hands. You were too tired to fight him.  
„You were right,“ he started, his thumb running over the back of your hand, his head turned down. 
„I keep pushing you away because I’m so fucking scared to lose someone else I…,“ he shook his head. 
„I care about. I care about you so much, it scares me. It would kill me if something happened to you, because I was to weak to protect you. And I… I can’t lose you. I just can’t. I wanna keep you safe and….“
„Joel….“ You interrupted him and he looked at you as you slowly sat yourself up so you were kneeling on the bed next to him. You reached the hand he was not holding up, your fingers brushing over his cheek, his eyes closing slowly as he released a shuddering breath. 
Your hand lingered on his skin, your fingertips rubbing over the corner of his lips and his eyes flipped open, finding yours. 
„You know I love you, right?“ You whispered and his eyes softened for a small moment, before he nodded. 
„Then please let me in and let me love you,“ you said before you leaned in and kissed him softly.
He tensed for a moment before one of his hands came to the back of your head, deepening the kiss, pulling you closer, his other hand on your back. 
„Joel,“ you gasped, your hands pulling at his shirt until he parted from you, taking his shirt off. You let your hands wander up your chest before you pulled your own shirt off, leaving you in just your old bra.
„Fucking beautiful,“ he whispered before he kissed you again, slowly leaning over you until you were laying in bed with him above you. 
Joel slowly kissed down your throat, your chest until he gave all his attention to your breasts. He sucked on your nipples through the thin worn fabric of your bra until you sat yourself up, almost making him fall off the bed, both of you laughing as you took it off, a groan leaving his mouth, one of his hands palming himself. You bit into your bottom lip before you got closer to him, your fingers opening his belt buckle, then his pants. 
He stopped you before you could get any further. 
„Let me make you feel good first,“ he whispered, kissing you forehead. 
„Later,“ you said, looking at him, something in his eyes darkening as he saw the lust in yours. 
Within seconds you both were naked and he just looked at you in awe as he knelt between your parted legs. 
His hands wandered up your thighs, his fingers running shivers over your whole body, your back arching. 
„Please Joel,“ you whispered, your hands coming to rest on his hips until he finally leaned down and kissed you, one of his hand wrapped around his cock as he swiped the head through your wet pussy, teasing your clit with it, making you moan.
He lined himself up, kissing you deeply as he slowly entered you inch by inch, both of you panting against each others mouths.
„Shiiiit, you feel perfect. Fucking perfect,“ he grunted before he began to move, thrusting slowly inside of you, his arms wrapped around your body, his lips all over you. 
No matter how close he was, you wanted him closer, your arms wrapped around his back, pulling him against you as he continued to fuck you deeply. 
He kissed away the tears that escaped your eyes, overwhelmed at finally being so close to him. Holding him. Feeling him. 
He made you cum twice before he pulled out and came with a groan of your name, his cum spilling all over your stomach. 
He cleaned you up after, holding you close, kissing you until you fell asleep. 
While he watched over you, praying to whatever god there still was, that you would forgive him. 
Tumblr media
You didn’t stir when Joel left your bed after he watched you sleep until the room slowly filled with light at the upcoming sunrise. 
You didn’t feel it as he kissed your forehead before he slowly got up from the bed and got dressed, grabbing his bag. 
You didn’t hear his whispered „Forgive me“ as he stepped out of the room.
You were sleeping so deeply you didn’t even hear Eliie argue as Joel walked her out of the house.
Not looking back towards the house you were sleeping in. 
Tumblr media
The first thing you noticed was that you were warm. You hadn’t felt warm in a long time. Smiling to yourself you slowly opened your eyes, frowning immediately as you noticed how bright it was outside. 
Your eyes found the old cock on the bedside table, widening as you noticed that it was already around noon. 
„Shit,“ you cursed, your head now turning to the other side of the bed where Joel had laid next to you only to find it empty. 
A uneasy feeling washed over you as you took the room in, finding it vacant of anything that belonged to Joel. 
Suddenly fully awake you jumped out of bed, dressing yourself within seconds before you walked out of the room and across the hallway opening the door to the room Ellie had been asleep in. 
Empty. 
Your breath came in short pants, your throat squeezing tight, the beginnings of a panic attack making their entrance as your hands started to shake. 
Shaking your head you tried to get your lungs to fill with air, your back leaning against the wall behind you. 
Tears were springing into your eyes.
He wouldn’t just leave you after last night. Right?
Not after he….
A knock on the door let you jump up, running down the stairs, opening the door to find the wrong Miller brother standing in front of it, his expression one you could read without words. 
„He’s gone, isn’t he?“ You whispered. 
Tommy only nodded. 
Taking a deep breath you looked up towards the ceiling, shaking your head slowly. 
„Talked to the council. You can stay here as long as you want. Gotta take up some work at some point but there’s no rush…“
You scoffed. 
„You must be really delusional if you think I am going to stay here,“ you said, looking at him. You were still angry, but more so tired. Tired of always being the second choice.
He said your name, almost pleading. 
„I’m sorry for not telling you before I left. I thought it was easier to just… rip the bandaid off. I knew you’d be okay. You’re one of the strongest people I ever met. And I… I just couldn’t stay there with Joel and….“
You wanted to tell him then. 
To tell him that he broke that strong person he thought you were. 
Finding out the day after he left that you were pregnant with his child, broke you. 
And you couldn’t tell him that to this day you blamed that the stress of him leaving made you lose the baby you never got to meet. 
It wouldn’t help anyone to tell him. 
„I am going to get my stuff and I want a horse and some supplies. Then I’ll be out of here. I can’t keep doing this…“ you said. 
„No, No please stay. I want to… I want to make this right between us. I promised Joel I…“ Tommy began, but you held a hand up, stopping him. 
„Maybe you and your brother should try talking to me before making all the decisions for me. A horse and some supplies. You owe me that much. After that I’ll make sure we never cross ways again,“ you didn’t wait for his reply, turning around and marching up the stairs to pack your stuff. 
Tumblr media
An hour later you were settled on top of a horse called Diamond. Tommy had gotten you the supplies you asked for, even a first aid kid and walked next to you as the gate opened. 
„Where are you gonna go?“ He asked. 
„Away,“ you only answered, even though you had a clear destination in mind, before you took one last look at him. You saw his wife standing on the end of the street, watching you. 
As you looked back at Tommy you realised that you felt nothing for the man who was looking up at you now.
„I know you love him,“ he startled you. 
„Pretty sure he loves you too, so once you found him, don’t be too hard on him. We Miller’s a stubborn bunch of people who only want to protect the people we love. Even if it ends up hurting them even more,“ he said, keeping his eyes on you. 
„Take care of your wife,“ was all you said before you kicked your legs to ride out of Jackson. 
Tumblr media
The town you found shelter in seemed abandoned enough to rest until this blizzard passed by. It should’t be more than a days ride to the university of the fireflies now, but you could not make it in this storm. So you bunked down in a abandoned house, the windows and doors already barricaded making sure Diamond, your horse, had something to drink and eat in the garage before you bunked down in the surprisingly tidy house next to it. 
You even found some food, including long expired peaches that brought a small smile to your face as you thought about how much Ellie would love them. 
It was on the next morning that you heard a noise outside. You made your way into the garage, finding Diamond getting nervous too.
You petted her nose before you slowly risked a glance outside of the broken window of the garage, your eyes widening when through the heavy snow falling outside, you could make Ellie out on top of a horse. 
You put your jacket on and opened the door, startling the girl who now had her riffle pointed at you. 
You held your hands up and her shoulders fell as she realised who you were, starting to sob. 
It was then that you noticed that the horse she was sitting on, was dragging something behind it, the air leaving your lungs one one gasp as you realised that it was Joel.
And he was not awake.
Tumblr media
„How long?“ You asked Ellie, willing your fingers to warm up as you dug through your first aid kit. 
Ellie had helped you carry Joel inside. Now she was sitting on the little sofa, her tears still running down her cheek as she watched you. 
„Three hours ago? Maybe more? I don’t know. We… We were at the university and we…. We were almost out when that man….“
You were closer to the university than you thought then.
You were dying to walk over to her to soothe her, but Joel was your first priority. He looked very pale, his lips blue from the cold. With shaking fingers your unzipped his jacket, fighting down the whimper as you saw how much blood he was still loosing, your hand immediately pressing down to stop the bleeding.
Ellie had made a good job with the bandage she had put on his wound. 
He didn’t even stir. 
„It was a broken baseball bat. He… he pulled it out and he was okay at first but then he… he… he fell and now he’s not….“
„Ellie,“ you said and she looked at you with wide wet eyes. 
„You did the right thing. He shouldn’t have pulled it out but there’s nothing we can do about it now. I am… I am gonna try to fix him, okay?“ You said, nodding as if to make yourself believe that you could. 
She mirrored you.
„Can I help?“ Ellie asked. 
„There’s a bathroom upstairs. Get as many towels as possible and then get a bucket with snow from outside. Snow from the top. We need…. We need to clean him. But I don’t have… We….“ You took a deep breath, stopping your ramble.
„Towels and snow, got it,“ she said, throwing her backpack down before she made her way upstairs. 
You took a deep breath, sucking your bottom lip in. 
„Don’t you die on me Joel Miller, I still have to yell at you“ you whispered as you leaned down, to kiss his temple before you used the scissors of your first aid kit to cut his shirt open. 
Tumblr media
It came to you on the day after, that the only stitches you ever did were on Joel Miller’s body. You had stitched a cut on his upper arm almost fifteen years ago. Then a bulled wound on his hip.
But that was nothing like what you were dealing with here. 
You had used the little bottle of disinfectant to clean his wound as best as you could, before you stitched him up and he had not even moved a muscle through all of it. 
It was sometime during the early morning hours that he stirred, waking up only enough to ask after Ellie, falling back asleep immediately when you came into his line of view, his whispered name on your lips. 
You and Ellie had pulled him in as many blankets as possible to get him to warm up. 
It was like you checked the wound hourly to make sure it wasn’t bleeding anymore and somehow in the early hours of the afternoon it seemed to stop. 
Ellie was spending almost all her time outside in the garage with the horses after she woke up. She wasn’t talking much, but she had told you that she was glad you had found them. 
A groan made you jump up and you found Joel’s eyes flutter open, taking in his surroundings until his eyes focused on you, whispering your name, his voice hoarse.
„How are you feeling?“ You asked softly, coming to kneel next to him, your hand on his cheek. 
„Like I got stabbed by a bat,“ he groaned and you felt the tears springing into your eyes as you smiled sadly. 
„Not the time for jokes Miller,“ you said and he sighed, his head turning in your hand.
„Ellie?“ He asked. 
„In the garage with the horses,“ you said and he nodded slowly. 
„'Am sorry,“ he said and you shook your head. 
„It’s okay,“ you said and now he shook his head. 
„Was a shitty thing to leave,“ he grunted. 
„Yeah it was. And I am gonna yell at you for that, but only once you are all healed up,“ you promised with a small smile, your fingers brushing over your skin. 
The door flew open and Ellie ran in with wide eyes. 
„There was someone out there,“ she said and your eyes widened before you got up while she knelled down next to Joel who was trying to get up.
„Wait here with him and do not let him get up,“ you instructed Ellie as you made your way out into the garage. 
The windows of the whole house were barricaded so the only way to actually look outside were the broken windows over the garage door. 
You carefully stepped onto the chair you had found inside to look out of the window and you could see three men walk down the street, as if they were looking for something. They didn’t look like they were raiders, not carrying any kind of bags or supplies on them. And only one was holding a handgun. You were glad that it had continued to snow during the night, covering up all the tracks that led to the house. 
You watched as they rounded the block, noticing how thin they looked as they walked back the way they came from, unease washing over your body. 
„They must be around here somewhere. How far can they get? Rodrick fucking stabbed him with his bat,“ you heard one of them mutter as they walked past the house, your heart stopping. 
They were looking for Joel.
For Joel and Ellie. 
You had to get out of here. 
You watched them until they had left the street, before you got down from the chair.
Still in your thoughts you made you way back inside the house.
The longer you thought about them the more uncomfortable you became. You had the same feeling a couple times before, the last time just before you made it out of Kansas City, a city you only barely survived. 
Both Ellie’s eyes and Joel’s were on you when you entered the room. 
„It would be better for Joel to stay here and heal but…“
„We have to leave?“ Ellie asked and you nodded. 
„I…They are looking for you. I heard them talk,“ you said as you knelt down on the other side of Joel who was looking up at you. You put your hand on his forehead, noticing that he was running a little hot. 
You would need medicine for him. You only had some expired aspirin. That wouldn’t help him if his wound got infected. 
„We’ll leave first thing in the morning,“ you decided, hoping that it would be for the best.
Tumblr media
It was a four day ride back to Jackson.
Four days that felt like four weeks. 
Joel had been strong enough to get on his feet on the morning you left and both Ellie and you had helped him up into the saddle before you got onto the horse in front of him, using two belts you had found upstairs to strap him against you, his arms coming to wrap around you.
You heard every groan of pain he let out as he tried to keep himself up on the horse. 
On the second day, once you were far enough away from the town you felt him burn up, mumbling against your ear, his head resting on your shoulder. 
It was getting harder to keep him on the horse with you, Ellie riding next to you, her worried eyes always on Joel. 
More than once he told you to just leave him and get both you and Ellie to safety but you and Ellie were having none of it. 
When you saw the gates of Jackson you were almost crying, Ellie galloping in front of you even though you called after her to slow down, hoping they wouldn’t just shot her on sight. 
But then the gate opened and for the first time in a long time you were glad to see Tommy Miller running towards you, already yelling commands out. 
The next hours were a blur. 
You pretty much passed out the moment you knew Joel was taken care off. You woke up to beeping in a dark room, only a little lamp on the table next to the bed you were laying in,  your eyes immediately finding Ellie who had cuddled on the bed next to you. You carefully put an arm around her before you noticed someone else in the room. 
Joel was laying in the bed next to yours, the constant beep of the monitor telling you that his heart was still beating. 
You closed your eyes, releasing a shuddering breath as you tried to keep the tears in that were threatening to escape your eyes. 
Ellie shifted in your arms and she turned around, her arm sneaking around you, her eyes looking up at you. 
„Thank fuck you’re awake, these people around here are weird,“ she said and you huffed a laugh, hugging her closer. 
„How long…?“ You asked but she interrupted you. 
„We came here yesterday just before dinner. Breakfast was two hours ago? I’m not sure,“ she mumbled. You both jumped when the door opened, your head turning just in time to see Tommy walk in, followed from an older man. 
„You’re awake,“ the man said and you sat yourself up, the sudden move making your head spin. 
„I’m Carl, I’m the town doctor,“ he introduced himself to you before he walked over to Joel.
„Is he gonna be okay?“ You asked.
„Thanks to some medication and some generous blood donations,“ he eyed Tommy, „he should be making a full recovery. Nice stitches,“ he complemented and you released a relieved breath.
„You should have seen the blood transfusion, it was super gross,“ Ellie said with a shudder that made you laugh. 
„I want you to rest too. You were severely dehydrated. That must have been some exhausting couple of days for you,“ he said, giving you a small smile before he looked at Tommy and left the room. 
It was quiet in the room for a moment as you tried not to look at Tommy. 
Ellie suddenly sat herself up with a hum.
„Weeeeeell this isn’t awkward at all, so I’m gonna go and get us some food,“ she announced before she jumped off the bed and left you alone with the Miller brothers. 
For a long time the only noise inside the room was the constant beeping of Joel’s heart monitor.
„Why did you leave without saying anything?“ You finally asked and Tommy shifted in the chair he was sitting in. 
„I couldn’t stay. Joel was…. He was getting more and more reckless. Then there was the fucking drugs. I wanted to… I though I could make the world better. just couldn’t stay there. I couldn’t watch him destroy himself any longer. And I am sorry I didn’t tell you. You didn’t deserve that,“ he said and you nodded. 
„I know the things we all did were horrible. They haunt me too. And Joel…“ you look at him, sleeping in his bed. 
„He was never the same after Sarah,“ you whispered. 
„We all weren’t. We just dealt with it differently,“ Tommy said and you nodded. 
„Are you gonna stay?“ He asked and you sighed, looking at him. There was no point in keeping a grudge anymore. Not after what happened. You were safe. Ellie was safe. Joel was safe and hopefully close to being okay again. 
„I have to tell you one thing,“ you decided. He deserved to know why you had been so angry. Why you blamed him for every single bad thing that happened after he left. 
„Okay,“ he said, nodding at you. 
„On the morning after I found out your left, I also found out that I was pregnant,“ you said quietly, seeing his eyes widen, before he took a deep breath. 
„I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad, I am telling you so you can understand why I was so angry and hurt,“ you explained. 
„I can’t keep blaming you for every bad thing that happens to me,“ you whispered. 
„What,“ he cleared his throat, „what happened?“ He asked. 
„I lost it six weeks after you left,“ you said with a sad smile, your finger brushing the tear away that ran down your cheek. 
He looked wrecked.
„I’m so fucking sorry,“ he shook his head, his hand running through his hair. 
You shrugged. 
„It just wasn’t meant to be,“ you sobbed, cursing to yourself as you turned your head to hide your face against the pillow. 
„Fucking hug her,“ you both heard Joel grunt and you almost jumped up, your head spinning again. 
„Joel, thank fuck,“ Tommy said before he jumped out of his chair as he saw you get out of bed on shaky legs. His arms held you up as you stumbled towards Joel’s bed who gave you a painful smile. 
„Come on, let’s get you into bed,“ Tommy whispered before he helped you sit down, pulling your legs up onto the bed as you carefully laid down next to Joel, his right arm opening for you. 
You put your hand on his chest, careful to not hurt him as you inhaled his familiar, if somewhat sweaty, scent. 
„I’ll leave you two alone,“ Tommy said as he looked at the both of you, but you were already asleep. 
„I’ll take care of her,“ Joel whispered before he kissed your forehead. 
Tumblr media
Six weeks later
„I fucking hate math!“ Ellie groaned, letting her head fall against the table.
„Language!“ Joel called from the kitchen and she rolled her eyes while you held back a giggle. 
„Nobody likes math,“ you assured her, your arm wrapping around her shoulder. 
„Why do I have to learn it then?“
„Because that’s just the way life is. We all have to learn shit we don’t want,“ you said, you both laughing when Joel again called you out on your cursing. 
„I am a fully grown adult, Mr. Miller, leave me alone,“ you yelled towards the kitchen, only to hear his footsteps seconds later before he appeared in the door, both of his hands on his hips, giving you an exhausting head shake. 
„What am I gonna do with you?“ He asked before he walked over. You let go of Ellie’s shoulder as he stepped closer, his lips coming to kiss your cheek.
„Ugh gross,“ Ellie gagged, jumping out of her seat. 
„I’m gonna go and ask Dina to help me with math!“ She said, running out of the house, the door falling closed behind her. 
„She forgot her homework,“ Joel said, now kissing your neck. 
„Mmmmmhhh….“ You nodded, tilting your head to give him more space, his lips wandering up your neck. 
One of his hands sneaked to the front of your shirt until his palm softly palmed your breast. 
„Think you’re up for some…. Biology?“ He asked and you giggled, getting up from your chair to turn around, your arms crossing behind his neck. 
„Birds and bees again?“ You said, playfully annoyed while he nodded, all serious, before you both broke out in laughter. 
„We gotta work on your flirting, Miller,“ you said before you kissed him, shrieking when his fingers pinched your ass. 
„Love you,“ he mumbled against your lips and you smiled. 
„Love you too,“ you whispered before you let him guide you towards your bedroom. 
515 notes · View notes
cherrycolored-punk · 2 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
walking distance - E.M x fem!reader
Part of Stranger Prompts directly from the twilight zone organized by: @bettyfrommars, @allthingsjoeq and @somnambulic-thing
“You step into a hole-in-the-wall bar for a drink and suddenly find yourself in a different decade.”
-
author’s note: this was so damn fun 🖤 I’ve always wanted to do one but was worried my writing wasn’t up to par. I hope you enjoy :)
w/c: 2.6k
warnings: none
‼️ THIS IS AN 18+ BLOG, MINORS DNI ‼️
The sun beats down on you, intense and overwhelming. Adding to the frustration you feel as you stare down at the guts of your car, watching steam billow from beneath the hood and unsure of what you’re looking at.
You let out an exasperated growl and reach for your phone, hurried fingers scrolling for your best friend’s name.
Her wedding was in two days, and you were supposed to be the maid of honor. You couldn’t afford the plane ticket from New York City to Indianapolis and decided to road trip it, hoping to the gods that your shitty Honda Civic would make it. But of course, it would betray you when you were nearly there.
There was a weekend of festivities planned, maid of honor duties you needed to attend to, and there was no telling when you’d be there now.
She answers on the second ring, and you waste no time.
“Hey, I’m going to be late,” you grumble, pushing away from the car and pacing in front of the bumper.
“What happened?” She can hear the thick annoyance in your voice.
A heavy sigh escapes your lips, and you point an absent hand to the car as though she can see it.
“My piece of shit car broke down,” you glance around at your surroundings. At the dense rows of trees and open fields.
“And in the middle of fucking nowhere!” Sweat trickles down your chest, and you wipe it away quickly, trying not to lose your shit.
“Where are you?” She asks, and you already feel bad that you’re bothering her with this. You turn the phone in your hand and place the call on speaker, switching the screen to the GPS app you’d been using.
“Says I’m in some town called Hawkins? About two hours out,” your shoulders deflate as you try to calculate the time it will take to even get this to a mechanic to look at. Three hours for a tow, however long for a fix, and you’d be lucky to make it in time to watch her come down the aisle.
“I’m so sorry, Jess.”
“We’ll get you here. I need you here,” she practically pleads, and you can already picture how her soon-to-be mother-in-law is driving her insane.
“Get somewhere safe and send me your location. Matthew will come pick you up with his tow.”
Her brother, the mechanic.
“He’s not gonna like that,” you chuckle, kicking a loose rock away from your path.
“It doesn’t matter, I’m the bride,” she enunciates the word dramatically, and you can’t help but laugh. She was far from a bridezilla, but she was willing to be one for you.
“Thank you,” you say sincerely and scroll on the map for a nearby restaurant or bar. Desperate for a drink after the road trip turned debacle.
“I’ll be at some bar called The Hideout? Closest thing to my car, about half a mile up the road,” you forward her your location and take her off speaker, pulling the phone to your ear.
“If I end up getting kidnapped by some inbred psychos like in Wrong Turn, you better not let them make a 20/20 episode out of me,” you joke as you reach for your purse and grab your keys.
“But what if I promised only the good photos?” She goes along.
“As long as you don’t say I lit up every room I walked into.”
“Why would I lie?” She teases and you can’t help the shocked laugh it elicits.
“Asshole,” you say affectionately, closing the hood of your car and pressing the key fob to make sure it’s locked.
“Can’t call me that on my wedding weekend,” she reminds you, and you roll your eyes.
“Yes, I apologize, oh mighty one. I will only be a humble servant,” you exaggerate your voice to be meek and small, keeping up the charade.
“Shut up,” she giggles, and you can feel the roll of her eyes.
“Let me know when you make it,” she orders.
“Of course,” you promise and disconnect the line, legs picking up pace.
The road to the Hideout is much the same as the road to its city line; flat fields and rows of corn seemingly stretch on for eternity until they hit the tall evergreens in the distance. From the looks of it, that’s all Hawkins is: a stretch of corn and towering trees. It’s different than what you’re used to, quieter. You hadn’t heard a silence like the one that you felt now.
It would be peaceful if it didn’t feel so eerie, and you couldn’t explain why you felt that way, why the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end, or why it felt like you were being watched. 
A set of eyes you couldn’t locate watching your every move.
Your legs move faster, heart leaping when you see the building come into view. The sign bearing its name a little worse for wear but it was like a beacon on the long stretch of road.
The building itself is a little dilapidated and in major need of an overhaul. Its brown wood faded by years in the sun and slightly rotted in some spots. If the open sign didn’t glow, you’d assumed it was abandoned.
You swing open the door, a chill running through your back as the cold manufactured air hits your warm, sweat-slicked skin.
Faces turn toward you, curious gazes shifting over your frame before turning away from you.
A smoky haze fills the bar, the stench of tobacco and weed filling your lungs as you breathe in.
The interior is out-of-date; the red vinyl seats of the booths are cracked, their yellow stuffing overflowing. Records line the wall, and dollar bills hang where they are tacked sporadically to the ceiling. A red Coors Light sign glows in the distance.
You swat the air, trying to find a clean patch amongst all the smoke as your eyes dance around the bar suspiciously. Was it decades night?
Everyone is dressed in something you’ve seen in a John Hughes film. Big hair, bright blush, tight jeans. Some were dancing to a Madonna song playing on the jukebox in the corner of the bar. Others sat quietly along the bar.
You’re still staring as you slide onto the barstool, forearm pressed into the sticky wood of the bar.
“What can I get you?”
The bartender’s sudden appearance makes you jolt, and you place a hand on your chest as you turn toward the voice.
“Something other than the heart attack you just gave me,” you exhale loudly and meet his gaze. Doing your best to contain your shock.
He’s pretty, the kind of good-looking that leaves you a little breathless. It’s the curl of his hair, the line of his jaw, and the freckles pressed along his nose. It’s the way his cheeks are growing red the longer you stare and the cocky grin that slots into place when he notices you are.
“I can do that for the pretty girl,” he laughs, raising his eyebrows expectantly, and you shake your head of your reverie.
“Just a Dos Equis, dressed if you can.”
“Dressed?” He repeats.
“Yeah, uh, salt on the rim. Lime?” You move your hands in demonstration, miming the movements of prepping your drink, and he chuckles. Shaking his head at your display.
“Best I can do is a bottle of Bud Light,” he places a toothpick between his lips, and you swear it’s to torture you.
“Guess that’s what I’m having then,” you shrug, smiling sweetly, and tap your fingers against the bar.
“Coming right up,” the bartender turns his back to you, and you check your cell phone. 
No service. Of course.
You groan and look up, eyes instantly running over his back appreciatively.
His black shirt fits him snugly and you can see the muscles of his back, the contours of his biceps bulging against the tight sleeves. The black jeans he wears fit him just right, showcasing the curve of his ass and the swell of his thighs. God, they didn’t make them like this in New York. Is it something in the water?
He turns back toward you with the bottle of beer. The glass already wet with condensation when he slides it toward you.
“How much do I owe you?” You reach for your wallet, and he shakes his head.
“Money’s no good here,” he dismisses you and leans against the bar. Closer to you. His gaze crawls over you, tracing the length of your legs and the flare of your hips before meeting your eyes.
“Well, I can at least tip you,” you pause, waiting for his name and trying to hide how his gaze affects you.
“Eddie,” he grins, toothpick sliding from one side of his mouth and to the other.
“Thank you, Eddie,” you repeat and slide the five-dollar bill towards him.
His eyebrow quirks, and you tilt your head curiously, following the direction of his gaze. It’s fixated on the money you slid him.
“What is it?”
He reaches for his wallet and pulls out a bill, placing it next to yours.
“Your money looks funny,” he pushes them towards you so you can see.
Your eyes dart between the two. His money looks brand new but bears little resemblance to the more colorful one you’d given him.
“You trying to give me Monopoly money or something?” He teases, and you roll your eyes.
“You just have an older bill,” you point to his money, giggle, and sip your beer. The malty, amber liquid slides across your tongue and settles into your empty stomach.
His gaze roams over your features again.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” He gives a crooked smile, one that makes the dimple in his cheek deepen.
“What gave it away?” You chuckle and take another drink, eyebrow quirked as you wait for his response.
“Definitely don’t look like the girls around here,” he shakes his head and points his hand towards you.
“Oh?” Your brows push together. Not sure whether or not that’s a compliment.
“In a good way!” His words come out rushed, the suave demeanor he had faltering just a little.
“How is it good?” Your eyes squint in suspicion as you take another drink. Enjoying the way he squirms, maybe a little too much.
He glances over your form once more and then back at you. 
“The clothes, the hair, fancy money. Gotta be one of those California chicks, huh?”
“Not even,” you shake your head, but a grin tugs at your lips, “I’m from New York. Just passing through for a friend’s wedding.”
Eddie lets out a low whistle.
“City girl,” he smiles and inches a little closer, “lucky me that you’re passing through.”
“Lucky you?” You repeat, trying to fight the smile behind the rim of your drink.
“Yeah, not every day we get a pretty face in here,” his voice lowers, “I usually see the same five drunks.”
His brown eyes dart to your left, and he eyes the older man sitting on the stool a few seats down. You almost choke on your drink and shake your head, but the man’s appearance reminds you of your surroundings. You glance around the bar.
“So, is everyone always this committed to the decades night?” You look back at him.
His face twists, puzzled, an absent hand rubbing the back of his neck.
“What do you mean?”
You point the mouth of your bottle absently towards the room.
“It’s like straight out of an eighties movie in here, feels like I’m in St. Elmo’s Fire or something,” you chuckle and look back toward him.
Eddie’s face is still contorted, confusion evident in the scrunch of his brow and the twist of his lips.
“That movie just came out, like, three years ago,” he chuckles but gives you a curious look as he wipes a rag against the counter.
“More like forty years ago,” you shake your head. They were really committed to the bit here.
“Got an interesting way of perceiving time there, sweetheart,” he shrugs incredulously and changes the subject.
“I know my way around a car if you want me to look at it,” he offers.
“Oh, it’s half a mile back. It’s okay,” you wave him off, but he’s already shaking his head.
“We can take my car. All my tools are in there anyways.”
“Are you sure?” You can feel the guilt twisting in your gut at the thought of accepting his offer. It’s mixed with the worry of getting into the car with a stranger—your earlier comment about 20/20 ringing in your head.
“‘Course,” he tilts his head towards the other bartender, “Brett can watch the bar while we’re gone.”
But there’s something about Eddie that doesn’t scream serial killer, a softness in his gaze that relaxes you. Has you nodding your head before the words come tumbling out.
“Yeah, okay,” your head bounces eagerly, and you chug the rest of the beer before hopping off the stool.
It was an opportunity to get to Jess’ wedding festivities sooner, though, now you kind of wanted to stick around. Wait until Matthew finally makes an appearance so you can spend a little longer getting to know Eddie.
He meets you around the bar, taller now that he’s standing beside you. The smell of his cologne warm and a little hypnotizing. He swirls his keyring around his finger and points toward the door.
“Lead the way.”
You grin up at him, taking a step in front of his tall frame and push open the doors.
The warm summer air greets you, the sky no longer a vivid blue but a deep indigo. You look around, confused. Headlights approach you, breaks slamming when the passenger window passes your fram. You recognize the truck, Matthew’s tow truck.
His work boots slam against the pavement, and he takes long strides in your direction.
“Jesus Christ! Where the fuck have you been?”
“W-what?”
“I’ve been calling you for half an hour, going up and down this goddamn street. Called you like forty times.”
You reach for your phone and stare at the screen, its face filled with notifications. Missed call after missed call and several texts.
“I was just getting a drink, didn’t have signal in the bar,” you point an absent thumb behind you, “Eddie here was going to help me get my car started.”
“Eddie?” Brett’s face screws in confusion.
“Yeah, Eddie,” you repeat and turn around. But no one’s there. The bar behind you silent, empty. Abandoned.
“What are you talking about?” The older man’s voice is laced with concern, “This town has been abandoned for nearly forty years since some major earthquake practically ripped it in half.”
“B-but I was just sitting in there talking. I just sat down,” you say with more conviction. You can still smell Eddie’s cologne, still hear his laugh, and taste the beer you were drinking. Your mind is reeling, trying to make sense of it.
“Think the heat got to you,” he laughs and shakes his head, “get in the truck, I’ll take you to Jess’.”
Your feet move towards the truck hesitantly, face turned towards the bar. It looks more run-down than before. The entry covered with cobwebs, stools toppled over, the bottles that lined the back wall of the bar cracked and broken.
The same eerie feeling settles over you, like you’re being watched. Like maybe you weren’t alone.
You climb into the truck and settle into the seat, staring absently out the windshield.
“I swear I was just in there drinking a beer,” you point a finger out the window and turn to him.
“Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s encountered a ghost in Hawkins,” he shrugs and starts the car before turning back to you, “stranger things have happened.”
273 notes · View notes
spideysbruh · 8 months ago
Text
matchmaker
a/n- btw DUNE 2 ... WOW
~
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by florencepugh, rachelzegler, tchalamet and 1,828,299 others
y/n HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BEAUTIFUL FLO! I love you so much and am so forever grateful for you. you're the best friend I've ever had. let's get this party started now!!!
view all 98,277 comments
florencepugh I LOVE YOUUUU SO MUCH MY FAVORITE GIRL
holdinmebackyn t liked 🤨😮😮🤔
crocyn they like each others stuff all the time !! they're probably friends since Florence is friends with both
kingsyn my favorite best friends 🫶🫶
musicalyn they're basically girlfriends LMAOO
y/n just posted a story!
Tumblr media
caption- 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🎊🎉
@celebgoss just tweeted- NEW RELATIONSHIP ALERT ���️📢⚠️📢‼️‼️‼️ Timothée Chalamet and Y/n L/n were spotted getting close in the background of several videos from Florence Pughs birthday extravaganza. sources from the party have said that the two have been together for a few months already!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
@fatwsyn replied- in the background? baby that's up close and personal 😭😭
@flosyn replied- NO WAYYYYYY OMG MY FAVESSS
@dunesarrakis replied- okay but they'd fr be so cute together 😭🫶
y/n just posted a story!
Tumblr media
caption- TWO TIMES FOR THE BIRTHDAY BITCH 🗣🗣🗣💕💕💕💕💕
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by florencepugh, sabrinacarpenter, tchalamet and 1,817,166 others
y/n she's got electric boots...
view all 99,287 comments
blueyn I BET TIMMY TOOK THAT LAST PIC
micyn I wanna be her so bad omggggg so jealous
normalyn address the situation!
kenoughyn what situation?
kingsyn the videos of them at the party 💀💀
florencepugh we are so cute
y/n the cutest!!!
florencepugh just posted a story!
Tumblr media
florencepugh deleted their story.
@atreideschal tweeted- OMFG.
@spidsyn replied- THAT WAS TYEMMMMMMMMMMM OH MY GOD
@sklylightyn replied- MAYDAY MAYDAY
@lauriesrings replied she was on the wrong account or smth LMAOOO
@teddyyn replied- ITS TRENDING ALREADY LMAOOOO
@woahyn replied- I bet florence introduced them to each other
@y/n just tweeted- rly loving the twilight zone right now
@sillyyn replied- I bet that's where you wish you were rn LMAOOO
@ynslaugh replied- PLEASEEE
@good4yn replied- yk her ex wants to khs rn
@fabulousyn replied- we saw that!!!!
@y/n replied to @fabulousyn- huh???
@medalliayn replied- I CANT W YOU LMAOOOO
Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by tchalamet, florencepugh and 1,726,277 others
y/n funny how??
view all 92,277 comments
tchalamet pretty
y/n liked
houdiniyn BROOOO
cineyn i amuse you? I'm here to make you laugh ?
y/n liked
fuxkyn what, did you and timmy watch goodfellas tonight or smth?
y/n yup. while we talked about how nosy the internet is🙏🏼👍
tchalamet liked
sabxyn THE STUFFED ANIMALL AWWWW
madsynfan THE COMMENTTTTTT
lovelyyn THE WAY THIS IS KINDA CONFIRMATION OMFGGGGG
@celebgossip just tweeted- CONFIRMED RELATIONSHIP ‼️‼️‼️‼️ Y/n L/n and Timothee Chalamet seen together on a private beach in Chicago.
Tumblr media
@timmyswonka replied- NO FUCKING WAYYYYYYYY
@dunesarrakis replied- hottest couple ever
@ynslipgloss replied- OMFG.
@timxyn replied- literally my parents
@y/n just tweeted- 🫠🫠
@rocketyn replied-oooo she's mad
@catchmeyn replied- ppl can't mind their business I swear
@chalsyn replied- paparazzi sucks !!!!
@ynsheadphones replied- girl you're living so many peoples dream omgggg
tchalamet just posted a story!
Tumblr media
caption- yall already know so....
@y/n just tweeted- I'm terrible at pool LMAOOO
@realchalamet replied- when you hit the cue ball off of the table 😍😍
@y/n liked and replied- PLEASE.
@talkingyn replied- you're just a girl you don't have to know how to play pool it's okay !!!!
@y/n liked and replied to @talkingyn EXACTLY THANK YOUUU
@Chaniyn replied- omg but now we'll get more public interactions let's goooo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by tchalamet, florencepugh and 2,827,288
y/n the first time I've seen love, and the last I'll ever need.
view all 97,267 comments
discoyn rue, when was this???!!?!?!
ynscurtains OMFGGGGGGG
tchalamet you make me so incredibly happy.
y/n liked
laurieslaurence THEYRE SO CUTEEEEE 😭😭😭💕💕🫶🫶🫶
romcomyn the diss to her exes 💀💀
ynsdelicate it's okay cause i can name a few that deserve it...
florencepugh my best buds !!!!
blackcatyn it should've been you and her !!!
y/n just posted a story!
Tumblr media
caption- hacked 😈😈
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by y/n, florencepugh, zendaya and 3,827,288 others
tchalamet I'll love you as long as I breathe
view all 132,453 comments
tsgf ewww
ynsunshine STFU omg
greenyn they're cute or whateverrrr
y/n I love you
dunepaul THE DUNE REFERENCE PLEASEEE 😭😭💕💕
ynandtimmystan PARENTS
kylesballs he's gonna turn off the comments if yall don't BEHAVE. HE'S NOT GOING TO DATE YOU 🗣🗣🗣
@celebgossip just tweeted- Timothée Chalamet on his and Y/n L/ns relationship in a recent interview, "You know, I was never really public about any other relationships until her. Florence [Pugh] had introduced us almost three years ago, and we hit it off instantly. It was love at first sight. I was instantly drawn to her and how she carries herself. She's truly beautiful inside and out and I'm so lucky just to know her."
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
@nintendoyn replied- THREE YEARS ?!!?!!!??
@marvelousyn replied- I ain't never seen three pretty best friends... until right tf now
@youwishyn replied-florence is literally a matchmaker
@starryyn replied- flo is cupid I swear
@chanixpaul replied-he speaks so highly of her im crying god when is it my turn
tchalamet just posted a story!
Tumblr media
caption- Sans toi, je ne suis rien
*
607 notes · View notes
mangoposts · 11 months ago
Text
Good boy, Good girl
M.S
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The frosted air mixed with her and Matt’s desperate breaths fogged his windows, making it seem like they were lost in a twilight zone due to the late hour of the night.
The back of her neck was beginning to cramp from resting it on the arm of the car door, Matt’s body laying on top of hers from in between her legs and nipping at the flesh of her neck feverishly. She threads her fingers through his hair and giggles out in-between breaths, his lips tickling her sensitive skin.
Having a boyfriend with triplet brothers meant if you were dating one of them, the other two came along in a package. And that was definitely the case when it came to Matt and his brothers, Matt spent every waking (and sleeping) moment with his two brothers and despite that being a blessing it had its moments of being a curse when he had a busy girlfriend that he wanted to spend alone time with. If you know what I mean.
🔞🔞🔞
Which led to the current position. It started out innocent, he’d came to her place at 1am to pick her up for a late night drive, they stopped to get snacks and moved to the backseat to watch a movie on his phone. Something they weren’t able to do often since they both carried a busy schedule and one his brothers would end up crashing it and interrupting the film.
Her body was laid down on the backseat, head resting on the arm of the door while Matt pressed his back to her chest, laying his head on her shoulder while he held the phone for them both to see. It may sound uncomfortable, but they fit fairly well enough together in the back of his car and the blanket he’d brought for them made it almost comfortable enough to fall asleep. The movie was 5 minutes from over and Matt was near falling asleep from the feeling of her nails against his scalp, soothing him from the inside and relaxing him deeply.
When the end credits roll, Matt turns over to face his girlfriend and he offers her a lazy grin before leaning in to plant a small kiss to her lips, which she accepts while keeping her hands in his hair.
One kiss led to two, then three, then four and by the fifth Matt’s tongue was in her mouth, licking her own and dropping his phone to hold her face.
The car was filled with only the sounds of wet kisses and their breathing in between, the car windows already beginning to fog from the amount of breathless pants they were taking. Kissing each other for such long moments at a time they needed to pull apart or they’d pass out.
It felt like hours, how long they’d been in that position. Simply swapping saliva in the backseat comfortably until Matt finally pulled away and moved down her neck, gripping her jaw and pushing it upward to allow himself better access to her sweet spot. The back of her neck was beginning to cramp from resting it on the arm of the car door, Matt’s body laying on top of hers from in between her legs and nipping at the flesh of her neck feverishly. She threads her fingers through his hair and giggles out in-between breaths, his lips tickling her sensitive skin, sucking and nibbling while she brushes the hair falling to his eyes back and pulls her lip in between her teeth. Loving the way his lips tickled her and sent tingles throughout her lower half. Matt’s hands roamed her body, rubbing her sides lovingly and caressing her chest through her shirt, eventually sliding his hands under and gripping the flesh of her tits while playing with her nipples, making her moan out softly while he continues his assault on her neck. Now traveling his lips downward toward her collarbones and biting.
“B-Baby..” She breaths, now tugging at his scalp in need while he pulls back and looks up at her with a glint in his eyes. He places his hand on the arm rest near her head to lean upward while his other hand moves down from her tits to her stomach, letting his fingertips stroke down near the waistband of her pants. Causing a shiver to creep through her spine as she locks her eyes with his, almost forgetting the blue colour of them from how dilated his pupils had become.
“Please, baby..” She repeats, now bringing her own hands to his chest, rubbing her palms against the material of this T-Shirt softly as she begs him.
Without another word, he dips his hand below her waistband into her sweatpants, fingers finding her clothed clit to rub his thumb over it before reconnecting their lips. Both of their lips soft and moving in sync with one another as heat lulls into their bodies in contrast of the weather just outside. The car feeling impossibly steamier when he reaches to push her panties to the side and collects her wetness with his center fingers to rub it up towards her aching clit, pressing harder and rubbing against it in tight circles as she bucks her hips up to meet his touch. Moaning into his mouth and finding her fingers in his hair again.
Matt was obsessed with this, her under him moaning and desperate while she pulls at his hair, he was obsessed with how wet she was, knowing he made her feel this way with just his lips on her skin made his own cock grow, he feels himself starting to ache under the layers of his clothes.
He wants to be inside of her, pinning her arms down against the seats and swallowing her whimpers as he thrusts inside of her harshly, hips meeting one another’s in perfect rhythm while she cries his name out. But he also wants her on top of him, pressing down on his chest while she sinks her hot cunt down onto his hard cock, sucking him in with her tightness and fucking him until she milks him dry. Matt’s lost in his own thoughts as his fingers reach back down, now dipping his fingers into her wetness completely and feeling how tight she is around his fingers. His tongue is reunited with hers and he sucks on it harshly, desperate to taste any part of her from how delicious she feels around his fingers, warm and wet and so inviting. He moans at the thought, only thrusting his fingers inside of her deeper and harder. Making her pull away to moan out loud, her head falling back against the door in pure ecstasy. Matt presses himself against her, planting more kisses to her face and neck.
“Hm? Feel good?” He mumbles, his stubble scratching her neck and overstimulating her with multiple feelings. Her stomach was tightening and her hands were gripping his biceps as if he were the only thing keeping her grounded.
She nods against his lips on her skin, feeling her whole body emit into flames from how hot he’s making her feel and her wetness dripping down her legs from how deep his fingers are penetrating inside of her velvety walls, squelching sounds and heavy pants filling the car.
“Yes,” She chokes, “Yes Matt. You make me feel so good.” She sounds so ruined, so breathless and desperate and it’s only pushing Matt further, almost feeling as if he could cum in his pants at how her words roll off her tongue. Sounding so perfect to him. He pulls his lips from her, leaning up and wrapping his hand around her throat while his fingers speed up, knocking the wind out of her lungs as her breath hitches from the new sensations. Her hand falling on top of his owl tattoo and gripping the inked skin as he presses his fingers into the sides of her neck and pulls her face closer to his, their lips touching but not connected as he speaks
“Look so pretty under me. I could have you like this for hours.” His eyes are burning through hers and her nails create crescent shaped marks in his skin from the harsh grip, she feels as she clenches around his fingers uncontrollably from her building orgasm. Moaning against his mouth and closing her eyes when her entire body begins to tingle,
“Matt, b-baby. please.” Matt smirks, curling his fingers before pulling them out and now rubbing against her clit at a rapid pace. This catches her off guard, the different but stimulating sensation bursting the coil in her stomach and ripping her orgasm out of her as she gasps out and her back arches off of the seat, her chest touching his while he rubs her through her orgasm. Mumbling sweet nothings into her ear while he loosens his grip on her neck and opts for rubbing the sides of it soothingly.
“That’s a good girl, cumming so prettily for me.”
Matt’s in awe, watching as her eyes immediately droop and her expression falls into a fucked out one, panting like a dog and still gripping onto him while her body shakes from the aftershocks of her orgasm. He’s never seen a prettier person, he thinks. He withdraws his fingers and fixes her panties in place, taking his middle and ring finger into his mouth while he moans out in need. Suddenly being reminded of the rock between his thighs when his cock twitches at the taste of her juices. She watches and whimpers out, feeling turned on all over again. She reaches for his shirt, gripping it and pulling him down to take him in for another kiss. Moaning more when she tastes herself
“My baby, you’re so good to me, Matthew. Let me make you feel good, hm?” She breathes, caressing his face before reaching up for his shoulders and pushing them back so that he laid flat against the seats while she repositions to straddle his hips. She runs her hands down his stomach to palm him through his clothing, rubbing the tip of his sensitive dick with her palm as he shivers and swallows.
“Gonna be a good girl and make you cum. Just promise to be a good boy for me, Matty.”
677 notes · View notes
crazylittlejester · 6 months ago
Text
The Chain if they were stuck on a ride at a theme park and there was a song playing on loop and they couldn’t get out:
Wind: Learned the really annoying song that keeps playing on repeat and is singing it horrifically out of tune
Warriors: Googling “what to do when stuck on a ride and you wanna kill yourself because the song NEVER ENDS.” with tears in his eyes
Time: Crying silently with his fingers shoved in his ears. He’s next to Wind
Twilight: Banging his head into the headrest. He’s just upset they’ve been trapped for an hour and he needs to get out as soon as possible. He’s very overstimulated
Hyrule: Watching the animatronics and info dumping about the history of the ride to Legend
Wild: Saying that this isn’t ‘very sigma’ every five minutes as a joke, and everyone wants him dead. He also keeps singing tiktok audios, just to make Twilight’s life a little bit worse
Four: Recording the audio of the super annoying song. He’s gonna play it full volume later when the others least expect it and Warriors WILL drop to his knees and cry (the audio includes Wind’s bad singing, Time very quietly begging him to stop towards the beginning, and 1 (one) sob that Warriors let out after 20 minutes of being trapped)
Sky: He can’t help it, he’s humming along and he hates himself for it
Legend: Completely zoned out, he’s no longer there mentally, he’s free
381 notes · View notes
naffeclipse · 4 months ago
Text
The Eel's Hips Pt. 2
Vigilante Mer!Reader x Detective Mer!Sun and Moon
Commission Info
Everyone tell @o-cinnamonstickz thank you for requesting a part 2 to her first commission! I can't tell you how excited I am to continue this storyline where we left off. The boys are determined to keep the vigilante under house arrest and their little fish is making it ever difficult, as always.
Content Warning for suggestive themes.
———
The midnight sea glows with the silvery light of a full moon. You would admire the coral reef so deliciously dusted in the celestial shine were it not for the two mers surrounding you on either side. They hurry you along, Sun’s hand wrapped tightly around your own as Moon's small finger hooks your pinky. Long, sharp fins and fanning frills easily push you through the water at a swift speed that would have exhausted you in moments were it not for their ability to carry you and cut through the ocean like seaweed.
It’s a shame this isn’t a stroll through the gentle dark with your two favorite mers. They were so insistent and brisk that you came with them. It’s hard to tell them no when they refuse to let you go or slip out of their grasp. How can you blame them? It would have been a tragedy to separate the three of you.
Even in the dimness, you spy life in the Reef. Vibrate hard coral frames the home of sunlight and twilight zone mers alike. Fish slip around anemones while lobsters rest under rocky covers and seahorses hook tightly to seagrass. Sponges, sea turtles, and clams rest low in the valley between mer shelters made gently out of the reef bed. They take you towards the narrow edge of paradise to all, though there is always trouble seemingly churning at every bend. 
There are a few twilight zone mers drifting quietly through the dark. They’re adapted to the lack of bright, yellow sun rays, and the quiet without the bustling sunlight zone mers must be a comfort. You’re not certain. Sun and Moon don’t say much from their days before the Reef welcomed all kinds of mers. From what little you gathered, the twilight zone in the sea is cold, dark, and isolating, even among their own kind.
You’re three linked like the ropes of a net, all of you, shutting your past into the darkness where no one else swims.
It’s better this way.
Distantly, you spy on a couple. A twilight zone mer with the lower half of an octopus causes your gut to clench before you register the orange tentacles which blend into red and then pitch-black tips. He glows a faint cyan light while he guides a sunlight mer towards a home in the coral. Her tail is yellow in the darkness and her hair streams freely behind her, long and wavy and golden brown. She smiles at the midnight mer despite the stark difference in their biology, monstrous against meek. A tender hand touches her cheek. He wraps a tentacle loosely around her tail, and the twilight zone admires her for a breath before they saunter over seagrass and disappear into the shelter.
In the corner of your vision, Sun and Moon glance down at you, curious with arched brows at you grabbing their hands tighter. You swiftly loosen your hold.
“Do you miss the twilight sea?” you voice quietly to distract from their prying gazes. Immediately, a sharp glance cuts between the brothers.
“No.” Moon tugs you further along. His crimson eyes stay the day ahead with an edge that shines like a hook’s tip.
“Why?” you pry, watching him closely as if you had a chance of revealing what they don’t wish to show. “Not enough pretty fish for you to chase?”
“It’s beautiful here,” Sun says, his voice subdued, reverent. He tilts his rays of venomous spikes as he studies you gently. His blue eyes shimmer. “There’s so much light.”
You find yourself quiet. The tip of your tongue presses against the back of your teeth as you ponder what it would be like to grow up in darkness, barely swimming with others of your kind and scrabbling for scraps of food. Of course, they are natural predators. By all accounts, you and the rest of the sunlight mers are their prey, and for many, many years the only things anyone would believe of them are their wild savagery. No one paused to wonder if they were sentient and deserving of a little bit of safety and light that the Reef offers, until recently.
Then came the gangs and the struggle for power and dominance. Then came Sun and Moon. Then you. Then Eclipse.
You swallow roughly. Rebounding and perking up, you slyly try another tactic.
“What of—”
“We’re almost home and it’s late. Let’s keep our voices down.” It is not a suggestion. The smooth cut of Sun’s voice leaves you with an arch brow and a cheeky grin. Your question was pierced before it left your lips as if he hurled a harpoon at it. Lucky for him you’re feeling generous. For him, you’ll hold back any further inquiries of your two favorite mers’ place of birth.
At the edge of the reef, towards an edge that dips low into the deep blue sea, a shelter crafted of rock lies covered in black and fire coral. An idea of suggesting slipping in through the ceiling dances in the back of your thoughts. In an uncanny prediction, Moon levels you with a glare of warning while Sun holds you tightly before descending into the entry tunnel of their home. They’re no fun.
The main chamber holds a floor of thick, soft alga. A few supplies are stashed in the corners including nets and baskets, each holding precious materials of food and cleaning supplies for instance of scale rot and other unpleasant conditions a mer would not enjoy suffering for a moment longer than necessary. You sweep a glance over the brightly colored sea stars which lie dormant and mute across the walls in the late evening.
You sweep a sultry look between the two.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two are nervous I’m going to slip away.” If only you had a hand free. You would seep a lock of hair over your shoulder and twirl it around your finger.
“Not nervous, just prepared,” Sun suggests in a chary tone, ripe for rebuttal. His fins give a sharp, anticipatory flick. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable?”
Moon holds your gaze. The back of his claw touches the side of your palm and you give a dramatic sign and nod with great grace.
“Since you’re being so polite, starfish,” you hum. Freeing your hand from Sun’s grasp, you set a finger under his chin, admiring how his eyes dilate and turn almost completely white as he tries to stare down at your touch. Tilting his head up until his eyes meet your own, you singsong, “I’ll be good.”
His lips part breathlessly.
You flash a dangerous smile. “For the moment.”
“You need to tell us what you were doing,” Moon growls. The grumble fills you when he tugs on you slightly and presses his tail against yours. His deep blue and silver face looms over you. “What were you doing outside of the Reef?”
You slip naturally into an easy smile. Flicking your fins, you glide against Moon before he releases your pinky finger. His eyes flash a brighter scarlet, if you’re not mistaken, and you’re not. How could he not be affected by the presence of your body? You twist back to face them both. 
“Who, me?” you press both hands to your chest, eyes wide open and innocent. 
Sun says your name, ever-lasting patience running thinner still. He blinks and rubs a hand down his face. In a snap, you realize how exhausted he must be, working so late into the night as he is. 
But he didn’t have to give chase after you slipped into the chasms. Of course, you are worth the lack of sleep he’s getting.
“You have been leaving the Reef more than usual,” Sun tries again. “Is there another gang you’re fighting?”
Oh, perhaps. You’re quite busy, going here to kill some goons and rushing there to stop an innocent sunlight mer from being forced into ‘protection’ by another thug. There’s just never enough sun in the day. It’s a wonderful thing that you have one with you instead.
“My, you two look so handsome when you’re interrogating me,” you simper. You press a finger to your cheek and tilt your head, eyes coquettish swinging between the two sleek and strong mers. “Really, I’m flattered you want to know so much about me.”
Moon scowls. His sharp teeth flash in the darkness, sending your heart into a downward spiral. Sweeping around you with a whip-like motion of his tail, he shadows you like the dark side of the new lunar cycle. 
“If there’s bad mers, you need to let us know.” His harsh rasp brushes the shell of your ear. “You can’t fight everyone. You will slip up.”
You turn to face him, inches between your mouth and his crooked snarl. His eyes betray him and fall down to your lips. You grin.
“I think you’ll find that I am quite amazing,” you lower your voice until it smokes like wintery fog over the sea, “if you haven’t already, squid.” 
Your hand finds his shoulder. The slight twitch of his tail gives away your allure as your fingers tap softly along his collarbone and slide up to his spindly throat. Tracing the strong cords of his neck until you reach his jawbone, you admire the strength he wields. His bite could crush you easily. He wouldn’t, no matter how much he storms and darkens around you.
He slowly takes your hand and presses it closer to the corner of his wide mouth. Slowly, he lays a kiss on your palm.
Sun softly says your name. The water ripples and a few bubbles arise as he slips around you. His tail slides over your own before two pairs of eternal eyes hold you. 
Suddenly, you are small. You are no better than the mer who used to cause mayhem and bloodshed in the Reef just as the twilight zones were earning their welcome among the coral and softer, weaker mers. 
A gang is a gang. It wouldn’t matter in their eyes. You are guilty as sin, and your hands are still red despite all your efforts to wash yourself clean. The Reef deserves better. It will have it. You will give those who are in need justice and those who cause suffering punishment. But now, you hide a dirty fish under your shiny, sparkling veneer. 
You can stay with them, but not for long. They’ll have you as you are now, concerned for your safety and worried about what shoals you swim with but not as you were. 
You will keep your past sunk far, far into the deep.
“You’ve been returning more and more with bruises,” Sun says gently, “And you’re disappearing more and more. We can’t keep you safe if you won’t let us.”
“Safe? That’s precious,” you sweetly hum. Your heart, however, sways gently under Sun’s concerned gaze. “A beautiful thought, truly.”
“You’re going after Eclipse,” Moon states in a flat accusation.
You stare back. The blueness of Sun’s eyes fades until only a pale, concerned color remains. Moon mirrors dark irises, eating up all the light. Your lips crack into a slow, wide smile.
How could they fear their own brother so much? What do they know?
“Why would I ever do such a thing?” You bat your eyelashes. “I would never! Nor would I ever stray too far from the Reef!”
Disregarding today’s chase through the chasm, of course, but you don’t mention that little tidbit out loud. You smile sweetly until Sun sighs a bone-tired sound. Moon’s claws are tighter around your hand for a heartbeat, and you eye him sharply before he lowers your palm from his cheek.
“It’s late,” he says softly.
Victory tastes bittersweet on your tongue as you nod. 
“It is, I should get going before the sun rises and everyone knows what lovely company you keep in the dark—”
The flick of your tail is impeded by two mers taking your arms, guiding you away from the entry tunnel and towards one of the branching paths from the main chamber.
“You should rest here for the night,” Sun decides despite the cheery tone of his suggestion. “There’s no reason for you to be out so late swimming around.”
“You’re tired,” Moon adds with a gentle but firm note upon his tongue. His eyes shimmer like jewels in the dark. “We’ll stay with you tonight.”
“Oh, how gracious, but I’m afraid I have to decline,” you breeze while your eyes fall back to your escape quickly diminishing in the dark.
“We insist,” Moon whispers. His hand on your waist leaves no room for argument. 
Guiding you down a tunnel, small and almost completely dark to your eyes, Sun and Moon take you deeper into their home. A complaint of being netted in their home like some common criminal laces your tongue, but you don’t think they’d disagree with you. Sun glows faintly. Golden bioluminescence offers the slightest aid to your sunlight zone vision and illuminates the room—Sun’s room. 
A bed of moss lies soft and green. Along the ceiling, several soft corals grow in flowing blues pinks, and reds. 
“Taking me to bed, boys?” you draw with a coquettish undertone.
“Only to rest,” Moon gruffly reminds. His scarlet eyes ease when you meet his gaze, and he guides you down, setting you on the resting place like a child. His hands on your waist are strong and steady, and you shiver under the softest scrap of his claws.
“And you need to stay out of trouble.” Sun spares you a knowing look, blue eyes bright in the golden rays of his light. “Just for tonight. Please.”
You rest on your side. Head propped on your hand, tail slightly curled, you conjure a cheeky, rebellious smile at your two favorite mers.
“As lovely as such an evening would be with the darling protectors of the Reef, I’m afraid I’m simply too restless.” Your half-lidded eyes are only for their pleasure and not to suggest an ounce of exhaustion. 
How could you sleep, surrounded by two dishy twilight zone mers? They’ll learn soon enough. No wounds or bruises keep you held down, and without medicines to soothe you into a good night’s rest, you long to be out there, hunting down the scum that poison the Reef with their violence and lust for power.
But your two favorite mers share a look. A dangerous glance whispering of a dastardly plot, and you realize just how outnumbered you are.
“We’ll make you tired,” Moon flashes a sharp, hungry grin of shark teeth. 
“You’ll have sweet dreams,” Sun promises, but even his golden light is alluring, promising a bright golden aquatic flower while hiding a mouth full of fangs. “Come here, sweet fish.”
You feel a shudder running down your spine and into your tailfins, a most curious thing when you’re so used to watching them flounder into flustered messes. Sun slips behind you, resting on the moss beside you. Before you can twist around to face him and protect your back, Moon sinks down and rests a hand on your waist. You freeze, effectively caught between two predators.
“Oh, you boys are ganging up on sweet, little me,” you bemoan. Dramatically, you lift your hand to cover your brow with the back of your head, head falling back in a swoon. “Will I ever be treated right?”
“Hush,” Moon whispers. Your eyes widen slightly when his fingertips trace up your side, evoking a soft shiver over your skin. “Sleep.”
“How can I? There’s simply so much work to do and—” You stifle a soft sound in the back of your throat when Sun draws a hand down your back. Softly tracing the ridges of your spine, he stops on a scar on your lower right side. He circles it gently for a moment.
“I think you’ll find a way,” he gives quietly though with no less cheer.
Sun shifts his tail slightly closer to yours, the flaring end of his fins covering you like sunlight as he dims his bioluminescence until there is only the dimness and your two favorite mers loving on you. The deep blue scales of Moon’s tail rest against your own. Effectively, you are caught between them with the softest caresses and husky, lowered voices to ease you into sleep.
“Lay down.” Moon gives little room for argument when he takes your shoulder. Sun’s hand on your hip pins you gently to the moss, and you stare up at the ceiling, your hands searching through the dark. You are not disappointed. 
Moon leans over you gently. With his free hand, he traces your lips and you’re forced to bite back a sound of content at the gentleness. You yearn for more. A lot more. How freely they give their affection when Sun takes your hair, still tied back in flowing red algae leaves and, of course, their golden seashells, and strokes it softly. His claws card gently over your scalp and your eyelids shudder under the sensitivity it conjures.
You could ask them where they found such precious shells deep in the twilight zone, but they might not tell you. Not now, when they need you to rest. No more than you could confess how addicted you have become to their presence, the light of their bodies, the colors of their eyes. How afraid you are to lose them.
But sweetly, gently, they coax you to forget fears as they rest against you in the darkness. You stifle laughter once when Sun’s hand brushes over your stomach while wrapping his arm around you. Clasped tightly, you understand how clear Sun makes it known: he is not letting you go. Moon moves closer and allows you to rest your head on his arm. He rasps gently against your forehead, bidding you goodnight. His kiss finds your mouth in the darkness, and you hold tightly to him for one moment.
Their traces and petting hands slowly still, falling to simply rest on you, covering you in their presence—perhaps to assure you won’t slip away, but you won’t blame them this time for needing you so terribly.
Exhaustion takes hold. You bask in their warmth and coolness. Tucked so sweetly between them, you dream of their forgiveness for all the blood on your hands. For not yet atoning for all you’ve done.
You fade into dreams of stars and moonlight.
165 notes · View notes
billluver0124 · 5 months ago
Text
"i wanna fucking tear you apart."
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
synopsis: bill meets an 'almost vampire-like" girl at the club, he wonders if shes the same under the sheets >.<
WARNINGS!! p in v, riding (cowgirl), blood kink!, scratching, cursing!
AUTHORS NOTE: i dont really know how to feel about this one, i love it and hate it at the same time...but i hope you guys enjoy<3
it all started at a party, y/n was a regular at this goth club called "the twilight zone". bill had been wanting to go to this place for ages but never had the motivation, but now he did... BILLS POV:
ive always wanted to go to this club, but i never had the motivation to because i get so busy with the band. but something made me come tonight, almost like i was attracted to something here. as i walk into this nightclub, im filled with the typical smell of alcohol and smoke. everyone was dancing on the floor, but they all looked different then your average party people.
these people had messy hair, wore mostly black clothes and looked like the dead. there definitely wasnt gonna be a cheetah print bra bombshell here. but there was this girl that stood out in the crowd...
she had the 'gothic look' like everyone else, but something was different about her, her hair was as dark as ebony could get. her skin was pale, almost deathly. she looked so eery, but so fucking beautiful. as she danced to the music playing. her energy was practically pulling me towards her, next thing i knew i was dancing right next to her.
THIRD PERSONS POV
y/n was dancing on the dance-floor, moving her worries out of her. she loved this place, its ethereal energy made her fall in love with this nightclub. as she was moving to the rhythm, she feels someone watching her.
she turns around and sees this boy, just admiring her in the middle of the floor. its was weird but she liked it, she went back to dancing when all of a sudden, he was right next to her.
"y-you mind if i dance w-with you?" he asked nervously, she was so hot it made him timid. "yea whatever, just stop being so nervous. im not gonna hurt you" she told him. her voice was cold to him, but so sexy at the same time. she wraps his arms around her waist as she resumes to dancing. swaying her hips on him to the song that was playing, it was spooky; but rather erotic as well.
i want to hold you close, skin pressed against me tight~
y/n turns around at face him, "c'mon" she takes his hand "wha-w-where?" y/n chuckles at his nervousness as she led him to a secret room. it was dark, cold and it had a mattress on the floor. not the best place to hook up but itll do.
y/n pushes him on the mattress. the fall shocks bill, but he cant help but feel his pants tighten by the minute. she crawls on top of him, pressing soft kisses on his neck. he, without thinking, slides his hands up her body. feeling his desire for her grow bigger and unbearable by the second.
she began to grow hungrier for him, the soft kisses turned into harsh hickeys. she wrapped her hand around his neck, bill gasps at the sudden action.
"i wanna fucking tear you apart" she told him, her words made bill moan. his hard beginning to ache, begging to be released from the confines of his pants.
she pinned his wrists over his head, entrapping their lips in a passionate and hungry kiss. bill moans against her lips, giving y/n the chance to slide her tongue in his mouth. their wet muscles swirling around each other
she lets go to take off her shirt, luckily she had no bra under. bill immediately latches his mouth onto her breast, sucking and swiring his tongue around the bud while his hand plays with the other.
"fuck.." she mumbles, palming his bulge as he sucks her nipples. he sucks harder in response, bill pulls away to take off his shirt. his nipple piercing catches y/n's eye immediately. she leans closer and licks his pierced nipple, the feeling of pleasure lingers in bills body
she goes back up to his lips, then between his chest and kisses down all the way to his bulge. bills eyes watch her do so, practically pleading for her to go further.
she then slowly unbuttons his pants, pulling them down along with his boxers. his cock springing up, a little precum gets on her face.
she kisses his tip, making small little baby licks to tease him. bill whines "d-dont tease..please" he moans, resting his fingers in her hair.
she stops the teasing, sinking her mouth down as she took his whole cock in her mouth. bills eyes roll back at the feeling, a warm, wet and pretty mouth wrapped around his dick sent waves of pleasure through him.
she swirls her tongue around his shaft, moans both loud and quiet pouring out of his mouth "mmm-fuck that feels s'good..!" bills grabs her hair, bobbing her head up and down faster as he gets closer to release
y/n takes that as cue to suck harder, her hand fondles with his balls as the other holds her steady on his thigh. "o-oh fuck im s'close!" he whimpers
he lets out one last moan before shooting his hot load down her throat. she swallows, sticking her tongue out to show him.
she goes back up to his lips, "youre so hot fuck.." she groaned, she ran her fingers along her chest, slowly digging her nails in his chest. leaving scratch marks that were bleeding. the pain bill felt bled into pleasure as she ran her tongue along each wound, the feeling was rather odd but the sight was so fucking sexy.
y/n felt herself getting soaked by the second. she grinds herself on his thigh "you gonna let me put it in?" she asked, her face in his neck. leaving soft kisses. "fuck yes.." bill nods. she slides her mini skirt and underwear off in one go, throwing it somewhere in the room.
she hovers her bare pussy over his dick, "you ready hon'?" she asks, bill nods even more, waiting more eagerly to be inside her. she finally aligns the tip to her folds before pushing it in all the way. she winced in pain as she felt his cock stretch her from the inside. "f-fuck!" she groaned as the pain slowly bled to pleasure. she began sliding herself up just to slam herself down again. she does it again and again, holding his thighs behind her to keep her steady as his tip rams into her sweet spot immediately.
bill holds onto her hips, guiding her up and down his dick. "you feel so nice miss" he moans, feeling her clench around him as she was getting closer to orgasm.
y/n bounces faster, the sound of skin slapping getting louder as well as both her and bills moans. "im gonna-ngh!-c-cum again!" he whimpered, "m-me too, hold on for me" y/ns pussy began to ache as she felt her release forming in her lower stomach.
bill watches a small bulge form on her lower stomach as she fucked herself on him. "you r-ready?" she pants. bill nods then almost immediately bucks his hips into her wildly as she bounced even harder on his cock.
bill and y/n let out a loud harmonized moan as they came on each other, y/n drops on top of bill as she tries to catch her breath.
"im bill.." he mumbled, just loud enough for y/n to hear. "im y/n" she replied back, before getting up to put her clothes back on.
bill felt a little disappointed that she didnt stay longer, but he knew that this was just gonna be a hookup. he puts his clothes on as well and goes to the public restroom in the club.
as he fixed himself in the mirror, he felt a stinging sensation on his chest, he pulls down the collar of his shirt and sees the stratch marks she left read something
"all mine ♡"
was written in red inflamed skin on bills chest. he now felt like y/ns property
132 notes · View notes
dreaming-of-lu · 7 months ago
Note
I saw requests are open and I wanted to let you know that I really love your writing! Could you do First and/or Twilight with a reader who sings really well but is self conscious about it? Romantic if possible
I tried to do scenarios, but alas, my brain did not wanna work with that, so hope you don't mind hc's! I gotchu chief.
Tumblr media
First
~~ Man, oh man, where do I begin with him? I like to think that their music wasn't really much big in lyrics. It's rare to hear to music with words so imagine his surprise when he heard you softly humming tune. Only for it to slowly grow to normal speaking range.
~~ He happens upon your little tunes while you were foraging. He heard a part, something about "In mountains that are stacked with fear, but you're a king and I'm a lionheart." (King and Lionheart by of Monsters and Men)
~~ Not one to interrupt a peaceful air that surrounded your form. He instead, took careful watch behind a tree, closing his eyes, and listening to the serene song that flitted in one ear and out the other.
~~ He wasn't sure how much time had pass, but the shocked gasp had him up on his feet, hand on his sword and swiveling his head in panic.
~~ With no harm in sight, he breathes only to hear your squeak. He froze when his eyes came into contact with yours. Your voice cracked, "how long have you been standing there?" He duck his head with a sheepish smile, "your voice...it sounded lovely."
~~ He doesn't pressure you to sing to him, only whenever you feel comfortable to do so. Though, he does miss hearing your little hums and the different tunes your home made. It definitely sits in his mind to where he's humming it to himself.
~~ it's only when he had a nightmare of old memories that you sung to him in the shared inn bed quietly. He appreciates the distraction and he loves you for it even as you take a step out of your comfort zone. He cherishes the moments like those.
Twilight
~~ I like to think he loves the folk songs more than what others would actually think he would like. While yes, the bittersweet country tunes make him howl, but the folk songs got his heart swelling, foot tapping and swaying his head alongside to it.
~~ It's definitely a late night, he's on watch and you're up due to brain not wanting to knock out for the night. His ear twitches at the soft hums coming from you causing the stress from his shoulders to relax. He loves hearing your voice, even though he wish for you to get some sleep, the other side is definitely soothed that he's not the only one awake.
~~ He's multitasking! "Tossed his copper, and I watched as it fell, but there wasn't any water in the wishing well." (Wishing Well by The Oh Hellos)
~~ That song...is new... he loves the soft tune, so saccharine to his ears. While he doesn't know the lyrics, he follows along eagerly and sighs in bliss, "mighty tune there, darls."
~~ It stops and he freezes, thinking he said something wrong, he backtracks with a wince, "ah! sorry if I-" "How long have you-" "Til I heard you hummin'." "...want me to continue?" "...if you want to, sugar."
~~ The thought of you only singing just for him, only for his ears to hear, makes his heart flutter. He does the dreamy sigh and it got his ancestor wondering what got him all day dreaming. It's both of your shared secret, one that he cherishes.
~~ Would sing with you, but as you can tell, he's not really a pro at it so he'll let you do the singing. He'll hum along or to himself. Dancing while singing? a swing during a upbeat or a slow sway together on a slow one. Lullabies? when he's down, sick or has a nightmare, know just hearing your voice soothes him.
155 notes · View notes
megamindsecretlair · 1 year ago
Text
Let Me Hold You
Pairing: Tyrone x Virgin!Black!Fem!/ Plus Size reader
Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, You are in charge of your own reading experience. Intentional use of AAVE. PWP, virginity loss, shy reader, cursing, PIV, oral (fem receiving), dirty talk, praise kink, possession kink if you squint, Soft Tyrone, all consensual. Mentions of religion, God, and Christian-leaning faith. Sorry if I miss any!
Summary: Ask: ...the reader is a virgin church girl, who, finds herself entangled in a predicament when her parents forbid her to be with the charismatic Tyrone. Despite this, the reader has a genuine friendship with him. They have crushes on each other but do not know how to tell each other.
Word Count: 5,803
A/N: Welp. This healed and broke some things in me! LOL. This was a wonderful ask from @notapradagurl7. I'm SO sorry this took forever to get out, I felt so bad. I hope this was worth the wait. Please, please consider commenting and reblogging to help support writers! And please put ages in bios! Or get blockt!
Taglist: @planetblaque @dayjlovesromance @sevikasblackgf @melaninpov @amyhennessyhouse @henneseyhoe @honeyoriginalz @justheretostan @black-fairy3 @superhoeva @jarfulloftears @hereformiles @montysstuffs @westside-rot @blackerthings @blowmymbackout @euphoric05 @miyuhpapayuh @nicolexnight @8ttached @judymfmoody @wakandas-vibranium @soft-persephone @justabovewater20 @mcotton0928 @soapjay @heyauntieeee @theyscreamsannii @mybonafidefeelings @eggnox @honeytoffee @thadelightfulone @tranquilfandomer @kindofaintrovert @l-auteuse @browngirldominion @sunkissedebony97 @lovedlover @issahyland
Tumblr media
“And we don’t want you hanging out with that - that boy!” Your father paced the living room floor, his loafers kicking up the delicate fibers. 
“What?” You shrieked. Already, fear spiked into your heart. The thought of not seeing Tyrone? It was inconceivable. You looked toward your mother who perched on the end of the plump chair, proper as you please. She kept her eyes on your father. You wouldn’t get any help from her.
“I’m an adult, you can’t ban me from seeing my friends,” you protested. Did he really think he was serious? 
“It’s not appropriate for you to spend time with someone like him. If you’re to entertain anyone, there are plenty of nice young men at the church.” 
“Malcolm just returned from college to be an engineer. I always knew that boy was smart,” your mother chirped in. 
Your eyes darted between your parents. You half expected aliens to burst from their necks. These people were foreign to you. Unique in their united anger for Tyrone, a boy you’ve known your entire life. 
“Judge not lest ye be judged,” you quoted. Your mother scoffed and glared at you as if you said you wanted to shake your ass for Satan’s minions. Your father stopped his pacing and gawked at you. Like you were the foreign one. A daughter he didn’t recognize. 
“No daughter of mine will hang around someone like that boy. Peddling that poison to people in this community,” your father said. 
“That boy has been nothing but nice to us. A boy you watched grow up. A boy you assume is doing dirt,” you countered. What episode of the Twilight Zone was this? 
“I have eyes,” your father said. “And I see what’s going on. All the people running in and out of his house, his mother’s house I might add, and bumping that music…”
“I still live at home. Are you going to judge me for that too?” You asked. Your father pressed his lips together. 
“It’s different for women,” your mother said as if it were a fact. 
You tuned your parents out as they tried to tell you the difference between young men and young women. You didn’t have the heart to listen anymore. Your blood roared in your ears and you stared off into space, trying to calm down. 
You stood up suddenly. You needed to be anywhere but here. Looking into their judgemental faces. You made one mistake. Funny how they didn’t take into consideration all of the times you were a “good girl”. How you minded your Ps and Qs your entire life. Never did anything bad. Never wanted to do anything bad.
And now, they wanted to effectively place you under house arrest. Only leaving for school or church. This was not the stone ages. You couldn’t sit here under this oppressive weight. Constantly holding yourself to a higher standard. 
What higher standard? Did God really think that oppressing women was the ticket into Heaven? Placing all of these restrictions was the ultimate symbol of propriety? What happened to love thy neighbor? 
Your parents called after you, but you kept moving. You’d never defied them. You always deferred to them. They had experiences you didn’t and just wanted you to have a good life. Bullshit. They wanted a little doll to dress up and tote around town. 
At the door, you slipped into your flats and left the house. No purse, no phone, no keys. It felt…invigorating. That type of freedom was intoxicating. Your parents’ indignant shouts followed you out of the house but they didn’t come to the door. 
You took that opportunity to head down the block towards Tyrone’s house. You hoped he was home. You hadn’t had a chance to check your phone before your parents ambushed you.
His house looked dark for once. There were no cars bunched up in front of the house or thumping music coming from the front door. You ran up the steps and knocked on the metal door.
The cold air caught up to you, edging past the heat of your anger. It could only warm you up so far. There were no sounds coming from the house so you knocked again. It was still earlyish but you didn’t want to be loud and disrespect his mom. 
“Yeah,” Tyrone called out sleepily. You suppressed a smile. Just hearing his voice instantly calmed you down.
You heard a series of locks and bolts being undone. Tyrone swung the door open. He called out your name and looked behind you. 
“What’s up? We were s’posed to meet?” He asked.
“Can I come in?” You asked.
“Always,” he said. He moved out of the way and let you enter his darkened house. You took in the space and got a chilling sense of loneliness here. You didn’t know why. Tyrone closed the door and locked it.
“I was sleep. Come on,” he said. He took your hand and led you to his room. Inside, the sudden light gave you a tiny ache in your eyes and you rubbed them. Tyrone sat on his bed, leaning one leg up onto the mattress. 
You remained standing, suddenly shy. You hated feeling unsettled wherever you went. Even in the company of your friends, you paid attention to everything you said. Were you being weird? Were you not talking enough? It was all incredibly awkward whenever you tried to join the conversation and people had already moved on to the next topic. 
“What’s up?” Tyrone asked.
You sighed and recounted everything that happened with your parents. You paced his small but comfy room, poking at random objects on his desk or hanging on his wall. He had wrinkled Lakers posters torn in one corner. You picked at it as you spoke, not wanting to look him in the face while you spoke and ranted and raved about your judgy, overbearing parents. 
Tyrone was a great listener. He never interrupted you, he kept his comments to a minimum, and when you were brave enough to look at him, he’d nod for you to continue. So you did. You told him everything, even the part about your parents judging him for his side hustle. 
“They don’t want you to see me anymore because of that?” He asked. 
You nodded and sat on the bed next to him. “I told them they’re nuts. They can’t ban me from seeing you, I’m not sixteen,” you said.
“You were pretty cute when you were sixteen,” he said.
“Shut up! I’m trying to be serious here!” You pushed his shoulder. He moved as if you were strong, but you knew that he let you. Tyrone had always been an immovable force. He moved through life like it owed him money and he was coming to collect. He had a surety about himself that kept you up all night thinking of him. 
Your hand lingered on his bare arms, taking in his large biceps. His navy tank top hung just so, highlighting his broad smooth chest. He wore his signature black basketball shorts and you quickly removed your hand. You should not be having these thoughts about your best friend. 
“I’m serious too!” He said and chuckled. He quickly sobered up and glanced at you. “I’d miss you if I couldn’t see you.” 
You smiled slowly. “You’d only miss the chips I bring you,” you said. 
“Naw, I’d miss you. I’d have to stage a breakout or something,” he said. 
You laughed, picturing hopping into Tyrone’s getaway car just to drive a few houses down. Bonnie and Clyde ya’ll were not. 
You bumped his shoulder with yours. “There’s nothing that can keep us apart,” you said. You stuck out your pinkie finger. Tyrone looked at it and laughed, shaking his head and licking his lips. 
“Really?” He asked.
“Yeah, so you know I’m serious,” you said. You pushed your hand into his chest to urge him to do it with you. He shook his head again and wrapped his pinkie around yours. 
“So what you gonna do since they dropped the hammer?” Tyrone asked. 
“I don’t know,” you said. You tucked your legs under you, holding down your dress so no one got a free show. You played with the hem. “I wish they’d see me as an individual instead of an extension of their dead hopes and dreams.” 
“I feel that. You’re just gonna have to prove that you grown now,” he said with a shrug. 
“There’s nothing I can do. They’ll only see me as a goody two shoes who’s always ready with a smile. Like, I don’t have feelings or something? I’d have to rob a bank or have…” You trailed off as the intrusive thought came to you. 
You became very interested in your dress as you played with the rolled hem. “Have what?” Tyrone prompted.
You hummed and shrugged. “Lost my train of thought. Point is, I’m tired of living and dying by their own expectations,” you said. 
The thought didn’t leave you though. In fact, the more you turned it around in your head, the hotter it got in the room. Your imagination ran away from you, providing images of a naked Tyrone standing over you. Bending you over. Calling you dirty names. You shifted on the bed as the images became a little too vibrant.
You usually indulged in your fantasies late at night, safe and comfortable in your head where no one would know except you. It was harmless to be as nasty as you wanted, getting yourself worked up and needy but ultimately not doing anything about it. Could you imagine trying to order a sex toy and have it sent to the house? Trying to hide the buzz buzz as you got yourself off? It was either the towel on the pillow or your own fingers but once you felt awkward, it was hard to get back into the mood. 
“So don’t live by their expectations. What do you wanna do?” He asked. 
You glanced at him. He treated it as seriously as possible and that only made your heart melt. He was the bestest friend you could have hoped for, growing up together. But would you always be someone he grew up with? Forced to talk about his conquests over and over and wishing it were you? 
You licked your lips and faced him. You sat up straight and looked him in the eyes. Your heart thundered in your chest. You felt the steady beat all over, thumping in your arms and in your head. Now or never. 
“What would you say to a crazy idea?” You asked. 
Tyrone shifted to allow you more room on the bed. “What kind of crazy idea?” He asked slowly. 
You smiled at the mistrust in his voice. You were kind of known for some out of pocket schemes. It was not your fault that Mrs. Edwards came home early that one time. How were you supposed to know? 
You lost a bit of your nerve, looking down at your fingers. You gripped your dress hard, your fingers pressing the thin fabric. “What would you say if I asked you to take my virginity?” 
You risked a glance at him. He was frozen solid, gaping at you. After a moment, he blew out a breath. “Wait, what?” 
“I am tired of doing what people expect of me. Nothing is ever good enough and I never get anything out of the deal. I want something for myself. I want to have sex. I want to have sex with you,” you said. 
He tilted his head so you forged on, explaining why you wanted to have sex. “And I know it might be a little weird considering we’re friends but I’m pretty sure you’re not seeing someone right now? Right? Because I’d rather it be with someone I trust, at least the first time…” You rambled. You were rambling and you couldn’t make yourself stop. You heard the words. You said the words. But you couldn’t find a way to disconnect your brain from your mouth. “And you’re totally free to say no. Like, we can totally forget I asked.” 
After you crawled into a cave or yeeted yourself off of a cliff, surely you could be around Tyrone and not think of this stupid situation. 
You opened your mouth to ramble more because he was just sitting there, but he captured your lips with his. His hands cupped your jaw and pulled you into it, moving your lips against his. Your hands gripped his, but not to push him away. You held him there and kissed him back. Tyrone ran the tip of his tongue to trace around your lips. You gasped and he pulled away, pressing his forehead against yours.
“You have no fuckin’ clue how long I been wanting to do that,” he said, his voice hoarse. 
“Wait, what?” You asked. Your head was pleasantly fuzzy. Like you were full of fluffy clouds. “You’ve been wanting to kiss me?”
“Every time I see you. You got kissable lips,” he said. He made his point by kissing you again, humming low in his throat. He pulled away and ran his thumb across your lips. Each pass of his lips on yours or his calloused fingers on you only made your head fuzzier. You squeezed your thighs together, feeling yourself get more and more worked up.
“Why didn’t you ever say? Especially after ninth grade!” There was once upon a time where you two had danced at the high school you attended. You had found a dark-ish corner away from the chaperones and told Tyrone that you’d never been kissed. He had laid one on you, probably not well now that you thought about it, but it had been so precious to you. He ended it by saying, “Now you have”, and walked away. 
The memory was always bittersweet. But hell, it was still your first kiss. 
“I was a dumb ass kid. I didn’t know how to tell you I liked you more than a friend,” he said. 
Warmth spread from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. This lonely torch you’d been holding for Tyrone wasn’t one sided. You looked into his molten brown eyes and smiled, not knowing how to properly process this new information.
In fact, it blew you away that you were here at this moment. Who knew your holier-than-thou parents were good for something? 
“And now?” You asked.
Tyrone removed his hands from your face and you missed them instantly. He grabbed one of your hands, pulling it across his lap so that you could cup him. You gasped at the sheer size of him. Despite common myths, you have seen a dick before. But you’d never touched one. Held one. Sucked on one. 
Your mouth went dry at the thought. You wanted to suck him, but what if you were bad at it? Your lip rolled in between your teeth and you bit down, wondering the mechanics of it all. 
“Well, you did ask me for something huge. Are you sure?” He asked. His voice held a strange, raspy quality to it. You flicked your eyes back to him and he was breathing a little faster. Oh shit, he really did like you. How the hell did you miss it? 
“I’m very sure,” you said. You pressed your hand in more, stroking him over his basketball shorts. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he opened them and grinned at you. 
“I’ll do it. But I want you to promise me that you’ll tell me if you don’t like something or if you want to stop, okay?” 
You nodded. “I promise. I’m a big girl, I can use my words,” you said. Your hands still moved over him and you must’ve been doing something right because his breaths left him in quick bursts. He rubbed his face and gripped his jaw, eyes tightly shut. 
“Okay, okay,” he said. He stilled your hand on him and moved it off. “Okay, okay. Virgin. Have you done anything? Gotten eaten out?” He asked.
You sighed and shook your head. “Yeah, I just snuck them up to my room while my dad was busy in the kitchen,” you said.
Tyrone chuckled. “Okay, smart ass. Give me a minute. I’m like…I don’t wanna just jump on you even though I want to,” he said. He stood up and rubbed his hands together, jumping in place. 
You giggled. “I thought I was supposed to be the nervous one,” you said. And you were! Your nerves were shot. Your hands trembled thinking of what the hell you were about to get into. You had fantasized it so many times, wondering who it would be. Sometimes wishing it were Tyrone. And while you didn’t think it would be all glitzy like they do in the movies, you did think you’d be married. Or at least in a steady relationship.
As you looked at Tyrone though, you were glad it was with someone you were comfortable with. Someone who took your usual anxiety from 100% to about 65%. 
Tyrone smirked. “If you knew the thoughts I be having about you…you might run out that door,” he said. “I’m trying to do this right.” 
You reached out and grabbed his hand. “Don’t treat me like some glass doll,” you said. You titled your head and stared him down. “You forgetting I know all your nasty little secrets?” 
Tyrone chuckled and squeezed your hand. “Shut up. That’s different. I ain’t care about them, but I do care about you. Don’t ever treat this shit as casual,” he said. 
You sucked your teeth. “Not you too. I promise, I’m not going around opening my legs for any man that wants it,” you said. You were about to go on a tirade about how it was your body and your rules. Tyrone shut you up with another kiss, tugging on your bottom lip. 
“The thought of anyone else in between your legs makes me angry,” he whispered against your lips.
“Angry?” 
He nodded and continued to kiss you, sliding his hands up and down your arms. His warm, big hands chased away any lingering chill from outside. He slowly knelt so that he wasn’t bending at an awkward angle. 
His knees sank to the floor and he nestled himself in between your thighs. His hands continued to travel down, squeezing your hips, your outer thighs. Your hands held on to his shoulders, kneading and massaging his back. He moaned into your mouth and a delicious tingle went up your spine. 
“Mhm, so don’t say that shit no more,” he said. 
“You can’t expect…”
His hands crept closer to your pussy and you ended your sentence on a squeak. Heat rose up your neck and cheek. “Relax,” he said. You took a few deep breaths, nodding, but you were as stiff as a board. Tyrone stopped moving his hand and kept it on your thigh.
“You gotta relax. And let me do this for you,” he said. His thumb pressed into your thigh and your body caved in. He somehow zeroed in on a knot and his thumb worked it out. “Oh fuck,” you said. 
“Mhm, you’ll feel better in a minute. But you gotta relax for me,” he said.
Sure, as if you could snap your fingers and relax. Wouldn’t you know it, anxiety was a light switch you could flick on and off at your leisure. Tyrone must’ve seen your thoughts play across your face, because he chuckled. 
“Do you have any fuckin’ idea how sexy you are?” He asked.
“What?” You asked. The question caught you off guard. You knew you were gorgeous, you knew you were working with some thick thighs and a pretty tummy. But sexy? Somehow, you missed the memo about sex appeal. You swore that guys could see “virgin” stamped across your forehead.
“Mhm. Whenever you walk out the house in one of these dresses, I just keep picturing how you look underneath. If that pussy nice and pink and wet.” His voice went deeper, harsher, bringing with it dark, carnal promises.
Your thighs tingled. Your hands shook. You bit your bottom lip to keep from moaning like a ho. Tyrone kissed your jaw, then moved up to your ear. “You nice and wet for me? You want me to play with it right?” He asked.
“Yes, yes, play with it,” you said.
Tyrone moved his hand up. Your thighs were burning hot from where they rested against each other. Tyrone nudged you to open your legs. He hummed while he kissed along your ear. “I wonder if you taste as good you feel.”
You dropped your head against him. “You can’t be saying shit like that,” you said.
“Look at you, with your little potty mouth,” he said.
“Shut up, Tyrone!” 
He only laughed and finally, blessedly, reached your core. He played with the edges of your panties, seeing the way you squirmed and moaned. He slipped his finger past the material and cursed under his breath.
“Damn, all of that for me? How you gon’ run home to Daddy with panties this soaked?” Tyrone asked.
You stuttered out a response. How were you supposed to form a coherent sentence when his fingers were on you? His fingers glided in between your slick folds, pushing past your pussy lips, and tracing the outside of your clit.
Your eyes bugged out of your head. Your mouth dropped in a tiny little ‘o’ and Tyrone’s eyes narrowed as he took in your expression. He kissed you once, too quickly for your taste, and smirked at you.
“You gotta stop being so damn cute,” he said. “Makes me want to do all kinds of nasty shit to you.” 
You moaned, picturing those disgusting things. His thumb rubbed over your clit and you scrunched up your face in pleasure. 
How was it that this felt infinitely different and better than when you did it to yourself? He knew exactly what to do, taking cues from your moans and grunts and pretty gasps. You sent up a prayer, thankful that this was with someone experienced. Then again, God probably wasn’t listening right about now.
Tyrone traced slow circles on your clit. You looked through your lashes at his smug face. He knew he was driving you wild. You hissed and jerked when he got to a particularly sensitive spot. “Shh, shh, breathe,” he said. 
He held your gaze as you took in deep breaths. Your belly flipped and tightened, the beginning stirrings of something naughty making its way to the surface. Your gaze traveled down. Tyrone’s hand was completely under your dress. It was somehow hotter that you couldn’t see what he was doing to you.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” You moaned.
“Mhm, pray to him for mercy. Because you ain’t gettin’ that shit from me,” Tyrone’s raspy voice was like its own arrow of desire. Your thighs shook. Your feet dangled over the side of the bed. Your toes curled. 
“Tyrone, please,” you said. You gripped his shoulders. His smooth brown skin shone with its own light. 
“Let me take these panties off,” Tyrone said.
“Yes, yes, yes,” you said. 
Tyrone stopped rubbing your clit. “No,” you growled. What the hell was he doing? You were so close! Your belly still felt tight, overripe like at any moment you would burst. 
Tyrone chuckled and lifted your dress. The fabric drew across your thighs like scorching fire. You hissed. You were on a precipice and any movement would hurt or hinder. You didn’t want to find out which. 
Tyrone pushed your dress up to your hips. Then, he grabbed the top of your panties and moved it down. He held you as you lifted up and slipped them off your ass. He smiled. “Never thought I’d get to see you like this,” he said.  
“I’m glad it’s you,” you said and smiled.
“I’m glad it’s you,” he said. “Remember to breathe for me.”
He kept your gaze as he pushed your legs over his shoulders. He grabbed your hips and pulled you forward until your ass was half hanging off of the bed. You cried out and he kissed your thighs until you calmed down.
Your heart beat in your pussy. The throb throb throb drove you mad. You were needy. You needed something more, anything more. 
Tyrone blew a breath across your wet pussy and you cried out, jerking your hips. Tyrone only locked his arms around you, curling his biceps around your thigh. “Oh fuck,” you moaned. 
Tyrone flattened his tongue and licked you from your pussy to your clit and back down again. A choppy moan left you. Your back bowed off of the bed. Your hands gripped the front of your dress. It wasn’t enough to hold so you moved your hands down to grip the bunched up hem. 
He ran his nose through your folds. He inhaled. “Smell so fuckin’ good, got damn,” he said. “Pretty ass pussy.”
He then drew his tongue in a slow circle around your clit. Locked as you were, he didn’t leave room for movement. You barely wiggled. Squirmed underneath his sinful tongue. With each new circle, he moved in closer. He tongued you closer to your clit and you whined and moaned and cried.
Your belly tightened once more. A cresting inferno built and built, radiating waves of heat throughout your body. 
Somehow, this too was more potent coming from him. Your body jerked out of your control, twitching every which way, as he created magic around your clit. He slurped up your juices. Slurped it loudly and greedily. He tongued it all down, getting his juicy lips wet with your essence.
You spoke in tongues, muttering and chirping. Tyrone’s tongue moved downwards, rimming your entrance and pushing his tongue inside.
“Oh god. Oh fuck. Tyrone, Tyrone,” you moaned. Your hands flexed. You searched for Tyrone’s head, his neat cornrows were going to get messed up tonight. You palmed him anyway, pushing his head into your pussy and started to gyrate on his mouth. 
“Mhm, mhm,” he encouraged. “That’s my good girl.”
You came with a loud yell. You could barely breathe. The sounds and words were dragged out of you. A hidden instinct buried in your DNA to say something, to help ride this awe-inducing wave. A flood of pleasure moved through you. 
Tyrone held you down through it all. His biceps flexed with your movements back and forth. He still ate you out, flicking his tongue around your nub. 
“F-f-f-.” Fuck it, you couldn’t say it. 
You flopped onto the bed, spent. You moaned as you twitched and calmed down. Tyrone leaned up. You looked at him. His face was slick across his jaw. A spit chain drooped. He licked his big lips and moaned.
“Ready for this dick?” He asked.
You sniffled and nodded. “Please. Please, I'm so ready,” said.
“You don't’ need a break?” He asked.
“Hell naw. Please,” you said. 
He nodded and placed a wet kiss on your thigh. He cleaned off his face on his tank top. He stood up. He grabbed your hands and pulled you into a sitting position. You put your chin on his stomach and looked up at him. 
He sighed and rolled his neck. “What I tell you about lookin’ so cute?” He asked. 
“I can’t help being cute,” you said. 
“Lyin’ ass. Yes, you can,” he said.
You sucked your teeth. “How am I supposed to do that?” 
“Ion know. Burp or something,” he said.
You giggled and hugged him around his middle. You grabbed a handful of his ass and squeezed. 
“You really have no idea,” he whispered. You grinned. 
He stepped back and pulled off his shorts. His dick bobbed twice, standing at attention. He was definitely thick and long and perfect. Your shyness tried to budge back in. Your heartbeat sped up thinking of that getting inside of you. 
He twisted and leaned over. You admired his body as his muscles bunched. He was solid, stocky. A thick man with amazing thighs and ass. Cool air blew across your pussy and you bit your lip. Fuck. 
He grabbed a condom. Watching him was its own brand of sensual torture. His fingers moved deftly to open the package. He rolled on the condom, pulling the latex over the length of him. He pinched the top. 
He stalked closer, running his eyes over you. “Let me take this dress off,” he said.
You smiled and nodded. He helped you pull it off. Your bra went next. “You’re so damn sexy,” he said. 
He palmed your breasts, rubbing and pushing them together. He leaned down and brought your nipples into his mouth. He moved between your boobs, suckling and placing that warm mouth around the peaks. 
Your legs jerked up. You wrapped them around his waist. His shirt got trapped beneath your legs. He pulled it out and the shirt draped across his chest. His dick brushed against you and you cried out. He was so close to giving you what you needed. Your nails dug into his sides. He ignored you. He played with your nipples until you were a bumbling, squirming mess. 
“T-T-Tyrone,” your teeth chattered.
“Mhm, I know. Ready for me?” He asked.
“Yessss,” you moaned. 
“Sure?” He asked. He rubbed his dick through your arousal. You soaked him instantly. There was so much on you. The cool air hit across it on your skin. You knew exactly how much of a mess you made. It made you hornier. How did you go through life without this? Without this feeling?
Without this obsession running in your veins. This deep-seated need. This lustful shot of adrenaline threatening to burn your skin off. 
Tyrone’s hand wrapped around your hip. His other hand guided his dick towards your entrance. He pushed in and you gasped. He slipped in thanks to how wet you were. But fuck! He filled you completely. 
“Breathe,” he commanded. He stopped and moved his shirt out of the way. “You gotta breathe.”
You nodded. He helped you take deep breaths. “That’s right. Be a good girl for me. Good girls get dick,” he cooed. 
That should piss you off. But you wanted to be a good girl for him. You wanted to listen and get praised some more. 
Your breathing evened out. Tyrone leaned down and kissed you. As he kissed you, he pushed in. Your hand flew to his chest, pushing at him. Fuck. It kind of hurt, but it was a good hurt? You could tolerate him pushing in. You clenched around him and he hissed. 
He sank inch by inch into you. He cursed the whole time. “Fuck, feel too good. Feel too good,” he muttered. “Gripping the shit out of me.”
The praise made you moan and you clenched around him. A drop of his sweat fell onto your chest. Your own sweat slick skin pebbled in the cool air. 
Tyrone moved out and then pushed back in. The slide in would hurt briefly but then morph into pleasure as you felt him move inside of you. He was deep, stretching you out. Molding your pussy to the curve of his dick. 
He began to speed up. He flipped his shirt up and held it in his mouth. He moaned. “Can still smell you,” he said, though his voice was muffled. 
Both hands held onto your waist. He moaned as he sank deeper, you welcoming him better. “You okay?” He asked.
“Yuh,” you nodded. 
“Sure?” 
“Yu-uh,” you moaned. He was doing nothing more vigorous than moving back and forth, but he felt amazing. He filled you up. He hit that deep seat of emptiness inside of you. A place you hadn’t been able to get to on your own.
The feeling brought tears to your eyes. He twisted and brought you down on his dick a little faster. “Ohmygod,” you cried. He reached a spot that made you explode all over him. 
You cursed the heavens, you cursed hell. You cursed the world in between. You felt large. Humongous. You felt like you could grab the world with both hands. Power and pleasure suffused you. You moaned out loud, heedless of anyone who could hear. 
“Oh fuck, so tight,” Tyrone hips jerked. His fingers dug into your hips. The pressure made you moan. He jerked and thrusted one more time, going as far as he was able, and you felt him pulse inside of you.
You imagined him filling you up with his cum. You moaned as the thought made your pussy throb. Tyrone twitched and panted on top of you. He left you slowly, sliding out in a way that wouldn’t hurt you.
You missed him immediately. He wiped his sweat on his shirt and took off the condom. He tied it and threw it in a nearby trashcan. 
“Are you okay?” He asked.
You flopped onto the bed. Looked up at the popcorn ceiling. Were there words to describe how okay you were? How fantastic you felt? “So good,” you murmured. 
And you did feel really good. You expected to feel shame after having sex. You’d avoided it for so long, you started to feel like a freak for still being a virgin at your big age. But you didn’t. You were mostly sore. You were going to feel this in the morning and right now, you couldn’t care less. 
Tyrone left for a moment and you just focused on your breathing. On trying to recapture that euphoric feeling of that orgasm. Chasing after it like the wayward string of a balloon. 
He returned and placed a warm cloth against your pussy. You hissed at the unexpected sensation. He cooed at you while he cleaned you up. You smiled at him. “You didn’t have to,” you said.
“Yeah, I did. I was raised to clean up after myself,” he said.
You rolled your eyes. He left once more, getting rid of the washcloth. He took off his shirt and hopped into bed with you, pulling you chest to chest. He rubbed your back and looked into your eyes.
“You’re so cute,” he said.
“You are,” you said. You bumped his nose. 
“How you really feelin’?” He asked.
“Honestly? I feel really good. Sore, but tired.” 
“Would you want to do it again?” He asked.
“Hell yes! Are you kidding? There’s so much I want to try,” you said.
Tyrone laughed, shaking his head. He pecked you on the lips. He moaned and then pressed in for longer, licking your bottom lip and rolling it between his teeth. 
“Mm, does that mean I can get back in that pretty pussy?” He asked.
You caressed his cheek. Running your thumb across his supple skin. “That’s exactly what that means.”
&&&
Psst, there's more! The Secret Tyrone Files
393 notes · View notes
possessedpasm · 5 months ago
Text
My good pal @swemtpotamtam tagged me in a get to know me meme, and seeing as I am elusive like a tiger... we can get to know me a little... as a treat :) let's harken back to those Deviantart Days:
Favorite color? Heh...
Tumblr media
Orange...
The last song I listened to (oh boy):
youtube
Currently reading: Esquire Magazine, June 1972. Dick Cavett claims to have a very plain wardrobe, but these photos beg to differ.
Tumblr media
Currently watching: nothing!! I only watch tv with other people (Twilight Zone with the wife <3). When I'm alone, it's off, baby!
Currently craving: classic car show season... it's so close I can nearly taste-smell it... and the flea markets. Oh, help me when it's Flea Time.
Classic-- coffee or tea: coffee. Strong. Cold. No matter the season. I need to taste the dirt it grew from.
And an added bonus-- Currently drawing:
Tumblr media
Thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to eat your vegetables, wash your hands, and disobey authority ✌️
105 notes · View notes