#maybe at another time it would make me mad but yesterday i was just . who gets mad at this. it's so silly and has that oldschool splatter

[marypickfords]

What do you enjoy about the Terrifier series?

the first movie was just meh to me but the second is a proper slasher film in a way that manyyyyyy of the so called revivals of the past few years try but never come close. before watching it i just figured it was a splatter film and was happy that one was playing in theaters but nothing caught my attention really. but i'm glad i watched them back to back and got to enjoy the second one. it understands so much abt a slasher film while still keeping the oldschool splatter set pieces. it understands that a horror movie needs characters and needs space for them to be, you know, people. it understand that the hangout aspect of a slasher is KEY. that tension is needed but that it doesnt mean that you can only have an explosion of blood in the last 20 minutes. i was sold by the dream sequence at the start. there's bits of rob zombies halloween 2, nightmare on elm street, even the prowler in it but it's its own thing and it feels so genuine and that it had actual human beings behind it. that's all i want in a horror movie these days lol. the mother alone, there's so much in there that in someone else's hands would just feel hollow, a pastiche, but to me she was so real. idk. to some it was an attempt at fixing past mistakes but to me it all felt incredibly sincere. a v generous movie. glad it wasn't glossy bullshit. i had fun! will be seeing art at the theater in november!

[luvingtsumu]

𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐓 𖥔 ࣪˖ ( MIYA ATSUMU X FEM!READER )

noticing small changes is difficult at first, but when they start becoming so visible it’s hard to not overthink stuff, but miya atsumu definitely wasn’t in love with you, right? even when it was painfully obvious.

★ genre: fluff | content: friends to lovers, fluff, jealousy, actions speaking louder than words.

★ author’s note: now that i have a job i’ve been buying a lot of atsumu merch, i’m gonna end up broke.

O1 . BACKPACK

You and Atsumu always played rock, paper, scissors after school to decide who was carrying the backpacks, usually, you were the loser, and he always made sure to rub it in your face.

He was lazy, he never wanted to carry anyone’s backpacks, especially not yours; so this rock, paper, scissors game worked perfectly for him —since he already knew you always picked scissors first.

“I won again!” he said, sticking his tongue out at you.

“Not fair! Let’s play again.” you crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at him.

“C’mon, we already played 3 times, yer a loser.” he said, throwing his backpack at you.

You catch it with both hands, groaning slightly as you glared at him.

“Oh, come on! My back hurts today.” you complained “I fell on my back today.”

“Ya fell?” he laughed.

“Fucking Kino threw the ball at me way too hard! That was a hate crime.” he laughed again so you hit him on the shoulder “Shut up!”

“Sorry, sorry.” he smiled “Does it hurt or what?”

“A little bit.”

“Are ya that weak? Geez, no wonder why yer always tired in p.e. class.” he snickered.

“You know I hate you?” you rolled your eyes, placing his backpack on your shoulder.

“I figured.” he stole his and your backpack from your hands, placing them over his shoulders.

You looked at him with a confused look before smirking, he scoffed and looked away.

“‘m only gonna take ‘em today, cause yer hurt, alright?”

That was the first time that Atsumu, on his own willing, carried your backpack for you.

Then there was a second time.

Then a third one.

And suddenly you realize that now you barely carried your backpack after school. At first you were happy about that, and teased him about being your servant, but then you started to feel a bit bad cause he was always carrying your stuff; and even when you insisted on helping, he would brush you off.

“Yer too week, I don’t want yer back to get hurt.”

“I already have it on me.”

“Don’t complain, ‘m helpin’ ya.”

You thought it was weird that he was acting so nice, but you figured maybe he changed his ways and wanted to be nicer, besides, it was great not having to carry your heavy backpack; so you finally let it happen with no complaints.

O2 . FOOD

Atsumu absolutely hated when people ate his food, he didn’t even let his own brother grab a cookie from his lunch.

Either way, you didn’t cared if he didn’t liked it, you always found a way to steal a bit of his food, and he was always loud when you did it, calling you names and pulling your arms so you wouldn’t get to steal another onigiri.

You were used to that, and still, you didn’t even noticed when that changed. It started small and it was easy to not notice a change, but soon enough his brother pointed out how Atsumu didn’t got mad at you anymore when you stole his food, he didn’t budged and just gave you a small glance before going back to eating.

You thought about it for a bit and decided to test it, grabbing some of his tuna when he was just about to eat it.

“Hm, this one doesn’t taste that good as the one you brought yesterday.” you said after swallowing the food.

He looked between you and the tuna, then he started eating without budging “Yeah, ‘samu did the one yesterday.”

“That explains it, you’re a terrible cook.” he glared at you, making you chuckle “Respectfully.”

You noticed him rolling his eyes, but you got nothing more than that after stealing his food; so you decided to ask him to see if his reaction would change.

“Can I have some of your chips, ‘tsumu?”

“Open ‘em.” he said, handing you the bag of chips “Just make sure no one else eats ‘em.” and with that, he continued eating.

You gave him a weird look, raising and eyebrow.

You were so used to him yelling at you that it felt strange that he wasn't doing it. For some reason, it made you feel guilty, again. It felt better to steal food from him and have him yelling at you, rather than him handing it to you.

“You know what? I’m not hungry.” you said, handing him the bag of chips “Thanks though.”

That was the last time you attempted to eat from his food, unless he vocally expressed he wanted to share his food from you.

He even looked bothered by the fact you weren’t stealing his food anymore, but your best friend loved his food, so you sure were imagining things.

O3 . TWINS

Even if Atsumu and Osamu fought all the time, they were still brothers, they were still twins. They still told everything to each other —even if they pretended to not listen—, and they still wanted to help each other.

So even if you tried to stop yourself from overthinking, it wasn’t an easy task. You felt like the twins knew something about you that not even you knew. It was weird, of course, but it felt like they were working against you or about you.

They would whisper at each other when you passed by them, and you always saw them sharing looks when you hung out with them. To be honest, you felt left out, it felt like you were missing something.

Normally, you would tell the twins about your current concern, but in this case, they were the current concern, so you decided to rely on Aran.

“Don’t mind them.” he waved his hand in the air “They’re always all weird, same thing happened to me and turns out they just admired me a lot.” he smirked.

You chuckled “I don’t think they admire me, Aran, it’s easier to think they despise me.”

“You’re their best friend, they don’t hate you.” he assured you “They’re better than that.”

Aran’s words were reassuring, and you decided to stop focusing on the topic and let the twins do their own stuff.

Even when Osamu asked you weird and too specific questions about your love life.

Or when he suddenly canceled on plans last minute, making you and Atsumu stay alone.

Or when he exchanged weird looks with Atsumu whenever you spoke about boys.

All just coincidence’s.

O4 . JEALOUSY

“Me ‘nd ‘samu we’re talkin’ the other day…” he took a bite of his burger “‘nd it would be pretty cool to go to the beach this weekend.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” you chuckled, before sighing “The beach?”

He swallowed his food as he nodded “Yeah! The weather has been nice this past days.”

“I can’t this weekend.” you took a sip of your drink, watching his expression grow confused.

“What? Why?”

“I have plans with Kino and Shinji. Although I don’t think Shinji is gonna make it, so just me and Kino.”

Atsumu’s eyebrows visibly raised as he listened to your words. You continued eating, unaware of the way Atsumu’s stomach did a flip.

“Why are ya goin’ with them anyway?” he mumbled as he took a very small bite of his almost finished burger.

You scoffed “What do you mean why? They’re my friends.” you smiled.

“I thought they were just dudes in yer classroom.”

“No.” you chuckled “I’m actually friends with them, even when they’re a pain in the ass. I’m actually closer to Kino.” you said, thinking out loud.

Atsumu’s jaw clenched as he wrapped up what was left of the burger and threw it in the trash can.

“Weekends are for me, tho…” he said without thinking, quickly changing his words “—‘nd for ‘samu too.”

“Oh, come on, for one weekend that I don’t spend time with you? You’ll survive.”

Atsumu grumbled “I guess.”

Atsumu zoned out for a few seconds, deep in thought until he finally turned to see you.

“Isn’t Kino the guy ya went to eat with the other day?”

“Yeah, you remember him?” you smiled.

“Yeah. I actually do.”

Of course he did, Osamu is friends with one of Kino’s close friends, and he told Osamu that Kino had a big, fat crush on you. Of course he did. But you were his girl, his! How dare this other man disterup his precious time with you.

“Enjoy yer time with him, or whatever.” he sighed, rubbing the side of his neck as he tried to ease the feeling inside of him.

“I will.” you chuckled “We can go to the beach other day.”

“Sure.”

He didn’t understand why he was feeling like this, so bitter about you having other friendships besides him, other guys that liked you like he did —or maybe not like he did, cause he definitely liked you more than any ordinary guy ever will.

O5 . TEXTS AND CALLS

Your phone vibrated with a notification, and you knew who it was even before you turned on your screen.

Atsumu, of course it was him.

Normally you couldn’t have a single conversation with him over text, since he was barely on his phone, always studying, training or playing some game with Osamu. He never checked his texts and it was a real challenge to try to get in contact with him during summer break cause he never answered.

You always told him it was like talking to a wall, truly, and he always scoffed and told you he was a busy man with a busy life.

But now all of that had changed, cause suddenly now he had so much time, apparently. Always texting you every time he wanted and could, spaming your phone. You two even did calls when he walked back home or when he went to the convenience store.

You didn’t knew when it changed, but you weren’t complaining. It was like having a puppy begging for attention 24/7. Kinda fun.

[ 9:20 p.m. ] i found a cat on the way back home and it fucking bit me

[ 9:20 p.m. ] i mean, the AUDACITY

[ 9:21 p.m. ] and also, i bought you some of those chips you wanted the other day, the disgusting ones 🥰

[ 9:21 p.m. ] yeah, i know, i’m the best. don’t thank me too much, it was all me

[ 9:21 p.m. ] also, APPARENTLY you don’t put spoons on the microwave, never knew that huh

[ 9:23 p.m. ] are you gonna answer or what

[ 9:23 p.m. ] HELLOOOO??????

[ 9:26 p.m. ] do you hate me or what

[ 9:30 p.m. ] YOU’RE LITERALLY ONLINE

[ 9:30 p.m. ] WHO ARE YOU ANSWERING TO 😐😐

[ 9:31 p.m. ] why won’t you answer meeeee

[ 9:40 p.m. ] what did i do? are you mad at me and that’s why you’re not answering?

[ 9:40 p.m. ] tell me and i’ll apologize

[ 9:40 p.m. ] i’ll get on my knees

[ 9:41 p.m. ] if i get a tattoo of your name on my whole chest will you forgive me and speak to me again?

[ 10:00 p.m. ] i was taking a bath. WHAT

[ 10:00 p.m. ] HEY OMG YOU DON’T HATE ME :3

[ 10:01 p.m ] cringe. and i do hate you

[ 10:01 p.m ] also, did your microwave exploded or what?

[ 10:02 p.m. ] i wasn’t aware of microwave instructions ok, leave me alone

[ 10:04 p.m ] you stupid

You chuckled to yourself as Atsumu started spamming even more texts. It was fun.

Soon enough you got a call, and you know you two were probably gonna fall asleep on the phone once again.

O6 . PHYSICAL TOUCH

Atsumu was a sucker for physical touch, you knew that since you became friends with him. He was always bothering everyone, grabbing their hands, ruffling their hair, hugging them, any way that provided him physical touch worked for him!

It was something you were used to but not something you were always expecting, and also you were sure he wasn’t expecting any from you. Or so you thought, cause lately he’s been kinda whiny about it.

“So, see you tomorrow.” you waved at him as you closed your door after he dropped you off.

You went calmly upstairs, dropping your things in bed and then going to open the curtains and— there he was. Standing in front of the door with his arms crossed.

You raised an eyebrow and opened the window, yelling at him “The hell you’re doing?”

He looked up at you, huffing and then looking down again.

You rolled your eyes and closed your window again before making your way downstairs to see what he needed.

“What, weirdo?” you opened the door, just to see him pouting.

“Ya forgot to hug me goodbye.” he spoke through his teeth.

“Hug you goodbye?” you said with amusement.

“Yeah.” he looked down at him “Ya hate me or somethin’? Ya always hug me before ya leave.”

“Oh, my bad, king.” you mocked, before opening your arms and pulling him for a hug.

He whined but soon enough his arms wrapped around your waist, head buried into your shoulder.

You chuckled as you rolled your eyes, hands rubbing his back, feeling every muscle. Atsumu’s thumbs rubbed circles in the exposed skin of your lower back, he sighed, breathing in your soft scent.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” you mumbled.

“Yeah.” he mumbled back “I’ll pick ya up.”

“Alright.”

“Alright.”

But none of you let go of the other.

O7 . CRUSH?

As a way to celebrate the school days being finally over to go into summer break, you organized a sleepover, and now Atsumu, Osamu, Suna and Aran were there since the others couldn’t make it.

As you and the guys spoke about Osamu’s crush, you suddenly turned to Atsumu.

“And you? Any girl got your heart?” you smiled.

The room suddenly went silent, except for Suna’s low chuckle.

Atsumu was quiet too, he was thinking. Wasn’t he obvious enough? Didn’t he showed his feelings? His heart that beats to your name?

“No.” he looked down, cheeks getting red as he started fidgeting with the control he was holding.

You raised an eyebrow, looking at everyone else. It seemed like they all knew something you didn’t.

“Guys?” you mumbled, but everyone seemed to look away from you.

You looked back at Atsumu and saw his red cheeks, then you looked down, noticing your leg that was on top of his.

Suddenly something clicked in your head. And bells started ringing on your head.

Everything started making sense like a piece of a puzzle.

The girl he had a crush on, was you. Miya Atsumu had a deep crush on you and had been trying to show it to you the whole time.

And, oh god.

You were in love with him too.

[starkwlkr]

Could you do fic for jealous!Toto Wolff with wife reader? The Merc garage has invited someone to the paddock and it's someone who the reader idolizes (male). Her whole attention goes to him and Toto's feel jealous because he's always away and can't spend time with her eyes when he's home. But she assured him that everything is fine. Add something else to it if you want to. Just something fluff and cute. Thanks!! :)(

divorce babe divorce | toto wolff

toto gonna be stressing through this whole fic

Before the 2023 F1 season ended, it had been announced that Keanu Reeves would take part in a documentary about Brawn GP formula one team. It was no secret that the actor had a big passion for motorsports so as a way to promote the upcoming documentary, Keanu was invited to COTA. Toto kept this information from you since he knew that younger you had a massive crush on Keanu, you told him many times when you watched one of Keanu’s movies. Teasing Toto that you would leave him for Keanu started off as a joke, but he was always overthinking.

Austin was hot. It was Texas after all, they had unpredictable weather every day, but race day just so happened to be sunny. You were seated in Toto’s chair in the Mercedes garage, scrolling on your phone when you heard Lewis call your name. You turned your head and saw him walking towards you with the man you had been crushing on when you were a teenager.

“This is Mrs. Wolff, y/n meet Keanu.” Lewis introduced you. He smiled wide, he also knew you were a Keanu fan.

“H-Hi, oh god. Welcome! I heard Mercedes was going to have a guest i just wasn’t expecting. . . you.” You said nervously. “It’s definitely not a bad thing! Don’t take it like that!”

Keanu laughed. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for having me. This whole experience is incredible.”

Lewis excused himself when he noticed how relaxed you had gotten. He felt confident you could be on your own with Keanu so he left to get ready for the race.

When Toto entered the garage, he really wasn’t expecting to see another man make his wife laugh and smile.

How could she laugh at another man’s jokes? Was I not funny enough? Maybe I’m trying too hard or not enough? And she’s smiling! How could she sit there and laugh? thought Toto.

Before Toto could continue overthinking, you called for him.

“Keanu, this is my husband, Toto.”

Toto forced a smile. “I’m her husband.”

Keanu continued to be his genuine self and talked to Toto about Formula 1. The team principal only nodded and smiled, occasionally mumbling a yes or a no. You knew something was going on with Toto. Why was he being like that?

Keanu excused himself to go to the restroom before the race started. This was your opportunity to talk to your husband. While you sat in his chair, he stood beside you looking over paperwork.

“What was that about?” You nudged him.

“What?” He questioned, not looking up from his papers.

“You know what. I saw that forced smile. I know you, Torger. Have you forgotten that?” You asked.

Finally Toto put his attention on you. “Am I a good husband?”

“Toto, why are you asking me this?”

“I heard you laughing with him. You haven’t laughed like that in a while. And the way you were smiling, you looked so beautiful,” Toto admitted. “I haven’t been the best husband, I know. I’m always away and you’re always alone in our house.”

You took his hand in yours. “Toto, you are the greatest husband ever. Don’t ever think you’re not. I love you so so much. I loved you yesterday, I love you today, I will love you tomorrow and everyday.”

To Toto, It sounded like a sweet song hearing you say those words.

“I love you too.” He kissed your lips. “But, don’t get mad, but in another universe, would you ever date Keanu if you had the chance?” He curiously asked.

You looked at him with pure love in your eyes. “In every universe, I’d find my way to you.”

[reaping-the-benefits]

found your medic reader x price au yesterday and to say i have been OBSESSED is an understatement.

got me thinking about price getting invited to a dinner with the bigwigs, commendation for a job well done. after dinner the when they’re all loose lipped from good whiskey, some of the men start making crude comments about medic reader. how lucky the 141 is to have a good bit of eye candy, handy for a lot of things out there wink wink. and price just listens to them calmly, puffing away at his cigar until they run out of jokes and start to realize he’s not laughing.

“that’s my wife you’re talkin’ about.”

Anon, you got me giggling and kicking my feet. I haven't had any proper time to dedicate to their story (want to write how they met maybe, if anyone's interested.) And I love love LOVE this idea!!!

Content warning: MDNI suggestive content, misogynistic comments, drinking and smoking, brief mention of violence.

Price never really cared for these stupid dinner parties. It's like that one saying: if you've been to one, you've been to them all. And if he's being honest, he'd much rather be at home, with you and the cats.

But the task force has been doing exceptionally well, catching terrorists and breaking up crime rings, so it's about due time that he gets invited to another one. Technically, he could decline his own invite, send Ghost to it instead. But that feels like a punishment for Ghost, and Price isn't looking to be dealing out punishment. Or dealing with a pissed off Lieutenant.

So, here he is, dressed in a suit and sitting in some stuffy parlor. The only good thing about these events is that the Colonel has good taste in cigars and whiskey. For the most part, Price can drown them all out, thinking about you while he's sipping his whiskey.

You. The sweet thing that keeps his bed warm and only occasionally drives him up the wall. You, who had been on your knees not even ten minutes before he was supposed to leave. Your hands on his belt loops, a pretty pleading look in your eyes, your mouth on his -

A cacophony of laughter breaks Price from his thoughts, He blinks, turning his attention back to the group of men he's sitting with.

"Lost in thought there, Captain?" one of them asks, humored by something Price must've missed.

"Cut him some slack. I would be too, if I worked so closely with that pretty medic of theirs," another says.

"Pretty, but they've got such an attitude," the first one comments.

"Bratty thing like that just needs to be bent over the Captain's knees."

"Or a desk. Isn't that right, Price?"

The men laugh again, the sound filling the parlor. And it's only when they settle down, laughter dying in quiet chuckles, that they realize Price isn't laughing along. In fact, he's holding onto his glass so tightly, it's a miracle that it hasn't broke yet. Before any of them can say anything, Price tells him, his voice low and tone full of warning.

"That's my wife you're talkin' about."

These men might be above him in rank, but Price has never really cared about any of that anyway. The 141 doesn't run the way it does by following the rules. Getting things done, regardless of any of the rules one might be breaking, is how the world runs.

They could've talked poorly about him, talked poorly about the 141, and he wouldn't be as seething mad as he is now. But no. Your name came out of their mouths, followed by blatant disrespect for you and all your hard work. As your husband, Price will not be letting that slide.

And as he slams his knuckles into the Colonel's nose, Price thinks of you. The pretty little thing he's got waiting for him at home. Maybe he should bend you over his desk. Heaven knows you're overdue for a good fuck in his office. But that will be after you bandage up his hands, chiding him softly for hurting himself. He won't tell you what happened at the dinner party, or why he came home with bloody knuckles, but the flowers you receive from the Colonel a week later gives you all the insight you need to know.

[seeingivy]

you're losing me

satoru x f!reader

**part of my satoru as taylor swift songs series

an: based on a request I received! i've been trying to get back into the writing groove since finals ended - and this very detailed request was exactly what I needed - so ty my sweetie pie <3

--

“Would you guys like to order?” 

You swallow hard, looking up at your waiter, who has stopped by for the third time now. You’ve been sitting here with the first years for almost forty-five minutes now, waiting for Satoru to arrive for the dinner that you two kept promising them. Yuuji and Nobara have all but exhausted the free bread supply while you waited, much to Megumi’s dismay, who keeps claiming that they’re going to be too full to eat their dinner and complain about it for days. 

“Um-” 

You pause, checking his location one more time, before you sigh and give a polite smile. Satoru’s location still isn’t reading - meaning, he’s still stuck on his mission - and not coming to dinner. 

“Yeah. Yeah, sure.” you respond, gesturing for the three of them as Megumi starts narrating everyone’s order to the waiter.

The three of them turn to you - with matching stiff smiles - when he walks away as you swallow hard and prepare yourself for the awkward barrage of comments you know are coming. 

“He’s not coming?” Megumi asks. 

“Yeah. He’s still at his mission and I have to take you guys back early anyways, so we’ll just eat without him.” 

“Maybe you can take something for him to go?” Yuuji asks. 

“No, that’s alright. Um, his dinner from yesterday should still be there. He’s good.” you respond. 

You don’t miss the look that the three of them give each other and swallow down the defense of him that you always have prepared. Not that you don’t still vehemently believe in it, because you do, it’s just that it tends to make those prolonged, pitying looks last longer when you do. 

But Satoru really is busy. There’s no one like him - he quite literally changed the balance of life as anyone knew it when he was born - so of course there are certain missions that only he can do. And there’s a certain…safety that comes with picking Satoru each time. Because they know that he’ll come out on the other side of it, with exactly what they need. 

Which means that he comes home late sometimes. Despite your best efforts to stay up - which always end with you upright on the couch, with your neck curved in a weird way - only to find that you’re safely tucked into your bed the next morning. 

Satoru always comes home at some point, making sure to tuck you into bed, but has to run off so fast that you don’t catch him in the morning. 

“Gojo-sensei’s really neglecting you, huh?” Nobara utters, earning a jab from Megumi in his side. 

You smile. 

“No. He’s just busy.” you respond, awkwardly breaking the bread in your plate. 

“You’re right. He has missions and has been really hands on with the second-years.” Megumi responds. 

You shoot him a grateful smile. 

“Exactly! Especially since they’re all about to be nominated for first grade sorcerers so��now is more important than ever.” you add. 

“It’s okay. You should just make Gojo-sensei feel really bad. Isn’t he rich? Then he’ll buy you a nice ring to make up for it.” Nobara adds, giving you a wink. 

You snort. 

“Okay, Nobara. I’ll try it.” you scoff. 

“No, seriously! He should feel bad - you’re probably drinking wine alone at night, blasting some sad songs before you get so tired from crying that you fall asleep. You deserve a gift!” Nobara adds, earning her another jab from Megumi in her side. 

You roll your eyes. 

“I do not blast sad songs before I go to bed. That’s actually pathetic.” you respond. 

“Or therapeutic. I’ll send you a playlist. Trust me, you’ll get so mad that you’ll actually get a gift from him out of it.” Nobara responds, your phone beeping in your pocket from her message. 

You look over at Megumi, giving him a knowing look, before you return to your dinner and let Nobara target her incessant rambling for someone else. At the end of the dinner, Nobara flashes you a big smile when you set Satoru’s credit card down on the table, which was an accident because you had just left yours at home. You settle down her rambling by buying them all dessert on it before you send them home. 

--

Satoru, though he would never admit it out loud, had been dreading coming home for the past week. And he’d wring his own neck out a few months ago, for even thinking it, let alone the fact that he’s been entertaining the fact for the past few months. 

But what he has waiting for him when he’s coming home, leaves him with that deep seated, guilty pit in his stomach. Because he always trods into your apartment hours late, to find you curled up on the couch, having dozed off. 

Satoru knows you - too well almost - and that despite his protests, you tried your best to wait up for him every single day. His heart warms at the fact that you want to spend time with him, but it’s quickly overshadowed with guilt when he sees the dark circles under your eyes. And it makes it ten times worse when he slips out in the morning for his mission, only to see you squirming into his side of the bed, now left cold. 

And the worst part? That you can’t even bring yourself to be mad about it. Because Satoru would feel with anger, that it would be fully deserved, but your full understanding and love for him just makes his guilt a thousand times worse. Because without fail, you always leave ehim a dinner plate out, reminding him to eat his vitamins and rink water before leaving. 

But today was different - quite possibly, the first time he’s rushed home in a while. Because his mission finished early and his meeting got cancelled, meaning that he would be home when you would be awake. He’d made arrangements, quickly running past and picking up a bouquet and ice cream on the way home, nearly sprinting all the way up the stairs. 

Satoru pads into the apartment, feet leading him straight to the bedroom, where the light is pouring from the bottom of the closed door. He hesitates, caught off by the fact that you’re singing, before knocking on the door together. He’d missed the sound of it, of your quiet singing that he’d often wake up to while you were showering. 

Satoru can recognize that you’re listening to Taylor Swift almost immediately - with how much you and Nobara play it around him - and he’s almost positive that you must have the cat cuddled into your nap, explaining all the lore to him like he’s found you doing hundreds of time. 

"Do something, babe, say something" (say something) "Lose something, babe, risk something" (you're losin' me) "Choose something, babe, I got nothing (got nothing) To believe Unless you're choosin' me" You're losin' me Stop (stop, stop), you're losin' me Stop (stop, stop), you're losin' me I can't find a pulse My heart won't start anymore

Satoru swallows hard. He knows that it’s just a song. That the sentiment could easily not be reflecting what you’re feeling. 

But he’s also acutely aware that it could be what you’re feeling. And it’s something that you aren’t telling him, because he knows that you odn’t want to be another thing that he has to deal with at the end of the day. 

Satoru groans, leaning his head against the door, as he panders with his options. Because that’s the last thing that he wants you think. It’s the farthest place he wants to be in his relationship with you, because he wants you to always come to him. The fact that you could have been holding onto these feelings, for god knows how long, makes his stomach churn as his feet quickly lead him into the kitchen and has him scribbling a note to place in the bouquet of flowers. 

--

You shoot Nobara a text as you pad out into the kitchen, your cat following you on your heels. 

you: i like the playlist! 

nobara: how much have you had to drink? 

you: i did not drink. and i am not sad. 

nobara: now who said that? projecting much…

You roll your eyes as you half debate opening up the dinner you had left out for Satoru last night or ordering takeout and leaving him leftovers to eat tomorrow morning 

“I already ordered us something.” 

You turn around, to find Satoru closing the space between you, the flowery smell filling your nose as his lips meet your forehead in a warm kiss. 

“Satoru. You’re home, I didn’t even…” 

He presses his lips firmly against yours, his right hand flesh as your cheek, sending a wave of warmth down your spine. You smile into the kiss, resting your forehead against his, as he returns a soft smile back. 

“I missed you.” he murmurs. 

You deflate, warm tears filling your eyes at his presence - bright blue eyes, the smell of his shampoo, and his warm arms around yours - as you loop your arms under his and dig your face into his neck. You can feel him leaving a few pecks in your hair, his voice soothing as you try your best to will away your tears. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry, I just really missed you.” 

He pulls back, giving you a warm smile, as he reaches for the flowers on the counter and places them in your hands. You give him a bright smile, twisting them in your hands, as you fully inhald the flowery smell. 

“For you.” Satoru responds, in a sing song voice as he reaches forward to pinch your cheek. 

“You didn’t have to, love.” you respond, swiping the tiny little envelope from the bouquet. 

“Yes. I did.” he deadpans, placing his hands on your shoulder before swinging you around and placing you flesh against his chest. 

You open up the little envelope to find a little note inscribed with his messy handwriting, as his lips find their way to your cheek. 

My sweet girl, 

Your endless empathy and patience don’t go unnoticed. You’re far more than I deserve and I want to make it up to you, though I’m sure I’ll probably spend the rest of my life doing that, if you’ll let me. 

We’re going to go away, just the two of us, for a little while. I don’t care where we go, you can choose where we go and what we do tomorrow. Just know, that in earnest, I’m choosing you, even if I don’t make it clear all the time. 

I’ll choose you, always. 

Love, 

Satoru

You smile hard, twisting around, so you can look up at him. The tears are flowing from your eyes tenfold how, as Satoru lifts his hands to your cheeks, trying to push you into smiling. 

“Why are you frowning, princess?” 

“You’re so sweet, Satoru.” 

Satoru shakes his head dismissively, as he pushes you into his embrace fully, increasing the pressure of his hold around you. The two of you stand there in the kitchen for a while, softly murmuring to each other, in the pale light of the kitchen. 

When you and Satoru pad into bed later that night, you send Nobara another message before going to sleep. 

you: nvm. remind me to take ur advice more often.

--

an, again: no one crucify me I haven't written anything for like a month

the satoru as taylor swift series masterlist

taglist: @invisible-mori @porridgesblog  @k0z3me  @kayleegomez  @yihona-san06  @bsenpai  @sweetenertea  @skzismyhome @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @luna0713hunter @shotenvinsoot @itzmeme @gojoswifeyyys-world @cutiejg

[unforth]

Alright not to like liveblog my breakdown on main but yesterday was a really bad day after a really bad, like, 4 months, and I've hit a bit of a breaking point and one of the only things in my life that can give is running @mdzsartreblogs , @tgcfartreblogs , @svsssartreblogs , @erhaartreblogs , @tykartreblogs , and @cnovelartreblogs , so that is what has to give. It's been a 99-out-of-100 days thankless job. A small number of people do say thank you and yall I appreciate you so much (HUGE shout-out to the artist I met at Flamecon who gifted me a zine when I said I ran these blogs, @bonesblubs you rock) but I have never done an act of fandom labor simultaneously this labor intensive yet this invisible before and, uh. It sucks. I spend an hour or more a day on this every day, if it's under 2k hours since I started the first of these in September 2020 I'd be shocked. And I do it because I love it but doing it means I don't have time or energy to do other things I love. And I really don't want to just quit, but I can't keep this up.

In a last-ditch effort to try not to just give up, I'm making the following changes:

1. Only watching one tag per fandom for the MXTX fandoms. I am going to check *only* #tgcf, #svsss, and #mdzs. Artwork posted to any other tag, I will not see unless a mutual reblogs it.

2. Reduced tagging (even more). I'm only going to tag characters and maybe overarching au type (eg, "modern au," "fantasy au"). I'll no longer tag creatures. I will continue to tag the same common trigger warnings I already tag.

3. If a work's appearance doesn't make it obvious what it is AND the tags aren't clear, I'm not going to reblog. I can't keep spending 5 minutes or more trying to figure out what I'm even looking at, scared that if I guess wrong the artist will get mad at me for mistagging their work. If I do reblog, I'll tag only the artist name and/or whatever else I can identify for sure.

4. I am no longer going to follow #link click. The fandom is just too big. I've started dreading checking it. If I was more into it and less busy I would make another spin off just for it but neither of those is true. (The art is so good, I hate to do this, but. If you love link click, highly recommend the main tag, lots of great stuff there.)

5. I will no longer tag any non-cnovel content in the art/post. Like, if someone draws, idek, Xie Lian and Marinette from Ladybug, I'm not gonna put any tags for Marinette, just for Xie Lian.

6. Basically if I run into something hard to tag or confusing or unclear, my new policy is I'm not gonna fricken bother.

I think those are everything but idefk, I cried for 3 hours last night and got 4 hours of sleep so I'm mostly fueled by exhaustion and desperation right now and my memory is even more fried than usual.

How artists can help. This is obviously all optional. You do you. But since some people might want to know what would make my life easier, I'm sharing. I'm not claiming I feel entitled to dictate how people fandom or anything like that.

1. Put the tags for the character(s) and ship(s) early in the tag list.

2. If you make art for a fandom that isn't one of the big ones (right now the only big danmei fandoms on tumblr as far as I can tell are the MXTX fandoms and maybe 2ha) I am begging you to use my tracked tag #cnovelartreblogs

3. Do mdzs art? Tag #mdzs. Do tgcf art? Tag #tgcf. Do svsss art? Tag #svsss.

4. Not only artists, but everyone, *please* stop tagging fandoms not discussed and/or depicted in your post. It's gotten to be stupid common for people to blanket the danmei fandom tags with posts only about one fandon (like, svsss-only works also being tagged mdzs and tgcf and 2ha for some damn reason). This isn't about just my sideblogs tbh this is just fandom etiquette that seems to have been forgotten or never learned by many. Tagging unrelated fandoms isn't "reach," it's annoying. People go into the #mdzs tag to see mdzs, not whatever not-mdzs stuff people have decided to tag for ~reach~, and seeing the same post in 8 tags, none of which it's related to, is so damn irritating, and makes scrolling the tags looking for content that IS relevant take that much longer. Knock it off.

Okay. I think that's as much as I'm prepared to meltdown where everyone can see. Thanks in advance everyone for your understanding, and apologies to everyone about to see this 8 times as I reblog it to each sideblog.

At least I'm not tagging it to everywhere. 🤣🤣🤣

[callsign-rogueone]

bruised, but not broken

Sawyer Henrick x reader (peach!) words: 2.0k 🏷: pt5 for sawyer and peach, very mild iron flame spoilers, mild descriptions of injury, soft sleepy sawyer <3 (he's concussed and needs to be held, okay), second squad makes another appearance, peach has a mouth on her, peach getting distracted by his muscles, more will-they-won't-they (they will eventually, I promise), two updates in two days! that's a record for me. ok byeee

Tomorrow comes and goes with no sight of Sawyer or his friends. 

He wouldn’t have forgotten about you, especially not after all that ordeal yesterday with that piece of parchment that’s still burning a hole in your bookbag. Maybe they’re just busy training.

Yeah. Extra flight time, or something. Or they’re out in the woods again. But wouldn’t they have a healer with them, then? None of the third years are unaccounted for. Maybe the second time they send them without a healer, to make it more difficult — not that you really did anything for them when you were there, besides figure out that the two maps were different. 

You probably weren’t supposed to do that, but after passing by the same tree four times, it became abundantly clear to you that most of these city kids had never spent any time in the woods, and you just couldn’t help yourself.

You bring a hand up to hold the little flower charm between your fingers, taking a breath. He’s fine. He has to be fine. Just crack your knuckles and say a prayer, and he’ll be fine. 

The infirmary being full really isn’t helping you relax right now, either. Not when half of the patients are infantry cadets who have just returned from four days of camping in the woods, and James and his twin idiots could walk in at any time. You’ve had it up to here with one of them in particular, who has been mouthing off about how long he’s been waiting to be checked out for a tiny cut on his arm that would need one stitch, if any.

“They’ll get to you when they get to you, but keep whining like that and I will personally make sure you’re the last one to be seen today.” He starts to protest, but you cut him off. “Do I make myself clear?” you ask more firmly. He nods, looking sufficiently embarrassed. “Good. Now sit your ass down, and treat me and my classmates with some respect.”

The squad exchanges a look. “Has she always been like that?” Ridoc asks in a whisper.

“Only when I did something really stupid,” Sawyer replies, his eyes not leaving you. “I haven't seen her that mad since I pretended to drown in the river when we were sixteen.”

“That wasn’t funny then and it still isn’t now,” you chide, turning to face them. Your jaw drops at the sight of the two boys — and Rhiannon, too — all looking battered and bruised. 

“It’s worse than it looks,” Ridoc reassures, giving you a smile that stretches the purpling bruise on his left cheek.

“He means that it looks worse than it is,” Violet corrects from his side. She appears unscathed, but looks exhausted to the bone.

“Isn’t that what I said?”

You point down the hallway. “All of you, exam room, now.” The infantry cadet opens his mouth, but you silence him with your stare. “I don’t want to hear a fucking word out of you, kid.”

You exhale deeply as soon as the door is closed behind the five of you. “Sorry. It’s been a day.”

“All good,” Ridoc supplies. 

“Her first,” both of the boys say in unison, looking at Rhiannon. She doesn’t protest, sitting down in front of you and stripping off her flight jacket so you can take a proper look. 

The first thing you notice is that both of her wrists are circled with patches of raw, irritated skin. “What did they do to you, tie you up?” you ask, incredulous.

“Yeah,” she answers. “Handcuffs.”

“For what purpose?”

“Top secret rider stuff,” Ridoc answers around a yawn, and you see an identical mark on him as he lifts his hand to cover his mouth. “Torture training. But we broke ourselves out, ‘cause we’re the best.”

“Gods above,” you swear. “I don’t know how half of what they do to you guys is legal.”

“It really isn’t,” Violet answers tiredly, “but we signed up for it.”

It still doesn’t sit right with you, but you can’t do anything to change it. All you can do is keep patching them up the best you can.

“Ridoc, can you…”

“Gotcha.” He takes the small bowl from you, holding it under the tap, and the flow of water turns into several small chunks of ice.

“Thanks.”

He hums in response, taking one for himself and holding it to the split on his cheekbone.

“What’s your date of birth?” Violet asks quietly, pen in hand. She’d managed to swipe a handful of intake sheets off the counter without you noticing, and is sitting in the corner, dutifully filling them in for you. Scribe habits die hard, you suppose. Nobody will care as long as it’s your signature at the bottom certifying everything, especially when you’re so short-handed and the leadership has a dozen more important things to do than check it.

Ridoc looks deeply offended. “Ow, dude. You don’t know my birthday?” 

“April 23rd,” Sawyer answers for him, not looking up. He’s definitely got some sort of concussion — the unfocused look in his eyes and his unusually quiet, slow-blinking demeanor give it away.

“See? Somebody knows.”

“Only because you made a ginormous deal about it.”

“Excuse me for wanting to celebrate still being alive!”

The room falls silent. You’ve only heard a few things about their squadmates that had passed, but it’s obvious that they were all deeply affected by the losses.

“I didn't mean…” 

“We know,” Violet says gently, laying a hand on his arm. “It’s okay.”

There’s another moment of quiet before you pull back, assessing your work. “I think that’s about all I can do.”

“Thank you. It feels a lot better already.”

The squad sits quietly, not saying anything as you patch up Ridoc, then turn to Sawyer. “You guys can head back without me,” he says quietly. There’s a moment of hesitation from the others, but they exchange a look and silently decide it’s okay. 

“For the road,” you say, handing them each a tin of bruise salve and a small bottle of pain tonic — and some more stretchy bandages for Violet. “Get some rest if you can.”

They take their leave quietly, thanking you, and shut the door behind them, leaving just you, Sawyer, half a bowl of ice, and the pile of neatly written paperwork. He slowly gets up, moving to sit on the edge of the table — almost at eye level with you now. “Hi,” you say softly.

“Hi.” He’s struggling to keep his eyes open, blinking at you slowly.

You cradle his jaw in one hand, tilting his head up so you can look at his pupils — they’re equal and reactive, with no signs of permanent damage. The few days worth of stubble covering his jaw tickles your palm as he leans into your touch, closing his eyes. “M’ sorry for bailing on you,” he murmurs. “I really was going to come get you, I promise.”

“I know, sweet boy,” you soothe. “Don’t worry about it.”

He reaches out, pulling you closer and resting his head over your heart — and whining like a sad puppy when you don’t return the hug.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” you say gently. 

“I’ll be fine,” he mumbles. “C’mere.”

You wrap your arms around him loosely, resting a hand on his back and stroking up and down gently while you work the other into the hair at the back of his neck, gently massaging away some of the tension. He hums in contentment, settling against you and closing his eyes.

You’ve only seen him like this once, this clingy and sleepy, when he’d caught the world’s worst cold during harvest season and you were tasked with taking care of him while everyone else was out working. Of course you’d gotten the same cold from him, and then the roles were reversed. He would actually have made a decent healer. If only he were safe here with you all the time instead of risking his life every day doing gods-know-what in the name of preparing for war. 

“I worry about you, y’know. All of you,” you admit. 

“Don’t. We managed to escape a literal dungeon together.”

“I wish you hadn’t been there in the first place.”

“I know,” he says quietly. “Me too.”

You feel your stress slowly start to drain away, replaced with the reassuring steadiness of his breathing and the soft tick of the clock. You can finally stop worrying about his name being on the death roll tomorrow.

He pulls back, looking up at you. “Can you check if one of my ribs is broken?”

Your eyes widen. “You really just let me — asked me to hug you, when you thought you had a broken rib?” He winces at your volume, and you apologize immediately. “Sorry, sorry. Take your jacket off?”

He complies, setting it on the table, then tugs his shirt over his head, and your jaw drops — both at the yellow-purple bruises across his chest and ribs, and the definition there. He’s always been lean, but the last year has really toned him. All the muscles you had to memorize the names of are on clear display. You pick them out one by one as your eyes rake over the exposed skin.

“Is it that bad?” he asks after a moment.

Busted. “No,” you stammer. “It’s not the worst I’ve seen. Can I…?”

“Go ahead.”

You lay your palm against his side, feeling for an obvious point of discomfort. His skin is warm to the touch, and the muscle has just the right amount of give to it. He’d be nice to cuddle with, among other things.

He inhales sharply, distracting you from your thoughts. “There?” you ask, prodding gently. “I think it’s just bruised. There’s no swelling or evidence of displacement.”

“Ah. And the other side?” he asks hoarsely, his cheeks flushed pink.

There’s no bruises or cuts on his other side, but you humor him anyway, moving your hand down his ribs. Five… six, seven, eight… nine, ten… “Turn a bit?” you prompt. 

You’re very grateful that he can’t see your face right now. You’d admired his chest, but his back… the expanse of his shoulders and the relic stretched across them, the thick lines of muscle there… Focus. Stop being a creep. He’s injured, for Amari's sake.

You smooth your hand over his side, finding the floating ribs… there. Eleven, twelve. “Nothing broken,” you manage. “Anything else to report?”

He shakes his head no. “Just sore.” He pulls his shirt back on, and it takes you every ounce of self control not to look disappointed as his skin is covered in the tattered black fabric. He looks you over like he’s assessing you for injury. “How are you doing? Any creepiness I missed out on when I was chained up?”

You wince at the mental image, but shake your head no. “I haven’t seen him in a few days. Are you going to be okay to get back on your own?”

“I thought I told you to stop worrying about me.”

“You did,” you answer. “But I’m not going to stop.”

He sighs. “You’ve always been stubborn like that.”

“I should probably get back out there, but if you want to lay down for a while, I can keep the door locked.”

He shakes his head, standing. “I’m gonna go shower, n’ probably sleep for the rest of the day.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Why are goodbyes with him always so awkward? You never know what to do, where you stand. You definitely aren’t in kiss territory. Maybe a cheek kiss, but that’s pushing it. You’ve settled for long hugs a few times, never knowing if it would be the last one you ever get.

“Thank you,” he says quietly. “For patching me up.”

“Always,” you answer softly, looking up at him. “I’ll always be here for you. Just keep coming back to me, okay?”

“Always.”

[swanimagines]

PRICE OF LOVE | JEFFERSON

Summary: Imagine being Jefferson's wife and working in a little tea shop in Storybrooke during the curse that Jefferson visits every day because he wants to see you.

There you were again. Smiling at customers, making small talk and looking as beautiful as ever. Jefferson swallowed, before forcing a small smile on his face and walked to the counter. You turned around to see him and your smile just grew wider.

"Hi Mr. Jefferson! Your usual?"

Jefferson nodded. "Yes please."

You turned around again to brew his tea, and just like yesterday, and the day before that, and that, and that, he felt a sting in his heart. You had been in love back in the Enchanted Forest, you were his wife, but now you didn't even remember him. The pain was unbearable. He wanted to say something, anything which could make you remember, but nothing came out of his mouth. Anything he would say would just push you away because you'd think he's gone bonkers. Mad as a hatter. So all he could do was stare into your beautiful eyes and think about how much he loved you, how trapped he was with all the memories of you, him and Grace, living happily in the Enchanted Forest. How you'd always come by his bed to serve him his morning tea and you'd always kiss him before he'd take the cup. Your smile made his day before he even got out of the bed, you had been so happy.

"Here's your tea," you snapped him out of his thoughts as you pushed a cup in front of him. "That makes-"

Jefferson nodded before you even finished, forcing a smile on his face again and handed you fifty dollars. "You don't have to say the price, I will always tip my favorite tea shop keeper who makes the best tea."

"You're always so kind, Mr. Jefferson," you said with another small smile and put the money into the counter. "I don't know what did I do to deserve such kindness."

He smiled at you a little wider. "You have done nothing in particular, really. Just being yourself."

You smiled at that, looking downwards, clearly flustered by his words. Then the bell rang as the door opened, and Jefferson glanced over his shoulder, seeing Regina and his smile immediately faltered. She came inside and stood beside him, smiling at you with feigned sweetness.

"I'd like some tea on the go," she said and you nodded.

"Of course, Madam Mayor. What kind of tea would you like?" you asked, gesturing towards the menu above you.

"A large chai latte," Regina told you without even looking at the menu. "And make sure it's extra hot."

"Of course," you said and made her drink, pushing it towards her. "That makes two fifty."

Regina dug her purse for a moment before giving you a few coins. Then she turned towards Jefferson. "You, with me."

Jefferson clenched his jaw, but complied, following Regina out. They walked for a little bit, before he scoffed.

"I didn't know you like chai latte, Mrs. Mayor. Pitch black tea fits more of your style."

"And I didn't know I gave you a permission to seduce her," Regina sighed. "She has a new life now, Jefferson. You have to stay out of it, or something bad might happen."

Jefferson didn't reply to that, knowing that arguing about it wouldn't change anything. He just kept quiet and followed Regina until he could turn towards his mansion. But despite Regina's warning, he knew that he'd be in your shop again tomorrow. He just had to see you, he had to see you smile, to know you're alright. He wanted to keep making you smile with his words - maybe you'd even fall in love with him again. 

He knew it all was wishful thinking, but he couldn't help but feel hopeful about it every time he saw you. Maybe it was stupid, but it kept him sane around this madness���

---

Requests are always open! FANDOM LIST | PROMPT LIST(S) | RULES (READ!!!)

[paulyenvol6]

Bound by Flame (Chapter 13)

Contains: Fluff, anxiety, crying

Wordcount: ~2.76k

Masterlist of this story

The next day Daemon had to attend a council meeting early in the morning and Maera found it to be a good sign. Maybe her father would give all of this a chance after all.

She was still a little whiny after last night's escalation but her husband had given her a goodbye-kiss and told her that he loved her and so Maera planned not to think about it any longer.

For breakfast she ate some bread and fruit in her chambers and was delighted to have her sepa Julvra join her. It was marvelous to catch up with her and in this moment Maera realized how stupid she was as a child to not understand what a wonderful and kind person she was. How often had she complained about taking her lessons and made the septa's life hell though she only ever wanted the best for her.

It was an interesting and fun breakfast as they spoke about her son Baelon, motherhood and every significant event that had happened in both their lives the past year and then Julvra excused herself explaining that "the library doesn't clean itself out".

Maera joyfully smiled to herself until her cheeks hurt and felt so at peace that she wished to run to Daemon at once and thank him for making them move back to king's landing. Here she had her father, her septa, her brother (once he would return from his tour) and the castle she had grown up in. What more could she want?

The girl whistled a melody while tidying up her room and was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear the knocking at first. Once she did she swiftly turned around to look at the door. It wasn't Daemon as he surely wouldn't knock, Maera thought.

"Come!" she eventually shouted and the seconds later the door opened. It was Harwin Strong standing in the corridor and her heart sank in her legs only that unlike yesterday it was from feeling frightened.

"W-What are you doing here?" she asked and hurried towards him.

"I'm here to take you on the walk through the gardens that we talked about."

No, no, no. This was bad. Very bad. Daemon would return to their chambers any minute and if he caught her with him again… She didn't even want to think about it. He had to leave as quickly as possible.

"I-I can't, I'm sorry, please, you have to leave," she stammered, pushing him out of the room lightly, her usual good manners notwithstanding.

Ser Harwin looked confused but Maera didn't pay attention to it right now. All she could think about was Daemon's look the other night, his clenched fists, his face drawn with fury and not a spark of softness or mercy in his cold eyes. He couldn't witness this, not again. He couldn't see him here. Maera was so scared of the thought that her eyes started to fill with tears and she nervously and desperately stared up to Harwin who furrowed his forehead. Then reached out to take her hand but she immediately pulled away.

"Little princess, what is it? Did something happen? Have I done something to offend you?"

He couldn't call her that name, gods what should she do now?

"Please, ser. Please, you have to leave at once. I-I can't – "

The knight examined her worriedly and to her regret made no move to step back.

"Maera. Please talk to me! What are you so upset about?"

Maera anxiously looked around for Daemon and then pleadingly glared up to Harwin.

"You have to go. M-My husband… He doesn't want me t-to… spend time with you. Please, I can't talk to you any longer."

Maera watched his face harden under her lashes and then he made another step towards her which was exactly what she hadn't wanted to happen.

"What? You must be jesting."

She shook her head and took a step back to bring more distance between them. Her heart was beating fast and she wished that Harwin would just go now. Daemon would come back soon and he just had to be gone by then.

"Please Harwin," she begged. "He doesn't allow it and he will be mad if I spend more time with you. Please, he won't like seeing me speak to you."

She had expected him to finally understand and follow her pleas but she couldn't have been more off. Instead Harwin straightened up and looked rather angry.

"I can't believe this! It is not his place to forbid you to whom you may speak! I merely wanted to take you on a stroll." He scoffed. "But what was I to expect from the rogue prince?"

Maera exhaled loudly, praying to all the gods that something had come up in her husband's schedule and he wouldn't come back until the noon but then suddenly she heard fast steps and then Daemon Targaryen turned around a corner.

'Fuck,' she thought and wished she could be swallowed by the ground beneath her. This was terrible and Maera absolutely didn't want to get punished again like the day before.

Once Daemon noticed the man by the door his eyes narrowed and his body tensed. With steps so slow that it almost looked scary and dangerous he approached the two of them and Maera instantly dropped her gaze and anxiously entangled her fingers. Daemon on the other hand straightened up before Ser Harwin who seemed furious himself.

"There he is then. We were just talking about you and your improper behaviour. You do know that she is the princess and I believe that a princess is allowed to spend her time the way she wishes to."

Daemon took a step forward and for a moment a trace of fear was visible on the knight's face.

"She is my wife. And I can do as I see fit with my wife."

His voice sounded so incredibly quiet and threatening that it made Maera shiver.

"Your wife should be allowed to go on a stroll with an old friend of hers. And she should be allowed to see whoever it is she wants to."

Daemon flared his nostrils. "You, my dear friend should keep yourself out of other people's businesses. I'm telling you right now, you will never approach my wife ever again. You will never ask her anything, never deliver her any messages or accompany her anywhere."

Harwin scoffed and Maera just wished he would take her husband seriously. For his own sake.

"With all due respect, my prince, this is insane. I'm a knight, sworn to the Targaryen family. I am meant to protect the princess."

"Oh so it is protection that you offer. You were just talking about being an old friend of hers. Which one is it now?"

Daemon watched him provocatively.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Harwin shouted sounding more furiously now. "Maera can go on a fucking walk without getting your permission. I will take her now."

Daemon came even closer to him now and slightly towered him.

"Oh but she needs my permission. Because she is my wife and therefore has to obey me. And if I forbid her to talk to you, which I did, she will be a good girl and follow my instructions. And you have to come to terms with it as well. Because it is in my fucking hands to decide. And I decide that you will not take her now," he hissed and Harwin finally seemed to understand the gravity of the situation.

He grinded his teeth and seemingly wished to murder Daemon with his gaze but then took another step back.

"This is sick," he spitted but turned around. "You're flying closer to the gods than to men. Forbidding the princess to see her old friends who merely intended to check on her…," he growled but finally walked away.

Once he was out of sight Maera finally slowly lifted her gaze and nervously looked up to her husband. His eyes were still spitting fire and his mouth was stiff. Without saying a word Daemon entered the chambers and closed the door behind him. His niece was feeling so desperate and helpless that she ran towards him at once and pleadingly looked him in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I… I didn't mean to, I was telling him to leave. Please uncle, I swear this to you, I didn't want him here. I pushed him away and refused to go on that stroll with him, please, believe me."

She tightly grabbed his hand, trying anything to make him trust her. Maera was scared what he would do now. He had been so angry last night and now he had just seen her speak to the very same man again. What if he would punish her again, spank her or force his cock down her throat?

She would've expected him to remove her hands. Or push her away. Or even slap her. But no, he didn't.

Instead to her surprise Daemon ran his thumb over the skin of her hands and his eyes even slightly softened up.

"Come here."

Maera almost couldn't believe it when her uncle pulled her body to his chest and gently pressed her against it. His arms protectively enveloped her and he started to caress the back of her head slowly.

"I'm so proud of you, my sweet girl," he murmured while kissing her temple. "You did so well and obeyed me so wonderfully."

Feeling so incredibly relieved, Maera cried out and her hands tugged at his shirt as if she tried to show him her gratitude that way. Daemon chuckled inaudibly and his niece could feel the vibrations going through her whole body.

"Don't cry, sweetling. There's no reason to cry. I'm not angry at you. At Ser Harwin…? Yes. But not you, little one."

He kissed her hair lovingly and then proudly looked down at her. "I know that you pushed him away and tried to make him leave and that's why I'm really pleased with you. You listened to me and you were compliant."

Maera really wanted to see his face now so she heaved her head that had leaned against his chest to search for his eyes.

"I-I want to be good."

Her uncle caressed her cheek. "I know you do."

"I love you, Daemon."

She placed her hands on his chest and stood on her tiptoes in order to reach his lips. Then she attempted to kiss the prince but he tilted his head a little so Maera let out a disapproving moan.

"Please…," she whispered and Daemon observed her amused.

After waiting a few more seconds he finally took her face in both of his hands and pressed his lips on hers.

~~~~~~~~~~

In the afternoon Maera had yet another opportunity to rejoice.

The ships with their staff finally arrived and therefore she was reunited with her son again. She and her husband waited at the bay to welcome the passengers and when Maera spotted Baelon in Lylith's arms she let out a high-pitched squeak and couldn't help herself and ran towards the wet nurse.

"My babyboy!" she called out and took her son from Lylith's arms to cradle him while pressing countless kisses on his head.

"My sweet sweet boy… How are you, my love?"

Of course she didn't expect an answer from the babe but Maera spent some time sweet-talking to her son until she gave him to Daemon who proudly held him.

"Someone's getting stronger every day, mhm?"

Soon her father actually also made his way down to the bay and this gesture alone warmed Maera's heart. With a wide smile she presented her son to her father and seeing how his eyes fluttered she felt hopeful.

"Father, I want you to meet Baelon."

Viserys took the babe from his mother's arms and carefully placed him in his own. When the corner of his mouth slightly lifted a weight dropped off Maera's heart.

"Baelon…," he mumbled and almost held the babe as if he was made out of glass.

"He's strong," he then stated and Maera had to laugh. "Yeah. He is."

She watched her father for a while who seemed utterly stunned with getting to know his grandson and then he returned the babe to Maera with glossy eyes.

"He's mesmerizing," Viserys said, his voice barely more than a breath.

She felt her eyes wettening as well and then the group of people started to make their way back to the castle. For the first time since their arrival Maera found that her father actually seemed at peace and fully relaxed. There was a softness to him that didn't even vanish when he found himself next to his brother. That was why Maera finally started to see some hope for a healthy relationship between her husband and father.

Viserys had more time to get to know his grandson during the afternoon tea where the whole family sat in the gardens while Baelon rested on the king's lap. Maera hadn't seen her father that playful and childish in years and it made her feel a warmth in her belly. Viserys cradled the babe and made faces to make him laugh while his daughter and Daemon exchanged an amused glance.

But soon Baelon seemingly got tired because he started to cry so a wet nurse was called to bring the child to Maera's chambers. That left the king with nothing to do but to shift his attention to the remaining two members of his family and he let his eyes wander between them. To Maera's relief her father still seemed quite relaxed and crossed his legs while exhaling.

"He is indeed a beautiful boy. Does he have a dragon egg?"

Daemon nodded. "It hasn't hatched yet but it hopefully will soon."

"Good."

Viserys lowered his gaze and for a moment everyone went about their own thoughts until the king cleared his throat again.

"Aegon will be back soon. He is in Duskendale at the moment. It will only take him a maximum of three days."

These news truly excited his daughter and he squeezed his hand while smiling.

"That's wonderful to hear. Do you know if he has been successful?"

"I doubt it. At least none of the ravens that he sent mentioned any woman." He sighed. "He is a helpless case… Everyone bores him and I think if he had the choice he would stay locked in the library all day. That's not the behaviour of a future king…"

It almost sounded as if Viserys was mumbling the words to himself and he thoughtfully looked in the sky.

"Your grandfather, daughter, was seriously worried about my development as a child. And don't even get me started on your grandmother."

Viserys glanced at his brother and chuckled quietly.

"She thought that Daemon was the one who should wear the crown. I was too quiet, too slow and not ambitious enough. I don't think a day passed when she didn't wish it was Daemon who was her first born son."

"Your exaggerating, brother," Daemon scoffed but Viserys shook his head laughing.

"No, no. I heard it out of her mouth countless times. But I'm not mad about it, truly not. She had a favourite son and at least she didn't try to hide it. That way I never had to rack my brains over it."

Viserys took a sip of his wine and then leaned back in his chair.

"But now I want to learn more about your time… gone."

There was a short uncomfortable pause where Daemon and Maera exchanged a brief look and the king lifted his eyebrows.

"You haven't told me about the whole of it yet. How was your pregnancy, my daughter? What did you do on dragonstone all these weeks and months?"

His daughter sighed and straightened up in her chair.

"The pregnancy went very well. The last weeks were hard because I could barely leave my chambers and my back hurt terribly but…" She smiled at her husband.

"Daemon helped me and kept me compayn whenever he was able to."

The rogue prince returned the smile and rested his hand on top of hers.

"She was truly incredible," he said quietly.

Viserys watched the interaction with an unreadable look on his face but then collected himself.

"I'm glad everything went well. Really glad."

"Thank you father," Maera answered.

She couldn't wipe this stupid smiled off her face the whole afternoon. Were things finally going well for once in her life?

~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:

@smashee0789 @classicsimpforaaronwarner @hangmanscoming @ninihrtss @coffeebooksrain18 @aleemendoza2425-blog @chiminies-noona

[choccy-milky]

(SPOILER WARNING to people who haven't read your story) I SWEAR to GOD!!!! This is borderline anon-hate with my current state of mind after finishing The Raven and The Snake over this weekend. I finished it in two days. I'm a mess. I've even started making a playlist because I feel like I can't properly enter reality again. I'm supposed to be writing my bachelors thesis right now,,,, what have you done to me!!!!

I loved it so so so much, and I am very mad I cannot have a collectors edition hardback version of it on my shelf. There are many many moments that keep replaying in my head, and scenes that I saw so vividly when reading through it. The first imperio moment and Sebs shadow and imperio-green eyes as Clora was held captive, and the entire scene in the repository and how I was physically shaking as I slowly realised that Seb had made a fucking horcrux, and when it was CONFIRMED the GASP i GUSPED. It was so perfect, and so very Sebastian; because OF COURSE he made a horcrux (lowkey hot, sue me).

And the scene where Clive realised Seb straight up just died for his daughter without knowing he would be back, oh my dear lord.

And the idea of Seb being seen as a 'Ruffian' and that little mamas boi bitch of a Henry thinking his hand-me-down-riches, muggle ass would be preferable to a powerful wizard. I secretly wished they didn't have to keep magic a secret so Henry could have known just how inferior he was. AND SEB APPARATING SO FAR UMPH the skilllll.

I could go on and on and on, and maybe I will some other time in your inbox when I have another mental breakdown.

And now I'm also almost done with the small sequel. Just taking a break to bombard you with this unhinged message of mine. And how you draw Sebastian is so fucking good. It's actually what got me reading in the first place. I see your version as being in a completely separate universe from the game, cause the way you draw him just has that something, and it's not the same anywhere else. It certainly doesn't help my obsession that my own boyfriend has the same features and colour palette as him, now I think I might even use your art as inspo for next time we need wardrobe additions.

I love you and I hate you.

Ps. Of course I added Sarah Smiles to the playlist and also Far too young to Die, and Just One Yesterday. If you've any other songs you think match please let me knowww~~

BRUHHHHH I ALMOST FEEL NARCISSISTIC FOR POSTING/RESPONDING TO THIS ASK BC ITS JUST PRAISE BUT DAMN THANK YOU SO MUCH😭😭😭😭IM HAPPY YOU LIKED IT SO MUCH!! FORGET WRITING YOUR BACHELORS THESIS, TY FOR WRITING A THESIS ON WHY U LOVED MY FIC SO MUCH AND ALL THE LIL THINGS U ENJOYED BAHAHAHA (love the henry slander) im also glad u like how i draw seb too, and i love how thats what made u start reading it in the first place BAHAH but fr, sometimes i try drawing seb more accurately to his ACTUAL appearance and then im like... Who The Hell is this... and it may sound arrogant since im the artist but my seb is MY seb, yknow...its why i dont like drawing him with other mc's romantically. bc even tho its like, oh look, that's Sebastian Sallow™ from the hit game Hogwarts Legacy™! in my style if i draw him with another MC, its like, NO!!! THATS NOT SEBASTIAN SALLOW™, THATS CLORA'S HUSBAND🤺🤺THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING BOI??🤺🤺🤺 LMAOO but rly TY AGAIN💖💖💖 not only for reading but also taking the time to write all this and let me know how much you enjoyed it🥹🥹i (and all writers, really) always love getting stuff like this!! it also brings me back to when i was writing it, especially now that ive been finished with my fic for a few months, listening to u react to all the diff scenes is making me miss it and giving me nostalgia for my own damn fic FRRR😩 also i love that youre making a playlist LMAOO thats how u know the brainrot truly has a hold on you IM SO SORRY🙏🙏 i actually made a seb and clora playlist like last year and its somewhere in my ask tag if you look through that?? but one song that i can recommend off the top of my head (which i almost made their anthem in that OTP chart) is arms tonite by mother mother...whenever i listen to it i cant help but laugh to myself bc its SO perfect for the chap where seb sacrifices himself....YOULL SEE WHEN U LISTEN😇💖

[suzayaaa]

ೃ⁀➷ LEAVE, NOW ☆.｡.:*

𓆩⟡𓆪 pairing: jeno x fem!reader

𓆩⟡𓆪 word count: 1.6k

𓆩⟡𓆪 themes: angst, breakup

𓆩⟡𓆪 warnings: cursing, cheating

𓆩⟡𓆪 suza’s note: can i just say i’m proud of this one…

𓆩⟡𓆪 requested by some of you!

𓆩⟡𓆪 this is an additional part 2 of jeno’s texts in “when will you leave me?” post, but it also works as a separate oneshot if you don’t want to read the texts.

It hurt.

Your heart, your mind, your body. No part of you was able to keep itself strong, to have any kind of energy to be. You were tied to your bed, sinking into the cold sheets with each move like a lifeless animal on its last breath. The breath that hurt so much, grabbing your sore heart and squeezing it violently as you shut your eyes with tears down your cheeks because no matter where you looked, Jeno was there.

The sheets you were lying in wore the scent of his musky cologne. Most of the pictures on your wall were with him, of him, or the moments spent with him. Hell, even the wrinkled t-shirt you were wearing was his. But the worst of all, you only had him in your mind.

No matter where you went and what you did, he followed you like a spell that had to be undone by a witch to let go. In a way, he did put a spell on you—the moment that caused all of this replayed in your head like a broken record, mocking you ruthlessly until you begged on your knees to stop this madness.

The words you’d never imagined to hear, the situation you’d never imagined to happen.

It was a pretty day. Clouds formed what you could call a shadow of blinding sunlight dodging the skyscrapers to reach and lit up your face. A perfect day to surprise Jeno.

You did most of it almost automatically, like a routine. A takeout from his favorite restaurant in one hand and a bag filled with your clothes and skincare products in the other; everything needed for a sleepover.

After three years of calling yourself boyfriend and girlfriend, you were bound to have some sort of security in your relationship and maybe even further and more serious plans for the future. Jeno had suggested first to add your fingerprint to the doorlock of his apartment. You didn’t mind not having it before, but the offer made you smile. It sounded like the next, although tiny, step in your relationship.

You unlocked the door and entered quietly, hoping he wouldn’t be anywhere near the entrance. Just as you were about to put the bags down and take your shoes off, you heard two familiar male voices, but the words were more distant than ever.

“Wait, so you cheated?” Mark asked, voice cracking slightly.

The silence was excruciatingly long. Your heart froze, bruising with each second passing.

“We talked, then she kissed me.” Another pause, shorter, yet more damaging. “It was good… I felt something I never felt with her.”

Her.

He couldn’t even say your name properly.

You were a fool. A stupid, hopeless, desperate fool.

You were now just her, yet you still waited and hoped for him to reach out to you, explain himself, and apologize.

You damned yourself over and over and over again. You were the one who got hurt. Why did you want him back if he stabbed you right in the heart and twisted the knife inside?

Why did you want a cheater back?

Those words wouldn’t leave your mind even for a moment, trapping you in a self-pitying bubble that was too strong and too painful to break through.

You checked the time on your phone. It was still early afternoon, but time wanted to torture you, slowing down and rolling at its own distorted pace to make sure you took a hit with every thought that crossed your mind. Your phone was dry. The only notifications were a daily reminder from a mobile game you haven’t played for a good week and a text from Jaemin you were not ready to deal with yet. Swiping your fingers on both, your eyes clung to the lockscreen for a moment. Just yesterday you would smile looking at it; you and Jeno, beaming to the camera in a cat cafe. He was always so sweet, then he decided to ruin you in the worst way possible. You opened settings, quickly changing the photo to something that would sting your soul a little less. Now it was an old photo of your family dog that never liked you that much to begin with, but dislike was still better than betrayal.

The doorbell sound rang in your ears, forcing you to get up from your bed. You dragged your feet on the cold floor and made your way to the door. Your hand reached for the handle, opening it slowly, not expecting anyone. The sight knocked you down more than any bullet ever could.

Na Jaemin with a firm frown and behind him, the reason for it all.

Lee Jeno.

You wondered if this was how you’d looked like when you’d found out. Eyes glued to the floor, hunched back, arms limp, head down… Did you also look so lost, like the ground was sweeping from under your feet brutally slowly, letting you fall and bruise your body, letting your body take the damage for your mind? Did you also crumble to the ground, looking for any steady thing to hold onto, because hope wasn’t one of those things anymore?

You’d thought you would feel if you saw him. You imagined yourself over a hundred times screaming your lungs out at him, ripping the skin away from his bones, ending his world just like he ended yours.

You should’ve been mad. You should’ve grabbed him by his hoodie and torn him apart to pieces. You should’ve made his heart bleed slowly and painfully, blood dripping on the floor one by one, drip, drip, drip until he was drowning in it. You should’ve ripped your throat yelling every insult you could think of into his face.

You were static. No screams, no cries, no choked-up laughs. You just looked at him, trying to meet his eyes for once. You wanted to get into his arms, cry into his chest, silently blame him for all the pain he had caused. You wanted to understand, but you have never wanted his pain. You have never wanted him to be the same wreck you were now, because nothing hurt more than seeing someone you love being hurt.

“I’m sorry for bringing him,” Jaemin glared at his friend, “but I think he needs to explain himself. It’s better for both of you if you do it immediately.”

Jaemin bowed his head to you, eyes softening in a mix of pity and compassion when he looked at you. He didn’t say anything more, opting to leave you both alone with no choice but to face the inevitable.

“I’m sor-”

“Take your things please.”

Serenity was the look on his face when his eyes met yours. It was clear, clearer than the day you’d found out, that he already knew and expected.

“You won’t even let me explain?”

“Get inside and take your things.”

You didn’t want to let him talk. If you did, your mind would listen to your heart and you would let him stay a little longer.

You watched him get past you into your apartment, muscle memory leading him to your bedroom. You followed him, but stayed at the door. He was quick to start shuffling around your room, taking any belongings of his he could see.

Jeno had always been careful. Those little details you forgot about, like leaving your jewelry in your bathroom after showering or losing your phone somewhere in the sheets every time the alarm went off, Jeno had never missed out on. He almost knew you better than you knew yourself. He knew how to wound you and he still did it, even adding salt to it, making sure the suffering was obvious.

You watched him throw his clothes into the bag he’d once left at your place, arms crossed and a sour frown on your dried face. His back was facing you, thankfully, because you wouldn’t be able to say the things you wanted to his face without shattering your soul entirely.

“I thought I knew you,” you started. Jeno halted his movements, but didn’t turn around, “I thought you were…” the one? No. You wouldn’t say it to him now, he didn’t deserve to know. Choking the tears inside, you continued, fists turning into stone, knuckles white, hiccups turning into venom on your tongue, “You were so casual saying it… You don’t even regret it, do you? You don’t fucking care. You never did.”

Jeno’s voice was hoarse, barely audible even in the uncomfortable silence. “I did.”

A scoff and a single laughter. “No. If you did, you would think about me at that moment. You would think about hurting me, you would care about me, but you didn’t. You don’t care… You know what? Nevermind. Leave, Jaemin will take your shit.”

The bag dropped on the floor with a thud. No words were said anymore, nothing needed to be said; it was over. You met Jeno’s eyes for the last time, stone cold, as if you were a burden or a meaningless obstacle on his way. His shoulder was harsh when he bumped into you, and for a short moment when he’d reached for the door, you hoped.

Maybe a simple sorry would do, maybe it would only crush you more. You wouldn’t know, you let his actions speak instead of words.

The door slam was your goodbye.

Tears flooded your already swollen face, your whole body shaking uncontrollably, sinking into the floor. At that moment, a memory echoed in your mind. A piece of conversation with Jeno you would’ve never thought about, but now, when it was all you could hear, a bitter smile barely creeping up to your face, realizing you always knew.

“When will you leave me?”

“I won’t, baby.”

“Don’t lie, everybody leaves. Some just do it later than others.”

[ivelle-serenity]

Skateboard 4

Wind breaker

fem bodied reader | smut | action | pwp | jayjo/fml | vinny/fml | wooin/fml | joker/fml | hyuk/fml | owen/fml | enemies to lovers | angsty | the other woman (?) | reverse harem | fluff | SLOW BURN! | all characters featured are 18+

author's note: interaction with Jay is now finally happening 😩👊

✧˖° — windbreaker men

✧˖° — mdni, smut, description of not safe for work content.

✧˖° — this is a story not one shot.

The next day, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. The events of yesterday were driving me crazy, and I wanted to scream in my room. The Sabbath Crew kept popping into my mind—Wooin, Joker, and especially Jay from Hummingbird. I bit my finger while staring at the blackboard. Our physics teacher was checking our assignments. I did Dom’s assignment as promised, and I also did Jay’s. I ignored his suggestion to work on it together. There was no way I was doing that. Besides, I could handle it on my own.

But when I handed Jay his assignment, he seemed annoyed. Was he really mad at me, or was that just his usual expression?

"Is this real?" Our teacher looked up in surprise. "Dom, Jay, and Demitra got the highest scores on the assignment," he announced to the class. "All three of them tied for the highest score."

Dom’s jaw dropped as he stared at me, but I kept looking out the window. Honestly, the assignment was tough, but I managed to ace it.

"Come on, Sir! Can't you believe I have some hidden genius too?" Dom shouted, making everyone laugh.

"Well, I just can't believe anyone matched Jay's score. He always gets the highest in our class." The teacher looked at me. "It seems our new student is competing with him. This is very exciting." He grinned.

Jay kept his usual cold expression, staring at his notebook. I shrugged and started packing my things since the teacher was leaving and it was time to go home. Our classmates started making noise again as soon as the teacher left. It was like a zoo with all the ruckus they were causing. I never expected Korean students to be this loud.

I froze when I saw someone standing in front of my desk. It was Dom...

"Can we talk to you?" he asked with a sweet smile plastered on his face.

"Who's 'we'?" I replied, then noticed Jay, Mia, and Yuna also standing up.

"We saw how you ride a bike, and I gotta admit, you're really good," Dom said, stroking his chin as if deep in thought. "I don't know what happened yesterday that made Jay win when it was obvious you should have."

"Maybe Jay's just better than her," Yuna interjected, giving me a dirty look.

I smiled sarcastically. "I still don't see why you're all here in front of me."

"Join us." We all turned to Jay. His eyes were directly on mine. "Join our crew," he clarified.

I laughed, but when I realized they were serious, I laughed again.

"What is this? This is so random." I shook my head and put my notebook in my bag. "I lost, so why would I join your crew? Besides, I already did your assignments, so why—"

"Shelly's been gone for months now because of a family emergency in England. We need a rider for the cycling tournament. We're short one person for the next round. It's only temporary," Dom explained, making puppy eyes at me.

I felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over me when he mentioned Shelly's name. I had suspected she might be the Shelly I knew, and now I was right. It really was her.

I clenched my fists.

"And didn't you say that if you beat Jay, you'd join their crew? It means you really want to join—" Mia started, but I cut her off.

"Believe it or not, I was just joking back then." I looked away from them. "I didn't expect you to take it seriously. Look, I'm selling my bike because I don't use it anymore. Just find another rider or bring Shelly back." I stood up. But before I could leave, someone grabbed my arm. I looked up to see Jay staring at me with no emotion on his face.

"I'll do all your assignments this time," he uttered. "Just join us," he said firmly.

"I don't need your help."

"But we do."

I looked at him in disbelief, meeting his gaze. Okay, I had to admit, I wanted to try their tournament, but I didn't want to show my face. I knew Sangho was handling that event. He might recognize me, and I didn't want him to know I was in Korea.

"Fine," I said, and Dom, Yuna, and Mia's eyes widened as if I had said something shocking. "Don't help me with physics, just Korean," I added, looking away.

"Wow, you really don't seem like someone who struggles with our language," Mia remarked, amazed.

I gave them a small smile. "Just tell me the time of your training," I said to Jay.

"We were planning to train right now," Dom chimed in.

Oh fuck

This isn't bad, right? And it's only temporary. They just really need a player for a new match. I sighed, thinking about Shelly again. That woman... So she's Jay Jo's girlfriend. I thought they were talking about a different Shelly because there was no way that woman would come to Korea. Last time she told me, no matter how boring her life got, she wouldn't go to her mother's country.

"I really appreciate you accepting our request," Mia said suddenly as we walked out of the school. "If I could join them, I would, but I'm not really good at biking." She said sadly.

"When is Shelly supposed to come back?" I asked, looking at the parked bikes. I can't believe I kept saying I wouldn't bike, but I still use it to get to school.

"We still don't have any news from her... Actually, I'm starting to worry, especially for Jay." We both glanced at Jay, who was now putting on his helmet.

"Why?"

She swallowed. "Ever since she left, Jay hasn't had any contact with Shelly. These past few months, it's been obvious how down he's been. He really loves Shelly," she said with concern. I paused and looked at Jay Jo again.

He frowned when he noticed me staring, so I quickly looked away.

"She'll come back," I said to reassure her. I can't believe I had a crush on a guy who was Scott's boyfriend.

"YUNA, MY LOVE! CHEER FOR ME IN FRONT OF DEMITRA, OKAY? SO SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH YOU LOVE ME!" Dom shouted from afar.

Disgust was written all over Yuna's face. "You're just training. What cheer are you talking about?" she rolled her eyes. Dom pouted like he was being mistreated by his girlfriend. I just grinned. They are really entertaining to watch. Why would Vinny leave this crew?

I saw Mia approach her friend Yuna. I watched them from behind as we walked, carrying my bike. I didn't know where we were going, but I just followed Dom. They seemed to have a specific place for their training.

I was surprised to see Jay walking beside me. He wasn't riding his bike either, but he was already wearing his helmet. I couldn't help but laugh. He looked cute, though. He glanced at me and raised an eyebrow.

"So... Inertia drift is your thing, huh?" I asked, surprising him. "It was impressive, I watched some videos of you racing." I said, looking at the road. I noticed we were falling behind. Dom walked really fast.

He still didn't say anything. He was like a mute.

"I also watched how you lean in." Based on what I saw, it was surprising that he could pull off that move. It wasn't an easy skill; it was dangerous.

"But your slide is a bit risky. Your grip on the bike isn't in the right position."

"What?"

And now he was finally talking.

I smiled at him. "You need to balance your body. The grip of your hand and your body should be opposite so you can slide lower. That's the technique to make the lean-in look better." I explained. I showed him how I held the bike. "And also, this is how you should hold the handlebar."

He looked confused, but then he suddenly got on his bike and tried the position I showed him. His grip still seemed wrong, so I walked over to him. I parked my bike to the side.

"I noticed from the video that this is why you almost fell. You need to widen your elbows." I moved closer and adjusted his elbow.

I narrowed my eyes as I focused on his grip, then reached out to adjust the position of his hand. Just as I lifted my head to explain, I realized he was staring right at me. My eyes widened in surprise when it hit me that I was actually holding his hand! I quickly pulled away, feeling a rush of embarrassment.

"It's fine." he muttered, causing me to feel flustered.

"So yeah. That's how you do it." I cleared my throat before stepping back a little.

He was silent for a moment. He lowered his hands while sitting on the bike. How could he look so hot?

"Did you master it before you did it in the tournament?" I asked, looking at him.

He shook his head. "No..." It was obvious.

My eyes widened. "So you did it without practice?"

"Hmm," he nodded.

"Where did you learn that, by the way?" I asked as I finally sat on my bike.

"I don't know his name." irritation plastered on his face.

"So it's a 'he'? Does he have blonde hair?" I smirked. "It was Owen, right?"

He stiffened when he heard me mention that name. His expression darkened. He seemed shocked that I knew.

"How did you know?"

"Because I'm the one who taught him that move." I said with bitterness in my voice before looking at the road.

He was silent, but I could see the amusement in his eyes. I couldn't blame him. He might be even more surprised if I told him I knew his girlfriend too. I didn't want to mention that because he might ask more questions. I don't really want to talk about them anymore.

"What's your relationship with him?" he asked suddenly.

"Just someone I know." I lied. "Why? Is he your friend?" I asked, but his face darkened even more. He looked so annoyed.

"I'll teach you about Korean after this training." he changed the topic.

"Why so sudden?" I laughed.

He stared at me for a few seconds before looking away. "Your Korean sounds lame."

"What?!"

[punkshort]

look what we've become - ch.3

Chapter Summary: Joel joins Tommy to meet the Fireflies and set up a trade agreement. They come back to Jackson with more than they expected.

Chapter Warnings: language, angst, mentions of slavery

WC: 5.4K

Series masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

A/N: a reminder this story follows a slightly different timeline. Ellie was born pre-outbreak, but she was little when it happened.

Joel couldn't believe the past day and a half really happened. The rollercoaster of emotions you put him through left him stunned and shaken, wondering how he could read everything so fucking wrong. He found himself questioning everything now, replaying conversations, wondering if you had ever alluded to your feelings about marriage and a family that maybe he misread, misconstrued. Twisted and built up in his mind to fit into his stupid fantasy. One, he acknowledged, wasn't even in the forefront of his mind until his brother brought it back up to the surface. And suddenly, he wanted it, too. Like some resentful child who saw another playing with a toy he hadn't paid attention to in months, then demanded it for himself.

But he had thought about it, well before Tommy decided to man up first. He had the ring, but he never did anything with it. Why? Deep down, had he known you wouldn't want that? Was he subconsciously protecting himself by never acting on it? Or was he truly just waiting for the right time?

Even with Tommy's news, he still hadn't come up with a plan to actually ask you to marry him. He just allowed the fantasy to play out between your legs while he continued to make up excuses as to why he was holding off. Maybe it just turned him on to have a secret. Maybe he just wanted to have you, mark you, claim you. He knew he had a bad jealous streak, but would he have let his possessiveness lead him this far off track?

No. There were real reasons why he wanted you to be his wife. You made him want to be a better man. The way you made him feel was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. You brought out sides of him that others, including himself, never knew existed. Good things. You made him believe in happiness again, after his heart had been stomped on, making him treat everyone around him so poorly, even his own family. At a time when he felt so undeserving, you made him feel like the only person in the world. Even back then, he had a hard time believing you could actually care for him, but you saw through his bullshit to the man he was underneath, and you loved him for being him.

You had this way of looking at him like he was capable of anything. And with you by his side, he felt like he really was capable of anything. He did things he never thought possible to keep you both safe, as did you. You killed for each other. Not many people can say that. That meant something. The trauma and pain you both endured for one another had to mean something more. There was no doubt you both had proven what you were willing to do for the other, so it was only natural he wanted to commit himself to you. Say the words, vow to you in front of everyone you knew and loved that he would happily devote himself to you for the rest of his life.

So why didn't you want the same?

Ages ago, when the pair of you stumbled into the hellscape that was Kansas City, his ex, Amy, had mentioned offhandedly that you were only with him for protection. At the time, he shrugged it off, knowing full well it was bullshit just to get under his skin. But now, against his better judgement, he was rethinking those words. Rolling them around in his head, wondering if there was any truth to it.

"You been real quiet," Tommy said, pulling Joel out of his misery, surprised to suddenly find his brother next to him as they made their way on horseback down the mountains. Joel shrugged, averting his gaze ahead to the three other men leading the way.

"You mad at me for puttin' you on patrol yesterday? I'm sorry, Carl got sick and I didn't have anyone else," Tommy continued.

"Nah, it's not that," Joel replied, still staring straight ahead. "Didn't sleep well, is all."

"Ah," Tommy said, a playful smile pulling across his lips. "She send you off with somethin' to remember her by?"

Joel huffed and rolled his shoulders, his anger bubbling below the surface as he thought once again about the night before.

"Not exactly," Joel responded, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.

Tommy hummed in response but remained quiet, trying to read his brother from the corner of his eye.

"Everythin' alright at home?" he asked, unknowingly hitting the nail on the head, causing Joel to clench the muscles in his stomach, like he was bracing for a punch to the gut.

"It's fine. What's the plan for when we get to this place?" Joel asked, quickly sidestepping the subject, something that was certainly not lost on his younger brother, but Tommy allowed for the change in conversation, anyway.

"We're gonna meet up with their leader, woman named Marlene. They're lookin' mostly for weapons, but they need other stuff, too. They got lots of medicine and first aid to swap. Bill's been runnin' real low on antibiotics, considerin' how fast the town is growin'," Tommy said with a sigh, readjusting in his saddle. "Girls sent me with a list of inventory, highlighted all the stuff we have a surplus of and all the stuff we could use more of. Remind me to thank her for helpin' when we get home," he said, keeping a close eye on Joel's reaction when he referred to you.

"Sure," was all Joel said in response, refusing to let him drudge up the topic. The wound was still too fresh, and he needed time. For the first time in a long time, he had no idea what was going through your head, and it scared the shit out of him.

Was it marriage and kids in general you didn't want, or was it marriage and kids with him?

He should have asked. He should have stayed instead of storming out that night. Instead, he let his emotions get the better of him and left you all alone, likely crying until you fell asleep if your swollen eyes the next morning was any indication. When he saw you, saw the distress etched in your perfect features, he wanted to pull you into his arms and never leave for this fucking trip. And he damn near did just that, until you confirmed it was a false alarm, and his heart was torn all over again. It was then he realized he had been hoping you were pregnant with his child, and there would be no choice but to face the next challenge together. Then he would be able to prove to you that it was a good thing, that you could, in fact, do it. And so could he.

Now, instead, he wasn't even sure where you two stood. You had said you still wanted him before he left, and that gave him hope. Hope that maybe not all was lost, that you could repair the damage that was done and come out stronger in the end for it. That maybe he could, in time, prove to you that he would be a good husband, a good father.

But then, Amy's words crept up in the back of his mind since he left. Somehow, years and years later, the woman still managed to torment him, making him believe he wasn't worthy or good enough to possibly have someone like you. The same way she manipulated him into thinking he deserved to be betrayed by her when they were engaged, that he didn't give enough of himself, that she warned him she needed more and he refused.

He shouldn't have gone on this trip.

"Alright, we're losin' daylight, let's set up camp and get an early start tomorrow," Tommy announced, much to Joel's relief. He didn't want to admit that, just a mere few weeks away from his fortieth birthday, his back and knees were aching like he was a much older man. He slid down from his saddle with an audible groan, then tied his reins around a tree trunk before giving his mare a few loving pats along the crooked white blaze that split her face.

He unbuckled his sleeping bag from the saddle and shouldered his backpack, dropping his belongings unceremoniously to the ground before he and Jake headed out with a couple hatchets to collect some firewood.

He didn't mind Jake so much anymore. He was quiet, kept to himself and, fortunately, didn't seem to harbor any resentment towards him from the time Joel put him in the infirmary for kissing you. His bad temper mixed with his jealousy nearly killed the man.

Afterwards, he thought he lost you.

You left him, asking for time to process what happened, upset that he didn't take your word for it when you promised him the kiss was a misunderstanding, that you handled it. You viewed it as distrust, he viewed it as protection. It wasn't until later that he realized he was harboring his own trauma from failing to protect you from a past sexual assault.

As he carried an armful of firewood back, he reflected on everything you had been through together. The outbreak, your parents, the time you were stabbed, the assault, the breakup, the accident that nearly killed him. Not to mention all the infected and raiders that threatened you both at every turn. Was your relationship strong enough to endure one more massive hurdle?

They were deep in the woods, the terrain favorable. The trees hid the fire well, and the vast, empty land kept infected away. Still, each man took a quick turn overnight to keep watch. It hardly mattered when Eugene gently shook his shoulder, alerting him it was his turn to watch. He can never sleep well when he's away from you, anyway.

Joel was almost grateful when they reached the hospital late in the afternoon the next day. It was the first time in two days he was able to stop thinking about you, his mind swirling with images of your trembling lip and your tear stained cheeks. He frequently wondered what you were doing, if you told Maria or Carrie about your argument. Were you packing up your things? Would he come home to an empty house? He wasn't sure his heart could handle it again.

You said you still wanted him.

You said you loved him.

But he didn't say those things back, and he left.

Even if you were fighting, even if it was the most significant disagreement you've ever had, he still wanted you near. He could never silence that driving force inside him since the outbreak that screamed keep her safe.

When they approached the hospital, they were all searched, weapons confiscated, as expected, before being ushered inside to meet the leader of the strange group called the Fireflies.

Marlene was a taller woman, with a firm jaw and eyes that could look right through you. He could tell right away she was not to be trifled with, that she took her role seriously in this little revolution she was spearheading. Although the people they had met since arriving seemed very intense, he didn't feel threatened. And he usually had a good instinct for those things. Usually.

They were in the hospital cafeteria, the five men, Marlene, plus a few others seated around a large, circular table as Tommy and Marlene exchanged pleasantries, both parties trying to make the other more comfortable. Joel hadn't really been listening. He was scanning the room, watching the guards pace by the doors regularly, the sentries standing watch with their hands resting on their rifles as they watched the exchange from a distance.

A small group of women entered from the door behind him, heading towards the kitchen to begin food preparations. Joel's eyes glanced over the group of four, three middle aged looking women who kept their eyes pinned to the ground, and a young girl with brown hair, tied back away from her face. She didn't look to be a day over thirteen, and she was the only one who looked around the room, her eyes locking with Joel's. He stared at her, his brow slightly furrowed as he tried to assess the situation. She continued to hold his gaze as she followed the other women, and although her body language gave nothing away, Joel felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something seemed off.

"Isn't that right, Joel?" Tommy was saying, snapping his attention away from the girl, who he saw in his peripheral disappear behind a door into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry?" he replied, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together on top of the table, trying to look focused.

"I was just sayin' how we know of a few police stations in some small towns that have barely been touched. Wouldn't be much effort for us to get a group together when we get home and go ransack 'em, take just a few days to hit 'em all," Tommy said, his eyes flicking from Joel to Marlene, then back again.

Another trip. More days away from you.

"Yeah," Joel replied, nodding his head and ignoring the pit in his stomach. "It's not enough for an army, but I reckon any little bit helps."

"In the meantime, lemme show you our inventory list. See if anything jumps out at you, and we can work on gettin' those guns," said Tommy as he pulled the list out of his coat pocket and smoothing it out on the table.

Marlene reviewed the list, her dark eyes flicking over the paper quickly with a few hums here and there as she took notes.

"Looks good, but we mostly need weapons," she said, leaning back in her chair. "I could probably do with some fresh vegetables, I think everyone's getting sick of the canned shit. And shampoo. But that hardly is a match for antibiotics." Her eyes shifted back and forth between Joel and Tommy, and the corner of her mouth turned up as an idea hit her.

"I do have another offer, though," she said, leaning forward. "It's not what we discussed, but if you're willing, I could send you home with half a box of penicillin now, and the other half after."

"After... what?" Tommy asked a little hesitantly.

"I'm lacking manpower at the moment. My guys are stretched thin, we're planning a hit on the soldiers at the Boise QZ. I need you to take someone to the hospital base we have in Salt Lake City. It should only take two days to get there, and I just need you to make sure she gets there alive," Marlene said, pressing her pointer finger into the table on the last word for emphasis.

Tommy glanced at the other four men, clearly not expecting to run errands for these people in exchange for medicine. Joel could see the wheels turning in his brother's head before Tommy spoke.

"Show me the meds first," he said to Marlene, and she quickly lifted two fingers up from the table, blindly addressing someone behind her to exit and do as he asked.

"What's the catch?" Joel asked, his defenses going up.

"No catch. Just need to get her out of here and with my other group, and I don't have the time to do it myself," she said with a shrug, but Joel knew better. She was trying to act casual, but he saw her knee bouncing under the table.

He shouldn't have come on his trip.

Once Tommy laid eyes on the unopened vials of medicine, medicine Jackson could really use since Bill, the town doctor, had been rationing enough as it is, Joel knew his decision was made.

"Done," Tommy said with a nod, extending his arm to shake Marlene's hand, which she eagerly reached out to do.

"Tommy," Joel said quietly, annoyed his brother didn't run the decision by the group first.

"Give me a little bit. I'll go talk to her so you can hit the road right away. John, please give these gentleman half the box of penicillin," Marlene said as she pushed her chair back, the legs making an awful screech against the dirty, linoleum floor. "Dinner is about to be served, please help yourselves as my guests," she added over her shoulder, leaving the dining hall.

"Tommy," Joel tried again, finally pulling his brother's attention. "A word?"

He led Tommy a ways away from the table so their conversation couldn't be overheard.

"What're you thinkin'?" Joel asked him, hands on his hips. "We don't do things like this."

"I know, Joel, but we're already out here, what's the harm? It's just a few more days," he said.

"I can't do a few more days, I need to get home," Joel replied, raking his fingers through his hair anxiously.

"I'll send Jesse and Jake back to let the girls know we'll be a little longer-"

"Goddamnit, Tommy, no!" Joel said, louder than he anticipated, a few heads from the table turning to glance his way.

"Jackson needs this medicine, what the hell's gotten into you?" Tommy asked with a frown, shifting his weight as he tried to read his brother's face.

Before he could reply, Marlene reentered the room alone, motioning for the two brothers to join her back at the table.

"Ellie's working in the kitchen, once dinner is over I'll send her to change and gather her things," Marlene said.

"Not a problem," said Tommy as he sat back down.

"Is that true?" Marlene asked, her lips pressed in a thin line as she held Joel's gaze, waiting for him to answer. He took a deep breath through his nose and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, not a problem," Joel replied bitterly.

Joel ate his meal quickly, desperate to finish this ridiculous task so he could get home. The longer he was away from you, the stronger his paranoia became. With each passing hour, he could almost feel the chasm between you growing, and he was beginning to convince himself there was no repairing the damage that was done. On both sides. Communication had never been his strong suit, but he thought he was getting better at it the past few years. Why did he go on this trip?

His eyes flicked up from his empty plate to see Marlene heading their way with the young girl he saw earlier in tow. His anger flared deep in his belly again, and he elbowed Tommy in the ribs to mutter angrily "she didn't mention it was a fuckin' kid" before Marlene could overhear.

"Ellie, these are the men I told you about. They're going to take you to Salt Lake City like we discussed," Marlene said, her hand resting on the girl's back. Joel eyed her carefully, noticing how tense her shoulders looked as she regarded the five men in front of her. His eyes drifted back to Marlene, wondering why on earth she was willing to leave this young girl with five strange men without a second thought. He decided she either was very desperate, or didn't care much for the girl.

Ellie readjusted her backpack on her shoulders and yanked on the edges of her long sleeved shirt, squaring her jaw as she stared them all down. Marlene crouched down to the girl's level and rested her hands on her shoulders.

"Remember what I told you. Listen to them, and everything will be fine," Marlene said, narrowing her eyes at Ellie. Ellie nodded, nostrils flaring before Marlene stood up to address Tommy.

"You need a map?"

"Nah, we got maps," Tommy said with a shake of his head. "This group know when we get there to give us the rest of the payment?"

"I'll radio the leader over there once you leave, let her know the deal," Marlene replied, stretching her arm out again to shake Tommy's hand.

"Alright, then," said Tommy, looking back down at Ellie and shooting her a small smile, trying to make her feel more comfortable. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she said, taking a deep breath and following Tommy out of the cafeteria.

They collected their weapons at the entrance before heading out, Ellie joining Tommy on the back of his horse. They didn't make it very far before the sun began to dip behind the trees and a quiet place was found to make camp for the night.

After getting a fire going, Tommy sat down in the dirt next to Joel, who had been leaning against a small oak tree, sipping from his flask and staring into the flames. The other three men were quietly playing a game of poker across from them, the occasional laugh or taunt floating in the air, while Ellie busied herself with a worn, paperback book further away from the rest.

"You wanna tell me what's goin' on yet?" Tommy asked, taking out his own flask.

"Nothin's goin' on," Joel replied gruffly, eyes trained on the fire.

"What's makin' you feel like you need to get home so bad?" he pressed. Joel felt that anger swelling inside him again, up his stomach and through his chest, and for a moment he wondered if Tommy knew. That maybe you told Maria and she let something slip.

"I told you, it's nothin'," he snarled, taking another sip from his flask and letting his eyes drift over to the girl. "Just wish I knew you were signin' me up to be a goddamn babysitter before comin' on this fuckin' trip."

"I can hear you, you know," Ellie said, her eyes never leaving the pages of her book.

"Good," Joel said, jutting his chin towards her, finally finding something to take his anger out on. "What's your deal, anyway?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, sitting upright and letting her book fall to her lap, a flash of stubbornness not unlike his own reflecting in her eyes.

"Try me," Joel argued, his jaw clenching. Ellie glared at him, silence falling over the camp as everyone waited for her to speak. She opened her mouth, then thought better of it, clamping it shut and casting her eyes down. Joel scoffed, not ready to let the topic go just yet. Angry that this child was keeping him from home, from you. Angry that his brother agreed to it, like a fool.

"C'mon now, let's hear it. What makes you so fuckin' special?"

"Joel," Tommy said under his breath, a warning, reminding him to watch his language, that she was just a kid.

"Why should I bother? You're all the same, anyway! No one ever listens to me, 'cause I'm just some kid, right? No one-" she cut herself off, stopping herself before she said too much.

"Who's all the same?" Tommy asked gently, trying to coax the information out of her. She shrugged and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"The people Marlene hires. Dragging me all over the country like I'm... whatever," she said, stopping herself yet again.

"So this ain't the first time Marlene sent you off with a bunch of strange men?" Joel asked, the edge still in his tone but he could feel his resolve softening, somehow feeling bad for this little girl despite his own problems.

"No," was all she offered, glaring at Joel again.

"Are you in some sort of trouble, kid?" Eugene's voice asked from across the fire. The silence that followed was deafening, only the crackle from the fire filling the air. Ellie's eyes shot over to Eugene, looking him up and down, trying to keep up her steely resolve before giving up and turning her back on the group, announcing she was going to bed, and burying herself in the sleeping bag that was way too big for her.

Joel stared at the back of her head, trying to connect the dots with the context he had available to him, but he couldn't figure it out. Tommy shifted next to him, clearly lost in his own thoughts, as well. Wondering for the first time if he had gotten them all in over their heads.

The following morning, Tommy sent Jake and Jesse back home to let everyone know they were going to be a few days late. The three remaining men and Ellie packed up their supplies early, hitting the trail as soon as possible, ready to make a dent in the long road ahead. Eugene led the way, followed by Tommy, then Joel brought up the rear, his eyes burning holes in the back of Ellie's head as she clung to Tommy's denim jacket to keep her balance on the back of his horse.

Joel chewed the inside of his cheek, still feeling bitter, about everything. You, Tommy, Ellie. All of it. Since he couldn't get to you, and Tommy already got him in too deep, he chose to direct his energy towards Ellie when they took a break midday.

"Marlene send you with any food, or are you takin' that from us, too?" Joel asked, sitting down on a fallen tree trunk with a groan.

"I have food. And what else could I have possibly taken from you?" Ellie replied curtly, sitting further down the log as she opened her pack to fish out some granola bars.

"Time," Joel snapped. "And we don't even know why we're doin' it."

"Isn't Marlene paying you guys?" she replied with a huff. Tommy's eyes toggled back and forth between Joel and Ellie, becoming exasperated with the constant bickering.

"Can you just drop it, Joel?" Tommy asked. "Who cares? It's an easy gig, and we get meds out of it."

"Oh, she's giving you meds? Wow, she must be really desperate," Ellie chimed in.

"Alright, I've had enough," Joel said, standing up to tower over the girl. "Spit it out. What're we doin' here?"

"Fine, Joel," she said, stretching out each syllable before standing up, fists clenched at her sides. The way she said his name set his teeth on edge. "You wanna know how you're helping slavers move cargo? That the answer you're looking for?"

The three men froze, clearly not expecting that. Tommy stood up now, his head swiveling between Eugene and Joel as he processed the information just dropped on them.

"Wait-" Tommy said, stretching his arm out to Ellie, but she cut him off.

"Yeah, that's right. You still think this is a pain for you?" she snapped, glaring at Joel even though Tommy was the one who spoke.

"Stop!" Joel shouted, holding his hands up in the air as silence fell over the camp. He pointed his finger to Ellie.

"You. Explain. Now."

Joel pinched the bridge of his nose as he silently listened to Ellie tell her story. Her parents were dead. She was taken from her aunt and uncle's house at a young age, forced into slavery for the past few years: laundry, cooking, cleaning. Sometimes for twelve hours a day. Said she's been with the Fireflies a long time, that they keep moving her from base to base but she claimed she didn't know why. Joel had to wonder how much of what she was saying was the truth. There was no doubt something was happening at that hospital, but slaves? Something just didn't add up.

When she finished her story, she nervously glanced around at the men, waiting for one of them to say something. Tommy sighed and motioned to the woods.

"We need to talk about this. Privately," Tommy said, narrowing his eyes at Ellie. "You stay here."

"Fine. Not like I can make it on my own out there, anyway," she said with a snort. She picked up a stick from the ground and began drawing into the loose dirt at her feet.

"We're takin' her back, givin' back the meds, and goin' home," Joel said the moment they were out of earshot. Tommy shook his head.

"Joel-"

"This is enough, Tommy! This ain't our business. Any other option here puts the whole town at risk, puts Maria at risk, puts-" he stopped himself, biting his tongue before saying your name. He hadn't thought about you for the past half hour. A new record.

Tommy wasn't an idiot. He knew something was going on, but he couldn't focus on it, having a much bigger problem to sort out.

"She's a kid. We can't take her back, and we can't take her to Salt Lake City. It ain't right," said Tommy gently, hoping he would make his brother see through whatever was plaguing his mind and look at the bigger picture. Joel frowned and glared at the grass below his boots, clenching and unclenching his jaw as his mind struggled to wrap itself around the situation.

"Eugene?" Tommy said, turning to raise his eyebrows at the older, and suspiciously quiet, man. Eugene sighed, dropping his shoulders like he was carrying an enormous weight.

"I agree with Tommy," he said, and Joel spun on his heel, angrily pacing a few feet away to take some deep breaths.

"So, what? We take her to Jackson? We don't show people where we live for a fuckin' reason," Joel reminded them, his back still turned on the two men.

"We take her back, just a bit, til we can find where her aunt and uncle were livin', and we'll take her back home," Tommy said, the gears in his head turning as he formulated the plan on the spot. "In the meantime, we tell the Fireflies she ran off in the middle of the night. Maybe if we can get those guns to 'em, we can still keep the antibiotics."

Joel scoffed and shook his head, turning around to glare at his younger brother.

"This is stupid and risky. Lyin' to those people don't seem like a good move to me."

"Yeah, well, it's the only move we got, Joel. Otherwise, we're just as bad as them," said Tommy, his eyes drifting through the trees to make sure Ellie was still perched on the log where they left her. "I won't ask you to help take her back to her family."

"Damn right, you won't," Joel muttered, rolling his shoulders angrily. He stared off in the direction of Ellie, his jaw ticking off to the side with his hands on his hips, lost in thought.

He shouldn't have gone on this trip.

"Alright, is it settled, then? Can we hit the road, go back home?" Eugene asked, clearly tired of the bickering. Joel glared at the other two men before stomping back over to Ellie, who stood when she heard the men approaching, eyes flicking to each of their faces. Joel brushed past her to scoop up his bag from the ground and jumped back up on his horse with a grunt. At least he won't have to be away from you any longer. Not that he was sure what to even say, he just knew he needed to see you.

"C'mon, kid. We're takin' you to our town," Tommy said, motioning for her to grab her things and follow him to his horse.

"Really?" she asked excitedly, a small smile playing on her face for the first time.

"'Til we can get you back to your family, yeah," he replied, holding an arm out to help her scramble up the back of his horse.

Joel remained quiet the next day and a half, inwardly brooding about the potential blowback from taking this kid, which then morphed into nerves when he realized he was a few hours away from seeing you again.

When they arrived through the gates of Jackson, he didn't watch Ellie's eyes light up when she first saw the town, the people, the animals, kids her age playing. Maybe if he wasn't so focused on searching for your face in the small crowd that welcomed them back, then he would have seen how happy Ellie was. How, for maybe the first time in years, she felt a spark of hope. Maybe if he wasn't so focused on the ache in his chest when he didn't see you, it wouldn't have come as a surprise when Ellie snuck off the first chance she got, bobbing and weaving down the busy street, eager to see what the town had to offer.

Tag List @nana90azevedo @ninaminaromina @untamedheart81 @taz-97 @nastiasnow @amyispxnk @plz-be-solo - lmk if I missed anyone or if you want to be removed

[billiemakesmewetter]

fuck and make up

pairing: billieg!p x fem!reader billie!sub you!dom

warning: cursing, smut, praise kink, mommy kink, and orgasm denial

you were on your way to your girlfriends house, you just finished working and now you wanted to go home after a very long day. as we were walking to the car park, you get held back by someone. you quickly turned around and it was you girlfriend, billie.

“omg? billie what are you doing here?”

“what, your girlfriend cants surprise you at work now?” she says smirking and holding onto my hand.

“well, i’m so tired and hungry.” you say, huffing while embracing her. “okay, i’ll make you food, let’s go home.”

“omg yay!” i kissed her and they walked into the car. you expected billie to drive but she sat at the passenger seat.

“billie could you drive, please.”

she sighs and opens the door to the door and getting out.

you did the same and sat at the passenger this time. you leaned back and sighed in tiredness. you put on my seatbelt and billie did the same before switching on the ignition.

they were now at home as billie was pulling over. you opened your eyes slightly to realise that your home.

“baby we’re home now. wake up.” billie says and you face her. she has a concerned look but smiles at me.

“yeah i know baby, why don’t we sit for awhile okay?”

“sure thing.”

“i love you.” you kissed her cheek.

“i love you too baby. so much.” she leans forward and kisses me, “now go back to sleep.”

billie turns her head to her side and puts earphones on. what is wrong with her.

“billie, you know you can talk to me. right?” you said and she takes her headphones off.

“yeah im good, yeah maybe we should go in, i’ll make you food.”

“billie… talk to me, you’re clearly not fine.”

“yes i am, now let’s get in-” you cut her off by straddling onto her. she was in complete shook, but you didn’t care.

you only cared to making sure that billie was okay. right now she was seemingly a little off.

“baby, talk to me, just talk, if you don’t, how are you supposed to move on from this relationship?” you caressed her cheek and you noticed a tear coming out her eye.

“you’re always working. and i feel like this isn’t working anymore, um… so i was thinking about us breaking up.”

“what? why?”

“simply because you never have time for me? umm… yesterday was our anniversary. you didn’t remember did you?”

you cursed under your breath after realising that she was mostly the one who was putting the effort in the relationship.

“baby, i’ll make it up to you- i did forget, i was going to surprise you yesterday but… work.”

“and that’s the problem, you work like its more important than me. everytime you come home, you always, always never acknowledge me. you only care about yourself.”

“t-that’s not true-“

“what about Ameria. your ‘best friend’ oh you think i wasn’t going to find out that you guys were fucking too?” billie sobbed.

you felt bad.

“billie, i’m sorry… i didn’t-”

“get off.” she said coldly and you didn’t hesitate to get off her. you sat there in silence, watching her as she looked into the rear-view mirror. she wiped her tears then she flipped her hair to the side.

you felt so guilty for your actions, and you really wanted to make it up to her, you didn’t even know what billie would find out about ameria. you and ameria were childhood best friends.

it was a really drunk night and one thing led into another and you and meri had sex.

not that you really remember, again you were extremely drunk. but you finding out billie knows, it crushed you. you knowing that she’s hurt by you, you really wish you could have done better.

“billie… i’ll fix things. i really will, i promise.

i’ll end my friendship with ameria for you. seriously i was really-”

“save it. just stop. i don’t care. i really don’t, just fucking-” you cut her off with a kiss. you didn’t care if she was mad at you, but you kissed her.

“why did you kiss-”

“-because i love you. i know im not perfect, im never perfect, but im human. i love you.” you grab her hands and hold them. “i love you so so much.”

a few minutes passed of silence until she spoke. “thank you.”

you kissed her again and it lasted long. i straddled onto her again and i continued staring grinding on her slowly, she gasped lightly at each hit. she pulled you down towards herself.

“let me finish.”

you said, slowly continuing to grind on her. you could already feel onto her hardness as she moans against your lips.

“i- y/n can we go inside and continue… everyone will see-“

“so, that’s a great way to prove to everyone that i love you a lot.” you smiled

she leaned into you and while she kissed you she started to undo her shirt.

“fuck, y/n, i’m hard.” she pants. you smirked right at her and continued to kiss her, moving down to her neck and removing her shirt.

“let’s move to the backseat.” you said breaking our kiss again. you climbed over to the back seat and she did the same.

“fuck, you got me so hard, you better fix this.”

she said and you pulled her against your core. you felt so horny, and desperate for her.

you kissed down her body and you stopped at her entrance which made her gasp for air.

you kissed between her legs as she tried to push you away a bit.

“y/n um.. go slow, please.” she said and you grinned.

you pulled her drawls down exposing her dick that slapped up to her stomach.

you pulled down you leggings along with your pink lacy thongs, you then straddled onto her.

you quick pulled your tee off exposing you boobs. she goes lower with her kisses and stopped at your boobs, sucking your right nipple slightly and licking over the left while pinching the other.

you moan a bit and she continues to suck and bite gently, leaving marks on your skin, causing you to be wetter than ever.

you slowly slid into her, causing her to moan loudly into your mouth.

you pull out slightly then pushed back in again and faster. your thrust became harder and she began moaning louder.

“fuck~ y/n~” she moaned loudly, you began pumping faster.

this made billie grip onto your waist. you both kept kissing and sucking each other and it was driving you insane.

“oh, fuck!! fuck billie. i can’t take it!” you moaned.

“fuck, you’re gonna have to take my shit baby.”

she groans as you rode her. you moaned into her ears and you began to suck onto her neck, leaving marks.

you pulled her nipples in your mouth and they turned red from all the attention you were giving them.

after a minute or two you pull out. you lean down to kiss billie, she moaned into the kiss then you pulled away.

you went back to where you came from and bucked your hips faster. “y/n… please.. mhm..” billie groaned, her eyes closed and her back arching.

“please what, you wanna cum huh?” you teased. she bit into her lips.

“yeah? want to cum for me?” you quickly pulled out and you watched her reaction.

“what… why did you pull out?”

“you need to beg baby. beg for mommy.” you tell her playing with her sensitive tip.

“mommy… please…” she begged as she arched her hips further.

“fine. i’m going to give you what you want baby.”

You quickly mounted her before you started rocking your hips, thrusts becoming stronger and harder.

you squeezed your tits and billie moaned loudly at it, you loved hearing that noise leave her throat.

“god, y/n baby i cant hold back any longer. fuck!”

she screamed out as she threw her head to the back.

her walls tightened around you as you pounded yourself into her.

“y/n… fuck... fuck... fuck” she moaned out.

she gripped your shoulders tightly as she threw her head back.

“yeah, yeah, baby, keep doing that for mommy~”

she was screaming your name, your thrusts become faster and deeper, and she starts moaning more loudly.

“fuck, you’re gonna make mommy cum, shit.”

“wait, i wanna taste you, can i?” she asks, her beaming eyes darts across yours.

you pulled out and she hold onto you as she flipped you over. no you were laying down, she leaves a trail of kisses down your beautiful tits and down your stomach.

you liked the way she would suck onto you as she kissed you. you looked down as she reached down to you pink wet pussy. she looks at you in awe.

“fuck mommy, you’re so wet for me.” she placed her thumb onto you clit and rubbed it. you let out a big moan.

“oh shit…” you breathed

out. you couldn’t control how horny you were for her, and when she touches your pussy, you were practically begging for her to touch you.

your walls tightening around her fingers. you gripped her hand tighter, her fingers slipping into your pussy as she moved her hand.

“shit, billie, yes, that’s good. yes, like that. oh yeah like that. ugh.” you moaned out.

billie kept pumping her fingers in and out and you could feel your orgasm beginning to come.

you grabbed at her hips, trying to keep her still.

“billie… yes, like that….yes, yes, like that...” you moaned loudly.

she removed her hand from your clit and she sucked on it lightly.

“come on billie, please.” you begged. “fuck, billie, please.” you were panting. “fuck, yes.” you groaned out as you came onto her fingers.

You let her slide her fingers out as you held her hair for her. “damn billie, that was good.” you sighed.

“let’s go inside now, it’s so dark out here.” she said and you agreed. we dressed up then you both got outta the car.

[brooooswriting]

Request:

Vada Cavell x fem!reader - reader went to Vada's bedroom and didnt notice her on her bed (cuz Vada is rly small puppy 🥺 and under big blanket). Because of this, the reader tried to call Vada for the rest of the day to find her, in the end Vada woke up and turned on the phone (before that it was dead battery) and saw that she had a lot of messages and calls, etc. The rest is up to your author's imagination :))

Where were you?!

Vada Cavell x reader

“Vada, come on. This isn’t funny anymore. Answer your damn phone” you grumbled into the microphone of your phone. The call went to mailbox again.

Yesterday evening Vada told you that she would be picking you up at around 11 a.m at your house as you guys wanted to spend the day together. But since yesterday at around 1 a.m where she had told you that she was going to sleep now, no message was able to send. You waited for her for two hours, you called her several times but no answer. Vada was a bit chaotic and very random, that was something everyone knew so you weren’t surprised when she wasn’t at your door at 11 but by the time you decided to stop calling it was 1 p.m. you were getting restless, scared what the reason of her ghosting you might be. So after another half an hour you decided to go to the cavells house.

You walked thru every room, calling Vada nonstop and calling out loudly but with no luck. You didn’t get an answer. You walked through the garden too, but she was nowhere to be found. Where could she be on a Thursday at 3 p.m without telling you?

By now you had even called her family but they also didn’t know where she was. “Sometimes she visits the old lady next door, she turned her phone off when she’s there” Amelia told you, hoping that you’d find her sister there. You didn’t know that if you found Vada there, if you’d find it cute that she was spending time with the old lady or if you were gonna be mad that she forgot about you because of her neighbor. But due to the fact that she’s been nowhere to find for over 4 hours you decided that you’d be happy that she’s fine.

“Hello, I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to ask if Vada is here” you asked the nice old lady as she opened the door. You gave her a bright smile, your eyes twinkling with hope.

“I’m sorry hun, she’s not here” she told you which caused your smile to falter and the hope in your eyes to die. A small sigh escaped your lips while the woman in front of you gave you a small comforting smile. “I’m very sorry” she added hoping to make you feel better but it was no use. After she also denied having seen Vada today you made your way back to the house deciding to call other people.

When you had gotten off the phone with some of vadas friends, her private tutoring, Mia and Nick. Mia was at dance practice and promised to help you search for her as soon as she was done. Nick immediately came over, speed walking through to house but he also couldn’t find her.

“Let’s drive around the neighborhood for a bit? Maybe we’ll find her there” he suggested, unsure of where his best friend might be. “Well find her somewhere” he tried to comfort you, you were clearly freaking out. Who wouldn’t be? She disappeared before your date and now she’s gone and not answering her texts.

“What if this is her way of breaking up with me?” You suddenly asked as you sat in the car, just starring ahead. Your eyes never left the road, while nick quickly looked over to you before focusing back on driving. He was confused, scared that you weren’t telling the whole truth.

“Why? Did you guys have a fight? Y/n I swear to god if-“ he started to ramble but you interrupted him.

“No, we were fine but still. It’s suspicious don’t you think? Just suddenly disappearing, not answering her phone?” Nick had to admit it was weird. Sure Vada was a bit unreliable but never when it came to you. She loved you so this was completely new.

“I don’t think she’d do that” he only mumbled, unsure of what to say.

After another moment of silence your phone rang. ‘Vads🩵’ showing an your screen. She was finally calling. You hurriedly picked up the phone. “Vada? Hello, are you alright?!” You quickly asked as Nick pulled over so he could focus on the dialogue.

The first thing she did was yawn into the phone, “‘m alright. Why?” She asked. You and Nick started at each other in disbelief.

“You haven’t answered your phone since 1 a.m. you were supposed to pick me up at 11 a.m and now it’s 4:30 p.m. where have you been?!” You asked clearly annoyed and anxious, desperately waiting for her answer.

“Oh, I’m at home. I overslept I guess. Forgot to load my phone too” she said nonchalantly, adding a small yawn and a groan signaling that she just stretched. You were squeezing your phone so hard that your knuckles turned white, Nick doing the same thing with the steering wheel as he turned the car around. “So, we still going out?” She asked in a calm tone which made you even more mad.

You only said small bye before hanging up not answering her question. “I can’t believe this girl” you grumbled to the man next to you who called out an amen. “Gosh, I have some people to call before I can talk to her. Her family, her grandparents, Quinton and Mia” you said as you starred at your phone with a frown.

“It’s alright. You go talk to her and kick her ass while I tell everybody that she’s fine alright” he said, resting his hand on your shoulder in an comfortingly manner. You quickly thanked him before exiting the car and running into vadas house.

“Vada” you screamed again, just like hours before but this time you actually got an answer. She exited her bedroom in an oversized hoodie, your hoodie to be exact, and some basketball shorts, her hair was a mess and her face was still sleepy.

“Jeez why are you screaming like that?” She asked as she came to halt in front of you, her hand coming up to her head. Her tone quickly changed when she saw your face, it was a clear mix between anger and something like sadness. You looked like you were about to cry.

“Where the fuck were you? I’ve been searching for you, calling you and your friends, I drive around the city. You were just gone! I thought something had happened to you or you had ghosted me or some shit. And all of that because you were what? Sleeping?!” You screamed at her, pacing around the living room. Vadas shoulders sagged, she did in fact feel bad about what happened.

“Look, im sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, I’ve just been so tired that I forgot to load my phone and then my alarm didn’t go off because my phones dead” she said and walked up to you, wrapping her arms around your shoulders to pull you into her chest. She couldn’t hide the smile that formed on her face as she felt you relax as soon as she hugged you.

“I hate you” you grumbled into her chest before pressing a kiss to the skin there. You had been so scared for her.

“I love you too” Vada grinned and kissed your forehead. There was a moment of silence before your stomach grumbled loudly making both of you laugh.

“This is your fault. You promised to take me out for lunch, I haven’t eaten anything today” you complained, pouting like a child. Vada smiled down at you and kissed you quickly before reaching behind you to grab her car keys.

“Then let’s go, can’t have you starving can we?” She smiled and pulled you with her.

“If you do something like this again I will break up with you and make sure that you’ll never be happy again?” You threatened her seriously making her chuckle nervously.

“Okay, Let’s get you something to eat before you kill me alright?”

That night you decided to sleep over at Vadas. The moment you left the bathroom you realized that Vada was gone again causing you to groan. “Vada?” You called out to hear her grumble under two blankets and like a thousand pillows, you could barely make out her body. “Is this where you’ve been the whole day?” You asked her.

“Yeah, it’s really comfy” she mumbled with her head pressed into the mattress. You grinned before jumping on her body, or the place you guessed her body was, which made her groan out. “That’s what you get for leaving me hanging because of sleep” you smiled as you rolled off of her.

A date with Vada was never boring

[auras-moonstone]

hiiiii!!! there aren’t enough jack imagines, so could you do and actress!reader x jack? just a cute fluff bc jack is suck a lover boy 💗 thanks!!!

happy birthday — jack champion

word count: 1,216

pairing: jack champion x fem!reader

summary: y/n surprises her boyfriend, jack, on his 19th birthday party.

warnings: none, just fluff!

author's note: i meant to post this yesterday bc of jack's bd, but i wasn't able to finish it :( by the way, hope we get the mandatory pic with the 19 balloons.

JACK HAD ALWAYS LOVED CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY, but this year his excitement had been on another level because there was a special someone he was looking forward to celebrate it with--his girlfriend of almost a year, Y/N. So, imagine how disappointed he was when she informed him she wasn't going to make it.

"Are you sure you can't do anything about it?" Jack asked hopeful as he facetimed his girlfriend, who was away in another country filming a movie.

"I'm sorry, love. I wish I could go, but you know how shootings are, I can't just bail." she pursed her lips at the disappointed expression painted on Jack's face.

Jack tried to put on his most convincing smile and nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's not your fault, I just miss you."

"Me, too, J. So much." she swallowed the lump that began forming on her throat. Seeing his puppy brown eyes turn glossy was heartbreaking, and the weight of the guilt was crushing her. "Maybe we can facetime when you blow the candles?"

"Of course, babe." he smiled weakly. "I'm sorry for being like this. I know you don't have a choice, and I hate seeing how the guilt is eating you. I promise I'm not mad, and I know that if you could, you would be taking the first flight back home to me. I love you."

"You're allowed to feel sad, J. Don't apologize." Y/N checked the time and let out a curse. It was almost 1AM, and she was going to be late. "Sorry, babe, I've got to go. Have fun, okay? I love you. Happy birthday."

When they hung up, Y/N grabbed her suitcase and left the place she had been staying at while she filmed the movie. Once she arrived to the airport and did the check-in, she texted Jack's mom.

hii, i'm about to board the plane! how's jack?

not going to lie, he's crushed but he'll love the surprise, don't worry❤️

i hate lying to him :( but you're right. i'll see you in a couple of hours!

JACK’S FRIENDS DRAGGED HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE FOR A WALK AS HIS FAMILY SET EVERYTHING FOR THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. For someone who loved his birthday, he was looking gloomy and not thrilled at all to go on with the party. His friends were tempted to spoil the surprise, just to get the sad frown off Jack’s face, but they knew that his blue mood was going to go away in a couple of minutes.

“Man, you’re going to spend so much birthdays together. And even though Y/N’s not here physically, she’s still going to make sure she’ll be there celebrating with you, even if it's through a phone.” one of his friend bumped him in the shoulder.

“No, I know. It’s not just because it’s my birthday, it’s because I haven’t seen her in a while and I was hoping this could be the excuse we needed to see each other.” his gaze was focused on the broken cobblestones.

“We get it, we do. But you know better than any of us how the industry works.”

He did. He really understood that the situation was beyond Y/N’s hands. She couldn’t abandon set just because her boyfriend was celebrating his birthday. But still, it didn’t make him miss her any less.

When Jack and his friends entered his house again, his mood lifted up a little. Even though his special girl wasn't there, his family and friends came to spend his day with him and that warmed his heart.

“This looks amazing! Thank you.” he said in a cheerful voice as he looked around. The living room was decorated with colourful balloons and confetti thrown on ground. Glued to the wall, there were garlands that read ‘Happy Birthday’ and golden balloons with the number 1 and 9. “I’m going to take a picture for Y/N/N.”

“There’s one more surprise.” his mother exclaimed excited.

Jack frowned but before he could say anything, two hands were covering his eyes from behind him. The tall boy stiffened, he couldn’t see the person but their scent was one he knew all too well. His heart threatened to leap out of his chest as the voice whispered in his ear, “Surprise, birthday boy”

He turned around and quickly lifted her up in his arms, crushing her into a tight hug. “You’re here!” he exclaimed in shock. Y/N gave him a 'I'm right here' smile and then laughed.

“Of course I’m here! I was never going to miss my boyfriend’s birthday.” she said against his neck.

“It never even crossed my mind that you might have been lying.” he laughed in disbelief.

“Well, I hope not. I act for a living, remember?” Y/N said teasingly. Her heart almost exploded at the way Jack was looking at her—sparkling eyes clouded by adoration.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” Jack showed her the smile she adored and had missed so much. He didn't care that his family's eyes were on them, he grabbed the sides of her face and pulled her into a kiss. “Did you always know you were coming or was it recent?”

“Babe, I would’ve never missed your birthday. I told the directors I was coming here weeks ago. We made sure to film the majority of my scenes so that these days they could focus on the ones I wasn’t in.” she explained.

“That’s why you have been so exhausted the past days, you were working your ass off so that you would be able to come and see me?” Jack swore he was about to cry at the revelation.

“And I would do it again.” she said in a confident tone. The way Jack’s face lit up when he saw her? She would do anything to keep him looking at her that way. “Anyways, enough about my very romantic gesture.” she joked. “Let’s celebrate your birthday.”

IT WAS ALMOST ELEVEN WHEN Y/N AND JACK WERE FINALLY SETTLED INTO THE BED. The girl was trying her best not to fall asleep, while the boy had energy to spare. He was just too happy that tiredness didn’t creep into his body. He was still on cloud nine from his amazing day.

“Thank you for being here. I had the best birthday ever.” Jack smiled widely, resting his head on her shoulder.

“I’m glad, love.” she said with eyes closed as she started playing with his hair, making him sigh contently. “By the way, I’m sorry for making you feel sad when I told you I wouldn’t make it. I hate lying to you and seeing you disappointed was heart wrenching, and I’m truly sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, babe. Your intentions were good. Besides, it was totally worth it.” Jack assured her. “I get to end my day with you, and tomorrow I’ll wake up next to you. I’m living my best life.”

Y/N smiled at his sweet words and bent her head down to press a kiss to his nose. “I love you so much.”

He raised his head and press a kiss to her soft lips. “But I love you more."

"Mmm no, this month I win the battle." she laughed.

Jack grinned like a love-sick puppy, still not believing what she had done for him. "True."