#next time I do it I’m going to push the statue over for shits and giggles

[miriamforster]

So I’ve tried my ”release spiders, summon ogres, draw out Razlin, ENJOY THE CHAOS” strategy at least three successful times now and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who gets bored with the goblin leader quest.

If you like giant battles with like 20 people that take a long time and are unpredictable enough to keep you interested, this is for you.

1. Release spiders

2. Blow Ogre horn

3. Snipe Razlin from the unlocked doorway to his room and run the hell away.

Notes:

1. You absolutely can do this if you haven’t befriended the spiders. They’ll mostly chase the goblins first so as long as you don’t run by them and draw AoO, you should be okay.

2. You need a rogue by the spider door to start. Both for lockpicking purposes and to disengage to get by unallied spiders and goblins safely. Stab the guard first, then on your turn, lockpick the door and open it. When the spiders come out, disengage and start running to the right hand side of the room.

3. The person at the door to Razlin’s room needs misty step. Since it is a bonus action, you can hit Razlin and when the battle starts, dash away and misty step to get out of range, preferable to the right side of the spider pit. I used Gale because magic missile lets me hit Razlin and a couple goblins, to make sure I draw out everyone. NOTE: YOU MUST GET RAZLIN INVOLVED BEFORE THE MAIN FIGHT ENDS.

4. The person with the horn needs to be in the great hall. This is where the fights get unpredictable because you don’t know where the ogres will appear. Usually it’s on the left or right balconies for me. Depending on where they appear and who they fight first, it might take them longer to get down to the main hall, which means you have to kill more goblins yourself, Last time I did it, I blew the horn while standing on the back right stairs, which worked pretty well.

5. The name of the game is STAY ALIVE so you need a lot of healing spells, or a lot of potions or both. Also some of the goblins can curse or blind you so if you have access to remove curse and lesser restoration, those are good to have on hand. I like having a dedicated healer for this fight to free up spell slots for the damage dealers.

6. The goal is to get all of your party to the right hand side of the hall, (the side where the torture room is, and the path to the worg pens) Razlin and his crew generally come down on the left side, so this leaves fewer enemies for you to deal with. There’s high ground for spells, and there’s a ladder if someone needs to get into the rafters for any reason.

7. Once you’re all there, don’t spread out the party too much. You need to be in healing, helping and buffing range. (Rafter person is an exception.) If the ogres are engaging with Razlin, and no enemies are in range, heal and wait.

8. Keep an eye on Razlin’s health and the health of the ogres. They have never killed him by themselves in any of my playthroughs, but once you’re in position you can snipe him with spells and arrows. The balance here, if you can swing it, is to ideally get the ogres killed or take their health down enough so you can take them out before the battle is over. So don’t kill Razlin before he does good damage to them. BUT you do want him to be at least half dead or more before he turns his attention to you, otherwise bad shit will happen.

9. Once Razlin is dead, evaluate the ogres and the goblins left. If they’re still in battle, let them fight. If the leader is dead and you passed the persuasion check to hire them for free, any ogre survivors will just wander away at the end of battle. (May work if you agreed to pay them too but I never do lol) Regardless, you want the leader dead because Cool Loot so if he’s not, then make it so.

10. Mop up any leftover enemies. Last time I did this it worked so well that my Tav got bored and went to kill the goblins outside the worg pen door before the battle was fully over. It’s a good time to get the priest of Loviatar too, if you can. (He bugged for me last time.)

So there you go! Everything I’ve learned from doing GIANT CHAOS FIGHT in the goblin camp.

I’ve also discovered this doesn’t draw out Minthara, so you can save her for last if you don’t want to worry about reinforcements coming.

(Scream all you like Eye, no one will save you 😈)

Anyway, give it a try if this sounds fun. Make sure to save first!

(Edit: this does come with a risk of glitches, just because of the sheer number of people. Not recommended for an honor run.)

[babygorewhore]

Daddy issues

After your dad is arrested, you try and beg for his job back. But Rafe Cameron decides another way for you to help your father. And his arrangement is different than you imagine.

Warnings! Daddy kink! Talks of violence! Slight reference to abuse! Choking! Blow job! Rough unprotected sex! Breeding kink! Virginity loss! Dirty talk!

You didnt know if you were more angry or surprised when you got the call from the officer that your dad was arrested and currently in jail for assault. You were finished working your late shift at the restaurant when your phone rang.

You screamed in your car on the way to the station. Your dad was a dead beat. An asshole who didn’t know how to fucking control his temper. Daddy dearest also liked to get loud with you, throw things when he didn’t get his way and one time he slapped you in the face.

You slapped him back and threatened to slash his tires. But the threat was empty considering he needed to work, which you had no idea how he kept his job at the docks while working for Rafe Cameron. It used to be his father Ward until his suicide. You’d met him often while picking your dad up, given you had to share a car.

He was…polite you could say. But he was also scary. He glared at everyone and he was short tempered. You usually heard him snapping or yelling if something wasn’t done right. Your dad complained about how strict he was.

But his status and wealth made everyone obey him and intimidated you. His attractiveness however was on another level. His height made you feel small and his blue eyes cut through people.

You slammed the door at the station and went to the desk. After signing in, you tapped your foot impatiently as an officer came up to you.

“Are you…?”

“My dad is here. He just got arrested.” You ground out. You hated being here. She nodded and looked at paperwork in front of her.

“Are you here to post bail?”

“I’m here to see if there’s any way we can clear this up as a misunderstanding.” You tried to plead but she shook her head.

“Ma’am, he attacked a man at a stoplight. He beat him up to the point he lost one of his teeth.”

You pressed your head against your hand. Jesus Christ it was worse than you thought. “How much is bail?”

She looked again at the paperwork. “Looks like we’re at 6,000 dollars.”

“What? I thought the bail was lower than that!” You shrieked.

“Ma’am. He also had multiple charges. Public intoxication, disturbance and assault. He caused a lot of trouble. I suggest you alert his job tomorrow. But until then, he’s going to spend at least 60 days in jail.”

You started crying. You couldn’t help it. It hurt so much. You couldn’t get a break. And now you’d have to face Rafe Cameron and face the humiliation of your dad being in jail.

You cried on and off the next day as you had to switch your schedule to the evening and make the phone call to your dads manager about his current situation. It was immediate termination and you broke down even harder in your bedroom. You refused to take his phone call, afraid you’d explode on him.

As you got ready for another dreaded work shift, your phone started ringing to a number you didn’t recognize. Hesitantly, you answered.

“Hello?”

“Your dads in jail, huh?” You immediately froze. It was Rafe’s voice. How did he-well he was capable of finding anything out.

“I-um. Yes. And he can’t work for you anymore. But if you’ll please reconsider. I know he’s a piece of shit but this is the only job he’s lasted out and we desperately need the money. I’m trying to get a car and we have to share one. I know this is probably pointless but I can’t help but try. So please, please take him back.” More tears came and you felt like a total cry baby but you pushed through.

You expected him to laugh but instead silence met you.

You bit your lip hard enough it bled.

“Meet me at my house. I’ll text you the address. I have a proposition for you.”

“Why can’t you tell me over the phone?” Your stomach tightened.

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

“Yes. Of course. I’ll be there.”

“Good girl.”

You set the phone down but seconds later his address came through in a text and your breath stopped short. He wanted to see you after work.

Five minutes before closing and after you finished cleaning, the drive to Rafe’s house wasn’t that far and now you knocked on his door. When he answered, you tried not to reveal how much you found him attractive. His hair was in his face and his eyes were glazed as he looked down at you. His fingers twitched and you imagined what he was doing with that hand…

Rafe gestured with his head for you to come in and you followed him inside the massive penthouse. He had everything you imagined. Expensive furniture, floors and lights.

You followed him to the kitchen where he pointed to the bar stool. “Have a seat.” He muttered.

You obeyed and watched as he circled the island in the center of the room. “So. You wanna save your dads job?”

“Yes. I’m willing to do anything-“ You stopped short when a smirk fell on his face.

“Anything?” Rafe challenged. “It looked like you hated him whenever I saw you talk to him.”

“It’s complicated.” You replied and his smirk grew into a cruel smile.

“Looks like someone has daddy issues.” Rafe countered and you crossed your arms.

“I-well when you put it that way-“

“I’m just bringing up what you’re telling me. Your dad beats the shit out of someone. He went to jail-and now you’re doing anything you can to fix it. Tell me if I missed anything.” Rafe’s voice was low and you hated that he was right.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound pushy. I’m just in a tight spot.”

“Oh I’m sure you’re in a…tight spot.” His meaning was clear and you swallowed.

That was the exchange.

“Look at you. Being a little smart girl and figuring it out. I’m gonna get to the point. You want me to take him back? Bail him out? I get to fuck you. Anywhere. Anytime. And anyplace I want. No condoms. No hidden birth control. No. I wanna see my cum leak out of that desperate pussy.”

Your mouth opened and closed. “I can’t just fuck a stranger. And no birth control? I can’t fucking get pregnant.”

“I’m a selfish whore, baby. And I can afford one. And those are my terms. Either that. Or your dad rots.”

You bit your lip. You weren’t in a position to say no. You needed the money. And Rafe was hot. There were worse guys. Rafe got closer, his big hands reaching to cup the side of your neck.

“Yeah? You want it?”

Slowly, you nodded.

Rafe crooked a finger, signaling you to come closer. You stepped down and approached him gingerly and looked into his gaze. Rafe then latched his hand around your throat. His grip was so strong your feet almost lifted in the air and your eyes widened as he crushed his lips to yours.

His lips devoured you as he shoved his tongue into your mouth. You weren’t experienced. Sure, you’d touched yourself and made out with people.

But actual fucking? You’d never done that. And you knew that was about to change.

“You want me to take care of you, don’t you?” Rafe loosened his hold on your neck and pressed you against the island counter, “need someone to be your daddy?”

Your hands flew to his chest as you brought him impossibly closer, his lips sucked your skin with bruising force. You opened your mouth as he slipped his fingers inside.

“Suck.” He commanded and you listened. Spit gathering on your lips as he kneed your legs apart and lifted you up on the counter.

“Need daddy to help you? Fill you up with my cum?” His dirty words made your cunt twitch as he started toying the end of your skirt. Your thighs dampened as he trailed his thick fingers along your flesh, his fingers grazing the wet patch of your underwear.

You started grinding to give any friction against your arousal as he apparently changed his mind and threw you to the ground by underneath your arms. Rafe gestured to the crotch of his pants. “Consider this your first payment, baby. You ever done this before?”

You shakily remained silent as he huffed an amused laugh.

“Really? A girl who’s such a perv that she’s willing to fuck someone giving her money? Never would have guessed. I guess I’ll be nice and help you.”

Rafe undressed his lower half, his cock leaked with precum and he took your hand. “Swipe it with your thumb, get it all wet.” His massive hand compared to yours was almost comical as he grabbed the back of your head.

“Open your mouth, princess. And remember to breathe through your nose.”

After that, he silenced whatever worries you had by shoving his dick forward. You run your tongue along the thick underside, lessening some of the heavy weight by massaging with your hand. You took the tip through your mouth, shoving down any nerves as you sucked. Rafe bobbed your head up and down as he pushed you further, your head bouncing as your eyes squeezed shut.

“No, no, open your slutty eyes and look at me.” He growled. He leaned over the arch of the space between the counter and where you sank on your knees. The skin of his cock was supple as you continued aiding with your hand. It was hot to the touch.

“Good fucking girl. Maybe I’ll reward you by fucking your pussy.” He started thrusting and hitting the back of your throat. “Breathe. Breathe through your nose.” He wiped a few tears away with his thumb as you listened to him.

You knew he was getting closer as he stopped talking, his breathing heavier as he moved your head. His cum spilled inside your mouth, as he released you and you coughed.

“Not bad for your first time. We’re gonna practice some more.” Rafe smirked as his face was flushed and his fist flexed.

He moved on top of you on the floor, hiking up your skirt and ripping off your panties. He spread apart your wet cunt and dipped his middle finger inside your clenching entrance. “You’re such a whore. Never done any of this and you’re already gonna cum. Should have known you’d be daddy’s cum slut.”

Rafe yanked your legs apart, and spit on your pussy. “Not that it needed it, but I’m gonna be a little more kind to you.” You shrieked as he grabbed your jaw.

“Are you on birth control?”

“No.” You quickly answered. “Never-never needed-“

“Good. And you’re not going to. Got it?” Rafe moaned as he pushed his tip in your pussy, “fuck you’re so tight.”

You winced from discomfort but then his knuckles hit your clit, aiding to relieve your tension as he circled them. “Gonna make you mine. Take you away from all that shit.” He grunted as he pushed further.

Rafe let you wrap your arms around his neck as he thrusted.

“Tell daddy you like it.”

“I like it.” You sobbed as he moved harder. “I like it, daddy.”

It was slightly shameful how quickly you came all over him and spilled onto your legs. Rafe also came again and you felt it inside you. He was serious about no protection.

He stayed for a few seconds before getting up. And pulling his pants back on. He extended his hand and pulled you up. You knew you were a sight to be seen, fucked out eyes and messy hair. You just lost your virginity to Rafe Cameron.

You cleared your throat and watched him sweep his eyes over your face. “So. My dad?”

He shrugged. “He’s already out.”

You paled. “What?”

“I posted bail a few minutes before you got here. But as for his job, you’re gonna have to work harder than that. I have conditions.”

“But I already said-“

“More than just fucking you, baby girl. I own you now. You are mine and no one gets to even think about fucking you. I will cross any line you make to keep me away. And if you try, I will punish you.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” You whimpered as he loomed over you.

“And?” He mocked. “You already agreed. You need me. Don’t you?” He cupped your jaw. Tightly but not as harsh.

“Yeah.” You leaned in to his touch. Your defenses are completely down. You needed care. You were always working. Always cleaning up after someone’s mess. And now…he was going to take care of you.

And either make your daddy issues better.

Or worse.

@xxhellfirebunnyxx @imyourdaninow @lesservillain @take-everything-you-can @slvt4jamesmarch @ifeeltoofuckingmuch @scene-and-dandylover @emsgoodthinkin

[eddiesxangel]

Hey!

I’m really bad at explaining stuff so bare with me haha😂

I was thinking that reader is a virgin and has never even kissed anyone, then she starts dating Eddie and he’s her first everything…

Then someday while they’re having sex, Wayne walks in on them and then he tries to talk to them about being safe and something like that 😅

The Sweet Days in the Shire | Eddie Munson x F!Reader

omg, this is so heavily inspired by my own experience...Are you in my walls? this is literally my experience with my current bf now...How did you know?!

Word count: 7.2k oops

Cw: This is NOT a fic about corruption kink. Angst, fluff, f!reader, readers first time (oral, fingering, p in v penetration) , reader and Eddie are 22. Happy ending 🤭

*Five years ago*

"I'm going to die alone," You groaned.

Were you being dramatic? Yes. But you were seventeen and truly felt like the most undesirable girl. No one had ever shown any interest in you. Your best guy friend, Eddie, was trying to convince you otherwise.

You had known Eddie since first grade but only got to know him once you went into tenth grade.

"Come on, don't be like that" Eddie spoke.

You were hanging out in the Shire, a.k.a. Eddie's bedroom, reviewing the new DND campaign, making sure there were no significant loopholes the others could get through.

"It's true! No guy had ever liked me like that, or if they have, they're all weird, and I don't like them back... Remember Lorne? He told me he liked me out of the blue when I hadn't spoken one word to him.'"

Eddie chuckled.

"It's not funny, Eddie! What was I supposed to say? I hardly knew the guy."

"I'm sorry. You're right. It's not funny." But he was still laughing.

"Ugggggggh," you rested your head back in defeat.

"So what if non of these shitty high school guys aren't interested? You're way out of their league."

"You're just saying that as my best friend."

"I'm really not. They are all douchebags or interested in anything other than getting a girlfriend."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where do you fall in that line?"

"I'm different." He smirked.

All you could do was roll your eyes. Of course, Eddie was different. He was Eddie. Your Eddie. Eddie, who you sprung a teeny tiny crush on within the last couple of months.

"I feel like such a loser, Eds. I'm seventeen and haven't even had my first kiss." You admit, softly.

"What?" This caught Eddie by surprise.

"You heard me." You mumbled.

"Impossible."

"Well, I'm not lying." You snap.

"Don't believe you"

"Well, you don't think I would have told you if some guy came up to me and planted one on me?" You folded into yourself. Succumbing to your self-depreciation.

Why didn't he believe you? Was it really that hard to believe that you were such a loser that no one has even ever tried to kiss you?

"Okayyy. So what if I helped you with that?" he pushed you back up.

"What?"

"I mean-shit- you obviously don't have to; you probably don't want to kiss me. We are just friends. But if you want to get it over with, you can...-I can help you." He rambled.

"Okay," You answered without thinking. You've wanted to kiss Eddie for months. You wanted him to be your first.

"Yea?"

You nodded your head, afraid of what might come out of your mouth next.

"Uh-okay"

You both shift, so you're facing one another. You don't move, unsure of how to approach this. Eddie was much more experienced than you. He probably already lost his virginity at this point. But the two of you never spoke about that.

So here you were, sitting on his bedroom floor, with your eyes closed, like a statue, until Eddie leaned in. You felt his warm, plush lips against yours. Butterflies soared in your stomach. It was just like everyone always described it to be. You felt the connection, that spark. The kiss felt like it lasted hours when, in reality, it was nothing more than a peck. But as far as first kisses go, you were convinced it was the best.

"Wow," you let slip when he pulled away.

Eddie chuckled softly and leaned back on the bed like nothing had happened.

Your stomach dropped at the realization that you and Eddie were, in fact, just friends. He didn't feel the connection you had.

"Thanks," you managed to get out without your voice cracking in disappointment.

"Anytime, Pip." He smiled and then went back to the DND campaign...

To add more salt to your wound, Eddie was arm-in-arm with Veronica a week later. Eddie had never even mentioned interest in her. You spoke every day. You never once hear him display any interest in a girl... another girl when not even six days ago he was kissing you in his bedroom. And that's when you decided to distance yourself from Eddie Munson.

*Present Day*

After a very long four years of college out of state, you were back in your hometown of Hawkins, Indiana. Freshly twenty-two, you finally blossomed into the young woman you were meant to be. At college, you got to find yourself and your people. Once you had found your confidence, you grew into yourself. You had got a haircut that flattered your face and styled yourself with clothes that made you feel comfortable and confident. Before, it used to be all-black jeans and band tees that hid your figure. But now you find wearing skirts, dresses, and colo!

You used to be a late bloomer, but now you have gained many life experiences. However, you still need help in the love department. Your college years had been your party girl era, for sure. However, nothing ever went past a makeout session in the bar because you weren't like that... you wanted to have sex with someone you trusted, who you loved. Not some random stranger.

So here you were, back home in the early days of summer, and you were out job hunting. You'd been out on Main Street, in and out of stores, looking to see who was hiring, handing out your resume for about half an hour.

The sun was scorching for this time of year, causing you to start sweating and feel uncomfortable without air conditioning. As you walked by the local record store, you noticed they were advertising a job opening, and it felt like fate. You breathed a sigh of relief as you stepped inside the cool store. The door chimes jingled, announcing to anyone who was around that a customer had arrived. The store appeared empty, with not a soul in sight.

"Hello?" Your voice filled the empty air. "Hello?" You repeated once again a minute later with no reply.

"I'm here to apply for the job?" You peek around the back of the counter. As you looked over, you noticed a slightly open door. A figure passed by, but they didn't seem to notice you.

You respectfully waited a few more minutes but were becoming impatient. You decided to round the back of the counter and knock on the door labelled Staff Only.

"Excuse me." You knock and push it open a little further so you can see inside the staff room.

You notice a young man facing away from you, wearing headphones covering his ears. The loud guitar and bass sound emanates from the headphones. It's no surprise that he couldn't hear you.

"Excuse me?" You say a little louder, but it doesn't seem helpful. You sigh and walk up to him, hoping he doesn't take a swing at you for sneaking up on him.

Apprehensively, you tap the man's shoulder twice before stepping back quickly before they can react.

"What the fuck?" They rip off the headphones, and your stomach drops as you recognize the voice. Your prediction is confirmed as Eddie turns around with a frightened look on his face.

"You can't be back h-" He cuts himself when the reality of who he was talking to hits him.

"Eddie?" you cock your head in curiosity.

"Oh my God, Pippin?" he smiled brightly.

It had been four years since the last time you saw him. You briefly crossed paths in the hallways of Hawkins High, but the two of you hadn't spoken more than a sentence to each other since the day he kissed you. It was nice to hear his voice again.

"Hi," You smiled.

Eddie swore he heard angels singing when you spoke. You looked different, good, but different. More confident. More like yourself.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Trying to apply for the job posting. I've been waiting ten minutes in the store calling out for someone like a moron." You giggled.

"Shit, sorry, I was just on my break." He scratched the back of his head, letting his bicep flex in his tight band tee.

You tried your best not to stare at him, but your attraction to Eddie lingered. He looked really good, having filled out more and grown out more facial hair than he had in high school. He still, however, had his pretty wavy locks. They were just a bit shorter than you were used to.

"Oh, sorry, I can come back later."

"No!" He blurted out. "I mean, it's really good to see you..."

"It's nice seeing you too; it's been a long time," you shy.

"Yeah" He sighed.

"So are you the person I need to talk to about the job or..." You try to fill the awkward silence.

"Shit, yeah, I guess so. I'm, uh, the manager." He cleared his throat.

"Wow, manager, very impressive! Moving on up in the world, Munson," You laugh.

"Watch is missy; you want the job or not?" He slung his arm around your shoulder and walked you back out to the front of the store.

You couldn't help the shiver that broke through your body when his arm made contact with you. It didn't help that he also smelled delicious.

"Well, if it means I get to work alongside you? ... Yeah, I want it," You flirt.

"Oh, I see buttering up an old confidant for a job." He smirked.

"Things with Eddie returned to normal as if nothing had ever changed. Like you never left. Like he never kissed you, then broke your naive teenage heart.

"Well, the job is yours if you want it." He smiled.

"Just like that?" You ask in shock.

"Just like that. I don't wanna go through all that paperwork and boring questions. I know you, trust you. It's full-time. $5.50 an hour. So it's yours if you think you can stand working with me daily."

"I think I can manage that."

"Great. We can start training tomorrow at 10:00am."

"Deal." You reached out to shake his hand, but Eddie only stared at it like you were crazy.

"Come on, Pippin, a handshake? Who do you think I am? Bring it in." He opened his arms up to embrace you in a hug.

Pippin. No one but Eddie called you that. It was a nickname he gave you in the tenth grade because you were smaller than him... He said Pippin was the best hobbit from his favourite book.

"You know I could have robbed the store, and you wouldn't have known a thing," you quip, trying to play off the way your breath hitched when you embraced him.

Your hormones would have to chill if you were going to work together.

"That's why security cameras were invented, sweetheart."

"Oh," You shied away. You weren't as clever as you had thought.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he guides you out the door.

"Bye, Eddie." You smile.

Over the next three weeks, you and Eddie picked up where you had left off all those years ago. Things were good, great even. The flame that had been blown out was brought back to life and hotter than ever. There was an extreme tension between the two of you.

However, you both were avoiding the elephant in the room. It was fine until it wasn't. It was eating at Eddie. He loved having you back, but needed to know why you left and ended the friendship.

You were stocking up the new supply of jazz cassettes that came in when you felt Eddie come up behind you.

"Hey, so -uh- what happened?" he leaned back on the shelving, as he crossed his arms.

"What do you mean?" you chirp. Did you do something wrong? Was the till not even?

"With us, I mean, one day we were best buds, and then the next you were just... gone. I really missed you."

Oh, so we are having this conversation. You knew it was inevitable.

"You mean you really don't know?"

"Know what?"

"God, men are dumb," you mumbled under your breath.

"Hey! I heard that"

"Good." You deadpan.

Eddie stared at you blankly.

"You kissed me, Eddie. That meant something to me. Then you were with Veronica a week later..."

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, what?" Eddie's eyes went wide with confusion.

"Eddie..." You sighed. This conversation was giving you a headache.

"Pip, I didn't? I wouldn't. I-"

"Forget it, Eddie. It was a long time ago."

"Did you like me or something?" He genuinely asked.

"Or something," You mumbled back.

"Pip, I'm sorry I didn't know... I had no idea you liked me like that. I would have never offered to kiss you if I had known. I never wanted to lead you on."

"It's okay, Eddie. We were seventeen. I eventually got over it, but I had to not be around you to do that. I'm sorry I ran away... I missed you. Like a lot."

"Pip-" Eddie began, but a customer was ready to be rung up at the counter.

The rest of the day was busy, and your shift ended before Eddie's did today. So you quickly said goodbye and waited to talk to him the next day.

Eddie needed to make things right between you. What you had once was so good, and now it seems to be even better than before. Eddie was becoming infatuated with you. He got excited to go to work when you were on schedule. He loved making you laugh; seeing that beautiful smile across your face was his favourite pastime. He could have had that all these years, but it was all ruined for some hot piece of ass Eddie got for a few weeks in their senior year.

Eddie had met Veronica in his grade twelve English class. She was way out of his league, so when she agreed to go out with him, he was only thinking with his dick.

He was thinking about her and how she would be on his knees for him when he kissed you for funsies. He was not thinking about how it would have affected you. He was a selfish teenage boy being controlled by his hormones. Because of that, Eddie was now facing the consequences of his actions all because he wanted to get his dick wet in the twelfth grade.

“Hey Pip, can I talk to you for a sec?” Eddie greeted you when he walked in for his shift mid-afternoon.

“Sure what’s up?” Things were a little rocky since yesterday and you didn’t know where you stood.

God what was this so hard? Why did you make him nervous?

“I uh. I was hoping we could hang out… you know. Outside of work. If you wanted. I wanted to make up for being an ass.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.

"Okay." you smiled.

"Awesome! We are both off on Friday… I made sure.” Eddie said with a goofy smile. God, you were so falling for him again.

You and Eddie have been spending time together outside work every chance you have had for the past six months. He invited you to see your old high school crowd the first few times, and then it slowly became more one-on-ones. Unfortunately for you, your ever-growing crush on Eddie had come back and was stronger than ever.

You hated yourself for falling for him again, but you couldn't help yourself. He was just so charming, boisterous, funny, and not to mention the most attractive man you've seen. Eddie was a natural flirt; he always was throwing compliments your way. He always knew how to make you blush.

That evening during closing, Eddie offered you to come over to The Shire. a.k.a his trailer. After a long, tiring day, both of you wanted some relaxation. He suggested staying in and having a cozy evening with pizza, beers, and perhaps a little weed to escape the cold November weather.

As the night progressed, it began to snow, and a snowstorm was predicted for later in the evening.

"Do you want your usual order, Pip?" Eddie turned his head to glance at you. You were standing near the front door, taking off your hat, scarf, and jacket. As he was watching you, he got lost in your graceful movements. Suddenly, he realized he was staring at you and almost bumped into his fridge.

"Yeah," you shiver. You almost thought about putting your coat back on, but that would be silly. "Can I borrow a sweater or a blanket?" You asked sweetly.

"Of course, sweetheart." Eddie didn't miss the way your nipples perked out of your low-cut t-shirt when you wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to warm up, but it only emphasized your breasts.

"Where is Wayne tonight?" You asked.

"He has an overnight shift tonight; he probably just left not too long ago." He said as he disappeared into his bedroom to find you a clean hoodie.

"I'm sorry, I missed him; I haven't seen that guy in years." You huffed. You loved Wayne; he was like a second dad.

"Yeah, he keeps talking you up like I don't already know how amazing you are." He threw the black hoodie at your head.

"Hey!"

I just gave you my sweater and a compliment, I think you should be thanking me."

"Shut up and order the pizza before the storm, Munson." You laugh as you pull the sweater over your head.

You and Eddie settled in, splitting a six-pack of cheap beer and delicious pizza. You wanted to watch a movie after dinner, so Eddie found a few stashed away that he still had yet to return to Family Video.

"How do you feel about horror?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"You know I don't like scary movies, Eds." You whine.

"Well, hate to break it to you, sweetcheeks, but this is all we got, so it's either this... or cable that will most likely be down within the next half hour if the weather keeps up." You glanced out the window, and if you didn't leave now, you were not making it home tonight. The storm had started a lot earlier than anticipated.

"Oh shit, it's awful out. I didn't think it would be this bad so soon! I should go... shit, I've been drinking, we both have! We can't drive!" You started freaking out.

"Pip, you can always crash here. I don't mind." He offered.

"Are you sure?" You twiddled with the drawstrings of the hoodie.

"Of course! You think I would let you go out there?"

"Well... no."

"We can share my bed". He said nonchalantly.

Was he insane?! You can share a bed... with him... you'll want to do things with him. You can't take the rejection again.

"Umm."

"Well, I would sleep on the pull-out couch by Wayne sleeps there."

"It's okay... we are both adults," You swallowed. "Hey, do you have any more beer?" You needed a drink. Desperately.

"Oh, so we are having one of those nights? Edie wiggled his brows at you, and you rolled your eyes in return.

"I need liquid courage for these movies you're going to put me through," You fibbed.

"Don't worry, Pip. I'll protect you."

Two movies and many screams later, you called it. You were maxed out on the spooky stuff. Halloween was long gone, and you were supposed to be in Christmas mode.

"You can get ready for bed first. I'll follow after. Eddie offered.

You slipped into Edie's hoodie and got under the covers, realizing the sweater was long enough to be worn as a nightgown. Eddie would be none the wiser that you had forgone pants.

You called for Eddie to enter, and he got ready for bed. You tried to pretend to occupy yourself as you watched Eddie get undressed and ready for bed. He pulled his plaid pyjama pants over his boxers and forgone a shirt.

There was tension in the air, but neither of you said anything. You held your breath as Eddie turned off the bedroom light and felt the bed dip as he got in.

"Pip?" Eddie broke the silence moments later.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?'

"Sure."

"Did you ever date anyone when you went away?"

"No"

"No?"

"Well...I went on one date, and he was shorter than me..." You laughed at how ridiculous it was. You didn't even like him, but you felt bad because you agreed to give him your number when you were out dancing one night, and you'd consumed a little too much alcohol.

"How is that even possible?"

"Well, you see, Edward everyone has different heights an-"

"No, you doofus," he laughed. "how is it possible you never dated anyone? You're beautiful." He says like it’s obvious.

Eddie made you feel fluttery when he called you beautiful.

“What?”

“You’re beautiful, Pip," Eddie repeated. "You’re a total catch; how are you still single?”

“Guess I never met the right guy…”

“Oh... " It was quiet for a moment then Eddie spoke again. "I know you always said you uh- wanted to you know…. Wait for the right guy and all… so have you slept with anyone since you were gone?”

“Eddie!” you cry, covering your face with your hands. You’re so mortified by this conversation.

“I’m sorry! Can’t blame a guy for his morbid curiosity.” you could hear the smirk in his voice.

“I can’t believe you remembered that. I mentioned it once six years ago.”

“I remember every thing when it comes to you.”

You felt his fingers intertwine with yours.

“Eddie…” you whisper.

“Yea”

"Ask me again."

"Are you still a virgin?"

You let out a deep sigh before you answered. “I’ve given it a lot of thought. And I want you to be my first.” you blurt out at a mile a minute.

“Pippin-”

“Just don’t go off with another girl next week or else I’m going to have to quit” you chuckle uncomfortably.

“Are you sure? Because if we start this I’m never going to want to let you go… not ever again.” He rolled over to face you.

“I’m so sure, Eddie, you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted.” You rolled to face him.

You didn’t know where this bravery was coming from. Maybe it was the combination of alcohol and being in the dark, but something sparked inside of you that you couldn’t put out.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Please”

You both moved in tandem as your lips collided. Years, months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes that all lead you to this moment, this perfect moment. Eddie and you always belonged together.

“I missed you so much,” Eddie spoke into your mouth as he shifted to hover over you.

“I missed you too. I missed you so much.” You grabbed for him, to touch and feel him. Your hands gripped his hair at the back of his head.

“Baby,” Eddie sat up and slinked his hands under his sweatshirt up your bare middle.

Baby. Goosebumps spread across your body from his touch. His calloused fingers lightly scratched your soft skin, and his hands travelled further up until his fingertips grazed your breasts.

“Can I take this off?”

“Yes,” The temperature in the room suddenly increased, making you feel extremely hot. The hoodie you were wearing became suffocating.

“Sit up for me, baby. Arms up.” You obliged and felt nervous that you were basically naked in front of Eddie. You pull your arms out of the sweater and cover yourself immediately.

“No, baby, please, don’t hide from me.” He gently peels your arms away from your body. “Beautiful,” He whispers with eyes full of lust.

You reached out to cup his face so you could kiss him again. You needed to distract yourself from the fact that you were naked in front of someone for the first time. Your kisses felt rushed and needy like you would die without them.

"Slow down, Pip, we have all the time in the world." Eddie coxed you back down into the plush pillows of his bed. "I'm going to take good care of you. okay?"

You nod your head yes to let him know you understand. The room was dark, but the street light peaked through the blinds. You could hear your heartbeat along with the howl of the wind from the snowstorm. You looked over to the clock. It read 12:18am. Wayne won't be home until early morning, at least 6:00am, especially in a storm like this.

Eddie leaned forward to kiss you again, travelling his lips down your body with each peck. His mouth found your neck, and he sucked on it, making your hips jerk up into him. You could feel his erection against your leg, which only excited you more.

He made his way lower once satisfied with the marking he left on your skin. He nipped and licked and peppered your sensitive chest before latching his mouth around a perked nipple. How Eddie fantasized about this very moment for months. To him, your boobs were perfect. The way your soft skin felt under his tongue, it was like they were made for him.

You let out a squeak, embarrassed by the noises you held back. You didn't know if this was normal? To want to make sounds while Eddie's mouth discovered your body.

"Don't be shy, baby. You can let it go. Get loud. I want to hear you."

"Are you sure, Eddie? Is that like... normal?"

"Oh god, yes, it's like music to my ears... Would it make you feel better if I shared with you what I like?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well." He clasped your hand, intertwining your fingers as he rested his chin on your upper stomach. "I like it when the person I'm with makes noises; it lets me know I'm doing well. I like it when the person I'm with takes compliments and praises. I like it when the person I'm with calls me certain names, but we will save that for another time. And I like it when I get to be in charge... like right now."

"What kind of names?" You bite your lower lip.

"Ah ah, naughty girl. You'll find out eventually. But not tonight." Eddie promised.

"Eventually?" your heart perked up with hope.

"You think this is going to be a one-and-done? You're sadly mistaken, Pip." He shifted his weight and started back up, loving your body. Worshiping it with a thousand kisses. Lower, lower, lower until he reached the hem of your plain black panties.

“Has anyone ever touched you here?” His hand cupped your panty-covered cunt.

“No.” you shiver.

“I’m honoured to be your first” He slowly started to guide and move his hand over your clothed pussy, massaging it. Exploring what makes your body jerk and tick. You let out a gasp as his soft touch grazed over your already swollen clit.

"That's my girl." he cooed as his hand travelled up and under the hemline of your underwear.

His hand slid down your soft, manicured mound before finding your slit. He let one singular finger travel down your clit to collect the wetness that had pooled and dragged it back up to play with you some more.

"Oh my god," You yelped as the unfamiliar but wonderful feeling of Eddie's hands explored your body.

"You're so wet, sweetheart. This all for me?" He raised his hand to examine the clear, wet, slippery substance that coated his fingers. He then stuck his fingers in his mouth before his eyes rolled back into his head. He moaned at the taste of you.

You were curious if you should be turned on or grossed out by Eddie's behaviour. "You taste like heaven." He praised you, and your body ultimately decided for you. You were turned on.

"Please touch me," You barely whisper. You bravely started to take off your panties when Eddie's hands stopped you.

"That's my favourite part." His hands replaced yours, and he watched intently as he stripped you down into nothing.

You were now fully naked in front of Eddie. You were a bit nervous, but not overly concerned. You trusted Eddie because you've gotten to know each other better over the past six months.

"My god, you're beautiful," He praised once again. You don't think you will ever get tired of him saying that. Your heart soared each time without fail.

"So are you," You whispered back and swore you saw Eddie blush.

Eddie's hands found your needy pussy once more. He wiggled his way down the bed, and he played with your clit until his face was level with your cunt. You felt so exposed you wanted to close your legs right away. But you also wanted to know what it felt like to have Eddie's mouth on your most intimate area.

"Show me how you play with yourself."

This shocked you, and your body froze. How could he ask you to do such a crass thing? Eddie sure was pushing a lot of your boundaries tonight.

"Come on, sweetheart. It's okay, perfectly natural."

You didn't want to disappoint him, so with a trembling hand, you started to circle your clit like always. The feeling started as a mild ache in your lower stomach, but it began to rise as you continued. Your worries and apprehensions slowly drifted away as the feeling of pleasure wafted through your body.

"You never push your fingers inside?" Eddie was mesmerized by the sight in front of him.

You shake your head no. "Doesn't feel right." You were too afraid to finger yourself in the past, not wanting to push the limits; you knew how to please yourself from clit stimulation alone.

"I'm about to change that." Eddie replaced your hand with his mouth, and you cried out in pleasure. This new feeling of something hot and wet consuming your pussy made your eyes involuntarily roll back into your head.

"Yes, good girl, let me hear you." He latched his mouth back onto your clit. His tongue circled and flicked your swollen bud until you were on the edge. You were so close, then his finger slowly entered you, and that took on a whole new feeling. His fingers were longer and wider than your own. He stretched and reached further than you have ever experienced.

"Holy shit!" You cried as his fingers pushed deep inside you. Eddie was careful to go slowly. His middle finger pumped in and out of you before he added another. As his finger worked inside of you, you felt a wave of pleasure from a spot you hadn't ever felt before. It made you cry out embarrassingly loud.

"Ohhhh, good job babygirl." He chuckled smugly. Eddie knew that he had found your one spot that would make you see stars. So, he continuously grazed over it again and again.

You didn't know what was happening to you; your body was undulating under Eddie's touch. He struggled to keep your hips pinned down as he continued to devour your pussy. You couldn't think; you couldn't form words. Your brain had gone into a cloudy haze that focused only on your body and how Eddie was making you feel.

No wonder everyone raved about sex.

"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie" You didn't even know you were talking.

“That’s it, baby, say my name.”

"Eddie!" Your body clenched, and every muscle in your contract as your orgasm ripped through you. Waves of pleasure pulsed as Eddie's mouth and fingers continued to massage your pussy.

"Mmmm, that's my girl. You did so good for me." Eddie praised, and your stomach did another flip-flop at his words.

"You think you want to keep going? Or do you want to stop? You don't need to worry about me. This is all about you, Pip. Okay?"

"I want to keep going." Your voice sounded breathy, like it wasn't coming from you.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Eddie, I want you to fuck me. Please," you squirmed.

"God, I love hearing those words from your mouth." Eddie bent down to kiss you once again.

.As he kissed you, his mouth had a tangy and slightly salty taste. He explored your mouth with his tongue, just as he had moments before with your lower lips.

"I'm going to go get a condom, okay?" He whispered again to you.

"Okay," you bit your lip with anticipation.

You watched as Eddie shuffled on his knees off the bed to his nightstand and grabbed a blue cardboard box out of his stuffed drawer. He pulled out the foil packet and pulled down his pants and boxers. Your eyes bludged at the sight of Eddie's cock. Sure, you knew what a penis looked like. However, this was your first time seeing one in real life.

"No need to be scared, Pip." Eddie gave a reassuring smile.

"Okay, Eddie," You whispered.

"You can touch me if you want?" He walked over to the bed, cock at full mast. You slowly nod your head and reach out to feel it. Obviously, it felt hard, but you were surprised by the soft skin that felt like velvet.

Eddie made a whimpering sound as your delicate fingers grazed the red tip. You jerked back your hand, afraid you'd hurt him.

"No, no, Pip," Eddie stutterd. "You're okay; it just felt really good s'all."

"Oh," you blushed. Amazed at yourself that you made him feel really good.

"Shit, okay, I'm going to put the condom on now, okay?"

"Okay," you repeated like a parrot.

"Can you lay back for me?" Eddie crawled back up on the bed and over you once more.

You popped back down, and Eddie giggled at your eagerness. He wanted to make this perfect for you, but in your mind he already had. He wanted it to be the least painful he could make it. Hopefully, your orgasm will have helped with that.

"This may hurt a little, but I'm going to go slow, and if you need me to stop or pull out, you tell me, okay?" Eddie's face had never been so serious.

You nod your head.

"No, Pip. I need your words. I need you to tell me you understand. It's important."

Oh.

"I'll let you know if I need to stop. I promise."

"Good girl."

You sucked in a breath and bit your lip at his words. Eddie took a mental note about your reaction. He would tuck it away and save it for later.

"You're already wet enough, I think. I'm going to try and put it in now okay?" Eddie kissed you tenderly and you replied.

The feeling was odd. You felt like you were being split open as your walls burned from being stretched the furthest they have ever been.

"Oh god," Your face scratched as Eddie went in deeper.

"You okay? I can stop"

"No, I can do this. Just stay there a minute." Your body needed time to adjust.

"It's okay," Eddie cooed. He peppered your cheeks with small kisses as he waited for further instructions.

"Okay, I think I'm okay." Your vagina was still tight, but it wasn't as bad as a few minutes ago.

Eddie made sure to be as gentle as possible. Even though it was killing him to not just ram into you repeatedly. Your soft, warm walls were squeezing him so good, too good.

Eventually, after what felt like an hour, Eddie finally reached the hilt. You never felt so full. The feeling was strange yet exciting.

"I'm going to move now, okay?"

He was so patient and kind; you never imagined your first time to be so guided and full of communication. You thought it would just be like boom, stick it in and start. But, no. Not with Eddie.

As Eddie started to rock his hips, the burning started to ease into pleasure. Your hips started moving and rocking with Eddie's body, and you worked together to feel pleasure. Your instincts took over as your thoughts started to numb.

"That's it, baby, fuck, you're making me feel so good." Eddie praised.

"Mmmmm," Was all you managed to get out.

Eddie took that as a sign he could go faster. Thank god he did because the moans that came from you were sinful.

"Yes, baby, be as loud as you want," Eddie commanded before latching his mouth back on the sweet spot he found earlier.

A high-pitched ""Uhhhhhnhhhh" left your mouth as you became more and more cockdrunk by the second. His thick long cock was grazing your walls, finding your g spot that he had reached earlier in the night. Making you yell out his name.

"That's it, baby girl; tell me, who owns this pussy?" Eddie gritted through his teeth, and his pulsing cock pounded into you.

"W-what?"

"Sorry, shit, sorry I got carried away." Eddie kept his rhythm as he forgot that this was your first sexual experience. He couldn't wait to teach you about all his little desires. "you're doing so good for me."

"o-okay"

Your nails lightly scratch up Eddie's back, making him shiver. You then run back down and grab onto his ass. You hugged him like a koala bear, refusing to have this feeling he was giving you to go away. You were so blissed out by it all.

"God baby, I don't think I can hold out much longer," Eddie puffed. His hips never break the rhythm he set.

"Please," you didn't know what you were begging for? You just need him.

"I got you, baby girl; you're being so good for me" Eddie felt your pussy clench down at his words of praise.

"Come on, baby; I know you can give me one more," His hand slipped between you two and found your clit once again. You were so overstimulated that with just a few mild touches, you were falling apart, beneath Eddie.

"Oh fuck, you're squeezing me so good" Eddie tried to hold off, to keep going, to keep fucking you, but he couldn't. Your pussy was so tight around his cock he emptied himself into the condom that was buried inside of you.

Your head felt like it was spinning; your body was limp and racing with those feel-good hormones.

"I'll be right back." He kissed your cheek before getting up off of you after he caught his breath, got rid of the condom and cleaned himself up before returning with a wet cloth for you. But when he returned to the bedroom, you were fast asleep.

He laid the damp cloth on the back of his desk chair and brought the covers back up over the both of you before pulling you into his chest to cuddle you until he fell asleep.

The next morning the snow had finally stopped, and the bright sunlight had peaked its way through the slits of the cheap blinds that hung in the window.

Eddie heard footsteps outside the bedroom door in his hazy, half-asleep state. He peeked in an eye to see you sprawled out comfortably in his bed. He lifted covers to see your still naked body that he didn't really get to see last night due to the pitch black. He could see the marks he had made more clearly as they had gotten darker within the night.

He couldn't help himself. Here you were naked, sleeping with him in his bed; he just had to touch you. He kissed up the side of your exposed neck, marking the other side that had been left untouched. You moaned and squirmed, then giggled when Eddie's hair tickled you.

The reality of where you were hit the second you awoke.

"Oh, Eddie," You softly moaned.

"Good morning, baby," Eddie rolled on top of you, his morning wood more hormonal than ever.

" 'Morning," you smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear before Eddie nuzzled his head behind the small of your neck.

"So I was hopin' that you'd want to go out with me, officially... or whatever?" He cleared his throat. His morning voice was so sexy.

"Or whatever?" you smiled back up at him.

"Or wha-"

"Hey, Ed's, I'm finally back-Holy hell!-" Suddenly, Uncle Wayne was walking into the bedroom, and you were screaming, trying to cover yourself, and Eddie was trying to cover as much of you as he could.

Wayne was mortified as he shut the door behind him as quickly as possible.

"Put a sock on the door next time you have company, Kid!" Wayne shouted, flustered as ever.

Eddie barked out a laugh, and you couldn't be more embarrassed.

"Oh my god, I can't go out there? Do you think I can fit through the window?" You asked Eddie before covering your face with your hands.

"Come on, Pip. I'm sure he didn't see anything; probably only saw my pasty ass." He got up and pulled you along with him.

He found your folded clothes on the chair where you had left them, but when you went to put on your underwear, they were nowhere to be found.

You got dressed without them, and Eddie pulled you out of his room hand in hand to Face Wayne.

"So I guess it was your car all covered in snow." Wayne shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he sat at the kitchen table with a cup of black coffee. "There uh- coffee for the both of ya's if you want." He offered.

"Thanks." You tugged at your sleeve, not knowing what to do. Should you leave? Should you stay? Can you leave? The show was up to your knees.

"Better make yourself comfortable; the plows will take a while to get to this side of town." Wayne made the decision for you. Eddie guided you to the kitchen table and pulled out a seat for you.

"Wayne, you remember Pippin, don't you?" Eddie smiled brightly as he got you two mugs.

"Of course I do." He smiled genuinely this time. The awkwardness was lifting.

Eddie didn't need to ask how you took your coffee. He remembered two creams and two sugar. He once said it was too sweet, just like you.

"Thanks," you smile up at him as he places your coffee before you.

"I was wondering when the two of you would finally get together... Ever since high school, I've been bugging this one," He motions to Eddie, " To get his head out of his ass and to lock you down already."

"Took him long enough, you giggle"

"Now I know you two are adults, but I don't need no little munson babies running around here just yet, so you better be safe-"

"Okay, okay, Old man, we get it. We have already had this uncomfortable talk once when I was fifteen. I don't need it again."

"Fifteen?!" your eyes blog you're off your head.

"What can I say? The ladies love them some, Eddie." he smiled cockily.

You lightly pinch Eddie's arm, so he shuts up.

"Hey!" Eddie rubbed his bicep.

I knew I always liked you." Wayne tipped up his mug to you with a smile. "keep him in line."

[grimesgirll]

“fuck, honey. you done yet?”

you shake your disheveled head furiously. “one more, please!”

rick almost collapses right then and there. “did you not cum four times tonight?”

“let’s make it five.” you insist with a kiss.

rick is powerless to do anything but indulge you, knowing you’ll still need more.

“old man’s ‘bout to fall asleep.” daryl chimes in from his spot nearly under the covers next to you and rick.

“just like one more and i’ll be such a good girl.” you plead, all doe eyed.

“fuck.” rick groans and you lift your hips excitedly when you feel him twitch back to life inside of you. he can’t hide the anguish on his face when you slam your hips down onto him, trying to coax him back into pounding you.

“c’mon, rick,” you whine. “ditch the self control for once and fuck me.”

“it’s not self control, sweetheart. it’s a lack of energy.” he reassures you, wincing as you swivel your hips down onto him.

you roll your eyes. this is too slow for you. pouting your lips, your eyes find daryl and suddenly you have an idea.

“fine.” you huff. “guess i’ll just have to hop off and let daryl pound me. if he’s up for it.”

you never had to question if daryl wanted to fuck you into the mattress. it’s a given, which is why rick’s eyes darken and he lets out a sharp breath.

“you sure you wanna start this shit this late at night?”

your eyes widen with delight. you give your naughtiest nod.

“well, i’ll fuck you but you gotta make it up to daryl since you’re dragging him into this.” the constable tells you.

you nod eagerly, offering little resistance when rick and daryl reconfigure you to be perfectly between them on your knees. grinning up at your leader’s best friend, you don’t need to wait for him to free his erection because it’s already at your lips before you even register the status of his bottoms.

taking your time, you kitten lick the girthy cock in front of you. the trail you’re marking with your tongue dips down to the man’s balls. without hesitation, you start your slow ministrations, going back between the two.

“damn,” daryl mutters from above you.

rick spares a glance over top of you to see what you’re up to before finally driving back into your dripping core. the way you’re immediately arching your back forces rick to adopt a more brutal rhythm.

“oh, fuck!” you’re panting.

the man behind you fists a handful of your hair, guiding your mouth from daryl’s balls to the top of his cock again and pushing your head down. “i’m not gonna let you tease, daryl,” he jests, not skipping a beat while you gag on his best friend’s dick in front of him.

daryl just snickers and cranes his head back, enjoying thinking about how he’s not far from coming down your throat one more time tonight.

meanwhile, rick lets go of your head only to deliver a reddening blow to your bottom.

“god,” you moan around daryl.

the brunette rams in and out of your sensitive cunt. you clench when he grazes your cervix. languidly you roll backwards figure eights into him, arching even further into him. you grab a fistful of the slippery sheets in an attempt to ground yourself, clutching them closer when you feel a hand on your clit.

“gonna come all over my cock?”

“of course,” you reply raggedly.

“gonna squeeze me nice and tight?” rick smacks your ass. “i wanna feel you gushin’ on me, honey.”

“yes, sir,” you promise before daryl pulls you back down to bob your head up and down on him.

the bruising grip on the back of your head is your cue.

you finish daryl off as soon as his length is down your throat again. the redneck shivers and buried his hands in your hair right before his orgasm floods your mouth, doing your best to swallow everything as he shallowly thrusts his hips into your face.

“god, you do deserve the pounding, pretty girl.”

once he lets you off of him, you just beam and hold onto him as rick fucks you without abandon.

“you like grindin’ my gears? teasin’ me just so you can get fucked one more time before you go to sleep?” rick punctuates each question with a brutal shift of his hips. “huh, pretty girl?” he moves his hand from your clit to your stomach and forces a hand against your stomach.

“ah!” you bleat at the pressure. “you’re so deep.”

the condescension drops from his tone. “i thought that’s what you wanted, darlin’.”

“i do!” you cry.

“then do what you said you were gonna do and come on my cock.” he commands.

you don’t hold back. the rubber band snaps just right and you keep leaning right into daryl. head against his chest, he and the man viciously fucking you through your undoing are the only things on your mind.

rick’s grasping onto your trembling legs and littering your torso with fingernail marks from how deep he’s digging. the grip he’s maintaining keeps your shuddering body in place when he finally fills you up, tensing and nearly toppling over you.

warm and full, you feel like you’re melting into the soft bed, especially with rick on top of you. he stays like that while daryl is mumbling about a towel and finally getting the hell to sleep. all blissed out, they won’t have to worry about you for at least another few hours.

daryl is the one who jumps to wet a towel and offer the both of you a room temperature water bottle. rick is too preoccupied with keeping you as close as possible. he even stays inside your plush walls until daryl’s almost dragging you off of him to towel between your legs.

“did so good for us, honey.” rick is rasping into your ear, rolling the two of you under the comforter. one of his hands find a place in your hair making you lean into his touch.

“thanks for indulging me.” you express your gratitude with a kiss for rick and a clasp of daryl’s hand, urging the man onto the bed.

“here, put this on,” daryl passes you one of his sleep henleys and a pair of your favorite oversized boxers fresh out of the laundry.

“yeah, and ditch the bra.” rick says in between kisses against your collarbone.

content washes over your face and your bra lands on the floor.

once your top is on and rick’s firmly pressed behind you, you feel yourself start to dissolve into the soft sheet. a hand finds your breast just as daryl gives you a goodnight kiss. you suspect the hand will stay there for most of the night but you don’t mind.

it’s owner nestles his face into your hair, whispering sweet nothings from how well you took his cock to how gorgeous you were, how excited he was to spend his next day off with you.

feeling daryl beside you and rick nearly on top of you has to be one of the coziest feelings in the world.

and you’re right; five orgasms and you were out cold.

[clockwayswrites]

*whistles innocently* Feather won, eh?

cw: mentions of blood, gun violence

-

The whoop that Cassin lets out as he free falls for a moment is a bright note in the middle of Gotham’s dark streets. He gets why Dad didn’t let him out to actual fight crime until he was sixteen, but he really wishes he could have flown before then. There’s something about swinging between the buildings of Gotham that’s like nothing else. Cassin’s grapple finds purchase on the next building and there’s that gratifying pull at his muscles as his momentum is wrenched in another direction and he flings himself back up into the air.

He doesn’t think he’ll ever be tired of flying.

There’s barely a sound as he lands, a few swings later, on a roof. Cassin rolls through the movement and up onto the balls of his feet, testing the flex in the soles of the new boots. He’s relishing having enough of a growth spurt to need a new uniform. It’s not that he’ll ever be large, not like Bruce, but it would be nice not to be so tiny.

The crack of a gunshot rips through the air. Cassin is off, bounding across the roofs even as he taps his comm once to activate it.

“Gunshot, B. Single round, small caliber, no shouting,” Cassin rattles off.

“Location,” Batman rasps back.

“North Narrows, I’m almost there, and yes, I’m sticking to the roofs,” Cassin says. It was always best to reassure his dad, even when it’s less Dad and more Batman. “Suspect in sight, running north on Harris— shit, gunshot victim on the sidewalk.”

“See to the victim, I’ll intercept.”

“Gotcha,” Cassin agrees. He hops the last gap between buildings, catches his grapple on the lip of the roof, and slings himself down to street level.

Shit, that’s a lot of blood already. Cassin doesn’t have much hope as he pushes back the hood the person is wearing. The skin is deathly pale, pitch black hair frames the head like a dark halo. The eyes are closed.

They would be blue if they were open.

No they wouldn’t, he can’t know that. He doesn’t know that.

It’s just that…

It’s just that the face looks a lot like the one that Cassin sees every day on the walls of the manor. The face looks a lot like the big brother that Jason never got to know.

The comm sparks to life again. “Cassin, suspect heading back your way. Status?”

“They’re, um,” Cassin shakes his head and spins on his heels, looking for the suspect. Shit, he didn’t even take the pulse yet. There’s the suspect, swooping shadow of black close behind them. Cassin glances back over his shoulder and freezes.

“Cassin? Report!”

“They’re… they’re gone?”

-

The hinges scream as the door to the shoddy apartment opens. He’ll have to put that on his list of things to fix. Or maybe not, it was a good warning system. Not that Danny needs any warning right then, he knows who is coming in by the chill in his breath as it brushes across his lips.

He lets himself finish his thought before he sets down his pen and turns around with a smile. A smile that quickly turns into a sigh as he sees the mess. “Really? Another one? You’re going to have to start dressing all in black if you keep getting your clothing covered in blood like this.”

“No.”

“Yes,” Danny insists as he gets up and crosses the short distance between them. He pokes a finger through the bloody hole in the hoddie. “At least tell me there’s no bullet in you.”

“Through and through,” they chirped.

Not wanting to be fooled again, Danny looks up into the vivid golden eyes. They stare at each other for a long moment before Danny gives in with a sigh. “What am I going to do with you, my Robin?”

They tilted their head, the motion short and as bird like as their moniker. “Kiss me?”

Danny barks out a laugh and leans up to press a quick kiss to Robin’s lips. “Fair enough. Now go clean up and put your hoddie in water to soak. And remember this time, cold water, please?”

“Yes Danny,” Robin says and steals another kiss before they bounce off to do as told.

Danny rolls his eyes fondly and gets back to work.

[trippinsorrows]

with me + part seventeen

authors note: hi! this one isn't as long as some of the most recent, but it is fluffy! well, for the most part. next one will probably be a lil longer and def not as fluffy.....

also, ya'll fake asf for not telling me i put 'simone' as reader sister's name when it's 'bianca' at the end of the last update. i may or may not watch crime docs sometimes while writing......

status: in progress // masterlist

warnings: fluff, language, suggestive themes

song inspo: with me by destiny’s child

faceclaims

words: 5k

taglist: @pixiedust4000 @msbigredmachine @yolobloggers @southerngirl41 @wanderingreigns

You don’t typically get nervous.

It’s just not a trademark of your personality, but for this….for this, there’s definitely a fair amount of trepidation. For one, outside of the fact that most of your favorite outfits suddenly seem too unflattering or fit a bit too snug. For two, you can’t seem to get your hair to cooperate with the same updo you’ve done since you were in your teens.

Not to mention the fact that you were so in your head about this damn lunch during your shower that you weren’t paying close enough attention as you were shaving down there and nicked yourself. On a fucking lip of all things. So now you walk with a bit of limp because that fucking cut keeps brushing, burning, against your underwear.

Truthfully, all of this just feels like a sign that you shouldn’t be doing this. That you should text Bianca some excuse as to why you can’t make it to lunch.

But, it’s the image of Callie’s sweet, smiling face and ardent excitement as you told her Bianca was coming in town and bringing Taylor that you realize you can’t do that to her. She’s so excited about seeing and playing with Taylor again that it feels almost cruel to take that away from her.

So pushing aside your injured pussy lip, crooked bun, and unflattering outfit, you do what needs to be done for the sake of your daughter.

And yourself, really. 

Of course, you got Callie ready before yourself, as she’s much much easier. So, it’s nothing to grab her once you’re done overthinking to head out and go. But not before snapping a selfie of the two of you and sending it to your close friends story and Joe. Cause God forbid this man learns what Stories are and how they work. 

You may not be thrilled with your appearance, but Callie is just too cute to not photograph.

You two arrive at the restaurant before Bianca and Taylor, which you’re mostly grateful for. It allows you to work through the remnants of your anxiety and catch up on a few texts. The first thing you have to reply to though is Joe who texts you in response to your snap.

Joe: Why does it go away so fast?

Joe: Just text me the photo.

His messages make you laugh aloud, forcing you to smack your hand over your mouth not to draw attention to yourself. Joe’s paltry skills with social media, or just Snapchat, really is both comical and sad as hell.

You shake your head, typing out your reply. 

You: babe, how many times do i have to tell you? just screenshot! 

Joe: That’s too much work.

Laughing again, you see Callie briefly look your way before she focuses her attention back onto her tablet. She’s been using it a bit more often than you’d like, but considering everything ya’ll have been through the past couple weeks, it’s hard to put limits there.

It is something to be mindful of though.

Hell, maybe she can help her dad learn a thing or two about how to work technology. 

You: i’m signing you up for some type of tech class or shit for your birthday, cause this is ridiculous. 🥴

Joe: Lol.

A thought then crosses your mind as you shoot him another text.

You: what do you want for your birthday, btw?

You: and remember, only one of us is rich. 🙃

Back when you and Joe were dating, the most he’d get from you is a birthday text or maybe some baked goods if he happened to be visiting near the time of his birthday. But, this is obviously very different. You’re now in a committed relationship, about to move in together to raise your daughter.

And with all Joe has done for you these past months, both financially and emotionally, it would be almost criminal to not get him something.

Of course, you also know that your man is just about as stubborn as you are, hence your expectation that he’ll simply say nothing or find some bullshit reason why you shouldn’t or don’t need to.

If only you actually planned to listen to him. 

And it’s also only March, giving you like two months to wear him down into just accepting your gratitude. 

Joe: Just say yes when I ask.

Reading his message makes you frown, your nose turned up in confusion. What is he talking about?

Joe: That’s all I need. All I want.

He’s successful in providing a nice distraction, sure, but this man is also confounding the fuck out of you. He’s always on some elusive, coy bullshit. 

You: what? what kind of man code speak shit is that? yes? yes to what? anal? 

You: we been over that shit. you’re too big. i’m down for anything but that.

Then again, Joe does have an uncanny ability to make anything feel good. And comparing a sexual experience with Amir to Joe is literally fucking apples and oranges. Much like his wrestling persona, Joe is on some ‘god mode’ type shit when it comes to sex.

Joe: Shut up. You’re gonna make me hard in this fuckin meeting thinking bout that pussy….

Naturally, you angle your body away from Callie a bit to ensure she has absolutely no way to see your phone, to see that message that has you pressing your thighs together. It’s definitely been too long since you’ve had him inside you, and him being nasty right now isn’t helping that. 

You: stop being nasty, please. callie is literally sitting next to me, and i don’t feel like soaking my panties.

You don't need your daughter knowing her parents are freaks.

You: i’ll see about when’s the next time we can come visit though 👀

Joe is hella deep in WrestleMania season, so it’s virtually impossible for him to get away, hence you needing to be the one to take her to go see him. Granted, you’re also busy as hell, trying to wrap up things at home, gradually transitioning to the house in Florida.

The house that you and Joe now officially own, because true to his word, as always, your name is on everything. You attended the signing with him which made it official. It’s also when you got to see just how much Joe spent on said house, the number nearly making you pass out in your seat.

Even more, to speed up the process and ensure you could move in much sooner than what’s typical when buying a house, he paid over the asking price. 

Cash.

It’s most definitely not possible to love this man more than you already do.

He follows up with another text shortly after, respectfully changing the subject in a way that makes you smile warmly. 

Joe: Don’t be nervous. 

It’s a bit unreal how good he is at reading you, even through texts.

You: lmao how’d ya know?

Joe: Cause I know you. 

Joe: You two already connected before you even realized who she was. Lean into that. Try to take your father out of the equation. This is about you and her. Not him.

Reading over Joe’s message once, twice, three times really does something to help your anxiety. He’s right. If you had never even known who Bianca really is, you guys would probably be even closer now, chatting it up frequently. There’s so much more potential there than there is danger.

You: thank you….i love you ❤️

Joe: Love you too, baby. Text me when ya’ll finish. 

Switching threads, you send out a few more texts and work out a date and time with Kaylah for her to accompany you and Alexis furniture shopping when Callie’s sweet, excited voice pulls you from your phone.

“Taylor!” Callie swiftly pushes her tablet to the side and climbs off the bench you two were waiting on when she sees Taylor’s smiling face.

“Callie!” 

It’s with an absolutely full heart you watch the two run to meet each other for a big hug, embracing like they’ve known each other for years.

Like they’re family.

“Hey….”

Your attention switches to Bianca who’s standing just a few feet away from you, clearly torn on whether to offer her hand, initiate a hug, or what.

Remembering Joe’s words of wisdom, you take a deep breath and hug her. “Hi, Bianca.”

You can literally feel the anxiety melt off of the both of you as you pull back and see she has unshed tears in her eyes. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

You’re able to offer a smile, a genuine one too, especially as you glance over at the girls who are now sitting on the bench, looking and talking over Callie’s tablet. “I think it’s worth it just for that alone.”

Bianca looks and laughs. “She’s been asking about Callie.”

That dims your smile a bit, a strange sort of sadness. “Callie has been asking about her too.” You feel bad depriving the girls of seeing each other, scheduling out this meeting so far in advance, but it wasn’t entirely of your choosing.

The past three weeks since you found out Joe literally bought a house for three of ya’ll has been filled with nothing but preparing for the move. Working as much as you can, trying to transition your students as best as possible. Trying to figure out who to hire to move you all, flights back and forth from your town to Florida as you work on things for the house like getting the lights and water turned on and in your and Joe’s name.

Just a lot of shit.

So while you weren’t itching to pencil this in ASAP, you also would have been okay if it happened a bit sooner and closer to when you finally responded to Bianca’s text.

The four of you are escorted and seated in the restaurant, you and Bianca having Callie and Taylor sit in the booth across from you. 

This isn’t a conversation they need to overhear, not that they’d want to. They’re in their own little world.

After ordering and making small talk over your meals, Bianca is the one to make the first move. “I guess it’d be remiss of me to not start off with the big elephant in the room.”

There’s an unfamiliar sense of anxiety that starts to stir in your stomach, but you push it away, joking, “just one? I think we have a couple.”

She laughs and then starts off with, “I remember that day, you know.” Your confusion must show because she adds with an almost gentleness. “That day in the police station.”

And the anxiety is back, your eyes dropping to the plate of food as you try your best to keep your shit together. “Oh…that.”

“This probably sounds crazy, but….there was something about you that seemed familiar almost. But when I asked dad who you were….well…..”

“What did he say?” A part of you wants to know, but a large part of you doesn’t. So whether she answers or not, both are okay with you. 

There’s clear hesitation but she still answers, nonetheless. “He just said you were a troubled teen.”

You scoff, shaking your head. Typical. That man is bottom of the barrel trash, and if not for Bianca probably thinking decently of him, you’d say as such. “Of course he did.” 

“When I first asked him about you, he lied. He said he had no idea who you were, but I refused to let it go because…..because I could see the hurt in your eyes that night. I knew there was a story there, and I wasn’t going to give up until he came clean. And when he did…..” She shakes her head, tapping her fork against her plate. “We haven’t spoken since.”

That surprises you. You’d take a guess that Bianca and that man were close, or at least semi-close, so the fact that they haven’t spoken…..you feel bad. Not for him. Fuck him. But for her. “Bianca, regardless of what happened between me and….him…that shouldn’t get in the way—”

“I always wanted a sister, Y/N,” she interrupts, and you can hear the emotion arriving in her voice. “I begged my parents for years when I was a kid for them to give me a sister. And he knew. They both knew about you. They knew about you, and they kept us away from each other. He kept us away from each other.” She angrily wipes at her eyes. “I–I don’t know how to forgive that.”

Her emotions and feelings are valid. You feel the same way just for slightly different reasons, though forgiveness isn’t even something you’ve thought about. There is no forgiving that man for what he did.

But, just because that’s your story doesn’t mean it has to be Bianca’s.

“You need time to sort through it all,” is the best guidance you can give her. Anything more would be the emotionally blind leading the emotionally blind. “The same way I needed time before reaching out to you.”

She nods, sitting on your words. “And I really do appreciate you giving this a chance, Y/N.”

You’re starting to as well, but before things can move forward, you feel the need to set some ground rules. “I’m open to this….to getting to know you more, to letting the girls continue to know each other more, but…..I have a stipulation.”

Bianca swallows. “I’m listening.”

“Anything I share with you regarding myself and my family, I need it to stay between you and me. Your husband is fine, but your parents and brother…..I don’t want them knowing anything about me and especially my daughter.” Fingers nervously tapping against the table, you disclose, “I just had a really messed up situation happen that I’m still trying to fully process, so I’m even more protective of Callie and myself at this point in my life. And I like you, Bianca, but this isn’t something I can compromise on.”

“And you shouldn’t.” Her initial response surprises you a bit. A part of you was worried she’d try to convince you that you should at least be open to the possibility of getting to know the rest of the family. But given she’s not even speaking to her parents right now, your stipulation must not be a hard sell. “I completely understand, and I’ll respect your wishes. It’s probably better this way, actually.” 

Her agreeing and being respectful really means a lot to you, and you express as such. “Thank you, Bianca.”

Her smile is warm and welcoming as the both of you happen to glance over at the girls at the exact same time while they’re in the midst of a giggle fest. It makes you laugh as she asks, “so, you mentioned something about moving?”

“Yeah, umm, we’re moving to Florida with Callie’s dad.” For a brief second, you second guess telling her this information. Second guess how much you want to disclose. But, you decide that if Bianca is willing to meet you halfway, you need to do the same.

“Seriously?” you nod. “You know we live in Florida too, right?”

Yes and no. You remember Bianca telling you she lived further down South, but it isn’t until this very moment that you recall Bianca lives in Florida. You ask where and realize she’ll only be about 45 minutes out from your house.

Callie and Taylor are going to love this.

“So…..” She starts off, facial expression giving away that she has a question she’s burning to ask but is trying her best to keep to herself. “Callie’s dad…..”

Instantly, you’re laughing. It’s comical seeing her try so hard to be respectful. “You wanna know how we met.”

She releases a heavy sigh, planting both hands on the table. “Girl, you cannot just have Roman freaking Reigns fine ass be your man and daughter’s father and not expect me to ask.” Your laughter increases as she adds on, “respectfully, of course. I’m happily married. But, I still have eyes.”

Fair. Very fucking fair. “It’s….a bit of a complicated story.”

She darts her eyes over to the girls who seem like they’re still only in the first stages of play. “I think we have time.”

She’s not wrong.

Leaning a bit closer to her, extra mindful of your volume, you start of this wild yet epic love story. “So it all started at a Smackdown show….”

—------

“Alexis, why the hell is your mugshot your instagram profile pic?”

It’s a question you never thought would leave your mouth, nor something you thought you’d ever see. 

You still feel bad about that, about Alexis getting arrested for assaulting Mariah. Granted, it’s obvious Alexis doesn’t. Not one bit. She’s said as such to you, that she would do it all over again, arrest and all.

And it does help, slightly, that just as she predicted, the DA chose not to pursue the case on the grounds of lack of evidence. How much of that was Alexis being rich working in her favor vs there not being enough concrete evidence to sustain a case is beyond you. Regardless, you’re just happy she’s not in any major legal trouble because of you.

She looks over and flips her recent sew–in over her shoulder. “I look cute.”

She’s not entirely wrong, but Alexis looking amazing at any point and time isn’t a hard thing in general considering she’s naturally fucking gorgeous. “It’s a mugshot, Alexis.”

“And? Booking or not, I look cute.” You can see her observing some of the living room sets you two pass while making your way back to Kaylah and Callie from your bathroom break. Your bladder has been freaking irritating, with you needing to pee more than usual. And of course, Alexis couldn’t turn down an opportunity to snap bathroom selfies. “What about this?” 

Sliding your phone back in your purse, you see it’s a bedroom set, immediately reminding, “I’m waiting for Joe, Lex.”

“Girl, isn’t WrestleMania in like three weeks? You can’t wait that long to get a damn bed.” Before you can protest, she lifts an acrylic stiletto nail to silence you. “How you gonna be sleeping in a million dollar house on a damn air mattress, Y/N? You suck at this rich bitch shit.”

“I’ll be fine. We just need to get Callie something today. That’s the priority.” And it’s the truth. Callie having at least the essentials in her room is why you’re perusing this fancy ass furniture store in the first place. “As long as my baby is good, I’m good.”

“Whatever, but do you at least like it?” Her question is valid, so you observe the bedroom set. It’s a seven piece, dark wood, silver accents. “It is nice. Looks like something for a man too.”

That’s the thing though. You feel a bit wrong buying a bedroom set that’s for two people when only one is present. Joe made it clear he’s cool with whatever you get, but considering he’s paying for it, he should have a say.

Alexis then points out. “It even includes a full body mirror that way ya’ll can watch yourselves fucking.”

“Alexis!”

“What?” She smacks her teeth, hand on her hip. “Is it a lie?”

Your mouth opens and immediately snaps shut. She’s right. It’s not a lie. Joe loves making you watch him fuck you, finger you, eat you out. You name it. And it’s not like you object either….

But, that doesn’t mean you need it pointed out in a damn furniture store.

“Let’s just get back to Callie,” you murmur, certain that your cheeks are tinged red. Thank black Jesus for melanin to hide embarrassment in moments like this. 

Callie spots you before you can even catch her attention. “Mommy!” She runs over, taking your hand as she guides you over to a display. “Look!” Immediately, you can understand why she wants you to see it. 

It literally looks like something out of HGTV magazine. White bedroom pieces adorned with pinks, purples, yellows. All of Callie’s favorite colors. The bed is actually a bunk bed that’s designed like a castle, the larger bed on the bottom and the spiral staircase leading up to the second bed a bit smaller.

It’s so excessive and so Callie.

Kaylah comes beside you with a knowing smirk. “I think she’s found the one.”

“Can I get it mommy, please!” Callie is peering up at you with those big brown eyes, holding onto your legs. “We can ask daddy!”

That last part makes you chuckle. You already know that man would have his card out by now, signing for the transaction. Whatever she wants, he makes it happen.

You do ask though, looking for a price tag or something. You know it’s gotta cost a pretty penny with how excessive and grandiose it is. “How much is it…..”

“Who cares?” Alexis suddenly sounds, walking over with an annoyed expression. “You know Joe is good for it. Time to pull out one of those fancy new cards he got for you.”

She’s referring to the new set of debit and credit cards in your wallet, all the result of Joe adding you on as an authorized user on all of his accounts. For some reason, you’ve hesitated to actually use any of them, regardless of the fact that all of the shopping you need to do is for the house you’re all living in together.

Kaylah gently bumps into your side. “You already know what he’d say.”

His deep voice is in your ear as if he’s standing beside you. My little girl gets what she wants.

“Girl, he’d be at the register by now.” You laugh, looking down and bopping Callie’s nose. “Daddy already said you can get whatever you want, Callie Bear” Wanting to be sure, you lean down, asking, “is this really the one you want?”

“Yes!” She cheers, jumping up and down and hugging you. “Mommy! I’m gonna be a princess!”

Rubbing her cheek, you lean over to kiss her forehead. She’s not entirely wrong. Especially when she sees the surprise Joe is working on for her new bedroom.

Feeling slightly ganged up on but also content with making a purchase that will make your little girl happy, you stand up, announcing, “then let’s get it for you, baby.” Callie continues to celebrate at the pending purchase of her new bedroom set as you grab your phone to check the time. The OB-GYN happened to have a cancellation today, which works perfectly cause the initial appointment they gave you wasn’t until the end of April. So, you snatched it up. “Come on, let’s go use one these fancy new cards.”

Alexis nods with such pride, giving a fist pump and high five to Callie after Kaylah does the same. “Let’s fuc—”

“Alexis!”

—---------

After purchasing and arranging an expedited delivery date for Callie’s new bedroom set, the three of you head back over to the new house. Kaylah leaves shortly after, needing to go pick Ellie up from school. 

But Alexis stays and keeps Callie company while you shower and get ready for your appointment. Callie asks if she can come with you, and you explain that you’ll come right back home after, which seems to somewhat settle her. But, you can tell she still doesn’t like the answer. 

It’s something you make a mental note to discuss with Joe. 

She’s been asking a lot of questions like ‘when are you coming back,’ and ‘can i come with you?’. 

You’ve noticed an increase in her separation anxiety since the whole DCFS nightmare. Not that you can blame her. You also have a small amount of anxiety any time you have to “leave” her, a brief irrational thought that they could take her away from you again.

Yeah….definitely something to discuss with Joe.

The doctor’s office is only about a 15 minute drive from the house, which is super nice and the office atmosphere is automatically welcoming. Right off the bat, you feel comfortable. Approaching the receptionist who offers a kind smile, you provide your first and last name, explaining you’re here for a new patient appointment.

She types on the computer, asking in a kind voice, “were you able to fill out the paperwork?”

“Uhhh, no, I’m sorry. We’re in the process of trying to move here, so I’ve been back and forth, and it just slipped my mind.” You’re probably offering more information than what’s necessary, but as someone who gets heavily annoyed when people don’t follow through on tasks, you can understand if there’s irritation on her part. “But, I came a little early to see if I can just fill it out now?”

“Of course, honey.” Her voice is honey sweet as she rolls in her chair, grabbing a clipboard that has paperwork attached. Handing it to you, she explains, “just answer as best you can and be sure to signature and initial when it asks for either. If you don’t finish by the time they call you back, don’t worry about it. You can finish it with the nurse.”

“Thank you so much.” As she hands you back your drivers license and insurance card, you place both back in your wallet and find an empty seat in the waiting area. Using the pen attached, you start to complete the paperwork, unsurprised by how thick the packet is. Specialty doctors typically have a lot of information they need. Unfortunately, some of it requires you to pull up your phone to log into your MyChart. This makes the process take even longer, so much so that you’re only about halfway done when an older black woman, probably around your mom’s age, calls you back.

Seeing so much melanin instantly puts you at so much ease. You can see why Kaylah highly recommended this practice. You haven’t even met the doctor yet, and you’re already sold. 

The nurse, Helen, as she introduced herself makes nice pleasantries with you as she takes your blood pressure before directing you to stand on the scale.

It’s one thing to suspect that you’ve gained weight but another to actually have it confirmed. And that’s exactly what the scale does.

It’s nothing major, but definitely something to monitor. You’ve never been super anal about your weight, but you also know you have to keep an eye on it, to some extent.

Helen takes the incomplete paperwork from you, kindly explaining that she can just take the information from you verbally as she types it into the system. You’re grateful because your hand is already cramping.

Her questions are mostly easy, some requiring you to use the MyChart as well as dig deep into your long-term memory to retrieve those long forgotten tidbits of information.

But, it’s one question in particular that changes everything. 

“And what was the date of your last menstrual cycle?”

Naturally, you unlock your phone again to open Flo, but your finger is hovering over the pink icon when it slams into you. A whirlwind of little things that create a much bigger, life changing picture.

Nausea. Vomiting. Emotionality. Breast tenderness. Weight gain. Frequent urination.

No cycle.

“Oh my god…..” Your phone drops in your lap as you bring your hands to cover your mouth, eyes wide and focused on nothing in particular. “Oh…..” How you didn’t put the pieces together much sooner is a bit beyond you. A large chunk of it, you’d guess, was because you chalked it all up to the high stress you’ve been under the past few months. Many people would react the way you did, but this isn’t just that.

It’s more.

So much more.

Helen is suddenly crouched in front of you, hand on your knee. “Is everything alright, baby?”

Watery eyes snapping to her, you nod fervently, starting to wipe at the tears that have already started to spill. “Yes. I’m sorry. It’s just—” You get choked up, releasing a perfect mixture of a sob and laugh. “The last time I was in this position, I sat in my doctor’s office bawling my eyes out because I was so scared and nervous and just not in a good place mentally. But now…..” It’s hard for you to fully explain all of the wonderful emotions coursing through your body. “I’m doing the same thing but for entirely different reasons.” Your hand goes to your stomach as you look up and tell her with the happiest voice. “I’m pregnant.”

————

It’ll take a couple days for the results of your pregnancy test to come back, as explained by Dr. Young, whom you already love and trust to assist you through your pregnancy. 

But, you don’t need test results to confirm what you already know.

There’s not a doubt in your mind that you’re pregnant, and that thought alone is enough to bring you to tears. It’s why you’ve been sitting in your car for almost half an hour just crying. Tears of joy, of course.

The first and only thing you want to do is call Joe. You want to tell him with everything in you.

But…..

You can’t.

Not yet anyway.

He was deprived of so much with Callie, lost out on so many special moments. You can’t do the same with this pregnancy. You need to make this as special for him as possible, from the moment he finds out to the moment he holds this new baby for the first time.

It’s why you know that you can’t tell a soul. Not Alexis. Not your mom. Not even Callie. 

Joe was the last to find out before, but he’ll damn sure be the first to find out this time. 

It’s also why you make the somewhat difficult to keep Callie out of the loop too. A part of you thinks it could be sweet to have her help you break the news to him, but you also don’t want to deprive him of telling Callie with you.

So, you decide that this has to be a solo venture.

The first thing you need to figure out is the timeline. Figure out when you can go see Joe to tell him in person, because with WrestleMania right around the corner, there’s no way he’ll be back here before then. You and Dr. Young predict you’re about 10 weeks along, which means you’ll be hitting three months in less than a month. That works out good, because you were about four months pregnant with Callie before you started showing, so there’s some grace there.

Granted, it is a little odd that you’ve already gained the amount of weight you have given you’re not even three months along…..

The phone ringing pulls you from your thoughts. The ringtone tells you it’s Alexis before you even look at the phone. 

It takes a second for you to gather yourself, knowing her perceptive ass will pick up on something right away if you don’t. Three deep breaths help you to feel adequately prepared before you hit answer. “Hey girl. I’m on my—”

“I swear to God, Y/N, I’m literally going to kill that bitch! I don’t even fucking care anymore! I’m going to prison!”

You’re used to Alexis being dramatic and over the top, but there’s an unfamiliar level of alarm in her voice. “Lex, wait, slow down. What are you talking about?”

She pauses on the other end of the phone. “Fuck. You don’t know yet, do you?” She curses. "Damn, I figured you did by now, considering my phone has been going off with notifications from all the major news outlets the past hour."

Your throat suddenly feels dry. “Know what?” She doesn’t say anything, so you snap, “know what, Alexis!”

There’s a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone followed by her directing, “go to TMZ. Right now.”

Your panic instantly melts away. Alexis and her damn obsessiveness over pop culture. 

Sucking your teeth, you laugh and shake your head. “Girl, you are so dramatic. Had me thinking something happened.” Switching to speaker, you open up your browser and start to type. “This better not be about the housewives, cause…..” Your voice stops and stomach drops when the splash screen loads, allowing you to read the headline.

A headline that includes a picture of you and Callie. 

TMZ EXCLUSIVE: WWE SUPERSTAR ROMAN REIGNS LONG-TERM MISTRESS AND ALLEGED LOVE CHILD 

Click for pictures and videos! Read the scathing story and watch the exclusive tell all interview with mistress childhood friend!

[esggs]

Obeisance to the Arrow - Noritoshi Kamo

#8 : Ice-Cream Date 

[why should you trust Noritoshi Kamo? Why should he trust you?]

[tw: noritoshi kamo x reader, arranged marriage, Danny DeVito, forced marriage, child marriage, small filler chapter a bit to round out the plot, omg they’re getting along, house captivity, fluff]

#7 - Jealousy, Jealousy

“This is not fun at all.” You huff at Noritoshi Kamo. “I want to throw flying kicks.”

Your husband has got you doing warm-up shit for the past half an hour: running, touching toes, stretching. For someone who spitefully promised to replace Kanato, his half-brother, as your martial arts tutor, he’s not letting you do much of martial arts. Only the promise of letting you shoot arrows from his bow is making you not immediately leave the training room.

“You’ll injure yourself if you do all that without any prior training. We’ll go step-by-step. Now–” Kamo leans over you from behind, lightly pulling your waist to correct your downward dog form (you reckon your blush can be put down to exercise; you’re just 14 after all). “– Distil me, and predict my next movements. That’s useful in combat.” 

Is this a test? Noritoshi knows that you’re strictly forbidden from using your cursed technique, under the threat of heavy punishment. Maybe he’s trying to get me into trouble so I can’t go to Jujutsu High. But… didn’t he sign my school admission papers himself? Did he change his mind?

“I never use Distillation, not since I came here.” You’re not taking any chances. Going to Jujutsu High is literally the only way you can be independent. Or else you live the rest of your life like Miyumi Kamo does: disrespected and discarded once her use was over. So you lie through your teeth: “I don’t even remember how to use it.”

“It’s impossible to forget your cursed technique. It’s engraved onto your brain, body and soul. So go ahead, Distil me.”

What game are you playing, Kamo?

“I can’t.”

“You already did, didn’t you?” Your heart skips a beat. Fuck. “Every night when you think I’m asleep. So go ahead now,” Kamo face is straight, no taste of humour or anger in it. “Read my thoughts.”

There’s no point hiding it now. You’re struck seeing your situations so plainly: Noritoshi Kamo is the heir of the opulent and influential Kamo Clan. You are his wife and nothing more. He has the power to decide whether your cursed technique usage goes punished or praised. He has the power to ruin your life. Right when you were forming buds of friendship, you are starkly reminded of the difference between your stations.

And you can’t not be you. “I don’t take commands.” I’m fucking this up so bad. “You might be angry about the whole Kanato thing, but don’t burden me with your issues. I don’t take commands.” Shit. I’m done for. I’m not going to Jujutsu High, am I?

You don't understand Kamo, not even after all the times you've read his mind through and through, because he simply nods. Nothing more. “A request then?” He makes an effort, you can tell, to soften his voice.

You stand still like a statue. All he was trying was to give some space to practise your cursed technique; he just ended up pushing you back into your shell. Or rather a fortress, where you, a scared little child, hoard other people’s secrets, to be used against them when the time comes... the only defence you have. And to think that he was actually doing so well trying to get you to come out of there. How do I fix this?

“Do you want to go out for ice-cream?” 

Your eyes open wide in shock. You’re usually not allowed to leave the Kamo estate; the last time you did was maybe 2 years ago? You don’t even remember. 

“Out?”

“It’ll be my treat, don’t worry. No one will say anything.”

Can he actually do that? Can he convince the elders? You’re a threat to society, you’ve internalised that by this point. Isn’t it wrong for you to go out?

—---

“I love going out! This is AMAZING!” You can’t stop taking pictures of everything- everyone! So many people! So many things to see! The smell of roasting dalgona, the lanterns hanging from cables overhead, the latest streetwear-clad bikers smoking, the businessman walking briskly, the mother scolding her children! Aeon Mall, Porta, Kyoto Station Building– you’re going through all of them, making the most out of your day out!

“You’ll be able to go out whenever you want when you’re in Jujutsu High.” Kamo, carrying your many shopping bags, reminds you calmly. You seem to have gotten over prior spat. 

“Take a picture of me here!” “I want to try double-decker donuts!” “Let’s get these Prada shawls, please, Noritoshi-san!” 

She’s so lucky she was born into money. Noritoshi enjoys seeing you this ecstatically happy. It’s just the two of you, Kamo doesn’t need any bodyguards or handlers. As you sit for an Italian dinner, he decides that it’s okay to breach your previous topic.

“yn, I’m very curious–”

“Do you think those shoes that guy’s wearing are ugly? 'Cuz I think they’re Danny DeVito level ugly.”

“– Gossiping isn’t good. As I was saying, I really want to know how your powers work, yn. Would you be okay telling me?”

You laugh at him, cheeks full of penne alfredo. “I don’t know much either, frankly. I wasn’t allowed to look into it, you know. Besides, if you’re looking for a method to block it, give up. Not even Gojo Satoru could do that.”

Kamo’s eyes are keen. “Why not?”

“Because it works on photons of light. Gojo’s Infinity works on matter, not light, because otherwise he’d be invisible. Distillation can speed up light in a very specific way so that I can 'see' glimpses of the past... understand the story, in a way. Anything I perceive with my eyes, I can Distil. Everything I can see, I know.” You say. "I kept getting headaches because it was just too much information at once, so I made a Binding Vow. I have to ask a very specific question so that I get a very specific answer, but in exchange I get to know answers for at least 50 years back in the past."

To think this talent was to be wasted. “You’re incredible.” I’ll protect her. I’ll have to. 

That also reminds him. “So all those times you Distilled me at night, you didn't ask if was sleeping?"

You smile sheepishly, "I was sure that you were."

He returns your smile. A rare moment. "So you know me, then?”

“Thoroughly.”

“Then you know that I am not your enemy.”

“I reckon.”

“And that I am trustworthy.”

You laugh. He might be as trustworthy as the sun, but you don’t know how to trust others. Still- "I'm sorry for Distilling you when you were asleep."

"I'd rather you ask me before you do that the next time. It's more polite." He uses the toasted bread to scoop up some pasta sauce. You copy him. "I see that there's no point keeping secrets from you?"

"Absolutely none."

"Then it's my right that you keep none from me, either."

Eh? He's not wrong but... He's asking you to trust him. Like friends do. Like married couples do. For all that he is, Noritoshi Kamo has no leverage in front of his wife: you alone decide how much you want to reveal to him.

"Alright, then. Whatever you ask me, I'll answer you honestly, as long as it is okay to do so." You promise. Kamo wipes a smidge of sauce from your cheek with a tissue. His way of saying, "Thank you."

“Noritoshi-san, teach me to spar properly. I don’t want to appear so weak among my classmates.”

“Is that a command?” You’re about to excuse yourself when you notice that he’s smiling. Holy fuck, he’s making a joke??

“Yes, Lord Kamo.” You play along.

“As you wish, Lady Kamo.”

[justfandomwritings]

An essay on why I won’t be watching next season.

1. Obviously actors have to promote their shows and hype them up. But the interactions between Nicola and Luke during the press tour were, in retrospect, clearly also acting performances, and it is rare to see acting within the press tour to the degree that those two put on while grossly exaggerating things like how sexy this season would be or how much Polin we would get. I don’t blame them. It’s clearly what they were told to do. And it’s fine to hype a show, but I think a lot of people felt genuinely lied to with the WAY this season was hyped.

2. The casting has been color conscious and inclusive in a way I greatly admire. But they have not been inclusive in other ways. And that’s not to say they should have to be. One show shouldn’t bear the responsibility of being inclusive to everyone and making up for an industries worth of exclusion. But we have exactly one size inclusive character in this whole show, and I’m not even demanding more, but to butcher the season of the only size inclusive person in this show this badly and in these ways sends me a clear message of what the writers thought they could get away with with a curvy actress and how they saw her.

3. The wait times for this season and next season are just too long. The hype dies down too much between seasons such that we care less and less each time we get a new one, especially when you only give eight episodes, regardless of their length. You know who also gave us a season in 2022 and then an eight episode season this year? house of the dragon. And they have to CGI a fuck ton of dragons. Yall were sitting on this season being done filming for over a year and for what? What did you do in post? A bee? And then to have the audacity to do it in two parts? Fuck off.

4. Add to that. The costumes and new sets looked so much cheaper this season than previous seasons. Where did the budget go.

5. The plot is too crowded. Maybe you thought a curvy girl couldn’t carry a season. Maybe it was bad writing. Obviously you needed Cressida and Eloise to have decent amounts of screen time but you also did half of Francesca’s story and set one up for Violet and Benedict that collectively took the majority of the screen time and left us with very little Pen and Colin. Which was a disservice you never gave Anthony or Daphne’s seasons and was why they were good. We got enough crumbs of the others to tell us what was happening but not enough to make them feel like main characters or to make it feel like an ensemble show. There were leads in season 1 and 2. This season it was an ensemble with too many moving parts. But everyone’s said that. It’s not surprising.

6. My biggest problem is the tone. The blame. Admittedly I’m a woman who relates strongly to Penelope so I’m not impartial here. But for a character who spends her entire life being abused by every single person in this show, who is pushed to her absolute breaking point before finally giving her mother and the tonne a taste of their own medicine. For that character to receive no grace, no understanding, no respect, for the vast majority of the season hurt. To not only have zero understanding of her situation but to frame the entire plot of the show around the fact that SHE alone should be sorry. To have minimal to no groveling from Colin over what he said last season, to have no acknowledgment of how he treated her as a safety net, to humanize Cressida who made her life hell with minimal acknowledgment of that fact, to have Eloise get ONE comment from Cressida of all people about her friendship with Penelope but no real reflection from Eloise or acknowledgment on her part or apologies for what a truly SHIT friend she was for DECADES. That hurt. Because the message is that sure, they can push you to your fucking limit, you can break after years of being bullied for your weight and your looks and your status. Your own mother and sisters hands can be filthy with insults and abuse. Your friends can treat you like utter garbage for years. They can befriend your bullies. Your soon to be husband can, very recently, insult you to his friends behind your back. But you owe them the apology for breaking after years of abuse. It’s not that the tonne couldn’t be angry or that they all should’ve fallen at Pen’s feet. It’s that those arguments never happen at all because once again, just like when she was being used and abused by everyone, everything was put on Penelope. And the cycle continues.

7. Colin should’ve groveled more. I know I said that in the previous point but it really ruined things for me so I want to emphasize it. I wanted that man on his knees the whole season, and I should’ve known I wasn’t gonna get that when y’all dropped the list of songs and there wasn’t any of the A List Yearners on the list. But I’m still mad.

8. Actually that’s a good point. Did anyone else think the songs didn’t go as hard this year? Except Pitbull were we excited about any of them?

9. You did the Pride and Prejudice ballroom trick with the dancing alone thing and you didn’t nail it. If you’re gonna do that trick it has to fucking HIT. (And it has to be enemies to lovers.) And you did it half assed. You should be ashamed.

10. There was a two second window there when Cressida asked the maid for help where I thought they were gonna swap lives and the maid would go with her aunt and Cressida would become a maid and I was like “holy fuck is Cressida gonna become Bennys love interest?” and that would’ve been better than what y’all did I think. And it would’ve justified her excessive screen time.

11. I love gender swapping Michaela and making Francesca bi. We love it. But why was Francesca immediately interested. Once again the writers don’t understand pining. Michaela is PINING for Francesca and can do nothing but love her from afar. Francesca loved John completely and whole heartedly. Michaela was a beautiful love story for her but was also a second chance. She loved John completely. She would never have an emotional affair on him. How did you immediately ruin such a beautiful second chance romance?

12. Where was Pen’s friendship with Anthony or Lady Danbury? Why wasn’t Colin proud of Pen the way he was in the book? To make her even more alone? To emphasize that she was alone and at fault and helpless? Fuck off.

I just don’t have it in me to watch this show deteriorate further.

[theitgirlnetwork]

Better

Chapter 5: Don't Call Me That

Note: Thank you so much for all of the love, I appreciate it so much. I've been having so much fun writing this story and seeing everyone's responses! The kind words mean a lot. Two questions: 1) Would you all want my Lip x Charlotte Playlist? 2) I'm considering opening my requests to writing little one shots about things you all want for just Lip and Charlotte or Angel and JJ right now, and expanding as I introduce more of my little universe. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

The sun rose in Charlotte’s room, pouring through the wispy white curtains, shining down on Lip’s face. The woman next to him turned over after waking up, leaning on her elbow as she scans his features. He reminds her of some kind of painting, or statue. Strong features, chiseled chest and stomach. Curly deep golden hair. 

She’d woken up to his phone going off. Calls and texts. She had braced her hand on his chest to shake him awake but when she saw Mandy’s name on the screen instead of one of his siblings, she rested her hand softly on his skin, trailing her finger along the contours of his stomach, following the lines up his chest, past his jaw and along his soft lips. She holds her own breath as she scoots up a little more, smoothing her fingers between his eyebrows, feeling him relax his brow and release a peaceful sigh under her touch. She liked making him feel like that. Peaceful and relaxed. 

Charlotte was enjoying herself until she felt his muscles tense and a groan rumble in his chest as he stretches out his limbs. She panics, flipping back over on her side and squeezing her eyes shut as if she’d been asleep the whole time, trying to place a cute, peaceful look on her face. 

She feels Lip shift behind her, his body heat pooling even closer as he leans over her to look at her face. “Why’d you stop?”

Charlotte yawns dramatically, mimicking his stretching motion, accidentally (on purpose) pushing her hand into Lip’s face, before turning onto her back to look up at him. “Stop what?” she asks groggily.

“Stop what?” he mocks in his attempt at her voice, the fact that his voice was lower because he just woke up didn’t do him any favors. “C’mere.” He grabs her sides, pulling her the rest of the way under him and tickling her sides, grinning as she squeals, kicking her legs and pushing him with her hands. Lip grabs her ankle to stop her motion, pinning her hands with the other and smiling down at her. “Huh? What’re you gonna do now, bunny? C’mon, slugger.”

Charlotte squirms for a little, laughing at how weak her attempts to escape were, and how little effort it was taking for Lip to keep her in place. His teasing murmur of ‘come on, baby’ pushes her to turn her head to the hand that was holding hers, arching up a little before sinking her teeth lightly into his arm.

“Fuck! Ow, Charlotte!” Lip hisses, yanking his hands back as she cheers victoriously, pushing her feet at his chest. “Yeah yeah. Fightin’ dirty and shit.” 

She cheeses at him, patting the bed next to her and Lip lies down on his back, turning his head to look at her. “Good morning. How’s your head? Your ribs? Emotional health?”

“Mornin. How’s your hand?” he asks, reaching down to bring her hand to his face, peeling back her bandage briefly to inspect for any damage. 

“I asked you first.” she sighs, watching as he ignores her, smoothing the bandage back over and rubs his face over it once. “Phillip?” she asks again, rolling her eyes when he just starts kissing the palm of her hand. “Mandy called a couple times. Texted too.”

“Hm, what’d she say when you answered?” he asks, wincing when she smacks her hand on the top of his head. “Ow.”

“Me answer? I’m not the one she wants to hear from. It seems like she still thinks you guys are together.” Charlotte says, pulling her arm from him. “Talk to her.”

“You want me to break up with her.”

“No.” Charlotte crosses her arms. “I want you to talk to her. If that ends with you broken up or together, we’ll be cool. I’ll be happy for you. But until then, no more sleepovers.” She goes to climb out of bed, rolling her eyes as Lip tugs her back in, wrapping his arms around, pulling her back underneath him.

“Just…fuck…fuckin’ relax, alright?” He murmurs, nudging her nose with his own, “I’ll handle it. Seriously, I’ll talk to her. Okay?”

Charlotte huffs, glaring up at him until he nudges at her dimple with his knuckle. “Okay.”

The two of them don’t even get to take a breath before the door creaks open. “Hey, Lottie, V wanted to know if you-shit!” 

“Kev!”

“Fuck!”

Kev swings the door all of the way open roughly, letting it hit the wall before stalking into the room. “What the fuck, dude what the hell are you doing here?!” 

Lip groans, backing away from Charlotte slowly, showing his hands, “Look, man-”

“No you fuckin’ look, man.” Kev growls, “I’ve seen you do this to other families but we’re supposed to be friends, you’re in here defiling our daughter-”

“‘M’not your daughter, Kev, we’re cousins. Through marriage. And even then not really!” Charlotte huffs, tugging on a pair of pajama pants. “And nothing happened.”

“Not that it’s any of your fuckin’ business.” Lip grunts, pulling his shirt over his head. 

“Uh, she is my business dipshit-V! Come here!”

“Jesus.” Charlotte whimpers, wrapping her arms around herself and plopping down on the bed.

V comes into the room with a mug of coffee in her hand, grumbling about Kev screaming so early in the morning and pauses with her drink halfway to her mouth when she steps in. “Oh, fuck no. Lottie, what did I say?”

“But nothing happened!” she whines, flopping back on the bed, sticking her tongue out at Lip’s snort.

“He’s in here trying to fuck our daughter, V!” 

“Not your daughter.” Lip interjects.

“You shut the fuck up.” V points at Lip then turns to Kev, “You’re delusional, she’s not our daughter, she’s my cousin.” She finally lands on Charlotte, going over to the bed and slapping the girl on the leg multiple times.

“Ow, Veronica get off!”

“My mom is not gonna kick my ass because I’m supposed to be teachin’ you to be an independent woman and you got knocked up by a Gallagher on my watch!” she slaps Charlotte’s leg one more time, dodging when the younger woman kicks her leg out at her. “You wanna have a sleepover, invite one of the redheads.” 

With that, V storms out of the room, Kev in tow, turning to yell out “Out, Lip!” 

The room is silent for a moment before Lip’s snickers start to fill the air. “It’s not funny. Seriously.” 

“I thought it was.” Lip laughs, buckling his belt. “You’re Kev’s baby girl now, huh? And V spanks you when you don’t listen?”

“I did listen. I haven’t slept with you have I?” she scoffs, pulling her scarf off and letting her silky black hair fall down over her shoulders, Lip’s smile slowly falling away as he watches her sweep her hands through dark curls and envisions his hand tangled in it instead. “V’s worried about my mom talking to her mom and Kev…he’s weird like that. Acts like I’m not 19, but he’s sweet and I’ve always wanted an older brother.” 

Lip continues to stare at her, the way the light from the window casts a halo around her as she smiles up at him brightly. Charlotte squirms under his gaze, feeling her cheeks heat up. “You heard my ‘dad’. Out, Lip.” 

That breaks him from his stupor. The blond stalks forward to where Charlotte is sat on the bed, gathering the fabric on the front of her t-shirt, yanking her up, ignoring her squeal and the sound of footsteps making their way back to the room. He plants his forehead against hers, watching her face closely before pressing his lips against hers, pulling her into a heated kiss and letting her go, causing her to drop down on the bed. “You don’t call me that.” 

Charlotte watches as Lip slips out of the room, calling back to her, “I’ll see you later!” giggling when Kev yells back, “Like fuck you will!”

“Honey! You’re home! You didn’t come back last night.” Monica cheers as Lip comes through the door. “Did my advice work?”

“Advice?” he asks, kicking off his shoes and slapping the back of Carl’s head as he passes by. “What advice?”

“About Charlotte!” Monica calls after him. 

Fiona rounds the corner of the living room and changes the channel to National Geographic so Liam can watch the television and fixes Lip with a look. “You’re listenin’ to Monica now? That why I’m hearin’ about Kev and V finding you in bed with Lottie?”

“Jesus Christ-”

“You were in bed with Charlotte? Fuckin’ traitor!” Carl huffs jumping off of the couch and shoving Lip before running up the stairs. 

The two older siblings make eye contact and the oldest girl shrugs, grabbing some dirty clothes off of the couch. “He’s got a crush on her. And you keep datin’ girls he likes. Not that you should be datin’ Charlotte.”

“When else have I dated a girl he liked?” Lip asks, choosing to ignore the raise of Fiona’s eyebrows when he doesn’t correct her about dating Charlotte. 

“He had a thing for Mandy, not that you noticed.”

“He has a thing for anyone with tits, I can’t leave him every woman ever.” Lip chuckles, grabbing a beer from the table. “He can have Mandy now if he wants her.”

Just as he says that Ian jogs down the steps, dodging a hug from Monica and guiding her to sit down on the stairs. “Real classy, asshole, still my best friend.” 

“Yeah your psycho best friend dropped Charlotte off at a whorehouse. Drive it through her head we’re not fuckin’ anymore for me will you?”

“Are you kiddin’ me?” Ian pauses, pulling on his jacket, “Fuck you, talk to her yourself, I’m not catching those strays.” 

“Fine. Fan-fuckin-tastic.” He sighs, shoving his feet back into his shoes and turning back around to leave the house. 

Lip walks the way to the Milkovich house smoking his way through three cigarettes on the short walk alone. It’s not like he’s uncertain about what he wants to do. No, he knows. Charlotte has made it abundantly clear that she has no intention of letting him get anywhere unless she’s sure he’s unattached. And not that his time with Mandy wasn’t great but…he’d already done that. 

And it was great. Mandy was a good lay, a good friend, a nice girl when she wanted to be but for some reason he could never make himself take it seriously. He was always cheating, whether it be with Karen, that creepy teacher bitch, random girls he met out. It wasn’t Mandy’s fault, he’s not a shithead, he knows that it’s on him.

He couldn’t make it up to her. Give her the one thing she wanted, him. He wouldn’t be a good boyfriend to her. He wasn’t dedicated. He knew what dedication looked like from him, and it wasn’t how he treated Mandy. Not when for the few times he even agreed to hang out with her since Charlotte came he either envisioned her while he had sex with Mandy or stared out of his window into Charlotte’s hoping she’d slip by.

That’s why he had to be honest with Mandy. And she shocked the shit out of him.

“Figured. Just needed confirmation.” she sighs, throwing her cigarette into the dirt and stepping on it.

“Cause uh…I think we needed time apart anyway, but that shit you did with Charlotte was really fucked up.”

“Oh my God.” she rolls her eyes, staring past him into the street. “Tell the princess I’m sorry.” 

Lip just works his jaw irritably, forcing back all of the angry expletives he’s had swirling in his head for her since it had happened. “Okay, so…”

“You either wanna fuck one more time to hold you over until you come back or you can go stalk Charlotte at her fuckin’ job like you like to do recently.” Mandy shrugs, climbing the stairs to her apartment, stopping in the doorway waiting for Lip to follow her up and wiping the tear that falls onto her cheek when she sees he’s already lighting a cigarette, walking up the street.

Lip stops by the construction site to pick up his check after settling shit with Mandy, and swings over to the bank to cash it so he could chip in to even out whatever the fuck Monica and Frank stole from them this time. After, he goes over to Charlotte’s job, checking the time on the phone to make sure her shift was ending. He’d promised not to make any more trouble that could cost her what’s left of her check.

He swings the door open and slides into a seat at the bar, waiting to spot her. He notices her boss Alan instead, drinking behind the wooden separator and nods to him. “Hey, man, she’s not here, alright?”

Lip furrows his brows. “Where is she?”

“Already headed out for the day, we were overstaffed and last one in, first one out.” Alan shrugs, openly ogling one of the girls as she squeezes past him and shaking his head when he notices look glaring at him. “What? That one doesn’t have a boyfriend comin’ down here every time she has a shift. Jesus, Gallagher, do you even work?”

“Yeah, when I’m not making sure you creepy fucks aren’t sexually harassing my girl.” He smirks. “Just tryin’ to make sure you assholes don’t forget my face, let your drunken dicks get confused and think you have half a shot with Charlotte.” 

“Well, your point has been made, between you beating the shit out of some of my best customers and calling her twice each shift. I need her out here on the floor, man, even if she’s not putting out, the face and the body bring in customers, it’s math Gallagher.”

“Yeah, you have your teenage son workin’ the register cause you can barely add and subtract, fuck you, Alan. I don’t call her during her shifts.”

Alan scoffs, grabbing a handful of peanuts and turning to head back into the kitchen, “Well someone does, and she always seems happy to hear from him.” 

Lip clenches his jaw as Alan’s snickers ring in his ears. Nothing in his mind but the same question over and over.

Who the fuck is she talking to on the phone?

Charlotte knocks at the door to the Gallagher household, cheerful as ever. She hears quick, happy footsteps jog over and is greeted with a grinning Fiona, with music blasting behind her. “Lottie, how are you?”

“I’m good, Fi, got off work early, wanted to know if Lip wanted to hang out.” she chirps. She smiles when Fiona makes a face, slumping her shoulders. “Really, just hang out. As in, you could join us. But it seems like you’re having a party of your own.”

“Girl, you should come in, V, your cousin’s here and I think she needs a celebratory shot!” Fiona grins, grabbing Charlotte’s hand and tugging her into the house. 

“Nuh uh, baby girl’s next shot will be on her birthday in two months. But she should come party.” V smacks her cousin’s butt. “Put on some of your shit, you’ve got better music taste than this shit Fiona’s stealin from Carl. Kev’s getting beers and Ian’s picking up Mickey. It’s gonna be fun.” she leans over to Charlotte murmuring in her ear, “Fi got a new job and we’re celebrating.”

“Is…um…Lip coming?” Charlotte asks, eyes wide as she looks expectantly at the two women. She frowns at the two of them as they exchange looks with each other, shaking their heads, “I like hanging out with him!”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that!” V sighs. “But I don’t want you to get all caught up and confused!”

“Yeah, Lottie, you’re just not from here. And I know Lip, he gets swept up in seeing a pretty girl and is interested for a little while before he moves on. He’s like any hood guy around here, he’s just got a higher IQ and won’t put his hands on you.”

Charlotte groans, tossing her bag on the couch, “I’m fine. I can take care of myself, okay? Your brother and I are just friends. Seriously.” The younger woman changes the music on the speaker and stands on one of the chairs to help hang one the ‘congratulations Fiona’ banner.

As she pushes the tack into the wall she lets her mind wander to the blond, something she’s found herself doing a lot lately. She meant it when she said she had no intention of being around him after the whole Mandy debacle, but she hadn’t accounted for him being him. 

Charlotte knows they’ve led different lives, and he has a bad reputation with women. Or…people in general. She’s heard plenty of stories about Lip since she’s gotten here. Half of the girls from her job had hooked up with him before, an embarrassing fact she’d discovered during her lunch break one day. Slept with them, and snuck out before the sun came up, screwed them over a bathroom sink in a dingy bar and never asked for their number, having sex with them one day and hitting on their sister the next. She’d seen that look that Mandy gave him when she came out of the house. Like he was her whole future. She looked at him like she loved him. Needed him. And Charlotte doesn’t ever want to get there. She never wants to be the type of girl V always warned her against being. She didn’t want to be standing there watching the guy she has feelings for give less than a fuck about her. 

She knows she should listen to everyone and be around him less.

But she can’t explain it. She really likes being around Phillip. 

When Lip gets home he hears the sound of music blasting and curses loudly, letting his head fall back and stare at the sky. He is not in the mood to push his way through whatever seedy, old fuckers Frank and Monica has coralled into his home just to get a simple beer while he tries not to lose his shit over whatever limp dick fucker has been calling Charlotte every fucking day at least twice. Speaking of.  

He turns his gaze over to the house next door and weighs in his head how likely he’d be able to get in through the big window in the living room and down the hall to Charlotte’s room without Kev or V seeing. Then he thinks about how his head has been since Alan ran his mouth. Should he even see her? He has a bad track record of fucking things up when he was feeling…protective? Possessive? Jealous? Lip shakes his head, rolling his eyes at his own thoughts. They’re not even together. She’s made that abundantly clear. That’s why she’s probably fucking some trash from Virginia. 

Yeah, no, he’s not ready to visit her right now. He needs to get his thoughts right, form them in a way that he ends up with what he wants and doesn’t sound crazy over a girl who hasn’t even agreed to date him.

Home it is. He thinks bitterly, climbing the rest of the steps and turning the doorknob. The door opens and the music fills his ears even louder, random 2000s rap blasting. Lip doesn’t even make it over the threshold before Liam toddles over to him, jumping into his arms. 

“Party!” the little boy yells, flashing his smile with missing teeth at Lip. The older brother smiles, catching the toddler and swinging him up further into his arms.

“Yeah, party,” Lip cheers back, nuzzling his brother’s cheek,  “You okay, buddy?”

“Yeah down.” Liam kicks his legs as Lip holds onto him, walking further into the house to assess the situation before letting his little brother go off. 

“Liam! Where’d you go? I need my dance partner. I like this song” The voice makes the tense feeling in Lip’s chest immediately come rushing back, and it takes the edge off of the annoyance too. “Oh, hey.”

Lip can’t help but mimic Charlotte’s bright smile as she leans against the wall, clasping her hands behind her back. He steps further into the house pushing into her space. “Oh hey.” he says mockingly, relishing in the giggle she offers him. “You uh…in here hijackin’ my family?”

She shrugs absently, looking toward the living area where Fiona and Kev were taking shots and V was dancing with Ian and Debbie. “Maybe. Mostly dancin’ with Liam, he’s a good dancer. Right, sweet boy?”Charlotte coos, holding her hands out and snagging the little boy from his brother. Liam all but leaping out of Lip’s arms.

“Liam, you traitor.” he says, clutching his chest and quieting the absolutely fucking insane thoughts that swim in his head while he watches Charlotte bouncing his brother in her arms. 

“Say, leave me alone, Phillip!” she encourages, pressing her cheek against the toddler’s. “Tell ‘em.”

“Phillip!” his little voice yells, reaching out and squeezing his brother’s nose. 

“Oh yeah?” Lip smiles even more, narrowing his eyes at the boy, “She’s gotta go home sometime buddy. Don’t burn all your bridges, she won’t be here to bring you your cheerios in the mornin’.” 

“We’re not listening to you, we’re gonna go dance.” she chirps, whipping around and letting her hair smack Lip’s face, ignoring the shiver she gets from the low chuckle she hears behind her and saddling up next to Ian.

“Gimme my brother,” the redhead says, “He’s not gonna be part of your weird foreplay.” 

Charlotte gasps, shoving his arm, “Um where’s Mickey? You’re less annoying when you’re feeling up your boyfriend.” Her eyes trail over to Lip hugging Fiona, offering her congratulations and taking a shot with her. 

Ian snorts, bouncing Liam on his lap, “Maybe. But he’s wearing you down.” 

She bites her lip, letting her head fall back on the back of the couch, watching Debbie attempt a cartwheel with V trying to help her legs over. “Didn’t hold out very long, did I? You think I’m stupid too?” 

“Yeah you’re stupid.” he chuckles. “But, uh, he likes you. Spoke to Mandy for you today.” 

Charlotte looks at Ian with wide eyes, the redhead refrains from mocking the hopeful look on the girl’s face. She works the muscles in her cheeks, trying not to smile, dropping her gaze to her lap. “Not for me.”

“Yes for you,” Ian nudges, letting Liam down to go get the door again when it starts to open, Mickey putting down the case of beers he brought to lift the little boy, flipping him upside down. “Look, as your friend, I’ll tell you that you can do better than my brother.” 

Charlotte nods, letting her eyes trail back over to Lip, blue meeting brown from across the room. “And as Phillip’s brother?”

Ian shrugs, moving to push off of the couch and greet Mickey who was impatiently gesturing for him to come over. “He never used to let anyone call him Phillip.”

“You seeing that?” Fiona points with the wine opener to the opposite end of the house where Lip is sitting in a chair, grinning as he watches Charlotte dance in front of him. Raising his eyebrows when she pokes him on his nose and each cheek.

V pauses in her dancing as she hears her cousin squeak as the blond boy grabs her by the waist, pulling her down onto the seat with him, both laughing loudly as she chair tilts back, threatening to fall. One of Lip’s hands shooting out onto the floor to stop the fall, the other going to protect Charlotte’s head. The girl is all but crying from laughter, her hand gripping the front of Lip’s shirt to keep him from tilting. Fiona groans as Lip’s beer spills on the floor, him chuckling out ‘Look what you did’ as he rights them, resting his chin on Charlotte’s shoulder. “I’m seeing. Any chance he’ll just lose interest?”

“Any chance that she will?” Fiona asks as the two women watch Charlotte all but fucking skip over to get Lip a new beer before climbing back into his lap on her own. “I love him but,” she passes V a glass, clinking them together in cheers. “He’ll fuck it up.”

“So you take them apart and put them back together?” Charlotte’s brows are furrowed as she tries to understand. Her fingers absently toying with Lip’s down by their sides. The party was slowly starting to die down. Carl and Debbie were put to bed, Kev, V and Fiona had started to clean up. Ian and Mickey were flirting in the kitchen. 

Lip nods slowly trying to figure out how to explain exactly what he does without sounding like a criminal. Sure he scams privileged college kids out of a couple hundred bucks in exchange for fixing their computers. And maybe the real assholes get told that their shit is broken beyond repair and Lip keeps the pieces for his own collection, even though mostly, they just have a virus from watching some seedy porno site. “Uh, yeah. I like computers. Robotics mostly. Kinda into science too.”

“Hmm, noted.” Charlotte smiles, leaning back against the wall. 

Lip has been having a great time hanging out with Charlotte. They’ve laughed, they’ve drank, her soda, him beer. She danced, which was a highlight of their night. But mostly they were just together. Talking. Laughing. It was like having her here brought some light into his dim, depressing ass home. He usually hates being home, despite his love for his family. The mold filled, worn down walls were a source of trauma for him. But he wasn’t thinking of any of that. 

He was happy. 

Aside from the constant fucking ringing of her phone.

“Your uh…phone’s ringin’ again, wanna answer it?”

“No, we're having fun.” Charlotte smiles, flipping her phone over and laughing at Ian dancing  with Mickey in the kitchen. Lip just intertwines their fingers, begging himself not to fuck things up as the ringing stops only to start again. 

“Uh, they’re callin’ again. At 1:34 in the mornin’ must be pretty fuckin’ important, wanna answer?” 

Charlotte stops to look Lip in the face, seeing how serious he looks and nods, grabbing her phone. “Okay, I’m gonna go upstairs where its quiet.” she moves to go up the steps, only to be pulled back.

“Gimme kiss.” Lip mumbles, holding her loosely around the waist, waiting for her to come to him. Charlotte glances around at their distracted family members and pushes up on her toes, kissing him deeply and briefly. “Thanks, bunny.”

She presses her lips to his cheek before running up the steps, Lip’s sharp blue eyes following her the whole time. 

When he tears them away he locks eyes with Ian who’s mouthing to him ‘don’t do it’. 

He wishes he could avoid it. But his feet are already moving. Trailing after her. It feels like he does that a lot lately. Lip stands in the doorway of his room and watches Charlotte giggling on the phone, walking back and forth, tossing her head back and laughing. Giving the smiles he’s been working his ass off for to some fucker who didn’t even make sure to be here to reap the fucking reward.

Charlotte pauses, turning toward the doorway and finding him there, mumbling a sweet goodbye to whoever was on the other line. “Hey. Sorry, I know I didn’t ask to use your room-”

“Who the fuck was that?”

[hendersister]

that's all

summary: steve is concerned when he finds out that you're going to start tutoring billy.

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!sister reader

title 🎵: that's all by genesis

You’ve just finished grabbing some books out of your locker before first period starts. You close your locker and turn to see Steve Harrington approaching you. Your eyes widen. What is he doing here?

Even though you and Steve had become friends while you helped save the world last fall, you both still mainly stick with your different cliques during school hours. Steve’s social status has gone down a bit over the past year, but he’s still popular. He just won “Best Hair” in his senior class superlatives. Steve is one of the cool kids and you definitely are not. As president of the National Honor Society, a tutor and only girl in the school’s Mathlete team, you are considered a nerd in the Hawkins High social hierarchy. It’s all very The Breakfast Club.

“Hey Steve! What’s going on? You lost?” you joke.

Steve’s locker is at the other side of the school. This is the first time Steve’s visited you at your locker.

“What? No!” Steve shakes his head, and then, “Hendseron told me that you’re gonna start tutoring Billy Hargrove. Is it true?”

You nod. The only reason you were assigned to be Billy’s tutor is because you’re the best tutor at this school. Billy is on academic probation and needs to get his grades up if he wants to play on the basketball team next season. In rural Indiana, high school basketball means everything. You didn’t really have a choice in the matter. If you said no, you mostly likely would’ve faced some repercussions. 

“Yeah. He was just assigned to me. We have our first tutoring session tomorrow during study hall,” you explain.

Steve sighs. He looks concerned.

“C’mon, Y/N, do you really think that’s a good idea? Billy’s an asshole. Remember when he got violent with the kids? I mean, Billy’s a piece of shit…” 

You take a deep breath. Remember when he got violent with the kids? Of course you remember! How could you forget? Billy attacked Dustin’s friend Lucas at the Byers’ house a few months ago. He was scary and aggressive. Steve had to intervene to protect Lucas and the rest of the kids. The fight between Billy and Steve was rough. Steve lost that fight but won your respect. You were impressed and proud of Steve for keeping the kids safe.

“Yeah I know,” you quietly agree, “It’s not like I asked to tutor Billy. Mr. Carpenter assigned him to me…”

“Can’t you just ask Mr. Carpenter to assign him to someone else?” Steve tries.

You shake your head.

“No,” you answer coolly, “But if it makes you feel any better, I’m meeting Billy in the library. He won’t get violent in a public place.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Steve mumbles. He sounds uneasy.

You roll your eyes.

“Relax! I’m just tutoring Billy. It’s not like we’re eloping to Vegas or anything.”

“I’m not joking, Y/N!” Steve shrugs.

“I’m not laughing, Steve,” you brush off his concern, “Why do you care so much?”

Steve scrunches his forehead, confused.

“What?” 

You cross your arms against your chest.

“Why do you care if I tutor Billy or not?” you question him.

“Dustin was worried,” Steve gives you a non-answer.

“And you?” you keep pushing.

“I’m… I’m just trying to look out for you because… Dustin asked me to,” Steve stumbles through his response.

You raise your eyebrows. 

“That’s all?” 

Steve is quiet for a beat. Deep down he knows the truth but he’s not ready to admit it to himself just yet. Steve really cares about you. He’s trying to convince you not to tutor Billy because he’s trying to protect you. Steve doesn’t trust Billy and he doesn’t want you to get hurt. 

"Yeah, yeah that's all," Steve sighs.

You shrug, unconvinced. Since becoming friends with Steve, you’ve felt a spark between you two. You’re starting to believe that Steve feels the electricity too. But he won’t act on it. He’s an athlete and you’re a mathlete. And even though Steve is set to graduate soon, he still takes the high school social hierarchy seriously.

“Look, I appreciate the concern but I’ll be okay. I can take care of myself just fine. I’ve been doing it for a long time now…” you tell him.

Steve nods his head, defeated. He leaves without another word. You watch Steve go. After a beat, you turn and walk away in the opposite direction.

[liyawritesss]

ᖴᒪOᗯEᖇᔕ Iᑎ ᗷᒪOOᗰ - ᐯᗩᒪEᑎTIᑎEᔕ ᗪᖇᗩᗷᗷᒪEᔕ

Ｄａｙ ７ － Ｓｔａｒ Ｇａｚｉｎｇ

－ Midnight Rendezvous - 42!Miles Morales - Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse

－ In which no one in life understands you, except the boy in the flat across the hall who you sneak out onto the rooftops with every Sunday night.

－ Check out more prompts and other activities on the Flowers In Bloom Event Masterlist!

“Rough day, huh?” Those three words are how your usual hangouts started. The night air is a bit chilly, complementary of the early spring weather that comes with February. It’s refreshing at least, compared to the week the both of you have had.

“Don’t even get me started,” you drone, pulling the hoodie sleeves over her fingers to keep them from growing cold. The sweater is actually Miles’, one he’d let you borrow on a much colder midnight rendezvous, and you had yet to return.

He sits criss-cross next to you, the ends of his twin french braids moving as he does so. The fluorescent lighting from the streetlights paint his face in a pretty glow, the sounds of police sirens are distant and remind you of the kind of world you live in. Despite it all, however, these little trips to the rooftop with Miles on Sunday evenings give you a sense of serenity.

“Can’t have been worse than mine.” he comments.

“Well,” you say in an exhale, “the entire school is pink and red now for Valentines Day.”

“Shit- I forgot about that,” You go to the same school, so he knows exactly what you're referencing, and he snickers in distaste, wiping down the length of his face, “I’m not looking forward to that tomorrow.”

“Be lucky you didn’t have to help decorate it,” you say, “though I can say confidently that you should expect a lot of secret admirer letters in your locker.”

A little laugh leaves your lips as you watch Miles sink into his seat, hands covering the back of his head as he cowers and pouts; he didn’t want to be reminded of his popularity status amongst the girls at Visions Academy, but you couldn’t not pass up the opportunity to mess with him a little bit.

“I think I might just die, thanks.” he murmurs in defeat. You rest your hand on his back, running soothing circles in between his shoulder blades.

“Don’t get all shy now, playa,” you tease, “you knew it was coming. Now it’s time to face the music!”

“I’d rather face my mom with a slipper on a bad day from the hospital.”

You playfully push the other to the side, laughter filling the air from both of you, because you knew there to be some truth in his statement. You were sure that he would take every loophole possible to avoid the girls he knew had a massive crush on him, and that he’d much prefer his mothers’ snappy attitude than the bombardment of his classmates with heart shaped eyes. “You play too much.”

After he recovers from your playful assault on him, he sees that you’ve turned your attention to the sky above the two of you. “The stars are out tonight.”

There isn’t much to see in a city heavy with light pollution, but the stars are there. Little specks of twinkling lights hung high in the sky to be admired by all; Miles sees why you like them. Its as easy to get lost in the deep blue sky as it is to get lost in you, which he finds himself doing more frequently.

“They’re so pretty,” you say mindlessly, and Miles turns his gaze from the sky onto you. There’s silence for a moment, and you’re so caught up in the stars you have yet to notice how the boy finds you much more prettier in this light.

“Yeah,” he says lowly, almost in a murmur, “sure is.” He then turns back towards the sky, wondering if it’s the sky he should find more prettier than the girl who keeps him company on the rooftops of their apartment building.

If you enjoyed, please leave a like, comment, and reblog for others to see! And don’t be shy to send in a request!

[hood-ex]

Your post about that dialogue from Gotham Knights (the game) made me think back on how much I miss Bruce and Dick's relationship tbh. Like obv it was never the healthiest thing ever, and Bruce was always emotionally constipated, but it always felt a little more... equal? Recently it's just felt so toxic, like Bruce will be an asshole, and Dick will be hurt by it but will still come back to him and will remove the burden of Bruce apologizing for anything from him. Like the scene between them in Nightwing 100, where Bruce is rightfully apologizing for his crap and Dick says he doesn't have to. I do like that scene (even if it was over the top), but that's not right. Like, no sir, he has a lot to apologize for lmao. But that's literally been their dynamic for so long. Whenever Bruce should be called out, Dick just forgives him and Bruce goes back to doing the same old shit again, and Dick forgives him again, and rinse and repeat.

Honestly, it feels like whoever wrote those scenes took a look at that one meme of Batman slapping Robin and said "hey, they like that, let's do that!" Like, you can't go a long time without Bruce hitting Dick. Because they think fans eat that shit up ig. They are so attached to their shock value Bruce and Dick fights and their image of brooding Bruce that they won't address their fucked-up relationship and won't change the status quo. We have gotten many scenes of them being great together and having sweet moments, but those all feel tainted by the rest of it. It's as recent as the amnesia arc where Bruce re-traumatized Dick and then didn't help him when he was living in his car and then pretty much emotionally manipulated him to become Nightwing again. Recent comics really have forgotten what Batman is about.

And it sucks, because Dick is my fave of all faves, but I also love the hell out of Bruce Wayne, and it's so sad to see him be reduced to this... only brooding, borderline abusive asshole. They won't let him grow or develop. I don't mind conflict, and I like that they have a complicated relationship. I didn't even mind Bruce punching Dick, because it's interesting. Once was fine, twice was fine, the same thing happening all the time without addressing it and with no change across years is kind of a problem. I'm only keeping up with the Nightwing run out of loyalty to my boy, but from what I've heard of the events that are happening outside of that, it seems that they are having issues again, and I'm waiting for the next Batman issue that features Nightwing to also feature another punch or something. It's always Bruce being coddled by the story and never being asked to make the step forward, it's always Dick that has to give in and make Bruce feels better about his flaws and free him of any responsibility for his actions even when it's time for Bruce to step up and grow up.

It's why I prefer the animated adaptations or the retellings. I think world's finest did a good job with their relationship, I feel like Robin: Year 1 from back in the day did too, and Young Justice animated for its many flaws has a solid dynamic between them. They still have a complicated relationship, but it isn't so dramatically awful. It allows for a more balanced and well-rounded portrayal of the character when you aren't pandering to some people by flanderizing the character ig. Anyway, sorry for ranting, you're like my fave Dick Grayson blog so I just wanted to share. Hope this wasn't a bother.

No yeah I hated that aspect of Nightwing #100. If TT wanted to do a scene like that, he should’ve built up a conflict between Dick and Bruce to give us some context as to some type of thing Bruce actually needed to apologize for. Then he could’ve had Bruce apologize, Dick accept the apology, and end it with that reconciliation.

Instead, he just had Bruce apologize like, “I’m sorry I failed you, I’m sorry I pushed you away, I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I wasn’t proud of you,” which would’ve hit much harder if, again, they had shown some kind of recent conflict between Bruce and Dick to warrant that sudden apology. And for Dick to then express his own hurt and such over said conflict. And then for them to come to some reconciliation. But yeah it’s very unsatisfying for Bruce to just list things he’s sorry for, and for Dick to hug him and just reassure Bruce. Like nooo let Bruce feel bad. Let Dick feel bad because of what Bruce did to him. Let Dick be angry. Let them both hurt. Then let them heal.

As for the amnesia arc, I feel like they really did a disservice to Bruce by not focusing enough on his trauma from the sniper incident. If they really stressed how much it traumatized him and then showed how his actions were effected by that (like giving him a dire need to have Dick return to normal bc otherwise it’s like Dick just died in his arms on that rooftop) then that is much more sad and compelling, and we can at least kind of see where Bruce is coming from by showing Dick the sniper video (though it would’ve been better if they just… hadn’t done that all).

If I had been writing that issue, I would’ve had it from Bruce’s POV where he would’ve constantly been in a state of flashbacks. Like seeing his parents getting killed and then comparing it to Dick getting shot. And then having flashbacks of Dick when he was younger but then Bruce imagining that Dick keeps getting shot in the head in each of those memories. And all of that literally just like… pushing Bruce over the edge. And then of course when Dick wakes up and asks Bruce “Who are you?” Bruce spirals even further. And we see his descent to this very isolated and dark place where he just wants his son back at all costs. That would’ve been waaaaay more interesting. Extremely dark ofc. But interesting.

Yeah the comic Dick and Bruce relationship can definitely be toxic (and I’m not totally opposed to that bc I think it makes things interesting between them), and there are animated shows that show them in a more balanced light. The Batman (2004) is one of those shows as well. Dick was Robin then ofc, and Bruce wasn’t so dark at that point in life. But when you watch shows like that, it reminds you of the character Bruce is supposed to be, and it reminds you of what you like the most about him. So definitely nice to watch shows like that sometimes to remind yourself of the Bruce Wayne that exists outside of modern comics.

[jake-whatthefisgoingon-kiszka]

For my late night readers 🫶

Pairings: Sam Kiszka X Danny Wagner *slash with a capital SH

Warnings and tags: 18+ only you know me by now, friends to lovers, angst, miscommunication, kissing, drinking

Word count: 1k!

❦❧

Sam stood in the tiny coat closet, leaning against the small collection of winter jackets his family had accumulated over the years, and waited for the person he’d be paired up with to join him. It was Josh’s idea to play this game after hours of drinking and partying, though somehow Sam had ended up being the one shoved inside.

Danny followed Jake up the stairs of the Kiszka house, confused about why he was being taken away from the raging party on the first floor but going along with it nonetheless. Once they reached the top Danny saw a few people, including Josh, had gathered in the hallway and were giggling. Something was up. His cup full of whatever liquid death concoction had been poured for him was plucked out of his hand and before he knew it he was being pushed through a closet door.

“What the fuck!” Danny hollered as the door was slammed shut behind him.

“Daniel?” Sam asked, his eyes having adjusted to the dark minutes ago, but still not able to really see who it was for sure.

“Sam? Why are you in a closet? Why are we in a closet?”

“It’s a game” Sam replied, feeling around blindly for the string attached to the overhead light and tugging when his fingers caught it. He squinted his eyes when the light came on, a hazy yellow glow filling the tight space from the bulb he was sure hadn’t been changed since at least the 90s.

“Game?” Danny questioned again, his brain to muddled with alcohol to understand what it was he’d been forced into playing.

“Seven Minutes in Heaven. Or well, maybe just five now” Sam replied, crossing his arms across his chest now that the light had revealed just how close they really were both crammed in here together.

Danny took a moment to remember what that game was knowing he’d heard about it before, though he didn’t recall ever being crammed in a closet except for when he was like eight years old and playing hide and seek. “Wait, the game where you try to see how far you get with someone in seven minutes?”

“That’s the one” Sam shifted onto his other knee next, tired of standing in this awkward position but in exchange he accidentally bumped into Danny with his elbow. “Shit sorry”.

“Why did they put us in here together?” Danny thought about the mischievous look Jake had on his face when he found him in the kitchen. Now it made sense. “Like we’re best friends, do they really expect us to be making out in a closet right now?”

Sam was unphased by Danny’s declaration of their friendship status, they’d been inseparable for years now, he was Danny’s best friend and Danny was his no doubts about that. On the other hand, he was a little hurt Danny had offhandedly sounded a little disgusted with the idea of kissing him and it made Sam’s cheeks burn red.

“I mean, I’ve kissed everyone else who’s come in here with me. I think it’d be more suspicious if we didn't, right?”

How long has he been in this closet? Danny thought to himself, ignoring the fact that he was subconsciously upset that Sam was up here smacking with randoms while he was out at the party they’d invited him to. “I mean just a kiss? I’m not groping you or anything”.

“Don’t make it weird, it's just a kiss. Friends kiss each other all the time” Sam assured him, standing up straight so that they were more matched in height.

“Wait,” Danny stopped him before Sam could lean over and follow through, “turn the light back out”.

“You do it”.

Danny rolled his eyes and reached over, just barely having pulled the string when he felt Sam’s lips on his. It came as a surprise, but perhaps even more surprising was how soft they were and how perfectly they fit together. Just one kiss he reminded himself as he closed his eyes even in the pitch black and allowed himself to kiss him back.

Sam pulled away prematurely having not expected Danny to reciprocate, but before they could decide if their seven minutes were up he lurched forward again.

Instinctively Danny’s hand came up to cup Sam’s face, tilting his head so their noses weren’t smushed together. In return Sam’s hand slid up his chest and grabbed hold onto the collar of his shirt, balling the cotton up into his fist.

They lost track of how long they had been in there together, but it definitely felt longer than they were supposed to. Sam broke the kiss first again, Danny feeling him lick his lips before he backed away and let him go.

Sam wanted to say something, wanted to ask him if he’d felt the same thing he did. Sure it was supposed to be all fun and games in here, but with Danny Sam felt like it meant more than it did with anyone else. Even if they were supposed to be just friends. Before he could find the right words Danny was busting out of the closet and pushing through the crowd that had gathered at the door waiting to hear what happened.

“Dan! Wait!” Sam called out after him as he scrambled out of the closet as well, but Danny had already taken off down the stairs.

“What’s the matter Sammy?” Josh asked with a teasing tone, “cats got his tongue?”

“Shut the fuck up Josh” Sam hissed at him, realizing now that it was the twins’ idea to get them in there together. Always meddling in his business.

Sam left them upstairs to keep playing their dumb game and went to look for Danny, but after combing through every room of the house he’d come up empty handed.

Fuck, what did I do? he cursed at himself in his head, worried out of his mind that Danny hated him now. How many years of friendship did they have? And in just seven minutes Sam was afraid it was all over.

…TBC

[A/N: I wanted to do a quick read miniseries with lots of unnecessary angst so here we are! Enjoy!]

[parkerslatte]

Songbird || EIGHTEEN

Eddie Roundtree x Fem!Reader

Warnings: drug overdose mention

Word Count: 3.2k

Part Summary: Y/N reflects on her place in the band and expressed this to Eddie.

previous chapter / next chapter

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•••

TRACK EIGHTEEN;

I DON’T KNOW WHERE I BELONG

***

The next morning when Y/N woke, it wasn’t to anything good, like birds chirping or Eddie pressing kisses to her cheek until she woke. She woke to the sounds of fighting and shouting in the hall. Eddie was already awake and half dressed when the shouting started. 

“What’s going on?” Y/N asked as she got out of bed. 

“I don’t know.” Eddie replied while the two walked over to the door. As soon as it was opened, the shouting was heard as clear as day.

“I said pack your shit up and get out of here!” Daisy yelled, throwing Nicky’s bag at him.

Eddie stepped further out into the hallway, as did Warren and Graham, watching the argument from afar. 

“No.” Nicky responded. 

Daisy turned and picked up a statue, held it over her hear before throwing it full force to the left of Nicky before proceeding to push him away. As Daisy pushed him, Nicky gripped onto her arms, pushing her back before raising his fist in the air. 

“Whoa, whoa.” Warren says as he, Eddie and Graham all rush forward, standing in between Daisy and Nicky.

“You heard the lady,” Warren says, “You heard her.”

“You’re making a huge fucking mistake.” Nicky says before picking up his bag from the floor, “You’ll regret this.”

As Nicky walked away, Eddie places his hand on Daisy’s shoulder though she pushed him away, she pushed all the guys away. Y/N quickly rushed form her place in the doorway and over to Daisy. As soon as Daisy saw her face, she broke down, clutching onto Y/N tightly. Karen rushed over only seconds after, holding onto Daisy as she sobbed into Y/N’s shoulder. 

… 

DAISY JONES: You start doing drugs to escape and to dull your emotions, but drugs don’t dull your emotions, they heighten them. So coming down is a lot like rediscovering your sanity. And when you rediscover your sanity, it’s only a matter of time before you remember what it was you needed to escape from in the first place.

KAREN SIRKO: Even in shambles, Daisy was a powerhouse, but this was just…sad.

…

Y/N sat in her bunk as everyone partied on the bus, she would join but she didn’t feel up to it. Everything that had happened to Daisy had affected her as well. Seeing what Daisy was like was like watching someone do a complete turn around. Daisy wasn’t as energetic on stage, she stood like a statue in front of the microphone, not moving, not even interacting with Billy or the rest of the band. 

It worried Y/N. She tried to be there for Daisy as much as she could after her overdose but she didn’t quite understand what she was going through, no one did. No one but Billy Dunne. 

“Hey.” Eddie says, sliding into the bunk.

“Hey.” Y/N says, smiling. Despite how she was feeling, seeing Eddie never failed to put a smile on her face. 

“What you doing here on your own, come out and have some fun.” Eddie says. 

Y/N shook her head, “I don’t feel like it tonight.”

Eddie nodded before he left and left Y/N alone. She curled up into a smaller ball, resting her head on her knees. However Eddie returned with two beers in his hand, he offered one to Y/N.

“I said I didn’t want to party Eddie.” Y/N says.

“I know,” Eddie says, climbing into the bunk with her and sliding the curtain over, “That’s why these are just for us and we are going to stay here.”

“You don’t need to leave for me Eddie,” Y/N says, “Go and have fun.”

“Nah, I wasn’t having much fun anyways,” Eddie says, sitting down in between Y/N’s legs, resting his back against her chest, “And I’d rather spend time with you.”

Y/N smiled and wrapped an arm around his chest and pressed a kiss to his head. 

“Now, what’s getting you down?” Eddie questions.

“I’m not really sure,” Y/N says, “I guess it’s a bunch of different things.”

“Like what?”

Y/N sighed, “Well everything with Daisy for starters. She nearly died Eddie,” Y/N took a deep breath and Eddie gently took a hold of her hand, “It just made me think about how easy it is too…” Y/N cut herself off as she wiped away a tear, “We take so many drugs basically every night and what if one day we accidentally take too much and then…”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Eddie says softly, pressing a kiss to the palm of her hand, “Don’t think about that alright? Don’t you dare think about that.”

“I know,” Y/N says, gripping onto Eddie tighter, “But the thought of losing you, hurts me to even think about.”

“Then don’t think about it,” Eddie says softly, “I’m here and you’re never going to get rid of me.”

Y/N smiled, “Good, because I never want you to leave.” Eddie tilted his head back to look at Y/N and she pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“Now there’s something else bothering you, I can tell because you’re still frowning.” Eddie comments. 

“I hate that you can tell.” Y/N says.

“I don’t, because then I can always make sure you’re okay.” Eddie said, brushing his thumb across her wrist. 

Y/N sighed. The thing that was bothering her wasn’t something she wanted to share with anyone, with fear from how they would react. 

“You can tell me, whatever it is.” Eddie says.

“I don’t want to be apart of the band anymore,” Y/N says and saying it felt like a relief, “After the tour, I want to leave.”

“Okay.” Eddie says.

“Okay?” Y/N questioned, “That’s all you have to say?”

Eddie sighed, “You never wanted to be apart of the band in the first place, Y/N, every time we would even mention you joining it you would strongly state your opinion that you didn’t want to be in a band. I don’t know why you joined in the first place.”

“I joined because Teddy tole me that the label wasn’t going ahead with my album.” Y/N explains. “They didn’t want to waste their money on a solo artist when they could invest more money into the band. That day Billy gave me an ultimatum, join the band as the rhythm guitarist or the label was going to drop me entirely, though he wasn’t very kind about it, called me an ungrateful bitch and said that I wouldn’t have my career without him, said  wasn’t good enough.”

“He fucking did what?” Eddie says, sitting up, “I’m gonna kill him.”

“Eddie, no,” Y/N says softly, pulling him back down to her chest, “It was months and months ago, it doesn’t matter now.”

“Yes it fucking does Y/N,” Eddie says, “He can’t say that shit to you and get away with it.”

“Well what could I have done, Eddie,” Y/N says, running her fingers through his hair to calm herself down. 

“Not taken what he said to you, he can’t go around saying that shit to you,” Eddie says angrily. 

“Trust me I didn’t take it Eddie, I was ready to walk away. But then I thought about how hard I tried and I was getting no where, then Billy comes along and passes a tape of me singing to Teddy for me to even get noticed,” Y/N says, “In that moment I thought that maybe he was right, I wasn’t good enough.”

“You are good enough,” Eddie says, “Y/N you are the most talented person I know. You’re better than Billy, you’re better than Daisy, you’re better than anyone and everyone.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my boyfriend and you have to.” Y/N dismissed. 

Eddie sat up and turned around to face Y/N, “No I’m not, I really mean it Y/N. And before you joined this band, you would have through it too. You might be having fun but it’s slowly taking away your confidence that I know and love so much.”

Y/N looked down, but Eddie took a hold of her chin and tilted her head up, “I don’t blame you for wanting to leave. I’m thinking about it too.”

“Eddie, this isn’t because of me right, because if it is I can’t forgive myself for that.” Y/N says, taking a hold of his hand. 

Eddie shook his head, “No it’s not because of you. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’ve done everything Billy ever wanted me to do, hell, I even switched over to bass for him. But everything I did was never good enough, he always calls the shots. I thought that maybe when he said he didn’t want to be a part of the band, I would get a chance to prove myself. I’m sick of being in the background.”

Y/N slowly moved so she straddled Eddie’s waist before hugging him tight. 

“You’re too talented to be in the background.” Y/N mumbled into his shoulder.

“So are you.” Eddie responded. 

Y/N pulled away from the hug and pressed her lips to Eddie’s. The feeling of his lips was something Y/N would never get used to. They made her feel like a teenage girl every time they kissed, she felt giddy inside. 

Pulling away, Y/N lied down, pulling Eddie with her. His head buried in the crook of her neck, pressing gentle kisses in the area he had access to. 

“You want to know something, Eddie?” Y/N says.

“Hmm?”

“I am extremely lucky to have you.” Y/N says. 

Eddie pulls back, lifting his head so he could look Y/N in the eyes, “It’s the other way around, I’m extremely lucky to have you.”

Y/N smiled before she connected their lips, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Eddie says, “And I’m never going to stop saying it.”

…

INTERVIEWER: How did it feel to be sober on tour?

DAISY JONES: Sober isn’t the right word for it, no. What I did was, I started making rules for myself. No dexies in the morning. A bump of coke but onyl before shows. A quaalude at night to bring me down. It was the best I could do under the circumstances. 

…

The band finished playing ‘Kill You To Try’ and Daisy stood in front of the microphone looking exhausted. 

“You need a rest,” Y/N overheard Billy say to Daisy, “Take it.”

Daisy didn’t respond, she only stepped back up to the microphone, “I almost died the other night.”

The band stood still, not knowing how to react.

“I was this close,” Daisy paused as fans continued to shout, not comprehending what she was saying, “But I’m alive tonight! And you’re alive tonight. So let’s just stay alive a little bit longer.”

Y/N smiled as Warren hit the drums and the band continued into the next song.

***

Y/N was elated when she walked off the stage, everything felt okay, everything felt good. It almost made her rethink her choices to leave the band but she knew that she needed to follow her heart. 

“What you thinking about?” Warren asked, catching up to her.

“Just about how well the show went.” Y/N said with a smile.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Warren exclaimed.

…

EDDIE ROUNDTREE: Spring ‘77. This was our moment.

GRAHAM DUNNE: It’s when you least want things to change, that they always do.

…

Y/N stood with Graham and Karen as Eddie continued to step forward, an indescribable expression on his face. 

“It’s over.” Eddie says, defeated, “Why would anybody care about us when stuff like this exists? We’re done, man. We’re dinosaurs.”

“What are you talking about?” Karen says, taking a drink out of Warren’s hand, “Don’t worry so much.”

“What is this shit?” Warren questioned.

“The future.” Eddie says, stepping forward. 

Y/N rolled her eyes and followed him as he stepped closer to the stage, “Eddie you do realise that different genres of music exist right?”

“I know, but this is just…different.” Eddie says as he caught the attention of the lead singer, “Oh, hey man. I’m in a band too, uh, The Six. I mean, you probably don’t listen to the radio.”

“I’ve heard of you,” The lead singer says, “My little sister plays your record all the time.”

As the lead singer walked away, Y/N shook her head, taking Eddie’s hand in hers, he turned to her to give her a small smile. 

“You still thinking about it?” Y/N questions, “Leaving the band?”

Eddie sighs, “I just don’t see how we ca keep up with this.”

Y/N places a kiss to his cheek, “Let’s not worry about that tonight,” She grips his hand and drags him away from the stage, “Dance with me, here is the one place where people don’t know who we are. We can just have fun.”

Eddie finally smiles and holds Y/N’s waist. The two only swayed back and forth but it was enough for Y/N. 

…

WARREN ROJAS: We had the biggest album in the country. We were nominated for a whole bunch of fucking Grammys. We were on Saturday Night Live. I mean…

EDDIE ROUNDTREE: It’s called a ‘moment’ for a reason, though, right?

…

The crowd cheered as the band stepped off the bus in New York. Y/N was overwhelmed, the crowds had always been big whenever they get off the bus, but they were never this big. Y/N stepped over to the crowd with a wide smile on her face. She began signing posters and records for people in the crowd. Y/N couldn’t believe this was her life. 

“Y/N! Y/N!” A man shouted in the crowd, “Is it true?”

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“Is it true you screwed someone to get in the band?” 

Y/N couldn’t tell where the question came from but she frowned. These questions were always asked but she still hated it when they were. 

“She didn’t fucking screw anyone, prick.” Eddie says, as he stops signing things and looks at the man who asked the question. 

The man asking the question shrunk back in the crowd after being confronted, obviously not expecting it. 

Y/N turned and gave Eddie a small smile and he returned it before she continued to sign things for the girls in the front row. 

“Are you two together?” A young girl asked, her eyes wide and full of wonder.

Y/N winked after she signed her record, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

After signing a couple more posters, Y/N waved to everyone before entering the building, Eddie following not too far behind her. 

“You didn’t need to do that, you know.” Y/N says.

“I couldn’t help it, anyone saying shit like that to you is just uncalled for.” Eddie says. 

Y/N smiled, and leaned up to press a brief kiss to his cheek, “Well I appreciate it regardless.”

***

“And we’re live in six…five…four…”

“Ladies and gentlemen, my new favourite band, Daisy Jones and The Six.” Actress, Lisa Crowne introduced.

Y/N couldn’t believe it. She was performing on Saturday Night Live. Since joining the band, Y/N’s life had gotten infinitely better, she had the fame, the money, people knew who she was. It was everything Y/N always dreamed of. On top of that she had amazing friends and someone who she loved more than anything else in the world. Despite all of this though, Y/N still wasn’t satisfied. 

Y/N’s decision to leave the band after the tour was one she made easily, she didn’t want to be in the background forever. Even though she had a song on the album, she knew that she would have to fight Billy on everything if she ever wanted to contribute to the song writing or changing a few lyrics. And Y/N didn’t want that, she wanted to say what she wanted to say. She wanted to create her own music with her own meaning. She wanted to have her own name and not to be linked with the band every time her name was mentioned in conversation. 

There are times when Y/N wonders what her parents would think. She was successful so she had that to prove to them, but she wasn’t successful in the way she wanted to be. Just as she had the opportunity it was snatched away from her as quickly has she had gotten it. 

Y/N hadn’t had contact with her parents since before the release of her single, nearly three years ago. They hadn’t even called to give a congratulations. They hadn’t even sent a letter. 

One thing Y/N didn’t want to do was contact the one person who always believed in her. Her old singing teacher, Alice Reyne. Y/N didn’t want to contact her because she wasn’t successful in the way she wanted to be. She wanted Alice Reyne to be able to turn on the radio and her her voice, she wanted her to come to a concert and see her standing centre stage, singing a sing she wrote. 

Y/N didn’t feel accomplished where she was in her career and the only things he could do to fix that is to leave. 

***

Y/N stood on her own by the drinks table, getting three more drinks for herself, Eddie and Graham. 

“You’re Y/N right?” A voice to her left said. 

Y/N turned to see Lisa Crowne standing there. Y/N smiled, “And you’re Lisa Crowne. I’ve seen a few of your movies, you’re great by the way.”

Lisa smiled, “So are you, I was a fan of your song Nightmare.”

Y/N was taken back a little, “Wow, thank you so much.”

“No problem,” Lisa says, “But there’s something I want to ask you…”

Y/N turned away from the table with the three drinks in her hands as she walked back to the group and handed them out. Warren’s gaze however, continuously drifted to the drinks table where Y/N just stood. 

“Warren you’re staging at her.” Y/N comments.

“I’m not.” Warren denies, tearing his gaze away for a brief moment before looking again.

“You are,” Y/N chuckles, “Go and talk to her.”

Warren looks back at Y/N and shook his head, “I can’t do that.”

“You can,” Y/N says, “You’ve never been this way about a girl before.”

“But this is different.” Warren says.

“How?” Y/N questioned, “Go and talk to her. The worst thing she can say is no,” Y/N lowered her voice, “And I don’t think she will.”

“What was that?” Warren asked.

“Go!” Y/N exclaimed, giving him a small nudge in the direction of the actress.

Y/N smiled as he walked up to her, taking a sip of her drink.

“You should stop meddling in people’s love lives.” Eddie jokes.

“Why it’s fun,” Y/N says, “And it’s Lisa fucking Crowne, if I weren’t with you, I’d want to be with her.”

“I’m not sure how to feel about that.” Eddie says.

“Oh shush,” Y/N says, wrapping an arm around his torso, “I’m with you now aren’t I.”

Eddie smiled, “Yes you are.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead before screams were heard from another room.

“We need a medic!” A woman yelled. 

Everyone rushed into the next room in time wit see Teddy Price being wheeled away on a gurney.

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[dearestvante]

stuck with you; kth. | 01.

pairing: taehyung x fem!reader , namjoon x fem!reader genre: non-idol au, exes to lovers (?), roomates au, angst, fluff (??idk), miniseries warnings: short chapters, lowercase writing, swearing, kinda toxic relationship, unrequited love, fear of commitment, use of petnames (baby & honey), tae is a menace and an asshole but that’s cause he loves you and you’re with someone else right in front of him wc: 1k

masterlist.

__________________________________________

your soft giggles fill the room as your boyfriend kisses you all over the face then moves down to your neck, even though he knows how ticklish you are.

“joon, stop, i might hurt you!” you say as your head falls back, against the armrest of the couch, still giggling.

“you could never hurt me, baby” your boyfriend replies, kissing you so gently, sometimes you wonder if he even wants to. you were not used to this softness, kisses with your ex were always so passionate, breathless, even.

nice, here we go again. you’re making out with your boyfriend yet still, you’re thinking about your ex. and his kisses. and the way his long, delicate fingers roamed your body every time he pressed his soft, pink lips on yours.

suddenly the lock on the front door turns and, speak of the devil, the person from your thoughts appears behind it. the scene doesn’t faze either of you, considering you still live together.

you push namjoon away, and sit up on the couch, smoothing out your clothes. your boyfriend does the same, though also throws his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to his chest.

“don’t stop for my benefit” taehyung says as he walks through the living room, towards his room, a cocky smile spreading across his face. he always does that. no “sorry for interrupting” or anything, just a childish joke or an insensitive comment, and every time, you wish you would’ve just kicked him out the day you two broke up, instead of letting him stay until he finds a new place. but something inside of you didn’t let you do that.

“why is he still here?” joon asks you, with one eyebrow raised, his jaw tensed. he’s angry, and you can’t exactly blame him.

“cause apartments are not cheap” taehyung answers instead of you, ignoring the fact that he’s not really part of the conversation. “but i don’t expect you to know that, having mommy and daddy resolve everything for you”

namjoon is seconds away from breaking your ex boyfriend’s perfectly sculpted face, you can already see him clenching his fist. yes, he was wealthy - well, his parents were - but he never bragged about it, nor he took everything he got for granted. you knew about his status, because he was your boyfriend, but how did taehyung find out about it was a mystery.

you take namjoon’s hands, rubbing them with your thumbs, comfortingly.

“don’t listen to him, baby” you say, making taehyung scoff and retreat to his room. “he wants to see you pissed off, don’t give him that”

“next time, you’re coming over. i can’t deal with this shit anymore”

“i will. and i’m sorry” you say, lowering your gaze, but he lifts your chin up.

“it’s not your fault that he’s a dick” he claims, and leans closer to kiss you once again. and you’re waiting for those butterflies to finally wake up and cause that sweet feeling in your stomach, but they never show.

taehyung was standing in the kitchen, ready to enjoy his bowl of jjajjangmyeon, when your bedroom door opened, revealing you and your boyfriend, hand in hand, smiling at each other. safe to say, he lost his appetite very quickly. to clear any misunderstandings, you weren’t the problem. your angelic smile that turned his whole world upside down wasn’t it either. the buff, six-feet-tall man on your right, and the fact that he was the cause of your joy, that was the problem. he hated namjoon with every little cell in his body. not because he was such a bad person - he was quite the opposite, actually, which made taehyung hate him even more - but because he had you. he could hold your hand, kiss you, touch you. all the things taehyung couldn’t do anymore. but who’s fault was that, actually?

he turned his back to the two of you, but still kept watching, from the corner of his eye. namjoon talked about something as you walked through the living room, you watching him so attentively, even if it was something you didn’t really understand or cared too much about. the same way you used to look at him, every time he tried to explain to you one of his new projects. eyes glued on him, nodding continuously, always asking questions or sharing your own ideas to show that you care. cause you did, you always cared about him. the memory makes him smile faintly.

“don’t tell me your little prince has a curfew, it’s not even ten pm” he says after you close the door behind namjoon. “damn, maybe living in a luxury apartment for free isn’t all that”

“he doesn’t” you reply, as you walk into the kitchen area, with your arms folded, brows furrowed.

“want some?” taehyung asks, pushing his bowl of ramyeon towards you.

“taehyung, i don’t understand you. you broke up with me, now one minute you act like we’re friends and then in the next, you treat me like i don’t even exist. not to mention your attitude towards my boyfriend…”

taehyung’s jaw tenses cause of that last word, the one he wishes you would never use for anyone else. he doesn’t say anything, mind too blurred to formulate a coherent thought, so he just storms into his room. on his way he can hear your last words and your sigh.

“my point, exactly.”

he’s leaning against the door, aggressively wiping away the stray tears, born from frustration and anger. he’s not angry at you, he could never be. he’s angry at himself, for being a coward, an idiot, for letting you go so easily. he fucked up, badly. you probably hate him by now, and you have every reason to. you should hate him, he thinks, for treating you like this. but at the same time, he can’t help but selfishly hope that someday, somehow you might take him back. he knows he has to fix this, he wants to fix this, but he doesn’t have the courage to do what it takes.

he sits there for a while, like the sad, little boy who’s afraid of his own feelings.

__________________________________________

a/n. hey lovelies! i'm back, with a new fic and im planning on making this one mature, something i've never done before, so bear with me pls and minors stay away!!! anywayss i hope you will enjoy it as much as i did writing it hehe. take care ❤️‍🩹

[trippinsorrows]

with me + part twelve

authors note: you guys are seriously the nicest and most supportive. the comments always make me stupidly smile and laugh cause not a single one of ya'll is gonna let bdj die off. 😭 also, i know a couple of people have commented and asked about the backstory with joe and jadah, and i promise it'll be explored deeper. there's a subplot i'm working towards unveiling here, and it's nearing the reveal part, but we're not there yet! i promise, though, it's gonna be touched on!!!

i also had to chop this chapter in half, because it's honestly so much stuff, so the next update shouldn't take as long cause it's almost done.

the next two are gonna be so fun. maybe some shit will go down too. we shall see.

status: in progress // masterlist

warnings: fluff, language, some angst, suggestive themes

song inspo: with me by destiny’s child

words: 8k

taglist: @pixiedust4000 @yolobloggers @southerngirl41 @msbigredmachine @wanderingreigns

“So let me get this straight, in the time that I’ve been gone, you and Joe told Callie he’s her dad, you found out Amir and Mariah been fucking behind your back, and you had a semi mental breakdown after running into your father and, plot twist, long lost sister.” She counts each off with a finger, then asking. “Did I miss anything?”

Nodding, you take a scoop of your ice cream before adding, “Joe told me he loves me.”

In true Alexis fashion, she randomly arrived in town the night before, completely unaware of all that transpired in her absence. So, you take this time while Callie sleeps to catch her up. 

“Did I miss anything that I didn’t already know?” You give her a look, and she rolls her eyes, also eating some of her Rocky Road. “Come on, Y/N. Ray Charles could see that man is in love with you. You’re the one being stupid by not reciprocating.” Before you can push back against her, even if she isn’t entirely wrong, she switches topics. “Now when are we gonna go beat Lieriah’s ass? I told you it was something about that girl. She’s a snake.”

Typically the one to defend your friends, it’s hard to find it in you to come to Mariah’s aid. Nevermind the fact that she knows the shitty things Amir has done to you over the years, it’s the fact that she’s supposed to be your best friend but is messing around with same ain't shit ex? You would never do something like that to her, but maybe your loyalty to her has always been stronger than hers to you.

“I’m not worried about him or her. They’re not worth it.” That’s partially true, but the sting of betrayal is slow to pass and even slower to heal. You’ve always had mid to low expectations for Amir, but Mariah? That’s a crushing blow. “I have more important things to figure out.”

She studies you, leaning back against the headboard. “Your sister.”

“Bianca,” you correct. It’s too uncomfortable referring to her as such, even if that’s exactly what she is. 

In the weeks since the big fireworks show—both metaphorically and figuratively—you’ve tried to slowly return to your sense of normalcy. Focusing on Callie—who is an entirely different issue in and of itself that you really need to talk to your mom about—being more on top of things at work, and navigating your relationship with Joe.

He hasn’t been back to visit since Christmas, but you figured as such. Wrestlemania season has arrived, and you know better than anyone how crazy that time is, especially with him main eventing. 

But the one thing you haven’t really allowed yourself to think too much about is Bianca. You’d sent her a vague apology text a few days after your mad dash and explained that you were dealing with some things and just needed time to sort through them. That you’d reach back out when you were ready.

That still hasn’t happened, and it’s entirely intentional. 

“I remember you mentioned that you always wanted siblings?”

“Yeah, cause we have so much to bond over,” you mutter, bitterly.

“Well, you actually do have a lot in common. She’s a teacher, like you. She has a daughter, like you—” 

“You know what we don’t have in common?” You interrupt, feeling the agitation growing again. It’s not directed toward Alexis, just the situation in general. “A father who loves us.”

You were done referring to that man as your father. A father shows up. Like Joe. That son of a bitch isn’t even in the same universe as Joe. 

Her expression softens. You didn’t tell her everything, just enough for her to get the gist that he’s a piece of shit. And you definitely did not tell her about the time you went to see him. You’ve never told anyone that story. Joe is now the only one who knows, and you’d like to keep it that way. It’s just….it’s just too painful. “I had no idea that was the situation there…..I’m really sorry, girl.”

“It is what it is. I don’t need him.” And you’re not too sure if you need Bianca either. “I’m just trying to figure out if I should power through this for Callie’s sake. You should have seen how she and Taylor clicked. I would hate to take that away from her.”

“I get that,” she acknowledges. “You have to make the decision that’s best for the long run, not necessarily how you’re feeling right now.” That’s very easy to say and nearly impossible to do. “Even if you just allow the girls to interact while you keep some distance with Bianca.”

You’re partially intrigued, spooning some more cookie dough. “How would that work?”

“They don’t live here, right?” You nod. “Maybe the girls can talk on Facetime or even play some game on their tablets. That won’t cause you to interact much with mom outside of coordinating virtual playdates, and Callie still gets to spend time with her cousin, or, not cousin."

You sit on her words, not expecting to be as open to the idea as you are. It’s a pretty genius compromise. “You really do give some great advice sometimes, you know that?”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she smiles mischievously, and you just shake your head. “Now, who’s gonna knock this bitch Mariah over the head with a steel chair? Me or you? Or should we hit her with a bus, Regina George style?”

“Alexis!”

________

You clearly don’t love yourself because you decided to do both yours and Callie’s washday on the same damn day. A Sunday, at that. Meaning, you have no choice but to get it done because you have work the next day.

And Alexis being in town would be even more of a benefit than it already is if she actually knew how to do hair. Natural hair. She can lay any wig down better than Tae, but caring for coils and curls is another story. It’s why you declined her offer, and she lays knocked out in your bed, while Callie is fast asleep in hers. 

Thankfully, you have an insanely generous and sweet man who’s offered to talk to you while you power through this debacle, noodle arms, sleep deprivation, and all.

“Oh, before I forget again.” You grab the bottle of leave-in to apply more to the next section of hair. Shingling may give you the most definition, but it also gives you the most discomfort. “Can you be here May 8th?” A smile falls on your face. “Our baby is graduating preschool, and I know she’d want you there. I do too.”

“Shit, they have preschool graduations?” He seems genuinely taken back before answering. “But, of course I’ll be there.”

“I know. I used to think they were stupid, but now it’s my kid, so it’s the best thing ever. Her cap and gown should come some time in March, so I’m gonna have one of my old teammates who’s a photographer take professional photos of her.” It’s literally just preschool, but that’s still something she’s accomplished, and you want to commend the occasion the best you can. It’s been years since you’ve had professional photos of her taken anyway. Not since she was first born. “And yes, I’ll get extra for you.”

“How much—”

“Anyways, let me show you the tattoo.” Joe has already done so much, the least you can do is cover the photo costs. Even though you know him well enough to know he’ll find some way to contribute. Thankfully, the side of your hair that still needs to be shingled is clipped at the top of your head, so all you have to do is turn around and push down the thin strap of your shirt to reveal your latest ink. “He did an amazing job.”

“Shit, he did.” Joe’s agreement and approval somehow makes you even more satisfied with the outcome. Your Christmas gift to yourself was finally getting that Moana tattoo Callie has wanted to see on you since you told her you were getting one damn near a year ago. It’s on the back of your left shoulder, a black manta ray, some blue ocean-like coloring with one of your favorite lyrics from the movie: I will carry you here in my heart. You remind me, that come what may, I know the way. 

It’s one of Callie’s favorite songs but also feels like an ode to your grandma as well. 

He then asks, “do you want more?”

Readjusting your shirt and turning back around, you answer, “of course. More Disney but also….” This discussion triggers something for you, something that seems a little out there, but also maybe not. “I saw this tattoo on Pinterest that I want to get for Callie.” You grab your phone. “Let me send it to you.” It’s saved in your favorites folder and thus an easy send. Placing the phone back on the counter, you wait for him to receive and see it.

“I like it.” It’s a baby’s footprint with the name written in cursive and date of birth in print right underneath it. You’ve always wanted Callie’s name on you but couldn’t settle on a design until you came across that one. Something about it just resonates with you. 

Licking your lips, you suggest, “why don’t you get it with me?” Couples getting matching tattoos isn’t something you’re entirely against, you just don’t agree with it for people who are only dating and not married, if marriage is the goal. You remember when Amir once suggested you do so, and you literally laughed in his face. You’d soon rather get branded with a tramp stamp than have that man’s name permanently burned into your skin.

But, matching tattoos for the child you created together with the man you love. That is something you could get behind. 

And apparently so can he.

“Let’s do it.”

“Really?” You’re not sure why, but the ease of his agreement shocks you. It’s not too far-fetched when you think about it. He loves his daughter, and you’ve always known Joe to only get tattoos that have meaning. He could give you a detailed explanation for every piece of ink on his body. 

“Yeah.” There’s almost a sense of excitement in his voice, like he’s eager to have her name on him, to share this with you. “Same location?” At that, you make a face. He laughs. “Inner bicep does hurt, I’m not even gon’ lie to you.”

Yeah, you’ve definitely heard as such, and considering his entire right side is tatted, he’d know. “I don’t know. I have to think about it. I might need to squeeze your hand the whole time, or I’ll end up punching the tattooist.”

He laughs, “you can squeeze my hand.” Joe then asks, “when do you want to get em’ done?” You start to think about it logistically, as well as financially. Tattoos aren’t cheap. “Do you want to go to the Super Bowl?”

His question surprises you because it’s such a change in topics but also….what? “Yup. And Hawaii and Puerto Rico. And then maybe if we have time, stop by Alice in Wonderland.”

He’s too good at matching your sass, retorting, “I can make the first two happen easily. The last one may be a stretch.” Rolling your eyes, you grab for the gel. “I’m serious though. My tattoo artist is based out of Vegas. The game is in Vegas this year. It’ll let me see Callie too, cause I’m having a hard time finding a gap to visit.” As he continues to speak without laughing or chuckling, you realize he’s dead serious. “I’ve been meaning to ask you to go anyway but kept forgetting.”

You need extra clarification. “Like this year's Usher concert where there’s apparently a game too?”

He rolls his eyes, providing the guest list. “It’s me and the twins, their family, some other fam…..we have a whole section, cause you know it's a bunch of us.” It’s still hard to sit on the fact that this man really just invited you to the fucking Super Bowl like it’s dinner at Golden Coral. His eyes soften. “I wanna see her. I wanna see you.”

Joe’s closing statement, so true and vulnerable, is what breaks you from your temporary state of shock. You get the sense he misses ya’ll just as much as you miss him. “Of course, we’ll go. I’m sorry, I just—I wasn’t expecting that.” And it’s true, you weren’t. “How will we get fl—”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of everything. I just need you to show up at the airport.”

That seems to be such a recurring theme with this man. He does everything he can to make things as easy for you as possible. It’s tremendously appreciated and doesn’t go without notice. 

“This is the first time she’ll be meeting the twins,” you realize aloud. Hell, his family at all. 

Joe nods, chuckling. “Yeah, they’ve been on my ass about that anyway. They want to meet her.”

Pinning down the section you just finished, you take down the next. A little over halfway done now. “Whoever you want her to meet is fine with me, Joe. I don’t even really have a say in that. She has every right to meet your family just as much as she’s had to meet mine.”

And it’s true. Unless it could present some harm to Callie, you don’t really feel like you have the right to object to things like that. You have zero desire to interfere with Joe and Callie anymore than you already have. 

“I know. I just wanted to tell her the truth before introducing her to anyone else. Less lies.” Makes sense. Thinking about Callie meeting more family brings a small smile to your face. It’s what she deserves. Family members who actually want to be in her life.

The conversation brings something else to the forefront of your mind, partially due to Joe’s confession to you on Christmas but also a question you’ve wanted to ask him for much longer than you’d like to admit. 

“So….” This shouldn’t be as nerve wracking as it is. “There’s something I want to ask you, but I don’t…..I don’t want to overstep.” If he were to tell you that he’d rather you not, that’d be fine with you, one less stressful thing on your plate. But, of course, he’s silent, meaning he’s not going to object. So….you decide to bite the bullet and go for it. “What happened between you and your wife?”

You’re certain he wasn’t expecting that to be what you asked, but to your surprise, he answers. “We were young and got married for the wrong reason. I was 22. She was 21.”

Unsure but taking a big risk regardless, you ask in a small voice. “What was the reason?”

His answer isn’t what you’re expecting either. “She was pregnant.”

It takes a second for you to process what he’s saying. Your stomach is suddenly in knots, chest feeling tight. There’s no way he’s kept something like that from you. No way in hell. “Wait, does Callie have—”

“No.”

And just like that, you know. He doesn’t need to explain. It’s painfully obvious, especially as he looks away from the camera. You have a feeling you've unlocked a painful memory he’d most likely kept tucked away. 

“I’m sorry.” It feels so stupid and unhelpful to say. What does that do for him? It doesn’t take away that experience, that loss that you can’t even begin to imagine. But, it’s all you can offer. “Just—forget I asked, let’s change the subject.” Do you have more questions? Of course. Like, why was there such a gap between their loss and the divorce? But, this is understandably a difficult and sensitive subject, and the last thing you want to do is trigger him more than you already have.

You know better than anyone how awful that can be. 

He agrees with the subject change, going along with the transition of topics, clearly grateful for your understanding. But, in the back of your mind, you can’t help but think about the fact that this man lost his firs child before he could even meet the them, and the child he had who did survive was kept a secret from him for nearly five years.

There’s a sudden sickness and disgust you feel. And it’s not towards anyone but yourself. 

Joe had every goddamn right to be furious with you about your subterfuge.

He still does. ________

“Mama, something is up with Callie.”

You’re thankful Alexis agreed to keep Callie preoccupied in the living room while you have this conversation with your mom, because Callie had another incident just this morning, slamming her door when you told her she needed to pick up her toys.

She’s never done that.

But she has done other things in the past two weeks or so, rolling her eyes or pouting her mouth at you when you say something she doesn’t want to hear, beyond typical tantrums. 

Your mom stops her stirring at the pot to turn around and look at you. “What do you mean? Is she sick?”

“No,” you answer and then realize you’re not entirely sure how to explain it. She’s not being bad, per se. Just….difficult. “She’s just been…..off.”

Genuinely intrigued, and partially concerned, you watch your mom turn the fire on low as she joins you at the kitchen table. “Tell me.”

Shaking your head, you explain. “I thought it was just me, that I was just being overprotective and hyper-vigilant, but when I picked her up from preschool yesterday, her teacher pulled me to the side and asked me if she’s been having sleep problems. I told her no and asked why, and she told me Callie has been irritable. With staff and other kids.”

“Callie?” Your mom seems just as taken back as you were hearing these words. “That doesn’t even sound like her.”

“I know, and that’s what I said at first, but then I thought about it, and she’s been crabby with me too. It’s not horrible, but it’s unlike her.”

A small part of you wonders if it has something to do with you running off on her on Christmas. It would make sense. She was doing absolutely fine before then, but it’s the timing that throws that theory off. You’ve noticed this change only in the past two weeks, well after Christmas day passed, so why the delay?

“What does Joe think it is?”

“I haven’t told him.” It’s not that you don’t want to. You’d just like to have a better grasp of what it is before doing so. Have more actual information to provide him.

“He hasn’t seen the behavior for himself?”

You shake your head. “She’s fine with him. Matter of fact, after his calls, she’s like a completely different child.” It’s watching your mom’s face settle into a look of realization that makes you ask, “what? What is it?”

“Honey” she starts with a soft chuckle. “She’s missing her daddy.”

Her answer catches you by surprise, painting your face with confusion. You’ve had a lot of theories, but that definitely wasn’t one of them. “What?”

Reaching across the table, she places her hand over yours. “Think about it. How would she react if you were gone as much as he is? She’d be a mess, cause you’re her mama, and she has a strong attachment to you. Look how easily she attached and connected with Joe. It’s always been there. Except she knows the truth now, so her attachment is even stronger.” You heed to her explanation, wise and sensible. You hadn’t even thought of it that way. “And isn’t this the longest he’s been gone without her seeing him? She’s acting out because she misses him and probably doesn’t know how to verbalize it, so it shows in her behavior.”

As relieved as you are to have an explanation that makes sense, it’s an explanation that makes you incredibly sad for your sweet child. You know how hard it is for Joe to get away right now, you understand it. It never crossed you that she wouldn’t. 

Devastated, you ask, “what do I do?”

“Talk to her. Try to help her understand. It may not make a huge difference, but it’s something.”

You nod, so so grateful for her, for all that she does for you, for Callie. For all that she’s done. Reaching across the table, you hug her tightly. “thank you, mama.” As much as it devastated you to not have that man in your life, your mom made sure to go above and beyond to make sure you knew you were loved. She played both roles beautifully, and you’re not sure you’ll ever be able to make her understand what that meant to you. 

You still haven’t really sat her down and explained everything that happened Christmas night, nor has she asked, but you know it’s because she’s trying to respect your space. It’s appreciated, but you also know you’re gonna have to eventually tell her.

Just not now.

Right now, you’ve gotta take care of your baby.

________

Even the energy in Callie’s playroom feels off.

You’re so used to walking in and finding her with that million dollar smile that makes your entire day better. Instead, you walk in and she doesn’t even acknowledge your presence. She just continues to color. 

“Hey, baby….” Disappointed, but refusing to show as such, you welcome yourself in and approach her table. “Is it okay if I color with you?” 

She still doesn’t say anything, just nods, and you do your best not to hide your sadness. You hate seeing her this down, it’s so unfamiliar, and you’ll do just about anything to fix it. 

Sitting down in the uncomfortable seat, you take a couple of her pages and pull out a crayon. “I have an idea.” At that, she looks up, slightly intrigued. “Why don’t we draw how we’ve been feeling lately? I draw me, and you draw you.” 

You scold yourself for not selling it to her better, for not telling her it’s something you sometimes do with your students. Some level of innocent peer pressure. However, she surprises you by agreeing with a simple “okay.”

It takes a second for you to register that it was really that simple. Step one is done. Now for step two. 

Grabbing some crayons, you don’t really concern yourself with skin tone, just getting something out on paper. The two of you color in silence, and you start to offer to put on her favorite playlist but decide against it. 

You want her to really think about what you’re asking. 

It’s when you see that she’s placed down her crayon and is just staring at her picture that you ask, “you done?” She shakes her head, but her eyes are on the table in front of her. “Is it okay if mommy sees it? I’ll show you mine too.”

Handing you the page, you expect an influx of emotions, but actually seeing her literal representation of how she feels is simply heartbreaking. 

She’s drawn herself, frowning, surrounded by broken hearts and a blue tear leaking from her eye. Callie did what you asked. You just wish it didn’t have you feeling so helpless.

“This means you’ve been feeling sad, huh?” You hate how your voice gives away your emotions. This is about her, not you, but it’s so difficult for you to not be impacted. No mother wants to see her child hurting, and Callie currently is. It kills you. “Callie….” Moving up from your chair, you move across to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in yours. “Have you been sad because you miss your dad?”

All you need to hear is one sniffle, and instantly, you’re reaching for her, holding and comforting her.

“It’s okay,” you soothe, kissing the top of her head. “It’s okay, baby.” She cries into your chest, and you have to hold back your own tears.

“Why doesn't he come back?” She asks in between tears, wiping her eyes. “He’s been gone a really long time.” It’s only then you realize that she’s not entirely exaggerating. Joe was last here for Christmas. It’s now the end of January. For a child like Callie, that must feel like an eternity.

“He would if he could, Callie. I promise you he would. Daddy just…he gets really busy with his job this time of the year, and he can’t leave or he’ll get in trouble.” It’s so difficult to explain this to her. WrestleMania season is inarguably chaotic and stupidly busy. Even back in the day, Joe’s trips to see you were most far and few in between during this time of year. And that was before he even had a title. You can’t even imagine how busy he must be as the literal fucking face of the company.

Enough to keep him from being able to come see you and Callie. 

You’ve just gotten so used to the dynamics of him being away for periods at a time that it never occurred to you Callie hasn’t had the same experience. That at the end of the day she’s still a little kid who just wants to be with her dad. 

It’s then that a thought crosses your mind.

“What if…..what if we went to see daddy?” For the first time since you stepped into the room, her eyes actually light up and you notice her tears lessening. “Instead of him coming to us, we go see him?”

“Really?” There’s the faintest smile on her face, and you know then that you’re going to make this happen. You don’t know how or in what way, but it will be a reality. No matter what it takes. 

“Yeah,” you answer, brushing away some of her tears. “You can go see him at his show. He’d love that.” Not as much as she clearly loves the idea alone. “Now, we’d only be able to stay a day or maybe two but—”

“Please,” she interrupts, and you get the sense that she fears you’re going to find a way to say that you couldn’t or shouldn’t go. “I’ll be a good girl. I promise.”

“Baby, you’re already the best girl.” You push back some of her hair, resting your hand against her cheek. “Mama’s gonna make it happen, okay? I promise.”

If you have to sell one of your kidneys, then you’ll just be less one organ, because you’re getting your baby to that damn show. Matter of fact, you don’t say anything to her, but you’re wondering if you can make it to this week’s upcoming show. It’s only Sunday, and that gives you a couple of days to make arrangements and secure tickets. It’s doable, but you don’t want to get her hopes up, so just in case, you say nothing.

And yes, in the back of your mind, you know she’ll see Joe in a couple of weeks for the game, but that’s too long. Your child is hurting. You need to do something now. She can’t wait that long. 

“Thank you, mommy!” She wraps her little arms around you, and just like that, you see the spark and joy that fills your days with light and laughter. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.” Kissing her temple, you release her, realizing something else. “Now we can't tell your daddy because we’re gonna surprise him, okay? Can you do that for me?”

She nods, happily, unaware of the real reason. You know that you can’t tell Joe about this. Well, not now at least. This is not something to be discussed over the phone or even video chat. And if you tell him you want to take her to see him as soon as possible, he’ll know something is up. 

So, you have to move in silence. 

Coloring with Callie commences for a little longer as you value and cherish your time with her, but as soon as she’s down for her nap and before you wake Alexis from hers to tell her the news, you need to do something. It’s in that time bonding with her you realized how you’re going to make this happen.

You’re suddenly immensely grateful for that random conversation you’d had with Joe a while back regarding the fact that he and the twins have had the same phone number since they were in high school.

Pulling out your phone, you scroll through your contacts until you land on the one you need. You type, backspace, and type some more, only sending out the text once you’re fully pleased with it.

You: Hey, Jon. This is Y/N. Can you call me when you get a chance? Preferably sooner rather than later. I need your help with something. And please don’t tell Joe. It’s a surprise. 

________

God clearly wants you to bring Callie to see Joe. 

There’s just too many things that have lined up perfectly for that not to be the case. The discussion with your principal went well, though that wasn’t entirely surprising. You’ve always had a cordial relationship and know she respected your grandma. The whole school system in your town did. That was just her level of impact. But that respect has slid down to work in your favor as your principal told you to take as much time as you need.

“You’ll always have a job here.”

While not a huge concern, it’s reassuring and not entirely unsurprising. Again, your grandma’s impact definitely granted you a level of nepotism. You were slightly surprised when she actually encouraged you to take more time off, pointing out how in the almost nine years you’ve worked there, she could count on one hand how much PTO or vacation time you’ve used. And, it’s true. It was really only when Callie was sick and your mom couldn't help or you wanted to stay home and nurse her back to health that you called out. For the most part, you had damn near perfect attendance.

But, that’s certainly about to change, and you’re thankful you have a job that’s flexible enough to accommodate the change. 

And then there’s the actual getting there. You should have known when Alexis was asking questions about when you and Callie were leaving that she was up to something. You naively chalked it up to her planning her flight out, as there was no way you expected her to wait around for ya’ll to get back. Instead, she was busy buying not just her ticket to come with ya’ll but yours and Callie’s as well.

You instantly felt bad when she forwarded you the itinerary information. You couldn’t see the cost, but you weren’t stupid either. Getting flights out with such short notice had to be expensive as all outdoors. You were just going to put the bill on your credit card and work to pay it off. And, of course, when you offered to pay her back, she nearly cussed you out. As if such an offer was insulting. 

“What good is a trust fund if you can’t spend it on your college roomie and pretend godchild?”

So, while you still felt slightly uncomfortable, you were able to push it to the backburner for the sake of Callie. This is all for her, and you don’t care what it takes to make it happen. Even if it means sucking up your pride. 

And deep down, you know if Alexis didn’t do what she did, Joe would somehow find a way to compensate you. The same way his ass somehow got his card on file at the hospital and covered all of Callie’s medical bills without ever even asking you if you needed help.

You still haven’t talked to him about that, not really having or finding the right time, but it also feels a bit bitchy and ungrateful to be upset with the man for covering his daughter’s medical expenses. 

Then there’s the actual show itself. One thing you were initially concerned about was if Joe has a match lined up for this upcoming week’s show. You two have only had a couple of discussions about it but still enough for you to learn that he’s extremely hesitant to expose Callie to his wrestling persona. 

“I don’t want her seeing me like that, thinking that’s who I am.”

And you understand him fully. Roman may be a fascinating character, but he’s equally narcissistic and ruthless as he is intriguing. The complete opposite of Joe and who he is. 

Still, you’ve worked to help him understand that talking to Callie, explaining to her that he’s playing a “character” could help her understand better. You both are in agreement that she’s too young to watch actual matches, especially his as they tend to get brutal, but she can see certain promos. And she does. You let her watch a couple where the dialogue is safe enough to go over her head. And truth be told, she’s so focused on watching Joe that she's not really paying attention to what’s being said anyway. 

Needless to say, you were massively relieved to hear from Jon that Joe doesn't have a match lined up and his promo is reportedly tame and safe enough for Callie’s eyes and ears. He didn’t give specifics, but from one parent to another parent, you trust his judgment. 

And the most important thing of all is the fact that Callie has done a complete 180. She’s no longer as irritable, just the usual attitude when she’s sleepy or hungry. Just like her mama. And there’s that spark of joy in her eyes. She’s even started packing what she wants to bring with her. She knows you’ll only be there for one night, but even that can’t seem to dim her joy. 

It makes your heart swell. 

All of this brings you to your conclusion that you’re doing exactly what you should be doing. 

“Ahhh, and here it is.” The old woman’s voice breaks you from your inner dialogue as she walks toward the counter, returning from the back. “Sorry about that sweetheart.”

“No worries, Mrs. Ella.” Your eyes light when you see the item in her hand, even if it’s covered by a cloth bag. The fact that it’s ready is more than enough to make you smile. “Thank you so much for agreeing to this.”

She waves off your concern, offering a warm smile. “Your grandma was one of my best friends. As far as I’m concerned, anything you need is a done deal.”

That warms your heart. Mrs. Ella has been the town seamstress for longer than you’ve been alive but doesn’t look a day over 50. She’s not lying either. Your grandma always cited her as one of her “life” sisters. 

“Why don’t we take a look to make sure it’s alright?” She offers, removing the item from the garment bag. She takes the hoodie and turns it over so you can see the back.

In awe, you acknowledge, “it’s perfect.”

Among the many things Joe has gifted Callie, WWE apparel hasn’t really been included in that list. You’ve chalked it up to his hesitation about familiarizing her with his Roman persona. However, you know that girl loves her daddy and will support him in all the things, so you took it upon yourself to pick her up a few items over the holidays. One of those things being a black hoodie with Roman’s picture on the front with him wearing one of his head of the table shirts. Wanting to make it special and personal, you had the idea of customizing it. Thus, asking Mrs. Ella to add to the back, Acknowledge my daddy!, and she did a fabulous job. It looks like that was the original design. 

Pulling out your wallet, you ask, “how much do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house.”

Your eyes snap to her. “Mrs. Ella, no, this was a rush—”

“Don’t argue with your elders, child,” she scolds, and you smile warmly. “Just show me a picture of her wearing it, and we’ll be even.”

Moved by her generosity, you offer your gratitude again. “Thank you, Mrs. Ella. Seriously. Thank you.” 

Hand over yours, she just nods and then ushers you out the door, “well, you better get a move on child.” 

With a small laugh and one more thank you, you leave out with the hoodie, excited to show Callie and even more, to see Joe’s reaction when he sees her wearing it.

“Y/N?”

Fuck. You’d know that voice anywhere, have known it since you were five years old. 

That doesn’t mean you have to heed to it.

You keep walking. 

A stupid decision, because the footsteps behind you become louder and faster as she asks, exasperated, “would you just talk to me?”

You spin around, suddenly pissed at her repeated question. “Why? Why should I talk to you?” 

You’ve dodged and ignored her texts the same way she did yours, so what’s the issue now? Being on the receiving end must be one hell of an unpleasant experience for her. Not that you give two shits. Mariah is the last thing on your plate right now.

Mariah seems taken back, and that just pisses you off more. How can she not see her wrong in this situation? “You’re my best friend, Y/N. We’ve been friends since we were in kindergarten. Does that mean nothing to you?”

“Did it mean something to you when you were fucking Amir?”

Something you can’t identify flashes in her eyes followed by apparent hurt. “Are you serious right now? You’d really believe him over me.” It’s hard to tell how sincere her watery eyes are or if they’re performative. You’ve never known her to be fake, but then again, maybe you’ve never really known her at all. “That’s fucked up.”

Finding some level of compassion and understanding for the woman you called your best friend for almost your entire life, you try to offer her the benefit of the doubt. “Okay, let’s say you’re not fucking him. At the very least, you’ve been telling him my business while ignoring my texts and calls. Like, what the fuck, Mo?” 

She shakes her head. “He came to me, worried about you—”

“He came to you nosy and upset because I cut it off with him, and you fell into his trap.” How she can possibly fall for Amir’s bullshit is beyond you. She knows how he is. Hell, she’s been right beside you, up until recent weeks/months, dealing with his bullshit. So, her excuse is just that—an excuse. “And even if he was, as my best friend, you should know that’s still girl code violation.”

It feels almost silly citing that, but the morals behind it still ring true. You would never talk to Caleb about things going on in her life when you know they’re not on good terms. And you damn sure would never fuck him. 

“Girl code?That’s funny coming from you, because you didn’t seem to to care about girl code when you were fucking another woman’s husband and had a whole ass baby for him.”

Her words stop you dead in your tracks. Any facial expression you may have been showing is dropped and neutral. Even your voice is softer, less accusatory. “Excuse me?” 

For her to say that to you, knowing how sensitive a subject that is truly takes you by surprise. Truly. 

It doesn’t stop there though. “I mean, forreal, Y/N. You’re up in my face about Amir, but aren’t you still fucking Joe? Shit, how many niggas do you need?” It’s hard to believe the words coming out her mouth, so angry and hostile. But, even her volume rising has you stumped. It’s like she wants to draw an audience. “It’s not enough to be one man’s whore, but you still gotta have another on the side?”

Truly baffled, all you can ask is, “where is this coming from?” 

She sucks her teeth, just as irritated, if not more by your question. “It’s always been this shit with you. You do whatever the fuck you want and don’t care who you hurt or betray in the process!”

And now you’re just straight up confused, because what have you ever done to her? Cause that’s what it sounds like she’s implying. Like you’ve done her wrong. Like you’ve been doing her wrong. “What are you even talking about?”

“You got Joe. You got Amir. Shit, when is enough enough for you?” She scoffs, and it’s hard for you to even look at her let alone listen to all the hurtful things she’s spewing. “Like damn, find a new hobby. Focus on raising your kid—”

And that…..that is the moment that you’re no longer confused, or hurt, or saddened to hear your best friend say such awful things. You’re pissed. Cause one thing no one can convince you you’re not, is a good mother. You’ve dedicated your entire life and being to taking care of Callie, making sure she’s straight. That’s always been your priority, and for her to suggest otherwise….those are really fighting words. 

You step toward her, finding all of the will in the world not to shatter her jaw. “You and I have so much history. It is the only reason I’m not whooping your ass right now, but know this, Mariah. This was your freebie. Fuck with me again, speak on my child again, and I’ll bash your fucking head into the nearest wall.” It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. “Stay away from me, bitch.”

You don’t give her time to respond or even yourself the chance to lay her out, you instead rush to your car, locking the door and speeding out of the parking lot. 

Your knuckles are nearly white with how tightly you’re gripping the steering wheel.

It’s been a while since you’ve been this hot. Years maybe. Amir would piss you off, sure, but never to the extent of your emotions in this moment. It truly took all resolve and imagining Callie’s disappointed face at not being able to see her dad  because you got yourself locked up for aggravated assault to keep you from beating Mariah’s ass. She knows better than anyone that you don’t play about your daughter, so for her to include Callie in her mud slinging is not only repugnant but hurtful.

She’s supposed to be Callie’s godmother. 

But beyond that, you’re having a hard time reconciling with the rest of the things she was saying. It didn’t feel like something that’s been building up over the past few months. No, this was different. Much…..deeper.

Regardless, you don’t have time to deal with this shit. You need to put your focus on preparing to bring your little girl to see her dad. 

Mariah can fuck off. 

She’s always been all bark and no bite anyway. 

________

“Mommy.”

Callie doesn’t even have to say anything else for you to know a request is to follow. 

“What's up, sis?”

She climbs on top of where you lay on the sofa, you and Alexis watching some random dating show she swears up and down is the best thing since Love is Blind. So far, you’re entirely unimpressed. Granted, reality shows of any kind have never been your cup of tea in the first place. 

Your YouTube history is mostly crime documentaries and Bloodline videos. 

She climbs on top of you, throwing her arms up and shouting, “dance party!”

Of all her typical requests, that’s one you haven’t heard in a while. 

You’ve always raised Callie with music, even back when you were pregnant, you would take your Beats and place them on your belly. It’s seemingly worked because this child loves music, so much so that you two would have random “dance party’s” where you’d blast music and dance around, no care in the world, just the two of you.

You haven’t had one in a while, but seeing Callie so happy, a stark contrast from how she’s been is more than enough to get you up and on your feet. You look over at Alexis. “Come on, Lex, it’s dance party time.” 

She feigns a gasp, looking at Callie for approval. “Do I get to come to this party?”

Callie giggles and jumps on the sofa. “Of course! Everyone can come to dance party!”

What’s also ironically funny is the fact that you and Alexis used to have dance parties all the time in your dorm, just often with much more explicit Travis Porter, Speaker Knockerz, type music and a lot of ass shaking.

“Well tonight, it’s just the three of us,” you laugh, grabbing your phone and opening your Spotify to figure out what will be your kickoff song. It’s when your eyes land on that one though, you know you’ve found it.

Connecting your phone to your Bluetooth, you confirm the connection and hit play. 

We're a thousand miles from comfort, we have traveled land and sea

But as long as you are with me, there's no place I'd rather be

“My favorite white girl song ever!” Alexis shouts, starting to dance with Callie who’s just as excited about your selection. Together, the three of you dance and sing when the iconic chorus hits. 

If you gave me a chance I would take it

It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it

Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me

When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be

At some point, Alexis grabs your phone, recording and capturing the laughter and joy you experience dancing and being silly with your very, very best friend. Callie’s laughter could revive any soul, and it’s so genuine. Even more, you know a large chunk of it is her excitement to see her dad in a couple of days.

And that makes it all the more special. 

Eventually needing a break and time to catch your breath, you laugh as the song ends and the next one starts. Lex and Callie immediately go at it for round two, spinning around and dancing to Dance the Night. 

You take a second to check your phone, seeing that you have a Snapchat from Joe. Frowning, you open the message confused as to why he’s using that and not just text. He only has the damn app because you made him get it. He’s not very big on social media outside of occasional Instagram posts. 

Swiping it open, you see why he was messaging you on there.

Because your wonderful best friend sent him the video she recorded of the three of you dancing.

Joe: How do I save this?

Joe: Fuck it. It’s too confusing. Just send it to me.

Laughing, you chew on your bottom lip and type out a reply.

You: You’re such an old man. 😩 

You: But yes, I’ll send it, even if I didn’t know Alexis was recording to send it to you...

You: Callie loves “dance parties” lol 

Joe: I love her laugh. She looks so happy…

You: I know. ❤️ She loves music. Def my kid.

You: Skillet is next on the queue, btw. 🙃

Joe: Don’t know what that is, but if I had to take a guess, it’s some rock shit.

You: You know me so well. 😊

Joe: Of course, baby.

Leaving his thread, you realize that if she sent it to Joe, she probably posted it to your private story as well, which is fine. You only have people on there you know and trust to keep the contents within that space.

But, it’s in checking the views that you see Mariah not only watched but screen recorded your story. It’s strange, normally you wouldn’t think twice about it. She’s always screenshotted and screen recorded stuff you posted, and you did the same with Micah. 

But now…..

Now, it feels wrong to share these moments with her. She’s lost that privilege. 

Moving to your contacts, you ignore her old Snapchat name she never uses anymore and instead just block her primary one from seeing your stories, and that includes close friends. And interestingly enough, when you check your texts, you see one from her muted thread that momentarily causes you to pause.

Mariah: Kinda stupid to ice out the one person who knows everything about you. 

But the pause comes and goes, Mariah always says shit, and that’s where it stops, the saying. She’s always been the mouse of you two, and that shit ain’t changed.

Closing up the app, you switch back to Spotify and focus on what’s before you and not behind you.

You have all the people you need in your life. 

Mariah can fuck off.