#no dad as he passes away a bit of a time before the outbreak <3 (and also i do not have a fc for him yet jnsxkan)

[thedeadthree]

DANCING BEARS, PAINTED WINGS. THINGS I ALMOST REMEMBER.

template by the loveliest @unholymilf ♡ | doodles ♡ | playlist ♡

[hischeapcigar]

𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓌𝒷𝑒𝓇𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒾𝑔𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓈 

Pre-outbreak Joel Miller x reader

Part: 1 2 3 4

Summary: you're falling in love with the person your dad hates the most 

Word count: 3.6k ish

Warning: none except your father is a bit deranged so maybe that's all

a/n: it was supposed to be cute little one shot but i think it's gonna be series lolol. reblogs and comments are appreciated. love you mwah

Your dad hated Joel. You never knew why but it had been like this as far as you could think. Your father played the major role in trying his best to keep you away from Joel.  

BBQ party? Everyone's invited except Joel. 

Your birthday? Everyone but Joel 

He’s grumpy all day? Must've had an interaction with Joel  

He even hit Joel, who obviously retaliated but the neighbors showed up to resolve the matter.  

The whole neighborhood knew. How could they not? Your dad insulted him behind his back, which some entertained, but most of them grumbled and left the room. Because they knew Joel and they knew your dad too.  

Even you felt pity for Joel, the few rare interactions told you he may look big and fierce, but he was a charmer. Sarah’s happy face was proof of his kind nature and your anxious state of mind was a reflection of your dad’s nature.  

You once tried to defend Joel, but your father smashed the glass so hard, a sharp piece pierced the skin of your foot, leaving a scar. 

 Your parents always change the subject every time you try to bring it up,  

“Its past, it doesn’t matter,” they’d say 

But it mattered to you, a lot. Since the small get-together in the field the other night, when you first saw him. Sarah had lost track of his father, so you went looking for him with her, and that's when you first met him properly after like forever. 

Eyes locked and you swore brown became your favorite color. Your breath hitched; mouth slightly agape. He mirrored your reaction but both of you let go just as quickly, minding Sarah’s presence. They left but he turned back to bless his eyes one more time, stealing one more glance at you. The smile he slipped, held your heart forever. You prayed to the heavens to let you both meet again. 

- 

 Working in the cafe which Sarah and her friends called their “second home”, you had befriended all those little girls. It was fun to be around them, and they loved your company. 

 You never officially met any of their parents but one of them captured your mind since that night. You didn't know what you could do without offending Sarah.  

But you didn't have to do anything, because Joel took the wheel as he showed up the next day in the cafe. Sunday meant Sarah and her friends were having breakfast together in their corner spot.  

 You came out from the kitchen, passing the tray of coffee to your coworker as you absentmindedly made your way to the counter, ruffling around with the drawer and all the papers.  

“Hey” your head shot up to the sound of the voice and the unmistakable familiarity it carried.  

“Hi” you replied breathlessly, hands frozen on the paper you just grabbed.  

“Um, can I please get a pancake?” his thick Texan accent flowed like honey, his eyes warm and eager. 

“Y-yeah, sure,” you could bet that you conjured him from your imaginations. Seeing him again in a person in less than a week was unbelievable 

You quickly turned around to pass the order to the kitchen window but stopped just as quick, lightly smacking your forehead as you returned to him,  

“Sorry, uh, which flavor would you like?” you cursed yourself for being so clumsy  

He tilted his head to the side, contemplating, before he turned on his good old charm, “su’prise me, sweetheart,” he smirked seeing the look on your face.  

Absolutely flustered at the nickname he just gave you, and how easily it rolled off his tongue.  

You smiled, mumbling a little, “okay,” before you disappeared in the back  

You took a moment, taking a deep breath steadying yourself. Hoping no one notices your flushed cheeks, and no one did.  

In a few minutes, you prepared yourself to serve him. Running a hand on your outfit once smoothing it, you took the tray and made your way to Joel. You were glad he busied himself reading a magazine because if he looked at you, you would have forgotten how to walk.  

“Hello again,” you announced, and he quickly abandoned whatever article he was reading,  

“Hey” he smiled, looking curiously at the pancake plate you just put down, followed by a cup of coffee 

“I didn’t order coffee-” 

“It's on the house, since we believe it's your first time and because your daughter is our loyal customer,” you snickered  

He chuckled, “I- thank you, so much, y’didn’t have to though”  

“Also, i chose strawberry flavor because it’s my favorite so I'm hoping you’d like it too,” you shrugged lightly before taking a step back, leaving him with his breakfast,  

Just as you turned to leave, you heard him call your name, and God that was the sweetest music to your ears. You had no idea how he knew your name, maybe sarah mentioned it, you figured 

You cocked an eyebrow,  

“You looked pretty that night”  

Your heart warmed at the confession, “thank you Joel, you looked great too” you smiled before you left 

- 

You couldn't keep your eyes off of him. Every now and then your gaze found its way to Joel. Even after he caught you stealing glances, he just smirked. He knew what he was doing to you, you knew what you were doing to him. A game for two.  

You had your back on the counter, conversing with your coworker, when she pointed behind you. You turned to see Joel standing there, ready to leave.  

“Thank you once again, I loved the pancake, though I can’t tell if it's my favorite”  

“You could come by every week to try all the flavors until you find your preference” you suggested. Any excuse to bring him back.  

“Tryin’ all the flavors, huh? I had another reasons to come back anyway, might as well try all the other flavors” smile tugging at the corner of his smile 

Oh.  

Oh.  

You didn’t even get the chance to response when he added, “hey ya mind, if y’get the uh, the cup?” he nodded to his table 

“Yeah, sure” you were confused, why would he tell you what to do? 

You went anyway and now you know why as you looked at the tissue piece with his number scribbled in a messy handwriting  

Such a flirt. You smiled so widely your jaw hurt.  

- 

“Is this Joel or some cute stranger left a wrong phone number on the table?”  

You read it for the thousandth time, indecisive if you should send it or is it a bold way to start a conversation. But then it’s Joel, he wouldn’t mind, you thought and hit send.  

Your heart was beating fast, wanting to throw your phone across the room. Checking every other second if he replied, then a few minutes later,  

J- “Stranger? I thought we were befriendin' each other”

you giggled at the response, feeling like a young teenager having her crush moment 

“Well, we’re getting there”  

J- “That so? Hope you realize your dad isn’t really my fan”  

 

“Yes, and I wonder why” curiosity creeping back up at you, 

J- “We got into a fight back then during a job we did, since then we just couldn’t get along”  

Now was that too hard to disclose? Your parents were just dramatic, you thought. 

Before typing your response, he started typing again so you waited,  

J- “Wish it doesn’t change our sweet journey of becoming friends”

you read his text, wide grin plastered on your face , though a little disappointed that he only wants friendship, but you felt giddy nevertheless 

- 

The next week was the beginning of your new, fragile relationship. Joel would stop by at your cafe any chance he got.  

I missed my morning coffee (he missed it on purpose) 

I’m tired and I thought coffee might help (he just wanted to see you)  

Sarah and her friends wanted pancakes (he asked them, “you guys don’t have to go, I'll get you your order if you want” he’d say and gets “okay, Mr. Miller!” “that’s so kind, Mr. Miller”) 

Weeks went by, and you grew to his presence at random hours. You started to look forward to him showing up randomly. Your coworkers were quick to welcome him, noticing how your face would light up every time he was around.  

He made a three-day streak of visiting before he didn’t show up for 2 days. A part of you wanted to text him to find out if he was okay, but you wanted to give it one more day, and you were not even sure about the thing you both had going on. 

- 

  You were preparing the order, Oliver standing next to you, working on his order and occasionally making you laugh with his corny jokes when Gina, another coworker, showed up at your side, pulling you away from your half-done coffee,  

“I’ll take it from here, go and deal with your favorite customer” she nudged your side, 

You couldn’t help but let the smile make its way to grace your lips, but you had to play dumb, 

“What?”  

Gina gave you the stare that said really?  

You snickered as you left, your heartbeat quickening, exhaustion already leaving your body as you saw him sitting at his usual spot, the corner table that nobody likes, so it’s always available, your favorite spot since him. 

You reached him and instead of staying seated as usual, he got up and walked closer to you. It has been 2 days and you didn't know how much you missed him now that he was standing in front of you, all you wanted was to hug him and never let him out of your sight.  

He took one more step towards you, maintaining eye contact as he slowly raised his hand to your waist and pulled you into him in one swift motion. You stiffened at first, then you locked your arms at his nape melting into his big frame. You took a deep breath like this was something you were missing all your life. 

“Hello to my favorite customer,” you smiled at him when you detached yourselves from each other 

“Hello to you too, my sunshine,” he replied, matching your smile 

You both returned to the table, and he slid a small bag towards you, you didn’t have to open to know what was inside, strawberries, as he started getting you those ever since you told him that strawberries were your favorite. 

- 

Whenever you got free from your morning shift, you two would sit in the reserved area of the cafe just to talk. That’s what you both did. Talk about everything and anything. You didn’t need to pretend, you were completely yourself around him, and he, with you.  

He kept buying you strawberries because you loved them. And in turn you would treat him with extra cup of coffee on random days 

Any little time you spent together felt like an escape from reality and everything it offered. There was no toxicity, just pure, innocent and effortless conversations along with different flavors of pancakes.  

Sarah admired Joel showing interest in your company. She wasn’t young enough to see how happy you both looked, and she was genuinely glad about that. She would even make excuses for Joel to come to the cafe,  

Hey dad, can you please bring my notebook, I forgot it on the table and we’re discussing something 

And boy would he be beyond happy whenever he gets the opportunity to show up at the cafe. 

- 

But like waking up from a really good dream,  

Joel had just entered the cafe, standing on the counter, chatting with you (not blocking the way of customers) while you received orders when your eyes went wide at the figure entering through the door,  

“What is it?” Joel asked casually 

You ducked your head, “its dad” you whispered and saw how Joel’s face fell. You both knew you weren’t allowed to hang out with Joel, let alone be around him.  

Suddenly his demeanor changed as he cleared his throat, looking down at the menu card, feeling your dad approaching. You managed to keep a serious and bothered face as you saw your dad stopping deadly in his tracks as he saw Joel. oh boy  

“There are other cafes in the town” your dad grunted, indirectly referring to Joel, who only rolled his eyes in response.  

You bit a smile at his reaction, “hey dad! Didn’t know you were coming” you tried to alleviate the thick tension.  

Your dad gave you a tight nod, “yeah, get me two blueberry pastries; your mom called”  

Never the friendly face, annoyance etched on his face like it was there since he was born. Your father was exactly the kind of customers you hated. Acting like a boss, like you owe a million dollars.   

You looked between two of them before you left to get the box. On your return, you didn’t spot Joel. You frowned, wondering if your dad had said something to him. Your thoughts were cut short by your dad; 

“No need to serve him, tell him to go any other cafe, there are plenty of them,”  

You were speechless, he was being absolutely ridiculous.  

“Wha- dad? He’s just a customer, you can't bring your years’ old absurd beef in this-”  

“Do as i tell you, and if you can’t, then leave the job, you can do better anyway” he threatened in low voice, pointing his finger at you, before leaving 

You knew your dad was overreacting but you kept your mouth shut because you knew he wouldn’t care about the people and just shout on you if you disagreed with him 

- 

It was midnight, your mind was running a hundred thoughts a minute since your dad showed up today. You had no idea how to tell Joel to stop coming to the café, like how could you stop him when it made you the happiest? 

 “Hey, you awake?” you texted joel  

He didn’t reply for 10 minutes, then your phone chimed, you quickly turned it on to see his text,  

J- “Yeah, I'm up, why aren’t you asleep yet?” he replied 

“Wondering what dad told you today at the cafe” there was no filtering when you were with Joel, sharing every piece of your mind and not regretting it 

J- “Except telling me to not ‘roam around you’ he didn't really say anything”  

You were embarrassed, why did your dad have to be like that? you felt bad for Joel 

“I’m sorry” you sent before typing “I just wish he wouldn’t stop you from the cafe, your presence feels natural there”  

J- “Don't be sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mind it at all. He’s only looking out for you; we'll figure it out. plus, I think I can sneak in when I get the chance ;)”  

You scoffed at his text, looking out for me? More like suffocating me from things that I actually like. But you felt affection for him in the way he was willing to be with you.  

- 

It had been a week, he showed up two times. Two times. A day apart. Then he disappeared for the rest of the week. 

After the 3rd long day of him not showing up, you started to worry. Two hours of constant contemplating later, you decided to text him, 

“Hey, Joel” 

It's Sunday afternoon, 2pm. Not that Joel would have something to do so you wait for his text. You toss and twist in bed, smoking cigarettes, reading old magazines, scrolling on your phone, an hour later, there was no reply. 

4 hours; nothing.  

8 hours; nothing.  

Next day, beginning of next week. You passed by his house, praying to get at least a glimpse of him but there was nothing.  

You didn’t even see him on the streets, not with Sarah, just nowhere. As if he didn't even exist.  

  Still your ears pricked up every time you heard the door to the café ring, desperately hoping it was Joel, but it was never him.  

Sarah and her friends were seated at their accustomed table. It distressed you to see Sarah, not knowing how to go and ask her about her dad.  

It upset you even more when Gina asked you about him every other day, and more hurt when you had to lie, like “oh he’s just busy,”  

But Gina knew better when she saw you with pity in her eyes, that look that told you, I'm sorry he ghosted you.   

  You had to hold back your tears to keep her from knowing that she was right.  

But you broke down the second you locked the room to your room, lighting a cigarette, you placed it between your puffy red lips as the tears streamed down your cheeks,  

“Where the hell are you, Joel?” you hit send and threw your phone as you sat on the windowsill, watching the cars go buy,  

You got out of the bathroom when you heard your phone ding, you all but ran to the bed, grabbing and swiping it on,  

J- “Yeah, just around. How’s everything?”  

You were taken aback by the carelessness. As if it wasn't bothering him, as much it was bothering you. As if he didn’t miss you at all like you did. As if it all didn’t matter. As if you didn't matter 

“Really? You ghosted me for two weeks and now you're acting all chill?” you replied 

Frustration getting the best of you, you wanted to cry again.  

J- “Look, I think it’s best for the both of us”  

“Fuck what you think, fuck you” you sent   

You could feel the tears pricking at the corner of your eyes. You threw your phone on the table before falling on the bed, face first.  

The next thing you know is you're sobbing, muffling the sounds with the pillow on your face. You didn't realize how much you were attached to him until now, you didn't know how much you wanted to be with him until now.  

You got up to smoke a cigarette to release the stress, but you cried while exhaling puffs of smoke in the air  

Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him 

- 

The next two days were a blur. You avoided spending extra time in the cafe, avoided conversations with your coworkers because they ended up asking about Joel. Your father picked a fight with a random guy just because he took longer to deliver some equipment that he ordered online; it was stupid really. You avoided Sarah too, because she painfully reminded you of Joel  

I'm only giving it time, I'll get back to normal eventually, you’d tell yourself  

The third day, you were brewing coffee when your phone vibrated, turning it on, your heart dropped to the stomach as you read Joel’s name on it 

Quickly you swiped to view the message,  

J- “Can we talk?” you felt anxiety rising up. A part of you was excited that he texted while the other part of you was furious, he can't just come and go as he pleases 

You were lost in your thoughts when you received another message, J- “please?”  

You decided to let things be, he ghosted me for a week, now he wants to talk, he can't expect me to go back running  

Putting your phone down, you carried on with your work until it was night. 

You closed the cafe as you stepped out, you saw a familiar truck parked beside your car.  

Unmistakably Joel. 

He stood there leaning against his truck, cigarette smoke around him like a halo. He pushed himself up as he spotted you and he made his way to you.  

You stood there frozen. Resisting the strong urge to go and hug him and never let go. But you stood there and waited,  

He came close but didn't stop until he was only a few inches away from you. Looking at your face, examining it, eyes running all over your features,  

“Sarah said you looked horrible, but God you look worse,” he whispered. Scared if he talks loudly, this all would shatter,  

“Like you care?” you retorted.  

That's when you saw in his eyes. Regret. Remorse. Before he hung his head down, 

Slowly he reached for your hands, hanging on your sides, silently interlacing your fingers. You didn't stop him. You couldn’t  

“Please, can we talk?” his voice was small as he looked at you 

You nodded  

He released a breath, that even he didn’t know he was holding, as he nodded too 

With your fingers still interlaced, he tugged you toward his truck. You both walked the distance, hand in hand as you felt droplets of water kissing your skin.  

You went rigid making Joel turn and face you, watching you wipe away the water beads from your face. A few more drops on both of you before the rain lashes down. 

Joel instinctively became your human shield, as you both ran towards his truck, even though that wouldn’t keep you from drenching, but the action was so Joel. Reaching there, he quickly opened the door for you before getting himself inside from the other side.  

Both of your breaths were ragged as you sat in silence.  

He ignited the engine bringing his truck to life,  

“Where are we going?” you broke the silence  

He sighed, “I- uh, had tis place in mind but,” he looked out the window, at the rain, “‘s rainin’ so we can stay in the truck, I guess,”  

“What place?” you were confused,  

“Y’gonna love it, trus’ me” a small smirk growing in the corner of his lips 

--------------------------------------------------------------

Part: 1 2 3 

Tags: @strawberri-blonde

[pnrfru]

Kinktober Day 1; First Time

a/n; hi I’m dee, welcome to my first ever kinktober lmfao (pls dont grill me, I’m trying my best haha)

the prompt for day 1 is ‘first time’ and I’m really loving dbf!joel so thats basically what i wrote lol. this is in a universe when the outbreak doesn’t happen bc I’m not writing angst (yet lol) and also, lets be real, you n me probably wouldnt survive an apocalypse…

anyway!!! pls enjoy n feel free to leave constructive criticism <3 I’m always trying to improve hehe

ps: I’m only posting these because jenni gave me $10 and I’m very easily influenced lol

God damn Joel Miller and his beautiful face.

He doesn’t say anything though, he just bends down to you again and captures your lips in an intoxicating kiss, this time not holding himself back as his hands roam your body.

Warm hands draw senseless lines along your hips and back, curling around your shoulders before travelling back down to gently grab your waist. You moan into his mouth and grind into his hips.

Despite his cool demeanour, you feel his hands tighten ever so slightly on your waist.

As you pull away to point this out, he decides this would be a perfect time to push his knee between your thighs and pull your pants down ever so slightly so he can draw more senseless patterns across your waist.

Instead of muttering a witty comment, your brain short circuits at the new sensations and you grab onto his shoulders and whimper quietly.

If Joel’s groan is any indication, you think he likes your reaction.

♡︎ ♡︎

Joel Miller. Your dad’s best friend since before you were even thought of. The man who taught you how to fish. The man who helped you pass 9th grade math. The man currently sitting in your kitchen drinking a beer and smiling at you with that lopsided smirk and those crinkled eyes.

The man you can’t seem to take your eyes off of.

You smile softly back before his eyes wander off again and you try to regulate yourself, reminding your thoughts that he’s minimum twice your age.

You shake your head a little, turning to grab some finger food that your dad had scattered through the kitchen to “celebrate the favourite child coming back for the summer”.

You weren’t really the favourite, your brother was, but your dad did the same thing for him and your mom had always told him off for picking favourites so he did the same for you.

Speak of the devil, your brother rounds the corner and snags your plate before you can even think of telling him to piss off and mooch off of someone else for a change.

“Thanks, piggy.” Is all Damien says as he meanders outside and greets the other guests. You sigh and grab another paper plate, grabbing some other things.

“What’s that about, kid?” You jump at Joel’s voice, having completely forgot about his existence during the interaction.

“Dames’ just a scab, always steals something when he’s here.” You try to sound disinterested but Damien is a professional at getting under your skin and sinking his disgusting little scabby hands in there.

“Should tell him off for that. Not nice ‘n’ shit.” This time the comment is directed to your father, you think, when you hear said man snort and sigh.

“He’s jus’ playin’, it ain’t anything big ain’t it?” You turn around and agree, not having the will to fight the losing battle against your father anymore.

“At leas’ tell him to get his own or something-“ Joel is cut off with a wave of your father’s hand, a common gesture when he’s getting annoyed.

“Fine. Not anythin’ I can do, though.” Joel snorts as the older man grumbles his way outside, making his way to his son and beginning to “scold” the man-baby.

You smile your thanks to Joel, who just returns it and gestures vaguely to the seat next to him at the kitchen bench.

Joel always looks out for you, after all he has Sarah and knows that your dad tends to be a bit misogynistic at times. He’s always been protective and understanding when you’d come crying to him and Sarah at early hours of the morning, always there to offer a cup of hot chocolate.

“Thanks, Joel.” Is all you can muster as you reminisce. He huffs a sound you take as agreement and finally sit yourself down next to him.

“‘course, kid.” Joel says into his tiny sandwich, a hint of a grin dancing on his lips. A dramatic heave leaves your lips at the word “kid” before you can stop yourself. The second you realise, though, you cover your mouth and laugh a little.

It’s always been a pet peeve of your’s, being called “kid”. Even though, to Joel, you were, it still bugged you a little.

“What? I say somethin’ funny?” Joel laughed dryly, turning to look at you and you sputter for a second when the sun hits his face just right and he just looks so beautiful and god would he just shut up!

“Is it ‘cause I said kid? Y’know you are jus’ a kid, yeah?” Now it’s your turn to laugh dryly. You ignore the comment and turn back to your food. You aren’t a kid!! You’re in college!! You can legally drink (in other countries).

Joel laughs it off and turns back to his plate when you suddenly have the perfect idea to show him you aren’t “just a kid”.

Does it involve a bit of moving and showing off your ass? Maybe. But you’ve worked hard on your ass on the gym, maybe it was time someone finally appreciated it.

That’s when your cue falls, literally. Joel drops his fork and you take your chance.

“I’ll get it!” You say it a little too enthusiasticly but you really couldn’t care less because the look on his face when you bend down and show off everything your mama (and those damned squats) gave you, is worth everything in the world.

“Feelin’ a little clumsy today, Joel?” It’s cheesy and later you throw your head back and forth to cringe but in the moment it makes Joel’s face go a shade of red and it makes your heart swell.

“Yep.” Is all he can force out as you sit back down and grin to yourself. Perfect plan is in action. Absolutely no flaws. Except you are so horribly and terribly wrong.

You get up to wash your’s and Joel dishes a little while later, leaning on the bench in just the right way to show off your ass while not being too obvious when Joel pushes his way into your personal space.

“Can I help you-“ The question get cut off quickly when you feel something very warm and very hard pressing to your side. Crimson paints your cheeks when you realise it’s his cock straining against his jeans.

Joel doesn’t say anything, he just lightly pushes you so he can face you properly. He gives a quick scan, making sure everybody is busy before leaning into your neck and whispering in your ear, “What was that, kid?”.

“I’m not “just a kid”.” You mimic his previous sentence. You meant for it to sound more powerful and assertive but it tumbled past your lips before you could put any oomph behind it.

Joel shakes his head, stepping closer if that’s even possible and traps you between him and the hard wall behind you that you only just noticed.

The wall seems to slip your mind, though, as Joel cages you in with an arm to the wall.

“Can see that now. Do you usually bend over like that in front of boys or is that jus’ a “me thing”?” He emphasises the words and watches your face closely as you fumble around in your brain for a response.

“It’s just a you thing… I promise.” You mutter. He seems satisfied with your answer because he brings a hand to your chin and gently lifts your face to look at him properly.

“Good. You don’ mind if I kiss you then, do ya?” His question darkens the blush on your cheeks but you can’t answer when his damn hand is burning your face like that and when his chest is so close to your’s and when-

“Asked a question, doll.” Is all he says before you’re grabbing his shirt and kissing him as hard as you can and moaning softly into his mouth.

If the motion took him by surprise he doesn’t show it, letting you kiss him and slowly exploring your body with his calloused hands. He pulls away for a second to look around before diving back in.

You gasp when he properly pulls away, taking a step back and grabbing your wrist softly.

“Can’t do this here, doll. Cm’here.” Before you know it he’s dragging you into the bathroom and locking the door behind you both. A smile cracks on your face as you watch him and the way his body moves.

“This ain’t smart. Y’know that, yeah?” He sounds a little worried, and you know why. Your dad has never been too big on you dating boys, let alone an older man, let alone his best friend. You nod, looking deep into his eyes to show you’re sure.

He nods as well before grabbing your waist and picking up where he left off. In the kitchen, you had just been kissing with closed mouths, soft but with a hint of hunger, but now that you were alone, Joel was lightly prodding his tongue into your mouth and you felt blood rushing to your lower belly.

Would this be a good time to tell him you’re a virgin?

You let him explore your mouth, trying your best to follow his lead but failing miserably. You know this because when he pulls away he looks confused.

“I’ve never- I mean I’ve kissed boys before but not- not like- well you know it’s all-“ Joel cuts off your rambling with a snort, shaking his head a little before turning back to you.

“Oh darlin’, am I your first? Fuck.” The stress in his voice is faint but it’s there, hiding behind those perfect teeth and a pang of guilt pummels through your body.

“We still can but I know it’s um… I mean- I know what I’m doing! Just never gotten the chance…” You trail off the end of your sentence. You get the feeling Joel doesn’t really care. But he lifts your head to look at him once again and that feeling dissipates into warmth in your belly.

“Don’ care what ya have ‘n’ haven’t done. Do ya want to now? With me?” He sounds almost like he’s insecure, you think. Like he’s suddenly realized how this would be your first time, and it would be with someone like him.

But that doesn’t bother you at all, in fact you prefer it this way. Being with someone you trust and find to be quite charming. It gives you butterflies to even think about it.

“Yes. Of course I do, Joel! Why would I have kissed you otherwise?” You both laugh softly, letting the awkwardness fizzle away.

“Jus’ thought you’d want someone more, y’know,” he gestures vaguely up and down your body, “your age.” You snort in response before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

“They don’t know what they’re doing. Neither do I but, I want someone who can teach me, not someone who has to learn with me, you know?” His eyes crinkle as he smiles a little wider, making your heart swell and heat rush to your lower body once more.

God damn Joel Miller and his beautiful face.

He doesn’t say anything though, he just bends down to you again and captures your lips in an intoxicating kiss, this time not holding himself back as his hands roam your body.

Warm hands draw meaningless lines along your hips and back, curling around your shoulders before travelling back down to gently grab your waist. You moan into his mouth and grind into his hips.

Despite his cool demeanour, you feel his hands tighten ever so slightly on your waist, and you smile to yourself.

As you pull away to point this out, he decides this would be a perfect time to push his knee between your thighs and pull your pants down ever so slightly so he can draw more senseless patterns across your waist.

Instead of muttering a witty comment, your brain short circuits at the new sensations and you grab onto his shoulders and whimper quietly.

If Joel’s groan is any indication, you think he likes your reaction.

“So pretty, baby.” It’s only three words. Words you hear seperately almost every day. Yet when he tips his head to your ear to whisper them as his hand inches lower in your panties, you feel your muscles clench and butterflies fill your stomach.

Joel leaves an open-mouthed kiss right below your ear as his hand finally makes contact with your cunt and you can’t help but bury your head into his shoulder and cry out.

You’ve touched yourself plenty of times, but the way he’s building you up makes his touch feel electric, and the way he’s circling your clit so softly is giving you a sudden urge to bite his head off so he’ll do what you want him to.

The thought soon simmers down as he starts sucking a hickey into your neck and his fingers dance delightfully around your entrance.

A muffled, “Joel, please,” falls past your lips and into his flannel. He begins his gentle, open-mouthed kisses along your neck and jaw again at your words. He doesn’t let up on your cunt, though.

“You feel good, doll?” His accent is getting thicker, you notice, and it fuels the fire in your belly. You nod enthusiastically and you see the hint of a smirk dance on his lips.

All he does, though, is continue his light touch around your clit and entrance. You groan in annoyance and watch his mouth curl into a full smirk.

“You enjoy this don’ ya?! You’re evil, Joel!” He just laughs at your accusation, his fingers still just sort of satisfying. You groan again and decide you’ve had enough of his teasing.

You angle your hips just a little when he starts circling your hole again and sigh contently when you feel one of his fingers finally push into you.

Once again, Joel’s face stays the same, but you can feel his surprise on your thigh, a small twitch of his cock. He must be bored of his teasing because he follows your lead and starts pumping his finger into you.

You moan and feel yourself clench around his finger, effectively pulling a soft groan from Joel’s lips.

“Fuck me, Joel. Stop teasing and please fuck me.” You plead with him, and smile widely when he pulls his hand from your panties.

You smile to yourself, both of you are too impatient to play games with each other.

Joel squats and pulls your shorts and panties down with him, helping you step out of them. He stares up at you, the way his eyes bore into you like you’re his sole purpose in life almost makes you forget where you are and what you’re doing.

You don’t miss him stuffing your panties into his back pocket, though.

“You have to give those back to me, they’re one of my good pairs- oof!” He stands to his full height before you can protest any more and roughly kisses you once again.

You smile into the kiss, enjoying his change from ‘cool, calm, and collected Joel who builds things’ to ‘horny, desperate, Mr. Miller who steal panties’.

Before you can say any of this, though, Joel is picking you up and wrapping your thighs around his waist. The feeling of his tattered jeans under the skin of your thighs sends a shiver up your spine.

Joel fiddles around and ends up holding you up with one hand. If you weren’t hot and bothered before, you definitely are now.

“That’s hot.” Is all you can muster, his attractiveness is fogging your brain so you don’t immediately register his laugh. Or the distinct clink of his belt being undone. Or his grunt when he bends slightly so he can pull down his boxers. But you do feel when his cock nudges at your entrance and you fight the urge to moan at just the thought.

“You’re sure about this? Ya really want-“ You groan at his question and cut him off by sinking down onto his cock. You don’t get far though.

Usually when you touch yourself, you only use two fingers and that seems to suffice.

You failed to take this into account when attempting to sit on his cock.

He’s much bigger than your two fingers you’re used to so you only get about an inch in before you whine in pain and regret trying to rush things.

“‘m not stretched ‘nough.” You say through your teeth, whimpering softly while you adjust to his size.

“Darlin’, you should’ve let me do this bit, hm? ‘re you alright?” Concern is etched deep into his features as he asks you and you feel your heart swell again.

“‘m fine. Jus’ gimme a minute.” He nods quickly and lets you settle yourself.

After a few beats you test the waters and sink yourself down a little further.

The stretch of him burns still, but it subsides much quicker and you moan in spite of yourself.

“Feels good. Don’ hurt as much.” You slur, gripping his shoulders a little tighter as you inch yourself a little bit lower.

He rubs your skin and mumbles sweet nothings as you slowly, slowly, push yourself further onto his cock until finally you’re seated flush against his hips.

You sit there for a while, allowing everything to adjust. The pain gradually blossoms into pleasure and before you know it, you’re pulling yourself up and pushing yourself back down.

You both moan in relief and you stare into his eyes to ground yourself.

His eyes crinkle in the way you love best as he smiles at you. He’s so fucking gorgeous.

“You feel fuckin’ amazin’, doll. Wanna give me a go?” His smile is soft and you trust him so you nod, relaxing into him as he readjusts his grip on your ass.

He gives an experimental thrust, watching your face as your eyes roll back and you open your mouth slightly to let out a small sound.

“Feel good, doll?” He sounds genuinely curious so you force your jumbled thoughts into a half-coherent, “myeah..”. He hums in approval before fucking up into you in a consistent rhythm.

He fucks you nice and deep, reaching places you’ve never reached with your fingers. You try to voice this but it only comes out as blabbered praise of his cock.

He slows down (barely) for just a second to whisper, “shhh. Gotta be quiet, hey? Don’ want anyone to walk in on this.” and pushes your hair back delicately as if he’s not rearranging your organs in your guest bathroom.

You agree, though, and close your mouth to try and keep your moans in. Joel hums approval once again, adjusting his hips slightly so he hits that spot deep inside you. Your bulletproof plan of ‘maybe if I close my mouth I won’t alert everyone that I’m currently having sex with a man the age of my father’ immediately crumbles when he repeatedly hits your g-spot and draws stars into your vision.

He’s quick to shut you up, though, wrapping his hand tightly over your mouth without missing a beat. You make a mental note to tell him that the way he treats you like you weigh nothing is definitely the hottest thing ever.

You want to tell him now but there’s some things preventing that, like his cock in your cunt, and his hand on your mouth, and the fact that everytime you breathe, all you can smell is him and it sends you over the edge.

His smell - sandalwood, you think. probably a cologne that someone got him as an afterthought - encompassing your every thought is all you can think about as your orgasm hits you.

Your muscles squeeze his cock and you can hear his groan in response.

He fucks you through your orgasm, much slower and much more deliberate than just a minute ago, and stops once he sees you calming down.

He sets you down softly, but keeps holding you up when you almost fall to the ground immediately. You’re busy trying to keep yourself from folding in on yourself that you dont notice the cum staining your leg, nor do you notice Joel staring at it and blushing profusely.

“That was.. wow.” You finally manage to hold yourself up and look into Joel’s eyes, smiling brightly. He returns the smile but only breifly because he’s once again leaning down to kiss your lips.

Although, this kiss is gentle, no hunger or lust overpowering the kiss. It’s innocent and warm and it makes your heart melt.

“Did ya enjoy yourself, doll?” He’s smirking so you know that he knows exactly what you’re going to say, even before you can think about a response.

“Yes. Definitely. Please do that again.” He laughs softly, grabbing your long forgotten shorts and handing them to you.

“Of course, sweetheart. Anythin’ you want. But we gotta, y’know.” He gestures vaguely to the bathroom door and you finally notice the broken lock and the gaps between the door frame.

“Did anyone hear?! Shit! I’m so sorry Joel-“ He cuts you off with a snort and pulls the door closer to him.

The gaps disappear when he does and you blush, realising he had held the door closed the entire time.

“S’alright, we jus’ gotta be more careful if we make this a uh, a thing, y’know?” He lets go of the handle and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

You button up your shorts and look up at his face, watching his eyes stare anywhere but at you and taking note of the red dusting his cheeks.

You giggle quietly and kiss his cheek as you wiggle past him towards the door.

“I don’t usually let boys fuck me stupid and then never let them do it again. Text me tomorrow, I need help finding a summer job.” Your confidence even surprises you as you walk out of the small bathroom and make your way back outside.

You greet some guests, faking laughs and making small talk when you finally catch Damien and steal your food back. He groans and you just flip him off, walking over to the bench near the barbeque and sit down.

This is the point in time when you remember Joel Miller still has your panties shoved deep inside his jeans.

Your face flushes pink and your eyes scan the yard, finally landing on brown eyes that stare back at you.

He smirks and waves politely before turning and talking to someone.

You can see the corner of your panties sticking out of his back pocket and curse anyone and everything you can think of.

All you can think about is tomorrow and how you’re going to ride that man until-

“Dad says it’s my food. Give it back.” -and you’ve given up on trying to enjoy the party.

Fuck Joel Miller.

Literally.

[tonys-fav-bitch]

Bad Decisions

Joel Miller x Reader

Part 2

Warning(s): None (I dont think?)

Word Count: 1.1k

Summary: You and Joel were just starting to act on your feelings for each other. What happens when an outbreak separates you two?

( 2010 )

YOU COLLAPSED ONTO the ugly colored break room couch you had approached. You let out a sigh as you ran your hand over your face, trying to wipe away the exhaustion that was taking over. You were tired, your scrubs were now becoming uncomfortable, and you wanted nothing more than to take a shower and pass out.

Your eyes started to flutter shut and you spread your body out on the squeaky old piece of furniture, getting as comfortable as you could. Just as you started to drift off, your phone rang out into the peaceful silence. You jumped at the sudden noise and sat up, grabbing the device out of your pocket. You clicked the answer button without even checking to see who was calling.

"Hello?" You said in a questionable tone.

"Hey!" Sarah's small voice called out.

"Hey what's up? Are you okay?" You suddenly felt awake now, worried that the girl was in trouble or something had happened to Joel.

"I'm fine, calm down! I called to see if you'd come to my soccer game? I know it's boring but since Dad can't make it. ." She trailed off, knowing her sad tone would reel you in.

You sighed slightly, not because you didn't want to go - but because you wanted to go even though you were exhausted. You sat up and ran your free hand through your thick hair.

"Yea of course, Sar. What time?"

"It's at 4. So like in an hour? Thank you! Bye, love ya!" Sarah squeaked out before hanging up, not giving tyou a chance to reply.

"An hour?" You groaned out loud, falling back onto the couch again.

Which was more important, sleep or a shower?

☓

You yawned as you made your way through the thick green grass. Your boots crunched the twigs and rocks beneath them. The sun was shining down on the large field ahead, handfuls of young teens and children running around as they kicked soccer balls.

You looked around, your eyes searching for Sarah. Instead, your gaze landed on a familiar muscular back that was dressed in a plaid flannel. You bit at your lip as you silently cursed out Sarah. She said that Joel couldn't make it.

Damn her.

You took a breath and walked over, quietly sliding in next to the tall man. You raised your hand, hesitant on your next move. You slowly wrapped your arm through Joel's, slightly startling the man. He looked to his side, already knowing who it was by your simple touch - and the sweet smell of coconut and vanilla mixed together.

"Now what are you doin here?" His southern drawl was strong and it made your heart skip a beat.

"I was told you couldn't make it, so I decided to come cheer her on. Even though I know next to nothing about soccer. . and I'm running on 3 hours of sleep." You laughed lightly as you spotted Sarah bounding down the field, a ball bouncing between her feet.

"She's a sly one." He replied, glancing to his daughter then back to you.

"Wonder where she gets that from?" You lifted an eyebrow at him, a smirk on your pink lips.

The man simply chuckled, continuing to watch his daughter play. After a few moments, he glanced over to you, noticing your eyes fluttering with exhaustion. He stuffed his hands in the front of his jean pockets before clearing his throat.

"Why don't we go take a seat on the bleachers?" His soft voice brought you out of your trance, and you nodded your head.

You turned to walk, Joel's big hand resting on the small of your back. The skin underneath burned even through the fabric of your shirt. You leaned into his touch as you shuffled up the small bleacher steps. The two sat down, Joel pulling you over to him and letting you rest your head on his arm. Your heart was pounding at the simple yet intimate moment the two of you were sharing.

You could stay like that forever.

☓

The sun had set and darkness overtook the sky. Sleep was tugging at your eyes still, but you fought it hard. You, Sarah, and Joel slowly made their way through the front door of the Miller house. Sarah ran down the hallway, heading for the kitchen, singing and yelling wildly.

"How does she still have energy?" You groaned, setting your bag down on the sofa.

Joel laughed and gave you a shrug, still sticking close to you. He yelled over to his daughter to head upstairs and get ready for bed. She fought, only for a moment before you told her the same - her listening to you instead of her father.

"Why does she do that?" He huffed as he plopped down on the couch.

"What? Listen to me instead of you?" You grinned.

"It's cause I'm amazing." You beamed and took a seat next to him, facing him slightly.

"Yea yea. Whatever it is, keep doing it." He told you, resting his arm along the back of the couch.

A comfortable silence fell over the two of you as they rested, listening to Sarah's disorganized footsteps upstairs as she got ready for bed. You glanced over to Joel, who's eyes were already trained on you. You gave him a look of curiosity, wondering what he was thinking. You wished you could see what was going on up in his head.

He leaned forward, stopping inches from your face. Your breath caught in your throat as you glanced from his dark eyes to his plump lips that were starting to get covered by his growing facial hair. Your patience grew thin and you covered the distance between you two, pressing your lips to his. He froze for a moment before responding to the action. He kissed you back with a strong urge of passion, cupping the side of your face with his hand.

A hum of bliss left your lips as you reached up, resting your hand on his chest - feeling the wild beat of his heart. He swiftly scooped you up, pulling you onto his lap. Your lips never parted as you adjusted yourselves. You moved your hands, settling them into the hair that fell just down to the nape of his neck. You loved the soft feeling of his luscious locks. After a few more moments, the two of you pulled away breathlessly. You rested your forehead against his. Joel reached up and cupped your face again, neither of them speaking for a few moments. He ran his thumb along your bottom lip as he spoke up.

"I'm - I'm sorry. I shouldn't ha -" You cut him off.

"No. ." He held your intense gaze before responding to the permission he saw in your eyes, hungrily pressing his lips to yours again.

Now this is where you wanted to stay forever.

☓

[sirfluffig]

“For the first time in his life.” (OUTDATED)

This is one of the few occasions I decided to write a fic. Why? Because I felt like, doing what I missed out on with Flavio. Creating content. So anyways, have fun with my HPMA Disasters!!

Word Count: 2386 Words

Characters mentioned: Logan & Marigold Ceccere, Flavio Ceccere, Theodore Ceccere, Cody Finnigan, Daniel Paige, Robyn Thistlethwaite, “Cassandra”,  Nessi Lucerne ( @kathrynalicemc ), Elvira Damon ( @diddy00 )

Warning: As one of the many not primarily english speaking users in this fandom, I want to apologize for obvious grammar or vocabulary errors! <3

It's been quite some time, since his eleventh birthday has passed. The days of July and August flew by and finally the day has come on which another young and rather innocent student has to begin his more than adventurous journey at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Platform 9 ¾ was rather crowded today, a few staff members were struggling to bring order in the chaos as countless pure-blood, half-blood and muggle-born families were making their way through the masses to get to the old and used train that brought the students to the castle in the scottish highlands. 

A blonde pureblood wizard was seen, that was lifting tons of suitcases and bags into the train, while his apparent daughter was striding around as if the entire station was owned by her. Her high and squeaking voice was a glass shattering sound, that broke through the, now somehow grouped amount of people. But nobody really granted her attention, so she just threw her long charming blonde hair back and judged the people passing by with her glares.

On the other side of the platform, there was a tired student, his dark reddish almost auburn hair was hanging onto the old and weathered pages of a book. Even though, his eyes were unable to see anything other than the inked lines of the yellow and at some points teared paper, he managed to evade any collisions with others. A remarkable talent that was mostly known by only one other wizard alive. 

Just in time, a last kid came through the magical portal and onto the platform itself. A slight rumble ensued as the family was making its way to the train, nearly crashing into countless innocent children. The boy that was accompanied by his parents looked rather sickly, towering above the other first years. There only were a few that could compete in a test of height. One of them, with beautiful short black hair...and strange looking teeth...another one...more fish than human.  This year, was sure to be extraordinary.

The boy’s parents were a mix of serious mentality and free spirited youth. His father looked like an escaped hell hound. He was a steady man, tall and masculine, but not muscular. He had medium long brown hair, hanging down the sides of his head, a red glowing eye that was scanning the surroundings for potential danger, while the other one was covered by a black eye-patch. While his body was hidden beneath a trenchcoat and some old fashioned clothes. On his coat was a badge positioned which belonged to a high ranked member of the Ministry of Magic Curse Breaking Department. This insignia alone granted him respect in the eyes of some parents and disgust in the ones of others. 

His mother on the other side, was a pure ray of sunshine. Her smile was charming and a representation of the purity of her soul. She had long curly blonde hair, that fell down from her angel-like face, making a slight curve around her small snub nose and over her shoulders. Her emerald green eyes were always directed towards her little eleven year old son, while her hands where shoving the cart towards the Hogwarts Express. To protect herself from the autumn typical temperature, she wore a pinkish wool pullover under a overall jeans. She almost looked like a farmer’s girl if she wasn't known to be one of the more successful wandmaker apprentices under Ollivander. 

The boy himself, wasn't that sparking of attention. Just before he took his first step into the old and rusty train, he turned around, looking at his parents with tears in his eyes. 

“M-Mom...Dad...Why can’t I stay home and be homeschooled by Uncle Flavio like before?” The nervous voice of the youngster made its way to the ears of his parents. His mother got on one knee before him, laying both hands on his shoulders, sending off some warmth and confidence.

“Theo. Uncle Flavio sadly can’t homeschool you anymore. He has to work more than usual since the small outbreaks of chaotic wizards that need the attention of Obliviators...and Hogwarts is just about fine! It's one of the most renown Wizarding Schools!” 

“Yeah because of its dangerous and murderous tendencies!” Theo interrupted her promptly, his eyes were now filled with some kind of logical anger. It was clear that Hogwarts wasn't fine. It was never fine. Everyone who had studied there was either insane or dead now. “I have read about the dangers uncle had to endure during his time at school! Cursed Vaults-” 

As soon as these words were finished, the Curse Breaker cleared his throat. “You don't need to be scared of the Vaults anymore Theo. We got that handled years ago. Your uncle and I, made sure that nobody opens up one of them ever again and since Voldemort’s thankfully gone, there is nothing that could harm you anymore.” he tried to calm his son down, without much success. It was clear that Theo believed none of it. There was no calm and secure year at Hogwarts, that’s what he learned from History. 

Meanwhile other students tried to board the train to Hogwarts but were stopped because some tall kid, with cedar brown hair was blocking the entrance. A few of the parents thought about asking him to clear the way for their kids but as soon as their eyes caught the intimidating figure of a man, standing next to the boy they decided not to bother them. 

Before anyone could have said anything, Theo was pushed into the train by an impatient young girl anyways, causing a massive pushing and jostle in the crowd of students. Theo was forcefully moved away from his parents sight and deeper into the train. The last thing his eyes could see was the black bob cut of the girl that was pushing him before everything in front of him became empty. 

He never had been alone, without his parents in a unfamiliar place. He looked around and the walls began slowly moving towards each other, threatening to crush Theo between them. Everything seemed to become blurred. It was almost as if Theo got dizzy. The young boy closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. As soon as he opened his eyes, everything was normal again. 

Now he stood in the middle of the train. It was fairly high and wide, so Theo had no trouble walking in his usual posture. He decided to move deeper into the train, since fighting against the stream of first years slowly boarding the train would have been idiotic. The inside of the train was actually pretty astonishing. You wouldn't have imagined it this big from the outside.

 On the left and right were compartments with enough spots for the entire school to find a seat. Some were already taken by excited looking kids, laughing and playing with each other. It seemed like they were on the best way to become friends. Yeah… friends. Something Theo used to have, but since the accident… Well, Theo wasn't in the mood for social interaction anyways, so he wandered around, looking for an empty cabinet. 

A few minutes passed and the train was about to start moving as Theo had found a small compartment for himself. The door was easy to open, as the more or less weak looking student stepped inside. He gently sat down on one of the red bolstered seats and put his shoulder bag right beside him. The bag itself looked rather weathered and used, flicked a few times, even without magic.

Theo carefully opened the zipper and took out a book that obviously was not new at all, it had a lot of scratches and tears all over it. Nothing that an entitled brat would even touch. The leathery smelling novel with golden ornaments was called “Belle et la Bête” and had engraved the golden letters of his surname on the back, symbolizing that it was one of the few remains of the first Ceccere’s that were located in France. This family heirloom has been given to countless generations and now it belongs to Theo. 

A few hours passed by and the train rolled over the rails with a confident speed. It had done this track over a thousand times and today it won't be any different, will it? The beautiful nature of Scotland was rushing by the window with an unimaginable speed. 

The world around Theo got blurry. The roads were turning in his head and soon, he wasn't sitting in a train anymore. The loud rattle of the wheels on the rails were drowned out by the giddy and happy sounds of two children that were running in the forest, laughing and giggling, like there was nothing to worry about in this world.

The kids, a young boy with brown hair and amethyst coloured eyes and a girl with beautiful blonde braids and brown cubicles of creativity as eyes were playing outside. The chill wind of autumn was playing with their hair as they ran through the thicket. For the moment, they were in their own little world.  He was a brave knight fighting against a feisty dragon in this enchanted woods to save the princess. 

They did that often and it didn't take long until the boy discovered his feelings for his friend. Yet he never told her about them. He was way too shy. So they played on and on and on.

Suddenly Theo got ripped out of one of his usual day dreams by the shout of a inhuman cranky voice, that sounded from another compartment. 

“That’s where my mother lives!” This voice reminded him of someone, he had heard it today already. Theo turns to the window and there was nothing else than a giant pond in front of him. A bit further away was a light house with a strayed gravel path to the water. Even though, nobody could have seen him, Theo raised his eyebrow. Surely nobody’s mother could live underwater, could they?. The student leaned back into his soft seat and took up the book again. 

He had learned french, only to be able to read this book, so he wanted to use every chance he got. Not that french had not helped him otherwise as well. He was able to talk with his aunt and her brother in french for a bit, even though he did poorly on that.

His tender fingers were slightly creeping over the cover of the book while his purple eyes were scanning the lines cautiously like an owl waiting for a mouse to come of its hole.

Theo was able to get some silence. The train had made its way through the most part of Scotland and it shouldn't take much longer till they arrive at the pompous and more than aesthetically pleasing Hogwarts . He was still feeling somewhat strange. He hadn't been without his parents supervision for so long. Would he even be able endure, entire seven years without them? 

The eleven year old nervously knocked with his fingers on the seat next to him. “It’s going to be good...Alice won’t be there..:Nobody will judge you” he told to himself over and over again. Will everything be good though? Or was he just lying to himself, to make him feel better? 

The only thing that kept Theo calming company was the silence. But this silence shouldn't be forever. 

With a loud shrieking sound, the door of the compartment was shoved open and a young boy was standing in the frame.

He wasn't nearly as tall as Theo but he wasn't bad looking either. 

The intruder had short side-parted dark brown hair, which was flowing down his face, covering his left eye a bit. The hair itself looked wild and untamed, as if he hadn't combed it for the last three years.

The boy was pretty well build but had a rather slumped posture, making him look way less elitist than Theo. Yet the most eye-catching thing were the burning bright pink eyes of the  kid, that were carelessly observing the room. 

“Hiya there”. said the intruder with a smirk on his face. He didn't seem as excited or jumpy as the other 11 year olds that Theo had encountered, yet he had a loud and orotund voice. 

Because Theo had not expected anyone else to join him on the last few kilometers to Hogwarts, he was startled by the noise, causing his head to jolt up and hit the back of the seat brutally. 

“Ay Fella, everything all right? Seems like you hit your head quite hard? I hope I didn't scare you too much?” Theo hadn't even realized what was happening as he rubbed the back of his head in pain and this guy was already full into a conversation.

To answer his question, Theo just shook his head “No, everything's fine, Thank you for asking. Just...please don't scare me like that again”. The future Ravenclaw’s voice was soft and silvery in comparison. 

“May I take that seat off of ya then?” The smaller boy asked. His voice sounded kind of annoying and nosy. Him being in the compartment would make the last bit of the journey hell for Theo. So he decided to say no. 

“Well, yes...s-sure...I don’t mind.” What? That was not how it was planned! The other boy threw himself on the seat, leaning back with a sigh. Everything about him radiated such chaotic energy  that even Theo hadn’t seen before. The boy’s shoes weren’t tied right, his clothes were in a horrible condition. Unbelievable. 

“So, I'm sorry for breakin’ in here like that but I'm searchin’ for some interesting people for donkey’s years in this train. It's gettin' boring with all these rule sticklers and goody two shoes. Ya wouldn't believe it. Every kid seems the same! …. And honestly someone reading the french version of Beauty and the Beast is intriguing enough for me.”  The boy leaned forward, holding out his hand to Theo. 

“Finnigan my name. Cody Finnigan!” the smirk on Cody’s face hasn't left him once till now. Theo cautiously took his hand, a bit skeptic about his new acquaintance

 “My name is Theo...Theo Ceccere...”

[blurglesmurfklaine]

Cornelia Street (3/?)

A/N: oh my god they were quarantined

yes. It’s one of those fics.

AU, obvs

I’m posting as I go and idk how many parts this is going to be, likely won’t be very long but I literally don’t know what I’m doing and should i be starting yet another WIP? definitely not but fuck it lets fucking go

Title is from T-swizzles Lover album, I’m OBSESSED

Summary: Three years ago, Kurt and Blaine went on a disaster of a date and never quite got off on the right foot. Now, just before they graduate from NYADA, there’s a national outbreak and they’re both self-quarantined in a mutual friend’s apartment.

Read On AO3

On Tumblr: Part 1, Part 2

Part 3

Kurt has the art of avoiding someone he’s sharing a confined space with down to an art. Blaine stays in the bedroom most of the time and the morning stiffness in Kurt’s joints from sleeping on the couch is well worth not having to interact with his roomie. He spends the first few days decompressing from the stressload of his schoolwork, social media, extra pampering, the usual.

This is enough to keep him entertained for a few days, but the first few hours of day four drag on like molasses. 

Kurt lies on the couch, flippantly scrolling and cycling through the same social media apps over and over again until he’s seen every tweet, every snapchat story, and every. Single. Facebook. Post.

This routine is fine when he has a full and busy life, but it can’t be all he does. He’s going stir crazy.

It’s this boredom, he tells himself, that motivates him to knock on the bedroom door. Because he’s a generally social person, and he’s certain that even the likes of Blaine Anderson could offer him some temporary entertainment.

“The living room TV doesn’t come with Netflix,” he explains when a confused Blaine opens the door. “And my social media feed is dry, so you can either let me in on whatever you’re watching, or you can deal with the consequences of not doing that. I should let you know, I have a brother, and I can be very annoying.”

Blaine hums, looking Kurt up and down. “I also have a brother who can be ridiculously annoying, so I suppose I can’t risk it.” He speaks carefully, but Kurt has a sneaking suspicion that Blaine’s just as out of his mind bored as he is and would appreciate the company. 

He opens the door wider to allow Kurt passage in the room. 

Blaine moves towards the bed, where he’s clearly made some sort of quarantine nest for himself—the blanket is puddled near the head of the bed where Blaine was lying, a few books scattered by where his feet would have been, a bowl of half eaten ramen abandoned on the nightstand. 

Kurt… doesn’t quite know what to do. He starts for the computer chair by the desk, but Blaine waves him away. “You can just sit next to me,” he says dismissively. “That’s Sam’s gaming chair, and it is just absolutely hell on your lower back. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”

He raises an eyebrow, crosses his arms. “Is that what I am to you?”

Blaine looks at him like he’s genuinely surprised by the remark. “What? I… No. Not at all.”

“Really?”

“Look, Kurt, I know we have a weird history and we don’t particularly get along, but I don’t hate you.”

Kurt eyes Blaine up and down for a second, assessing him for any signs of deceit. He finds none, pulls the cover back and slides underneath it. “What are you watching?”

“Let It Snow. It’s a Netflix Original. It just started, do you want me to rewind it?”

Kurt waves a hand. “No, that’s fine.”

On screen, two teens are trudging through the snow towards a building with AFFLE TOWN on top of it. 

“If the train made you feel real, Waffle Town is gonna blow your mind.”

In the movie, the cheerleader character kisses the other main red-headed girl in the bathroom, but acts like nothing happened when the rest of the squad comes in. 

“Oh, she’s totally not out of the closet yet.” Blaine murmurs. 

“What? But she said she was, at the beginning.”

“I mean, yeah, but there has to be some sort of twist.”

“Hm. Seems like you have this movie all figured out.”

“I mean, movies like this are supposed to be predictable on some level. Let’s be real, we watch these movies because no matter what happens, no matter what misunderstanding there is, you know everything’s going to be okay.” He looks at Kurt, and Kurt’s heart does not skip a beat. But objectively speaking, Blaine is ridiculously adorable, and maybe he has a teeny tiny reaction when Blaine says, “You know that the right people will end up with each other.”

About twenty more minutes in, all the different storylines have been introduced and Kurt realizes why this movie seems so familiar. “Oh my god,” he says. “This is totally just a teen version of Love, Actually.”

Blaine chuckles. “Oh my gosh, you’re right!”

They both laugh out loud at the end, when the crappy best friend realizes she’s been crappy and gives the red-head a little speech. 

“If you and Beyonce were trapped in a house that was on fire and I could only save one of you... I would let Beyonce die.”

The movie draws to a close and Blaine leans back against the pillows, obviously satisfied with the ending. “See? Happy endings rule. They’re a little cheesy, a little predictable, but that’s what I like about them.”

Kurt smiles and looks over at Blaine. “Yeah, me, too.”

*

When the movie ends, Blaine excuses himself for a moment to go grab a drink from the kitchen.

When he finishes his glass of water, Blaine heads to the hall closet, clamoring around for that stash of board games Sam keeps for game nights. He finally finds it and grins a bit, pulling out Battleship. This should keep them entertained for a while.

He stops dead in his tracks, just outside the room, when he hears Kurt in a heated conversation on the phone. “No, Adam. I meant it, this time. We’re over… I know there’s a national crisis right now, that’s why I’m at—don’t… stop… will you let me—! You always do this! Stop talking over me! Oh my god, if you’re not going to listen, then this conversation is over.”

Blaine silently backtracks a few steps when he hears Kurt sniff, then after a minute or two, starts walking again, making sure to slap his bare feet against the hardwood floor so that Kurt hears him coming and can take a second to compose himself. He rattles the battleship game for extra measure and says loudly down the hallway, “So I found this battleship game in the closet, thought it might be a good way to pass the time.”

Kurt still looks a little lost in thought by the time Blaine is back in the bedroom. “Uh, sure, yeah. Why not,” he mindlessly agrees.

It takes them a few minutes to set everything up and figure out logistics. As a gesture of goodwill, Blaine insists that they both sit on the bed for this activity. He still feels a little bad for… whatever Kurt is going through right now. 

They’re well into the game when Blaine decides to tug a little more on the thread that will unravel Kurt Hummel.

“J1,” Kurt grumbles.

“Miss,” Blaine responds. “So… I thought I might’ve heard you on the phone earlier,” he says, and Kurt’s hard gaze pierces through him. “Everything okay?”

“Why do you care?” Kurt snaps.

Blaine felt his own defenses rising up. “We are going to be stuck with each other for days on end, so excuse me for trying to be a decent person.”

Kurt de-bristles himself. “Sorry,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “Sorry… I um… my ex is trying to get me to go stay with him. But I know he’s just going to rope me into getting back together again and I just… I’m done. Sorry,” he repeats, lifting his knees and wrapping his arms around them. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.”

“It’s okay,” Blaine says, mouth twitching. “We’ll chalk it up to social distancing. Speaking of, I know why I’m self-quarantined, why are you? If you don’t mind me asking. Why not go home like everyone else? B4.”

Kurt sighs. “Hit. My dad had a heart attack back in high school. Left him in a coma for a while. Then he had a cancer scare last year, so his immune system isn’t the strongest. I can’t risk taking anything back to him. J2.”

“I’m sorry to hear that… Hit.”

“Thanks. What about you?”

“C4. Kind of the same thing. My aunt has lived with us pretty much my entire life. She's pretty much my second mom. She’s diabetic, and a year ago she needed a kidney transplant. If she even gets so much as a cold, it could mess with her anti-rejection meds.”

He doesn’t get a response for a while and Blaine looks up to find Kurt staring at him. The other boy blinks, like he himself has just noticed his fixed gaze. 

“Um, hit…” he says, looking back down at his board. Blaine thinks he might see a hint of a blush crawling up Kurt’s neck. “J3.”

“Miss.”

“Miss? That’s impossible. J1 and I2 were misses.” Kurt snaps his head up, narrowing his eyes at Blaine, but there’s a playful light that wasn’t there earlier. “Are you cheating?”

“Maybe,” he teases, evading the question because it actually is a hit. In fact, it’s the winning move. “Maybe I just don’t want this game to be over so soon.”

For a moment, Blaine wonders if his comment was too close to flirtatious territory. But then he thinks, so what if it is? There was a reason he agreed to be set up with Kurt freshman year, and after half a conversation with him, Blaine is definitely intrigued, to say the least.

Kurt’s lips curl up into a smile. “Alright… I don’t want to go back to being bored either, so how about this? We each move one of the small pieces and the first one to get a hit wins.”

Blaine agrees, taking one of his small pieces off and moving it.

“I’ll start us off,” Kurt says. “You mentioned you had a brother. What about the rest of your family? A6.”

“Miss. I’ve only got the one, thank god, because he is a handful. My mom is a total goofball, gives the best advice. I love her to death. My dad is the essence of I hate everything except my family. He can be a total grump sometimes, but I know he’d do anything for us. G7. You?”

“Miss. I mentioned my dad. My mom passed away when I was eight.” Blaine’s eyes glaze over with sympathy. “She was… she was really something. I miss her everyday, but I’m also really grateful that my dad found someone as wonderful as my step-mom. They got married my Junior year of high school, and I got a brother out of it. He drives me up the wall sometimes, but I love the big lug.”

Kurt tells Blaine all about the ridiculousness of his high school show choir, his relationship with his dad, and the bullying he endured in high school. In turn, Blaine confesses some insecurities he has about being a musical theatre major, about how he absolutely adores his kooky aunt, and his love for harry potter.

The game takes longer to finish than it should since occasionally they get so deep into conversation that they forget about playing the game. Eventually, it’s nearly two am, and Kurt decides to call it quits.

“Alright,” he says. “I’m calling it. I’m never gonna fund that darn ship of yours.”

“You’re right about that,” Blaine agrees. Kurt had actually hit his piece about three turns in, but again… Blaine wasn’t ready to say goodnight yet.

Kurt snorts out a laugh and rises from the he’d, stretching his arms high over his head. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he groans.

Blaine has no idea what compels him to say this, but he does. “You don’t have to sleep in the living room.”

Kurt freezes and gives Blaine a look. 

“I just mean…” he swallows. “I’ve had the bed enough nights. Time to pay my dues. I can take the couch tonight.”

He hops off the bed before Kurt even has the chance to protest. 

“I… um, thanks,” he gives Blaine a shy smile. 

“I’ll see you in the morning, Kurt.” He returns the smile—more than just a nicety at this point—and turns around to head to the living room.

He can’t keep the dazed grin off his face when he pulls out his phone to text Sam.

Part 4

[pkmntrainergreyze]

The Apocalypse Suite (Tyler Joseph x Reader)

a/n: My frens know I’m trash for The Umbrella Academy and I suggest you read it. Real amazing comic series and characters. I noticed not a lot of people write an imagine using TUA, so yeah, expect major similarities.

Although I tweaked the plot and characters a bit, there are still spoilers regarding the Apocalypse Suite (or the comics at least, maybe the netflix adaption is different) (best hope it won’t be death note v2).

So yeah, read The Umbrella Academy before it airs on Netflix.

(p.s: there are .cbr files you can download free on getcomics and you can open them with the comic reader app. you didn’t hear it from me)

Warning ⚠: The Umbrella Academy Spoilers (duh)

————–

Tyler sighed and leaned on the plane’s window. The greasy caramel haired boy gripped his small keyboard tight. The child’s goo eyes observed his adopted brothers and sisters fight against France’s morale skyscraper at 6:26 in the morning. He can’t deduce why they have missions everyday. His father— Monocle won’t tell.

The Eiffel Tower’s summit glowed green. Number 3 (Pete/Rumor) twisted reality with his lies so citizens will evacuate. Fortunately every lie he says come true.

Number 1 (Ryan/Moonboy) hollered in command and only Number 6 (Brendon/Panic!)’s stomach tentacles seem to follow his lead. Ryan has super strength and loves playing leader while Brendon had monsters frolicking under his skin that is sometimes under his control.

When the tower ascended, Number 2 ((Y/n)/Kraken) prepared the blades. She’s known to be a knife casting child that can hold her breath for a day— and a brat.

But she’s his first favorite “sibling”. She’s the only one that shared his interests and understood him, together with Number Five. They wrote songs together— hers mostly about cryotic messages on how to utterly destroy Hargreeves with humiliation and his about beliefs and religion. The three of them could make a great band.

Oh, and Tyler has a school boy crush on her.

And now Number 4 (Frank/Séance) floated, aiming to contact the dead engineer for assistance. He’s psychic for a reason.

All those abilities made them equal in strength, aside from Number 7. Unlike his siblings superpowers, he’s a talentless slob with mediocre piano skills babysitted on Hargreeves’s private plane.

Out of 43 children, he was the seventh chosen for the Umbrella Academy. Sir Hargreeves claimed his orphans are gifted with abilities the norm can only imagine, yet he doesn’t seem to exhibit the description.

“Dad— I mean, Sir Monocle, Sir? Why can’t I play with the others?”

“Well Number Seven… There’s just nothing SPECIAL about you”

Tyler bobbed his head.

“Oh”

Inside, Tyler rebuked. But if he dare defy his father, he’ll be a reject in the streets. So he bottled it in, and inquired another instead.

“Where’s J— Number Five, Sir? I don’t see him anywhere” He asked, praying the man won’t reply insultingly.

“The Future, I presume. Ran away from home, no doubt. I can’t be sure, nor be bothered”

Tyler gasped at this— but envied his foster brother. The Kraken and Number Five were his closest friends, and one of them banished without him? Other than that how could a man— a father say that so blandly?

Hargreeves looked down, his monocle glinted him blind.

“Why don’t you go and play your piano?”

TWENTY YEARs LATER

“Does anyone wish to say anything?”

(Y/n) sighed and leaned on the nearest tree. They lost Brendon a few years back— and now Monocle. She discovered it’s better crying over a dirty calamari than a tyrant’s death. She barely casted a gaze down her father’s corpse. She did not like dusting her superhero custome for any occasion.

It obviously took a lot of time and money  polishing this funeral. Hell, it seemed like a wedding.

Everyone took giant leaps to be there. Her brother Ryan literally landed from space, Pete appeared after signing divorce papers from some guy named Patrick, Frank probably floated across the American borders and the most shocking news is their long time missing brother Number 5 came back from the future.

(It’s easy to spot who’s Number Five, considering he hadn’t aged a bit. He’s his seventy year old mind self trapped in his ten year old body)

Thank God the paparazzi met their dead end in front of the gates or else unanswerable questions will drill their heads to sleep.

But back to the present. Pogo, their talking caretaker chimpanzee’s question remained unanswered.

Ryan and Pete, the last of Hargreeves’s favorites inventions wore a grim expression. On the other hand Frank, Number Five, and (Y/n) displayed no sign of remorse. None of them dared to talk, not wanting to piss off one another.

Thankfully, Mrs Hargreeves took the spotlight. She wore a black trench coat to emphasize her husband’s death. She had puffy cheeks and looked like she cried before she arrived. The sight made Pete’s heart ache a bit. She was made to be the best mom. Equally a delicate and nice lady.

She began talking about how Gerard wasn’t the greatest father— and an even worse husband, in which everyone agreed fully. But when she spoke about him caring more about saving the world than personal relationship like a hero…

The Kraken called her words bullshit.

Pete and Ryan tried to warn Mrs Hargreeves, but it was too late.

If it’s barely a human being, how could it be a mother? It’s pathetic, a pathetic waste.

No one can make a mother out of parts and removable limbs. Why did everyone have to live their lives with everything plastered in man made inventions? No, they’re not superheros.

(Y/n) gripped her coat from behind and in one swift motion— she revealed her mother’s true nature.

They were all Sir Gerard-Fucking-Hargreeves’s lab rats.

Mrs Hargreeves’s body bared open organ systems and a stray heart. She cried, humiliated “I’m sorry…”

She sobbed “I shouldn’t have come”

Pete covered her with his jacket and cooed “It’s okay Mom”

Ryan grumbled in (Y/n)’s ear. This turmoil meant nothing in her head, and Mr Fly-Me-To-The-Moon can’t intimidate her.

“I’m warning you Kraken—”

“OR WHAT?!” She screamed and pushed his chest “YOU GONNA BEAT YOUR PROSTHETIC CHEST HARGREEVES CREATED?”

“EVERYTHING’S A LIE, COWBOY! HE LEFT US WITH NOTHING BUT A MAUSOLEUM FULL OF QUESTIONS AND A PIECE OF PLASTIC FOR A MOTHER”

She gazed at her mother’s synthetic black hair “Those tears aren’t even real”

Pete’s head snapped, bawling as he yelled “WELL THESE ARE”

(Y/n) flinched.

“Then too bad Tyler isn’t here” She mumbled. Pogo pressed a button and the casket lowered.

“He could play his piano…”

Not an hour had passed before Ryan and (Y/n) gripped each other’s throat in an almost ordinary fashion. This time, Moon had the upper hand. He pointed a ray gun against her temple, harnessing energy while his finger neared the trigger. And before (Y/n) could vision hanging out beside Bren’s pretty corpse, Number Five intervened.

“Maybe I wasn’t clear on what I saw back in the future!” He yelped.

“The world was destroyed just three days after Gerard’s death!”

Ryan froze.

Number Five looked down his watch “Time is running out”

Rumor scoffed at Moon “You haven’t changed a bit”

And when they thought everything is at peace, Pogo rode Séance’s shoulder as he flew, pointed at the carnival then screamed “Look!”

“The carnival! It’s on FIRE!”

It’s quite far from the mansion, but Ryan’s height and Frank’s psychic abilities let them saw the burning image. Moon’s face solidified. “The Niners” He muttered subconsciously

Séance groaned. Everyone except Number Five— who wasn’t there for the last two decades— hauled in a state of annoyance. Rumor shook his head, this again?

“The what?” Number Five asked.

“When we last fought Dr Nicholas Bourbaki he told us the next time we reform the Terminants will activate…”

Ryan looked down at the child.

“Which means Tyler is in the City”

Everyone headed back to the Mansion. One of the perks of being Sir Hargreeves’s children is the access to the televator— a teleporting elevator. They all thought of it the second they realized one of them is astray.

But Tyler isn’t the only prodigal sibling.

“Moon–” Pogo called out, noting (Y/n)’s lack of presence “The Kraken!”

“Let her get killed, cause according to the terminants…

We’re a team again”

Tyler sat in a taxi cab after rejecting an offer to hypothetically— destroy massive civilization by playing his piano, scavenging his keyboard bag for his pills. After all, how could his “adequate” piano skills help an apocalypse inducing orchestra?

He had enough. He thought being the lamest sibling in the Umbrella Academy will be the last line in his autobiography but it wasn’t. He also happened to cause another villain outbreak.

He can barely see the man in the driver seat, but if it weren’t hallucination then he paid a shadow.

He hoped the shadow, unicorn– whatever the hell is behind the wheel would drive faster so he could warn his family.

“Are you alright man? Y'know you look like—” The driver was cut off when a loud bang erupted.

“The carnival— It’s on fire!”

Tyler looked at the window. The carnival was indeed crackling in flames. He humphed. The rollercoaster looked way cooler morphing ashes.

“I bet it’s my family” He poured pills down his palm “change of plans”

“Drive me there” He glanced back at the amusement park. There are two groups of enemies on the loose.

But he prayed more that one of his siblings in particular will forgive him for what he had done in the past.

“And drive faster”

The Kraken flung another knife at the cloaked robot. The children on the ride’s boat ride hugged each other, chanting their quote on quote last words. Fuck them for thinking anyone else except Moon can’t save them.

God, (Y/n) hated these Niners. Next time Dr Nicholas design something it better look cooler and not look like wannabe cults. Oh wait— He’s dead! She forgot.

(Y/n) punched one down and roundhouse kicked the other. And as the others made their way another blade passed through their brains, splattering oil everywhere.

If only Number Five finished his check-up with Pogo earlier then he might’ve enjoyed fighting alongside her. They both missed each other’s company, most especially Five.

The woman was bleeding from her appendix down her right thigh— yet she determined the appropriate time vocalize they owe her a costume.

While she evacuated the three ungrateful souls, Tyler made his way south the carousel.

As he ran closer, the picture of Moon from afar about to punch a self-destructive robot went clearer.

“My God” He sprinted toward about to warn him “MOON!!”

Behind a trashcan ejected another enemy pointing a ray gun

“PATIENCE IS VIRTUE_! TARGET 00.07 ACQUIRED_!”

Tyler looked back, and saw approximately ten missiles ahead.

Ryan barely heard his scream however, someone else did.

“DAMNIT!”

(Y/n) pushed him down, with her on top. Her face contorted beyond pissed. They laid at the ground, both in pain. Tyler thanked God he stayed alive— but when he saw the look on the her face, he found out the half of the upcoming verbal abuse.

“What the hell are you doing here!” She screamed right at his face “You think you can show your face after all these years?!”

Tyler frowned.

“I… I wanted to help! There’s something I need to tell you, (Y/n)!”

Her chest tightened. It’s been a while since someone called her by her name.(Y/n) scoffed and laughed, repressing the warm feeling pooling inside her with the acidic truth.

“You left.”

He left when (Y/n) needed her the most. Being a teenager in Hargreeves’s manor was the saddest you could be. She shared chunks of her dreams with him— and he left to some pretentious academy because the person she hated the most told him so.

Another robot went boom after Ryan smashed it. Through the smoke he saw the illusion of The Pianist and Kraken together. (Y/n) covered him from Moon’s sight. She’d rather let him leave.

“The only thing you’re helping us is getting killed, and there’s nothing else I want to hear from you”

She towered above him.

“I… used to think I have a brother” At that time, Tyler felt tears roll against his warm cheeks. He avoided her gaze, but doing so does not make the situation easier, just made him seem more in denial.

“But I’ve got nobody”

That had to be the worst thing he heard all day. Much, much worse than hearing a proposal about universal destruction.

“Get lost” (Y/n) commanded.

He did, he scampered as fast as he could. She watch him crawl and trip out of her sight. She thought she might be masochistic for liking the sight of people leaving her… again… and again…

“Kraken” Ryan called out. And with that, (Y/n) Hargreeves transformed back to just Kraken.

“Thanks” She pertained to the broken robot that nearly killed her. Cause there’s no way she’s talking about it.

“Was that Tyler?” Pete asked. Frank wanted to ask the same question but he has to excuse his language to the children around him.

“Just a citizen” She gently grabbed one of the rescued injuired girls to the ambulance.

“No one SPECIAL”

———

a/n: I’ve been thinking about making this as a book, though I’m not sure everyone can understand my writing haha.

anyways, for the people who read the comics or at least saw the trailer: Who’s your favorite hero and enemy? 

Cause mine is the 100% best assassin Five, Klaus and Vanya (can’t choose, I just don’t like Luther, but Diego and Allison is pretty decent). Tho when it comes to enemies the best imo is Hazel and Cha Cha.

(… cause who needs drugs when you have cookies and guns?)

[hischeapcigar]

strawberries and cigarettes part 2

Pre-outbreak Joel Miller x reader 

Part: 1 2 3 4

Summary: you're falling in love with the person your dad hates the most  

Word count: 4.1k 

Warning: none except your father is a bit deranged so maybe that's all, and a little angst  🚬

a/n: it was supposed to be cute little one shot but i think it's gonna be series lolol. reblogs and comments are appreciated. love you mwah. AND OMG thankyouuuuu all who showed love to the first part but as a gift I got some angst oops. 🍓🍓

“What place?” you were confused,    

“Y’gonna love it, trus’ me” a small smirk growing in the corner of his lips   

-  

The rest of the ride was silent, unlike your mind. And probably unlike Joel's too. He was nervous as if this was gonna fix what he damaged.  

You were hyper aware of the situation; it was the first time ever that you and Joel were alone without anyone passing by. It was dark with the truck’s headlights pouring light on the road ahead.   

You should be scared, you should be unsure, you shouldn’t trust him. But you do. You feel safe, you feel warm, you feel protected.   

There’s only anxiety about the unknown place you’re headed, about the things that Joel’s gonna talk to you about. While you were still contemplating, knowing Joel would turn the wheels if you told him to, but a part of you, the bigger part of you, wanted to listen him out.  

Joel was silent beside you, and you were looking out the window. It was a different area, you had never been there before. It was almost laughable how blindly you trusted Joel that you let him take you anywhere. You knew you’d follow, even your broken heart didn’t matter.   

Why did the universe have to put you in such a position? Your dad dislikes him so much that you can’t even look at Joel in the presence of your dad. It was too painful. Just a small fight over a stupid job, that did not even include you, was pulling you away from Joel.  

Joel took a turn in between two wheat fields, the rain hadn’t slowed down, or the wind was too strong. The field was illuminated by the faint moonlight. He drove between the fields until it opened to a boundless empty field accompanied by a small hut in the middle.   

Joel parked a little distance away from the fence surrounding the hut. There was a yellow bulb lit outside the small shed. You had not a single clue why you were here in the middle of nowhere. You hadn’t even let your parents know but they still hadn’t called so it was safe till’ now, you guessed.  

Joel calmly pulled you out of your thoughts, “We’re here”  

You still looked around, not sure what exactly what you were looking for,   

And as if Joel read your thoughts,   

“I- uh, well this is my friend’s place,” he scratched the back of his head, nervous,” he showed me ‘round and well if it wasn't rainin, ya woulda adored it-”   

He paused abruptly, taking in the confused look etched on your face not knowing where this was going,   

“Can you give me minute,” he asked, not really seeking your affirmation because he was already opening the lock to his door,   

“No! Joel-” he opened the door, wind spraying rainwater inside the car as he got out, quickly shutting it  

 “Joel!” Panic settled in your body as you watched him cross the truck and walk further on the left. He took a big step, obviously stepping over border, but it was dark enough to see what laid there   

You watched him, his hair ruffling with the wind, he bent down and did God knows what. He sat there for a few more minutes as if plucking something before he got up and ran his way back.   

You were prepared to scold him for his reckless behavior, but the words fell short as soon as he got in the car, surprisingly he wasn't dripping wet like you expected. Your eyes were wide, not because of his state but what he held in his hands.   

Strawberries   

“Joel-” you spoke softly, eyeing the strawberries in his hands  

You hastily produced a tissue from your purse, placing the strawberries between both of you.  

He just looked at you with adoration, a streak of water falling from his hair down to his face, smile ghosting over his lips   

Suddenly you looked up at him, displaying small frown, “you can’t just go out like that, it’s dark and raining and what if-”  

“‘s mostly the wind not the rain, and ‘m just tryna make it up to you, darlin” he sighed as your eyes locked  

Darling   

It slipped off his tongue before he could stop himself, surprising both you and himself. Both staring at each other with eyes slightly wide.   

You closed your eyes, supporting your head on the headrest, suddenly remembering why you were there at first place,   

The flashbacks playing over in your mind. Instantly, you realize that you're sitting with the man who broke your heart a week ago. Disappeared without explanation, leaving you to worry about the worst. The way you cried your heart out when you missed him at night, or how you had to keep your voice from shaking every time a coworker asked you about Joel. How you had to resist the urge to go up to Sarah and ask her about her dad.   

You opened your eyes again, they were glossy and held so much pain, that Joel winced internally. You shifted your gaze to the window behind him, watching the droplets of water falling. The rain had eased off  

“I-” he wanted to comfort you, but he forgot every sentence he practiced of his monologue,   

“Why?” you asked, barely a whisper, bringing your eyes up to meet his again. Guilt was flowing in his warm brown eyes.   

“Your father showed up at my house, he uh-” unable to choose the right words, but there were no right words, “he gave me a black eye” he shrugged, letting out a dry chuckle,   

Eyes wide, your mouth opened and closed like a fish, not knowing what to say, but Joel beat you to it,   

“The day after he showed up at the cafe, I went to your place, to resolve things with him once and for all, brought wine an’ all, but he wasn’t home so I told your mom to give him my message,” he formed air quotes “‘let’s start off again and put the past in the past’”  

“He showed up at night, screaming at me, grabbing my collar, threatening me not to be around you. That if I was seen ‘round ya, he would make it miserable, make you leave the job and ground you-”   

You couldn't believe your ears. If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t accept Joel’s words. But you did. You knew what your dad was capable of.   

“-I tried to tell him that you were a grown up and completely capable of making your own choices and that’s when he,” Joel mimicked punching his face   

“Black eye”   

Your throat was dry as you tried to adjust to the new information, tears welling up in your eyes  

He showed up at my place to make peace with a maniac like dad for my sake. Knowing damn well how dad is, knowing dad beat up a man on the counter only because he wasn't working fast enough, Joel still tried to give him a chance.  

 He got beaten up because of you.   

For you.  

He avoided the cafe because of you.   

For you  

You were ashamed. Guilt-ridden. You felt responsible.  

You tried to find your voice, to keep the tears at bay, to tell him how much you’re sorry,  

“Joel I-” even you couldn't recognize your voice, so small, like you had a barbed wire tightened around your throat.    

He took a deep breath, “look I'm only tellin’ you all this, so y’know the reasons why I did what I did, I’m sorry I left without lettin’ ya know but, I-” he sighed, “I’m sorry,”   

After all that happened, after he took a hit for you, he’s the one still sorry?   

Your vision was glossy, Joel’s figure was nothing but a blur. You blinked and tears broke through your eyes, falling freely down your cheeks,   

Joel didn’t see your silent tears, too busy avoiding eye contact until you whimpered ever so softly, and his eyes shot up at your frame; shaking your head, looking down, tears staining your cheeks. You lifted your hands to wipe but he was quicker,   

“Hey, hey sweetheart, don't cry, don't cry” he whispered as he gently cradled your face and wiped the tears with his thumb. His other hand supported his weight as he slightly inclined his body towards you.   

You would've frozen at the close intimacy, at the feeling of his warm skin on yours, but the information in your head was haunting.   

You leaned in his hand without thinking, letting yourself find calm in his warmth,  

“Should’ve told me, Joel-” your words were muffled, your throat was tightened, you were disgusted with your own father, “-woulda fought him,”   

“No, no, I wouldn’t let you,” he shushed you, wiping every fresh string of tears, your hand holding his wrist.   

You looked up at him, Joel thought he could stop breathing, your eyes carried a storm of guilt and sadness mixed with anger   

“Woulda told him you weren’t at fault” your voice was still small though the tears had ceased.  

He bought you closer, resting your forehead on his.   

“Listen to me darlin’, it woulda caused more trouble. He hates me already. Imagine seeing his daughter defend the same man? Watcha think he’d do? Hmm?”   

“He’d kill me” he said a bit dramatically, widening his eyes, obtaining a sniff followed by a chuckle out of you, his favorite sound in the whole world.   

You shook your head as you pulled away, you sat back in the seat, back against the window, body facing Joel’s who was mirroring your position.   

You both sat there facing each other, strawberries in between both of you. He cocked his head, urging you to grab a strawberry, you reached and grabbed one. You took a bite, and it erupted in your mouth. It was so sweet and juicy that you took the whole strawberry in your mouth.   

You opened your eyes to see Joel looking back at you with admiration, you were flustered under his gaze.   

“It wasn’t washed, y’know?” he said   

“What do you mean, rain didn’t wash it?” You shot back, reaching for another one after Joel took his.   

A moment of silence as you both ate strawberries  

Joel took out the packet of cigarettes from his pocket, putting one between his lips before lighting it up. He rolled the window down to save you both from exhaustion. He exhaled out, and God did he look so divine covered in smoke.  

“So,” you broke the silence, “what do we do?” you gestured towards the both of you. Before you extended your hand for Joel to hand you the cigarette,  

I don't share my cigs. He wanted to say, but he passed it wordlessly, as he watched you put your lips on the cigarette, something stirring in him watching you like that,  

He sighed, “I don't know, I mean I tried talkin’, didn’t work, and uh, I really don't wanna let ya go, not again, it was hella depressin”   

“Can we meet somewhere else?” you suggested   

“This could be our place; we could meet at nighttime if that’s okay for you-”   

“It is. It is” you assured him. Because your parents didn’t care enough to note the time you return home, judging by the fact they still hadn’t called, like usual.   

“You sure?” he hesitated, but you knew he was only looking out for you  

“Yes Joel, I mean it’s only a couple of months before I move to Los Angeles, once I move out, they won’t dictate me, I can choose who I spend my time with,” you nodded as you dragged another hit, passing it to Joel.  

 before I move to Los Angeles  

 before I move to Los Angeles  

 before I move to Los Angeles  

His brain stopped working after those words left your mouth, but he tried his best to recover. It had only been a few weeks since you both started seeing each other. There wasn't even any label to your relationship, still it tugged at his heart.   

He didn’t let any emotion give him away and just hummed in response, taking puffs from the cigarette  

You both sat there, munching on strawberries and taking turns with cigarettes. His truck was filled with the fruity aroma and smoke, along with the faint, musky, earthy smell of rain.   

“Ready to go back?” he asked  

No. I want to spend the night with you while I can.   

 You nodded, “yes,”   

You sat back, facing the windshield,   

—------  

The next night he showed up at the cafe, a few minutes before your closing call. You quickly wound up and locked the doors. He was leaning against his truck just like the night before. You walked up to him, he pushed himself up and met you halfway.   

He hesitantly held your waist; he was unsure if he could greet you the same way after the distance. But when you didn’t pull away, he wrapped his arms around you, your arms flew around his neck.   

He nuzzled his face in your neck, inhaling deeply your scent. You shivered at the closeness, engulfed in his musky smell of cigarette and whisky. Something like home. Something natural. Something real.   

There was something so intimate about this. Enveloped in his big arms in the dark, when no one is looking at you.  

You both stayed there caged in each other's arms before you pulled away. Joel helped you get in before he got in.   

Getting in the vehicle, he drove to the same spot but this time you both got out of the truck to see the small garden of strawberry vines.   

Joel followed you, a small blanket in his hand which he laid out in the mud beside the garden. He sat down, extending his hand for you to take, which you gladly did.   

Joel looked so beautiful in the faint light of streetlights and the yellow bulb of the small hut nearby. Under the starry sky, surrounded by cool breeze and no one else. You could be yourself again, just like you did in those moments in the cafe with Joel. Though this was better, away from prying eyes.   

You both sat across from each other as Joel lit the cigarette and passed it to you before taking a drag.   

Your heart danced as you saw him pass the cigarette without you asking. Your lips wrapping around where his were.   

“How long before your closing shift ends?” he asked   

You exhaled the smoke, “next week” you replied,  

He hummed  

“How’s Sarah's school? Haven't talked to her in a while…” you inquired  

“‘S okay, exams comin up, gettin stressed,” he puffed out the smoke, before asking, “how’s everything in the cafe?”   

You both talked for hours about his friend owning fields, about the weather, about cows, smoked a few cigarettes together, content in each other’s company.   

Before it was midnight, you both cleaned the mess and got back in his truck. Drive back was silent but Joel’s thoughts were loud,   

 before I move to Los Angeles  

He wanted to ask you what the relationship meant to you but always bit his tongue.   

before I move to Los Angeles  

He shook his head to get rid of the aching thought, grabbing your attention.  

“You okay, Joel?” you had Joel tattooed in your brain. You were always thinking about him, he made the flowers, in your chest, bloom.   

His head remained still, no, the thought of you leaving is eating me alive. What do I mean to you? What does this mean to you? He knew if he looked at you, he’d come undone  

“Yes, of course sweetheart,” his heart warming at you worrying about him  

Your eyes fell to his hand gripping the steering wheel so tight, you were scared he could pull it out. The free hand on his lap was slightly trembling.   

You knew something was bothering him, but you knew better than to push him. But you wished he’d let you in completely,  

Carefully, you approached his free hand on his lap, tracing your index finger on the side before covering his big hand with your petite one.   

You held your breath, waiting for him to pull away,  

Head spinning to the connected hands, his breath hitched. He felt goosebumps running down his spine.  He felt like he couldn’t move, like if he took one wrong move, this all would shatter.   

With calculated breaths, he calmed his body down and carefully turned his palm around, interlacing your fingers with his.   

You let out a small sigh of relief, as you peeked at him. Both his hands were at ease, there was a ghost of a smile dancing at his lips. His lips. They looked so plump, you wondered how it would be like to just kiss him? Just have his lips on your own.   

You wanted to reach out and turn his head and kiss him.  

You just wished the ride would never end, but of course like waking up from a good dream,  

 He parked at a distance from your house to be safe from nosey neighbors. You pulled back your hand, immediately missing the warmth. He watched you as you unbuckle the seatbelt, you looked up at him,   

“Same time, tomorrow?” you asked   

Can I kiss you? His heart was screaming. Unintentionally his gaze fell to your lips, and he physically resisted himself to jump out the car, grab your face and kiss you.   

He closed his eyes tightly, nodding,  

“Same time, tomorrow.”   

He stayed until he was sure you made it to your house safely.  

-  

The next week went like this. He picked you from the cafe to the haven as you’d like to call it, smoked a cigarette or two, plucked a strawberry or two, talked for hours, and dropped you back home.   

Somedays you would pack a small pastry, or cupcake or any snack for Joel that you would share in the night.    

On your way back, his hand would silently make its way over to you, so you could interlace your fingers.  

-  

It was the first day of your morning shift in the cafe. The day was usual, except that you met Sarah after a long time. You packed a butter vanilla pancake for Joel and handed it to Sarah.   

You were home by evening. Your dad had thrown a tantrum about some guy in work, how he was not the ‘right person for the job’, but you felt bad for the unknown man. You locked yourself in your room, daydreaming about long nights with Joel.   

Nighttime fell, you were nervous as to how you would leave your house. Daylight was too risky for the haven, so you had to stick with the nighttime. The clock strikes 11:30 and your phone chimed, it was Joel,  

J- “I’m here”   

You ran to your window to see the silhouette of Joel getting out of the car at the corner of the street. You put on your shoes and rushed downstairs. Your parents had already gone to their bedroom, and you had a clear way out. Adrenaline rushed in your veins, it was thrilling to be this old and sneaking like a high school girl.   

You walked up to him but instead of falling into each other’s embrace, he opened the door for you right away, eyes skimming around for any creeping neighbors.  

And the routine began again. Talk, smoke, eat, leave and of course silent small touches during the drives.  

Each night you both silently fight your inner selves, keeping yourselves from reaching out to the other and stealing a kiss. Each night he stared at your lips when you weren't looking and you stared at his’ when he looked away 

-  

The next day, you were busy with orders when Sarah showed up with a box in her hand which she placed on the counter,   

“For you,” she smiled her cheeky smile  

You raised your brows as you reached for the small box, “what do we have here?” you started unpacking it  

“You know Mrs. Ivy, right? she visited us last night, dad wasn’t home, said he had something important to do,” you bit the small smile that crept up to your lips, he was with me, “she was obviously very disappointed, so she left the cake,”   

You hummed and nodded to her explanation as she continued, “I told dad about it the morning, he saw it was strawberry flavored, so he packed half of it for you,” you swore your face was dipped in a shade of scarlet color, your heart fluttered at the act  

You couldn't help but smiled at the girl, “thank you, Sarah” you said before putting the box away in the mini fridge   

   Sarah hung out with you for a while as she ranted about Mrs. Ivy’s constant visits. A punch in your gut but you didn’t let it show 

-  

“And Mrs. Ivy?” you asked, jerking the ash off the cigarette.  

You both were sitting on the small blanket, a few cigarette butts scattered with leaves of strawberries.  

“What ‘bout her?” he took the cigarette from you, a slight annoyance in his tone  

You smirked, getting exactly what you wanted, “Well,” you sang, “Sarah mentioned she’s throwing herself on you,” you reached out for the cigarette, but he pulled it away from your reach, as he stared at you with an unamused look,   

You pushed yourself up and closer to him, to get the cigarette from him, he kept pulling away with you chasing,  

“What? Why don’t you give her a chance- Joel gimme the cigarette,” you leaned in on him, your vision zeroing on the burning end of the cigarette as you tried to reach out again,  

“What do you mean by ‘chance’?” he asked,   

Do you really don’t think of him as anything more than a friend? Why else would you sneak out with him? Did you really want him to be with someone else?   

Caught up with his thoughts, his hand supporting him gave up; he lay back on his elbow. His other arm pushed out from both of your bodies, still not letting you take the cigarette until he gets the answer  

The cigarette had your full attention. It felt like a competition of him pulling away and you chasing, nothing else. And you were determined to get the cigarette, not caring about what position you ended up in,  

“Apparently she’s been showing up at your house in the broad daylight, bring you cakes” you pushed his torso, so he was laying on back. One of your hands on his chest while the other reaching for his hand that he stuck out.   “And god knows what-”   

And in the split second he grabbed the tiny detail he was missing, the hint of jealousy in your tone.   

You looked at him when he didn’t respond, suddenly becoming aware of the situation you both were in.   

He caught you stealing a glance at his lips, because when you met his eyes again, there was an inkling of glint and mischief. Your cheeks were a deep shade of scarlet that were visible even in darkness  

You thought about pushing yourself up, embarrassed, but Joel’s free hand, the one without the cigarette, reached up and settled at your waist.  

You didn't miss the way his calloused skin accidentally brushed the sliver of your skin of your waist that showed because of your shirt riding up when you pushed yourself on him,   

Shiver ran down your spine, heart thundering in your chest. But you felt the same fast beating heart beneath your fingertips on Joel’s chest.   

Joel brought the cigarette to your lips, which you inhaled keeping heated eye contact with him.   

“Darlin’ you don't get it, do you?” he smirked, eyes falling to your lips, before looking back up,  

You gulped, everything around you slowed down, and when you saw him staring at your lips for a second, you trembled.   

“Get what?” you whispered    

He wet his lips with his tongue,   

“That you drive me crazy,” his hand slowly moved up from your waist with every word he spoke,  

“That the thoughts about you have consumed my mind, wholly and fully, that you make me want to take a hit and not regret it,” his hand rested on the back your neck,   

His breath fanned your lips. You were taking your time wrapping your head around his confession, staring at his lips and the way you or him inched closer with every word,  

“Kiss me, Joel-”   

Part: 1 2 3

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[biterun]

( mark lee. 20. he/she. ) we spotted JUN-SEO " CLAY " PARK around toledo today, just another gear in the machine of the apocalypse. i heard he/she/they are a HUNTER for THE SAINTS. i guess it fits, seeing as he/she known to be +EASY-GOING & +PLAYFUL, as well as -DUMBASS & -IMPULSIVE. they often have NO FUN by JOJI stuck in their head while they work. i wonder if they’re prepared for what’s coming ? ( seraph. 20. cst. he/they. sexual assault / eating disorders. )

under the cut is bio / personality / wanted connections

bio.

alright so he was born to Park U-jin and Min-ji in Bel Air los angeles

no one really calls him jun-seo asides from his family

he has an older sister named Park Ha-yun

his parents marriage was one of status, nothing more. his father was the heir to the international bank and his mother was the daughter of a former finance minister of France

the relationship between his mother and his father was cold, seeing that it was a beard relationship his mother would have her girlfriends while his father would sleep with the staff everything was a pretense

despite being the younger child, clay’s father picked him to be the heir of the company cause you know sexism

from early childhood, clay was in an out of tutoring sessions sent to the best schools in the world, everything was planned out to a T he was going to take over the bank

highschool hit and things got more rocky between his parents. his sister was off to college and for the first time of his life—-clay was alone in the large house

he met a “friend” in the boarding school. this friend took more advantage of how his pockets never seemed to be empty

within a 6 month spiral clay had gone from the goody two shoe boy to being plastered on the weekend

if there was a party, he would be there 

his grades were falling and his parents were getting more and more worried

since his grades were failing, he was sent to boarding school to take back control of his drug usage and drinking habits 

the outbreak was easy at first, armed guards and a safe house that was tucked away in the middle of nowhere till one of the staff got bit and tried to hide it from the family 

forced to flee with parents tearing at each other, shaking hands and blood of former family on his hands clay takes to the road 

he passes through state lines, sticking close to the road and learning from groups that he joined for weeks at a time 

the car finally broke down in toledo bend reservior dam so this is where he stays 

personality

a brat ,,, not even in a kinky way like ,,, he’ll print out embarrassing middle school photos of u and put them on the fridge or read of ur browser history to u and judge the porn u watch ,,,,

if he doesnt like u he’ll will make ur life a living hell

loves gossip like easy drops just to know all the tea 

might actually be stupid, there isnt anything going on in his head

impulse control who ? he does shit and then go :o when things go wrong

petty ? really petty honestly

they’re,,,, rlly angry at the world bc of what they know about the world on top of being an angry young adult so like ,,,, they’re  so moody it’s gross

really excitable! a walking !!!! exclamation point

 slow to pick up on things, like you have to explain shit 5 times to him

 once he puts his mind to something, its getting done but its getting done his way 

will give you the shirt off his back, an honest sweetheart 

has a hard time saying no to people

 likes to be the center of attention 

flirty ? but doesnt really know it

wanted connections

a mom/dad friend who’s always checking up on them & making sure they’re doing okay

exes that ended on bad terms

ride or die - they’re always raising hell with, someone clay wld lay down his life for if the occasion arose

frenemies

best friend(s)

a bad influence

someone who’s rlly protective over him or someone he’s Super protective over

* the friend from his past 

* someone who was in one of the migrant groups 

i gave u ride like 3 months ago 

hunter groups

someone who has saved his ass before

unrequited crush/love interest

mutual crushes

sworn enemies

[emospritelet]

Kiss of Life - chapter 5

I’m taking a break from the Rumbelle Angst War to post KoL.  Just recharging my batteries you understand...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

AO3 link

#

Belle had Tuesday off, and she spent her time exploring the town, sharing an iced tea with Ruby at Granny’s and picking through the book selection at the local thrift store.  She walked through the park in the afternoon, smiling at the sounds of local children playing on the swings, bundled up in scarves and gloves and colourful hats.  The sun was out, frost sparkling on the ground, and she had her hands deep in the pockets of her coat, a scarf wrapped around her chin to keep out the cold.  An old man was making his way towards her, wrapped in a long coat with a black felt hat on his head, white beard twitching as he approached one of the benches.  Belle watched as he reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out a book and promptly dropping it.

“Oh, let me get that for you!” she said hastily, trotting over, and bent to pick it up.

The old man smiled, bowing his head.

“Thank you, miss,” he said, in a low voice.  “Not as limber as I used to be.”

Belle turned the book over in her hands.

“Lord of the Rings?” she said.  “It’s been years since I read this.”

“I read it once a year, in winter,” said the man.  “Sort of a ritual, you see.  On sunny days like this I like to take some exercise around the park, sit on the bench until it’s too cold and then get a coffee at Granny’s.  When you’re retired, it’s good to get out of the house.”

“What was your work?” she asked, and he smiled, his eyes crinkling.

“I taught at the elementary school,” he said.  “Oh, years ago now, but I enjoyed it.  I’ve seen the kids I taught grow up and have kids of their own.  Makes you feel old.”

“Must have been rewarding, though, sharing knowledge and encouraging children to read and grow,” said Belle.  “I had plans to be a librarian when I left college.”

“Oh?” he said, interested.  “What happened?”

She shrugged.

“Life,” she said, a little gloomily.  “Couldn’t find work, and had to move back with my dad.  I’m working up at the hospital at the moment.  Just helping out, but it’s enjoyable.  Worthwhile, you know?”

“Ah,” he said.  “I was in there not so long back with my hip.  Wonderful staff.  A little lacking in reading material, though.  Mostly magazines.”

He lifted his book, with a somewhat rueful smile, and Belle chewed her lip thoughtfully.

“Well, maybe I could do something about that,” she said, an idea starting to take form in her mind.  “It was lovely to meet you.  I’m Belle French, by the way.”

He touched his hat, his beard twitching as he smiled.

“Alfred Prentice, at your service.”

#

The sunny weather didn’t last, the rain returning by Thursday and turning to sleet, but Belle was busy at the hospital and barely noticed.  She had decided to take Mr Prentice’s comments about a lack of reading material on board, and so she had returned to the thrift store and bought all the decent-quality novels they had.  Getting them to the hospital had meant persuading her father to give her a lift when he was out making deliveries, but as flowers were ordered for patients on a regular basis, they were able to kill two birds with one stone.  The locker room now had three boxes of books stacked in a corner, and Belle had hunted around for something that she could use to transport them around the wards, eventually borrowing an old cart from the janitor.  She hadn’t bothered to discuss the book collection with Zelena, instead going straight to Glinda South, who was Zelena’s senior.  Glinda was a warm, pleasant woman, who could see the benefit to patients being able to access reading material, and was only too happy for Belle to run the scheme.

Belle was in the process of arranging books into genres in the patients’ waiting area, separating romance from fantasy, horror from history.  She chewed her lip as she looked over the titles she had managed to gather together.  I need more children’s books on this thing.  The kids are sometimes in this place the longest.

“Here you go-o!”

Ruby’s sing-song voice made Belle look around, and she smiled as she saw Ruby standing with a wide grin on her face and a paper bag swinging from one hand.

“Pastrami with tomato and hot mustard, just as you like it.”

“God, you’re an angel,” sighed Belle.  “I’m starving!”

“Figured you’d forget to eat lunch if I didn’t remind you,” said Ruby cheerfully. “Too much dedication’s a bad thing.  You make my half-assy waitressing look bad.  Take a break.”

Belle smiled, nodding, and stacked the pile of books she had been sorting on the cart.  Ruby looked them over with interest as she handed Belle her sandwich.

“You running a library in this place?”

“Well, kind of,” said Belle.  “I bought a bunch of books from the thrift store, and added some of my own - the patients don’t get to read unless someone brings in material, so I figured this would help.”

She bit into the sandwich, mouth watering, and let out a tiny moan of pleasure as the heat of the mustard and the salt of the pastrami bathed her tongue.

“That’s so good,” she said, in a muffled voice.

“Hey, Belle.”

Dorothy’s voice made her look around.

“When you’re done with lunch, could you bring some fresh linens to the kids’ ward?” she asked, flicking dark braids back over her shoulders.  “Grace threw up again, and if I have to clean up another pile of vomit I think I’ll kill myself.”

Belle giggled.

“Not a problem.”

Dorothy sent her a grateful smile, eyes flicking to Ruby, and she nodded a greeting before stomping off in the direction of the children’s ward.  Belle took another bite of her sandwich, noticing that Ruby’s eyes had gone very wide in her face.

“Who’s that?” asked Ruby.

“Oh, that’s Dorothy,” said Belle carelessly.  “Nurse Gale to you.”

She gave Ruby a cheeky grin, and Ruby shook her head, huffing out air as she fanned herself with a hand.

“She could check me for a fever anytime,” she remarked.  “How come I haven’t seen her before?”

“New in town,” said Belle.  “I could ask her out for you, if you like.  Couldn’t go any worse than the date you arranged for me.”

Ruby sighed.

“Okay, I admit Isaac was a disaster,” she said.  “Don’t lose heart, okay?  We’ll find someone who’s perfect.”

“And in the meantime I can pass on your fondest regards to Dorothy,” said Belle, with a grin.

“Oh no, don’t do that,” said Ruby hastily.  “What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Only way to find out is ask.”

“You’ve never asked a girl out, have you?” said Ruby dryly.  “It takes at least two years of politeness and mutual pining before one of you gets brave or drunk enough to make the first move.”

“Sounds way too complicated,” said Belle.  “But have it your way.  Maybe I can see if she wants to come on a girls’ night.”

Ruby perked up.

“That would be okay.”

#

Belle found that she had to bow out of the Friday night get-together when she was asked to work a double shift that weekend.  An outbreak of flu was spreading through the town, and several of the hospital staff had been struck down, leaving everyone else overworked.  Belle rushed along the corridor, carrying an armful of fresh linen and trying to ignore her aching feet.  She had worked four days in a row, and hoped that no more of the staff would succumb to the illness.  They were short-handed as it was, and things were only getting worse as the weather turned colder.

For most of the residents of Storybrooke, staying in their own homes and drinking plenty of fluids was enough, but this strain of the flu had been particularly nasty, taking its toll on the weak and sick, the young and the elderly.  She bit her lip as she saw old Mr Prentice being wheeled along on a gurney, eyes closed above his white beard, looking drawn and tired.  Wishing him a speedy recovery, she hurried along to the children’s ward, pushing open the door and almost knocking Dorothy on her back.  Belle apologised quickly,  but Dorothy shook her head.

“It’s okay, we’ve all been here too long, I think,” she said wearily, and glanced over her shoulder.  “Especially him. ��Do me a favour and see if you can get him to go home and get some rest.  The guy’s been here eighteen hours at least.”

Belle peered over her shoulder.  Dr Gold was reading a chart at the end of little Grace Milliner’s bed and frowning.  He looked exhausted, but she knew full well that he was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.  Getting him out of there wouldn’t be easy.

“I’m done for the day, anyway,” added Dorothy.  “Gonna go home and try to get a whole six hours of sleep before we do this again.”

She patted Belle’s shoulder and wandered off down the corridor, and Belle hurried over to Dr Gold’s side, setting down the armful of linen.

“You look like death,” she said, not unkindly.

Dr Gold glanced up.  His eyes were dark hollows in his face, his cheeks drawn, but he smiled briefly.

“Miss French,” he said.  “I had no idea you were still here.  Shouldn’t you be at home?”

“You’re one to talk,” she said, and he shrugged.

“There’s too much work here.”

“Yeah, and it’ll still be here after you’ve actually had some rest,” she said firmly.  “You know Dr Whale’s on shift now, right?  Let him take over.”

“With new patients coming in every hour?” he said dismissively.  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

He turned away, hooking the chart over the end of the bed and reaching over to feel Grace’s forehead.  He frowned again, and Belle sighed.

“Look, you know you have to sleep sometime,” she said reasonably.  “Sleep deprivation can lead to mistakes, everyone knows that.”

“I just need more coffee,” he said repressively.  “If you want to be useful, why don’t you go get me one?  And then you can go home, you look dead on your feet.”

He walked to the next bed, picking up the chart and fumbling it.  Belle caught it before it hit the floor, and he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

“Go.  Home,” she said firmly.  “Eight hours, that’s all I ask.  If you don’t rest, your immune system will be throwing a welcome party for that flu virus, and you know it.  How much good is it gonna do your patients if you’re too sick to tend to them?”

Dr Gold’s face appeared to go through the five stages of grief, but eventually he sighed heavily.

“Fine, you win,” he said, in a defeated tone.  “Get your coat.”

Belle blinked.

“My - my coat?”

“Well, if I’m leaving, so are you,” he said tersely.  “Or are you too stubborn to take your own advice?  I’m driving you home. Meet me outside the main entrance.  Ten minutes.”

He stomped off with an air of irritation, and Belle gaped after him.  He was driving her home?

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 10/22/20

Arifureta: I Heart Isekai, Vol. 3 | By Misaki Mori, based on the novel by Ryo Shirakome | Seven Seas – This is keeping up a fast pace, not lingering too long on any one part of the novels that it’s making fun of. Everyone manages to be that much more over-the-top than they are in the source—though admittedly Kaori goes above and beyond in this regard—and the art also has little cute “we are angry” faces for everyone that look cute and scary at the same time. More to the point, despite all the gags, the I Heart Isekai series actually manages to keep the found-family bits that are also the best reason to read the main series, and its character attacks never feel malicious (again, Kaori comes close, but then she does in the main series as well.) A lot of fun. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 13 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – A lot of Dr. Stone is taking inventions that you would expect could not remotely be done in a pre-industrial age and doing them anyway due to Senku’s knowledge… though he’s helped along greatly by his dad, who we see passing away long in the past in a flashback here but who also manages to get Senku some gold and platinum to work with. They are also helped out by Kohaku’s awesome strength and agility, though I will admit I could have done without the “does not know how to be feminine” stuff. That said, it’s hard to top the absolute highlight of the book, which is Suika driving what is essentially a tank, BLIND, off a ship and into Senku’s hands. She’s still the best thing in this. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 12 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – The damp squib that is Tarou and Kagura wraps up fast here, which is good, because the rest of the book is all over Misaki and Ayumi. Her parents have discovered their relationship, and since Misaki is a very serious boy, he decides to stop seeing her till he can get her dad’s approval, because of course he is one of THOSE dads. As for Ayumi, she still has trouble with the normal emotions of love that come naturally to the rest of the cast. The result is, as it has been since it became, several volumes back, the best relationship in the series. Which is good, as the series ends next time, and we will no doubt be moving back to Kai and Riko—I smell a sudden transfer to another part of the country coming. – Sean Gaffney

The Ideal Sponger Life, Vol. 6 | By Tsunehiko Watanabe and Neko Hinotsuki | Seven Seas – We are starting to see Zenjiro beginning to act on his own a bit more, though he’s still got someone there next to him to do the actual work. It is hard, after all, despite many isekais to the contrary, to fully immerse yourself in a new world with all-new customs. More to the point, his child with Aura may not be unique when it comes to magical affinities. And there’s a new princess in town, from the equivalent of Scandinavia, and no one seems to know what to make of her—indeed, she makes a point to divide her role as a captain from her role as a princess. More to the point, it means we get another badass woman in this book that seems to be far more interested in its politics than in any sponging. – Sean Gaffney

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 9 | By Afro | Yen Press – If there’s one issue I have with this series it’s the artwork, particularly the character art, as I frequently find that I have trouble telling many of the characters apart. Once I get past that, this is exactly what the previous eight volumes have been: lots of relaxed camping, great scenery, and cute girls. There’s not really any hint of yuri here, but there’s also not really any hint of boys, so Rin/Nadeshiko fans should be pleased anyway. We get the birthday party from last time, which is… not as big a secret as expected. We get capybaras! There’s hot springs, there’s sunrises, and there’s Rin going off to do her own thing half the time, like the introvert with a wanderlust that she is. Does this end when they graduate? – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 15 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – I missed reviewing 14 somehow, and thus the end of the sewer monster story. That said, though, what with Kuroko decidedly NOT having ridiculous sex at the start of this book, I have to wonder: is Murcielago getting toned down? Certainly the violence is present and correct, though this is the start of an arc, so it’s not quite as over-the-top as before. This sees another old villain returning, but we haven’t yet met Comedy Writer in this series—they seem to get people to do silly stunts, and ‘retired’ after one stunt ends up with dead people. Kuroko is her usual goofy self here, but as I noted, she seems a bit more… placid than usual? Her detective skills are also excellent here. Still great if you don’t mind gore. – Sean Gaffney

My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 2 | By Shinichi Fukuda| Square Enix Manga – Despite the explicit content tag (and the occasional naughty shot, like the inside front cover), this reads far more as a series for fans of nice high school romance than anything else. Gojo is pushing himself far too hard, because he’s genuinely creating something for someone else but also as he feels that after this one event he’ll lose it all forever. He’s desperately socially awkward, and it’s rather sweet that Kitagawa gets so upset she’s in tears at the thought of him driving himself this hard. The cosplay is a big success, and there’s some nice costuming tips here as well. By the end of the volume, she seems to be realizing she’s falling for him… so it is, of course, the perfect time to introduce another rival. Cliffhanger! – Sean Gaffney

Our Teachers Are Dating!, Vol. 1 | By Pikachi Ohi | Seven Seas – If you want your yuri with a side order of adorable, this is the manga for you. One is the science teacher, the other teaches gym, and they’re both cute cute cute. To the point that there is minimal conflict—and honestly you don’t want any. The other teachers? Love the two of them together. The administration? Fine with it. The other students? They’re over the moon, of course. Most of the book is seeing two relatively shy people grow closer and closer in their dating till they’re ready to take the next step, which we see towards the end of the book. The students bribe them with pictures of the other. The closest we get to any strife is one being mistaken for a student (she’s short and cute). This was super-fluffy. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 44 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – It’s probably cheesy to say, but each new volume of Skip Beat! really is like checking in with old friends. In this case, it’s a pair of old friends who still haven’t managed to communicate their feelings to the other. This time they’re thwarted by Ren’s assumption that Kyoko has fallen back in love with Sho and by a tabloid article about Ren kissing an older actress. I truly wish each volume was about thrice as long, but alas, we don’t yet see what Ren does with the information that Kyoko is upset about the article more than his assumptions about her and Sho. I love this series and I don’t want it to end and I know that Ren and Kyoko getting together will mean that end is coming, but a little crumb of genuine progress would make me so happy. Maybe next time, which won’t be ’til March! – Michelle Smith

The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent, Vol. 1 | By Yuka Tachibana and Yasuyuki Syuri | Seven Seas – I haven’t read much in the way of light novels, but this one sounded interesting, so I gave it a go. Perhaps I should’ve started with a traditional isekai series in order to better appreciate how this one differs, as I initially found it quite slow going. Sei Takanashi, office lady, is summoned to another world as one of two potential Saints who will help quell an outbreak of monsters. After the prince chooses the younger candidate, Sei is free to pursue her interests, eventually discovering she’s very good at making potions, enchanting objects, and performing healing magic. Towards the end, with Sei reluctantly accepting that she is the Saint after all (unable to refrain from healing a seriously injured knight), the story picked up a bit, and I’m interested to see where it will go from here. A bit more action would be nice! – Michelle Smith

By: Michelle Smith

[corona-de-vil]

How did this happen?

How did this happen?

The article I‘m sharing below is the first post about Covid-19 that I shared on Facebook, that I can find – on Feb 6, 2020. The first cases were reported back in December 2019, in Wuhan. I’d heard about it, I’d thought about, it entered my mind a few times, but I wasn’t concerned. This was happening in Wuhan, China, thousands of miles away from Cincinnati, Ohio. Surely, we were safe. Clearly, we should have all been paying more attention. The doctor referenced in the article below, died. He died trying to treat patients from a virus that seemed like the flu - that he didn’t yet understand.

In the U.S. we were too busy holding impeachment hearings and failing to impeach our corrupt President. The world was mourning Kobe Bryant’s death. At home, my uncle and my grandma Secen had both passed away days apart. We were mourning them. I was able to see her a few hours before her death and although I’m so grateful for that, it was so sad to see her so frail and so close to death. I’ll never forget her sister-in-law coming in and overhearing my grandma whisper for her to pray with her. I think she knew then it was upon her. She lived a long and full life I know, but still, I can’t imagine lying there with a fully functioning brain knowing that your body would give out at any moment and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Life and death have always weighed so heavy upon me. I feel like I am constantly trying to sweep away thoughts of death. 2020 had already started out as a shit year. I worried about my dad losing his mom. Elizabeth Warren, the best candidate in my opinion, fell in the polls and ultimately dropped out. I was getting over that and busy being excited that Bernie Sanders was looking likely that he really could be the nominee and then, March 3rd, Super Tuesday came and went and out of nowhere, Joe Biden swept taking the delegate lead and not looking back. Not everyone cares about these things, but politics is really important to me and we need to get Trump out of office. Also the kids were sick and Jonathan and I were both sick, so we were out like an entire week as a family. It took me days to clean up all the vomit filled laundry. Isla was telling me dirty stuff was coming out of her mouth and Sophia was crying “please don’t throw up, please don’t throw up”…. Pretty much breaking my heart seeing my kids so sick.

So 2020 has been less than stellar to say the least. And now here we are, Sophie has been out of school most of March and she probably won’t ever return to preschool. She was supposed to be working on art work for her end of year art show, having a pizza party with her classmates, getting ready for a graduation ceremony. She may never see any of those kids again. She has no idea. My heart hurts. They haven’t been to gymnastics in weeks. Isla has cried several times because we can’t go to the zoo. And we have no idea when this will end. Everything is cancelled until further notice - Opening Day, all of baseball, the flying pig marathon. I have renewed anger for Trump supporters. I’ve seen so many posts over the last month about how this is blown out of proportion, that it’s a hoax, that the media is in a frenzy and scaring everyone. The sad reality is its real, and its very scary. And we lost weeks not preparing – our President couldn’t stop this virus from reaching our shores, no one could  have prevented it really, but he wasted time downplaying for weeks and were paying for it. Its global, it’s a pandemic, but he is not a leader and he caused us to fall behind the curve. There is a shortage of tests, numbers are under-reported, everything is basically shut down and we’ve been in a lockdown in Ohio for nearly 3 weeks. We’re under social distancing, stay at home orders ow until at least April 30. It’s April 1st. Thankfully Governor Dewine has been taking it seriously in Ohio. 

There are close to a million cases worldwide, with over 200k in the U.S. and nearly 40,000 people have already died. 

I’m already losing it a bit. So, here we are, making the best of it. We have our beach vacation planned the last week of May. Right now I’m crossing my fingers we don’t have to break Sophia’s heart and cancel. ☹

So I guess that kind of catches things up. I’ll add a timeline from wiki.

 Beijing (CNN)The death of a doctor widely regarded as a hero in China for blowing the whistle on the threat posed by the Wuhan coronavirus has led to a massive outpouring of grief and anger online.

Li Wenliang died of the virus in the early hours of Friday morning local time, Wuhan Central Hospital, where he worked, said in a statement. The confirmation follows a series of conflicting statements about his condition from the hospital and Chinese state media outlets.

"Our hospital's ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was unfortunately infected with coronavirus during his work in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic," the hospital said. "He died at 2:58 am on Feb 7 after attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful."

Li was among a number of supposed "rumormongers" detained in December for spreading news about the virus. He had warned about a potential "SARS-like" virus spreading in Wuhan. Nothing Li said was incorrect, but it came as officials in the city were downplaying the severity of the outbreak and its risk to the public.

There were more apparent efforts to control the narrative even after Li's death -- leading to widespread anger.

Earlier on Thursday night, several state media outlets had reported Li's death, following which Chinese social media erupted in mourning. Hours of confusion followed, with Wuhan Central Hospital releasing a statement saying Li was still alive and in critical condition, adding that they were "making attempts to resuscitate him."

State media subsequently deleted their previous tweets, only for the hospital to then confirm his death.

Wuhan's whistleblower

Li had raised the alarm about the virus that ultimately took his life.

In December, he posted in his medical school alumni group on the Chinese messaging app WeChat that seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a SARS-like illness and were quarantined in his hospital in Wuhan.

Soon after he posted the message, Li was accused of rumor-mongering by the Wuhan police.

He was one of several medics targeted by police for trying to blow the whistle on the deadly virus in the early weeks of the outbreak, which has sickened more than 28,000 people and killed more than 560. He later contracted the virus himself.

Li was hospitalized on January 12 and tested positive for the coronavirus on February 1.

Fury on social media

China's social media channels were awash with anger following news of Li's death.

The topics "Wuhan government owes Dr. Li Wenliang an apology," and "We want freedom of speech," soon began to trend on China's Twitter-like platform, Weibo. Each gained tens of thousands of views before disappearing from the heavily censored platform.

Another topic, called "I want freedom of speech," had drawn 1.8 million views as of 5 a.m. Friday morning local time (4 p.m. ET Thursday).

Top comments under the Wuhan Central Hospital's statement about Li's death included "I've learned two words: political rescue & performative rescue" and "Countless young people will mature overnight after today: the world is not as beautiful as we imagined. Are you angry? If any of us here is fortunate enough to speak up for the public in the future, please make sure you remember tonight's anger."

Several comments also marked the timing of the announcement. "I knew you would post this in the middle of the night," wrote one Weibo user.

"You think we've all gone to sleep? No. We haven't," said another.

Confusion over his condition

The Global Times first announced Li had died in a tweet at around 10:40 p.m. local time Thursday, linking to a report that cited friends and doctors at Wuhan Central Hospital.

It deleted the post several hours later. Other Chinese media outlets also deleted their reports of his death, without explanation. The World Health Organization released a message of condolence following the initial reports that Li was dead but later updated their statement to say they did not have any information about the doctor's status.

Wuhan Central Hospital issued a new statement confirming his death later that day.

The death toll and number of people infected by the Wuhan coronavirus continues to grow, with no signs of slowing despite severe quarantine and population control methods put in place in central China.

The number of confirmed cases globally stood at 28,275 as of Thursday, with more than 28,000 of those in China. The number of cases in China grew by 3,694, or 15%, on the previous day. There have been 565 deaths so far, all but two of which were in China, with one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong.

CNN's Amy Woodyatt contributed to this story.

[josephinewongg]

3 months into 2020.

Took this picture about a year and a month ago when I was happily basking in the natural sunlight, enjoying the comfort of my floral sheets and the cool spring air in my very cozy, humble room in 6 Treorchy; probably a week and a bit after I got news that I merely borderline passed one of my modules and was terribly upset and confused with that. 

//

It’s been a while since I sat myself down to write about all that’s been going on and hence here I am, on a Saturday afternoon, locked up in my room, forcing myself to process thoughts and happenings to pen it all down for reflection and reminiscing + reminding purposes in the future. 

Before we get started with all that’s been happening in 2020, I want to start off with where I last left off in 2019. Second half of 2019 looked a little like completing degree with a second-upper - something that I was so concerned about not achieving since the beginning of my transfer to Cardiff. Truth be told, growing up, my mind was always set on obtaining a First for my degree studies but my later years in Cardiff taught me that my pursue of education is more than the grade I obtain. June and July consisted of having my younger brother over in the UK, saying goodbye to my beloved housemates and city that I called home for 2 years, taking a 13 hour flight home and celebrating the marriage of my older brother. The later half of July and the beginning of August looked a little like seeking career advise from people, looking out for openings, submitting job applications and attending job interviews. 

Then, a trip to the US for a month. Ask me 10, 5, 2 years ago if I’ll ever get the opportunity to visit US in my lifetime - no, will be my definite answer. But hey, God is a God of surprises and there I was, flying across the globe for around 24 hours (still a nightmare), visiting a couple of states in the US including Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The trip to US was another eye-opening one, seeing scenes from American TV shows come alive, breaking down the typical stereotypes I had of Americans and coming across a variety of people from, or living in The States. 

And to all Malaysians, welcome home. 

A month later, I started my first proper full-time employment in a firm that I would never have thought of applying to, with the responsibilities looking like something I would never have thought of a year ago. Two months into the job, I got news that my team lead - the manager that recruited me in and I wanted to work with, tendered her resignation and there we were, a team left without a lead, which somewhat made me feel like an orphan. Fear and uncertainty came to me with that decision of hers but I’m glad that 3 months later, I’m still holding on to this job and more often than not, enjoying bits and pieces of the job (and the rest of the team of course!). 

//

28th March 2020 - Day 11 of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia due to the rapid outbreak and severe spike in COVID-19 cases.

Fast forward 3 months later, here we are, on the final week of March in 2020, experiencing a partial lock-down due to COVID-19. “A crisis like never before in our lifetimes”, many have said. Personally, the severity of this pandemic escalated before I could properly comprehend what was happening. What started off with a “virus outbreak in Wuhan, China” suddenly came knocking not just on our doors, but all around the world. Truth be told, when news of the virus became a little more viral due to the increase in cases in China, I myself couldn’t really be bothered because my ignorant and selfish self never thought that it would have affected us in any way. The sympathy might have been there but the empathy was definitely not because I could not understand nor put myself in the shoes of those being affected in China back then. Now, seeing the realness of the severity of this pandemic, the fear and uncertainty actually gets a lil’ overwhelming. 

I know that different people have different thoughts about this whole pandemic and partial lock-down situation (which is now extended for another 2 weeks), but here are some of mine that I’ll like to pen down for remembrance and reflective purposes (as shared at the beginning of this post). 

Foremost, this whole situation has definitely made me think about life. It has made me really ask myself, if it really is ttg (time to go), have I done enough here on earth - or rather, what have I done given the time I have had here, that would weigh up in the span of eternity? 

If decades of life can be taken away in just an episode of pandemic that might last as short as days, weeks or months, what actually really matters in life?

A pandemic like this has reminded me that this virus spares no one - regardless of age, gender, nationality, skin colour, religion and social economic status. Yes, those that are more privileged might not be indirectly affected as much because of accessible health care/essential needs, good supply of food etc etc. But, for those who are directly involved - who unfortunately contracts the virus, this virus doesn’t look at individuals and go “hey, you’re rich, I’ll pass” or “you’re white, I’ll look for someone else”. The realization of this just reminded me that at the end of the day, we are all equal, we are all merely, humans - neither one more superior than the other.  

Through this pandemic, I have also thought a bit more about profession/career. Currently, the front-liners are those in the medical profession - doctors, nurses, lab staff etc. Doctors especially, is one of those professions that you grow up thinking would earn you a good amount of money (possibly just a strong stereotype) but who would have known and foresaw, that for, and in, such a time as this, it would also put you in such a sacrificial and risky position - to the point of possibly giving up your life for others. Having been thinking about long-term career goals over the past months and year, this has re-emphasized and amplified to me the importance of purpose in a career choice when, and if you are fortunate enough to be given the luxury to choose yours.

In regards to the partial lock-down or better known as the MCO, it has made me ask myself whether what I probably would have been doing on a day-to-day basis if this MCO had not happened would’ve been more beneficial. Apart from the sufficient amount of time spent on social interactions and maintaining healthy relationships with others, could I be spending time on things more beneficial - picking up new skills, reading, staying in with family, spending more time on the Word? 

Following that, something that I saw online this week hit home hard - “It’d be really sad to come out of the end of this with just more screen time. Why not more prayer time, more quiet time, more worship time, more time with God? You’ll never regret sacrificing other things to go deeper with God. He deserves our time, not just the leftovers.” Dad has been constantly reminding each one of us to be spending this extra time to dig deeper into the Word - but let’s be real here, I’ve been failing, badly. At the beginning of this week before the extension was announced, I thought to myself that I might have just wasted 2 weeks not fulfilling what could have been done and was a tad bummed about it but I think (though of course not too glad about it), the extension was personally God’s way of giving me a second chance - two extra weeks, to make time for things that are of kingdom value. 

Finally, I just want to take this opportunity to express gratitude and to continue praising. Unlike many, I acknowledge that I am blessed because throughout this period - I am surrounded by family, there has been a constant provision of (good) home-cooked food, I have shelter above my head and a comfortable space to live/be in, I have access to technology, I am still holding on to my job, I have yet to experience a pay-cut or asked to take unpaid leave; and no, I do not deserve this, this I know. Grace, the free and unmerited favour of God, is what it really is. 

If you ask me where God is in all these, I am very tempted to say, I don’t know. But as cliché as it might sound, the truth is still the truth. Though you and I might not see it, He is amidst and above all that is happening. We might not be able to make sense of all that is going on, but we need to remember and hold on to the nature of who He is. He is sovereign, He is faithful, He is Love, and He is good. And for that, we will continually choose to praise. :) 

Stay strong, stay safe, stay hopeful. This too, shall pass. ❤️🌈

[ladyloveandjustice]

The Great Ace Attorney Replay: Trials and Tribulations, Case 5, Part 5

I’m going to examine this garden gate as Phoenix specifically to get this dialogue.

Phoenix: “Edgeworth’s probably in the garden, crying softly to himself…I guess we should hug it out and talk about what he’s uncovered’

 I’m never getting over this like. Phoenix specifically imagining Miles “crying softly” and anticipating hugging. “I’M HERE TO HEAL UR PAIN EDGEWORTH”. Phoenix take it back a notch.

In we go to say hi to Miles who is still berating himself for passing out and Phoenix is like “oh my GOD why is it still bothering him” I FEEL YOU PHEEN.

 THEN MILES SEES HIM AND…literally runs away OH MY GOD MILES

Phoenix: “DON’T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME!!!”

Miles: “WHAT ARE YOU HERE TO LAUGH AT ME? GO AHEAD! LAUGH!”

Oh god…I never noticed it the first time around but it’s literally a repeat of the scene between them when Phoenix came into defend Miles at the detention center. That’s beautiful. THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME. Miles is still a disaster. I wonder if this still happens even in their 30s. I bet it does. Not just over earthquakes and going to jail. This is what happens when Miles tries to make an awesome banquet for their anniversary and ends up burning the food. This exact exchange.

Actually it may have happened when they were younger too considering the first time, Phoenix warned Maya not to actually laugh when he says this because “It’s a trick. He’ll get mad when you laugh. Or burst into tears.” So did baby Miles run away, have to be dragged back and then yell this when Phoenix tried to comfort him over not being able to do origami back in the day? And then did he try to laugh like Miles asked because he thought it would help and this is what triggered the outbreak of sobbing? IT’S PRETTY MUCH CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. IN MY HEART.

Phoenix: (SIGH, I WAS READY TO HUG IT OUT WITH HIM BUT HE’S THE SAME OLD PRIDEFUL EDGEWORTH)

Phoenix if u tell him you want to hug him I’m sure he’ll say yes cuz it’s you. Go for it.

OKAY MILES WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY BADGE.

Miles: “I never thought I’d see you wear one of these”

Phoenix: “It’s because of you I became one” 

WAY TO ESCALATE THIS CONVERSATION PHOENIX HE WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE SMALL TALK GIVE THE MAN A BREAK. 

CUE DRAMATIC ARM CLUTCH AND MILES HAVING A MINI SEIZURE AS HE TRIES TO DEAL WITH FEELINGS

Phoenix: “Not that I have any regrets. I really don’t.”

FEELING SEIZURE CONTINUES

Phoenix: if you’re trying to say “thanks “you can can say it a bit louder.

Honestly I can’t even handle them just kill me.

OOOOH I CAN PRESENT MIA’S PROFILE TO MILES WATCHA GONNA SAY

Miles: “One of the biggest names in the world of law as I’m sure you’ll agree”

NICE THINGS. He respects her! I’m so proud of you, Miles, you’ve come so far.

Miles: “For better or worse, we were only destined to meet once in courtroom”

Probably for better. You would have lost. And she would have had to put up with your brattiness more. Not a good time for either of you.

Phoenix: (I know. I read all about it).

Miles “It was the first time for both of us. Two novices head to head.”

THAT REMINDS ME DID U GO TO MIA’S GRAVE AND APOLOGIZE FOR THAT BIMBO REMARK BECAUSE IF NOT I DEMAND YOU DO.

Miles: I can still remember how downhearted I felt after that trial ended the way it did

Phoenix: (I wonder if Mia felt the same way, too).

Uhh Phoenix she literally wrote down that she did. That is was a wound in her soul that never healed or whatevs. Though I guess we don’t know if Mia wrote down the stuff Phoenix read. He could have just researched the case and all the narration we read was just Mia’s thoughts to herself rather than what she wrote down.

I’M GONNA PRESENT MAYA

Miles: “I don’t know her very well, but it seems like she’s always landing in trouble”

Phoenix: “You clearly know her better than you think.”

Miles: “I do sincerely hope she’s all right.”

Aww. Also, like you guys aren’t constantly landing in trouble too.

If I present Pearl Miles is like “SHE’S A CHILD I CANT TRY AND FORCE THINGS OUT OF HER. I’M NOT BEING MEAN TO A KID WRIGHT. YOU GET THE INFO SHE’LL TALK TO YOU” 

omg Miles. You know I always thought the whole “I’M WORRIED ABOUT THE DEFENSE TRAUMATIZING THIS CHILD” with Cody Hackins was just him being a dick as usual, but considering this dialogue it looks like that was genuine. 

Miles is very defensive of young children and paranoid about them being traumatized. That makes sense and is both adorable and sad.

Presenting Gumshoe means Miles mentions he took him out for pasta and Nick is like “WELL GOOD YOU OWE HIM THAT MUCH IT’S YOUR FAULT HIS SALARY IS SO LOW GIVE THE POOR GUY A RAISE JESUS.” 

Speaking the truth goddamn give it to him good Phoenix

I was thinking for a second investigation 2 causes a continuity error here bc he finally gives Gumshoe a raise in that but then I looked up the official Ace Attorney timeline that case takes place after this one.

All of Investigations takes place after this case and ends just before Phoenix gets disbarred (the last case of investigations 2 is literally 10 DAYS BEFORE IT HAPPENS…). Which makes sense bc if Miles had been gone for a year he wouldn’t have had time to be in spinoff games set in Japanifornia during that time. I have no idea why I thought investigations was set between game 2 and 3.

BUT I’M ALSO CONFUSED BECAUSE IF MILES HAS BEEN GONE FOR A YEAR HE CAN’T BE THE PERSON CUTTING GUMSHOE’S SALARY. Unless it was that way when he left and the new boss kept it the same. Either way, SHAME ON WHOEVER REPLACED MILES.

Miles have been going to trials in five different countries to learn how to be better at running them…and apparently learned all the languages.Phoenix is like “WHAT. HOW. IT’S TAKEN ME A LIFETIME TO SORT OF MASTER ONE LANGUAGE” I feel you Phoenix

If I try to show him evidence it’s all “I’m a prosecutor, I’m a defense attorney, we cannot discuss things so intimately” Miles he wasn’t asking to make out with you over the evidence, he genuinely wants your opinion.

Talking to Gumshoe, we find a bloody sword and Phoenix tells Gumshoe he doesn’t want to get it tested. Gumshoe realizes he’s terrified it’s Maya’s blood (and is going green at the thought). I FORGOT ABOUT THIS PART THIS IS SO SAD.

 Gumshoe reassures him and says she’s definitely okay and he’ll take him and Maya out for pasta when they find her. Awww Gumshoe I love ya. You really are better at knowing how to handle people’s feelings than anyone else in this bar. (And that being said, Phoenix should really tell him to go talk to Miles right now too. He is in need.).

Huh I forgot about this bit where Miles and Phoenix figure out how Dahlia is involved in all this together. I also completely forgot that Miles found out Dahlia was Phoenix’s ex and tried to kill him etc.

Phoenix mentions spirit channeling and Miles just flips out all like “SPIRIT CHANNELERS ARE FRAUDS THAT WOMAN ACCUSED AN INNOCENT MAN OF MURDER AND RUINED MY LIFE”

Did…he never figure out that it was his dad’s spirit who lied about the murder?APPARENTLY NOT.

and apparently he’s just willfully ignoring all those times Maya magically transformed into Mia RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. Like I know you tend to be hyper-focused on Phoenix in court but I cannot believe you wouldn’t notice sometimes Maya is a foot taller and busting open her kimono. HOW DO YOU RATIONALIZE THIS TO YOURSELF? WHERE IS THE ~LOGIC~ MILES?

I guess “my dad accused an innocent man to protect me” would be a leap Miles would be unwilling to make because it goes against his image of his dad as champion of the ~Truth~. Not to mention it would be pretty horrible to know your dad’s spirit is out there thinking you were the one that killed him. Miles is going to have a hard time with dealing with that. Phoenix seems to realize this because he just kind of pauses for a second and is like “you’ll understand someday, Edgeworth”.

 it WOULD be incredibly awkward and painful to just be say “UM NO EDGEWORTH SPIRIT CHANNELING IS REAL YOUR DAD JUST THOUGHT YOU KILLED HIM AND LIED TO THE MEDIUM TO PROTECT YOU FROM TRAUMA. WHICH DIDN’T WORK BUT WHATEVER”. Phoenix ain’t droppin’ that bomb on him.

TIME TO GO TALK TO IRIS…EXCEPT NOT REALLY. I think I remember what happened here, Iris and Maya-channeling-Dahlia switched places in the sacred cavern….

You can honestly tell she’s Dahlia if you pay attention to her dialogue- mostly when Phoenix messes up

Iris: I had hoped you would get at least this much correct. I hate seeing you mess up and getting all disappointed.

Phoenix: (Nngh... I didn't know she could be so harsh...)

And she also says “that’s no position for a lawyer to find himself in” if he stumbles another time. Dahlia’s gonna find a way to own Phoenix even if she has to pretend to be sweet, just gotta do it. 

Then of course when Phoenix says Dahlia “began relations with a certain college student in order to hide the evidence. That college student... Have you heard anything about him...?”

Iris:... Well... I did hear one thing... She said she hated his guts. :D

REALLY SUBTLE THERE DAHLIA. Awww Phoenix is so sad and she’s so cackling inside about it. She really is an excellent villain.

AND GUESS WHAT. I’D STILL RATHER TALK TO HER THAN GODOT.

 BUT NO HE HAS TO SHOW UP.

Agh it’s just like. Dahlia’s brand of evil is delicious and chilling- it’s fun to watch even if it’s horrible. She knows what she’s doing and she’s having fun with it.

MEANWHILE GODOT IS JUST OBNOXIOUS AND SELF RIGHTEOUS ABOUT HIS EVIL AND NOTHING IS FUN AGH.

ONCE AGAIN Godot’s all was “your job to protect them” re Mia and Maya.

 NO IT ISN’T. HIS JOB IS TO BE A LAWYER. BEING A 24/7 BODYGUARD TO EVERY WOMAN HE MEETS IS NOT THE CAREER HE WENT FOR.

MIA IS HIS BOSS. MAYA IS HIS FRIEND (WHO HE IS ALWAYS THERE FOR!). THEY ARE NOT HELPLESS LITTLE DOLLS HE’S SUPPOSED TO KEEP IN SOME GLASS CASE AND SHUT AWAY FROM THE WORLD.

Guess who’s going to lecture Phoenix because he, I don’t know, didn’t feel that Mia was being murdered with his Spidey-sense and then swing over at the speed of light to punch the murderer to death or whatever he was supposed to do? Godot, of course!

 Phoenix finally points out that HE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW MIA WAS IN DANGER OR WHAT SHE WAS UP TO HOW THE FUCK WAS HE SUPPOSED TO DO ANYTHING. And Godot’s response is that “being oblivious is a crime.”

YEAH PHOENIX. HOW DARE YOU NOT KNOW THINGS PEOPLE DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT. A REAL MAN WOULD DEVELOP PSYCHIC POWERS.

Hey Godot you know what is actually a crime. Actually knowing people are in danger, not telling them they are, doing nothing to prevent it and actually making everything infinitely worse because you wanted to do some super-violent dashing rescue to soothe your own pathetic ego. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, riiiiight?

And then Godot is like “WHATEVER MAYA’S DEAD I HAVE DECIDED THIS SO IT MUST BE SO” right in front of Pearl oh my god I hate you so much. Fortunately he finally fucking leaves and Nick reassures her. 

AND NOW IT’S TRIAL TIME SO I HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM MORE.

THIS GAME WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER WITHOUT YOU IN IT GODOT.

Well, we’ll endure and carry on. TILL NEXT TIME.

[marriagelawrp]

« THE WIDOW »  ❝ ALL THE RAINDROPS IN THE SKY TONIGHT, CAN’T COMPARE WITH ALL THE PAIN, BUT NOW I’M DONE ❞

Full Name: William Turner

Age: Twenty-Eight

Gender: Male

To Marry: The Healer

Occupation: Accountant & Baker/business owner

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Faceclaim: Sam Claflin

   ✕ BACK IN THE DAY, WHEN I WAS YOUNG ✕

tw: cancer, tw: death, tw: depression tw: alcohol

William Turner’s life was anything but glamorous. He was nobody important, his family wasn’t made of money but they made enough to get by. Growing up on a farm in Kentucky, he thought the everyday hustle and bustle of delivering cows and goats was normal. He didn’t know of life outside the 20 acres farmland he and his family lived on. So it came as a bit of a shock when he not only excelled in his schoolwork but became somewhat of a math whiz as well, competing in school tournaments and joining teams. Once he was old enough to hold a job, he went to work for his father, handling the farm’s finances and making business deals with other farmers. When the time came for college, Will had to break the news that instead of taking over the farm, he wanted to be an accountant, because he’d be able to support not only himself but his mom and dad.

It was two years into his four years at University that he met Kayla. She was a business major, hoping to one day run her own bakery. They met in an accounting class and the pair hit it off. It wasn’t supposed to be anything serious for the two of them but fate had other plans and 3 months into the relationship, he dropped the first I love you. Luckily for him, she said it back and their bond was solidified. They dated for two more years and on graduation night, Will popped the question in front of both of their friends and family and she promptly accepted. They wanted to have a winter wedding but knew that in Kentucky, that might not happen. But again, fate intervened and on the only snow day that year, they got married on his family’s farm.

Shortly after getting married, the pair packed up and moved to New York, with Will getting a cushy job at one of the best accounting firms in the state and Kayla starting a small bakery underneath the loft where they lived. For a while, everything was great. Will was making good money and Kayla’s Kupcakes had become such a success that it outgrew the small business front. So they sold their building and used that money to buy a nice house in the city. The pair could not have been happier. Things were starting to look up and they were in talks to start a family. But then Kayla discovered a rather large lump in her breast and while you hear about it, you never think it could happen to someone you love. CANCER. The silent killer. She remained strong, however, battling through chemotherapy and radiation, and was actually winning the fight. Until the virus hit. She wasn’t strong enough to fight a war on two fronts and on a rainy April night, she passed away in her sleep.

William was devastated, knowing that it could happen but never expecting it too. The next few months of his life were a mix of alcohol and deep depression. He can’t stop thinking about the life he almost had and how quickly it was taken from him. He quit his job at the agency, not wanting his coworkers to see how much of a wreck he was. It was during one of his nights of binge drinking that she appeared to him. She told him he had to move on and get his shit together. The next day, he realized she was right and he vowed to change. He didn’t return to the agency however. He put all of his money into her bakery, determined to see it succeed. She had taught him everything she knew in the short time they were together and he would not let her dream fail. He didn’t however have any plans to move on in his personal life, his heart still fully commited to Kayla. He felt sorry for the ones that had been picked to marry so far but also kind of excited because it meant business would pick up because every wedding needs a cake. Imagine his surprise when a letter shows up on his doorstep with a name and instructions to marry them in eight weeks.

✕ THE STORY ABOUT MY LIFE IN THE PRESENT ✕

✕ WHERE THEY LIVE ✕ You moved to New York shortly after you married because your wife’s family was there. Now she’s gone, you couldn’t face moving out of the house you shared. It holds so many memories. However, it finally feels like the right time to move on and find someone new to live.

✕ THE JOB THEY HAVE ✕ You were always good with numbers, especially in your teen years when you helped your father sort his business accounts. You went to college and became an accountant, earning a good wage. It’s a decent job that brings in plenty of money.

✕ THE MARRIAGE LAW ✕ With nearly eighty percent of the population dead because of a virus outbreak, the world is in dire need of repopulation. The government stepped in and created a marriage law, giving people eight weeks to marry a stranger chosen to them by the Government. Your letter came this week, and you have eight weeks to marry The Runaway Bride.

    ✕ THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN MY LIFE  ✕

THE RUNAWAY BRIDE - You got a letter from the government only the other day with her name on printed at the top. She’s your future wife and a complete stranger. You’re still healing from losing your wife, but have no choice but to go through with the law.

THE CRIMINAL - You’ met at a bar, shortly after your wife had died. You drank the night away and stayed in touch after that, becoming friends. He helped you get out of the house and live your life again.  

THE OBSESSIVE - You were friends in college, taking a lot of the same math classes together.  You lost touch when you had your breakdown, but slowly have been trying to get back in touch - even though that’s been really hard for you.

THE HOMEMAKER - You used to be her parent’s accountant, and when you left to take over your wife’s business, her family maintained loyalty by patronizing the business. She is a regular customer and sometimes hangs out there when she wants a little time away from home.

THE FREE SPIRIT - Not long after taking over your wife’s business, you two crossed paths due to them frequenting the bakery. With their love of the culinary world, they aided you through part of your transition from accounting to baking, and occasionally pass on pointers to you now, as a friend.

THE NERD - The Nerd was good friends with your late wife until she died. The Nerd’s done his best to support you through the loss; the two of you were never that close before but The Nerd has tried to be there for you since her passing.

                     THIS CHARACTER HAS A FLEXIBLE FACECLAIM                             & IS CLOSED FOR AUDITION