#other than that. Ellie face is nice. he cute sometimes

[souridealist]

Oh ho ho what if Wade and Logan and pet names 😎

Well this turned out. A length. No warnings besides the canon itself I don't think.

--

Wade will call people fucking anything in the world except their name, Logan is learning.

It’s mostly Logan and the dog who get the brunt of it, which frankly is not a fact that Logan wants to think too much about. Half of what he calls the dog isn’t even words, unless a cuntchkin is something somebody’s invented while Logan wasn’t paying attention, and it better not be. But it’s not just them. Logan only knows Peter’s name from the other Deadpools; their Wade calls him ‘sugar bear’ like that’s a normal fucking thing to call a guy you’re not sleeping with, which Logan’s about 80% sure he’s not.

The X-Men get it over the phone — who is Logan kidding, Colossus gets it over the phone, there’s no one else Wade would be calling his favorite tinfoil sculpture or a sexy sexy hood ornament or whatever’s coming out of his mouth this week. (For a guy who’ll leave the bathroom door half-open while he takes a shit and sing Britney Spears in the shower at three in the morning, Wade is freakishly, quietly kind about that whole… thing; he took a minute to warn Logan the first time Colossus came over, still ducks out of the room to take calls from the mansion, doesn’t ask questions about them even when he’s cheerfully asking Logan if he’s ever eaten ass.) (Logan is two hundred years old and he was a bouncer at a leather bar for a while, which is an answer that shut Wade up for an entire seven seconds.)

The kids get it too, the ones who Logan’s world never had a chance to teach. He hopes they’re out there somewhere, keeping their heads down, maybe living long enough to live out the hate. Ellie mostly gets musicians, Joan Jett and Bikini Kill, which Logan happens to know is four people; sometimes she’s Negasonic Teenage IED or Supersonic Adult Missile or whatever kind of bomb that Wade last saw. Russell gets ‘kid’ and ‘my favorite brat’ and more ways of getting Firefist wrong than Logan would have thought was possible in English, even though the kid apparently hasn’t gone by that in six years.

There’s exceptions, though. Yukio is just Yukio, Althea is only ever Blind Al, Vanessa is always Vanessa. No, Logan doesn’t know why he’s keeping track of this shit, or at least he doesn’t want to look at his own reasons.

 And Logan? Logan’s pretty sure Wade’s just fucking with him at this point, because Logan’s been Log, Clint Eastwood, grizzly bear, knife block, jackass, and baby. If that last one made him blush like a fucking schoolgirl in the middle of the grocery store and furiously examine some beets until he got his face under control, that’s his business. It’s mostly ‘peanut,’ though, and of everyone that Logan’s ever met, only Wade Wilson could ever look at him and decide to call him something that… cute.

And then it turns out that Wade using his actual name can knock all sense and sanity right out of his head. (It’s the third time Wade’s called him by name.)

How it happens is that they’re on the building’s roof, because Logan jimmied the lock on the second day here. At the time he’d wanted somewhere to smoke; he’s since learned that Althea couldn’t care less if he smoked in the apartment, but he still comes up here often as not. It’s nice up here, in between the city and the moon.

It’s late, the night it happens. Logan is leaning against one of the chimneys, enjoying the warmth through the November chill, and Wade is — of course — hopping all over the roof, to start. He’s just Wade tonight; no suit, just jeans and a tank top that hangs low on his chest and one of those loose fuzzy sweaters of his. Logan likes him like this, a little less manic, a little less on. Logan likes him too damn much.

At first it’s just Wade talking, the steady flow of chatter that Logan lets flow over him. Great British Bake Off and the ways it compares to Cutthroat Kitchen and the best food Wade’s had in his life and all the places he’d like to eat one of these days. Then in the middle of the stream Wade adds, “Oh, and Vanessa sent me this thing for a banging good grilled cheese, like, not better than all sex but better than a decent fingerbanging — her words, not mine — so I need to give that a try,” and suddenly Logan’s mind isn’t on his cigar anymore.

“That going well, then?” He wants the answer to be yes. He does. Wade deserves to be happy, and maybe once he and Vanessa pick things back up, Logan can get himself going, get gone, shake loose this thing in his chest before it gets any deeper into him. But Wade just sighs, long and gusty, and then flops a seat on the ground next to Logan.

“Depends on your definition of well,” he says. “Compared to her being dead and me trying to blow up the building so I could go after her, it’s going great. Compared to us getting married and raising a bunch of kids, mmm, not so great.”

“Oh.” Logan keeps his voice steady; he knows how. “So, uh…”

“It’s not gonna happen,” Wade says, soft and somber in the dark, all the rest falling away like wrapping paper off a gift. “Not… in another life, maybe. Some other part of the multiverse, she could’ve been the one. But not this time. Turns out if someone dies on you and you deal with it really, really badly, and then she comes back to life, it makes it really, really hard to deal with anything else that pops up in your relationship. Funny how that works, y’know?” He tilts his head back against the poured concrete. “But the thing is it kind of is going well. I mean, I think we’re friends again. It’s not all… you know, hovering like a bad fart.” Logan muffles a laugh, can’t help it. “It’s nice. I missed her, you know? I missed being with her, but I also just missed her. It’s nice that we can actually, you know, joke around again.”

If Logan tries to say a single word right now then what’s going to come out of his mouth is something awful, something incoherent and sentimental about the way Wade loves, which is damn well. He takes a long drag on his cigar, lets the smoke fill up his chest as if it won’t leave space for anything else.

“Hey, Logan?” Wade says, bumping their shoulders together. “Thanks. I mean, for helping to save my world, big old thank you for that, but also — thanks for sticking around when I asked. Looking after Blind Al, spoiling the dog, y’know. Just… thanks.” The moon and the light pollution catch on the texture of his scars, on his eyes, on the tiny wistful curve of his mouth.

Time jumps about a second and a half, and then Logan’s half-smoked cigar is somewhere on the roof and his hands are on Wade’s cheeks and Wade’s mouth is under his.

He doesn’t pull back. He probably should. He strokes his thumb across Wade’s cheek, the leathery ridges of it, and catches Wade’s lip gently between his, and keeps kissing him.

When the kiss breaks, they’re still close enough that he can feel Wade’s breath against his mouth. Neither of them is breathing easy. Logan can’t think of a single thing to say.

“I don’t —” Wade is ragged, rough, and Logan aches. “Hold on, I’m very confused, that — is this some kind of multiversal culture clash? Are you feeling okay? That was, that was an extremely cinematic kiss, ten out of ten, very romance hero, definite bonus points for the moonlight, God your hands are big, but I really don’t think I’m supposed to be in this scene, I think somebody screwed up, I’m not — why did you do that?”

“Why the fuck do you think?” It’s hard to speak. Logan wants to run like hell and to punch him and to put his claws through his own head and to kiss him again. “I’m feeling fine and I sure as hell wasn’t trying to kiss anyone else. I.” He gives in to it, lets his forehead fall against Wade’s and curls one hand over the back of Wade’s head, just over the ridge of his skull. In for a penny, in for a pound. “The way you are with the people you love, I.” I want that. I wanna try and love you half as good. “I want to stay.”

Wade blinks furiously, eyes glittering. No tears quite fall, which is maybe good, because Logan might do something fucking stupid like try to kiss them and then he’d just plain have to shoot himself. “Aw, peanut. You gotta be — are you sure?”

“Yeah, darlin’.” Logan has to force the words past the lump clogging his throat. “I’m sure.”

Wade’s eyes go very, very wide, and then Logan is being kissed breathless against the chimney, while the cars honk on the street below and the moon gets outshone by the city.

[hiiikiko]

hi hi hi

can you do brothers bff!ellie x reader? maybe they met as children and ellie was close with readers brother, but always saw r as a nuisance. until r went away to boarding school or something and came back a few years later, and ellie begins to develop a crush on her? idk i thinks this would be cute for her 🥰

𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖, 𝕟𝕠 𝕤𝕖𝕖

brother’s best friend!ellie x reader | tlou m.list

[a/n:] i love this trope so much, thank you for submitting this ask! also LMAO this went so off base but I like this too much to delete it and It’s too much work to copy and paste every god damn sentence bc tumblr makes that so fuckin’ hard but uh yeah thanks :P

Synopsis: Ellie and you had something goin on.. but it’s been years since the two of you have seen each other..

tw: angst

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

SUNDAY

Ellie was your childhood friend, uh, actually that’d be a lie.. she was your brother’s best friend.. but same difference.. I mean, your mom would force your darling big brother, Jesse, to take you everywhere with him.. like, come on, it was free babysitting and it was killing two birds with one stone. Not only was your mom getting free babysitting, she was also able to kick your reckless brother out for a few hours. So everyday for a few hours after school, your brother would drag you along to football games, lacrosse games, basketball games.. ugh, so many sports.. You didn’t always look forward to it, but.. there was one upside to them..

Ellie Williams.

Ellie was your next door neighbour. She was pretty, smart, introverted, and a troublemaker. Sure, she graduated valedictorian and was an all-star on the girl’s lacrosse and basketball and volleyball team but god, did she cause her fair share of trouble.. including, making you fall for her. Although, you were sure Ellie completely hated your guts. She always called you ‘squirt,’ given that you were much smaller than her when the two of you were kids. She would always groan when she saw you tag along with Jesse, smacking his arm and glaring back at you, silently saying ‘Why the fuck did you bring her?” To which Jesse would reply with a sly smirk and a shrug.

Now, it wasn’t your plan to fall for her.. but come on, it was inevitable. She was your brother’s best friend, that’s like the forbidden fruit in the garden of eden! How could you pass that up, hm? But, before you could ever confess to her.. you were shipped off to a catholic all girl’s school because your mom thought that these thoughts about girls weren’t very christian-like. You came back every now and then but it was easier to spend breaks at your Aunt’s house, it was closer to the school and besides, what was the point of coming back? You weren’t very popular in your hometown, you lived in your brother’s shadow. He was an all-star in practically every sport, smart, constantly made the papers for his footaball games.. so did Ellie and you never really felt like you belonged with them, or your town for that matter. In boarding school, you had no one to be compared to. You were actually quite popular, you joined quite a few clubs, even became head of the Newspaper Club and graduated valedictorian. You were doing pretty good on your own, then soon.. you were off to college.

It was the beginning of fall when you finally decided to pay your mom and brother a visit, you were on thanksgiving break.

“Alright, bye Lila! See ya, Chris!” you waved at the retreating volkswagen van belonging to your two best friends from school, rooted in the ground as you watched it disappear round a corner.

You let out a deep sigh as you tuned on your heel to face your childhood home, it felt like forever since you’d been back.. sure, you came back sometimes but.. still, it had been, like, three years. You were now a sophomore i college, you had left when you were a senior in high school.

You couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Ellie’s house, Joel’s truck was in the garage. Joel was a nice guy, he’d always fix your mom’s car for free. You and Jesse really did like him, at one point, the two of you even tried hooking your mom up with him but.. that all came crashing down when your mom found out and sentenced the two of you to yard work for the next week.

“Hey, Joel,” you say to the pair of boots under the old Chevy, drumming your fingers on the hood.

The sound of tools turning comes to a halt as the pair of boots soon slides down to reveal the person the pair of boots belonged to.. Ellie.

“Oh, sorry.. I-I thought you were Joel,” you stuttered out, Ellie’s fierce gaze piercing right through you.

“Yeah? Well, you thought wrong,” she grumbled, using her teeth to pull off her gloves and wiping some grease off her face, “Long time, no see.. what do you want?”

God, you haven’t even been home for more than five minutes and the new you was already melting away under her gaze, you felt like you were 17 again.

“Nothing, just.. wanted to say hi,” you mumble and leave her there, sitting on the sliding board.

You couldn’t see it but, you could feel her hungry gaze watching your every move as you left the driveway. You couldn’t tell if she was watching you out of curiosity or.. something else.

MONDAY

Sunday went by like a breeze, you and your mom caught up over dinner, you and Jesse caught up by not catching up.

Today, you decided to look for a part-time job. You just needed enough cash to get you a one-way ticket back outta here and you didn’t want to burden your Aunt with the costs.

After visiting a multitude of stores, you ran into Joel at the gas station. He mentioned how he was looking for a receptionist and you practically threw yourself at the opportunity.

“Alright, alright, you got the job,” he chuckled, taking a sip from his gas station coffee, letting out a satisfied hum at the taste. This man sure did love his coffee, “Can you start tomorrow?”

You beaned, “Yes, sir, I can.”

He nodded and tapped your trucks hood, “Make sure to bring this ol’ boy by, I promised your mom a free oil change in exchange for her cookin’ me a few dishes a month.”

You giggled, “Will do.”

TUESDAY

“Hey, I’m here for the job,” you said to the guy at the front desk, a older gentleman, he reeked of weed, his eyes glazed over.

“Uh, okay, let me get the other manager.”

You nodded, leaving the desk to look around the old shop, it smelled of gasoline, leaving a metallic taste in your mouth.

“You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me.”

Your blood ran cold as you realized who that low, raspy voice belonged to, “Mornin’ to you, too, Ellie.”

She rolled her eyes, leaning against the desk and tucking her pen behind her ear, “You’re the new girl?”

You nod, trying not to let your smile falter, “Yep, that’s me.”

She rolled her eyes again, “Alright, follow me.”

You jog to keep up with her while she introduces you to all the mechanics, turns out the mechanic you met earlier is named Eugene. They were all happy to see a fresh new face, some even asking if that car out front was yours and if anythin’ were to go wrong, that you knew where to find them, much to Ellie’s annoyance.

“Well, that’s all? Any questions?” and before you could say yes, she slammed her office door closed.

“Same as always, I see,” you mumbled and set yourself down at the desk, familiarizing yourself with the outdated equipment. You didn’t like how close your desk was to her office, it was suffocating.

FRIDAY

By Friday, you had completely reorganized their computer systems to be a little more efficient and their files as well. Ellie didn’t say good job or anything, she just nodded and criticized every little mistake you made. Joel, on the other had, would knock her upside the head every time he caught her saying something a little too mean, then would apologize for his daughter’s behaviour and shower you with compliments.

Besides Ellie’s annoying remarks, work was actually going pretty smoothly.

You were finishing up some paperwork when you heard the door to the garage swing open, she had on her overalls and was covered in grease and oil, just like the first day when you came back.

���Y/n, pull your truck in, Joel wants me to change the oil or whatever she grumbled, wiping her cheek, trying to rid it of the grease but actually, she just made it worse. You couldn’t stop your heart from fluttering at the sight.. there’s just something about a woman covered in car oil that does it for you..

You nod, “Alright.”

You spent the last 40 minutes talking on the phone with your old schoolmates, laughing about how they got back home.

“Sooo.. Y/n, have you heard from Abby?” your friend, Lila, giggled as she was pushed out of frame by her sister, Chris.

You groan and lean back into your chair, “God, no. I haven’t heard from her since that night,” you rub your face with your hand, trying to conceal the embarrassment.

The two girls on the other end giggled and begin to fangirl over Abby.

“Ugh, I don’t know why you don’t want her anymore!” Lila began.

“She was totally perfect, like.. you landed a lacrosse player.. that’s every girl’s dream-“ “ Not to mention how muscular she was? LIke, uh, drool??”

You rolled your eyes, “Okay, I admit she was perfect—.”

The garage door slams and in comes Ellie, looking especially pissed off, “Can you shut the fuck up? It’s hard to work when you’re being so god damn loud.”

She wandered into frame, you could practically read what Lila and Chris were thinking, their eyes screamed ‘do me.’

You rolled your eyes and hung up your phone, “Fuck, Ellie. You’re such a fuckin’ killjoy.”

Ellie laughed, walking over to your desk, spinning around your chair, putting her arms on either side of the arm rests, “You’re such a pain in the ass,” and for a split second, you could swear her eyes flickered down to your lips.

SATURDAY

Saturday night, Dina invited you out with her and Jesse to the local bar. Country music blasted through the speakers and the sound of beer bottles thinking set the tone along with the cheap cigarette smoke.

“Thank god they don’t card, huh,” Dina smirked at you, you laughed. Jesse rushed off to the bar to get the three of you some beers.

The two of them watched you slam down your first beer, a little too fast for them to know it was your first.

“What? Boarding School isn’t as strict if you know how to get around the rules and alarms,” you giggled.

You soon had enough liquid courage in you to make your way onto the dance floor, swinging your way into the arms of guys and girls, alike.

“Uh.. testing.. 1…2..3,” the crowd came to a sudden halt, you followed their gaze. You saw Ellie on stage, a young mechanic you knew, and a guy you didn’t know too well stood behind her. She held her hand up above her eyes to shield them from the harsh stage light. She looked.. well, hot.. she wore some wranglers, steel-toed cowboy boots, and a nice black long sleeve button up, her brown cowboy hat rested atop her head, bringing out the green in her eyes, “Well, tonight, we got some new songs for y’all.”

Her set was pretty amazing, the crown obviously loved her and her voice was very, very good.

“Alright, before we call it a night, we got one more song.. we’ll be covering I Wonder Do You Think of Me,” you couldn’t really tell but you were sure she was staring directly at you, but that was ridiculous, you were sure she couldn’t see anything through that blaring light.

She started, “If you drive around, back in our old hometown.. I wonder, do you think of me?” her voice sounded full of hurt, almost like it was breaking.

The dance floor was full of cowboys and cowgirls moving their bodies in since, in beautiful, melancholic slow dance.

“And remember those games, those cold football games.. I was your hero, though I seldom played, back then.. could you see, what our future would be?”

Now you were certain, she had to be singing this song for you, everything her eyes dipped back underneath her cowboy hat, you could see her emerald eyes piercing into your soul.

“Fuck this,” you grumbled and grabbed your purse, you were not going to do this again.

“I still love you, do you think of me?”

The wooden door slammed behind you and you could hear the cheers of the audience erupt.

“Y/n, wait,” a hoarse voice came bounding toward you.

“God! What? What the fuck do you want Ellie?”

You whipped around, Ellie’s face was only inches from yours.

“I-I wanted to apologize.. for, for everythin’. It wasn’t right to leave you like that.. and it wasn’t right to say all I did. “

The months leading up to your departure, you and Ellie had been sneaking around. “I love you,” she had whispered in your ear, the night of her winning the lacrosse state championship, her mouth nestled against your ear and her hands in your pants and like an idiot, you believed her. You believed her despite her not wanting to go on dates, hang out together in public school, and through the rumours of her being a player. Then, the night before you left for school, she snuck into your room and confessed; “I never loved you, Y/n.. you were just a means to an end, another girl on my roster.”

Those words were ingrained in your memory, the next day when you left for school, your eyes were puffy and that following year, you tried everything to get over her. Then that year became two years, following you into college. You drank, smoked, hooked up with random girls but none of them were her, not even Abby Anderson.

“I’m not doing this again,” you ripped your hand out from her grasp.

“Fuck, would you just listen to me?” she trapped your other hand and pulled it to her chest, “I never meant all that bullshit, don’t ya see? I’ve only ever liked you, Y/n…” her eyes looked sincere.

“Fuck you, you’re so full of yourself.”

“God, you’re sop fuckin stubborn. Don’t believe me? I sent you a letter every god damn day after you left, I had given them to your mom, it wasn’t until recently that Jesse had told me she never mailed them out.”

This whole time, you assumed that she had really meant it all and the no reaching out thing, really drove the nail deeper..

You stopped, “What?”

“You gotta believe me,” her breath smelled like whiskey and cigarettes.

You stared into her eyes, you heart melted, “F-fine..”

She smiled and pulled you even closer, her hand wrapping around your waist and she placed a soft kiss on your lips. You really were a fool, weren’t ya?”

[dark-frosted-heart]

Roger Barel Main Route - Chapter 15

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this. I’m doing this for archiving purposes and you can probably find a better translation out there.

Ale ran around the lawn of Crown Castle’s gardens, his fluffy fur similar to freshly-baked sponge cake flowing with his movement.

Kate: The weather is nice and it’s fun running around with Ale.

Ellis: Hehe, it is fun. Kate’s happy face is cute.

Liam: Since Kate and Ale came, we’ve had more time for stuff like this.

Ellis: Yeah, you’re right.

(Ever since I’ve started helping out with looking after Ale, I’ve naturally been able to spend more time with everyone outside of missions)

When I squinted at the bright sunlight, I caught a figure through a window.

(Ah, Roger!)

When our eyes met, I waved at him in his room.

(...I hope I’m not making some kind of face. Am I smile naturally?)

(Ah, but he could hear my heartbeat from there if he wanted to…Calm down, calm down)

I acted as if everything was the same as usual, but my mind was full of memories from last night.

~~ Flashback ~~

Kate: If I were to fall in love, then I’d want us to fall together.

Because of that, I won’t ever confess that I like you until you believe that love exists.

~~ End flashback ~~

(I did pretty much just admit that I liked Roger)

By the time I noticed how the drug named Roger made its way into my body, it was already too late.

However…it didn’t matter how much I liked Roger if it was unrequited.

(Yeah. I want Roger to like me back)

Kate: …Looks like I’m more selfish than I thought.

Liam: Hehe, you’re talking out loud. Is it about Roger?

Kate: …How did you know?

Liam: If anyone didn’t, then they’re seriously ill. They should be sent to a hospital for being so clueless.

(I guess it’s that obvious…)

I looked away in embarrassment and Liam smiled beautifully like a rose.

Kate: I boasted that I’d be able to teach him about romantic love, but ended up falling for him…I’m so frustrated and embarrassed.

I don’t know why I can freely admit my feelings to anyone but Roger himself.

Liam: It can’t be helped. The human heart’s the most unpredictable thing in the world. It’d be so much easier if your heart followed your brain.

Liam’s eyes were downcast as he smiled. It felt like he wanted to abandon everything, like he was touching death’s fingers.

~~ Flashback ~~

Roger: Would it be good or evil to make curses disappear from this world?

You don’t have to answer me now. When it comes to you, let me know.

~~ End flashback ~~

(...The more I learned about the Cursed, the less I was able to answer the question)

Alec and Roger’s past, Lance’s death, Ellis who was next handed the Briar Bushes curse, and Liam before me.

(Values change so rapidly that it’s puzzling)

(But I shouldn’t stop thinking about it)

Liam: I’d like to see it. Roger being so smitten with you, I mean.

I’d like to see it too.

I hope it happens.

I’ll do my best. +4 +4

Kate: Then I’ll do my best!

Liam: Yeah, that’s the spirit. Unlike me, Roger’s a rational one. That’s why it’d be interesting to see someone like him be madly in love.

Kate: Hehe, was that a wicked look just now?

Liam: I’m cursed with being led by my own curiosity. So you’ll have to excuse my wicked interest.

(I don’t know if you can make curses disappear)

(I wonder if that’s a good thing. However…)

Kate: I promise when Roger’s smitten with me, I’ll let you know.

Sometimes it’s the small promises that are important to live for.

Liam: I’m looking forward to it.

As I smiled back at Liam, Ale and Ellis came back from playing.

(Ah, that’s right)

Kate: Um, do you know a place where I can get some beautiful flowers? I thought you two would be familiar with what’s popular.

Liam: Of course, but are they a present for someone?

Kate: You heard about how a Cursed One named Lance died the other day, right? I heard he was buried at a public cemetery and wanted to go leave some flowers.

(Lance won’t ever come back…so I hope he can rest peacefully)

Ellis: Then how about sharing the flowers from Victor’s garden? He grows flowers as a hobby. I saw him walking around with flowers this morning and I’m sure he’ll share them if you ask.

Kate: Hehe, I wasn’t aware. I’ll go ask him then.

Liam: That’s fine, but I’m worried about you going to the cemetery all by yourself. Lately, young people have been getting attacked or going missing.

Ellis: Do you mean the incidents Victor and Will are investigating?

(I do remember the barkeep saying something like that)

Unfortunately these incidents weren’t uncommon in Britain given its large population.

There is as much darkness as there are people.

(It could be related to how the girl Lance liked was killed)

Liam: I wish I could go with you but I have rehearsal…

Ellis: Sorry. I have work at Jude’s company.

Liam: Ah, Harrison might be free this afternoon.

Kate: I can’t be a bother to everyone! I’ll be fine going alone. I’ll just take Crown’s carriage to the cemetery and come back before it gets dark.

Liam: Oh? Then I guess we don’t need to worry too much.

Ale: Arf arf.

Kate: Ah, seems like Ale will be coming with me.

Ellis: Then take care of Kate, Ale.

Ale: Woof.

--

Victor had gladly shared his flowers with me and now Ale and I were being rocked around in a carriage.

When I glanced out the window, the carriage stopped not too far from the cemetery.

(Huh? But the cemetery’s still a bit of a ways down)

The coachman got off his seat, opened the door, and signed to me.

(“The road ahead…is too narrow for a carriage to take to the cemetery…”)

I somehow managed to read the sign language that I had just recently learned and tore a page out of my notebook to write a reply.

“Thank you. Please wait here, I’ll be back soon.”

I passed the paper to the coachman and alighted the carriage.

--

The sky started turning red as dusk approached.

(The cemetery’s really close. I’ll be in and out in no time)

We walked down the path leading to the cemetery.

For a while, the only sound was the grass being blown by the wind until— 

Ale: Arf arf arf.

Ale, who was walking ahead of me, suddenly turned and started barking.

Kate: Ale, what’s…

The bouquet fell from my arms.

I felt a cloth smelling like chemicals press against my nose and lost consciousness— 

--

Elbert: …

Elbert wandered around the castle looking for something, his face paler than ever.

Then—

Roger: Yo, El. Have you seen the ‘lil lady around? I wanted to get her to do some work for me, but haven’t seen her for a while.

Having found who he was looking for, Elbert rushed over to Roger.

Elbert: Roger. Listen to me calmly. It’s possible that Kate was kidnapped.

Roger: Kate? What do you mean?

Ellis: What you just said, is it true…?

They turned around and saw Jude and Ellis who had just come back from work.

Jude: The princess got kidnapped? By who?

Elbert: I’m not sure. Earlier in the garden, a coachman came up to me looking terribly disturbed. He said that he dropped Kate off not far from the cemetery, but no matter how long he waited, she never came back. He went to go look for her, but only found Ale. Here, he gave me this.

He handed Roger a piece of paper with “I’ll be back soon” written in Kate’s handwriting.

Roger: …

Ellis: Kate wanted to go leave flowers on the grave of the Cursed One who passed a few days ago. She said she’d take a carriage and be back before sundown, so she’d be fine.

Jude: That’s Saint Cemetery. Got a road so narrow that carriages pass through. Somethin’ must’ve the moment she got out.

Elbert: We don’t know what happened, but we can’t waste any time. What do we do, Roger?

Roger: …

There was nothing reflected in Roger’s eyes.

Elbert: …Roger?

Elbert waved his hand in front of Roger’s face and the latter blinked in surprise.

Roger: …

Ellis: Roger, are you okay?

Roger: Yeah…sorry. Just…a little shaken.

Elbert and Ellis: …(°ロ°)

Roger took a deep breath as if to calm himself, eyes now focused.

Roger: This likely has something to do with the recent incidents. Let’s tell Victor first and then gather the rest of Crown.

--

When news of Kate’s disappearance broke, all of Crown assembled.

Victor: Her Majesty gathers information from the masses. If Kate was kidnapped, then it’s believed to be related to the incidents.

Ellis: …So it is related to the incidents targeting young people. But why?

Jude: Human traffickin’, kidnappin’, murder for fun, there’s all sorts of reasons.

Victor: As you’re aware, Will and I have been looking into the culprit. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to identify them yet. However, based on where the victims have gone missing, we’ve been able to identify possible bases.

He spread a map of London out on the table.

Four areas were circled in red—

Victor: If Kate was kidnapped, she could be in any of these locations.

Roger: …

Victor: We don’t have time to waste. Crown will split into four teams and search each location.

Jude: I’ll be collectin’ a huge reward when I find the princess.

--

Jude: You’re up, ya dumb dog. Lead us to our dumb Fairytale Keeper.

Roger: Ale, I’m counting on you.

Ale: Woof.

A team of Roger, Jude, and Ale boarded a carriage and were now passing through a dense forest.

— Suddenly, the piercing sound of horses neighing was heard and the carriage screeched to a stop.

Roger: What the…?

Nica: Wie geht es dir (How do you do), Crown? Pardon me.

There was a polite knock on the carriage door and one of “Vogel’s” twins boarded the carriage.

Roger: You…

Nica: I just saw the Queen’s aide looking pale*. I heard Robin has gone missing?

Roger: If you already know, then get out. We don’t have time for you.

Nica: Don’t want to. Did the good doctor forget that we’re here to deepen our friendship? I’m telling you I’ll help you. I might be of some use?

Jude: …Oi, quack. We gotta move.

Roger: If you don’t wanna get kicked out then behave, older twin.

Nica: Allerdings (Of course), I’ll behave.

The carriage started moving again— 

Only Nica was happily petting Ale in his lap, as if he were on his way to a holiday resort.

His POV | Next

-

*Alternatively, red with anger. 血相を変えた was used, which in a literal sense, means ‘to change facial expression or color’. It’s contextual and in this case, Victor could be either.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

bunny x cat dynamic?

Like, adhd bunny and grumpy cat dynamic? I'm going to try writing a bit where the dynamic of the main characters are fleshed out. Any input on what people often enjoy about these for me to take into account?

To me it's so cute because she considers herself more as an annoying dog but for him, he considers her to be a cute, hyperactive bunny (that's kind of useless to (literal) death but let's put that aside, or not)

The ideal response to this would come from your readers. If you've already established your reader base, try asking them their preferences and expectations. Of course—still, write the story you want (and need) as a writer. And there it is, in your second paragraph. The idea is that if you write what you want, the people who also prefer this dynamic will find your work and stay for the rest of the story, and will more likely enjoy your other work as well (this is essentially what most successful authors advise new writers—write what you want, what you enjoy etc etc). But striking a balance between your readers' and your own preferences would be great too.

If you don't have a reader base yet, I'd suggest going through your favourite literature/films and finding ones that depict this particular character dynamic. Then you yourself, as a reader/viewer now, could answer what you find enjoyable about these pieces of media, and incorporate that in your writing.

Also, here are some tropes that I think have similarities with the dynamic you described. Same suggestion with finding books or films/TV shows you like that feature these tropes. But also research their readers'/audience's feedback to find out what they enjoyed about these character tropes, and this is what you can take into consideration for your story.

Grump and sunshine. One character is so grumpy all the time; the other character is so bubbly all the time. And somehow, through that power-of-love thing, they end up balancing each other out. The grump sometimes has sworn off love.

Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl. This is a potential pairing (platonic or otherwise) between a pragmatic guy and a girl who is very full of energy. One partner in the pair will be lively and optimistic while the other is savvy and more slothful, quiet, or otherwise less expressive. EXAMPLES:

In Corpse Bride, Emily and Victor. The former is a dead bride who is rather lively and spiritual for a corpse, while the latter is a live man who is shy and awkward almost to a fault.

This defines Anna and Kristoff's relationship in Frozen nicely. She is a spunky princess willing to do whatever it takes to bring her sister home, he is a grumpy, rough-around-the-edges ice harvester helping her along the way.

In Pixar's Up, the quiet and timid Carl befriended and eventually married the energetic Ellie.

Uptight Loves Wild. He's stuffy. She's untamed. It's true love. Mr. Stuffy is in a rut: Life is boring because he plays by the rules. Along comes this wild and crazy woman to show him how to live life to its fullest, and she just might learn a few things along the way, too. EXAMPLES:

Enchanted: Stuffy, cynical divorce lawyer Robert meets fairytale princess Giselle.

The Sound of Music: Maria isn't "wild", but she is a Blithe Spirit in the face of the extremely uptight, Captain von Trapp.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Quite thoroughly deconstructs this. A relationship like this doesn't always work and after the falling-in-love part, it causes more pain than joy; so much so that both parties opt to have their memories removed of each other. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is also far more complicated: "I'm not a concept, I'm just a fucked-up girl looking for a peace of mind".

Opposites Attract. EXAMPLES:

The Princess and the Frog has Tiana and Naveen. She's a Workaholic, no-nonsense waitress and he's a fun-loving, lazy prince.

Tangled gives us the jaded, worldly-wise thief Flynn Rider and the spirited, innocent princess Rapunzel.

Treasure Planet has Captain Amelia and Dr. Doppler. She's a tough-as-nails Action Girl, he's a bookish scientist, not to mention they're basically an anthropomorphic cat and dog, respectively. The two grow closer throughout the movie, and by the end they even have several kids.

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[lionlena]

Unforgivable mistake (JoelMillerxreader) Part 6

Summary: Reader is much younger than Joel and is in love with  him. One night, after arguing with Tess and getting drunk, Joel spends  the night with a reader, but in the morning he breaks her heart…  She  runs away from Boston hoping that she will never meet this cold bastard  again in her life. But almost six years later, she unexpectedly sees  Joel in Jackson. She decides to hide herself and her little secret from  this asshole.

Warnings: age gap (reader is about 28 years, Joel 58),  strong language, swearing, past trauma, bullying, attempted rape, memories of sexual abuse, unprotect p in v,  dom!Joel, Joel is asshole, ANGST, hurt, sadness and heartbreaking, sexual harassment, women abuse, violence, injury, sickness.

Part 6

"Mommy, you should kiss Joel."

You nearly dropped the laundry you were hanging outside when you heard what your toddler said. You looked at your son in shock.

"Where did that idea come from, honey?"

Teddy sighed and said, "Because Joel is sad and you always give me a kiss when I'm sad and that helps."

"Oh" was all you could say.

Joel had actually been sadder for the past few days. He was even more reticent and didn't even react to Ellie's taunts. You didn't know if it was because of your talk about forgiveness or the fact that Maria and Tommy were expecting a baby. Well, You thought that was good news, but did Joel was jealous? He had Teddy, after all. He got a second chance.

"Mommy."

You heard your son's impatient voice and realized that "Oh" wasn't considered a sufficient answer. You knelt down next to him and said, "I'm afraid it doesn't work on adults as it does on children. I think Joel might feel weird if I kissed him."

Teddy frowned. "Then hug him... You hugging Aunt Claudia when she's sad."

"You hugging him, and that's better than my hug."

Your son made a sad face, and you felt like you let him down. In his childhood mind, sometimes everything was so simple and you envied him that.

"You know what helps me when I'm sad?" The little boy looked at you curiously. "When you give me drawings and flowers. Maybe after I finish work at the stables, we can go to the meadow so you can pick flowers for Joel?"

"Okay, but if that doesn't help, promise me you'll hug him."

You sighed heavily and nodded your head.

At the stables, you were still thinking about what Teddy said. Maybe you should talk to Joel? He didn't really have anyone in Jackson except Tommy, Ellie, and Teddy... And you. He still had a strained relationship with his brother, and the children were hardly suitable for serious conversations. So everything was on you. And your two relationship has improved. When you saw him, you didn't just think about how badly he hurt you, but how he changed for the better.

You stopped brushing Jupiter for a moment and looked back to see your son, who was throwing straw into an empty stall. In fact, he lost most of the straw along the way, but he looked so cute. He wanted to help you, like his dad.

You were so lost in thought that you didn't notice that you were approaching to place where another horse had bitten Jupiter. The wound still hurt him, and though he was a nice horse, he reacted to pain like any other animal. He whinnied loudly and jumped up sharply. You managed to dodge the kick, but you staggered and stumbled. You hit your head on the post that was between the horse's boxes. It got dark before your eyes and the last thing you remember was your son's frightened scream.

*

Teddy knew he had to call for help. He ran out of the stable and began to run as fast as his little legs would allow him. However, he passed several people and did not stop. Even when someone tried to stop him. In his mind, only one person could save you.

"Joel!" he shouted as he saw a familiar figure.

Joel was just walking with Ellie to the dining room when he heard his son scream. He immediately turned around and knelt down to catch the kid who practically ran into him. He immediately noticed that the little boy was terrified.

"Teddy, what happened?"

He gently grabbed his shoulders and started looking for any injuries, but the baby boy seemed to be fine. Teddy struggled to catch his breath, tears streaming down his face.

"Mama," he finally choked out.

Joel was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of terror.

"What about mom?" He asked.

The boy barely spoke. "Ho… Horse... Kick" he said between sobs.

Joel didn't need any more. He looked at Ellie, who seemed as scared as Teddy.

"Stay with him. I'm running to her."

The girl nodded and grabbed the boy's hand as Joel ran to the stables.

*

When you woke up you felt a terrible headache. Your ears were ringing and your vision was blurred, but only one thing mattered to you. Your son.

"Teddy," you croaked.

You got up with difficulty. You felt like a newborn foal that couldn't catch its balance. You slowly took a step by step, sticking to the wall. As you were about to leave, Joel suddenly ran up to you. He grabbed your sides and held you tight.

"Y/N, what happened?"

You heard the worry in his voice.

"Jupiter got angry... I jumped back, but I think I hit my head on something hard... Where's Teddy?"

Joel stroked your cheek, then ran his hand over the back of your head and was relieved to see that there was no blood on his fingers.

"Teddy is with Ellie. He's fine. He's just scared."

As soon as you heard that, you felt your strength leave you. You stayed on your feet only because fear for your son was your motivation. Joel immediately lifted you up and said, "Okay. You need medical attention."

"No" you moaned and rested your head against his chest. "Just not Anderson."

Joel sighed. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Take me home and call Wanda. She used to be a nurse."

"Okay," he whispered and brushed his lips against your forehead, and you just closed your eyes.

*

An hour later you were in bed and listening to Wanda's instructions. Teddy was cuddling up to your side. He had stopped crying but was still very scared. Ellie was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at you with worried eyes. Joel stood next to Wanda and carefully listened to her.

"It's definitely a concussion. She should not move. Let her sleep a lot, rest, and drink plenty of water. Someone should stay with her overnight. If she starts vomiting, she may choke."

"I'm not going to vomit," you muttered. You were slightly annoyed that the woman was talking like you weren't in the room.

Joel just gave you an indulgent look and replied, "I'll keep an eye on her.”

When Wanda left, he came closer to you and stroked his son's head.

"Hey, 'bear cub', mum will be fine. Why don't you and Ellie go to the meadow and collect flowers for mommy?"

Teddy looked at you with those puppy eyes he inherited from his father.

"Will this help you, mommy?"

You nodded your head and he immediately jumped off the bed and grabbed Ellie's hand pulling her towards the exit. Joel was still staring at you.

"What?" you asked.

He bit his lip and muttered, "I was worried about you, I'm still worried about you... I don't know what I would do if something happened to you..."

You were surprised by his confession. You might even hug him if it weren't for the constant dizziness.

"I'll be fine and you don't have to do all this for me."

Joel stepped closer, knelt by the bed, and grabbed your hand.

"I'll take care of you and Teddy. I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel better."

You smiled slightly and nodded your head.

In the evening you were really surprised how well Joel handled the baby. You thought your boy would be very cranky after a day like this... And he was, but Joel made it. After he put his son to bed, he came back to you and sat in the armchair to watch you all night.

It was weird and embarrassing for you at first. You thought you wouldn't be able to fall asleep next to him, but his presence began to soothe you and you fell asleep.

*

Joel stretched out in an armchair and tilted his head back. He yawned and closed his eyes. He thought that nothing would happen if he took a nap for a while. Your sleep seemed restful. Before he could fall asleep he heard the patter of small feet and after a while, he felt Teddy climb into his lap. He opened his eyes and smiled softly.

"Hi, 'bear cub'."

The baby boy glanced towards the bed: "Mummy still sleeping?"

Joel combed the boy's curls. "It's night. She should sleep. Just like you."

The little one shook his head and looked at him, and despite the dim light, Joel could see traces of tears on the baby's cheeks.

"You were crying, baby. What happened?"

He pulled the boy to his chest and hugged him tightly.

"Will mommy die?"

Joel replied immediately. "No, 'bear cub'. Of course not. She'll be fine. That's why I'm here to make sure everything is okay."

Teddy nodded and murmured, "Tell me a story."

Joel frowned. "We have to go get the book."

"No," the little one moaned. "Your story."

"Oh. All right." He thought for a moment. "I'll tell you about the Boston Angel."

"That angel was pretty?"

Joel smiled and nodded. "It was basically she, and she was the most beautiful angel I've ever seen. She was also sweet and kind. Even though Boston wasn't a pretty place, she was always able to find something beautiful and show it to the children. She bent down to tie a little girl's shoes and gave food to the homeless dog, and she always smiled."

"And did she bake cookies like Mommy?"

"Yes. She was the perfect Angel, but she met the bad man." Joel sighed heavily. He didn't know why he made up this story about you two. He felt the little boy tugging at his shirt.

"And what did the bad man do?"

"He broke the angel's wings and made the angel sad."

"But why did he do it?"

"Because he forgot how to love and only remembered that losing someone you love hurts a lot. So instead of loving an angel, he preferred to hurt her." He stroked Teddy's curls. "But the angel managed to escape Boston, and then her wings grew back and became even more beautiful and stronger. So strong that they could carry her wherever she wanted."

Teddy yawned and asked, "And the bad man? Has he changed?"

Joel didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected such a question. He swallowed and replied, "He's tried hard to change and... I hope one day he'll be good and the Angel will see it."

You felt tears running down your cheeks. You woke up as soon as you heard your son's voice, but you were still tired and did not react. You knew Joel would take care of the boy. So you heard the whole story about Angel and you couldn't believe it. Joel thought you were asleep, so he didn't say all that just to win your favor.

There was silence and you guessed that Teddy had fallen asleep. You went back to sleep too.

*

Joel slowly got to his feet, holding gently the sleeping boy, but something was bothering him. The baby's body was too warm. He kissed the boy's forehead and wondered if you had a thermometer somewhere in the house. He gently placed the baby on the bed and carefully covered him with a blanket. He didn't even get out of the room before he heard a plaintive whine, "Joo."

He quickly returned to the baby and began to calm him down. "Shhh, I'll be right back."

The little one stretched out his arms towards him with another pitiful moan and began to cry. Joel sighed and took the boy in his arms, wrapping him in a blanket.

"It's okay 'bear cub'. Do you know where mom keeps the thermometer and medicine?"

The little one sobbed and pressed his face against dads shoulder, muttering, "Not sick."

Joel rolled his eyes. He realized that he had to fend for himself. And so he held the baby with one hand and searched the kitchen cupboards with the other. He found a thermometer, bandages, a hot water bottle, and medicines that he knew were not for children. He took the boy back to the room and took his temperature. He had a fever.

"Teddy, does your tummy hurt?"

"No," the boy moaned.

"And here?" he asked and touched the boy's chest.

"Only the head."

Joel frowned. He stroked the boy's back and said, "Stay here a minute. I'll check on mommy."

"NO!"

Teddy started crying and Joel panicked. He didn't want you to wake up. He quickly lifted his son and began to gently rock him in his arms and place kisses on his wet, hot cheeks.

"Shhh, shhh, 'bear cub', it's okay. We'll go to mom together, but you have to promise me you'll be quiet. Okay?"

The little one whined and nodded his head. Joel breathed a sigh of relief, though he knew he had a rough night ahead of him.

He carefully looked at you and was relieved to see that you were still asleep. By this time, the boy had already fallen asleep and Joel was able to put him to bed.

And so for the next hour, Joel wandered between your room and Teddy's room. Unfortunately, the boy woke up again and started crying.

"I want water," he sobbed.

"I'll bring you."

"Do not go!"

Joel sighed heavily and took the boy in his arms. The boy immediately clung to his body tightly. "We will go together."

Unfortunately, the boy was very moody. When he saw the blue cup of water, he wailed loudly and Joel started to panic. He didn't know what had happened and tried to calm him down.

"It's okay... Shhh, tell me what happened? Teddy, baby, 'bear cub'..."

And as if he didn't have enough problems, You walked into the kitchen. You heard your son cry and your maternal instinct was stronger than your dizziness. You staggered into the doorway and grabbed the doorframe with difficulty.

"Y/N" Joel gasped and immediately started walking towards you.

He wrapped his free arm tightly around your waist while the other still held Teddy, who was crying in his ear. Joel led you to a chair and carefully sat you down. He started rocking your son and you looked at the blue mug on the table and said, "He doesn't like that color. You have to give him a red one."

Joel breathed a sigh of relief and quickly grabbed the red cup. Teddy finally calmed down, drank some water, and fell asleep in dad's arms, but his behavior made you uneasy. You knew that such trivial things as the color of the mug only made him cry when he was ill.

"Joel, does he have a fever?"

The man reluctantly nodded. He didn't want to worry you, but he couldn't lie to you.

"He has a fever and a headache, but otherwise he's fine. He doesn't cough, he doesn't have a runny nose. I've been looking for some medicine for him, but I haven't found anything."

You sighed heavily. "They're over. I was going to go to Anderson's, but... You know."

"I know. If he's not better by morning, I'll go with him to that asshole."

You looked at him scared. "No... I can't do it."

He came closer to you. "Hey, I said I'll go. You will stay. Everything will be fine. I'll take care of everything and now I'll put the little one to bed and come back for you."

"Put him in my bed. I want him close and try to put cold compresses on him to bring down the fever."

Joel nodded and did as you said. He put Teddy in your bed and then came back for you. He wrapped his arms around you to take all your weight. Once you were in bed, he returned to the kitchen and fetched a bowl of cold water and a small kitchen towel. You watched as he knelt by the bed and gently touched Teddy's forehead.

"You have to change the water in a while."

"I know," he said and smiled slightly at you. "Don't worry. I'll be here all the time."

You sighed and closed your eyes. You carefully cuddled up to your little one and hoped that the baby boy would recover by the morning.

Unfortunately, Teddy still had a fever in the morning, like you, he didn't like the idea of visiting Anderson. He cuddled up to you and looked at Joel like he were a traitor. The man reached out to him, but the toddler consistently ignored him.

"Come on, 'bear cub', everything will be fine."

Ellie, who had already come to you, also tried to help. "Teddy, the doctor will just examine you. I and Joel will be with you."

You knew you had to intervene. You gently pushed him away from you and kissed his nose. "Honey, you know Joel will always protect you. Go with them. Mommy needs to stay in bed."

The little boy finally nodded and let Joel take him in his arms.

"Bunny" he sadly whined.

Joel kissed him on the head. "We're going to get your bunny."

After they left, you looked at the teenage girl. "Ellie, make sure he doesn't do something stupid. And I'm not talking about Teddy.”

The girl shrugged. "Okay, but I'm not promising anything."

You fell back on the pillows and closed your eyes. Your head was still spinning and you knew you had to rely on Joel.

*

The atmosphere in Anderson's office was so thick that could have cut it with a knife. The two men stared at each other with pure hatred. Eventually, Ellie intervened. She grunted loudly and muttered, "I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend all day here."

The doctor snorted. "Put him on the table. I'll listen to his lungs."

Teddy immediately moaned plaintively as he was separated from his dad's body. Joel looked at him sympathetically. He kissed his forehead and whispered, "It will only take a moment."

Teddy hugged the stuffed bunny tightly to him. Anderson looked at the little boy irritably and hissed, "Should I examine him or the stuffed animal?"

Joel clenched his jaw. He felt his head start to ache. He'd had a really rough night and was losing his patience with this prick. He carefully took the toy out of his son's hands and tenderly said, "Ellie will take care of your bunny for a while."

Tears welled up in Teddy's eyes, but he nodded and watched as Ellie gently hugged his toy. Meanwhile, Anderson, without any warning, pulled the boy's T-shirt up and held the cold stethoscope to the child's body. Teddy squeaked and jumped. Only Joel's quick reaction saved him from falling off the table.

"What are you doing?" he growled.

Anderson shrugged. "It's not my fault he's as weak as his mother."

And that was enough. Joel handed the boy into Ellie's arms and gently pushed her towards the door. "Wait with him in the corridor."

Ellie nodded her head. She herself was furious with this asshole.

As she disappeared through the door, Anderson hissed, "What, are you going to break my nose again?"

Joel smiled in a way that made Anderson uneasy and he took a step back. Joel pulled a knife from his belt and lunged for the doctor. He pushed him into the chair and with one hand squeezed his throat so that the man couldn't scream.

"No, I'll do something much worse to you," he growled from the back of his throat. "Now listen to me carefully. You will treat my son as your most valuable patient."

Anderson's eyes widened in shock. "Teddy, this is your..."

Joel laughed. "Yeah, and you'd better think it over." He slid the knife into the doctor's crotch. "You have body parts that are not needed. Without them, you'll still be useful."

Anderson swallowed and nodded. "I will be gentle..." he squeaked.

Joel nodded. "All right."

He opened the door and took the boy in his arms. He smiled and kissed him on the head. "Come 'bear cub', Mr. Anderson will be very nice now and apologize to you for hurting you."

He looked at the doctor suggestively, and the man nodded. "I'm sorry Teddy." He started heating the stethoscope and said, "He can stay in your arms while I examine him."

The rest of the examination went smoothly and Anderson was kind and gentle. When he had finished, he said, "Everything seems fine. Did something stress him out?"

Joel frowned. He wasn't sure if Anderson didn't know about your accident or if he was pretending. "Yes. He had a lot of stress yesterday."

The doctor nodded. "This fever, it could be a stress reaction or a mild cold. I'll give you pills, for him. Give him half now, half tonight, and half tomorrow morning. The fever should go down."

*

When they got home, Joel told you how the doctor's visit went. Of course, he skipped the part about the knife threat but you guessed something had happened when your son said, "Mr. Anderson was a bit rude, but then Ellie and I left and when we came back, he was already nice."

You looked suggestively at Joel, and he tried to avoid your gaze at all costs. Then you shot a disappointed look at Ellie. "You were supposed to keep an eye on him."

Ellie shrugged. "This as..." Joel grunted significantly. "This fool, he deserved it."

You shook your head and hugged your son as he began to fall asleep. You didn't really care what Joel did. All that mattered was that he got Teddy's medicine.

*

After three days, you finally felt fine. You weren't dizzy anymore and you didn't lose your balance. Your son's fever has also stopped. It was evening when you got up and decided to eat something. There was an unusual silence in the house. It was still early, but Teddy was already asleep, tired from the impressions of the last few days. But where was Joel? He took care of you all the time and you were impressed with how well he handled everything.

You walked into the living room and saw him sleeping on your couch. He looked so peaceful and you didn't have the heart to be mad at him for falling asleep in your house. You guessed he was dead tired after two nights of watching over you and Teddy. Plus, you knew your sweet little son turned into a little monster when he was sick. One minute he wanted juice, the next he was spitting it out and crying that he didn't want juice. And maybe he got it from you. Well, maybe, just maybe, you had Joel bring you a glass of cold water, and after five minutes you decided it was too cold and asked him for hot tea. And he, without whining, without a grimace on his face, obediently went to the kitchen. So yes, he had a right to be tired. You grabbed a blanket from the armchair and gently covered him. Then you crouched down at his face and felt that old sentiment. Joel's hair always looked as soft and fluffy, as your son's. Made to be combed with your fingers. And before you could stop yourself, your fingers had already sunk into his gray curls.

Joel blinked his eyes and you quickly pulled your hand away. He looked at you and started to move, but he was very clumsy.

"Sorry... I'll be up in a minute," he mumbled.

You shook your head, put your hand on his shoulder, and said, "You deserve to rest, sleep."

You saw how tired he was and that he was still half asleep, so when he spoke you weren't sure if he was aware of it.

"I wish I could have looked after you while you were pregnant."

You sighed heavily and understood. That's why he was sad. He wasn't jealous at all that Maria was pregnant. He was sorry because it reminded him of what he had lost and made him feel guilty.

"You're taking care of us now. That's enough," you whispered.

You ran your hand through his hair again and he closed his eyes and purred like a cat. A slight smile appeared on his face, and you thought maybe your son was right. Your touch really made Joel stop being sad.

A/N: Okay, so yeah, I messed up the timelines about Maria's pregnancy. I just forgot to mention it before, and it suited me perfectly here. Doctor Google told me that children can have fevers because of stress.

Part V

Part VII

Taglist:   @ajeff855​​, @anislabonis-love​​,  @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi​​,    @i-workwithpens​​, @milla-frenchy​​,  @quality-lust    @liatome​​  @sarahhxx03 @creedslove​​ @jojo-munson​​ @pascalislove​​ @sofiparallel  @goldenhxurs​​     @elliaze​​      @aestheticangel612​​  @cheyxfu​​  @orcasoul​​  @misshoneypaper​​  @prestinalove​​​  @yourusername1 @stevengmybeloved​​

[jojosbingsu]

your boyfriend!jo post came just as i was about to go to bed and scrolling in the jo and &team imagines tags... omg if this isnt fate idk what is. hes soooo endearing and sweet and patient and cute and kind!! he's the type to stay consistently dedicated when he decides on something, to the best of his ability. he shows it in his love for practicing and improving his abilities as an idol, his relentless love for the simplicity of white rice... his reaction if his gf took him on an overnight date to the countryside would be so cute. he's always waiting for others to finish speaking and takes his time with his words, and he listens diligently and responds to *every little thing* when someone is talking to him. he's so cute. the way his ears almost always turn red every time he speaks?!!? and he said he can feel it, so sometimes he stops speaking until he calms down and they stop being red... i dont want to playfully tease him but the demons inside me want to playfully tease him. 😆and he's such a good sport about everything, he knows he's quiet and he doesn't mind it if it gets pointed out for a laugh. he also follows directions really well, and you can tell he always considers how other people may feel or assumes the context takes precedence over his own feelings before he reacts. like when they were pranked with the fake PD, he didn't react because he thought it was part of the fake personality test he was taking. and when he asked maki to please show him how to cut a bread roll in half ... 😭 he pays a lot of attention to people's details too. i think he would be a quiet, meticulous boyfriend who laughs wholeheartedly very often when he's around you. his openness when something makes him laugh is one of my favorite things about him because it's such a big contrast? to how quiet he easily can be when he laughs loudly. i think k and taki do a really good job of encouraging that out of him. it's also so cute how he easily (and all the members) call things/people cute. bf!jo would say that a lot i think 😖 can you please write bf!jo accepting a handmade chocolate bar on valentines day? 😆

Giving Jo Homemade Candy on Valentine’s Day

Admin: Ellie

Genre: Fluff, Wholesome

Pairing: gn!reader x bf!Jo

Word Count: 1.34K

Notes: Thank you for requesting anon~! I agree that Jo as a boyfriend would be the  most wholesome and humbling experience one could ever have in their lifetime. I think Jo would absolutely call his partner “cute” about 1400 times a day, especially if this person went out of their way to dress nicely for him. Wearing his favorite colors, styling their hair in a new way, wearing the jewelry he bought for them, dressing up in new pajamas – I feel like Jo would always find a reason to refer to them as “cute” just to see a happy reaction on their face. I agree that he would notice his partner’s small details and quirks, too! Small things would stand out to him because he’s just naturally an observant guy. I feel like out of all of the &Team members, Jo and Fuma would be the ones who picked up on subtle details belonging to their lover. Whether it’s the subtle reactions you have when you’re stressed out or the habit you have of reaching to touch your ears when you're nervous or frightened (I do this), they’d pick up on it right away and immediately know what to do to make you feel more comfortable. </3 I can’t explain it but I think Taki would probably fall into this category as well. He seems like he REALLY admires the people around him and tries his best to pay close attention to them when they’re talking to him. I think he would pick up on subtleties as well just because his infatuation with his lover lets him see when something changes in their behaviors.

Extra Note: I really hope you enjoy reading this and that it meets your expectations~! As always, you're more than welcome to submit a new request or let me know how you feel about my interpretation of your prompt. :) I look forward to seeing your opinion or next request, anon!

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a soft, golden glow over the park and river as you and Jo sat comfortably on a blue plaid blanket together. It was peaceful, the kind of afternoon where time seemed nonexistent and the only sounds that surrounded you two were the rustling leaves when the wind blew and the soft river water rushing over the rocks just below the overpass that houses the park. You had spent the entire day by Jo’s side, relaxing, sharing homemade sandwiches and sharing your favorite things about one another. This is your second Valentine’s with Jo and you two decided to do something that felt more personal than going out for a traditional and stereotypical romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. 

As your picnic started to draw closer to a close, Jo reached towards his backpack and pulled out a small blue gift box, a cute grin slowly finding the corners of his mouth as he brought it to sit in his lap. “I know we said we wouldn’t do anything stereotypical today but I wouldn’t feel right about not giving you anything,” Jo started his explanation while you let out a soft laugh and reached into your own bag to pull out an equally small gift box. 

“Ah, before I open that, I wanted to say that I have a gift for you, too.” You offer a smile while Jo offers a surprised eyebrow raise in response, his heart already starting to flutter in his chest at the gesture. 

“For me?” His voice was soft as he asked the question, his voice full of wonder as he carefully accepted the box from your hands. You’ve given Jo plenty of gifts over the course of your relationship but he always seems so surprised and curious each time a new one is given to him. - It’s something you’ve grown to adore from him! It’s almost like each gift you give is the first one he’s gotten from you, his joy and gratitude absolutely unmeasurable and unwavering.

“You go first,” You encourage with a loving smile as his eyes seemed to bounce back and forth between the two boxes, Jo moving to set your gift down just in front of you so you could open it as soon as you were ready to do so. 

His fingertips brushed lightly over the box as he admired the effort put into the small bow you tied using a red ribbon to ensure it would remain closed while it traveled within your purse. He pulled the ribbon strings carefully as if he was afraid of offending you for removing it, a happy grin coming to rest on his face when he pulled it open to see a small card resting on top of the chocolate just underneath. 

Because you’re as sweet as candy!

He picked the card up and set it down on his lap to admire the chocolate bar waiting patiently for his attention. It didn’t look perfect, with the edges being slightly uneven in some spots, but to Jo, this was the prettiest chocolate bar he’d ever laid his eyes on. You could see the blush as it ignited across his face and quickly traveled down his neck and up towards his ears, his eyes widening in awe.

“You made this?” His eyes flickered between you and the chocolate, a loving grin quickly replacing the initial shocked look that had crossed his face. You couldn’t help but blush at the way he looked at and spoke to you in this moment, your heart almost skipping a beat at his reaction. 

“Just for you, Jojo! Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Jo’s heart swelled with happiness at the thought of you spending so much time making something sweet just for him to enjoy. He couldn’t resist the urge to immediately reach forward to pull you in for a tight, loving embrace. You would think you had just roped the moon in and given it to him directly as a sign of your love for him at the way he buried his face in your shoulder and whispered a soft, almost trembling statement of gratitude in your ear. 

“Thank you so much, (Y/N), this really means the world to me.” Jo pulled back from the hug after a moment but continued to hold onto one of your hands with his thumb brushing tenderly against the skin of your knuckles, his eyes glistening with unspoken affection and pride.

“I know you said it’s just for me but could we maybe share it?” Jo asked shyly, glancing back down at the chocolate with his cute grin coming back to rest on his face. Moments like this where you two are alone and sharing your appreciation for one another have always been special to Jo but the fact that you handmade him something made it feel even more meaningful than before. 

You offer a small nod in response and watched how carefully he seemed to pull the chocolate bar from its small insulated box, a hesitant look crossing his face as he broke part of the bar off to offer up to your lips, his heart fluttering all over again when his finger brushed over your lip in the process of trying to feed the sweet treat to you. You watched his reaction carefully and hopefully as he took a small piece to pop into his own mouth, a relieved sigh suddenly leaving your mouth when you saw how his face immediately lit up at the taste that flooded over his taste buds. 

“Oh my gosh, it’s perfect.” His voice was as gentle as always, a hint of sincerity on the back end of his tone. “Just like you!” 

You offered a lighthearted laugh and noticed how Jo seemed to blush and become instantly embarrassed by his own choice of words. You leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, Jo unable to stop the giddy sounding giggle from erupting out of his chest at the sensation of having your lips pressed against his cheek. The small gesture was something grand to Jo, an act that always made him feel more connected to you than ever. It was all he needed to be reminded that he was yours, you were his, and you were both just content to be there together at this moment. 

“Now it's your turn,” Jo reminded you of the gift box waiting just in front of you, another hint of shyness suddenly hugging the boy’s voice and expression as he took another small piece of the chocolate to bite into. “Admittedly, it’s not as cool as homemade chocolate.” 

“Nonsense,” You muttered as you brushed off his words and pulled the gift box open to reveal a diary style notebook hidden within. A curious look crossed your face as you pulled the notebook out, your mind racing with ideas for what could be woven between the pages. Initially, you thought he was giving you a special sketchbook he had been working on secretly behind your back and you felt excited to get a look at all of the new art your lover had produced, but you were pleasantly surprised to flip through the pages and see them packed full of small, detailed love letters he had been pouring his heart into since the year’s beginning. 

Though you chose not to go down the traditional route for celebrating Valentine's Day as a couple, you still found a way to make this day special enough neither of you would be forgetting it for many years to come! Good luck topping it next year and.. Just so you know, Jo will ask for your homemade chocolate again in a few short weeks because he’s feeling disappointed by the store bought garbage. He sulks and says “it’s just not as good as the kind you make,” making it almost impossible to tell him you won’t make a batch for him.

[atopearth]

Ikemen Villains Part 1 - William Rex Route

I've been curious about this game! I have to say though, I'm not really into the art style hahaha but that's fine, I felt similarly to Ikemen Prince when I first played it but I like it now lol. I'm not sure how to feel about the premise right now but it's nice to see that the heroine isn't as stressed as the other games and has more freedom?😆 I chose William so let's see how it goes~ For now, he's not very much like a villain especially with how considerate he is towards the heroine taking her to the theatre she wanted to go to and stuff like that, but as he says, villains don't go around killing people 24/7 lol. It was obvious that William was being purposely annoying to the heroine to give her an opportunity to talk to the writer she admires but lol, this guy really isn't much of a villain with how nice he is all the time haha. I think it's interesting how they hire maids who are deaf because this ensures they can't overhear things and tell others. Our villains definitely aren't really villains at all with how gentle and kind they actually are. But one thing I liked about William asking the heroine to talk about how scared she really was, was that he was always respectful and wanted her to slowly speak for herself. I guess it's sweet because you know that he has the power to command people to speak even if they don't want to but he wouldn't do that to her.

I guess one thing I agree with William is that just because you can't save everyone doesn't mean you should kill a part of yourself because of it. But it's difficult to not take in that pain and empathise sometimes and that inevitably hurts the kindest people. I understand the heroine's guilt though, because the easiest way is to ignore people's pain as if you don't see them so you can continue to focus on your own life and live happily. It's strong of the heroine to want to face the things she's ignored and to try and start with saving this one girl. I guess she is influencing William to an extent but I feel like he's never really been a villain so he's understandably prepared to save those victims of the butterfly group. I feel bad for William that his father was involved with the Golden Butterfly and even killed someone he wished to see live freely right in front of him. But I guess the worst was him having to accept such evil and use his powers to kill his own father to stop all this. I think it's kinda cute to see them develop their relationship so smoothly and gently, but at the same time, I can't really feel it haha. I do feel the heroine's curiosity towards William though. Well, I definitely didn't expect them to sleep together already! Surprisingly though, they're more cute than I thought especially with how gentle and teasing William was towards the heroine.

I think it's actually kind of sad how the heroine loves his sense of justice to commit evil because he can't stand seeing the innocent be trampled upon, but at the same time after witnessing his crimes right in front of her face, it's still difficult for her to stomach, especially when he crucified that guy. Considering the lack of presence of the other guys in this route, it was actually pretty sweet to see how concerned Ellis and Liam were towards the heroine after she fainted. Even though it's obvious that none of the guys would think to die a peaceful death, there was something solemn and saddening when thinking about William thinking he doesn't deserve any sort of happiness and shouldn't desire for things because of the way he's chosen to live his life. Cutting your hair to show your resolve always works haha, but yeah I can see why the reporter would be shocked to see the heroine do that when he believed that she was brainwashed by William. I feel bad for William that these guys are torturing the people he saved and trying to brainwash them into thinking William is evil so they can use them against him.

I think it's sad to watch William let himself be judged as a villain to free the people he saved, but seeing the heroine cover him when someone tried to stab him was even worse. Everything was resolved quite amicably especially with Bryan's article on the "truth". I have to say though, considering Bryan has no sprite, he had a pretty nice role in this story as someone who did what he thought was right and was not swayed by words but instead what he judged to be "right" and stuck to his beliefs. Honestly though, even though William is the LI here, I've actually got a soft spot for Liam instead because you can see how much he cares for the heroine. I wonder if it's something we should be prepared for, that if you choose to do "evil" in order to protect the people you care about from other evil people, that you need to acknowledge that things that are precious to you will be taken away because of those actions? Not only has the innocent little girl who was looking forward to becoming a florist hurt by stray bullets from Grimsley who was afraid of William coming for him, but now the heroine has also been held at gun point when she chose to go with him to make sure he doesn't be reckless. Lol, so I'm too poor and don't have enough coins but I do have enough gems🥲 Guess I can see whether the premium story is worth it😅 I guess it's twisted but a love where you love them so much that losing them is such a tragedy and drives you mad is a love that is worth striving for haha.

Overall, I'm not too sure how much I like this game for now. Personally, I think the premise isn't as interesting as I thought it would be and I also feel like the heroine's role is rather purposeless compared to other Ikemen games but maybe it's just me haha. Anyway, what I enjoyed about William is that his route explores the idea of sacrificing oneself to preserve the peace of others and giving them the freedom to choose the path they want to tread and to do what they choose to do, which is exactly the opposite of what his powers do, but I guess it's because of these powers that he understands how terrible it is to not have that control over yourself and your own life. However, I feel the romance was rather bland. I'm not sure if I could really feel how and why they liked each other even though I do acknowledge that William was interested in the heroine for the way she chose to live her life. But otherwise, I didn't think they really matched imo haha! I ended up really liking Liam though so I'll be looking forward to his route next!

[borhapparker]

💋 - love letter for Joel with the prompt of meet cute gone wrong. Hopefully takes place in Jackson. Thank you and congratulations!

this is so cute! let's do it! i've never done a meet cute gone wrong so we'll see if y'all like this! thank u! (this is also my first joel fic ever so pls go easy on me!)

borhapparker's 1k follower celebration!

Jackson had been your refuge since the first time you encountered Maria and Tommy while searching for a safe place to spend the night. While they hadn't meant to pop in and disturb you, they were glad to find someone else they could invite into their newfound land.

While reluctant at first, there had been a lot of trust to gain, and Maria was a little harder to crack than Tommy. After weeks of working hard and observing their leadership in Jackson, you managed to prove to her your loyalty and trust, breaking that outer exterior she built around her, as you considered her family.

They knew you inside and out, sometimes making you feel like they knew you better than you knew yourself. But this wasn't always the case, and it somehow made you concerned when they forgot you never wanted to share a home with other people. Especially people that popped into your home with no warning.

While making repairs one day to your home, the one Tommy and Maria had let you choose for yourself, the front door had creaked open. Freezing, a chill crept up your spine, as you placed your tools down, before slowly heading to the door.

"Woah, Joel, this house is huge!" a girl's voice exclaimed as her voice bounced off the walls.

"It is a nice house, I guess."

There's two of them?

Placing your back to the wall, you hid from plain sight, wanting to hear them before they see you.

"Do I finally get a room to myself?" she asked as you heard the other person sigh.

"Yeah you can, Ellie." you heard them place their things down before the person sighed again. "S nice, gonna take some getting used to."

You slowly rounded the corner, a hammer in your hand from the box of tools you had at your feet. Just a precaution.

Quickly heading to the living room, where the voices were now located, you reached the unknown person, grabbing them in a slight chokehold with the hammer held next to their temple.

"Don't move." you threatened, as the person stiffened, before the girl, who you could now place a face to, pulled out her knife.

"Let him go," she threatened, as you smirked, "Or.."

"Or what? I have the upper hand here."

"Ellie, listen to her, drop the knife."

The girl relunctantly listened, dropping the knife on the ground and putting her hands up.

"Now, who are you guys and how did you get in my house?"

Ellie, the girl in front of you, tilted her head, both confused and angry.

"This is our house, what are you doing with a hammer?"

You sighed, "Fixing my house. If you guys didn't tell, it's inhabited already. So move on."

Pushing the man out of the chokehold, he stood next to Ellie, both of them now as confused as you were, none of the information they gave making sense.

"Who led you to this place?" you asked, lowering the hammer as they put their arms down.

"Tommy did, he said we could live here."

You shouted angrily, swinging the hammer as it stuck into the wall, before you stormed out, noticing Tommy across the way in his yard. "Tommy! Get the fuck over here, now!"

He turned, eyes wide, a slight smirk on his face before trudging over. "Y/n, everything okay?"

"No! Everything is not okay! Why the fuck would you give two random people my house to live in when we decided that was my place! I told you guys I don't like sharing!"

Tommy crossed his arms, "Maria and I decided you needed some company. Joel and Ellie came today and they need a place to stay. So they will be staying under the same roof. Besides, you have four rooms in that house, you can share."

Fucking Tommy and Maria messing with my shit.

"Fine." you sighed, crossing your arms.

Turning around, you paused, noticing Joel and Ellie watching the exchange from the patio, both arms crossed over their chest.

"Who are they anyway?"

Tommy smiled, exchanging a glance with the two strangers on your patio before turning to you, "That's my brother Joel, and her adoptive daughter Ellie."

Dropping your arms from in front of your chest, your eyes widened. "You're fucking with me."

He shook his head, smiling. "Nope. So play nice."

Walking to the patio, you pointed a finger at Joel, "We are not sharing a bed. Or a room."

"Fine by me." he shrugged, a slight smirk on his face.

At least he gave me a good-looking guest. Maybe he'll prove to be useful in fixing the house.

[an-aroaces-harem]

fickle

Title: fickle

Pairing: Ellis x OC

Warnings: implied sex, failed drugging attempt, modern!au

Author's note: First of all, DO NOT take strangers to your home with you. Secondly, I kinda envisioned Ellis as werewolf!ellis but taking his latest epilogues and other story bits into consideration, his behaviour in my fic pretty much matches his canon behaviour.

This man could be the man she dreamed of, and she met him in a place of short-termed encounters, the reality of the present.

»You know,« Anne says, the loud music getting louder with every step, »I’m surprised we even got in with you wearing that cutesy outfit.«

»Yeah,« Heather chimes in, slightly pulling down her deep v-neck, »especially since cute and innocent is out. We aren’t teens anymore, Hana, guys want seductive women who know what they want.«

Hana just shrugs and follows them to the bar, avoiding all the sweaty bodies on the packed dance floor. The music currently playing isn’t to her liking as she sits down next to Anne. They order drinks, Anne glances to Hana, chin propped onto her palm, and decides that she needs alcohol in her system to cheer up. Anne beckons the bartender back to them, asking for a nice, fruity cocktail for Hana.

Hana rolls her eyes at that, not really fond of alcohol, and watches the other two downing their own drinks, followed by several shots. An orange one appears in Hana’s sight, decorated with a spiral straw and other glittery things she doesn’t need in a drink.

»Join us when you loosened up enough,« Heather shouts over the beats, patting Hana’s shoulder and she disappears with Anne in the crowd of dancing bodies.

Hana wonders why she agreed in the first place to go with them, she’s bored already. One night stands aren’t really her thing. Maybe she’s being a little old-fashioned, at least for someone her age. Anne and Heather, though, they act and live like the majority of their generation, hooking up with strangers at bars because true love is nothing more than a fickle dream, a lie of the past, and worrying about their future, good jobs with good income becoming more and more sparse.

Sometimes, she doesn’t want to grow up and relives her teens instead. Binge watching old cartoons or listening to 90’s or early 2000’s music for example, Hana still owns and wears her old clothing. It’s not like she actually wants to go back, going to high school once is more than enough for a lifetime, teenage boys ignorant—dishwasher kisses, unsure fumbling and sloppy breast groping—or absorbed, believing porn depicts reality.

Of course there are other boys out there but Hana never had the opportunity to date one. She fell for the nice faces and got crushed by her shattered expectations. And still she hopes to meet the man of her dreams—whoever that may be—with unconditional love and a fulfilled future. Hana wants nothing more than a family of her own.

Yet, she sits at a counter in a bar where people solely look for hookups and nothing serious. They want to live their youth to fullest before settling down, if ever.

Sighing in her mind, Hana reaches for her drink anyway. One won’t be a problem, she’ll order a glass of water afterwards and then just coke. Before she can take a sip through the straw, a foreign hand wraps itself around her glass and takes it away with little force.

Confused, she looks to the side where a man settled into Anne’s seat. She didn’t notice his presence at all. How long was she contemplating about her life? He puts her drink down again, eyeing her with a careful gaze.

He leans in to her, »You shouldn’t drink something you haven’t watched all the time.« Despite the loud music around them, his voice is smooth and the only thing she can hear in this very moment. After that, the noise filters back into her system.

Then she understands what he means. »You mean, someone put something in my drink?« she asks back. Rule number one while clubbing—never leave your drinks unattended. Since she appears as cute and innocent, as Heather put it, she is viewed as an easy victim. Now it looks like she actually is one, to her dismay. »Thanks, you literally saved me there.«

»No need to, don’t worry about it.« He smiles, eyes twinkling and piercings on his ears gleaming in the colorful club lights and Hana catches herself falling into her teen behavior—getting enamored by a pretty, good looking face.

The fact that he saved her from getting drugged isn’t helping either, rather enhancing because a man protecting her is totally her type. She orders a coke. Another cocktail would be more preferable but alcohol makes her clingy and whiny and no matter what will happen between them—or not—she doesn’t want him to see this side of her, so caffeine will suffice.

They end up at her apartment. At first, her companion for the night, he introduced himself as Ellis, wanted to go to a hotel but Hana trusted him that he had no ill intent and led him to her place instead. It’s only a small one-room-apartment in the dormitory but cheaper and more comfortable than a foreign hotel room.

Ellis’s an odd one, not in a bad way, but Hana has never met a man like him. There isn’t a single place of skin left on her he hasn’t kissed—or licked. She doesn’t mind, though, nobody has ever paid so much attention to her body and where she likes to be touched—or licked for that matter.

At least, he knows what to do with his tongue. Maybe Hana hasn’t had as many encounters with men as Anne or Heather but she knows for sure Ellis’s a great kisser. His kisses don’t feel like he wants to clean her mouth in a very sloppy way. On the other hand, he isn’t an inexperienced teen.

Another thing about him is his constant sniffing. Her hair, her throat, the juncture between her neck and shoulder and between her thighs seem to be his favorite places.

Everyone has different things they like; licking and sniffing—which Hana both actually enjoys, realizing that during the night—definitely are way better, and more harmless, than him wanting to choke her or telling her ›I want you to punish me‹ or whatever.

Ellis’s someone who likes to please and he’s utterly attentive—of course, that’s also a part of Hana’s type.

When she wakes up in the morning, Ellis’s still there, fast asleep. His face is snuggled into her stomach, forehead resting right beneath the gap of her breasts and his warm huffs of breath slightly tickling her. One arm lays under her waist, the other one is draped over her thighs, their legs are a tangled mess. Her own hands are on his head, fingers cradled in soft black locks.

The last bits of the summer sun illuminates them from her window. Ellis’ pale skin glows in the sun rays, painting him golden as if he’s radiating from the inside. Dust particles dance in the streaming light. The scene is so peaceful and undisturbed—

Hana fears Ellis waking up and the moment being broken. Last night will vanish like a dream, only to be replayed in her head. It’s something fickle, like true love. This man could be the man she dreamed of, and she met him in a place of short-termed encounters, the reality of the present.

Sighing, she burns everything into her memory and her fingers brush through his hair, slowly starting from the nape of his neck until they reach his ears. Ellis sighs as well—pleased unlike her—and nudges his nose into the soft skin of her stomach, the weight of his arm wandering up to her waist and he pulls her even closer with his hand on the small of her back.

Apparently she found his soft spot. Hana smiles to herself and she applies a little bit more pressure with her thumbs behind his ears, the other fingers kneading his neck again. When he presses open-mouthed kisses against her belly, she knows he’s awake and yet, the idle moment doesn’t shatter.

Her heart thumps loudly in her chest and she’s sure he can hear it, if him inching higher is any indication, leaving behind a wet trail on her torso. Ellis’s chuckling a bit, sending small vibrations through her body, before his nose is buried into her neck, taking deep breaths. His tongue darts out, licking a long stripe along her throat. Hana shudders, fingers digging into his scalp and then, his lips press against hers, kissing her senseless.

Her previous hookups—although scarce—never went like this and she wonders if the difference between them and him has a meaning. Not to forget that he’s the first one she invited into her small personal space.

»Morning,« Ellis mumbles low and raspy, one hand brushing over her side.

Hana’s still catching her breath and gets lost in his warm, dark orbs. She sees her own reflection in them and it dawns upon her that she hasn’t removed her makeup last night. Good, she never wears much—why should she plaster her whole face with numerous products if she has a good complexion?—but her eyeliner is certainly smudged and her mascara all over her eyes. Only her tinted lip balm was already gone, smeared away between countless kisses.

Even so, she smiles back. »Morning. Did you sleep well?« she asks, fingers still running through his hair.

A low sound, reminding her of a growl, escapes him, and his nose dives back into her neck. Ellis’ warm breath fans over her sensitive skin as he speaks, »Very.«

[nyoomfruits]

Hi Ellie!! Good day to you. I just want to pop in to say I love what you have done with Lando and Oscar dynamic in What you do to me. The way Oscar was so nonchalant about giving a "friendly teammate brojob" at first and Lando was totally freaking out inside cuz til then his impression of Oscar had been so cool and collected?? like, thats them!! what Lando has learned from his former older teammates may not apply wholly this time!! and in the end Lando looked back!! hope is there!!

also irl Oscar describes himself as this chillaxing dude allll the time which has me thinking what about the time he is not >:) don't you just wnat to lose your shit sometimes babygirl >:)

Also Oscar is an Aries so as a quasi-interested astrology girl (when it fits my agenda) may I present this article which imo has an interesting description of Aries in bed https://www.sosyncd.com/zodiac-signs-ranked-by-best-in-bed/

My apology in advance for being horny in your ib </3 but I just you know your story was the serotonin I needed today <3

OH MY GOD HI THANK YOU <3

''don't you just wnat to lose your shit sometimes babygirl >:)" anon the numbers you would do in the ggb group chat you have no idea.

but YES oscar being this chill calm go with the flow dude actually being really vocal and intense in the bedroom has me <3

dl;akjsdflk i'm not much of a zodiac girly but the line 'They will do whatever it takes to make sure their partner is fully satisfied.' makes me so !!!! oh my god

DONT WORRY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HORNY IN MY IB actually you know what as an extra big thank you have a snippet of the norstri smut i'm currently writing in which oscar is a vampire for no other reason than. fun.

(tw for mentions of blood)

There’s a slight metallic taste to Oscar’s kiss, and Lando can’t help but think ‘that’s me, that’s my blood’, and it should be weird, all of this should be so weird, but all it does is make Lando want more.

“Off,” he mutters, pulling away from the kiss tugging at the bottom of Oscar’s t-shirt. “Off.”

“God, so demanding,” Oscar says, but complies anyway, taking off his shirt in one swift motion. “If I’d known you’d be like this I would have picked a different midnight snack.”

“Midnight snack,” Lando squawks, indignant, as his eyes roam over the expanse of Oscar’s chest. He’s seen him shirtless before, sure, but not like this. Not in the context of what is about to happen. It makes him feel kind of insane. He shakes it off, focuses back on Oscar’s face. “Why are you talking about me like I’m a can of Pringles.” Oscar pulls a face. Lando groans. “Do not tell me I taste like a can of Pringles.”

Oscar laughs. “Don’t worry. You don’t taste like a can of Pringles.” He tugs at Lando’s hoodie as he says it, and Lando guesses it’s only fair. He struggles a bit taking it off, but Oscar helps him, and when he’s free Oscar’s face is suddenly right there.

Never one to waste an opportunity, Lando leans in for another kiss. “Wait,” he suddenly says, pulling away so fast it nearly sends Oscar crashing on top of him. “What do I taste like?”

Oscar’s face is carefully blank as he says, “Nothing important.”

Lando frowns. “What does that mean?”

“Just. That you taste like nothing important.” His nose scrunches up as he says it. It’s endearingly cute.

“Oh my god,” Lando says, as it hits him all of a sudden. “Am I gross?”

Oscar laughs, but when he sees the panicked look on Lando’s face he stops, taking his face in his hands, rubbing his thumb over Lando’s cheek. “Hey, no, don’t worry. You’re not gross. Far from it. Trust me. You taste uh. Really nice.”

[raleighcarrera]

ok i also forgot to tell you guys i randomly found the beginnings of a fic i started a long time ago where ellie tries to have sex with colt who is a ghost in the drafts of another blog LMAO

the candles were lit. the front door was locked. her phone was off.

ellie climbed in bed, determination set into every inch of her features. okay, she thought to herself, you know what to do.

deep breathing, that was step one. staying calm, that was important, too. then she just had to ask for what she wanted.

someone nice. ellie tried her best to envision the picture of what she was looking for, but she’d never really had a ‘type.’ someone hot.

hey, if she was going to lose her virginity to a ghost, it’d better be a good looking one.

the idea had sounded ridiculous to her at first. she’d been scrolling clickit and laughed when she stumbled on the article, already rolling her eyes before she even got past the headline: i had sex with a ghost. here’s what happened.

but then she’d finished the article, and dug into it a little more.

evidently, it was... possible. and she was so tired of being a virgin.

for a few long minutes, it felt like nothing was happening. ellie fidgeted on the bed, remembering the steps the medium had outlined.

breathe. believe.

still, she felt stupid. at least she hadn’t dressed up -- it was cold in her apartment and so she was still dressed in what she’d worn to her afternoon classes, jeans and a t-shirt and a cardigan.

ignoring the part of her brain that was adamant nothing was going to happen, she screwed her eyes shut tightly, believing with everything she had. please. send me a hot ghost to talk to.

all of the candles she’d lit extinguished abruptly. ellie sat up in bed with a gasp, her eyes wide.

“sorry,” said a voice through the darkness, “fire makes me kind of antsy.” her bedroom lights flickered on.

she stared open-mouthed at the boy who materialized before her. he couldn’t have been much older than she was, and he looked -- normal. part of her had been envisioning someone dressed in period clothing, a victorian-era style relic with an accent, but... he was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and sounded like every other guy at college.

“what’s up?” he said, grinning at her. “something wrong?”

“huh?” her face flushed red as she realized he had no idea what he was supposed to be here for. “oh. um. well... it’s kind of a long story. sorry -- you look really normal, it’s throwing me off.”

“i’ve only been dead for, like, a year,” he shrugged, tilting his head to look around her room. “you live here? this is a cool spot. are we in LA?”

“yeah,” she answered slowly, confusion clear in her voice. “i -- does this sort of thing happen to you... often?”

“not really,” he said nonchalantly, as though it absolutely did, “but i grew up in the city. sometimes i still visit. anyway, what do you want?”

well. no one had told her she was going to have to ask. this was embarrassing. “i don’t want to say.”

he looked at her like she was insane. “so what’d you call me for?”

“i didn’t call you, i just asked for --” ellie felt her face flush red. “someone hot.”

his eyebrows climbed higher. “why? i mean -- nice, but why?”

okay. so the ghost was definitely going to laugh at her. “because i... am a virgin. and i don’t want to be.”

the boy blinked at her. “seriously? you want to have sex with a ghost?”

“okay -- i read about it online and it didn’t sound like the worst idea,” she rushed to defend, “i didn’t think it’d be like -- like the same as meeting someone in person. if i’d known it was going to be like this i wouldn’t have tried.”

“i don’t even think it counts as losing your virginity,” he mused, “i mean i think my dick would go in, but --”

“oh my god, stop,” ellie said. her face felt like it was on fire. “it was a dumb idea, forget it.”

“i mean, it’s not like you’re not cute,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her, “can’t you find someone to have sex with you who’s still, you know, alive? unless you’re like sixteen or something.”

as if this could get any more mortifying. “i’m twenty-one.”

he stared at her, open-mouthed. “you’re twenty-one and still a virgin?”

“don’t judge me,” she snapped, “it’s not like -- it’s not like i’m not trying. i’m in my senior year of college and i’m basically invisible. i’ve been so obsessed with school my whole life and now anyone i meet is going to think i’m a loser and i’ll never have a normal relationship and i just -- i just want to get it over with, so there’s not so much pressure all the time. i don’t want it to be, like, a thing.”

“wow, dramatic,” he said, making her glare at him, “it’s been a while since i’ve heard anything that angsty.”

“i also asked for someone nice,” she said pointedly, “obviously i did it wrong.”

[navalcriminalimagines]

Better than me

This is my very first Joel Miller x Reader work. And I completely got carried away. I may do a series, if you guys like it? Joel deserves all the love in the world 🥺Please, let me know what you think!

Summary: You live across the street from Joel. Every night, you watch him play the guitar on his porch and one night, you find the courage to go out and talk to him.

Songs: Future days ; Better than me

Warnings: Smut, oral, p in v, creampie, unprotected sex, a bit of roughness

Words count: 5k

Jackson, Wyoming

Just like every night, your neighbor Joel Miller was sitting on his porch, playing his guitar. Just like every night, you stood by your window, listening to whatever he’s playing, tonight he settled on ‘Future days’. You remembered this song from a long time ago. And just like every night, you hoped you’d find the courage to go out and talk to him.

But you never really talked to him. You crossed paths every now and then, barely exchanging two sentences. It’s way much easier to talk with Ellie, the teenager living with him. One day, you were actually talking with Ellie inside the house and when he got home, you found a stupid excuse and disappeared pretty quickly.

You haven’t been able to find the courage to talk to him. Until that night. It was 2am, and you could still hear him play. He was trying to be silent, even though that’s not really possible. You quickly checked yourself in the shitty small mirror of your bathroom and got out of your house. Joel noticed you only when you were standing right in front of him.

“Hey, Y/N. I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” he gently asked.

“Nah, don’t worry. Couldn’t sleep,” you waved off. “Thought I’d enjoy the music from closer,” you were thankfully it was dark outside, so he couldn’t see you profusely blushing.

“Take a seat,” he offered, showing off the chair next to him. “I’m not sure we’ve ever been properly introduced?” he said, after you settled next to him.

“Yeah, me neither,” you smiled. “Y/N Y/L/N, I’m from Nevada, I’ve been in Jackson for a few months and well-- what else can we say?”

He chuckled. “Fair. Joel Miller,” he said, extending his hand to you over his guitar and you shook it. “I’m from Texas. And I play the guitar,”

“Noticed. You actually have been my personal radio for the past months,”

“As long as you enjoy it. Do you play?”

“Unfortunately not. I used to play violin though,” you confessed. “Long time ago,”

“I wish I could find one, just to hear you play,”

That night, most of the conversation turned around music and instruments. You were a teenager when the virus appeared, and you were a music junkie. You didn’t know why but you confessed to Joel that your dream was to be a rockstar and tour all around the world with a band. He told you about his favorite artists back then, and how he started to play the guitar. He confessed about writing songs when the inspiration hits. Which hasn’t for a while.

The next day, you happily joined him again. This time, you talked less about music and more about yourselves. Joel told you about Ellie, how he met her and how that teenager made her way to his heart. For a moment, he considered telling you about Sarah, but what would be the point? You don’t know each other enough, and he didn’t want to look like the man stuck twenty years prior. Even if you all are, somehow. You told him about your family, that you lost a while ago and how you ended up here in Jackson.

For weeks, meeting Joel on his porch became a thing. You were there almost every night, even when there were some sorts of events in town. You enjoyed his company way more than you should and so did he. But neither of you would say so. Some nights, he didn’t even pick up his guitar, it was just you and him, right there, talking. Falling.

One night, Joel’s heart rushed into his chest as he saw you walking with a limp, up to your house. He put his guitar down and jogged to you, right before you slammed your front door. “Y/N, are you okay?” he asked, clearly worried.

“Huh, yeah, yeah. My knee didn’t appreciate today’s patrol,” you told him, motioning him to join inside your house.

“Were you attacked or something?” he asked, watching you collapsing on your couch.

“No, no, nothing like that. I’m just a klutz,” you tiredly giggled. Joel wanted to laugh too but he was still very worried. He grabbed a pillow and gently lifted your leg to put it under.

“I’ll be right back in ten minutes, okay?”

You didn’t have time to overthink. Joel left your house in a rush and true to his words, he came back ten minutes later with something in his hand. You hadn’t moved a bit, and you watched him approaching. What he had in his hands was ice. “Do you mind if I bounce back your pants?” he asked and you nodded.

Ever so gently, Joel freed your injured knee and put the ice on it. You hissed at the cold and thanked him anyway. “I’m gonna let you rest,”

You didn’t want him to leave. Not just yet. “You know, the pain will probably keep me awake for a while. I wouldn’t mind a private concert by my favorite guitarist,”

Joel chuckled at that, trying to avoid how it made his heart melt. “Fine. I’ll be right back,”

That night, Joel played ‘Future days’ over and over after you asked him to. He kept playing and singing until you fell asleep next to him.

It took a few weeks for your knee to heal, during which Joel had been nothing but an angel. He was over your house every day, checking on your knee to make sure it was properly healing. He made sure you have enough ice and he brought your meals to prevent you from going to the self. Even while being on a patrol, he found a way to have your meals being brought to you.

“Must be nice to be Joel Miller’s favorite,” Jesse joked as you opened the door. He was holding your dinner in one hand and some ice in the other. “God I wish someone would home delivered for me,”

You let your friend in, and settled back on your couch with your leg up. “I can injure your knee for you,” you offered with a grin.

“Wouldn’t work. I’m not cute enough to get Joel’s attention,”

“Shut up!”

Jesse sat next to you. “His guitar’s here. Is he living here? Oh my god, are you guys dating?”

“No! We’re just friends,” you explained. “We just share the same love of music. So, yes, he does come here and plays,”

“Wow, you really think I’m gonna buy this?” Jesse raised an eyebrow at you.

“Jesse, I swear. Nothing is happening between me and Joel,”

“But you wished,”

“Just leave already.” you retorted.

“Y/N, be careful, okay? The man is broken,”

“Yeah, so?”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,”

“Right. Cause you surely stopped loving Dina when you found that she was a lesbian!”

“I’m just saying, Y/N.”

“Thanks for the home delivery,” you don’t want a cold to stand between you and Jesse, “If I had money, I’d tip you,” you smiled at him.

“You know, you could pay me in nature,”

While that sentence made you laugh, Joel didn’t have the same reaction. He was standing right behind Jesse, his arms crossed over his chest. Your friend didn’t see him at first, still waiting for you to say something, “Hi, Joel,” you said, embarrassed.

Jesse didn’t turn around immediately. He knew Joel would kill him if he could. “I’m just gonna go and avoid your eyes, Joel,” he said, leaving the house in a rush, his face buried deep in his shoulders.

“Good call,” Joel muttered.

“It was just a joke,” you said as soon as you heard the door closing.

“I wouldn’t be sure about that, Y/N. He was just waiting for you to say yes,” Joel was still standing with his arms crossed.

“So, what if I agreed?” you teased him, hoping it would make things move forward a little. But it didn’t.

“Do you want me to call him back? He isn’t far, yet,”

“Just come here and give me my hug, would you?”

Joel’s anger - and obvious jealousy - evaporated as soon as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He isn’t much of a hugger, but you are and you managed to make him addicted to your hugs. He loves being intoxicated by your scent, he loves how you hold him tight, he loves how your fingers always find their way to the small hair in the back of his head. And you love how he buries his head in your back, how his strong arms wrap you so perfectly, how his hands sometimes grab your clothes in a fist.

A few weeks later

Your knee was completely healed and you were back on patrols. Things were moving in Jackson and you and Joel spent less late nights together. You were missing him and he was missing you.

One night, a ball was being held. Everyone here needed that every now and then to cheer up and have some good time. Jesse, Dina and Ellie convinced you to come. You did and as predicted, you spent the entire night waiting for Joel to appear, but he never did.

You were walking back to your house around 3 in the morning. As you approached your street, you could hear the music. Instead of going home, you stopped in front of Joel’s porch. “You said you’d come,” you told him.

“I know, I shouldn’t have. Those aren’t my thing,” he apologized. “Are you mad?”

“No,” you said, lying just a little and sitting next to him. “Just disappointed. It was really nice,”

“No doubt. I’m sorry,”

“I’ll accept your apology with you show me how to play,”

Joel chuckled and handed you his guitar. Then, he moved his chair closer to yours. His chest was literally against your back, his face a few inches from yours. You tried to focus on the instrument, but he made it really hard as his hand covered yours in order to show you where to put your fingers. He started with the easiest chord, E.

As you played violin, it wasn’t completely new to you. But you’d have played dumb if needed, as long as he stayed right where he was. When E sounded good, Joel turned his face to the side to look at you. You were already staring. His lips were so close to yours, you could feel his hot breath on your skin. His eyes went from your eyes to your lips, from your lips to your eyes.

It was now or never. You took your shot and crashed your lips on his. Thankfully, he eagerly responded to your kiss. One of his hands moved to your neck, his beard was gently tickling your skin and he parted his lips, letting his tongue out. You happily welcomed his tongue into your mouth and moaned. The kiss was passionate and intense, Joel couldn’t get you close enough to his liking.

But eventually, he broke it off. You whined, and when you opened your eyes again, you couldn’t see it caused him physical pain to break the kiss. “Don’t you want—“ you start to say.

“I do,” he cut you off. “God, how I do,” his nose was brushing against yours, his hand still in your neck.

“Then why aren’t lips on mine anymore?” You gently nipped his bottom lip and that made him chuckle.

“Are you sure, Y/N?” He had to ask.

“Fuck, Joel. I’ve been simping over you for ages,”

“Simping?”

“Right, sorry I forgot how old you are,” you rolled your eyes.

“I’m gonna show you how old I am, babygirl,” he groaned.

In a flash, Joel grabbed his guitar and your wrist. You’re actually not sure which one he was holding the softest. He put the guitar in the living room and took you to his bedroom. As soon as he kicked the door shut, he spinned you around, holding you against the door and his lips crashed on yours, roughly.

He didn’t kiss you long enough, though. He quickly drifted south, and assaulted your neck. You moaned in his hair, and you could feel the obvious bulge in his jeans against your thighs. His hands traveled under your top and you tried to palm his erection, but he immediately stopped you.

Joel grabbed your wrists into his hand and pinned them above your head. He just stared for a moment. Stared at your swollen lips, at the marks he already made in your neck and in your eyes. You were looking at him with both killing desire and love. It confused him for a brief second but he shut his brain and kissed you again.

You were desperate to touch him, undress him, feel him. But he was strongly holding your hands, all you could was grinding your center against his thigh. “So needy,” he whispered in your ear before nipping the lobe. You swallowed thickly and let out a loud moan.

“Yes, I need you Joel. Please,” you begged him. When was the last time someone beg for him?

“It’s been such a long time, I probably won’t last,” he breathed out, shamefully.

“We have a lifetime ahead of us, who cares,”

That sentence didn’t have the impact you were shooting for. In a second, you were completely free from Joel’s grip as he took a big step back. He was panting. “That’s not—“ he whispered, trying to put his thoughts into words.

“Aw baby, did you already come?” you teased him.

“That was a close call, but that’s not my point, Y/N,” you could see he was getting angry. But why? At who?

You took a step forward, your hands tenderly cupping his bearded cheeks. “Then what is your point?” you asked, genuinely concerned.

“This—is a bad idea,” Joel struggled. He leaned into your touch but frowned as he knew he couldn’t enjoy it too much. “You—you should leave,” he wrapped his hands around your wrists, forcing you to let go of his face.

“Not until you give me one good reason, Joel.” Now, you were getting angry. Hurt. Frustrated. All of that.

“You deserve better—“ he whispered. “Better than me,”

“That’s not a good—“

“That’s good enough for me. Please, Y/N.” He begged you, pain clearly written all over his face.

“You’re making a big mistake, you know that?” Joel heard your voice cracking and you had barely finished your sentence, that his thumb was softly brushing your lips.

“That’s my jam,” he sadly tried to joke.

You have no idea what happened in his mind in a brief period of time but for whatever reason, Joel wanted you to leave. He had changed his mind and you’re not the kind of person to force people. If he doesn’t want you like this, if he doesn’t want you around him, you’ll let him be.

You left his house. Leaving you both broken-hearted.

A year later

Avoiding someone in Jackson isn’t an easy task, but somehow, Joel managed to do it pretty well. He always disappeared when you showed up, no matter where it was. He managed to never stare at you from afar when you were definitely staring. The only moment you could’ve walked to him and asked for explanations was at night, as he kept playing the guitar and all of those songs you kept talking about. But he asked you to leave and never apologized. Why would you be the one to make the first move?

As Joel checked his next patrol, he noticed he’s set on a patrol with you the very next day. Completely pissed off, he bursted into Tommy’s office and slammed the door behind. He planted his fists on the desk and stared at his younger brother. “Why the hell am I teaming with Y/N for tomorrow’s patrol?” he barked.

“What’s wrong with her?” Tommy asked, genuinely curious as to why Joel was that mad.

“Nothing,” he said, raising his hands defensively. “I just don’t want to team up with her,”

“I’ll consider making some changes, if you give me a good reason,” Tommy stood up and got closer to Joel.

“I--I almost had sex with her,”

“Almost? Couldn’t get through with it, brother?” Tommy teased him.

Before answering, Joel threw himself on the worn out couch and Tommy sat on the armbar, waiting for explanations. “We were--at it. But I had to stop,” Joel admitted, growling at himself.

“Couldn’t get it up?”

“Tommy, fuck off,”

“I honestly don’t understand how in the world you couldn’t have sex with one of the most beautiful women in Jackson,”

“Cause-- she deserves better than this. Better than me,”

“Bullshit!” Tommy shouted.

“Listen, I’m an old grumpy and lonely guy--” Joel trailed off.

“Cut the crap, bro. I’ve always wondered what her deal was, since she’s turning down all the guys around, but now it makes sense. She clearly wants you,”

“She shouldn’t,”

“Don’t you think that’s on her to decide? So, please, get the hell out of my office, go on that patrol with her tomorrow and take things back where you left them,”

“You’re the worst brother ever,” Joel rolled his eyes.

“I know. I want my brother to get laid, how horrible of me,” Tommy sarcastically answered, before giving his brother a tap in his back.

The next day came way too fast for Joel.

He was late and people were pressing you to do the patrol. You took the two horses with you and walked up to his house. You knocked and let yourself in immediately, “Joel, you’re late,” you called out for him, “I know you don’t want to spend the day with me but we don’t have a choice,” you spoke loudly, not knowing where he was. As you walked to the kitchen, you saw Ellie packing her bag. “Oh, hey El!” you greeted her, hoping you weren’t blushing.

She smiled at you. “Joel’s in the bathroom. He should be down in a minute,” she told you before walking out. “He brought some coffee. Help yourself,”

“Oh, nice!”

Upstairs, Joel couldn’t decide what to wear. Why did it matter anyway? Why did he want to look...good for you? He didn’t have much clothes and all of them were used and dirty. But he settled for his green shirt, as he remembered you telling him it looked good on him. He checked his hair and beard one more time, he even checked his breath before cursing to himself. And he joined you downstairs.

You poured yourself a cup of coffee in Joel’s used mug and started to look around, waiting for him. You hadn’t been there in a year, you hadn’t even approached the porch. You missed this, you missed Joel.

A paper on the coffee table grabbed your attention. You took it in your hand and started to read what was on it, but you heard Joel’s footsteps coming down. You only had a glimpse of it

“The bed I'm lying in is getting colder

Wish I never would've said it's over

And I can't pretend

I won't think about you when I'm older

'Cause we never really had our closure

This can't be the end

I really miss your hair in my face

And the way your innocence tastes

And I think you should know this

You deserve much better than me”

You recognized Joel’s handwriting. This really sounded like a song, but no time to analyze it, as he took the paper from your hand and folded it in his back pocket. “Is that a song?” You asked.

“Really don’t want to talk about it. Let’s go,”

“Haven’t finished my coff—“ you didn’t have time to finish either your sentence or your coffee. Joel grabbed the mug from your hand and drank the rest of the brown liquor.

“There. Finished.”

“Wow, it’s gonna be a long day,” you mumbled in your teeth as you were walking out.

“What?” Joel asked from behind.

“It’s gonna be a wonderful day!” You sarcastically exclaimed.

It was indeed a long day. You and Joel barely talked, only exchanging about your ride of the day. You tried your best not to look much at him, but it was hard as he was looking this good with his green shirt. The worst was when he rolled up his sleeves, showing off his strong and veiny forearms.

On the other hand, Joel spent the entire day looking at you. Most of the time, you were riding the horse in front of him. He had a perfect view on your ass and he loved how it bounced. You were wearing an old tank top, letting him see your tattoo on your shoulder. He wanted to press his lips against your skin again. He missed you like hell.

“Are you mad at me, Y/N?” he asked, while the two of you had gone down from the horses. You turned around to face him.

“Mad?” you sounded angry but somehow, your body language and the sadness on your face said otherwise. “No, I’m just--lost. I still don’t understand, Joel.” you shrugged. There was something in your expression, on your face, that broke his heart all over again.

“I told you.” he just answered.

“Well okay, let’s say that it doesn’t make sense to me,” you corrected yourself, “We spent so much time together, and every second was amazing. Then we kissed and--you took me inside your house, you pinned me against your door, I thought it was going really well and all of the sudden, you backed off. And--and you spent the past year avoiding me, but somehow, you still play your fucking guitar on your porch, knowing that I can hear you. Hell, you spend a serious amount of time playing ‘Future days’— and what you wrote—”

You hadn’t realized you were rambling until his lips crashed into yours. Rough but tender at the same time, his beard tickled your nose. He was holding your face in his hands, making you as close as possible to him. It stayed a chaste kiss until he pulled back. “And now you’re kissing me again,” you said, a bit shaken in a beautiful way.

“I just wanted you to shut up,” he smirked.

“Please, make some sense, Joel,” you pleaded him. “Because I really don’t understand and it prevents me from moving on,” you paused, “Not that I actually want to move on,”

“You never shut up, do you?”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t stop kissing me,”

Back at your house

This past year was long forgotten when you and Joel reached your house. You locked your door behind and basically ran to your bedroom, taking him with you. You were so fast, Joel almost tripped in the stairs. Once in your bedroom, you threw him on your bed and straddled him. You were not going to let him escape this time.

You crashed your lips on his, and you kissed him feverishly. You never unbuttoned a shirt this fast in your life. Joel’s hands got under your tank top and quickly got rid of it, along with your bra. Joel cupped one of your breasts in his hand and brought his mouth to the other. He played with your nipples for a moment, while you freed him from his jeans and boxers. You stroked him a few times, feeling some precum on your fingers. Joel let out the biggest moan he ever had. It’s been so long. So fucking long, he couldn’t stand the foreplay, “I need to be inside you, sweetheart. Like, right now,” he growled.

You got off his lap just to take your pants and panties off. Joel’s eyes darken at the sight of your naked body. He could’ve come just from the sight.

You pushed his shoulders so he was completely laying on the bed. Joel felt your wetness when you started to grind your center against his hard cock. It was killing him.

“Just for my peace of mind,” he managed to say, “You’re not a virgin, are you?” he asked, his hands resting on your hips.

“Would it change something if I was?” you answered, pressing your body against his.

“Yes. I wouldn’t want to hurt you. I would take my time with you,” he gently said, planting soft kisses around your mouth.

“I’m not a virgin. It’s been a while though, does hymen grow back?”

Joel laughed at that, but his laugh quickly turned into a deep growl as you made him penetrate you. You slided onto him so slowly, it took everything in his power not to shove his length as deep as he could. You felt his fingers digging so hard on your hips, you’ll probably wake up with bruises in the morning. It’s been such a long time, it almost felt like it was indeed your first time.

As he bottomed out, Joel kissed you roughly. He’s not going to last. This is too much. “Fuck, Y/N! You’re so tight,” he groaned in your ear, holding your hair in his fist.

You pulled out slowly and got him to bottom out again. You rode him with this killer pace, until he couldn’t take it anymore. He made you roll over and pinned you down onto the mattress. Again, his fingers dug into your skin, and his lips crashed on yours in a rough and sloppy kiss. Joel quickened the pace, fucking you relentlessly. He could hear you cry his name and it quickly became a blur to him. It was so much for him, he completely forgot about your pleasure and after a few quick and hard thrusts, Joel came deep inside your pussy, crying your name out loud.

This was too quick, you didn’t have time to cum too. But you didn’t mind, you knew he was going to get even. Plus, seeing him falling apart on top of you like that was the most sexy and erotic and amazing thing you ever witnessed. That image only could get you soaking wet. Pretty much like you were at this moment.

“Fuck, sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” he said, collapsing on you.

“It’s okay,” you reassured him, stroking his hair and kissing his temple. He was sweaty as hell, but you loved the taste of him on your lips.

“God,” he panicked, “I came inside you,” he looked at you with wide eyes, realizing the risk it was. He should have never come inside you. This is way too risky. There are no birth controls and no condoms. He can’t do that again. The panic washed him over, but you stayed pretty calmed under him. “Why are you not freaking out? Yelling at me?”

“Is there anything we can do about it?” you asked, steady.

“Well--” he trailed off. Obviously, there’s nothing you can do about it. He came, it’s too late.

“I’ll be careful next time, I promise.” he apologized and kissed you.

Once the panic disappeared, Joel remembered that you didn’t come. He got carried away by his own pleasure, he completely forgot about yours. “Don’t move,” he ordered you and made a trail of wet kisses down to your core. You moaned when his lips reached your clit and he smirked. He licked and sucked on your clit for a moment, one of his arms around your waist to keep you still. When he felt your hand running through his hair, and your nails digging on his scalp, he moaned himself. “Fuck, you’re tasting yourself,” you breathed out.

“I couldn’t care less.” he muttered.

As he kept eating like a starving man, Joel surprised you with a thick finger entering your core. “Jesus, Joel! Yes!” you cried and he didn’t waste time adding another finger. His fingers were curling inside you, hitting exactly where they were supposed and he remained sucking hard on your clit. “Just like that, yes! Fuck!” he felt your body shaking under him and his free hand immediately rushed to your breasts, pinching your nipples between his thumb and index. He didn’t stop, not even slowed down until you came hard on his face, crying his name so loud, all Jackson probably heard you.

As you were catching your breath, Joel got back on top of you and wrapped an arm around your neck. He held you so tight, you almost couldn't breathe but you loved every second of it. You were surprised by his length teasing your oversensitive entrance, “I’ve never recovered this fast in my life.” he growled in your ear. “Can I?” he asked for your consent, gently kissing your temple.

“Yes please! Give it to me, baby. Fuck me!”

That was all he needed. He didn’t need his hand to slide inside of you again. In one thrust, he bottomed out and cursed. “You were made for me,” he said, huskily, before kissing you, all teeth and tongue.

As he thrusted hard and deep inside your pussy, you grabbed his ass and squeezed. He chuckled against your mouth and quickened his pace. He fucked you relentlessly again but this time, he took his time. There was less urge, he was thinking about your pleasure too.

He finally let go of your neck, and got on his knees, lifting your hips a little. Your ass was resting on his thighs as he kept thrusting. That angle drove both of you crazy. While one of his hands was holding your hips hard, he furiously rubbed your clit with the other. He could feel you're losing it. “I’m gonna cum, baby,” you told him. “Fuck, you feel so good!” you cried his name again, coming and creaming on his cock.

“God, I’ll never get used to that sight,” Seeing you losing it under his touch sent him over the edge. He managed to withdraw just in time to come on your stomach, he didn’t even have to give himself a few final strokes.

He collapsed on top of you again, not caring about the sticky mess between your bodies. “You’ll be the death of me, Y/N,” he said and you chuckled.

“I love you, Joel. There’s no better than you,”

[losingherface]

I have the moon

Warnings: Quick ish Smut, 18+

Info : It’s Ellie and readers first night at their new house, that used to be Joel’s.

A/n: srry if it’s terrible, i’ve been busy and just not in the mood to write if i’m being honest but yeahhh also I would love to have requests that obviously fit within the story line because I’m getting a bit dry :))

•

The boxes were full and ready to go. It took about a month to pack up and completely move into Joel’s farmhouse.

It was strange seeing your apartment empty. You had lived here on your own for so many years before Ellie came along. The furniture had changed over the years, and pretty much everything did due to Ellie moving in, having dogs, they suddenly die, having cats, and they suddenly died as well. But this time, it was finally empty, it looked like it did when you had first bought it. It looked like you kept it the same all these years.

You handed the key to your landlord, Britt, she was always fun and kept you company before Ellie, when you were depressed about your job, or anything really. It was hard seeing you go and you felt the same of course. She held you in the tightest hug and it felt like a stab in your heart. But you wanted this, so you weren’t really worried about how you’d feel in a few days.

Ellie waited for you in the car. When you got inside, you immediately noticed the constant smile on her face, she would try hiding it but you could tell, and god that made you feel so good.

It was a long month. From the wedding, to Joel dying, and now this, moving five hours from the city into a rural town where you two would be basically separated from everything, it was a lot. Now you were ready to get to your new home and nap it all off.

•

Jesse, Dina, Tommy, and Maria had all helped move us in throughout the week, and make things comfortable for us. Dina couldn’t get over the countryside and Jesse was irritated by her constantly whining to move closer to us as their baby, JJ, spilled his juice everywhere and made a mess. You were ready for them to leave. Reaching over to pull JJ away, from potentially making another huge mess, Dina calls you to the kitchen.

You were close to losing your temper but instead just ignored it, maybe Ellie will do something.

“Yea?”

“I love these counters, I have a friend if you guys ever need a renovator.” Dina told you as she took out something from the oven, your attention immediately going there.

“Yea I know, What’s that in the oven?”

“My special banana bread, so you can think of me when we leave.”

It was literally all you wanted right now.

“Thanks Dina. I’m going to miss you. And that baby of yours.”

•

As for Ellie, she had been fine, for the most part. She hadn’t completely opened up about how she was feeling but you knew it was passing by. Passing by as in, she was accepting that she’ll never talk to Joel again, not that she’s getting over it and forgetting about him- she’ll never forget him, it was her dad. There was a glow that sat beautifully on her face and it was the same glow she had when you two got married, when you two would be in each other’s presence. It seemed that was her way of telling you but not telling you either that she was content and you loved it.

Your head peaked out of the kitchen once again to look at Ellie, JJ and Jesse in the living room. Ellie had been playing with JJ and you couldn’t help but lose your train of thought. It was so cute when she did that.

•

Dina, Jesse, and JJ were finally leaving. You were going to miss your best friend as she wasn’t just down the street anymore, she was five hours away. Her baby was getting older, and soon it was time she would have to start paying full attention to him so the chances of regular communication were getting lower.

You couldn’t help but feel a little heartbroken.

•

After everyone left, you devoured the banana bread with a large cup of milk, leaning over the counter, nitpicking everything in your head about this house.

You remembered Ellie had been setting up her art room, it was a nice size and way better than the balcony at the apartment. You cleaned yourself up and walked to the room.

The door was slightly open and the room had been quiet, only Ellie’s humming being heard.

You knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Ellie said softly and you walked in. Shutting the door behind you, trying to not disturb the peacefulness.

“It’s late, do you want to come to bed?” You asked as you watched her draw yet another portrait of Joel.

She yawned and put down her pencil. She didn’t answer your question and instead walked over to you and hugged your waist while kissing down your soft neck. She pulled away, “Let’s go.” She stretched her long arm out for you as she opened the door, leading you to your new bedroom.

The bedroom was large, with a walk in closet, a bathroom and a beautiful large window that wasn’t covered with curtains for the purpose of the countryside view.

The room was obviously empty only with a bed that had pastel yellow sheets Maria had bought. You sat down on the bed as Ellie followed. She sat and watched you take off your pants leaving you only in your underwear and a slightly large shirt, Ellie had done the same only her top half was completely bare.

•

It was the middle of the night in the new house, the first night you two had slept there. It had a creepy feel to it. It was quiet and dark, the only light coming from the large window you had been facing. From the window where you had been lying down, you got a nice view of the farm and the night sky, and also an occasional few cars that would pass by.

It was so hot that you had been fighting with the blankets all night, whether they should be on or off. Looking over at Ellie, she had seemed to be sleeping like a baby. You continue to look at the window while laying down, eyes wandering all over the place. The time was 2:00 a.m. It was going to be a long night.

Sweat begins forming on your back, causing you to pull your shirt off, now only in your undergarments.

“I’m going to go look for a fan. I think he had one in the attic.” Ellie just randomly blurs out causing you to look at her, startled.

“Please, baby it’s so hot.” You say as you lean over to the small chair beside the bed and grab the water bottle, desperately chugging it again. As you did that, Ellie leaves to look for a fan.

•

What had felt like forever, Ellie finally arrives with a fan. It was a decent size and was perfect. As Ellie plugs it in, you unclip your bra and let all of the cool air hit you before lying back in the bed, covering yourself with the blanket.

You hear Ellie rumbling into bed, a lot closer than before, wrapping her arm around your body, pulling you closer. It felt so nice to have her this close, as she really hadn’t been willing to for a few months. Also with the heat, you’d just hate being that close.

Ellie takes her warm and soft lips, and presses it on your neck. Kissing you up and down, you closed your eyes hoping she wasn’t just giving you a goodnights kiss but wanted more.

You pull your blanket down from your face to show her your exposed breasts, ready to be caressed and sucked on (lmfao idk how else to say it).

She looks at you with a slight smile before kissing your temple. “Please..” You whisper, grabbing her head with both of your hands, she knew exactly what you wanted. You adjusted your position, lying on your back, waiting for Ellie to slip under the sheet.

Ellie and you hadn’t been together like this in a while, considering everything she’s been through and the missed honeymoon. You can see it on Ellie’s face, she felt so good at this moment. Her face was lit up and the light coming from the night sky reflected on her face.

Ellie kissing down your neck, you move your hand over to caress her soft, slightly greasy hair. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, you whisper, “I love you.” She breaks the kiss, whispering the same back to you before continuing to kiss, getting lower with each one.

At this point, you both knew exactly where this was going, it was one of Ellie’s favorite ways to make you smile. You spread your legs a bit further, allowing Ellie to have some space. You desperately throw the blanket off of the both of you to be able to see her. Her strong hands hold down both of your legs, her eyes lock with yours as she begins licking you right where you wanted her to. Your eyes begin to look drowsy as Ellie begins to pick up the pace. As you moan loudly, you notice Ellie smiling at you making your sounds every once and a while. Seeing her do that made you want more, you loved seeing her that way. You throw your head back into the fluffy, white pillow, grabbing onto anything that was in your region as Ellie relentlessly pleased you with her wet, warm tongue.

you were a mess and by the time you were able to let it all out over Ellie’s sweaty face, you were covered in your own sweat, sitting up on elbows, looking at Ellie get up and move towards you.

Ellie grabbed the blanket nearby and covered you and herself up. You immediately wrap your body around hers, pressing light kisses to her face.

“I forgot how much I love doing that.” Ellie says as you slowly begin to open your eyes.

You propped your head up on your elbow, leaning into Ellie more, caressing your hard, short nails up and down her back. “It looked like you really needed that.”

“Yeah, I think us moving into this house, and getting to do that, makes me feel better.” Ellie struggled to say but it was genuine and you knew she’d be back on her feet again in about another week.

You didn’t know what to say, Ellie’s smile forming on her face effortlessly put you in awe and it left you there once again, staring at her because sometimes that’s all you could do. She appreciated it either way.

.

A/N: I suck at comforting ppl irl and it rlly shows in these stories, and this took me long cuz I can’t bring myself to write smut correctly so i was a little insecure but whatevererrr

[ren1327]

Close to Me

A Huskerdust/Angelhusk tumblr exclusive fic based on Ellie Goulding's "Close to Me" feat. Diplo and Swae Lee.

Part of the Light up the Night storyline

CW: Lots of cussing, mentions of sex and bullying Moxxie

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

SLAM!

Charlie jumped when she heard a door upstairs slam, then a hard pounding on wood before a frustrated yell had her on her feet.

She nearly ran into Husk as he stalked to the bar, grabbing a bottle off the shelf and uncorking it, taking several large gulps.

“Um…Everything good, Husk?” She asked.

Niffty suddenly hopped past, whining softly to herself as she leapt into the kitchen, hearing pots and pans banging.

Charlie looked at Husk, who had started on a second bottle and quickly followed the cyclops girl.

“Hey, Niffty?” Charlie asked.

Niffty was quickly measuring out flour and muttering to herself as she grabbed some eggs.

“Sad brownies?” Charlie asked as Niffty grabbed a block of fudge, then turned a grabbed a second.

“Sad brownies.” She said and turned to tie her hair in two short pigtails and wash her hands.

“What happened?” Charlie asked when Niffty gave her a bowl and whisk.

“Oh, Miss Charlie…” Niffty sighed and started chopping nuts. “It was awful!”

*

EARLIER...

“Dance with me, Husk.” Angel teased as they walked past a club, Niffty peeking inside and grinning.

“We gotta get this stuff back to the hotel, Ang.” Husk said. “Some other time, okay?”

“Fiiiiine!” Angel huffed and reached for Husk’s hand.

Husk pulled his fingers away and crossed his arms.

Angel blinked. “The fuck?”

“Not here, Angel.” Husk said and looked at an old poster of Angel in drag.

Angel’s eyes followed his and he scoffed.

“Are ya serious?” He asked and stalked ahead, Niffty looking from Husk to Angel before hopping to the former’s side.

“Husky, what’s going on?” She asked.

“Nothin’, Niff.” He grumbled.

The walk back was tense and silent as they all made it back into the hotel.

Angel dropped his things on the counter and went up to his room, Husk cursing and following after his boyfriend once the groceries had been put away.

Niffty cocked her head and leapt up the stairs, hearing muffled shouting.

“…fuckin’ scared to be seen with me?”

“…know damn well I don’t give a shit!”

“Be honest Husk!” Angel yelled as Niffty placed her ear near the door. “Ya think I’m disgusting or somethin’? Think I’m too much of a slu—”

“Shut up!” Husk yelled. “I just…I don’t think…Ang…we’re…not good enough to been seen together…”

Niffty squinted her eye, Husk voice very low.

“Good en---Good enough?!” Angel yelled and there was the sound of glass breaking.

Niffty ran behind a plant as Husk ran out, a perfume bottle smashing behind his feet as he turned.

“Angel…I didn’t mean it like that…Angel!” Husk yelled as the door slammed. He pounded on the door before yelling in frustration and going down the stairs.

*

NOW...

Niffty sighed. “I think I get what Husk meant. I hear him talking with Mimzy when she’s over."

“Oh?” Charlie asked as they waited for the brownies to bake.

“It’s not Angel isn’t good enough.” She looked up at Charlie. “It’s Husk. He thinks he’s not good enough to be seen with Angel.”

“And so Angel…oooooh.” Charlie said. “What should we do?”

“Brownies and milk.”

“Right! Any alcohol will make Angel spiral!” Charlie said. “He’ll lose all his progress!”

“…No, milk just taste better with brownies….” Niffty said with a frown.

“Right, right, right…” Charlie laughed awkwardly. “Sorry.”

Niffty huffed and heard the oven ding, taking the brownies out and letting them cool as she set up a tray.

“Ya know, Miss Charlie, sometimes we just gotta do what’s best for people in their own way.”

“But Angel staying clean is best for him—”

“Angel, not the hotel.”

“I…I think I have an idea. But I might need some help.”

She grimaced as she took out her phone and shot a text.

“Okay, Niffty, we might need a few more batches of brownies…” Charlie said. “And some of the good liquor I know you stowed away for this kind of situation. Let’s move all this to the home theater. And make sure the front room is clear.”

“Why both rooms?”

*

“That’s such bull!” Loona said as she downed another shot.

“How can he imply he’s better than you?” Octavia added.

“Yeah, Angie, you’re like, the fucking best!” Cherri said and stuffed another brownie in her mouth.

“Thanks gals.” Angel said, sniffing and taking another tissue from Millie. Then another shot.

Niffty sat on one of the sofas, a weird cartoon playing on the screen no one was paying attention to. She quietly excused herself and hopped to the other side of the hotel where Husk was drinking from another bottle as Blitzo chattered away.

“Listen, they all throw fits, but just have really rough angry se—”

“Sir!” Moxxie interrupted. “The best response is proper communication. As a happily married man, I can say with confidence—”

“No one cares about your boring married life!” Blitzo said and pushed Moxxie off his stool.

“Blitzy Dear…” Stolas cooed. “Aren’t we in a committed relationship?”

“Well I mean, yes.” Blitz said with a blush. “But! Marriage makes it less…sexy.”

“I see. But being my consort is much more…enticing?” Stolas purred, leaning against his partner.

“Uh…”

“Fellas!” Mimzy chided. “This isn’t helping.”

Husk was sobbing now. “I fucked up again…”

“Oh, Husker…” Mimzy said and rubbed his shoulders. “Alastor! Can’t you help us?”

The Radio Demon looked up from his drink, cocking his head. “Oh, I’m trying, my Love.”

“Tryin—Alastor! What are you up to?” The shorter demon asked her lover.

Niffty chirped and gasped, running back to the theater.

She burst in to see the same scene she had just escaped from.

Husk blubbered.

“He’s so fuckin’ beautiful, Mimz!” He said. “Like, look at ‘im! Hic! ‘Den look at me! He’s too good fa’ me and I hate…”

Angel’s eyes were transfixed on the screen.

“Hate how people look at us. ‘Dis tall fuckin’ babe and his shlubby boyfriend!”

“You’re not shlubby—” Mimzy said.

“Yes, I am!” Husk said and hiccupped. “I’m an ugly old man and he’s just! Just!”

“Just what?” Mimzy asked, side eying Blitzo and Stolas escaping into the hall to a bedroom.

“He’s fuckin’ perfect! He’s pretty an’, an’ has a nice voice…His cute widdle snore an’ man! Can he shoot, Mimz! He’s so fuckin’ vicious when he wanna be!” Husk said, waving his bottle around. “He looks so happy when he’s mowing down fuckers! Yeah, I snap at ‘im. But he can always tell when I’m bullshitting ‘im. We get in our little back and forths an’…he does dis little pout that melt me, ya know?”

Angel chuckled.

“His laugh…” Husk continued Mimzy carefully took the bottle. He mixed his drink with a smile. “Fuckin’ infectious. An’ he always smells so fuckin’ good. He looks at me like…like I’m da best damn ting in da world, ya know?”

He smiled into his glass.

“When Angel is…well, if anyone makes it outta here…I hope it’s Angel…I want ‘im happy.” Husk said. “I love him—”

Angel tackled him on screen, and everyone was shocked to see Angel had sprinted down the halls to kiss Husk's face.

“Love ya too, Husky!” Angel yelled happily, kissing the cat demon's cheeks and lips over and over.

Husk clutched him tight in a hug. “I’m sorry, Baby.”

“I know, I know, Husky.” Angel whispered. “Let’s get ya sobered up, Baby. Then we can cuddle with Nuggs.”

“Love Nuggs.” Husk mumbled as Angel picked him up, his wings dragging behind them.

“Aw~” Millie cooed as the girls joined the rest of the group in the front.

“Well, it’s late.” Charlie said.

Vaggie placed her hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Feel free to stay the night.”

They suddenly heard pounding from Blitzo and Stolas’s room.

“Ew.” Loona and Octavia said.

“I just fixed that damn wall!” Vaggie huffed and shook her head.

Niffty offered her the last brownie, the taller demon smiling at her as they dispersed.

*

Angel rubbed the base of Husk’s ears as he purred into his chest fluff.

“Ya wrong, Baby.” Angel said.

Husk moaned sleepily.

“We good.” Angel said, pulling the other into a kiss. “Together.”

“But…”

“Shut up.” Angel chuckled. “Just stay close to me. And love me like ya do, okay?”

“Love ya, Angel...” Husk agreed.

“Love ya too, Husky~”

[wearfinethingsalltoowell]

Downton AU Snippet #1

Set in the opening scene of 3.05, Richard’s been Matthew’s valet since abt 3.03

Returning to his dressing room after his sister-in-law’s false labor pains, Matthew Crawley felt a twinge of guilt at seeing his valet still awake.

“It’s nearly two in the morning, Richard. Have we kept all the servants from their rest this evening?” Matthew asked, trying to keep his tone light but unable to hide his genuine concern for the staff’s welfare.

“It was no trouble at all, sir,” Richard responded, conveniently not answering Matthew’s question, “Is everything all right with Lady Sybil?”

“Clarkson says everything is as it should be, and given that I have no experience on the topic, I am going to trust his judgement.”

“In your defense, sir, most men our age have no experience in this particular field.”

“You can say that again. I’m nearing my twenty-eighth year on Earth and I’ve never been around a pregnant woman!”

“A natural consequence of being your mother’s only child, sir. And you should count yourself lucky. When I was younger, I overheard the rather unpleasant experience of a friend of my sister. Believe me when I tell you it’s all I needed to know about the subject.”

“Oh? What happened to her?”

“Her parents were so concerned about her that they shelled out thousands for a huge London doctor to come and treat her. I think he even had a practice on Harley Street. It was all the neighborhood could talk about for weeks. But, during the birth, I guess he missed the symptoms of some disease or other, and she died.” Richard explained, forcing away the growing feeling that he had said too much.

“That’s horrible,” Matthew said, attempting to console his friend, “did you know her well?”

“Not very, though she had been very close with my sister,” Richard said.

“Still, quite tragic, especially for a young woman. Do you remember who the doctor was?” Matthew asked, not knowing what had prompted this sudden curiosity about such a small detail of Richard’s story, but nearly being swallowed by the feeling that it was of paramount importance that he know.

“I could never forget it,” Richard said with a chuckle, “The village was so furious with him, I thought they’d form a mob and storm his practice with pitchforks. It was a Dr. Tapsell.”

Matthew’s blood ran cold, and suddenly he could hear his heart beat speed up.

“Good God,” he breathed, “you don’t mean Phillip Tapsell, do you?” he asked, praying he was wrong in his assumption.

“Yes, sir, it was him. What’s wrong?” Richard questioned when he saw the horrified look on Matthew’s face.

“That’s the doctor Robert has hired for Sybil. I have to tell him right away!”

“I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” Richard said quickly, trying to take back his words, “I wouldn’t want to cause His Lordship any undue stress before his first grandchild’s birth. I’m sure he’s a fine doctor who just made a mistake.”

“Trust me, Richard, if something happens to Sybil, and Cora, my wife, or, god forbid, the Dowager, finds out I knew this information and withheld it, then my war injury will no longer be the most painful thing that’s ever happened to me. I have to tell Robert as soon as I can.”

“If you think it would help, sir.”

“I do, immensely. And I owe you a debt of gratitude for the warning, God only knows what might have happened otherwise. Goodnight.” Matthew said, retreating to his bedroom.

______________________

“You were in your dressing room so long, I was beginning to worry.” Mary said when her husband finally appeared in their bedchamber.

“So sorry, darling, but I promise it was for good reason. I was having the most enlightening chat with Richard.”

“I’m glad to see you and your new valet get on so well. Molesley was nice, but I sometimes wondered if he’d ever interacted with another human before.”

Nodding in agreement at his wife’s comment, Matthew began to recount Richard’s story for her.

When he’d finished, she looked nearly as panicked as he had when he’d heard it.

“And this is the doctor Papa has hired to treat Sibyl?” Mary nearly screamed.

When Matthew shook his head “yes”, she took it as permission to continue spiraling into fear for her sister.

“We have to tell him, and the earliest possible opprotunity!”

Putting his hand through his wife’s hair in a calming gesture, Matthew tried to soothe her worries while panicking himself.

“Darling, I couldn’t agree more. We’ll find Robert tomorrow morning, as soon as he wakes up. Don’t worry, I’m certain the second he hears what Richard told me, he won’t let Tapsell near Sybil. I’m certain Clarkson won’t mind stepping in at the last minute.”

Her worries not quite gone, but recognizing there was nothing she could do until morning, Mary fell into a restless sleep.

————————————-

Meanwhile, in the servants hall, Richard was replaying his conversation with Matthew in his head when His Lordship’s valet walked in.

“Mr. Barrow,” Richard greeted the man whom he’d taken to calling “Thomas” in his head. Her Ladyship’s maid had pulled him aside his first week on the job, and told him that, as one of the longest serving staff members, getting into Thomas’ good graces would help him advance at the Abbey. Richard hadn’t needed to be told twice, and he was glad that he’d taken her advice. Thomas was now his closest friend at Downton (and if he spent a good chunk of time gauging if more than that was possible, that was his own business).

“Mr. Ellis,” Thomas greeted in return, “how are you?”

“I might have just gotten myself in a bit of trouble with His Lordship.”

“You? What could you have said to get yourself into trouble?”

“I was chatting with Mr. Crawley earlier, and I ended up telling him about a friend of my sister’s, who passed in childbirth. It turned out the doctor who failed her is the same one His Lordship hired to treat Lady Sibyl.”

When Thomas burst out laughing, Richard’s concerned expression turned confused.

“What is amusing about that?”

“I’m sorry,” Thomas said, catching his breath, “It’s just that, His Lordship forgave me for literally stealing from him numerous times, is currently fighting to overturn his valet’s conviction for murder, and his wife has a maid who would be more at home as one of Notre Dame’s gargoyles. I truly doubt that his son-in-law’s valet warning him about a potential threat to the life of his beloved youngest daughter is gonna be the straw that breaks his back.”

Realizing from Thomas’ words that he was being a tad ridiculous, Richard sighed.

“I just didn’t want him to stress out unnecessarily”

“I promise, when Mr. Crawley tells him your story, he’ll be grateful to you.”

————————————

The following morning, both Matthew and Thomas’ predictions from the previous night came true.

Mary and Matthew had corned Robert the second they saw him, and told him everything. Robert cursed, made them promise not to tell his mother, and cancelled Sir Phillip’s services immediately, and asked Cora to telephone Clarkson, which she happily did.

And, that afternoon, Richard jumped to his feet when the Earl of Grantham himself appeared in the servants hall.

“Your Lordship,” he greeted.

“Ellis, I wanted to come down and personally offer my thanks. Your conversation with Matthew yesterday evening may have saved my daughter a traumatic experience, and I am very grateful.”

“Thank you, Your Lordship. I’m glad I was able to help.”

______________

This is my first attempt at any type of fic since my ancient Wattpad account, and it is probably very bad, but I hope it was at least cute. Possibly more snippets from this au coming if anyone likes it

[lcnelyinthesky]

admiration - tsukishima kei

a/n: okay hi?? im ellie?? heres this??? i worked on it for like four? days?on and off? and its longer than any oneshot ive written but yk shes cute ig. pls be nice pls enjoy... but also my last piece got 2 notes and im really hopin in not shadowbanned here lmao

genre: fluff, angst, rivals to lovers!!

pairing: bisexual!female!reader x tsukishima kei (yes bi reader its a vibe)

warnings: a break up with a beautiful woman i made up myself, swearing

word count: 3.7k (ahhhh!!)

enjoy!! :D

Elementary second year. Your newly-assigned seat was next to a much taller, blond kid. He was smart and bright, rivaling the sun in terms of unbridled joy. Now, none of that can be seen by eight year old eyes, but looking back and comparing, it's easy to spot that he changed. 

Tsukishima Kei was an excitable kid, just as everyone was, but he was still snarky; his arrogance seemed to be something that just festered within his soul, no matter the trauma that brought it out. 

Childlike wonder is still alive and well at eight. 

The teacher you had back then was quite rude. She was pushy and angry, and she assigned way too much homework. Everything she uttered made you huff in disappointment, crossing your arms and hoping for some sort of reaction from someone. The kid next to you was named Koji--or, at least, that's what you called him. He was your best friend, spending every moment with you like you were siblings. You'd be able to crack a joke with the smallest glance and you’d talk constantly. As soon as your handwriting was legible to people of your age group, you'd pass notes back and forth and cackle at their contents. Until, of course,

“Tsukishima, will you switch seats with Kojikata today?” Your teacher sounded exhausted, huffing her sentence out on a sigh before going back to the multiplication tables on the board. Suddenly, your little world was interrupted.

“Y/N, right?” He didn’t look at you, placing his folders down on the desk and pushing his glasses back up as he sat. His words were hushed and quiet, but the class had moved into individual work--he wasn’t interrupting anyone.

“Yeah. Can I call you Tsukki?” You were angry, gripping your pencil tighter in your little hand as you wrote numbers down on white paper. One times one is one. Two times two is four. This is easy.

“No,” he was long doing the same thing, but writing quicker than you. That’s how it is, huh?

Three times two is six. Four times five is twenty. Six times three is eighteen. Five times six is thirty. This is easy-

“Miss, I’m done.” His voice was always so dry. Uninterested. 

Four times three is twelve. “Me too!” Your hand shot up with the paper in it, sending a death glare at the boy next to you.

That's how it is, huh?

This pattern continued for weeks. Tsukishima didn’t move from his seat next to you, as your teacher had made the realization that you worked far harder without friends around. Tsukishima lit a competitive fire under you; everything was now a race.

It started with handing in assignments. Who would go up to the front desk first to have their work checked over? Who would finish this quiz faster? Then it transferred into everything. 

Who would get to class faster? Who finished their lunch quicker? Who could read faster? Who scored higher on spelling tests? Who could run faster in gym class?

And then it was middle school.

Middle school brought in Yamaguchi Tadashi. 

It'd be an understatement to say he warmed to Yamaguchi quickly, but the basis behind that was strange. Tsukishima was never one for friends, even though everyone wanted to be friends with him. He was cool in the eyes of a handful of eleven year olds; letting everything roll off your back seemed to be an admirable trait. Yamaguchi worshipped him, and Tsukishima took him under his wing to teach him the ropes of being a cool kid.

At heart, though, Yamaguchi was kind and attentive. He could tell when things were going wrong, and supposedly it was him that changed the rest of your life.

The rivalry continued just as it had in elementary, just with higher stakes. You'd fight for answering questions first, working ahead of everyone else to just beat him. He’d never bat an eye at it, and sometimes you thought it was all over, but then

“Y/N.” Tsukishima Kei stood three steps behind you, looming over you with the height he was seemingly born with. The hallway was emptying by now, kids walking into their classrooms once again. The white floors rung with the quiet sounds of soft-bottomed shoes and a light above your head flickered calmly.

“Yeah?” You spun around to meet his gaze.

“What’d you get on that lit essay?”

“A 96. Why?”

“No reason,” he smirked and tilted his head up, looking down at you, “I got a 100.”

A huff and a stomp away gave him the answer he needed as he followed you into the classroom, sitting down behind you and next to Yamaguchi just as he did every day. The little shit.

Tsukishima was never better than you, technically speaking. On average and on paper, you were always both roughly the same. You'd fight for being top of the class, the position switching between both of you every day. You excelled in creative things while he excelled at sports, but both of you dabbled in the other. When people in your year began dating, everyone came to assume you two were. It was embarrassing, really, because Tsukishima Kei was a little shit know-it-all who will never beat me at anything ever and people need to stop thinking he will because he won’t I’m better than hi-

“Hey?” Oh right. Friends.

“Koji!” He never left, at least not yet. His nimble fingers tapping on your shoulder brought you back to reality, making you jump and turn around to face him, wrapping your arms around his body for a split second.

“You looked zoned” his face was riddled with concern that was easy to write off.

“Oh, whoops” a small blush heated your cheek as your hand migrated to rub your neck. “Did you want something?”

As you walked into the classroom a bit further, Koji sat on your right; he seemed to buckle down more when you had moved away from each other way back in the day, so there were less mid-class comedy shows. He grew up just as you had, and with the closeness of the two of you people began to think you were dating. At twelve, it was incredibly necessary to date someone--anyone. Theories bounced from everywhere and anywhere and with you it was either your best friend or your biggest rival. Your lack of attraction to either of them became the center of many late night crises. 

“Not particularly,” his gaze switched from you to the board again, beginning to write something down when he turned his head. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Of course I am,” you smiled at him, the kind of smile that made your eyes crinkle at the corners, and suddenly it was high school.

-

“Tsukishima is really cute! And he's smart, I heard that Kageyama wasn’t too bright somewhere.”

“But Kageyama’s so much hotter! His being a little dumb sometimes is endearing.”

“Are we not going to talk about that third year setter, Sugawara?”

“No, he’d never go for a first year. Besides, that Hinata kid is more of an enigma.”

“Have you even seen them play?” A howl of angry “yes”s fell over the crowd, trying to prove something. None of them had ever seen them play.

That asshole Tsukishima getting popular felt like a stab in the soul. None of them knew him or how much he sucked, but the amount of girls fawning over him was horrific.

-

There's something consistently poetic about young love, no matter where it comes from. Something extra sweet about holding pinkies in school corridors when no one is looking and seeing them every day, smiling loudly as the sun broke over the horizon all bright and early. The raging hormones and dumb, fake social hierarchies of fifteen make emotions run wild, and only the deeply immature end up helplessly infatuated. Others are more cautious, but there's only so many precautions one can take at fifteen. Sometimes some of us just want to be loved, no matter the sincerity of it.

Cared for, and whatnot. No harm in that, in the long run at least. 

“Y/N, right?” Her name was Mei. She was in your class; 1-4, just like Tsukishima. She was pretty. Long, black hair was preceded by two green streaks at the front. She’d always have those down, making her features look like a photo in a perfect frame. She had a collection of hair clips with small shapes on them that she’d have somewhere on her person at all times. Her more mid-sized body was paler than most, and she was covered in freckles and moles. Her eyes were an unusual shade of blue that looked deep enough to swim in. Her cheeks were always stained with a peachy blush that moved up her collarbones and into her ears, making her look like she was always smiling no matter what her face was doing. Karasuno’s school uniform did wonders for her curves, the skirt swaying up on occasion and making her look so damn perfect.

“Yeah! You’re…” a second of dumbfounded pause felt like years in your mind, coming to the conclusion that she was the most beautiful girl you had ever met. “Ojiro Mei?”

“Yep! I just wanted to tell you you looked really pretty today!” Her voice always had an upward inflection, and was higher than most. It was cute. Incredibly cute.

“Oh.” A moment of confidence fell over you like you weren’t in control of your actions, “you’re beautiful.”

“Thank you very much,” she bounced back on her toes and then rolled back to her heels, hands intertwined behind her back, “You’re too kind, Y/N.” Her sentences were always punctuated with an eye-crinkling smile.

Later that day, you found her on every social media account you could; she messaged you first.

When you don’t know you’re interested in women, it’s hard to notice that they’re flirting with you, but after a handful of supposed gay panic, you asked her on a date.

She was two inches shorter than you, and somehow that persisted no matter what shoes she was wearing. Every small outing with her felt like cloud nine--watching the sunset, small conversation over tea at a nearby cafe, cuddling in your bedroom with only a string of Christmas lights on. She always looked so wonderful in soft lighting, the potential cold of winter disappeared with pale beiges that made her freckles look like stars. Every action Mei ever did was soft and full of care. She could send every single emotion through her fingertips on your jaw, deepening a kiss you started moments before. She was like magic, until she wasn't anymore.

You supposed, when thinking back, that things fell out around month thirteen. The rose colored lenses everything was viewed through faded a bit, and it's easy to notice her pulling away. There were less late night phone calls and less recommended music and less hands running through your hair. Everything has a natural progression to the end, right?

“Do you still feel it?” It was raining. Large drops of water fell down to the floor, smacking the pavement at speeds you couldn’t even try to measure. She was wearing a bright yellow raincoat that looked almost dull in the four pm light. 

“Feel what?”

“Anything, baby.” All of her words ended with a huffed out sigh, like she was tired of something. Lying, maybe. 

You pondered the question, and it seemed like your hesitation gave her all the answer she needed. 

“Ya know, Y/N.” She looked down and grabbed your hands with hers, rubbing her thumbs on your palms as you grabbed around them. “This was fun. We had a good run.”

A solemn tear fell down your cheek at the ending, but there was no use in self pity or anger now. She was so sweet and kind, and it's truly unthinkable how she continued that kindness in the end.

“Yeah. A good run.” The pink in your cheeks grew as you choked out a laugh, pulling her in for one final hug under the dim fluorescent lights on the front door overhang of the school.

Fifteen came and went with love, and when sixteen rolled around you wondered if you’d ever be loved like that again.

-

A spirit can't be broken overnight, and if you’ve spent the last eight years of your life having a strong, consistent rivalry with someone, it won’t leave any time soon. Tsukishima and you were on similar playing fields for most of your life, but you had one thing he didn’t: relationship experience. In that way, you always counted yourself one point higher, like a boy scout badge. 

For a spell, however, your intensity changed. There was nothing more driving you than spite, and there was nothing you wanted more than to beat him. You were well into your second year of high school at this point, and--volleyball notwithstanding--you had wins over Tsukishima. You had seen him play volleyball, every match in his second year, and you deemed he was simply okay. You refused to count his success onto the list of wins for both of you.

June fifteenth. Tournaments were coming up around the corner when it happened, which explained every reason why he was there. You weren’t exactly prepared for the rain, so the best bet seemed to be sitting at the front entrance of Karasuno High School and wallowing in a little bit more self pity before you went home. You were just dumped after all, the tears weren’t done falling. 

The feeling between sadness and shame overflowed you, shades of yellowish green painting the world around you and churning your gut into oblivion. And the tears fell. It felt like a scene in a movie; in a few seconds, a strong, capable man would show up to your rescue.

“Y/N?” what the fuck?

He was sweaty. His face was matte from a light film of saltwater. He had a grey umbrella over his head, keeping himself dry from the still-pelting rain. His six-foot-two frame was covered with a black tracksuit, and he still had his sports goggles on.

Those fucking sports goggles.

“Tsukishima.” you deadpanned, trying to get him away as fast as possible. His words were snarky, as always, but this time laced with concern. Like he actually cared.

“What are you still doing here? It’s almost six,” he stood under the overhang with you, crouching to take a few feet off of his incredible height. 

“Sulking?”

“Ah,” he huffed and sat down next to you, “it’s not great for your posture, ya know.”

“Oh shut up, Tsukishima.”

“Remember when we were eight,” he looked up, studying the moths as they flew around the lights on the ceiling, “and you asked if you could call me Tsukki?”

“Vaguely, but we were eight.”

“Yeah, true” his head dramatically fell to his lap, staring at his knees as he chuckled, “but you can. Call me Tsukki, that is.”

An uncomfortable laugh fell from your lips, and he spoke for you, “this one kid, Koganegawa, the setter on Date Tech, calls me that too. It's not a Tadashi-only nickname anymore.”

“You say Tadashi-only like I wasn’t there first.”

“He never asked.”

“Would you have said no?”

“Probably” he hasn’t actually looked at you yet. 

“Should I not have asked?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Okay, Tsukki” you drew out the last letter, giggling at the situation before you had time to think about your emotions.

He noticed that you weren’t crying anymore and helped you stand, grabbing your hand and pulling you up. Tsukishima and you lived closer than you thought, walking the same direction and only splitting up seconds away from your home.

You walked in silence the whole time, but it was comfortable. While he was your rival, he was always a friend. There was nothing scary or intimidating about him, as is with most people when you’ve known them forever; it was almost like his facade just didn’t work on you. You were huddled close to him to stay out of the rain. 

The second you parted ways, you ran home. The rain was more of a drizzle now, but the temperature began a free fall--getting out of the cold as fast as possible was your first priority. Upon entering the front door and taking off your shoes and jacket, leaving everything to sit in the entryway, you took a shower. The rain didn’t do enough to wash away the pain of the day, and warm steam would let the rest evaporate. The expected unrelenting sadness wasn’t really present as much as was expected, though. Everything felt fine. Content. Okay.

-

And it continued that way. He sent you a snapchat asking if you had gotten home safely, which prompted a memory of you never giving each other your phone numbers. After a quick yes, tsukki. no need to worry ;), you sent him your number asking to play some game.

Whatever is meant to happen does, right? Any excuse for falling for him. You didn’t want to, of course, but things happen. Time changes. Thus, the excuses. Thus, the ignorance. Thus, the five stages of grief. 

It started with the denial, because no Y/N you can’t like Tsukishima Kei. He’s so competitive and mean and snarky and horrible and you hate him! Then, the anger, because Tsukishima sucks and he’s horrible and you’re going to punch him in his stupid cute face. Next, the bargaining, because please don’t let this be happening you’ll do anything to lose these feelings, even if it means letting him win at something. Going into the depression, because all you’ve ever wanted was to be free of this assclown and now you’re stuck thinking about him at three in the morning when you’re supposed to be dreaming about anything other than him. And finally, acceptance, when you scowl at him in the hallway because fuck, you like Tsukishima Kei.

The worst bit of acceptance is getting over it. Now you had to confront your feelings. Now you needed to tell him. 

It was roughly five months since he found you sulking on school grounds, and you regretted most days the way you let him text you every morning. It’d always be something stupid, like a joke about the novel you were reading in lit or sometimes he’d tell you, off hand, something dumb Hinata and Kageyama did at practice. Sometimes he’d text you, within the first twenty minutes of the school day, pointing out something little you did with your hair. They were never really compliments as much as comments; he’d say “your socks have a pink ring at the top” and give you nothing to work with from there. A simple yes would suffice, you always supposed, because “yes, tsukki. they do.”

He’d linger at his desk during the break between classes and would stay there if you didn’t leave, but would leave a few steps behind you if you did. He wouldn’t follow you, but he’d watch to know where you were going. Everything he did was concealed though--you'd only notice if you really wanted to know.

Yamaguchi was the only one to notice, even after a while of it. You’ll never know what he said to his friend, but the conversation you had with the aforementioned friend a day later gives some guesses.

“Y/N?” Tsukishima was never the shy type, and you knew him in the days where everyone was shy. He wasn’t loud, but he was bold. His words were always pointed and important. Everything he did always had purpose and intensity behind it.

“Tsukki?” You were sitting under a tree, enjoying the late spring weather of the beginning of your third year. Nothing became intense yet classwork wise, so there was ample time to chill on the school grounds. Overlooking the soccer field was a large oak tree. It was big enough to comfortably have multiple groups of people under its shade, but it was empty at the moment; save for you and the book you were reading.

“I was just wondering if you’d like to maybe go out sometime?” He somehow didn’t pause while talking, but his words came out more something akin to word vomit. You we’re more shocked than you should have been, if you had picked up on the signs. But you were feeling the same as he was, as far as you could tell.

“Sure, when?” You looked back down at your book for a second, placing the bookmark in it and folding the pages shut.

Tsukishima looked dumbfounded, standing there with his eyes bugged out and his mouth slightly agape. He started making unintelligible babbling noises, hoping to get something out that had any meaning at all. You took the reins instead, gaining confidence in his lack thereof.

“I was planning on getting coffee or something today after school. It gets really cold at night now, huh?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“Would you like to join me?”

“There's a break before practice today so” he hesitated, letting the pink in his cheeks finally catch up to the beating in his chest. “Sure.”

You wouldn’t have ever pegged Tsukishima Kei as the flustered type.

-

There was never a drop in conversation, as there never really was between you two. A whole life together and you still had things to talk about, mentioning everything from your individual childhoods to recent developments. Turns out he never knew what genre of books were your favorite. Or what kind of music you listened to. Or what any of your hobbies were. 

Turns out you both had more in common than you thought, competitive spirits notwithstanding. Tsukishima Kei was a strange man in every sense of the word. He was arrogant and snarky and disinterested and bright and passionate and smart. He was your rival, smug look plastered on his smug face making your chest bubble in anger just as it had a million times before--or was that admiration this time? The world may never know. 

All that was real right now was the deck of cards on the table, being separated out into a card game both of you learned as kids. The small, round, cafe table shook with every slap of your hands, but the basis of your relationship would always be competition. It's just that now the anger behind that competition was gone. All that was left was admiration.