#sorry the original link broke

[taskmastersource]

Where to Watch: Taskmaster Australia S2

Episode 1:

Google Drive

Youtube

Dailymotion

Episode 2:

Google Drive

Dailymotion

Episode 3:

Youtube

Dailymotion

[squishosaur]

I BROKE UP WITH HIM BECAUSE HE IS NOT HIPHOP

[battleofthewawas]

ROUND 2 POLLS

The distant ‘wawa’s have gotten quieter…

(links below cut)

GROUP E -

PEARL vs THE ENFORCER (Concluded)

THE RETRIEVER vs KELP (Concluded)

GROUP F -

CLOUDCAT vs WAWA (Concluded)

THE WANDERER vs THE UNBOUND (Concluded)

GROUP G -

SIERRA MIST vs THE PLAGUED (Concluded)

SEER vs THE ENVOY (Concluded)

GROUP H -

THREE IDEALS vs MIROSCAT (In Progress)

GLUE vs THE MENACE (In Progress)

[remxedmoon]

(you worked yourself to death.)

yeah i wasn’t kidding when i said these would be coming soon. <- haha funny joke marshall. so!! remember when i said that this post would be coming out last weekend? guess whose tablet broke a few days after saying that! so sorry for the delay!! this is long overdue. here’s a link to the drive, as always! everything in this part of the update should be in the miscellaneous folder (outside of the menu icons, which are in the menu folder. wauaua).

unedited versions below the cut, plus some notes. fair warning 90% of this is just ui stuff lol

so! all of this was already done by the time i posted the enemies. the delay isn’t *entirely* because of the tablet issues, i just managed to get distracted by making: even more redraws! i’d say new update soon but after what happened last time i shouldn’t jinx myself. but! almost All of the art for the initial mod release is done!!!! exciting!!!!!!

please be nice to me (silly) this is my first time doing frame by frame animation in… give or take 5 years? i followed the original animations pretty closely, so they don’t look Awful but i am Aware of the jank. i’m not an animator!!! they’re Good Enough for my purposes.

hey did you know that the original teleport map is slightly off center. did you know that. that’s not the case for the redraw for the record but it did make things a little harder. despite that, i think you can tell i was having fun with the dormont part of the map. i would’ve put more detail into the house, but we never really get a more detailed look at it??? and i didn’t want to make assumptions. so that part’s just traced from the original 👍. anyways shoutout to the clocktower being Curved for whatever reason

outside of those, all of the added art is actually just spritework. i didn’t know this at first, but there’s a TON of copies of sprites from the icon set. Basically Everywhere. so those are added now! and should work properly! also added a few sprites that were Missing from my original batch. not going to put them all here, but a few Important ones (which i actually had to make new art for) are the rock paper scissors cheatsheet, the Larger versions of the craft signs (used in the calamité fight and. probably somewhere else idk), and the craft signs for the tutorial kid fight!

aaaand i think that’s it! for stuff from this update. yeah no there’s more coming buddy. my tablet already broke one time this week there’s no way it’s happening twice. i’m not working on portraits Just Yet (though the temptation has been There), but i’ve got the title screens, a few backgrounds, and the ending cgs done! along with a few other assorted cgs sketched out. because im out of my fucking mind. so, uh, see you soon!! enjoy!!

[patrycarro]

TS3 - LS3SR08 (No CC)

ENG:

When I set out to share my creations with the community, I made a promise to myself to publish at least one every week. I wanted to prove that I could commit to something and stay consistent—and I was doing it.

A few weeks ago, my computer broke down. It had been acting strange for a while, so it didn’t exactly catch me off guard, but it did stop me from reaching my goals, and that’s been frustrating. Even though this content drought was beyond my control, I still feel upset about it. And as much as I love Christmas, it only made things harder.

From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize to the Simmers who subscribed to my Patreon in December and early January and didn’t get what they paid for. To make it up to you, I’ve decided to release four extra creations this month to catch up. I'll be sending you a private message with a link for instant and free access to these creations, along with the ones I'll be sharing over the next four weeks. So, Patreons, keep an eye on your inbox and claim your gift as soon as possible!

Once again, I’m truly sorry.

And to everyone else, thank you so much for your support and all the love you give to everything I share. You’re incredible.

I hope both you and your Sims really enjoy this house. Have fun!

Features:

Lot type: Residential

Lot size: 40x40

Furnished lot value: 312.424 §

Unfurnished lot value: 175.346 §

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 4

Packs used in this build: EP01, EP02, EP03, EP04, EP05, EP06, EP08, EP09, EP10, EP011

Terms and conditions:

DO NOT claim my creations as your own.

If you want to use any of my builds in your custom world or save file, you are allowed to do so, BUT make sure to credit me as the original creator.

DO NOT re-upload my content under any circumstances; share it with your friends using my own links.

If you experience any issues, let me know and I’ll try to fix it as soon as possible.

Download it here. (Early access until 01/27/2025) 🤍

SPA:

Cuando decidí compartir mis creaciones con la comunidad, me hice la promesa de publicar al menos una cada semana. Quería demostrarme a mí misma que podía comprometerme con algo y ser constante. Y lo estaba logrando.

Hace unas semanas, mi ordenador dejó de funcionar. Ya llevaba un tiempo comportándose de forma extraña, así que no me pilló por sorpresa, pero sí me impidió seguir cumpliendo mis objetivos, y aunque esta pausa en el contenido fue algo que escapó de mi control, no puedo evitar sentirme molesta y terriblemente frustrada por la situación. Y, aunque adoro la Navidad, esta vez complicó aún más las cosas.

De corazón, quiero pedir disculpas a los Simmers que estuvieron suscritos a mi Patreon durante diciembre y principios de enero y no recibieron lo que esperaban. Para compensarlo, he decidido publicar cuatro creaciones extra este mes, y así ponerme al día. Os enviaré un mensaje privado con un enlace para que podáis acceder de forma gratuita e instantánea a estas creaciones, así como a las demás que publicaré a lo largo de las próximas cuatro semanas. ¡Así que, Patreons, estad atentos a vuestra bandeja de entrada y reclamad vuestro regalo lo antes posible!

De nuevo, lo siento muchísimo.

Y al resto, quiero agradeceros todo el apoyo y el cariño que le dais a todo lo que comparto. Sois increíbles.

Espero que tanto a vosotros como a vuestros Sims os encante esta casa. ¡Disfrutadla!

Características:

Tipo de solar: Residencial

Tamaño del solar: 40x40

Valor del solar amueblado: 312.424 §

Valor del solar sin amueblar: 175.346 §

Habitaciones: 3

Baños: 4

Packs utilizados en esta construcción: EP01, EP02, EP03, EP04, EP05, EP06, EP08, EP09, EP10, EP11

Términos y condiciones:

NO proclames mis creaciones como tuyas.

Si quieres usar alguna de mis construcciones en tu mundo personalizado o save file, tienes permitido hacerlo, PERO deja claro que yo soy su creadora original.

NO resubas mi contenido bajo ninguna excepción; compártelo con tus conocidos usando mis propios enlaces.

Si experimentas algún problema, házmelo saber e intentaré solucionarlo lo antes posible.

Descárgala aquí. (Acceso anticipado hasta 27/01/2025) 🤍

[httpsserene]

𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 | 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 | 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐧

summary: alex tries to bribe you into giving him a second chance. you accept the bribe—but, only because it will benefit the seals. definitely not because you want to see him again, or anything.

pairing: alex albon x seal specialist fem!black!reader

from, serene: almost had to split this final part into two! i hope y'all don't mind me hitting that max photo limit loll happy reading, loves xxx

⌕ prev | join taglist | feedback & requests | upcoming chapters | table of contents | seal you later toc ↻

messages • yn -> coral • twitter dm's • alex -> yn

messages • max please unmute us gc -> alex

twitter • alex_albon • messages • yn -> coral

twitter dm's • alex -> yn

messages • • max please unmute us gc -> alex • yn -> coral

twitter

instagram • williamsracing & pacificmmc • october 12th

liked by f1, georgerussell63, seallygirlyn, and 85,734 others

williamsracing alex had a wonderful time on his private tour of the pacific marine mammal center! thanks to yn ln for showing us around and letting us meet some seals and seal pups! you can watch the tour video on our youtube through the link in our bio as well as donating to the pacific marine mammal center to help them conserve our oceans and wildlife!

pacificmmc alex_albon seallygirlyn

view comments

alex_albon: it was incredible to see the important work being done everyday to maintain our oceans firsthand! even better to be able to adopt optimus prime, my seal son <3

➥ charlesleclerc: find an original character trait albono 😡🙄 ➥ user1: f1 has become the most unserious sport in the world. ➥ user2: are you not entertained???

pacificmmc: it was a pleasure to host alex, even though he threatened to kidnap some of our pups ;)

➥ alex_albon: can you blame me? look at their faces! ➥ francolapinto: i am jealous 🥺 ➥ seallygirlyn: silly franco ☺️ only boys who break strangers phones and run away are allowed to do the fun pr events! ➥ francolapinto: 😂😂😂

user4: omg!!! yn and alex met again??!!! watching the video rn

➥ user5: IM SCREAMINGGG ➥ user6: the seal puppies little noises i just wanna take a lil bite ➥ user7: cute agression was on 💯💯💯

user8: alex making more alex noises as he had to feed the seals slimy fish 💀💀💀

➥ seallygirlyn: i almost confused his noises with the pups lol! ➥ user8: omg hiiii! you're literally living my dream! i want to work in marine conservation efforts just like you! ➥ seallygirlyn: visit our website for more on marine science and programs around the world < 3 i still feel like i'm living in a dream every day haha

seallygirlyn: alex was a very attentive guest! and he didn't even break any property :)

➥ alex_albon: please let it go already !!! ➥ alex_albon: what more do you want from meeeeee 🫠😫 ➥ seallygirlyn: my lost seal photos ➥ user9: holding a grudge 🤝🏽 seallygirlyn

messages • alex -> yn

instagram • williamsracing • october 20th • austin ⚑

liked by 43,592 others

williamsracing double points finishes for our boys this weekend! i wonder if it has anything to do with the seally good luck charm alex had on his side of the garage?

view comments

williamsracing: funniest moment this weekend was alex almost missing sprint qualifying because he was too busy talking to seallygirlyn

➥ seallygirlyn: I AM SO SORRY WILLIAMS F1 TEAM 🤧 ➥ coral: PLEASE DON'T BAN US !!! I WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND MANY MORE RACES ➥ francolapinto: yes admin do not be mean coral was very sweet 😇 ➥ coral: hwat? ➥ user10: franco needs to be castrated PLA

alex_albon: i ALMOST missed sprint qualifying—everybody’s freaking out for no reason 🥱

➥ alex_albon: also can you blame me? she was talking to me about jellyfish and i lost track of time ➥ seallygirlyn: this is the 2nd most embarrassing day of my life😖😭😭😭 ➥ user11: what's the first? ➥ seallygirlyn: when alex told the entire internet i cried when my phone broke ➥ user12: valid 😪

user13: she's a disrespectful guest and didn't respect the team's or alex's time the entire weekend. she should not be allowed to return.

➥ alex_albon: when? ➥ user13: when what? ➥ alex_albon: when did anybody ask for your opinion 🤨

messages • alex -> yn

twitter

igstory • alex_albon just uploaded!

[caption1; the only thing i cheat on is a diet plan][caption2; pretty views in santa monica]

replies limited

seallygirlyn: it was such a beautiful view! alex_albon: beautiful girl too 😏 seallygirlyn: smooth 😅

logansargeant: dude "pretty views" was the best you could come up with alex_albon: what's wrong with that???? logansargeant: i forget how old you are sometimes

twitter • postseason

instagram • seallygirlyn • january 23rd

liked by 32,973 others

seallygirlyn after review from the board (five water pups) he's awarded my seal of approval x alex_albon

comments on this post have been limited.

alex_albon: the amount of fish i had to feed them to get this distinction was frightening 😰

seallygirlyn: should've watched where you were running the first time we met < 3 alex_albon: but if i never ran into you, would we have ended up here?

instagram • alex_albon • january 23rd

liked by 1,592,368 others

alex_albon sealed it with a kiss x

view comments

seallygirlyn: love you seally boy 🥰

➥ alex_albon: love you more seally girl 🧜🏾‍♀️

georgerussell63: i always believed in you mate 💪🏼

-alex_albon: i vividly recall you bullying me everyday until i asked her out ➥ georgerussell63: how does that contradict the statement i made 🧐🧐🧐

user14: where's the two barbie dogs dancing gif when you need it? so happy for you both!!!!

user15: the other formula one drivers do not need to use this relationship announcement as a guide. please do a soft launch or you risk being responsible for my heart failing.

➥ alex_albon: does nobody remember the posts on my story like three months ago 😔 ➥ user16: TWO PHOTOS on a STORY from THREE MONTHS ago is not a soft launch YOU ASSHOLE 🤬 ➥ seallygirlyn: i did tell him that we should've had a proper sl :/

logansargeant: now when do i get to meet her 😈

➥ alex_albon: never 🫡 ➥ seallygirlyn: next time your in cali! we named a pup after you at the center :))) ➥ logansargeant: alex if you screw up this relationship i will never forgive you

maxverstappen1: i hate puns 😾

➥ landonorris: man just sealabrate this good time with us mate ➥ maxverstappen1: i'm going to flip out ➥ oscarpiastri: i hope you know that was also a pun 😂

general taglist (ask to join):

@saintslewis/@cherry2stems/@lorarri/@mindless-rock/@biancathecool

@barnestatic/@darleneslane/@lovingaphroditesworld/@smoothopz/@vetteltea

@tallrock35/@spideybv28/@loomiscorpse/@hiireadstuff/@namgification

@gg-trini/@multi-fandom-rando/@landoslutmeout/@love-simon/@iloveyou3000morgan/

@rexit-mo/@oscahpastry/@sweatrevenge5436-blog/@bokutos-babyowl/@oliviah-25

@evermoreandroyalblue/@riveristhebest1/@xylinasdiary/@ashiekins/@flowergirl1134

@hearts4robs/@c-losur3/@bloodyymaryyy/@awritingtree/@lammys-thinking

@nikfigueiredo/@bbreezyxoxo

seal you later taglist (closed):

@poppysrin @everythingabby101 @mangotaitai/@sumlovesjude/@nichmeddar

@panicforspec @formulaal @tellybearryyyy @greywritesthings @daddyslittlevillain

© httpsserene 2024 — photos used from pinterest. do not re-upload.

[enwoso]

WHAT WAS & WHAT IS | alessia russo x child!reader x leah williamson

based on a request but i for some reason haven’t linked it on here, sorry..

anyways don’t try and flirt with leah’s girl x

grumpy universe masterlist

alessia was humming to herself as she tidied up the kitchen, the morning had been peaceful and her day was falling into an easy rhythm. alessia had dropped you off at school this morning and since had, had a real bounce in her step.

leah was around after stopping by when alessia had gotten home from the school run, the blonde had made herself comfy in the living room for now, after alessia had shooed her away for distracting alessia as she was working.

so far things felt steady — comfortable.

a sudden knock on the door broke her from her thoughts. frowning alessia glanced at the clock, she wasn't expecting anyone and she didn't think she was expecting a delivery.

wiping her hands on a towel quickly, so she could head towards the door. but leah called out she would get it.

hearing the door open and leah's voice, alessia went back to her original task — folding washing.

"hey, can i help you?" leah's voice was sharp and defensive in a way alessia had rarely heard.

"h-hi. uh..." a familiar voice faltered, hearing the confused tone of leah's voice alessia made her way towards the front door.

harrison was stood in front of leah, a bouquet of flowers in his hand all pretty colours and different types of flowers. but instead of the easy and confident grin he usually wore, his expression was tense and bordering on confused.

his gaze kept flickering from leah and the house number plated on the side of the wall near the door, wondering whether he'd accidentally knocked on the wrong door. even though he was definitely sure this was alessia's house as her car was on the drive.

"is.. is alessia here?" he finally stammered, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to make sense of the situation.

leah stood frozen in the doorway, her tall frame and sharp demeanor giving her an almost intimidating presence. the blonde glancing over her shoulder feeling the presence of alessia behind her.

leah's brow rising as if to say, 'what the hell is this?'

"harrison," alessia asked quirking, stepping beside leah who still had an unimpressed look on her face, "what are you doing here, i thought we agreed we were meeting at half two before lovie finishes school?"

his eyes lit up briefly at the sight of her, though they flickered back to leah with a mix of wariness and confusion, "yeah we're still- um good for that, i just, uh i brought you these," he said, holding out the flowers.

"for me?" alessia's voice was soft but edged with surprise.

"yeah, i seen them and i was passing and thought..." harrison trailed off, his face darting back to leah who hadn't moved, nor had her stone cold face.

leah finally broke her silence, tilting her head slightly, "you're harrison?" it wasn't a question. it was a statement delivered in a tone that made harrison shift slightly on his feet.

"i am." he said, his voice low. leah’s lips pressed into a thin line, her arms crossing of her chest as she held her stance solid and protective.

alessia sighed, sensing the tension in the air thickening, "le," alessia said softly, touching her arm, "it's okay."

leah's eyes never left harrison her jaw tightening with each letter that passed, "okay?" she echoed. "he shows up with flowers unannounced? for you?"

harrison took a small step back, clearing his throat, "i uh, didn't meant to interrupt anything, i just.."

"leah" alessia said again, more firmly this time, "it's fine, harrison's just being.. nice." she turns to harrison her tone shifting to something polite but still distant, knowing choosing the wrong type of word would have consequences on both parties.

"thank you for these, but you didn't need to"

harrison nodded, his expression faltering slightly as he glanced between the two women, "right, yeah sorry i didn't mean to.."

leah raised an eyebrow, "didn't mean what?"

"leah, stop that" alessia stepped in front of her slightly her voice filled with a mix of exasperation and affection. "it's fine, really. harrison is just trying to.. build trust." she shot him a pointed look, silently warning him to stay in his lane. "he's lovie's dad, that's all this is."

harrison quickly nodded, clutching the flowers awkwardly, "yeah, exactly."

leah's gaze lingered on him for another moment, scrutinising before she finally stepped aside, "right." she said her tone icy but controlled.

alessia reached out to take the flowers, giving harrison a small, polite smile. "thank you," she said before adding, "but next time, maybe text me first, okay?"

"sure," harrison mumbled, his shoulders slumping.

"i'll see you at the coffee place at half two yeah?" alessia asked more confirming the plans knowing that you were excited at the fact you dad was coming with your mummy for the first time to pick you up from school, the blonde hoping he wasn't going to let you down.

harrison nodded, before mumbling a 'i'll be there' with a small smile as he gave leah one last uneasy glance before turning and walking back to his car.

leah shut the door with a firm cluck, spinning around to face alessia, "what was that?"

alessia chuckled softly, setting the flowers down on the kitchen counter, "that was harrison, overstepping. as usual."

"overstepping?" leah echoed as she crossed her arms again leaned against the kitchen counter on the other side of alessia, "he showed up like he's auditioning for the notebook-"

"he's not auditioning for anything," alessia said gently facing and stepping closer to leah, "he's just.. trying. for lovie's sake, that's it" 

leah's eyes softened slightly at the mention of you but her lips still pursed, "and for your sake?"

alessia reached up as she leaned into the blonde in front of her as she rested a hand on leah's cheek, "i only want you, harrison can bring flowers, coffee or a while marching band if he wants. but it won't change a thing."

leah relaxed at her words, exhaling deeply as alessia planted a slow kiss to her lips, "okay" she murmured.

"okay?" alessia teased her tone lighter and teasing smile on her lips as her hands rested on the blondes face.

"okay, but don't expect those flowers to be still alive when you come back" leah smirked as alessia rolled her eyes playfully at the girls' antics, "and it still keeping an eye on him."

"you do that love" alessia said with a laugh, pulling her into a hug.

—

later on the same day, once leah had let go of the blonde after insisting she was never letting her go. but after a small reminder from alessia that she did in fact have a four year old daughter she did have to collect from school, leah let the blonde go not before peppering the girls' face with kisses.

alessia making it to the cafe, a little later which she would just blame on the traffic even though the roads for once were fairly quiet considering it was london.

the cafe was want and inviting, the smell of roasted coffee beans filling the air as alessia and harrison settled into their usual booth near the window.

alessia holding her latte between her hands, the ceramic mug radiating heat as she stared at the frothy surface.

harrison fidgeting without even realising he was doing it a habit he had, had since their college days as he rambled on about some marketing strategy he was working on at work — alessia admittedly not really listening.

"look, haz before we talk about anything else" alessia began, cutting harrison off as his head tilted at the sound of the nickname he hadn't heard in a while, the blonde not even realising she had let it slip as she carried on talking. but he noticed.

the blondes voice soft as harrison had completely forgotten what he had even been talking about, "i just wanna say i'm sorry for before. leah can be.. uh intense but she's really a big softie once you get to know her"

harrison let out a small, humourless laugh, finally looking at her, "yeah she is a little intimidating"

alessia winced, "she's just protective," she said quickly, "it's not that she doesn't trust me but she's had.. experiences. people haven't always treated her well and i think you showing up like that just put her on edge a bit"

he raised an eyebrow, confused. clearly not getting the hint, "because i brought flowers?"

she gave him a pointed look, "come on, harrison. you didn't just bring flowers — you showed up unannounced with a big bouquet of flowers and that look you get when you're trying to.." she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence

"trying to what?" he pressed, though the tone of his voice made it clear he already knew.

alessia sighed, setting her mug down. "harrison, leah doesn't know you like i do. she doesn't know your history or your intentions. all she saw my ex standing on my doorstep with flowers and.. yeah, she got the wrong idea."

"but was it the wrong idea?" he asked softly, his gaze steady. alessia having already lifted her cup to her lips as her eyes widened at his words.

she blinked, as her head tilted to one side the blonde caught of guard. "harrison."

"i mean, maybe she has a point," he continued, leaning back in the booth, again clearly not getting the hint, "i brought the flowers because i wanted.. i don't know. start over? show you i'm serious about being in your life again, not just as y/n's dad."

alessia's chest tightened but she kept her tone calm. "i appreciate the effort, i do but harrison i need you to understand something."

he leaned forward slightly, his hands still on the table. "i'm listening."

taking a deep breath, choosing her words carefully, "those times we had in college — they were good even when the bad was bad and times were a little messy and they are part of our story and i wouldn't change that. but we can't go back to that harrison. we aren't those people anymore."

he stared at her, his expression unreadable, "so what your saying is you've moved on." he said finally.

"i have" alessia nodded, her eyes meeting his, "with leah."

harrison's gaze dropped to the table, his shoulders slumping. "i-i didn't mean to complicate things for you, i just.. i don't know. i though maybe we could try again. for y/n if nothing else."

"i get that," alessia said gently, "but that's not what lovie needs. she doesn't need us to pretend to be something we're not, plus she's a smart little girl she'd clock straight away. what she needs is two parents who love her and respect each other. that's how we're going to do right by her."

he nodded slowly, his hands curling into loose fists. "you're right, i don't know what i was thinking" he let out a quiet laugh a one filled with regret. "i'm happy for you, less. really and i'll forever owe you for letting me be in my daughters life."

"damn right you do" alessia joked, but deep down she was really joking as a small smile tugging at her lips.

harrison chuckled, shaking his head, "she's lucky to have you, both of you. really"

alessia softened, reaching across the table to touch his hand briefly, "thanks harrison and i mean it - your doing great. lovie loves spending time with you and i’m glad we can be in a good place and put aside the past for her.

harrison smiled faintly, nodding again, "me too."

as they finished their coffee and prepared to pick up lovie, alessia felt a sense of peace. she had said what needed to be said and though harrison's feelings lingered. there was an understanding between them now.

—

alessia padded down the stairs, running a hand though her hair as she entered the living room. "well that didn't take long," she said with a chuckle, glancing towards leah who was sprawled across the couch her eyes just open as she scrolled tiredly on her phone.

"i might have to ask the school what they do all day to tire her out like that" alessia joked, the excitement of the day had really gone and worn you out, from the excitement of your mum and dad picking you up to then getting home and leah being there.

it had to of been a record of how quickly it took for you to get to sleep, your head basically hit the pillow and you were asleep.

leah only hummed in response, her eyes focused on the small screen in front of her eyes, the tv playing as white noise for her. "probably running around like a little whirlwind" she murmured absently.

"more than likely" alessia said, plopping down next to her as she leaned back with a content sigh as leah rested her legs on top alessia's lap.

there was a bear of silence before leah finally glanced up, setting her phone down on her chest. "so.. how was coffee with harrison" her voice was casual but there was a hint of something underneath as she asked.

alessia stilled for a moment, caught off guard by the question, "it was.. nice" she said carefully, avoiding leah's gaze as she reached for the throw blanket draped over the couch.

she didn't have to look to feel leah's eyes in her. so when alessia finally glanced over, leah's expression had shifted. her jaw was tight and her brows slightly furrowed as her lips were pressed into a thin line.

alessia sighed, setting the blanket aside, "le.." she said her tone soft but firm, "seriously? your not still hung up on this whole harrison thing are you?"

leah shrugged, sinking a little deeper into the couch, "i'm just saying.. it's weird right? he's popping up with flowers one day, coffee the next. what's his deal?"

alessia leaned closer, resting a hand on leah's hip. "his deal is that he's lovie's dad and he's trying to be better about being present in her life. that's it."

leah's eyes flicked up to meet hers, "that's not all, though is it? you said yourself he's overstepping and i mean — come on less, he's obviously still has feelings for you."

alessia sighed, shifting so she was fully facing leah as she propped herself up on her elbows, "okay look, yes harrison has some.. unresolved feelings but i told him we aren't ever, ever getting back together"

leah's brow lifted slightly, "you did?"

"i did," alessia said firmly, "over coffee before we picked lovie up. i told him that those days are done and i made it very clear that i'm with you."

leah's shoulders slumped slightly, though her expression remained guarded, "and how’d he take that."

"honestly, better than i expected him to," alessia admitted, "he apologised and said he was happy for me" she paused studying leah's face." "but this isn't about him is it, it's about us."

leah let out a sigh, her eyes darting away from alessia's to look further than the pretty blonde laying basically on top of her, "i just don't want to lose you less," she admitted softly, "i've seen too many people get pulled back into their pasts and i.. i don't know it scares me."

"hey.. hey, look at me" alessia said gently moving to so that she was able to touch leah's face and move it so her eyes could look at her before cupping leah's face with both hands. "your not losing me. and i’m not going anywhere. harrison is part of my past but you're my present, and my future."

leah hesitated a moment, her blue eyes searching for alessia's face for a long minute, "you sure about that?"

"very sure," alessia said without missing a beat, leaning in to press a soft kiss to leah's lips as she moved to straddle the girls' hips, leah's hands immediately going to alessia's waist and a little further as the kiss deepened.

"it's you le, always you. no one else even come close" alessia whispered against leah's lips as she exhaled slowly. her body relaxing as she felt her lips meet alessia's again. this lip longer and a little more sloppier as small hushed whines stumbled from their lips.

as they pulled apart, leah's lips curled into a small and reluctant smile, "you really know how to make a girl feel better, huh?" leah teased lightly.

alessia grinned as the two cosied up together on the couch, alessia wrapping her arms arong leah and pulling her close, "i've been told it's one of my many talents !"

"is that so? what are these other talents you have?"

"wouldn't you like to know babe!"

[thebowieconstricker]

Sweet Mornings

Lucifer Morningstar x reader oneshot

masterlist link

Request: Them cooking together and it ending in either him cuddling her so much that they forget about the food and it burns, or baking and that ends in a food fight and kisses. Bonus points, if it burns down the Hotels kitchen and Charlie freaks out.

Okay so this is the CUTEST FREAKING THING EVER??? Love this request sm sorry it took a million years whoops lol enjoy

Tags: Literally just pure fluff, pancakes, kinda language, whipped-cream-related violence, gender neutral reader

~~~

Warm, soft mornings in bed with your beloved partner were becoming more common ever since you and Lucifer had become a couple. Not only was he excellent at cuddles, but his wings made the most delightful blankets to fall asleep under. On this particular morning, you were slowly waking up, and the first thing you noticed was the gentle grip Lucifer had on your form, clinging to your waist even in his sleep. You glanced at the clock to your right as you laid on your back and softly giggled. It was 3:00 in the morning, aka the “devil’s hour”, as some called it, and here he was, asleep in your shared bed. You shifted a bit to stretch and Lucifer made a small noise.

“I’m just moving a bit.” You whispered, bringing up a hand to brush through his blonde locks.

“Mmm, nah, just stay here.” He reached his arm back over your stomach and grabbed your hip, pulling you against his side.

You smiled affectionately, and while you looked at his quite literally angelic face, you thought of an idea.

“Hey, Luci… you wanna make pancakes?”

His eyes sprang open and his eyebrows shot up. A wide grin broke out on his face and quicker than you could blink, he had pulled both you and himself up and off the bed. With a snap of his fingers, the two of you were dressed in comfortable robes with silly slippers. He wore a bright yellow pair with duck faces, because of course he did. Your slippers were of your favorite animal, which was one of the many gifts Lucifer had given you.

With a wave of his hand, Lucifer had magically transported the two of you to the kitchen downstairs. It was a rather large kitchen, plenty of shelves and cabinets stocked with ingredients. You adjusted your robe and began to move towards one of the cupboards when you felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around your torso. Following close behind was the warm face of your lover, nuzzling into the back of your neck.

“Honey, we can’t cuddle and make pancakes.” You rolled your eyes with a smile on your face. You could hear the smirk in his voice as he replied, “Who says we can’t?”

He snapped once more and suddenly, all of your necessary materials and ingredients appeared on the kitchen island.

“There ya go, now you’ve just gotta stand there.”

You laughed and shuffled to the island.

You quickly realized that this was going to be far more difficult than you originally anticipated. For some reason, Lucifer was determined to make the simple activity of pancake-making as tedious as possible for you. When you measured the flour, he insisted that you had poured too much, leading you to re-measure six times. The eggs that you cracked always had a bit of shell in them, and instead of helping, Lucifer would just magic you more. “I’ll keep my arms right here, thank you.” He said from behind you. He did, however, beg you to add more sugar. You finally had to put your foot down after the 3rd empty bag. Why did you trust his horrible advice? No one knows, but according to legend, he apparently knows what he’s doing when it comes to pancakes.

After you had finally created some kind of batter, you struggled over to the oven with Lucifer’s arms still around you. You carefully poured the mixtures onto the skillet after putting the eye on the ‘high’ setting, and with the warm, sweet smells from the food and the demon snuggling your back, you were starting to get pretty sleepy.

That’s when you noticed it. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw that Lucifer had magicked some whipped cream in a can. Obviously, for the purpose of a topping, but you had other plans. You were sure that Lucifer’s eyes were closed behind you (you had even heard him snore a couple of times). Stealthily, you reached for the whipped cream and uncapped the can. You shook it and poured a bit into your mouth, just for fun. Then, you made your real move. You sprayed a good amount on your hand and put the can down.

“Hey, Luci, is it brown enough?” You asked innocently.

“Hmm..? I uh-“ He rubbed his eyes behind you and leaned over your shoulder to take a look at your pancake. “Yeah, you should probably flip-“

You swung your hand around and threw the whipped cream so it landed squarely on his face.

“AH-“

Lucifer’s arms eat go from your waist as he stumbled backwards in shock. His arms reached for his face to feel the whipped cream. Realizing what it was, he smiled wickedly as a forked licked the sweets off his hand.

“Oh, you have no idea who you just fucked.”

You doubled over as you cried with laughter at the sight of him, and laughed even more at that statement.

“It’s- it’s fucked with, Luci-“

Suddenly, whipped cream had landed on your face, splattering on your robe. You heard his musical laughter in front of you and, just like that, it was on.

Lucifer had summoned cans and cans of whipped cream on either of your sides and the two of you ducked behind and hopped over the kitchen island, throwing whipped cream at each other and throwing any other food you could find in the kitchen. You found a sleeve of graham crackers and started chucking those at some point while Lucifer grabbed some of his fire breathing ducks to melt the sugary ammo before it hit him. You took one of your shoes off and began chasing him with it, half laughing and half threatening him, when he finally, finally, held up a white napkin, and called, “I surrender!”

You kept laughing as you tackled him in a hug, the two of you falling to the ground.

“I’m sorry, Luci, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” You playfully said to him.

“Hurt? I’m offended you think I could even get hurt-“

“Then why’d you surrender?”

His arms snaked around your waist once again and he smirked.

“I guess I missed ya.”

You rolled your eyes and kissed him swiftly, the two of you too wrapped up in each other to care about the hectic state of the kitchen. Your hand went to his hair and carefully caressed it, trying to tidying it a bit. When you finally broke away, he looked at you breathlessly.

“Don’t get so excited there, you just had some whipped cream on your face.” You said to him, smiling.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow and another can appeared in his hand, spraying some on his lips without missing a beat.

“You dork.” You said, and kissed him again.

Then, suddenly, a voice from across the room.

“OH MY GOSH GUYS THERE’S A FIRE VAGGIE GET THE EXTINGUISHER-“

So, the two of you may have forgotten about the pancakes.

[jobrolion]

𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈

reiner x reader

after a long day driving through the middle of nowhere, you and reiner take a rest at a motel with only one room left...

wc | 2385

ao3 link

After you parked, you shifted into neutral and sighed, staring at the dusty motel sign. To your right, Reiner ran his hand over his face, exhaustion weighing heavy on both of your shoulders.

This coast to coast road trip with your best friend was mostly a good time, but driving through these barren areas proved to be a little more challenging than originally thought. Roads stretched for hours in straight lines, landscape barely changed from cornfield to cornfield, and while it had its beauty, variety was nice.

It was now, after a day of driving, that the two of you sat silently in your car, waiting for the other to say what you were both desperate to hear.

“We should stop, right?” Reiner broke the silence. “I mean we can’t keep going like this, there won’t be another motel for hours. And-”

“I agree.”

You thought that Reiner may have believed you would try to push through this, to keep going until you got out of this wasteland. Even you were not that stupid. 

Shutting off the engine, you pulled the keys out and headed with Reiner into the motel office. The overhead lighting accentuated the off white walls and the dated seating by the windows. A low humming could be heard over the television in a back room. 

You reached the counter and rang the bell, pulling out your wallet while you waited for an old man to round the corner, manning the desk. When he sat you requested two rooms. Two because a night alone was much needed.

“I’m sorry, but you’re out of luck. We’re doing maintenance on some of the rooms, and two are already taken. We’ve only got one room left available.”

You fought the urge to sigh, but couldn’t resist your eyes shutting tightly in displeasure. 

“That’s fine, we’ll take it.”

The air cooled as you were gathering what little belongings you were carrying out of the car and to the door of the motel room. Reiner set his bag on the ground before turning the key in the lock. Nudging the door open, he bent to retrieve his bag, allowing you to see over him and into the room. He looked back when he heard you aggressively exhale. There was no reason to contain your frustration now.

There was only one, small bed sitting in the middle of the room against the wall.

“Ah shit.” He entered the room, closing the door when you passed him.

“Just our luck, right?”

“I’ll go back and ask for more blankets and a pillow, I can sleep on the floor.” He knew you’d protest so he continued, “You were the one driving all day, you should get the bed.”

“You know, you say I’m stubborn, but you’re the same as me, Reiner.”

“A stubborn little shit?”

You laughed, “Something like that.” 

Despite the label of best friends, your feelings toward Reiner swayed towards romance. That’s not to say you didn’t value your friendship, quite the opposite. The only reason you felt this way was because of how strong your relationship had grown. You would never make a move and you were certain of that, but you may not get this chance again. So you gave yourself one more moment to think, then spoke.

“We could always share the bed. I promise I won’t steal the blanket.”

“Are you sure? I want you to be comfortable.” For some reason, Reiner couldn’t meet your eye.

“If you would be, so would I.”

Reiner let you use the bathroom to get ready first so when you finished you sat on your chosen side of the bed with a book. Though you couldn't begin to read. Your nerves were getting the best of you now, and your mind swarmed with thoughts of him.Thoughts of how you knew his chest looked under his shirt. Knowing how cute his hair looks when it's messy, how you know it will be in the morning. 

You slammed the book closed when he walked out of the bathroom, dressed in sweat shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt. He seemed amused when you startled.

“You good?” 

“Mhm. I’m ready for bed, though.”

“That we can agree on.” God. His voice was low and tired.

You lifted the covers for him to get in, earning you a smile. 

“I’m sorry today turned out so…” 

“Horrible?” You offered.

“Yeah. I didn’t offer much of a distraction, I was kinda in my own head.”

“I wasn’t up for much talking either. We just needed to get through the day, I think. Tomorrow will be better.”

Reiner hummed in agreement, holding out the palm of his hand. You smacked it and grinned.

“That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy any of today.” He said.

Reiner’s demeanor changed. His head tilted slightly to the side and his eyelids lowered over softening eyes.

“Tell me, what was there to enjoy?”

“You.” 

Now it was the atmosphere that changed. The crickets that were once heard outside quieted until only stilted breaths that were heard. 

“I-”

He interrupted you, whispered your name, then asked, “Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

Reiner did not hesitate before locking his lips with yours. Years of pent up emotion bubbled to the surface as he gently cradled your face. 

He pulled back for a moment, catching his breath and looking you over, scanning your face for any sign of discomfort. He found none. In fact, he was met with hungry eyes and your wandering hands finding their way into his short hair. 

As much as you both wanted to keep kissing each other, it was too much to pull away from the moment. After so long left yearning you could now look into each other's eyes with genuine emotion and an understanding that the other felt the same way.

Reiner’s hand moved to your knee, squeezing you twice before curling around the back of your mid thigh. You made the move to pick up where you left off, pressing your lips to the corner of his mouth before diving into an open and messy kiss.

His tongue ran along yours, head moving in sync with yours, hands straining to learn each other’s bodies, and pulled ever closer until you were straddling his thighs. He waited to pull you flush with his crotch, breaking the kiss and holding your waist to steady you.

The hem of Reiner’s shirt felt thin to your fingers, though it was oversized you could make out the broad expanse of his chest and shoulders. There was no giving in to your anxieties any longer, you were too far gone for that. So you gave the shirt a tug and he nodded, kissing your cheek, breaking away only for you to pull the material over his head.

The sight was not new, but it felt as if it was. You could no longer hide the lust behind your features, letting your mouth part slightly under shadowed eyes. Your hands roamed what bare skin you could find, savoring every inch of it. 

Finally, you closed the distance, pressing yourself to his clothed dick. Through the thick sweat shorts you could feel him, hard and wanting. Now it was his turn to disrobe your upper half, leaving you bare chested, the chill air and the stimulation hardening your nipples as Reiner stared. He could not hide the licking of his lips as he brought his hands up and cupped your breasts. 

His was the first moan of the night. Forehead now resting against your shoulder, he massaged you, hands occasionally wandering off to trace your waist or run his short fingernails gently down your back.

You ground down on him, letting out a moan of your own at the contact. Your clit throbbed with anticipation. With a hand on either side of his head, you pulled Reiner’s face away from your neck and kissed him hard, moving his hand from your breast down to your waistband. He wasted no time reaching into your pants and a sense of relief washed over him when he felt how wet you were. It was no small feat overcoming his self doubt and insecurity, but feeling how ready and willing and wanting you already were for him, every single negative thought fled from his mind as he refocused on his task. 

His thick fingers swept the length of you and pressed inside, reveling in the lewd moan you released. When he decided you were ready, he added another finger, pumping them in and out of you, curling them steadily to make you feel so, so good. Your gasping grew louder and your groaning more frequent, so he pressed his thumb to your clit and rubbed hard and slow circles on it. 

“Reiner, please, please. I’m so so so-” Your words almost turned to laughs as you came on his hands, moaning when he removed them. He stared at you in awe until you looked up at him. When you did, he made a show of bringing his fingers to his mouth, drawing attention to his long tongue cleaning your cum from his hand.

“It’s your turn now, big man.” 

At your words his hips jolted into yours and he gripped your ass to keep you there for a moment longer before you pulled off of him completely. You stood to strip everything off. Reiner removed the last of his clothing clumsily on the bed, desperate for you to come back to him.

“Wait.” As you started back, he called your name. “Turn for me.”

Your face split in a huge grin before a shy look took over your features. Arms down, palms facing the floor, you turned slowly, trying desperately to look sexy. Though nothing you could have done wouldn't have looked sexy to him.

“Now come back here, baby.”

You did as he asked you, taking his outstretched hand and kneeling beside where he sat. 

“Hey.”

Reiner responded in kind. “You want this too?”

You nodded, but he still expected an answer. “I do. So much.”

With that, he pulled on your legs so you could easily lay down in the center of the bed, leaning back on your elbows while he took his turn straddling you. His hands roamed the extent of you, giving special attention to every inch before moving to sit between your legs. Your reflex was to shy away, to bring your legs together, but when he kissed the side of your knee, you found yourself relaxing, and let your head fall back onto the pillow. 

Reiner kneeled with his knees on either side of your ass and brought your legs up to squeeze his waist. With you having been prepped and wet already, he looked down at your cunt, shiny and waiting. He wouldn’t dare delay the pleasure for either of you. With one hand he lined himself up with your slit, the other held your hand, fingers intertwined with yours. He made eye contact and with a breath out he pushed in. 

He was met with little resistance, when there was some, he simply pulled back out and slowly made his way back in, bottoming out on the second try. At this point, Reiner could no longer hold back the sounds of his pleasure. He would grunt and groan, call out your name and whisper profanities all in the name of you. 

You felt like you had ascended. All the time in the world had stopped and it was only the two of you in this room that had this moment all to yourselves. The sight above you was enough to finish you off then and there. The debauched look on Reiner's face sent you spinning. Your hand not wrapped around his found its way into his hair, messing it up more than it already had been. His eyes wouldn’t dare close for the thought of being without you would ruin the moment. 

Now both of his hands gripped your waist, bringing your hips forward to meet his thrusts. The lewd sound of skin slapping skin filled the dimly lit motel room and were met with the sounds of whimpers and moans that accompanied it.

“Reiner.” He loved the way you whined his name. “I’m so close.”

“Me too.” And you loved the way he whined yours. 

He pushed himself to be completely on top of you now, arms bracing himself on either side of your head as he thrust into you, picking up speed. His eyes traded roaming your face to glance down between the two of you to where his body disappeared into yours.

You cradled his face now, bringing him down so you could press his forehead to yours. Reiner reached down to rub on your clit, bringing you ever closer to your peak. He was so close himself, but he refused to come before you.

You repeated his name and your previous sentiment, gripping onto his shoulders as he told you to come. That’s all it took for you to completely come undone. You came on Reiner’s cock and trembled beneath him, hips jerking with overstimulation. 

Reiner’s mouth was now at your ear, whispering your name and gods. His hips bucked into your frantically, chasing that same high. When that rope started to snap, he pulled out, gripping his dick tightly and pumping it as he came on your stomach. You watched him, enraptured.

When he finished, he sat back on his knees, head hung while he caught his breath. You rose and pulled his face to your neck, one hand on the back of his head, the other around his back as you laid down with him. 

Reiner came back from the bathroom with a damp towel and set to work cleaning you up, spending more time than he needed to on your most intimate areas before throwing it to the side and moving to lay with you once more. Your mouth opened and closed, words coming and going before you had the courage to say them.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” He started when he sensed your hesitation.

“I think we should. Because…” You sighed in relief. “I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

“Likewise.” Reiner kissed your forehead sweetly. “Because I think I love you.”

[ladykailitha]

Sweet Home Indiana Part 1

Hello! And welcome to this fun little fusion that I came up with here. If anyone can find the post about gay legal troubles after gay marriage was legalized (I think was originally about polyamory divorces) let me know so I can link here, too.

Summary: Eddie is a successful tattoo artist in Seattle and is engaged to be married to Chrissy. Only there is one problem. Well, technically three. You see, back before the Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was a right and not a privilege Eddie had gotten married in a couple of different states to different people. But now that's it's legal, he's a bigamist and he has to get his exes to divorce him. Which is easy enough for two of the three, not so much for the third. You see the third just isn't just any ex, it's the ex. Steve Harrington. So now he has to go down to Hawkins and try to convince the person he thought he was going to spend his life with to divorce him. Something much easier said then done, especially when Eddie finds himself falling back in love.

EDDIE IS GAY IN THIS BUT THERE ARE REASONS OKAY!

****

Eddie’s life was good. Let it be said that it was really good. He knew that. But he had regrets. Didn’t everyone?

He regretted how his band broke up. It wasn’t his fault, but he hadn’t seen the cracks when they had started to show. He hadn’t seen how tired Jeff was getting or how fucked Gareth was. He hadn’t seen that Brian was only phoning it in every night.

So when it all fell apart after a concert in Seattle, he was left holding the pieces of his band and his broken heart. He had gotten a job as a tattoo apprentice and had worked really hard to get his own chair.

He had friends. Good ones. Jeff had stayed in Seattle, too. Gareth had gone into rehab and had moved to a small village in the south of France. Brian had gotten married and moved back to Indiana where he became a teacher and lived a quiet life. The life he had always wanted.

Then there was Chrissy. He loved her so much. They had met when she came into the tattoo parlor to get a tattoo covered. She wanted to cover the name of her ex-boyfriend with a purple violet. Eddie had smiled at her when she asked.

It was some of his best work, if he was honest.

She was a legal assistant that had just gotten her paralegal degree and was trying to get a work visa.

She had come over to the USA from Barbados. A little island country in the Caribbean.

He didn’t know how she could stand living in damp Seattle after being born on sun-soaked shores under glistening palm trees. But Chrissy was adamant that she loved being in Washington where it rained almost all the time.

Eddie was on a mission. One that he had sworn to Chrissy that he would do today.

He walked into the county clerk’s office and applied for a marriage license for him and Chrissy.

“I’m sorry Mr. Munson,” the clerk told him, “but our records show that you have not one, not two but three marriages in three different states.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide.

“What?” He would remember that, surely.

“To a William Hargrove in Hawaii, a Thomas M. Hagan in New York, and Steven J. Harrington in Massachusetts,” the woman said, holding up her reading glasses in front of her face to read off the list.

“But those were only legal in the state they were preformed in, right?” he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

The woman shook her head. “Not since the Supreme Court ruled that it was legal for gays to get married. It’s cause a lot of trouble for a lot you people, let me tell you.”

Eddie knocked his knuckle on the counter and licked his lips. “Shit.”

She grimaced sympathetically. “I’m sorry, but before you can get a marriage license in the state of Washington, you’ll have to provide divorce decrees from all three of your exes.”

Eddie pounded on the counter this time with his open palm. “Thanks.”

He walked away and he heard her call out, “Next!”

Shit, shit, shit.

This was going to be hell, he could feel it.

****

Chrissy had fast food waiting for him when he got home from work.

“Did you get the license?” she asked, handing him his food and drink.

Eddie buried his head in his hands. “No, because stupid gay marriage legalization made all gay marriages legal, no matter what state you preformed them in.”

“Oh.”

She sat down hard. “So your three marriages suddenly count?”

“Yeah,” Eddie murmured. “I don’t even know where any of them are. Like I assume Steve’s still in Hawkins, because he’d never leave, but the other two? I have no fucking idea.”

She patted him on the shoulder and said, “We’ll find a way. The law firm has investigators on staff for this very reason. It might take a while, but we’ll find them.

Eddie nodded. “I’m sorry.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and sat down on his lap. “I’m not. You didn’t know. Otherwise you would have taken care of it when Obergefell v. Hodges went through the Supreme Court.”

Eddie nodded, but he pursed his lips, his hands up around her waist to hold her steady.

“Let’s just eat and I’ll start work on it tomorrow,” she murmured. “Okay?”

“Mmk,” he muttered.

****

Three weeks later, Eddie had in hand two of the three annulments. Billy had sent his back with a little note that said, “With pleasure.” Tommy had merely sent his back without comment.

That was a relief. He was no longer bound to either of those two assholes. He wasn’t even sure what possessed him to marry them in the first place.

Well, okay. He did. He was far away from home, lonely and willing to connect with anyone who would fuck him.

He was getting ready to call Chrissy to her the good news when the phone rang under his hand.

Eddie frowned at it for a moment, before he picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Eddie? Eddie Munson?” the familiar voice sounded through the cell phone.

“This is he,” he replied, still confused.

“If you want to divorce me, you asshole,” Steve spat, “then have the fucking courage to tell me to my face.”

“Steve?” Eddie asked, his confusion still there, but for a different reason now. How did he get his number?

“Yeah,” Steve hissed. “Remember me? The man you left for fame and fortune? How is that going, by the way?”

Eddie gritted his teeth. “You know full well we broke up, I know Dustin still talks to you.”

He could hear Steve snap his fingers. “That’s right. You broke up. And until you tell me to my face you want to do the same, you take your annulment and shove it up your ass.”

“Stevie...” Eddie pleaded.

“Don’t ‘Stevie’ me,” Steve growled. “Fuck you.”

And the phone went dead then Eddie turned his phone around to see that yes, Steve had disconnected the call.

“Fuck.”

****

Eddie called Chrissy with the news. Two yeses and a ‘fuck you’.

“All right, Ed,” she said. “There is more to this than you’ve been telling me, so you are coming over to my apartment with the annulments you got and you are going to spill. Capeesh?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” she huffed and then hung up.

Looked like today was hang up on Eddie day. He sat down at the table both annulments spread out in front of him and buried his head in his hands.

After a few minutes of allowing himself to break down, he picked up the papers and grabbed his keys, wallet, and cell phone.

Time to face the music.

****

Chrissy opened the door with a scowl, but softened when she saw how miserable Eddie looked.

He handed her the annulments and she put them her bag to take to work so that they could be filed with county clerk.

“Tell me about Steve Harrington.”

So Eddie did.

He told her about how they had bonded over a bunch of kids. Kids Steve had used to babysit, but once they got into high school came under Eddie’s wing as leader and DM of the D&D club called The Hellfire Club. How they had gotten together and when Massachusetts made it legal, him, Steve, Jeff, and Steve’s best friend Robin all drove out to Boston and Steve and he got married in a little court house.

“My Uncle Wayne was pissed he wasn’t there,” Eddie said. “But it was spur of the moment thing. We drove all night and got there that afternoon. We put on little suits and let the judge say his words.”

“That sounds sweet, so what happened?”

He let out a shuddering sigh. “Gareth graduated from high school and we got an offer to record an album in New York.”

“Why didn’t he go with you?” she asked gently.

Eddie rubbed his nose. “Because the kids still had two years left of school. He wanted to be there for them. A couple of them didn’t have good home lives and he wanted to make sure they had someone they could count on. We fought about it. Hard.”

“I’m sorry, cher,” she whispered giving his arm a squeeze.

“God,” Eddie said, his voice cracking. “The things we said to each other. It was bad, Chris.”

“And now he won’t sign the papers?” she asked.

He shook his head. “He told me the only way he’d sign anything is I came back to Hawkins and handed it to him myself.”

Chrissy nodded. “All right,” she said, “here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to get a proper divorce degree written up, making sure it’s worded so he knows you won’t be going after any assets he has and then you are taking a week off of work and going down there and facing him. Because holy fucking hell, Ed, he deserves some kind of closure as do you.”

Eddie let out a heartbreaking sigh. “I don’t know if I can face him, Chris. God, I put everything else before him and broke his heart. He always wanted this big wedding. A beautiful reception where all our friends and loved ones were there. A beautiful grey morning jacket with a proper boutonniere and saying his vows across from the one he loved. And instead he got an empty court house and broken promises from a screw up like me.”

She wrapped her arms around him and let him sob into her shoulder.

“Which is why you need to go down there and give him that closure,” she murmured, “so that he can have all that with someone else. Someone who isn’t afraid.”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, just let me know when it’s ready and I’ll take one of my vacation weeks to go to Hawkins, Indiana.”

Chrissy winced. “Maybe don’t sound like you’re going to your funeral, yeah?”

Eddie scoffed and rolled his eyes. As far as he was concerned he was going to a funeral. Maybe not his own, but the death of the first real relationship he ever had and if somehow he made it out alive, he was never going to be the same again.

****

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Tag List:

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@useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95

[maxdibert]

@petals2fish sorry but your friend block me so i can't answer properly your post but i want to say some things about your statement:

And basically are here:

A classist excuse that ignores the social and economic conditions of a person in a situation of vulnerability and danger of social exclusion. You blatantly disregard all the material conditions surrounding a person from an extremely poor environment with no family support, only to find themselves in a school environment where they are constantly persecuted and harassed. You also overlook what it means to be embraced by a specific group of people promising to help them out of the misery if they follow them. Basically, you disregard all the international analyses and statistics linking young people at risk of exclusion as prime targets for sectarian and far-right political groups precisely because of their social conditions. But well, one can overcome classism too, especially when one reads books and not just fanfics and Tumblr posts.

The only Weasley he openly dislikes is Harry’s friend, nothing to do with the rest of the Weasleys, honestly. And despite not having money, the Weasleys are still pure-blood, which means they maintain a superior status over him in the wizarding world. Blood status in the wizarding world has clear parallels with the concept of classical European aristocracy, and in Europe, you can be completely broke, but if you're an aristocrat, you’ll always be considered socially above those who aren’t, even if they’re wealthier. So if you’re trying to establish some kind of power dynamic between the Weasleys and Severus, honestly, you’re going about it the wrong way. You should put a little more effort into understanding how structural class differences work in certain societies rather than pushing a neoliberal, American-centric perspective.

And yes, obviously, he distanced himself from his poor origins because they reminded him of being marginalized, excluded, and abused at home—just like many people from the same social background do as a response to trauma. It’s also true that he served and gave his life for "the good guys," who always treated him like absolute shit, always distrusted him, humiliated him, and marginalized him, while he turned his back on those who, at the very least, treated him with some degree of sympathy “for the greater good.” And I think you’re deliberately and conveniently ignoring this.

On another note, I don’t understand why Severus should have any intention of saving the life of a guy who stripped him against his will in front of the entire school, publicly suffocated him, and made his life hell for seven years. A pure-blood guy, from an important family, disgustingly rich, with far more social and financial power than he ever had. Like, I wouldn’t expect anyone to save their abuser’s life—I’d actually ask for them to be tortured until they begged for their own death. I don’t know what kind of utopian fantasy world you live in where you can hold it against someone that they don’t give a single shit whether the person who abused, humiliated, and traumatized them for life lives or dies. Some of the nonsense you lot come out with is just... wow.

Yes, Snape had self-hatred and internalized classism. And failing to understand where that comes from, failing to recognize how power structures operate when it comes to vulnerable people at high risk of social exclusion—who are pushed by their environment into becoming prime targets for grooming and brainwashing—is classist. But that’s not internalized classism; that’s overt classism. It’s looking at everything from a morally superior stance shaped by a society incapable of empathizing with or comprehending how certain sectarian groups operate and how they primarily target vulnerable youth for radicalization. It’s pretending to ignore how drug cartels recruit underprivileged children and teenagers to work for them, how nationalist terrorist groups focus on young people to indoctrinate them, how religious cults prey on kids with troubled homes or social environments to manipulate them more easily. It’s refusing to see beyond your privileged nose and your complete lack of real-life experience with people who’ve actually faced serious problems, choosing instead to spew moralistic monologues without having the slightest clue how the world actually works.

[mattsturnioloz]

I found you again: Pt 2.

Summary: Sequel of ‘Then I lost you’, A year after a devastating break up, Y/n finds herself reuniting with the love of her life, Matt Sturniolo, at a mutual friends birthday party. Will they rekindle their love?

Pairings: Y/n x Matt Sturniolo

Warnings: Crying, arguing, angst, uti, cussing, mentions of anxiety.

A/N: (Yall wanted this so bad so i’m about to work on it, hope you guys enjoy😚 Again, If you haven’t, I recommend reading ‘Then I lost you’ first. There’s 5 parts so you have a little more understanding of why they broke up and the story in general, here’s a link :) ‘Then I lost you’)

I feel dread the rest of the way to the party. I know I shouldn’t be upset but I can’t help it. I can’t just throw away the 5 years we had together.

We get to the party and I realize that I need to loosen up. Chris, Nick and I thank the uber as we walk up to Tara’s door and we don’t bother knocking, I open the door and lead us in, seeing all the people, feeling a little self conscious about my outfit since I don’t usually dress this way. I grab Nicks hand as we walk through the house so that we didn’t lose eachother, Chris close behind.

“Y/n, we HAVE to take pictures in a bit I need some for instagram.” Nick says and Chris nods agreeing with him. “Yea sure, you guys look good.” I reply smiling at them, taking in their outfits. They both say thank you as we continue to walk through the crowded house, greeting some friends and we spot Larri, Quen and Tara talking in the backyard.

We walk up to them and I pounce on Larri and Quen scaring them and they both jump. “Holy fuck bitch you scared me!!” Larri yells, laughing as we hug.

All 6 of us talk for a while and we take pictures but eventually I somehow end up alone. Everyone is doing their own thing and I go inside where people are dancing and taking shots then I turn around when I feel someone grab my shoulder and it’s Jake with Johnnie next to him.

“Hi guys!!” I yell over the music hugging them. “Hey, Happy Birthday! are you gonna take shots with us?” Jake asks with shots in his hands and all of a sudden the attention is on us and the whole party is watching and convincing me to take some. I look in the corner of my eye and I see tara, a shot already in her hand.

I nod and drown down a couple of shots and all of us are having a good time. I’m not drunk but I definitely feel a little buzzed. I grab a drink after and I sit in the corner of the house just observing everyone as they dance.

The front door opens and I watch to see who it could be and my heart drops down to my ass. It’s Matt. With a blonde haired girl following behind him as they hold hands. I feel like throwing up. I clutch my chest before holding my mouth and I run to the bathroom dropping to the floor, puking up all of the alcohol.

I stand up and wipe my mouth, going to door and locking it. I look in the mirror, leaning against the sink. I thought he wasn’t coming?? I can’t go back out. I have to pretend to be drunk or something so I have an excuse to go home. Ew no.. I can’t do that.

I can’t say it’s because I don’t want to see Matt with a new girl, i’ll look like an idiot. But here I am a year later, still fonding over my ex who’s clearly moved on. I have to act like I don’t care. Yea, i’ll do that.

I hear a knock at the door and I fix myself up before opening it. I’m already startled when I see it’s the girl Matt came with, his girlfriend.

There’s an awkward silence between us before she speaks up “Can I- uh..” she says, pointing at the bathroom awkwardly, and that’s when I realize I was just standing there staring like a freak. Fuck. I already messed up.

“Oh! yea. i’m so sorry..” I answer, almost jumping out the way. God that’s embarrassing. I walk away and I sit back in the spot I was at originally. That’s when I spot Matt talking to Nick and Chris.

He looks so different. So good.. He has a new haircut and he grew his beard out. He doesn’t have the middle part anymore. He looks better.

He takes off his sweater revealing his arm covered in scattered tattoos and I melt. He has way more than what he had when we were together. I stop staring and look away when I see that his gaze meets mine, his eyes widening in shock when he spots me and I try to act like I didn’t see him. I feel my heart starting to beat out of my chest.

I look to my left and see his girlfriend coming out of the bathroom, making her way over to him before kissing him. I feel like i’m gonna throw up again as I feel a pit forming in my stomach. I make an almost disgusted face but quickly wipe it off. I can’t hate just because i’m jealous.

I look to my right and I see Nick and Chris walking over to me, Chris speaking first. “Nick wants to take shots, but he’s scared.” He says leaning down to my ear since the music was loud. “Why are you scared?” I chuckle, looking over at Nick when he starts speaking. “See, we’ve been 21 for months and I haven’t drank because i’m scared im gonna wake up in a ditch with an agonizing hangover.” he adds, as the 3 of us chuckle.

“I’ll get drunk if you do.” I say to Nick and Chris looks between us back and forth with his jaw dropped while chuckling. “I’m down.” Nick replies, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. I’m not stupid. I know I only said that to get Matt and the fact that he has a girlfriend off my mind.

I stand up and we go to the kitchen, brushing past Matt and his girlfriend and I fill up 2 shot glasses for Nick and I when Chris nudges me holding a shot glass. “You too?” I say raising my brows at him and he nods giggling like he’s excited.

I look over at Matt and his girlfriend who are watching us. “You guys want one?” I ask them, specifically making eye contact with Matt. I have to act like I don’t care, right?

“No i’m oka-“ His girlfriend replies but getting cut off by him. “I’ll take one.” He replies with a slight smile at me and I smile back, nodding and filling up a shot glass for him.

I hand it to him before the 4 of us cheers as his girlfriend watches us. Matt only took 1 shot because he’s driving, but Nick, Chris and I keep taking some to the point where I don’t know how many we drank.

15 minutes later the 3 of us are drunk leaning against each other while laughing and messing around. “L-let’s go to the couch..” Nick slurs, laughing as he talks. When we try to walk Chris falls splat on the ground and just lays there instead of getting up, making Nick and I tumble to the ground from laughing so hard. “Nick- Nick I can’t get uppp!” I say cackling pushing on his head trying to get up, Nick still laughing hysterically.

I look over at Chris and he’s still on his stomach in the same position he fell in, giggling to himself, his face squished against the cold wood floors. “Get up you freak!” I yell at Chris, still unable to control myself and I see Matt walking over to help him up. “Alright buddy, let’s get you guys home.” He says to Chris. He takes Chris first while Nick and I are sitting up, slumped against eachother on the wall.

Matt comes back and takes Nick before coming back for me. His girlfriend already waiting in the car with Chris and Nick. “Alright it’s your turn..” He says scooping me up bridal style, putting my arm around his neck. “Me too??..” I slur, my eyes barely open. “What? You thought i’d leave you there? you can’t possibly think that low of me.” He says, chuckling. I smile at him and my hand finds the back of his head and I start playing with his hair.

He looks at my face and smiles at me sweetly, making eye contact with me and I couldn’t help but cup his face and glide my finger across his cheek. I missed his face, the feeling of his touch, his smile, the way he looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes.

He takes my hand from his face holding it in his. “You can’t do that y/n.. I’m with Nancy.” He says, his smile fading. Right. I’m an idiot. “Sorry..” I slur, embarrassed. I know I can’t be selfish though, he’s in a relationship and I need to respect that. It’s not fair to her.

He still smiles at me again as he opens the back door of his car, putting me next to Chris before buckling me in and shutting the door. He gets into the passenger seat and his girlfriend kisses his cheek, getting touchy which pisses me off but again.. I can’t be mad.

I lay my head on Chris’s shoulder, feeling tired. I look over and Nick and Chris are already out like a light, so I close my eyes. We haven’t even moved yet. I feel Matt look back at me a couple of seconds before I start to hear lips smacking. There’s no way they’re fucking making out right now.

I open my eyes and lift my head from Chris’s shoulder to see them macking on each others mouths, I even saw tongue. I feel my body get hot and I feel like I can’t breathe. He doesn’t even have the decency to not do that in front of me. Even if he thinks i’m asleep, I still feel so disgusted and disrespected.

“Are you kidding me right now?!” I yell and I see them both get startled before looking at me in shock. I unbuckle my seatbelt grabbing my small purse and I open the car door stumbling out going back towards the party.

I fall on the grass since i’m still really drunk but I get back up and stumble towards the front door. I hear the car door opening and closing, matt’s voice following behind it. “Y/N!!”

He catches up to me and he grabs my arms. “Y/n, i’m sorry okay? We shouldn’t have done that, I didn’t thin-” he says, panicked before I interrupt him, shoving him away from me.

“Don’t touch me!! what the hell is wrong with you!!” I yell and I feel my nails digging into the palm of my hand from clenching my fists so hard. I could see the anger flush over his face when I shoved him, he grabs my forearms and holds them together firmly.

“Don’t fucking shove me! It’s not my fault you haven’t moved on!” He yells, still gripping my arms. I try to get out his grip but I fail. “I said don’t touch me.” I repeat, sternly. “I don’t care if you’re in a relationship, but you had to do that with me right behind you? I feel so disrespec-“ I add but I get cut off by him.

“You feel disrespected or insecure and jealous?” He snaps, in the same stern tone. Wow. “You’re an asshole!” I shove him again finally managing to get out his grip. “Why? because i’m right?!” He yells, after he stumbles back from the push. “Fuck you.” I slur, since i’m still very much drunk, my eyes watering. I see how my words weigh on him, but I don’t care at the moment.

I take in the night air, barely knowing why this is happening, the tears rolling down my cheeks making the cold air sting my face. He just stands there taking a deep breath obviously conflicted. This is the worst birthday ever. I should’ve stayed home.

1,951 words.

A/N: (this chapter is so long but I was so invested LMAO😭 Let me know what you guys think, it always helps me🙂)

Taglist: @watercolorskyy @chrissfleshlight @realuvrrr @stonermattsgf @pvssychicken @venusbabysblog @kayla-hearts4sturniolo @endereies @imwetforyourmom @starzinasblog @urfavstromboli @sturniqloo @star-yawnznn @h3arts4harry @asherrisrandom @tsturniolo4 @urmom69lol @luzsturniolo @victoriasturniolo @ncm9696 @valkatriee @sturnslut1 @annielolz @sturnlover4eva @luzsturniolo @slxtarchive @anyaa2s @sturnzpro

[naughtyneganjdm]

Love's Second Chance: A Holiday Reunion - Chapter 22

Summary: Heartbroken by her decision to be alone instead of picking Joel or Negan, Y/N is left miserable. It's obvious to anyone that knows and loves her. In the hopes to make things right Elizabeth tries to work with Joel and her mother so they can all all be happy.

Characters: Joel Miller, the reader (OC), Negan Smith, Elizabeth, etc.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60501985/chapters/159409516 Warnings: Swearing, Severe Angst, etc.

Notes: Okay, so this is the last chapter. It's long. It probably could have been separated into two chapters, but I was just eager to get it done. Originally this story had three endings, but I decided to combine them into what I thought was a better one. Thanks to anyone that read this. I appreciate anyone who has. Sorry it took so long to get the whole story up, but I did my best!

She hated to admit it, but over the last twenty-four hours Y/N had spent an incredible amount of time in bed depressed an emotional. This was a position so many people probably would have loved to be in. Between two gorgeous men who both wanted to be with her. Yet for her? She was devastated and heart broken. On Christmas, she made what she thought was the right decision to dump both Negan and Joel so to speak. Especially after the whole marriage thing. Both of them expected answers from her and she wasn’t going to choose. She wasn’t going to break either of their hearts and have to deal with the weight of that. The only problem with that decision? It hurt. And it hurt a lot.

After that night, both Joel and Negan attempted to call her. But she ignored them both. Right now, she needed to make it clear how things were going to be. If they couldn’t figure things out together, then she wasn’t going to be with either one. She was sick of them fighting and she refused to hurt either one by making a decision. Having them talk to her would only confuse her again.

It didn’t stop her from thinking about things though. Letting the thoughts linger in her mind. Constantly comparing both Negan and Joel, weighing out the options if she did decide to make a choice. So many feelings and emotions were flooding through her.

There was Joel. The first man she ever loved. Someone she fell in love with at first sight. From the moment she met him, she knew she was head over heels in love with him. They shared a life together. And while that life may have not been perfect, it was a love she knew she would never feel again. They had two children together. They went through things a lot of people never had to experience in their lives. Joel was everything that she knew. Until Negan, Joel was the only man she had ever slept with. The only man she ever had a relationship with. Joel was her everything growing up. Who was she kidding? Joel was her everything until Negan showed up. But that didn’t mean she didn’t love him. She still loved him. More than she probably should have. Joel had broken her heart many times, but her heart never knew how to let go. And it was obvious that Joel still cared for her. He made a lot of mistakes, but she didn’t doubt that he still loved her. There was just so much history there that it was hard not to think about, but it was also hard to not let go of that either. Joel was the father of her children. They had a connection that she would never have with anyone else.

And then there was Negan. The man that had loved her ever since he was a little boy. For him? It was love at first sight. He was loyal and dedicated to her. Desperate to make her endlessly happy. But she was the one that broke his heart when she picked Joel without even acknowledging their history together. Which thinking back on was a lot of history. Joel showed up into her life when she was ten years old. Negan had always been there but left when she was sixteen years old. For the longest time she thought he abandoned her, but it took years for her to realize what really happened. Did he have a dark past? Yes, and there were many layers to Negan. Ones that she knew she had barely just scratched the surface of, but Negan was perfect. Maybe not for other people, but he was for her. She knew that Negan’s love was pure through and through. And deep down, she knew that he wanted what was best for her. Regardless of what her decisions were, even if he didn’t end up happy at the end of the day, Negan was just desperate to be in her life again and to give her everything she had ever wanted.

There were good and bad qualities to both men. There was no denying that. And she knew she loved both of them.

Another thing that kept circling throughout her mind was the job offer that Negan had given her. It was everything that she would have wanted when she was younger. To be important. To travel and see the world. To take photos and have people be interested in the subject that she was covering. America loved their sports and people seemed to really like Negan. Everywhere they went, she saw that. It was a starting ground, but she knew that she would be gone a lot and she didn’t know if she could do that to the children. Especially considering everything she fought for in order to be there for them always. Maybe she never had a lot, but she was always there for her children through the years. She didn’t want that to change. And she didn’t want Joel to be alone either because she knew that he could self-sabotage too. Everyone counted on her so much, would they be able to survive without her?

Then again, there was the idea that Negan brought forth to them. Offering Joel the chance to travel with them too. It really sounded perfect. But there was such a thing as too perfect, she realized that. And she did hear the things that both Peter and Elizabeth said. They didn’t care what they did because they were happy to go wherever they were needed. They just loved their parents and Negan. They wanted them happy.

That was a word that was said a lot during Christmas. The word happy. But right now? She wasn’t happy. She was miserable.

This would have been an easy choice for a lot of people. She was sure of that. Some people would pick Joel. He was the ex-husband. The father of her children. He was hard working. The thing that she was used to. They were always still in each other’s lives. Joel was handsome, strong and fiercely independent.

Other people would have picked Negan. He was the celebrity. He could offer her the life that she always wanted. Make every one of her dreams come true. And around him? She was happier than she had ever been. No one had fought harder to make her happy. He was accepting of her still loving Joel. And he was incredibly sexy, charismatic and loving. Also very truthful with her about everything.

Yet for her, the choice was hard. If she picked Negan to marry, she’d break Joel’s heart. If she picked Joel, she would break Negan’s heart. It didn’t matter if they were a trio together. If she picked one of them, someone would end up hurt. And that’s the last thing she ever wanted. So it only made sense for her to pick neither one. Regardless of how awful it made her feel.

Negan would land on his feet again. Women would desperately fall at his feet. Joel would also eventually figure something out. When they had gotten divorced, it didn’t take long for him to hook up with Tess. Both Joel and Negan were two men that any woman would be lucky to have. It was better to allow them to find happiness elsewhere than to be hurt being stuck in some kind of relationship with her.

In that moment, the sound of a knock on the door pulled her away from her own thoughts with her laying stretched out on the couch in absolute silence. Looking to the door, she really debated getting up at this point. Everything was dark and she was just giving herself time to be alone. Maybe she could pretend that she wasn’t there to begin with.

There it was again, the knock. By the knocking and the lack of barging in, Y/N immediately knew who it was. Getting up from the couch, she let out an uncomfortable breath and headed for the door. Pulling it open, she clung to the doorknob and stared out at Negan who was standing before her looking uneasy.

“Hey,” Negan spoke softly, his dimples very prominent showing just how uneasy he was standing before her. With her not answering his calls or his texts, he knew that she wanted to be left alone. She wouldn’t be happy with him coming over, but he felt like this was needed. Both of them looked awful so this was certainly effecting them both. “I know you don’t want to see me right now and I understand that, but there is something that I have to tell you.”

Pushing the door open further, she stepped in the doorway and stared out at Negan. Not speaking, she let him rock on his feet before pushing his hands into his pockets. In the past she would have let him into the house to sit with her, but she didn’t think she should. Especially since if she spent that time with Negan, it may persuade her into making a different choice.

“Uhm, Dale called me,” Negan started realizing that she was allowing him to talk to her, but she wasn’t saying anything nor was she going to be bringing the conversation into the house. “If I’m going to take the job as coach, they want me to fly out in a few days to where the owner of the team lives to sign a contract with his lawyers.”

“Okay,” she stammered, simply nodding her head. Hearing that had her throat tensing up at the idea of it coming up so suddenly.

“They told me that they also wanted you to come out there and sign your contract if you decided you wanted to take the job,” Negan alerted her, his hazel eyes full of a sadness that there was no doubting. It hurt her to see him like that. “Dale told me if you had certain stipulations that they would probably be willing to work with you. You can take the original contract. You can do the two weeks on and off. It’s up to you. If you want to do the second one, I can team up with the journalist I told you about.”

Listening to him, she didn’t say anything and that seemed to upset him. Negan was stammering, his words uneasy and broken showing that he was uncomfortable still about everything. Having her be so silent about things had Negan even more ill at ease. Reaching inside of his pocket, Negan pulled something out and held it out for her. “This is for you.”

“What is it?” she asked, realizing that Negan’s hand was trembling with him holding it out to her. Accepting whatever it was, she pulled open the envelope to look at what was inside. Seeing that it was a plane ticket for a few days from now, she dropped her arm down at her side and felt overwhelmed. “You already got me a ticket?”

“I just want you to have it no matter what decision you make,” Negan claimed, shoving his hands back into his jacket pockets. Shrugging his shoulders, his lips parted and he went to say something, but instead a broken sound escaped him. “I’m at a loss here and I haven’t been like this in a very long time Y/N. I don’t know what to do.”

“Do what you want to do Negan,” she stressed to him and it had Negan smiling uncomfortably, forcing himself to look away from her. By the way his jaw flexed, she knew that he was despondent and he shook his head.

“I don’t know what I want to do when it comes to the baseball team Y/N,” Negan informed her, his words trembling with his breathing growing louder. Lifting his head, she saw that his eyes were damp eliciting the ache in her chest to grow stronger. “What I want to do is be with you. If you want me to quit the team today, I would. I would give everything up for you. If you want me to take the job, I would. None of this matters without you.”

“You only feel that way because you’re emotional from everything,” she prompted hating to see him so upset. What she said had him scoffing and rolling his eyes. Being cold toward him was hard, but she felt like it was the right thing to do. “Your job has been and will always be more important than me. You’re feeling the way you do right now because everything was so new and so fresh. I brought back the feelings you had when you were a child. Eventually, you will find someone else like Lucille and…”

“Bullshit,” Negan interrupted her with a furious breath, his hazel eyes lifting to stare out at her angrily. A single tear slid down his face with him grimacing at the idea. “Stop selling me this stupid bullshit Y/N. You know just as much as I do that I have been in love with you my whole life. Not having you in my life is the worst possible thing that could happen to me.”

“Not having me in your life keeps you from being hurt. I will hurt you,” she reasoned with him, her body now shaking. Holding back on her emotions was not going to happen with Negan so upset before her. “I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want to hurt Joel. Choosing to live my life the way I did before Christmas is what is best for everyone. Alone. It gives you and Joel the chance to be happy elsewhere without making things complicated.”

“That is the worst possible decision you could make for all three of us and you know that,” Negan stressed to her, shaking his head and sucking in a sharp breath of air. “Just pick Joel then if this is what you are going to do to us. I can handle it. I told you that I’m happy as long as I’m still in your life. I swear I’m okay with the trio.”

“You say that, but when I turned down your proposal,” she paused, shaking her head and letting out a broken breath, “that feeling that we had? That pure, lighthearted feeling was gone. You were devastated and heart broken. Looking at you? I saw right through that fake smile you put on to make me feel better. I kept breaking you down piece by piece. And I don’t want to do that to you anymore.”

“So shattering my heart by doing this makes more sense to you?” Negan hissed out, throwing his hand up in the air showing that he didn’t agree with her comment. “Listen to me, I don’t care if you pick Joel. I don’t care if you don’t want the job. I don’t care if you want the fucking job, but you don’t want me. Or if you want me but not the fucking job. I need you in my life. Do the thing that your heart wants most.”

“My heart truly believes that this is the best option,” she declared, placing both her hands in over the center of her chest, but the more she said it the more upset it was making Negan. Holding out the ticket he had gotten for her, Negan took one step back and shook his head. “You should just keep this Negan.”

“No, you’re not thinking clearly,” Negan emphasized with a grunt, refusing to take back what he had given her. “I think if you really think this whole thing out, you’re going to realize that you are making a mistake. Joel and I were just emotional. Very emotional. And everything will work itself out because we love you. I love you. I love you so fucking much. You have to see that.”

“I don’t question your love Negan,” she refused to let him believe that she thought he didn’t love her. “I just think you deserve something better. I think you and Joel deserve something more than me.”

“Neither one of us want that and you know that,” Negan let out a pained sound, shaking his head once more. “Call Joel. Okay? Neither one of us have to be married to you. We can just be together as a whole. We can talk about the potential of the job together like we should have from the start.”

“It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?” she wondered with Negan snickering at the thought. “I’m serious Negan.”

“It’s never too late for anything,” Negan contended, biting down on his bottom lip. “As long as you are still alive, nothing is ever too late. Trust me, I’ve learned that more than anyone. Which is why I’m hoping you will give it time to rethink this whole thing. I think together the three of us can come up with something better than whatever it is you are planning right now.”

Lowering her head, she knew that this would be the problem if she spoke to Joel or Negan. It would hurt so incredibly bad to hear something like this, “I won’t take the coaching job if that’s what you want. I just need you to tell me before New Years Day because that’s when the contract has to be signed.”

“Of course it does,” she frowned, a frustrated rumble coming from her throat. Negan didn’t know how to respond to that with her shrugging her shoulders. “I’m just saying, that’s just my luck with everything right now. Needing to have it done so soon.”

Thinking about what he said, she leaned against the doorframe and sighed, “I can’t have you pick me over that job Negan. I saw the way you looked when you were at that stadium. You loved being a baseball player. You’re not ready to give that up. You were sad at the idea.”

“Look at me,” Negan whispered, but she wouldn’t so he stepped in closer to her. “Look at me right now.”

Doing as she was told, she looked at Negan having a lump growing in her throat at the way he looked. His hazel eyes were red, his hair messy and he genuinely looked devastated. Sadder than she had ever seen him.

“When did I look worse?” Negan requested an answer from her, his throat flexing with discomfort. “Then? Or now?”

“Now,” she was honest, a broken breath escaping her throat.

“Throwing me and Joel out of your life is not the way to go. You love both of us too much for that and we love you too much for that,” Negan swore, nodding his head about trying to reason with her with this decision. “I would pick you over anything. Money. Fame. Anything. Because I love you that fucking much. I’d do anything for you. Anything. But asking me to not love you? To not be with you in some fashion? I can’t stop loving you. I never did. And I never will. I’d give up everything for you.”

“I believe you,” she found herself getting emotional about the whole thing with the way that Negan was doing his best not to break down himself. “I can’t ask you to do that though. Because someone who loves you can’t let that happen. You shouldn’t have to give up everything for me.”

“The feeling I have when I’m with you is better than any feeling I’ve had when I walk out there and hear the fans. What I have with you? It’s real. What I have with them? It’s temporary. If I do something wrong, I’m booed. They get pissed at me. I’m their hero as long as I’m winning and doing something right,” Negan described how things were for her to make her understand where he was coming from. 

“Sounds like a toxic relationship,” she teased, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. It made Negan half smile and give her a small nod.

“It is,” Negan agreed with her, exhaling loudly. “I love you. I love your family. I love your kids. I’ve grown attached to them.”

“And they’re attached to you,” she assured him with a wink, feeling her chest aching at the sight of Negan doing his best to hold in his emotions, but failing miserably.

“There are options here Y/N,” Negan alerted her, pointing toward the ticket. “That’s just one of them. The best thing for us is to get Joel and have the three of us sit down together, like adults and talk these things out. And if we’re still confused about the job, let’s get Liz and Peter involved. Just cutting me out completely is destroying me.”

“Negan, you know that I love you and I don’t want to lose you from my life,” she knew that to be true and it was the most honest thing she had said to him.

“Then don’t,” Negan stopped her before she could say anything further. “Don’t push me away. Don’t lock me out. I love you and I made a fucking promise to be around from here on out. I won’t go back on my promise. You’re not going to lose me from your life completely. I won’t abandon you again.”

She let out a small whimper when Negan stepped in closer to her. Extending his hand out, he brushed his fingers in over the side of her face and let out a long sigh, “I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you too,” she felt the same way, she knew that deep down she loved him more than she could explain. Lowering down, Negan’s lips hovered over hers for a moment drawing a chill down her spine. She assumed it was him testing to see if she was okay with him kissing her. Bringing their lips together, he let his lips linger in a loving sweep that took her breath away by the time that they separated. Caressing at the side of her face had her leaning into his touch.

“I’m going to give you what you asked of me. Which is time. Because I love and respect you,” Negan peppered a few more faint kisses at her lips. Backstepping slowly, he gave her a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders. “But please think this one out for me. For your family. None of this is the best for anyone.”

“You know there is a lot at stake when it comes to you,” she pointed out, her breathing now tremoring after him kissing her. “If I don’t make my decision in time, you sign that contract and I could lose out on time with you.”

“Then figure out what it is you really want before I have to be on that plane. Because if you don’t talk to me before then, I’m taking the hint that you don’t want me in your life anymore. Which I really hope isn’t the case,” Negan commented with a frown, the vein at his neck slightly bulging when he tensed up. “You know where to find me.”

Stepping back and away from the house, Negan started to make his way back to his car and she wondered if she should have called out to him. Tears were burning at her eyes when she looked down to gaze over the ticket. Negan really was perfect which led her to her final thought she had earlier. She wasn’t good enough for Negan.

Closing the door once Negan pulled out of the driveway, she rest her back against the door. Everything hurt. Every thump of her heart was pronounced and heavy. It felt like the room was spinning around her. Moving back to the couch, she fell on top of it and reached for the throw pillow. Pulling it in over her head she groaned out and wished the world would swallow her whole right now.

----

“Mom?” Elizabeth opened the door to her mother’s home, sticking her head just in enough to look around. It had been a few days since Christmas and she had only really interacted with her mother through text messages. That worried her. After Christmas both her father and her mother weren’t acting normal. So it told her that things didn’t end positively between them. That scared her because her mother wouldn’t usually just let things go like that. At first she couldn’t remember when her mother’s work schedule started back up, so she went there when it was after her mother’s typical work hours. When her eyes finally fell upon her mother, she realized that her mother was wrapped up in blankets sleeping. She looked miserable and like she had been crying, a lot. The television was on, but everything else was entirely black in the home. Moving into the home, she flicked the light on and let out a nervous breath. “Mom!”

Hearing Elizabeth calling out to her had Y/N sitting up swiftly on the couch, pulling her legs in closer to her when she saw Elizabeth moving into the home. Seeing the way her daughter looked at her told her all she needed to know about how she looked. Right now she found herself wishing that Elizabeth would have called her and told her that she was coming over so she could have cleaned herself up a bit, “Hey sweetheart. What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you,” Elizabeth announced, stepping before the couch that her mother was seated on. Elizabeth looked over her mother before shaking her head. “You look awful mom.”

“I know,” Y/N agreed with her daughter realizing that if anyone else told her that she would have probably been offended by it. But Elizabeth wasn’t wrong. She undoubtedly looked awful and felt worse. Over the last few days she had done everything to avoid both Joel and Negan. No matter how hard they had tried. 

“What’s going on?” Elizabeth demanded an answer, moving around the coffee table to sit down on the couch beside her mother. There was a worry flooding throughout her body with her dark eyes locked on her mother. Y/N shifted, lowering the blankets so that they were just wrapped around her lower half. Something on the table caught Elizabeth’s eyes and she reached out to pick it up. Realizing that it was a plane ticket made her throat go dry. “What’s this?”

“It’s a ticket that Negan left for me in case I want to go with him and sign the contract that he offered me,” Y/N confessed to her daughter who looked to the ticket again. Instead of doing anything with it, she had just let it sit in the same spot for days.

“This is for tomorrow,” Elizabeth pointed out, nodding down toward the ticket evoking a long, exaggerated sound to fall from her mother. Forcing herself to look away from the ticket, Y/N looked to the television and Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. “So what are you doing?”

Avoiding the question, Y/N didn’t want to put the weight of her woes on her daughter’s shoulders. So she was going to choose to stay quiet about things. Lowering her head, Y/N’s breathing was uneven leaving Elizabeth to worry about her mother.

“Mom, I know you’re trying to protect me here, but I’m almost an adult. Let someone listen to you for once,” Elizabeth offered, setting the ticket down. Sliding in beside her mother, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her mother to comfort her. Elizabeth felt her chest tightening and she felt disappointed in herself that she let her mom suffer like this for a few days alone. “What’s going on mom? Please, tell me.”

“No,” Y/N refused which just upset Elizabeth all the more. “You’re my child, I’m supposed to be strong for you. I can’t do this.”

“Mom,” Elizabeth frowned with Y/N pulling back to wipe at her face. “I’m a big girl. And my whole life you’ve been taking care of me and hiding your feelings. I know that you were miserable after dad divorced you. I heard you crying alone at night. You hid your emotions from me and Peter because you thought you were protecting us and you did. You wanted to keep us still loving dad, but I want you to talk to me because I can tell that you are miserable. So please, just talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Elizabeth,” she went to deny her daughter once more, but Elizabeth gave her a pleading look. “I told both your father and Negan that I didn’t want to be with either of them. And that’s really the best thing I can tell you right now.”

“Why?” Elizabeth was blunt, her face scrunching up in confusion. Going to talk, she stopped and then started again. “Can I please talk to you and have you talk to me like I’m not a baby anymore? Because I’m not stupid mom and I have questions. But in order to talk to you about this, I need you to stop treating me like I’m five. Please.”

Staring out at her daughter, Y/N had a hard time putting down those gates because Elizabeth was her daughter. Her baby. She would always see her as a child, no matter how old she got, “Mom, you three were not very quiet during Christmas. Plus I’m not stupid.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Y/N suggested with Elizabeth rolling her eyes, her jaw flexing much like Joel’s would when he was frustrated. “I don’t.”

“It doesn’t take a genius to see that you are in a love triangle with dad and Negan,” Elizabeth stated with a firm shake of her head letting out a stressed sound. “And I know the three of you did some things that I won’t tell anybody.”

“Excuse me?” Y/N choked back on her words with Elizabeth tipping her head from side to side. “What does that mean?”

“Mom. I’m seventeen. Dad was furious with Negan up until that trip to New York. Dad would rather kill himself than run on a treadmill. There was a reason that dad was in your bedroom with Negan. And then when the three of you were talking about being together, it all was just confirmed for me,” Elizabeth explained to her mother realizing that she was absolutely mortified hearing that. “Don’t. Don’t make that face. I don’t care who you, dad or Negan has sex with. Sex is a very normal thing. I can’t pretend that you and dad don’t have sex. I know you and dad have sex. A lot. Even when you were divorced. There is this chemistry between the two of you and let’s not forget that I walked in on you and Negan. I don’t have the best luck, but it’s also because I’m not blind nor stupid.”

“All I can say to all that is that I’m sorry,” Y/N didn’t know how to respond because nothing felt like a good enough thing to say to settle Elizabeth’s comments. “I don’t even know what to say about the three of us.”

“You like Negan and dad. Dad likes you and Negan. Negan likes dad and you. It’s not that hard to fucking say,” Elizabeth stressed getting a scoff from Y/N whose eyebrows furrowed with how her daughter was being very dramatic in the way that she said things. “I’m not going to dad about it because something tells me dad thinks I will judge him for being attracted to Negan which neither Peter nor I will be. We’re just not stupid mom. And we don’t care if we have two dads and a mom. It’s better than nothing. Trust me, I’ve seen you and dad. I would know what having no parents does to you.”

“I just don’t know how to respond to this because certain aspects of my life, I shouldn’t be talking about them to you,” Y/N looked for the right thing to say, but Elizabeth turned on the couch and shook her head. “Baby…”

“Okay. Let’s try this…why did you dump both dad and Negan?” Elizabeth stopped her mother from locking onto a negative thought for too long. “You have been crying for days and I know that because I’m a girl and I know what happens to your eyes when you do that. It’s not something you want. I kept hearing about this relationship with the three of you. Why is that not working? Peter nor I care if you three are together. We’re already pretty much used to it. We spent all holiday with the three of you.”

“Again, it’s complicated,” Y/N defended what was going on with Elizabeth throwing her hands up waiting for some kind of answer. “Both your dad and Negan were okay with the three of us being together, but they both wanted me to marry them. One of them wanted to be married to me while the other was promised to us.”

“And that’s bad why?” Elizabeth didn’t seem to understand. “I think that’s the smartest way to do something. That way everyone is involved.”

“It’s not that easy. It’s not publicly acceptable to have that kind of relationship,” Y/N educated her daughter on how the general public were and Elizabeth scoffed.

“Who cares what the public thinks? I don’t know if you noticed, but people suck mom. They are assholes. It’s rare to find a good person. People are perpetually miserable and they want to make everyone else the same. Marry one of them and promise yourselves to the other. Boom. Over. Done. Happy,” Elizabeth made it seem so easy which made Y/N smirk in disbelief. “Why is it so hard? Why dump them?”

“Because if I choose one of them, I’m going to break their hearts and I can’t do that,” Y/N emphasized her words, waving her hand about and it had Elizabeth’s head tipping to the side. By the expression, Y/N knew her daughter thought it was stupid. “It makes sense.”

“Not really,” Elizabeth denied, shaking her head profusely after she took time to consider it. “So you’re afraid that if you choose marrying dad, or marrying Negan, you will break their hearts? So the best option is to avoid both of them? Sob your eyes out. Break your heart. Break dad’s heart. And break Negan’s heart all at once. Because that makes more sense to you?”

“Well when you put it like that,” she realized how stupid it sounded when Elizabeth threw together that statement in a very simple way. “I just don’t think I can pick because I love them both too much to make them feel like I don’t love them enough. I might be a horrible person but I love both your father and Negan a lot.”

“No one doubts that,” Elizabeth assured her with a wrinkle of her nose. “I see the way you look at both of them.”

There was a silence that fell over them and Elizabeth let out an extended sigh, “Moving beyond Negan and dad for a minute. Let’s talk about your job offer.”

“Elizabeth, you’re my daughter,” she reminded Elizabeth with a firm shake of her head. “We shouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Yes, yes we should,” Elizabeth claimed, brushing her fingers through her long, dark hair. “Both Peter and I told you that we don’t care where we are as long as we are with you. I heard what Negan had to say the other night. Take the job. Do what you always wanted. Allow dad to become a singer like he always wanted. Travel with him. That way, you three get to live your lives together. And on the off seasons, you have your home here.”

“But your lives are here,” she reminded Elizabeth of what she knew to be true.

“Mom, our lives are going to be here regardless. But what do we have here? Really?” Elizabeth rambled off, waving her hand about in the air. “I’m going to be headed to college not far from now. We’ll finish the year here. I’ll be going to college. Peter would love to travel with you guys. Negan could probably hire the best teachers for him if he does the home-schooling route. Peter makes friends everywhere. You know that. You’ve seen that. He’s not going to have any trouble. I’ll be eighteen. I can take care of Peter when you’re not here if you want him to still be in school. And we have Uncle Tommy. Who has always been like a big brother when it came to things. We’re not lost. You and dad have the right to live your dreams. Having us, we’re just an extra added bonus, right? But we want you happy. How does all of that not make sense?”

Staring out at her daughter, Y/N was surprised how easily she came up with all of that, “Here, I can write it down. You can call dad and Negan, you can make it work.”

“Honey,” she hushed Elizabeth who was eager to make everything work itself out. “I hate saying things like this. But I don’t…I don’t feel like I’m good enough for Negan or your father.”

“Now that is fucking stupid,” Elizabeth was straight forward, turning toward her mother with a disappointed expression. “Now I’m not saying you’re dumb, because you’re not. But I am saying that is stupid. That statement. Anyone would be lucky to have you. You’re emotional right now, so you’re not thinking clearly but you are the most supportive person I’ve ever known. And instead of being happy, you’re torturing yourself by letting go of two men you love because you think that their lives would be better without you. Say what you want mom, but I’ve known you my whole life and you’re better than most people I know. So get your shit together.”

Pausing to consider what Elizabeth was saying to her, Y/N couldn’t help but let out a tiny laugh at how straight forward she was being, “I’m sorry mom, but not making is a decision is making a big decision. And I don’t know how you don’t see that.”

Taking a moment to consider her next statement, Elizabeth threw her hands up and shrugged once more, “Mom? Even Peter who is an airhead agrees with me. Don’t make a decision about this job because of us. Any decision you do make? You’re making it for you. Not us. Because we support you. All the way through whatever you decide. But choosing to be miserable because you’re afraid of hurting someone? We won’t be okay with that. And we refuse to take credit for you turning this job away because of us. Because at the end of the day? We said we would do anything to make it work. So please think about that.”

“I think it’s too late for that Elizabeth,” Y/N looked to the time, also considering the last time that she spoke to Negan. “Your father is not talking to me and the last time Negan was here it was really bad. He was really upset. And he asked me to talk to him before he left. I think I’ve already screwed things up enough.”

“Mom, you’re making excuses and I just want you happy,” Elizabeth seemed genuinely upset that her mother wasn’t looking like she was going to make the right decision. “I love you. And I just want you to live the best possible life that you can.”

“You’re so sweet,” Y/N pulled Elizabeth in for a firm hug, appreciating that her daughter turned out to be such a loving person. “If there was one thing me and your dad did right, it was raising you two because you turned out so amazing.”

“Which is why I’m telling you, we want you happy,” Elizabeth repeated her main thought process with her mother, pulling back just enough to look her over. “Mom, I love you. And I’m going to love you whether you’re on the road for work or not. Whether you’re married to dad or married to Negan. I don’t care. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters to me.”

“I’m listening,” Y/N appreciated the gesture as it was very sweet. It was everything she would want to hear, but she didn’t know how much it would help as she didn’t know how to feel to begin with. “You and Peter are the best children I could have ever asked for.”

They took a minute to cherish the hug that they shared with Elizabeth’s mind still lingering over that ticket and her mother’s relationship with both Negan and Joel. Pulling back, she considered her next words before speaking up again. 

“I still think this whole not making a decision thing and pushing them both away is stupid,” Elizabeth repeated her earlier thoughts to her mother.

“You don’t know everything when it comes to my relationship with your father and Negan,” Y/N was firm in how she said things, letting her daughter know that she never really would. “I’ve done things…”

“Everyone has done something. We’re human. We’re naturally born to have flaws. That’s the point of life. To make mistakes and to learn from them,” Elizabeth commented, waving her hands about to show that she was expressive in what she was saying. The way that Elizabeth was talking reminded her a lot of Joel when they were younger, but it made sense. Elizabeth had her father’s eyes, hair color and dimples. Joel’s genes were strong and that was very obvious in their children. “Life doesn’t come with a set of rules.”

“Wow, that was really good,” Y/N smirked and it had Elizabeth rolling her eyes considering she felt like her mother was still missing the point. “I’m not trying to downplay what you are saying, I’m just impressed that it came from a seventeen-year old’s mouth.”

“Mom, I can tell that you’ve been crying and you’ve been crying a lot,” Elizabeth declared letting her mother know that she wasn’t hiding anything. “What is it you’re crying the most over? Your lack of a future? Maybe never having Negan in your life again? Upsetting dad?”

“I don’t know,” Y/N wished that she knew the answer to that, but she didn’t have one. And that seemed to upset her daughter even more. And while she wished that she had an answer, she knew at the end of the day she was broken hearted. But she didn’t know why.

----

Sitting alone in his work room, Joel hummed along to the music that was playing in the background. Working on some of his finishing touches on the next acoustic guitar he was making on his own, Joel grumbled to himself with the sound of someone walking into his room. Looking back over his shoulder, Joel saw Elizabeth unhurriedly moving in behind him and he offered her a weak smile.

“Hey kiddo,” Joel breathed out, turning back to his work. Knowing that Elizabeth told him she was going over to Y/N’s home, he was curious how Y/N was. After Y/N had dumped both him and Negan, he had buried himself into his work. This new guitar was the thing that he had been focusing on over the last few days to keep himself busy. “How’s your mother?”

“Miserable,” Elizabeth headed over to one of the other chairs in Joel’s work room, spinning in it slightly. Releasing a long, dramatic sigh, she spun back to face Joel when he set down the guitar on the table that was before him and gave her his full attention. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this upset. She’s been crying for days and she just doesn’t look very good right now.”

Hearing that had Joel’s face scrunching up, a sense of sadness flooding into his dark eyes. A pain grew at the center of his chest with his shoulders slouching forward, “Crying for days? Why?”

“Because she’s not thinking clearly. She���s so upset with the idea of hurting either you or Negan that she’s decided to pick neither of you and be alone. So she’s devastated because she loves both of you,” Elizabeth educated her father on what was going on with her mother. Hearing that had a broken breath escaping Joel. “I’ve never seen mom like this dad. She usually was better at hiding things when we were younger. We’d hear her crying at night when you two were divorced, but…”

The look over Joel’s face hearing about her crying when he left her had him making an expression that had Elizabeth’s words coming to a halt. Clearly, he felt bad hearing that and that wasn’t exactly her intentions, but maybe he needed to hear it.

“But when I went to go see her today, she was a mess. Eyes swollen from crying. Depressed. Wrapped up in blankets watching sad movies. Lost inside of herself,” Elizabeth rambled on about what she saw with Joel’s dark eyes growing bigger with worry. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to her dad.”

“What did she say?” Joel was curious for more information. Considering she wasn’t answering his calls or his texts, Elizabeth was his only option in getting information about Y/N.

“Negan came to her the other day,” Elizabeth began to explain getting a fire to burn through Joel’s veins. After she asked for them both to leave her alone, Joel wasn’t surprised to hear that. “He brought her a plane ticket. Apparently tomorrow he’s leaving because he has to sign that contract and he wanted her to come with him. Negan asked her to contact him before he left or otherwise he felt like she was telling him that she didn’t want him in her life at all.”

“And what decision is she making?” Joel inquired, his heart kick starting inside of his chest at what he was learning.

“She’s not making a decision at all. She told me that she would rather be alone than have to hurt either you or Negan,” Elizabeth told her father what Y/N had said when she asked her the very same question. “I told her that was the worst decision to make because then that meant she was going to hurt both of you and herself.”

“And what did she say after that?” Joel slurred, slouching forward on the seat, bracing his hands on the front of it and balancing his weight on his palms.

“I can’t make her change her mind. She thinks that if she goes back to the way that things were before Christmas, that everyone will be better off,” Elizabeth recalled what Y/N said to her when these same questions were asked. “She thinks she’s not good enough for either one of you. She thinks that you both deserve better than her.”

“That’s not true,” Joel immediately stated, lifting his right hand to place it over the center of his chest. “She’s better than the both of us combined.”

“I told her that it wasn’t true, but she’s really depressed dad and she thinks very poorly of herself,” Elizabeth stressed to her father feeling sad that she left her mother in the state that she was, not being able to get her mother to change her mind. “You need to do something.”

“What can I do? I’m part of the problem,” Joel decided, his deep southern drawl lingering. There was nothing that he could do in his opinion that could make things better because he was part of the issue as to why she was feeling so bad.

“I don’t know dad, but it hurt seeing her like that,” Elizabeth claimed with a bit of a defeated whimper herself. “Mom has always been the strongest person I’ve known and right now? I’m worried about her dad. I’m really worried about her. She’s making a horrible decision.”

Considering what his daughter was saying, Joel grinded his teeth, “Dad, I don’t understand why the three of you can’t work. You’re not doing this because of us, right?”

“Sorry?” Joel breathed out, his head turning to stare out at Elizabeth. “Ellie?”

“I’m going to tell you what I told mom. Dad, we’re not children anymore. Yes, we will always be your children,” she started, holding her hands up before Joel could correct her on that because she knew that he would. “But we’re not little. And I’m almost eighteen. I’m not blind to things. I know things, even though you and mom tried to hide them from me. Dad, I don’t see what the problem is here with the three of you being together. That’s what should happen. All three of you make each other happy. Right?”

“It’s complicated,” Joel didn’t know what to say and it had Elizabeth dramatically rolling her eyes. “It is.”

“Yeah, I know. Mom said the same thing, but it’s really not that complicated,” Elizabeth fought back, sliding in closer to her dad to get him to look at her. “I think people are too worried about what others think. Pete and me? We don’t care dad. We don’t. We love you. We love mom. We love Negan. If we have all three of you? We’ll be happy. If the public judges you, we won’t care. You always taught me to treat people right. Well I do. I’m a very good person. But I’m smart enough to know that people will suck no matter what you’re doing. They’re miserable. But you and mom should not allow yourselves to be miserable.”

Staying silent, Joel didn’t know what to say and Elizabeth was waiting for him. But when he didn’t? She just kept going, “Gosh. Okay. Do you know that when we were on the New York trip, Negan was the first person other than me or Peter that had you really smiling and laughing? I can’t remember the last time I saw you acting like that. Negan made you happy. You think you hate Negan? Well I think Negan is the best thing that happened to you and mom.”

“You do?” Joel breathed out, a lump developing in his throat when he forced himself to look away from Elizabeth.

“Hey, you’re not all that strange dad,” Elizabeth stammered, outstretching her hand to place it in over Joel’s. “For me? There are some pretty hot girls out there in the world too, you know? You don’t think I haven’t noticed them?”

“Ellie,” Joel grumbled under his breath, the lines in his forehead growing with disgust that his daughter was talking to him like that. “I’m not about to throw back the dude talk with you to gush on who is hot or not.”

“I’m just saying dad. I think maybe I’m like you,” Elizabeth confessed, shrugging her shoulders when she spoke with her eyes misting over. “I find beauty in everyone. I don’t understand what the problem is. If I fell in love with a woman, would you not support me?”

“Of course I would support you Ellie,” Joel stressed to her, his fingers hooking loosely with hers. “I love you. And I just want you happy. I wouldn’t care if you wanted to spend your life with a man or woman.”

“Or how about a man and a woman?” Elizabeth threw the idea out there causing Joel to smirk and shake his head. “Dad, it’s okay to love mom and to love Negan.”

“I don’t…” Joel started but it had Elizabeth’s eyes growing bigger at the way he was so quick to deny it. “I don’t know how I feel about Negan.”

“Fair enough, but there is something there,” Elizabeth confirmed, waiting on Joel to answer. When he gave her a weak nod, she squeezed her fingers tighter around his. “Now suddenly it all makes so much sense.”

“What does?” Joel didn’t know what she was hinting at.

“Why I crushed on Negan so fucking hard,” Elizabeth teased with a weak smile drawing Joel to roll his eyes. “Both of my parents were already head over heels in love with him. So it’s in my blood to be drawn to that man. Thank God I got over it fast.”

“Not fast enough,” Joel scoffed drawing the both of them to laugh at the idea of it. “Ellie, you’re just a kid.”

“Who might understand things better than I think you or mom does,” she interrupted her father’s thoughts, swallowing down hard. “I have some ideas that I think could work for you, mom, Negan…all of us. If you would all just sit down and talk it out with me. They’re good ones. I told mom and she liked it, but she is so down on herself, I think she would need to know that both you and Negan were okay with it too. We can bring Pete and Uncle Tommy. Make it a family thing.”

“Oh boy,” Joel shifted on the chair showing that it was already tense enough.

“It’s good stuff,” she halted him from thinking badly of it. “Stuff that would make everyone happy. And I think all together, everyone is the best option with our family. Just right now, I have to figure out why mom is being like this. The crying. What’s bothering her the most? How can we fix this whole thing and make it all work?”

“I don’t know,” Joel confessed, his eyebrows bouncing up trying to avoid getting emotional with his daughter. “I fucked up.”

“I think everyone did in this situation dad. Not just you. But that’s life,” she pointed out, leaning further back in her chair trying to think of how to make this situation better. “But now that you have the support of your children who know things and don’t care, that makes things better, right? And what you do going forward is more important than what you did before.”

“Yeah,” Joel exhaled loudly, giving his daughter a small nod. “I uh, I should go see your mom.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” she agreed with him, moving forward to step before him. Standing up from his chair, Joel wrapped her up in his arms and held her close. “Dad, I love you. And no matter who you love or how many people you love, you are the best dad I could ever ask for. Nothing could stop me from loving you as much as I do.”

“And I am so incredibly lucky to have you as my daughter,” Joel tipped back, his hand palming down in over the side of his daughter’s face. Yeah, the tears were there now but they were good ones. Emotions running high from the things his daughter said. “You’re the best thing I ever did Ellie. I hope you know that.”

----

Sitting alone in the darkness felt like the best option right now. After all the stresses of the world around her, it was best for Y/N to be alone to herself. There were no distractions and she could just focus on her feelings. Not that it was something that was the best for her. In fact, it was probably really awful for her because all she kept thinking about were all the negative things in her life.

After Elizabeth left, she couldn’t stop thinking about the decisions that she had made that led up to this moment. Leaving her all alone to herself. Sad and miserable while likely breaking the hearts of the two men she loved the most.

Sorrow was eating away at her, but most of all regret. If she wouldn’t have been selfish between both Joel and Negan, she would have never ended up in this position. It was addictive having that feeling of being loved by two men. Especially when they were men like Joel and Negan. There were so many things about the both of them that she loved. That’s why this whole thing was so hard. She would rather walk away with nothing than hurt either one of them.

Multiple times throughout the night she had received calls and texts from Negan that she hadn’t answered. After he gave her the option to meet him at the airport, she didn’t know how to tell him that she didn’t think she was coming.

It took the door being pushed open for her to let out a long exhale, her head turning to the side to see in the darkness that a shadowed figure was stumbling into the house. There was a loud thud followed by a slur of curse words which made her involuntarily laugh. Reaching for the blanket, she covered her head to hide the way she looked for when the lights finally did turn on.

“That serves you right for not knocking…again,” she stammered realizing in that moment just how broken her voice sounded. Likely from all the crying that she had done. “Just because you know where the key is doesn’t mean you should be coming in unannounced.”

“I was worried about you,” Joel’s southern drawl grunted from where he was laid out on the floor. Pushing up onto his hands, Joel got to his knees and realized just how dark it actually was in the house. “Why are you in the pitch black?”

Beneath the blankets, she could hear the light switching on. A moment later, Joel was tugging at the material after he closed the door and she tried to fight him from seeing her. Once the material pulled down, Joel let out a disappointed breath when he saw how miserable she looked.

“What are you doing here?” she questioned, reaching up to wipe at her eyes knowing how bad she had to look right now.

“Our daughter came to talk to me,” Joel explained to her with a long sigh, getting the blanket pulled from her body where he tossed it at the end near her feet. “And I realized that the two of us need to have a talk.”

“I don’t feel like talking,” she explained with a shake of her head, her throat tensing up at the thought of going through another conversation with Joel.

“Too bad,” Joel scoffed, holding his hand out for her to grab.

“What?” she didn’t accept his hand and his brow line furrowed. “Joel, I don’t want to do this right now.”

“We don’t always get to do what we want,” Joel reminded her, holding his hand out further toward her. Accepting his hand in hers, she grunted when he pulled her up from the couch. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” she frowned, dragging her feet along with Joel leading her over toward the stairs. “I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay here.”

“I don’t care,” Joel stressed to her, turning to face her. With his expression he looked grumpy, but not an angry grumpy. 

Picking her up in his arms had her gasping out and she hooked her arms around his shoulders when he started to carry her up the stairs, “Joel, what are you doing?”

“I’m making this easier for the both of us,” Joel insisted swiftly getting up the stairs and stopping when he reached the ladder that led to the attic that he had recently finished for her. Setting her back to her feet, Joel tapped the ladder almost demanding her to climb up it. “Don’t make me pick you up again because I will attempt to carry you up this darn thing and we could kill ourselves.”

“Fine,” she huffed starting to move up the ladder in a sluggish fashion. With the lack of sleep, she wasn’t going to be moving very well. After she reached the top, Joel was quick to follow her. Standing near the opening in the floor, she watched as Joel moved over toward the nook and dropped down on top of the cushion that was there. Patting beside him had Y/N sighing loudly. “I don’t think that’s a smart idea.”

“I know you’ve been locked up inside of this house torturing yourself, but tonight is a full moon and the sky is full of stars. So why don’t you get your ass over here, lay down and enjoy the sight of the thing that I worked so hard on for you,” Joel demanded and it made her mutter something under her breath. Thinking it over, she moved across the area and lowered down in beside Joel. When she laid down beside him, they both looked up toward the window that was there so they could look up at the sky. “Why are you doing this to yourself?”

“You know why,” she suggested with a long sigh, her eyes still locked upwards not wanting to look at him in the moment.

“It’s not worth it,” Joel breathed out, hooking his fingers together where he was resting his hands at his lower abdomen. “Ellie told me that you were dumping both of us because you didn’t think you deserved either one of us. That the best decision was letting the two of us go our own ways away from you.”

“I should have known that Elizabeth would tell you everything,” she admitted knowing that when she told Elizabeth everything and opened up to her, it was probably a bad idea.

“And I’m glad she did because she was right. You’re not normally like this,” Joel recalled their past together and even when he broke her, she never truly looked this miserable about things. “I don’t want you to end up like this because of me.”

“It’s not because of you,” she suggested, but it only made Joel scoff again. “It’s not because of you. This is all my fault Joel. I got too caught up in things and I got greedy. I should have just let you and Negan be. I should have never dragged either one of you along.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Joel countered, his face scrunching up at the idea of what she was trying to sell. Tossing his arms back, he curled them behind his head and took time to think things out. “You were happy before I was starting to cause drama for you and Negan. And I stole that from you. When we went to New York, I could see that the two of you were already close and I knew I didn’t have a chance. So I ruffled some feathers, but I never meant for it to go this far.”

Silence followed. Joel looked to her and she looked lost inside of herself. It took a long time for her to even react, but eventually she just closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, “I don’t know what to say Joel.”

“Say what you feel?” Joel wanted her to be honest with him. This whole thing made him feel guilty and he felt like a real asshole about everything. “Y/N, I’ve been thinking about everything since Negan showed up. I can’t remember the last time that you looked as happy as you did than when you were with Negan. And there is only one thing that I keep thinking.”

Still, she said nothing. Which led him to continue his thought process, “You’re miserable at the idea of having to pick because you don’t want to hurt anyone. But by not picking, you’re going to chase off Negan and your life is going to go back to the way it was before Negan showed up.”

“So?” she didn’t realize where he was headed with this.

“So that means that you are miserable because you’re losing Negan,” Joel deducted, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat with him letting out an extended sigh. “I’m still going to be here. I’m the father to your children. You aren’t losing me. So it’s not me that you’re miserable and heartbroken about. It’s Negan that you’re heart broken over.”

Once more, she didn’t have an answer. Her eyes just misted over, her throat tensing up and she looked back up at the night sky, “I think you should go to him at the airport tomorrow. I think you should take the job. And I think you should marry him. Everything else? We’ll work out together. The three of us.”

It took a minute for her to react, but when she did she lifted up on her elbow and stared down at Joel, “Come again?”

“It’s what is best for you,” Joel explained lowering his arms and pulling himself up into a seated position. “I think Negan is what is best for you. He makes you happy. He gives you everything that you want in life. And he loves you. So much. The best option here is for you to pick Negan. It’s not like I’m losing out anyways. I still get to be with you and Negan. Most people would love that kind of life.”

“And what about the children?” she wondered knowing that she would be far away from them if she accepted the job.

“Apparently Ellie has ideas that she is willing to explain to all of us,” Joel commented on what his daughter had told him earlier. “You apparently heard it and she said you seemed to like it. So all it takes is us sitting together. You have been putting yourself last for a long time now and I think it’s time that you put yourself first. You deserve that once in a while.”

“And you think that Negan is my way to do that? You think this job is the way to do it?” she was curious as to why he was telling her to go to Negan.

“I do,” Joel admitted with a frown, his shoulders shrugging when he thought about things longer. “I had four years where I could have done the right thing. It took me four years to get my shit together, but by the time I did, I reckon I was too late. Negan, he showed up and in no time he won you over. He was on the right track the whole time. I just kept hurting you. And I’m worried that’s all I’ll keep doing if Negan’s not here. Negan puts me on the straight path, he keeps my head level. Even if he’s a pain in the ass.”

“So you would be okay with me being married to Negan?” she inquired, still having a hard time looking at Joel. But this time she did steal a look and he actually looked pitiful at the idea with his big brown eyes staring out at her. “Joel?”

“I don’t know. I’d love to say yes, but deep down inside of me I’ve always thought you were mine and we were going to spend the rest of our lives together after everything calmed down,” Joel explained and he dropped his head down, his fingers caressing at the back of his neck. “Which makes me an asshole because you should have never had to wait for me to figure my life out. We should have never broken up like we did and that’s on me.”

“Maybe I just wasn’t good enough for you,” she thought aloud and it had Joel groaning out loud in disgust. “Trust me, it’s a thought I’ve had for a long time.”

“You were too good for me and you’re too good for Negan,” Joel stressed that, throwing his hands out in the air. His head bobbed dramatically before he snorted. “Thinking that you’re not good enough for us is a fucking joke and a half.”

“I don’t know Joel, I never felt good enough,” she opened up to him, pulling her legs in closer to her chest. “I never understood why you didn’t like me when we were younger. I tried so hard to get your attention. And then when I had it, I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world because I loved you so much. Then to find out that you really didn’t like me…”

“I loved you,” Joel interrupted her with a firm shake of his head, the lines in his forehead growing at the idea that she didn’t think he cared for her. “I still love you. I love you so fucking much it hurts.”

“Everyone I’ve loved has left me,” she recalled, a broken whimper escaping her lips. “My parents got rid of me the second I decided to keep Elizabeth. When you found something better, you left me. Negan left me when we were younger…”

“It’s not you,” Joel hissed, outstretching his hands to grab a tight hold of hers. “The world around you sucks. Your parents are assholes. I was an asshole and with Negan…”

“I was the asshole,” she finished off for Joel the statement that she felt was true to her heart. “Joel, I don’t deserve Negan. I know that he thinks he loves me and maybe he does. But after what I did to him? I was such a bitch.”

“You were young and blind to your love,” Joel knew that she was talking about how she cheated on him with Joel. “I don’t think you really thought the two of you were dating…”

“But I did,” she thought back on when they were younger. “We did everything together Joel. I knew that he was my boyfriend. And I knew that he loved me so much, but when you came around? I wanted nothing more than to be with you. I saw stars every time you walked into a room. I wanted you so fucking bad that I was willing to break the heart of the person that meant the most to me and took care of me my whole life in order to get you.”

“You were young Y/N. I don’t think you knew what you were doing and I laid it on thick,” Joel tried to give her an excuse, but she let out a broken breath shaking her head slowly. “I knew how you felt about me and I used it to control the situation.”

“But I should have never let it happen,” she noted, thinking back to when they were together as teenagers. “Negan was so romantic with me. And I think he was supposed to be my soulmate. I would have had the perfect life if it was Negan that I hooked up with,” she admitted and it had Joel lowering his head hating to hear that kind of thought process. “But I picked you. I wanted you. When you took me to your bedroom that night, I wanted to have sex with you. I wanted you to be my first. Even if you didn’t lay it on thick, I would have eagerly jumped you. I wanted to please you so bad that you never wanted anyone but me. I of course was a virgin so I didn’t know what I was doing, but…”

“Oh, you knew what you were doing,” Joel interrupted her with a laugh, his nose wrinkling in amusement. “You may have not lost your virginity yet, but what you could do with your mouth and your hands…”

“This always goes south whenever we talk,” she rolled her eyes and shakily brushed her hair back over her shoulders.

“I’m just correcting you on your thought process,” Joel admitted with a laugh, his head shaking from side to side.

“I’m just saying Joel, I’ve been obsessed with you since day one,” she recognized that sounded creepy, but she knew that the moment she met Joel she was hooked. “Negan never had a chance once you were in my life. And what I did to him really was unforgiveable.”

“He met Lucille and he thinks that was the way things were meant to happen,” Joel knew that Negan really never blamed her for that. “You know that.”

“He would say anything to make me feel better about myself because that’s what Negan does,” she realized how things were with her relationship with Negan. “I’ve broken his heart more times than I care to admit and every time he is so willing to forgive me. And I don’t deserve it.”

“Can I ask you something?” Joel replied back, hearing her trembling in her breathing. “Why is it okay that I broke your heart, but it’s not okay that you broke his?”

“What do you mean?” she didn’t have an answer for him because she didn’t understand.

“I mean, you are constantly saying that Negan and I deserve better,” Joel repeated what she had said several times at this point. “I spent years hurting you. I broke your heart so many times that I’ve lost count. But you’re willing to forgive me and put my happiness over yours. But when it comes to you and Negan, you break his heart as a child because you loved me and you’re unforgiveable. Why?”

“I…” she hadn’t thought of it like that. Swallowing down, her lips parted and she dropped her head forward. “I don’t know.”

“You’re a better person than I ever was Y/N,” Joel threw that out there, his voice growing raspier the more he talked showing that he was getting emotional about the whole thing. “At your worst, you don’t even scratch the surface of the things I have done. Yet you think I deserve happiness and you don’t.”

“Because I love you and I want what is best for you,” she admitted, her saddened eyes locking with his. “And I do feel I’m the problem.”

“You’re far from the problem,” Joel slid forward to caress in over the side of her face. “You’re the answer.”

Hearing him say that took her breath away with Joel letting out something that sounded like a whimper, “You are the answer to making things better. You always were. Negan sees it. I see it. Having you in my life? That’s the thing that always made things better. When you love, you love with everything that you are. And the person at the other end of that love? Well, I reckon they are the luckiest person alive because no one loves like you do. So no. You are not the problem. You are the person that solves the problem. You are what makes everything whole again. I’m sorry that I was blinded to that for a little while, but I know that now.”

Again, it changed nothing, but he wished he would have noticed it when his life was falling to shit and he made the worst decision he had ever done in choosing to divorce her, but he couldn’t turn back time, “I love you. Which is why I’m telling you to go to that airport with Negan. We’ll work it out. Negan never made the mistakes that I did. He always knew you were the answer. And he cherished you as such. I think you were right. I think you two were soulmates and I fucked that up.”

“I don’t believe that,” she refused to believe that Joel wasn’t meant to be in her life. “Maybe the three of us were all meant to be soulmates. That’s why I thought the whole poly relationship would work out.”

“It would work out, I just got greedy and wanted to be your primary lover,” Joel took a minute to think about the way he worded that and he laughed. “I realize that sounded stupid, but I don’t mind sharing you with him. I just wanted to be your husband.”

“And you don’t anymore?” she stammered after being quiet. Joel kept his head down and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Trust me, I still want it. I want you to be mine and me to be yours, but I know that when you love something, and I love you,” Joel began, reaching for her hands again to give them a firm squeeze. “Well, then sometimes you have to let it go. I know without question that Negan is better for you. I know that he gives you more happiness than I can. I can never make up for all the mistakes that I made. I’d love to try, but I think the slate is cleaner with Negan.”

“Just like that?” she stammered, her eyes narrowing and Joel gave her a small nod. “Thank you Joel.”

“I just want you happy,” Joel slurred, leaning forward enough to hover his lips in over hers. The warmth of his breath lingered causing a chill down her spine. Bringing their lips together, Joel pressed a loving kiss over her lips. Pulling back with a hum, Joel dragged his thumb in over her bottom lip and gave her a wink. “I’ll always be here for you. To support you and lift you up when you need me. Because you are the love of my life Y/N. And that will never change.”

Getting up carefully, Joel swept his fingers in underneath her jaw and nodded over toward the exit of the attic, “I should get going. I think you might want to pack for tomorrow and clean up. Give yourself a break and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

Watching Joel head for the exit, she felt a lump growing at the center of her throat and she called out to him getting him to stop, “If I asked you to give me a reason not to go to Negan tomorrow, but instead pick you…what would you say?”

“No,” Joel shook his head, pushing his hands into his pockets. Kicking slightly at the floor, Joel grumbled under his breath. “Nothing I could say would be better than anything that Negan could give you. And I do genuinely in my heart believe that you should be with Negan. Not because I don’t love you, but because I love you enough to want you happy. Go to the airport tomorrow Y/N. You know I’m right. You’re not losing me, you’d be losing Negan and that’s what has you so upset.”

Joel was attempting to hold back on his emotions. Giving her a final wink, Joel left the attic leaving her to herself. Hearing him leave the house, she laid back again to look up at the sky like Joel had coached her to do earlier. What he had done was leave her with a whole lot of thoughts and feelings that she had to consider.

----

Pacing, Negan knew that they were loading people onto the airplane and he should have taken his seat. Instead, he was waiting. Even though everything was telling him it was impossible, he was just hoping that Y/N was running late. He should have known better. Since he had given her the ticket, he hadn’t heard from her. Every day he sent her a text message letting her know how much he loved and cared about her. Uplifting messages to try and make her feel better. But he got nothing in return.

“Mr. Smith?” someone called out to him waiting at the entrance of the walkway that led to the plane that he was meant to get on. “You’re going to have to get on soon.”

“Just give me one more minute,” Negan pled, holding his finger up in the air motioning them to wait. The person gave him a firm nod and Negan waited. Staring down at the walkway, he was hoping that Y/N would come, but she wasn’t. No one was headed toward this gate and he knew that he was waiting for nothing.

Dialing her number, Negan put his phone to his ear and waited. With how long it was ringing, he knew that she wasn’t going to answer. And he was right. A severe ache grew at the center of his chest and he let out a tremoring breath.

What was he going to do? Leave her a message? Get on the plane? Stay? What could he really do in this situation? She wasn’t talking to him. She wasn’t answering his calls. Maybe he should have just quit all together. Let his final year go and not sign that contract to become the coach. Afterall, his knee was fucked up. All it was going to take was one more injury and he was done. Everyone knew he was hurt anyways. His knee would be an incredible target to those people that never really liked him. And he was already wearing a brace most days as it was.

When her voicemail came up, Negan felt his throat go dry. It felt like his heart stopped for just a second. Everything felt hot when he cleared his throat, “Hey, this is Negan. Y’know that though. I just uh…I guess you’re not coming. And you didn’t talk to me, so maybe that means that you don’t want me in your life anymore. I just uhm…I just want to let you know that I love you. Getting to spend the short amount of time with you these last few weeks is the first time I’ve felt alive again in years. Truth is…” Negan paused realizing that he was getting emotional talking to her voicemail. “I don’t know what to do. I’m in the middle of the airport and they are telling me that I have to get on the plane, but I don’t want to. No where feels like home anymore for me. Just you. And I love you so fucking much.”

Damn, he was crying. In the middle of an airport. Not dramatically enough to draw attention to himself, but he felt the warmth of a tear sliding down his face, “I guess I should get on the plane because you haven’t called back. I just want to say I’m sorry. My intention was never to hurt you. I just wanted to make you happy and by doing that, I fucking overwhelmed you. I’m sorry. So fucking sorry. I moved too fast and I involved your daughter in this and I know that I shouldn’t have. I know how much Joel means to you, I just…I love you. And I should have fought for you when we were children, but I was hurt and I let that hurt linger. I regret it. If you decide while I’m on that plane that you do want to be with me, you can call me. I’ll check my messages when I land. I’ll quit immediately if that’s what you want from me. I don’t need to play a final year. I don’t need this coaching job. The only thing that matters to me is you. And if you don’t want me in your life, I’ll take the hint. That I’ve complicated things too much for you. And instead of coming back to town, I’ll just go home. I won’t get the home in our hometown and I’ll leave you be. I just…whatever happens know that I love you. I’ll always love you. And thank you for the happiness you brought to my life over the last few weeks. Both you and the children have been the best part about my life over the last few years. You’re perfect in every way Y/N. Never forget that.”

Hanging up the phone, Negan let out a tremoring breath wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand that wasn’t holding the cell phone. Clearing his throat, he was doing his best to get it together. The person was calling out to him again and Negan swallowed down hard. Turning on his heel, he clung to his bag and walked to the gate. Handing over his ticket, he felt awful walking up to the airplane.

The flight attendant there was excited to see that it was him on the plane, doing her best to flirt with him, but he was in so much pain that he didn’t even care. Right now he didn’t want to fake it. He didn’t want to pretend that everything was okay. Because it wasn’t.

Putting his bag in the overhead, Negan dropped down into the seat that was by the window. Beside him was the empty seat that he had gotten for Y/N. At least on the trip he would be alone so that way no one could bother him.

Dropping his head back against the seat, Negan covered his eyes and let out a frustrated grunt. This was the last place he wanted to be right now. Movement in the aisleway was heard and in that sense, maybe it was good he waited because obviously there were other people late besides him.

“Hey, you’re that baseball player, right?” an unknown voice questioned making Negan hiss out. Great. This was the last thing he needed right now. Weight dropped down in beside him into the seat where Y/N was meant to be and he felt a fire flooding his veins. “The one that’s retiring.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Negan exhaled dramatically, keeping his hand over his eyes and rubbing at them.

“You’re known for being kind of an asshole, right?” the voice continued on and Negan felt his jaw flexing in frustration at the man that had clearly taken a seat beside him.

“Listen, I’ve had a horrible fucking day and right now I can’t take this shit,” Negan warned with a sense of venom in his tone, dropping his hand down ready to give the person beside him a verbal lashing. Letting out a confused breath, Negan met the familiar brown eyed stare. An uncomfortable sound fell from his throat and he shook his head. “What the fuck are you doing here? And why the hell were you talking like that?”

“I just wanted to see how you’d react,” the southern drawl returned and Negan felt his heart hammering inside of his chest.

“Joel, I don’t understand,” Negan stressed, his body tense and upset. The flight attendant from earlier was watching them from the front of the plane and Negan shook his head. “So what the fuck are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Joel got comfortable in the seat beside Negan, stretching his legs out and cuddling back into the seat that was behind him.

“I’m flying out to meet the owner of the team to…” Negan began with Joel waving his hand about in the air in an over dramatic manner to get Negan to shut up.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. You have to sign a contract if you want to be the coach of the team after this year,” Joel blew off what Negan was saying, acting ridiculous with the way he was responding to Negan. “But I’ll repeat my question. What are you doing on this plane?”

“What am I supposed to be answering here Joel?” Negan snapped, his voice lowering when people started to calm down around him, getting prepared for the flight.

“You should be at Y/N’s home right now, not on this plane,” Joel answered for him having Negan’s hazel eyes getting wide with Negan leaning forward in the seat that he was in. “You should have never gotten on this plane.”

“You have a lot of nerve,” Negan snapped, pointing his finger out at Joel who simply just turned his head to stare out at him much like a child getting in trouble would. “You’re the one that threw the ultimatum out for her. And now that I’m here…”

“She’s broken-hearted Negan,” Joel informed Negan with a frown, his chocolate-colored eyes looking away from Negan in shame. “Ellie went to see her and she told me that she had been crying for days. And then I went to see her. Ellie was right.”

“She made her choice Joel,” Negan suggested, lowering his hands to rub at his knees. Everything hurt. It felt like he was being punched in the gut again and again with how much he was hurting from this whole thing. “I told her if she didn’t want this job, but she still wanted to be with me, to let me know before I left. I gave her the ticket. She hasn’t called me and she isn’t here. So, if I don’t hear anything, I’m not coming back. I’m just going to go home and leave her alone because she obviously…”

“Oh God,” Joel groaned outwardly infuriating Negan with the way that Joel dropped his head forward into his hand. “You’re so smart and good with people and you’re being so fucking stupid right now.”

“What do you expect me to do?” Negan blurt out, a chill running down his spine with the way that Joel was getting him worked up.

“I expect you to be Negan! The guy that has been infuriatingly perfect over the last few weeks. The guy that knows how to make her smile and feel good even when she wants to fall apart,” Joel stammered, lowering his hand to place it over the center of his chest.

“She picked you,” Negan didn’t know what to say to this whole act that Joel was putting on. “Are you here to rub it in my face…or what?”

“She picked me? You think she picked me?” Joel chuckled, immediately shaking his head. “No she didn’t. She didn’t make a choice because she was afraid of hurting someone’s feelings if she made a choice. So instead, she’s not making a choice. She’s letting things go back to the way they were before you showed up because she would rather be alone than hurt anyone. That was her choice, but that choice is destroying her.”

Stammering to find the right words, Negan knew that he was still emotional with his bottom lip trembling, “I don’t want her to be miserable. I just want her happy.”

“I know you do,” Joel confessed with a nod of his head, his jaw flexing with contemplation. “And I realized something. She’s miserable, heart broken. Waiting for things to go back to the way they were before Christmas. Which means she’s not with me, but I’m still in her life because I’m Ellie and Peter’s dad. But she’s gonna be without you. And the idea of not having you in her life has her fucking shattered.”

Lowering his head, Negan’s Adam’s apple bounced in his throat. Something that resembled a whimper fell from Negan’s lips and in that moment Joel felt incredibly guilty. This whole time he thought Negan had some kind of ulterior motive for the things that Joel had done when they were younger, but now? He didn’t question the love that Negan had for Y/N. Negan was broken too.

“I’m sorry sir, but this isn’t your seat,” the flight attendant from earlier stepped forward finally after watching their interaction from afar. “I know where your seat is and it looks like you’re upsetting Mr. Smith here and…”

“He’s staying,” Negan interrupted her, his hand stretching out to place in over Joel’s chest to suggest he wasn’t going anywhere.

“You heard the man,” Joel gave the woman a shit eating grin that had her letting out an offended breath before walking away. Lowering his arm, Negan dropped his head again and Joel could see that Negan was deep in thought. 

“It’s you that she’s broken about because I’m never leaving her life. I’m the father to her children. But if she doesn’t pick, she loses you. And that’s why she’s devastated, locked up on her own and miserable. She loves you. And she didn’t want to hurt me because she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. So instead she hurts herself, thinking she’s doing what’s right because she doesn’t think she’s good enough for either one of us,” Joel explained to Negan, his facial expression softening as Negan’s head lifted and the misery was evident in Negan’s eyes. “When in reality, she’s perfect. I reckon better than both of us put together. She’s pure. She has the biggest heart I’ve ever known. And she’s in love with you. She’s in love with us.”

Lifting his hand again, Negan covered his eyes and Joel knew that he was trying to hide that he was getting emotional, “I broke her. And it took you all but a few weeks to heal her and make her happy again. To make things right between us. I don’t deserve to be married to her. But you? You do.”

“She loves you,” Negan reminded Joel with a tremoring breath.

“And she always will. I’ll always feel the same about her, but you are the one thing she can’t stand to be without Negan,” Joel insisted, giving him a simple shrug. Reaching out, Joel’s hand covered Negan’s getting Negan to gaze over at him. “And me? Well, I get the best part of the deal. I get to be with the both of you. And I can’t fuck up my marriage again if I’m the one wearing a promise ring. Although, I don’t plan to fuck up the relationship.”

Not sure what to say, Negan’s head tipped to the side and his hazel eyes narrowed, “Truth is Negan, you make both of us better. We love each other and we could get re-married. But you not only healed her. You healed me too. She loves you. My kids love you. And I love you. I don’t care how anyone judges me with saying that. I’ll fucking scream it on the plane if I have to prove it to you. I’m okay with this relationship. I’m okay with you being married to her. Because you make all of us better.”

“Bullshit,” Negan frowned, shaking his head slowly. “You will not be okay with this. You think you feel a certain way for me, but you don’t…”

“Oh?” Joel stood up from the seat that he was in, clapping his hands together. “Hey there everyone. Can I have your attention please?”

“Joel?” Negan snapped waving his hand to get Joel to sit down, but Joel immediately shook his head. Considering the plane had gone quiet, Negan knew that the people on the plane were genuinely listening to Joel.

“You see this man right here? This is Negan Smith, the famous baseball player,” Joel informed them all hearing a few sounds of awe with Negan burying his head into his hand. “I know, I reckon it’s pretty cool. You see, I have known this man since I was a child. He’s a cheeky motherfucker and he can be an asshole at times, but? I’m in love with him. Well, not just him, my ex-wife too, but that gets complicated…”

“Joel,” Negan laughed noticing that a few of the flight attendants were getting upset that Joel had the attention on the plane. Swiftly moving forward, Joel’s palm pressed in over the side of Negan’s face leading Negan up to him to bring their lips together for everyone to see surprising Negan at first. Allowing Joel to kiss him, Negan started to kiss him back and he knew that this would be an interesting turn of events considering the plane wasn’t empty. Humming, Negan urged Joel to lower back down into his seat with is forehead pressing to Joel’s when they separated. “You made your point. You got them talking.”

“And I don’t care what they are saying. What I do know,” Joel breathed, his thumb caressing over Negan’s chiseled jawline, “Is that I love you and I love her. And you both make me a better man. And I can’t lose that. I like the person I’m capable of being when you’re here and she’s here. I don’t care about the jobs. I want her happy. If she wants to do it, we’ll do it. My kids love the shit outta you and apparently Ellie has got ideas about how to make all of this work.”

“Oh?” Negan chuckled with a weak smile, nuzzling his nose in against Joel’s appreciating the way that this actually felt. “You do realize that this whole plane is going to think that you’re my lover now, right?”

“I am,” Joel reminded Negan with a tip of his head, his southern drawl growing stronger. “One of them at least. And my kids are okay with it. I’m okay with it.”

“I’m proud of you,” Negan leaned into press another lingering kiss over Joel’s lips getting him to hum when Negan brushed his fingers through Joel’s dark hair. When they separated, Negan gave a firm nod. “And I love you too.”

“So then what are we still waiting for? Let’s get off the fucking plane, go to her and fix things. I’m not gonna be a problem anymore because I want this. I want all of us happy. And you make all of us, every single one of us happier than we have been in a very long time. Even my kids see it. So we need to get out of here.”

“So we just get up and leave?” Negan looked to the front of the plane where they were finishing up with things and were preparing to take off. A few of them were giving them odd expressions since Joel just made a big display of his love for Negan. “We can’t do that.”

“Of course we can. You’re Negan Smith, you can do whatever you want,” Joel grumbled under his breath, throwing his hands about. “The plane isn’t in the air yet. That flight attendant is so far up your ass, you could do whatever you wanted.”

It was like Negan was thinking about everything that Joel was saying and it made Joel scoff, “You love her, right?”

“More than anything,” Negan was quick to respond and it had Joel waving his hand about.

“Then why aren’t you getting your ass out of the seat, grabbing your bag and getting the fuck out of here? You know that they would reschedule this contract signing for you if you asked them to, she’s more important,” Joel rumbled with Negan’s brow line creasing, his breathing growing louder. A moment later, Negan stood up from his seat. His fingers curled around Joel’s jacket to get him to stand up from the seat. Snatching his bag from the overhead container, Negan dragged Joel toward the door of the plane.

“I have to get off,” Negan explained to the flight attendants who looked like they were about to tell him he couldn’t. Realizing where this was headed, Negan cleared his throat uneasily and looked to Joel. “This man is having an asthma attack. He has horrible asthma and he forgot to bring his inhaler from the car. I’m going to go with him to make sure that he gets help.”

“It’s probably from you sucking the life out of him with that kiss,” one of the flight attendants stammered and it made Joel laugh who tried to mask it with him faking having an asthma attack. The flight attendants looked to Joel and suddenly Joel realized that he was meant to put on a performance. Starting to act like he was struggling to breathe, Joel curled his fingers around his throat and nodded desperately. Hooking his arm firmly around Joel, Negan acted like he was keeping Joel up who sank in against Negan.

“See! The man is having an asthma attack. His ex-wife only just dropped him off. If I get him off the plane, I can get her back in time to bring him the inhaler that he left in the car. The longer you keep him on the plane, the more likely he is to die!” Negan insisted having Joel growing heavier and he let out a wince. Even though he was selling it perfectly, Joel was laying it on way too thick making it hard to hold him up. “Too much.”

Realizing that Negan was saying he couldn’t carry him like that, Joel braced himself. One of the flight attendants was quick to open the door. Swiftly getting off the plane, they moved quick enough down the walkway, but not too fast to the point that they knew they were lying. Joel was still acting as if he was having an asthma attack. Stealing a look over his shoulder, Negan saw that they were still watching them and he nodded his head.

“Keep it up, they’re still watching,” Negan whispered once they finally got off the walkway. One of the workers was waiting for them at the gate, but Negan assured him that he would handle it. They kept it up until they were finally outside of the airport where Joel braced himself back against the wall. “You okay?”

“I’m actually lightheaded after that,” Joel groaned, coughing after the performance he put on with hyperventilating. “I have a newfound empathy for those that have asthma because fuck…”

“Catch your breath,” Negan moved forward to caress his hand in over the center of Joel’s chest having Joel’s eyes grow wide when he dropped his head back against the building. “Do you think they knew we were faking?”

“Please, I sold the shit out of that,” Joel defended himself, lowering down to place his hands in over his thighs to catch his breath. “They have no idea that it wasn’t real. You were quick on your feet, I just wish we would have come up with something that didn’t take so much out of me.”

“Can I kiss you again?” Negan wondered, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat realizing that they were in public with a lot of people showing up at the airport.

“I don’t know, you might suck the life out of me,” Joel teased, biting at his bottom lip when Negan hooked his fingers around his shirt balling it up at the center of his chest. Pulling Joel forward, Negan stole a kiss from his lips that had Joel hooking his arms around him proving to him that he was fully ready to be with him the way that they had talked about. When they parted, Joel’s eyebrows bounced up and Joel shrugged. “Maybe I should have been an actor with that performance, huh?”

“You were good, but not that good,” Negan playfully joked, peppering a few faint kisses over Joel’s lips. At some point, he was certain that there would either be photos of them kissing or a video since they were in public, but Joel didn’t seem to mind that. “Don’t push it Miller.”

Stepping in beside Joel, Negan clung to his bag and looked at the people that were showing up at the airport, “Now what?”

“I have an idea,” Joel explained, reaching out to pat Negan on the stomach giving him a wink. “Although, I do have to ask you for a favor.”

“Anything,” Negan nodded his head realizing that the only reason he wasn’t on that plane was because of Joel. “You name it.”

“So, in order to get on that plane I had to buy a first-class ticket,” Joel claimed, standing up straighter to meet Negan’s stare. “Do you think that I can borrow some money from you to pay off the credit card? At the moment, I didn’t have the money for that with Christmas and all…”

“You’ve got it,” Negan snickered, patting Joel on the chest and giving him a firm nod. “It would be no problem at all.”

----

Heading out of her car, Y/N followed the walkway at the center of town that was lit up by the lights that were still hanging. Their town waited until after the first few weeks of January to take down the decorations and she was thankful in this case. Elizabeth had called her in a panic asking Y/N to come get her. Not even thinking twice about it, she just threw her jacket on and ran out into the snow in her pajamas to go get Elizabeth. Fear was eating away at her, worried why her daughter was out this late anyways desperately needing to be picked up.

By now she expected to see Elizabeth, but the closer she got to the large tree at the center of town, the more she began to realize that no one was there. Reaching for her phone, Y/N pulled it out to see if Elizabeth had called her again or sent her a text to let her know where she was. This was the place that Elizabeth asked her to come.

“Elizabeth?” she called out her daughter’s name, dialing her daughter’s phone number. Panic started to flood her veins when her daughter wasn’t answering her phone. Not only that, but she also couldn’t hear her daughter’s ringtone so that meant she wasn’t here. “Elizabeth?!”

“Calm down,” a voice urged when she made it to the tree and from behind it she saw Joel stepping out in front of her holding his hands up in the air. “She’s not here.”

“Where is she?” Y/N was having trouble calming down, her body shaking from the immediate fear that had flooded her veins at the idea of her daughter not being okay. “Joel! Where is she?”

“She’s at home with Tommy. Both her and Peter are safe,” Joel held his hands up in the air defensively with him stepping in closer to her. His dark eyes were locked with hers and he seemed empathetic to the fact that she was upset. “I just had to find a way to get you out of the house and here to talk to me.”

“You used our daughter to get me out of the house so I would talk to you? We just talked last night! Why didn’t you show up at the house?” she was angry with every muscle in her body tensing up. “Joel! I just almost had a fucking panic attack because I was scared something happened to our daughter. But no, instead her father was using her to get me here.”

“How else was I supposed to get you here?” Joel reasoned with her, shoving his hands into his pockets and giving her a dramatic shrug. “I knew that you wouldn’t come here if you knew it was me here waiting for you, so I had to do what I knew would work. You’re an amazing mother and if you thought there was something wrong with one of our children, you would come here immediately.”

“Dick,” she scoffed eliciting a tiny snicker from Joel. Placing her hand at the center of her chest, she attempted to calm herself down. Everything felt like it was spinning and her heart was still hammering inside of her chest. The worst-case scenario had been swirling in her mind when she got here and to know that it was just a ploy to get her to talk to Joel upset her.

“Why didn’t you go to the airport?” Joel wondered, his hands pushing into his pockets while he stared out at her with his big brown eyes.

“How did you know I didn’t go?” she breathed out, sucking in a sharp breath of air.

“You’re here,” Joel stressed to her when in reality, he had been sitting outside her home earlier today and that’s why he rushed to the airport himself when he realized she wasn’t going. 

“You look like you’ve been crying,” Joel pointed out with a frown. That heartbreak? It was there and it still showed. 

“You’re very observative,” she wiped at her eyes, used to people pointing out she looked like shit. That’s what crying constantly would do to you. She hadn’t showered today which meant her hair was undoubtedly a mess. Not only that, she was wearing her pajamas underneath her jacket. “I take it that’s your way of saying I look like shit.”

“No, of course not,” Joel denied, shaking his head and releasing a long exhale. “You’re beautiful. Always. Whether you’re crying with makeup on or not. You are, you have always been and you will always be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. Inside and out.”

A tremoring breath fell from her throat with her head lowering down. Right now she didn’t feel that about herself. Right now she felt heart broken, pathetic and horrible.

“I don’t understand why you didn’t go to the airport,” Joel repeated what was on his mind, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat. “I told you to go to him.”

“And I told you that he deserved better than me. Both of you do,” she reminded him what she had said, her head shaking slowly. “I thought about it. I really did. But I love him so much and I don’t think I’m good for him. Making no decision is the best for everyone. Going back to the way things were…”

“Not making a decision is a big decision,” Joel repeated exactly what Elizabeth had said the other night. “And breaking everyone’s hearts is not the right way to do things. You’re still too goddamn worried about hurting feelings that you’re willing to break everyone’s heart because you don’t think you’re good enough. Yeah, you slept with me when you were dating Negan as a teen. That was bad. You fell in love with Negan when I wanted you back. Shit happens. But the three of us could make it work.”

“I don’t think that’s what you wanted Joel,” she thought back to the things he said yesterday to her before he left. It was beautiful, it was sweet and she seriously considered going.

“But I was right and you know it. You’re crying so fucking much because you’re losing Negan,” Joel stressed what he knew to be true. Thinking about Negan being on the plane and leaving had started to finally set in for her. It had a whimpering sound falling from her throat. “It’s okay to admit it. He makes us both better. Even if he is an asshole sometimes.”

They both snickered as she shrugged her shoulders and let out a tremoring breath, “He left me a message and he was so fucking sad. It shattered my whole heart. I packed a bag Joel, I was going to go. But then I heard how broken he already was because of me. What I put him through the last few days when he is so…”

“Perfect?” Joel finished for her hearing her crying and it made his eyes burn over seeing her so upset.

“This was the best decision for you and Negan,” she insisted with a firm nod of her head. “You both deserve better than me. You deserve someone that brings out the best in you. Negan deserves someone that does the same thing.”

“And you don’t think that you’re that person?” Joel reached out, sweeping his thumb in over the side of her face getting her to finally look up at him. There was a sadness lingering there and it broke his heart. “That’s my fault. I didn’t tell you how perfect you were as much as you deserved to hear it. Because no one was better for me than you. No one ever cared for me or lifted me up like you did Y/N. No one is better for me. Which is why I’m here. To be better for you.”

A confused half laugh fell from her throat, her eyes narrowing with Joel still caressing over her jawline, “I’m sorry I let it get to this. More than anything I want to be that boy you feel in love with again. The one that made you believe in love. The one that was the perfect husband and father, but I’ve made one too many mistakes and I’ll never be that Joel again. I wish I never made the mistakes I did, but I did. But if you ever listen to me about something, listen to me now. You saved me. Every day. And you still are saving me. You were always the person that was there through the tough times and I was so lucky to have you when I did. I would have never made it without you. Neither would have Tommy. You gave me the best of you. You always gave me the best of you. And I stopped doing that a long time ago. You deserve endless amounts of pampering and love. You deserve to hear every day how beautiful you are. How amazing you are. How life wouldn’t be the same if you weren’t in it. You deserve to smile and be happy.”

A whine escaped her throat with her head lowering down. Sliding his palm in over the side of her face, Joel closed the distance between the two of them and he sighed loudly, “Which is what you are going to get being with both of us. Just a little bit more with Negan as your husband and me as you’re promised one.”

Lifting her stare, she seemed confused with him hushing her before she could speak up again, “I know, you’re worried about me and how it’s going to hurt me, but I’m not blind. You’re heart broken because you were meant to be on that plane with Negan. You were meant to be with him and instead you’re here.”

“Joel…” she released a broken breath that was followed by a sob. Dropping her head had Joel’s fingers caressing in over the side of her neck. “It’s too late. The plane is already gone. I can’t do anything about it. I should have done what Elizabeth said, what Negan said. We should have all sat down and figured something out because I love the both of you. So much.”

Instinctively he wrapped her up in his arms to comfort her. “Why didn’t you tell him? Why didn’t you go with him?”

“Because I was afraid,” she lifted her head to meet Joel’s stare and his eyes were tearing over to which surprised her. “I didn’t want to be the thing that took away Negan’s happiness. I didn’t want to be the thing that ruined your life or his life.”

“Not all of us are your responsibility,” Joel stated with a frown, his features softening with him cupping her face in his hands. “Sure, Elizabeth and Peter are, but they are used to this back-and-forth thing between you and me. And they are good kids. They showed both of us that they don’t care if we have this relationship with Negan. And me? The more I think about it? The more I’m sold on it. To be with the both of you? I can’t think of a better way to have things.”

“It’s sounds perfect Joel, but it’s too late. He asked me to call him if I wanted him to come back and I didn’t. He called me before all of this when he was at the airport and he was upset. I could hear it in his voice. I broke his heart and I don’t know if he’d ever be able to forgive me for it,” she whimpered, closing her eyes at the sensation of Joel’s thumbs caressing at the sides of her face to collect the tears. “I didn’t call him. I should have texted him back. I should have called him and I didn’t because…”

“Because I fucked everything up,” Joel interrupted her thought process, letting out a long exhale. “I love you. I love you so fucking much and I realize the mistake that I made. I wish I never did it, but I did. And I wanted to turn back time to make it the way things used to be, but I can’t. And then Negan shows up and he’s the one person that can make you smile. The one person that can make things feel right between the two of us. Negan was everything the two of us needed and more. I love you enough to realize that Negan is the man you are meant to be married to. Not me. I’m always going to be here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re the mother of my children. You are my best friend. And you are my first true love. The love of my life. But in order for me to grow, I need to let you be happy. And if Negan is not in your life, that’s never going to happen. You need him. And he needs you. And I need both of you. You both make me a better man. The man I want to be.”

“Joel,” she whimpered with Joel leaning forward to press faint kisses at her lips, giving her a weak smile when he pulled away. “I can’t turn back time. As much as I would love to, I fucked up.”

“You won’t do it again,” Joel assured her, slowly releasing her from his arms, but dragging his fingers down her arms to hook his fingers with hers to give them a firm squeeze. “I think he’ll understand that. You love him, right?”

“I do,” she confessed with a shuddering breath.

“And you love me, right?” Joel confirmed with her grunting out.

“Obviously,” she felt like that was a little clear at this point.

“Then we will make it work together,” Joel winked, giving her hands a firm squeeze. “You’re always going to be my girl. Even if you’re married to Negan. We’re always going to be part of each other’s lives. I should have realized that when we were in New York City, but I needed a swift kick to the ass. Elizabeth helped me realize that. I don’t want to be the reason that you lost your smile. I love you that much. Which is why we’re gonna make this trio thing work.”

Sweeping his thumbs over the back of her hands, Joel could tell that tears were burning at his eyes and he shrugged his shoulders, “Would you say yes if he asked you to marry him?”

“I should have told him yes at the roller-skating rink,” she tremored, lifting her hands to caress over the sides of Joel’s face. “I love you Joel. I love you so much and a big part of my heart will always belong to you. There was just something with Negan that made me feel…”

“Whole?” Joel filled in the blanks for her and she nodded slowly, her jaw flexing in upset. “Yeah, he does that for me too. Weird how that fucker is able to fill in the empty spaces and make things feel right. I wish I had that talent.” 

“There is something about you too,” she hushed him, pushing faintly at his shoulder to get him to look down at her. “I have been in love with you my whole life. Obviously you’re doing something right. I just fucked things up with Negan. Twice now. It’s something I’ll never let down. But this is my own fault.”

“No, you can have your dreams. You can have everything you’ve ever wanted,” Joel promised her, stepping forward to give her another quick kiss getting emotional himself. “Everything you deserve. And the children agree with me.”

“How?” she breathed out with Joel reaching into his pocket. Pulling something out, he revealed to her the box that was in his hand. Once she saw the small jewelry box, she gave him an odd expression. “Joel?”

“I love you. I always will. And I’m not going anywhere. I want to promise you that,” Joel nuzzled his nose in against hers before stepping back. “I’m always going to be here to support you. The way I should have. Just not as your husband. And I’m okay with that.”

Sweeping his thumb over the box, Joel took one final look at it before tossing it beyond her. Surprising her with the movement, she turned to see where he had thrown it letting out a trembling exhale when she saw Negan standing behind her holding onto the box.

With a weak smile, Negan stepped forward before her. Unhurriedly lowering down to his knee, Negan gave a wince with his knee starting to hurt him on the hard concrete, but he didn’t care. Seeing him had her crying and Negan could feel himself getting emotional too.

“You’re here,” she trembled, squeezing firmly to Negan’s fingers with him kneeling before her. “I thought you left. I thought…”

“He came to get me to bring me where I belong,” Negan hushed her, bringing her hand to his mouth to deposit a loving kiss over the back of her hand. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw that Joel was standing behind them watching with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. With their eyes connecting, she got the confirmation that indeed Joel was who brought him here from the airport. “Which is with you. I don’t care where I am as long as I’m with you. Y/N, I love you with everything that I am. I don’t care where we are, as long as we are together because your love is enough for me. You are enough for me. The only thing that I can hope for is that I’m enough for you.”

“Just ask her already,” Joel grumbled under his breath getting a grunt to fall from Negan’s throat, but a laugh followed.

“Will you make me the happiest motherfucker on the planet and marry me?” Negan asked with a broken breath having her immediately nod her head. Grunting through the pain, Negan got up from the ground with her jumping into his arms to hug him. Squeezing her in against his chest, Negan spun her in a circle. Peppering kisses against the side of her face, Negan nuzzled his nose in against her neck and let out a happy sound. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” she insisted pulling Negan in to kiss her letting it linger. By the time she pulled away she was breathless and she pressed her forehead to his. “So much.”

“Good,” Negan gave her a big cheesy smile, squeezing her in closer to him. Looking beyond them, Negan could see that Joel seemed genuinely happy, but sad at the same time. Waving his fingers, he urged Joel forward. Turning toward him, Negan allowed Joel to come in to hug the both of them. “Thank you. You’re a good man Joel Miller.”

“Now let’s not go that far,” Joel’s nose wrinkled, giving them both a firm hug. “I just know what’s right and wrong. And in this moment, I needed to do what was right. My daughter helped me realize what that was.”

“And you’re okay with this?” she confirmed having Joel step back and hold his hand up in the air showing her a ring that was on his finger already. Bouncing his eyebrows Joel caused her to laugh when she looked between the two of them. “The hell is that?”

“I gave him the ring I was wearing to make sure he knows he’s ours,” Negan lifted his hand to show that the ring he often wore was gone. “It’s just a placement holder until I can get one that he likes better. Maybe one that matches your ring.”

“I deserve the bling too,” Joel teased feeling her shoving into his chest and he laughed. “Although, you might have to deal with some awkward press for a while. I think people might think I’m the one marrying Negan.”

“What does that mean?” she looked between the two of them with the sound of Joel’s voice echoing behind her. Looking over her shoulder she saw that Negan was holding a video up with Joel’s speech on the plane. Immediately a rose color flooded into Joel’s face when the video clearly showed him and Negan kissing. “What is that?”

“Well that was fast,” Joel grumbled under his breath, shoving his hands into his pockets. “These people and their damn cell phones.”

“It’s a good story,” Negan hooked his arm around Y/N’s shoulders, leading her to follow him over toward Joel so he could wrap his arm around Joel’s shoulders with his other arm. “We can talk about it on the way back to Joel’s place.”

“Joel’s place?” she was curious since she would have thought they were headed back to her home.

“Oh, we have a meeting with a seventeen-year-old girl and a thirteen-year-old boy that want to explain their plans to us,” Joel explained to her referring to Peter and Elizabeth who asked to see them both after they got done doing whatever they were. “Apparently our daughter has created a power point for us.”

“Oh tonight is gonna be fun,” Negan suggested, leaning in to press a kiss against Y/N’s temple and then repeated the motion to Joel. “I’ll get the car.”

Leaving the two of them to themselves, Negan was swift to head over toward the car that he had driven back with Joel. Turning to face Joel, she reached out for his hands to squeeze them firmly in hers, “You really are different.”

“Mhmm,” Joel breathed out, stepping forward to close the distance between them. “And I plan to spend the rest of my life proving it to the both of you. I’m wearing the ring so that means this sexy dad bod? Yeah, it belongs to both you and Negan.”

“Dear God,” she tipped on her toes to pepper loving kisses against Joel’s lips who wrapped her loosely in his arms. “And you’re okay with that?”

“Strangely, yes,” Joel responded with a long sigh, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers enjoying the warmth of her near. “All I know is that the both of you make me a better man and I want you both happy. This is the best way. For all of us. Together. Making things work.”

“I love you Joel Miller,” she stressed, resting her head against the center of his chest allowing him to stroke his fingers over the back of her neck while he cuddled his chin down in over the top of her head. “So fucking much.”

“I know,” Joel pressed a lingering kiss over the top of her head as Negan pulled up with the car. Helping her into the car, Joel made sure she was safely in before getting into the back. “After this meeting, I vote we go have a threesome in that nook. I’ve been trying so hard to have sex there. And I think I could use it.”

“We’ll see where the night takes us,” Negan chuckled hearing the sound of the video he played earlier coming from his phone again that was now in Y/N’s hands as she watched it.

“This has a lot of views you know,” Y/N pointed toward the phone holding it up and looking back over her shoulder to stare out at Joel. “There is still time for the two of you to be the couple to get married. I told you, I’m okay with being the third wheel. It really wouldn’t bother me with you two getting married.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see,” Joel waved his hand about getting a laugh from Y/N as she continued to watch the video. “We’ll figure something out. Together. We’re a team now so whatever happens, happens. But it will happen with the three of us together. Starting something new. I reckon these next few days are going to be interesting to say the least, but I’m ready to take on that challenge with you and Negan at my side.”

----

Tags: @chainsawsangel @fancypeacepersona @violent-darkness @negansbestie @elegantfanficluv

@sanctuaryforthelost @dead-of-niight @dilfsandmartinis @jennydehavilland

[tinytalkingtina]

Fancy Falling Into You Here

Written for the August @steddiemicrofic prompt, using the word "plug" and 437 words.

437 words | Rating T | Ao3 link

On their first date, Steve and Eddie come to realize they had first met under much more embarrassing circumstances.

Tags: EMT Steve, Coffee shop owner/clumsy Eddie, first date, minor injuries (nothing described in detail), modern AU, embarrassment, BBC's Sherlock haunting all of us when plugging in our phones

Inspired by @dreamwatch for making me think of steddifying this post! Author's notes under the cut

"G-d damn BBC Sherlock," Eddie grumbled as he fumbled plugging his phone into its charging cable for a third time. "Stupid Benedict Cumberbatch and his weird attractive cheekbones." 

A snort from the couch reminded him he actually had company, oops.

Eddie gave his date a grin. "Sorry, I'd love to say that I'm normally as graceful as a swan or something, but as you've seen, unfortunately abject clumsiness is par for the course. It's a miracle my coffee shop's still standing."

It was fine. He could still salvage this and come off as less of a disgruntled sad wet cat man to Smooth Hottie with Glasses and That ButtTM of daily matcha latte with oat milk order fame. Still, Hottie (who went by "Steve", apparently) didn't really seem turned off by Eddie's whole deal. He just laughed.

"Oh, trust me, I've seen much worse. My first year as an EMT, we got a call to a college dorm. This unlucky dude fell off the top bunk and somehow broke both legs and an arm.”

Eddie froze, his quest to charge his phone completely forgotten.

“Plus the guy managed to down the shade on the way too, honestly it was an impressive amount of damage from a 4 foot drop," Steve continued on, oblivious. “One of the funniest calls me and my partner have gotten, and we once had to take care of someone who accidentally fell on a Buzz Lightyear toy and somehow got it stuck up their—you okay man?"

"I panicked and thought the cord would hold my weight." Eddie hid his face in his hands.

"Oh shit. You're 'broke all his bones man'?”

This was a nightmare. "Oh my G-d, I was so woozy. Please tell me I didn’t say anything weird.”

“You asked if I could ‘kiss your booboos better.’ Guess you’ve grown out your hair since?”

"I had to buzz it all off that semester because I had an Incident with some gum," Eddie groaned. "You can go now, I won't hold it against you."

He heard Steve slide closer. "And what makes you think your whole 'Bambi on ice' thing isn't working for me?"

Eddie cracked open an eye. "You sure about that?"

"Pretty sure," he said with a wink. "Plus, if you meet my friend Robin, she's known me since high school. Which means she unfortunately has photos of my braces years. You’re gonna have to stick around long enough to see em."

Eddie stared. Smooth Hottie still wanted him somehow? "Okay Big Boy, looks like I will." 

Steve smiled back. “Good. Now, lean back, I owe you a few kisses.”

Authors notes:

In case you weren't on Tumblr in the early-mid 2010's and remain blissfully unaware of BBC's Sherlock, please watch this clip to understand why Eddie is cursing Benedict Cumberbatch when he fails to plug in his phone fully sober

Eddie, Jeff, and Chrissy run a little coffee shop (complete with monthly open mic/karaoke nights) that EMTs Steve and Robin frequent. Not to worry, Robin will eventually meet her future wife Vickie at the shop after Vickie wins her heart with a rendition of "Before He Cheats."

Originally I had injured Eddie ask Steve about his biblically accurate angel form, but since I decided that Eddie's accident took place around 2010, and the angel meme only took off in 2020, I rewrote the line to be about kissing his booboos. Let's pretend this happens after a separate accident befalls Eddie (he'll be fine): Eddie: Ouch, I was out of it after they gave me the painkillers. I think I called you an angel? Steve: Yeah, you asked if my biblically accurate form had eyes as pretty as my human ones.

[strawberri-elixir]

Sleepless nights

╰⇢ 29. I love you too (The original ending)

Warnings: none (unless you count a really long speech/confession as a warning)

note: this is the original ending that i had planned out from the very beginning (aka the ending i wanted more than the other before i got attached) but i’ll link the alternate ending at the bottom with the usual links when it’s done :]

“I…” You hesitated.

What was your answer? You never, in your entire life, imagined your little crushes would ever get this far. Let alone have both like you back.

But now, with everything that has gone down the past few months, you were faced with a difficult situation.

Yuta, the boy who’s been by your side before you could remember. And Toge, the one who single handily made the past few months arguably a lot better.

Both held a special place in your heart, one that would tear you apart if it was replaced with an empty void of their absence.

“I don’t know what to say…” You look down, already expecting to see disappointment if you met his eyes. “I just- I know it’s wrong but… I like you both. But I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and break what we already have.”

But deep down, you already knew whose feelings you wanted to reciprocate. You just couldn’t admit it out loud.

“You should go to him then.” Your eyes flick up to meet his soft gaze.

It seems he knows your answer as well. You give him a small smile, pulling him into a tight hug before stepping back and running off to find a certain boy. But not before giving Toge one last glance.

Thank you.

You hurried down the hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything that would point you in the right direction. As you run up and down the aisles of the convention, you catch a familiar head of black hair headed towards the exit.

On the opposite side of the building.

"Yuta!" You let out a weak yell. The boy showed absolutely no signs of hearing your pitiful attempts at getting his attention, leaving you no choice but to sprint after him. “Wait!”

So you ran. Throwing out halfhearted apologies to the poor people passing by as you pushed through them. Truthfully, you didn’t care about the people around you, the only thing that was on your mind was the boy who was slipping through your fingers.

You broke through the crowds, exiting the main building and continuing your search for the boy. As your head shot side to side, trying to determine the direction of the boy, you catch a glimpse of Yuta, running out towards the parking lot.

He was about to leave you here.

“Yuta wait!” You slammed on the exit door and chased after him. As you inched closer, the dark-haired boy started slowing down, understanding that you weren’t going to stop.

When you finally reached him, you grabbed his hand. Your way of ensuring he stays in place as you catch your breath. "You were really gonna leave me here?" You gasped for air.

"I just assumed you would go home with Toge." The boy turned away from you but made no move to leave. "I'm sorry I ruined the confession, I thought you guys were done and-"

"Shut up." You held your other hand up. Yuta immediately stopped talking and turned to face you, his eyes reflecting the emotions that his body refused to displayed.

"You didn't even hear what I had to say."

"Well, I assumed that you would've accepted his confession...?" The boy looked confused.

"What- no- well-" Your brain was a mess and nothing was coming out right as you tried to form and explanation for him. Finally, you let out and exasperated sigh. "It's a long story. I don't want to discuss this in the middle of a parking lot."

Without saying anything else, Yuta grabs his helmet and tosses yours to you. "Let's go somewhere then."

You obliged, waiting for him to start up the engine before hopping on behind him.

“Ready?” He turned to you.

“Mhm.”

Before anything else could be said, the two of you sped off down the street. Back towards the same, nostalgic place the two of you grew familiar with. The park.

"So." Yuta sat in front of you as you sat in the middle of the empty field.

“It’s a long story.” You sigh.

“I’ve got all night.” He leans back onto his hands for support.

Fuck. There was absolutely no getting out of this. A short silence fills the air as you contemplate where to start. When you first started falling for him? Or maybe when you heard him confess his love for you when he thought nobody would hear.

“Well- so I may have had some sort of feelings for you for a while but just never realized it until recently when everyone just started getting closer and closer, right? But I swear to god that night when the four of us had that sleepover and I woke up to you hugging me and shit just did something to me and-”

You began talking at an alarming pace, wanting to get everything off your chest before you regret it.

“Oh! And when you told me you love me? Granted, it was indirectly. But I heard it, by the way, I couldn’t sleep again and overheard you talking. Anyways, I just couldn’t get it out of my head and Maki wasn’t much help either, so that’s on me.”

After what felt like forever, you finally took a break to breathe, glancing at Yuta, hoping to get a sense of what he was thinking. He looked… shocked, to say the least. But he didn’t say anything.

“So when Toge confessed, I’ll admit, I was really confused and didn’t know what to say. And I probably should’ve reacted sooner, but that’s beside the point. The point is, I like you too. Hell, I would probably go as far as to say I love you.”

You look at Yuta, looking for something, anything. After a few seconds, you were ready to crawl into a ditch and disappear. But before you could act on those impulsive thoughts, you felt a pair of hands hold your face. And then soft lips placing a kiss onto yours.

He kissed you. A soft, passionate kiss. One that you were quick to reciprocate, reaching up to hold his cheeks and keep him in place.

Before long, you both pulled away, desperately needing air. A warm flush filled your cheeks as you gazed longingly into each other’s eyes. You both had been waiting for this moment for so long.

“I love you.” Yuta suddenly blurted out. “A lot more than I ever thought was possible.”

Your eyes relax into a soft gaze. “I love you too.”

He couldn’t help but crack a smile, taking a hold of your hand and kissing it. You meant everything to him. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.”

A small chuckles escaped your lips. “Hopefully as happy as it’s making me.” You shift your body to lean on his shoulder, looking up at the dimming sky. The stars started making themselves visible as the moon settled into place.

It might’ve still been early on in the night, but you could already tell it was going to be one of those sleepless nights.

Masterlist | The alternate ending <3

ANOTHER NOTE: oh. my. god. we actually made it to end you guys! i just want to say thank you all so much for the support i’ve received throughout the duration of this journey! it really means a lot to me that so many people enjoyed this.

as sad as it is to see this series come to and end, i’m excited to get myself ready to make another series. and i hope you guys will enjoy that one as much as you enjoyed this one! thank you guys once again for making this series so fun to make and i hope to see you guys again for my next series!

taglist:

@sur-i-ki @aespaforlifersyall @camilo-uwu @butterflyqueen234 @shinsukeee @tanchosanke @meguemii @lees-chaotic-brain @you-always-made-me-blush @jayathelostdragon @chilichopsticks @polarbvnny

@frumira @sad-darksoul @hellyyy06 @rosieandthethorns @zellwa @iluv-ace @h3xi2g0n3 @morgyyyyyyy @bellaabee082 @koiir @g0rep1ty @k4romis @beaniedoodz @seventhcinema @macimcnaron @pumpkinisnotsane @wowowwin @neigee @someonethatisnobody @vndl-1 @yoyo-yui

@blehtotheblehtothebleh @c4ttheart @blogforblorboscreaming @creative1writings @tiredjxnna @mint129106 @mentallyunstablemanlover @anianurst @milesmorals @samutoru @azulsmermaidprincess @toges-cough-syrup @liveincans @jals-stuff @yievieslxt @yell-lemonade @inupibaldspot @hyssoplampflickers @lilysaltwater

[bunny-jpeg]

chain breakers (a wrestling au) - simon 'ghost' riley

pairing: simon 'ghost' riley x reader rating: 18+ summary: You pinched the bridge of your nose, “You're telling me, the new Austrian guy whipped you with a CHAIN.” You sighed and put your hands on your hips, “I'm pretty sure when Mister Price said that was going to happen you went 'sure, I can take it!', and now you're on MY couch with a fuckin' whip mark on your back.” tags: wrestling au, injuries, angst/smut/fluff, oral sex (f receiving), scar kink/worship, kitchen sex, there's a lotta smut, possessive behaviour, semi-public sex, minor violence (wrestling duh), cowgirl position, there are three smut scenes in this thing, big dick!ghost, 8k words a/n: inspired by this! if you want more wrestling content, lemme know! (this was originally supposed to be a spicy pwp, but then it got outta hand). I look at Ghost's ass and go "Itadakimasu" join the my discord (18+)

You pinched the bridge of your nose, “You're telling me, the new Austrian guy whipped you with a CHAIN.” You sighed and put your hands on your hips, “I'm pretty sure when Mister Price said that was going to happen you went 'sure, I can take it!', and now you're on MY couch with a fuckin' whip mark on your back.”

  ”But it's all part of the-“ John started.

You held up a finger to him, “Johnny, shut up.”

He grimaced and looked to his friend, ”I can't help ya, good luck with the misuses.“ Then took it as his chance to leave before you turned your fury towards him.

The door clicked behind you but your gaze was on the man laid out on the couch. You didn't even want to see the damage done to his back. He was only hit once with the metal, but you could only imagine what had been done to your lover's back.

You approached closer, you seated yourself on the arm of the couch and reached for Simon's short hair, ”You're an idiot.“

He sighed, ”It made for a good show.“ His voice was low. He knew what he did was possibly unsafe. Wrestling may be 'fake', but the damage he came home with was very real.

You reached over and lifted the bottom of his fitting black t-shirt. The current reigning champion in the 'Modern Warfare' season, he basically had a target on his back for the other cast of characters that made up the league.

  ”Tell me if it hurts.“

  ”You could never hurt me.“ He said quietly.

You sighed, ”Simon Riley, this is not the time to play up the character. There's no one else here but us, now tell me if it starts to hurt.“

  ”Yes ma'am.“ He buried his face further into the pillow under his head. He soon partially lifted his body so you could get the shirt over his broad shoulders.

You held your breath as you saw the thick mark on his back. You could see every link in the chain imprinted on his skin. You were thankful that John didn't lie to you and he was only hit once.

You exhaled deeply, ”Si.“

  ”I'm sorry.“

You tossed the shirt to the side and got up from the edge of the couch. You were tempted to touch the bruise, but you didn't want to hurt him.

But you knew pain would come soon, ”Simon, I'm going to get you some ice. I need you to be still for me when I apply it to your back.“

He nodded, ”Thanks, love.“ Then exhaled deeply as well.

You smiled at his exposed, toned backside before you headed to the kitchen and grabbed one of the ice packs from the fridge.

You had met Simon a few years prior, the wrestling thing didn't start until two years after you got together. You encouraged him in whatever he needed to do, but to see him so hurt broke your heart.

It didn't matter how many times he or Soap or even Mister Price assured you it was safe, you couldn't help but worry. Because if something happened to your Simon, you'd be beside yourself.

You wrapped the ice pack in a dish towel and brought it back to him. You returned to your seat on the couch and leaned over. You hovered the ice pack over his back and sighed, this was at least better than the military.

  “Stay still, my love.” You said softly.

He hissed through his teeth, but didn't move an inch as you applied the cold to his back.

  “I know, I know.” You said softly, “It hurts like a bitch every time.” You moved the ice across the length of the mark.

He groaned into the pillow and you were trying so hard to be as delicate as possible.

You stayed like that for sometime, there was no saving his back from the wicked bruise he was going to have come morning. Soon your hand was starting to feel the chill of the ice pack. For extra measure, you leaned over to his back and placed a soft kiss against his skin.

  “I'll live.” He said.

  “Oh, I know. I can't get rid of you THAT easily.” You remarked as you got up, “I suggest you go get ready for bed. Do you want to stay on the couch or come to bed with me?”

He pulled his head up from the pillow and his dark eyes met yours. He looked exhausted on top of being in pain. He nodded and got up, “Affirmative, love.”

You chuckled softly and gave him your hand, “Then c'mon Ghost-y, let's get you to bed.” Then led him upstairs to your shared bedroom where he could get some sleep.

He slept on his stomach, there was no way he was getting to sleep on his back. He kept his head close to your chest and held your hand while he drifted to sleep. You forced yourself to stay awake until you heard his soft snoring.

This was your man, laid out beside you in bed. Fast asleep with the promise of pain in the morning. You reminded yourself that this was all a show, but yet you still worried.

You wanted him to be alright, you didn't want Simon to come home beaten and bruised in the name of entertainment. He wasn't some show pony that could have pain inflicted upon.

But there was little you could do. He was an adult man, and could make his own choices. So you found comfort in holding his hand as you curled up next to him and finally fell asleep.

-

Simon was up early, but laid in bed until you woke up. You thought he was still asleep so you started to kiss his face until he started to kiss you back.

He pulled away and gazed down at you. He smiled gently, that scar that ran down the right side of his lip, paired with another one just next to his lip. You cupped his face and he leaned into your touch.

His eyes opened and he looked at you, “Good morning'.”

You smiled at him, sleep still foggy in your mind. You kissed him once more, “Good morning my all-star.”

He chuckled quietly, “Pancakes?”

You snuggled up closer to him, “I have something else in mind. Your favorite meal... Unless your back is in too much pain.” As much as you loved having your pussy ate, you needed to make sure that Simon was comfortable as well.

He nodded, “Of course.” He placed a hand on your side and trailed it down to your ass before he pulled you even closer to him and squeeze your ass, “Anythin' for ya.”

You smiled then pulled away then guided his hands to pull down the sweatpants you slept in. Then you kicked the covers off of you as you kicked off your bottoms.

Then he kissed you. But it was hot and heavy as he grabbed your ass once more. He felt the heated flesh under his rough fingertips. Your ass was impressive, but your cheeks felt small compared to his large hand that was gripping them.

He groaned, “I love how ya feel. You're fuckin' perfect. Every time I get put through hell in the ring, I always come home to my girl.” His voice was low as he massaged your cheeks. He went back in for another kiss and felt you moan against him.

You clung onto his shoulders, thankfully the injury was closer to the middle of his back. However, you had to be careful of the healing of the older bruises on his face.

The kiss was deep between two lovers as he got on top of you. He then pulled away and went down between your legs. He pulled your underwear down as well and kissed your pussy.

He looked at you from between your legs, “Now be careful, I know how you like to... kick.”

You held the pillow under your head and squeezed your thighs around his head and draped your legs over his shoulders, “I'll be a good girl.” You giggled.

He groaned against you and felt heat radiate from his core and through his body. You gasped when you felt his tongue brush against your wet sex.

  “Fuckin' hell.” He grumbled against you before he took another soft lick. His cock strained in his pants, even if the aches in his body were fighting the urge to get aroused.

  “I love it.” You remarked, “Shit, Simon, your tongue.” Love dripped off your tongue as he began to pleasure you at a faster rate.

  “God, you taste good, love.” He grumbled before he continued to lick at you cunt. He felt your wetness got all over his lips and chin. As well as on his scar.

You thought about  that scarred lip touching your pussy that a heat flooded through you. It made your face flushed at the thought. You clung onto the pillow under your head and gently rolled your hips against his face.

Your wetness soon reached all the way to the apples of his cheeks, not to mention how he was nose deep between your folds. He inhaled your musky scent and melted against the bed, even as his legs hung off the edge. The sounds of sloppy oral sex filled the air and you squirmed against him. It felt so erotic for him to be so close to you.

  “Shit! Simon, fuck!” You whimpered, “That goddamn tongue.” You felt the heat in your body as the pleasure pumped through your veins. His tongue danced along your clit. His hot breath against your sex made you quiver.

  “Good girl.” He said in that low voice of his. His stomach was in knots the more the pleasure you had. He got pleasure out of your pleasure and soaked in all the sounds you made. It sounded erotic as all hell, the thought that he was doing this to you got a rise out of him. He squeezed my thighs around his skull the quicker he licked your pussy. Making sure every inch was covered in his spit.

Your hands then reached down to his hair as you held onto it tightly. You yanked on it roughly as another hot feeling of pleasure raced through his body. You arched your back and moaned loudly. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest.

He practically melted against you and the bed the most he took pleasure in eating you out. His eyes shut gently and he held onto your legs as he tried to go deeper. He breathed deeply through his nose and his body was starting to heat up. He loved the taste of you on his tongue, it made his heart race at the feeling of you so close to him.

His head was starting to feel hazy with the lust cursing through his body. He groaned into your cunt and felt the most relaxed he had felt in DAYS.

  “I love ya.” He said quietly before he went back to what he was doing.

The room grew hotter the more he pleasured you. The sound of his devouring you pussy whole and your accompanying noises filled the room. Two lovers getting intimate with Simon engaging in his favorite pastime.

You rocked your hips against his face. His nose was against your clit as he played with your hole. You tried your best not to kick out your legs too much and his his sore spot.

The noises you made drove him crazy. The heat in his body was amplified by those sweet noises. You sounded like a dream to him.

Your leg muscles tensed more and you gripped onto his hair tighter. Yourbody tensed as you got closer to orgasm. You panted wildly as your boyfied pleasured you like it was his sole mission on his planet.

  “Shit, Simon.” You moaned loudly. You couldn't believe this was the same guy who threw other men through folding tables and put on a show almost every night. Here he was between your legs making sure that you knew who you belonged to.

That at the end of the day, you were his. And only his, there was no denying that he was quite possessive of you. He always wanted you and others to be aware that you were his and nothing was going to change that.

He was your lover, he was your soul at times. Despite all the brokenness in him. You pieced him back together and gave him a warm home to come back to. He loved you like the moon loved the sun, and you returned the love.

Those dark eyes were haunted by something, and when he was in the ring it was like he became fully possessed. And as he licked your pussy, you wondered if something else was possessing him.

You moaned loudly into the bedroom and continued to rub your clit against his nose. He groaned into your pussy and you knew he was aroused. It was plain obvious.

You'd return the favor afterwards, but for now you were trying to achieve your own climax. The heat of sex filled the room as you and your lover made love on your shared bed.

The curl of pleasure grew tighter as you felt yourself get ever so close to climax. You moaned out loud, not even trying to hide it.

  “Ah! Ah!” You gasped as you felt the tension in your body the more that he pleasures you. You weren't going to last long at this rate.

  “You taste so fuckin' good.' He purred the more he licked and sucked at your sex. Your muscle bound hottie of a boyfriend who could slam people down on the mat. He was between your legs and being as sensitive as he could be, he didn't want to bruise his loving girlfriend.

You moaned one last time before you let out a sharp inhale as you climaxed on his tongue. You kicked out your legs a little as you climaxed. It felt so good that it made your head spin. The euphoria of climax made your heart race as you tensed. But then you relaxed against the bed and panted wildly. 

He stayed between your legs for a little longer, licking your overstimulated clit to get a few more noises out of you. The bottom half of his face shone with your wetness all over it. He was a man who devoured his lover. 

You let go of his hair and laid there on the bed rapidly panting. You pushed the hair out of your face and felt the sweat on your forehead. You gazed at him still between your legs. You said, “Holy shit.” 

He pulled away and looked down at you. His face was flushed with the pleasure that raced through him. His heart was hammered in his chest and his cock was painfully hard. He deeply exhaled, “I think I need a little help, love.” 

Your eyebrows rose and you watched him move, you saw the full outline of his thick cock through his sweatpants. If your pussy could get any wetter it would have from the sight of his cock. You looked at him once more and opened your arms, “Well then, come and get it, Mister ghost.”

-

It took Simon days to convince you that the bruise wasn't as bad as it could be. Before he left for the gym after two days of you keeping him inside, he kissed you on the lips and said, ”No more chains, unless it's you and I.“

You blushed a little and pushed him away, ”Oh shush. You gave him a small smile, ”Tell Price if I see one more dangerous move, I'm going to his office to tell him off.“

He chuckled, ”I think you're the only thing that would scare him.“ He lifted his face mask over his mouth and nose before he headed to the car with his gym bag in tow.

You watched him pull out of the small driveway and head to the gym in town. You bit the nail of your thumb nervously before you headed back inside.

Your walk was a little staggered after two days of nothing but sex as a means to entice your boyfriend to stay home and not get his ass kicked once more. You knew the storyline for him in the ring, but it still didn't make you less nervous.

  ”Fuck.” You grumbled to yourself as you went to the kitchen to get breakfast before you headed to work. You sent him a quick text message with a bunch of hearts then put it down to grab what you needed.

-

That evening, you were tired after work but in an act of goodwill, John Price offered for you to come to the ring to watch Simon perform that night. You knew it was a way to prove that your boyfriend was not being beaten with a metal chain anymore.

When you got home, Simon was home. He was at the kitchen table with a plate of leftovers. You had made enough lasagna to feed the whole circuit, but Simon was greatly enjoying it.

You went over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. You leaned over and kissed on the cheek, “Do I need to examine you for more bruises or?“

  ”Nothing' happened, love. I was a good boy.“ He smiled a little, ”Johnny did get a good slap on the bruise.“

  ”Do I have to kill that Scottsman?“ You asked, semi-serious.

He chuckled, ”No, love. If I need to strangle him, I will. No need to get your hands dirty.“ Simon and John were as thick as thieves, the only time they seriously did damage to one another was in the ring.

He moved the chair back to let you sit in his lap. He smiled at you, you saw how the scars on his face moved with it. You delicately sat down on his large thigh and cupped his face. His eyes closed for a moment as he relaxed into your touch.

The ultimate sign of loyalty. His devotion to you ran deep. A lot of people loved the character of Ghost, but only you loved the man under the mask. You loved Simon Riley and for the rest of time, he was thankful for that.

You kissed the corner of his mouth where the scars were and he wrapped his strong arms around you. You felt content in his grasp as you continued to kiss his face.

  “How is it?”

  “Perfect. I was starvin'.” He remarked before he kissed you fully on the lips, he soon pulled away and as he did so he said “I like when my wife cooks me dinner.”

You looked him in the eyes, “I'm not your wife until I see that ring.” Then gave him a playful pat on the cheek.

  ”Soon, love. I'll give ya all the diamonds you want." He brushed his nose up against you, “Anything for my girl.” Then kissed your neck. He exhaled deeply against your skin, “Feelin' ya against me, has me all riled up.”

You giggled, “I'm still in my work clothes.” You pulled away and looked down at him, “Unless you want them on the floor.“

He smiled up at you, ”Of course I do. I want ya naked and bent over this table.“ Those dark eyes carried lust in them, you knew how worked up he got after a day in the gym. The blood pumping did things to him, and paired with you in his lap. It didn't help in the slightest.

You got up from his lap and took off your jacket. It was simple office clothes, you worked in front of a computer most days.

You placed it on another chair by the table. It was then followed by your skirt and white button up shirt and soon you were left in your drawers. A mis-matched pair of bra and panties, and black pantyhose.

You started to take them off, but Simon reached out to stop you. He placed a hand over top of your hand and gazed up at you.

  ”Let me, love.“ He smiled before he pulled your hands away gently and then got up. He picked you up with ease and placed you on top of the study dining table

.

He admired your beauty. He had seen a lot of nice things in his life. Sunsets in Barcelona, the thick beauty of flower fields in the Netherlands, the way the sun shone over blankets of untouched snow in Russia. But never, in his entire life, had he seen something or rather someone as beautiful as you.

  ”Si.“

  ”Yeah?“

  ”Is everything okay?“ You asked, becoming a little self conscious at the way he was staring at you. You blushed more when he put both hands on your thighs. Even with a bit of chub to your thighs, his hands made them appear small.

He smiled at you once more before he leaned in and pulled at the pantyhouse. He felt every inch of your legs as he pulled them down. Your soft skin against his hands.

You moaned once they were off and he was back at your lips once more. The kiss was tender even as his hands worked their magic to get your bra off. He loved undressing you, it was a gift to each other.

You whimpered against the kiss as you helped him get your bra off and on the floor. You then wrapped your arms around him as you moved on the table to  get closer to him.

He groaned into the kiss and held you by your bare shoulders. You looked divine, like an angel out of heaven. Sent down to make sure he was safe in the ring. His cock twitched in his loose pants.

  ”Fuck.“ He grumbled.

  ”I love you, Simon.“ You said partially out of breath as you broke the kiss, “I love you more than any woman could love a man.“ You lifted your hips off the table to help him get your panties off.

He replied as he pushed them down to your left ankle, ”I love you more than you know. If I lost you I don't know what I'd do.“ He exhaled deeply, ”If someone took you from me, I'd rip them limb from limb until they were nothin' but a bloody pulp.“

You smiled at his harsh comment, always with the violence. But you assumed that would make sense. It was Simon's whole world for a long time. Even now it was to an extent.

You cupped his face once more, ”If I lost you, Si.“ You pulled back the left side of his lip to reveal his teeth, your heart raced, ”If I lost you. I would make sure there was no peace ever again.“

He chuckled as he pressed his forehead against yours, “Boil the seas and level the mountains.” Then went in for another kiss. Hopelessly devoted to one another.

The two of you made out on the kitchen table for a while, feeling each other's warmth in the home you shared. Your heart was a rabbit's pace in your chest as you held onto the front of his shirt.

His dinner was long forgotten, he thought just this once he could have dessert before he finished his meal. His hand cupped the back of your head and he titled his back to expose more of your neck, where he laid kisses on your skin.

  “I wish we had all night, I'd take ya apart piece by piece.” He growled, “See what would make ya scream.“ He chuckled softly.

You held onto his hair, feeling the soft locks through your fingers, “Next time.” As if you two hadn't spent the previous two days having sex.

Even with you sitting on top of the table, he still loomed over you. He was close to six foot three and broad. Everything about him was big, and you knew if he didn't have to shave for wrestling, he'd be hairy too.

You swallowed back the arousal of your lover's body. He was all yours, from those dark eyes to the broad muscles, to every nick and scar on his skin. It was all yours, and you couldn't have been happier.

He took a hold on your chin gently, “My girl.” Then kissed you on the lips gently. He exhaled through his nose as he felt arousal build up in his body.  

You pulled away and he started to pull his shirt off. You gazed at his form with lust in your eyes as he revealed himself to you. The icing on the cake was the impressive snake in his pants.

He held his cock in his hand as you spread your legs a little further for him. He nodded his head slightly, his breathing became heavier, ”Such a good girl for me, ya know exactly how I like you. Legs spread open and ready to take me all.“

You nodded and leaned back on your hands to keep yourself steady. You felt so exposed to him as you said there bare in front of your lover. Your cheeks felt hot as he closed the gap between you two and hooked one of your legs around his waist.

  ”Fuckin' amazin'.“ He purred as he slotted his cock inside of you. The stretch made you clench and he soaked in your sweet sounds. Divine.

He pressed his forehead up against you and got your other leg around him. He held you by the hips, feeling your softness against his rough hands, and started to thrust his hips. He rocked your body back and forth onto his cock.

  ”That's it, that's my girl.“ He groaned, ”If anyone ever tried fuckin' you like this. I'd kill 'em.“

You giggled and then wrapped your arms around him. You laid back onto the table with him close to you. Your bodies moved together, two pieces meant to fit together. You replied, slightly out of breath, “Like I'd ever fuck another man after you. It would be a vow of celibacy if you left.”

He chuckled, “I'm not goin' anywhere. You're stuck with me, love. Until the earth explodes. You're my girl till the end.”

You moaned, “Please, Simon.” You clung onto him as he thrusted his hips against you. His cock hitting all the sweetest parts of you. The space between you felt hot from the friction of your movements. Your heart hammered in your chest.

  “Yeah, that's it. That's my girl. Beg.” He panted.

  “Please, Simon. Give it to me. I want you to fuck me until I can feel you for days after.” You panted, you felt sweat begin to stick to your back.

You squeezed your thighs around his hips and leaned your head back. You gazed at the far wall of the kitchen. For a moment you realized that you hadn't closed the blinds on the kitchen window.

For a moment you wanted to close it. But there was no way Simon was going to let you get out of his grasp before he finished you both off. You were pinned under him until you were screaming.

Your hands went to his shoulders, you dug your nails into his back as he loved.The pleasure made you see stars when he his against your cervix.

Part of you was surprised that he could even fit inside of you.

You held onto him tightly and rocked against the table. Having a house with him was much better than when he was roommates with John. You swore there were some times when the Scotsman wanted to kill Simon for being so loud at such strange hours.

Now the two of you could be as loud as you needed to be. Your back arched when he picked up the pace and  you tighten your legs around him. He leaned over you, hands spread on the table above your head as he drilled his cock into you.

  “Ya like that, love?” He asked, his lips so close to your ear. He sighed happily as he felt your cunt clench around his cock.

You nodded, “Yeah, fuck. Yeah.“ You dug your nails into his back and he hissed from the feeling.

  “Fuck, you're perfect.“ He chuckled as he dipped his head down to your neck once more. What little restraint he had was gone and he started to kiss at the soft flesh. But soon they turned into his blunt teeth digging into the skin on your neck. Which left behind a wake of purple bruises.

Of course he had to mark you up before the match. He held onto the table for support but moved one hand to your left breast and started to knead at it. His rough hands on sensitive flesh almost made you kick out your legs.

  ”Fuck!“ You whimpered.

He groaned, “That's it, love. Get tighter around me, fuckin' milk me dry.” He panted against your hot skin and felt hot all over. He could feel the sweat dripping down his back as he continuously thrusted into you.

  “Please, ah, Simon!” You gasped.

He sealed his lips against yours once more and continued to massage your breast. It was a combination of pleasure and pain, a world you were far too familiar with.

  “My girl.” He whispered against your heated skin. He could feel your pulse as he ruined your neck. Good luck covering the damage he made.

You retaliated by leaving nail marks on his muscular shoulders. He really was perfect, the kind of man who made your heart race. He was a beast in the ring, but with you he was something completely different.

His devotion was undying, his love was unwavering. You were his as he was yours. Intertwined till the end of days.

And you were content with that.

  “Please.” You gasped. The pleasure was becoming unbearable. It wasn't long before you were a moaning mess on the table, barely making coherent words.

And Simon thought that was the most arousing thing he had ever seen. It only fueled him to keep going. Soon you were practically a ragdoll under his touch. A toy to fuck and bring to climax.

You panted rapidly and let out a sharp noise as you held onto him tightly and climaxed. It felt like a shock to your system as you finished. It shot wired your brain and then you went laxed against the table with your hands spread out on the table. Your bare chest rose and fell rapidly as you tried to use your tongue to form words.

Simon smiled to himself as he pulled away. He grabbed your legs around his waist and pulled them so your ankles were at his shoulder and with the new position, he took you blissed out to achieve his own orgasm.

He bullied your pussy for a lack of a better word. He felt your tightness around his hardened cock as kept thrusting. He maintained eye contact. He even noticed how your tongue was partially sticking out as you gasped for air.

  “Droolin' little girl.” He chuckled, 'Fuck your brains out.“ He admired his work as he felt himself experiencing bliss. His thrusts were quick and short with machine precision.

He wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand as he continued. He grunted as his cock touched the deepest parts of you. It felt like he was in your stomach.

  ”Fuck, love. He groaned as he gave one last hard thrust and finished inside of you. He relaxed a little and let out a small noise as he felt a headrush, “FUck.” He panted.

He pulled out and had to sit down on the nearby chair to pull himself together. It wasn't that his body was exhausted, it was the sheer force of pleasure tickling a part of his brain that made him partially dizzy.

He patted your leg that was dangling over the kitchen table and nodded. He exhaled deeply, “Oh yeah, good girl.“

You slowly propped yourself on your elbows and looked at him. Your chest was still rapidly rising and falling, “I don't think I could ever get bored of this.”

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss your thigh, “Good to know. I'd hate for my girl to get tired. I only wanna see her worn out after I fucked her.” He got up, “C'mere, love. Let's get some dinner in ya.”

  “As if I'm not full already.“ You remarked, coming back to your senses. You were able to sit up properly as Simon dressed you so you didn't have to eat dinner with cum leaking out of you.

He rubbed your head before he helped your back in your bra, “Sadly, my swimmers won't keep ya full during the match.“ Then kissed your cheek.

You chuckled, ”God, don't call them that.“ Once partially dressed you managed to be able to get onto your feet. You gave him one last look, ”Cut me a slice of the leftovers, I'm going to change into something more comfortable.“

As you started to wobble your way upstairs, in a moment of cheekiness, Simon reached over and slapped your ass. You turned your head to look at him.

You saw that look in his eye, the look he got when he was a man possessed. You reached over and slapped his ass in return before you headed to your bedroom. Two could play at that game.

-

Simon may have been the precious boyfriend who came home to you every night. But when you headed to the location of the match, you saw something change in him as you got through the door.

The Ghost was out to play.

And in tonight's match, he was going to defend his title. No one was taking his title of the Champion of the Modern Warfare Season. You took his hand for a moment after you got through the front door.

He looked down at you, and you looked up at him in return. The bottom half of his face was covered as you couldn't make out a lot of his expression. But you've gotten pretty good at reading his eyes.

He wanted to win. Even if the match was decided, his goal was to put on this most convincing show he could.

You smiled, and you brought his hand to your lips. You held his hand facing up and kissed the inside of his wrist. Your kiss lingered, then you closed his palm and held it close to your chest.

  ”If that fucking Austrian comes near you again, I'm going to beat him with a chain.“ You promised.

He chuckled and leaned in to kiss you. You felt the material of his mask against the top of your head, ”No need, love. Just Soap and I tonight.“

You pulled away, ”Good. Go put on a good show.” Then winked at him before you turned away to go find your seat up at the front.

He watched you walk away, his eyes were on your backside. He rolled his shoulders then turned away to the changerooms to get ready for the match.

Ghost was a fighter, he wasn't the flashiest performer, but he made for a good 'heel'. The masked wrestler knew how to throw his body and as a result held the title of champion.

  “How's the lass?” John asked as he took off his jacket.

  “She's well. Behavin'.” Simon remarked.

John laughed, “Oh silly Ghost, you don't have her on a leash. She has YOU on a leash.” He went over and slapped his friend's back, mindful of the bruises, “Surprised she didn't tear ya limb from limb when she saw this mess.”

Simon took off his face mask and looked over at the other man, “There's a reason why I wasn't at the gym for two days.”

John nodded, “Whipped man.” He laughed before he went to change.

Simon opened his locker, on the inside part of the door were a few photos of you. He smiled to himself as he threw his clothes into the locker.

-

The match was the highlight of the evening. Simon spent most of the evening lingering around backstage. He shared a shot of tequila to calm his nerves with John, he forgot how much he hated the stuff.

The announcer called out his name, he got up from the folding chair and grabbed his championship belt and headed to the ring.

Per usual, the crowd booed him as they did for most heels. He smiled under his mask and held the belt over his head. He caught you staring at him, practically the only person cheering him on.

John was soon called on stage as well. And the two looked like they were going to exchange a friendly shake of hands, before Simon went in for the punch.

Let the match begin.

Simon used to think that wrestling was real, when he'd watch pay-per-view matches when he was in ROTC as a young man. But now he thought anyone who thought wrestling was a hundred percent real were idiots.

He was an actor, an actor who got hit over the head with a folding chair by his good friend. He hit the mat but got up before John could jump off the ropes.

The two men flipped between who was on the floor of the ring and who wasn't. At one point John had him in a headlock, but an elbow to the face allowed Simon to get out from under him.

At one point John stomped on the bruise from the chain and Simon cursed to himself. But the crowd was going wild for the display of violence. He did get his revenge by throwing John to the mat and throwing an elbow drop onto him.

He could hear John swear and wheeze from the pain.

  “Ya think you're that good, Ghost.” John asked, his accent grew heavier the more they brawled.

Simon nodded his head. He didn't speak much when he was in the ring. It was all part of the act. Both men threw themselves at one another and scrambled for dominance.

But soon Simon slammed John's head against the mat and held him down there. He said, “Give it up, Soap. You'll never win this.” He made his voice purposely deeper.

That was the word that their little performance was done. And in John's opinion, he was beat.

The referee counted down and at ten, John goes laxed on the mat. The bell rang and the match was over.

Simon got up from being on top of John and grabbed the belt from the referee. He held it over his head and the crowd booed.

To be a heel meant having thicker skin. The crowd would never cheer for him, no matter how many times he defended the title.

But he licked the blood from the corner of his lip under his mask and made eye contact with you. You smiled at him as you clapped for him.

You were just thankful that he wasn't beaten with a chain AGAIN. You blew him a kiss and laughed, he may be the ghost of the ring but he was you Simon.

Simon headed to the changeroom. He winced as he got a good look at the boot print on his back. Fuckin' Scotsman.

He knew you were going to have to get some ice packs ready when you both got home. He took off the mask and placed it on the  counter in front of the mirror.

He noticed a cut on his cheek,the blood had mostly dried but there was a big bruise forming around it. He sighed, you weren't going to like that.

  “Oh God.” He groaned as he stood under the spray of the shower. He braced both hands against the tile as he stretched out his body. He rolled his shoulders under the hot spray of the water.

  “How ya holdin' up?” He heard John ask.

He looked over and pushed wet hair out of his eyes, “Been better. Ya didn't have to kick my bruise.“

John chuckled, ”It was in the routine before you got whipped.“ He pulled away from the tiled wall, ”I think yer girl wants to see ya. She wants to make sure her big bad Ghost is okay.“  His chuckle turned into a laugh.

Simon narrowed his eyes, “Still, you could've moved it a little.“ He turned off the tap and went over to where his towel was.

John shrugged, “Got a rise outta the crowd.”

  “Fuckin' Scotsman.” Simon said as he went to grab his clothes.

John laughed, “I'll go get yer girl.” Then headed back towards the exit of the changeroom.

Simon took his time drying off. He was always achy after a match. He got lost in his thoughts as he dried his face and hair. It wasn't until he felt a familiar touch that he came back to reality.

 “Hey, Ghost.” You said.

He pulled the towel away from his face and looked down at you. The corners of his mouth curled at the sight of you. He dropped the towel and turned to you.

You gazed up at him, without thinking you reached out and touched the cut on his face, “Simon.”

  “I know.” He said, ”He knows how to throw a punch.“ He leaned down to kiss you gently on the forehead. He watched you wrap your arms around him and he placed a hand on your upper back.

  ”The match was good, you did a great job keeping your title. You really are the best.“ You chuckled, ”I hate seeing you get hit in the face though, but... I'll live.“

He kissed you again,”Thought about ya the entire time I was in the ring. Knowing my number one fan was watching.“ He chuckled.

You leaned up to kiss him on the lips. The kiss was hot, your smaller hands grabbed onto his strong biceps. You really were so much smaller than him. As the kiss deepened, he held your chin and tilted your head back.

  ”I hate to admit it.“ You said as you pulled away, ”I find it hot when you punch the lights out of someone.“

He chuckled, “I knew that a long time ago.”He stepped back and sat on the bench. He spread his legs, “We have about ten minutes.” He knew exactly what you were thinking of.

You chuckled, ”Perv.”

He leaned up against the metal of the lockers, the cool surface against his bruises made his lip twitch, “Only for you, love.”

  “Aren't you a sweet talker.”  You went over to him. You sat down on the bench beside him and got your shorts off, and then your panties, “So enough chit chat and lets get going.”  

Simon's cock twitched. He was definitely a shower. You touched it carefully and he quickly grew hard. You watched his face grow hot as you swung one leg over his lap and straddled him.

You looked in his eyes as you rubbed your pussy up against the tip of his cock, “Think you'll last nine minutes?”

He replied, “You always make me cum fast, maybe I'll get two loads in ya.” Then hissed through his teeth as you sank yourself onto his cock.

  “God.”

  “It's Simon, love.” He chuckled as he rested his head against the locker behind him. His hand gravitated to your hips and started to roll his hips in time with your thrusts.

It was risky to do in the changeroom, but Simon was certain every performer brought their catch of the week in here after a match. The only difference was that you had been Simon' girl for some time now.

Your bodies moved together. Simon's hands dug into the meat of your hips and he leaned into you to kiss you deeply. The thrill of sex after the thrill of a match only made him more erect. He was obsessed with you, he thought you were God's gift to him.

He pulled away slightly and gazed at you, “You're mine. Got it? I don't give a shit who says otherwise. If any guy tries to get between us, I'll fuckin' kill 'em.” He panted.

You tangled your fingers in his hair and gazed into his dark eyes, “That's assuming any man would come near me.” You rolled your hips more, “No man shines a light to you.” You yanked on his hair a little, “You are the most impressive man I've ever seen. I only want you, Si.“

He groaned, ”I love you.“

You pulled his face close to yours, ”Not as much as I love you.“

He dug his blunt nails deeper into your hips, ”You're mine, love. And I'll fuck ya every day to remind you.“ He kissed up at your neck, over the bruises he had left earlier.

You had sex earlier that evening and here you were fucking one another once again. Love ran hot between you two.

  ”Shit.“ ”Fuck.“ ”Simon, PLEASE.“ Were shared between you two as you thrusted your bodies together like a pair of horny rabbits.

  ”Mine.“ He groaned.

You held onto his shoulders and bounced on his cock the more you put your full force behind your movements. You felt sweaty all over, your heart was pounding and you felt the shivers of pleasure  through your body.

  ”Fuckin' obsessed with you. Want you until the day I die. You're my girl. My everything.“ He panted. He gritted his teeth and soon held onto the edge of the bench to let you ride him.

  ”Ah, shit.” You moaned, “You feel so good.” You panted, “Who allowed you to have such a big fuckin' cock.” You pushed the hair out of your face as you continued to move your hips against him.

 “Made just for you.”

  “Oh shush.” You giggled as you continued to rub up against him. You felt your heart thump in your chest. You clung onto him as you moved your hips against him. It was so arousing for you to be so close to him.

He pressed his forehead up against you and held onto you tightly once more as he thrusted up into you. He felt heat in his body as you fucked against one another.

  “You're so fuckin' hot.” He said.

  “Not as hot as you. Punching Johnny in the face and throwing him down to the ground. It is almost funny. But there's something hot about that.“

He chuckled, ”Yeah, you like when men beat each other up?”

You kissed him once more, then when you pulled away you answered him, “Yes.” As you thrust your hips, you practically bounced on his cock.

Pleasure raced through both of you as the two of you fucked in the middle of the changeroom. He found your movements so erotic, his eyes for a moment were on your breasts.

How they looked under the over-sized shirt you wore. His name was printed on it. He felt proud of himself, of his girl wearing his shirt. That you'd always be his number one.

Soon your lips were against his again. You held onto his strong shoulders tightly as you rolled your hips. You panted into the kiss and you could hear his chuckle against you.

  “Please.” You moaned.

He grabbed onto your ass, feeling the soft flesh. You moaned into his mouth from the pressure that he was putting on your ass as his cock slid in and out of your pussy.

You pulled away and held onto his shoulders. You put all of your energy into it. Your mouth hung open as you gasped for air. You felt the electricity of pleasure course through your body.

  “Aw, fuck.” He panted. He landed a hard smack on your left cheek. He then groaned against you as he thrust his hips up into you to get further into your pussy.

You felt the urge to orgasm come closer. You held onto your lover's hair and continued to move against him. You felt your heart hammering in your chest. It wasn't long before you felt the urge to climax. You kept up the pace you were working with and your legs started to feel like jelly.

You felt love for Simon, you took in the scent of him. The Old Spice he was content with. You leaned in and kissed the top of his head. You inhaled and moaned as you continued to rut against him.

It didn't take long before the two of you finished. You clasped a hand over your mouth as you rode out your orgasm while Simon had to bite his fist.

He painted your insides white and you went limp against him for a moment, He then stroked your back and slowed down till he stopped. He wrapped those strong arms around you and kissed the side of your head.

“That's my girl.” He said with his voice steeped in devotion. He kissed you once before he slowly got you off his cock. He looked at you as you put your shorts back on.

Your eyes met, you reached out and touched the scar on his face. He could see the love in your eyes. He may have lived many different lives before you. But this was the one that he loved the most.

You were his home.

xoxo, bunny