#spaced it out a bit so I could reread it when I was done
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2kittiesupfortrouble · 1 month ago
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Looking back at what I did in source is really upsetting
I mean I killed my younger brother, my friends, and everyone that was ever important to me countless times. Lost my sense of self in the process, had a dead hatefilled kid manipulate me to do all of it,
leaving me rotting away in the field of my own guilt and excruciatingly painful feeling of regret and envy of other sanses who didn’t get the same ending I did making me think of where did I start to go downhill but never being able to actually remember the last time I felt completely happy.
Forcefully hired to be basically an assassin. have my cat killed in front of me by the guy who hired me,
who also manipulates my soul to go back to my emotion numbed state and ripped me away of what was left of me, emotionally torturing me for days on end.
Not letting me see the only person I thought of as my friend, my first true friend after everything I did in my timeline.
Forced to forcefully hire 2 other unstable versions of myself who had it different but still just as bad as me just to make other people who were happy and consent with their lives, miserable just to empower my new found “boss” because the body he’s occupying was the guardian of negativity.
Until they ruined their own life due to his immense jealousy of his younger brother because he was loved by everyone since he was the guardian of positivity and so he ate the apples on his side of the tree and left this cruel and unforgiving, homicidal, psychopathic parasite to take over his body killing himself in the process.
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james-spooky · 4 months ago
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this is a test
#i’m bored i just wanna see how many words i can put in the tags like will it just keep going on forever or will they stop me like i know th#the tag limit is 30 ok so the iindividual tag limit is 140 characters that’s actually so rude i wanted to keep going forever and see how lo#g this could be but i guess we can do this 30 times ok what the flip should i talk about hm i was playing the guitar today but i rage quit#ause the song was hard and hurting my fingers! ermmmmm it was sunny ok this is boring let’s think of more exciting things to type hmmm acco#ding to all known laws of aviation- jk i’m not doing the bee movie script but can you imagine i think that would be funny hmmmmm words i lo#e podcasts so bad that’s a fact no one has ever know before my blog definitely isn’t all about audio dramas the people are definitely not a#ready aware of this jesus christ this is only the seventh one of these this is actually quite a lot of space i underestimated how much i ha#e to type btw there’s probably spelling mistakes in here somewhere or autocorrect has been annoying but i cba to retype anything so i don’t#care lolllllllllllll how do you feel about oscar malevolent i feel a normal amount actually (lie) yk what i really miss sam and colin alrea#y like i’m actually not okay i really hope we hear from sam again in s2 and also colin ngl i hope ur in the computers soz or not dead miss#im like a bastard my paranoid it king ok erm im running out of things to say um heartstopper s3 was crazy good i cried lmao i love gay peop#e so much it’s crazy i hope it gets renewed for s4 i need to reread the comics lowkey and the books they’re all so talented for being so yo#ng it scares me ngl !!!!!! the tmagp hiatus is getting to me slightly like february in reality is soon and not that far away for how podcas#ts go but seriously how am i supposed to live until then without knowing what happened. please colin be alive. ive only just realised i can#use fills stops. sorry that’s made everything a bit messy. i should’ve been doing this before. whoops. anyways. hi mutuals i love you all s#much i hope you enjoy my rambles and shitposts cause i enjoy yours very much! never think you’re being annoying i literally don’t care be a#annoying as you want posts as much as you want i am ur biggest fan <3 im getting a bit fatigued from typing like my mind is blank basically#now it’s just turned into a. stream of consciousness but i don’t really have any thoughts to put here idk if we’re halfway ermmmm omg it’s#lmost halloween how crazy is that time is flying by i kinda forgot it was october lmao. it’s wild how it’s basically almost christmas. like#what. that’s illegal. how is it wintertime again. what the flip. i miss summer already take me backkkkkkk. i hope my phone doesn’t crash or#smth cause i’ve not saved this as a draft and i cba to do any of this again. maybe i should save it. ok i will when i reach the next tag bc#ok it stopped me but i’ve saved it and holy jesus it’s a lot of text im just sat here giggling there’s really no point to any of this other#than me being bored sooooooooooooooooo (imagine if i just did the letter o for every character wouldn’t that be crazy) so wait there’s 140#haracters and 30 tags so what’s 30 x 140. someone hurry. i haven’t done maths lessons in two and a half years i’ve forgotten everything wai#let me get the calculator app ok im back it said 4100 characters so. i dont know how many words that roughly is but its. a decent amount. o#what the flip why am i wasting tag space with maths. i hate maths. my screen time has been actually soooooooooo bad recently like damn some#one put my phone in a block of ice please joshua gillespie style. my mind is running out of things to say. do i talk about myself. im james#im 18 which is weird cause wdym im an adult go away. ive run out of facts. i love podcasts and procedural dramas that stupid firefighter sh#w is my life unfortunately. i think chappell roan should be the queen of england instead of king charles. i dont like having a king cause#ho needs men in power not me. ok um this is the last tag equal rights for all. yolo. the time will pass anyways! thank u boredom ok bye gn:
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flippinpancakes64 · 5 months ago
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Hello, I absolutely love your work. iv re read your stuff so many times that it's getting concerning.
Can I request the cullens x artist reader who made a painting of them I just think that would be cute
The Cullens with an Artist! Reader
Thank you?!?! I suggest seeking mental help for rereading my bad stories tho
Thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoy!
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Edward:
We all know that he is an artist too
He made Bella a whole song on the piano
As someone who can play the piano, that’s not easy
So he definitely loves that you’re also artistic
For you, he’s a muse
I mean, how could he not be
Literally the definition of perfect
So obvs you sketch him a lot
When he finds an almost finished painting one day of him, he is floored
He can never seem to wrap his mind around the fact that you are just as obsessed with him as he is with you
He hangs it up
Even if it’s not finished
If you insist on finishing it, he will begrudgingly take it down and give it back
But as soon as it’s done it’s all his
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Alice:
She’s also an artist
But more with fashion
And design
She’s not so well-versed with the classical arts like painting or sketching
So she always loves seeing your paintings
She’s a coexistence girly
She loves to just be doing something while you’re painting
You know just sort of existing in the same space at the same time
The day you give her the painting, she is so surprised
It was so difficult for you to hide this from her
Especially with her gift
She absolutely loves it
She hangs it in the main room of the Cullen house
She wants absolutely everyone to see it and acknowledge how talented her s/o is
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Jasper:
He loves the arts
They’re relaxing to him
Some of his favorite classes he’s ever taken in all of the schools they’ve been at have been art classes
He’s not good by any means, but he loves it anyway
Art dates with him are a must
He would love that tiktok trend where you and your partner trade paintings every couple of minutes
Never misses an opportunity to tell you that he loves your work
He honestly almost started crying when you showed him your painting of him
You made him look so happy, so peaceful
He’s used to being perceived as a monster
Definitely hangs it up
But only in his room
He wants to be the only one to see it
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Rosalie:
She’s more of a technical, sciencey person
Not to say she doesn’t like art
Just that she doesn’t necessarily enjoy making it
She can definitely appreciate good work tho
And she loves everything you make
She buys you new supplies all of the time
If just one pen ran out of ink in your favorite set, she would buy you a whole new set
When you give her that first painting though, she’s obsessed
She wants at least 20 more by tomorrow
But actually, she knows that she’s beautiful
But something about the way you capture her is just so different she loves it
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Emmett:
He’s not an art person either
He’s a bit of a meathead
But he can appreciate art
Probably not as deeply as other people can
But he know when it looks good
And he genuinely thinks you’re the best artist ever
He will gladly put all of your little doodles in the clear pockets of his binders
And hang them on his locker
When you give him the painting of him he’s actually dumbfounded
Like awestruck
What do you mean the best artist in the world just made a painting of him?
Get ready to be cuddled for the rest of the night
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Esme:
Resident artist
We already knew that tho
I’m pretty sure it’s said that she’s the one who made the grad cap piece?
Idk
Either way she loves art
Pottery dates, painting picnics, date nights at the art museum
She loves it
So if you were to ever paint her and give it to her?
Yeah she’s gonna start crying
She just loves art, she loves you, and you put them together and she’s so in love
She hangs it in the main room
It doesn’t matter if the colors clash
And it’s never coming down
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Carlisle:
Another appreciater of the arts
I mean, he probably knew Da Vinci on a personal level this guy is so old
So it’s no shock
Whenever he’s home and hanging out with you, he loves to watch you paint or draw
Especially if he’s doing some paperwork
I just feel like he would like the company while he’s working
Now I don’t see Carlisle as the type of guy to necessarily enjoy pictures or paintings of himself
The only portraits he has in his office are either him in a crowd or family photos
So when you give him a portrait of himself, he’s a little shocked at first
He doesn’t want to seem narcissistic, but damn you made him look good
He hangs it up in your shared bedroom
Even though he knows he will likely never have guests who would see it, he wants to make sure it’s hidden
He just doesn’t want people to think he’s vain
But he secretly loves it so much
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Vampire! Bella:
I think I’ve talked about it before but this girl would have loved deviantart
Rip Bella you would have loved fan art of your favorite characters
But she totally had an artsy phase
I don’t think she’s necessarily good or bad
She just prefers to look at art rather than make it
So that’s where you come in
She loves just watching you work
Every once in a while she paints with you
But she always feels inferior when she looks at what you made vs what she made
So she usually just sticks to admiring
The first time you give her a portrait of herself, she doesn’t even know what to do
She’s still getting used to actually perceiving herself as beautiful
And then you capture her like she’s a goddess?
She needs to lie down
She loves it tho
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gracieheartspedro · 2 months ago
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i bet on losing dogs
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pairing: ellie williams x reader
post about palestine - please be aware and know who your content comes from. this post informs you about the tlou writers and creators, as well as how to help the Palestinian people.
description: a slow progression of how you lost ellie.
word count: 3.7k words
warnings: 18+ MDNI, reader is in a relationship with ellie, only angst, small mentions of intimacy, descriptions of violence, mentions of blood, ellie is grieving big time, ellie trauma dumps, ellie gets hurt, reader is described to be scarred and disfigured after seattle, reader is scared of ellie, dark themes in general.
author’s note: just know this was sitting in my docs for a while cause I had a hard time sticking with the grief I felt writing it. I finished it a couple weeks ago and just kept rereading it. I can't keep looking at it anymore. have it. i'm sorry in advance.
Her bed was made. 
That’s the first thing you noticed when you crept into her space. The snow had been piled in front of the door, indicating that no one had come or left. Your boots dusted snow across her old oriental-looking rug. Her back was turned to you.
She looks so small. Her hair is greasy, tousled up in a small bun at the base of her head. She was wearing the same clothes you left her in the day before. 
“Els?”
She turns to you, not stunned, just a bit disoriented. Her eyebrows are furrowed the second her eyes meet yours.
“I thought I told you that I want to be alone.”
The statement crushes you. You inhale deeply, trying to relieve the heaviness on your chest. 
You shake your head, “I’m sorry, I can’t watch you rot in this room anymore.”
She's quick with her rebuttal. “If you would have listened, you wouldn’t have to watch. Just leave me alone.”
But you physically cannot. You have spent days pacing your house, thinking about her withering away in her detached garage. You try to sleep, but you know she’s not, so how could you? 
And you had this bitterness in your mouth all the time now. After walking into that room in the ski lodge and seeing her and Joel bloodied and battered, you cannot get the metallic taste to go away. Everything you ate tasted like it. 
“Ellie-“
“Please, I don’t want to talk.”
Her voice is shaky. You notice she’s picking at her cuticles again, they are red and irritated. She finally changed out of the socks that were partially soaked with blood. 
It had been three days since Joel was taken from her. 
You try to hold your ground, blinking back some tears that slip when she approaches you and takes your arm. She’s guiding you to the door, grabbing the handle. When the door creaks open, you snatch your arm away. You are trying to be patient, but this was the second time she was trying to throw you out. She had done the same to Maria and Tommy the day after Joel died.
“I thought you were fuckin’ dead, Ellie.”
You promised yourself you would not burden her with your emotions. But you could not help it anymore. 
“What?”
She shuts the door, letting more cold air seep into the frigid room. She shifts onto her other heel, crossing her arms. It’s a physical way of blocking out your emotions, a gesture that is so subtle and probably absent of intention. 
“I can’t lose you, too, okay?”
Her eyes finally find yours, “You’re not gonna-”
You reach out to her, pulling her hand out of the crook of her arm. “I am here, okay? I am right here.”
She uses the leverage of you grabbing her hand to reel you into a hug. As soon as your chin rests on her shoulder, she’s dead weight in your arms. It’s like a release that you have been waiting for. She starts to cry, the air escaping her lungs as she heaves to let out another sob. You just hold her, the anxiety of leaving her alone for the last three days now escaping you. You finally felt like you were doing something for her. 
She grips onto you like you're the axis to keep her world spinning. Her whole life depended on the feeling of your body around her. 
You sat with her for a whole day in silence. Not saying anything; just waiting for her to say the word. You knew what was next for Ellie.
She was going to get revenge. 
-
Your shirt was stained with blood and sweat. You told yourself the next department store you saw, you would hunt down a 20-year-old shirt to replace it. 
You were exhausted. You could hardly keep up with Ellie the last mile back to the theater. It was only the second day of trying to hunt down this crew Ellie was hell-bent on destroying. Two days in Seattle and you two have discovered a lot without having any initial leads when you arrived. 
And you did not fault her for being so aggressive, but after the things you saw today, you’re starting to wonder if this was really what she needs. Her malicious and unhinged behavior was beginning to frighten you a bit. 
It started when you entered an abandoned hotel. A couple of infected got taken down by your bullets, but when other non-infected people came running your way, you hesitated. You saw the looks of confusion on their faces when they saw you and Ellie. While you stood and held their gazes, Ellie raised her rifle and executed each one of them without even flinching. The shots were louder than you remember, echoing off the walls peeling of wallpaper. 
Then today, you both arrived at an old elementary school. You were caught up with holding off a couple of people in a long hallway. You yelled for Ellie to wait it out, wanting the people to charge you so you could take them out, but instead, she lit up the entire hallway. When the last person came running at her with a baseball bat, she dodged them and shoved her blade right into their necks. You watched her twist it and rip it out the side, their blood splattering all over the wall. When the man collapsed, she simply tucked her weapon into her sheath and kept moving. It was so brutal and unnecessary, but she kept telling you they deserved it. 
She found who she had been looking for. A girl named Nora. You were in charge of keeping watch while she got intel from her. You heard most of the conversation, but when you heard the sounds of metal clinging, you stepped away from the door. You had to resist the urge not to run in there and stop the torture, but your feet were stuck to the concrete. You did not move, you did not dare. 
She is now digging dirt and blood out of her fingernails with her blade, trying not to accidentally knick herself. Her auburn fringe covers her forehead, greasy from sweat. She is still covered in blood, but you two have not said much since you arrived back. 
She went too far and she knows it scared you. But frankly, she did not care. This was necessary. 
“Els?” You snap her out of her trance-like daze. She has not said anything in about an hour. Your voice is soft and so is your touch on her shoulder. You want to try to pick her brain, something you have been unsuccessful at doing the last couple of weeks.
She winces. 
“Yeah?” She utters. A bit of phlegm in the back of her throat makes her sound hoarse. 
“Can you please let me check on you? Just take off your coat.”
Your hand is still on her shoulder. She does not respond or move, so you take it as she’s submitting to your request. You grab the collar of her rain jacket and slowly start to drag it down her shoulder. She’s still not saying anything. 
You wished you could read her mind. It would make your relationship with her way easier. After two years, you would think she would be better about sharing her feelings, but she mostly left you to interpret her body language. You got good at reading it for a while. But then Joel died. And now she is a silent and bitter ball of rage. Anything you thought you knew about her has fallen to the wayside. 
You slowly take off her layers of clothing, being sure to avoid touching the wounds that have made her skin their new home. 
The one on her shoulder was pretty bad, you think to yourself, she better let me stitch her up. 
“I think we need to surprise them at night,” She states, her voice a bit robotic. You just bite the inside of your lip and nod. She was making all the plans, you just had to go along with it.
“Okay,” You whisper, grabbing a medical kit nearby. You made sure to pack it back in Jackson and it came in handy more than once already.
“Do you even want to know what happened earlier?”
Your heart sinks. You do not want to know what happened. You knew she got what she needed from the girl, but you truly did not know if you wanted to hear the details. The idea that Ellie did more than just beat her makes you physically sick. If she could do that to a stranger, what was she going to do when she got her hands on her? You were not innocent in the chase. But your heart always skipped when you had to pull your trigger at another human being. It was not easy to watch life leave someone’s eyes. But for Ellie it was different. She acted like they were just things. Inanimate objects that needed to be pushed out of the way. You never saw her eyes change when she took a life. 
You grab the needle from the med kit and a nearby lighter before settling on the couch beside Ellie. Her shoulder blade is covered by all the blood creating new dark maroon freckles. 
You tilt her shoulder back to better look at it before finally responding. 
“Didn’t think you wanted to talk about it.”
You know that’s not the answer she wanted. Her shoulders fall forward and she places her face in her hands. She lets out a long sigh, disregarding you as you try to patch her up. She quickly turns around to look at you. 
Her eyes are dark, her lips pursed. 
“I got her to talk. She paid with her life.”
You want to see your Ellie, but whoever sits before you is a stranger. 
You did not want to think about Ellie killing a girl by violently beating her. It seemed so personal and evil. You decide there’s no answer worth saying to her confession, so you just turn her back around and begin your slow, tedious stitching.
Once you finish off the last suture, you stand and bring over a bowl filled with rainwater the night before. You were going to use it for drinking, but you decide it’s better to use it to clean around Ellie’s battered body.
You grab a rag from your pack and dip it in the chilled water. You ring it out and bring it to your stitch work. She is shaking now, but you are so scared to hold her in your arms. 
“The night before Joel… we got into that big fight. I was so fuckin’ mad at him. I went to his house to confront him again.”
She heaves and you know tears are spilling from those beautiful green eyes. “Ellie-“
“I told him I was going to try to forgive him for all the shit he did. I should’ve…” 
You drop the red-stained cloth into the bowl and pull her back into your chest. She’s sobbing, her entire body shaking as you finally accept her into your space. 
Before you knew Ellie, you knew Joel. You did not understand their relationship, but you knew it was fractured. Joel never talked badly about her, only reminding everyone around him how proud he was of her. Whenever he caught you around the stables, he would ask if you were still hanging out with her. You would always blush and reply quickly, “Yes, of course”. He would smile and tell you how grateful he was to see she had a friend like you. 
You loved Ellie. You loved her with every fiber of your being. She helped you through a lot of your grief when you arrived in Jackson. She held you through countless nights when you cried about losing your dad. You never thought you would have to do the same for her. Everyone, including you, thought Joel Miller was indestructible. 
“Ellie, how were you supposed to know?” You ask softly before gently pressing a kiss in the middle of her back. You had never kissed her there before.
“How am I supposed to live with that?”
She was hurting so badly. Her violent heart has finally had enough. 
“You learn how to manage it.”
It was the only way you pulled through. Grief is love expressing itself through other means. When you lost your dad, it was not violent. He was sick and his body was so beaten down, he had no chance of surviving the disease taking over his body. Your grief was managed by reminding yourself that you had to keep living for him because if not, you would be disappointing him. You did not know if heaven was real, but you did believe in energy, and you felt him sometimes especially when you needed him the most. 
Ellie’s grief was different. It was forceful and unyielding. She could not let the hatred go and you did not particularly blame her. She watched Joel get beaten so badly that his face was almost unrecognizable. She had to watch a random woman take him away from her, forever. You could not compare your grief, but you did know that with time, she would know how to better manage it. She just could not get over the contempt for others who wronged her. It was embedded within her to seek out retribution. 
She cried a bit, letting out a long sigh. “The only way I see it is if I give those people an ounce of violence they showed Joel in his final moments, I will be at peace.”
You knew the truth. There was no peace in situations like this. But were you going to tell Ellie that? No, you were not. You traveled hundreds of miles for her to do what she felt was necessary. And while you did not agree with all of her actions, you had been complacent. You were no better than any other person with a violent and impulsive lover. You enabled this journey to come to fruition, so you had to take accountability. 
You stand up so you can face her. Her gaze has softened now and she almost looks like the same girl who confessed her feelings to you at the Harvest Festival two years ago. A little bit older, aged with the falling away of time, but still beautiful and vulnerable. Her green eyes sparkled differently, but your Ellie was still there somewhere. 
“Okay, baby.” That is all you could say. “We will finish it.”
-
When you come back to consciousness, your vision is fuzzy. You are completely disoriented, but you know you are face down on the concrete. You start to feel around for something familiar, not sure if your gun or knife is nearby. You felt defenseless.
“Ellie?” You croak out. As soon as you talk, you can feel blood dribbling down your throat. You hear stirring beside you and your blood runs cold. Is that her?
You lift your hand to rub whatever is in your eyes out. Dirt? Mud? When you look at your hands, you get confirmation that it’s blood. You’re covered in it. 
The movement gets closer and you look to your right and see Ellie’s battered body slowly stumbling towards you. Panic rises within you, unsure if she was mortally wounded or not. She collapses beside you, sitting up partially. She reaches for your hand and you realize that you can hardly move your foot to try to push yourself upwards. Everything hurt. 
“Baby, I’m here.” She finally says. Your worry subsides for a moment as you try to sit up. 
“Are you hurt?” You cry out as you press yourself upwards, the pain in your foot shooting up your leg. It’s almost the worst pain you’ve ever been in. You can hardly breathe once contort yourself to settle next to Ellie’s practically limp body. 
“Yeah, but I can walk.”
You finally remember why you’re in this room. You try to scan the room, but the dimmed lighting and blood in your eyes isn’t helping. “Is Abby dead?” 
The silence tells you the answer but you just look over at Ellie. She has blood pouring out of her nose and it trickles down her neck. 
“She got away.”
-
Every day after Abby got away was completely different. When you arrive at the farmhouse on the hill, you hope to see your old Ellie again, and sometimes you do. 
When the golden light trickled between the leaves in the forest and you two bask in the rays as you forage for berries, you tell a stupid joke and her laugh is guttural. She belly laughs and tells you that you’re so “dumb” before she wraps her arms around your waist and presses a kiss into your temple. 
But then there was nighttime. When she finally fell asleep and you would stay up with a candle burning to read, she was ravaged by nightmares. She usually couldn’t escape them, so you would throw your book on the side table and hold her tightly so she could come back to reality. 
The day would break and she would bring you up some breakfast in bed. She was terrible at cooking, but no one can really mess up scrambled eggs. She would serve them to you with a big goofy grin and long kisses. 
Intimacy was few and far between, but you knew not to press it too much. Every time she would touch you in that way, she was meticulous and very generous. You would try to return the favor and she would shrivel up and tell you that she was okay. It made you feel some type of way, but after the fifth time it happened, you realized it was because she did not feel in tune with herself in that way. 
You told her that she was beautiful every day. No matter what she was doing, or how she looked, whenever the thought entered your mind, you would say it out loud. Her response was always, “No, you.”
After a year of domesticity, you woke up one night to the sound of rustling downstairs and an empty bed. When Ellie did have a bad nightmare, she would occasionally go downstairs and sit on the front porch. But it was a chilly night and you knew better. 
The day before Tommy made an unexpected visit and made an already awkward interaction absolutely deplorable. He had to bring up her and blame Ellie for the outcome of the Seattle event. The entire situation led to you forcing him off the property and telling him to never come back with that bullshit. 
It was a subject you and Ellie never discussed after leaving those city limits. She told you she was done, that it was all over. You would never fight her on it, especially because you knew it was really over. There was no way you would be going after someone who almost killed you and disfigured you. Every time you looked in a mirror, you were forced to see the scars that littered your cheeks and forehead. A sick reminder of the bitter fight between you two. 
You slowly walk downstairs, seeing Ellie’s figure in the kitchen. She has her backpack on the floor, loading a gun into the side pocket. 
“What are you doing?” You ask bluntly. She turns around and you take note of her outfit. A couple of layers. A large brown jacket, jeans, and her Converse. She was going somewhere.
She looks at you, tears already welling in her eyes. 
“Babe…”
You can hear your heartbeat in your ears. “Where are you going?”
You creep up to her slowly, your bare feet creaking across the hardwood. 
She’s a foot away when she finally puts her hands out to stop you from coming closer. 
“I… I think Tommy is right.”
If it was possible for someone to rip out your heart without opening up your chest, it was happening to you right now. This would be the worst pain. 
“Right about what?” You manage as a whisper. 
She takes in a long breath, “About Abby. About going after her.”
“No… Ellie, he’s not right.” 
You try to move closer, but she takes a step back. She’s treating you like you are infected. But even that would not matter, she’s Ellie. 
It makes you feel every negative emotion when she says the words, “I need to finish this. I told you… I told you I wouldn’t be at peace until I-”
“So why did we even come back, Ellie? How is this fucking fair to me?”
“You wanted to. We… we were fucked up. We didn’t have a chance.”
“And you think you do now?!”
She shakes her head, almost appalled by your statement. “I wasn’t broken like you were.”
You close your lids tightly, unsure how you could even look her in the eyes. Your fingernails are digging into your palms. You had this feeling for a while. An unsettled force that would occasionally bloom in the pit of your stomach when you watched Ellie. You would remind yourself that it’s over. The plot for revenge was buried deep in the ground. 
So when she stands in front of you, ready to take off, you feel like you can’t breathe.
“Ellie, if you go, I will never forgive you. I will not wait for you.”
She’s silent, contemplating even for a moment. She has this look of determination. She has already made up her mind. “That’s your choice.”
She starts to pick up the bag, but you make one more silent plea before watching your life walk out the back door. You grab her hand quickly, stopping her from taking any steps. 
“I thought you fuckin’ loved me, Ellie. I thought you said we were done.” You sob out,  “You think Joel would want this for you? Do you really think he would want you to walk out that door?”
Deep down, you know that Joel would have gone to the ends of the earth for Ellie, especially if the roles were reversed. But he would also want her to have a life after him. And you were more sure of that than the latter.
She pulls her wrist away from your grasp. A look of pure betrayal playing across her features. You had not spoken his name in months. It sounds like a curse word to her coming from you. “You don’t know what he would want.”
“And you do?” 
“He would have done the same for me.”
And she leaves. You think back to the first words she said to you when you entered her room over a year ago. 
“I thought I told you that I want to be alone.”
And now she would be.
-
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wordsnstuff · 1 year ago
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Hey, so i'm working on my first WIP, and i wanted to ask about drafting. When can one consider their first draft done? Does it have to have the goal word count (ie; 100K), or would being about halfway there be considered a good enough first draft, that i can move on to the second and start editing?
Concluding each stage of the writing process
It's difficult to know when a phase of a writing project has concluded and you're ready to focus on a new objective as it's developing. I tend to approach my writing projects with a clear and uniform trajectory, regardless of how diverse my projects can be. This approach allows me to remain focused, thorough, and reassured that I am covering all my bases in an organized fashion. However, it also maintains space for me to be explorative and intuitive when necessary. In regards to word count, I don't think it's entirely relevant unless you're determined to adhere to strict genre conventions. Give your story the space it needs and not an extra inch.
(Optional) Zero Draft
In this phase, you're telling yourself the story. You're doing it quickly, messily, intuitively, and forgivingly. Explore every idea that glows in the dark for you, don't throw anything away or discount any possibility. Exhaust your imagination in this phase so that when you reach the first draft, you know you're making informed decisions.
First Draft
You're crafting the structure and core elements of the story. This is often the phase of discovery. You're becoming acquainted with your characters and how they interact, you're beginning to feel at home in the world and settings you've built, and you're seeing all sides of the conflict as it evolves. The goal here is settle on a beginning, middle, and end point, and by the end of this process you want to know your characters' motivations and relationships inside and out.
Second Draft
Go back quickly through the first draft and address any points where you got stuck, where you compromised for the sake of carrying on to the end, and fill in any apparent blanks. The first time you really iron something out, there will always be a few pesky creases. This is the time to find and flatten them.
Third Draft
This is where you question everything. Identify and scrutinize your decisions, dive into the "curtains are blue" discussions with yourself, and begin to tidy up things like grammar, clumsy dialogue, over-poured descriptions, and dubious vocabulary. Comb through each paragraph and be brutal, prioritizing clarity and intentionality of how you've told the story.
The Read Through
This is the point where I recommend doing three things:
Letting it rest away from you for 1-3 months so that you can return to it with a bit of unfamiliarity and new perspective.
Hand it off to a couple of trusted readers and give them ample time to read, digest, and craft some feedback
Reread the project once all the way through making no changes (although annotations are acceptable)
Fourth Draft
Finishing touches. Vigorously and meticulously scrub and scrape between the lines and imagine giving it to your worst enemy. If you can imagine any mean (but valid) things they could conceive of to say about it, this is the time to grapple with or fix those details.
Additional Resources
Guide to Drafting
Word Count/Productivity Tracker Spreadsheet
Balancing Detail & Development
Writing The First Chapter
Writing The Middle of Your Story
Powering Through The Zero-Draft Phase
Writing The Last Chapter
Chapter Length
Happy drafting,
x Kate
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partytillicry · 6 months ago
Text
Ticci toby x Reader // fem reader
these are general dating and nsfw hc’s so beware!!
TW’s: fighting, slight angst, reader is friends with Nina the Killer, & smut
AN: i love toby sm, he’s def my fav creep. this one is a bit 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂. btw this is half reread so there maybe some mistakes here and there
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SFW
toby’s bipolar so a relationship with him is hard but you both work your way through it
he never wants to fight but he can’t control it sometimes
he truly does love but it happens
most of your fights are because he gets jealous or he is just upset about something else
you were laying in bed, just mindlessly scrolling on your phone. reading something that you’d forget a minute later. you were broken from your trance when you heard the door open to see your boyfriend walk in. no hi or hello so you knew something was up.
you immediately got up and walked over to him as Toby was taking off his hoodie and mask. you reached over to his hand to hold it and Toby slapped it away.
“are… you okay? you can talk to me, ya know.” you ask him concerned
“get the fuck away from me.” Toby said firmly. your eyes widened, stepping back and giving him some space. you already knew what was gonna happen next so you just decided to leave
“where the fuck are you going? what? think i’m gonna hurt you or or or or or something? cause i’m ssssssssooOoooOo f-f-f-fucked up?!” Toby yelled. all you did was grab your phone and walk out then booking it to Nina’s room
thats how most of you fights go, he never tries to get physical but it can happen
he apologizes like crazy after, usually with tears cuz he thinks you’ll leave him
and because he’s so nervous and scared, his tic’s are going off like crazy
with all his stuttering, random phrases and sobbing, he’s very hard to understand
you sat on Nina’s floor of her room as she brushed and played with your hair while you talked about what happened. you knew everything would be okay but you were just worried about Toby. you were thinking about asking Slender to lay off on the missions for a while
“look, babes, i know you’re worried about him but you should be worried about yourself too!! how many more fights can you take?” Nina spoke worrying.
“we really don’t fight a lot!! and plus we only do when he’s upset, i know he doesn’t actually want to fight!! you just don’t see how he is after.” you said firmly. it felt weird to defend him but you knew that he wasn’t actually pissed at you
Nina sighs as you pass her a hair tie and she finishes off your braid. you both hear a knock on the door, immediately knowing who it is. you glance back at Nina and she gets up to open the door.
“well hello Toby, i’ve been waiting” Nina says. “you better give her a good apology.” she says firmly but quietly as she walked out. Toby walked in and sat on the floor next to you. you both sat in silence for about a minute.
“i’m so sssSsSsorry, i’m truly sorry. i shouldn’t h-h-have done t-t-that, i had no reason to be maDDd aaaaatt you.” Toby finally spoke up, immediately starting to sob. you sighed, smiling.
“oh baby, im not mad. i know you don’t actually wanna fight.” you said softly. he looked over to you, tears streaming down his dirty face. you cupped his face a wiped away what you could, pulling him into you closer.
“what do you say we hop in the shower, your still covered in dirt and blood.” you said chuckling. all the boy could was nod.
on a happier note! other than the once in a while fights, Toby is actually very sweet but he can get possessive
he’s only somewhat controlling. he doesn’t really like the idea of you belonging to him but you are his
if that even makes sense 😭
he will call stuff like “mine, my love, my baby” etc etc
he’ll let you go out in revealing clothes but he has to be near you at all times
you and Toby were walking around the outside of the mansion (slender wouldn’t you guys leave). you were wearing almost booty shorts and an off the shoulder band tee. Toby thought you looked so cute, he was obsessed with your outfit.
you guys were just holding hands and talking about whatever, Toby leaving an occasional kissing on your hand here and there. it wasn’t that hot out this morning, it was nice. not much wind either. all of the sudden, Toby stopped walking
“what? what happened?” you asked confused. no answer but he let go of your hand and walked up to the corner you guys were about to turn. peeking his head around the corner like a cat only to see Jeff the killer practicing with his knives.
he immediately takes off his hoodie and wraps it around your hips, leaving him with a wifebeater and a pair of baggy cargo shorts on. instead of taking your hand this time, he grabs for your waist
he then starts walking, you following in his lead. you glance over at Jeff then back to Toby and right there, you immediately figured out what was happening. and you couldn’t lie, it was kinda sweet
he’s got a lot of respect for you, and women just in general
like what do you mean you go through horrible pain and bleeding once a month but still have to deal with sexism?
it doesn’t add up for him
he’s always had a respect for women because of his mother and sister being the only reason he actually survived his childhood
he’s always trying to break the gender roles in your relationship
“ no, i can cook today. no, you should be on top. no, im not calling you my bitch. no, ill never call you a bitch.”
he HATES when people call their partner “my bitch��� or anything like that
moving on!
bros a cuddle bug
all up and on you whenever and wherever
PDA is his personal favorite
Toby’s top 5 favorite ways to cuddle!:
5: you laying on your stomach while Toby sits on your ass or back
4: him laying on top of you
3: standard spooning (preferably you being little spoon)
2: sitting on your lap or the over way around
1: honeymoon cuddle, which means sleeping sideways and trying to get as close together as possible
it was a pretty busy day at the mansion and Slender had given you chores all day while most of the others were out killing. most of the proxy’s got night missions, which means Toby would be back pretty late. you wanted to be up when he came back so you picked up a book and began to read it.
it was around 11:48pm when Toby came back. he walked into your room to take off his shoes, mask, hoodie, goggles, and leave his axe too. he quickly ran over to you with a heavy breath
you looked up from your book and stared into the boys dark brown eyes. he kissed you passionately, almost starting a makeout session with you. his hands cupped your face as he started kissing you faster. but then he pulled away
“oh g-g-god, i’ve been waiting for that all day. i’m gonna gooOoo showEr, kay? i love you and ill be right back” Toby explained before leaving one more quick kiss on your cheek
when Toby came back and changed into his pjs, he immediately crawled into your arms. he was sat in your lap and was definitely more important than that book you were reading before. you started to rub small circles into his back
“oh love, i’ve been a bit worried about you. i swear, slender needs to stop sending you on these night missions before i get a heart attack.” you said, pressing small kisses onto his face here and there
“babe, i know you don’t like them and believe me, i don’t ether. but please just trust me, ill be okay. i mean slender has sent me on a mission that lasted a week before and i have no doubt it will happen again. these missions are like nothing to me.” the boy reassured you
you smiled, kissing his cold lips passionately. you wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him in closer. his hands immediately went to your waist, sliding up and down slowly. lets just say you guys made out for the rest of the night
NSFW
this man is a FREAK.
he always makes sure you’re satisfied, you are his top priority
he wants to hold your tits during sex. not grab but just touch ‘em
he loves to involve your tits with the sex. cuming on them, sucking them, playing with them, etc
sucking on them? what kinda freaky shit is this?
he will go CRAZY if you let him suck your tits
toby laid on top of you while pressing small kisses and hickeys on your neck. he wanted to go a little further so the boy let his hands go up your tank top. his brown eyes lock with yours, asking for permission to take off the small piece of clothing
you nodded, cold air immediately hitting your hard nipples. all toby could do was look in awe. his mouth immediately crashed onto your soft boob. kissing and licking around your nipples, little whimpers and whines leaving your mouth
“uh c-C-can i suck them..?”
you nodded and he moved on your sensitive nipples. licking and taking your breast into his mouth the best he could. Toby loved to see you all whiney and overstimulated under him. you could feel him getting harder
he’s pretty average when it comes to size but boy, he knows what he’s doing
toby had an insane porn addiction before you both met and omg, he watched everything
because of that, he will try anything and know how to do it
wanna peg him? he’s already bought the stuff. wanna have buttsex? he’s got lube. want him to eat ur ass? so down and ready.
honestly though, toby loves to just fuck like normal. doggy and cowgirl are his favorites.
“you sure your ready?” toby said teasingly.
“god, Tob’s, just fuck me already”
after what felt like forever, toby slowly slipped his dick into your dripping wet cunt. he groaned as your eyes fluttered closed. his cold, dirty hands began to feel around your thighs as he held you up.
“okay love, im gonna move” you rolled your eyes. his pace started out slow but hard. after a while of fucking once a week, toby knew exactly were all your g spots were. he would tease you a bit by almost hitting it and then hitting it.
you moaned and begged for toby to sped up but he kept his pace. it was slow and painful but god it felt so good. he started to speed up slowly. you moaned and groaned, only making him go faster and faster
he love love lovessss to go at it for hours but only if you’re up to it
and ONLY if you want too
“consent is sexy baby” -toby 2024
he wants to see you begging on your knees for more
on average, you guys are having 3-8 rounds everytime
cum stained sheets just turn him on more
heavy breathing fills the room, toby laying on top of you. his hands rubbed your stomach while his throbbing member was still inside you. as you felt it pulsing, it only turned you on more and more. 
“…hah…b-bAby, do you wanna go again?” the boy said as he pulled out. his hand now rested on your face as him thumb trailed across your cheek.
“fuck yeah.” you sighed out with a smile. toby smiled, quickly grabbing your waist and thrusting back in. a sharp moan escapes your lips while toby grunts
hardcore aftercare everytime
“are you okay? did i hurt you? was it good? are you in pain? do you need anything? do you want anything? do you wanna your put clothes back on? do you want my clothes back on?”
so. many. questions.
he just loves you and doesn’t ever wanna hurt you
he WILL cook you a full course meal. i mean, it won’t taste good but hey its the thought that counts
you moan loudly, coming down from your high. you immediately collapse on top of him while sliding him out of you. chest to chest, your breathing intertwine’s and your body becomes one with his.
“oh baby i love you but i’m done” you say sleepily. your hands run through his dirty, brown hair.
“that-tha-thats okay!! are you alright?” toby says concerned.
“yeah, yeah. i’m just uh tired” you reassured him, still playing with his hair a bit.
he started to rub your back in small circles, kissing your forehead ever so gently. your hands let go of his hair, wrapping your arms around toby’s neck, pulling yourself into him even closer. he breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled.
“oh i love you my darling, a-AAnd not just for sex. your so much more than that, *we’re* so much more than that. of course i-i-i love your body and the way you moan and and and everything else. but i love all of you.” toby said lovingly
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trippinsorrows · 8 months ago
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with me + part fourteen
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authors note: this one is loaded, and there are some hints/tidbits spread throughout, but also.....please don't hate me. 😭
status: in progress // masterlist
warnings: fluff, language, suggestive themes, angst
song inspo: with me by destiny’s child
faceclaims
words: 12k
taglist: @pixiedust4000 @yolobloggers @southerngirl41 @msbigredmachine @wanderingreigns
Bianca: Hi. I know you asked for space, and I will respect that. I just want you to know I talked to dad. I made him be honest with me, and I know the truth now.  I completely understand if your decision is that you want nothing to do with me. But please know, I had no idea, and I would love the chance to be in your life. I am not our father.
Bianca: It may have started with him, but it can end with us.
Rereading the text for what must be the 18th time, you feel just as conflicted and confused as you were when you first received it a few days prior. It’s been a bit easy to ignore it, to let it sit unanswered as you focused on getting as much work done as you could before leaving for Vegas. 
Thankfully, as the game is on a Sunday, you, Callie, and Alexis got an early morning flight to Vegas where you were met by Joe at the airport. After Callie had her sweet meltdown at seeing Joe again, the three of ya’ll met up with the twins, Trin, Kaylah, Jon’s wife, and the rest of the kids at the hotel.
You were a little nervous about Callie meeting her other cousins, as you know kids don’t always get along right away. But all anxiety is melted away the minute Callie and Jon’s daughter, Ellie, bonded over a common love of Disney. It’s a wrap from there, so much so that Callie feels comfortable enough to be left with them while you and Joe leave to get your tattoos.
Your current location. 
“Let's play a game.”
Joe’s suggestion is greatly appreciated because it pulls you away from hyper-fixating on this text and just what to do with said text. However, it’s also questioned because what the hell kind of games do people play at ya’ll’s big ages?
“Joe, we are too damn old for games—but what is it?”
He laughs at your quick change of tune. He must know that inner competitiveness never really goes away, even if you haven’t been in that competition space in literal years. “I'm gonna show you a house, and all you have to say is either you like it or not. But, you can't ask any questions.”
“A house? Like an actual house?”
“Yes, baby. An actual house.”
His sarcastic tone doesn’t help. Asshole. “And I can’t ask you any questions about a literal house we’re thinking of buying?”
“Yup.” 
Pouting, you murmur, “This game sucks.”
“Okay, Callie.” He messes around on his phone, giving a couple touches before he hands you his phone.
You nearly drop the damn thing, mouth ajar in awe. “Joe, how much—”
“No questions, remember?”
Sucking your teeth, you continue to scroll, each photo evoking another level of wonder. The house is stunning and huge. A literal mansion with landscape and design that looks like it was ripped right out of a luxury HGTV special. Swiping through the photos, each allow you to see that the beauty is not only matched but in many ways exceeded on the inside. A massive kitchen with two ovens, spacious bedrooms, almost equally large bathrooms, movie theater room, a separate building in the humongous backyard that you could easily see Joe turning into a personal gym, and so much more.
You really focus on the outside photos, eyes softening. “She's always wanted a backyard….” It's so easy for you to imagine Callie running around freely, swinging on a swing, maybe even helping you tend to a garden you see more than enough room to plant.
You can see yourself in this house.
“I like it,” you finally answer. There's no need to lie to him, and you're pretty sure he could tell you love it based on your facial expressions alone. “Now can you tell me how much—”
“Nope.”
Sitting up, you shove on his shoulder. “Come on, that's not fair.”
“Mmmhmm.”
“Leati.” You can't remember the last time you called this man by his first name. Years, most likely. You used it sparingly, far and few in between, mostly reserved for moments like this when he was pissing you off. 
“You can complain all you want. I'm not telling you shit.” That only irks you more, and he’s indifferent to your obvious irritation, which pisses you off even more. If anything, he sounds almost amused at your frustration. “I'm gonna ask the realtor to arrange a tour. You can ask her then.”
Suspicious, you accuse, “your ass will probably tell her not to tell me or to lie.”
“Maybe.” 
It’s the fact that you know that’s something he would do too. “So my name wouldn’t be on the house? Is that what you’re saying?”
At that, he looks your way, clearly confused but mostly offended. “Of course, it would. Your name will be on everything. I just can’t give you too much information now because you’ll push back and say it’s too much.”
“So, it is expensive,” you conclude. He sighs, heavily. “Joe, we don’t need anything too extravagant or over the top. You know I’m not materialistic like that. I don’t want you feeling like you have to—”
“How many times do we have to have this conversation?” There’s a hint of irritation in his tone, but it’s not entirely unwarranted. Joe has told and showed you multiple times that there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you and Callie. It’s just you being…..well, you. “Anything I do for you, anything I do for Callie is because I want to. You should know by now that I’m a man who won’t do anything he doesn’t want to.”
Sitting on his words, you answer, “I know.” And you do, you’re just so damn slow in actually accepting this. “I’m sorry, I just—I’m stubborn. You know this.”
“Yeah, well get un-stubborn.” His hand on your thigh gives a teasing squeeze but before you can inquire about just what kind of alone time you two will have over this weekend, a man walks out, heavily tatted, dressed in semi traditional Samoan attire and wearing a friendly smile.
Joe stands up to greet the man, introducing him as Mike. It’s a name you’re familiar with as you recall eons ago when Joe would rave about his tattoo artist and the man’s insane talent. 
“This is my girlfriend, Y/N.” It’s both strange and welcomed hearing Joe introduce you as such, like it’s almost too good to be true, even if there’s not an ounce of reluctance in his voice.
“Nice to meet you,” you greet, accepting his handshake. “And for getting us in on short notice.”
He waves it off. “Joe’s always welcomed here anytime and as his girlfriend, so are you.”
It stands out to you just how many people speak so highly of Joe. You've always thought he was a genuinely nice guy, but hearing it co-signed by others definitely shows what a gem you’ve got. “Great design choice, by the way,” he compliments, directing his next question toward you. “Joe mentioned you were a bit nervous about the placement….”
“I think I’m good now,” you answer. Tattoo pain is temporary, but placement is forever. You especially don’t want to “settle” for something that has so much meaning. “Same placement as his, but he can go first.”
Mike laughs, clapping his hands together. “Sounds great. Let’s get started.” 
________
You’d completely forgotten how extremely frustrating it is to get ready to go clubbing, and understandably so given at your big age, that’s not really a thing. However, Alexis absolutely refused to accept your decline to go out with her and even convinced Trinity and Kaylah to tag along. 
The bitch even took it upon herself to bring an outfit for you, knowing you definitely didn’t pack for this kind of outing. 
And while the dress is definitely fire, it’s a pain to get on given the cutouts and need to clasp the chest part. Not to mention, your arm is still a bit sore from the tattoo. Granted, Callie’s excitement at seeing how both you and Joe got her name tatted on you was more than worth all the pain. 
This dress though….it’s not worth shit.
“Fuck.” This was so much easier two bra sizes ago, but between trying to hold them together and clasp the hook on the dress, you’re just about ready to call it a night before the night can even truly begin. Settling frustration aside, you grab the robe off the counter and slide it on as you stick your head out the door. “Babe?”
His deep voice replies seconds later. “Yeah?” 
“Can you come help me with something real quick?”
“Mommy,” Callie groans, and you can only imagine the scowl on her face. She loves spending time with her daddy. “We’re playing.”
Your lips curve into a smile, assuring her, “it’ll only take a second, baby.” 
Joe walks into the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. “What’s up?”
“I need you to clasp my dress for me,” you explain, removing the robe and holding your breast with your forearm. “I’m gonna hold them up, and I just need you to—what?”
His eyes slowly travel up and down your body, but his overall gaze reeks of confusion and a level of disapproval. “Where’s the rest of it?”
You’re not stupid, very much aware of what he’s asking. But, you’re also stubborn, a fact he’s well aware of given the fact that you talked about just that this morning. “The rest of what?”
His answer is simple. “Your outfit.”
Muscle twitching in your jaw, you attempt to divert the conversation. “Come on, everyone else is almost ready—“
“I’m serious.” 
Huffing, you slap on that sweet, teacher voice and bring your hands to his chest, allowing your breast to fall open and freely. It doesn’t miss you how his gaze moves downward and lingers. “Joe, I love you, but you met me post-college. Trust me, this is tame compared to what I used to wear clubbing. And we both know I’m gonna wear what I want, regardless, so I just need you to swallow that annoying ass male pride, which I know you will, because you love me enough to do so, and just strap my titties down for me, okay?” Leaning up to kiss his cheek, your finger moves in a figure eight down his body. “Besides, when I get back tonight, you get to rip this same dress off me, bend me over this very same counter right next to us, and make me watch as you fuck me, hard, from behind.”
Your sex drive has always been on the higher end, but it’s been even more intense in the past couple days, and while your last few intimate encounters with Joe have been more loving and sweet…..that’s not what you need right now. 
You need this man to fuck you in the way only he can. Choking, spanking, biting, a tad bit of degrading, hips bruised from how tight he holds you with backshots that have you speaking in a different language. The whole nine yards. 
Your words paint such a vivid picture that’s clearly too far out for his comfort as his hands move to your ass, squeezing roughly. “And what’s stopping me from doing just that right now?”
God has a cruel sense of humor because before you can even fix your mouth to respond, the very reason why makes her presence known. She knocks on the door with all the irritation in her little body. “Daddy, are you almost done?”
Eyes twinkling with mischief as you step back to hold your breast together, you remind him. “that is why not. You’re on daddy duty tonight.” Joe doesn’t say anything and instead finally hooks it for you. “Thank you.”
“At least pull it down in the back or something,” he grumbles and actually tries to pull down the back of the dress.
“Baby, I have an ass. It’s gon’ shift right back up as soon as I move.” Sure enough, one step is all it takes for it to roll up just a few centimeters below your ass. Unlocking and opening the door, you beam at Callie. “He’s all yours, baby girl.”
“You look so pretty, mommy!”
“Thank you, baby.” You lean down for a kiss on her cheek right as Alexis walks in. Callie goes to lead Joe back into the “living room” area as Alexis welcomes herself into the hotel room. You’re not even gonna bother asking how she got a key. Her dress, unlike your all black little piece, is sparkly, short, and strapless. It’s very much Alexis.
She gasps. “Girl, that dress is fitting and your boobs are sitting.” 
Winking and lifting your breasts, you laugh, complementing, “you look amazing.”
“Duh. I’m me.” She brushes her shoulders before peeping past you to say hi to Joe and Callie. “Hi, future brother-in-law and part time child.”
All you can hear is Callie asking Joe what a part time child is as Alexis grabs you by your wrist and starts dragging you toward the door. “Come on, Trin wants us to do a TikTok before we leave.”
Instantly, you’re scowling. “A TikTok? Girl, we are too old for that.”
“I swear, you act like you’re 75 sometimes,” she dismisses, walking you out the room and across the hall to the other room where Jimmy and Trin are staying. You’re still impressed how they all managed to get rooms not only on the same floor but literally all across each other.
Must be a rich people thing.
Walking into the room, you see Trin and Kaylah are dressed a bit more modestly then you and Alexis, not as much skin showing but still very much giving club vibes. 
Compliments are again exchanged among the four of you, but Kaylah is the first to say, “girl, I’m surprised Joe didn’t have nothing to say about your outfit.”
Chuckling, you inform, “he tried, but he knows I don’t play that. I’m a grown woman. Imma wear what I want. Besides, I know how to shut him up.” 
What’s implied doesn’t need to be explained but not according to Alexis who of course blurts out, “that’s right. Sitting on your man’s face will do it every time.”
“Please excuse her. She ran out of her Lithium.”
“Ehh, they tried that. Didn’t work for me.” It’s the fact that she’s probably dead serious too. “Okay, now which trend are we doing, Trin?”
Trinity's smile, like everything else about her, is bright and beautiful. “I was thinking the Wanna Be one by Meg and Glo.”
Instantly, you know Alexis is sold. “That is my damn song.” She then points to you. “This one needs to go last though, because when I tell you that thing moves like water. This bitch can twerk like Megan.”
One thing you’ve never been is a liar, so you can’t find it in you to call bullshit on Alexis exclamation. You’ve always been super flexible, courtesy of cheer, and twerking has always come a bit natural to you. But, it was really when you started hitting up the strip clubs in college and made acquaintances with the strippers that you learned all of the tricks. 
However, it’s also been years since you last stepped out on the town, and your joints start to hurt from just sitting too long, so the hype may be a little bit undeserved after all.
“That was also before I had a baby, Lex.”
Alexis brushes off your downplay. “She can even do the hand thing. You know, where you put your hand in between your ass cheeks while you still shaking? Iconic.”
Studying her closely, you realize why she’s so amped already. “You pre-gramed, didn’t you?”
She presses her lips together and then goes into denial. “I plead the fifth.” Laughing, she tugs on your arm. “Come onnnn.”
“Fine.” Caving to Alexis is typically the best outcome because the bitch is relentless when she wants something, especially when she’s already tipsy. 
However, Trinity seems just as excited as she directs the three of you to the bathroom where she already has the phone propped up and everything. 
It ends up being a fun time that reminds you so much of those days back in college where you and Lex and a few other girlfriends would spend a damn near hour taking the “perfect” photos for the “gram” and even longer to come up with a witty caption. You even show off a little bit of your twerking skills, nothing too crazy, much to Alexis chagrin. 
Arriving at the club and being escorted to the VIP section, courtesy of Alexis, the ladies order a round of drinks while you settle for a simple bottle, never glass, of water. After your whole fiasco during Christmas, you can’t see yourself sipping even a glass of wine for a while.
It’s a nice blast from the past but also suddenly a bit irritating with how noisy and boisterous everything is. The club is packed, and you’re grateful to be seated up and away from everyone else. While Alexis starts to get her buzz going, Trin partially surprises you by asking for your approval to upload one of the videos to TikTok and a photo to post on Instagram. It’s only partially surprising, because Trin has always been a real one. 
You agree and even helping her with a caption. 
Something bout’ that melanin ✨
Pulling out your own phone to check in on Joe and Callie, you’re surprised to see you have a bunch of IG notifications. This leads to you realizing that Alexis, at some point, posted a couple of photos she made you take on your profile. She even took it upon herself to come up with a caption that makes you both chuckle and shake your head. 
ya favorite athlete’s favorite athlete 😌
It’s not a huge deal to you, as you’d went ahead and made your Instagram private again a couple months prior. It’s a feature you toggle on and off, knowing that only the people you want knowing and seeing your page would even know how to find you. However, with Joe being back in your life and having a few posts with Callie’s face in them, you lean on the side of caution and just plan to keep it private from here on out.
It’s the comments though that really make you pause. 
@user1 omg y/n!!! That body been giving, sis! 
@user2 HA! Always was that girl. Still that girl. Miss you, cuz!
@Mariaaahhhh___92: This really how you wanna do this?
@BigLexPurr: Say it louder for the BITCH in the comments before me. I mean, in the back. 😃
@user3: If only I looked like that after having my baby lmao You look amazing, Y/N!
@RomanReigns Damn straight.
With all the swiftness and quickness, you block Mariah, not needing or wanting her and Alexis to get into a whole spat under your post. But Joe’s comment is definitely one that takes you for surprise, and you wrestle with whether or not you should acknowledge it but eventually decide to do so with a simple reply. 
@yourusername @RomanReigns 😘
You make a mental note to roast his ass for being in your IG comments like that but put your phone away when WAP comes on. Of course, it’s only appropriate that the four of you rap along to every iconic, spiritual lyric spit by Meg and Cardi. Alexis even influences you into doing a little twerk on her that she absolutely captures on Snapchat.
You don’t even need to ask her to know she’s gonna waste no time in sending that over to Joe. How she managed to get him to accept her add on Snapchat is something you’ll never understand. 
“I need some more drink, but I don’t want to get up,” Alexis whines, shooting you the puppy dog eyes.
“Gee, why don’t I—”
“Thank you, friend!”
Shaking your head, you make your way out of the VIP and through the crowd to the bar. Placing the order, you wait patiently, praying that what you know is bound to happen doesn’t happen. A waste of a prayer, because that unwanted happening appears in the form of a crooked smile, bad haircut, and height that can’t exceed 5’9.
He just leans back against the bar, as if waiting for you to, of all things, acknowledge him. That makes you laugh aloud. The fucking irony. 
You decide to take the lead and dead this thing before he can run whatever play he thinks will work on you. “No, I don't want or need you to pay for my drink, and I don't need anything put on your tab. I'm good.”
His smile doesn't deter. If anything, he looks even more intrigued. This was always the part you hated about clubbing. Men who can’t seem to conceive that you “playing hard to get” is actually and really just complete and utter disinterest.
“Oh, you more than good, ma.” His gaze resting on your chest much longer than what's appropriate is both irritating but expected. Men see titties and lose all sense of self-control, the little that some actually do possess, that is. “I'm just trying to see how good.”
You were over this conversation before it even started, hence your readiness to put an end to his fruitless hopes and your irritation.
“My man is 6’3, 287lbs and fights niggas for a living.” Tone both bored and casual as you list off basic facts, you ask, “He's home right now watching our 6 kids. Still wanna do this?”
It's the way his eyes go wide that makes it hard for you not to laugh. That should definitely do the trick. “Naw, I'm good. You fine, but you ain't that damn fine.”
“That's what I thought.” Taking the Martini from the bartender, you saunter your way back over to your section and hand it to Alexis.
“I take it homeboy was trying to take you home.”
Chuckling, you nod. “But, I handled it.”
“Oh, I'm sure you did.” She then turns to the group. “This one was always vicious when turning down bums at the club.”
“Cause sir, why are you talking to me with your uneven fade and height that starts with a 5?”
Trinity and Kay fall out laughing, but you’re dead serious. You’d been called arrogant a couple of times, but it never really affected you because you know you just have standards and refuse to settle.
And clearly…..it worked out.
“I really wish we could do this more often,” Kay suddenly shares, and it takes you a bit by surprise. There was a level of trepidation regarding meeting Josh’s wife. You know they’ve been together since they were in high school, which means there’s a good chance she knows Joe’s ex-wife. A chance they could be friends.
And if she’s anything unlike Mariah, she wouldn’t want to chop it up with the woman who slept with and had a whole baby for her friend’s husband. But so far, Kay has been nothing but kind, a bit on the quiet and reserved side. It’s an interesting dynamic considering Josh is anything but. 
“Do you live in Florida too?” Alexis suddenly asks, sipping her Martini. When Kay nods, Lex slaps you on the arm. “Well, this one will be moving there probably before the end of summer, so maybe ya’ll can link up more often.”
Intrigue paints both Trin and Kay’s faces, as the former asks, “seriously?”
“Yeah, umm, Joe and I were actually looking at a house earlier.” A thin layer of excitement re-emerges as you reflect on the photos you saw. You really do like that house, but it feels so much like a dream, like the expensive houses you look at and critique on Zillow knowing damn well you can’t afford them. 
And you can’t, but he probably can. 
You know he can, or he wouldn’t be showing you in the first place. 
“How do you really feel about moving?” Trin questions. “You still live in your hometown, right?”
“I do.” It’s a valid question, one you, if you’re being honest, sometimes go back and forth on. You know you want to move and ultimately will, but there are still some moments where you feel a bit unsure. It’s to be given, you’re sure, as change can be difficult. “There’s a lot of things I’ll miss, like being away from my mom, but….I want to be with Joe, and it’s what’s best for Callie.”
“She really is a sweet child. You did an amazing job with her.” 
Kay’s compliment warms your heart. “Thank you….that means a lot to me.” Callie is your pride and joy, so to hear others speak highly of her, of how you raised her thus far will always be the best kind of compliment. 
“You’re a teacher, so you’re off for the summer, right?” Trinity suddenly asks. Nodding, she continues, “you and Callie should go on the road with Joe this summer then. Maybe not the whole summer, but a portion. It’ll be fun. I’d love to have ya’ll, and you know he would too.” 
It’s a suggestion that you find yourself actually considering. Outside of PD, which can be done virtually with some prior arrangements, there really would be nothing stopping you from tagging along. Callie would be ecstatic, and something tells you Joe would too. 
Kay then shoots Trinity a look that you can’t quite decipher. “isn’t he….” 
As if awareness dawns, Trinity mutters, “oh, shit, I forgot.” 
Understandably curious, and always uncomfortable with being kept out of the communication loop, you inquire, “what?”
Trinity looks a bit nervous but then answers casually, “Oh nothing, I just forgot they’ve, uhh, gotten a little strict now about family coming on the road. Something about it being too distracting for the wrestlers.”
Alexis seems as skeptical as you are. There’s something they’re not saying. “Isn’t he literally like the face of the whole company? I feel like if he wants them there, then they’ll be there.” She has a fair point. “Look how he takes time off to come fly and see them.”
That actually brings on a question you’ve been wondering about for a while. Directed to Trinity, you ask, “do you know if he gets in trouble for that?” Trinity looks a bit unsure of how to respond, and you know immediately it’s because she’s trying to figure out how much to say. “The truth, please. I can handle it.” 
With a heavy sigh, she relents, “Jon mentioned Joe said something about them talking with him, but I get the sense Joe told them to fuck off. Professionally, of course.”
You’re not sure how to feel about this. The last thing you want is for Joe to risk all of his hard work for you. And you know it’s more for Callie than anything, which you get, but he still has contractual obligations he needs to fulfill.
“I can tell you this…..they can say what they want, but Joe doesn’t play about you and Callie, so he gon keep hopping on flights as much as he needs to.”
“He was really happy when he found out about Callie,” Kay adds in a soft tone with a kind voice. “I remember overhearing him talking with Josh, and he told him, “she’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Crying in the club definitely wasn’t on your agenda for this trip, but here you are, trying to blot your eyes with the back of your hand. “Ya’ll, I didn’t wear waterproof mascara. Don’t have me out here looking like a racoon scaring folks off.”
Alexis chimes, “Joe won’t mind. It’ll keep him from coming up in here beating some poor soul’s ass for trying to holler at you.”
Kaylah snorts. “She’s not too far off. All them fools are super protective and territorial.”
“I’m just trying to figure out when ya’ll are gonna stop being selfish and slide one of them my way. It’s obvious they fertile as hell, so there’s gotta be an eligible cousin or uncle or something.”
It’s the fact you know that Lex is dead serious. Thankfully, Travis Porter comes on and that’s enough to bring all of ya’ll back to your feet like you’re 21 all over again. And that’s the dominant and recurring theme of the entire night: dancing, laughing, talking, Alexis being unhinged. 
Wash, rinse, repeat.
The four of you end up returning to the hotel shortly before midnight, the perfect time as somehow, the guys got all of the kids down for bed and were just waiting to make sure you all returned safely. 
Sitting around one of the hotel rooms, you all just chop it up, sharing various stories, no one really tired enough to call it a night.
“See, that’s the thing that people don’t realize. Ain’t a whole lot of difference between Joe and Roman. Uce been had that dog in him.” Jon starts off, sitting up as he explains. Somehow the topic landed on when they were growing up and how Joe’s always had “parts” of Roman in him. “Like one time when we was kids, we was playing a basketball game and he showed up late talking about “aye, let me join.” We tell him, ‘sorry man, we already started.’ He takes the ball, chucks it over in the neighbor's yard, talking about “ain’t nobody playing now.”
There’s a chorus of laughter, but your jaw drops open as you look at Joe, an easy task as you’re perched on his lap. “Did you really do that?” It’s almost inconceivable to see this man do something like that, especially as a child. “Joe, that was mean as hell.”
It’s the fact that he doesn’t deny it and simply shrugs. “Should have let me join in.”
Covering your mouth and shaking your head, you go to scold him for being such an ass, regardless of how long ago it was. But, Alexis soon adds in her two cents, looking your way. “I don’t know why you looking shocked and disappointed, you weren’t much better when we were in college.” She then directs her attention to the group. “So, we were cheerleaders, and Abby Lee Miller over here was a total nightmare during competition season.”
Gasping, you sit up, Joe’s big arm locked around your waist to keep you on him. “I was not.”
She rolls her eyes and takes a drink before admitting, “girl, I love you, but you were a bitch when you were in competition mode.” This is the first time you’re hearing this, so of course, it takes you by surprise. You won’t deny that you could be a bit…..intense during the season, but as captain, there was a shit ton of responsibility on your shoulders. Someone had to take the lead. “There’s a reason we had a whole group chat without you called, ‘Deliver us from Y/N’.”
“You had what?” This is news to you. As far as you were concerned, you had a great relationship with your teammates. It’s why your head coach let you take charge so much, especially in your junior and senior years. “Because I was doing my job?”
Alexis continues, ignoring your questions which is both annoying and predictable. She loves to tell a good story. “She’s the reason I’m hoping and praying Usher doesn’t perform More. It was the song for our Nationals routine, and when I tell you she was on us like goddamn slaves. That routine was hard as fuck, and she ain’t care one bit. It was hella good, like she choreographed the shit out of it, but it was so technical and draining. Bitches in the corner vomiting during practice, and she like ‘get a bucket and keep it pushing.’”
All eyes land on you, waiting for a response, but it’s hard to retort the truth, so you settle on justification. “Okay, that was their fault. I told ya’ll not to eat an hour before.”
Alexis claps her hands as everyone else around laughs. “I rest my case.”
“No wonder ya’ll go together so well,” Josh mutters, taking a drink of his beer. Kaylah slaps his arm but doesn’t say anything in disagreement. 
“What I’m hearing is it’s gon be a two night A&E special. First night? Surviving Joe. Second night? Surviving Y/N.”
Jon’s delivery is really what sells it. You can’t even hold back your laughter. Leaning back into Joe’s chest, you lift up both hands to flip them off. “Ya’ll not gon’ keep talking about my man.” Partially joking, partially serious, it’s not missed upon you how Joe’s deep chuckle in your ear is followed by his fingers innocently moving against the outside of your thigh. 
“You and your man was clearly out here terrorizing people,” Trinity laughs with a shake of her head. “That’s so crazy too, because you don’t give off that energy, Y/N.”
“I’ve calmed down a lot since I had my daughter.” And it’s the truth. Along with age and an extreme respect for your field along with your professional reputation. “But yeah, college Y/N…..she was something else. A little bit of high school as well, but mostly college.”
Alexis makes a sound and then blurts out, “tell em’ about the time you bust that stripper in the head with a bottle, and she had to get 75 stitches.”
Understandably so, there’s a round of shocked expressions and questions following Alexis so casually dropping one of the wildest experiences you had in college. 
You hear Jon ask something about if you have a criminal record, but it’s really Joe giving you that ‘you gon explain?’ look that makes you cave. 
“Oh lord, I can’t believe I’m about to tell this story.” You turn to Joe, warning. “You’re not allowed to hold it against me either.”
“Let me hear it first, and I’ll let you know after.” You know he’s joking, but still, you hit him on his arm. He’s supposed to hold you down, no matter what. Aggravated assault and all.
“Okay, so were at the strip club—”
Jon can’t help himself, asking, “damn, you got down like that?” 
He has no idea.
“You gotta remember, we were cheerleaders, so we spent a lot of time with the football and basketball teams. And they asses was always there, so we would tag along cause why not? I always had a good time. The food was good as hell too. Anyway, I was dating a football player at the time—”
Alexis slaps Joe on the arm. “She’s always had a type.”
“Yeah, ‘ain’t shit’, clearly.” You grab Joe’s jaw, clarifying. “Except for you, baby.” He mutters his approval, and you continue, “so, I was dating this dude, and he was cheating on me, which was fine. I wasn’t really into him anyway. But, turns out the girl he was cheating with was one of the strippers there and a classmate. I don’t know how the stupid bitch didn’t realize who I was before that night, but whatever. I guess she caught feelings for him or something and saw me as the problem? Mind you, I was dating him before he even started fucking her, but she called herself trying to step to me. And she was talking shit, which I didn’t necessarily care about because one thing I’ve never and will never do is fight over a man. Any fight I ever got into was because they said something about my mama or someone else I love.”
“How many fights you done—” Trinity elbows Jon who grunts and then mutters for you to keep going.
Chuckling, you do so, “so she calls me a bitch….okay, but then calls my mom a bitch, and at that point, I’m seeing red. Cause now my food is cold, I was about to get a lap dance that’s not gon’ happen cause now I gotta beat her ass, and all over some wack ass dick. But now she done bought my mama into it….absolutely not.” A beat. “I didn’t hit her first, because I never hit first, but I did say some slick shit that I knew would provoke her.” You decide to leave out exactly what you said given how graphic it was. “And she hit me, but then this other bitch joins in—”
“And that’s when I get involved,” Alexis chimes, raising her drink high and proud. “Because what you not gon do is jump my motherfucking best friend in front of me.”
Laughing, you continue, “so Alexis crazy ass is beating her friend, I’m on this girl, but then she calls herself trying to stab me with the heel of her shoe or something cause obviously I’m winning—”
“This some WorldStarHipHip shit if I ain’t ever heard—” Trinity hits Jon for his interruption and motions for you to continue going, clearly and deeply invested in the retelling of this wild ass night.
“I’m mixing on this bitch, cause one thing about me, I know how to fight. I just choose not to do it.” And it’s true. Fighting is a last resort, always has been for you, but make no mistake, you know how to throw down. “Anyway, I snatch the shoe out of her hand, grab this bottle of Hennesy I see near me and smash it over her head.”
“And it was lights out.” Alexis says dramatically. “That bitch was laid out like a crime scene. Patrick Star headass.”
Wiping the tears from your eyes from your laughter, you continue, “so someone calls the cops. They show up, and I’m starting to get nervous thinking she’s gonna press charges, because I bust her head open. She had to get stitches and everything. But I had made friends with the owner of the club—-that’s a whole other story—and basically, he refused to provide her with any video footage, made sure no one said anything about what happened, was friends with the cops, and they just chalked it up to a bunch of drunk girls being stupid. And I got off.” Clapping your hand to signify the end, you rest back against Joe. “The end.”
There’s a slightly understandable moment of silence before Kaylah calmly asks, “How drunk were you?”
That’s an easy answer. “Oh, I wasn’t drunk.”
“So….you did all that sober?” Trinity asks, like she needs to just make sure she’s following correctly. 
“Yup.” You pop the ‘p’ and look over at Joe who’s all of the emotions, primarily, amused, surprised, and strangely turned on. “Wild times.”
Jon is the first to speak after that. “Man, I always knew I liked you, Y/N. Your ass a little crazy, but I fucks with it.” 
Laughing, you explain. “You gotta keep in mind, I was like 19 at the time. I was young and definitely dumb in a lot of ways. I’ll be 32 this year and have grown a lot. I have zero desire to put my hands on anyone. I have a child and a career. I may be tempted, but I’m not going to actually do it.  I have too much to lose”
“And that’s why she has me.” Alexis lifts her drink. “I don’t have much to lose cause I’m rich enough to get off. Plus, she’s all boring now. You see how early we’re back. Back in the day, we’d club hop until like 4 in the morning. At least up until Junior year,” she gestures to you with her outstretched thumb. “That’s when this heifer had to get all studious on me.” 
“4.0, Summa Cum Laude.” You make a little pose and laugh. “I just got my shit together, and clearly….” you lean back to look at Joe. “ —it paid off.”
—----------
Obviously, you’ve never attended a professional football game, let alone the fucking Super Bowl, but even knowing that, you’re partially surprised by just how many damn people are there. It’s absolutely jam packed, and you’re suddenly grateful for the security detail that escorts the group of you to your seating area.
Joe holds Callie and keeps your hand in his which impacts you in a strange way that you can’t explain. This whole trip has been him being unabashedly open about you and Callie, and you’re starting to think that’s the part that’s still a bit difficult.
For three years, you felt like some secret he kept hidden and stored away, so to be so “displayed” so publicly is such a stark contrast you’re still trying to sit with. It’s not a bad adjustment, just an adjustment nonetheless. 
The section rented for the group is surprisingly spacious enough for everyone, and you and Kaylah immediately go delegating, having the kids all in the back rows with the men front and center to see the game they’ve been praying for all year. You knew Joe was a huge 49ers fan, hence your not being entirely surprised when you found a box at your apartment door with a bunch of 49ers apparel for you and Callie to pick from for the game. He also, in true Joe fashion, sent you both sneakers with the 49ers team colors of black, red, and gold. 
And one look at Callie as she interacts with her cousins, you can’t deny how adorable she looks, especially as they’re also sporting the apparel because of course his whole family are also fans. Granted, you can’t deny how adorable she looks all decked out like her daddy. You took a more subtle approach, agreeing to the letterman jacket and sneakers, combining them with the 49ers long sleeved crop top and stretch black pants.
There’s a lot of getting everyone settled and you warning Alexis not to make a damn fool of herself, which apparently she’s also dead set on. Something about needing to be ready to be either a consolation or celebration prize for whatever player she was going home with tonight. 
When the game starts though, it’s absolutely fascinating watching how intently focused the men are, not wanting to miss a single second. You’re suddenly really grateful you’d briefly spoke with Callie about how this game was very important to Joe, so his attention may not be on her as much as she wants but that’s okay because he’s just a little busy. She responded well, and you can see how helpful it is for her to be around not only other kids but her cousins.
The ease of their connection and ability to play together is something you’re so grateful for, so happy to see. It definitely makes you even more excited about moving, about her being closer to family. 
That thought reminds you to ask Joe when he wants to talk to Callie about that, about moving. It feels like something the two of you should do together. 
Ironically, you’ve never really been a huge football person, so your interest in the game and who wins is pretty slim to none. You’re there for a good time and, most importantly, Usher’s performance. Kaylah seems to be on a similar wavelength, so while the rest are deeply invested in arguably the most important game of the year, you two engage in casual dialogue. 
She gives you some much appreciated tips on the area, specifically regarding school systems and other resources for Callie. She mentions a dance school her daughter also attends classes at, and that immediately catches your attention cause Callie has given some indications she wants to do ballet. And while you have your reservations, it’s mostly been because of financial reasons.
Not that daddy warbucks over there won’t handle that for you. 
There’s also a lot of photos and videos that get taken to commemorate this moment. Most of which are headed by life of the party, Alexis. You’re grateful though, happy to have her here. She even catches your attention when Callie maneuvers her way over to Joe, tugging on his pants leg for him to pick her up. You start to bring her back by you, but you end up watching Joe pull her up, kissing her cheek as he patiently tries to explain the game to her.
It brings a warm smile on your face, and you use your phone to snap a photo of them. It’s from behind, but the lighting, the way Joe is pointing and Callie following his line of vision, there’s something about it so wholesome and moving.
You set it as your lock screen. 
By the time halftime rolls around, the men are all in great moods given their team is so far dominating. However, you and the rest of the ladies present are in a great mood for entirely different reasons. 
The minute you hear the opening chords of Caught Up, you’re in a completely different world, similar to the happy space of attending concerts in your teens and college days. Alexis is definitely your number one hype woman, but really, Trin and Kaylah are just as lit. The guys are definitely enjoying the show as well, but Usher has been that man for you, so he’s your only focus. 
It only gets exponentially better, and the minute he starts to perform Yeah joined by both Lil John and Ludacris, you and Alexis are shouting out every single damn word of Luda’s iconic verse. 
It’s definitely a moment you’ll absolutely never forget.
Unfortunately, the halftime show seems to be a bit of a climax as the third quarter progresses, and the tide seems to start turning in favor of the Chiefs. Similarly, it’s not missed upon you how the younger kids seem to be slowing down. Callie is definitely ready for bed and understandably so. It’s been a long day and is way past her bedtime. After a brief discussion with Joe and Josh, it’s decided that you and Kaylah will take the younger kids back to the hotel, especially since you both have very little interest in how the game plays out but respect the guys needing to stay. 
And Alexis wild ass most definitely stays behind for….obvious reasons.
Joe, of course, doesn’t let you and Callie leave without a hug, kiss, and telling you both he loves you. A tradition of sorts now, definitely one you’ll never get tired of.
Security escorts the smaller group of you to your vehicles, and by the time you’ve reached the hotel, the younger kids are tapped out. You manage to get Callie out of her clothes, into her jammies, and bonnet on her head before she passes out in her bed. 
Kaylah has a similar experience with her kids, the two of you plopping down on the sofa together. 
“I hope they pull the win. I don’t know if you’ve ever been around Joe when the 49ers lose, but he’s not pleasant. None of them are.”
“I get it,” you chuckle. “I’d be pissed if I paid all that money to see my team lose too.”
“At least we had our good time seeing Usher’s fine ass.”
Laughing, you slap hands with her. “I know that’s right!”
As the laughter dies down, Kaylah gives you an earnest smile. “I hope I’m not being too forward, but I really am glad you came on this trip. I’ve heard both the twins and especially Joe speak so highly of you, and they definitely weren’t wrong. More importantly, I think you’re really good for Joe. I haven’t seen him as happy as he is with you and Callie since we were in high school, really.”
“Can I be honest with you about something?” Her kind words make you feel comfortable enough to be forthcoming with her. “I was a bit nervous you wouldn’t like me.”
Her eyes widen. “Me? Why?”
“I guess…..I worried you would feel a sense of loyalty to Joe’s ex-wife, and given how we got together…..
She nods. “I can understand that, but…if I’m being honest with you, I’ve probably had more meaningful interactions with you in these two days than I did in all of the time they were together. Don’t get me wrong, Jadah was super nice and chill, but she never really interacted with us like that. She mostly kept to herself.”
“What was the deal with their marriage?” It feels a bit off asking her, but given she’s known them for so long, she of all people would be the person to ask. “I know….I know he told me they only got married because she was pregnant and that….that she miscarried.”
It’s when you say that she gives you a strange look. “Y/N…..they didn’t have a miscarriage.” Before the shock fully wears off and you can ask her what happened then, she explains in an understandably sad tone. “It was….it was a stillbirth. She was 8 months pregnant.”
Your stomach…drops. That….that’s not what you expected to leave her mouth. Not at all.
Thinking back to that brief conversation with Joe, he never really specified what happened. Just made sure you knew Callie didn’t have a sibling. You’d just assumed a miscarriage is what happened. 
But a stillbirth….your brain can’t even begin to comprehend the heartbreak they must have experienced. To be in a headspace that you’re welcoming your first child for the better part of a year only to have it so cruelly ripped away in such a horrific manner….it’s devastating.
“I didn’t….”
“He didn’t tell you?” You shake your head, and she offers a sad smile. “I’m not surprised. Joe seems very open with you and obviously trusts you a lot, but that….I know that messed him up real bad.” 
Just like finding out he’d missed out on almost five years of Callie’s life. You’re starting to understand more and more why he came at you so hard initially, it was more than warranted but most likely pulling from his prior trauma as well. 
Kaylah continues, explaining gently, “I don’t know…I don’t know if it’s a good idea to push him too much on discussing it, YN. He’s never even really talked about it to the twins, and they tell each other everything. I’m sure he’s never fully processed it. Then again, I don’t know how you can ever process something like that.”
Hearing this has suddenly entirely soured your mood, and you have no ill feelings toward Kaylah. Just the opposite. You’re grateful she felt comfortable enough to be honest with you. You just wish the truth didn’t have you with this dull ache in your chest.
—----------
The 49ers loss hits you harder for reasons completely different than actual fans. It makes you sad for Joe, a sentiment you were already struggling with, to be honest.
Anticipating he’ll be looking for some sort of distraction, especially with Callie knocked out for the night, you try to get your shower finished before he makes it back to the hotel. It’s a wasted effort, because not only does he make it back before then, but he scares the hell out of you when his hulking frame joins you from behind under the steaming hot water. 
But before a single word can leave your mouth, his lips are on you, and you know instantly that he plans to take his emotions out on you in the only way that’s most appropriate. 
Fucking.
Joe fucks you against the shower wall, on the bathroom counter, in the exact way you promised him the night before but couldn’t follow through on because you were tired. He’s rough, rougher than you’ve had him in a while, and while it’s exactly what you wanted, it also saddens you that you know he’s disappointed. 
It’s just a game, yes, but there’s something about a loss at this level that makes it hit deeper. It also doesn’t help that you were already feeling a tremendous amount of empathy toward him after finding out about his loss. 
Body completely used and thoroughly fucked, the end of your sexscapade finds you both, naked and worn out. Your body is draped upon his as his finger moves around lazily across your back.
It’s a comfortable silence when he asks, “was I too rough with you?”
Lifting your head, you give him the strangest look. How long has it been since ya’ll really fucked? He’s clearly forgotten how you get down. “Did you seriously just ask me that? This is me, Joe..” Laying your head back on his chest, you remind him of your only rules in the bedroom. “Unless I’m bleeding or passed out, never too rough.”
Laughing, he flicks your arm as you kiss his shoulder. Changing gears a bit, his expression softens. “Thank you for coming, for bringing her.” 
“You never have to thank me for that.” You remind, because it’s the truth. You’d escort Callie to Siberia if that’s where he was. “But we do need to figure out when we’re gonna talk to her about moving.”
He seems to also remember this is a thing, asking, “how do you think she’ll feel?”
You have to take a second to think about his question. It’s something you’ve definitely considered. Callie has only known your town. That’s her home. What would it be like to uproot her? You finally settle on the best, honest answer you can muster. “I think she’ll be a little sad to leave her preschool friends, definitely my mom but what she wants more than anything is to be a family, so she’ll be happy.”
“Does she know we’re together?”
“I—I don’t know actually.” It’s not really something you’ve thought about until this very moment, just kinda assumed that it was a given. “Well, shit, maybe we should tell her that too.” 
He chuckles. “I’m sure she’s probably put two and two together.”
“Probably so.” Callie is definitely one smart cookie, and it wouldn’t be too far fetched to assume she’s realized you and Joe are dating. “Oh, and going back to moving, it’s Florida. Disney is in Florida. That’ll definitely be a selling point for her.”
Joe’s hand moves up and down your side, soothingly. “We’re going the week of her birthday, by the way.” 
Peeking up at him, you double check what’s really obvious but also still so surreal. “To Disney?”
“Yeah.” 
“They let you off for a whole week?” That’s a stunner, for certain. “Coming off a Wrestlemania win? Damn, just how heavy is your pull now?” 
“What?” He seems confused by your question, like he doesn’t understand what you’re saying. And that’s puzzling to you because there’s nothing confusing about what you’re asking. You know enough about WWE to know how this works. He’s gonna retain at WrestleMania and be subsequently thrust deep in promos and segments. “Oh yeah….I’ve got it handled.”
Waiting for more is a waste of time with this man. He can be so coy sometimes. “You’re not gonna tell me anything more, are you?”
“Nope.” 
“Ass.” His elusive behavior is becoming both familiar and given but still annoying nonetheless. Regardless, you take your turn, switching topics a bit. “Have I told you how proud of you I am? Cause I am. So so proud of you, Joe. I always knew you could do it.” You lift up, biting down on your bottom lip as you push some of his hair back. “You’re gonna hold the record for most main events at Wrestlemania. Beating Hulk’s record. Thee fucking Hulk Hogan. And once you whoop Ken doll’s ass, you’re gonna have the third longest title reign in WWE history. Do you know how amazing that is?”
His hand is on your hip, making soft circles. “It’s not everything….”
Scoffing, you dismiss his dismissal. That is quite literally everything he ever told you he wanted. “The hell it isn’t. I remember every conversation we ever had about this, Leati. Your worries. Your hopes. Your dreams. This is what you’ve always wanted and worked your whole life for.” He’d always been so open and vulnerable about where he ultimately wanted his career to go, the burning desire he had to make it happen, and to see him do just that means the world to you. It should mean the world to him.
But there’s something off about his tone, and you can’t quite make out if it’s because he’s still reeling from the loss or something else. It almost feels like everything you’re saying is going in one ear and out the other because it no longer means that much to him. You know that can’t be the case. Not with how long he’s been grinding and working his ass off. 
His tone and expression are both appreciative as he shares, “I don’t think you’ll ever understand how much your support meant to me. You always knew the right thing to say.”
You lean down to kiss him, nice and slow. “I’m just really good at that shit.” Biting down on your bottom lip, you slowly start to snake your hand down his chest. “I’m really good at a lot of shit actually.” Whatever is bothering him, you know one way to help.
A really really good way.
Chuckling, his jaw clenches when you try to wrap your hand around him, fingers unable to connect from his width. He’s already hard for you. “You lock the door?”
You’ve never been so grateful for hotel rooms with bedroom doors that lock.
“Of course.” There’s no time wasted in moving so that you’re on top of him, reaching to align him just right so you can sink down on your favorite pastime. 
“My turn….”
—----------
Someone knocking on your door, loudly, at 11am, just hours after you land back in town wasn’t on your agenda for the day.
You, Callie, and Alexis caught an early morning flight that was difficult for everyone giving how crazy busy the weekend was, but especially for Callie who was already sad at having to say bye to her dad again and was still tired from lack of adequate sleep. 
You’re especially happy you chose to take today off and keep Callie home from preschool. You definitely need time to recover.
But life has a way of lifing. You’re immediately annoyed, looking beside you to see that Alexis is also stirring in her sleep, mumbling something about ‘fuck off.’ Sighing loudly, you stare at the ceiling, almost ready to leave whoever it is outside. But then they knock again, and you know this isn’t someone you can avoid. 
Even if you’re very tempted. Reaching for a robe, you pull it on and tie it around your wait, sliding your slippers on to make your way to the front door. Not even bothering to look through the peephole, you rip it open, ready to curse someone out when you see who it is.
Alyssa’s striking blue eyes are the first thing you noticed followed by the shine of the police badge attached to Officer Austin’s uniform. 
Why the hell is a police officer and one of the town’s social worker at your door?
“Hi….” You have to clear your voice, sleep weighing it down with coarse grit. “Is…is everything alright?” Panic briefly sets in. “Is it one of my students?”
This is the part of being a teacher that guts you, when a child is being harmed or at risk of being harmed and you have to make a call that does both a lot of good and a lot of bad. Alyssa has been the social worker you’ve worked with the most, but this is definitely the first time she’s come to your house about a case.
“Y/N…..” Her expression is grim, and you realize quickly that whatever it is is not good. Not good at all. “We received a report against you.”
“A report?” Your hand is gripping the door so tightly, you’re certain splinters are going to embed themselves into the pads of your fingers. But it’s a much better feeling than what’s starting to grow in the pit of your stomach. “What—what kind of report?”
There’s hesitation, and you understand why when she clarifies. “An immediate danger report.” 
“No.” Your stomach drops. “Alyssa, you can’t—-you can’t be serious.”
Your head is absolutely spinning. This…this can’t be right. A social worker and police officer cannot be standing at your door saying that someone called DCFS on you and made a report that not only is Callie in danger, but she’s in immediate danger. 
You’ve had the unfortunate experience of being the one to make reports, working plenty with Alyssa and the local police to navigate these cases. And it’s in that experience you’ve learned the definition of an immediate danger report and what it requires.
The immediate removal of a child from the accused home and custody.
They want to take Callie from you. 
Officer Austin speaks in an equally sympathetic tone. “Trust me, Y/N. I’ve known you since you were a little girl, and this makes me sick to my stomach. I hate it. I know it’s all lies and a waste of time and resources, but you know the law. We have to—“
However, you’re focused on Alyssa as you know the police are only brought along in case the situation becomes hostile. You have no desire to get physical with law enforcement, but you will get down on your hands and knees if that’s what it takes to keep your baby with you. “Please don’t do this. Alyssa, you know me—“
“I do, and that’s why I arranged where she’ll be released to your mom for custody and I got a hearing scheduled with the judge for you on Wednesday. It’ll only be three days—” If it wasn’t for the pending mental breakdown, you’d be more appreciative. You’d much rather Callie be sent to stay with your mom instead of put in emergency foster care.
You’re not sure if you’d be able to live with that. 
“Oh my god…..” You feel like you’re going to pass out, suddenly aware of Alexis' presence as she too asks more questions about what’s going on and who made this report. She’s, understandably, pissed. But, her last question is a no brainer. 
There’s only one person you know who would have a motive to do something like this.
“Three days without speaking or seeing my child! You know how attached she is to me, Alyssa!” It’s also in your experience with these types of situations that you know zero communication is allowed between the child and parent being accused until the emergency court hearing takes place. 
Three days without being able to speak to Callie….pain like this should never be allowed to be experienced. It’s a nightmare turned into reality. 
She truly looks remorseful, and you know she finds this just as ridiculous as you. “My hands are tied Y/N.”
Voice low, you finally ask, “what are the accusations?” If an answer was given to Alexis, you didn’t hear it, and regardless. You need to ask for yourself.
“Y/N.”
You repeat, no room for argument or refusal in your tone. “What…are the accusations, Alyssa?”
She swallows, answering in a low tone. “Child endangerment. Specifically….you’ve been accused of leaving Callie unintended to meet men for sex, and the accusation that made it immediate danger….is that you plan to prostitute Callie.”
It takes everything in you not to projectile vomit right on the spot, as you move your hand to your stomach, bent over. There aren’t enough words to describe your disgust and revulsion. 
Alyssa starts to provide more basic information regarding getting Callie back, but it's a waste of time.
You know this. You’re more than well aware of how this process works. Just never in a million years did you think you’d be involved in one of your own.
Absolutely defeated and crushed, you ask, “let me talk to her first, please.”
“Of course.” 
Alexis stays behind to follow up with additional questions that you’re partially paying attention to, but the majority of your focus is on staying upright. You could throw up and pass out on cue at this very moment. That’s how overwhelmed you feel, but the second your shaking hand opens Callie’s door, it’s an even bigger battle.
She’s still sleeping. 
Your sweet, innocent child is still sleeping, probably trying to recover from all the festivities from this weekend. And you have to wake her up. You have to wake her up to undoubtedly break her heart.
“Oh God…..” Hand on your stomach, you take three, big, deep breaths to settle your nervous system. Callie can’t see how much of a wreck you are. That’s only going to make it worse.
Sitting on the side of her bed, you clench and unclench your hands to minimize the shaking before gently pushing on her shoulder. “Calista, baby, I need you to get up.” It takes a couple of times, as you knew it would because you know your child like the back of your hand. The child who you would never do anything to endanger or any of the other egregious accusations made against you resulting in this nightmare.
Eyes blinking open, you chuckle at the pout on her face.
“I’m sleepy, mommy….”
“I know, baby.” You clear your throat, playing off the way emotion catches you, almost exposing the seriousness of this moment. “But…mommy needs you to get up. You….you’ve gotta go by grandma, okay?”
She looks at you, still with that pout and very much still partially sleep. “Can we go later?”
“No, baby. I—” This is inarguably one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to do. “I can’t go with you.”
And this is when you see her pout deepen. “Why?”
“Callie….” Hand on her face, you try to ignore the sound of your heart shattering. “You’re not gonna see mommy or be able to talk to me for a couple days, baby.”
And you knew, you knew before even opening your mouth that her eyes would begin to water that telling her this harsh but necessary truth would cause the reaction you’re starting to see. Her face is reddening, mouth dropped into a permanent frown.
It tears you apart to do this to her. “Baby, please don’t cry. It’s only for three days and—and you’ll have grandma, and—and auntie Alexis will visit you, and I’ll make sure daddy talks to you as often as he can—”
“But what about you? You’re my mommy.” She rubs at her eyes, crying harder. “Why are you leaving me?”
Pulling her into your chest, you swear to her, “listen to me, Callie, I will never ever leave you. Okay? The…the people who make sure little kids like you are safe and taken care of just want to make sure I’m a good mommy to you, o-okay?”
“But you’re the best mommy,” she cries into you, and a sob leaves your throat at that. Callie’s heartfelt tears, the fear and confusion in her little voice. It rips your heart to shreds. You hold her as long as you can before helping her get dressed and
gather a little backpack with a few items. 
You know she already has mostly everything she’ll need at your mom’s already.
Everything except you. 
Alyssa allows you to hold her as you walk down to the police car, but it’s when Officer Austin opens the door and Callie begins to cry, asking him, “please don’t take me from my mommy!” that you break again.
It’s impossible to keep your composure with your four-year-old child begging not to be taken from you. Pulling it together, you kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, reminding her that you love her, and that you’ll see her again before she knows it. It’s the best you can do, it’s the only thing you can do. 
Setting her down on the ground, you crouch in front of her, placing both hands on her cheeks. “Ms. Alyssa and this nice officer are gonna bring you to grandma right now, okay? I promise I’m gonna get you as soon as I can, baby, and no one will ever take you away from me again, okay?” 
She doesn’t say anything, face still full of heartbreak. She hugs you again, holding on tight. “I love you, mommy.”
Voice cracking, you whisper, “I love you too, baby.”
Eventually finding the strength, you break away and stand up to see Alyssa wiping a tear from her eyes. She then forces a sad smile and takes Callie’s hand, leading her into the back of the police car. Even being buckled in, you see Callie continuing to look back at you, sadness morphing with helplessness. 
And that’s the last view you’ll have of your daughter, looking hopeless and confused as to why this is happening. 
But you know exactly why this is happening. 
And you know exactly what you need to do.
“Y/N…..” 
Alexis watery eyes are a brief view you have before dashing up the stairs and throwing open your apartment door. Shaking hands manage to grab you car keys off the kitchen island as you head back for the front door only to find that you can’t march out because Alexis is standing in front of the door. 
“Move out my way, Alexis.” 
“Y/N. You’re upset. Okay—”
Snapping, you shout at her. “Move! Now!”
She doesn’t hesitate to match your energy. “Not until you fucking calm down!”
Snapping, you scream. “She just got my child taken away from me, Alexis! Don’t tell me to calm down! I’m gonna smash her fucking face in!”
Never…..never in a million years did you think Mariah could be capable of something like this. That she could be evil as to call DCFS on you, make up lies so horrific that it sickens you to even think about them, and have your child ripped away from you. Damn what this has done to you. What about Callie? Was she even thinking about how traumatic this would be for Callie?
She’ll be thinking about it when you stomp her head into the fucking pavement.
“Hey! You have every right to be upset, okay? But, this is probably what she wants! She knows they’re not gonna find anything on you, but you go over there and beat her ass, it puts the spotlight on you and then gives them a basis to question your fitness.” Alexis is such a sound voice of reason right now, but it’s hard to heed when your literal heart has just been ripped from your fucking body. “You need to focus on doing what you need to do to get Callie back, okay? Call Joe—”
Joe.
You hadn’t….you hadn’t even thought about him. How can you explain this to him? Explain to him that your child, the child he just found out about not even six months ago is now technically in custody of DCFS because of your friend. Is that even forgivable? Beyond that, how crushing is that going to be for him?
Eyes watering, you shake your head, volume a few octaves lowered. You feel like you’re about to have a panic attack. “No, I can’t—-I can’t tell him.”
Alexis steps to you, placing her hands on your face, centering you. “Yes, you can, and you will. He needs to know, and you need support right now. I’m here for you, of course, but that’s the man you love. You need him.” Her expression then darkens. “And don’t you worry about Mariah. I got that hoe. Believe that. You don’t have to put a hand on her. Imma do it for you.” 
Alexis words do both everything and nothing for you. Granted, you’re not sure if anything will be substantial enough short of having your child returned to your custody or all of this being some sick joke. 
You’re not even sure when Alexis walks away to grab your phone until she’s reaching it to you. “Call him, sweetie. I promise you he’s not going to blame you. He’s going to be upset for the same reasons you are: because this is all bullshit. But please, Y/N, just….call this man.”
Finally taking the phone, she nods with a small smile. She then goes to remove her earrings and pull back her hair. “I’m gonna go curb stump this hoe.”
Alexis goes to the back, and you just stare at your phone. You once thought calling Joe to tell him about Callie’s existence would be one of the hardest phone calls you would ever have to make. 
God, you were so wrong. 
Trembling fingers tap on the phone to bring up his contact, and with tears streaming down your face, you hit call.
Whether for better or worse, he doesn’t answer, forcing you to leave a voicemail message. 
“Hey.” It’s a fruitless and meritless effort to keep your voice strong when you feel anything but. “I–I need you to call me as soon as you get a chance….please.” Hitting end, both you and the phone drop on the floor. On your knees, you finally release the sob you’d been holding in for the past twenty minutes. Moments later, Alexis is besides you, comforting you.
Not that it does any good. 
There is no good left.
Only pain.
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opheliasflora · 9 months ago
Text
Title: The Dance (Joel Miller/gn!Reader)
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Rating: Teen
Word count: 872
Warnings: Ain’t nothing but fluff, but Ellie’s here so there’s an f-bomb in there. And a bit of making out. (No use of gendered pronouns; no Y/N; Joel calls Reader “honey”. Reader is suggested to be slightly shorter than Joel, but it’s not definitive.)
Notes: Written in about…ten minutes, just inspired by that photo up there. It’s what Joel and Ellie deserve, not what they actually get. Completely un-betaed and honestly…I didn’t even reread it after writing it. This is about as stream-of-consciousness as something could be.
For @ladamedusoif.
(Dividers by @saradika-graphics.)
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You’ve never seen Joel look simultaneously so relaxed and so terrified.
He’s been your neighbor since he and Ellie moved to Jackson; the little yard shared between the backs of your houses a space where you slowly learned about the man and his girl that otherwise mostly kept to themselves. Conversations over garden work turned to nights over drinks; Ellie’s presence faded a bit as she made friends, leaving you and Joel alone under the stars more often than not.
Now, though, he sits across the room from you, eyes reflecting the little fairy lights strung overhead. His hair is longer than it had been when you met, despite his sister-in-law’s best attempts to convince him to let her cut it; his clothes fit a bit better now that he’s eating more regularly.
His gaze is trained on his daughter — not his by birth, he’d informed you one late night, but his daughter nonetheless — as she laughs and dances with Dina in the middle of the floor. “I think she’s in love,” he’d told you a few days earlier. “I hope she’ll tell me.”
“She will,” you’d replied. “At her own pace.”
You can empathize with Ellie.
Something drives you to stand up, to move across the room and drop a hand gently on Joel’s shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hiya,” he says, lifting his eyes from Ellie to you. There’s the ghost of a smile on his lips. (Ellie once told you you’re the only person she’s ever seen him smile at besides herself and Tommy. You feel blessed.) “Was wondering when you’d come say hi.”
“You could have done it,” you tease, your fingers playing at the collar of his jacket.
“Now where’s the fun in that?”
You grin brightly. “C’mon, Mr. Miller. I want to dance.”
Joel’s dark eyes narrow. “I don’t dance, honey.”
“I’ll show you how,” you reply. You’re not taking ‘no’ for an answer. You slip your hand down his arm a little and tug him upright. “Let’s go show Ellie and Dina how it’s done.”
He hesitates, but slowly, he follows you as you lead him out, your fingers around the meat of his palm. Ellie meets you, then looks at Joel, her own softer brown eyes shining.
They’ve been fighting more. You assume it’s the normal teenage thing; Ellie is sixteen now, making friends, falling in love, discovering herself — you remember what it was like with your own parents when you were her age.
But there’s still love in both of their faces, regardless of disagreements. It’s undeniable.
Joel nods, just slightly, to his daughter as Ellie does the same. They’re so alike, you think.
The music changes to something slower, easier, and Dina immediately wraps her arms around Ellie, who looks shocked for only a split second before easing right into it. There’s another glance at Joel, who finally offers a real smile, and they’re off, spinning into the night.
You slip your hands up and lock your wrists behind Joel’s neck as his broad hands fall to your waist. He doesn’t need any guidance, it turns out — he’s got an easy, natural rhythm and you keep in time with his movements without a thought.
“Feels weird being able to do this, doesn’t it?” you say softly.
Joel looks into your eyes. “A little.” He glances towards Ellie and Dina before meeting your gaze again. “I’m glad she gets to have it, though.”
“What about you?”
He shrugs, his fingers pressing a little harder into your body.
“I’m glad you get to have it,” you offer instead. “I think maybe… You need this kind of normalcy.”
“Don’t know if I deserve it, though.”
Joel’s always like this. Believes his past defines who he should be now; even though he’s never gone into too much detail, you’re willing to believe he didn’t do anything worse than most of the people living in Jackson now.
“We all deserve this, Joel.” You catch your fingers in the curls over his collar. “Even you.”
The music swells and in turn, he spins you slightly, making you giggle. For the moment, he’s completely focused on you — not Ellie and Dina, not Tommy and Maria who have joined in a few feet away.
Just you.
“You’re too kind to me, honey.”
You shake your head. “No, I think I’m just the right amount.”
Joel’s lips curve again, and he pulls you just a bit tighter against him. You take the opportunity and rest your cheek against his heart, listening to the strong, steady beat as he sways you around. You don’t miss the wink from Tommy as you pass by, or the way Ellie’s eyes shimmer as she swings past you.
You’ve always liked the Miller family, and it seems like the feeling is mutual.
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You’re even more sure of it when Joel’s got you pressed against the front of his house, his lips on your throat and his hands under the hem of your shirt.
“Get a fuckin’ room!”
Ellie’s laugh echoes across the front yard as you feel your face get hot. Joel, on the other hand, simply laughs into your skin and his fingers press a little harder against your spine.
“Should we take her up on that offer?”
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nalyra-dreaming · 4 months ago
Note
so, if the teaser is canon, it's presumably set after the publication of Louis' book (as Lestat is holding a copy of it). Are you saying you think there's a significant space of time between the book being published and the final scenes of ep2, in which Daniel's a vampire? And so the documentary happens prior to Louis' 'I own the night' speech etc?
Well. I mean, they give us the hint that there is a significant space of time between those scenes within the show, even within that scene?
There's this shot
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and this
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For example.
Louis has an advanced copy on his table:
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Meaning, he got the book before it was released, aka was given out to be sold.
I would say there is a frame of time of at least six months that is indicated by that.
Just because Louis has not read it yet, does not mean it's "freshly released" - Louis book canonically rereads IWTV - his story - just prior before he finally comes to terms with himself, and then joins back with Lestat for good. Him not having read the book yet is a hint at that book canon event, I think.
As per the documentary...
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We have two claps indicating a certain time frame as well.
Since this is a "documentary" I don't think there are many classic "takes" per scene, however there might be quite a few per night, I don't think this indicates one per night (I think Lestat might be too... capricious for one focused take^^).
Given the first number should stand for the "scene"... I would guess that that number (edit: the roll number, thanks to @destielonfire) indicates more towards sessions/nights? (Even though, granted, you can't really pull a relation between takes and rolls, but I just don't see one take per documentary session^^)
And it would make sense, I mean, how many nights do you think Lestat would stay put there... maybe even 45 is a big stretch there. The documentary is probably a lot faster.
Now, IWTV (the book) has obviously been released already, there is some kind of semi-real discussion in "reality", the clapper guy in the first shot has the tattoo indicating that after all. :)
And the copy Lestat has there is not an advanced copy either.
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But... Daniel does not sound as self assured as he is when he is a vampire yet, to me. He sounds pretty impressed by Lestat, and obviously hangs out with the other mortals there.
I think there is a high chance that Daniel will be turned after the documentary itself, that what we see at the end of s2 is actually after the teaser...
I could be wrong there, but I would not be surprised if everything overlaps a bit. Because a lot of things hinted at or introduced were not picked up yet, were not finished yet. The torn out and cut out pages of the diaries, for example.
And of course there is the mystery of Daniel's turning, because I don't believe for one second it was actually done out of "spite" or as a "rage kill". No, there's more to it all, but of course they're not spoiling^^.
I mean, book canonically Armand is often just... there, where Lestat is. They have history after all. History we will see a lot more of next season.
Both Louis and Daniel will understand a lot more of their respective partners after season 3 is done - and knowledge can be quite the catalyst.
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piastrisslut · 2 years ago
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opposites attract - op81
oscar piastri x fem!reader
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_____
warnings: 18+ lol minors dni, shit awful writing, smut, reader's kinda alternative and has tattoos all over them, pnv, unprotected sex, cussing, im sorry in advance for this i didnt rly proofread it
not requested, but do send me requests :)
notes: this was so so inspired by an oscar smut i read by @/pitlanepages, you can find it and read it here, awesome work 10/10 would read over and over!! also i'll probably cringe at this when i reread it and proceed to delete it but lets see
______
you’ve dated oscar for quite a while by now, yet you took things slow, never having done the deed. he was extremely loving and caring, always being your number-one supporter for even the most minuscule of your achievements. 
and so once you went public about your relationship, fans went insane on how oscar managed to bag you, you being the complete opposite of the average formula one driver’s girlfriend, littered with tattoos and having quite a few piercings. you had a rockstar vibe to you, and that’s what you were. you had a band of your own and released music every so often, and at a glance, it often seemed like you and oscar were opposites. 
you tagged along with oscar at a pr event he had today, wearing a silky long black dress. he helped you put it on, and his eyes and hands lingered on your body for a little longer than you were used to. you didn’t miss how his eyes darkened the tiniest bit when they roamed your body, and his hand never left your waist the entire event. 
as you left the aforementioned pr event, his hand remained on your lower thigh on the ride back home, and you didn’t hesitate to pull his hand up your thigh a bit more, a sly smile finding itself on your face. 
by the time he unlocked the door to his apartment, he couldn’t help but put his lips on yours, finally able to show you what you did to him by simply wearing that dress. the kiss wasn’t soft, but it was certainly passionate. he slid his hand down to your waist, pulling you closer to him. you melted into the kiss, biting his lip ever so slightly as he groaned quietly. you pulled away, resting your forehead on his, only thing heard between you both was heavy breathing. 
“you looked so good tonight, sweetheart. i’ve been waiting for this all night,” he said, his voice the tiniest bit deeper than usual. you smiled, biting your lip as you put your lips on his again, this time the kiss was more fiery, more passionate. it was unlike any other kiss either of you had shared, your hands tangling themselves in his soft brown hair you had convinced him to grow out. 
his lips trailed down to your neck, kissing it and sucking the tiniest bit as you tilted your head backwards, giving him more space to mark you as his. he kissed a small tattoo you had behind your ear, as you let out a small giggle at the ticklish feeling. he went back to kissing and biting your neck, before he played with the strap of your dress, silently pleading with his eyes. 
“are you okay with this?” he softly asked, his eyes slightly glimmering under the artificial lighting above him.
“fuck yes, oscar. i’ve been waiting for this forever.” you smiled, kissing him once more before dragging him to the room both of you shared.
you littered his neck with kisses as well, leaving a faint mark on his collarbone. you unbuttoned his shirt and trailed your hands down his body ever so lightly, his breath hitching at the feeling. you helped him take his trousers off too, which you could clearly see a bulge poking out of. once those were off, you slowly got on your knees and palmed him through his boxers. you peeled them off of him teasingly, while he let out a sigh at the feeling of the cold air hitting him and watched it slightly smack his lower abdomen. you couldn’t help but let out a giggle at how aroused he was.
“this is a bit unfair, don’t you think?” he asked as you got on your knees. 
“not yet oscar, just you wait, pretty boy,” you said.
“ah fuck,” he groaned at the nickname you had given him.
you pumped his shaft up and down to get him completely hard, looking up at him smugly.
“all this is ‘cause of me? you’re so cute, oscar,” you said, before you took him into your mouth. he wasn’t small, but you took just the tip into your mouth as you swirled your tongue around him, pumping the rest of him with your hands. he groaned and threw his head back, before looking down at you. the look in your eyes drove him mad, he couldn’t control himself as he tangled his hands in your hair, guiding you. 
his groans only got louder as you took his whole length in, feeling his tip hit the back of your throat, his hands slightly pushing you forward, tears prickling your eyes and threatening to ruin your makeup. just as you could tell he was about to release, you pulled away, an innocent smile on your face. he let out a small whine. 
“why would you do that, you fucking tease? part of me wanted to see your makeup all ruined,” he whined as you got up, the statement quickly turning into him teasing you in return.
“just want you to cum inside me, oscar. is that too much to ask for?” you said, as he let out a sigh in response, softly grabbing the bottom of your chin and running his thumb across your lips.
he couldn’t help but smash your lips onto his once again, this time his confidence overtook him as his hands found the zipper to your dress, unzipping it a bit. you pulled away, turning around so he’d fully take it off. as he unzipped the dress, his hands trailing down your back and the tattoo you had on your back. his touch sent shivers down your spine as you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.
“fuck, you don’t know what your tattoos do to me sometimes,” he mumbled.
“yeah? you’re gonna discover every single one of them today, baby,” you said in a silky tone. your dress fell off your shoulders as you turned back around, his eyes roaming down to your chest as he muttered a curse word under his breath.
“you’re so fucking gorgeous, so fucking gorgeous,” he said, trailing his hands down from your collarbone to your chest. his hands landed on your pierced nipple. he couldn’t help but twirl his fingers around it, as you let out a sigh. 
he traced the tattoo you had on your sternum, looking up at you as you watched him intently. his fingers eventually slipped down to your hips, tracing the tattoo you had on your hips as well, hooking his fingers onto the waistband of your thong and letting it snap against your soft skin.
“you knew this was going to happen didn’t you?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at you. you let out a small giggle and bit your lip.
“maybe, now hurry up and take it off before i do it myself,” you responded.
“fine, then.” he dragged your underwear down and you jumped out of it. he smashed his lips against yours for what seemed like the tenth time today, as he turned you around and laid you down on your shared bed, crawling on top of you and then pulling away.
he kissed down your torso, kissing and biting every tattoo that marked your body and kissed your clit. you let out a whimper as he saw how you glistened underneath him. 
“fuck, every part of you is gorgeous. all for me too, hm?” he grinned. he then rubbed his tip up and down your folds, coating himself in your slick as you desperately waited for him to enter you.
he slowly pushed himself in as you let out a loud moan, feeling oscar stretch you out. he hissed at how tight you were around him, as he eventually entered you completely. 
“shit, oscar.” you gasped, feeling like he was splitting you in half. 
“you alright? let me know when i can move,” he reassured, his hand on your jaw stroking your face with his thumb. 
“move, please, oscar.” you whimpered a bit later, clenching around his length.
“as you wish,” a slight grin could be seen on his features as he began slowly thrusting. he let out small grunts, biting his lip in an attempt to silence them.
“n-no, i wanna hear you.” you breathlessly said, looking up at him. the look in your eyes drove him insane, he couldn’t say no to you with the helpless look you had given him.
“holy shit, you have no idea what you do to me.” he breathlessly let out, thrusting into you harder, eventually reaching the spot where you needed him most. your eyes rolled to the back of your head for a moment as you let out desperate moans. he grabbed both of your wrists, pinning them above your head with one of his hands. 
“fuck yes oscar, just like that, just like that.” he took your words as encouragement his thrusts got deeper as you neared your climax, clenching around him as you struggled to maintain your composure. the sounds of skin slapping, moans, and low grunts were all that could be heard from the room both of you were in. 
“you wanna cum, sweetheart?” he teased, a smug smile on his face. you could barely respond at this point, lost in the pleasure you felt. his free hand went to apply pressure on your clit, momentarily breaking his eye contact with you before looking at your fucked out expression. 
“fuck, fuck, fuck, yes oscar. please, i need it.” you let out through broken moans and flushed cheeks. his thrusts became sloppier as you felt him twitch inside you, and as the little sounds he made grew in volume and pitch.
“can i— come inside you?” he barely managed to get out, both of your climaxes nearing. 
“yes, fuck please,” you moaned out, as you came to your climax, and a glance of your breasts moving below him, along with how you clenched around him brought him to his with one last thrust as he let out your name in a broken whisper.
he slowly pulled out of you, his seed dripping out of your cunt as shivers ran through your whole body. he fingered it back inside with a smile on his face as you struggled to catch your breath, bringing two of his digits into your mouth. you took his fingers in and sucked, barely focused. 
“how do we taste, hm?” he said, that stupid grin still on his face. 
“good, great, fuck. that was… wow,” you said, regaining your breath.
“yeah, i know.” the grin turned into a cocky smile as he laid down next to you, pulling you into his chest as you drifted off to sleep.
_____
oh how i hate this lol
661 notes · View notes
juyeonszn · 2 years ago
Text
SACRIFICE (EAT ME UP)
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PAIRING lee hyunjae x f!reader
WORD COUNT 9.17k
GENRES horror ﹒ smut ﹒ angst ﹒ fluff ig?
WARNINGS 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, mature language, mentions of murder, descriptions of crime scenes, mentions of blood, mentions of knifes, graphic description of stab wounds, mentions of potential mental illness, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT CONSTITUTE WARNINGS BUT ?!1?1 I DONT WANT TO SPOIL !1!2!2, Lots of Kissing, mutual masturbation (f! receiving fingering & m! receiving hand job), pillow talk ig, big dick hyunjae 😈, um unprotected sex lol be safe u silly geese, car sex, cowgirl position yeehaw, creampie, this entire fic is just a whole fucking roller coaster i stg it’s gonna haunt me forever
SUMMARY with a serial killer running rampant on campus, everyone around you seems to be dropping like flies. but, hey, at least you have hyunjae to protect you.
MORE omg.. my first written work for tbz 🙀 extra super fun fact; this was originally an idea i had for hyunjin from skz on my other blog that i actually started writing the week before halloween last year (the reason it’s a horror fic), but i never finished and sort of felt like there was no point in continuing it after a while— that is until i stumbled upon the draft a few weeks ago and decided to revamp, edit, and complete it 😋 i kept going back and rereading and then blanking when i wanted to add to it until last night when i said fuck it and drank two cups of coffee to power through the end 🙌 anyways.. here u all go, my baby that i never thought would see the light of day and my first time writing a genuine horror piece <3 also special shoutout to rina my soulmate @tsukidou for beta reading 🫶
PLAYLIST sacrifice (eat me up) — enhypen, awake — the boyz, roar — the boyz, fever — enhypen, fate — enhypen, taste — stray kids, wake up — ateez, white noise — pvris, heaven — pvris
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“Alright, that’s all for today’s lecture. If this was your last of the day, make sure to find someone to go home with and remember the curfew rules!” Your English professor says, concluding the class.
The students around you rush to pack up their things and get off of campus as soon as possible. You don’t seem to be in a hurry, though, taking your time to put away your notebook and laptop. Your roommates were still in their music production class, so you didn’t want to go home alone, deciding to wait until they were done.
“Y/N, don’t you wanna get home?” Professor Park asks, her voice echoing in the now empty lecture hall. She throws the strap of her bag over her shoulder and pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“I do, but I have to wait for my roommates. They’re in a class right now and I’d rather not go by myself.” You let out an awkward laugh. She nods at your reasoning, giving you a small smile for comfort.
“Okay, you be careful! I’ll see you on Thursday.”
You raise your hand in a silent salutation, watching as she exits the room, leaving you completely alone. Though a public space, in a public building, the fact that there’s no one else nearby leaves you utterly unsettled. Your stomach churns with a twinge of fear and you start to feel a bit claustrophobic despite being in such a spacious area, so you choose this point to hurriedly collect your belongings and get the hell out of there.
The past couple of months have been in this weird state of limbo. You don’t recall exactly when the killings started, but once the police noticed a pattern, everyone knew sooner or later that the presence of a serial murderer would be announced on the local news. Your town enforced a citywide curfew to protect its citizens, but mostly the students at your university.
Every single one of the killer’s victims were university students. You were friends with a bunch of guys and while it was nice having big strong men surrounding you, you knew that could hardly do anything to quell the lingering anxiety you’ve felt ever since the spree began.
The police seemed to be having trouble coming up with any possible suspects, or even gaining any leads, thanks to the killer’s unusual victimology and the cool down time between murders always varying. If the people in charge of protecting you couldn’t do that, how were you supposed to feel safe?
In an attempt to get to the building where Jacob, Kevin, and Eric were as fast as you could, you speed walk out of the lecture hall, accidentally bumping into someone. You bow at a nearly ninety-degree angle and hurl out apology after apology following the collision, not trying to make any enemies in this day and time.
“Watch where you’re going, idiot.” The stranger spits, waiting for you to glance up at him to give you a nasty glare. He looks like the kind of guy who thought he was all that, despite peaking in high school. You feel your bottom lip quiver and you avoid eye contact.
“I—”
“Woah, dude, chill the fuck out. It was an accident, I’m sure she didn’t— wait, N/N, is that you? Hey it’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
There’s a familiar voice in your ears and a hand under your chin, forcing you to stand upright. Whoever you bumped into walks away with a scoff. You meet eyes with Lee Hyunjae, one of your dearest friends. He recognizes that hint of panic in your features and he frowns.
“I’m so sorry, Jae, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going—” Your breath is caught in your throat and you fumble over your words.
“Hey, hey, slow down,” he keeps a hold on your biceps. “It’s alright, I promise. He’s gone. What’s wrong?”
You shut your eyes tightly, feeling pathetic for causing such a scene for no apparent reason. Hyunjae guides you through your breathing, his focus trained on you the whole time. He always made you feel so comfortable.
“With everything that’s been going on, I’m just so paranoid and afraid of being alone. I wanted to go to the music department building and wait for the boys.” You finally explain once you’ve calmed down and the rise of your chest is even.
“How about this? I’ll take you home so you don’t have to stay on campus any longer.” He suggests, bringing up a hand to tuck some hair behind your ear. You nod slowly, gathering your bearings.
Hyunjae leads you to his car that’s parked in the lot closest to the building you were just in and the two of you make your way to your apartment. You’d been friends with your roommates for years now, meeting in eighth grade. You had just moved schools and happened to be put into a class with Eric Sohn, the most rambunctious boy you’d ever met. He thought you seemed really sweet upon first impression and decided to befriend you, introducing you to all of his friends in turn.
Aside from Eric, there was Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, Changmin, Chanhee, Haknyeon, and Sunwoo. While it was a little overwhelming, it was nice going from zero friends to eleven in the span of just a couple days. You were pretty close to all of them, but you and Hyunjae initially hit it off the best. You understood each other on a different level than everyone else and to this day, you still don't know the exact reason why.
Towards the end of high school, your friendship with Hyunjae transformed into something that wasn’t purely platonic. You weren’t entirely sure when it started to change, but your feelings for him grew exponentially. You tried to keep them to yourself, hidden from the world to preserve your fragile teenage heart. Though you’d already been friends with them a few years at that point, you still had that inkling of dread in the pit of your stomach that one day they’d choose to stop talking to you. You especially didn’t want a silly crush to be the cause of that.
After a while, however, the lines began to blur together anyway and everyone could tell you felt for him romantically. Once, Eric had made a comment about it being so painfully obvious that Hyunjae was just as into you and it nearly shook your whole world.
When college time rolled around, you all knew you’d be attending the same university, so picking roommates was a bit of a tricky situation. You chose yours solely based on the fact that you were majoring in similar things, so it’d be easy to fit schedules together. (You also couldn’t handle being roommates with Hyunjae; it’d be too much for your heart.) Hyunjae lived with Juyeon, Changmin, and Sunwoo, while Sangyeon, Younghoon, Chanhee, and Haknyeon lived together.
Hyunjae parks in a spot near the stairs that lead to your unit. The car is still running when you unbuckle your seatbelt and you stare at the steps blankly. Though the close proximity with him has your pulse racing, you want nothing more than some company until your roommates get home. You turn to him shyly, balling up a fistful of your sweater.
“Jae, do you— do you think you could stay with me for a bit before the boys come back? I don’t— I really don’t wanna be alone right now.”
The look he gives you is full of adoration, like you personally put the stars in the sky. He smiles softly and nods, reaching across the center console to place a comforting hand on top of yours. The two of you keep them intertwined as you go inside your apartment, locking all the locks carefully before sitting on your couch.
You don’t make a comment about him not letting go despite already being in the safety of your home. You don’t say anything about him pulling you into his side either, mostly because you want him to.
With all that’s been happening recently, you’ve felt so hollow. There was this indescribable emptiness expanding in you and even though you so desperately wanted to chalk it up to something else, you knew it was due to the fact that there was growing anxiety that you could be next, that any of your friends could be next. You were starting to move like you were in a simulation, doing everything in your daily routine without a single emotion. Sure, you’d laugh when Eric made a stupid joke but that’s about the most anyone could get from you aside from the occasional panic attack.
Hyunjae being here and holding you is exactly what you needed to feel some semblance of warmth again.
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There’s a soft knock on your bedroom door around eight that same night, waking you from your slumber. You don’t remember falling asleep or being moved to your bed, so you’re not too sure when Hyunjae left. You rub the sleep from your eyes as you get up to open your door.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you, but we got some takeout if you’re hungry.” Jacob says with an apologetic smile, leaning on the door frame.
You give him a bleary look as you nod, following him into the dining room where your other two roommates were sitting at the table. Eric greets you through a full mouth. A small laugh escapes you when you sit across from him, Kevin adjacent to your seat. The sound of the TV in the living room plays as background noise as the four of you eat.
“So when’d you get home? I thought you were gonna wait for us.” Kevin asks.
“I was, but then I ran into Hyunjae when I was on my way to your building and he offered to bring me home,” you shrug, taking some tteokbokki with your chopsticks. “It was a whole thing, please don’t ask.”
Eric hums to himself, a mischievous grin on his face as he takes a sip of his cola. “Interesting. And you say he’s not into you…”
Heat blooms over your cheeks and you accidentally drop your chopsticks on your plate, their clacking against the ceramic garnering your roommates’ attention. Eric Sohn was now number one on your hit list. Kevin elbows him in the side and tells him to be quiet, despite the tiny upwards curve of his lips.
“If he cares about you as much as he seems like he does, he wouldn’t have left you here alone after you fell asleep,” Jacob mutters, looking at you from his peripherals. “What was the point of escorting you home if—”
“Jacob shut the fuck up,” Eric suddenly blurts, the three of you stare at him as he clambers over to the living room, turning up the volume on the TV. “Look!”
You turn in your chair, your stomach churning at the news report unfolding before you.
“We’re live just outside SNU, where another victim has been found. The body hasn’t been identified yet, but from what we do know, he was a student that attended the school,” the female reporter says into the microphone she’s holding, a glazed over expression in her eyes. “Crime Scene Investigators believe he was murdered at around six this evening, and was assumed to have been making his way home from campus. Updates are expected to come later tonight once we have more information.”
You know that far away, checked out gaze she had all too well. She’s reported on the killings for a while now, no doubt numb to the way things were at this point.
Your appetite spoils immediately and you excuse yourself from the table, making your way back to your room. You sit on your bed and bring your knees to your chest, taking a deep breath in, then covering your mouth when you breathe out to muffle the sob that follows. It was becoming too overwhelming for you and there was nothing you could do about it besides sit back and watch.
It was understandable for anyone in your situation to feel hopeless, how could they not? With someone terrorizing the city in an unpredictable manner, there was no sense of normalcy in anyone’s life. You shudder when you finally bring yourself to stop crying, digging your nails into the fat of your calves.
Through the walls, you can hear the boys talking, voices solemn.
“Why’d you have to put the TV louder, dumbass?”
“Sorry, I just like being up to date on the case, you know? I want to be prepared. What if I need to learn clone jutsu to take out the guy?”
“Eric, you’re such a clown, oh my god.”
“I get that you’re interested and all, but you have to be mindful of Y/N. You know how much this has affected her both emotionally and physically, she doesn’t need the constant reminder that it’s happening. And I’d appreciate if you apologized for telling me to ‘shut the fuck up’.”
There’s a snort in between.
“My bad, I didn’t mean to be rude about it. But while we’re on the topic, I think we both need to admit our mistakes. What you said about Hyunjae to her wasn’t cool either. I know we’re all friends, but it just came across too—”
“It was really snappy, Jacob. And a bit petty.”
“Yeah! What Kevin said.”
“I— you’re right. I just don’t want her getting hurt, in more ways than one.”
You don’t hear much else from the trio and sigh heavily, dragging your hands down your face and wiping your eyes with the heels of your palms. You grab your phone from your nightstand and hesitantly search for Hyunjae’s contact, the line ringing a couple times before he answers.
“Y/N? Is everything okay? Did something happen?”
“N-no, I’m fine. I was just— I wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay,” you mess with your bottom lip. “I heard there was another victim and I didn’t know when you left the apartment, so I just— uh— I just needed to know that you were safe. I called to see if you’d answer.”
You squeeze your eyes shut out of embarrassment, even if he can’t exactly see you. The stuttering was enough to make you go into hiding for the rest of your life if this serial killer didn’t.
“Oh,” you can hear the slight chuckle in his response from the way his breath hits the speaker. “It means a lot that you’d do that, N/N. Really, I appreciate you so much.”
Your lip finds itself between your teeth and your heart is pounding unbearably fast, you think you might be having a heart attack. You bring a hand up to clutch at your chest as a fuzzy feeling courses through your whole being.
Now you were scared for an entirely different reason.
(The main one occupies your mind again later that night when you scroll through your Twitter feed, only to find out the most recent victim was the guy you accidentally bumped into. You feel like some sick version of a guardian angel was looking after you. It makes it hard to fall asleep after that.)
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A couple days passed and you found yourself thinking about Lee Hyunjae more than usual.
Not to say that you didn’t already think about him at least once a day, but now it was worse. When you woke up, you wondered if he was still asleep. While you drank your morning coffee, you wondered if it’d taste sweeter had he made it for you. When you had lunch, you wondered if he’d like the spam musubi you made yourself. When you attended your other classes, you wondered which courses he was struggling with this semester.
As you were walking out of your English class, you recalled running into him. Had he not been there, you might’ve driven yourself insane trying to rush over to the music building while diffusing the issue with that stranger.
When you first began to harbor feelings for him, you assumed it would become nothing more than a silly schoolgirl crush. He was attractive and kind to you, but that was just the bare minimum— you thought you’d grow out of it. However, as time went on, what you thought was just puppy love had blossomed into something stronger. It was a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, all of that had been tossed on the back burner with everything that’s going on. Recently you’ve been too afraid for your own safety and well-being to over analyze your interactions with Hyunjae, but now you’re back to square one.
All because he’d done something nice for you.
God, the bar was so low. Was it really too much to ask for someone who was decent? Someone who wasn’t a serial killer?
You were on your way to the music building to wait for Jacob, Kevin, and Eric once again, when you see Hyunjae coming down the hall. He’s on his phone, not paying any mind to his surroundings. You’re about to call out to him when someone stops you, tugging on the sleeve of your sweater gently.
“Hey, Y/N right?” The tall boy asks, a charming smile on his face.
“Uh— yeah,” you nod, tucking some hair behind your ear. “Y-you are?”
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! I must seem like a total weirdo,” he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m Mingyu! We have English together.”
“Oh, you’re Mingyu? Professor Park told me about you before class today,” you give him a small comforting smile. “I don’t mind helping you!”
“Ah, that’s great to hear. I was a bit worried you’d be more annoyed about having to tutor someone so late in the semester.” Though he’s much taller than you and approached you first, Mingyu comes across as a little shy in nature. It puts you at ease in a way.
“No, not at all! English isn’t always the easiest, I get that. I wanna help as much as I can before finals. Look,” you pause, pulling your backpack off one shoulder to rip out a sheet of paper. “I’ll give you my number so we can arrange meet up dates! I’d prefer if we met at the library if that’s okay with you?”
Mingyu grins and sports a thumbs up in agreement. “That sounds perfect. Thank you so much, Y/N!”
You scribble your phone number onto the paper and hand it to him before parting ways. With the off guard conversation, you nearly forgot about Hyunjae, who was nowhere to be seen now. You feel your lips droop into a frown, since you were hoping you could talk with him for a second.
As you’re walking across the quad to the music building, a wind chill blows past you, making you wrap your arms around yourself. It was mid November and for some stupid reason, you were only wearing a small cardigan.
When you squint up at the sky, you also realize it’s more overcast than anything. There’s an angry grey cloud right above you and you curse yourself for not having an umbrella or a raincoat. You should've been more prepared, especially because of the inconsistent weather this time of year.
Suddenly, the sky is blocked from your view and you furrow your brows, spinning around. Hyunjae stares back at you with a smile ten times warmer than the frigid air surrounding you and a thicker jacket in one hand. The other holds up an umbrella just as tiny droplets begin to fall from above.
His timing couldn’t have been better.
“Heading to the music building?” He asks, skillfully placing the coat on your shoulders.
“Mhm… was gonna wait for the boys.” You respond, a little awestruck by how gorgeous he was. Especially up close. Your eyes fixate on the freckle on his nose rather than his own. He hums, keeping an arm around your shoulders as he leads you in a different direction.
“I can take you home again,” he glances down at you. “I don’t mind one bit.”
“O-okay!”
During the car ride to your apartment, you send a quick text to your roommates about not waiting up. You were happy that your relationship with Hyunjae was evolving. The past couple semesters had been rough, and you hadn’t seen him or any of the other guys nearly as much as Jacob, Kevin, and Eric. (And that was only because you lived with them.)
You toss your keys on to the mini table beside the front door, taking off your shoes with a small groan. The boots were cute, but not very comfortable. Hyunjae follows suit, his sock clad feet shuffling against the floor to sit on the couch.
After switching on the TV, you find a random Hallmark Christmas movie to play in the background, knowing full well that his presence beside you was too distracting. The brunette turns to face you, placing a hand on your thigh gently to get your attention.
“So, who was the dude you were talking to earlier?”
You blink at his question. So he saw you after all. Was he perhaps jealous? The idea shouldn’t make you giddy, but it does. “My professor asked me to tutor him ‘cause he’s struggling with English. Why?”
“Just curious. He seemed a little touchy.” Hyunjae plays with the hem of your sweater.
“O-oh. It’s fine, he wasn’t a random perv, if that’s what you were wondering.”
He scoots a little closer to you, tucking some hair behind your ear. You feel your face flush impossibly hotter. Your heart is racing and your breath is caught in your throat. His body heat radiates off of him with the new proximity.
“Good. It drives me crazy seeing other guys put their hands on you.” He admits bluntly, his hand resting at the junction where your neck meets your shoulder.
You know you look insane, your chest heaving up and down and your eyes widened a little. Like a baby deer caught by a predator. Who knew sweet sweet Hyunjae had a rather risqué side to him? You swallow thickly, not daring to move an inch. His thumb caresses your skin gently, goosebumps littering in its wake.
“Hyunjae…” You breathe, lips parting as you finally make eye contact with him.
“You’re so pretty, Y/N.”
You want to scream into the cushion behind you, your hands clamming up. Hyunjae looks like he could swallow you whole if he wanted to, his bottom lip between his teeth as he leans in a bit more. This moment was something straight out of one of your darkest fantasies. You never thought this would ever happen, that either of you would ever actually make a move on the other.
The sound of the front door unlocking catches both of your attention. Hyunjae pulls away from you faster than your brain can comprehend what exactly just occurred. Jacob is the first to walk in, laughing at something Eric said. The three males pause when they see you’re not alone.
The greetings are quick, Hyunjae dapping up the boys as if nothing. He’s also quick to say goodbye, ensuring them that he’ll make sure you’re safe when they’re not around. He gives you that smile of his, the one where his eyes form crescents, and then he’s gone.
You don’t know how much more of this you could take.
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“So, Y/N…” Eric starts in the middle of dinner, side eyeing you as he shovels rice into his mouth. “You and Hyunjae have been together an awful lot lately.”
Kevin snorts, kicking the blonde under the table. You suppose it was going to come up eventually. This ‘Will They, Won’t They’ back and forth shit was starting to tire you out. You weren’t getting any younger. Time was passing you up the longer you waited to just say something. And with all that’s been going on, it was silly to be afraid of admitting your feelings.
“He’s being a good friend, Eric,” Jacob sighs, reaching across to flick him on the forehead. “It’s actually really nice that he watches over Y/N when we’re gone.”
Eric grimaces, rubbing the spot that Jacob assaulted. You frown a bit when you realize that he had a point. Hyunjae was treating you like a child that had to be tended to, babysitting you like you weren’t capable of holding your own. Granted, both times he’s come over, you asked him to. So you couldn’t really blame him for assuming you wanted him around to protect you.
“Do y’all think Hyunjae actually likes me? In a non-platonic way?”
Kevin’s spoon clatters onto the floor and they all pause their banter to look at you. Every time your feelings for Hyunjae were brought up, you chose to ignore them and switch the subject. You can’t keep running away.
“Uh— yeah. Duh. Of course he does. I don’t know anyone else who would go out of their way to stay with someone they saw as just a friend multiple times a week so she felt safe.” Kevin finally answers after a moment.
“Okay.” You settle on, taking a sip of your water.
“What do you mean ‘okay’?” He raises an eyebrow at you, but you just shrug.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
As you’re washing the dishes after dinner, you hear the news broadcast over the faucet. Another victim had just been found behind the campus library. The camera shows the scene behind the reporter, something that would’ve made you queasy a couple days ago, but now you feel nothing— just a dull ache in your chest. It’s messy, almost like the killer was in a hurry to get it over with.
The body is covered with a black tarp, paramedics wheeling it away in the corner of the screen. The reporter still wears that dissociated expression on her face as she goes over the details of this victim. She explains that because the murder was done so haphazardly, they were able to identify the body easily.
Twenty three year old Kim Mingyu, Sports Med Major.
The rest of the news report sounds like static in your ears as you scrub away at the dishes mindlessly. Your fingers have pruned and the water was burning the backs of your hands, but you don’t feel it, too checked out to care. It seemed like the killings were getting closer and closer to you. Part of you thought you’d be next every single time.
You had to tell Hyunjae how you felt. It was now or never.
Fifteen minutes later, he’s waiting outside of your apartment complex, leaning against his car. You take careful steps down the stairs, nearly fainting at the sight of him in a hoodie and grey sweatpants. He runs around the car to open the passenger door for you, only shutting it when you’re all buckled up. It’s not long after that he revs the engine and drives off to nowhere in particular, just like you requested. (Curfew ignored.)
It’s silent at first, save for the low hum of his music, R&B that resonates somewhere within your soul. You can’t help but steal a glance from your peripheral, fisting your sweatshirt when you see how concentrated he looks while driving. He has his right hand resting on the gear shift, the other gripping the wheel. You could’ve had this view all to yourself so long ago had you just spoken up.
“Hyunjae,” your voice is wobbly, but you steel yourself to continue. “I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?” He asks, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Do you think— uh— do you think you could pull over?” If you were going to confess, you wanted him to look at you. Besides, the drive was starting to make you jittery.
He nods and goes a bit further, before pulling into an empty lot. He shifts into park, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could turn his body towards you, giving you his undivided attention. You mirror him, tightening your hold on your sweater when he wets his lips, smiling at you. “Is this what you called me for?”
“Yeah, actually,” you force yourself to keep eye contact, pushing the lump back down your throat. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for years now, if I’m being honest with both of us.”
He chuckles, much like he did the other night over the phone. It drives you just a little crazy. “I’m listening.”
“I— I don’t know how to word this properly…” You wipe your palms on your legs. Come on, Y/N, spit it out already. “Fuck, okay, I like you Hyunjae. Like, really like you. In the way that I sometimes wish you would kiss me until I can’t breathe. I’ve been so afraid of admitting that to myself, but I’ve realized that life is way too short to dwell over the fear of rejection. But please, tell me you feel the same.”
He stares at you with an indecipherable look in his eyes. You feel like throwing up now, you stomach twisting and churning at the thought that you just ruined everything between you. There was no going back after this. He knew.
It’s as if months have passed by in utter silence with Hyunjae just sitting there, no words coming out of his mouth, until finally, he just leans across the center console, cupping your cheek with one of his hands. His vision is trained on your lips, his face close enough that his lashes flutter against your skin. God, he was even more gorgeous from this distance.
Instead of saying anything, he presses his lips to yours, a sweet but desperate kiss that melts away all the worries tucked into your head. They feel so soft on your own, molding together in near perfect timing. It’s like you’d been living for a year without rain and this kiss was the shower that saved you from a drought. It’s all you’ve ever wanted and needed and more.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” he breathes when he pulls away slightly. “The real thing is so much better than I imagined it would be.”
For once, time slows down in this moment, almost like the world stopped spinning on its axis. Everything slips from your mind and it’s just you and Hyunjae, here in his car in the middle of an empty parking lot. Nothing else matters. You smile at his confession, a genuine smile that was spurred on by contentment rather than force. You felt light and airy, no longer weighed down by such a trivial problem.
“I think I have an idea,” you giggle, reaching up to brush a stray hair from his face. “I’m not too sure, though, I could be wrong. Could you do that again to help jog my memory?”
Hyunjae laughs, (it’s the most melodic sound you’ve ever heard) but doesn’t hesitate to kiss you. You reciprocate his passion, tangling your fingers in his dark hair. He sighs into the kiss, pulling you on top of him. Your legs straddle his lap as best as they can and he reaches down to recline his seat, scooting it as far as it can go from the wheel. The thin material of your fleece shorts hardly hide the feeling of him under you, a low moan pushing into his mouth.
He nips at your bottom lip, tugging at it with his teeth gently before peppering kisses along your jaw and neck, sucking along the exposed skin from your sweatshirt. You whine, throwing your head back as his tongue soothes over the bruising area. His hands slide under your top, rubbing up and down your sides before moving them down to your thighs, repeating the action.
“You’re so gorgeous on top of me like this, Y/N.” Hyunjae says, just above a whisper like someone else might hear this intimate conversation. He grips your hips and bucks upwards to grind into your clothed core. Your eyes widen and you involuntarily moan at the sensation. This wasn’t what you were expecting when you planned to confess, but you didn’t hate the outcome. He grins at your response, reconnecting your mouths sloppily.
If you were given the choice, you were wholeheartedly satisfied with just this. You would’ve been plenty okay with just making out. Had you been asked years ago that you’d even get this far, you would’ve snorted in your own face, so why should you be greedy and want more than what you had? (That’s not to say that you didn’t.)
“H-Hyunjae,” you stutter, your brain foggy from all of the kissing you just did. “Do you…?”
You trail off, not sure how to word your question. You didn’t want to come off like a sex crazed maniac, but you didn’t want to come off like an amateur virgin either. Truth of the matter is, you were neither, but it had been a while since you indulged yourself in something of this sort. And this time it would be with Hyunjae, the one person you never thought you’d do this with. You were nervous.
All you wanted was to be entwined with him in more ways than one. You wanted all of him— the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the sick, the healthy. He could do no wrong on your eyes and you wanted to show him that.
“Do I…?” Hyunjae trails off, waiting for you to continue.
“Do you want to make love… with me?” This had to be the single most mortifying moment of your life. You cover your face in humiliation, shying away from him when he sits up on his elbows.
“What kind of question is that?” He asks with a chuckle, prying your hands from your face so he could look you in the eyes. “If I could make love to you every hour of the day, for seven days a week, I would. I want you all the time, Y/N. Earlier today, before we got interrupted, I wanted to do unimaginable things to you.”
You hide yourself in the crook of his neck, your skin flushing hotter. Weren't you wearing too many layers? The car was starting to feel stuffy. Hyunjae’s chest rumbles with laughter beneath you, pressing his lips to the shell of your ear. This is probably the gentlest he’d be with you all night, because from what you could infer, he was a manhandler.
“Take care of me,” you breathe, mouth brushing against his pulse point. “Please.”
Hyunjae stops holding himself back. He’d do whatever you asked of him, only hoping you’d be tied to him in every lifetime, just like this one. He kisses you again with an unrivaled fervor, slipping his hands inside your sweatshirt and touching you everywhere physically possible. They’re warm on your skin, palming your breasts over the flimsy fabric of your bralette.
He helps you get rid of your top and shorts, leaving you in just undergarments. The sight of you barely clothed sends him into a frenzy, especially knowing it’s for his eyes only. You aid Hyunjae in pulling off his hoodie and yanking his sweatpants down his long legs. The minute most of your restrictions are gone, Hyunjae brings you closer to him. He hisses at the contact, the warmth of your cunt through your panties putting him under a spell.
You whimper when his touch travels down your front, sneaking into the waistband of your underwear. The pads of his middle and ring fingers apply the lightest amount of pressure onto your clit the second he finds it, circling the sensitive bundle of nerves. Your nails on one hand dig into his shoulder while the other trails down his abdomen, rubbing up and down his length through his boxer briefs.
Hyunjae groans into your kiss and you gasp for air as you tear from him, resting your forehead on his to watch as you get each other off through your clothes. If earlier was something taken from one of your wet dreams, what did this constitute as? You clench around nothing when he pushes up into you, your wrists clashing. Knowing he was just as down bad for you as you were for him just made this all that much more real.
“I need to feel you around me,” he mumbles in your ear, dipping his fingers in and out of you languidly as if to explain what he meant. “Let me stretch you out.”
You nod in response, fumbling with his briefs. Hyunjae lifts his hips enough for you to help him out of them. You groan when he reveals his impressive size, wondering how exactly he expected you to take him. He pushes your panties to the side, mimicking the sound you just made when he sees your bare pussy drooling for him. You eventually get frustrated and line him up with your hole, sinking down in one fluid motion. A voluminous moan escapes from the back of your throat, his dick throbbing achingly inside of you. At first you stay still like that, your pelvises touching as you adjust to his length and girth.
“H-holy shit— you’re s-so deep, Jae,” you cry, resting your forehead against his yet again. He pecks your lips, holding onto your hips to help you bounce on his cock, practically impaling you every single time.
“Fuck, you’re taking me so well. Such a good fucking girl,” Hyunjae grunts, the warmth of your walls drawing him in even further. “So tight, too.”
Your thighs begin to burn and your movements become slower, which he takes note of instantaneously. He bends his knees and forces your upper half impossibly closer to him, thrusting up into you. This new angle allows him to find that one spongy spot that has you seeing stars, fogging up your brain and even your vision.
You cast a downward glance at the minimal space between where the two of you are connected. Your moans and whines grow louder with the view of every thrust of his hips into yours. Hyunjae sneaks his hand in the middle of you, his fingers expertly toying with your clit. Any more stimulation and the band in your stomach is snapping.
You’ve had sex before. You’ve slept with a handful of other guys in the past, but nothing could ever compare to this moment. Your cunt had already memorized his size and every vein, effectively ruining the chances of any other man doing this with you. Lee Hyunjae had you in a chokehold whether he realized it or not. He had you wrapped around his finger without really trying, but you could never complain.
Your walls squeeze his cock and he knows he won’t last much longer, shutting his eyes tightly. “C’mon baby, you gonna cum for me?”
“Mhm,” you whimper, your skin flush on his own. “Wanna cum so bad for you, Hyunjae.”
“Yeah? Me too, sweetheart,” he pants, the thumb on your hip pressing against the bone. “Where do you want me?”
“Inside,” you babble. “Please, please. I want you to cum inside me, Hyunjae.”
He kisses you softly just then, swallowing your pretty moans with something completely opposite of what he’s already given you, and that’s what sends you spiraling, fluttering around him. He groans, spilling into you and letting you milk him dry of everything he has to offer, painting your insides just like you asked him to.
You lay like that for a while, Hyunjae’s dick still buried in you to the hilt. Both of you attempt to catch your breaths and bring yourselves down from the well-anticipated euphoric state you just visited. You giggle at the condensation coating the windows of his car, extending your arm to draw a heart and a smiley face with your finger. He slowly pulls himself out, hissing at the sensitivity, but doesn’t make a move to get you off of his chest.
Where do you go from here? A line had just been crossed and you weren’t entirely sure you knew what he wanted from you. It’s one thing to imagine kissing and fucking someone extensively. But it was another to actually want a tangible, romantic relationship from them, to actually capacitate feelings for them.
“I love you,”
You jolt up and stare at him with widened eyes. Did those words really just come out of his mouth? As if he can read your mind, he nods. There’s a dragged out sigh, followed by him sitting up slightly with you perched on his lap.
“I really do, Y/N. I’ve felt this way for years and I’m willing to do anything for you.” He admits, tucking some of your hair behind your ear. You kiss him gently, the pad of your thumb swiping across his cheekbone.
“I love you, too.”
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The Saturday after your night in Hyunjae’s car brought everything into perspective for you.
You hadn’t spoken to him since he dropped you off at your apartment and it was beginning to worry you. Even though you made sure he reciprocated your emotions, there still could’ve been a misunderstanding. Had you been too forward? Did you scare him away? Did something happen to him? Whatever the explanation was, you didn’t like the eerie feeling it started brewing in your stomach— it was foreboding.
In spite of not talking to them at all in what seemed to be a month or so, you tried calling each of your mutual friends to see if you could get some answers. Not even his roommates picked up their phones and this made you much more uneasy. You pace back and forth in your living room, nicking at your bottom lip with your nails. Why did he choose now of all times to ghost you? What went wrong?
Kevin comes out of his bedroom a couple minutes later, expecting to grab his morning coffee as usual. When he finds you nearly on the brink of insanity instead, he decides to intervene. He supposed his caffeine could wait until his best friend was calmed down. You jump in surprise, holding a fist to your chest. He raises his hands in mock surrender.
“Didn’t mean to startle you, my bad. What’s up? Why do you look like you’re going through a quarter life crisis?” Kevin asks you, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Is everything okay?”
“I—“ you pause and take a deep breath. “I don’t know…”
His eyebrows furrow and he guides you to the sofa so you could sit down. “What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?”
“Hyunjae hasn’t talked to me since Thursday night, after he brought me back here,” your voice is hoarser than you’d like it to be. “I-I texted and called him a bunch but he hasn’t replied. I even— I even tried Juyo, Sunwoo, and Changmin. No luck with them either. I’m concerned, Kev.”
Kevin combs through his hair, pursing his lips in thought. “Yeah, okay, I would be too. It's a little weird that none of them are responding. Have you thought of just showing up at his place to check in on him?”
You shake your head. “No, I didn’t want him to think I’m clingy and annoying in case he was there. What if he just wants to get me off of his back and he’s telling them to ignore me?”
“I don’t think that’s the case at all, Y/N,” your friend sighs, putting his glasses on top of his head and running a hand down his face. “Hyunjae has never been that kind of person in all the years we’ve known him. I highly doubt he’d switch up now. Plus, he’s literally crazy about you. I’m pretty sure the guy would move heaven and earth for you if he could. I think there’s a very real and genuine possibility that something is seriously wrong. It’s like— it’s just a gut feeling, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” If Kevin felt this way, too, that would only mean one thing, right? You had to get to the bottom of this. There was a chance that lives depended on it. A quick roll of your neck and you’re standing. “I’m gonna go over there. I can’t leave things unanswered. I can’t wait for a fucking news report.”
The ravenette pats the top of your head. “Be careful, N/N. Please.”
You give him a nod before you’re slipping into your shoes and grabbing his car keys. You’re not exactly dressed for a confrontation if there is one— clad in a pair of sweatpants, an oversized sweatshirt with your university’s crest on it, and socks with sandals— but you were too preoccupied to care.
The drive itself was mentally taxing, your brain dissociating most of the ride. You’re not sure how many of the lights you passed were actually green. The closer you got to Hyunjae’s apartment, the more that trepidation settling in your lower abdomen grew. Throughout your life, you’d never been the type of person who acted on instinct or had a nagging voice in the rear of your head warning you about situations you got into. You usually went with the flow and if you made a mistake, you allowed yourself to learn from it.
However, that was prior to being thrown into a period of uncertainty like this one. Now, all you could do was act on instinct. All you could do was listen to the stupid nagging voice in the rear of your head yelling at you. All you could do was follow the blaring alarms and caution signs in your field of vision. And this time they were almost deafening.
Kevin’s car rolls to a stop outside of Hyunjae’s building, occupying an empty spot three away from the front of the stairs. Your pulse races when you step out of the vehicle and immediately recognize the cars in the spaces beside yours. Hyunjae’s, Juyeon’s, and Changmin’s. You notice a thin layer of dirt caking Juyeon and Changmin’s, as if they’d remained unmoved for a long time. Perturbed wasn’t a big enough word to describe what was going through your mind.
Half of you was terrified to take a step towards the stairs, let alone ascend them to Hyunjae’s floor. What would go down when you reached his apartment? What would happen the moment that door opened?
You ball your hands into fists, the edges of your nails jabbing the skin of your palms. The pain steels you enough to move forward, walking up the stairs slowly. There’s a chill tiptoeing along your spine the whole trip up, like your body knew what you were getting yourself into before you did. Maybe you were stupid. Only an idiot would lead themselves blindly into a scenario without knowing the outcome.
It’s been minutes of you staring at the slightly rusted numbers on Hyunjae’s door before you register that you’re standing in front of it. If you're being honest, you have no idea what you’re doing. You were acting on autopilot— progressing without a thought of what’s coming next. A shuddered breath leaves your lips and you raise your knuckles to the door.
The first knock is too soft to hear if the inhabitants were in their bedrooms, so you apply more force the second time. The sound reverberates through the hall, a wince appearing on your features. If someone was inside, surely they had to have heard that one. You wait a little longer for the door to swing open and reveal one of your friends looking perfectly fine. For Juyeon to showcase that grin of his that reaches his eyes and ask what you were doing here. For Changmin to give you that sweet smile that puffed up his cheeks and ask what you needed. For Sunwoo to blow a raspberry before he laughed at how silly you were for stressing over them. For Hyunjae to reassure you that it was all going to be okay, that he loved you. You were praying for that.
But no one showed up on the other end of that doorway and you were stuck glaring at that same painted board of wood.
That’s what sends your instincts into overdrive. Your hand grabs the knob, twisting it just in case. It makes a full rotation, pushing open the door the tiniest bit. You peek inside carefully and find all the lights in the living room and kitchen off. Your teeth bite down on your lip as you enter the apartment. One of the things you hated about it, was the annoying buzz of the fluorescent lights in their bathroom. And for some reason, that was all that infiltrated your ears.
The door for said bathroom was cracked just a tad at the end of the hallway, but what caught your attention was the room closest to you— also cracked the most miniscule amount. You see light filtering through, an almost orange glow like that of a desk lamp. Your stupidity would be your downfall, you conclude, your feet gravitating to the room. It’s Hyunjae’s you recall when you’re outside of it. They always say curiosity killed the cat, and you couldn’t help but revert to a feline and nudge it open with your foot.
You really wished that saying was just that— a saying.
Eric sits ahead of you, tied to a chair in the middle of the room. There’s a piece of fabric gagging his mouth and his clothes are tattered, blood staining nearly every inch. A long gash runs along his left bicep and a myriad of smaller cuts litter his face and arms. What your focus lands on first are the several deep stab wounds on his thighs.
A hand comes up to cup your mouth to keep yourself from screaming at the sight of your best friend in this position. He struggles against his restraints, muffled cries for your assistance shattering your heart into a thousand pieces like broken shards of glass. Tear streaks mixed with dried blood cover the apples of his cheeks.
“Oh my god, Eric,” your voice wobbles as you scramble to free him. “Oh my god…”
You pull down the fabric in his mouth first and he gasps for air. His eyes widen at something behind you and he warns, “Y/N—!” before he’s interrupted by your yelp. The person pressed into your back has their arm around your neck with a hold tight enough that you can’t escape, but loose enough that you can breathe, the blunt edge of a knife grazing the column of your throat.
“Tsk tsk, Youngjae. You should know that making so much noise when your killer’s not in the room just alerts them of suspicious activity. That’s survival 101, my friend. Isn’t that right, sweet sweet Y/N?”
No.
No. No. No. No. No.
This wasn’t happening.
This couldn’t be happening.
“Please, let her go, Hyunjae.” Eric begs. Hyunjae hums, nuzzling his nose in your hair. He rolls his eyes and scoffs after inhaling your scent, resting his chin on your shoulder.
“God, you’re a mouthy one. Not even Juyeon and Sunwoo were this chatty when I slit their throats— then again, it's not like they could talk much anyway.” He snorts.
You felt sick. You were lightheaded now, just at the thought of your friends gone. “W-why are you doing this?”
Hyunjae grumbles, pouting his lips. “Time for me to unravel my evil villain monologue, huh?” He slips a hand under your sweatshirt and pinches the side of your waist. “Well here it is; what you’re dying to know. The first incident was by complete accident, we were simply having a discussion about why he shouldn’t have been staring at your ass while his girlfriend was next to him at Jeong Jaehyun’s end of summer bonfire. The dude got pissed off that I called him out and tried to start a fight, but I shoved him so hard, he fell and hit his head on a rock. I just couldn’t find it in myself to feel bad about it so I left him there like nothing. From then on, anyone who came between us or remotely hurt you in any way wound up on the receiving end of this knife. Funny isn’t it? How you’re the one beneath it this time?”
It all began to fall into place once he laid the cards out on the table for you to read. The guy you ran into Tuesday after class. Poor Kim Mingyu, who just wanted to pass his English final. Your friends not picking up their phones. And supposedly it was all in the name of love.
“Y-you did that for me?”
“Of course, baby,” Hyunjae mutters into the shell of your ear. “I said I’d protect you didn’t I? I just want you all to myself.”
“What the fuck does that possessive bullshit have to do with me? What did it have to do with Juyo or Changmin or Sunwoo?” Eric cries. “Oh god, what about—?”
“Sangyeon, Hoon, Chanhee, Hak? Yeah, those four were taken care of way before my own roommates. You, obviously, were the chosen one this go around. Then it would be Kevin and lastly, Jacob. I planned on stopping after you three unless absolutely necessary.”
“How is any of this fucking necessary? You’re psychotic,” the blonde exclaims, still wriggling in his restraints. “Why would Y/N want you after all of this? Did you really believe she’d never find out about what you’ve done?”
Hyunjae glides the smooth edge of the blade against your skin and releases you from his grip, but takes a hold of your wrist, placing the handle in your grasp. He urges you forward, closer to Eric. “If she was scared of me, don’t you think she would’ve tried harder to escape me? Didn’t even blink when I held the knife to her neck.”
The brunette kisses your temple and you watch the fear in Eric’s eyes morph into defeat. “After everything we’ve been through? I’ve known you since eighth grade, Y/N. Eighth fucking grade. And this is how it ends?”
“H-he loves me,” you stutter, glancing at Hyunjae. “Don’t you?”
“You don’t kill your best friends out of love, Y/N! He’s insane! Please, don’t let him get into your head. You’re not that kind of person.” Eric attempts to reason.
Maybe you weren’t. Maybe you were. Who knows? That didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that Hyunjae loved you. He loved you so much that he’d kill for you. Over and over and over again.
It was kind of comical that you loved him all the same. You, too, would kill for him. Over and over and over again.
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© juyeonszn. do not steal, claim, or repost.
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bomberqueen17 · 2 months ago
Text
while i've got the file out
So the last bit of time when I was at the farm, I finally gave in to the pressure of @sassaffrassa's art and started reading the Queen's Thief series.
It's... It's great, I'm not as obsessed with it as some (the selective concealment of stuff that POV characters know but the reader can't Until The Reveal is... clever but rubs me the Wrong Way, not enough to throw me out of the book but enough that I do find myself resenting it, but totally understand how it works beautifully for other readers) but it is extremely, extremely ripe for fanfic, I allow that. And I found that it made me think about the fics of Ciri in Nilfgaard again. It certainly made me realize my error in not including any slaves in the Nilfgaard settings-- that's a big dynamic I missed an opportunity to include, but it's not a thing I like to think about and so I had mentally assigned it all to just be slaves working fields etc., which as anyone knows is like. Only a percentage of what societies that contain slavery actually use slaves for. There should have been enslaved people in the households, all through the society, and Ciri objecting to and wanting to change that could have been an entire underlying theme.
But it's not, because I had meant to write that story as a 5k oneshot, and also I'd entered it right out of Goblin Emperor fic-writing, and whatever that particular fictional society contains, it doesn't have any enslaved people. So I just hadn't thought of it.
Anyway, a digression, but-- it made me, on one exhausted evening, reread the next bits I was going to publish of Not A Crest, and then I still didn't feel like writing but I wanted to keep reading so I dipped into my extras/cut scenes/written ahead docs, and I found an entire a/u I'd come up with and wrote 5k of and then realized i couldn't possibly fit in anywhere.
But. It stands alone somewhat, and I could strip it out of this world and create a new backstory and file all the serial numbers off that too, and...
well now I have another book to write, so I've started a doc with the serial number transpositions in it, LOL.
Now that I'm done at the farm, I have December, January, and probably February without any major commitments. If only I can wrangle my ADHD-or-whatever into some kind of shape, I can hope to bang out at least rough drafts of a couple of these things, or at least enough of them to know whether there's anything to pursue. And, I hope, I can achieve some of my other personal goals around the same time as well. If only I could miraculously learn how to operate a to-do list and make/keep a schedule........
Behind the cut, I'm gonna summarize the a/u snippet and my plans for it. We'll see how this goes.
So this plot depends on Ciri's powers of teleportation and time manipulation, so it can't possibly be in the same continuity as the mammoths and the tall ships, but that means I have a ton of leeway in worldbuilding. It needs to be fantasy-ish but it could be sort of cyberpunk if I wanted. Really it could be just about anything, provided that not-Ciri (I've already renamed her Leila) can still uniquely manipulate time and space, and the mechanism of how she does that is unimportant. It should have a cost, of course, which will be part of the worldbuilding.
So the backstory would be that a larger kingdom/nation-state/whatever kind of polity gobbled up Leila's when she was a young teenager, and she spent her youth as a guerilla, fighting or fleeing and honing her survival skills. There was some larger existential threat, related to the as-yet-undone worldbuilding, but the reveal is that the larger polity attacked and absorbed its neighbors in order to fortify itself against a yet larger invading power-- could be another kingdom, could be like, space invaders, I really haven't decided yet.
Leila meanwhile has come into her powers finally, and has begun to be able to manipulate time and space. i'm going to give her a wise and powerful sorceress mentor, Yennefer-like; instead of Geralt she might have a sword tutor slash captain of the guard or something, an older man who loves and protects and teaches her. Undecided; don't know whether he's important for more than backstory.
And this is all backstory, mind. In this backstory, she finally comes to aid the armies of the polity she had been fighting against, to resist this greater existential threat/invader/whatever. And as part of that she's paired up with this universe's version of Morvran-- I've renamed him Corbin since it means Raven but I'm still open to changing my mind on that. Anyway he's got the important bits of Morvran-- he's both a hostage and a presumptive heir, far too young and far too responsible, a strange balance of overly powerful and completely vulnerable. And for the duration of the backstory, he is helping this mystical enemy-turned-ally (Leila) fight a desperate, scrambling battle using powers that none of them entirely fully understands.
And he has an underling, an aide-de-camp, a young woman who keeps track of things and isn't much of a fighter, and that's where Luliana comes in, and I think I'll keep her name since i made it up anyway. She's a relative of his perhaps, a little older than he is, but allowed to be close to him because she's so unimportant, and she's really his only friend. And she of course falls in love with Leila, who to everyone's surprise falls in love back. Corbin is secretly delighted with this.
The war is long and difficult and horrible things happen to everyone, but in the end they triumph. And Leila is brought back to Expansionist Polity, her own homeland being so thoroughly encompassed and destroyed there's no restoring it, and the leader (perhaps he was injured in the war? perhaps he was already dying? perhaps he's just a guy who wants to retire?) begs her to become his heir, which effectively deposes Corbin, who silently doesn't mind it. But the rest of the government does mind it, and insists she marry Corbin to give them stability. Corbin privately proposes that they have a paper marriage; he is not inclined that way himself, you see, and he would be delighted if Leila and Lu kept their relationship and just let him be nearby, the way they did in the war. Leila counter-offers; she'll stick around long enough to make everyone feel safe and happy, but then she and Lu will run off someplace to live in peace, and leave Corbin to rule and to marry whoever he actually likes. Corbin, too used to not letting on his feelings about anything, agrees to this. And so they all rule together for a year and a day or whatever, Leila gets a bunch of the reforms she'd wanted pushed through, they get along marvellously, and then Leila disappears mysteriously, as agreed.
She and Lu go off and live happily somewhere peaceful. She is unexpectedly bored, Lu is homesick and sad, and her sorceress mentor finally finds her and scolds her for running away. "Haven't I done enough?" Leila asks, and her mentor is like obviously not, but doesn't have anything to convince her with. Until a little later, when the sorceress comes back and tells Leila that Corbin is dead, assassinated. He could not in fact get by without her.
Leila uses her powers to go back, but arrives too late, finding Corbin's head on a spike and his hands nailed below. She notices his hand still has both their wedding ring and the ring she'd given him as an engagement gift on it. He was supposed to have moved on and found himself a better partner.
She musters the last of her power and jumps back a little farther, interrupting the assassination attack, but she is again too late; Corbin is mortally wounded. She sits with him as he dies, and with his last breath he admits that he has always loved her and never wanted her to leave. She needs to jump again, and doesn't have the power for it, but sucks the last of his life-force out to do it, which is unethical-- she also draws from his would-be assassins and the guards who betrayed him, knowing it's a terrible thing to do but will be largely erased by her abandoning this timeline. There'll be a cost and I'll worldbuild that in too, however it makes sense once I've written it.
And this is all still backstory, and the story begins as she arrives, just in time, to interrupt the attack and save Corbin's life, wounded but not mortally. But this time Corbin has some self-possession left, and he is still wearing her rings and apologizes for it and merely admits that he was relying on his enemies' remaining respect for and fear of her. We the audience have not seen Leila's two previous attempts and do not know what she knows.
(Yes, yes, I was complaining that the Queen's Thief series relies too much on this, but I admit I'm trying to figure out whose POV this is from, and I may well not use Leila's, in order to make it not dishonest to exclude this knowledge. We'll have to see what seems honest to me as I'm writing it.)
And the story goes from there, as she tries to restore his rule and tries to figure out which version of him is lying, the one who said he loved her with his last breath before she stole the rest, or the one who calmly, collectedly bled all over her and politely apologized for his inability to do as she had asked him to and find a different spouse.
Obviously I need more plot than that, but it will come to me, I'm pretty sure. But that's where I'm starting. As I've said before, I'm a pantser, and that means I can't outline the plot or I'll paralyze myself.
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spidermans-l-o-v-e-r · 9 months ago
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Strawberries and Cream Presents:
✨Eddie Can’t Breathe✨
Pairing: Eddie x Reader
Word count: 3.4k
Masterlist
Notes: This is set sometime before Chapter 4 and meant to elude to Chapter 5… which teeny spoiler alert 🤣🤣🤣 I feel like I need to reread chapters before I make these mini-chapters but I like never do because once it's done its DONE okay. P.S Eddie knows how to Country line dance. I promise you he knows the entire Footloose 2011 scene
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“You’re uh, hittin’ that bag a little hard don’t you think?” 
Bobby comes into the workout room, setting his towel and water bottle down. He crosses the black mat flooring to Eddie and holds the punching bag still for a moment 
“Am I?” He asks, spinning around and kicking it, sending Bobby stumbling backward a bit. 
“Because people normally do that,” He says, standing in front of the bag now. Eddie rolls his eyes and paces around, shaking out his arms 
“Can I help you?” He asks, sass dripping like venom
“What’s going on, you’ve been a bit on edge lately,” he asks straight out, crossing his arms over his chest 
“Nothing,” Eddie says just as firmly as Bobby asked. Bobby sighs a little, softening his stance
“Come on, you can talk to me if you need to. I’m here for you” 
“I don’t need to talk. I’m fine.” He dismisses him completely walks over to another freestanding bag and starts punching again. Bobby watches him for a bit, he knows Eddie can fight, he’s seen him boxing before. But he’s not being careful, he’s not aiming right. Not like he normally does 
“I think it’s time for you to hit the showers”
“I think it’s time for you to leave me alone” 
“Eddie-“
“Can you just leave me alone?? Can you kindly fuck off?” 
“Edmundo Diaz” 
“Don’t- don’t fucking full name me okay. I’m- I need space, can you give me some fucking space??” He looks like a caged animal as he paces again, shaking his arms out like he’s trying to shake off his nerves 
“Eddie this isn’t like you”
“This is like me! This is me, Bobby. All I’m doing is hitting a fucking bag! Would you rather I was hitting something else?”
“What if Y/N walks in? You know she comes to the station all the time”
“Don’t bring her into this don’t you dare say her fucking name”
“I’m just trying to help!”
“I don’t want your fucking help Bobby!” He stomps towards him, even when he’s seething he’s fast. He shoves Bobby backward into the bag and yanks his gloves off, throwing them to the ground. Bobby doesn’t miss his bloody knuckles. 
He leaves the gym, slamming the door so hard the glass shakes. 
“Hey, hey Eddie what’s-“ Buck tries to stop him but he just shoves him out of his way too. He needs a cold shower, a cold shower will fix things. 
The cool water flows over his body, he watches it swirl down the drain as he rests his head against his arm…just counting the tiles on the floor. The water isn’t helping as much as he’d like it to be but it’s something
He shouldn’t have yelled at Bobby like that, but he just doesn’t get it. No one gets it. No one’s ever gonna get it. Not even you. 
You. 
That’s a nice thought… a dream really. The beach was a dream, kissing you was a dream. There was just no way you could be real. He didn’t… he didn’t deserve you. Not with the things he was hiding, and even when you found out he had PTSD (No. He fucking doesn’t.) you gave him space to breathe and didn’t pry. 
He doesn’t know. Things are just…getting tight lately. The corners of his face are hot all the time, sometimes it feels like he’s not even breathing even if he is…fuck maybe he needs an inhaler or something… that’s probably it. An inhaler would be wonderful. 
It wouldn’t stop him from waking up in a cold sweat.
It wouldn’t stop the shaking hands. 
It wouldn’t… stop the recent nightmares. 
But you did. 
The night you slept in his bed was the first time in the last couple of weeks he’d gotten a good night's sleep and he wished you’d stay he just wished you’d move in already. 
Someone clears their throat behind him and he jumps nearly 10 feet in the air. He spins around, ready to deck whoever snuck up on him 
“Oh. Shit, god, really?!” He splashes Buck with water and turns back around, pouring shampoo into his hair 
“Apologize to Bobby” He crosses his arms over his chest 
“Hell no”
“Apologize to Dad right now” 
“First of all, You’re such a baby. Second of all, I’m literally in the shower” He rinses his hair out, before squirting some conditioner in, his hair wasn’t fluffy and perfect without a little hydration 
“He’s just trying to help Eddie you know that! Bobby loves us. And we love him…and…and you know I can’t stand to see any of us fighting.” 
“We aren’t fighting” He turns around, pouring soap onto his pink (from Buck) loofah. He methodically washes his body, avoiding certain areas while Buck is legitimately watching him shower. 
“I know what you said to him. And he’s right. Something’s off Eddie. And it’s okay to be off man it’s okay if something is wrong… but it’s not okay to take it out on your family. Especially when they’re just trying to love you”
“I don’t want-“ 
Buck shoves Eddie back against the wall and glares at him as he steps into the shower, his clothes are getting soaked 
“You say that sentence and I will literally drown you. I don’t know what’s happening but if you-“ He choked up a little and Eddie sighed, letting his head fall hard against the shower wall
“We love you, Eddie. I love you.” 
“I love you too Buck,” He says, pulling him into a hug. He pats his back firmly, and Buck hugs him back, rubbing his back. He sighs into his arms and shakes his head 
“We’re family Eddie…let us help you” 
“Uhhhhh” 
Eddie’s eyes pop open as he hears the click of a camera 
“Whaaat are you two doing? Isn’t he dating Y/N?!” 
Buck spins around, still holding Eddie. Chimney snaps another photo of Eddie’s bare ass 
“He is dating her! I’m just telling him we love him and support him! He needs to know that!”
“Oh that’s cute they finally got together… and you do need to remember that Eddie”
“I’m not!-“ He shoves Buck out of the shower and hides his body 
“I’m not dating her!!” 
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Eddie lays on his couch just staring up at the ceiling, he’s kinda bored, kinda sleepy. Kinda lonely. He’d spaced out a while ago, he’s not sure how long, can’t even remember what he was thinking about, but eh oh well. Now he was just itching for attention, or at least something more stimulating than staring at the ceiling and finding little shapes in the popcorn 
“Hello?” 
You pick up on the second ring and it’s like everything slows down to a crawl. He takes a deep breath, like he can smell your sweet strawberries and vanilla through the phone instantly soothing his nerves. 
“Hey Sugar cube…Whatcha up to?” He picks at the hem of his boxers, just toying with the little strings from the old material 
“Just in bed playing games, kinda too lazy to get up. What about you?”
“On the couch, staring at the ceiling” 
You giggle and he hears you shuffle a little like you’re changing positions
“Well aren’t we a couple of party animals” 
“Oh yeah we go hard, what are you wearing to this party?” 
You snort “Some random old t-shirt and a pair of boxers I found. You?” 
He blushes a little when you ask “I know we were being playful but it just sounds dirty when I say just a pair of boxers” 
You start giggling and he hears you shift again, you’ve gotten off the bed “Wait-wait please send me a pic, let’s make this as awful as possible” 
His phone beeps and he puts you on speaker to look at the notification, it’s a photo from you, you’re standing in the mirror making the dumbest face he’s ever seen and doing a silly little pose it makes him laugh and he rolls off the couch 
“Okay yeah” he goes to the bathroom and thinks for a minute 
“I’m not sure how to do this” 
“Oh my god, you’re actually going to?” You gasp and he chuckles 
“Hell yes. Just call me Chadford” 
He sends you the picture and you burst out laughing. He’s totally flexing, his hand under his chin as he bites his lip
“Please!” You scream and he laughs with you, leaving the bathroom and going to his bedroom now 
“Wait I have one more” He gets in bed, sending you a picture of his bare torso, and his boxers. You’re supposed to see the outline of his cock and this is supposed to be a joke…but a teeny tiny little part of him hopes you actually like it just a little 
He knows you’ve opened it when you start cackling, it’s captioned “You up?” And that just makes you laugh harder. He decides to hit the FaceTime button and you answer immediately, all he can see is the ceiling for a minute but he can hear you absolutely wheezing and it just makes him laugh 
“You did not FaceTime me!” you gasp, trying to catch your breath as you finally turn the phone towards you, you’re laying on your side, your cheeks flushed from laughing, your hair all messy from the pillows 
“I thought it would be funnier”
“It was, it so was” both of your giggles slowly die out as you two calm down. Now you’re just lying in bed together, panting softly 
“I don’t remember the last time I laughed that hard,” Eddie says, smiling at you. You feel like that little light at the end of the tunnel right now… he just has to get there and he’ll be safe 
“With Buck around? That’s a surprise. Besides I’m pretty sure we died that hard at Athena’s party” you giggle, getting comfy with a pillow snuggled to your chest 
“Are you alone?” He’s not sure why he asked
“Yeah! I think Buck’s on a date or surfing. I don’t actually remember what he said” 
“Some cousin you are” He jokes and you scoff, setting up the phone so it’s on you and you can play your switch again 
“Some boyfriend you are, shouldn’t you know where he is?” 
You’ve got him there. 
“Shut up, brat” 
You flick off the camera and go back to playing your game and he smirks 
“You want some company?” 
You perk up a little, looking at the camera 
“You wanna come over?” 
“Yeah, why not? We can game together, or game together separately” 
“Okay, yeah!”You sit up, grabbing the phone “hurry up” 
“I’ll be over in a few minutes” He gets out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweatpants from the floor and a t-shirt. Picking up his phone off the bed, he grabs his keys and wallet from his dresser and goes into the kitchen, grabbing a package of popcorn and cookies 
“You never show up empty-handed,” you say and he smiles as he slips some shoes on and leaves the house
“I don’t make the rules I just follow them”
He sets his phone up on the stand and buckles in, you’re laid on your stomach now, looking up occasionally as he drives. He hums to himself, watching the road while you watch him. Is it weird to think he’s a sexy driver? He can’t drive for shit you both know that, Buck likes to tease him for it. But… he just looks so attractive, one hand on the wheel, the other holding his head with his elbow propped up in the window 
“You’re staring sugar cube”
His voice breaks through your little haze and you blink a couple of times 
“Oh” your cheeks flush “I kinda zoned out” 
“It’s fine, kinda cute when you’re staring anyway. Makes me feel all shy” He teases and you shake your head, ignoring him 
“Are you almost here?” 
“Why? You that eager to see me?” 
Kinda. 
“No, so I can open the door” you stick your tongue out at him 
“I have a key, brat. I’ll just let myself in” it makes him weak how playful you’re being with him, watching you lying in bed just playing games is so domestic. He would have had you come over and do it in his but he didn’t want to make you leave the house. 
Eddie hangs up a few minutes later and you whine, going to call him back when you hear the front door open 
“Just me sugar cube” He calls out while slipping off his shoes 
“You want the popcorn now or later?” 
“Now please” 
He comes upstairs a couple of minutes later, his hands full and you rush over to help him. You grab the popcorn bowl, set it down, and take one of the sodas he brought up. He tosses the package of cookies on the bed and lays down, stretching out and putting his soda on the nightstand 
“C’mere sugar cube” He holds his arms out and you blush, straddling his lap and leaning down to kiss him. He sighs into the kiss, his hands trailing up your sides gently. He looks at you as you pull away, admiring how pretty you look sitting on top of him 
“I missed you… haven’t seen you in like a week” He says, his hands sliding up under your T-shirt. He lifts it a little, tugging at the boxers you’re wearing 
“Can’t stay out of my clothes huh?” 
You lift the shirt, looking at them “What are you talking about?” 
“These are mine” 
Your mouth drops open and he snickers, smacking your thigh and pushing you off his lap gently so he can sit up “looks damn good on you too” your cheeks flush and you fall back on the bed 
“How am I only wearing your clothes?! Out of all the clothes Buck owns! I always pick yours!” 
“Kinda like it was meant to be huh?” He smirks and grabs his switch, pulling you back into his side 
“Maybe if you’re good I’ll give you my shirt” 
“I don’t want your stinky shirt” You say, cuddling into his side and continuing your game 
“Stinky? I literally just got this from the laundry, you saw me” 
“I’m pretty sure that’s not true” You mumble as you run after a cherry blossom petal 
“Oh, so that’s how you wanna play? Yeah okay” He takes your switch from you and before you can even protest he lays over you, rubbing his body on you 
“Eddie!!” You laugh and try to push at him, but he suddenly pins your hips with his, he takes your hands and pins those above your head too 
“Something wrong? Don’t like my delicious cologne?” He teases and you try to squirm out from underneath him 
“Quit it ya perv!” You tell him and he gasps dramatically, feigning hurt 
“Perv?? Oh I’ll show you perv-“ He holds your hands with one hand and starts to trail his other hand up your torso, he lifts your shirt with it, reveling in the way he’s revealing your body 
“Eddie! Quit it!” You buck your hips into him and he groans, feeling you brush against his cock. His lifts your shirt over your bra, it’s pretty and lacy… he leans forward, kissing the valley between your breasts before dragging his hips along yours. 
You let out a shuddering sigh and he looks up at you, licking a long stripe over your breast and placing wet kisses along the top
“Just so you know, Fanark is my safe word” 
You snort and look away from him, giggling into the pillow 
“You mean like from Garfield and friends??” 
“That’s exactly it” he laughs into your chest and lets your wrists go, your hands immediately find their way to his hair, tugging him up to your face. He pulls the boxers you’re wearing down some and smirks at your cute matching set.
“You’re such an idiot” You giggle as you kiss him, he grinds against you again and you both moan against each other's lips 
“Says the idiot who understood the reference” 
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Sex in Buck’s bed is a complete no-go and that’s something you both know because honestly, it would probably be so awkward when he came home… but it’s so tempting, the tension rising tenfold between the two of you.
Though you both agree you’re not ready for that step, Eddie keeps rolling his hips against yours as you make out and you’re not stopping him. 
“It’s just messing around” He mumbles as he kisses your neck and you breathlessly agree with him. You feel his hard cock straining through his underwear, the size of him alone is enough to soak your panties. He toys with them a little before pulling them to the side and grinding on your clit like that. 
“Fuck, What I wouldn’t do for just the tip” He pants and you nod along, agreeing with him again… just the tip… that’s as far as you two would go…. 
Your hands slide over his shoulders and you drag your nails over his back, his hips stutter for a second and he thrusts against you this time, his hips snapping into yours a couple of times. 
“D-do that again” His voice sounds soft and broken and it’s hot. You do as he asks, whimpering his name while digging your nails in a little harder this time, he moans into your neck and you feel him start to pull his boxers down…
Suddenly the front door starts to unlock and you two jump apart. He gets up from the bed and slides down the railing, he’s in the bathroom before Buck even gets the door fully open and you’re left there, laid out on the bed wondering how the hell he moved that fast. 
“I’m home! Eddie are you here??” 
You rush to fix yourself and the bed up, setting everything up to hide any evidence of what you were doing 
“Just in the bathroom!” You hear him call out as you’re fighting your bra back in the proper place 
“Oh, Cousinkins” Buck says in a singsong voice and you come to the top of the stairs 
“Hi! What’s up?” You try to act as nonchalant as possible, watching Buck go into the kitchen and start getting ingredients for a smoothie. 
“I’ve got to go do a few errands, you and Eddie wanna join me? Or are you cool hanging here with him”
“We can just hang here, hey why don’t you bring home pizza, I’ll spend the night” Eddie walks out of the bathroom, answering for you.
“That sounds fun! What were you guys doing?” 
“Just animal crossing… he literally only just got here about 15 minutes ago,” you say, coming down the stairs and walking past Eddie, he watches as you walk, biting his lip at the sway of your hips. Buck flips him off as you’re bent over in the fridge and Eddie rolls his eyes playfully. 
“You seem… winded” He says to Eddie, who just shrugs in return 
“He literally ran downstairs to go to the bathroom” you pull out extra smoothie stuff for yourself before dumping Buck’s in a reusable cup and putting the lid on 
“Well don’t you two just have all the answers” he eyes you suspiciously and takes the cup, watching you wash out the blender and start your smoothie 
“You sound so suspicious” You giggle as he grabs his keys off the table, his eyes narrowed as he makes a little I’m watching you motion with his hand and leaves again. 
“Well that was freaking close” Eddie sighs loudly as he goes back up to the bed.
“Too close” you watch him walk up the stairs, staring at his ass and biting your lip. 
“Besides our first time needs to be at my house, in my bed” he teases you, practically already planning exactly how it’s gonna go. His phone pings from the bedside table and he picks it up
His head falls back as he busts out laughing, Buck has sent him a link to a new bed set and a picture from the cameras in his house that just capture Eddie on top of something from the corner of the room. 
Neither of them tell you, and the bedding comes a couple days later. 
Bobby receives a text later that night, a picture of you and Buck asleep on the couch together. He smiles and shakes his head at the two of you passed out. A couple of minutes later another text pops up and all it says is 
“I’m sorry, Dad”
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ostrichmonkey-games · 5 months ago
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FitD Settings and Unnamed Furry Crime Game and You
Alrighty, as promised, time to talk about Setting Stuff.
This is a post both about what the setting for (the still!) Unnamed Furry Crime Game is going to generally be like, and also a bit about settings in Forged in the Dark games in general. 
Okay so, let’s define Forged in the Dark games as ttrpgs that cover Blades in the Dark and any game that uses the same general engine and setup. Blades is the progenitor, and a lot of FitD stick relatively close to its formula (but not all, there’s plenty of room to poke around and rearrange things), and one of the more important elements, I think, is the “powder keg sandbox” setup.
In Blades, the players are underdog criminals doing underdog criminal things like causing problems on purpose. Those problems cascade, intersecting with the different factions/characters present in the setting, and usually then creating more and more problems for the players to deal with. That’s the powder keg sandbox — a relatively open setting, filled with kindling (factions/characters with conflicting and interesting goals and motivations), and then the players are dropped in the middle of it, and positioned in a way that no matter they do, they are going to be conflicting with at least some of those characters/factions, thereby igniting the kindling and making the whole thing explode in a blaze of fun. It’s great.  
So, in short, the purpose of a setting in a FitD game is to create that powder keg sandbox. It has to be filled with interesting characters/factions that are both compelling (to encourage players to interact with them) and conflicting with each other and players (so that when players interact with them, explosions happen!), while still providing enough purposeful space so that there’s room to be flexible as players start interacting with everything and changing the world around them. A good sandbox has plenty of room to play and dig around in, and then to make it a powder keg, just bury some sticks of dynamite in there and hand the players a bunch of lit matches. Boom.  
Now let’s talk about Unnamed Furry Crime Game (UFCG because I’m done typing all that out and I don’t want to think about coming up with an actual title right now). I don’t mind wearing my influences on my sleeves, and the biggest one here is Lackadaisy. I mean, the whole concept of the game was sparked when the animated pilot first released and I did a reread of the webcomic (pretty sure I first found it around 2009, which is wild to think about), and what’s more fun than a bunch of anthropomorphic animals doing crime things in a period setting? So, the initial spark for the game was Prohibition era Crime Time, but with furries (not just limited to cats, as a way to distance the game more from the initial inspiration and also because it’s fun). However, this was never going to be a purely historical game, it was (and still is!) going to be set in a fictional city in a fictional world — so more historically inspired than truly set. 
This was done to free myself from doing too much research (there’s still necessary research though), and also to give myself more creative freedom. From there, the premise started to turn into “What if the Prohibition hadn’t ended? What would that look like?”. And that’s still part of the core premise. So I guess, it’s a speculative alternate fictional history thing?
Freed from any truly historical restraints, I started tossing in other extras that could be fun. Like, what if airships/dirigibles were still in major use? Yeah, let's go for it. What if the city the game takes place in draws from classic Hollywood and noir? Yeah, let’s go for it (also at this time I had watched Babylon, which, not going to say was good, but the vibes are fun). What if I also pulled aesthetically from Gotham, specifically the Batman: The Animated Series version? Yes! Now we’ve got a setting of glitz and glamor and shady hard-boiled grit. Which is a great setup for Crime Time. 
Being less historically strict, also gives me more room for exaggeration and over-the-top-ness. I want UFCG to be characterful. I want there to be an emphasis on larger-than-life elements, both player characters and all the factions and NPCs. Especially in the case of the factions/NPCs, they need to be chunky and discrete blocks that are easy to instantly grab onto and pick up and play with. This loops back to filling your sandbox with cool things, and if the sandbox itself is cool, then that’s going to rub off on the stuff buried in the sand. More exaggerated components make for more flammable kindling. 
This is another reason having just a singular city-setting tends to work well for a FitD sandbox powder keg — a city is just naturally densely packed with stuff (now, the hard work will be writing all that stuff, but I’ll get to that bridge eventually). In a densely packed space, it’s also very easy to make everything connected to each other. Which means it’s going to be very difficult for players to make a move without impacting someone or something else! Again, boom. 
So then, why furries? Well like I already said, it’s fun. That in and of itself is enough reason, but also, I think it creates a useful level of abstraction that makes creating exaggerated characterful characters more easily. It’s easier to be a little more goofy without breaking things when you have a bunch of animal people running around. 
That’s the general gist and thought process behind the setting I’m assembling. There’s still most of it to actually write, but you do need a fun concept to make a fun setting, so it’ll get done as it needs to get done. 
I am still a little unsure of what I want to do for something weirder within the setting. Should magic be real? There’s plenty going on that it doesn’t feel super necessary. Or, what if magic is not real, but that doesn’t stop the existence of various occult-y factions/organizations from springing up, and maybe they think magic is real (or even leave it ambiguous). On the opposite end of the spectrum, what if I tossed in some dashes of retro-future-y superscience? Atomic Robo style maybe. Basically, I’m still exploring what the line is for pushing things too far. 
With all of that said, what is the text of the game going to provide in terms of setting? What I’m picturing is probably pretty similar to Blades, but maybe with less overall exposition and pulling the most useful setting-building stuff from various N/OSR stuff I like. You can convey a lot of setting information in relatively compact ways that also double as tools to use at the table (i.e. random tables, my best friends). The city will have various breakdowns on districts, notable locations, individuals, etc etc. Factions will have clear goals, conflicting with each other so as to create a web of Problems. Plenty of little miscellaneous details on “life in the city” to function as small nuggets of information and flavor. 
The hardest part will be striking the correct balance of information. You’ll need enough to feel comfortable playing in the setting, but not too much that it starts to feel like homework to run it. Figuring out what’s the correct amount of sand and all that. 
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upon-a-starry-night · 2 years ago
Text
Number Neighbors Pt.2
Natasha x Fem!Reader
Natasha Masterlist     Series Masterlist
Pt.1
Word Count: 1.1k
Summary:  When you catch sight of the newest trend going around you know you’re all but bound to at least try it, it was harmless anyway. What could possibly stem from something so little?
To give you some credit, you’d lasted virtually all week long and had managed to only reread the messages sent between you two thirteen times, but your curiosity once again got the better of you, so here you were sitting on your couch rewatching Criminal Minds for the 5th time when you picked up your phone and typed out a quick message
         Unknown Contact
Y/n: 
Are you a man or a woman?
Or is that classified?
You snickered to yourself at the tv show reference. Much to your surprise the response was immediate, although on a Friday evening, you supposed they probably had nothing better to do. Actually, scratch that- a lot of people had plenty to do on Friday nights you were just a loner, but maybe they were too? Your stomach fluttered a bit, it would be nice to have someone to relate to. 
Maybe that’s why you couldn’t delete the number- it’s been a long time since you’ve had a real conversation with someone other than coworkers and family. And that wasn’t to say they weren’t nice but… you did get pretty lonely by yourself, this random stranger on the internet at least brought something interesting to your life.
       Unknown Contact
Unknown: 
A woman.
Y/n: 
Nice! Me too!
I’m glad you’re a woman cause if you were a man I might have to stop talking to you
Unknown: 
Why?
Y/n: 
Because you could be a pedo 
And I trust women more than men B)
Unknown: 
I can understand that.
But women can also be dangerous
Y/n: 
True.
So how was your week?
Unknown: 
I thought I told you
To lose this number?
Y/n: 
Awe come one :( 
I thought we had something
Unknown: 
What?
Y/n: 
This could be the start of something new
Unknown: 
Did you just quote High School Musical?
Y/n: Maybe 😐
 You anxiously watched the three dots appear and then disappear multiple times, after they’d disappeared for a full minute you decided maybe she was finally done talking to you and you put your phone down, at least you’d gotten a little bit of information about her. 
You got up from the couch and grabbed some ice cream from the freezer, not even bothering with putting it in a bowl since you lived alone and had no one to share it with. Tragic.
You were two scoops in when your phone chimed again and you nearly threw your ice cream to pick it up, you really shouldn’t be this desperate to text a stranger on the internet but your life was boring and this was the only thing you really had to look forward to.
      Unknown contact
Unknown: 
my week was long and very boring
How was yours?
Y/n: 
Pretty much the same
I’m glad it’s Friday though
I’m spending the whole weekend on the couch In my pajamas
To further emphasize your point you took a quick photo of your fluffy duck sock-clad feet resting on the coffee table, you could faintly make out the show playing in the background and the tub of ice cream was also sitting on the table.
So much for not sending feet pics- at least they were covered!
 It wasn't too personal, it didn’t give away anything about what you looked like or where you lived, it was simply an insight into how you were going to spend your time off. With a little hesitation, you finally sent the picture, hoping she couldn’t track you with her FBI skills
           Unknown Contact
Unknown:
Wow, it looks like you’ve got a busy weekend ahead of you.
Is that a whole tub of ice cream on the table? 
Y/n: 
Hey! There will be no shaming here
This is a safe space ;(
Unknown: 
Sorry 
I didn’t mean for that to sound judgmental
Y/n: 
Nah you’re good, I’m just messing around
Hey, is it too much for me to ask for your name?
I’m just tired of seeing “unknown”
Unknown:
I’m not sure If that’s a good idea.
Y/n: I’ll give you mine if you give me yours?
Deal? 
Unknown: 
Deal.
But you have to say yours first
Y/n: 
what?! but I asked first!
Unknown: 
what are you five?
Y/n: 
No
I’m 22
Unknown: 
Congrats?
Y/n: 
fuck off!😃
Unknown: 
Lmao
Y/n:
Fine I guess I’ll go first because I’m the bigger person😤
Unknown: 
uh huh
Y/n:
I can feel the sarcasm from here
Unknown: 
Good
Now hurry up before your ice cream melts
Y/n: 
Alright! alright!
-For your information I'm eating and texting.
My name is Y/n
Unknown: 
you can call me Nat
Y/n: 
Cool! It’s nice to meet you, Nat!
I assume Nat is short for something?
Unknown:
Yep.
Y/n:
Aaand you’re not going to tell me are you?
Unknown:
Nope!
Y/n:
Alright fair
Y/n changed your contact name to “ Nat💼”
Nat💼: 
why a briefcase?
Y/n: 
because you’re an FBI agent
Duh
Nat💼: 
I’m way cooler than an FBI agent
Y/n: 
fine, you’re so picky
Y/n changed your contact name to “Nat🔪”
Y/n: 
how’s that?
Nat🔪 changed your contact name to “Y/n🍦”
Nat🔪:
 it’s perfect.
Y/n🍦: 
Good
You check the time on your phone, the small numbers reading 11:30 PM as your eyes droop, usually you stayed up late on weekends but it really had been a long week and you were worn out. Although you were sad you couldn’t text Nat longer, whoever she was she seemed like someone you’d get along with in person. Sarcastic and witty were your type of person. And also just your type.
Y/n🍦:
Well it’s getting to be my bedtime
Nat🔪:
Five-year-old.
Y/n🍦: 
Shut up at least I’m not 40 years old like you
Nat🔪: 
True.
Y/n:
WAit- are you actually?
Nat:
I’m in my 20’s
Y/n🍦:
Oh
Well thank you for sharing but I’m still going to bed
Nat🔪:
How do you even sleep after watching stuff like that?
Y/n🍦:
Stuff like what?
Nat🔪:
Criminal minds
Your eyebrows shot up in surprise, your fingers scrolling up and clicking on the picture you’d sent. There was a small corner of the tv in the photo, and the show could certainly be recognized by someone who’d seen it before but Nat claimed she’d never watched it. You shivered, maybe she really was an FBI agent.
Y/n🍦:
That’s really creepy
How’d you know?
Nat🔪:
I’m just good at stuff like that.
Y/n🍦:
FBI agent.
Nat🔪:
Five-Year-Old.
Y/n🍦:
Whatever!
Goodnight Nat!
Nat🔪: 
Goodnight Y/n
Sleep well
Pt.3
A/n: Do we like this format or the other one better? pls lmk ASAP so I can change one & continue uploading chapters!! thnx ~Starry
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ctimenefic · 1 month ago
Text
a year on f1mblr
I got tagged in ✨ao3 wrapped: 2024✨ by the delightful @testarossa and I'm going to use it to muse, just a little, on what has been the saving grace of a difficult year – joining this fandom.
Warning: It's gonna get mushy
all the fics I posted on AO3 this year:
don't like a gold rush [galex jealousy] never met a deadline i loved more [landoscar undercover in high school, for @thattropeyouhate] odds and ends [landoscar, oscar/others, post-Monaco GP] positive negatives [galex, models & masturbation] three's a crowd [galex, a mad scientist story, for @motorsport-halloween] the living and the dead [loscar, galex, eldritch horror for the motorsport halloween fest again] no second chances [maxiel sequel to the above, for, you'll never guess, motorsport halloween fest] slow lane, fast lane, parallel lines [pierresteban, post-Brazil GP] out of all proportion [landoscar, fisting] the curse of your company [carcar, magic au for F1 Secret Santa]
and honourable mention to my first f1 rpf fic, posted on December 30 2023:
Imperator [galex, Roman Republic AU]
--
(I've done the stats bit below if you're interested, but I wanted to briefly write out some feelings about this whole thing)
so almost exactly a year ago today I reopened my long dormant tumblr and started posting. I'd been lurking in the F1 RPF corner of AO3 for a little while by that point, and coaxing friends in to join me, but that wasn't enough now. I needed more.
I found possibly the kindest, most creative, tight-knit but welcoming fandom I'd ever seen.
It's a year to the day since I posted my first fic, and AO3 informs me I've written 10 more since then, some tumblr drabbles and snippets (plus a truly horrifying number of wips). Now, I'm not a longfic girl, so it doesn't add up to a huge number – somewhere around 50,000 words – but that's still easily the most I've ever written and published in a year.
It's also been a year of firsts! @strawberry-daiquiris was kind enough to let me riff on her F1 Traitors AU, which was my first time asking another writer if I could play in their space. I don't know if I'd've dared to do that if it wasn't obvious this was such an encouraging and collaborative fandom.
Speaking of collaborations, I got to do my first ever collab with an artist with @midnight-grandprix with this absolutely GORGEOUS historical brocedes au. It was so, so fun riffing with Jace and his piece is stunning, just go look at it right now.
Another first: my first fest! The first was actually @thattropeyouhate (returning to a cinema near you soon!) but clearly I caught the bug. Hypersoft fest, the halloween fest, and f1 secret santa soon followed. An absolute highlight was getting to write my gift for Em, one of the many beloved friends I've got to make in the past year.
In fact, checking my tumblr/discord messages has become one of those perfect small joys of each day. @onadarklingplain, @prettydangrotten, @disarmd, @lagerloutfic – I smile every time I see your names pop up. I reread your comments in the G-docs when it feels like inspiration will never come again. Eugene, come back from the shadowlands soon, please! I miss you!
(Sidebar for Eugene/@sseung00, who surprised me with art of my fics not once, not twice, but THRICE, and every time had me on the floor giggling and kicking my feet. Another first there, and such a special one. I cried.)
And then there's @latecomersprivilege, who is the only reason I had the courage to post imperator and join this fandom in the first place. Who ferried me across Paris as I typed Gax smut into my phone. Who has written some of the most scorchingly hot fics I've ever read. Who is the best friend I could have.
Finally, I wanna thank everyone who sent me a message or a comment or an ask on anon – I've treasured every one of these. It's made me feel like part of something.
I'm really looking forward to next year.
Alright, the stats bit is below.
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works published: 10 subscriptions: 306 kudos: 2,297 comment threads: 195 bookmarks: 871 word count: 56,592 hits: 19,008
top 3 fics by kudos:
positive negatives
never met a deadline i loved more
don't like a gold rush
top 3 fics by word count:
three's a crowd (15k)
never met a deadline i loved more (10k)
the curse of your company (9k)
top 3 ships:
galex (5 works)
landoscar (3)
carcar (2)
top 3 tags
N/A
I don't tag consistently enough for the top tags to make any sense - it's dominated by the horror binge I went on for the immaculately organised Motorsport Halloween Fest. I promise, dismemberment is not actually my major vibe.
Absolutely no pressure on anyone tagged to pick up this game – it's half game, half me sobbing my thanks into a microphone at this point. But if you want to play, please do, and tell 'em Kitty sent you.
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