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cuppajoel · 5 months ago

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Stock Rotation | One for the Road

Pairing: young!Joel Miller x f!oc

Chapter Summary: Already late for work, your day doesn't get much better when your boss tells you he has to sell the bar. Being the fix-it person for the establishment, you try to put your best foot forward in meeting the potential new owners.

Chapter Warnings: language, set in a bar, light flirtation that could have sexual connotation, awkward encounter(s), female oc has a name but referred to mostly as 'you' no physical descriptions given, f!oc is able bodied, pet names- read at your own discretion!

WC: 5.9k

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

A/N: This is pretty much all exposition. I had a lot of fun and hope you enjoy! Pls like/ reblog if you do.

Series masterlist

The harsh crunch from your clutch made your jaw tighten as you shifted too quickly into third gear. Everything this morning sang with that grinding, metal on metal sound. 9:28am. “Late. Late. Late. Late.”

In reality, you’re not late. Officially, the schedule says you start around midday, Marty definitely hasn’t opened up yet, and it’s the second Monday of the month, stock day, meaning that there’ll be no customers until 5pm. You are not late. But on Mona time? You are late.

The rest of the roster of Dusky’s Bar actively avoid this shift like the plague. Volunteering to switch Friday or Saturday closes just to shake the stock rotation loose. Lucky for them, you create the schedule, meaning this very shift that you are driving to means hours and hours of uninterrupted restoration of order back to the bar after a busy holiday weekend. Organising the back? Deep cleaning the shelves? Stock rotation? Bliss.

You swipe on your blinker, checking left, right, left again before pulling up into the next street, parking just outside the bar with the unlit open sign. Parked parallel on the other side of the road was a beat-up blue pick-up. To the untrained eye, it looked exactly like the other hundred pick-ups that could be found within a square mile of this place, but with the head of silver hair, clubman sunglasses and full greying moustache it could only belong to Marty.

The greying man clicked his tongue, glanced down at his watch and shook his head. “And what time d’ya call this, sweet thing? Had me worried sick over here.” He took off his glasses, tucking one of the legs over the neck of his shirt and looked up at you with a glitter in his eye.

“The first time in 4 years you get here before me and you start getting cocky, Marty? I thought better of you.” You fall into stride next to one another.

“I dunno, got excited about using my set for a change.” He jingled his keys in your face, stepping slightly ahead of you to begin unlocking the door.

“Here before 10 and you brought your keys? You feelin’ okay, Mart?” You pressed the back of your hand to his forehead, fiening concern.

Marty rolled his eyes in your direction, his trademark, close-lipped smirk where it should be as he opened the door, stepping to the side to let you ahead of him. Stepping through, you automatically turned your attention to the small beeping box hanging on the wall to your left. You punched in the code, before pushing through the hinged barn doors which opened to ‘Dusky’s’.

You and Marty fell into a rhythm which felt like coming home to your own bed after vacation. Marty picked up the mail, shuffling through the various sized envelopes, fliers, and magazines before setting it on the table of the booth nearest the bar. You found yourself around the other side of the great mahogany coloured counter, opening the small cabinet to your right and flicking on the switches one after another as well as the espresso machine which was sitting beside it.

Slowly but surely, the whole place was illuminated. Rich reds, blues, and greens of the various neon signs let in a comforting buzz of sound as the lights underneath the hundreds of bottles of liquor brought a warmth to the building which was still waking up. Above you, four hanging pendant lights with a rounded glass shade illuminated-the fifth unlit. You huff. “I got someone coming in today, for that.” Marty mused, not looking in your direction but rather fiddling with the jukebox to the left of the bar.

“I got a new bulb in at the weekend, you should let me try it first- save them the trip.” You reply, starting to prepare the first of many coffees that you’ll have today. The first of which is with Marty, always with Marty. The man didn’t return acknowledge your plan for the faulty light, too busy flipping through the pages of the jukebox picking just the right song to start the day off.

You finish off your task of seeking caffeination by steaming the milk for both your coffees and adding the tiniest sprinkle of chocolate flakes to the top of each. It wasn’t until you found yourself alone in the booth that you realised that Mart still hadn’t picked the song of the morning. “Hey, old man it’s gettin cold ova here… ” you say taking your first sip and mocking is faded Jersey accent.

“I’m comin’ babydoll…” he said, playing it up just for you. At that, he clicked the select button to solidify his choice. He pulled his reading glasses off the end of his nose before nestling them gently into his slicked back hair, making the short walk back over to the booth and slipping into the side opposite you.

There is freedom within There is freedom without Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup There's a battle ahead Many battles are lost But you'll never see the end of the road While you're travelling with me

You sat, steam rising from the coffee cup in front of you as you shuffled through todays mail. “What’s this? 80s? A rogue choice, Martin. Why do I feel a sense of looming?” You joked, your eyes peeking up at him as he looked right back at you that glitter dulled slightly. “Cassie said the close last night went well. It was meant to be her and Craig but he switched with Maria so that she could pull the double. Which obviously means the close was beautiful…” your hands continued shuffling through the plump stack of paper as you began sorting through it subconsciously: bill, bill, trash, postcard from an old regular who moved to Florida a few months back, that will join the rest of ‘em behind the bar, bill.

Now I'm towing my car There's a hole in the roof My possessions are causing me suspicion But there's no proof In the paper today Tales of war and of waste But you turn right over to the TV page

“I think the brewery order should be coming in about 12:30 so it gives me a couple of hours to run the lines through and flush ‘em out and get the empty kegs outta the back door… We also are getting two extra kegs of Miller because there was a bad one in the last order but I sorted it with Gerry…”

“We’ve gotta meeting at 12:30.”

“Hmm?” Your hands slowed their shuffling but eyes remained on the task you’d undertaken.

“You and I have a meeting at 12:30.”

“Is this for the new staff? I’m sure that they’re coming in tomorrow, lunchtime so that they can get a scope of the place during the day?” You furl your brow at him in trying to recall the specifics of the interview you set up as you took another sip of coffee.

Now I'm walking again To the beat of a drum And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart Only shadows ahead Barely clearing the roof Get to know the feeling of liberation and release

“Mona...” Your attention snapped directly to the man in front of you, your actual full name only ever crossing his lips a handful of times in the five years you’ve known him. “There’s two guys coming in today about the bar… Chelle got the call from her sister about her ‘Ma… we’re havin’ to go up…”

You shook your head, eyes narrowing as you looked to the man in front of you. “That’s a little dramatic, don’t ya think? I can handle the bar for the 8 weeks your back up in Jersey… Don’t you remember how beautiful everything was when you came back off your honeymoon and I got everything revarnished?” You tilted your head and gave him one of your warm closed-mouth smiles- the ones that were always mirrored back to you.

“No Mone, it’s not for the 8 weeks anymore… it’s done… the Parkinson’s made it so her Mom needs round the clock care and Chelle needs to be there…I gotta be there.” He lets go of a breath that he has been holding since he’d set foot in the door as you begin to hold yours. You start chewing on the inside of your bottom lip, trying so desperately to swallow the news but it won’t go down. Your eyes drop his gaze and you tilt your head back, trying to keep the tears that have whelled in your eyes from actually falling- from this actually happening. You knew that Marty wouldn’t have this place forever, but you didn’t think this would happen now.

Two soft, warm hands come up to cradle your cheeks, gently guiding your face back down so that your eyes meet. “I need you here Mone… This place needs you here…” he says, catching the slow stream of silent tears and swiping them with his thumbs. “That’s why we have the meeting. Nothin’ is gonna happen until we… me and you are certain that these guys understand what this place needs…”

“Marty…” you say softly, the lump in your throat burning, your eyes exploding with the million things that you want to say but can’t get out.

“My darlin’, this place does not run without you…” his gaze softens more somehow. “If I could, I’d sign it all over to ya today but I gotta buy a house… I gotta haul my ass all the way back to Jersey… and you…” he drops one of his hands to lay on top of yours on the table “you are not spending a dime of those savings on this old-man bar…”

You try hard to take in the words that he’s saying. In in ideal world, you could take this opportunity to be dramatic; to refuse the less than ideal situation that this man had offered you and leave kicking, screaming and tearing every goddamn picture frame down as you went. But this isn’t an ideal world. You don’t get to be the dramatic and entitled barmaid. The truth was that Marty was a big part of what made this place special, but the work you’d put in, the relationships and friendships you’d formed with regulars, staff, and breweries made it what it was. You also had people relying on you. You don’t get to quit and say fuck the consequences.

“Today is the first in-person meeting… my lawyers have been talking to theirs about money and land and blah, blah, blah… Nothing is set. We need to have a good feelin’ about ‘em and they need to understand that this place will crumble without you…” his other hand joins his first, holding onto yours on the table and squeezing to pull your focus.

Hey now, hey now Don’t dream it’s over

You blink again, causing a fresh stream of tears to fall and for two to drop onto the table that separates you both. This is actually happening. You inhale through your nose, allowing your chest to inflate before pushing a sharp puff of air through your lips. “What are their names?” You say, allowing the news to finally pass through you.

“Miller.” Was the reply, Marty picking up his coffee with one hand.

You dipped your chin in acknowledgment, picking up the stack of discarded mail to finish your previous job. “I know I don’t gotta tell you, but I’d appreciate if no one else on the roster knew… not until we got it set in stone. People spook real easy when change happens.” You huffed out of amusement, sniffed the remaining tears away and picked up your coffee cup. “They gotta be real fucking spooky to scare me off.”

By 12 the news of the possible new ownership had transformed to a firefly in your mind. When you were busy, focused, it was resting on a branch flickering softly on and off. When you paused, thinking about what you had to do next, it took off, buzzing from one corner to another, hot and purposeful flashes of danger and anxiety for what could be. Everytime you swatted it away with another stock day task. The glasses must’ve thought you had a vendetta against them by the way that they were scrubbed, put through the glass wash, and scrubbed again.

Now, your attention was on the fifth, unworking, pendant hanging just above your head. You flicked the switch on and off a couple of times to see if that could fix it but of course it didn’t. You switched the lights off, not willing to electricute yourself and meet your new possible bosses in one day, and brought the small step stool, and replacement bulb behind the bar. The stool gave you the small boost that you needed to be brought nose to nose with your nemesis of the hour. You knelt on your haunches atop the bar, set the small cardboard box containing the new bulb just to the right of you and began to unscrew the old bulb. It was one of those rustic-looking ones where you could see the filament inside of it and to your untrained eye, it looked like that could be the source of your problem. You twisted and twisted until it came loose setting it to your left on the rubber bar liner and picking up its replacement, reversing the movements you’d just made. As you made small, circular movements between your pointer finger and thumb, you had to gently close one eye in order to pull your focus to the task at hand- the last thing you needed was hundreds of tiny shards of glass all over your bar.

“Hi… excuse me…”

Your gaze dipped quickly to someone just past the threshold of the swinging barn doors.

“I’m so sorry, we aren’t actually open yet my love…” your voice strained slightly as you were two turns away for securing the bulb. “It’s stock rotation day so we open at 5.”

“I gotta call from Marty…” the deep, southern voice trying to make themselves seem softer.

Your eyebrows pulled together at the bulb, giving it one miniscule nudge to the left so as not to over tighten it before finally allowing yourself to look at the person still standing in the doorway. Your eyes met his instantly and although the light had been dimmed slightly, due to your handiwork, all that you could see that was they were deep and dark but with a softness that put you at ease.

“Oh shit… about the light? I’m hoping that I might have it fixed but you could maybe give me a hand?” Although phrased as a question, you tilted your head to the side and gave small sweet smile that didn’t leave room for negotiation. “Would you mind coming behind the bar and flicking on the switches behind that panel that is next to the coffee machine? I just wanna see if changing the bulb worked.”

The man in the doorway paused for a moment. Although the dim light streaming through the shutters didn’t give you much, you could tell that he was looking right at you. “I… uh… sure.” The man followed the natural layout of the bar floor, walking alongside the empty booths before curving around the bar front to get to the opening at the side. You could see him better now. He wore dark jeans that fit nicely at the waist, a charcoal-grey tee over which was a dark green brushed cotton shirt- the sleeves folded in on themselves to rest just below his elbow. He had soft, trimmed stubble which framed the lower half of his face which bled slightly onto his thick neck. You rested your hands on your thighs, your head tracking him as he stopped himself just in front of the coffee machine.

“Yeah just-”

“This it?” he reached in to the wall just behind the coffee machine, his eyes, actually a dark, burnt-honey colour now that you see them closer and they creased at the sides, showing his age a little.

“Uh-huh, thank you” you smiled at him again, this time smaller and this time reciprocated by him- small, closed mouth smile that started with his eyes and ended with a dip of his chin.

Click click click click

Click

“A-ha! I got you baby!” you rubbed your hands excitedly as the fifth bulb turned on right infront of you, pausing a moment to admire your handy work. “Well at least we got that right today, huh? I swear that coulda been the cause of my demise if that didn’t work.” you babbled on to no one as you put the old bulb in the new bulb’s box. “Thank you for the assistance…” you paused for him to say his name, you back still to him.

“Joel.”

“Joel.” You repeated. “I appreciate it. I’m sorry if you had to make a long trip out here…” you started, looking back behind you to work out how to safely yourself down from the bar when you spot a large, outstretched hand waiting for yours. You glance, over your shoulder, up into the eyes of Joel. They were soft but his expression was still, as if offering his hand was a reflex. Your eyebrows draw together softly in surprise as you take the hand without a second thought untucking one leg from beneath you, and then the other, you left hand holding you steady as you brought yourself back to solid ground.

You were closer to him now, showing the clear height difference between you both. You dropped the hand which returned you to safety- the one which completely enveloped your own. “Aren’t you a gentleman?” you teased but your smile and soft nod nothing but appreciative. You both stood still for a moment, a look of bashfulness crossing his cheeks. “Can I get you a coffee or somethin’?…From the coffee machine…” you breathed out a small chuckle as you pointed quickly to the machine, now behind Joel- not wanting to insinuate anything.

From around the corner you could hear a faint whistle of Marty as he strolled from the back office into view. “Ahhhh Joel!” He said in that classic Marty way; warm and inviting like you were his best friend. Marty changed his pace to a light jog as Joel slipped from just beside you,the two men meeting in the middle just around the front of the bar with an outstretched hand each. “Nice to properly meet you buddy.”

“Yeah, you too. I’m sorry if I’m a bit early…” he started his other hand coming up to pat Marty’s arm, reinforcing the handshake.

“No, no don’t be sorry… I’m used to it with this one.” He joked giving you a soft wink. You decided to pick up a rag and spray to go over where you’d knelt on the bar moments ago but wanting to keep an ear on this conversation, not fully understanding what was happening. “You two get properly introduced?” Marty asked you both as he dropped Joel’s hand and pulled out a bar stool for himself and gestured to the one next to it for Joel.

“Yeah we-“

“No.”

You and Joel spoke at the same time, your eyes snapping to one another as you let out a small, embarrassed chuckle and he let his tongue dampen his bottom lip.

“I was gonna say that we got so far as names but-“

“Didn’t manage to catch yours…” he shook his head slightly, letting his lips purse, before settling on a soft, slightly crooked smile.

“Well Joel, this is Mona…” he said taking a seat on the worn stool. “Bar manager, events coordinator, handyman, administrator, one-time line cook… anything else I missed baby doll?” His eyes resumed glittering in the normal way.

“Apart from ‘the light of your life’ and ‘your reason for getting up in the morning’? Nah you’re good.” You returned his smirk.

“And Mona, this is Joel Miller, one half of our scheduled meeting today.” Marty concluded the introduction with a short nod, his lips in a tight smile and his eyes saying ‘This is him’.

Before taking a seat on the stool next to Marty, Joel extended his hand to you again. “Ahhhh…” your eyes went wide but you caught yourself before your eyebrows flew to your hairline. You met his hand with yours from across the bar- the size difference almost laughable as his hand dwarfed yours. You ensured to soften your gaze as your eyes met the ones that you’d looked up into multiple times over the past twenty minutes. “It’s nice to meet you Joel. I’m excited to hopefully get to work with you.” You said genuinely. That firefly that was once buzzing about the walls of your mind had slowed, its light reliable, steady.

“Likewise.” He responded, taking the stool next to Marty. “I’m hopin’ that my brother shouldn’t be too far behind me here…” he said, lifting his left wrist to look at the time.

“Well I can get started on some coffees?” You asked the men at the bar in front of you which was met with a resounding ‘yes’. Marty opened up the binder he had brought through for the meeting, pulled his reading glasses from his head, placed them on the end of his nose and started talking Joel through the permits and licences that the place had.

If he was honest with himself, the idea to invest in this bar had nothing to do with him. Really it was all Tommy. “I promise you Joel, this is a really good place. Nothin’ sleezy or seedy about it. I met the owner a few times when I used to go there a few years ago and he’s a real nice guy. And really, it’s running a bar, how hard can it be?”

Over the past few years Joel and Tommy had managed to create and develop their own, legit, construction company. After years of working odd jobs and working for other, bigger, contracting firms they used their combined knowledge and contacts to go in it for themselves. They now had a team of 20 guys working under them. Joel found it strange at first; not having to jump at every job that came his way, finding himself spending more and more time within the onsite offices and taking phone calls. It also meant that he found more time to spend with his daughter, Sarah. With their company doing well, it helped Tommy too. He became more reliable, less hot-headed.

You set the coffees down in front of the men. A sprinkling of chocolate on each and Joel looked up at you with soft eyes. From when he set foot in this place, he felt like you belonged here. You had confidence but not arrogance, knowing exactly how everything worked and where it should be. Only being here for a short while, he could sense that you were the reason for that comfortable feeling he had already. Your back was still turned, making your own coffee as the unmistakable noise of squeaking hinges came from the barn doors. “Hey, sorry I didn’t realise I was late.” A similar drawl came from the man crossing the floor to meet the others at the bar.

“Not late at all, we’re just doing intros so you’re right on time.” Marty reassured the other Miller brother. “Mona…” he called your name and you flipped the rag over your shoulder before facing them again.

“Tommy?” your eyes screwed up slightly, almost as if you were squinting to get a better look at the face that you quickly found familiar. Your eyes darted across the features of the younger Miller, not quite clicking with what was happening. Is hair was longer than the last time you’d saw him, curling now and tucked behind his ears. Similar to his brother, his eyes were dark, an espresso colour and his smile was warm and deliberate.

“Mona… What’re you…?”

“What are you doing, Miller?” you flashed him one of your own warm smiles.

“You two know each other?” Joel was trying his hardest to read between the smiles , his eyes darting back and forth between you both. Sure, he got a smile from you, but not the same one as Tommy got.

“Yeah, I mean…”

“It’s been a long time…”

“Three years?”

“That long?” you huffed out a chuckle.

Joel was following the dialogue like the it was the last shot at the final of a tennis game. He wasn’t sure who he wanted to win.

“Mona and I met at Christopher’s wedding a couple of years ago and then she broke my heart…” Tommy left room for your expected rebuttal.

“Well, in all fairness Tom, getting thrown outta bar on our fourth date for punching a guy wasn’t really what I was looking for in a husband.” You grabbed ahold of one of the draft taps, rocking slightly where you stood, perhaps to sooth yourself from this unexpected blast from the past. Tommy’s hand slapped his chest to cover his heart as if he was just shot and you both falling into a soft giggle.

The word ‘date’ hung in the air heavier than you’d liked it. The softness that you’d seen in Joel’s eyes had shifted a little to become more serious and neutral. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t like that word- especially in relation to you and his once hot-mess of a brother.

“Let’s shift this to the booth, easier for the paperwork.” Marty said, wanting to get this going.

“Coffee, T?” you looked up. Joel wasn’t sure he liked that nickname on your lips. Was it the kinda nickname that said ‘Mona acts this way with everyone so you shouldn’t read into it’ or was it ‘I’ve seen Tommy naked’? Either way, it made him clench his jaw a little.

“A water would be great, thank you.” Tommy called over as he slid himself into the booth closest to the bar. You grabbed your own coffee in one hand and a bottled water in the other, making your way around the bar to the booth to slide in next to Marty, across from Joel who up close, seemed bigger somehow. His arms were out in front of him, hands clasped on the table and it seemed like his eyes tracked you.

“So, thanks fellas for meeting here today. I thought before anything else happened between the lawyers that you guys should come and get a feel for the place and get to know Mona a little better…” Marty started, your eyes were on Joel, searching for where that warmness had gone, his eyes fallen to the man on your right. “I think what’s most important for me is that you understand the value of Mona and how she is an asset to the bar and how she’ll be an asset to you both…” You could feel your cheeks heating slightly. You bumped your arm against Marty’s as a small sign of affection. “What I think would be a good thing for you folks to see is the way that this place operates on a Friday night…”

“With all due respect, Marty, I think Joel and I know what a bar on a Friday night looks like…” Tommy interrupted gently.

“I get that.” Marty says with a small chuckle. “What I mean is that you both should come and see it from Mona’s perspective… behind the bar. The reality is, boys, is that owning a bar is not all free beer and schmoozing. Sometimes you gotta get behind the bar yourself… clean the barf from the urinals for example…”

“You’re really selling it to ‘em Mart” your eyes shift cautiously between the two brothers before looking down at the coffee mug in front of you.

“So, what would we be doin’, exactly?” Joel asks, Marty gives you a small nudge, indicating that Joel is asking you. Your eyes flash up, his already on you.

“Well, there’s no ‘exactly’ to it…” you shrug “I’d probably get you both to shadow me for the evenin’ pour beer, change a few kegs, serve food, talk to the regulars, help me kick ‘em out at closin’ time.”

“Sounds reasonable.” the older miller responded with one slow dip of his chin.

“Yeah, how hard could it be?” Tommy said, flashing you one of his signature grins that went all the way up to his eyes.

“Ooooooo-hoooo, just you wait, Tommy-boy.” You narrow your eyes at Tommy. The cocky smile on your face bouncing back at him as you track over to the other brother, your smile shifting a little to match his softer one.

“I send out the schedule on Monday’s. I’d have one of you do Friday night and one of you do Saturday. Any preference?” Your eyes bounces between the brothers

“I’d probably do Saturday night, just cause Sarah and I are up early on the Saturday mornin…” Sarah. Married? Girlfriend? You crease your brow.

“Means I’m all yours on Friday night Mone. It’s a date.” Tommy had that glint in his eye again. Joel was used to his brother and the way he couldn’t help but flirt with anything with a pulse. What he hadn’t seen too often was the fact that Tommy’s charm really bounced off you. You looked like it amused you, sure, but you weren’t giggling and falling over what he was saying. You were holding your own.

“In your dreams, Miller.” you backhanded Tommy’s banter right back to him, Joel let out a soundless chuckle.

“I’ll send Mona your guys’ numbers and she can send you the details.” Marty began “I think this way you can get an idea if the bar for ya’… then we can get into the logistics.” There was a resounding ‘sure’ across the table as Marty stood, you straight after, and the four of you exited the booth. Joel extended his hand to Marty, Tommy doing the same as tight-lipped smiles were exchanged.

“It was nice to meet you…” you placed a hand on Joel’s shoulder to get his attention before extending your right hand to him. “Thanks again for helpin’ with the light…” you let your tongue poke through your lips, wetting the bottom one. Joel’s eyes went there immediately before snapping back up, realising what he was doing, giving you a “mmm” and shaking his head in response.

“It was good to meet you too, Mona.” his hand squeezed yours just once whilst shaking it softly, just slightly but enough to feel like his comment was genuine, the Texan accent dripping off every vowel.

“It was great to see you again, Mone…” Tommy’s voice snapped both you and Joel out of your handshake as you replaced the gentle touch you had on Joel’s upper arm to a firm pat on Tommy’s shoulder.

“I did not think you’d be walking into the bar today, Tommy…” you knit your brow in disbelief. “Please don’t make me throw you outta this bar on your first shift…” you joked.

The brothers shifted through the barn doors again. You waited to hear the external door click shut before turning on your heel to Marty who looked at you with a coy smile. You knew something was coming from him so you stood waiting for it.

“You know Tommy, huh?”

“I do not know Tommy, old man.” You rolled your eyes and walked past him, rounded the bar until you were safely in your right place behind it. You opened up the small dishwasher that sat undercounter, the steam rising and hitting you square in the face. “It was a couple of dates. We maybe kissed once? But he was a hot-head back then. He knocked a guy out who tried to buy me a drink…” you shook your head, opening the dishwasher to let the glasses cool off. “I liked them, they seem like good guys…” you mused, Marty now sitting on the stool that Joel was at not 30 minutes before.

“Yeah? Just gotta see if they survive the weekend.” Marty looked down at his binder again through his glasses which were perched on the end of his nose.

Joel pulled up on the site just after his younger brother, the longer haired man already out of his pick-up that had ‘Miller Construction’ plastered on the side and walking towards his car. As he got out to meet Tommy he shook his head as they walked in the direction of the site office.“What?” Tommy said. The look on his brothers face was one solely reserved from older siblings to younger when they’ve done something wrong.

“Is it possible to go anywhere in this town without meeting someone that you’ve hooked up with?” Joel ascended the three steel steps of the cab before opening the door to the makeshift office. His voice had a little more bite in it than he intended but he didn’t want this whole deal to be an excuse for is brother to get a leg over.

“I did not hook up with Mona, believe me…” Tommy followed his brother into the small room, pulling the door shut behind him. The brothers took to their desks at opposite sides of the room. It may have seemed stupid to those who didn’t know the business but the brothers had different areas to work on. Joel was the contracts guy, talking to external companies, sourcing materials and budgets. Tommy was the onsite guy, dealing with the labourers directly, making sure they were hitting their deadlines. “We went out a couple of times, I was an ass… I knocked a guy out for hitting on her in front of me… Thought I was being a gentleman- she didn’t see it that way.”

Joel huffed slightly, the word ‘gentleman’ ringing in his ears- something you called him earlier that day. “Tommy we need this to stay business…”Joel said taking his keys and phone out of his jeans pockets and sitting them on the desk next to his laptop which he pushed open.

“I know…” Tommy mirrored the actions of his brother from his own desk. “Even if I wanted to, you only get one chance with someone like Mona…”

Joel instantly found himself in amongst a sea of emails from supplies managers before soft the buzz of his phone against his desk pulled him out.

Mona: Hey, J- it’s Mona. Just to confirm that you will be taking the Saturday closing shift with me. Be at the bar for around 3pm. The uniform, of course, is white hotpants, tan tights, knee-high socks, and a bright orange shirt that shows off your wonderful chest but we’ll get you sorted here on Saturday. 😜

Joel’s smile was instant, creeping over his lips and tingling up through his cheeks. You were funny and he couldn’t deny the little ripple felt in his chest at the nickname that you’d given to Tommy that he now got to wear. He couldn’t help it, he was typing and sending a message before he could stop himself.

Joel: Hi. I’ll be there. Is a fresh wax required? 🤔

The typing bubbles from you were already there before he could put his phone down.

Mona: Yes it is. We also only have XS or XXS tights left. That’s okay, right? 😉

Tommy’s head rose at the second buzz of Joel’s phone, Joel’s attention already on the text. “That from Mona?” he asked, his own phone in his hand receiving a text from you about the schedule.

Joel: I’m an XL. Joel: See you Saturday. 🙂

“Yeah, it is.” he glanced up at his brother before locking his phone and placing it face down on the desk, the next wave of emails rolling in.

#fic!onefortheroad #fic!oftr #joel miller #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fic #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x f!oc #joel miller au #the last of us fanfic #the last of us hbo #tlou #tlou fandom #joel tlou #tommy miller #tommy miller fanfic #tommy miller x you

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johaerys-writes · 6 months ago

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Ch. 6: now i'm ashamed

Read on AO3 | Read from the beginning

They arrive at their new hotel a little before noon. It’s one of those bland and boring airport hotels with no colour or personality, but a slightly fancier version of that because, of course, Achilles wouldn’t stay in a hotel sporting anything less than four stars. A bellhop is already waiting for them by the time their cab pulls up in front of the entrance to help them out of the car and carry their bags out of the trunk.

It is the least of Patroclus’ problems, but it rankles that Achilles booked a suite with a double bed without even asking him first. Not that Patroclus really expected him to, but it still bothers him. Despite everything that’s happened between them in the past few days, Achilles has no right to pretend that they’re a couple. No matter how fun it was at first, it was extremely unwise and very irresponsible, and whatever spell Achilles has cast on him has thoroughly been broken now. None of the excitement of their illicit adventure remains. It feels wrong and dirty for them to continue this play-pretend; Patroclus wants none of it.

The room is as bland and colourless as the rest of the hotel: there’s a beige cover on the bed and the furniture is also beige, and there’s a painting in beige tones above the bed. The bed itself, at least, is big and looks comfortable, and the tub in the bathroom has a hydromassage setting and is big enough for three people, let alone two.

Not that Patroclus will be using that, no matter how badly he may want to. He’s got a lot of work to do, and besides that, even if he does use it, it won’t be with Achilles. And he doesn’t care a fig how much Achilles grumbles and pouts about it. Patroclus is done catering to Achilles’ each and every whim.

“This rug is awful,” Achilles complains, kicking off his shoes and putting on the disposable slippers that housekeeping left for them. “It’s so ugly, and the texture? It’d feel better if I were walking on packed straw. For the kind of money they’re charging, it is unacceptable to be greeted with this eyesore. I should lodge a complaint with the hotel’s interior designer.”

“Knock yourself out,” Patroclus mutters irritably, pulling out the desk chair. He takes his laptop out of its case and connects to the wifi, steeling himself for the mountain of emails he’ll have to go through today. It’s close to the end of the workday in Greece, but a few of his team are still there, working on a new client project, so there will a lot for him to review before closing for the evening. Just because he’ll be arriving in Greece later than he’d thought doesn’t mean he can put off doing his work until then. He’s done more than enough of that in the past week; he absolutely cannot shirk his responsibilities any longer, not for Achilles or anything else.

Peleus’ name flashes on his phone screen as soon as he switches it on, wishing them a safe flight and asking Patroclus to contact him as soon as they stop at Qatar for their connecting flight. Patroclus shudders when he is reminded that he still hasn’t come up with a good enough lie to justify the extension of their trip to Peleus. He doesn’t think there’s any excuse that would be believable enough to explain this whole mess.

He jolts a little when Achilles leans over him, his arms coming around Patroclus’ shoulders from behind.

“Why don’t you come and take a bath with me, hm?” he whispers, lips caressing his ear. “We could relax, have a cocktail… Continue where we left off.”

A flash of rage blinds Patroclus for a moment. He shrugs Achilles off, staring resolutely at his laptop screen.

“Get away from me,” he growls warningly. “I’m busy.”

“Well, you don’t have to be,” Achilles tells him, a little miffed. “We won’t be going back home for another week, at least. Technically, you’re still on holiday.”

“A week?” Patroclus turns around to pin him with a glare. “We’re leaving, Achilles. Tomorrow.”

Achilles purses his lips in a pout. “Five days.”

“Tomorrow.”

“Fine, four days. And a half.”

“I’m not bargaining with you! We’re leaving tomorrow and that’s final. I’m booking the tickets right now.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Watch me,” Patroclus says, turning back to his laptop and pulling up a flight booking page.

Achilles’ hand shoots over his shoulder, but Patroclus catches his wrist on reflex; there’s a brief struggle where they both try to get their hands on Patroclus’ laptop, and Patroclus seems to be winning until Achilles basically climbs over his lap and onto the desk, slamming the laptop screen shut and sitting half-way on top of it.

“Get off, you’ll ruin it!” Patroclus shouts, trying to catch Achilles’ legs and pull him off the desk, while Achilles kicks at him and clings onto the desk for dear life. It is all so comical and ridiculous that Patroclus is glad no one is around to see them right now. He throws his hands up with an angry huff.

“Achilles, you fucking asshole—” He takes a step back and glares at him, sweating beneath his suit. He tries not to worry about Achilles’ weight that’s currently probably crushing his poor laptop as he says, “You’re like a child. You know that? A stubborn, arrogant, spoiled brat. Things always have to go your way, otherwise you’ll throw a fit and make it everyone's problem. I’m done with you, you hear me? I’m done with your bullshit. Done.”

“You weren’t done with me when you were doing me this morning,” Achilles retorts haughtily, tilting his chin up in defiance, and Patroclus has to use every ounce of willpower he possesses not to walk over to the desk and strangle him.

“I'm never going to be doing you again after all this,” he says through gritted teeth. “Believe you me.”

Read the rest on AO3!

#patrochilles #achilles #patroclus #the song of achilles #tsoa #hades game #modern au #bbb patchilles #johaerys writes #finally remembering to make a promo for this after a bazillion years #please enjoy the mess 🫶

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fortune-fool02 · 2 years ago

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In Her Grasp

Leon Kennedy x Serial killer female reader

Summary: The rookie policeman finds himself in the claws of a notorious serial killer.

Warning: Angst. Blood. Kidnapping. Dark themes. Torture. Serial killer themes.

Word count: 2,373

Thank you for reading this. I've been planning this for a bit now and wanted to write something angsty for this baby boy. Please leave feedback and reblog as it really helps and is very appreciated. Thank you.

Please enjoy.

The door opened and [Name] stepped into the house, softly humming as she closed the door behind her and took her shoes and jacket off, setting them aside. She carried the bags into the kitchen, setting them aside and pulling out the contents she had purchased. A visit to the D.I.Y shop had given her some rope, thick, black cloth and some other bits and pieces.

After putting away her shopping, she gathered the rope and cloth, heading towards the cellar door. Darkness completely encased the cellar, making the steps leading down to it appear to vanish beyond the first two. Unfazed, she continued down them, flicking a light switch at the base of them. A weak flicker sparked, casting a small pale yellow light out, doing little to brighten the room. Her guest remained secured to his seat. The man was stripped of his clothing, rope tied securely around his ankles and wrists, binding them together to prevent any attempt of escape. Noise-cancelling headphones over his ears with thick cloth around his eyes, blocking out his vision and hearing.

He was no one. Someone she picked up a few days ago and had been keeping him here since. Walking over, she stood in front of him and looked at him. Black and blue blotches covered his skin, the hard strike of a bat or metal pole leaving their mark. The rope burns gnawing away at his wrists and ankles, an ugly red raw against his skin. She had her fun with him before, hearing him cry out and beg for forgiveness for something he hadn’t even done. Hell, she didn’t even know the man’s name. There was truly nothing personal about this. He was just there at the wrong time.

Moving around the other side of the chair, she held up the piece of rope in one hand and used another to drag a stool over, securing the rope to a hook in the ceiling. Giving it a firm tug, she was satisfied with its security before using the other side of it to wrap around the man’s neck, feeling him whimpering behind the gag in his mouth. Once it was on, she tied the other side of the rope to a heavy weight on the table before pushing it off, letting it fall to the floor. The man was lifted up into the air and held there, pained gasps and cries were cut off by the rope. [Name] just stood there and watched his legs try and kick around for a few minutes before his body went still. Pulling on some disposable gloves, she walked over and pulled the cloth off his eyes to confirm he was dead, a small smile tugging her lips at the sight of his hollow, empty eyes.

A sense of fulfilment flooded her body, a comforting sensation that made the smile on her lips grow more. She savoured it for a bit longer, looking into those empty eyes, imagining how they must have looked in their final moments of light as the life slowly faded from them. Regardless, she turned herself away, her attention now on a new prey, a new target. A photograph was pinned on the wall, those sweet, baby blue eyes staring at the camera with such vibrant light with the shadows casting due to his hair. The policeman uniform peaking just above the bottom edge. The rookie policeman at R.C.P.D. At the bottom of the picture was a name:

‘Leon. S. Kennedy’

Her latest target. It had been chance that they had crossed paths, a man had tried to mug her in the street and he swooped in to her aid. Something about him had made her whole world freeze in place, like the frozen film of a camera. A streak of vibrant colour in her bleak, bland world. From that moment on, Leon was the only thing in her mind, haunting her thoughts like a siren’s song. Any other target was nothing to her anymore, very little enjoyment pulled from their time together. None of them had that look in their eyes like Leon did. That sweet little glimmer, a twinkling star in his eyes.

There was something about him being a policeman that made the whole ordeal that more enticing. A man in uniform, ready to serve and protect innocents from people like her, and yet, he was oblivious to the threat that stood in front of him. The fly gazing at the spider, falling deeper and deeper into her web.

[Name] disposed of the body, wiping everything down and scrubbing it clean to ensure there was nothing left behind. Nothing of that boring thing's presence as even an indication he even existed. Once done, she picked up her phone and dialled the number Leon had given her.

Her voice soft and sweet as honey as she spoke to him, wishing to speak to him in person to discuss something of importance before hanging up the phone. Grabbing her bag, she headed out.

Leon sat in his car, looking down at his phone, reading over the text messages. This was the spot [Name] told him to meet her at. The street was quiet, especially at this time of night. A knot of worry irritated his stomach, [Name] wouldn’t say what was wrong, just that they needed to meet in person and it was important. He was off duty so he made his way over as soon as he could.

His window was rolled down, allowing the night’s cool breeze to brush through his hair, past his cheeks with a gentle touch as his eyes scanned around again for the [Hair colour] woman. He brought his phone back up, his fingers moving along the screen as he sent her a text message and sent it off. A ping behind him drew his attention, the sudden feeling of cloth shoved in his face brought a pang of concern and worry. The grip held the cloth firmly in place while the other hand latched onto his arm, keeping it down as the chemicals entered his system.

Muffled cries and yells soon grew quieter, his attempts at fighting slowing as his muscles grew heavy, his vision swimming a little before encasing in darkness.

When he awoke, his head ached. A pounding in rhythm of his heartbeat that made the back of his eyes hurt. He turned his head, trying to bring his hand up to his eyes but found it held firmly in place. The rough texture of rope chewing into his wrists, panic shot through him, forcing the drowsiness away as he took in his surroundings. Darkness filled every corner, making it difficult to make anything out. His clothing had been stripped away, leaving nothing but his underwear, as was his handgun he kept on him at all times. The coldness seeped into his skin, raising goosebumps along his skin.

He couldn’t panic now. He had to think and try to figure out how to escape. The rope was secured tightly, restricting movement. Faint, light taps could be heard above his head, settled in a steady rhythm. Footsteps. Followed by a click of a lock before the door opened, the footsteps making their way downstairs. A light was turned on, casting a weak light around him.

“...[Name]?” Confusion was thick on his voice, his eyes locked on the woman. What was going on?

“Oh, I thought you’d still be asleep.” Her voice held that sweetness to it, the same sweetness that Leon has ever known from her since the moment he met her. She passed by him, setting a bag down somewhere behind him. Leon tried to follow her but he couldn’t turn his head far enough.

“What’s going on, [Name]? Let me go!” He demanded, trying to keep his voice firm but those little cracks in it gave him away. He felt vulnerable. Weak. He couldn't escape these binds, he couldn't defend himself. Left at the mercy of the woman with the sweet smile.

"I can't do that, even if I wanted to, Leon." She moved around, settling back in his line of sight. A chair scrapped across the floor and she seated herself directly across from him. Their knees touching. There was something unsettling in those pretty eyes of hers, as if he was gazing into the eyes of a viper ready to strike. Dread coiled in his stomach.

"You see, for a policeman, I was kinda expecting you to put up a little more of a fight. Or at least have been more alert, especially when there's a serial killer on the loose." [Name] lightly scolded, as if talking to a child who was misbehaving and being reckless. "But I can't blame you. You're the new rookie. Things like this don't happen to the rookies, eh?"

Leon tried to keep his breathing steady, gripping his bindings a little as he tried to assess the situation and tore his eyes away from her, tried to think of an escape. Something metal flashed in the low light, and he felt the cold kiss of a steel blade under his chin, tilting his head up lightly. "Don't look away from me, Kennedy." Her voice, just like her eyes, held a venom to them that was sharper than this knife under his chin.

"[Name], please. You need help-" The tip of the knife pressed itself into his skin, just enough to draw a single droplet of blood, a stinging sensation followed.

"I've been told I've needed help my entire life." She slowly pulled the knife away from him, her eyes not once moving off of him, "This, all of this, helps me." Her other hand rested on his knee and she leaned close to him. He could feel her warm breath against his lips. She brought the blade to her open lips, gently smearing the droplet of blood on her lips like it was lip-gloss before grabbing a fist full of his hair, yanking his head closer and pressing her lips onto his.

A surprised sound spilled his lips, the taste of his blood on her soft lips, lips he had dreamed about kissing time and time before, but not like this. [Name] held him there for a few seconds, savouring his lips before pulling away with a smile.

"If you behave, like a good boy, then this won't be as unpleasant as I can make it." Beneath that soft, honey-laced tone, beneath those twinkling eyes, there was a threat there. A promise of danger if he doesn't listen to her. A mouse trapped in the claws of a cat.

Despite his best efforts to keep track of time, it was hard to do so in this cellar. [Name] had set this little routine of sorts. Whenever she would leave him, she would cover his eyes with a blindfold, and cover his ears with headphones that played different music, music that he loved, all of his favourite songs, at a comfortable audio. All the times they had hung out together, all those moments they shared, she had been learning about him, studying him, picking out information to use in her favour.

But this time, [Name] had something else in mind for him. Leon had attempted to try and escape while she had been "gone". He had gotten free of his restraints, he had made it up the stairs and out the front door, only to find the woman herself sitting on her porch right outside the front door. She had been waiting for him to try and escape. She knew he would try to escape. And the second her eyes met his, and he saw that disappointed look in them, he felt his blood run cold.

Now, Leon was back in the cellar, his body secured so he was laid bare before her on the cold, stone floor. His wrists and ankles tied to prevent any form of movement, any form of resistance was impossible.

"You know, I really didn't want to do this to you, Leon." [Name] spoke, her back facing him as she set something up on the desk across from him. In her hand, she held an old leather belt with a large, metal buckle at the end. Her hand motioned to the clock she had set up. An old pendulum clock. Confusion chewed at him at the sight of the clock.

"Every sixth tick from the pendulum, I am going to hit you with this belt. Every seventh tick, I am going to kiss you." She explained calmly to him, her fingers gently brushing strands of his hair from his face, she wanted to see his expression as she did this.

With that, she pressed the key on the back of the clock and allowed the pendulum to begin swinging.

"Wait, [Name], I-I didn't-" Before Leon could finish his sentence, a piercing snap of leather filled the room, followed by a burning, biting pain in his side from the belt buckle. A pained cry ripped from his throat as his body tensed, the pain throbbing in his side. But not a moment later, her lips were on his cheek in a gentle, almost loving kiss. The two opposite interactions conflicted with one another. Her loving kiss on his cheek was warm compared to the cold bite of the belt buckle. Each time it struck his flesh, her lips were on his skin without fail.

Six strikes. Six kisses passed before the pendulum's dreaded ticking finally fell silent. [Name] setting the belt down beside the clock and moving over to Leon's side, her hands gently on his skin as she stroked his cheek, smiling at him.

"See? If you behave, I won't have to do this. I don't want to hurt you, Leon. So please don't make me, baby." [Name] leaned down and kissed his lips, humming softly as he tried to pull away from her. He only looked at her, his eyes filled with a mixed concoction of fear and unease at her.

She loved that look, but she wanted to see something else in those pretty eyes of his.

"Don't worry, baby." She smiled at him, "You'll learn to come around. Then we can be happy together."

#leon kennedy x reader #leon s. kennedy #leon scott kennedy x reader #leon s. kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy #resident evil 2 #resident evil 2 remake #resident evil x reader #resident evil #rookie leon kennedy #rookie leon kennedy x reader #rookie leon #re2 #re2 remake #leon kennedy

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adriwatchestoku · 13 days ago

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Gavv ep13

I have been hearing SO MUCH about later episodes that I'm like no, do not Consume, you do not have the mental facilities to do so right now

plus I have other things I want to do today like edit the first chapter of a Build fic and maybe draw some Gavv stuff

yes, here's the Kamen Rider buddy tax.

it's like… shouma, you should tell hanto, but I also completely understand because fuck if his reaction to being saved instead of you killing the granute was aimed at you instead

I still have some anger at Dente being like "oh but you two were neglected so you wouldn't get pressed" because jfc that's fucked up, but at the same time like… he really does want to keep Shouma safe and help him despite that really fucked up view on what Shouma's dad did

Suga being a granute… honestly, that's a solid idea. It'd explain how Suga know so fucking much

"he'd never willingly work with one" if he knew. I mean, I've watched Build. I've thirsted over Evolt I mean I've thirsted over Evolt I mean I've seen Evolt pretend to be Souichi and thirst- you get what I'm saying, Suga could be pretending to be human

"oh you mean you thirsted over the human form" no, I know what I'm about.

every time I see Shouma's terrible attempt at patching Hanto up I'm like… Sachika, come help your hapless younger brother!

okay I didn't notice the fluids coming off Hanto's face when he was saying he won't forgive any granute before. I thought at first that was spit, and it looks now more like a tear, but like… either fits

"might be having some memory issues" …………………………………… NYELV GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE WE'VE SEEN YOU MODIFY OTHER GRANUTES

I mean this could just be trauma based on something that happened to Hanto's mom, or something Shouma's dad had Dente do, but I would not put it past Nyelv.

"I mean, you didn't even remember me!" "Do you remember my name?" "uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i'm so old I shouldn't be asked these questions uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" you don't remember lmao

ohhhhh the look of "can I trust my own memories?"

Shouma's absolutely wonder and happiness at a new snack never gets old

look at all those gochizo. hello babies, go meet your siblings

okay so I thought what Shouma's childhood was like was cruel before. Yeah, no, being able to see Shiita and Jeebh have a happy birthday is on another level

oh… oh he tried to love them. His heart really is that big.

okay, the gochizos welcoming their new siblings was cute

that too sweet smile… fuck, the cost it came at just keeps getting higher

jfc no really Lango what do you have planned and Nyelv THIS IS WHAT I MEAN

Hanto is such an interesting character. hot headed secondary rider archetype, but also someone who is capable of thinking things through and coming up with good plans

And being able to give reasons for them like wanting to publish an article on granutes so people are aware of them. But I can see paranoia setting in among the masses if they learn they can blend in with humans

"okeydoke!" falls over the edge

gochizos are so. fucking. cute

oh boy, baking. the science that requires some art.

oh right, Shouma can be a hell of a klutz

he's trying so hard

"i picture the person I'm making it for. I want them to be happy" oh boy this is either going to be sad (his mom), cute (sachika), or gay (hanto)

we're going with cute, i see

oh kid. Shouma. Baby.

it's always fun to see Hanto's strengths at gathering information

and also see him be a dark spot among this brightly coloured aesthetic

oh damn I knew the tongue had to come out but that startled me

………………………….. wat

what is this fight

what

the shit is this

so has anyone watched Meet the Pyro before because that's what that sequence reminded me of

switched to… could just take the human…

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

oh shit, so yeah, you could have taken Hanto's mom, and maybe even helped with kidnapping Shouma's mom

oh that's a cute new form

TOEI WHEN IS THE KAMEN RIDER SPECTACLE FIGHTER

holy shit these two are brutal fighters

fuck

#kamen rider gavv #episode recap

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dreamingroleplayer · 4 months ago

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Screaming, squealing, crying and swooning at this story I found online, "Flour Power" by Watchman

I SWEAR it seems to incapsulate everything I love about the kink so obviously I'll show it to you and hope you'll appreciate as much as me (did I ever tell you I'm always open for rp? 👀)

Premise: Who is the secret admirer that's been sending Rebecca love letters? When her friend Edward refuses to spill the beans on what he knows, Rebecca decides it might be time for a bit of friendly persuasion.

Enjoy~✨

It was dark by the time Edward left his office. The air was mild outside, but the town seemed subdued under the streetlights. He walked briskly among crowds of people who were returning home from work. The sign on the door of Groves bakers had been switched over to show ‘Closed’. Only a faint light from the back of the store gave any indication that there might still be someone inside. Edward paused for a moment and then knocked on the door. A few seconds later a figure emerged and ushered him inside.

Rebecca kissed him briefly on the cheek and smiled. “Hi, Ed. I just have a couple of things to put away downstairs and then I’ll be ready. The movie doesn’t start for another forty minutes so there’s no rush.”

Edward followed her behind the counter to the back of the store. A set of narrow stairs led them down to a compact basement area where a large oven dominated one of the walls. There was a work surface lined with empty baking trays and beside that, a small sink and drainer. The place seemed imbued with a cosy warmth. Across the room were a table and two chairs.

“Take a seat if you want,” Rebecca offered.

He sat down and watched as she collected a couple of trays from the oven and stacked them by the sink. There was a whooshing noise as a tap was turned on. Rebecca took a cloth and rubbed down the work surfaces with vigorous strokes. Edward was quite happy to sit and watch her at work, to enjoy the moving shape of her body as she went about her business.

“Is it cold outside?” Rebecca asked him.

“No. It’s actually rather mild.”

She switched off the tap and the silence rendered everything more intimate. “I got this new scarf at the weekend. Perfect for the winter…” She produced a patterned length of silk that was coloured a pale blue. “Don’t you think the fabric feels nice?”

She moved in behind him, stroked his arm gently and wrapped the scarf around one wrist and then the other. The fabric tickled the hairs on his arm. Edward found himself distracted by the contact. He could smell Rebecca’s perfume and instinctively he turned his head towards her.

“What are you doing?” He found his wrists caught between the back of the chair and the fabric of the scarf, as though she were wrapping him up like an exotic parcel.

“Um, nothing…” She leant down and kissed him briefly on the lips. “There.” She pulled the knot she’d made tighter and Edward tensed his arms. “I’ve always fancied having a man at my mercy.”

Rebecca moved back to face him properly. Her saw that her eyes were wide open, watching him greedily.

“This is just like one of those cop movies. Maybe I should be asking you probing questions.”

“What questions?” Edward felt vaguely worried. It couldn’t be about the letters, surely. There was no way she could know the truth about the letters.

“I seem to be getting teased mercilessly these days. I figure it’s someone else’s turn for a change. And right now it looks as though you’re going to be it.”

“Honestly Rebecca, I tease myself more than anyone else. You know it’s just a bit of fun.”

“Well maybe I fancy having a bit of fun too.”

As though she’d worked out every step of this encounter, Rebecca picked a large sack of flour from the floor. She poured a small mound into the cupped palm of her right hand and moved toward Edward. For a moment, as she crouched down, they were looking at each other eye to eye. He couldn’t help delighting in this chance to admire the sleek beauty of her face at close quarters. She leant in closer and smiled.

Rebecca released a sharp gust of breath and a cloud of flour exploded into his face. “Oops…”

He blinked rapidly, took several sharp breaths and shook his head to try and disperse the flour. He felt his nostrils prickle as part of the cloud found its way up his nose. He didn’t want to sneeze, but he couldn’t help himself. His hands were securely bound and he couldn’t even stifle the sound.

“Ahhh…shooo!”

Rebecca laughed. “Oh dear. I’m so sorry Ed, that flour seems to have got everywhere…”

Edward felt his skin reddening. He was acutely uncomfortable. His nose itched like mad. In his head he recalled the earlier image of Rebecca and the shop and the sneeze that had followed; all somehow inextricably linked. Even now, in this strangest of circumstances, he couldn’t help noticing he was feeling a little aroused.

He tried to steer his thoughts back to the matter at hand. “Why did you … why …” but he couldn’t complete the question before another sneeze, this one louder than the last, exploded out of him. “Heckshooo!”

“Poor Ed, you look so uncomfortable. Trust me, I know what it’s like working here. Breathe in too much of that flour and you can find yourself sneezing for hours.”

Edward didn’t have an answer. He sniffed gallantly and then succumbed to another sneeze. “Heck-asssshoo.”

Rebecca smiled. “You know what I’d recommend? You need to clear your sinuses. A good blow ought to do it.” She took out a neatly folded handkerchief from her coat pocket and waved it towards Edward. “Hmm. I’d lend you this, but you don’t seem to have a free hand right now.”

“You could always untie me.”

“Yes, but this is so much more fun. I suppose I might be persuaded to release you. Maybe in exchange for a little bit of information.”

“Inf -” Edward gasped, caught on the brink of another sneeze. “What information?”

“The mystery admirer. I’d like you to tell me who it is.”

“Oh that…” Edward looked wearily at the handkerchief that Rebecca had placed just out of his reach. Each time he sniffed it felt as though the agony in his nose got worse. He wanted to let it all out, his senses felt ready to burst open. It was hard to disguise the exquisite torture he felt and yet at the same time the fact that it was exciting him was becoming patently obvious. He bit his lower lip and prayed Rebecca wouldn’t notice.

“I was just messing,” he pleaded. “I don’t really know anything.”

Rebecca stared coolly at him. “I don’t believe you.”

Edward tried to think of an answer he could give that might persuade Rebecca to untie him, but his mind was blank. The irritation in his nose was incredible and without a free hand to stifle it he felt utterly helpless. The relief when he sneezed again was so intense it almost took his breath away. He had no desire to be the centre of attention, but right now the thought of another sneeze of that same intensity seemed almost too good to contain. He let out a sigh that was part relief and part longing.

“Maybe I got this all wrong. You’re supposed to be in agony, but it looks to me like you’re enjoying yourself.” Rebecca placed a hand on his trousers and ran her fingers back and forth along the pronounced outline of his penis. “I’m sure there’s a name for people who enjoy being teased like this.”

Edward shook his head and then sneezed again. “Huh … hupshooo!”

Rebecca grinned. “No, I don’t think that’s it.”

He drew another laboured breath, aware of a strong desire to sneeze again. The thought alone seemed to fascinate him to the point of distraction.

Rebecca was watching him, her eyes bright with curiosity. “I have a man at my complete mercy only to find he’s enjoying it more than I am. How strange. Maybe instead of interrogating you I should find something more productive to be doing with you.” She stroked his penis again, pushed her hands up higher, feeling under his shirt to his smooth skin and bony frame. “Yes, I reckon that could be much more fun.”

Edward sneezed. He flexed his hands, not quite able to believe he was still tied up, and tried to reach for the handkerchief that lay near his feet. Before he could test the strength of his bonds further, Rebecca climbed on top of him.

“You can clear your sinuses later. Right now there’s something more important I want you to concentrate on.”

She unzipped his trousers and pushed them roughly to the floor. Her coat was off and she was hitching up her skirt.

Edward turned his head away and sneezed again. “Huh-mmmpf!” Alarmingly he noticed his penis give a quick jolt, as though a small spark of pleasure had passed through him. And perhaps it had. He could no longer discern any sense in what was happening, but each sneeze was being released like a miniature orgasm and leaning over him now was the woman he’d fantasised over for months. She was grinning like a cat who’d snared a prize catch.

Rebecca put a finger to his lips and purred: “See if you can stop sneezing for a few seconds and give me your undivided attention…”

He sniffed forlornly and tried to steady his breathing.

Rebecca ran her hands hungrily across his shoulders, dug deep into the skin on his back. The room seemed to have grown warmer, as though someone had switched the oven on. She pushed his penis inside her, watching him the whole time. He could feel her warmth, her wetness, the sense that she might consume him then and there if she could. He was unused to being outmanoeuvred, but any struggle he made just seemed to heighten the sensation as she moved against him. Unlike his business meetings, there was no bluff here.

Edward was so busy trying to reconcile these conflicting emotions that he forgot all about the incessant itch in his nose. Out of nowhere he sneezed again, not once, not twice, but three times in quick succession.

“Hushoooo! Hushooo! Heckshewww!”

His head was buried below her shoulder. “I’m sorry…,” he mumbled.

“That’s okay. It feels kind of interesting when you sneeze. Your penis sort of twitches. Actually you feel very nice.”

She rocked up and down against him, forcing him in deeper and deeper. Her hands stroked his hair and she whispered: “You know what Ed, I’d quite like it if you could sneeze again.”

A part of Edward’s mind considered the request. He wasn’t really conscious of what he could or couldn’t do, but by sniffing in air through his clogged up nose it seemed to make the irritation much more intense. He lost the rhythm of her movement for a moment as his whole body tensed. And then:

“Hahshooo! Chewww! Ahhhshoooo!”

He felt his body spasm, muscles clench and unclench. Rebecca shivered and gave out an audible groan. He was desperate and hungry, no longer able to hold himself back. His breath came in deep gasps. He felt as if he were falling or the room was rearranging itself around him. At the moment of orgasm he cried out in spite of himself. Afterwards Rebecca held him. The motion between them lessened and soon all he could hear was his own heartbeat. Rebecca buried her head against his shoulder and then leant across to kiss him.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

She moved to untie the scarf from around his wrists and then carefully rearranged her clothes. Almost as an afterthought she retrieved the handkerchief and passed it across to him. He clutched it gratefully, stifling a final sneeze in the process.

Rebecca laughed. “Oops, I think we missed our movie.”

Edward was too dazed to reply. He sniffed and then blew his nose.

"I hope you don’t mind what happened. You see it’s been driving me nuts, all these letters, all this secret admirer stuff. I simply had to know. And I’m so glad I finally found out.”

Absently Edward folded the handkerchief back up. “But I didn’t tell you anything …��

Rebecca hugged him again and then kissed him firmly on the lips. She smiled. “Yes, well perhaps I’ve worked it out for myself.”

Five minutes later Edward found himself standing out on the street, trying to make sense of all that had just happened. And as he walked back home, all he could think about was the love letters he had written and then been too shy to send. He had a whole pile stacked up in a drawer in his bedroom. He wondered who Rebecca’s real secret admirer was. He smiled. After tonight perhaps it didn’t matter

#snz fet #snz kink #snzblr #snzfucker #sneeze #sneeze kink #snz rp #sneezeblr #sneezefucker #sneezing #snz fic #sneeze fic #sneezy #snz

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valkyrievega · 8 months ago

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Valkyrievega's Writing Masterlist

I figured I should put everything in one place, at the very least! Everything goes to ao3; same username over there, if that's how people prefer navigating :)

Following Fandomss are under the keep reading:

No Country For Old Men, Ranfren, Skyfall, and Dune (admittedly Dune is a singular work so far), Arcane

Side note: it would be far too long a post to put the actual summary of each on them; so I've just put tiny descriptions instead.

Arcane

Short fics/ oneshots:

After a long day

Sevika lets off some steam

Settle Down

Sevika comes home to find you didn't go to bed when you should have.

Quiet time

Reader is stressed, and Sevika helps at the office.

Long fics:

Spark

Sevika becomes your (only) client at the brothel. Sapphic yearning ensues. Also it's 54k (Completed)

Cigars and Irish Cream Whisky

A/B/O universe. You turn up at a heating clinic with heat problems (and a few other things besides). Sevika helps. It gets complicated. (In progress)

Dune

oneshots:

Holy Water (and how to find it)

You and Stilgar hatch a plan; and you receive your payment.

Skyfall

oneshots:

Rabbithole

Silva cyber-stalks you, and you really, truly don't notice.

Just Follow Along

Silva 'helps' you plan your escape from his headquarters

Ranfren

Long Fics:

Cat Dragged In (Completed)

The Ivory household gains a new pet; and she sure does question the status quo.

Short Fics/oneshots:

It Needs Doing.

Luther's had more than enough; and she recognizes it.

Crossover fic:

Stress relief

Luther's capital S Scheming allows the house a good opportunity for, well. Some stress relief. (It's you. You're the stress relief.)

Clear as Crystal

Antonia and Nyen have fun with hypnosis. And you.

No Country For Old Men

(this is about to get embarrassing- everyone look away)

Long Fics:

Out Of Country (completed)

Set 5 years after the events of No Country; Anton is tasked with a pick up.

The Old Ways (completed)

What if the way Anton presents himself is from a different cause? (I.e. A/B/O re-imagining; a pretty feel-good story in comparison to other long fics I have)

Moby Dick (completed)

"Can you feel it when someone else is watching you? A lot of people thought so.” - Cormack McCarthy, No Country For Old Men.

(or: Anton is 30% crazier, and it's doomed from the start. Dead Dove Do Not Eat and severe content warnings.)

Short fics/oneshots:

An Unexpected Interruption

Anton gets interrupted in the middle of a meeting because you didn't clean the hotel room like he and Antonia (offscreen) had asked. It's a good time to get you in trouble, and make his business dealers scared of him.

Let Me Keep the Colour

A slice of nightlife, from someone who's struck a deal with Anton.

By the Lamplight (AFAB only - AMAB chapter potentially coming?)

He breaks into your hotel room.

By the Streetlamps (AFAB only- AMAB chapter potentially coming?)

Direct sequel, thematically, to By the Lamplight. You get him back.

See no Evil (AFAB only- AMAB chapters potentially coming on request)

Can you witness something, when you're blind?

Careful, He Bites.

The cat and mouse chase scene from the book goes very differently. (i.e. Llewelyn isn't an idiot)

Rocking the Boat

Anton fixes the local siren problem.

Stay in the Dark (3 chapters, completed)

Anton takes advantage of a vulnerable position. He sees her having got out of one impossible situation; and wants her to try her hands at another.

Heel.

Association is a hell of a thing (and so is the way Anton views other people).

In Front of the Fire (please, can't I come in?)

He keeps you out while it's snowing. How rude.

In For a Twig, In For a Switch.

Anton uses a good excuse to scare you. And then some.

Happy Holidays to You.

Anton comes home for Christmas.

Meet Me in the Hallway.

(Older) Anton teaches evolutionary psychology at university; and more besides.

When the Wolf Comes Home

Some hurt and comfort with a werewolf Anton

Trouble in Paradise

He turns up at the doorstep of his ex-wife. Perfect.

Crossing the Threshold

A night in the life, roughly a year after the events of Meet Me In The Hallway. (or: profton two electric boogaloo)

Beggars Can't Choose at all.

Anton fucked up. You deal with it.

Scratching at the Glass

Hybrid Anton won't leave you alone. Why is that? (Catton timeeeeee we all go crazy for him)

Kinktober 2024 (Antober)

There are many prompts. There are many fics. All are, in my opinion, good, especially if you actually enjoy the kink/prompt listed. There is also occasionally gross things, because I think (correctly) Anton is a freak.

#my writing #masterpost #no country for old men #ranfren #skyfall #dune #please no one interact with this embarrassing ass post thanks ToT i just wanted to have it to pin so it's easier for everyone thats all #arcane #sevika #because . sorry . she's the only character i'm writing for

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january-summers · 1 year ago

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Excuse me it's 2:30am and I have to be up for a visit to the farmer's market in... not long and instead of sleeping I have Agent Washington on the brain again. So, um, don't mind the ramble?

I have a competency kink. I need you all to know this so you understand how it colours my perceptions of Wash. I need for him to be extremely competent, even if he's being a dork, I need for him to be able to flip that mental switch and be ready and capable of fucking shit up.

anyway, on a completely related note I have a conspiracy theory (secret headcanon) that Wash was fudging his own numbers in real time in order to maintain 6th place on the leader board, because it keeps in on the board without putting him in 'disputed territory.' (aka the ranks everyone is gunning for.)

This is based solely on the fact that of the 5 times we see the board, he's in 6th place 3 times, and 5th place twice. one of those times is when York is in 6th with his freshly messed up eye.

This is spawned by nothing but my competency kink, and the fact that 6th place is an odd place to average/maintain. Like. sure. maybe it's a coincidence, maybe he's just always 6th/5th best on the team, but you have to admit it's a little odd that there isn't more variance when everyone else has much more of a jumble. Apart from Carolina, who only loses her 1st place spot when Texas shows up, only York and North are also on the board every time we see it, and both of them drop to 6th place at least once.

I just. I really like the idea that Wash has less interest in pissing matches with the others because he's high ranked enough for what he wants/needs out of PFL, but also the idea that he understands how the ranking system works in a way the others don't and he's aware enough of his team to estimate their scores and adjust his own performance accordingly on the fly during missions, without endangering said missions.

Is it likely? No, it's probably just a coincidence, but it's fun.

and it also lets me have PFL AUs in which Wash gets to accidentally piss off the other top ten members when Director assigns Wash as team leader for an emergency "oh shit it might be the Flood" mission and Wash gets to pick his team and picks none of the top ten.

Either because there are other Freelancers who are similarly capable as North and York but without the added AI which are too valuable to risk, or less likely to screw up the mission by being competitive like South and Carolina are inclined to.

And the others just don't have the skill-sets he wants, or the compatibility with the Freelancers he needs, to ensure mission success.

or like

based on what little maths we have for sure, Washington may not have finished highschool before joining the UNSC, or he might have joined right after graduation.

And just. imagine him realising he's lacking in certain points of knowledge after he accidentally endangers his team because his army training didn't include a specific technical expertise, so he started doing UNSC approved distance ed in his limited down time, half teaching himself a hell of a lot of things.

So when he gets to PFL, he does the same thing, he looks over the science notes, and he might not have a degree, but he makes sure he understands enough to know the limits of his team mates, their capabilities, their potentials, understands what the equipment is capable of.

and then there's a mission and someone's helmet is cracked, maybe a big hole from a weapon in the side, and they're fine, but the helmet is breached, and actually they're not fine because there's a few new holes in Niner's ship and they are venting atmosphere and the breached helmet cannot keep up, so Wash asks Niner to 'do a thing' that will give them stable atmosphere for a few seconds, asks for some of the other's super power units (in my head it's York's healing unit and North shield) and then tells the broken helmet team mate he can fix their helmet but they need to release the seals for a moment, as soon as Niner 'does the thing.'

and they trust Wash, so they take off their helmet and then everyone freaks out because instead of fixing the helmet Wash takes his off and puts it on his team mate and gets back in his seat and apparently takes a nap.

except no, because he's running at least 2 power units while the ships atmosphere vents because either he can handle it, or epsilon didn't self destruct and he can handle it. (basically using the shield, healing unit, and wash's emp unit to create a more bio-electric field around wash that's not really a shield but acts enough like a shield to protect him from the vacuum of space that's trying to be inside the ship.)

and like, I honestly believe his default personality is friendly and kinda dorky and sociable, but I also am constant running "he's a secret (and not so secret) badass" at all times

and I am not normal about him. and I don't know how this happened.

but for every cool and somewhat normal and sensible plot bunny I share involving Wash, there's more, far more unhinged bunnies lurking in the shadows.

I should go to bed, I passed good decision making. good night. I'll decide if i'm sorry about all this after I wake up. good night.

#rvb #red vs blue #agent washington #sorry not sorry?#january is unhinged about wash

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evercelle · 1 year ago

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Hi! Just wanted to say that I absolutely adore your artstyle and youre literally one of my favourite artists. Your poses are so dynamic and fluid and the expressions!! and colours you use!!!!

it screams of so much skill and ohmygod

I'm a huge kokichi fan and the way you portray/draw him is just peak. I bought the comic pdf and I'm so happy to have it! its not only really well put together, but also just such a touching story too

So yeah, just wanted to express my admiration >>

Hope you have a lovely day!!

ouma is just lots of fun to draw and/or rotate in ur mind :)c it's fun sifting through those layers!! i'm glad you enjoyed the book. since the setting was pretty mundane, i feel like i didn't get to do anything too exciting with poses or composition (lol) but it sure was good practice for drawing expressions. woooorghhh

i'm answering more anon msgs related to saiou book today!!! sorry it took awhile:

it's a good hurt!! ....right (':

i'd love to hear your thoughts!! it's always interesting to see what kind of details people pick up when you draw or write stuff, or interpretations... someone asked me what game ouma is playing on the switch (it's pikmin 4 btw. lol) and it makes me warm thinking someone even noticed i drew a specific UI in there. haha

sorry, no plans to reprint a physical copy...! this was my first time printing a solo book, so i tried a different vendor overseas, hence no pre-order sale. i'm really happy with how it came out, but it also means ordering new copies is more expensive than i'm willing to charge for. but the digital PDF will be available til end of the year, so at least there's that!

cry count: +1

thank you for picking it up as well :') i spent long enough working on this little story that i was afraid it was straying into 'this doesnt make sense to anyone but me' territory, so i'm glad you felt it delivered!

#ASK EVER #thank you for talking to me about saiou book. it means a lot!!!

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joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh · 4 months ago

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I was actually just playing Forces to work on 100% completing the game on Steam since I haven't actually done so yet, and part of working towards that is getting max medal honours with all different species of animals. I didn't really put any thought into the types of characters I was making when I did that on Switch, but this time I tried to think a little bit harder about what I was making, and you know what? It clicked. Like yeah the appeal of a canon Sonic OC maker is obvious in theory but I've never really cared about that type of thing myself, but something about this specific instance of me making characters in Forces just made me come to actually understand the appeal myself. Like I felt myself being warped into the mind of someone that genuinely enjoys the process of OC creation and stuff, and I feel like I get why, even despite the limitations, the Forces OC maker really is a dream come true for some sorts of people.

To that end, here are the characters I put slightly more thought into! Since I'm still working on 100% completion I don't have every fashion item so even though I don't necessarily want to turn these into like full blown OCs or something I can at least say their in-game designs might not be finalised yet and whatnot.

This one isn't really much of anything per se, but I unlocked the black and white gothic lolita fit right around when I needed to move onto a new animal for medal honours, and decided to make a female dog and throw her in it. Spotted the spotty body wrap thing and it made her look like a dalmation and works well with the gothic lolita fit. Not the most creative one in the world and definitely not one I'm very attached to relative to this whole thing but it felt fun to do and I think that's why I ended up putting more thought into the others.

When I was making a bear I decided that, since the bear's ability basically makes their homing attack better, I'd give them a weapon that had the two homing attack upgrades on it. That gameplay thing led me mentally to imagine this bear character I was making was like very strong and serious, perhaps even silent and stoic - and I started playing around with the clothing to give him a somewhat similar vibe. Experimented with the more military aesthetic stuff but it didn't feel right, and I was imagining that whoever this bear guy is he probably doesn't want to be like a rank and file sort, so the military gear is whatever. Again this isn't actually like a character I'm desperate to flesh out or see more of or anything like that but I just had a moment while making it of "there can actually be a personality there" and I think that's neat.

And lastly we've got a female bird. I sort of knew right away that I wanted to give at least one of the species I'd make the camera, because I like photography a ton. Female bird gets the big ponytail thing at the back that I thought matched that well. Think the vibe I sort of ended up wanting to go for here is like, whoever this girl is she's probably "pretty" and values her appearance and stuff, so we get like the flower crown and bows on the gloves and stuff, nice colour combo too in my mind. But then also the photography stuff and ofc the setting of Sonic Forces more broadly being in the middle of a war. So she's a war photographer? At least currently? But still has time to look after herself a bit. Something like that.

So yeah I mean, none of these are fleshed out and I can't necessarily say I want to flesh them out either, but I mean the fact that the Forces OC maker is getting me to play around with character concepts at all is kinda wild to me, especially since I basically ignored it the first however many times around. I did make one for every animal although these are the only ones I was really happy with the output for, and even then I can take or leave the dalmation. Maybe I'll have an updated selection once I've 100% completed the game and have all fashion stuffs. Who knows. Will say that while writing this I like passively had the thought of like "what if bird lady is from Spagonia or something" so maybe I'm fully cooked and about to just get into Sonic OCs thanks to playing Forces again 7 years after release. Who can truly say. I think that's the post though. Goodnight gamers.

#sonic #19.10.24

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wallpaper-inside-my-heart · 1 year ago

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i would love to whose perspective you had in mind for all of the spommy taylors version songs!!! unless they were picked solely on vibes which is also totally valid

Oh Anon you have no IDEA what you have unleashed by asking me this question! So thank you so much for that <3 and let's go!

(I have like almost twenty pages worth of google doc with assigned lyrics and comments for why (most of) these songs fit for them and in this playlist! I will try my best to keep this as short as my brain allows...)

As I mentioned in the original Spommy (taylor's version) post, the order that we put these songs in has it's reasons. So I will go through the different relationship stages and corresponding songs one by one. And try to briefly explain whose POV it's supposed to represent and maybe highlight a few specifc lines.

Colour coding the song's main POV:

Tommy

Spencer

both

(Song assignments under the cut)

small disclaimer: obviously we are talking about a fictionalized version of "canon" that is loosely based on/inspired by stuff they have mentioned in videos and their general internet personas. None of the thoughts I'm sharing here are meant as 100% fact or true "insight" to their personal lives. We're all just having fun! (Obviously we all agree on this kind of stuff, I just need to write it down somewhere, for my own conscience)

The Before Meeting stage:

You’re on your own kid

Anti-Hero

-> both of these songs feel super tommy-coded (the whole sexy baby/monster on the hill stuff, for example, reminds me a bit of the body dysmorphia he's mentioned in a few videos)

tied together with a smile

-> this one could work either with one or both singing this about themselves or the other imo

-> just the whole aspect of trying to hold yourself together while struggling with fullfilling expectations

2. The First meeting/Beginning stage

Everything has changed

-> both of them just being fascinated by eachother upon their first meeting

mirrorball

-> a theme for a lot of the more Tommy-centric POVs of these songs was inspired mostly by the aforementioned body image issues and also the fear of living up to his own or other ppl's expectations in terms of his own creativity etc.

(I'm sure others, like maybe Spencer, struggle with parts of these aspects as well, I just feel like Tommy has talked about it more)

-> also Tommy beginning to see Spencer as someone he doesn't have to "pretend" around

cowboy like me

-> both of them recognizing pieces of themselves within the other

3. The Pining Stage

-> this stage is mostly from Spencer's POV. I believe in Pining!Tommy rights as well, however I felt like these song examples just fit Spencer a bit better given the situation

gold rush

-> aka the mini denial stage, where he falls into a daydream of what being with Tommy could be like; but not wanting to let himself indulge too much in these thoughts

also "your hair falling into place like dominoes" sounds so much like a line that could be about tommy!

Teardrops on my guitar

-> the pining is now in full force, but sadly Tommy has a boyfriend and Spencer has to suffer through him gushing about it, while he feels his crush begin to grow more and more; tho he doesn't allow himelf to do anything about his feelings

you belong with me

-> Spencer's switch from the 'good ol' fashioned pining' to "Um, actually I would fit way better with you than he does! So why can't you see what's right in front of you and start dating me instead?!"

(tho he still doesn't actually voice this outlout, yet)

4. The Flirting Stage

new romantics

-> mostly as a set-up for both of their general attitudes at the beginning of this stage and for the dancing/club theme of Gorgeous

gorgeous

-> this one is actually splitting the POV across different parts of the song

-> Verse 1 is Spencer with lines such as "compliment/made fun of the way you talk" and "you're so cool, it makes me hate you so much" (also the last time the soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend is mentioned in the playlist)

-> Verse 2 by Tommy with "talking to everyone here but you" (which reminds me of his dating answer in hot ones; but if I start talking about my thoughts on that bit, this will get way too long) and also "Ocean blue eyes looking in mine" (literally about Spencer💙)

-> the chorus is first sung by Spencer, next one Tommy and the others by both of them at eachother

-> also "Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats… alone... Unless you wanna come along" is literally such a Spencer-coded line to me

-> also! if you or anyone wants to check out a fic of them with a slightly similar premise to this song, I can def reccomend Spencer vs Gay Panic by @soupy-girl 💗

I can see you

dress

-> with these two songs the daydreaming about the other and flirting increases

-> also I initially added this one to the list bc "flashback/your buzzcut and my hair bleached" are literally both accurate about Spencer lmao

i think he knows

-> I imagine the first verse mostly sung by Spencer and then the (pre) chorus by Tommy bc of lines like "He got that boyish look that I like in a man" and "Wanna see what's under that attitude" and of course later on"lyrical smile, indigo eyes" being about Spencer as well

5. The pre-dating stage

treacherous

-> I feel like this song has a constantly switching POV, in a duet sorta way. For example:

This slope is treacherous. This path is reckless.

This hope is treacherous. This daydream is dangerous.

but the bridge would be sung together, both deciding "I'll follow you home"

glitch

willow

jump then fall

fearless

Electric touch

-> I don't have a lot of notes on these 5 songs in particular, but the idea was basically them going from the insecurities that are still present in treacherous and seeing the thing that's developing between them as smth that just happened to them by accident, to then deciding to fully "jump into it" and letting themselves actually feel the excitement of it all in full force

6. The first few dates

begin again

-> the line "you throw your head back laughing like a little kid" fits both of them so well and I'm so soft just thinking about it

king of my heart

-> in the google doc I said that she wrote "Now you try on callin' me "baby" like tryin' on clothes" about this fic by @jovenshires and I stand by that

today was a fairytale

-> the whole first verse with "You wore a dark gray t-shirt You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess" also feels so them-coded idk

style

-> I think this edit of them explains this better than I ever could 💖

I’m only me when I’m with you

-> it's about the "Well, you drive me crazy half the time"-but still being eachothers comfort person- of it all

snow on the beach

-> another duet style song where they take turns singing the verse and then chorus together; "Weird, but fuckin' beautiful"

-> also! I must admit that I was heavily inspired to add this song bc of this fanart by @urmxotive! which is so beautiful and reminds me of the "I've never seen someone lit from within" in this song

7. Dealing with Insecurities while being in a relationship

the archer

-> both, but especially bc "I cut off my nose just to spite my face" reminds me of what I briefly mentioned with Anti-Hero

nothing new

-> me and katie agree that this song is 100% tommy coded, but I don't wanna go into too much detail since this post is getting way too long already 🙈

peace

-> another duet-style song for them starting with tommy in v1 and then Spencer in the chorus

new year’s day

-> duet again, in the same order as the last one

stay stay stay

-> mostly Tommy's POV and him being relieved that Spencer knows how to deal with his mood swings

safe & sound

-> and this song from Spencer's POV about essientially the same "issue"

mine

-> themacceptance of their insecurities and celebration of taking on the future together

8. Good ol' estabished relationship fluff

call it what you want

-> similar theme as peace and nothing new, but leaving those worries behind from tommy's side

-> and also "My baby's fit like a daydream" reminded me of spencer at 1:43 in this clip ( from this video)

daylight

-> also duet-style; "Maybe I've stormed out of every single room in this town" reminds me of tommy ripping up his headshots

you are in love

-> I think Katies fic explains the POVs for this perfectly 💜

paper rings

-> "I hate accidents, except when we went from friends to this" tying back into glitch etc

invisible string

-> both of them growing up in florida and also both being eye-ptach-kids?? makes me so insane when I think about it for some reason

sweet nothing

-> it's about the "You say, "What a mind". This happens all the time" and "To you, I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it" of it all

lover

-> and, finally "Swear to be overdramatic and true" and "And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me" is literally them. I rest my case, your honor

So this post got wayyyy too long and was prob way more then you asked for, anon, but I hope you enjoyed my ramblings anyways 😊

I have so many more thoughts about some of these song choices (like Nothing new, peace, new year's day and several others) and their order, and also even more specifically assigned lines in my google doc for this playlist. So in case you or anyone else wants the link to that, feel free to dm me. Or if you have you're own ideas about some of these choices or are curious about some specifics, my asks are always open 🤗

#also apologies for taking a bit to post this #I didn't have access to my laptop for two days and then reformating some of my notes from the doc took way longer than I anticipated #I love getting to talk about this stuff tho #so thanks again for the ask <3 #spommy #taylor swift #tommy bowe #spencer agnew #playlist #lyric stuff #lyric analysis

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themorningsunshine · 2 years ago

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I like me better when I am with you

Masterlist

Pairing - Bucky Barnes x f!reader

Summary - Bucky isn't in love with you, nope, not at all, not even a bit, that doesn't mean he has to like that man who is shamelessly drooling over you.

Warnings - Fluff, Bucky’s internal thoughts, jealousy

Word count - 2.8k

a/n - I had so much fun writing this.

Bucky’s internal monologue is in italic.

Stark parties were his least favourite. They always consisted of the same kind of people. Bucky didn't have to remember their faces to know that. They were all the same. Rich people with money much more than they could handle, spend it in the worst and the dumbest way possible. No, really, why the hell would they get their already filthy expensive phone coated with gold? And don't even get him started on when he had heard a man complaining that Tony hadn't put 'perfectly squared ice cubes' worth 300$ each in their drinks. Hell, he had somehow started respecting Tony's choices and that man was currently wearing a 100,000$ suit.

But these parties were never this unbearable. He always used to have company. He still has Steve sitting beside him and don't get him wrong, Steve is his best friend but there's a limit as to how much Bucky can hear that man complain about the new recruits.

"Can't believe Tony was able to do that. That man has got brains. Only if he was not so arrogant. Don't you think, Buck?"

His name slipping from Steve's mouth makes him look at his best friend who has been talking to him for .... well, a long time. He didn't even know when he switched topics.

Bucky never really zones out. He is a great listener but today, something else has caught his attention completely. Something which keeps bugging him and he doesn't even understand why.

Steve sighs as he realises just how much his best friend has been listening to him. "You know, Sam is right, you do have a staring problem."

"No, I don't," Bucky says in a way that makes it look like that's the most absurd and offensive thing he has ever heard.

Steve chuckles and says, "You don't have to sit here and pretend that it doesn't hurt you."

Bucky gives out a sarcastic chuckle. After everything he has been through, there is nothing in a hundred-mile radius of this party that could remotely hurt him. "I am just fine, Steve. Why would I be hurt?" He doesn't say he is good, or great, he says 'just fine' 'cause that's his default setting. To be just fine. He is rarely ever more than that.

No, you are, when you are with her. His inner thoughts whisper to him. He shakes his head to get that thought away as if it had offended him too.

Steve gives him a small smile and nods his head towards a direction that Bucky has been not so subtly staring at for the past half an hour.

And there you are. In all your glory. In the beautiful, simple, golden outfit you are wearing, sipping on your drink in the most gentle way possible. The colour golden suits you, Bucky thinks.

That's what you said when she was wearing blue. A person can look good in 2 colours. Then what about green and - Shut up.

He looks at you again and notices the thing that has been bugging him. You're still talking to him. The man with the too smooth suit and the too silky hair and the too gentle words and the - ... God, he hates that man. And he has reasons for it. Who the hell wears a black tie with a black suit? Doesn't he have any other colour to wear? And who the hell drinks non-alcoholic drinks when at a Stark party? And then Bucky remembers you telling him once that you hated the smell of alcohol. That you couldn't stand within a metre radius of the people who had drunk a lot. But, that man doesn't know that.

You are still smiling at him and talking. But, that's okay. You love to talk. You could spend hours talking about the movie you just saw or the book you just read. That's nothing. And smiling, well you smile at everything. That's your default setting. To find beauty in everything and give it the most beautiful and genuine smile he has ever seen. You can really find the good in everything.

Maybe that's why she is friends with you.

That's not the point. You even smile at strays. And that's who the man is, a stray, a wild, animal.

Cannot be wilder than you. Or did you forget who you are, Buck?

Bucky doesn't like these thoughts. They tend to come back to him in crowded places. When there are too many people staring at him, talking about him. You always used to be there with him. Making fun of all these rich people and their etiquette.

The both of you would mostly escape from the party early, especially when you were done with what you actually came here for, which was always food. He had to agree. Tony did know how to throw a good party.

You would sneak him into the mini theatre and would watch the silliest movies, just to laugh at their absurdity. Or you would just take him to the roof and the both of you sat there, stargazing and talking. You were really a good friend of his.

Friend? Friends don't glare holes into the back of the man they're just talking to.

This man had approached you at the start of the party and hadn't left your side. Clingy. Rich, coming from you.

You didn't owe Bucky anything. You didn't sign a contract that you had to spend all these parties with him. No, it wasn't any of that. That doesn't mean it couldn't hurt.

"Buck, why don't you just tell her?" For a second, Bucky is taken aback. He had completely forgotten that Steve was still sitting there. What had happened to his super soldier skills?

Too busy gaping at her I remember asking you to shut up And I remember telling you not to fall in love with her

Bucky clears his throat at the last comment by his inner conscience. Sometimes, it acted weird.

"Tell who, what, Steve?" Bucky feigns nonchalance as if he has no idea what Steve is talking about.

Steve chuckles. "How many hers do you have in your life, Buck?" Noone. Just her.

Bucky is sure he is going crazy. Maybe he has had too much to drink. You haven't touched alcohol. Oh, I wonder why that is.

"I know many people who use that pronoun, punk. Nat, Wanda, Sharon, Maria, many shield agents, Carol, oh and yeah... y/n. You have to be more specific" Well done

"Fine, I will be more specific. How many 'hers' do you stare at?" "None." He replies, a little too fast and Steve gives him a knowing smirk. And there it goes...

"I am not staring at anyone, Steve." He gives him a pointed look. "Whatever sails your boat, Buck. But I'd recommend talking to her before it's too late."

Before it's too late

That sentence echoes in his ears. He didn't want to lose you. Not to the annoying guy who had still not left your side, not to the shield agent who always insisted on training with you whenever he got the chance, not to anyone. He didn't want to lose you. Never.

How can you lose someone who isn't even yours? This time his inner voice is gentle, pleading as if it is silently begging him to do something.

Before he even knows what he's doing, Bucky is out of his chair and walking towards the bar.

You chuckle at something the man says before you notice Bucky walking towards the both of you and your smile gets wider.

"Hey, doll." He greets you, completely ignoring the man standing a couple of feet away.

: "Hey, Buck. Please tell me Steve didn't talk your ear out about work." You say with a chuckle. Of course, you had noticed Bucky talking to Steve, your eyes tended to look for his even in a room full of hundreds.

Bucky just lets out a chuckle, shrugging, already feeling much at ease now that he was with you.

A clearing of throat brings both of your attention back to the man standing beside you.

"Gosh, I am sorry. Bucky, this is Todd. Todd Williams. You remember the law firm Tony was talking about the other day?"

Bucky just nods his head, least interested in who this man was.

"He is the owner." You introduce him to Bucky with a polite smile on your face and Bucky wants to rip this man's head off. Even though he just knows his name, he is pretty sure he is going to hate him, if he doesn't already.

"Hi, Bucky, I have heard a lot about you." The man brings his hand forward for a handshake and Bucky thinks he will chop off his hand before he shakes it with the man.

"James." He replies with a stern look on his face.

Todd awkwardly takes his hand back and narrows his eyes in confusion.

"My name is James. Only my friends call me Bucky."

You widen your eyes at Bucky. You knew he never liked meeting new people and that he was not really the warmest to strangers, but he was never so.... hostile. If looks could kill, Todd would be six feet under by now.

"It's nice to meet you, James." Todd tries again, now slightly scared of the former winter soldier.

"I wish I could say the same. What are you even doing here?" Bucky asks, annoyed.

"Bucky." You whisper yell his name to remind him how Tony had conducted an emergency meeting to tell everyone that they have to be nicer to the guests. You, then put on a smile before replying for Todd, "He is here for the charity auction. Isn't that nice?"

Bucky squints his eyes at you as if he can't figure out what's so nice about giving your money away for charity.

"That is just an excuse, really," Todd says, in an attempt to break the tension. "I came here in hopes of meeting a beautiful woman." He then looks at you before saying, "Mission accomplished."

You giggle at his words, flustered. You know he is just trying to be nice and not flirty. He had just told you how badly he was missing his wife who was much better at these charity auctions than he was.

What you don't notice is how Bucky's jaws tense and his fists clench. If they were not standing in a room full of so many people, he would have picked the glass from the nearby table and broken it on Todd's head. Tony's warnings are damned.

He instead just says, "Well then, you don't have to stay for the auction. Leave."

Todd nervously chuckles."I could. But now that I am here, maybe I could enjoy the party for a bit."

"You should. Tony's parties have the best appetizers." You tell him, desperately trying to make him feel comfortable when there is an ex-assassin who looks like he could slit his throat if given a chance.

"But you know what's better? The exit gate. You should check it out and while you are at it, maybe also get your ass out of here." Bucky says without an ounce of hesitation in his voice.

"Bucky." You gasp. This wasn't funny anymore. "Can I talk to you? In private?"

You give Todd an apologetic smile before holding Bucky's hand to get the hell out of here, without waiting for his response.

Bucky stops for a moment to look at Todd again, "The exit gate is that way. Feel free to use it while we are gone."

You pull him with you and take him towards the nearest balcony, not leaving his hand till you are out in the cold air and can't hear the party from inside.

You let go of him to cross your arms across your chest. "Buck, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Showing an annoying joke of a man his place," Bucky replies, without a single ounce of guilt for what he has done.

"Bucky." It's your turn to be upset. "He is a businessman. A rich one. His contribution could be great for the auction. Do you not remember what Tony said?"

"I don't care what Tony says. What is he gonna do with so much money, anyways? Buying some piece of mind?"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why in the nine realms were you so rude to Todd?" You snapped.

"Oh, so now you call him Todd, huh?"

"That's literally his name."

"It's a very stupid name, okay? But it suits him. A stupid name for a stupid man. In his stupid suit with his stupid money." Bucky rambles, disgusted as if he hasn't heard a worse name in his long life.

"Buck, you are behaving like a 5-year-old now. What's - ?" You stop yourself as an amused grin spreads on your face as you put the pieces together. "Oh, god!!" You place your palm on your mouth before whispering, "Bucky, you - You are jealous."

"No, no I am not, Not even a bit. Nada.Negative. Why would I be?" Bucky shakes his head as if that were a ridiculous thought. Why was everyone getting the most ridiculous ideas today?"

"I would have believed you if you hadn't said no 6 times. You are jealous." Your smile grows wider as you take a step towards him with a pointed look. "You are jealous because he was talking to me the whole time and he called me beautiful and said that I had a pretty smile." "When did he - " Bucky stops himself as he realises the rage in his voice will give him away. He takes a step back and turns away, till he is standing near the railing.

You stand beside him, about to say something, till you look into his eyes. His eyes have a look you have seen before. He is hurt. He is processing a lot of things that he doesn't want to think about. This wasn't amusing anymore. "Hey. I - I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Bucky, I am - "

"I am not jealous, okay?" He now turns and looks directly into your eyes. "I am not. I just don't like it when someone else has your attention. Not because I am jealous, no. But because I am scared." Bucky swallowed thickly. You had seen him vulnerable before when he had nightmares and you were trying to remind him where he was or when memories from his time at hydra hit him with full force. But this was a different kind. It was as if he was laying his soul bare in front of you. Voicing his worst fears.

"I am scared because I don't want anyone else to realise how amazing, smart, funny, kind and just so damn lovable you are. Because then they will steal you from me. I will lose you forever and - and I don't want that. I don't want to lose you to someone else. I don't want to lose you." He says the last sentence as if he is begging whatever god will listen to not let his worst fears turn true, to let him have this. Let him have you.

"Tell me, doll. Why am I so scared to lose you when you are not even mine?"

Tears pricked your eyes as you looked at him.

Before Bucky knew what was happening, you closed the distance between the both of you. As your lips met his, everything else stood at a standstill.

Bucky was too shocked to respond for a minute. This couldn't be happening. Did you feel the same way about him? How -

All these thoughts turn into nothing until you're the only one comprising his thoughts. And Bucky realises this is how it has been for a long time. It was just you. In his heart and his mind. Your warmth spread through him and captured his soul until it was impossible to separate the two of them.

He kisses you with the same love and gentleness as his hands find your waist to pull you impossibly closer towards him.

When the necessity to breathe arose, you pulled away but still stood close.

"I want to be yours, Buck."

If the kiss had stolen his breath away, your words make his heart beat frantically. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a dream.

"You don't mean that, doll. You - "

"I do. I do mean that, Buck. I choose you. And I'd always choose you. In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd always choose you”

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x original female character #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #winter soldier #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier x y/n #winter soldier x you #marvel #oneshot #jealousy #love confessions #bucky barnes fluff

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saltmannequin · 2 years ago

Text

New Girl

eddie munson x fem!reader

wc: 3.5k

warnings: marijuana use, mentions or injury (nothing gory)

summary: You're new in town and your mother and new friends are set on setting you and Eddie up. You braid his hair Robin gets high it's all very fun.

a/n: i loved writing this so much, if you guys like it I'll do a part 2! i love writing high robin so much!!! I listened to the grease soundtrack while writing this and I have heard John Travolta sing far too many times for tonight.

part 2

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The minute Eddie saw you he knew he was a goner. It was Saturday morning and he found you outside, hauling bags and boxes into the home of his neighbor. Your hair was brightly coloured, piercings adorning your face and ears. Due to the summer heat, you were wearing a tied and faded UB40 tee paired with some distressed denim shorts. Your ring-clad hand was resting on the open trunk of the car, exposing the skin of your left hip that was decorated with a small tattoo. He knew that the older woman who lived next door had a daughter, but he never took her seriously when she insisted her daughter was gorgeous, figuring that she was just being biased.

You peered over your shoulder then and Eddie’s eyes locked with yours for a moment, morning cigarette hanging from his mouth, unlit. His hair was messy and fell across his shoulders, ‘Black Sabbath’ splayed across his t-shirt and checkered boxers peeking out from underneath. Your eyes widened only slightly after finding him unmoving, brown chocolate eyes staring at you. He watched you take him in, feeling his heart drop to his stomach after you found him checking you out.

“Y’ever been told it’s impolite to stare?” You challenged, smiling at the boy, slowly walking towards where he stood on his porch. He was dumbfounded at the fact that your whole look was bordering menacing, your smile was the most innocent and bright thing he had ever seen.

“Uh..s-sorry s’just never seen you in the park before a-and y’know everyone knows everyone ‘round here. You moving in?” He switched his weight on both legs, chuckling nervously and looking anywhere but you.

“Nah, just putting some super heavy boxes in this random woman’s trailer for no reason.” You smiled wider at his nervous figure. You found him endearing. “I’m Y/N. Loretta’s daughter? You must know her since ‘everyone knows everyone ‘round here’.”

The boy smiled at your playful mockery, growing more confident as he found you weren’t going to berate him for obviously checking you out. He also knew your mother very well, her feeling like family to him, meaning that you were nothing to be worried about if you were anything like her. “Yeah I know Loretta. She’s real close with my uncle.” You raised a brow at his comment, to which he instantly widened his eyes and began shaking his hands around. “No! I didn’t mean- I’m not saying that- They’re just good friends s’all.”

You nodded. Your mother had talked before about her neighbor Wayne and his nephew Eddie, describing them both as ‘real gentlemen’ and making an effort to chat Eddie up to you. Your mother knew exactly what kind of boys you were into, and you would be lying if you didn’t admit that after seeing the scruffy brunette standing in front of you. “Good to know she’s behaving. Listen I gotta keep unpacking ‘cause I’m on a pretty tight schedule here. See ya around, Eddie.” You winked before walking away, grabbing an orange duffel bag out of your trunk and disappearing inside.

“I didn’t tell you what my name was.” He said to no one before shaking his head and finally lighting his cigarette.

The weekend had been and gone and you had settled into your new environment pretty easily, finding entertainment in getting to decorate a new room, something you were accustomed to and found joy in.

Monday came around, meaning that it was your first day at Hawkins High. It wasn’t the first time you had been new in town, often moving place to place with your dad while your mom lived in Indiana, so you weren’t extremely worried about being in a new school environment. The quaint town seemed nice enough, so you figured the school would be the same.

Your first day was pretty uneventful. You expected a lot worse from most of the students based on previous experiences, only receiving a few weird looks and insults hurled your way from the letterman jacketed sheeps that loomed in the halls. During second period you met a short-haired, exuberant girl called Robin who complimented your shoes. You both hit it off instantly and she invited you to sit with her at lunch, which you gratefully accepted, the thought of you having to eat alone in your car being removed from your brain entirely.

“So, let me get this straight. You moved here because your dad kicked you out for some mysterious reason we are not allowed to discuss, so you stayed at multiple friend’s houses for three months and even slept in your car for a week before calling your mom to come stay here in Hawkins?” Robin asked, a puzzled look on her face.

“Correct!” You did a little dance in your seat to emphasize your gratitude for her listening to you talk about why you moved.

“But..why didn’t you just call your mom in the first place?”

“Me and my mom get along better when we don’t live together. We get along just fine but when we fight, it’s ugly. I wasn’t gonna call her ‘til some asshole slashed one of my tires ‘cause I didn’t give him twenty cents for a soda at the gas station. Didn’t even know the guy! I told him if I had the twenty cents I woulda given it to him but he told me I was a liar and that I was out to get him. Started crying and everything. Anyway, the rest of my savings I had to spend on a new tire, so I had no options but to call my mom.”

Robin looked at you with shocked eyes before bursting out laughing. “I-I’m sorry it’s just-” She wheezed at this point, slapping the table multiple times which earned some annoyed glares from people sitting nearby, before calming down and being able to converse normally. “You said that.. like it was nothing! THAT is a story, oh my god!” You giggled at her in return.

“It was pretty crazy I’ll admit.”

“You have to meet my friends! They'll absolutely love you and it would be so nice to listen to someone talk about something interesting instead of Steve trying to convince us that Phoebe Cates is the sexiest girl alive.” You snorted lightly at her comment, despite not knowing in the slightest who Steve was. “Seriously. I’ve heard that argument three times this week.”

“It’s Monday.”

“Exactly.”

After lunch, Robin gave you an address that she said was Steve’s and to be there for 7pm sharp. You couldn’t help but feel nervous about the whole situation. Walking into a stranger’s home and meeting even more strangers was not your ideal plan for the evening, however you were comforted by the notion that Robin would be there, too.

The rest of the school day zoomed by quickly, and you were disappointed to have not seen your long-haired neighbor roaming the halls, knowing that he went to Hawkins High too after your mother had told you over the phone many months ago. Something about him was intriguing and you wished that you would see and talk to him again.

You decided upon changing your clothes a little before leaving to go to Steve’s house. Despite the summer heat throughout the day, there was still a cool breeze when it got to around this time of night, so you added a thin cardigan to your tank top and shorts combo before teasing your hair a little. Pleased with how you looked, you walked out of your bedroom to see your mother sitting with a man probably only a couple of years older than her. He was slightly balding and had on a pair of coveralls, a lit cigarette in his right hand and was nodding along to your mother’s incessant ranting. She caught sight of you quickly and wasn’t shy about it.

“Oh! Y/N! Come say hi to Wayne! Wayne, this is my daughter, isn't she a beaut! You look great honey, where are you going off to? I love that top on you, you look like a model!” Your mother had a habit of talking fast, loud and all at once.

“Hi, Mr. Munson, it's nice to finally meet you! My mom doesn’t ever stop talking about you and Eddie.” You shook his hand and chuckled with him as he nodded at you.

“Oh please, call me Wayne. ‘S a pleasure sweetheart. Funny you say that ‘cause your mom don’t ever stop talking about you.” He chuckled as you sighed slightly at your mother. “You’ve met Eddie?”

“Yeah! Met him the other morning just when I was unpacking my stuff. I haven’t seen him since, though. Seems real sweet.” You responded before turning to look at the clock that read ‘6:54’. “Shoot! I’m gonna be late! Real nice to meet you, Wayne!” Your eyes shot to your mother, who was looking at you, expectantly, wanting you to reveal where you were off to before disappearing into the night. “ ‘M going to a friend's house. Be back later!” You slipped your shoes on frantically before racing out the front door.

The drive to Steve’s house was not as long as you had anticipated, meaning you got there only a couple minutes late. You gulped as you stepped out of your car, being met with a fairly large, gray paneled house. Steve’s family was wealthy, that was apparent. You walked along the gravel path to his front door, knocking a little tune on the red wood. Muffled laughter could be heard from the inside of the house and faint music was playing. A couple of seconds passed before you were met face-to-face with Robin.

“Y/N! You made it!” She pulled you in for a tight hug before pulling away and staring into your soul with her glassy eyes. Neither of you said anything for a moment, and you raised an eyebrow when she burst out laughing, doubled over.

“Robin, are you high?” You asked, an amused tone in your voice. You had smoked weed many times before, and therefore it wasn’t difficult for you to distinguish between when someone was high or sober. Robin was baked.

“No, mom, I’m relaxed.” She rolled her eyes before grabbing your hand and pulling you into the unfamiliar home.

She led you to what you assumed was Steve’s living room. If there weren’t two people sitting in there, you would have been under the impression that no one had ever lived there. There were no family photos, trinkets or decorations anywhere in sight. Just furniture and floral print wallpaper in pastel tones. The grease soundtrack echoed through the air and the whole room was blanketed in a thick fog that smelled particularly funky. The sliding glass door leading out to the pool was slightly ajar.

“It was Nancy’s turn to pick the music.” Robin spoke into your ear with a disgusted tone, failing her attempt at a whisper, earning a laugh from you.

“Hey I can hear you!” The girl sitting on the far end of the couch turned her head to Robin, and then to you. She smiled as she saw you. “Hi! I’m Nancy, You must be Y/N, right? Robin hasn’t shut up about you since she got here, we’ve all been dying to meet you.” You smiled at her warmly as the boy sitting in the armchair placed next to the opposite end of the couch turned to you. Steve, you assumed.

“Welcome! I’m Steve. Nance is right, seriously Robin kept going on and on about that gas station story you told her at lunch.” Robin began laughing hysterically as he brought the subject up again.

“Y-you didn’t give him twenty cents!” She gasped, “And he cried!” She was also crying at this point. You smiled sheepishly at her, never seeing a person this high before. You were almost skeptical, but the tears coming out of her eyes really sold to you that yes, someone can get this high.

“You smoke?” Steve interjected and drew your attention away from the now giggling Robin, who was trying to annoy Nancy by standing on her feet. He was slightly nervous you would guffaw at the question, storm out and call the cops despite Robin’s insistence that you did indeed smoke, after seeing a Looney Tunes themed lighter in your bag earlier that day when you were showing her your class schedule.

“Sure do.” You responded, now taking a seat on the far end of the couch next to Steve while Robin had now moved to lay on the floor, legs and arms spread like a starfish, mumbling along to ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’. He nodded and extended the now rolled joint out to you.

“You can have the first pull since you’re new in town. A little welcome to the group gift.” You smiled warmly and accepted the joint that he handed you. You lit the end, inhaling deeply and exhaling.

About 20 minutes had passed and you, Nancy, Robin and Steve had fallen into an easy conversation before being interrupted by heavy banging on the door.

“Idiot finally decides to show up.” You heard Steve mumble under his breath before jogging to the door. Nancy looked at you seriously now, joint between her index and middle finger.

“So, Y/N. Seen anyone cute yet?” She asked, smiling slightly as she brought the joint to her lips, inhaling. You thought for a moment, no one really coming to mind until you remembered the exchange you had with a certain neighbor days before.

“Well..there’s this one guy..” Nancy and Robin both ‘oooohed’ at this information, but before you could say any more you were interrupted by Steve’s booming voice behind you.

“Ladies! The man of the hour has finally arrived without the beer he promised he would bring!” Robin and Nancy both booed and you giggled as Nancy passed the joint to you.

“Wasn’t my fault you guys, seriously. You can’t expect a guy to buy a bunch of beers and then not drink 'em the night he buys 'em.” Your body froze as you heard his voice, knowing immediately who was standing behind you with Steve. You turned your head and was met with the boy you were almost about to gossip about. His hair was still as big and fluffy as ever, but more tame than the last time you saw it. He was wearing an Iron Maiden tee tucked haphazardly into his black ripped jeans and a red and black flannel draped over his broad shoulders. You smiled slightly as he recognised you, before puffing on the joint that Nancy had handed to you.

You were definitely high at this point, brain getting a little foggy and definitely staring a little longer at the metalhead than you should have, and it made him blush to see you check him out like he did on Saturday morning.

“I told you making Eddie get the booze was a stupid idea.” Nancy looked at Steve and rolled her eyes as Eddie made his way over to the couch, falling into the seat next to you with an exaggerated sigh. You passed him the joint and he gratefully snatched it out of your hand and took a deep inhale.

“Never knew you were chummy with my neighbor, Buckley.” Smoke flowed out of Eddie’s mouth as he spoke to your new found friend.

Robin snorted and looked up at him. “Never knew you were neighborly with my chum!” She burst into a fit of giggles before laying her face back into the carpet below her, everyone groaning at the terrible play on words.

“We really need to start keeping track of how much she smokes ‘cause that made me question how many brain cells Rob’s actually destroyed.” Steve huffed out, quirking a brow at the girl sprawled out on his floor. Everyone giggled at this, to which Robin responded with a kind middle finger.

A few hours passed, Robin now dancing with Nancy to ‘You’re The One That I Want’ that had most definitely played at least three times that same night. Steve was humming along to the tune, rolling yet another joint for the group, while you and Eddie were still sitting next to one another, in the most intense conversation you had ever found yourself in.

“That’s so not true!”

“It is!”

Eddie snorted, rolling his eyes at your persistence, slightly offended that you would even suggest such a thing. “Sylvester is not better than Garfield, how dare you even say that!”

You sighed frustratedly. “But he is! Garfield is an iconic cat, I’ll admit! But Sylvester just has that loveable quality about him.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“That may be true, but I’m also right.”

You both sat in silence for a moment, you peering over at the boy and wanting nothing more than to touch his hair. It was the first thing you always noticed about him, how soft it looked and how much you wanted to run your hands through it. The words spilled out of your mouth before you could stop them.

“Can I braid your hair?” You instantly cringed at your question. ‘How creepy.’ You thought. Eddie turned to you instantly, staring at you in shock for a moment, not fully convinced that you had just said anything at all let alone asking to braid his hair. You smiled at him sheepishly, becoming slightly embarrassed.

“Sure.” You were taken aback by his response, expecting him to call you weird and move away from you, but instead he just stood up from the couch and sat on the floor directly in front of you. “Make me look gorgeous!” He exclaimed and you giggled.

Gathering his hair in your hands, you started to comb through it slightly with your fingers before dividing it into three sections. You hummed quietly as you worked and felt a sense of peace wash over you until Steve, once again, interrupted your thoughts.

“What the fuck?” He looked at Eddie, horrified.

“What’s up Steve?” You answered.

“You’re braiding his hair? Are you fucking kidding me! Yesterday he had a leaf in his hair, I went to pull it out for him and he punched me in the stomach! He doesn’t let anyone touch his hair!” It was true, Eddie had always been protective of his hair, scared people would mess it up if their hands went anywhere near it, but with you, Eddie felt weirdly okay with it. He felt comfortable with you despite your limited exchanges.

Nancy and Robin had turned to face you three now too. Nancy gave you a look as if to say ‘I know exactly who you find cute.’ and Robin smiled at you before turning to go into the kitchen, nothing in her eyes.

“Shut up, Harrington.” Eddie retorted to which Steve grumbled in response. You smiled to yourself before tying the boy's hair up with one of the spare hair ties you always kept around your wrist.

“Steve! Where do you keep your carrots?” Robin shouted from the kitchen and Steve sighed before getting up to check on the girl, Nancy following behind him.

“All done!” You exclaimed to Eddie as he smiled at you and returned to his original seat.

“Hey.. ‘been meaning to ask. How’d you know what my name was? The first time we met, I mean. I never told you what it was.” He looked at you confused, clearly not putting two and two together and figuring out that your mother talked about him and Wayne to you as much as she did about you to them.

“Robin, stop taking bites out of my vegetables!”

“I’m making a bite-sized salad!”

You stared at him for a moment. “I’m magic.” You smiled as he chuckled at you. “My mom talks about you and Wayne a whole bunch.”

“Oh? What’s Loretta been sayin’ about little old me?” He batted his eyelashes at you, theatrically putting a hand on his chest and smiling bashfully.

“Hmmm.” You paused for a moment. “You have a DnD club at school, you play guitar, you’re in a band, what else, what else..oh! A couple years ago you tried to pierce your ear, failed and ran into the kitchen with a bleeding earlobe screaming ‘ITS GONNA FALL OFF ITS GONNA FALL OFF!’ “ You began to laugh at the last scenario, now being able to imagine it fully playing out after having met both Munson men. Eddie laughed along with you and you decided against mentioning the fact that your mother had been trying to talk Eddie up to you multiple times over the phone.

“Listen, in my defense, I pierced too far up - thought my whole earlobe was gonna fall off. There was so much blood it was insane!” You laughed even more at this, Eddie faking hurt. “Is my pain of amusement to you? How evil.” You shoved his arm a little, resulting in him poking you in your side which then resulted in you poking his side. Both of you were screaming and laughing like mad children.

Throughout the hubbub, you both failed to notice Steve, Robin and Nancy stood in the doorway, watching you both.

“Okay, those two are a match made in heaven.” Steve stated.

“Please don’t say what I think you’re gonna say.” Nancy rolled her eyes at Steve as he locked eyes with Robin, who had a tomato seed on the end of her nose.

They nodded intensely before both saying what the other was thinking.

“Let’s set them up.”

-----

part 2

p.s. sorry for making Robin say 'let me get this straight'

#eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff x reader #eddie stranger things #stranger things season 4 #stranger things

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lost-between-letters · 3 years ago

Text

Quality Time

Pairing: Jack Kline X Winchester!Reader (she/her)

Requested by: anon

Word Count: 2,002

Warnings: none

Summary: Dean and Sam were out on a hunt. What did that mean? Quality time with Jack! Aka a fluffy spa day

A/N: can be read both platonic and romantic. Also fun fact, it's currently half past three AM over here and I'm posting this due to a dopamine rush from writing some original stuff (as in my own characters within my own little world)

Today was one of those lovely slow days. The bunker was blissfully quiet, for once there was no music blaring from Dean's room or Sam persuading her to go out and talk to some kids in the village. Cas had taken off for a top secret meeting (that Y/N was pretty sure just meant that he was going out on a date with Dean once him and Sam were done helping Donna out with the vampires) and Jack was in his room, probably catching up on Lord Of The Rings.

Y/N was bored out of her mind.

And what did she do in those instants? Annoy other people to death.

Namely, Jack. Her brothers were not there and for what she had in mind, Dean would run like the devil himself was on his tail and Sam wouldn't make it fun. So Jack it was.

She picked up her phone to shoot him a quick warning text (he could be naked after all - last time Y/N barged in on Dean it hadn't been pretty).

Luckily, Jack was delighted at the idea of some company and said he was okay with her little plan. A spa day!

Damn, Y/N was never more happy about the fact that he hadn't inherited any toxic masculinity from her fake dudebro older brother. So off to the bathroom it was to gather her favourite supplies and change into her fuzziest pair of socks and the biggest hoodie she could find.

Okay, and a little stop at the kitchen as well. There was no such thing as snacks not desired.

"Jack, I hope you're wearing your comfiest clothes right now!" Y/N knocked on his door (or slammed her elbow against it while the things she were carrying threatened to spill over), "can I come in?"

"Yes!"

It was a little struggle to open the door without her hands but Y/N managed.

And promptly almost fell over her own feet.

Jack shot up from where he had been sitting on his bed, face scrunched up with worry, and reached out to take the blankets from the top of the pile. "Is this everything or should I help you carry more?"

Sweet helpful Jack. How could someone not be at least a little in love with him? Y/N shook her head before the hearts in her eyes were painfully obvious and opted to dump the rest of her things on his bed.

"Nope, that's all," she said cheerily and walked over to switch on some quiet music. Standing still wasn't her strong suit. Which was ironic, considering that she was about to sit tight for a while now. Y/N tilted her head towards Jack, "any wishes music wise?"

"Please just something from this decade," he requested.

Y/N chuckled. Yeah, Dean had ensured that they could recite just about every glorious rock song from the sixties to the nineties perfectly. But new stuff? Unheard of as long as Dean had control of the music playing. Ah, the upsides of being home alone.

So Y/N went into her happy playlist and put it on shuffle. That ought to set the mood for some relaxing.

When she had placed her phone on top of the blue tooth speaker Sam had gifted Jack, she was faced with him looking curiously at the several brightly coloured containers.

He picked one up gingerly, as if he was afraid it might explode or spew poison at him, and held it out to her. "What are we using these for?"

"For a spa day!" Y/N said and clapped once, "first, we'll go and wash our faces and then put on one of those fancy face masks. You're holding a peeling by the way. We can do that too but it feels itchy on your skin."

That made Jack toss it back down. "No thank you. But we can try a face mask? What does it do?"

Since Jack had become a steady part of her life, Y/N tended to forget about how little he actually knew about mundane things. Though she had to give it to him, chances were high that neither of her brothers would be able explain the intricacies of an extended skin care routine if she put a gun against their heads. Not that this stuff was life threatening.

So Y/N bit back the ugly part of herself that wanted to laugh at his loss of knowledge (and was ashamed of it a great deal), and instead sat down on the ground with crossed legs. From there, she pulled each item from the pile and explained what it was used for or how it should work. On multiple occasions, Y/N opened a lid and let Jack touch the lotion to get a feel for the texture or held it up for him to smell.

Jack soaked up all her careful explanations like a dry sponge and nodded along attentively. He pushed questions of his own in between such as "is that supposed to feel like water? It's so smooth and cold but thicker."

Which either sent Y/N into a fit of giggles or an existential crisis when his remarks got a little too philosophical ("why do you have to use so many products to keep up a natural look as you just described? I thought natural meant that it's the default for the human body and not something that takes hours of preparation." "Society is a bitch like that sometimes." "I do not understand." "Let's have it stay that way.")

An album played through later, they were ready to apply the first face mask.

Y/N put it on Jack first, using a wide brush to spread it evenly. His lips curled into a smile under the feathery touch. "It tickles."

"Tell me if it starts feeling bad, alright?" She said because she had some nasty experiences with allergic reactions.

Jack merely nodded and closed his eyes. "It's cold. Like if I put my face into water and let it dry. Only that the drying takes longer."

When she was done with him - Jack's skin was now coated in a baby blue layer of cream which made him look younger than his body and mind suggested, and a little ridiculous (but that was the point of this, wasn't it?) - she handed the brush over to him. "Now me."

Jack took it from her hand and carefully dipped it into the container. With the sticky goo applied to it, he let it hover over her face for a moment. "And I just spread it on your skin?"

"Just like I did with you," Y/N said softly and leaned forward to encourage him.

It took another second of nervous hovering before Jack brushed the mask on. He was slow with it, his brows pulled together in concentration as his eyes followed the line of the brush carefully.

It tickled. Y/N laughed quietly and barely resisted the urge to lean into him even more. "You're doing great."

"It's soothing," Jack said and moved on to her forehead, "the repetition of the movement. Feels a bit like painting but the canvas is on your skin."

"Right." She had never thought of it that way before but it made sense.

Silence fell over them after that while Jack was making sure that every part of her face was meticulously covered with the face mask. Y/N could have stayed there all day and let him draw the brush over her skin.

She opened her eyes once she felt him lean back.

"All done." Jack held out the brush for her to take back and she placed it on the nightstand where a towel was waiting for dirtied hands or tools. "What now?"

"Now we let the masks soak in," Y/N said and scooted up until she was leaning against his bedframe, "and then, we'll paint each other's nails."

Jack nodded and moved up beside her. Their shoulders bumped as he pulled up his knees. "Can I have mine green?"

"Sure thing!"

Twenty minutes flew by without either of them noticing. The only reminder was the timer Y/N had set for them to wash off the face masks and it startled both of them.

Jack came back from the bathroom with a rosy face and a smile on his lips that felt like the first few sunbeams on a good day. Y/N just had to smile back, warmth spreading in her chest.

"Who first?" She held up two tiny bottles of nail polish, one forest green, the other pastel orange.

"Me? I don't know how to do this either."

Y/N shrugged and crossed her legs. "It's okay. Here, give me your hand."

Jack did as she asked, his fingers warm in hers. After a moment of consideration, Y/N pulled his hand down on the side of her knee as a make shift table.

Then, she unscrewed the nail polish and handed the bottle over to Jack. "This will feel a little cold at first. Try not to touch it, the polish needs to dry first."

"Okay." Jack nodded and held the bottle tightly with his free hand.

After another quick glance upwards, Y/N leaned over his fingers and started painting carefully. Jack's nails were well kept but short so it was pretty easy to apply the polish, even when she hadn't been the best at keeping her hand steady.

Jack was humming along to the song in the background while Y/N moved from one finger to the next.

When she was finished, she patted his wrist once. "You like it?"

"Yes, thank you," Jack said after inspecting them with awe. "Can I do yours now or should I wait until it's dry?"

"We can try now." Y/N unscrewed the orange nail polish for him (as that was the part that almost always messed up her own nails) and handed him the brush this time.

Jack took it gingerly and patted his own knee. "Can you put your hand here, please?"

That was it. He was trying to kill her. No one could possibly be so sweet.

And because Y/N was pretty fine with that, she did as Jack had asked.

He picked up her thumb and turned it for better access before applying the polish.

As with the face mask, Jack was careful with every new stroke, making sure not to let a drop get where it wasn't supposed to be. Y/N was positively melting.

Her nails took about double the time than did his but Y/N was fine with it. Especially when Jack looked up with a proud smile, and leaned back to crack his back from sitting hunched over. "That was fun! The polish has a different feel to it, almost like water when I used too much."

"Yeah, nail polish is tricky," Y/N agreed and held her hands in the air. "They take some time to dry now, let's lay down."

And they did just that. Jack spread out on his back, hands hovering over his face as he inspected them. Y/N wanted to lean over and kiss his cheek.

Instead of that, she only moved herself until she could put her head on Jack's stomach. From there, she could look up and at his nails too. "The colour suits you."

"Thank you. Yours too," he said.

Y/N grinned. "Thanks."

The music played on in the background as they waited for their nails to dry. The steady up and down of his breathing was hypnotising so Y/N started a lazy conversation to keep them awake.

Still, by the time Sam and Dean came back, they were fast asleep, curled in on each other with their hands resting on Jack's stomach, nails up and not touching anything. Sam took pictures while Dean was complaining about his little sister's virtue.

Y/N heard the tail end of it but for once was too sleepy to call him out. It felt far too good to be in Jack's lax embrace, feel his slow heartbeat under hear ear. She was back asleep in seconds.

General Taglist: @immrbrightsideeee , @fandomfoodiedancer, @lovesfandoms, @nyotamalfoy, @stixnstripesworld , @foxyjwls007 , @amythedoctor , @alexxavicry

Jack Taglist: @sweater-weather-spn

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#jack kline x reader #jack x reader #jack x you #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfiction

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