#the patch in the roof will get fixed

[algrenion]

Part 1

Baby Seagulls Nesting Above the Vents update: The Infernal Peeping

the little guys sound like they're becoming ever-stronger...

[1am-s0-veryt1red]

.

[skeltnwrites]

Deck the Halls ⋆⁺❆₊꙳‧❅⋆࿔

With Eddie stuck in the hospital, the boys help you bring Christmas to him. 3k

a/n - for the amazing @littlexdeaths twelve days of promptmas! <3

“Mike, stop pulling so hard.” 

“You’re holding it too high!” 

Lucas scoffs. “It’s literally dragging on the floor.” 

“It’s literally not–” 

“Guys!” Your snow-slick boots squeal on the linoleum as you spin. “You’re gonna get us caught if you don’t stop arguing.” 

“But he–” 

“I wasn’t–”

“Both of you! Shut up!” 

The scowl Mike gives Lucas is met with equal disdain. But he rolls his eyes and heaves the Christmas tree in his arms up a notch. You resume down the hospital hallway, hauling the front end of the tree with four grumpy teenagers in tow. 

You can’t be that annoyed. Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Mike are all here with you of their own volition in this stuffy hospital very early on Christmas morning. And they all have a piece of your heart for doing so. 

You adjust your grip on the tree. No matter how you hold it, the bristles poke your waist, and the bark stamps itchy lines into your palms. But you remind yourself of Eddie. Of his hospital room with white walls, white sheets, white machines, white everything. And that’s just not right, not on Christmas. 

So you’re bringing the holiday spirit to Eddie this year. Between the five of you, there are three backpacks brimming with unused tinsel, lights, and ornaments, and a pine tree as tall as Lucas. 

You’d have decorated earlier if you could’ve. But Eddie procrastinated until Christmas Eve to fix the lights on your roof and in his haste, his heel skidded on a patch of ice, and he tumbled off the house in a rather cartoonish display. It wasn’t funny then, but you can laugh now knowing he’s passed out on painkillers and recovering just fine. Still, two broken ribs were enough to hold him for observation and visiting hours ended before you could scrounge anything festive together. So here you are, slinking through the emergency room past receptionists, nurses, and hospital security in the middle of the night. 

You raise a fist, prompting the boys to freeze. The click-clack of heels echoes from around the corner, growing louder by the step. “Back, back, back,” you order. 

Mike backpedals straight into Will’s chest and Dustin steps on Lucas’ foot. The tree lurches backward as they all grapple for balance. It’s a clumsy scuffle nowhere near quiet. If whoever’s there didn’t hear you before, they certainly have now. 

You try the nearest door handle and swing it open. By some miracle, the room’s unoccupied. 

The boys follow your lead, bags jingling loudly with each frantic step. They shove the tree through the doorway at an angle and a branch snags on the frame. 

“Wait– stop, stop!” Dustin whisper-yells. 

Mike rams it through again, a flurry of pine needles shaking loose and fluttering to the floor. 

“Stop,” you bark, “Turn it first.” 

They’re a smart bunch but they lack teamwork skills when you so desperately need it. Several pairs of hands fight to maneuver the tree in opposite directions. And all four of them squeeze through the doorway with it, snapping a branch in half and shaking another sheet of pine needles free. 

You sweep the tree remains inside with your foot– though there’s certainly still evidence in the hall– and pull the door closed behind you. The cheap window blinds crinkle as you steer them aside, just enough to see past the door. 

The heeled woman is either blind, deaf, or committed to minding her own business because she strolls by the door like it’s any other. You slump against the wall, turning to flash a thumbs up at the kids as soon as she’s out of view. You’re matched with a quartet of yawns, skipping from one frown to the next. 

“Almost there,” you encourage. It’s not a lie, per se, but it’s not very close to the truth either. This might be harder than you imagined. 

The elevator is too risky, so you take the stairs. But hauling a whole tree up four flights of stairs is no easy task. Mumbled complaints overlap and echo in the stairwell and by the top, your arms and legs are protesting just the same. 

The door whines as you crack it open, and you peer through the gap to scope out the area. There’s a nurse's station in the center of the floor manned by the same woman you’d seen earlier. Eddie’s room is on the opposite side; there’s virtually no way to sneak past without her seeing. 

You turn around, eyes locking with Dustins like they’re two bullseyes. 

He crosses his arms and cocks his head. He knows the look you're giving him and he doesn’t like it. “What?” 

“I need you to distract the nurse.” 

He says your name through a sigh, but before he can actually disagree, you yank him by the sleeve and thrust him through the doorway. 

The nurse’s head pops up from the desk immediately and Dustin shakes himself into character. 

“Help!” he shouts, promptly clearing his throat. “I need help– it’s my, my mother! You must help her,” he whips his head left and right. “Over here, in the elevator!” 

The nurse doesn’t move. She tries to speak but Dustin interrupts her.

“No! She won’t make it! Please– hurry!” 

The woman scrambles out of her seat and jogs after Dustin. He’s not very convincing, but he’s a better actor than the rest of you. And he’s very committed once he’s in it. Dustin’s cries persist, eventually distant enough that your adrenaline loosens its grip. You fling the door open, pinning it with your foot. The boys hustle through, following your pointer finger down the right corridor. You trot back ahead, escorting them right up to Eddie’s door. 

The sharp, sterile scent of disinfectant imbues the frigid air in his room. The machines are off so the quiet hangs heavy. It’s the opposite of warm in every sense possible. And the little bit of it still spilling in from the hall is quickly cinched as someone shuts the door. 

You grope around the darkness, staggering over to the inky shadow you recall to be a chair. Your fingertips brush the scratchy fabric, and you let your bag slip from your shoulder, landing softly on the seat. 

A splash of light from the window catches one side of Eddie’s face. His lashes kiss the hills of his cheeks and his mouth is hinged open, exhaling a string of soft snores. It’s very cute, though, the kids’ expressions don’t reflect the same fondness. 

“We don’t have all day,” Lucas mocks, parroting your exact words from earlier when you’d urged him to get in the van before all the heat escaped.  

Your gaze sours when it reaches the boys. “Shut up. Help me stand the tree up.” 

Lucas snickers, planting himself on the other side of the tree. You lift the trunk so Will can slide the base under and Mike goes prone on the floor to screw it in. 

“Hurry up,” Lucas complains. 

“I can’t see!” 

“Shhh!”

Will pulls a flashlight from his bag and points it at Mike’s hands. The final screws are tightened and the boys let go.  

You give the trunk an affirming shake before retracting your own hands. It remains upright, even after a few optimistic steps back. 

If you think decorating would be the easiest part of this mission, you’d be wrong. It’s much too dark to work, even after Will situates his flashlight so it’s highlighting most of the tree. And keeping quiet might be impossible when you’re forced to mediate petty teenage arguments every five minutes. 

Mike and Will are hunched over a wad of string lights on the floor, unknotting opposite ends when Lucas waves his much neater spool of lights. “Uhh, we can’t use those. I brought rainbow ones.” 

Will tuts at the other boy. “So? We can use both?” 

“No, it’ll look stupid.” 

Will beckons you over with a growing frown. You’d swear these kids never graduated middle school if you hadn’t gone to the ceremony. The older they get, the more they fight, it seems. But your patience is thinning with each wave of attitude you receive. You’d asked for their help as their friends, not their babysitters. 

“Use both,” you decide, hands pressed into your hips. 

“But it won’t match!”

“It’s fine, Lucas.” 

He rolls his eyes very blatantly at you. It takes every ounce of self-restraint not to drive him home then and there. 

But the sound of the door handle rattling steals your attention. It jerks up and down but the door doesn’t open; one of the kids must’ve locked it. Your heart springs up into your throat, your eyes swinging around the room for an escape plan. The lock will only buy you so much time and there’s no way to safely exit through the window and—

“It’s me!” Dustin shouts, popping into the window frame. His lips are nearly touching the glass and he’s fogging up the pane with his breath. 

“Jesus,” you mumble, clutching your chest as you march up to the door. 

Dustin scrambles in, chest heaving with a glare aimed right at you. “You would not believe how much stamina that woman has! I mean she just kept going. I thought, I lost her, and then–” 

You slap your palm across his mouth. “Shhh!”  

His wide eyes follow yours to Eddie. 

Eddie sighs, lips smacking as he straightens a leg across the sheets. You’ve never been so thankful to be dating such a deep sleeper. 

“Sorry,” Dustin whispers. 

You shove him further into the room. “Go. Be quiet.” 

Dustin grabs the tail end of the lights in Will’s hands. Together they wind the cord around the bottom half of the tree. Lucas dresses the top half in rainbow bulbs, still sulking as he works. 

You squat beside Mike to help him sort the ornament pile. One you brought quickly catches your eye. It’s a clay guitar pick Eddie made in middle school art class, an instant favorite of yours. You take it and hang it front and center, filling the gap in the middle of the tree where they ran out of lights. 

One by one, the tree is stocked with a rainbow of mismatched ornaments. There's something from each of their homes– family photos and elementary school crafts and trinkets of every size. It’s a wild assortment but a very special one too. 

Dustin is determined to hang the star– puts up a case that he was used as bait and thus deserves it– though, no one was going to argue against him in the first place. He climbs onto Mike’s back, arms stretching as far as they’ll go.

“God, you’re heavy.”  

“Stop complaining. Get me closer.”

“I’m trying.” 

Mike staggers closer and Dustin snatches a fistful of the top. The entire tree lurches toward him, ornaments clinking in his wake. 

“Wait– careful,” you urge.

Dustin lists dangerously forward, jamming the star through the bristles. 

From beside you, Will hums disapprovingly, “It’s crooked.”

Dustin’s tongue curls over his lip as he adjusts it. “Now?”

“Still crooked.”

"Now?"

Your hands hover out in front of you like a net but you are not as prepared to catch him as you look. “No, it’s fine. Just leave it.” 

Dustin releases the tip and the whole tree reels back. His arm shoots back out to steady it, but a handful of ornaments swing off and onto the floor. Miraculously, none shatter, but they bounce away in a ripple of clinking. 

Your focus jumps over to Eddie. He’s squinting vaguely in your direction, head tilted off his pillow with curls plastered to one cheek. 

A breathy chuckle reverberates through your chest. “Merry Christmas!” 

“Wha…”

The kids mimic you in their own broken choir of wishes but with half the enthusiasm you delivered. 

Eddie’s eyebrows weave into one crooked arch. He attempts, and quickly fails, to prop himself up on his elbows, making a sullen sort of sigh on the way down. 

You stride over to the bed, landing on the edge by his sheet-wrapped thigh. Your hand slips behind his shoulders and you offer a half smile. “Surprise?” 

He winces into a sit, a hand flying to his chest. Pain folds back into confusion as his eyes flicker across each face in the room. “I don’t… Why?” 

“So you can celebrate, silly.” You hook a finger under the hair stuck to his face and tuck it behind his ear. 

His lashes flutter closed as he melts into your palm, slowly bending until his forehead meets your shoulder. “Sorry, ‘m so tired.” 

Despite the overdramatic gagging going on behind you, you accept the embrace, running a ginger hand up his spine where his gown has billowed open. “Don’t be. Didn’t mean to wake ya. It’s early.” 

His nose sweeps a cold line across your collar. “How’d you get in? Place is like a prison,” he mumbles. “Already tried to escape.” 

“No, you didn’t,” you snort. 

“No,” he admits, lips turning against your shirt. “You snuck in? Snuck a whole Christmas tree in?”

You lean away just enough to nod, pride softening the edges of your grin.

“And you managed to do that with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum times two.” 

“I’m sorry– Who face-planted off a roof again?” Dustin cracks. 

Your sudden laughter is corked with Eddie’s palm. He glares– or tries to anyway– but you know his tells. The way one corner of his mouth twitches through his frown. How he tilts his head when he’s secretly amused. “Don’t laugh at that,” he says, utterly unconvincing. 

The rest of your laugh is swallowed, but the levity doesn’t fade. You peel his fingers off, gently carrying them to your lap like they might be broken too. “It’s true. You did.” 

“Whatever.” 

“Don’t pout.” You tip your head, mirroring him on purpose. “Do you like it?” 

His gaze tapers back up to the scene behind you, eyes glowing with red, green, and gold. “No, I love it,” he says honestly. 

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm. I can’t believe this. How’d I get so lucky? Hmm?” Eddie pinches your side, cutting off your giggle with a swift kiss. 

“God, gross!” 

You whip your head toward the source. “Lucas, you literally have a girlfriend.” 

“Yeah, but you’re kissing Eddie.”

“What? You don’t think Eddie’s pretty?” Your fingers clamp either side of his face, cheeks squishing into his puckered lips like a fish. 

Eddie stares blankly at Lucas, but the second his eyes bound to yours, you both burst into laughter. 

“Don’t make me laugh, babe. Fuck,” he hisses, doubled over in amusement and equal pain.

“Sorry, sorry,” you amend, hands gently sandwiching his. “Oh– Let me get your gift.” 

He’s curious but he still sulks as you leave, chasing the lost warmth as you slide off the bed. “A gift?” 

“Mhmm,” you say, unzipping the front pocket of your bag. You fish out a small box wrapped in glossy paper with a puffy, red bow. 

He gives it a good shake when you pass it to him and a knowing smirk at the noise it makes. 

“Open it.” You beckon the kids closer, taking your prior spot on the bed. “It’s from all of us.”

The paper falls away under Eddie’s eager hands, a smirk growing and growing until it suddenly falters. Pure shock washes over him as he gawks at the gift. A limited edition, glow-in-the-dark set of dice he’s been talking about for months. 

His eyes shoot between you and the dice several times before he asks, “Where’d you even get these? They sold out like immediately.”

You shrug, nonchalance slipping. “Know a guy.”

He rolls his eyes, giving your shoulder a good jostle. And his gaze shifts across every person in the room, thumb absentmindedly roving across the box's label. “Thank you, guys.” 

“They come with one condition,” Dustin says. 

“What’s that?”

“You have to resurrect Virehart the Vengeful.”

Eddie groans, burying his smile in his free hand and shaking his head. “I told you guys I’m not doing it.”

“Please, come on! That’s our only condition,” Will tries. 

“He literally had like two lines.” 

“And they were badass!” says Dustin. “A blade is only as sharp as the courage behind it,” he recites in a voice much deeper than his own. 

“Oh my God.” Eddie waves a dismissive hand. “Fine, fine.” 

The boys celebrate with a chain of cheers. Eddie steals your fingers back amidst all of the yelling, a doting little look in his eyes. Forget the dice, you’re the real gift to him. 

The fuss very promptly ends when someone clears their throat. You all turn in unison, finding the same nurse from earlier. She sighs, hands planted on her hips with a disapproving shake to her head. 

Eddie chuckles nervously. “Merry Christmas?” 

[intoxicated-chan]

Okay, so this is more on the soft angst side, but would you be willing to write a Miguel x F!Reader (or gender neutral if you’d prefer that) where Miguel visits Reader’s universe to check in on them since they haven’t visited the Spider Society headquarters for some time now, and he shows up at her apartment right as she’s in the middle of fixing up her wounds after a massive fight. And so he helps patch up her wounds, and after some intense eye contact between the two of them, they kiss (it should be noted that they’ve been pining over each other awhile now, but neither of them have said anything to the other).

And if it isn’t too much, I have these dialogue prompts you can add as well if you need anymore inspiration (you totally don’t have to use them, I just thought they’d fit perfectly with this scenario).

“Are you alright? Where are you hurt?”

“You don’t have to come over here and take care of me you know. I can clean up my own messes.”

“Can I stay? I'll take the couch.”

If this feels like too much, don’t hesitate to decline this ask! I’m just really excited 😅

I Need You to Stay

✿ฺ Paring ➳❥ Miguel O’Hara x F!Reader

✿ฺ Summary ➳❥ Miguel hasn’t heard from you in weeks, he wonders what’s keeping you so busy.

✿ฺ (A/n) ➳❥ Inspired by “Stay” by Ari Abdul. Thank you for the request Anon! I hope you enjoy it and are taking care of yourself. Have a wonderful day/night!

✿ฺ Word Count ➳❥ 887

✿ฺ Content Warnings ➳❥ Female reader, mention of violence, mentions of death, light angst, fluffy, blood, open wounds, light swearing…

Four weeks. It has been four weeks since Miguel last saw you. Normally, he wouldn’t be so worried, but it’s been four days. Usually, if you couldn’t make it, you’d talk to him through a screen but that hasn’t happened in the four weeks. Not a call, not a text, not even a simple message. Heck, even Lyla hasn’t heard anything from you.

Miguel sighs, “I can believe I’m saying this right now…” He looks at Peter B. “I’m putting you in charge until I get back.”

“Where are you going?” Peter B. asks.

“I haven’t heard anything from (Y/n) and Lyla can’t reach her. I’ll be back soon.”

Gwen pops up from behind Peter B.,“Can I join you?” She asks, pulling her hood up as she walks closer to Miguel, “I want to see the person who has Miguel O’Hara crushing on.”

“Excuse me?” Miguel cocks an eyebrow.

“You heard me!”

“No.” Walking away from Gwen.

“Why not?” And Gwen quickly follows.

“Because she could be in danger.” Miguel begins adjusting his gizmo to the correct universe.

“You saw me in action, I could help.” Gwen retorts.

“And I said…” A portal opens up, “No.” Then he disappeared and Gwen scoffed.

“I told you he wouldn’t listen.” Peter B. laughs with Mayday in his arms and Miles right beside him, laughing along.

Miguel lands on the rooftop of your apartment with a grunt. He takes a moment to look around and see if anything has changed, and something did. It was midnight in your universe and the lights to your apartment were still on.

He jumps down and easily clings onto the wall next to your window. With his other hand, he slowly slides your window open and slips in, closing it behind him.

“I know you’re here Miguel!” You call out from the other room, “Heard you since you landed on the roof.”

He chuckles as he walks towards the sound of your voice, “I shouldn’t be so surprised, your abilities have always impressed-” His eyes widen as he looks at you.

You sat at the table, bloody bandages on the table, cotton balls and fresh bandages. But the blood still dripping from the open wounds on your arm made his stomach churn, not in a good way.

He swallows thickly as he comes closer, taking your injured arm in his hand, “Who did this to you?” He growls.

“I took care of it.” You tell him, but it doesn’t stop him from worrying, “Nothing left but cuts and bruises… That will heal.” You try to sooth his worry.

“Are you alright? Where are you hurt?”

“You’re holding the only thing that’s hurting right now.”

Miguel uses his webbing to pull up another chair to sit. He grabs the disinfectant and pours some of his on a cotton ball, you hiss at the contact as he cleans up the blood.

“You don’t have to come over here and take care of me, you know. I can clean up my own messes.” You speak through gritted teeth as it still burns.

“...How strong were they?” He speaks through the awkwardness.

“It wasn’t because they were strong.” You admit, “I got carried away, distracted.”

“By what?”

“The bastard was wearing colors similar to yours. I thought it was you for a split second, and in the second, I was open for an attack and they took it… I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Grabbing the bandages and wrapping up your arm.

“Don’t you remember the first time you brought me on a mission with you. I got distracted.”

“Of course I remember, what kind of idiot throws themself in front of someone.” He looks over the bandages, making sure they’re on correctly and not too tight.

“I thought you were going to die that day, I thought if I could at least save Spider-Man, then for once I did something good in my life.” Your head hangs in shame.

“We cannot save everyone, no matter how hard we try.” Miguel huffs, “At least…” He cups your face, slowly lifting your head to look at him, “I got to save you.”

“Migu-”

“Can I stay?” He asks, “I’ll take the couch.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need someone looking after me.” You pick up the bloody cotton balls and bandages.

“You’re shaking.”

“My arm still hurts and the adrenaline is still pumping.” You lie.

“Please don’t lie to me, (Y/n). You know how much I hate liars.” He comes closer, “Tell me what’s got you so distracted.”

“Everything about you. From your stupid, lovely hair to you entirely.Which is why I stayed away, I didn’t want to be so distracted that I’d cause the team to fall apart.” He cups your face once more and closes the space between you two. His lips falling onto yours.

It made Miguel’s heart beat faster and faster, and for some reason, the pit in his stomach grew even more. But it disappeared when he felt your arms come around his neck, standing on your toes.

He pulls away, “Distracted now?”

“Very.” You mumble.

“Are you letting me stay the night or will we have to go to my place?”

“Are you sure you want to leave Peter in charge for any longer?”

Oh, shit. He forgot about him.

© 2023 Intoxicated-Chan, I do not allow my work to be copied, translated, modified, adapted, or put on any other platform without permission.

[amnestria-the-elf]

So we're all just supposed to be fucking grateful that Larian gave us "new Wyll content" (evil ending for a man who is canonically incorruptible, what the fuck) and simultaneously broke him again (giving low approval greetings to a romanced PC, what the fuck).

I... I just... the simultaneous feelings of rage and utter hopelessness are overwhelming.

Listen, if you've read any of my posts you know I have a pretty clear "Don't yuck anyone's yum" policy. If you think an evil Wyll ending is interesting, fine. But here's why it falls flat for me.

First, like I said above, Wyll is canonically incorruptible. It's literally the entire basis of his character. He is a man who was coerced into making an infernal contract to save a city and had to pay a horrible price for doing so, then spent seven fucking years alone in the wilderness doing his damned best to protect the people of the Sword Coast, while all along telling his horrible, abusive patron to just fuck off already.

Now, could you argue that during the events of the game, Wyll develops a taste for evil? Sure. There are plenty of opportunities for his villain origin story to unfold. But they never do. His moral compass never wavers. Turned into a devil? He feels shame, because it's an outward sign that he was doing things for Mizora that were morally wrong, and he didn't see it before. His approval rating for the PC shoots through the roof if you save Karlach, a sure indicator of his true moral compass. His father kidnapped? Fuck that noise, we're gonna save him. Rescue Zariel's "asset"? Ugh, fine, but don't get distracted from the real reason we're here. His father gets tadpoled? Oh hells no, we're gonna take down these assholes and save the godsdamned world. His father accuses him of being an agent of a devil and is super pissy about it? "Everything I did, I did for the people of the Sword Coast."

For fuck's sake, he will leave the party if the PC gets too evil, even knowing it means he'll probably turn into a mindflayer immediately. Even if he's romancing the PC. Unwavering moral compass. So giving him an evil ending without also going back and changing everything about his character just feels like lazy writing to me.

Which brings me to the second reason all of this rubs the wrong way. Wyll deserves so much more content. More romanced greetings, more reactions to other characters' choices, a final boss battle that is actually about him, a default ending that actually makes fucking sense (I have another post cooking about the Avernus ending, so I will leave it for now.)

And please, spare me your "But Wyll was rewritten after early access" bullshit. That's Larian's problem. They chose to listen to feedback and do a late-stage rewrite. They then chose to implement it poorly and never fucking fix it. Other characters, who already have far more content than Wyll, have had even more added over the course of the seven released patches. Wyll, on the other hand, has been sitting around completely ignored until now when we get this evil ending.

Many have rightfully pointed out the inherent racism steeped in all of this. I want Larian to be better. But as Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." I already didn't have much hope about Patch 7 for Wyll, but this... honestly, this is worse than him just being ignored again.

The thing that kills me the most is that this is just going to be more fodder for the fandom to completely mischaracterize Wyll, for those who already haven't bothered to think critically about his character at all to just be like, oh, cool, Wyll is evil now. Nope. You've completely missed the point.

I'm just... so tired. I've worked very hard to put this little bubble of Wyll enthusiasts around me (hi friends I love you all!) so that I can hold on to some shred of sanity in this fandom. The world needs heroes of color. Just let Wyll be the hero in peace.

[daycourtofficial]

We’re Bumping Booties, Having Us a Ball

Summary: Nesta and Azriel are suspicious of you and Cassian spending so much time together.

It was unusual for Nesta to speak individually to Azriel. This might be the first time she’s ever sought him out to have a discussion, and frankly, it slightly terrified him.

She approached him, and after looking around for wandering ears, deeming it safe to speak, she asked “have you noticed something different between our mates?”

Azriel blinked. He had no idea what he expected Nesta to talk to him about, but it certainly wasn’t about you and Cassian.

“What are you talking about?” He asks, genuinely curious.

“They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately,” she huffs, clearly annoyed he doesn’t see what she does.

“We all spend an absurd amount of time together, Nesta,” he replies.

She rolls her eyes, “why she wants to be with you is beyond me, you insufferable bat. Okay, fine, maybe I’m making it up. Next time we’re all together at Rita’s, just pay attention to them.”

And so he did. He noticed you and Cassian conspiring over something, he just wasn’t sure what. You didn’t spend the whole time with Cassian, just whenever Azriel went to get you more drinks, you’d immediately start speaking to Cass and your conversation would conveniently end when Azriel returned.

He didn’t think anything nefarious was going on. You two had been mates for ages, before Cassian ever even met Nesta. You and Cassian had a friendship best described as siblings - honestly seeing his brother love you so much warmed his heart.

So he wasn’t worried you were doing anything scandalous with Cassian, but he knew when you were conspiring, and oh were you conspiring.

The next time Azriel gets up for drinks, he stops by Nesta and tells her, “they’re up to something. Let’s find out what.”

-

It didn’t take long for them to catch a hint that you and Cassian had plans. Two nights later, Cassian told Nesta that he had to drop his leathers off to get patched, and you told Azriel you were going to a cobbler to have your shoes fixed.

Nesta and Azriel met in the hallway after their respective mates had left. “She told me she had a cobbler to visit - at 9 PM.” Azriel knew you were much better at crafting lies than that - he likes to think you have a hard time lying to him. And you do.

“He muttered something about getting his leathers repatched.” Nesta scowled.

Azriel just stared at her, honestly shocked at this mission they’re embarking on.

A few minutes of silence pass. Nesta feels compelled to break it, unsure of what they’re waiting for, before a few shadows come back and dance slowly around Azriel’s ears.

“They’re on the roof.”

-

“Okay, put your hand here. Do it like this. No, you have to put your hips into it. OW! That was my foot!”

Azriel and Nesta crept up to the door to the rooftop - a flat area designed to entertain guests and occasionally watch Starfall. Hardly anyone used the rooftop during the year, especially not during the winter when it’s freezing up there.

Nesta and Azriel can hear you way before they see the two of you, sharing a quizical look when they hear you muttering explitives about your foot.

“Can you see anything?” Nesta whispers.

“No, we can peak around the corner though,” Azriel replies, starting to crouch to peer around the corner.

He and Nesta peer around the corner at the same time, the sight being even more surprising than if their mates were cheating on them.

“Are they..?” Nesta asks.

“Dancing.” Azriel says.

“She’s dancing, he’s doing… something. But it’s not dancing.”

They continue to watch the two of you for a while, amazed at your patience with teaching Cassian how to dance. You’re being exceptionally kind and patient with him, taking time to help him practice, despite the pleas from your toes to have him stop.

“She’s teaching him to dance, he’s never been good at formal dancing,” Azriel whispers to Nesta, an idea of why you’d be doing this forming in his mind.

“Cassian wants to know how to dance?” Nesta asks, confusion evident across her face. Azriel turns to look at her, amusement across his face, “Why do you think he’d want to learn to dance when he’s never been interested in doing more than dancing at Rita’s before?”

Realization dawns across her face, “he wants to dance with me.” She says quietly. She continues to stare at her mate, in awe of how incredibly sweet this gesture is, and a little upset that he went to you to teach him how to dance instead of her.

“Okay, I’m calling it. I’ve spun you around enough tonight. I want to go to bed.”

Cassian’s voice breaks Nesta train of thought. She grabs Azriel’s arm, almost making him fall over with how hard she’s trying to get them to move. “We need to go - he’d be devastated if we ruined his surprise.”

Nesta and Azriel hurry down the stairs, back down to the hallway where they met each other thirty minutes earlier.

“So, Nesta,” Azriel says, very amused at his brother’s surprise, “how do you feel about their little secret?”

Nesta sighs and says quietly, “that I have an incredibly thoughtful mate and I almost ruined his surprise due to some jealousy.”

“Good,” Azriel replies, “and that I have an incredibly kind mate who loves the two of you greatly.”

Azriel left Nesta to consider that, and when you returned to your shared room smelling briefly of Cassian, he chuckled to himself and offered to rub your feet while you two take a bath.

Azriel waits until Starfall, when Cassian takes Nesta on the dance floor for a while, looking pretty decent, to tell you, “hmm, someone looks like he’s finally figured out how to dance.”

Your eyes snap to his face, “He must have had a wonderful teacher.” Azriel’s mischievous smile tells you that he knows just who Cassian’s teacher was.

“I wonder if his teacher’s available to show me some moves,” he says, grabbing your waist and pulling you closer.

“I heard she’s booked for months. She’s very hard to get in to see,” you reply, placing your hand on his jaw.

“You think she’d make a special exception for me?” He says, giving you an incredibly pitiful look.

“I think I can get her to pencil you in,” you reply, grabbing his face and kissing him.

[zhvakinnn]

They accidentally injured their s/o pt2

Warnings: angst to fluff?

Character's: Tyler, Taylor Ashlyn

Part 1: Logan, Aiden, ben

✨as always i don't know much English so if something is wrong correct me✨

Tyler Hernandez

You were all in Ashlyn's house taking his parents car keys to drive the Jeep

When we walk inside we heard a loud thud coming from the roof and you, Ben, Taylor looked and saw aiden and Ashlyn

"uh help"

When we help them tyler bust in the room saying that we should hurry up

As we got down a phantom attack you tyler was gonna attack the phantom with his weapon, only ended up hurting you

A light suddenly shine towards you causing the phantom to evaporate and tyler cutting your arm

(you still have an arm its just a big ass scar)

Tyler's eyes widen and saw aiden he was the one who light the flashlight towards you he wanna burst to anger but he was worried about you

He holds you and your arms to stop bleeding and went running to the jeep

As you all got there Taylor was driving crazy, if only I'm not injured I would scream so loud

"OPEN THE GATE"

I heard some scream as we got there tyler gave me to Ben while he puke

"what happened to her?!" Logan said looking at you, then tyler wipe her mouth

"you!" Tyler said looking at Aiden, then Aiden look at Tyler confused

"if you hadn't shine the flashlight to them they wouldn't be in this situation" tyler said starting to walk towards aiden then Taylor stopped him

"maybe his just trying to save (name) lets just calm down and go to (name)" Taylor said holding Tyler's shoulder

He grumble and nodded when he got there you were already patch up then you look up to see Tyler you stand up only him saying that you should sit down and kissed you're fore head and hug your head you let your head fall in his chest

"I'm really sorry if i was careful and not act to fast i wouldn't hurt you"

"it wasn't your fault tyler, and if you're asking for another sorry i forgave you already"

You two sat there in a comfortable silent

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

Taylor Hernandez

You two are at the top of the wall just relaxing you two were laughing, chatting you two were a perfect couple

You two were keeping an eye on the phantom until one of the light went off

'what?!' you thought then you saw a phantom going up you two were running towards the phantom while shouting

"HEY HELP THE LIGHT WENT OFF THERE ARE PHANTOM!" everyone look up and saw many of them

Everyone got they're weapon and went up while you and Taylor was struggling

Suddenly a phantom jump on Taylor causing her to fall down

"TAYLOR!"

Once you jump towards her she kick the phantom causing you to meet the back of the phantom and you well into the buses

"oh no oh no (NAME)!!"

She went down towards you hugging you then the light was fix thanks to Logan's science

"ARE YOU OK?! IM SORRY IM SORRY I'M SO-" "shh" you cut her off and telling her you were fine

"can we just.. rest my back hurts" then she noticed a scratch on your arm and face her eyes started to tear wiping you're cheeks then hugged you

You saw where she's looking earlier you had a big fat scar on your hand

Her head was on your shoulder "dont worry.. I'll be fine i promise"

She smiled and so as you

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

Ashlyn banner

She was so focused to get the jeep she hadn't noticed you

You were running behind her but as you were running a phantom attacked you pinning you down all of them got in the jeep not noticing you were left behind

You're eyes were widen when you heard the jeep start and left you

You thought they abandoned you

But as soon as they got there Ashlyn was looking for you

"(name)?..(name)?... Were are they"

They all looked around and like oh shit we left them. Ashlyn push Taylor not hard but enough to get out of her grip

"open the gates.."

"what?"

"i said open the fucking gates"

Logan nodded as he press the button then Ashlyn went inside the jeep

"w..wait you still not look feeling well-'

Taylor was cut off when Ashlyn close the door and went driving towards the gates they close the gates behind her

When she saw you she stopped the jeep and attack the phantom she kept stabbing it

When she finally got to kill it she scooped you and went to the jeep

As soon as Ashlyn got there she took the bandaids and wrapped you Taylor help her because she was shaking so hard

"please wake up please wake up" she kept mumbling hold your hand tight

Then an alarm clock was beeping she wasted no time to get ready for school even her own parents were confused as soon as she got in the bus she didn't saw you on your spot

She was panicking then a hand suddenly grab her it was Ben then he pointed were you are you were lying down

She suddenly felt relief your ok

When she sat down you felt her presence

"Taylor?" You said as you sobbed in her chest " i thought you abandon me because you hate me" your words hit her so much

Then she cupped your face " i would never abandon you I love you so much, I'm sorry i didn't notice you i really had a head ache causing me not to realize you were left behind"

She explained as you hugged her tightly "then lets rest for now"

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

Damn Ashlyn's part is so long

Masterlist | about me | rules

[fleurmiss]

ೃ⁀➷ i hope nobody catch us, but i kinda hope they catch us.

- ,, neteyam x fem reader

- ,, you and neteyam get caught making out?

- ,, warnings - SUGGESTIVE! adults watch out this is a teenager ur reading abt. minors be careful yo, making out, neteyam is like deadass whipped for u.., can u guys tell i love when character is whiny and so inlove atp??

-‘๑’- les - childish gambino

Your friendship with Neteyam is not exactly.. per say, a friendship. Its what you would technically call it, since you both gave it no other said title. But we all know you guys aren’t just friends, lo’ak knows, kiri knows, spider knows, jake and neytiri know, hell, even tuk knows. Everyone acts oblivious as it is.

There are times where you wonder what your relationship really is, anything but “just friends” comes to mind, some specific memories take you back and give you scary realizations.

For instance, that one time when the whole crew was hanging out together in the forest, our designated hangout spot, you showed up a little after everyone else because you had errands to run, and Neteyam had saved a spot just for you.

“hey guys”

“y/nnnnnnnn” tuk smiles at you and runs towards you with her arms outstretched, signifying her desire to be picked up and spun by you, you do just that and laugh with her. “What’s little girl doing here with the big kids” you question teasingly, knowing Tuk dislikes being called a little girl.

“y/n, finally bro , i almost thought you ditched us” lo’ak says dramatically and spider and kiri laugh, you walk to the group with Tuk in your arms as you slap the back of lo’ak’s head, Tuk jumping out of your arms to go lay in Kiri’s lap.

You look at neteyam, he hasn’t taken his eyes off you since the moment you came into their vision, he’s leaning against a tree, sitting with his legs spread quite a bit, manspreading was a trait neteyam got from his father, and it was so hot.

He pats the space between his legs, and you happily oblige. “hi” you whisper when you look up at neteyam, his chin resting on your head, his arms encircling your figure, thumb rubbing sweet circles on your thigh. “hi sweetheart” he flashes you his infamous smile.

Or that one time when you went hunting for rabbits with him in the forest, you just couldn’t set your aim right, it was getting so frustrating you almost cried. But hey, you have neteyam with you, don’t worry!

He helps you fix your posture, his chest pressing up against your back, he’s so close you can feel his breath on your cheek, his deep voice rumbling in your ear that tells you to focus makes you do quite the opposite. How could you possibly focus when he’s this close to you? Your insides are exploding with butterflies, your lower belly warm and your lip almost draws blood from how hard you’ve bitten it.

Somehow you end up hitting a rabbit with your arrow without even realizing and only realize the situation when you hear neteyam’s laugh and him congratulating you. “you got it y/n!!” (mf that was all you)

This man really has no idea of the effects he has on you does he?

You don’t have to think hard of moments like these with neteyam, they rush through your mind like a film reel. Countless.

No one really thought much of it when they saw you and neteyam having moments like these. No one questioned when he called you sweetheart, or his love, or beautiful, or some sort of nickname on a daily basis, not even you. All waiting for that one particular moment where you both realize its love and make it official.

Which seems so likely to happen today, the tension is thick through the roof with everything that just happened.

You’re patching him up because of course he just got into a fight with some dingus because lo’ak can’t handle a fight alone for shit.

“y/n, gentle please” neteyam lets out a low hiss as you dab a piece of cloth on the cut that bleeds on his jaw.

You’re angry with him, he knows that. And god, he’s angry with himself too, but what’s he gonna do if his baby won’t talk to him?

He doesn’t know what to say, anything to ease the tension, so he decides to go with

“are you upset?” he looks at you with soft eyes

you move his face around to find any other cuts to deal with, his chin between your fingers “so upset, you don’t even know” you hold back a grin at his quiet voice.

“im sorry y/n, lo’ak would get his ass handed to him if i wasn’t there” he sounds so desperate, which he is, for you.

your heart swells, you wanna play.

you put on an act and look away from him, huffing in faux anger.

“y/n please” he whispers, looking at you with pure distress in his eyes, you think you can even see tears. He’s so hard to resist right now, how is he not catching onto your game?? Or maybe he is playing along?

You decide you’re done. With two things.

Torturing him, and torturing yourself.

You stroke the apple of his cheek with your thumb, swiping at the tear that dare fall from his eye “take it easy neteyam” he nods eagerly, he’ll listen to you until he dies.

You sigh, and clean up the cloth and medicine and get ready to leave, standing up but neteyam grabs your wrist and pulls you down, onto his lap, his arms circling your waist as he holds you close to him.

His forehead rests on your collarbone and you stroke his hair.

“okay, nete look at me..” he obeys.

you cup his face in your soft hands, he nuzzles against them and you lean forward, you look at his eyes and he’s already closed them. God!!! He’s so cute you could squeal!!!

You smash your lips against his and his hands automatically bring you closer, your legs straddling his lap as you run your hands through his hair, grazing at his nape.

Neteyam pulls away to look at you for a split second, and you look so so pretty he just can’t hold his tongue, “i love you” he whispers against your lips, three words meant for you and you only. He goes back to kiss you before you could reply, he gives you a few open-mouthed kisses before you mewl into his mouth and he crumbles.

Neteyam groans and he attaches his lips to your jaw, giving you gentle kisses that trail down to your neck, “i love you so much y/n” you wonder where he learnt this from.

“i love you neteyam” you whisper as you feel yourself grow more impatient as time goes.

he kisses you again and you feel him smile into the kiss, your chest is warm, neteyam intertwines his hand with yours and it becomes sloppy quiet fast.

you’re both a mess, whining into each others mouths , you’re so deep into it you don’t even realize footsteps getting louder and louder, eventually you are pulled out of your fantasies when you hear neytiri address her son right before she catches sight of you both in this sinful activity, you pull apart suddenly and scramble to get off his lap, failing miserably as neteyam seems opposed to the idea of letting go of you.

“neteyam! fuck!” you whisper-yell and shove your face into his shoulder, his hands still on your hips as he sputters to explain to his mother what she just witnessed

Neytiri coughs.

“mother i was just- we were- “

“making out?” Neytiri chuckles and shakes her head, making her way out after grabbing the plate you used to fix neteyam’s wounds.

“neteyammmmmm i can’t do this right noww” you cry embarrassed into his shoulder and he shudders at the thought of his mom knowing what you guys were doing. He laughs soon after, snaking his hands around your waist as he holds you in his lap

“i don’t know this isn’t all that funny nete” you grumble and shake your head, “poor neytiri”

“no.. poor neteyam, i didn’t get to finish “making out” with you” he says, putting up fingers meant to imitate quotation marks to mock his moms words.

you slap his arm gently “as much as i was enjoying, i don’t wanna risk getting caught again.. ewya forbids its tuk next time.. i would never even kiss you again”

he gasps, putting a hand over his chest to fake his hurt and you giggle at his expression

he kisses you again, and again, and again until you have to put your hand over his lips and tell him to stop in between a fit of giggles, he laughs with you “just kissing you enough so i don’t die when you refuse me later” you grin so hard your cheeks hurt, but its so worth it.

You hear lo’ak , spider , kiri, jake , and tuk cheering from outside, “GO BIG BRO” “is y/n my actual sister now?” “ugh finally they stopped beating around the bush” “thats my son, on his lap?? thats literally us neytiri!”

Oh.. Neytiri told them. Great!

[solaarbeeam]

SAY IT — TOGAME JO.

SYNOPSIS — togame jo is the steadfast and sturdy leader of shishitoren. however, he’s a lot more soft and squishy around the ones he loves.

he just never thought he’d get the courage to say it.

A/N: Written for and requested by the awesome and gorgeous @toyogamii !! hope ya like it callum <33

Togame Jo has always been an observer.

He prefers to sit back and listen, sometimes analyze, to the situations he presents himself in or gets himself in.

He couldn’t spend as long as he did chasing after Choji’s happiness without sitting down and analyzing the playing field before he made a move.

You, however. You were not analyzed. You weren’t even a calculated risk. You were a surprise, one that he can’t quite say was unwelcome.

Togame Jo observes. He listens, he oversees. Within the confines of his strategy, he allows himself to yearn very little.

He allowed himself to yearn after Choji’s happiness. So that one day, the sun would shine again.

You, however? He didn’t just yearn, he craved.

Every look, every ramune bottle bought and passed, every patch work job after a brawl, he craved it.

He craved you. And he had no idea how to deal with it.

He thinks it may have started when you took his glasses and he never let out a peep of protest. Maybe it was when you wore his Shishitoren jacket to school once. Maybe it was the nice feeling of fingers carding through his hair.

Maybe it was to seek his own happiness, instead of sacrificing his own for the slight chance that another’s might come to light once more.

Maybe it was how he only consistently texted you on his own phone. He’ll never know, really. It was just something about you.

What will he do about this?

He doesn’t know.

Even after the battle of Bofurin, you somehow find him at his lowest point. On the roof of The Cage, nothing but silence running through the atmosphere.

The roof of The Cage is reserved for only him and Chouji.

Today is different, because you all but demanded to come up after hearing about the fighting tournament they had.

He watches you fix your uniform, smoothing it out in the rumpled places. He remembers why. He remembers seeing you running up to Sako, hair in a mess and uniform in shambles, demanding to talk to him.

He remembers the look of relief that came over your face the minute you laid eyes on him.

Togame craves.

As you patch him up, there’s a silent conversation passing in between the two of you. Words are silent, but the whispers can be imagined. Whispers of sorry’s and what happened’s and short descriptors.

Your touch lit the fire of yearning inside him. Wanting to touch, to hold, to hug, maybe even to kiss.

To carry. To rely on. To be relied on. To be carried.

To be loved.

Would it be so bad, to put the end to the yearning, the craving? Wouldn’t it just become worse, if you told him that you don’t feel the same?

That you don’t yearn? You don’t crave?

You don’t love him back? What would he do then?

What would happen to the freshly bought ramune bottles in his favorite flavor? What would happen to bandaging and patching him up after a brawl? What would happen to him lending you his Shishitoren jacket, so much so that people actually thought you were apart of the gang?

Could he even invite you to become apart of it? Would you even say yes?

Too many risks. Should he take it, with the way the atmosphere was?

Togame was an observer. He doesn’t think his findings will help him now.

He silently looks at your hands, those sweet hands that have bandaged him up and bought him things without prompting.

How would they feel, around his neck when he wants a kiss? How would they feel, if he tried to interlace them with his own?

“Fuck it.”

He gently removes one of your hands from his face, holding it in between his two palms. The warmness of it, the texture of it.

“Yknow, Togame, I think that you need me for something.”

He needs you every day, but that’s not exactly what he’s trying to say, is he?

“..I do. But not for something.”

“Then what for?”

He observes once more. It barely helps, if it helps at all.

Maybe he should just turn his brain off and just say whatever he wants to say.

A muffled sound from muddled words reaches your ears, but the sentence goes unheard. You poke him in the cheek to prompt him to speak louder.

It’s now or never. He’d rather sulk about the rejection than live with this craving any longer.

“Don’t need anything or something. I just need you.”

There, he said it. Now if you could just hurry up and reject him, that would be just great—

“I need you too, yknow that?”

His head snaps up faster than he thinks it ever has, his glasses falling from his face, revealing deep forest green eyes.

It’s gorgeous.

He’s gorgeous.

“Here’s one thing you don’t seem to understand, Togame.”

“Shishitoren needs the Lion’s Second in Command. I, however, need Togame Jo. The Togame obsessed over when new flavors of Ramune release. The Togame who lets me wear his jacket when I’m cold. The Togame..”

You take his glasses, and place them on top of his head. You can see slight tears coming out of his eyes.

“The Togame I love. Please, wipe your eyes. Your eyes look too pretty in the sunset for that.”

The Togame I love. Did he hear that right?

The Togame you love.

“I love you. I love you so much.” He says, slightly shakily from crying.

“I love you too, Jo. I really, really do.”

Togame Jo was an observer.

Just once, he’s glad that instead of sitting back and observing, he took a risk.

It’ll be the best risk, and will forever be the best risk he’s ever took.

Why? Because in the end, he got what he was yearning and craving for.

You.

© solaarbeeam 2024.

[edwardteachswombtattoo]

You know. Navigating a romantic relationship when you've never had one before is tough. Stede and Ed are going to have a lot of minor disagreements. Stede is going to say something petty and Ed is going to snap back with "Oh, like that time you left me?" and Stede will have tears in his eyes and Ed will feel like shit because he only said it spur of the moment but Stede marches outside to sit on the porch before Ed can say anything and Ed huddles in their bed under the blanket waiting for Stede to come back and convinced Stede left for real and then Stede eventually comes back in to sit on the couch staring at nothing until Ed comes out of the bedroom and says very quietly "I didn't mean it" and Stede says tiredly "Yes you did" and neither of them are sure what to do or say and Ed just goes back to bed and both of them feel like the world is ending a little bit.

But.

Eventually they make up. And learn to get through the rough patches. And it's beautiful because they've never had to do this before. Ed goes out on solo fishing trips when he's feeling upset and Stede finds something to do at the inn (like fixing that hole in the roof) and maybe they don't talk for a while but it all works out and they get to grow old together and sure there's still rough patches but those get worked out and slowly it becomes easier than breathing.

[rubyin-wonderland]

Trapped

opla!Zoro x gn!reader

Summary: your job as a medic and Zoro's role as your patient is set in stone. That is, until you find yourself needing the medical attention

WC: 2.6k

Warnings/tags: internal injuries, a bit of blood, being stuck in a cave, mild claustrophobia, a little steamy but nothing NSFW

You woke up in pain. You were splayed across a rocky floor, right next to a wall of rock which had formerly been the roof of the cavern.

Your only source of light was the torch you had brought with you, which lay on the ground next to you.

You felt warm waves of pain flowing from your shoulder, knee, and side, as a result of being knocked aside by a sudden cave in.

You looked around, hoping someone was trapped with you. "Zoro?" Your voice was weak. He had been next to you when the rocks had begun to fall. He had pushed you out of the way. There was no chance that any of the others could've made it to you.

"Zoro!" You regained your voice, praying that you weren't stuck, alone and injured, waiting for help to miraculously find you.

You tried to stand, but with your injured arm, which you didn't dare to look at, and the pain in your knee, you just fell over. That only added to the pain you felt, which was nearly all encompassing.

You weren't used to being injured. Not this bad, at least. You were a medic, not a fighter. If someone got scraped up, you were there to soothe the ache and mend the skin. Whenever there was a fight, you stayed away from the greatest source of danger. You fought, and you fought well, but you stayed to the side so that you could use your talents without struggle afterwards.

"Zoro!"

You called one last time, hoping that maybe he hadn't heard you, or that he was scouting through the tunnel. Anything. You couldn't do it alone.

There was a great amount of shuffling, and from a dark corner of the cave, from the highest point where rock met roof, Zoro appeared, climbing down and kneeling next to you. His eyes scanned your body, catching on your arm.

Meanwhile, you scanned him, nothing that while he had a few scratches, including one dried cut on his cheek and the beginnings of a bruise under his eye, he had managed to escape the situation unharmed.

"Are you okay?" You asked out of instinct. It was second nature to make sure people were okay. Especially with him. None of your other friends were more prone to fights and injuries than your swordsman.

He was your primary patient, and not just because of your relationship. He would have more scrapes in a week than the others would have for months. Even given his seemingly endless attempts to worry you, you couldn't help but love him, even if seeing him banged up, bruised and bloody made your heart stop.

"I should be asking you that." He murmured, eyes drifting to your shoulder once more. "Is it bad?" You asked, barely having the heart to look at it yourself.

Zoro didn't answer, opting to stare at it instead, like he could fix it with a frown. You spared a glance and sighed. "It's dislocated."

Zoro looked relieved. "Good. I've seen you fix those before." "On other people. I don't have practice on myself."

You weren't used to taking care of yourself. Of course you patched up wounds, and stitched the odd cut together, but there were some things that were done easier on other people, and with both arms intact.

You shifted in your spot, groaning at the irritation. "You have to do it." Zoro frowned. "Me?" "Yeah, there's no one else down here." "What if I hurt you?" His voice stayed completely serious. "Zoro, my arm is dislocated."

He nodded reluctantly, adjusting his position at your side. "Fine. How do I do it?"

"You have to take my arm," he did as told, grip loosening when he heard you inhale in an attempt to get the pain away. "And you have to guide the ball of my humerus back into the socket. You're gonna have to pull."

He tried to hide his fear, but it was evident he was not having fun. You were the knowledgeable one. You knew how bodies worked and how to fix them. He knew how to fight and earn injuries. Your roles were reversed in a way neither of you cared for.

"It's gonna be okay. My muscles will do most of the work, you just have to guide them, okay?" He nodded and you closed your eyes, waiting for the pain.

You felt the tug before your arm reconnected, in a flash of pain that left you screaming, squirming in agony.

Zoro removed his hands from you immediately, unsure of what to do. He wasn't used to this.

You eventually relaxed, resting your uninjured arm over your forehead, which was now sweaty. "You did good." You said simply. "Now we gotta get the fuck out of here."

"I talked with the others." He gestured at the wall of crumbled rock. "There was a hole up there. They're coming around to get us." "Pick me up. We'll meet them halfway."

Zoro did as told, walking around to your other side, lifting you up by draping your uninjured arm over his neck.

The two of you walked for a bit, stopping briefly when your knee felt particularly bad, or if you just needed to take a break, head bowed as you tried to catch your breath.

Zoro did his best to help you, shouldering most of your weight to help with your knee, which was giving you a pronounced limp. He held the torch as it burned, illuminating the seemingly endless corridor.

Your side burned, but you said nothing of it, hoping that he wouldn't notice, but that was no use, as he stopped at any disturbance in your walking pattern, being as accommodating as he could.

He eventually offered to carry you, but the process of getting you into his arms was an astonishingly painful process that left you sobbing into his shirt for a minute before you insisted on continuing your journey.

Every movement was painful to you, but you concealed it as best you could until you needed to stop.

You felt guilty about burning up the torchlight, but Zoro refused to hear it. "I'm not letting you push yourself. Wait until you feel better."

You walked until your feet were sore, and even Zoro stopped on his own at one point, looking at you.

"Shouldn't your arm be in a sling?" He asked, peeking at your injured arm, hanging limply at your side.

You laughed at your own negligence. "Yeah it should. You know, of this whole 'best swordsman' thing doesn't work out, you'll make a wonderful medic."

He was unresponsive to your joke, and for a second, the two of you understood.

You understood why Zoro tried to play off his injuries, telling you "it's not that bad" or "I've had worse" to reassure you that he was going to be okay. He didn't want you to worry too bad, spending your time worried over nothing, especially if there were other things to be done. He wasn't trying to be difficult.

And Zoro realised why you cared so much. He could see why you wanted to make sure he was completely alright. Because he usually wasn't, and the both of you knew it, even with the attempts at distraction and the words playing it off.

The two of you stopped moving for a second, having understood each other in a way nobody could have predicted happening.

"Yeah. A sling would help."

Zoro helped you lean against the wall of the tunnel, gently setting you down and making sure you were as comfortable as possible.

He then stepped away from your body, removing his shirt. Even in the dom light of the torch, you could see him clearly.

"I don't know where the sling comes in, but I'm really enjoying the view." You smiled weakly, unable to stay serious in this dark cave for too long. He huffed, hiding a smile of his own.

He took a knee in front of you, one leg on either side of yours, making sure to not rest any weight on you, disturbing your leg.

The shirt he had was simple. It was a wrap shirt, which was convenient for the sling. He folded it into a triangle and tucking in the sleeves, before approaching you with the makeshift sling.

He tied the ends in a knot behind your head before gently taking your arm and sliding it into the pocket. You winced as it moved, but the second it was securely in place, you felt mildly better.

He sat slightly above you, waiting for you to insist on moving again, but for once, you let the torch burn.

The light was bright enough that you could see the scar dragging across his chest, a reminder of the time you had nearly lost him. You remembered the worry that had overtaken you that day, and every day since then, hoping he would take his injuries as seriously as you did.

And so, you didn't ask to be picked up just yet.

You lifted your free hand and held onto Zoro's shoulder, gently feeling the warm skin. He shivered, you hand unusually cold.

One of his arms was supported by the wall next to your head, the other sat on his knee, and as you caressed his shoulder, your hand moved up to his neck, pulling him down towards you, so you could capture his lips in a kiss.

The second your lips touched, your hand moved to his cheek, where it usually sat. Unfortunately, the other hand was out of service to cup the other cheek, but you didn't let it hurt you.

He didn't even hesitate to reciprocate, kissing back furiously. He fell onto his second knee to hold you closer, arms wrapping around your body, doing his best not to irritate anything, holding you tight.

For a while, your senses were filled with him. You nearly forgot that you were stuck in the cave as your lips pressed against his again. You parted for seconds at most, only stopping to inhale one shaky breath before he captured your lips again, and whatever small amount of air you had taken in was taken right back out again.

Your lips parted from his once, and you said his name, which drove him to near insanity, watching the sly smile overtake his mouth.

There he was. The Zoro you knew. Just seeing his smile was enough to make you believe that you weren't injured at all, and the two of you were back on the ship, in your shared room, alone except for each other and the rocking of the sea. When you were healed, you were going to demand a night like that with him.

You moved, your kisses now running along his jaw, moving to his neck, your nose just beneath his ear.

His three earrings were cold against your skin. They ticked a small bit, but you didn't move, pressing kiss after kiss on the skin of his neck.

While you did this, he resisted the urge to move his face to your throat and kiss you there as you buried yourself between his neck and shoulder. At one point, he found himself making a noise that sounded like your name. He could feel your smile against his skin and shivered as you pulled away.

The second you heard him speak, your lips curled upwards and you smiled as you dragged your lips lightly up to his face again. Impatiently, he caught your lips with his just as your mouth pressed an extra kiss to his cheek, right over the little cut.

His lips now on yours once more, he took control. He shifted his position over you, cautious as ever about your injuries, taking your face in his hands and kissing you gently. He slowed it down. Making it passionate.

You felt your heart pounding in your ears as he did this, your body yearning to touch his. And so, your free arm grabbed at him, starting at his exposed collarbones, around to the planes of his back, feeling the muscles tense under your cold touch.

As he kissed you, your hand traveled north, along the small bumps in his spine, past his strong shoulders, to brush over the base of his skull feeling his breath hitch as you reached the prickly green hairs at the base of his neck.

He finally pulled away, with a relaxed smile on his face. Not his cocky grin, but something more relaxed. Actually happy.

You smiled back, hand cradling his cheek. "I love you." You pressed one last kiss to his lips. "It's why I keep asking you if you're okay."

"I love you too." He responded, "it's why I don't want you worrying."

The two of you sit against the wall, smiling at each other. You can still feel him on your lips, like an echo, fading into the cavern.

You want this moment to last, but you needed to get back on track.

"We should probably start walking again." You sighed, glancing at the burning torch. Zoro sighed as well, taking your good arm, and carefully standing you up, taking the torch, and walking.

You walked in silence as the light of the torch began to dim. "What should we do when the light goes out?" You asked, eyes straining to see in the darkness. "We'll stay put. Wait for them to find us." "That could take a while."

You hadn't meant to sound so worried, but it did make Zoro look down at you. "I could try carrying you again."

You agreed, and soon you were in Zoro's arms, the torch carried in his mouth. You bit back any sounds of pain as he lifted you up and began to run. He ran for a while, but the torch was dimming fast. You were nearly submerged in darkness, and you told Zoro to stop.

"We should find somewhere to wait before it goes completely dark." You suggested, staring at the embers of the torch.

He mumbled a response and set you down against a wall, tossing the torch into the darkness.

Your free hand reached out to find him, pulling him down to sit next to you. "So now we wait." You said into the darkness. You heard Zoro hum in agreement.

"They'll find us any minute." You mumbled, resting your head on Zoro's shoulder, your free hand now being held between both of his. "We just have to wait."

The two of you sat in silence. The way you sat was similar to the way the two of you would nap on the ship. If you ignored your surroundings and forced yourself to feel Zoro enough, you could convince yourself that you were actually there, and not stuck in a dark, stuffy cave waiting for people to come save you.

Eventually, you felt yourself drifting off, imagining you were back on the ship, happy and uninjured.

Zoro felt your breaths slow, until your soft snores began. Despite the urge to nap with you, he stayed alert. He needed to be there for you when the others arrived.

When they did eventually arrive, Zoro picked you up, careful with your injuries and carried you out, all while you were still asleep.

At the first shine of natural light on your face, you awoke, a small groan drawn from your lips.

"We're out." You observed, taking your first breath of fresh air. "Yeah we are."

"As fun as this has been, I think you should stick to being safe and let the injuries fall to me." Zoro suggested, looking down at you, wreathed in the warm sunlight. You breathed a small laugh. "I won't argue with you."

[giftedclairvoyance]

Life just kept coming.

Lorraine and Ed had been married ten years this year, and things were... not entirely good.

Theyd finally welcomed their daughter about three months prior, after ten years of trying, and since then, their marriage and relationship had kind of taken a backseat to raising a newborn, as had their work. Cases weren't as important as being there for the crucial first months of their daughters life.

The past month, Lorraine had spent every single night up with Judy, who was going through a sleep regression and cluster feeding on top of it, which left her absolutely exhausted during the day.

Ed had been a saint, taking over for a bit during the day so that Lorraine could get a bit of sleep in, but it all meant that dishes, laundry, housework all got neglected, along with any attention they had to give each other.

And now, on top of it, the roof needed patching, the HVAC needed fixing, and her car needed parts to be replaced. It was never ending

@ed-wwarren

[meanbihexual]

Okay but just imagine: every time Ed fixes something in the inn he immediately goes to find Stede and tell him "I patched the hole in the roof," or "I moved the baby raccoons to the forest," or "I pulled this random piece of wood out of the floor so you don't step on it and get a splinter," and he's so proud of himself and Stede is so proud of him and he bats his eyes and wiggles his shoulders and people positive management style Stede gives him a big kiss for it.

[pseudowho]

Domestic Bliss: Higuruma Hiromi #2, Storm

"...as gale force winds sweep Tokyo tonight, emergency services urge members of the public to remain indoors unless absolutely necessary..."

You stepped over to Hiromi, who was stood in front of the evening news, and shot you an apologetic half-smile; "...rain check on that date-night, then?"

With a disappointed little grimace, you opened your mouth to answer, and were interrupted by the violent smack of rain and blustering winds against the window.

"A very literal rain check, I think," you grumbled, cupping your hands around your eyes to look into the cloud-blot blackness, the storms dragging night-time in prematurely.

Hiromi crept up behind you, looping his arms around your waist, and resting his chin on your shoulder; "You still have the pleasure of my company, at least?"

A few hours later, curled under Hiromi's arm as you both read, you heard a telltale drip, drip, drip on the living room floor. Hiromi looked over his reading glasses, both of you giving each other a concerned side-eye.

"A leak. Good," Hiromi clipped, hands on his hips as he looked at the ceiling, "wind must have blown some tiles off...gonna ruin the ceiling...hang on--"

In just his white shirt, black trousers and loosened black tie, you soon heard him clattering round in the garage.

"Hiromi..." you called, concerned, "...what are you doing?"

"Fixing it," he stated, walking past you with a plastic sheet and a hammer. Hiromi swung open the front door with a whoah! as the wind swept it open with a bang. You followed him out into the blustering wind, and dark, driving rain.

"Hiromi, no," you gasped. He looked up to the roof, pushing his reading glasses onto his head. He gave the drainpipe a test tug, and nodded, satisfied. You heard nails jangle in his shirt pocket.

"Hiromi yes," he answered, holding the hammer sideways between his teeth, and tucking the sheet into the back of his belt. You clutched your hands around your mouth as Hiromi scaled the drainpipe and windows, his legs long and spidery, reaching the slippery roof in record time.

"Oh my fucking god," you gasped, your fingertips pressed to your forehead, "don't fall! Don't you dare fall, Hiromi!"

Hiromi crawled across the roof, locating the patch of missing tiles. Soaked to the skin, his white shirt transparent and sticking to him, he battled with the sheet against the wind, pinning it under his knees, and hammering it into place.

Hiromi stood, looking down at his handiwork, making a circle with his thumb and forefinger. Slipping in his dress-shoes, Hiromi stumbled down from the roof, while you ohmygodohmygodohmygod'ed under your breath. Jumping down the drainpipe, he stood in front of you, drenched and proud of himself.

"You could have died," you chastised while he scoffed at you, dragging you back inside, ever the risk-taker.

"Didn't die, though," he smirked, pulling you flush to his soaked body, "and now I'm your hero."

You smiled, begrudging as he nuzzled into the shell of your ear, "Yeah, yeah, you're my hero, I suppose..."

"...and what do heroes get?" He breathed against your neck, high on his own adrenaline, twitching to life inside his boxers.

"Changed," you insisted, slapping his wet chest, laughing as he refused to let you escape, "heroes get changed, Higuruma!"

[sultrysparkles]

Herbalist!Reader X Sukuna

WARNINGS: SMUT, p in v, degrading, rough sex, sukuna being mean

a/n: this took so long to write 😭😭

synopsis: sukuna gives u a reward for healing him

divider creds: animatedglittergraphics-n-more

it was about 11pm at night, and you needed to grab a couple more herbs to complete a medicine order. the thing was, the order was due tomorrow morning, and you had procrastinated the whole day. so here you are, roaming around the forest scrummaging around bushes, and trees, basket in hand which a flashlight in the other.

you were peacefully looking through a patch of echinacea, when you suddenly heard someone grunting with pain. you were a little worried, nobody ever came into this area, especially at 11PM at night... you were also curious about the noise, wanting to find out the cause of it. what's the worst that could happen?

flashlight in your hand you try to find the source of the noise, which soon turned into heavy pants and footsteps. as you searched you heard footsteps approaching you, you hide behind a bush,you place a hand over your mouth to muffle your breathing. then you see a tall pink haired man who was clearly very beat up, cuts spotted all around his chest area. he also had very distinct black tattoos. even though you could barely see him under the moonlight, you couldn't deny that he was very attractive.

you felt an urge to get to know him, to be near him, to just be in his presence so you take a deep breath and approach the tall man. as you walk towards him, "excuse me!" you belt as you walk closer to the man. he turns around and looks down at you. gosh he was so tall. and the way he looked at you, his piercing dangerous gaze. "what?" he hisses, hand over his chest. there was blood all over his hand. you looked back up at him sympathetically "I noticed that you're injured, like really badly..." you pointed out "and I was wondering if you wanted to come back with me to my cottage so I could take care of your wounds?" you offer. oh the innocence in your eyes, the way you looked up at him, the kindness of your heart. sukuna was invested. he wanted to ruin all that kindness and Innocence in you. he found it so cute that you had no idea what you were about to drag yourself into.

sukuna smirks, he bends down to your level, he scoffs loudly "you think I would need your help? please.I think I can take care of myself." he mocks. his words make your heart ache, why was he so mean about it? but you weren't gonna give up now. he was going to be yours. "are you sure? you know you have a lot to say for a guy who's nearly bleeding out" you remark, crossing your arms in the process. "c'mon let me fix you up, unless it hurts your precious little ego-" you tease. sukuna glared at you dangerously "you better watch your mouth." he grunts, you smirk, "aw? did that hurt your feelings?" you mock him. "you know what? if it makes you shut up, fine then!" he snaps. sukuna was loving the little game you were playing with him. if anything it made him even more attracted to you.

"so your name's sukuna?" you repeat, as you begin to clean his wounds. "didn't I just say that?" he snaps back. "woah chill out" you mutter as you begin to open a jar of aloe vera gel. sukuna rolls his eyes and stares up at the wooden roof of your humble cottage. "this might sting so be prepared" you warn before spreading a thin layer on his wounds. sukuna hisses at the sharp burning sensation. he looked so hot when he felt pain. the way his eyebrows furrowed, and the sounds he made... you wanted him so badly. you close the jar tightly, "that should be it" you comment. sukuna sits up on the couch, as you stay sitting on the floor. now you could get what you really wanted this whole time. "you know I think I did a really good job" you praise yourself. sukuna smirks sharply "I guess you did..." he admits "don't you think I should get a little reward?..." you ask slyly, as you rise up from your knees. sukuna chuckles "oh and what would that reward be?"

SCHLAP. SCHLAP .SCHLAP."s-slow down sukuna!" you mewl, placing a hand near his hips to try to slow him down. sukuna chuckles and grabs both of your hands and pin them to your back. "what happened to wanting that reward huh? too much f' you to handle slut?" he whispers in your ear, his voice raspy and endearing. he slaps your ass as he mercilessly thrusts into you. your sweet moans echo throughout your small cottage, the sound of skin slapping harmonizes with your moans. "if you keep going like this, you'll get hurt again..." you warn him. he rolls his eyes "oh well, you'll just have to fix me up again, and we both know you would love that." he says coldly. he thrusts into you like he's running out of time. his second cock rubbing up against your clit giving you endless amounts of ecstasy.

"i-im so close" you whined, sukuna smirks and flips you around making you lay on your back this time. you whine at your denied orgasm, sukuna just laughs devilishly. "didn't think I would let you come so quickly did you? you thought I would forget about that attitude you gave me earlier? now come and take this cock like the filthy slut you are." he demands as he aligns his cock with your entrance. the way he degrades you just turns you one even more, your pussy getting wetter by the second. without warning he slams into your hole, his second cock now grinding on your puffy clit rapidly. sukuna pushes your legs all the way to your chest, so he could abuse the shit out of your cervix. the amount of pleasure you were receiving was both heavenly and painful. your eyes were filling with tears from all the sensations.

you once again attempt to slow him down by placing a hand on his chest. sukuna grabs both your hands and pins them above your head, he leans in to whisper in your ear "don't run away now, where was the filthy whore I met a while ago? I thought you wanted this as a reward? that's what I thought. now shut up and take this dick." he commands. oh the way he degraded you was so hot. he talked to you like you meant nothing to him. the pleasure you were getting made you shed tears. sukuna scoffs at the sight, despite absolutely loving seeing you with wet glossy eyes. "such a crybaby... be grateful I haven't put both my cocks in you, ungrateful whore" he comments as his thrusts get sloppier but the second, his pants getting raspier. your moans grow in volume, you were so fucked out.

"f-fuck m' so close sukuna!!" you exclaim, as you feel your orgasm approaching, sukuna grunts as he chases his own orgasm along with you. he leans in, whispering in your ear "you like it when I pound into you hm? you're so cock thirsty for me aren't you?" he grunts, "y-yes! sukuna!" you mewl, the sound of slapping skin quickens as you both reach your orgasms. you both let out deep groans, sukuna fills you up with his cum, a string connecting his dick to your cunt as he pulls out. as you try to sit back up, a hand pushes you back down.

"who said I was done?"

[sweptawayghost]

Light My Fire PT.1

PAIRING: Joel Miller X Reader

DUEL POV

Word count 6.8K 

CHAPTER WARNING: male masturbation, mentions of alcohol, age gap, mention of guns, slow burn, pov,flirting, friends to lovers, mentions of choking, angst, fluff

Series summary: Joel Miller is down bad for the first time in a long time. After him and Ellie arrive and settle into life in Jackson, Joel is itching to get out. He becomes your patrol partner but he could be so much more if you give him the chance. 

This will be a slow burn 

Anything written in italic indicates someone talking to themselves

Hello anyone who cares enough to read this!

So I had previously written two parts of a series I was planning titled “In Dreams” . Since then I have decided I want to change how I write this and have decided that a good old fashioned POV would be more enjoyable to write. So this will be the main series but I will leave my previous works up. if you have already red my first part of In Dreams you don't really need to read this one but i have changed a few things

Thank you for reading and as always your feedback is appreciated!!!!!

///

Joel Miller was down bad. 

He found himself wondering how far too many times. He was sure he'd sworn off love and romance but then there you were. With your toothy grins and your warm palms. Eyes that made him feel safe and seen. 

Your laugh filled his ears and swelled his heart. He would do anything to be in the same room as you, he would move where you move, he would go where you go, He could listen to you talk about anything and nothing as long as you kept looking at him and laughing at his stupid jokes. 

He wishes he could tell you right now how badly he wanted you. He wishes he could let you know how important you were to him, how he would move mountains if it would make you smile. 

He hoped you would see how much Ellie loved you.

Joel saw the spark return to her eyes thanks to you. He loved that you cared about her so much, as if she was the most precious and fragile thing in the world. 

How you fed her, brushed her hair for her. You happily opened your home to her when you knew Joel would be gone for a night or just to make sure she wouldn't be alone. 

There were just certain things that Joel couldn't provide for Ellie. But He knew you could. He wanted you to be in her life regardless of how he felt for you and how you felt for him. How do you feel about me? 

///

JOEL

I draw my eyes down to the half drunk glass of whisky that rests lazily in the palm of my hand. 

The late afternoon light comes flooding in through the doors as a young man runs into the bison and jumps behind the bar and through to the kitchen. The chill of the fall air sweeping in alongside the light. 

I've always liked fall. I loved the feeling of the warm sun pouring down on me in the mornings and the burning numbness in my fingertips when the sun begins to set and the chill of night starts breathing down my neck. I loved the way the leaves changed and morphed into shades of a fire, I liked how delicate they seemed, ready to be swept away at the slightest gust of wind. I loved the way the earth smelt, especially when it rained. 

I loved the way the earth started to soften and sink, It made it easy to track. Rain brings water and water is a lifeline. 

It was also nice to see the town prepare for the cold months that were about to come. People up on the roofs of their homes, cleaning gutters, fixing shutters and patching broken windows, salting meat and tanning hides, pickling and preserving anything they could. Preparing the green houses, people dragging bags of soil and horse shit to the doors, weeding, turning soil. People worked steadily but they never seemed rushed, as if there wasn't a sense of urgency or an immediate threat looming over their heads everyday. Sometimes it just seemed like a normal, sleepy, small town. In a normal world. On a normal day. 

I move my eyes to my brother sitting across from me, even though he's right in front of me I feel a million miles away from him. It makes me a little sick to see how unfair the years have been to him. It might also just be because I just never envisioned him this old before. I always saw him how he was when he was twenty. So full of life, happy, electric, even when he shouldn't have been, it probably would have saved him from getting into a few scraps back in the day and it would have saved me from a bloodied nose when I had to step in and help him. 

Now he looks… sad

Distant, cold and old. His eyes that once lit up with fire now sunken and barely an ember burning in the night. I wish he was fatter as well. It would probably make me feel better for not being there for him, for letting him endure all that he has without my help. Maybe I shouldn't blame myself. Afterall, he was the one who left. 

I still wouldn't trade him for the world. 

“So your patrol partner…” Tommy's voice pulled me back into the moment. The door swings shut with a soft thud and suddenly the sound of patrons and chatter fills my ears again.

A million miles away

“You’ll like her but…” he trails off looking down into his own glass, the lights in the bison were low and warm, it felt like a hug, it felt warm it also made everyone seem warmer and more alive, more vibrant. 

Tommy let the corners of his mouth turn upward, almost smiling “ She’s shy, she's real weary of new people so no offence intended” he stated, pulling his glass up to his lips and sipping its content. 

No offence intended?

“Is that your subtle way of tellin’ me she a bitch?” I raised an eyebrow at my brother and let my eyes roam over to the door again as it swung open, letting in more fresh air that settled on my forehead that I didn't realise was burning until now. 

“Some would say” is the only reply he was offered

Some would say. 

But Tommy wouldn't. 

Now Tommy may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but I trust him when it comes to people. He seems to have an inapt ability to tell when someones genuine and when someones about to fuck you over.  I trust him with this one. I wouldn't trust him to set a trap, or to wake up when he was told to. I wouldn't trust him to drive a tractor in a straight line and I wouldn't trust him to borrow and return my tools no matter how many times I remind him. But this I can trust him with. 

“She's good quality” He continues “if she asks you some out of pocket shit it means she likes ya” another smile threatens to bleed across his face “ And if she treats you like you're stupid then she really likes ya” He throws the rest of his drink down his throat before dropping his glass back down to the table. 

I let the side of my mouth curl up with his words, knowing exactly what he means before I pull back the rest of my drink.

///

As I walked home that afternoon I thought about how surreal everything felt. It sometimes felt like I was watching a movie or tv show and not actually living this life. 

Tomorrow I’ll be going out on patrol with a new partner. Tommy had taken me out a few times teaching me the ropes, not that it was necessarily complicated work and while I knew after a while I would be placed with a new partner I was worried. It was easy with Tommy, we would communicate so much with only the nod of a head, we knew each other's limits, no need for small talk or to fill the air with unnecessary chatter because some people can't sit with silence. 

Tommy knew exactly what button to push when it came to me. This was a blessing and a curse, especially given that I knew exactly how to push back. 

I’m not scared of new people… but I am scared of stupid people, im scared that this person will crumble under pressure and fuck up. What if they make a stupid move that costs me my life, what if they leave me for dead, what if they don't know how to turn the safety off their gun because they've never had to point it at anything. 

 I filled my time in between patrol shifts with Tommy by completing handyman duties, fixing things made me feel useful, like I wasn't so much of a burden and I was earning my keep at least. Not like there was a shortage of jobs around here, it seemed like there was always something to do, patch up a fence, sweep out a barn, fix a hinge on a door, one of the women even asked me to come over and clean her pipes, I told her I wasn't qualified for that kind of work, the sexual innuendo not lost on me, just didn't wanna give it up for a woman who thinks that a cheesy line like that would work on me. 

I just kept on moving from one thing to the next, I couldn't slow down. I didn't want to slow down because that would have given me time to think. 

A small group of five or six kids runs past me in the street grabbing my attention and pulling me out of the mental nightmare I was about to fall into.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that we are here, that the threats of the outside seem like a distant memory and that we don't have to fight tooth and nail to make it to the next day. 

This notion also made me feel uneasy. I feared what this would do to me over time, letting myself relax and letting my guard down. When we arrived, Tommy asked that I surrender my pistol, only temporarily until I “acclimated”. Tommy and big words aren't a usual mixture, it's kind of like putting hot sauce on vanilla ice cream. Without my gun I felt naked, like I have no means of defence, even now as I walk down the street I feel the absence of its weight on my hip. 

I wasn't used to people smiling at me as I walked past them, I wasn't used to women smiling at me when they walked past my house,sometimes 3 times a day. I wasn't used to finding ‘ready to cook meals’ at my doorstep when I came home and I wasn't used to small tokens and gifts left on the front doormat, books, notepads, pens, paper clips and rubber bands, thumb tacks, shoe laces, toilet paper. Almost insignificant things, but now seem like so much more. 

///

I Woke up with that feeling in my chest… again. like a high calibre bullet has blasted through me for only a moment. For a moment, I'm back in the basement. I'm on the freezing concrete floor laying on top of a barely there mattress and my back is so sore I feel like I'll never be able to get up. For a moment, there's a pain in the left side of my abdomen and it hurts worse than the feeling in my chest and the pounding feeling in my head. For a moment… 

I open my eyes letting the blue hues of the morning sky flood my vision as it spills in from between my curtains and paints itself on my walls and ceiling. I try not to let my mind go there. I try to keep those memories packed away. I try to save them in case…  Well, I don't know right now, but I know that thinking about it isn't going to change it.

 I pull myself up and hang my feet off the side of the mattress, rubbing small circles into my chest to try alleviate the pain that's decided to set up camp there. 

I let reality wash over me again. 

I'm safe. I'm okay.

As if those words should make me feel better, as if I deserve to feel that way after everything I've done. 

In the time since Ellie and I have arrived I've set up a routine for myself. I need to keep busy and I need to keep moving. Get up. Get dressed. Get to it. Coffee has entered my life again and like a toxic lover I just have to keep going back for more. I don't know how I ever lived without her, she's the devil in disguise, she's dark and deep, while the instant stuff was nothing compared to the real shit, but i couldn't love it any less. 

In the weeks that Ellie and I spent getting settled into the house, I quickly learnt all the creaks and cracks the house made as you moved through it. On really windy days it was almost like it was breathing with the way it groaned against the wind.

I pulled open the front door, pushing my shoulder into the wood as I pulled it back so the swollen wood wouldn't make too much noise when I pulled it away from the door frame.  It's funny how every sound seems like it's amplified when the suns not out. I whirl my head around to look up the staircase, I can see Ellie’s bedroom door from where I stand, the blue light casting the whole house in a dream-like shade of blue. In a few hours she'll (hopefully) be up and well on her way to school. 

I know it's definitely not her favourite thing and trust me I think school for the most part is a waste of time but I have seen her hand writing and i've seen her try to stitch up a wound and I doubt that she could point out which berries are safe to eat and which ones will turn your insides to gravy. 

Unlike the QZ, this school would actually be helpful to her. Besides all that… she needs friends, she needs connection, she needs to feel safe and not just with me. 

Stepping onto the front porch with socked feet I let the steam of the coffee swirl around my face and inhaled the chilled morning air. The streetlights glow softly on Jackson's main street, a few blocks aways from the place I now call my home. I hear the soft murmuring of people start to make their way into the mess hall for breakfast before starting their daily assignments. It reminded me of before. 

When Ellie and I arrived back in Jackson for good we didn't have much more than the clothes on our backs, we both smelt to high heaven and my feet felt like they were going to fall off, my face hurt from squinting my eyes and my lips were cracked and bloody. When I looked at Ellie I felt my heartbreak, as much as I was hurting I knew she was hurting ten fold. She looked so defeated. 

The community had put together something of a welcome basket for us. The house was stocked with towels and sheets, the wardrobe had some clothes in it, t-shirts and a winter jacket as well as some thick socks, the ones I wear now. A pair of jeans, underwear and even some shorts… I will never trust a grown man who willinging wears shorts.

Ellie got more or less the same items, even a few dresses which remain discarded in the back of her wardrobe, finally she got a new pair of shoes and not those shitty canvas ones that would leave her feet soaked to the bone. 

Soaps, toothbrushes and toothpaste, lip balms, conditioner and shampoo, razors, a hair brush and a comb. All such simple items which now seem like they are worth their weight in gold.  The bars of soap were imperfect and misshapen, the toothpaste came in a powdered form in an old glass container that looked like it once housed a candle or some kind of ointment. So many of the clothes had holes that had been patched over and mended in some way, same with the sheets and towels. 

The items and all their imperfections made them even more special. Handmade and hand mended. Someone cared enough to see the potential in salvaged items that were otherwise discarded and left behind. 

I remember that first shower I had. 

I wanted to cry

Maybe I did cry, it's hard to tell. 

I remember how it felt. Human, warm, like I was wanted, like someone was holding me and stroking my skin with a thousand fingertips. I wasn't just having a shower, I was washing away all the blood that had dried in the cracks of my skin, I was washing away all the grime that clung to me like a stubborn headache, the sweat, the guilt, the tightness in my chest that I knew would be there tomorrow when I wake up but in the moment it felt like it was gone forever.  

I felt guilty taking so much when I had taken away so much already. You have to stop thinking that. 

I can almost imagine the last twenty years were just a really bad and vivid nightmare as I stand in the crisp air of the morning. The neighbourhood starts to stir and begins to breathe to life before the sun makes its way over the hills. I close my eyes and drag in a breath and release it as I drop my chin to my chest. The sound of gravel crunching under foot, muted conversations and the sound of my neighbour walking around the upper level of their home. All familiar sounds, now alien. 

I crane my neck from side to side to relieve some pressure from the ache that lives there.

When I look down at the woolly socks that cling to my feet I notice a growing hole in the right foot, where my big toe lives, the pad on the heel also beginning to thin out, ready to throw in the towel any day now. Shame, I thought to myself, I really liked these socks. 

///

I make my way down to the gates of Jackson. I remember Tommys words from yesterday “If she treats you like shit she really likes you” 

I'm not one to shy away from a challenge, I like straight forward people but you have to be careful it doesn't fall from being blunt to being an asshole, I like to think I've perfected that. If this new partner of mine wants to believe that she's better than me because, what? She’s been here longer? She knows the routes better? that’s fine but if she fucks up and makes a fool of herself I’d be very happy to give her the reality check she needs. 

I pass a few friendly faces as I walk down the street, offering a wave because that's the neighbourly thing to do. Neightbourly. The concept seems odd when you've seen the things we have. 

Arriving at the gates I never expected to see you. 

In fact you were probably the last thing I would have expected to see on patrol at all, you looked so… young. Like the world hadn't gotten its claws into you yet. 

your face held no expression as you looked straight ahead at me, actually it was more like you were looking through me.

 Your face looked fresh and warm, your lips looked so soft, your cheeks all rosy from the chilled air. The sweater you wore swallowed you and a few strands of hair fell into your face as you moved towards me. 

You looked serious but when I looked into your eyes I could tell you were soft. 

You were a hell of a lot younger than me that's for sure and I began to imagine how you Were before all this.

What are you like now?

Would you leave him bleeding out in the woods?

Would you be one of those chatter boxes that would rather spew bullshit than shut it? 

Have you ever killed someone?

Have you ever killed infected?

What do you sound like?

Oh shit her mouth is moving she's talking to me.

“I'm sorry what?” I say, I must look stupid, was I staring at her? You're holding out a leather strap to me and for a second I thought you were holding a hand out for me to shake, the reins dumbass, take the reins from her hand. Feeling like I've just woken up from a fever dream, I now see that you're holding the reins of two horses as well as two rifles slung onto one shoulder and your backpack on the other. 

“Your horse” you say to me lifting your brows with a weak smile, your arm still outstretched with the reins in your clutch. 

I take the worn reins, feeling how the leathers have been softened by the warmth of your hand. 

You slide one of the rifles off your should as well, handing it over to me 

“You a decent shot?” my voice came out in a low whisper, still thick with sleep. 

You let out a small huff as you readjusted your backpack and rifle before climbing onto your horse. Without saying a word you gave him a look that said hurry the fuck up and lets go. 

///

Tommy was right, you were shy.

You didn't say much, not even offering me your name. 

You seemed capable, you took the lead on the trail, you checked out the weapons, you saddled the horses, god you even packed extra food incase I forgot to bring some. 

You were prepared. 

Oh god I hope she doesn’t think I'm some useless trigger happy lug head.

You had taken the lead on everything. Normally I'm the one to prepare, I'm the stoic one, I'm the one taking the lead. God, is Jackson making me soft. 

I felt my every move was under a microscope. Like you were watching and waiting for me to fuck up. 

Every so often I could get a glimpse of your face, your soft expression, your eyes that dart back to find me, eventually you slowed your pace and walked your horse next to mine. Neither of us make an attempt at small talk. Good, can you think of anything worse than “how the weather?”, “who did you have to kill to be here?”, “ouch you lost your parents, yeah so did 80% of the people who live in jackson” bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

Periodically I would see you looking at me but you never met my gaze, always turning away as if I didn't see. You made me feel… sweaty, nervous like I want you to like me.

“I want you to like me” seriously grow up Miller what are you fourteen. You've working together not in an arranged marriage. You didn't even tell me your name until we were several hours into the shift and communication became necessary. 

“Im Joel by the way”  you responded with a look that said yeah I know dumb ass.

For years I've been the quiet one, I've been the muscle, I've been the protector, I've been the lead. Now here you stand in front of me with your arms folded over your chest, cocking a brow looking extremely unamused at me. I towered over you, somehow I've never felt smaller. I felt like a side salad to a steak. I was the supporting act after years of being the main attraction. 

Patrol was uneventful, I tried to stay out of your way and when you told me to jump I asked how high. You held my gaze for a bit longer now and an odd feeling stirred in my stomach when you did. I started to notice small details on you, cuts, scares, bruises, broken finger nails, small patches on your jumper where you had mended it time and time again refusing to leave it behind. The way you adjust your backpack periodically cracking your back as you did so. I liked the way you smelt when you walked close to me or when the wind changed direction. Jasmine.

Small things. Insignificant thing that told me a lot about you.

I wonder what you noticed about me. 

///

I wanted to look at you more. Almost like I want to press pause and study you uninterrupted. That's not creepy joel.

You still held a stony expression when we approached the gates, while I felt relieved to get out of your presence I also liked the way I felt around you. 

You held your hand out to me and for the second time today i find myself zoning out and getting lost in your eyes, your expression doesn't change and oh shit she's talking again 

“Say that again” 

“The horse, Joel” 

God my name never sounded so good coming from someone's mouth.

I look down and see your hand stretched out towards me. 

“Unless you wanna hold my hand” a small smile pulls at the corner of your lips 

Oh god she smiled at me, that's so cute.

I drop the leather strap into your hand, a lazy half smile sits on my face because you smiled at me. She's starting to walk away, say something back, think of something. Anything. 

“Do you need help getting back or do you think you've got it under control?” you ask, turning over your shoulder slightly as you start towards the stables. 

“Im good” my voice cracked slightly from the lack of talking. I could be embarrassed but I'm not, the flutter of your lashes as you looked up at him, the hushed toe of your voice, the plumpness of your cheeks, I don't care how I sounded. 

As I stood watching your walk away I thought about Tommys words again.  “If she treats you like shit she really likes you” 

God, I've never wanted to be treated like shit so bad.

///

“How was it?” Tommy had asked me as he honed in on the bowl of stew, he held it close to his chest as if someone would swipe it from him if he didnt. 

“It was fine” yeah fine in the way that she doesn't even need me there and she gives me a weird feeling in my stomach. 

Tommy raised his eyes from his meal, he rested the bowl on the table with one hand cupping the warm porcelain and the other reaching out for his beer. “Really? Just fine” I've known my brother long enough to know when he's leading me. “Nothing interesting happen that you wanna tell me about?” what the fuck is he getting at?

“Yeah Tommy we had so much fun, we sang songs and picked flowers and braided each other's hair” I spat out “what are you getting at? Nothing happened” Tommys expression didn’t change at my words, the lopsided grin still smeared on his face. 

“It's just that you haven't wiped that smirk off your face since you walked in” 

“Fuck off, tommy” 

///

The next morning came and I didn’t feel as tired as I normally do, my back didn't hurt as bad as I expected it to and the ache in my head reduced to a light fog. My mind felt quiet, almost like all the shouts and screams were happening a mile down the block and not right in front of me. 

I chalk it up to patrol, having something that occupied my mind, something to keep me sharp and it definitely didn't have anything to do with you. 

Get up. Get dressed. Get to it. 

Once I made my coffee and slung the door open as quietly as I could , I returned to my spot on the porch. Once again I closed my eyes and hung my head. Absorbing the noise around me. I opened my eyes for a moment, noting the sharp bit of cold on my big toe, that holes gotten bigger. I close my eyes again. 

Music, the crunch of stone under foot, the shower running from inside the house, the neighbour walking around the second floor next door. I wonder what I'll do today, probably preparing for winter like everyone else. I should go get some food, make a nice dinner for Ellie, and I should try talking to her, make sure she's okay.

“Morning Miller” like I'm being woken from a dream, I open my eyes.

“You busy today?” how the fuck do you know where live? 

///

When you told me you were taking me out of the walls I expected it to be more or less the same as yesterday, like we were filling in a shift for someone else. Instead you walked me to the opposite end of Jackson’s gates and through some poorly secured sheet metal in the fence. I should probably report this to Tommy, this isn't a disaster waiting to happen or anything.

You handed me a pistol and not just any pistol, my pistol. the one I carried halfway across the country with and the one I reached for more times then I can count. The same one I killed with. The one that Tommy had taken from me when I arrived. Was he setting it aside for me? Did he know about your “unofficial patrol” runs? The trails look almost overgrown, like it doesn't get walked often, branches cover parts of the track and the leaves hang low from the trees overhead. Fire

I can feel the sun beaming down on my back leaving a sweat patch right between my shoulder blades and beads of sweat form along my hairline. You walk alongside me, a long sleeve shirt hangs loosely from your form, your hair pushed back behind your ears, although some pieces fall into your face. 

Today felt lighter, the cold air filled my lungs, the sun poured down on me, my pack felt lighter, the weight of the pistol on my hip felt right and the throbbing in my knees felt like no more than a tickle.   

I like the way you smell, even though you said you stank. I liked the way you looked at me, it didn't matter if you were smiling or not.  

“Why did you invite me out today?” I turned to look at you to find your eyes already on me. “Given how talkative you were yesterday” I continued “and does Tommy know we’re out here?”

I hear a laugh escape your lips and when I look over at you you're smiling at me again. The way the sunlight lights up your eyes and makes you look like you're glowing is overwhelming. You look back down at the trail. You adjust your backpack and crack your back, the same way you did yesterday. 

“You seem good, Joel” I fix my eyes back onto the track ahead of me stepping over rocks and fallen branches. “I'm sorry if I came off rude” you continue “In a world where women like me are beaten down, stolen away, used and left for dead…” you stop, eyes firmly fixed on the toe of your boot. You seem so small when the next words come out. 

“I want people to see me as a threat before they see me as anything else" 

///

“Will you walk me home?” you asked me as we approached the gates of Jackson. The possibility of spending more time with you made my heart thump in my chest, even with the ache in my back returning along with the throbbing feeling in my knee, I would walk you anywhere you wanted. Although if I get the chance another time I will make fun of you for asking. The mean little girl wants someone to walk her home. So cute. 

Our unofficial patrol ended when we found an old wood shed about a mile and a half from home. One infected. Taken out by you. We checked a trap out in the woods behind the structure that turned out to be empty. As you waltzed into the wood shed I scanned over the shelves that lined it, books scattered, pens and notepads, a pile of blankets thrown in the corner along with some clothing items, a large black drum sat next to the door, a hose running from the lid of the barrel to the roof. There was an old couch pushed up in the back corner of the shed as well. In the other shelves sat large containers, ‘STOCK’ scrawled across the front of a few of them.

Looking around the structure I soon realised that we didn't ‘find' the place, you were just coming back to it. “What the fuck is this pace?” I asked as you rummaged around in one of the boxes marked “STOCK” 

“Some of the kids call it the love shack” You looked over at me, amusement in your voice “but it's kind of like a supply station” you pull something out of the container and jam it into your bag before i can make out what it is “and yes Tommy knows all about this place” 

What's that tone? Mischief playing in your voice. Is she only saying that so I don’t tell Tommy? She's not that stupid. 

I followed you up your porch stairs taking in the exterior of your home. It's small, the front steps bow when you step on them from years or use. The paint on the weatherboards peeling and faded with time. The elements havent been kind to a lot of the homes in Jackson and I have spent a lot of time looking around thinking of all the things I would do if I had the resources. It didn't stop at my house either. Soon I was imagining renovating half the town.

Your front wire door looked like it was hanging on by a thread and one of the gutters and pipes that ran down the side of your house was all but rusted out. 

I stopped when I reached the top step, you shoved your front door open with your shoulder and knee, a practised move that I'm sure you've done hundreds of times before, knowing just the right angle to hit it at. 

Once the door swung open you shrugged off your bag and toed off your boots.

“Wait here a sec, okay?” and you disappeared into the house “I’ve got something for you” I hear you shout from somewhere inside.

I approached the front door but did not step over the threshold. Looking into your home felt like reading someone's diary or eavesdropping on a secret or walking in on someone changing. 

Books lay spread out on the ground next to the fireplace and on what he assumes is your dining table. Blankets draped over the couch and spilt out of a basket near the front door.

She told me to wait.

A day bed sits in the corner of your lounge room. A basket of yarn spilling out onto the floor along with a few half finished projects along with a tin full of sewing needles, pins, measuring tapes, scissors and a few different colours of thread. 

she didn't tell me not to come in but she also didn't invite me in.

The whole room was lit up in a soft orange glow from the afternoon sunlight pouring in from your kitchen window. It looked warm. It looked like a home. 

Why do I feel so dirty for looking. It's just her living room.

The image of you sitting here on this sofa popped into my head, a blanket wrapped up around your shoulders. Half asleep with a book in your hand while it rained.

I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm just looking.

Or layed out by the fire. The dancing flames lighting up your eyes and warming your soft skin making you glow in the otherwise dark house. 

“What are you smiling about?” you asked looking up at where I stood, a hand propped up on the door jam.

“Just lookin” my palms feel sweaty. You were just checking out her house, not her ass. Calm down Miller. 

I look down at the item you extend to me. It's a bottle, the label worn and water damaged. The seal on the top has been broken and the lid has dents and scratches, it looks like it's been pasted through a few other hands before it found its way into yours. Take the bottle you moron.

“Thank you, its real nice of ya” 

The bottle was filled with an amber liquid and as soon as I opened the lid and inhaled I could tell that this bottle of, what I can only assume is homebrewed bourbon didn't come cheap and didn't come around often.

Now, I didn't know it at the time but this would be the first of many gifts that you would bestow upon Ellie and I. 

The next thing you did for me was mend my clothes, including my favourite pair of socks that I was wearing that first day we met. 

After that I would be coming over and borrowing tools because my dumb ass brother never returned mine and then you would make a joke about needing a screw or asking how big my hammer was. Then you would teach Ellie to sew ‘a skill everyone should know’ you told her.

I would come over in the next few days and clean out the gutters before the storms started to roll in. I would rip out the rotting floorboards from your front porch and replace rusty nails. You would bring me homemade meals or fresh bread to which I would invite you in and you would never decline. 

I loved how you seemed to fit into the house that was meant to be mine, but you felt like a part of you was here even after you left. You would kick off your boots leaving them alongside mine and you would throw your jacket on the hook next to mine or throw it on the back of the couch. 

I didn't know it now but soon I would be teaching you chords on the guitar and swapping books with you. 

I would happily follow you out on more unofficial patrols, sometimes we would be gone for a few days at a time trying to find supplies in dilapidated barns and old properties that had fallen victim to time and the elements. Tommy did know about these little excursions, although he didn't know about the makeshift hole in the fence. I'm sure you got a slap on the wrist for that one.   

I would be coming over to your house to drag Ellie home when she was avoiding chores or trying to dodge school.

I just didn't know yet. 

“You need me to help you get home?” a bashful smile laced your face. I couldn't tell if you were just flushed from the warmth of your home or if you were blushing. 

You pushed past me in the doorway raising an arm and pointing a finger past my shoulder down the street. 

I let my eyes follow the outstretched arm. Seven houses. Seven houses and across the street was all that separated us. Fuck

“See ya neighbour” 

As I walked home I could feel the goofy smile that hung from my lips. 

I slowed my pace, observing the bottle as I went. Chatter in the streets picked up, people started to return from assignment to rejoin their families, others turning straight to the bison in favour of a drink. I listened to the distant sound of children laughing and playing in the streets. The sounds of a neighbourhood. 

///

That was the first night I dreamt about you, it was the first night you pulled me out of a bad dream. It was the first night that I went to sleep with your face at the front of my mind. When I woke up in the middle of the night you were the first thing I thought of. When I closed my eyes and pulled my cock out of my boxers I saw you and when I started jerking myself off I saw you. Fuck i feel dirty. I couldn't stop myself even if I tried. I saw your smile and the strands of hair that stuck to your face. I pictured you laid out by your fireplace, bathed in an orange glow with my hand around your throat as you moaned my name.  

Just once, get it out of your system. She’s attractive, I'm only human. It's fine. 

I let myself imagine all the things I would do to you. Because in the morning i wouldn't think about it again

Just once

I let myself imagine your tight pussy swallowing me up. I could almost feel your hot breath on my neck. I let myself imagine you on all fours and I let myself imagine you riding me on the couch in your living room.

Just once

I let myself imagine how your pussy would taste as I ate you out and I let myself imagine how you could sound as you came on my face, on my cock, on my fingers.

“Just once” I whispered to myself before I spilled onto my hand and sheets.