#this post was also brought to you by my beautiful daughter no way back who Doesn’t have a visor. but it does look like one

[simcardiac-arrested]

the symbolism of giving characters glasses or shades or visors to show that they’re metaphorically Blind To Something either because of anger or grief or naïveté etc etc things of such nature

[virginsexgod69]

REQUEST ‼️‼️‼️

I’ve always wanted to read one where the reader is one of Hershel’s daughters (set in season 2). When Daryl and the group show up the reader won’t stop teasing Daryl and eventually he can’t take it anymore. Please make my dreams come true 😭😭🤘. (p.s virgin reader would be +50 points ;)

❝ V-Card ❞

pairing (S2) Daryl Dixon x virgin!fem!Reader

cw loss of virginity, unprotected p in v, lowkey inexperienced daryl, but also not really?, teasing, some pining, daryl kinda being a boob man, reader being a little pervy at times

note i am so sorry i kept you waiting 32 days for this request @mygrandmaschinacabinet, i really hope you like this and thank you for your patience and kind comment on my other post!

p.s. just bc reader is hershel's daughter does not imply anything ab her appearence

~5.k words

 Living on a farm that was fairly far from society, it was a given that you wouldn't see good looking guys too often. But being a good looking girl, the guys you didn't want were always the ones after you, and you'd always have to turn them down. When she gets older, she's gonna have to fight off boys with a stick, was something your grandma would often tease your father, Hershel, about. You laughed it off, not paying any mind to it, but boy did she end up being right. You spent a good portion of your high school years rejecting your suitors, none of which were good enough for you, and none of which you really wanted. But when you finally laid eyes on the most beautiful man you've ever seen, he happened to be one who seemed to pay you no attention. 

 Odd circumstances brought the beautiful man, whom you quickly learned was named Daryl Dixon, to your farm. Otis shot a kid, Hershel took him in to care for, and his dad's group eventually made a home on your father's land. You couldn’t help but ogle at him from your bedroom window whenever you got the chance. The way his biceps flexed whenever he worked with his arms had your virgin pussy aching to be filled by him. He was a man who you’d let do things to you that you’d let no other man before even think he had a chance of doing. 

“Not this again,” Maggie complained upon entering your room. You were perched at your window -like you have been since the group first arrived- watching Daryl skin some squirrels. No one could look as good as he did while doing such a grisly task. 

“Can you blame me? Jus’ look at him,” you replied dreamily. 

“No thanks.” 

“Whatever. You have your eye candy, I have mine.” 

“Eye candy? What’re you talkin’ about?” She asked defensively. 

“Glenn. I’ve seen the way you look at him, like he’s a piece of meat,” you teased. 

“Whatever! Do you need anythin’? I’m goin’ out on a run.” 

“With Glenn?” 

 She let out an annoyed huff and exited the room, not awaiting your response. But you didn’t need anything anyway. You went back to watching Daryl. The sweltering Georgia heat caused sweat to drench his sleeveless shirt and drip from his short, dark hair. He looked like he walked out of one of your many wet dreams. Just then, an idea popped into your head. You hurried down to the kitchen and filled a glass with water, cooling it with the scoops of ice you added. Surely this kind deed would put you on his radar. 

“Hey, Daryl,” you cheerily greeted as you approached the rugged man. He sat on a stump, now gutting the squirrels he already skinned. He grunted in response, not looking up from his work. Your smile dropped, not that it mattered, considering he wasn’t even looking at you. 

“Brought you some water. It’s pretty hot out here and I wouldn’t want ya gettin’ dehydrated,” you said as you held out the cold glass, now dripping with condensation. “Thanks.” He grabbed the glass, his fingers slightly brushing yours, sending a tingling through your spine. He threw his head back, downing the water. A small stream of water dripped down his chin, then his neck, sliding down his shirt no longer in your vision. You squeezed your thighs together. Every little thing he did drove you crazy. You felt like a victorian man who’d just seen a peek of a woman’s ankle whenever you were around Daryl. 

“You uh… Ya need somethin’?” He asked when he noticed you haven’t left yet. You froze. You didn’t need anything, but you didn’t want to leave either. 

“Jus’ came to check on ya, I guess,” you muttered. 

“ ‘M fine?” He tossed the squirrel’s guts into a bucket. 

“Well, alright. My work here is done!” You cringed as the words left your mouth. You grabbed the emptied glass and walked back into the house, chastising yourself the entire way. You wanted nothing more than to have him look at you the way other guys do, but he barely give you the time of day. 

 The glimmer of sunbeams on your face woke you up the next morning. You glanced at the analog clock on your nightstand that read 11:36. You hopped out of bed and eagerly hurried to your window, hoping Daryl would be back from hunting or looking for that little girl or whatever else it was he did when he wasn’t in his usual spot. He was sat on that stump again, but this time he was cleaning his crossbow with that red rag he kept on him. You couldn’t take it anymore, you had  to do something. He couldn’t keep getting away with being so hot and so uninterested in you. 

 You readied yourself in the bathroom, making sure every hair was in place and every tooth was brushed. You debated putting on makeup. You had some leftover from before, but never had a reason to use it, not until now. You layered on some mascara until your lashes looked twice as long and twice as full and coated your lips with some tinted gloss. You stared into your closet debating on what you thought Daryl’d like better. Your tightest, shortest shorts and a nearly see-through tank top. 

“What’re doin’ all dolled up like that?” Your younger sister, Beth asked upon entering the kitchen. 

“Makin’ lunch for D-,” you stopped yourself, not wanting another sister catching onto your thing for Daryl, “for the group out there.” 

“Daddy doesn’t want us wastin’ all our stuff on them,” she protested. You rolled your eyes at her. She could be such a goody-two-shoes sometimes. “What he don’ know won’ hurt him.” You cut a piece of the sandwich you made and handed it to Beth. 

“Eat this and keep quiet.”  

You assembled the sandwich and a glass of lemonade on a tray and carried it over to his lone camp. He didn’t look at you until you were standing before him holding the tray of food. His eyes slowly made their way up to yours, lingering on your bare legs and exposed cleavage on their way up. You couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged the corners of your mouth at this small victory. He quickly averted his gaze and set his crossbow down. 

“Wha’s all this?” He asked, nodding his head toward the tray in your arms. 

“Made ya lunch. Figured you’d be hungry after all that huntin’ and searchin’ you been doin’,” you answered as you set down the tray. 

“Uh, thanks?” He seemed confused, but grateful nonetheless. “Of course,” you replied with a bright smile before sauntering off, swaying your hips more than usual. Unbeknownst to you, he watched you until the door closed behind you. 

 In the days that passed, you upped the ante on your teasing. Daryl noticed. At noon almost everyday, you’d bring him lunch in risqué little outfits. Not quite skimpy, but just enough to tease him. And tease him they did. He already was too nervous to look at you, afraid he might scare you off with his gruff nature and lack of experience with women. He’d choose, instead, to catch glimpses of you when you weren’t watching. Like when you’d leave after bringing him something, or when you’d be around doing farm-work or interacting with the other members of his group. But when you started wearing those revealing outfits, it became harder for him to keep from looking at you. But when he made eye contact with you, he became so nervous and shy that he had to look away. You were the sun. He could feel your warmth, even when he couldn’t see you. You were so bright and beautiful that he felt pulled to look at you, but whenever he did, it couldn’t be for long because he’d forcibly look away, your bright smile burning his sensitive retinas. 

 Speaking of the sun, there you were. “Daryl!” You called as you ran to him. The actual sun glowed behind you, making you look even more like an angel. He was atop one of your horses ready to leave the farm to look for Sophia. He was shocked to see you since you usually weren’t up until noon. He’d know since that’s around the time he sees you watching him through your window. 

“Yeah?” He grunted. 

“Ya goin’ out to look for that little girl?” Once you were out of the sunlight, he could actually get a good look at you.  Something in him stirred when he saw you in the little dress you had on. It was a cream color with ruffles at the bottom and it gave him a good view of your breasts from his position on the horse. He quickly tore his eyes away and looked at the view ahead of him, which was nowhere near as beautiful as you. 

“I figure you’ll be gone for a bit, so I brought you a little bite to eat,” you said holding up a few muffins you made the other night wrapped in cheesecloth. 

“T-thanks,” he stuttered. Despite how frequent it was, he was always taken aback by the kindness you show him. He’s never been treated the way you treat him before and it caught him off guard. 

“Be back by dinner, okay?” It wasn’t a command, more of a hopeful question, but made his heart flutter. 

“I’ll try.” He didn’t want to make any promises he couldn’t keep. You stood there fiddling with your dress about to say something but deciding against it each time. 

“Wha’ is it?” 

“B-be safe out there!” You blurted before scampering off. He found it odd how you could be so bold with your teasing, yet shy when it came to actually talking to him. 

  Your words echoed in his head as he searched for any sign of Carol’s lost daughter. Your request of be back by dinner, okay? motivated him to get back to the farm, despite his injuries from the horse tossing him down a cliff making it difficult for him to move. But what really stuck with him was your horrified scream when you saw Andrea shoot him. That scream haunted his dreams while he was unconscious. The terror of it being the last thing he’d hear from you was his real nightmare. So when he heard your soft “Hey,” he felt relief wash over him, despite the pain everywhere else. He blinked his dry eyes open only for the first thing for him to see being your tits. You had on a loose t-shirt with no bra underneath. He didn’t know if this was a part of your teasing or a pure mistake, but either way, his cock stirred at the sight. You leaned down further to look into his eyes. 

“How ya feelin’?” You ask, placing the back of your hand to his forehead. He tried to croak out a response, but his throat was too dry. You quickly grabbed the glass of water at his bedside and helped him drink it. 

“Better?” 

“ ‘M fine,” he said. You gave him a look that said you didn’t believe him, but were humoring him anyway. “You were injured pretty badly, Daryl,” you said as you gently stroked his hair. He caught himself before he could fully melt into your touch. In fact, he moved away from it. 

“I know, ‘m fine,” he snapped before trying to roll over, away from you. He didn’t like you seeing him like this. So weak and frail, having to depend on those around him. He didn’t see the hurt expression that took over your pretty face. But, to his luck, you didn’t let him push you away. Instead, you toed off your shoes and got into the bed beside him, facing him. He hoped to the high heavens that you couldn’t see the redness that blossomed on his face when you flashed your bright smile at him. 

“I’ll keep ya company,” you promised. 

“Don’ need no company, said ‘m fine.” He didn’t know why he was so adamant about pushing you away. The minute he realized you were in here, he brightened up. He didn’t want his sunshine to leave, but he couldn’t help the storm that was brewing inside him. 

“Well, if you really want me to leave, I’ll go.” You were almost out of the bed before his clammy hand grabbed your wrist. 

“Nah, you can stay,” he said, prompting the return of that bright smile. 

 When you woke up, the sun was setting and Daryl’s arm was around your waist, holding you close. Your heart swelled, this was all you ever wanted, to be in Daryl’s arms. Okay, well you wanted more than just his arm around you, but small victories! You gently moved his arm off you so you could get up and get some dinner from him and yourself. 

“What were you doin’ in there?” Your father asked as soon as you stepped out of the room. He stood outside, about to come in, holding a tray of food for the bowman. 

“Nothin’, Daddy, I was jus’ checkin up on our patient!” It was the truth, but it felt like a lie. 

“Since earlier this afternoon?” He pressed. 

“Lost track of time,” you explained. 

“Now, honey, I know you’re just lookin’ out for him, but-“ 

“I know, I know, you don’t really trust them, but I’m just lovin’ thy neighbor, so to speak.” You bargained. 

That response seemed to satisfy him for now. He handed you the tray of food to give you Daryl. 

“Daryl, dinner,” you called softly upon reentering the room. He groaned, but woke up anyway. He tried to sit up, but winced in pain. You set the tray down and quickly ran to his side to help him out. You adjusted his pillows and helped him to a sitting position. 

“Wha’s fer dinner?” He asked, glancing at the bowl of soup on the tray beside him on the bed. You hummed in thought before dipping your finger into the bowl and sucking it clean, making sure your lips were pouty as you did so, hoping to tease Daryl. 

“Tomato.” He hummed noncommittally before reaching for the spoon. You swatted his hand away. “Nuh uh, you’re still healing, let me feed you.” 

“I can feed myself,” he protested. You furrowed your brows and pouted at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes, but opened his mouth slightly, waiting for a bite. You smiled, scooping up some soup and spooning it into his mouth, making sure to lean forward as to give him a front row seat to the view down your shirt. You saw him avoid looking the first few times, but soon he was unable to resist taking a peek, and soon his peeking became staring (however, he pretended not to be whenever you looked back up at him). 

“Enjoy the soup?” You asked once the bowl was mostly empty. 

“S’alright,” he said as he nibbled on a cracker. You grabbed the bowl and drank the rest of the soup directly from it. 

“Goddammit!” You cursed when a glob of soup fell onto your white t-shirt. But maybe it was a blessing in disguise, a chance to drive Daryl crazy. You grabbed a random t-shirt from one of the drawers and set it down before taking off the one you had, tossing it aside. You put the new one on as if you didn't just give him a strip show. His face was beet red and he hurried to adjust the blankets on his lap. 

"Daryl, you okay? You look a little hot?" 

"S'just w-warm in here." 

"Let me jus' check your temperature." Instead of pressing the back of your hand to his forehead like before, you placed a gentle kiss to it. 

"Feels a little warm." You stayed close to his face. If he moved, even a centimeter, his lips would touch yours, which is what you were hoping for. You glanced down at his lips, then up at his blue eyes, waiting for him to lean in. Despite all this teasing, you kinda wished he'd make a move, too. When he didn't, you pulled away, kissing him on the cheek instead. 

"Get well soon, okay?" you said before taking the tray and leaving. 

Daryl had been mentally punching himself since that night. He was an idiot for not kissing you when he had the chance. You were right there and so obviously waiting for him to do something, anything. But he couldn't. It'd been so long since he'd done anything with a woman, and even then, he didn't think he was any good. He was almost embarrassed about how inexperienced he was at his age. And someone as beautiful as you obviously would have some experience, so why waste time on him. He didn't want to be the cloud that dulled your shine. 

 He was now well enough to be released from Hershel’s care, but not well enough to resume about his usual ways. He’d normally disobey orders to take it easy, but when you made him promise to rest, he couldn’t break it. Subconsciously, he glanced over to your window. It wasn’t something he did often, considering you were usually the one watching him, but you were weighing heavily on his mind. He saw you up in your room, assuming you’d just woken up since it was almost noon. You were at your window, rummaging through your dresser -he knew where it was when he caught a glimpse of your room when he was inside the house. You held up a few shirts, probably deciding on which to wear, before pulling your pajama shirt off over your head. This was now the second, no, third time he’s gotten a perfect view of your tits. God they would feel so good in his hands, better yet, they’d look so good  bouncing in unison with his thrusts as he fucked you into your mattress. Your teasing and mischievous ways only fueled his fantasies, causing his pants to tighten uncomfortably. The little wave you gave him from your window pulled him out of his own head. You, still topless, blew him a kiss before stepping out of frame. 

 His heart rate increased expeditiously as he nearly came in his pants. He couldn’t handle your teasing anymore, it was driving him crazy. He wanted you, not just the fantasies in his head and the company of his hand. He wanted to feel your walls squeeze his cock, hear your little moans as he pleasured you until your mind went numb, become one with you as you came in unison. He hurried into his tent and zipped it all the way up before collapsing onto his sleeping bag and hurrying to undo his pants. He liberated his aching cock from its confines and spat on his hand. He rubbed himself up and down, from base to tip, imagining it was your pretty mouth swallowing him whole. He ignored the sound of distant footsteps approaching his tent and instead chased his climax, which was coming embarrassingly fast. 

“Daryl?” Your distant voice called, but all he heard in his mind was you moaning his name as your nails scratched down his back. 

“You in here?” You asked. Daryl came in his hand, taking extra care to stifle the moan that threatened to spill from his mouth. Reality set in when he saw your shadow standing outside his tent. He quickly wiped his hand off on the closest piece of fabric and shoved himself back in his pants. 

“Need somethin’? He asked. He willed you not to notice his flushed, sweaty face. 

“Watcha doin’ in there?” You asked, trying to peek into his tent. He moved to block your vision. He didn’t need you finding any trace of his earlier activity. Although, the little dress you had on had him ready to continue said activities.

“Nothin’.” 

“Anyway, I came to check on you, make sure you’re takin’ it easy.” 

“I am, was jus’ takin’ a nap,” he lied. 

“Then why are you so red? And sweaty? Are you comin’ down with somethin’?!” You were starting to sound worried, making Daryl feel guilty. You reached up to feel his forehead and check for a fever, but he stepped back, avoiding your touch. If he felt your skin on his, in any capacity, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold back anymore. 

“Daryl, don’t be so stubborn!” You stepped closer only for him to step back again. 

“Ain’ got no fever, girl! S’just hot out here!” He insisted. 

“Don’ know that for sure. If it is one, it could mean one of your wounds is infected.” 

“S’not a fever, ‘m sweaty from workin’ out.” You looked at him with an eyebrow skeptically raised and a hand on your hip. So much for takin’ a nap, you thought. Your eyes traveled down his body before meeting his again, this time with look more mischievous than usual in your eyes. 

“Your fly’s down.” He quickly zipped it up, cursing himself for the dumb mistake. 

“Anythin’ to do with your ‘work out’?” 

“Dunno what yer gettin’ at.” His heart was beating faster in his chest, this time because of anxiety. You were onto him and he was about to get caught, humiliated under your scrutinizing gaze.

“Flushed, sweaty face.” You took a step closer and he took one back. “Dilated pupils.” Another step forward and another one back. “Unzipped fly.” He stepped back, not looking where he was going and stumbled onto the grassy ground. You sat down next to him. “Took forever to open your tent.” Your face split into a grin like the Cheshire Cat.   “I’d say you were in there masturbatin’.” He stumbled over his words, looking for what to say in denial of your observation accusation. You pressed your pointer finger to his lips. 

“Shh, it’s okay.” You leaned over him and slid your hand down his chest. “I touch myself, too.” His sparkling blue eyes went wide. “Usually thinkin’ ‘bout you when I do it.” You could feel his breathing change as you slid your hand further down his toned stomach. “Were you thinkin’ ‘bout me?” His face was beet read and breathing shallow. You had him and he was more than ready, willing, and able to give in. He nodded his head, confirming your suspicions. 

“Well, next time I’m on your mind,” you leaned down, lips ghosting his parted ones, “don’t just settle for your hand.” His lips finally met yours in a heated kiss. The built up tension from his days of pining and yours of teasing finally being released in that kiss. You tangled your fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss, slipping your tongue inside and drinking in all his pleasured groans. 

“Wanna go back to my room?” You asked after pulling away. 

“Nah, too far. Let’s go inside my tent.” You happily agreed and hurried inside, zipping it up behind Daryl. His mouth was back on yours in an instant, passionately exploring it with his tongue. He kissed his way down to your neck, roughly sucking marks. 

“Oh, Daryl!” You shouted when he reached a certain spot on your neck, just beneath your ear. Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him impossibly close. Nervously, Daryl’s hand experimented with touching your body, his hands firmly gripping your hips. They were comfortable there and not daring enough to try anything else. He wanted to impress you, but at the same time he didn’t want you to notice that he had no clue what he was doing or what to do next, using the pirated porn and one night stands of his past as reference. Your hands grabbed his and placed them on your tits. 

“Touch me, Daryl!” You whined. His hands groped and kneaded at the soft mounds of flesh hidden behind the thin fabric of your dress. He pulled down the front of your dress, freeing your tits then recapturing one by putting it in his mouth. His large hand toyed with the right while his mouth suckled the other. Your little wanton whimpers egged him on, giving him the confidence to try more. Your squirmed beneath him, squeezing your thighs together. His cock was also painfully hard, once again, and yearning to feel your warm walls around him. He pulled away and undid his pants before pulling out his cock, stroking it a few times. He looked up at you, but you looked less excited. Your eyes wouldn’t meet his and your arms were crossed over your chest, hiding yourself from him. 

“Wha’s the matter, Sunshine?” He asked, the nickname rolling of his tongue naturally. He was more than excited to sleep with you, but his worry regarding your sudden change outweighed that. 

“N-nothin’. Jus’ put it in,” you said hoarsely. 

“Nah, we ain’ doin’ nothin’ unless ya tell me wha’s wrong.” It sounded harsh, but it came from a place of genuine concern. 

You sat up, readjusting your dress as you did so. “I-it’s jus’,” you nervously fiddled with the hem of your dress, something Daryl noticed you did a lot around him. “C-can we go slow? I haven’t done any of this stuff before,” you admitted. 

“You a virgin?” He asked, astonished. You glumly nodded your head as if you were accepting defeat. In a twisted way, that relieved him a bit. Maybe since you’ve never had sex, you wouldn’t notice his own lack of experience.  He put himself in his boxers before patting the spot in front of him. You crawled over to him and sat between his legs, your back against his chest. His lips found that spot on your neck again and began sucking there as his hand slid underneath your panties. He rubbed your clit in tight circles, causing your thighs to clamp shut over his hand. 

“Jus’ relax,” he coaxed. You relaxed the best you could, but the pleasure kept you from staying still. 

“F-faster,” you whimpered. He obeyed your command, rubbing you at a quicker pace. Your head fell back against his shoulder and you moaned in his ear. His other hand slipped beneath your panties and gathered your arousal on his finger, before he slowly slid it inside you, giving you time to adjust. He pumped it in and out of you as he continued to rub your clit. Your back arched off him as you moaned his name. He easily slipped in a second finger with how wet you were. Your velvety walls were so soft around his thick digits. He couldn’t wait to feel them with his cock. He moved his fingers in a ‘come hither’ motion, hitting you in a spot that had you babbling nonsense. You squeezed his fingers with your soaking cunt as your first orgasm overtook your body. 

“Daryl, I’m ready. Need ta feel ya inside me,” you slurred. He helped you lay down on your back and slid your panties off before pulling his painfully hard cock out again. Your legs rested over his thighs as he coated his member in your juices before lining it up with your entrance. He slid in as slowly as he could, making sure this would be as painless as it could be for you. You were so soft, slippery, and smooth around him, the best pussy he’s ever had. Once he was all the way in, he stopped to give you time to adjust. He leaned down and connected your lips in another kiss, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled held him close. 

“You can move now.” His hands gripped your hips as he started slowly thrusting in and out of you, not wanting to give you too much too soon. His pleasured grunts mingled with your moans as he slid in and out of you. 

“More, need more!” You whined. He adjusted your position, placing your legs over his broad shoulders. The new position allowed him to fill you even better. As he pounded in and out of you, the erotic sounds of damp skin slapping damp skin filled the tent, harmonizing with his and your sounds of pleasure. He lifted your dress over your head, getting rid of the barrier between you and him, and tossed it aside. His own fantasies came true as he watched your tits bounce in unison with his thrusts. He took them in his hands again, rolling your nipples between his finger and thumb, bringing you closer to your climax. 

“Daryl I think I’ma-” Your sentence trailed off into a moan as you came around his cock. He fucked you through your orgasm as his own approached. He pulled out of you just as he was about to finish and came all over your tits and stomach, like a firehose. You let out a satisfied hum, barely able to keep your eyes open. He grabbed one of his discarded shirts and cleaned you off before laying beside you in the sleeping bag. You rolled over to face him and hugged him close in your arms. 

“You were the best first I coulda asked for,” you confessed. Your words soothed his worries that he didn’t perform well enough while also making his heart flutter.

“Guess all yer teasin’ paid off.” You giggled against his chest. 

 He pulled you closer to him and pulled you in for another kiss, a sweeter, gentler one this time. You dozed off in his comforting arms, wishing you’d never have to leave. 

i proofread it, yaaay! anyway, thanks for reading! <3

i wrote this instead of doing my homework, mwahahahah >=]

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[spitdrunken]

response to this ask: ABSOLUTELY NOT TOO MUCH!!! This ask has brought me infinite joy and I have reread it a LOT. (Also dw, I will always assume Reader is an adult through asks!! But I get why you’d wanna say that with a term such as grooming, haha) also this got REALLY LONG… HELP.

Notes: pseudocest, obsessive behaviour, codependency, unequal power dynamics, implied minor character death, infantilization… general creepiness. Perhaps this veers away from my original post a little, but I love the idea that you’re someone entirely new to Hell. You’re fresh off the boat, so to speak, entirely unfamiliar with the way things work around here— Except that everything’s fucking terrifying, and you want out! Right now. Please. You see an ad on a random TV in a store’s display, one featuring a hotel that promises ‘sinners’ (which is what you are now, apparently, even your own body now being a new and confusing factor of your existence) a possible way to ascend up to Heaven. Now new and refurbished, after the last successfully averted extermination! Whatever that means. With nowhere else to turn to, no other leads or possibilities except sleeping out on the blood-soaked streets, of course you go! Who wouldn’t? You’d be stupid not to go! …Unless this is all a big scam In which case, you can only hope that you can’t die more than once.

Maybe you arrive, and this grand, beautiful hotel, is, well… Deserted. It’s beautiful on the outside, sure, but where are any of the staff? Or the people staying there, for that matter? You’re so uncomfortable out it all, that you nearly turn tail and run back from whence you came. You would have, if where you came from wasn’t ten times worse.

You walk up to the front desk, and, before you can change your mind, ring the little bell placed on the desk. Someone appears in a flash of golden light, and you have to squint your eyes to avoid being blinded. It disappears as quickly as it came, and a man… Demon, actually, appears in its place. (You catch a quick glance of something bright yellow being quickly stuffed into his pocket, but you have no idea what it is.) His form is noticeably more humanoid than the others you’ve seen out and about. Yes, his skin is an inhuman tone, and his cheeks take apple-red to a whole new level, but he doesn’t appear monstrous. That doesn’t make him exactly inviting, however. His face is set in a neutral expression, and he openly looks you up and down, pupils narrowed into slits. You scratch at the side of your neck, only to immediately flinch. You aren’t quite used to how sharp your nails are nowadays. “Um, hello! I— Sorry to bother you, sir,” you break the silence. “I might be wrong, but is this the Hazbin Hotel…? I saw the advertisement that was put out, and I was interested. Would you happen to be the owner?”

His neutral expression fades, and a small smile takes it place, eyelids sliding half-closed. “Oh no, no— Old me isn’t the boss of this place. That would be my daughter! I’m sure you would have heard of us.” He leans on his staff, both of his hands cupped around the apple on top. His eyes roam around your expression as if searching for something. “You’re pretty new here, I’m guessing?” “…Mhm. It’s that obvious, huh?” You don’t know how he was able to tell so quickly, but you laugh in a way that can only be heard as self deprecating. You shift your weight from one foot to the other, and avert your eyes.

“It’s kind of hard to tell how much time has passed, but— Not a lot. Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on. One moment, I was alive, and the next I was here, with this weird body, surrounded by terrifying people, and I don’t know—“ Your voice cracks under the weight of the reality of your situation. An eternity in Hell. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… Yeah. It’s just been a lot.” “I see. Yes, this realm isn’t particularly kind, least of all to newcomers. I can’t imagine what you’ve seen.” He says, quieter now. You dare a glance at his face. Something in his features has softened at your words, his slit pupils and smile wider in size. When he sees you looking, he extends a hand. You take it, and he gives you multiple firm shakes, before pulling you into a quick hug that has your knees buckle a bit and crushes the air out of your lungs. For a little guy, he really is surprisingly strong. When he lets you go, he’s still got a hand holding yours, leading you to one of the couches in the lobby, and promptly plopping down, pulling you with him. “But things are already on the rise for you from here on out!” He says, all boisterous and smiles, revealing rows of sharp teeth. “You’re new here, and already hit the jackpot! Lucifer’s the name!" And you can only imagine what kind of expression flashes over your face, because he nods rapidly and winks at you. “—Yes, that one, glad that, at least, rings a bell. And staying here places you under my family’s protection." His gaze drifts over the lobby. "My daughter and her friends are out doing trust exercises somewhere right now, but I’m certain she’ll be happy to welcome once she returns. She’s a real sweetheart, let me tell you! She didn’t get that from me, I can tell you that!” He laughs, but it quickly tapers off into a sigh. You wish you could laugh along. You have to admit you’re more than just a bit frozen up, questioning all of the decisions in your life and death that lead up to this moment. Sitting on a couch in a hotel lobby with Satan himself… Maybe you could die again, after all, and you were about to experience it. You probably have committed like fifty gross breaches of etiquette already, and, and— There’s a little rubber duck sitting on your lap.

It immediately snaps you out of your stupor, with how sudden and unexpected it is. The duck is bright yellow with chubby orange cheeks, and wearing a little black top hat. You can’t help cracking up a bit, taking it into your hand. …Maybe this guy is as silly as his outfit would suggest. Was calling himself Lucifer his idea of a joke? Things might be alright after all. “Ah..." You smile. "He’s so cute!” You relax, letting your back hit the sofa you’re sitting on. “Like a little gentleman!” This is the only adorable thing you’ve seen ever since arriving in Hell, and no one should blame you for getting a bit excited. Your days have been nothing but utter misery, after all. “You think so? I mean—“ He laughs, short and sudden. “Of course you do! Just look at the little guy! Who couldn’t love him? You can keep him, I can make another one lickety-split!” “Oh! Um, thank you! Does he have a name?” You’re full-on smiling now, and turning to look at ‘Lucifer’. At a shake of his head, you hum in thought. “A fancy guy deserves a fancy name… What about Reginald?” You turn the little toy around, inspecting it from all sides. “You’ve seen nothing yet! Just give it a little squeeze, not too much.” You do as he says. Through the little hole in its beak, a white droplet emerges. “It’s glue! He used to help me with my crafting projects. But, well, he’s yours now. Off to greener pastures, as they say.” You can’t help yourself. The whole situation is really not all that funny, but you crack up, and once you start laughing, you can’t stop. Your chest hurts, and tears are burning at the corners of your eyes. You have no idea why! Everything’s been such a mess lately. After a couple of seconds, you babble out some nonsense. “I gave— I gave Reginald such a posh name! But… Y’know, he’s a working man!” You say, still cracking up in between the words. At this, it’s Lucifer who laughs, a sound loud and sudden enough to ring in your ears. Seems you hadn’t heard a real laugh out of him before after all.

In other words, Lucifer (who you end up finding out really is the Devil himself) quickly grows fond of you, and takes you under his wings. Perhaps it’s your innocence about Hell and it’s mechanisms that pulls him towards you, combined with the fact that you’re just kind of easy to fuss over. You’re none the wiser that Lucifer was all but hopeless about sinners before helping restart the hotel, and entirely unaware that your dynamic is anything but normal. In your mind, Lucifer must befriend people rather frequently! While you’re quickly taken in by Hazbin Hotel’s other friends and staff, it really is Lucifer who helps you through your adjustment period. He makes you little covers for your claws, so you can get used to having sharp appendages, and not accidentally keep clawing open furniture or your own flesh. He requests Nifty makes some food that is at least visually similar to some Earth meal. When you wake up in the morning, there’s always a little duck sitting in front of your hotel door, making you start your day with a smile. You’ve got a shelf full of them now, and love all of them. (And when you’re curled up in your bed, late at night, crying over all that you’ve lost, smothering your sobs with a pillow, there is a gentle knock on your door. Lucifer sits on the side of your bed, wearing striped pajamas in red and white, and encourages you to pour your heart out to him.

There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Everything you’re feeling, everything you’re going through— He’s heard and seen it all before. In fact, he’s sure he’s heard much, much worse. Has he ever done you wrong? No, he hasn’t. So, talk to him. He tells you, dabbing at your face with a white handkerchief decorated with apples stitched onto it. And you do.)

Lucifer looks after you. Sure, he’s not perfect. But no one is, right? Lucifer often seems to lose track of the conversation you’re having with him, distracted by the things around him and suddenly veering off into entirely different territory. In general, his memory is spotty at best, but you’re not surprised that an immortal being such as himself wouldn’t remember every single little thing you say.

He’ll hole himself up in his workshop for days at a time, only to emerge with nothing to show for it, except for a downtrodden expression. He’ll fight with Alastor (and continuously remind you to stay far away from that piece of shit), and get fussy whenever you try to leave the hotel without him glued to your side. Though his memory seems to often be unreliable, and you believe that a lot of simple conversations you have with him are simply left forgotten, there are instances you would consider insignificant that remain fresh in his mind.

“You’re doing it again,” you tell Lucifer. He’s pacing up and down the length of his room, ranting about Alastor. He blinks, and halts his movements, tapping his staff on the floor. “Doing what?” “The thing,” you emphasize, before standing up and walking towards him, dragging the top of your finger across his bottom lip. You can feel him take a quick inhale as soon as you make contact. A golden smear is left across your skin. “You’re always chewing on your bottom lip when you get upset. Doesn’t it hurt? I know it heals within, like, ten seconds, but still!” Absentmindedly, you look at his blood. It’s a weird thought to have, but it’s strangely… Beautiful. You look back up at him, and your brow furrows. “Hey… Were your red spots always that big? I think I’m seeing things.”

But things get better, and he improves. He starts to try and take little notes of the things you’ve told him, alongside the words of other people important to him, like Charlie, like a diary of sorts. The door to his workplace starts being left unlocked, and you’ll wander in, from time to time. You’ll sit on the chair in the corner of the room, reading or otherwise occupying yourself, and telling him that no, that duck or toy is not the worst thing you’ve ever seen, and doesn’t deserve to be burnt to a crisp.

You listen as he, on bad days, talks about his wife with a forlorn expression on his face. Things get better, though. He tries not to see the worst in sinners any longer, and his moods grow better. He spends more time with Charlie. All is well. You don’t realize just how entangled your existences are until you’re in too deep. That your eyes search for him every time you enter a new room, that you’ve grown comfortable with him doing the talking for you. You try to convince yourself it’s not a bad thing, but the simple truth is that you’ve lost a chunk of your independence. And when you try to go out with the other residents, it’s so easy for him to coax you back out of it.

Are you really sure you want to go? Look, I’m not trying to keep you here— I’m really not! But Hell’s a dangerous place out there, and I can assure you there’ll be things there that you really don’t want to see. …I’ve been working on a little display case for your favourite ducks, I can show you that instead.

He only grows more protective when time goes on, and you do more exercises with the rest of the hotel, bond with the other residents. At times, he tries to convince you to forgo their shared activities entirely.

(You try to forget about what you found in a drawer of his desk, one day. A note among so many other reminders that he is known to keep. But this one is wrinkled, pen pressed so hard to the paper that it’s torn in places. All of them want to go to Heaven, all of them want to leave here. Me. I get it. Because she has left, no one can be guaranteed to stay. But I won’t let the apple of my eye be taken, even if they send down an envoy and try to escort them up themselves. …But it’s hard not to remember.) When he gives you your a warning about the ‘scary outside world’ for the umpteenth time, you can’t help but roll your eyes and counter. Alright, dad. Nothing about your tone shows sincerity. You mean it as a joke or a jab, but Lucifer doesn’t laugh. Instead, he hums out a pleased little noise, a smile settling on his face.

The way he looks at you is so utterly tender, all half-lidded eyes and pupils blown wide, that it leaves you reeling. He nestles himself at your side, under the comfort of your arm, and promises to take care of you for the rest of your eternal life spent there. You have an eternity. It’s sweet, and knocks the breath out of you.

But you would’ve been able to reconcile the image of Lucifer and ‘father figure’ more easily if he, sometimes, didn’t act so contrary to such an image. He’ll call for you from behind his workdesk as you’re sitting on your usual chest, ready to show you a ventriloquist doll he’s been working on.

As you stand next to him, an arm is wrapped around your waist, and he pulls you on his lap. It’s in no way comfortable for him. He has to stick his head underneath one of your arms to see anything at all. It would be silly otherwise, but the way he pulls you flush against him, face nuzzled into your side as he audibly inhales, one clawed hand resting on your thigh… You can’t help but have it muddle your feelings towards him. He frequently kisses your hand as a greeting, and insists you let him kiss both of your cheeks before parting. You would write it off as one of his unique quirks if he did the same thing for Charlie, but he doesn’t.

Lucifer, with an eternity of time to hone his skills behind him, has picked up all kinds of crafts, including sewing. He’ll make pieces of clothing for you in his colour scheme, sew apple-themed patches on your clothing, among other things. It’s always embarrassing when he makes something. He fusses and cooes over you like you’re a child when you first wear any piece, clapping his hands and grinning. Oh, just look at you! Aren’t you the cutest little thing? It looks lovely on you!

Anyone with more than two braincells can tell something is going on between the two of you, though no one is quite sure exactly what. Perhaps Angel is rubbed the wrong way by just how overbearing Lucifer is being, and considers you to just get out there for once with the rest of them. You’re always cooped up inside the hotel! Come on, he’s been around the block more times than he count, and he knows every trick in the book. You’ll be fine as long as you stick with him. And… You have fun! Going out, dancing and drinking, accompanied by your friends, is wonderful. But maybe you drink a little bit too much, yet entirely unfamiliar with the different types of names alcoholic beverages in Hell have. How were you supposed to know you accidentally ordered one of the strongest drinks on the menu? And, in the crowd of people, you lose the rest, wandering outside without really noticing it. You’re such an obvious target, staggering on the sidewalk, giggling and mumbling to yourself, that you wouldn’t entirely blame anyone for the poor argument that ‘you were asking for it’ in a place like this. Your world is left spinning as you’re pushed against a wall, vision momentarily blacking out as your skull bashes against brick. (Somewhere in the club, Angel is looking for you, getting more frantic by the moment.)

You never get the chance to figure out exactly what the demon’s intentions are. As soon as their fingers brush over a patch Lucifer had sewn into your clothing, an apple with a little snake head popping out, they’re blasted back by golden light.

Your addled mind is still struggling to keep up when you’re wrapped in a set of soft, beautiful wings. The back of your head is cradled by gloved hands. You catch a glimpse of blood-red eyes set within a familiar face, but, soon, a cluster of feathers covers your eyes. There are horrible cracking noises, gurgling, wheezing— Though you see none of it, your imagination more than makes up for it. You press your face up against his chest, nauseous and shaking like a leaf. Lucifer takes off without a word, the flapping of his multiple sets of wings loud enough to awaken an oncoming headache. Mid-flight, when his features have returned to the ones you know him for, he peppers your face with kisses, and makes you look at him. You mumble out apologies, sniffling, drunk and shaken, but Lucifer shushes you.

What were you doing all the way out there, on your own? You’re usually such a good listener, my dove. You always listen to all of my warnings. A gloved finger traces your cheek. Someone convinced you to go out, didn’t they? That has to be it. You can tell your dad who it is. I won't be mad at you. You’ve never been afraid of Lucifer before. Now, though, you’re filled with apprehension. You frantically shake your head. Oh, then it was your own idea? The tip of one of his nails pokes your cheek. Not nearly hard enough to hurt, but the pressure is there.

…And you really do deserve to be in Hell, because prompted with this question, you take the selfish way out, and once again shake your head. More slowly, this time. See? It wasn’t that hard to be truthful, was it? I knew it wouldn’t be your fault. Now, all you have to do is tell me who it was.

That night, you spend the night in his bed, with Lucifer arguing that you’re very drunk. Which is very much. It’d be horrible for you to go ahead and choke on your vomit, or something like that! So, you should just stay with him. As you're drifting on the verge between conscious and unconscious, his lips find the skin of your throat, placing kisses up and down. Open-mouthed and warm, barely restrained.

You wake up the next morning with a splitting headache and only vague memories of the day prior. But you wake up with Lucifer’s arms wrapped around you, his face hidden in the crook of your neck, each of his breaths tickling your skin. You wake up to one of his legs slotted in between yours. You wake up to the realization that you’ve bitten off far, far more than you can chew.

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#62: The Happy Beginning (1.06)

gif cred: @andy-clutterbuck

Richonne got their much-deserved happy ending, and better yet, I adore that Richonne and their children's happy ending is really a happy beginning. 🥹

Because now, the everyday life with their family truly starts. So rather than feeling solely like a closed chapter, the story lands on a hopeful and positive note that feels like “...and so it begins." The life Rick and Michonne always wanted to live together can now begin again.

So while it’s also a perfect final note for us as we (seemingly) no longer get to go with them into the next chapters, I appreciate that we always get to know that there are more bright and hopeful chapters for our Grimes family, together at last 🙌🏽🎉...

I announced these RIR-TOWL posts on July 21st and now they conclude today, September 21st. And I’m super grateful to you all for reliving this TOWL experience with me in-depth for the last 62 days of summer. 🥹🙏🏽

As you can see, saying I have a novels-worth of thoughts on this show was not hyperbolic. 😅 And that's because if this is it, I wanted to go as all out as I could. And because Danai, Andy, & Scott gave their all in creating this love letter to Richonne, I especially wanted to give my all in dissecting, reflecting, and reveling in The One Who Live. If only those three could know how grateful I am to them for this show because it really was a beacon of light during this time in my life. ☀️

In this real world, I’d say love matters most. It’s what makes life worth living to find people and things you love. Love in its many forms, including in fiction, is worth celebrating and enjoying to the fullest.

So that’s really what I’ve tried to do with all these posts over all these years - celebrate one of my favorite ways I’ve ever seen love take shape. It’s been a joy to watch two beautiful characters inside and out depicting the most beautiful love. Falling in love never looked so exquisite. And finding family never felt so rewarding. 😌

And we're finishing strong as we talk about TOWL's final moment where Rick and Michonne embrace the beautiful family they created. 🥹

So - still hugging, Judith and Rick look over at Michonne and RJ. And on top of it being surreal to see Judith grown up now, you can tell for Rick it’s extra surreal to be looking at this little boy who's comprised of him and Michonne and dressed like Carl. 😭

gif cred: @twdfranchise

That’s something that’s also really cool, is after going on this journey of losing and then regaining the image of Carl, Rick now gets to see this child who is Carl’s little brother and has his attributes. And just like Carl always wore Rick’s sheriff hat to feel close to his dad and strong like his dad, Rick gets to see that his youngest son has also done the same. 

I love that Judith looks at her mom and gives her her flowers saying, “You got him back.” It was a hefty task but Michonne pulled it off and brought home the Brave Man just like she set out to do. And I love how you can tell Judith is very proud of her mom for that.

gif cred: @twdfranchise

Then it's so sweet seeing Michonne smile at Judith and say, “You told me to.” Best mom/daughter duo, y’all. 😭 Plus, TOWL said let us give the viewers one more reminder that Judith wanted her mom to go find their dad. Like this was never an act of abandonment, going after Rick was Michonne’s daughter’s request.

I like how Michonne saying this also feels like she’s saying that knowing her daughter believed she should go was part of the fuel to do it. She did it for her daughter. And for her son. And for her husband. And for herself. For all of them. And Michonne’s giving Judith her flowers too for the way she gave her the push she needed to go get him. 

gif cred: @twdfranchise

I love the way Rick is holding one kid and Michonne is holding the other. You know these four are about to be pretty inseparable for a while.

And then you can visibly see the moment they all realize that the time has come for Rick Sr. to meet Rick Jr. 

gif cred: @twdfranchise

Rick looks at RJ who is smiling up at him while holding onto his mom and then, Michonne has such a happy and proud expression as she presents RJ to his dad.

Michonne definitely has such a sweet “look at this life we made” vibe as she holds onto RJ and steps to the side for the two to have their moment.

It’s sweet how RJ seems understandably reserved at first and holds onto his mom until the last second. And then I love seeing Michonne still keep a comforting arm on her son as Rick stands before him. 

Any time I’d picture Rick and RJ’s first interaction, I always pictured one of the first things RJ would note is that this man in front of him is The Brave Man - and sure enough😊. RJ looks up at Rick and the first thing he sweetly says to his dad is, “You’re The Brave Man?” 

gif cred: @riickgrimes

This moment is surreal for Rick, and surreal for me too because we're finally seeing a scene with Rick and RJ, the son he created with Michonne. 🙌🏽😭 And I'm so so happy that Rick was able to come into RJ's life while he's still so young. Rick will get to have an active role in RJ's core childhood and adolescent memories now.

Then, I adore Rick’s response to his son's first words to him. He’s immediately emotional and so he takes a breath and instantly looks right over at Michonne - the mother of his child. 🥹

I love the way you see him again find his center when looking at her during this emotional moment. Michonne really is like the glue between them all in this scene. And I like how she has her arms wrapped around one or more of her children at all times during this reunion. 

There’s just so much communicated in Rick’s look over at Michonne. It was another "Baby, we made a baby" moment between them as you can see it truly hitting Rick that he's meeting the son he made with his soulmate.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

After Michonne had reassured Rick that he really is the Brave Man that his kids believe him to be along their journey home, I love that Rick now gets to hear it directly from the source. 

Rick then looks back at RJ with so much emotion etched on his face as he responds, “I am.” 😭 He doubted if he was the Brave Man before, but I think especially now hearing his little mini-me say it, Rick knows he too can believe that’s who he is.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

And then I love the way Michonne again expresses how highly she views Rick as she says her final line of TOWL, looking to RJ while holding onto Judith as she smiles and says, “He is.” 🥹

It’s fitting for Michonne's last line to again be one that expresses her utmost belief in Rick. She wants her son to know that this father in front of him really is The Brave Man from years ago and still is The Brave Man right here and now. In fact, now more than ever. 

gif cred: @riickgrimes

RJ smiles over at his mom and then looks back up at Rick just adorably beaming. And it really feels like he’s meeting his hero.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

And then it is precious beyond words when Rick adjusts RJ’s hat just like he’d do with Carl. 🥹

gif cred: @riickgrimes

Rick then leans down and places a hand on RJ's shoulder just like he’d do with Carl too. And I love that Rick is so seamlessly back in father mode.

(Side note: It hit me that Rick will now get to have bonding moments of telling RJ stories about his big brother 😭)

I adore this hat moment between Rick and RJ for so many reasons but especially because we were introduced to Rick Grimes in that hat from the very beginning of TWD. And after going on this years-long whirlwind journey with him, it is so extremely special that Rick's final scene includes him getting to see that hat on his youngest son after it was such a staple to him and his eldest son. 🥲

Rick securing the hat on RJ's head really felt like he wanted his son to know how proud he feels to see him carrying on this Grimes heirloom.

And then Rick so tenderly says, “But maybe you can call me Dad.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭

gif cred: @riickgrimes

I love that Rick is so ready and eager to be a dad to his son. And I just know he and RJ will have such an incredible bond. Like Judith and Carl definitely felt like true blue Michonners lol, and RJ is too, but I also like to think RJ’s going to end up really gravitating to Rick. I can fully envision them being a super close father and son. 🥰

Then RJ says with certainty, “I knew you’d come back.” And I love the framing of this scene where you can see all four family members in the shot as they look at the youngest member of the Grimes.

It’s so sweet the way Michonne and Judith are holding each other tight and the way Rick has that fatherly hand on RJ’s shoulders as he looks right at him, likely still marveling that he’s looking at his own flesh and blood right now. 

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

And when RJ says he knew Rick would come back, they all look curious about how the adorable baby of the family knew this. So Rick says his final line of TOWL as he asks RJ, “How?”

Y'all, I love that this is what Rick says for his last line because again, it makes me think of the end of season 4 - the pivotal era when Richonne fell in love with each other - and the classic scene where Michonne says she knows Rick's okay and he asks her "How?"

And just like back then when Michonne gave a beautiful answer to Rick's question and said, "Cause I'm okay too," - Their baby boy RJ also has a beautiful answer to Rick's question.

RJ replies with the final line of TOWL, saying, “I believed.” 

The sentiment of RJ revealing that he too was believing a little longer this whole time is so special. 🥹 And it's touching that Rick and Michonne's son gets the last line of this epic love story.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

RJ saying 'I believed' is beautiful because he’s what his parents believed in for the future all those years ago and now his mom and dad get to hear that he believed in them back.

It’s heartwarming thinking first Rick had to believe a little longer that he’d reunite with his family, and then Michonne had to believe a little longer that Rick would reunite with their family, and then they get to see that even the child they created was believing right along with them. A child born from their belief.

As two characters fueled by believing, it really is powerful to see the final note being Rick and Michonne's son doing just that - believing his dad would find his way back to their family. That's the very mission Rick went on since the pilot of this franchise, and his story ends with him succeeding. Rick found his family and isn't going to be taken away from them this time. 🥹

gif cred: @riickgrimes

Rick seems deeply moved to hear his son say this and so he has this emotional smile at him and you can tell he so badly wants to finally hug his son. But again he lets RJ set the pace. And RJ sets the pace perfectly with the best hug. 😭

I adore the way this little boy hugs his dad for the first time. It just was so moving and so clear that he’s been wishing to be able to have his dad in his life for a long time. He needed his father and now here Rick is. 🥲 And Rick wanted this child long ago and now here RJ is.

Seeing Rick finally getting to hold his son, his 'other way to build for the future,' - it's clear Rick needed this too. 🥹

gif cred: @nat111love

Rick really is RJ's hero already, so RJ embraces him fully. And, of course, Rick is immediately reciprocal as he embraces his son and kisses his hat. 😭

I think about how Rick gave Carl that hat after he'd been shot in the woods. Giving Carl the hat was one of the ways Rick aimed to comfort his son during an extremely trying time. And then Carl wore that hat everywhere after. And when he died, it was hard for Rick to even look at the hat. But now the hat has become a positive symbol again as Rick gets to kiss the hat on his youngest son and honor the memory of his oldest son.

It’s so evident Rick and RJ already love each other. And I applaud both actors for only having one hug to show how much they love each other and pulling it off so completely. This Rick and RJ hug is everything, truly. 🥹🙌🏽

I love the way the theme music swells and rises as Rick and RJ stay in that heartfelt embrace, never wanting to let go. And I love Michonne and Judith’s reaction to seeing these boys finally get to meet and appear so instantly bonded. Rick's family means everything to him and in this scene, he gets to see that he means everything to them too. 🥹

gif cred: @andy-clutterbuck

Judith’s emotional response to seeing her little brother meet and hug their dad always puts a lump in my throat. 🥲 Again, it was the perfect big sister-type response. She’s probably felt like a stand-in mom for RJ while Michonne was gone and has been really protective of him and just again wants to know he’s okay. And it’s like in this reunion moment she’s aware that her baby brother really will be okay because now RJ gets to experience a family with both his parents, like she did when she was younger.

And Michonne just seems so happy to see her husband and son be so instantly connected. It has to be the greatest feeling ever to know that this baby she brought into this world alone will now have his father who adores him in his life.

And to see the love of her life, who she knows has been through so much, including the loss of Carl, get to now embrace his son and be a father to their kids again like he most cherished and was devoted to being. 🥹 Michonne so earnestly wanted Rick to have the chance to see the beautiful family they created. And now Rick is seeing it fully. And that visibly brings Michonne's heart pure joy. 

gif cred: @kris-lulu

So then, after Rick and RJ get their own moment with this wonderful hug, Michonne and Judith join in for a family group hug and it’s just the epitome of a joyous conclusion for Rick and Michonne and the Grimes family’s story. I adore it. 🙌🏽

Michonne and Judith wrap their arms around Rick and RJ and Michonne and Rick share their final sweet and super married-with-kids kiss. I love the way Michonne smiles as they lean in for the kiss. 😊 And the way Rick of course doesn't stop at one as he leans in for the second kiss. 😋

It's great that after over 100 TOWL kisses they still included one more. It's only right to end the show with a kiss since, again, it's canonically one of Rick and Michonne's absolute favorite things. 😊

gif cred: @riickgrimes

This last kiss is really special because it just again feels like Rick and Michonne having a moment to acknowledge that despite all the odds and obstacles over their many years in TWD, their many years apart, and then on their TOWL journey reuniting - they overcame, fell in the deepest love, and created this beautiful family together.

And now they get to live out their lives with this blissful Grimes family, loving on each other as hard as they can while they can. 🙌🏽

This family hug is just such a sweet moment of connection. I adore the way it’s filmed where it feels like Rick is holding his family and his family is holding him back. The shot with all three of their arms on Rick’s back is art. After a long and epic journey, these three are Rick Grimes' incredible reward. 🥹

(Side note: one of the things I think Rick probably will most like about Michonne's wedding ring is that it can be seen from a very far distance which means everyone from even miles away will know Michonne is taken lol.)

And then we get one more confirmation that Richonne are and always have been magnets. 🧲 Because as the camera pans out from the greatest family hug in history, Rick and Michonne both lower their arms down at the exact same time and do that little comforting thumb rub. You know my extra self is always here for even the subtlest of magnetic synchronicity between the two.

Y'all, this really is the perfect visual to conclude their story to me. 🥹

gif cred: @lousolversons

Like seeing Michonne with her wedding ring-clad hand holding onto RJ while he holds onto his dad and Judith holds onto her and Rick, fills me with joy and emotion when I think about Michonne's whole journey.

Losing a partner and a young son, Mike and Andre, shutting down and living isolated for a while, showing up to a prison with formula for her future daughter Judith, building such a special bond with her son Carl, falling in love with her soulmate Rick, becoming a great leader, and resiliently bringing another son into the world, RJ. She's been through a lot on her journey and I adore how love and family found her and wholly embraced her as she fully embraced them right back.

Michonne Grimes' journey ending with her wrapping her arms around her babies and husband is just beautiful. 🥹🙌🏽

I also love that Judith and RJ will now get to experience their mom having the love of her life back in her life. The kids will see their mom happier and more loved than they’ve ever seen her now that Rick is back with them.

The Michonne they knew was one who was resiliently trying to live in the thick of a unique, lonely, and crippling grief. But now she can be all of her again because her other half has returned and is fully prepared to make up for lost time and love on her and their kids the way they all need.

gif cred: @nerd4music

And seeing Rick be so loved and held by his family after everything in his journey means the world. 🥹

Waking up from a coma to learn the world had ended, refusing to succumb to defeat as he searched for his family, finding the people closest to him from the world before, Carl, Lori, and Shane, and then having to put together that Lori and Shane had fallen for one another in his brief absence. Experiencing the relationship with Lori and Shane crumble and result in death (one of which he had to kill because his 'brother' tried to kill and replace him), going through a mental breakdown but still having to lead, protect, and raise his young son and his newborn Judith.

Then, meeting the love of his life Michonne when she shows up at the prison fence, trying to have opposition with her at first but then falling head over heels in love with her, and no longer having to carry the weight of the world alone because now he has a soulmate who can lead him, lead others, love his children, and love him back to life time and time again. Losing his son Carl twice, realizing his son and family were always with him, and then getting to look in the eyes of his youngest son and finally hold RJ.

Along his journey, Rick endured many opponents, adversity, and painful losses, including losing himself when stripped of his family for nearly a decade. He had many fascinating arcs, many ups and downs, and managed to keep his signature good kind heart intact which is true strength. And no matter who thought they were bigger, better, or badder than him, Rick always proved to be the bravest. And it's the love for his family that made him brave and made him ultimately come out on top.

So Rick Grimes' journey ending with his wife, daughter, and youngest son back in his arms and loving him like he never left is just perfect. 😭🙌🏽

gif cred: @riickgrimes

That final image of the four of them in this family hug amid the lush greenery truly looks like the embodiment of ‘things break but they can still grow.’ And this whole new plant - this wonderful family Richonne grew - is so well-deserved. Rick and Michonne truly triumphed.🎉

I think about how in 9.03 the song that played over their Family Fun Day with Judith was "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" and seeing the Grimes family hugging and happy at the end of TOWL is all I ever wanted for them. 🥹

(That's part of why my stance on the future is - whatever it looks like, be it Richonne returning in a quick cameo, or returning for even more than that, or not returning at all, I just want Richonne and their kids to be happy, together, and at peace).

Also, I’m telling you right now, from here on out if Rick can’t get to someone named Michonne, Judith, or RJ within 5 minutes or less, he’s going to feel he’s gone too far away because you know he’s about to be attached to the hip to his family. 😊

I really feel like Rick is going to live out his life just healthily & happily obsessed with his wife and kids and so deeply grateful to Michonne every time he looks at their family and the life they have. Like the way he stays giving Michonne her flowers, you know he’s never going to forget that it was her fighting for him and their kids that allowed them to live out this beautiful life they have now.

As the camera pans out, the four stay in this embrace and it’s just such a bright and rewarding shot. Then they show the sky as helicopters are seen flying ahead, no longer with bombs but with resources. As people noted, Richonne would be the type to not just bring themselves back home but bring back whole helicopters with loads of valuable resources too. Baddest to ever do it. 👑

Seeing the sky with those helicopters is a reminder that the world has gotten a lot bigger since those early TWD days. And after having everything but the kitchen sink thrown their way along their path, here Richonne stand, with their son and daughter, happy, healed, and whole because they’re the ones who live and the ones whose love lives on forever. 

And while this might be the end for us getting to follow their story, I again appreciate that Richonne's story closes with not just a happy ending but a happy beginning. The best years are ahead of them now that they get to all be together. And you know this gorgeous family uniting makes Carl beam from ear to ear up above. 😇

Oh and there’s also that deleted Grimes family picnic scene which is a canon moment to me. And I adore it. 🤩 I’d been hoping they’d return to doing those lovely family picnics so I was glad they filmed one. Also, it makes me so happy to remember that RJ is a part of both this current Family Fun Day picnic and the precious one from years before. 😊

In this unaired TOWL picnic scene, I love seeing Judith laughing and relishing Mom and Dad being back with them like she always believed they’d be. She grew up on these Family Fun Day picnics and now years later she gets to enjoy them again. 🥲

I love seeing intelligent little RJ holding the Rubik's cube and wearing the signature Grimes Sherrif's hat in between his mom and sister. And I especially love seeing RJ already seem so comfortable and smiley with Rick. (I love how they said the young actor Antony really gravitated to Andy. 🥹 This picnic clip definitely gave a glimpse of that)

I love seeing Michonne wearing that pretty and colorful dress and smiling so brightly with her family reunited. The flowy outfit choice is meaningful to me because, at the top of TOWL, she was given this guarded armor and similarly had to live with figurative guarded armor since Rick’s TWD departure. But now that she’s got her loving husband and kids back she gets to just fully take down all armor and be so free, open, safe, and loved as a woman, wife, and mother. 🙌🏽

And I love seeing Rick look so relaxed, playful, and elated to be here with his wife and kids. He looks like he's once again winning that Husband & Dad of the Year title. And the way he’s smiling and laughing basking in this moment, you can see he adores his family so much. This Grimes family moment is everything Rick and Michonne wanted for their lives. And this is everything I wanted for them too. 🥹

gif cred: @nessawakenobi

In the actual TOWL ending, as they panned out from the Grimes family hug, it doesn’t feel like they're becoming distant from us but rather we’re seeing the full picture and letting the Grimes family love fill the entire space.

And as the Grimes family embraces and fills the screen with love, the music rises and the show fades to black, officially concluding The One’s Who Live. 👏🏽😭 BEAUTIFUL. 

That also concludes the TOWL season finale revelings and The Ones Who Live revelings as a whole. We made it! 🥳 What a series. What a journey. What a gift Richonne is. 🥹

You know I gotta happy dance one more time over Richonne, TOWL, and the epic love story we've been blessed to witness from 2012 when Michonne and Rick's paths first crossed to 2024 when their love story reached its highest heights, and concluded perfectly.

If you had told me when I started documenting my Richonne observations back in 2017 that years later there would be a whole miniseries dedicated to Richonne’s epic love story, I would have been pleasantly surprised but I’d also believe you because Richonne is truly the gift that keeps on giving. 🎁

I adore how TOWL really came and checked so many of the Richonne wishlist boxes. Rick calling Michonne his wife ✓, the proposal and wedding ring ✓, the RJ reveal ✓, the improved lighting ✓, the scenes with impactful, unvague, and rich dialogue ✓, the intimacy ✓, the Grimes family reunion ✓, the Grimes family reunion with all the original actors ✓, and much more. They gave Richonne their things, honey. 👏🏽😌

And I especially love the way The Ones Who Live ultimately landed on a message of love being what comes to the rescue when the world falls apart. Love is what it's all about at the end of the day.

Along their years-long journey, the way Richonne fell in love was beautiful. And the way they stayed in love was just as beautiful. I’m so grateful to have witnessed Rick and Michonne Grimes' powerful journey from first locking eyes at a prison fence in season 3 to looking into each other's eyes with such adoration and appreciation as they agreed to have a child together in season 9. To now reuniting with that lovely child and their dear daughter in TOWL.

Rick and Michonne have remained such captivating characters over the years, and so much of that has to do with the incredible artists that bring them to life.

Andy and Danai are generational talents with such compatible gifts - exceptional eye acting, line delivery, vulnerability, physicality, and raw honesty infused in their craft. And then you add to that playing compelling characters in love, allowing them to tap into their rare and extraordinary chemistry. You’re bound to get something special when pairing them together like this. 👏🏽

So I'm grateful to the whole TOWL cast & crew, and most of all the captains - Andy, Danai, and Scott. We really got to see Richonne through their eyes with TOWL. 🥹 And the way those three view Richonne and bring this love story to life is resplendent. I love that with The Ones Who Live they told the story they wanted to tell - and we Richonne fans were just happily in alignment with the vision. 😌

They’re the type who put thought into even something like Rick and Michonne's hand placement in bed at the end of TWD 6.10 because they care about how Richonne is portrayed in every frame. And I will forever appreciate their attention to detail with Richonne. All these RiR posts really are my way of saying that the thought and care put into crafting these exceptional characters and their exemplary love story don't go unnoticed.

Andy and Danai have given us so much as Rick and Michonne over the years so whether this is 'goodbye for good' or 'goodbye for now,' I respect it.

The iconic roles of Rick and Michonne were truly meant for them. Danai and Andy approached these characters with love, respect, thoughtfulness, and passion, and ensured Rick and Michonne were in good hands. So I just can't thank them enough. 🙏🏽🥹

Also, a big thank you to the gifted Richonne GIF creators. 👏🏽🤩 You are invaluable staples to this fandom and your gifs of Richonne's TOWL & TWD moments are beautiful. Linking to your amazing gifs helped me elevate these posts and string this all together. My posts wouldn't be the same without you, so I'm very grateful to you. 🙏🏽

And sincerely thank you to everyone who took the time to read these posts and to everyone who commented, messaged, PM'd, reblogged, and followed. Your thoughtful insights, reactions, and support really have always made the days brighter both over the last two months and over all these years of reveling in Richonne.

Hearing your takes on Richonne helped me see things from an even fuller perspective. Hearing that these breakdowns were looked forward to and even uplifting to read during hard times really moved me and made me feel less alone since reflecting on Richonne has also helped me focus on the bright things in this world when life feels dark. I've loved hearing what you love about TOWL and about these RiR posts. Thank you for sharing with me. 🫶🏽 Your words of encouragement have meant a lot to this Words of Affirmation girl. 😊

There were times when I was working away at these posts and wondering if I'm certifiably crazy for writing whole 'dissertations' on every second of Richonne's love story. 😅 (i think the answer is yes lol). But the encouragement I'd receive over here was a big motivator to follow through, give every scene its flowers, and share these in-depth breakdowns with you all. So please know that you and your good kind heart are super appreciated. 🙏🏽 I hope you remain blessed in all ways and on all days. 💗

And to Future Me - hi 👋🏽 I wrote these TOWL novel-length breakdowns for the fandom and for you too. For those times when you’ll want to make your day a bit better by revisiting these posts and remembering all the thoughts and elation you had over Richonne - your favorite thing - shining the brightest it’s ever shined in a 6-episode epic love story. 🌟

Rick and Michonne Grimes and their captivating story are extremely dear to my heart and always will be. And this miniseries that gave them and their love the spotlight means so much. The Ones Who Live is a true treasure, and I’m so glad we’ll have it forever. 🥹🙌🏽

After hundreds of 'dissertations' and years of pursuing a Ph.D in Richonne (😋📚🎓), I just have to say that breaking down the beginning, middle, and end of this epic love story with this fun and insightful fandom has been such a joy. Has me feeling like...

There will be people who come around to watching TWD/TOWL now or years later who weren’t keeping up with the show when it first aired. And some of those people are bound to get bit with the Richonne bug just like I did several years ago.

So my hope is that anyone, be it new Richonners or long-time Richonners, whoever wants to reminisce and revel and relive each and every moment of Rick and Michonne’s iconic, powerful, and stunning journey can always come back to these RiR breakdowns whenever, and feel like they’re 'read-watching' the show, and dissecting and celebrating whatever is beautiful about Richonne with a good friend. Because Richonne is timeless and a little reveling is good for the soul.

I hope these plenty of posts brought and continue to bring enjoyment, insight, laughs, light, and just the best warm feelings because in the words of my beloved Michonne - It did for me. 😌

Always and forever, thank you so much for reading & Long Live Richonne. 👑🧲🥰👌🏽

[tyudearyous]

pride and prejudice - j.yh

pairing : jeong yunho x (f) reader

very much inspired by pride and prejudice with some plot changes

word count : 5.8k

genre : fluff, angst

author's note : THIS IS ALL FOR MY MUTUAL WHO PROPOSED THE IDEA OF YUNHO BEING LIKE DARCY. THIS IS FOR YOU!

masterlist

...

living as a fallen royal has not served you any happiness. in fact, it has only brought sorrows after sorrows, one you were overwhelmed with. but none of those sorrows would ever be lifted off you, not until you die, you suppose. why is that? because you were the eldest daughter out of the five, the only anchor in your already broken family. the only sane person between your reputation crazed parents.

“mother!” you grabbed your mother’s arms to make her face you. disgust filled your face and you couldn’t even process what just happened.

it was three days after your sister’s seventeenth birthday, she was the second born and she was three years younger than you. however, your parents had the audacity to go and basically wed her off to a nobleman in efforts to dignify the family’s name.

“mother! she’s just seventeen. what are you thinking!?” you screamed slightly making everyone in the house notice. “you. have no rights to say anything towards me young lady.” your mother pointed to you with seething anger on her face. her behavior only baffled you even further. “must you go through these lengths? she is just seventeen mother! she still has her lif-” “exactly. she is seventeen, a marriable age. unlike you, twenty yet unwed. it is embarrassing enough for me to have an unwed daughter like you” you were speechless. there was no way your mother just said that in front of you and left. just as you were about to catch up to her, you were held back by your sister.

“angela, we can talk after this okay” you try to make her let go of your arm but she was persistent. “sister, i am fine with this” her eyes gazed straight at you with her desperately trying to hold you. “no, you still have so much to see and learn. it is not your duty to marry, i will find a way for you alright?” you grazed her cheeks slightly to reassure her. “no, i wish for this. it is the only way our family can be stable again. i am fine with this sacrifice. no, i even heard that he is a good guy, so fret not my sister. fret not, alright?” she leans onto your embrace making you hug her. this whole ordeal is breaking your heart. was it your fault? why was the universe so cruel?

…

“my daughter angela, a carriage will come over to pick you up today at noon and i want you to go with her as well, y/n” your father said on the dining table. your appetite immediately gone and your face soured. “listen, y/n. i am not pressuring you what so ever. however, you are twenty this year darling. soon you would be past the marriable age and it would not be good for you” your father held your hands but none of his words felt like a concern for you, instead it all just feels like salt to an injury. “alright, i will prepare myself then” you immediately stood up from the dining table to go to your room.

“oh? have you finished getting ready?” you asked your sister who was sitting on her bed next to yours. “yep, you are coming with me right?” she asked you in which you nodded. she was wearing her favorite pink gown adorned decorations that made her beauty unmatchable. you had to admit, out of the five sisters she was the prettiest. it was as if a white rose suddenly appeared in a garden of red roses, that was how she was.

“you look great, i’m sure he would fall in love with you as soon as he saw you” you smiled to her widely before getting ready yourself. you opted to wear a rather normal gown in the shade of jade. you didn’t want to overdress your sister, nor did you want attention on you.

love has always been a difficult topic for you. you didn’t want to sell out your future to a man in the name of marriage and also, woman generally wasn’t given any freedom post marriage. you had to either be an obedient doll for your husband or you’d be divorced and thrown away in a second. it was either in between and that is why, love scared you.

but either way, it was your mission to at least be a good companion for your sister. to cover up all the ugly side behind her and your family, to be a good guardian for her.

soon, the carriage bell rang. notifying its’ presence and urging you both to go inside. your sister excitedly runs down the house and bid goodbyes to your parents who were waiting out the door.

“take care of her okay?” your father bid goodbyes to you by squeezing your hands while your mother only looked at you. “i will, goodbye” and with that, the two of you were in the carriage off to the Northwestern Palace where her future husband is waiting for her.

“sister?” your sister called out to you, breaking you out of your daze. “yes, my angel?” you scurried to sit next to her and held her hands. “i am scared” your sister starts to tear up. “darling, it’ll be alright. it’ll be alright.” you brought her in to hug and comfort her. just why, why would an innocent soul like her have to go through all this.

…

“ladies, we have arrived at the Northwestern Palace” the coachman knocks on the carriage door before swiftly opening it, making a way for you and your sister to exit the carriage. the whole ride was pretty serene. nothing much happened, except for the fact that your sister felt worried about the whole meeting. it was inevitable, love is scary. however she immediately recollected herself and is back to the usual happy go lucky sister you have.

after a small walk, a luxurious white pavilion is visible where two (seemingly) esteemed gentleman were sitting. the two then stood up noticing your presence before bowing to greet the two of you. you also curtsied to greet them together with your sister before walking even closer to the pavilion.

“greetings, i am y/n from the house of brigitte and this is s/n. very delighted to make your acquaintance” you and your sister curtsied to greet the two men in front of you. “oh yes, i am san from the house of choi and this is my companion, yunho from the house of jeong. thrilled to make acquaintance with you both as well.” he greeted you cheerfully before ushering you to take a seat on the table in the pavilion.

for a second, you felt small. this whole place, the pavilion, the table, their presence, all felt overwhelming. if it weren’t for your sister who was chatting delightfully with san, you think you’d suffocate from stress.

while san and your sister chatted well together, you decided to talk to yunho for a little bit. “um, so how did you get acquainted with mr. choi?” you ask while taking a sip of your tea. “i’m sorry but is that your business?” he responded coldly. you were frozen for a second, unable to react. “oh, i apologize, my curiosity got the better off me” you laughed it off before taking another sip. it was clear enough, this guy in front of you has zero interest in forming acquaintances with you. it was fine, as long as your sister was happy it was fine. soon the afternoon went by a flash. it was an enjoyable experience for your sister, it was all that matters.

…

“how was it?” your vivacious mother asked your sister once you arrived back home. “it was great, mother. he was a gentleman, anything i could ask for” she replied, making your parents exhale a big sigh of relief. they seemed so happy, and you were too but there was a hint of bittersweetness in your heart. after all, you were the disappointment for them and did you even have the right to be happy? but you digress. “i will be off to my room now, if you need anything just call me” and with that you went upstairs to your room.

“sister!” your youngest sister came up to you. “hi sweetheart, what’s wrong?” you crouched down to ruffle her hair slightly. “is it true? sister angela is getting married?” she asked you and you nodded. “yes, angela has met her prince charming you know?” you smiled to her. “but what about you? have you not met him?” you froze slightly before shaking your head. “it’s late already, let me tuck you into bed okay sweetheart?” you ushered her to go back to her room to rest up. you just didn’t want to answer much because it’s all too conflicting for you. it’s all too much for you. even so, you did wish to meet your prince charming, you wished but it was just a mere wish. a mere wish that has very low chances of getting granted.

…

“y/n! prepare the guest room please!” your mother called out to you in the middle of the morning. you were confused, why would they need the guest room ready, for who? and why is she asking that of you this early? “mother, who is coming?” you asked as you went down the stairs. “it is your father’s colleague. he is coming over with his son” she explained to you. “and who exactly?” you asked while you start to dust off the room. “the house of park” oh, it was seonghwa. he was once deeply infatuated with your sister, so obviously you knew him. he wasn’t a bad guy, per se. however, you just don’t feel good about him sometimes.

as you were cleaning, the day started to go by and it was now afternoon when the esteemed guests came by. your parents greeted them with extreme joy and they also greeted everyone back. you led them to the guest room where your parents and them chatted off. you stayed at the door, tending to their drinks and snacks when seonghwa snuck up on you.

“um, so, where’s angela?” he asked. “oh, she’s going to come down soon” you replied before he went back to his seat. sure enough, your sister soon came down and it was as if seonghwa just saw an angel. his eyes immediately lit up and a big smile adorned his face.

“so, mr and mrs brigitte. the purpose of our visit today is actually because we want-” “no father, i will say it myself” seonghwa cut his father off before clearing his throat. “miss angela brigitte, i have taken a great liking towards you ever since the first day we met. will you do me the honor of being my wife?” seonghwa knelt down in front of angela and took her hands to kiss it slightly.

“i must apologize” angela took her hands off seonghwa’s. “i am already engaged to mr. san from the house of choi” and the entire room fell into a tense mood. seonghwa quickly reassured angela that it was alright and your parents ushered you and angela out of the room to not make the room even more tense. thus, you brought angela back to your shared room where she cried.

“i feel like a horrendous person. i feel bad” angela cried out to your shoulder. “shush baby, it’s alright. i am sure he would understand alright” you comforted angela throughout the night but unbeknownst to you, the park family and yours agreed on an alternative. an alternative you wouldn’t even want.

…

somehow seonghwa kept going to your house, despite getting rejected by angela. you were confused on why he was doing all this. on an instance even, he brought you to meet one of his longtime friends, hongjoong from the house of kim. it was all confusing but creating relations wasn’t something you were against.

“i heard you are acquaintances with san from the house of choi?” hongjoong asked. “yes, he is about to be wedded to my sister after all” you replied with a smile. “then, may i assume you are also acquainted with jeong yunho?” your eyes shot up and you froze slightly. “not exactly, why?” you asked. “i should warn you about him. he is not a good man. the kim family has been the greatest supporter the jeong family could ever ask but what did that guy do? deny us from our rights” hongjoong took a sip of his tea angrily. “hongjoong, let’s not-” “no seonghwa! i am merely stating facts. i had to work like a dog to save my family from bankruptcy when we were exiled” hongjoong explained further. “why were you exiled?” you asked. “because we didn’t have one vision thats all. either way, be careful of him”

you weren’t the type to trust someone immediately. after all you were a big skeptic, however because seonghwa trusts hongjoong so much, you just couldn’t help but feel a slight empathy. how could someone pay literal dust to someone who has been loyal, and even if there were differences of views, shouldn’t it be talked over? you didn’t want to involve yourself though so you just decided to stay neutral. one thing is for sure, jeong yunho did not seem like a good guy at all.

…

it was the night of the ball in the Northwestern Palace and sure enough, you had to dance with the man himself, jeong yunho. you didn’t hate him but that did not mean you liked him. he has been nothing but rude to you ever since the first meet. however, you cannot deny. he is a great dancer.

“i am surprised you are good at this” you said in attempt for a small talk. “it is merely the basics my lady” he said as he let you go to twirl and held you by your waist again. “sure, basics” and you both danced until the music ends. what you didn’t expect was for him to initiate a small talk.

“would you like to take some time in the garden?” yunho asked as he took a sip from the glass of champagne he was holding. “sure” and with that the two of you went down to go to the garden. this did not go unnoticed by san and angela. “look, your sister” san pointed towards your direction to your sister. “let them be, let’s just hope for the best” she laughed before resuming to their own conversation.

“i did not strike you as someone who would ask a lady” you joked. “i am merely doing this as an apology for last time” yunho waited in front of the stairs, offering his hand for you to take while you go down the stairs. “thank you” you said before he led you to the garden of the palace.

“so, what did you want to talk about?” you asked him as you took a seat on bench nearby. “i was wondering on a few things actually” he sat next to you.

“how are you alright with your sister overstepping you?”

“in marriage?”

“yes”

you sighed and stayed quiet for a moment. of course people would ask that. of course it would be a topic in your conversation. after all, people deemed it to be rude but you couldn’t care less.

“perhaps i just do not care? all i ever wanted was happiness for my sisters and it is not her fault for finding love before me. and if you ask me how did it came to this, i also don’t know. perhaps it’s just the universe’s will? either way, i don’t have a problem with that”

“i have heard that you rejected several marriage offers”

“yes, just one though to be exact. i do not find myself ready when i got that offer. i was still sixteen after all. now that i am twenty, i couldn’t thank my sixteen year old self more than anything”

“and why is that?”

“because i got to experience life. if i got married, i wouldn’t be able to do that”

“how? you still have your life even after you marry? it is not the end of the world”

“to you yes, to me no. i would have to be entangled with housework, wifely duties, and when i have a child as well, i can’t do anything freely. i am not saying i don’t want to get married but i still find it to be not something i highly desire.”

“let’s say, someone proposes to you today. will you accept it?”

“i do not know. if i could see myself loving that person, perhaps i would but if i couldn’t i think i would reject it once again”

yunho nodded understandingly. turns out, he wasn’t too bad. he wasn’t as bad as you thought he was. he was a good listener and also a very logical person. the conversation actually went well because he was actually a good conversationist. perhaps this person wasn’t that bad but you digress.

…

it was as if the universe was playing a joke to you, seonghwa decided to propose to you in exchange for not getting angela. of course you rejected it. how could you be used a replacement? it was a disgraceful move on its own. you were even more flabbergasted when you knew it was your parent’s idea. what the actual hell are they thinking?

“do you perhaps not possess a brain to think?” you angrily opened the door to their bedroom

“honey, what is this behavior!” your mother shouted

“what is this behavior? you have the audacity to ask me that? am i an easy thing to use as a replacement for my sister? are you planning to sell me out?”

“y/n please calm down”

“y/n! we are doing this for your greater good. what future lies beyond you if you refuse him. we are doing this because we love you. we are doing this because we wish for what's good for you”

"but that is not how you do it!" you screamed into the room

you couldn’t even talk anymore. you felt so incredibly betrayed. how could they treat you like this? how could they treat you this horrible? you knew they were slightly insane after they lost their estate to debt but this was beyond your limit. your entire dignity crushed into pieces, ground up to the floor and thrown away six feet under the ground. it was shit, completely shit.

“my daughter, can we talk?” your father came over to the dining room where you were crying profusely. “what more do you want? do you not understand how that made me look? i look like an easy woman, father. i look like an easy shit to trampled upon” he shushed you before bringing you to a hug to comfort you. he didn’t say anything, perhaps too guilty to even say anything. at least he knows his mistake.

…

it has been several months since everything happened. you decided to do things like how you are used to. forgive and move on. seonghwa even got married already because one of your friend was scared she’d become a spinster. you apologized to seonghwa and seonghwa thankfully was a good man. he understood your rejection and reaction, he understood everything.

however, angela’s relationship with san was something else. choi san was a busy man and it was a given he wouldn’t have much time. but if he was determined, he could at least spare just a few minutes with angela but that never happened. so when his party left for a neighboring country, you told angela to go to your relative’s house since they live in that neigboring country and she did.

now, with nothing to do on hand, you decided to visit seonghwa and your friend. after all, there was nothing wrong with a small catch up session between friends. it was quite a long walk but not one you’d complain about and when you arrived, it was a small yet comfortable bungalow they are living in. very suited to seonghwa’s love for simplicity.

they invited you for dinner and you chatted away quite happily until seonghwa brought up something he heard a few days ago during a party.

“i do not know if this is for sure or not but i heard yunho has been trying to separate san and your sister because your family is “unsuitable” for the chois”

“what?” you were confused.

“who said that?”

“colonel song, a close friend of his”

oh. that was the nail to the coffin you suppose.

…

after hearing what seonghwa said, you immediately took the train to go to the neighboring country to meet your sister. you went there not to meet your sister, but to meet jeong yunho instead. once you arrived, you immediately went to the jeong estate. it was raining but you couldn’t care less. but as you were on your way, you spotted him near his estate.

“miss y/n, it has been a while. i have been looking for you”

“good you’re here. wait, pardon?”

“i have been searching for you ever since i knew of angela’s presence here in this country”

“why? for what exactly?”

“i have thought about this day and night.”

yunho cleared his throat before continuing.

“in vain i have struggled, and it just will never do. my feelings have gotten to my better judgement. allow me to tell you how ardently i admire you”

“i don’t understand”

“i love you. will you please do me the honor to be mine?”

“no. i cannot”

you were beyond confused. this man separated your sister, deeming your family unfit for his standards and besides the garden conversation, he never paid any attention towards you. so what is this sudden confession.

“didn’t you say my family is unsuitable? so why are you acting like this?”

“i cannot care less. i cannot care less about statuses right now”

“so why did you separate angela and san?”

“didn’t miss angela not want it? she was being very passive and i did not want san to get heartbroken any further”

“you have no rights to do that! and no. angela loved him. the reason why she is even here is because of choi san. you have no rights to do that, mr. jeong”

“i apologize”

“is that all you could think of?’

“what more do you ask from me?”

“i don’t know. i just cannot accept it. you have always acted so cold towards me and now suddenly you’re professing your love towards me? mr. jeong, respectfully, that is not the way to get a woman’s heart. in fact that is a way to drive a woman away”

“for ever since i was born, i was raised to be indifferent. i have always been indifferent but this. this is the first time where i let all my logics out the window. this is the first time i had ever let my feelings control me, my lady. i am not asking for much.”

“right, you are an indifferent individual. then care to explain your decisions regarding the kim family?”

“what sort of decisions?”

“i don’t know, you were the one making it. why would you do that to a family that has been nothing but loyal to you, mr. jeong?”

“i am afraid you do not know anything, miss brigitte”

“oh? so i don’t know enough do i?”

“the kim family embezzled the jeongs. do you know that?”

“what?”

“miss, i did not take you for someone who blatantly believes lies. however, i do hope you would think twice before believing someone and i believe that this proposal has not come to a good ending thus i will leave now. i have gotten a carriage ready for you. my feelings have not changed at all, however i think that you might need some time, so i am granting you that time”

oh, you did a big mistake didn’t you?

…

“y/n, a letter has come for you!” your sister screamed. “angela it’s 9 PM, who would even-” you recognized that seal. that seal is not from a mere family, it was the seal of the jeongs. “when did this arrive?” you asked angela after taking the letter from her hands. “a guard sent it just now, is it from the-” “i will be in my room, alright?” you scurried to go inside of your room and quickly took your letter knife to open the letter.

to miss y/n of house brigitte i am writing,

i apologize for the disturbance as it is very late right now. however, my heart is at unrest.

i do not know where or who told you regarding what happened to the kim family however, i do hope that you would trust me more than them.

the kim family followed the jeong from the start, however the last generation of the kims has been nothing but a problem for the jeongs.

they have embezzled us out of our own mines, land, field, and everything.

as the current head of the family, i had to do what was necessary and that is to protect my own family. it was not an easy decision but ultimately, i had to exile them.

they have been getting support from the parks now, which i am grateful for.

i do hope you will stop seeing me as a horrible man, for i am serious about my feelings for you, lady brigitte.

i am sorry for the lengthy disturbance but i hope this clears out the misunderstanding between us.

good night, may you have sweet dreams.

signed, jeong yunho

…

it has been two weeks since you and your sister went to your nephew’s house and it is now time for you both to set home. this time though, your relatives are the one visiting your country. however what you didn’t expect is for you to run into yunho out in the wild.

“what are you doing here?” you asked, confused. “i was just having my stroll, greetings i am yunho from the house of jeong” he introduced himself to your relatives. “ah yes, the esteemed jeongs. we are the gardleys from the south” your uncle and aunt bowed to greet yunho which he returned in another bow. somehow, you and your party ended up in the Westnostern Palace which is a closed off territory of the jeongs. yunho offered a brunch for you and your relatives, this was out of nowhere.

it was truly a brunch for the royals. the meals served were meals only high status-ed families would eat. you were grateful but all of this felt like it came out of nowhere. perhaps this was his way of trying to win your heart and you couldn’t help but smile at it. while your relatives and yunho were chatting away, you excused yourself to go to the washroom when in reality, you wanted to take a stroll around the palace. that was when an elderly lady suddenly came up to you and struck a chat with you.

“oh my, you must be the miss brigitte everyone here is talking about!”

“pardon?”

“oh silly old me, i am margareth”

“oh, yes. i am y/n from the house of brigitte. it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance”

“yes, our little yunho has been talking about you” she said while laughing slightly. you were frozen, what is that even supposed to mean?

“talking about me?”

“oh yes, he has been going around the estate asking for advices on you know” she nudges your shoulders slightly. you didn’t know how to reply so you just laughed along.

“either way, i am glad” you stayed quiet, to listen to her.

“i am glad he has finally found love. he has been keeping his heart at such guard to the point even i, as his former caretaker, was very worried.” she continued before she held your hands gently.

“child, i know love might be scary for you but trust me. yunho is a good person, he is just a little rough at first. child, he can bring you the happiness you’ve desired since forever. i hope you can be happy with him” words could not leave your mouth, you only stared at her while she smiled at you.

“granny margareth!” you snapped out of your daze after hearing yunho’s voice.

“oh-ho, that is my cue to go now. i wish you the best of luck, child!” she said before leaving, giving you time with yunho.

he soon joined you to gaze upon the garden of the palace and stood next to you. yunho cleared his throat, making you gaze at him.

“have you finished chatting with my relatives?” you opened the conversation.

“ah yes, they were very enthusiastic people. i had a great time” his sudden soft demeanor makes you want to laugh honestly. it wasn’t a bad thing, just very out of character for him.

“i see” you replied but you couldn’t hold back your giggles

“pardon?”

“oh, no. it’s just funny to me”

“what’s funny?”

“you, right now.”

“right, i must look like a lovesick fool”

yunho admitting it himself just feels way too funny for you, causing you to go on a fit of laughter. he only stared at you, with a slight smile. taking in how he made you laugh, how your smile completely lit up his whole world. oh, he was so in love.

“lovesick fool, oh dear. i’m sorry” you try to regain your composure.

“no it’s alright, i like watching you smile” he replied. you only raised your eyebrows before one of his guard men called out to him, informing him that your relatives had finished touring the palace with his butler.

“let’s go back shall we?” he offered his hand to guide you, in which you accepted this time.

yunho isn’t as bad as you thought.

…

as if the universe is finally giving you a break, san came by the brigitte’s estate to propose to angela. you also soon found that yunho helped san get the permission of the choi family. he persuaded them to let him marry angela despite your family being inferior compared to the chois. yunho was such an enigma to you. however not one you hated, in fact one you’d love to figure out. his entire demeanor and how it changed almost in one night. how he suddenly became this soft and kind individual despite his reputations being the absolute opposite of that.

thus when he visited your estate, you couldn’t help but welcome him with open arms for what he has done for your sister.

“greetings, um” yunho stuttered slightly. he was visibly nervous and he didn’t know how to properly act this time. you couldn’t help but smile endearingly at him.

“greetings, mr. jeong. how can i possibly help you?”

“may i invite you to go on a walk with me, perhaps?”

“sure.”

…

yunho never struck you as a big romanticist. however, all of his actions recently show otherwise. this guy was a big romanticist. he is definitely a firm believer of soulmates and it is adorable. beyond the cold expression he wears, the fancy suits and coats that make him unapproachable, he is just a plain guy who loves hard.

you both strolled around the Northwestern Palace, the place you first met each other. though the first encounter was rather lukewarm, your current relationship was much better than that. when you reached at the end of the palace’s park, a glistening lake could be seen. the atmosphere was incredibly soothing and heartwarming. seeing swans nurturing each other, you couldn’t help but smile while gazing at the scenery.

“so, um. miss y/n” yunho cleared his throat.

“yes?”

“i would like to take upon this chance, to… try once again” oh, so that was what he was after.

“miss y/n of house brigitte. i, jeong yunho, have simply fallen for you. i cannot contain these feelings within me anymore. i apologize if i have ever made your heart hurt from before, however i can promise you one thing. i will devote myself to keeping that smile on your face. i will make sure your days ahead are nothing short of happiness. miss y/n, would you do me the favor of letting myself become yours?” he knelt down in front of you with a small box on his hands. it was a ring, he was proposing you. you have been in this situation several times, but none have made you this glad to receive one.

“yes, i would” you replied. this time, it was different. perhaps it was yunho’s magic finally working on you, but you couldn’t be more glad that it was him.

he quickly smiled and slipped the ring into your finger then he lifted you up in an embrace. “hey!” you laughed. “thank you” yunho gazed straight at you before pulling you in for a kiss, your first kiss.

finally, love found you.

…

“y/n, are you serious about this?” your father asked you. he had received a formal letter from the jeongs, inquiring him about their plans to officially propose you.

“yes father, look” you showed off your ring finger, now adorned with a ring that had a small aquamarine gem.

“did you not dislike him before?” your father asked you once again. he was well aware about how you felt regarding yunho since the first.

“yes but those feelings have changed. father, are you questioning my decisions now?” you replied with a grin on your face. this made your father give up and accepted the situation.

“i am glad you finally found the one” your father got up from his seat to hug you and you hugged him back.

…

“From the very beginning— from the first moment, I may almost say— of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”

―

Jane Austen,

Pride and Prejudice

…

the end.

[sehodreams]

Pathetic people also fall in love

WC: 7.3K (I’m so sorry it feels like with every fic I write more)

S: Eunseok is busy enough with his life, he has an 8-year-old daughter and is overworked at his job, he didn’t need to add another thing to that list, so when he puts the unused room in his house for rent, he expects his life to become easier, not to wonder why his tenant is so hot!

TW and Tags: Singledad!Landlord!Eunseok x Tenant!Plussize!reader, aged up Eunseok for the story, all consensual, mutual pining, smut, p in v, use of condom (poor Eunseok is traumatized after his first daughter), fingering, mentions of dacryphilia, fluff (I think near the end, if you don’t think so please let me know and I’ll erase it from here), they’re just two losers falling in love.

Comment: Hey guys, sorry for not having post much lately, this was actually first a Sungchan fic because an anon asked me for a Singledad!Sungchan, but while writing I thought wth this is my baby Eunseok and changed it. I want to clarify that this is not dark at all, so be careful if you go through my other fics because most of them are, I’m all soft since 119, still hope you like it!

You were the best tenant anyone could ask for, and Eunseok knew that, so why was he acting as if he was desperate to drive you away?

When you moved to the room next to him in his house he had his doubts, you were younger than him, which usually meant problems, like drunk boys out of his house throwing up on his flowers at midnight, or loud music when he tried to work, but he needed the money and the extra help, and when he interviewed you, you were relatively fine, a young girl that moved away for school and was more than eager to help around for a significant discount on her rent.

You were so fresh, a 22 year old student with the character of an older sister, and he liked that, you always paid your rent on time and made cookies on friday night instead of going out, you also took care of his daughter when he needed to go out in an emergency at work, only asking for some food when he came back, so you were a good girl and the best tenant.

He couldn't lie to himself, he liked you a lot, which made him feel pretty much guilty, because you were just a sweet young thing who hadn't discovered how the world worked, while he, even if he was still young at his 27 years, had gone through everything in a rush, from heartbreak to disappointment and frustration, perfectly knowing he shouldn't look at you the way he did.

He had too many responsibilities to let himself be swayed your way, he had an 8 year old daughter, an overworking job and too many things on his shoulders, and your presence had started to bring him problems, especially at night, when he dreamed of fingering you in the kitchen before breakfast to thank you for making his coffee, or you receiving him in the entrance wearing nothing but an apron with flour stains, and after you gave him a taste of your freshly baked cookies, he dropped to his knees to taste something even better.

He dreamed all that and woke up feeling more tired than when he went to sleep, and with a painful boner that wouldn't leave him alone until he came over the bathroom titles when he took his quick morning shower, thinking of you with him there, taking his length like the good girl you were.

He couldn't look at your face when you said good morning, the guilt making him blush to his ears, wishing he could go back in time and not let his impulses win over him, because he was sure you would feel repulsed if you ever found out what he thought about you.

For you, he was just your landlord, the older guy with a daughter that worked in a restaurant and brought you leftover pasta every now and then, nothing more, and he had to come around that.

But you made it so hard, making breakfast with your pajama shorts and the thin t-shirts that showed your beautiful nipples, bending down with that gorgeous ass when you pulled the tray out of the oven, or with the sound of you vibrator that woke him up at 2 am, with your little moans going through his wall and making him gulp before he decided to wait for you to cum to go back to sleep.

He could help you, he thought that every time he heard you, he could walk the five steps to your room and fuck you like you deserved, nasty and rough, telling you how good you acted that day, making his favorite dish for breakfast, or playing with his daughter until he came back home, "Such a good girl, don't you want to be my little wife? Such a sweet thing should cum over a real dick every night".

His cheeks became red, he shouldn't be thinking that, not before work where he could do nothing to soothe the need.

He rushed to the door, with his coffee cup in one hand and his daughter backpack in the other, she was already waiting for him in the entrance when you ran to them, were you going to give him a goodbye kiss? He wished.

"I made too many of them yesterday, take them for lunch" you gave him a paper bag with two muffins, he felt the sweet aroma of them through the bag and his eyes followed your lips when you talked again, "I already put one in her lunchbox, these are just for you".

He wanted to kiss you so bad, he didn't care that your hair was still ruffled from your night, or that you weren't wearing any makeup at all, he thought you looked fucking gorgeous in that moment, and he wanted to kiss you to say thank you, thank you for being so good, thank you for treating his daughter with care, thank you for everything you do for him even when you didn't need to.

"Okay" he said, and left.

"Okay?" Sungchan asked when he arrived at work and told him what he did.

"Okay" Eunseok passed his hand through his hair, exhausted with everything, with his 10-hour shift, his daughter telling him she missed him, and his body not being able to sleep properly because it needed his tenant.

"What an asshole, that sweet thing just gave you two of the best muffins in the world for free, she made your coffee and helped you get your daughter ready for school, and you say 'okay', not even a 'thank you'? Man, if I was her, I'd leave your pathetic ass immediately, doesn't matter how cheap the rent is" he grabbed one of the little pastries and was about to eat it when Eunseok snatched it from his hand.

"Mine" he said and walked away, making Sungchan scoff.

He didn't meant to be so cold, it was like his body was in survival mode, trying to save his feelings from getting hurt before he even got a chance to do something about them, it'd be too uncomfortable if things didn't work out, you were precious for him, and he didn't want to lose you, but if he kept acting like that, he wasn't just going to drive you off, but you'd hate him in the process, and he couldn't deal with the thought of you hating him, not like that.

That night, when he arrived from his shift, he brought pizza and your favorite drink.

He left them in the counter and walked to his daughter's room, the house was in silence, his daughter already sleeping in her bed and after giving her a good night kiss, he searched for you, you were nowhere sight, so you must be in your room, right?

When he knocked no one answered, where could you be?

You came out of the bathroom seconds later, with just a towel wrapping your body, your tits were overflowing from the grip it did to not fall and he couldn't help but watch you from head to toe, your uncovered shoulders, your soft thighs, even your pretty feet with red nail polish.

"Hey Eunseok, you're early today" you proceeded to tell him about what his daughter had for dinner and how she was sleeping already, and that you were waiting for him before you went out. Almost everything got lost in his ear, he was too busy watching your back and the drops falling down your neck.

"I brought pizza" was the only thing he could say.

"Thank you, I'll eat it after I come back" you closed your door before he could say anything more and, not knowing what else to do, walked to his room.

He looked himself in his mirror, his boner was showing in the reflection and his face was red, he really had a problem, so he took care of it while listening your soft voice singing on the other side of the wall, feeling like a pervert when he finished over his hand.

He changed his clothes for something more comfortable and went to the kitchen to eat a slice of pizza before bed, he was tired and even if he came back earlier than normal, his body was exhausted from all the nights without sleeping well.

He was just finishing his portion when you walked down, looking like a fucking angel ready to take him to the afterlife.

You were wearing a white flowy short dress, showing your beautiful curves and the full of your chest through the cleavage that made you look even more angelic.

But where were you going dressed like that? It couldn't possibly be...

Your phone sounded before he could ask and you ran to open the door, a skinny boy with long black hair was there, waiting for you with the worst resting bitch face he had ever seen, so different from your excited ear to ear grin, "Hi Wonbin" you said with your pretty smile, and he only gave an acknowledged nod in response. Asshole, he thought.

He couldn't say anything to stop you from going out, to scream how you were his and how that lanky boy couldn't give you what he could, he wouldn't appreciate you like he already did, because he didn't know how special and amazing you really were.

Eunseok, still in the same place, heard the door close and then a car starting outside, driving away.

He felt fucking pathetic looking at you smile to another man and leaving the house with someone like him, but maybe that little boy was better than him, even if he didn't like the thought, he could be younger than him, and not have a daughter, just a normal boy for his age, without the weight of thinking about the future, because he didn't have anyone who depended on his actions, just himself.

He closed the pizza box and grabbed a beer, such a pathetic loser, he told himself, having the girl he wanted so close and stopping himself from getting her, blaming his circumstances instead of the reality of him being a coward.

The night felt longer than usual, he used to think that nights didn't have enough hours to rest, and now, with you outside, he thought it felt endless.

He just needed you back home, to know where you were, and what you were doing, with him steps away, to know you were safe.

Hours passed and when the eleven-news started and some traffic accident showed on the screen, he heard a car park out of his place, recognizing your steps to the door. When you opened the door he saw you alone, with a sad look and your pretty hair different from when you went out, as if you tried to brush it with your fingers to look put together before you walked in. His blood wanted to boil at the thought of him touching a single strand of your hair, but he was too preoccupied with your face, what could've happened in your date for you to arrive like that? Was he the jerk he appeared to be? He knew that boy didn't deserve you, but at the same time he wished he was wrong.

"Welcome back" Eunseok said, giving you a small smile. You dropped your purse to the floor when you saw him, looking too exhausted to reciprocate the awkward greeting smile. He felt bad for you, you continued with the disappointed air all over you and he didn't know what to do to cheer you up, "there's still pizza in the kitchen".

You denied his offer, walking to the couch he was sitting, letting your body fall on the other side of it, leaving a big space between you.

You watched the news together for a couple of minutes, in total silence. He understood you didn't feel like talking, you went out after such a long time, getting all dolled up with a dress he had never seen you wear before and such uncomfortable shoes. You almost never went out like that, more into comfortable loose clothes, and around the house you never used make up. He still saw you gorgeous though, but Eunseok was different, he thought that when you had your hair up in a ponytail while cooking, or when you left his daughter use her toy makeup on you, and he loved to see you wearing that swimsuit when you played on the child pool with her, your tummy showing through the clothing and your full chest covered with a top that wasn't your size, it couldn't be your size, he swore that because every time you used it your tits were too much for it and the fabric was hanging on for its life over your body, which to be honest, was incredible hot for him.

And you did all that for a boy that couldn't even walk you to your door at the end of the date, he can't imagine what else did he do that night to make you come back home with such a disappointed look.

"How was the date?" He asked and sipped his can of beer, trying to appear nonchalant, like he didn't care, but he was dying to hear about it.

"It wasn't what I expected" you answered while taking off your high heels, he saw a little blister forming on your feet and he wanted to grab them and give them a well-deserved massage, he was dying to do something for you, but he shouldn't, so he did the only thing he thought would comfort you without him touching you, he passed you his beer for you to take a sip, which you did, you grabbed it and drank a big gulp of it, looking a bit more refreshed after, making him feel good with his choice. "He made me pay for the movie tickets" you continued.

Eunseok opened his mouth, not believing what you told him, he knew the boy was going to be a jerk, but to such extent?

"Yeah, I know" you said when you saw his surprised expression, making you laugh but from embarrassment. "I... I didn't know how to say no, we were already in the que, and I thought that maybe it wouldn't be that bad, maybe it was going to be just that and then he'd pay for the popcorn, I-I don't know what I was thinking"

Of course you knew what you were thinking. You didn't go out with him for the movie, you wanted to get laid, and he was the only one who had offered to go out with you after so long, you didn't have another choice.

You weren't an easy girl, you knew you deserved more, but since you had moved to Eunseok's house you felt more and more needy, praying every day for him to not notice how your thighs clenched when he was around you, or how you touched yourself when he took care of his flowers under the sun, the sweaty look of him was too much for you to contain himself, and you had fallen for various reasons, how he always took a few of his precious creations to decorate your room, how he always brought you your favorite pasta when it was on the daily menu of his restaurant, even how he made sure you were always comfortable around him and his daughter.

How could you not fall for a guy like that? So caring and sweet, and you lived with him, it was like torture to have his smell around you, his body, his warmth, and not be embraced by him.

The only reason you accepted to go out with Wonbin was because your friends told you he was going to be a good fuck, but the only nearly good thing that night were his guitarist fingers playing with your pussy during the movie, "for the ticket" he had said, but you honestly would've preferred the money. It felt good for a second, the teasing was hot, and you told yourself it'd get better, but when he took you to his car and to that dark place instead of a nice room and a comfortable bed, fucking you in his backseat and coming after a few thrust, all that after he asked you to give him head, pushing his fingers on your well braided hair, making a mess of it even when you told him you didn't feel like it, everything got boring for him and he drove you home in an uncomfortable silence.

You felt disgusting when he dropped you off and immediately drove away, leaving you there in front of the house, not even checking if you walked in safely.

The only thing you could think while walking those few steps to the house was Eunseok would've never treated me like that.

So, when you opened your door and saw him sitting in the couch, in front of the tv, when he should be asleep after a long work day, waiting for you, you wanted to cry, because he hates the news, and he would never watch them willingly when he could use that time to sleep instead.

You contained yourself and sighed, biting back your lip from quivering and showing how weak you felt at that moment, you were a big girl, and you couldn't cry every time something went wrong.

But you couldn't deny that you were also more vulnerable because of him those days, and how he was pushing you away when you tried to get closer, just that morning, when you gave him those muffins, it hurt you to hear the 'okay' came out of his mouth, it felt like you were being too much for him and he didn't know what to say to your advances anymore, and perhaps that's why those days he seemed in a worse mood, troubled with your presence near him.

When he offered you his beer you feel slightly comforted, how pathetic, you thought, a girl feeling comforted just because the guy who was rejecting her gave her a sip of his beer.

Some pop star was in a dating scandal and you couldn't care less, but you didn't want to leave, you wanted to be with him for more time, as long as he allowed you.

"Did you want to go out with him?" He asked after a couple minutes. You denied with your head.

He finished his beer, so he got up and walked to the kitchen, coming back with two cans and opening one for you, sitting slightly closer this time.

"Then why did you accept?" Some politician was talking about being honest on his campaign, what a bullshit, he would lie, just like you, a normal human being, has being done since you came to that house, acting like you didn't feel anything for Eunseok, and that everything you did was out of your heart, it partly was, but you did it more eagerly because you wanted him to look your way, to maybe see you different, not the young girl that rented the room next to his in his house, and if not an equal partner, at least some kind of comfort from his daily life, something to come back after his tedious routine and that could give him the peace he needed, just like he and his home did for you.

You decided to not lie anymore, if he asked you something, the least you could do was to be honest with yourself and with him, you didn't have long until everything spilled out of the glass already full of your feelings, and it would kill you to move away from him, his daughter, his house, and everything that had become familiar to you those months, but if you were still going to get hurt, you should be honest before everything went to hell.

You drank another big gulp of your beer before talking again, to feel more confident, "I wanted to get laid". He almost choked with his drink, coughing and looking at your direction to try to find out if you were making a really bad joke or you were telling him the truth.

You didn't look at his direction, some festivity was about to start in a few days and the city was getting ready for a festival, it looks pretty, I should go with his daughter before I move out, you thought.

Every day you had contained yourself from going to his arms, kissing his lips and asking for him to pay you attention had come to that, and you had resigned to leaving when he asked you to, because if before he was uncomfortable, now he was going to find you unbearable, and it would kill you to stay and see the place you called home crumble in front of your eyes.

Still, you had never felt so free.

He saw the decision written all over your face, you knew what was going to happen next, and he was afraid of the outcome, of what was going to happen if you ever left him, what would he do without your coffee? Without your laugh filling his house, without the smell of your shampoo all over the room after you took a long shower, or with the way his daughter had started to depend on you for certain questions, just, what would he do without you?

He wanted to come home after his shift to be welcomed by his two favorite girls all over the world, and he was an adult, he would get over it with time, but he didn't want to, he had already compromised with many things, with leaving college, with not going to friend's parties anymore, with only drinking beer once a week, with not being the first place in his life never again, he had already accepted too many things, and you leaving wasn't one of them.

"Well, you didn't have to ask another man when you have me right here" he couldn't process what he said, he just said it, his lips moving before he could think twice. You stared at him taken aback from his words, you expected him to call you dumbass or anything along that, but he was making clear you had permission to see him not like your landlord or just an older guy, but like a man.

Your eyes interlocked and the tension got thicker, both of you were closer without any of you noticing, shoulders touching, and when you moved your face slowly towards him, waiting for him to tell you he didn't mean what he just said, he tenderly grabbed your face and made you kiss him, erasing all distance between you, finally.

Your eyes shut and you kissed softly at first, tasting the lingering bitter flavor of his cheap beer, enjoying every second of it, until you whimpered on his lips, and he, reacting to it, tapped twice with the palm of his hand over one of your thighs, to signal you that he wanted you to be over his lap.

You let your weight fall over him and he loved the way he felt your ass flushing with his knees, his hands roamed all the way from your waist to the softness of your legs and followed the same trail back, addicted to the way your body, even being bigger than normal and nothing like he ever had in the past, felt perfect on his hands, as if you had been designed for him and only him to touch and indulge in.

The hem of your dress had rolled with your movements and his hands didn't help neither, trying to lift it up as much as he could to feel the plump of your ass.

"To the movies with a dress like this one? Tell me the truth, did he finger you with people around? don't you feel any shame?" He asked, making you rock your hips over his boner. You sighed on his neck, not daring to look at him in the face, shame creeping your red cheeks.

"Why do you say that?" You asked curious of his remarks, they were true, but how did he know?

"Because he's no better than me, and I'd have done it too", he made you look at him, one of his hands still over your ass and the other on your jaw, admiring you over him, his glossy eyes were all over your face, from your flushing cheeks to your lips with the mild cherry color of your lipstick that was almost completely removed by his kisses "you're too pretty, no one would be able to resist" he said, lips finding your again, kissing you deeper, wanting to satisfy the part of him that had been screaming for your mouth every day until now, as if it was possible to ever calm it.

You started to blush even more, embracing him with your arms around his neck to kiss him better, and after a couple of seconds, when he let you breath and hide your face on his neck again, licking his lips and still making you bounce with the strength of his hands on your waist, moving you to his liking, his bulge perfectly touching your clit under your panties, you nodded to his past question, Wonbin did finger you, and you did feel shame, but with him, with Eunseok, you were sure you'd have let him take you right there in front of everyone and you'd have said thank you when he finished with you.

"I'm sure he fucked you, did he fuck you in his car? He doesn't look like the kind of boy who takes you to a nice room to give you what you deserve, I'm sure you couldn't even cum once with him, this sweet thing needs to be taken care of by someone who can handle it, someone like me" he whispered that to your ear, biting back his groans and making fun of you trying to hide your soft moans, adding to that the way you nodded to everything he said, he felt exhilarating, wanting to tease you even more, wondering what would happen, would you cry for him to stop? Or even better, would you cry for him to not stop?

The thought did things in him, and as a result, his thumb touched your pussy over the fabric of your panties, fumbling around it to feel how wet you were getting, making you moan louder than you expected, sensitive after being teased before but not finding the satisfaction you needed.

You supposed it was that, how Wonbin played with your pussy just hours before, you didn't think it was probably from all you went through for months, hiding the way you needed him, or how you played with yourself thinking of him behind your door, everything accumulating and being too much for you in this moment, the cathartic minute in which you finally were feeling his body against you, his aroma as close as you begged past nights, and his hands prying the place that suffered his absence the most.

"It hurts" you cried, begging for him to touch you directly with his hands. The air in the room was hotter and your untouched skin was burning. Your hips moved perfectly over him and he imagined himself making you lie on the couch to fuck you until you screamed, he was in pain too to be honest, too many nights needing you almost made him weak, but he wanted to enjoy it as much as he could, in case it was the only night he'd have the privilege of having you, to never forget you in case what you had decided for tomorrow didn't include him.

He kissed you again, he couldn't take you there, on his ugly old couch, he had to take you properly, like you should be treated, "I know baby, I know" he said, eyebrows frowning and breath hitching from getting closer to his orgasm, he had been too painfully untouched and sure you were the same, asking for each other at midnight, each of you in their own rooms, praying for the other to do something about their desire, "let's go to my room, okay? I know you can do it for me, I need to touch you more, and for you to be comfortable in every moment of it, my precious baby"

You wanted to tear up of how good he talked to you, giving and asking for compassion at the same time. For him, you had earned the right to be treated like that, to demand it from him, working hard and giving parts of you he didn't ask for and hadn't realized he needed until you came into the picture of his dull and exhausting life, making it brighter and more bearable every day you spent together.

You didn't want to move, so close of your first orgasm over his lap, but he clapped his hand over your thighs, telling you to move away from him "come on angel, I know you're a good girl, you heard me, let's go" you were a good girl, his good girl, so with the pain of your heart, and your clit, you moved out of his lap, letting him drag you by the hand to his room. The path was short, just the staircase and a couple steps to his room, but the way he was showing you his back, making you walk as fast as him to get to his bed, made your pussy throb. This was happening, really happening, and you smiled feeling content.

When both of you arrived to his room, a secret place you had never been able to set a foot in before, door always closed, you sensed the last line between you both blurring, because nothing, not even an earthquake, would make you get out of his bed tonight, you'd receive everything you had been yearning for, and you'd be grateful at the end, in case he only accepted you one time.

He kissed you again against his door, making you stand on your tip toes to meet his mouth. Your chest was touching his and you were dying for them to touch directly, without any fabric stopping your nipples from feeling his hard chest, even if he didn't train that much anymore, you had seen him come back sweating after a morning jog every sunday, waking up at 6 AM to come back with your favorite bread freshly baked.

While kissing he made you walk back to the bed, pushing you over it and taking off his shirt to then go back to his duty over you.

His mouth couldn't leave you alone, and groping everything he could with his hands and rutting his erection over your pussy, he made sure your lips, and your tongue, were focused on him.

"Please, I need more" you told him, tired of not feeling him on your skin.

He didn't answer you, two of his fingers found your clothed pussy and pressed your underwear, sensing how wet you were under his fingers, a big warm spot was formed, and he decided to not tease you anymore over it. His palm went under your panties, and if over your panties he felt you wet, now you were dripping. His hand was quickly covered on your juices immediately, making him groan, how could he tease his baby so much when she was suffering like that?

"Fuck, I’m sorry angel", two of his fingers found your hole and started to play with you, fucking you without problem because of how wet you were, and you received him like all the time, making him feel welcome with your warmth.

Your body was shaking under him, hands on his chest touching his skin, trying to grasp as much of him as you could, slightly pushing him away of how good he was working you with just with his fingers, but without the force to actually do it, it was just your body reacting to him, because you really wanted him to be closer.

"Wait-" strangled words wanted to come out of your mouth, he was so good with his hands your eyelids were fluttering and the only think you could see in the dark room, with the little light coming through his curtains, was his grin watching your pussy take his fingers, and his arm making that possible.

Two fingers became three and his hand started to fuck you more, like trying to find something inside you, fingers in and out on scissoring movements, until you started to cry louder and leak over his hand, making him feel proud of his work, "that's right baby, come on, cum all over my hand".

You had your first orgasm, making a mess on his hand and your panties, it was uncomfortable to keep wearing them, wet and sticking to you, so he took them off, making you lift your legs to take them. You didn't know if he could see you in that darkness, but he could, your pussy glistening was impossible to ignore, and the image in front of him was everything he had been dreaming of for months.

He took of your dress too, enjoying the view even more, you weren't wearing a bra, and your tits jumped in front of him, gravity making them fall a bit to each side of how big they were, so fucking hot.

His mouth went to your little buds, tongue flicking over one and grabbing the other, and exchanging the work between each of them after he thought it was enough attention to one. They were so soft under his hand, skin overflowing his grip and making him think maybe I should die here, because there was no place more comfortable than there over your beautiful chest.

"Eunseok, please don't tease me" You cried under him, you had watched him so concentrated on your chest you didn't want to distract him, but the pain on your pussy was becoming too much for you, and you were still leaking all over his grey sweatpants.

"Such a crybaby" He smiled, pulling down his sweatpants and his boxers, just enough to free his cock and put the condom he had on his nightstand, he wanted to fuck you, but he had already learnt his lesson, he wanted to take care of you for a long time, to fuck you many more times. He slapped your pretty cunt with his length, enjoying your little jolts. "Sorry, it's because you're the prettiest girl, I couldn't contain myself" he said, pushing his dick over you, simulating the way his cock was going to fuck you in just a second, you opening your legs even more without you intending to, all so he could be closer to you "I'll give you what you want, don't worry" he kissed your forehead to take your attention away from the tip of his dick sliding through your hole, but it was so long he still had you squirming under him, even with all the preparation, you felt him stretching you like no one had done before, "You're dripping all over my bed, it's because of me or him?" He asked after his cock made a wet sound when he finished pushing it into you.

"Uh?" You couldn't process his words, too lost into the sensation of his cock inside you, fucking your guts, so deed the only thing that went through your mind was fuck me, fuck me.

"Who made you like this, me or him?" He repeated his question and you realized who he was talking about, Wonbin, and even if he had fucked you, he was nowhere near Eunseok.

"You, Eunseok, just you" you cried, his hips had stopped for a second to hear your answer, and when he heard the desperation on your voice, he understood you weren't telling him just what he wanted to hear, but the truth. Your nails started to mark his back and he, because of the intensity of the moment, didn't feel it, too concentrated on the sensation of your walls accepting him so easily, something uncommon for him since his length was bigger than normal, but of course his little angel would do it without problem, you were made for him, and he had no intention of ever sharing you again.

His hips moved again, pulling as far as he could to dive all in, making your tears drop one by one of how good you were feeling, you felt high, like touching the sky, and with each trust he took you back to earth, to that room, demonstrating you how the only thing you needed to feel complete was him.

Your heart was racing, you could hear it beating on your ears, but you didn't know what was that you were hearing, his cock making you ignore anything else that wasn't him and his groans.

"Fuck, so tight, has no one been taking care of you since you came here? I'm sure your little toy doesn't compare" he asked and the rhythm of his hips increased, his cock pushing deeper with each thrust. "Were you thinking of me when you used it? Did you want me to hear it so I could go to your room and fuck you?" You shook your head, you used it because you were too horny after spending time with him, and just the image of him coming back home with his white shirt and his ruffled hair made you crazy, he always looked so stressed you had to resist the temptation of dropping to your knees to suck his cock when he told you your daily good night, your mind only repeated I'm here, please use me!, and without being able to receive anything from him, you had to rely on your toy.

You wanted to talk and tell him everything, but no coherent sound came out of your mouth, your insides were being so fucked any function in your mind had shut down, focusing only on your pussy and the pleasure he was giving you.

You couldn't talk and that frustrated you, making multiple tears fall down your cheeks, sobbing at this point. Your hands didn't want to let him go and you tried to hug him and get him closer to you, but you were crying so loud he had to stop to check on you one second, to make sure you were okay.

He looked at you worried "what's wrong baby? Am I being too much?" He caressed your cheek with his thumb and cleaned the strand of tears.

You denied, focusing all your mind into talking again "feels so good, please don't stop". He stared at you for a long time, appreciating your face and your body, trying to get all into his memory to never forget how beautiful you looked at that moment, crying for him and his cock, begging for him to not stop.

He didn't know what he would do if he couldn't fuck you again, if before he was deep into you, now he was in a place that had no escape.

You moved your body under him, trying to get the same feeling from seconds ago, making you forget everything again, making you forget who he was, who you were, and what would happen after you both finished.

"You have no idea of how much I fucking like you" you wanted to say me too when he talked, but his hips had started to work you again and you could only moan loudly when you tried to talk, so you decided to bite your lip to stop being too noisy instead. "I'm sorry baby, I know you want to be loud, but we'll get in trouble" you nodded, understanding why he said that. He put his hand over your mouth and kissed your temple while fucking you, pushing you to the same abyss he was in, needing more of your juices to make a mess over his bedsheets, to let your smell linger around him for more time.

The way he was looking at you was something you'll never be able to forget, something you had never seen before, no one, in all your life, had stared at you with such intensity, full of need and possession, like screaming mine, mine, mine, and you couldn't correct him, he was right, you were his.

Your walls clenched around him and he let your mouth free to kiss you again, his tongue had intruded into your mouth, stealing the little air you had and making you even more dizzy, mind scattered all around the room like your clothes, pushing his dick in a more erratic way, not calculating so much how and what to push, just feeling.

"I'm so close, cum with me angel, fuck" his hips were practically punching yours, making the sound of both skins clapping so dirty you felt yourself tightening just with it. You nodded, both of his arms were on each side of your head and your hands held onto them, trying to not fall wherever you felt you were about to, as if he was going to push you, with him, into some state of clarity you had never experienced before.

He did push you into something new, the orgasm was so hard you lost yourself for a second, mind becoming black and eyes rolling for a long moment, your heart and breath completely stopping and toes curling into the bed, feeling his cock throb inside you while some liquid leaked out of your used pussy.

He brought you back to reality with soft kisses. His hair was sweating over your forehead, and you felt his skin sticky against yours, but you felt complete, after so much time, you were where you should be, in his room, on his bed, with him and only him.

He let his body fall over yours, squishing you with his size, his cock was still inside you, and you didn't want him to move, he could stay like that all night if he wanted, you'd never ask him to move.

Sadly, he moved apart minutes later, when both of you had regained their breaths and your hand was caressing his broad back. He lifted himself, still between your legs, pulling his dick out of you to remove the condom, making you whimper a protest. He laughed quietly, looking down at you, such a needy baby.

He walked out of the room and you started to get doubtful, was he going to regret everything you had done? You loved every second of it, you didn't want to be apart from him ever again, but maybe... Maybe he just needed some release.

Your eyes started to get wet, you always thought you would be satisfied with one time, but you became greedy after feeling his touch, and one time would never be enough again.

He came back minutes after, you heard his steps, but you didn't turn back to him, afraid of what he would tell you.

"Angel, I brought you your tea, have some before you sleep" he touched your shoulder and made you look at him, when you did, he gave you the softest smile and moved a strand of your hair out of your face. You wanted to cry again, touched by his treatment.

You drank some of it, still fresh and cold, while he cleaned you with a wet towel between your legs, so you could sleep more comfortable.

Then, when you gave him the cup, he tossed the used towel away, and, after leaving your cup over a couple of his gardening magazines on his nightstand, he made you cover yourself under his bedsheet, lying next to you, accepting your hug into his arms and giving you a goodnight kiss on your forehead, erasing all doubts from your head, because he'd never be able to give up on his little angel again.

[twinsarekeepers]

Princess Andromeda, Annabeth and Season 2 Predictions

In honor of the season 2 teaser trailer drop, here is an obscenely long and convoluted post stemming from my excitement lol.

Necessary mythological context: Andromeda was Perseus’s wife in the Greek myths. The story goes that her mother boasted about how she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs and so Poseidon sent a monster to ravage their kingdom. Her parents chained her to a rock in the middle of the sea as an offering to the beast to save themselves. Perseus, on his way back from slaying Medusa, ran across her and killed the beast, saving Andromeda. Some more stuff happens but that’s irrelevant to my analysis so let’s just skip to the happily ever after part because they settle down, have a bunch of kids, and live out the rest of their days in peace.

Other than the fact this it is just quite insane to name your boat after the wife of Perseus, it’s also an indicator of Luke’s motivation: Annabeth.

Because, and reader I know you know where this is going, Annabeth is the Andromeda of the PJO story. It’s more explicit in the show (in which they literally have a Perseus who is on a quest to save his mother hold a recently slain Medusa’s head up to kill a monster that has been hunting her since childhood while she watches. Very wild of them, I’ve never stopped thinking about it), but the books aren’t subtle about it either lol.

And this is where the Andromeda parallel really starts getting complicated. Because Annabeth is obviously Percy’s Andromeda, but she’s also Luke’s.

Luke and Thalia find Annabeth at her most vulnerable: her mortal parents have essentially fed her to the wolves by letting her run away, knowing she’ll be hunted by monsters, all to save themselves. Luke and Thalia take her in, care for her, and protect her. If they hadn’t found her, Annabeth very likely would have died. They take her to camp, where Thalia dies, but Luke and Annabeth are safe and they get to live peacefully (for some time).

But, Annabeth still feels trapped in some way. She wants to get out of camp to really prove herself as a warrior and a daughter of Athena. In comes Percy, the second and truer (literally lol) Perseus. He “unchains” her from camp (and Luke) by taking her with him on his quest.

All the tlt stuff happens and Luke betrays them and runs off. Next time we see him he’s an evil frat boy on a yacht named the Princess Andromeda and we NEVER GET AN EXPLANATION FOR WHY THATS THE NAME. Did Luke name it himself? Did it come named Princess Andromeda and, if so, what was Luke’s reaction because I know that man did not need more reminders of Percy around him lmao.

The show already honed in on the Perseus-Andromeda parallels in season 1, so I just know they’re coming up with something crazy for season 2 now that Andromeda’s name has a reason to be brought up.

Definitely think Andromeda’s story is going to be told in some capacity, especially so that people who aren’t mythology nerds can figure out the parallel that they set up in season 1 more completely.

Maybe they’ll replace Agrius and Oreius with it because it could serve the same function. Luke told their story to criticize the gods, and Andromeda’s story can also be used in the same way. I think it’ll be even more interesting because Poseidon plays the villain in her myth.

[starry-eyes-love]

Masterlist Joel Miller

Main Masterlist

🖤 Welcome to the Joel Miller Fanfic Masterlist 🖤

So happy you've stopped by. Below you will see series and one-shots written about Joel Miller, both within the Last of Us Universe and also Alternate Universe.

Please remember, all works written here are fiction.

Any series that is marked "complete" means that the main storyline within that series is completed, but I may still write one-shots within the storyline.

Feel free to comment and reblog anytime, even if the fics are older.

Please mind the tags, I place warnings on all of my fanfics. You are responsible for the content that you consume.

My Journey to You (ongoing series)

Summary | Joel Miller x F!Reader (Post Outbreak) For the past year Joel, Ellie, and you have been traveling and searching for Joel's brother, Tommy, who now is rumored to have settled in Jackson, Wyoming. Survival in the wilderness does not come easy, and neither does falling hard for Joel Miller. The question is, are you able to survive the journey?

Love Never Fails (ongoing series)

Summary | Joel Miller x F!Reader AU (no outbreak).  Joel has been your dad’s good friend, and a father figure to you, even though you two are only 15 years apart. One year you come home from college for a visit to find that everything in your life has changed, especially with moody old Mr. Miller. You soon realize that no matter what life throws at you there is only one rule, and that is: Love Never Fails. 

Marriage Dynamics (ongoing series)

Summary | Joel Miller x F!Reader AU (no outbreak). Joel and you are married and share in the typical husband and wife dynamics. You're trying to navigate married life with two kids, and another unplanned baby on the way while still navigating the waters of a rocky marriage. These stories are sometimes cute, funny, sexy, and sometimes hard arguments, hence true Marriage Dynamics. But it ends with a happy ending. (If you want to read these two's origin story, read the series Love Never Fails).

Mini Series

Too Young to Die (3 Part Mini Series) No Outbreak, AU -

Part 1 Part 2

Series Summary | Three years ago you were diagnosed with autoimmune disease, a disease that created havoc in your joints, muscles, and body with inflammation and pain. Now three years into your journey you get referred to Dr. Joel Miller, a massage specialist, to help manage your joint and muscle pain with your autoimmune disease.  What you didn’t know was that Dr. Miller was going to change your life, in every best possible way.

One Shots

Darlin' You're Beautiful - No Outbreak, AU, Joel x F!Reader:

You've been stood up again by another date from another guy. Joel (your best friend) takes you out to a park to cheer you up and reminds you (and himself) that you are beautiful.

Darkened Days Become Light - Post Outbreak, Joel x Ellie:

Joel looks back on the emotions that brought him to this moment 20 years later, the moment when his story was re-written. Life is a story, if you don’t like the outcome then re-write it to one that you do, and that’s what Joel Miller did.

Nursing - No Outbreak, AU, Husband Joel Miller x Wife F!Reader:

Your six-week-old daughter, Isabell, is fussy and won’t settle down enough to nurse from you.  Joel, being your soft and understanding husband (and an experienced father) soothes you and shows you how to relax. Who knew seeing Joel sing to Isabell, and whispering soft praises into your ear would help calm your fears at being a mom.

Lord of the Manor - No Outbreak, AU, Joel x F!Reader

Joel Miller is Lord of the Manor, and you are the woman who has been helping him for years in raising his two daughters. Joel, holding a matchmaking party, decides to dance with every maiden in the room, everyone but you. After seeing him do this, you are exhausted and jealous, so you leave the party early. Joel notices your absence and follows you down the dimly lit hallway, where you confess your feelings for him. It ends with him telling you he wants you in his bed.

Farewell Ballad - No Outbreak, AU, Husband Joel x F!Reader

Summary | Joel takes one final walk in the park before his spirit passes on. Written from Joel’s point of view.

Let's Make a Memory- No Outbreak, AU, Joel Miller x F!Reader

Summary | Joel takes you out to a restaurant for the first time after knowing you for a long time and has sex with you in the bathroom. (Slight D/s dynamic vibes with this one).

Just A Man- No Outbreak, AU, Joel x F!Reader-- coming soon

Summary | Pleasure is a beautiful thing.  It makes someone feel wanted, desired and loved.  In the hands of the right person, it can make someone come alive, especially when you feel anything but.  Walk inside the mind of a man and woman as they obtain the best gift of all: pleasure from being seen. (Written from Joel's and F! Reader POV's).

Headcanon's

Wedding Anniversary - Joel Miller is on a tropical vacation with you celebrating your wedding anniversary where he takes control and has you go down on him on your private secluded beach

Wanting Someone to Care- Recently breaking up from your boyfriend you are staying at the Miller's household and you can't sleep. Joel invites you into his bed and he helps you relax by lazy bringing you to an orgasm.

[gvfmarge]

My first fic????!!! Who am I??

Jakey blurb:

I’m so so nervous to post this. I don’t have many followers and I haven’t really interacted with many of you. But I just had this idea in my head and I had to write it down, it’s super duper short. I’m not a writer by any means and I didn’t really edit this, so please be kind. 🥺

This is loosely based off of my experience with my 2 babies and our first days at home. (It’s really not as beautiful as this makes it out to be and the exhaustion is REAL- in case you don’t have kiddos)

This is probably a flop and I doubt anyone will actually read but here it is. Also, I’m on mobile so I hope this posts okay and is readable. Again, please be kind and I would always love some type of feedback or critiques!!

Trigger warnings: Newborns and exhaustion. Really nothing but pure sickening fluff.

Jake (husband/dad) x Reader

~~~

“Are you just soooo hungry, is my sweet girl just starving to death?” He hums to her as he zips up the lilac colored floral footie pajamas. As he scoops her up from the changing table, he turns to you with his toothy grin. “Momma’s right here baby.” He hushes her cries with his whispered promises. Jake slips Nora into your arms and gently sinks down into the bed beside you.

You’ve always loved Jake. You’ve loved him since the first time you met eyes. He takes up every ounce of your heart. But there is just something in the way he rocks your daughter, something in the way he sings to her, the way he looks at you while you’re holding her that makes you realize you never knew how much you actually loved him. You never believed your heart could hold any more love for this man, but watching him love the child you created with him has made you feel like the world has stopped for only you and your new family.

Today is your second full day of being home from the hospital after giving birth. It’s nothing like you imagined, it’s harder than you ever imagined but Jake has been nothing short of amazing. You have never felt more taken care of and cherished before.

“I can’t believe she’s actually real.” He says looking down at her in awe while she nurses. You can see the love in his eyes, you can feel it radiating off of him. It has enveloped your entire life now. Every inch of your house is full of love because of this new life you have brought into it.

“I know, I still feel like it’s all a dream actually.” You whisper back, leaning your head on his shoulder. “It felt like she would never be here and here she is.” He hums in response and turns his head to kiss your forehead. You both sit tangled together while you feed Nora until she finally falls asleep in your arms.

Jake eventually slides off the bed when he notices your eyes getting heavy. “Let me take her for a while baby, you need to nap.” He says stretching out his arms to lift her off of your chest. “Are you sure? I’m okay, I really don’t feel tired.” As you’re yawning, you realize just how exhausted you are. Jake has barely let you lift a finger since you’ve been home from the hospital. He’s changed almost every diaper, cooked every meal, woken up with Nora almost every hour at night to help you feed her. “Aren’t you tired too? You’ve done so much, lay down with me and we can cuddle while she naps.” You’re hoping he agrees, you really don’t want him to take her and you really don’t want him to leave either.

He places Nora in her bassinet beside the bed and places his hand on her chest and she settles back down into sleep. He slowly walks to turn off the lamps around the room and closes the curtains, stretching his arms above his head as he walks back to his side of the bed and almost crashes his body into the mattress. “I’m so glad you said that because I think I might die if I don’t sleep.” He says muffled into his pillow.

You giggle at his dramatics and curl into his side, pulling the blankets up over your shoulders. “I love you so much, Jake. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to show you just how much.”

“You already have baby, you’ve given me everything I could ever want and more. You’ve given me the perfect little family, that is all mine. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

As you both drift off into your nap, you both can’t help but smile through the exhaustion. Understanding now just how much this is all you’ve ever wanted.

[muffinsin]

Hey, Merry Christmas Eve / Hanukkah / whatever you celebrate, if you do,

I was wondering if I could request dani going into the woods to hunt and crossing paths with a werewolf s/o with a G!P and knots dani?

Love the breeding kink requests and have lowkey gotten into omega verse stuff but mostly for knoting and how it ties in with breeding stuff.

Thank you! The same goes to you and all who read this! :)

Absolutely! Our Dani needs some good knotting ;) Switched about a few times with the writing style and settled on one that isn’t in the reader’s POV this time! Depending on how it’s received I’m considering writing more works this way, with reader-pov’s obviously staying as a main part of all my posts. Also had a few ideas of how this one would go down, settled on this however- I might post short versions of the other scenarios that played on my mind! ;)

Anyway, let’s get into it!😙

Masterlist

She skipped ahead eagerly, sickle summoned in her hand and halfway swarming, so her feet barely touched the ground and she felt the warm sun on every part of her.

Daniela loved summer.

She heard a noise in the distance and snickered. A lycan's roar. So Lord Heisenberg had released them already.

She grinned; she would be sure to tell Cassandra too.

They always had so much fun playing with the lycans! Even mother approved, smug when the other Lord complained to her about his mauled and, or, stupid looking monsters. She always claimed her darling daughters merely had their fun.

And they did, when they giggled and made the wolf chase them, knowing Heisenberg's pathetic creations would never compare to them. Daniela snickered at a particular memory in her mind, of Cassandra holding a beast tightly while Daniela gave it a little bit of a makeover.

In the end, its fur was cut so that little hearts littered the skin. Lord Heisenberg had been so mad, it was hilarious! Mother was so pleased with them too!

Yet, a lycan was not something she was looking for. No, she wished for something else entirely. The perfect prey!

With summer having approached and the temperatures high enough for them to hunt all day, she knew her task as clear as day.

She wanted to find the perfect prey for her mother.

Sure, the woman was proud of everything that was brought back to her, but nonetheless Daniela wished to show her worth. After all, not only Cassandra could hunt mighty beasts.

She kept moving, eyes naturally catching wolves and lycan's howls.

At last, after only a little while, she found her prey.

A beautiful deer, it's short fur soft and clean, almost golden looking. She grinned- no one, even Cassandra, beat her as it came to catching deers. She was the fastest sister by far, best suited for such a fast animal.

She approached with caution, her sickle drawn and a smirk on her lips. This would make such a fine meal!

The predator attacked when the animal's head was turned away, laughing maniacally as her sickle dug into its skin.

It ran, and Daniela followed. Its speed didn't compare to hers in the slightest.

Another slash. The poor prey kept running.

She giggled, eagerly chasing. She knew she would win this and already pictured her family's reactions to the deer.

Cassandra, her proud older sister that Daniela looked up to. She knew her sister would praise her for her work and eagerly dig in. Even help Daniela set up a trophy if she asked her to.

Then Bela, the eldest sister. Daniela also looked up at her, the perfect and beautiful and smart sister. She grinned as she chased the deer, picturing Bela's pleased smile as she stroked her hair and scratched her scalp as a reward for her work well done. She loved Bela's attention, truly. The blonde was always so busy, Daniela sucked up every bit of attention she could get from her older sister. In a way, she knew she couldn't become like Bela. She still dreamt of it, though.

And Mother, of course. Daniela's grin brightened even more. Yes, Mother would praise her so much! Her large hand set on Daniela’s shoulder as she did. She would even let her have the first bite!

She laughed in anticipation.

Another slash, at the animal’s legs. This one at last caused it to fall. The redhead smirked proudly, her sickle disappearing as the leaned down. Good, her precious prey was not dirtied or damaged too much. She wiped away the blood, eager for her family to see the beautiful fur.

Just as she was about to lift it, another scent caught her nose. She turned, spotting the large cave entrance in the short distance. She didn’t remember hearing about this from any of her sister’s stories. Nor had she ever found it.

She simply had to know what was hidden inside.

The deer forgotten and on the ground, the redhead advanced. She rested her gloved hand on the cave’s entrance. She heard a heartbeat from within, so the cave must not be all that deep or big.

She stepped inside, her nostrils flaring as she picked up the scent of blood, sweat, tears and- she blushed, all too familiar with the scent of sex that still lingered in the air. The redhead jumped when she stepped on something that cracked. Upon looking down, she saw the bone under her shoe. She frowned- the ground was littered with bones.

Was this some large predator’s cave? She grinned- if she brought this one home, even Cassandra would be shocked!

She ventured farther into the cave, stepping over bones and bodies. She recognised some of the women on the ground, servants that had escaped or been set free to be hunted down. She had already forgotten all about them.

She noted the blood on the walls- some was fresh, most was not.

At last, she found the beast, it seemed. Its large body hunched over as it nibbled on a corpse.

Daniela summoned her sickle. Her prey was huge, rivalling varcolacs in its size. She gulped.

Perhaps she could come back with Ca-

“Ah!”, she shrieked in surprise when a clawed hand shot out to her. Naturally, she dodged the attack. Her heart beat quickly. It seemed she would need to do this on her own.

The beast looked as though it frowned for a moment, as if confused about Daniela’s ability to swarm. She certainly made for a difficult opponent, she thought with a smirk.

The woman launched herself at the prey, her sickle raised and ready to dig into its flesh. And so it did, her sharp weapon tip digging into the beast’s shoulder as it roared in pain.

She laughed as it dropped to the floor. It was certainly easier to slay than she thought. When she brought it home, she would need to make up a different story of how she had slain it!

Too absorbed in her own “success”, the woman did not notice her opponent’s trick. She smirked as she reached for her sickle, yet yelled when her ankle was grabbed by a large hand and she was lifted, hands squeezing her painfully tight as though to ensure she didn’t escape the beast’s grasp again.

”Unhand me!” She shrieked angrily. The other creature just stared at her, until its head moved closer. She tensed for a moment, then cringed as she felt a long, wet tongue drag against her face.

”Stop that!”, she demanded. She would not smell of some mutt!

And yet, she watched with wide eyes as its snout pressed against her stomach instead, between its clawed fingers. She squirmed slightly in its hold.

A blush overtook her face and she shrieked when she felt the snout push below her dress. “Hey!”, she gasped. She then had time to take in the creature and match the pieces of this puzzle.

The many dead bodies, all of them women. The scent of sex in the air. The tongue across her face and neck and the snout now exploring her thighs. She gulped when she saw the large tip of the monster’s cock stand at attention. She felt an ache between her legs. It had been so long since she’s had anything but a maiden, she practically ached for what she knew was about to happen.

”Let me”, she whispered seductively, unsure whether the creature even heard her. She giggled as she swarmed and it roared angrily, yet watched her as she peeled her dress off her slim, curved body.

Daniela was left in only her panties, which she slowly pulled down. She would not include this part in her story, she thought with a blush. She couldn’t help feeling so ratty, jumping at the opportunity of such a large cock in her. It was so very rare she had them, she once even allowed herself to be filled by a lycan.

She dropped to her knees, hands wrapping around the beast’s exposed cock. It was pink and long, erect and sported a round knot at the base. She swallowed, her mouth and throat dry.

A growl came from the wolf. She leaned forwards, tasting the meat. Her thighs pressed together as she felt arousal spread in her body.

At the first brush of her tongue against the large cock, it twitched to attention. She moaned at the taste and scent of the wolf. It smelled unique, in a way. A large, clawed hand set on the back of her head. She gasped as she was pushed forwards.

The thing seemed surprisingly human for an animal, she thought, humming as her lips wrapped around the tip and the creature growled.

She gasped when her lower half was lifted, looking up as she was lifted and turned, her head smudged against the monster’s long dick. She blushed bright red and hot when she felt the long, wet tongue drag between her legs and lick broadly alongside her slit. A moan slipped from her lips and her hips moved slightly. She gasped when she felt the creature’s claw cut into her due to this, resulting in dark blood running down up hip and towards her breasts.

Her hair hung freely below her and she groaned when she was lowed suddenly, the large cock pushing against her face. “Give me a minute!”, she complained, giggling as she licked alongside it. She gasped at another lick between her legs.

A growl from the creature. She felt too warm already, yet tried to keep her composure. She was a Dimitrescu! She was not technically meant to let a creature this vile defile her. Oh, but it felt so good.

She wrapped her lips and hand around the monstrosity between the creature’s legs, moaning and smiling as in return she felt its long and thick tongue work between her legs, licking her and rubbing along her clit, the strange, rough texture of it bringing her immense pleasure.

Daniela hummed as she sucked and stroked, her hands barely unable to wrap around the cock. She felt strange being held in the air, upside down no less, and her head spun as she felt the thing’s tongue push inside.

”Goood”, she groaned, pulling away for a moment to breathe. The position made it difficult to suck the cock. It seemed her newest pet- she had decided to keep this one the moment it licked her- knew of this.

She shrieked in surprise when she was moved, lips back around the cock as she was lifted and lowered, the tongue inside her rubbing her and pleasuring her while the dick slid deep in and out her throat.

Humming and moaning, she felt nothing but the pleasure that was inflicted on her. Her senses were on fire as she was brought closer and closer to the orgasm.

Daniela shrieked and groaned in annoyance when she was yanked again, turned and facing the beast. She considered a snarky remark, but all words were taken from her and air was knocked out her lungs when she was shoved down on the erect cock below her, her legs twitching and her cunt on fire. She fisted the wolf’s fur and threw her head back. She felt heavy balls slapping against her ass as she was taken roughly, rougher than she ever had been taken.

Another growl from the creature. She moaned at the large hand settling on her ass cheek, groping. She whimpered at the scratch caused by sharp claws and the blood drips on her pale skin.

For a moment, her thoughts lingered on collaring her newest pet. She giggled, slurred moans passing her pump lips, at the thought of dragging it behind her on a leash.

Cassie would be so jealous!

Daniela gasped as the rough tongue dragged alongside her neck again, uncaring of the necklace that hugged her throat.

She felt high, almost, on the pleasure, and almost torn in two by the monstrosity between her legs. She wouldn’t have it any other way, really.

She came without warning and groaned when the animal kept going. She tugged the fur, words slurred as the pleasure simply kept going. She felt the knot push against her entrance, yet it didn’t enter her.

“P-Pet”, she groaned, her back arched. She whimpered as she felt her harder, second orgasm approaching. Her new pet felt so good in her. Daniela felt its tongue drag alongside her bare shoulder. She whined when she felt its sharp teeth against it.

”G-Good, more”, she demanded. She gasped in surprise when she felt cum shoot inside of her, the feeling foreign and erotic to her, the wolf’s cock twitching and trembling inside of her. She came too, when sharp teeth dug inside her shoulder.

She whimpered when she turned her head and saw the bite placed on her. Blood surrounded the bite mark and smeared on her skin and the wolf’s fur. She shrieked when she was suddenly let go of, swarming barely in time to avoid more aching muscles.

Her eyes widened when she heard a chuckle. Upon turning, she felt confusion and arousal yet again. The previously hairy, large monster turned into a human-ish looking woman.

A woman with muscles and of large size, and with a ridiculously arousing smirk. Daniela’s confusion must have been obvious. Her eyes widened and she gasped when her eyes trailed down the woman’s front, down her breasts and back between her legs, where she still sported an erect and full cock. The knot was still on it. Daniela squirmed, overly aware of the cum drooling out her stretched hole.

She gasped in surprise when the unnaturally strong woman pulled her arm, pushing her up against the cave’s cold wall. She groaned at the feeling. Was this woman infected by the cadou like her?

The creature scanned her- Daniela realized it must have been a mutant too. After all, the eyes matched the ones of the wolf using her mere moments ago just perfectly.

She gasped again upon feeling the other woman grip her thighs and pull them apart. She stood with her legs spread, gripping the stone wall. Never had she felt this aroused in her life.

”Perfect…omega…”

When she spoke, the woman’s voice sounded rough. Likely from the transformation, Daniela assumed. She frowned in confusion at the woman’s words.

”You will make…a good…mate”

Every word sounded painful. Daniela felt the tip of the woman’s cock against her entrance.

”What do you me-A-Aaah-n!”, she yelled as she was filled again, her voice echoing in the cave. She felt warmth radiating from the bite on her shoulder.

Omega? Mate?

Daniela groaned. She felt full and still felt cum clinging to her insides. The woman’s hands, now barely larger than Daniela’s, reached forwards and groped her large breasts.

Then, as if her mind supplied her with the answer to it all, she thought of her Mother’s lesson as a child, how she had spoken of the alpha and omega dynamics that sometimes occurred in those affected by the mold. She hadn’t thought her family was affected, having never felt any effects whatsoever.

In that moment however, she felt on fire. The bite, meant to claim- as she realised, burned and ached, but did not hurt. She closed her eyes as she was taken mercilessly against the wall, hands groping her and balls slapping against her with every thrust back inside her warm core.

She felt so, so needy, like she never had in her life, and the other woman’s scent seemed to call out to her. She briefly thought of explaining this to Mother, then brushed the thought aside; she would worry about the mess later.

Instead she turned around, her back painfully pressing against the stone wall. She saw the knot push against her entrance every thrust. Her hands set on the woman’s shoulders, feeling the muscles there and the wound her sickle had caused. The mutant seemed unbothered, her goal only one thing: to breed the beautiful omega that had found her way into the cave.

Daniela felt close yet again, her nails digging into strong shoulders. “More, pet”, she gasped breathlessly. Her nipple was pulled. She whined, back arching for her new lover. The choker necklace sitting snugly around her throat was the only clothing item still on her.

Another orgasm washed over her, intense and powerful this time. She felt drawn to the mutant, even more so, and hooked her leg around her backside to keep her from stopping.

Golden eyes looked down when she finally felt the knot pushing harder against her entrance. “Ngmmm!”, she whimpered and moaned, her hole stretching to take the large knot inside. Once it was in, Daniela’s breath evened again, but her arousal rose. She needed it in her, all of it. She wanted it so bad- no, she needed it, even.

The mutant picked up the thrusts of her hips again, her nose brushing against Daniela’s neck. The redhead breathed heavily as a tongue, human now, brushed against the marks left on her and she heard moans and groans against her shoulder. Teeth, sharp, but less so, dug into her neck, just below her choker. She groaned at the feeling and yelped in pain as it caused her to squeeze the large knot inside of her. She was going to be so stretched after this…

”More, pet! I want it in!” She demanded greedily. She wanted to carry the seed in the knot so desperately. Oh yes, she’d take her newest pet home, be her- what had the woman called her? Yes, omega. She would be her omega, allow her to use and fill her holes every day. Daniela was in such desperate need of a pet again! They always died so painfully quickly!

She was pushed around again, her front back against the rocks. The reason for this became clear to her immediately, when your teeth dug into her pale back, the soft skin breaking easily under sharp fang-like teeth.

She gasped when a hand slung around her chest and grabbed her breast, another moving down to her clit. She moaned, loud and clear and heard it echo back to her in the cave, when both were teased and played with.

So close…

The thrusts with the large knot inside gave pleasure and pain alike, until at last she heard moans and growls behind her, slurred noises that indicated how close the mutant was.

”Yes! Take me! Fill me please!”, she begged. It seemed this motivated the mostly mute woman. She giggled when her clit was rubbed quick and her nipple was pulled. Her head spun from the pleasure and her cunt ached from the rough treatment it received.

”Good…omega…”, the woman forced out. The words sounded a little more human. Daniela shivered at them. She didn’t know all that much about the mating cycles just yet, but was very eager to find out with her pet.

”Please, my alpha!”, she answered, back arched and screaming as she came, the knot painfully big in her clenching cunt until it too burst as the other woman orgasmed, cum shot deep inside the redhead.

She groaned as she felt hands settle on her lower stomach, the skin bulged slightly. The sensation was strange, though not unwelcome. She watched the bulge grow a little, then stop when the knot too was drained and calmed.

The cock slipped out of her, wet and red as it slapped against her thick thighs. When she turned, her legs nearly gave out. All it took was a small push on her shoulder from the woman for Daniela to fall, her body heavy and aching, as she fell on top of the many bones and corpses that littered the floor.

”He-Hey!”, she gasped when the woman leant down, caressing her stomach and nestling down next to Daniela. What had she gotten herself into now?!

{Dani seems like such a monsterfucker lmao}

[phoenixs-fandoms-and-writings]

A Ball That Will Change Lives - Chapter 1

Fandom: Harry Potter (Marauders Era Characters)

Pairing: Royal!James/Bodyguard!Lily/regular!GN!reader

Characters in this chapter: James Potter, Lily Evans, Euphemia Potter, Fleamont Potter

Plot: Inspired by the fairytale Cinderella.

You're being 'raised' by your evil stepmother and stepsisters. Upon receiving the invitation to the royal ball, you and your stepmother and stepsisters all get ready for it. You go through the clothes left by your parents, but will they actually let you go? And if they do, who will you meet?

Notes: I don’t agree with any of JKR’s beliefs or statements. This account is a safe space.

This is a chaptered fic, here’s the links for each chapter and the masterlist:

Masterlist - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Epilogue

I do not give permission to anyone to repost or translate any of my stories. I also do not give anyone permission to feed my stories through AI or to be posted to any third party website or app. If anyone sees any of my work posted anywhere but here or my AO3 (simplyreflected), then it has been posted without permission.

Read on AO3 here.

The magical land of Hogwarts was stunning and everyone admired the royal family of the kingdom. The benevolent King Fleamont and Queen Euphemia were kind to all their subjects and both of them were exceptionally proud of their son, Prince James.

Prince James was brought up in their image; kindness to all, no matter their station. He loved fiercely and it was obvious if anyone looked close enough at the way he looked at his bodyguard, Lily. However, they were discreet about their relationship; worried how the King and Queen would take it.

One day, however, he was taken to see his parents at their request by Lily. Once James was seated, with Lily standing behind him, his father told him of the idea that he and his wife came up with for their son.

“James, as you are 19, you need to find a wife, someone who will be your equal, your partner, your other half and who will help you rule. We will be holding a ball in your honour for your 20th birthday and inviting all available female suitors of close rank from this kingdom and neighbouring kingdoms. You will choose from the available and suitable suitors.”

James looked down, disappointed for a moment that he wouldn’t be able to have that life with Lily, but he had already told his parents that he’s polyamorous, so he decided to make a deal. He took a deep breath and said, “ok, I have two conditions.” He waited until both his parents nodded and his father gestured to him to go on. “Firstly, about the ball, I want you to invite everyone of appropriate age, no matter their title or standing, as long as they have no issue with me being polyamorous.” They had no issue agreeing to this, but still wanted him to find a wife. “Mama, father, I’m already in love with a beautiful woman.” They looked at him, and gestured for him to keep going. “I’m in love with my bodyguard, Lily Evans.”

James heard a gasp from behind him and looked back to see tears in Lily’s eyes as she looked at him.

“This is acceptable,” Queen Fleamont told them as she stood up and walked over to her son and his lover, and embraced both of them. “However, you can’t be his bodyguard once you’re married.” She pulled back and cupped Lily’s cheek. “As you are still an amazing bodyguard for our son, you will stay as his guard until closer to the time you will marry. Is this acceptable to you?”

James and Lily both looked at each other as Lily smiled and curtsied, “yes, your majesty.”

Euphemia pulled back and smiled at both of them as Fleamont walked over embracing them both before turning to Lily, “you’ve been like a daughter to us. It would be an honour to have you join us officially.”

As Fleamont walked back to his seat, but didn’t sit down, Lily smiled and embraced James, before she pulled back and kissed him.

“The two of you are excused. We have a ball to prepare for,” Fleamont told them as he sat down.

“And James,” Euphemia called just before they got to the door, making James turn to his mother and see her beautiful smile, “we’ll make sure your request is fulfilled and every available suitor is invited to the ball.”

With that, Lily and James walked out and happily went back to his chambers.

———————

You hated this life, you were a slave to your stepmother and her daughters. They didn’t treat you like anything other than something they would wipe off the bottom of their shoes.

Everyday, you wished on anything and everything you could find or think of that the work you were doing would help change your life. When you were away from your stepfamily, you would try to work as hard as you could to find a job that also provided a place for you to live. It didn’t matter what it was at this stage, the only thing that mattered was that you could get away from here.

When the invitation to the ball arrived, you were in awe. You wanted to go and hopefully meet someone who could help you get out of this miserable existence. In this life, you were just a slave to your stepmother and her daughters. It was exhausting.

You smiled to yourself all that day as you remembered clothes of your parents that you found ages ago and stored them in your room. It wasn’t even really a room, it was the attic, and it was tiny.

Nothing could wipe the smile from your face.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group G Round 4: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story vs Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

#G1: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story

Golf made interesting by the power of anime antics and yuri

#G4: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!)

Three girls decide to open an animation club

Details and poll under the cut!

IF YOU VOTED FOR THIS POLL BEFORE, PLEASE VOTE AGAIN.

There was an error in the original poll post. I forgot to change the poll deadline to 1 week, so the first post only had a 1-day poll. Since I can’t edit poll blocks once the post is published, I had to redo the entire post.

Tagging those who liked/reblogged the first post so that you can see this and vote again: @play-read-write @verirothestar @captain-harkness-lives @inariedwards and @elirodri (thank you for bringing the error to my attention!)

#G1: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story

Summary:

Infamous among those who gamble on golf games, Eve uses her exceptional skill in the sport to earn a living—by betting and winning against various opponents. Known as the "Rainbow Bullet," she vows to beat her foes and conquer the world of underground golf using only three clubs. However, the universe where Eve knows no defeat is shaken after she plays a clean game with Aoi Amawashi, a golfing prodigy that came to the country of Nafrece to enter a golf tournament. Armed with talent and born into the perfect environment for golf, Aoi the "Innocent Tyrant" calmly crushes her enemies with a bright smile on her face.

After their game-changing match, Eve and Aoi become intrigued with each other and promise to battle again someday. As Eve's aggressive and risk-taking approach challenges the elite and steady playstyle of Aoi, the two geniuses may just manage to bring golf to unexpected heights.

Propaganda:

Birdie Wing is one of the most absurd, hilarious, and entertaining anime that I’ve ever seen!! Mafia that solves infighting by betting on highly illegal golf matches, golf eugenics, a high school golf tournament feeling like a more high-stakes event than the ACTUAL GODDAMN MAFIA… It’s incredibly campy in the best way possible, and the creators embrace the wild premise of the show with open arms. It’s masterful in suspension of disbelief, as by the end of the series I was nodding my head, thinking that truly, everything is possible with the power of golf. The series also has heavy yuri overtones, which, while not quite pulling through in the end, are definitely a big part of the appeal, and Aoi is my favorite lesbian daughter <3

Trigger Warnings: Guns, Child Abuse. Mother is manipulative to her daughter, and she is used as a tool. Father arranges an unwanted marriage for his daughter.

#G4: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!)

Summary:

Midori Asakusa draws detailed landscapes and backgrounds of both the world around her and the one within her boundless imagination. Even the simple act of doodling on a wall evolves into an emergency repair on the outer hull of her spaceship. She is only brought back to reality by her best friend Sayaka Kanamori. The two are stark opposites, with Asakusa’s childlike wonder contrasted by Kanamori’s calculated approach to life.

After a chance encounter where the two “save” the young model Tsubame Misuzaki from her overprotective bodyguard, a connection instantly sparks between Asakusa and Misuzaki, as both share an intense passion for art and animation. Whereas Asakusa is interested in backgrounds and settings, Misuzaki loves drawing the human form. Sensing a money-making opportunity, Kanamori suggests that they start an animation club. Thus begins the trio’s journey of producing animation that will awe the world.

Propaganda:

It’s playing with animation in a really cool way, AND it is just gorgeous. The backgrounds are done in a beautiful painterly style, and each environment is detailed and evokes wonder.

Each of the three girls is a unique and fleshed-out character, and their interactions and blossoming friendship are super fun and wholesome to watch. The dialogue is also very realistic—it really feels like what three high school nerdy girl friends would talk about. Each has her own strengths, in animation, organization and craft, such that they really come together as a team and manage to make something beautiful.

The show is fun, heartwarming and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the same time it is so so sincere. Quiet and serious moments can be quiet and serious without needless bathos, and fun sequences (like a chase through the school) are given extra effort to be zany and funny, and fully animated in both senses of the word. Above all, you feel a strong love for animation and deep wonder of the world permeating the series.

Trigger Warnings: Flashing lights in the opening theme

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form with your revisions, and I’ll consider adapting those changes.

New: Starting round 5, screenshots will be included in the poll post. You can submit screenshots through the form linked above, or through here, via ask or dm.

Guidelines in submitting screenshots:

No NSFW or spoilery images.

Pick some good images please. Don’t send any blurry or pixelated ones.

You may send up to 9 screenshots, but not all may be used.

[teaberrii]

Chapter 17: Letting Go

You've been Cupid for as long as you can remember. You've brought countless soulmates together, yet you've never found love.

When you're assigned to bring two childhood friends back together, it should be simple until you unexpectedly catch feelings for the mysterious and cold Ph.D. student, Dan Heng, the man with a soulmate… the man with answers to your past.

Dan Heng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Today was a different kind of day.

Villagers stopped what they were doing. Mothers held their young children close to them. All eyes and ears were on the group of men on horses making their way through the northern village. However, there was one who captured the attention of many. The man leading the pack. The General of the Southern Kingdom. Jing Yuan.

Yet, he paid no attention to the gossiping villagers. Instead, his eyes were on the palace in the distance. He’d been waiting for years, and his goal was in sight. Little did he know, however, this was only the beginning.

The large gates creaked open, allowing Jing Yuan and his men onto the palace grounds. He saw a group of people, and standing in front of them were the king and queen of the Northern Kingdom.

After Jing Yuan got off his horse, the king stepped forward and said, “You’re even more handsome in person! ”

Jing Yuan smiled and gave a slight bow to show his respect. Then, he looked around. There were many smaller buildings and temples but also a garden that he could see in the distance. While the architecture didn’t differ too much from the South, the North preferred darker colour schemes.

“The king would like to send his regards,” Jing Yuan said.

“Ah, yes. I got his message. It’s a shame he couldn’t be here to witness the start of our partnership.”

“It’s an honour to be here.”

The king put a hand on Jing Yuan’s shoulder. “Come. I’ll show you to your quarters. You’ll be staying near my son and daughter.”

While the rest of his military recruits followed the queen's orders, Jing Yuan led his horse by the reins and followed the king. As he did, all he could think about was how beautiful it would be to see this place engulfed in flames.

Once Jing Yuan gets to his feet, he forces you to look at him.

“Don’t you think you’re going too far?” he asks, glaring at you. His grip on your shoulders tightens. “I don’t know what you have against me, but let’s try talking it out, shall we, sweetheart?”

“...Let her go, Jing Yuan.”

Jing Yuan turns to Lan who has a stern look on his face. Then, he feels someone cautiously pushing his hand away from you. Jing Yuan doesn’t need to look to know it’s Dan Heng.

“Why’d you call me here?”

“You said you wanted a way to get your memories back,” Lan says. Before Jing Yuan can ask, Lan turns to Dan Heng who gives him a nod. Then, Lan looks at Jing Yuan. “Let’s go see Caelus.”

“...A way to remember your past life?” Nanook asked.

“I’ve been observing Caelus for days. I don’t know how it’s happening, but he’s been remembering events and people… things that don’t match up with the present. Is The Withering responsible for this?”

“I would say so. Yes, this is a curse disguised as a disease, but it’s possible to add a… personal touch if you will.”

Lan raised a brow. “Personal touch?”

“Think of it as an add-on to the whole package." Nanook sighed. “It’s possible Cupid made the curse so those who got infected couldn’t forget about their past.” He tapped the report. “It would make sense based on what I found.”

“...Explain.”

“The Withering is a curse designed to infect the same people over and over again.”

Lan narrowed his eyes. “So, there’s no way for those people to avoid it?”

“Nope. They can only speed up their ultimate demise. Can’t get rid of it, those poor souls.”

“And how can they do that?”

"Touch one of the infected where the disease has already spread," Nanook said. " If they are one of the people The Withering was meant to target, that will bring back their memories, or parts of it at least, and get them an express ticket to Hell Central.”

“When The Withering was first researched, they said it wasn’t transmissible.”

Nanook scoffed. “Yeah. That’s because they were using human technology, which is useless, by the way.”

Lan sighed. “I should’ve asked you earlier, but is there a way to get rid of it?”

Nanook slid a hand inside his pocket. “If you're hoping to rely on magic. Black, white, or whatever... there's no hope. Based on what I found, this curse is personal. Something like a strong grudge, and we both know how strong grudges can be when the hate runs deep enough.”

Lan puts a hand on Caelus’s door. If Nanook told him the truth, you must’ve hated Jing Yuan enough to curse him with The Withering. At least, that’s what Lan is betting on. Lan knew Young was executed, but Lan never learned about the details of Jing Yuan’s ultimate demise. Perhaps now it’s the time to find out… and even get rid of him. Will that end your suffering? Will that… end the Withering once and for all? Killing him a second time?

“You’re not hiding something from me, are you, Lan?”

Lan doesn’t turn around when he says,” Why do you ask?”

“What is this method you speak of? How is seeing Caelus going to solve anything?”

“I could answer for him.”

Jing Yuan and Lan turn and see Luocha walking up to them. Jing Yuan frowns. “Look who decided to show up.”

Luocha stands beside Jing Yuan and looks at Lan. “...You’re trying to infect him to get his memories back.”

Jing Yuan steps back. "Wait a second. The Withering isn’t supposed to be transmissible. Is it?”

Luocha rolls up his sleeve. It’s barely visible and easy to miss without a closer look. But, Jing Yuan and Lan can see faint spots on Luocha’s skin. The colour is similar to the pigment found on Caelus.

Luocha rolls down his sleeve and says, “It must’ve been when I accidentally touched Caelus’s hand.” He looks at Jing Yuan. “That was also when I got some of my memories back.”

“What do you remember?” Lan asks.

“I was her brother. And seeing how I’m infected now, I assume she hated me enough to want to kill me.”

“...When did you find out?”

“What are you two talking about?” Stelle had suddenly appeared from behind the corner.

Pom and Luocha glanced at each other, and it was Pom who said, “Nothing. Just talking.”

“I heard someone named Jing Yuan…”

“Do you know him?” 

“It’s a name I heard a couple of times,” Stelle said. “Dad mentioned him.”

Luocha felt a slight itch on his arm. “Don’t worry about him.”

“...You know him?”

Pom turned to Luocha. From the look on Pom's face, Luocha knew what was on his mind: how did you and Jing Yuan meet?

“I know of him,” Luocha answered evasively, scratching his arm. “But I don’t know a lot about him.”

If Pom was suspicious, he didn’t ask. But Luocha had his motives, of course. Stelle didn’t need to get involved with this. The less she knew about Jing Yuan, the better. Pom probably thought the same.

“Are you okay?” Stelle asked. “Did a mosquito get to you?”

Luocha rolled up his sleeve as Stelle went to get ointment. At first, he saw nothing, but taking a closer look, that was when he saw it.

“Something wrong?” Pom asked.

Luocha rolled down his sleeve. “...Everything’s fine.”

Jing Yuan scoffs. “Don’t tell me that woman mistook me for you.”

“...She hates me because I helped you,” Luocha says.

A small pause.

“You killed Young, the man she loved.”

“Well, gosh, that explains everything,” Jing Yuan mutters, remembering the iron grip you had on him earlier. Then, a loud sigh. “Look. I don’t want to apologize for something I clearly don’t remember doing. My past self is not me. I’m innocent.”

“Hate runs deep,” Lan says, remembering Nanook’s words. “It’s true I wanted to infect you.” Jing Yuan frowns, glaring at the god. “But… maybe that’s not the best option.”

“You seem like you know a lot,” Jing Yuan says. “Look, I don’t care if that woman hates me. I just want to know how to get rid of this damn thing.”

“If you want to get rid of it, you’d better start caring if she hates you or not,” Lan says sternly. “The Withering isn’t a disease. It’s a curse.”

When Jing Yuan planned on getting close to you, he had no idea what he was going to find. He thought he was prepared for everything, but obviously not. Now, he’s at a standstill. If Lan is hinting at what Jing Yuan thinks he’s hinting at, this is far from a walk in the park. It’ll be a 100km marathon. Perhaps more.

“Are you saying the only way to get rid of this curse is to get her to stop hating me?”

“...I think it’s more than that.”

Regardless, how in the world is Jing Yuan going to approach you now, especially when you hate him enough to kill him?

◆◆◆

Yesterday, you were the Princess of the North engaged to the Commanding General of the South. Today, you were an exile. You never expected to lose the love of your life and become a prisoner in your own home overnight. Yet, that was what happened. You’d become numb to the pain, staring straight ahead while your wrists and ankles were chained to the stone wall.

Jing Yuan had imprisoned you. This was after your parents had officially exiled you in front of guards, generals, scholars, doctors, and everyone else who inhabited the palace.

“He tricked you, didn’t he?” your mother had said in a desperate plea. “That horrid monster tricked you into falling in lo—”

"He's not a monster," you said coldly. "And he didn't trick me. He was my best friend. The man I was in love with."

You immediately felt a sharp pain in your face. Your head had turned due to the hard slap from your mother who was glaring at you.

“...I dare you to say that again.”

You looked back without any hesitation. “We met in secret.” Your mother clenched her fists. “For years.”

“How… how did you end up like this?”

You scoffed. “Like what?”

Before your mother could slap you again, you grabbed her hand and looked her dead in the eyes. But it was she who said, “I was wrong about you.” Then, she rudely pulled her hand back. “I don't need a daughter like you. Get out of my sight."

You didn’t want to think about it anymore. Yet, if that wasn’t what you thought about, you kept thinking about Young. You had no more tears, but your heart remained absolutely shattered. 

“You haven’t eaten.”

You didn’t turn your head, but you recognized the voice.

“...How does it feel?”

Now, you slowly turned and saw Caelus looking at you from the dungeon corridor. He was holding a torch. Your nails dug into the ground. This man, the one who you thought was a friend, had betrayed you in the worst way possible.

“I know you’re curious.”

You wanted to scream. Why? Why did he help Jing Yuan do this? But you weren’t going to entertain him. Instead, you said, “...I’m going to make you suffer. Mark my words.”

Pom, who came with Luocha to the hospital, just finished telling you and Dan Heng about what Luocha told him at Stelle’s place. You’d ask Pom to stop after he told you about what your father did to Luocha’s mother. More of your memories are returning, and you can only handle so much trauma at once. After you take a small breath, you finally tell Dan Heng and Pom about Young's execution.

“I couldn’t control it,” you finish. “When I saw Caelus again… I just… I wanted to kill him.”

Pom sits next to you. “...I didn’t think it would be… that brutal,” he mutters.

Dan Heng wishes he could say something… anything… but he puts an arm around you and pulls you close. Finally, he quietly says, "I’m here now.” Your eyes widen. “...And I’m not going anywhere.”

Lan, Luocha, and Jing Yuan come around the corner. Dan Heng sees Jing Yuan looking at you out of the corner of his eye but continues walking. He quickens his pace as if to avoid being spotted by you. Then, Dan Heng makes eye contact with Lan who gives him a slight nod.

Once the three are out of sight, Pom says, “A lot’s happened today. Let’s go back and sleep on it. He raises his arms as if flexing his muscles. “We’ll tackle this again with a fresh mind!”

“I agree,” Dan Heng says as you and he break away. Then, he smiles at you. “Let’s go home.”

◆◆◆

Pom had taken a detour for the supermarket, so you and Dan Heng are the only ones at the apartment. You’re lying on your bed with him next to you. You’re facing each other, and Dan Heng brushes some of your hair out of your face.

“What did Lan tell you?” you ask.

“Are you sure you want to talk about this now?” You look down for a moment, and Dan Heng says, “I understand you want to get to the bottom of this mystery. I do, too. But let’s also try to focus on the present.”

“You’d make a good distraction.”

Soon, you find yourself in Dan Heng’s arms, your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Summer vacation is coming up,” he says.

“I thought busy students like you don’t usually get vacations.”

“I can sneak a few days off.”

You look up at him with a small smile. “Why does it sound like something you shouldn’t be doing?”

“I want to take you out.”

“...Just the two of us?”

Dan Heng suddenly flips you onto your back with him on top. “It’s what I want. But, if you want others to come along, I’m okay with that too.” His straightforwardness takes you off guard. Then, your eyes land on his lips and your fingers wind up in his hair. You guide him closer, but before his lips touch yours, he says, “...You’re supposed to be resting.”

“Who was it that said we needed to focus on the present?”

And then his lips find yours.

You can feel everything. His hard, lean body against yours. His hot, hungry kisses leave you desperate to keep up. A quiet moan. A gasp. And then…

“...You’re my first.”

You and Young were lying next to each other on the bed. His arms were around you, your bodies still hot from the intimacy. You looked up at him and saw him blushing when he met your eyes. Then, you moved on top of him and kissed his lips.

Young sat up, and your legs went on either side of him. He looked a little conflicted, and you knew what he wanted to ask. Was he also your first?

Young put his hand around your head and pulled you close as if knowing your answer. Your body was flush against his when he kissed you again. You positioned yourself better without breaking the kiss when you felt his hardening desire.

“...You're my last,” you said.

And before you knew it, the passion started again.

“I’m baaack!”

Dan Heng breaks away. You’re staring at each other as if snapped out of a trance. But before he can move off of you, Pom suddenly appears at the doorway and lets out a short scream.

“My virgin eyes!”

Dan Heng moves off of you as Pom quickly uses his hands to cover the scene before him.

“You’re supposed to be resting not—”

“Did you find what you need?” you ask, sitting up.

“They were all out of chocolate ice cream,” Pom says. “But, I got the next best thing!”

So, that’s how you, Dan Heng, and Pom end up eating Cookies N’ Cream ice cream on the couch.

After you tell Pom about the vacation you and Dan Heng plan to go on, your friend says, “A vacation, huh? I think that’ll be good.” Then, with a sly grin, “You’ll have a lot of privacy then.” You give him a deadpan look and Pom says, “What? It’s true!”

Dan Heng glances at you and sees the colour has returned to your face. You also look a little happier, though the exhaustion is still obvious. Under normal circumstances, Dan Heng wouldn’t even think about taking a vacation until this was solved. But he hopes this vacation will help you relax a little.

You and Dan Heng meet eyes, and it’s as if he knows what’s on your mind. So, he gives you a slight nod, and you smile.

“Do you want to come, Pom?” you ask.

“Me?” Pom asks a little too dramatically but happily. But his happiness wears off. “I’d love to, really, but I’d rather not be third-wheeling the whole time." He claps. "What about a group vacation? March and Gepard would definitely liven things up!"

“Um… what about Stelle?” you ask. Pom puts his empty ice cream bowl on the table. “If what Luocha says is true, I’m kind of curious about what happened to her.”

“Me too," Pom says. "It didn't seem like she has any of her past memories. So, it makes me wonder if she was even alive when, well, y’know, everything went to hell.”

You and Pom look at Dan Heng as if awaiting his opinion. 

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have her come.”

“Then, it’s decided!” Pom says. “Group vacay, here we come!”

Dan Heng softly sighs. So much for a romantic getaway.

◆◆◆

When Dan Heng returns to his apartment later that day, he isn’t expecting to see Lan and Nanook.

Lan is sitting on the couch. Nanook is leaning against the counter, enjoying a cup of tea. He looks at the doorway and smiles before taking a sip. “Ah, look who’s back.”

“...What are you doing here?” Dan Heng doesn’t bother asking how they got in.

“Nice place you got here, kid."

“We’re here to ask you about what you plan on doing with Cupid,” Lan says.

“Might as well include the rabbit while we’re at it,” Nanook adds.

Why does this feel like an interrogation?

“We have a theory on how to get rid of The Withering,” Lan says. “...But we can’t accomplish it alone.”

“The Withering is a grudge,” Nanook says, walking over to Dan Heng. “And while there’s no solid evidence Cupid was the one who created it, she has a strong enough motive.” The god stops in front of Dan Heng. “I’m sure you already knew that didn’t you?”

Dan Heng walks past him and slips off his coat. “Young knew Pom, and they might’ve gotten close enough to be friends.” He looks at Lan and Nanook. “If that’s the case, he would also have a strong enough motive to help her create the curse.”

Nanook sighs. “I was hoping you wouldn’t catch on.” He frowns. “Then, I would at least have a reason to take Cupid away from you.”

Dan Heng isn’t amused but stays quiet.

“She needs to let go,” Lan says. “Until she does, The Withering will continue haunting the same people for centuries to come.”

“There's no escape.” Nanook smiles. “Never thought Cupid would have it in her to create such a thing. I knew I was attracted to her for a reason.” When he catches the cold look from Dan Heng, Nanook puts a hand on his hip. “Yet, the woman is head over heels for a kid like you. A human. What a waste.”

Dan Heng can relate to the pain of not being able to let something go, given his past experiences. But he knows he can’t compare the two. You went through so much more. He just got caught doing drugs as a minor. But while he's curious about your past, his past is also catching up to him: the mystery surrounding his mother.

“We know that’s easier said than done,” Lan says. “Especially when Jing Yuan hasn’t gotten his memories back. Not all of it, at least.”

Nanook casually tosses the TV remote in his hand. “We thought about infecting him like what happened with Cupid’s dear ‘ol brother, but—”

“...Luocha’s infected?” Dan Heng asks.

Nanook turns to Lan. “You didn’t tell him yet?” When Lan says nothing, Nanook looks at Dan Heng and says, “Well, surprise!” Dan Heng frowns. “Look, I’ll explain later, but if we were to infect Jing Yuan, whatever that happens after… it wouldn’t be genuine. He would be under the influence of the curse like what’s happening with Caelus. He’s going mad with memories of his past, and when he reaches the tipping point, he’ll be well on his way to the place of no return.”

“Hate to admit it, but Jing Yuan brought up a good point,” Lan says. “He’s innocent in this time period.”

“...But, you were the one who mentioned the dangers of history repeating itself,” Dan Heng says.

Nanook smiles proudly. “And that is where I come in, mon ‘ami.” Lan rolls his eyes. “I’ll keep an eye on Jing Yuan.” Nanook puts a hand on his hip as his smile turns cocky. “It doesn’t matter what he is in this world. He can’t outmatch a god.”

“Especially one with a knack for destroying everything he doesn’t like,” Lan says.

“Where did you think the title came from?” Nanook asks. He looks at Dan Heng. “Little Lan may be hesitant to kill him considering their questionable friendship. But trust me, kid, one wrong move, and no one would know what happened to him. Wouldn’t even be able to find a body."

“Anyway,” Lan deadpans, looking from Dan Heng to Lan. “I can sadly vouch for him. Nanook won’t let Jing Yuan hurt her in any shape or form. That also means he’s protecting you.”

How ironic.

“As long as Cupid’s safe,” Dan Heng says.

“Glad we’re all on the same page.”

There’s no question that Dan Heng wants to help you get over this hate. Seeing how things are going, there’s no doubt about it. The only way for you to let go of the hate is to come to an understanding with Jing Yuan… whatever that means. Regardless, you and Jing Yuan need to talk, and perhaps become closer, and as much as that annoys Dan Heng to the bitter end, he needs to put his feelings aside. This isn’t about him. It’s about you.

“You’re the person she trusts the most,” Lan says. “If there’s anyone she’ll listen to, it’s you.”

“...Then what about Jing Yuan?” Dan Heng asks. “I’m not going encourage her to forgive someone who shows no signs of reciprocation.”

“...You said I killed her lover,” Jing Yuan said. “I refuse to believe I was that pathetic.”

“I… don’t know what to tell you,” Luocha said.

Jing Yuan sighed. “What I mean is that there’s something more. I can feel it.”

“What you mean is that you want your memories back,” Lan said.

Jing Yuan glares at the god. “But I refuse to be infected.”

“Then, are you going to cooperate?”

“For my sake, yes.”

“I know he’s curious,” Lan says. “He wants the entire picture of what’s going on. Not just the past between him and Cupid.”

At Dan Heng’s silence, Nanook looks at him. “What’re you thinking about, kid?” When Dan Heng still remains silent, Nanook leans forward. “Is there something you don’t want us to know about?"

“It’s about my mother.”

“...Don’t tell me Cupid killed your mother?”

“She was infected with The Withering,” Lan says. “Which means that Young’s mother was one of Cupid’s victims.”

“Well, damn.”

“The more Cupid interacts with Jing Yuan, the more their memories will return. We’ll likely get our answer then.”

“We’ll leave the rest to you, kid. Of course, you can bet that I’ll keep my end of the deal. Jing Yuan won’t escape.”

Dan Heng blinks once and Nanook is gone.

Before Lan can disappear, Dan Heng says, “Wait.” The god looks at him. “Is everything that’s happening… a repeat of the past but just in a different time?”

Lan stands. “It doesn't matter if you're a doppelganger or a reincarnation, you are not an exact replica of your past self. Things can change. What happened in the past may not happen now. But they can still happen. Does that make sense?” Lan slightly narrows his eyes. "Are you questioning your feelings for her?"

"No. I want to protect her."

"But you don't know if your feelings are because of Young, right?" Lan walks over and puts a hand on Dan Heng's shoulder. "Don't overthink. No matter how many centuries go by, I think you two will always find each other. However"—Lan smiles—"it’ll be interesting to see how things play out. So, my advice is to prepare yourself.”

And then he’s gone.

Chapter 18

End notes:

Just so everyone's on the same page: There will be a love triangle but it's more of Jing Yuan chasing you rather than the other way around. There will be fluffy moments between you two, though.

Dan Heng is end-game, and despite Jing Yuan's efforts (lol) I hope by the end of the story, people will understand why Dan Heng was the better choice and not just because he's the male lead.

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @tanspostsblog @theprinceofkhaos @nqctre @lunavixia @akwardbiscuit @kplatzman @sunsethw4 @hiqhkey @n8mareee

[arielhopepeace]

Hiii. This is my first time posting on here but this is gonna be a Joel Miller and y/n story. I do have a Javier Peña story too, so lmk if you want me to post that!!

Please 18+ and I’ll add the appropriate tags for future uploads but this one is just part one for now! Only fluff (for now).

Part two is here

Part three is here

Part four is here

Part five is here

Part six is here

Part seven is here

Final part is here

6,000+ words

PART ONE

There’s a sense of calm in the stifling Texas air today. All of the kids are off of school for the summer, and people are enjoying the crisp sun rays on their dewy, hot skin. You notice that the excitement for the state fair is palpable, easily picking up on the feeling from the young teens who pass you by on the sidewalk.

It wasn’t too long ago that you yourself were in high school, ecstatic for summer vacation, and a well-earned break from the misery of the education system. School was never for you. It wasn’t that you were inept or lazy, but that the other students were insufferable. It was hell going through school, and it was all because of who your dad is.

Not only is your dad the mayor of Austin, Texas, but he’s also one of the wealthiest people in the state. Your parents always wanted you to go to public school so that you could have a normal education and have a ton of friends, but the second everyone made the connection with your last name, you were doomed.

Luckily, they never forced you to go to college. You were able to secure your spot as your dad’s secretary, and making decent money doing it, too. Truthfully, it frustrates you to be in such close proximity with him all day. It’s not that you don’t love your dad, you do. You just wish you had an actual relationship with him.

The two of you never did normal father-daughter stuff, or even spent much time together growing up. It was always helping him prep for a campaign, or him just talking about his job. It’s always seemed like he cares way more about his job than you, and your relationship suffered because of it.

You’ve never brought this to your dad’s attention, and part of the reason is because you’re scared he won’t even care if he knew. You’re just happy to have a relationship with your mom. She’s like your best friend. And since you didn’t have many growing up, it was nice to be close to her.

As you’re leaving the office to head to your car that is parked a bit out of the way, you notice a few ambulances passing by, the blaring sirens and blinding red lights startling you to the point where you hop back off of the sidewalk. The trucks are nowhere near you, but the sudden burst of noise gave you an unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach.

You can’t help but watch them as they travel to their destination, praying that they’re not turning towards anybody that you know or love. It alleviates some anxiety as you watch them continue down the long road, knowing that the few people you do care about, live closer than to where they’re going.

You’ve just recently moved out of your parent’s house into your own, and it’s been freeing, yet terrifying. The stillness of the house at night, along with the random creaks and pops that you haven’t familiarized yourself with, leave you so uneasy, that it’s hard to sleep sometimes.

It’s only been a week at this new house, and while it’s beautiful and lovely, it feels painfully empty. You haven’t gotten around to going to a local shelter to adopt a cat or dog, simply due to the fact that you work five days a week from nine to five. An animal deserves to have someone around more often than that, in your opinion, and you don’t want them to go from being at a shelter and alone, to being in your home, alone.

There is a perk to this new house, though, and while you know it’s demented of you, you can’t help but feel giddy every time you see the black pickup truck in the driveway next to yours. Next door to you is your dad’s best friend, Joel Miller, and his daughter, Sarah. It was completely coincidental that this was the house that was the most fit for you, and just so happened to have your childhood crush living next door.

You know it’s wrong of you to have a thing for your dad’s best friend who is at least fifteen years older than you, but you know it’ll never amount to anything. He’s a kind man who loves his daughter more than anything in the world, and the fact that he’s extremely hot is just an added bonus.

He has a luscious head of black hair that is just starting to show a few sprinklings of gray in it. His body is fit, yet still thick and not at all lean. It’s his naturally tanned skin that always gets you, and the fact that it looks like the sun personally kissed him when he was born. Tie that all together with a handsome hooked nose, reminding you of a Greek god statue every time you see him. And that nose rests above an always groomed mustache and beard that has its own dash of subtle gray hairs in them.

If you were older and a different person entirely, you wouldn’t hesitate to go after this man. He’s been single for god knows how long, and you haven’t seen him with a woman since his wife died just after Sarah was born, when you were twelve.

Sarah herself is now twelve, going on thirteen in a few months. It’s strange how long ago being thirteen seems to you, but also how it’s like it was yesterday. In truth, you don’t miss your teen years in the slightest. All the awkward growth, hormones, and the question of sexuality was just plain stressful. But now it’s eleven years later, you’re twenty-four, and you’re living in your own house, with your own car, and pretty content with your life for the most part.

Pulling in to the driveway at home, you see Joel outside washing his truck. White streaks of soap cover the vehicle and your eyes are on Joel’s dampened gray shirt and dark blue jeans that he’s wearing beautifully on his perfect body.

It’s ridiculous how hard-up this man has you. He has no idea the sinful ideas you have in your filthy mind about him, or the fact that he could snap his fingers and you’d do whatever he commanded. You’re practically panting as you watch him stretch over the hood of his truck, the gray fabric of his shirt riding up, allowing you a glimpse at his side.

You shake your head, feeling like a creep just watching him do a completely innocent task. You step out of the car, the smell of soap instantly filling your nose as you walk up to your front door.

Joel takes notice of you and waves, putting his massive sponge down on the hood as he walks over.

You’re instantly nervous, feeling your blood pumping faster in time with his steps toward you.

“Hey,” you say smoothly, not at all sounding as nervous as you feel.

“Hi,” he grins, flashing that goddamn adorable smile that melts you every time. “I actually wanted to ask you about that barbecue your dad is having next week. Your dad said to be there at five, and I know how anal he is about that shit, but I have to bring Sarah to a friend’s house that night. Would he care if I was late? I’ve tried calling, but he hasn’t answered, as usual.”

“Oh,” you scoff, “yeah he never answers. I doubt he’d care, but I could always take Sarah if you wanted me to. I didn’t plan on going to the barbecue anyway.”

His straight black brows push together. “Why?”

Laughing a bit sheepishly, you briefly look down to your feet. “I’m just not feeling it. Those events are never fun for me. I’m always just sitting by myself in the corner while my parents schmooze with the town.” You frown, “And now my only buddy Sarah won’t even be there, so I’m definitely not going. She’s the only one who talks to me, when she goes.”

Joel chuckles, bringing a hand to your shoulder. His touch electrifies you. “Come on, I’ll talk to you. It’ll be weird if the mayor’s daughter isn’t there, right?”

You shrug. “I’d rather stay in bed, eat snacks, and watch a scary movie by myself.”

“Well, hey, if you still end up going after you take Sarah for me, I’ll be happy to see you.”

It warms your heart to hear him say that, and you can’t help the heat that’s made its way to your cheeks. “Thanks.”

“And thank you for taking her. It means a lot.”

“Of course. I love her. She’s the best.”

Joel looks back to his house, smiling fondly. “She is.”

You put your key into the lock, turning it before stepping in. “Just text me next week about what time and where the house is, okay?”

He nods. “Thank you again, y/n. You’re amazing.”

Smiling, you step inside, reluctantly closing the door on the face of the sexiest DILF you’ve had ever had the pleasure of knowing. There’s always that thrill when he’s near you, like you’re in high school again talking to your crush against the lockers while you do your best to be as feminine and alluring as possible.

Your phone buzzes from your purse and you pull it out, smiling when you see a text from Joel.

Joel

5:45pm

Taking Sarah to the fair tonight. Would you like to join us?

You’re not sure why, but your heart skips a beat at him asking you. Obviously it’s not a date, and he’s only asking because you’ll be home alone otherwise. But you know that you’d be an idiot to say no at an opportunity to spend time with him.

5:46pm

Sure. What time?

Joel

5:47pm

Gonna finish up dinner then be on our way. Probably 7.

5:48pm

Okay, I’ll see you there.

Joel

5:49pm

Would you like to just ride with me? You know, save the environment from carbon emissions and whatnot.

You audibly giggle.

5:50pm

Lol, sure. I’ll be ready.

You practically twirl around your living room like you’re the main character in a rom-com. There’s even a slight squeal that passes your eager lips at the scenarios running through your mind. Wouldn’t it be lovely to go on the Farris wheel with Joel; to be so close that your legs are pressed together? Maybe he’ll lean in and kiss you, and fireworks will pop above your heads, adding to the romance of the moment.

There’s nothing you wouldn’t give to have Joel return the feelings you’ve had for him since you were going through puberty, but you know that he’s not interested in someone so young. And the fact that his best friend is your dad would also definitely play a part in his lack of interest. He’s a powerful man, and there’s no doubt he’d be furious if anything were to ever happen.

Shaking your head, you push all of the mushy thoughts away, knowing that all they are are silly fantasies that can never be fulfilled no matter how hard you try to manifest them to reality.

It’s nearing seven o’clock, and you’ve fitted yourself into blue jeans, your black Keds, and a t-shirt with your favorite singer on the front. You obviously want to feel pretty around Joel, so you reapplied the makeup that was already on your face for work, touching it up and making it look cleaner. Your hair hangs loosely, even adding the extra effort to straighten it. You know it’ll frizz up because of the heat, but as long as it’s silky for a little bit, that’s all that matters.

Your stomach growls loudly. Because you were so focused on getting ready to see Joel, you didn’t leave yourself enough time to eat dinner. Of course you could always eat something at the fair, but deciding on what is the biggest issue. There’s always so many delicious choices, and you’re not sure which you’ll land on.

There’s a knock on your front door and you swing it open, seeing Joel in his same jeans as before, but with a different shirt on than the one he was cleaning his truck in. This one is nicer. It’s a red plaid shirt that has the sleeves rolled up above the elbows, and you can’t help but notice the fresh smell of his cologne.

“Hey,” you finally say with a smile. “Let me just grab my purse.”

You stretch behind the door to the coat rack where your tan purse hangs by its long strap. You toss it over your shoulder, turning and locking the front door behind you.

“I’m glad you decided to come with. Sarah is supposed to meet some friends there, so I’d just be the stray dad holding all the tickets and prizes,” Joel smiles down at you.

You can’t help but giggle beneath his intense brown-eyed gaze. “I’m glad you invited me. Would’ve been alone all night.”

He nods. “I know. Figured we could both use the company.”

Joel opens your door for you, and your inner imaginary version of you is doing cartwheels, confirming to herself that this is in fact a date. You brush her off, knowing she’s still over-thinking everything.

“Hi, y/n!” Sarah squeaks excitedly from the back seat. “I’m so glad you came.”

You turn, meeting the soft, wide hazel eyes of Joel’s beautiful daughter. “Me, too! I was telling your dad how bummed I am you won’t be my barbecue buddy next week.”

She giggles, flipping her curly hair behind her shoulder. “I’m sorry! My best friend is having a big sleepover and I didn’t wanna miss it.”

“Aw, no, I don’t want you missing out on that to hang out with me at some lame barbecue! That sounds like a blast.”

“I’m so excited,” she beams. “The first sleepover of the summer.”

Joel gets in with a slight grunt, looking to Sarah in the rear view mirror. “And I know not the last.”

“Nope.”

Joel and I both chuckle, the truck pulling away from my driveway as we head through the crowded streets towards the fair.

To no surprise, the place is jam packed with people of all ages, making it nearly impossible to find a parking spot. Joel manages to find one across the street at a baseball stadium, where a lot of other people are parked for the fair as well.

The three of you walk across the street, waiting for a safe clearing before you head towards the ticket booth at the entrance of the fair. Joel easily pays for the three of you, despite your wallet and cash being ready and in-hand.

“Joel,” you say gently, “you didn’t have to pay for me.”

He smiles, shrugging his shoulders. “Please, it’s not a big deal.”

Sarah looks up to her dad, her lit-up iPhone in her hand as she puts on her best puppy dog eyes. “Can I please go meet Stacy and Lilly now?”

Joel sighs. “Fine, but you keep me updated on your whereabouts, okay?”

She nods fervently. “I promise!”

He gives her a small kiss on the forehead before she’s on her way, scurrying off to be with her friends.

“Guess she doesn’t want me around this year,” he says with a small laugh, but it doesn’t hide the pain in his voice.

“Aw, Joel, don’t say that. Sarah loves you, and you’re an amazing dad. She’s just getting to that age where she’s not a kid anymore. She’ll be thirteen soon, right?”

He looks to you as he nods. “Jesus, yeah.”

“She’s lucky to have you, and she knows it. When I was thirteen, I barely saw my dad.”

His brows fix together with sorrow in his twinkling brown eyes. “Really?”

“Well, yeah. He was so focused on running for mayor and his campaigns,” you sigh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to darken the mood,” your laugh lightens the air a bit.

“No, not at all. I just had no idea. I thought you two were inseparable, since you work for him and all.”

Your eyes shift to the dirt path in front of you, watching it as you continue to walk along it with Joel beside you. “We haven’t been close in a long time. He’s a bit self-absorbed.”

Joel snorts with laughter. “Well, I could’ve told you that.”

You both chuckle, and you decide to change the subject.

“So, how was your day? I was surprised to see you home so early.”

It’s clear that he gets your signal to switch the conversation, and he does it without a single fret to his words.

“Yeah, I was, too. It was slow today, actually. Normally, I’m not home until after the sun sets, but they didn’t need us as long today.”

“That’s good,” you grin wide. “I’m sure Sarah was happy to see you.”

His eyes soften as he nods. “She was.”

Joel works in construction, and that only adds to the rugged handsomeness that is this man. There’s callouses at the tops of his palms, as well as various small scars and scrapes on his hands and arms. You’re not sure if there’s anything about him that isn’t a complete turn on.

“See? She adores you. It’s okay if she wants to hang out with her friends. Don’t take it personally,” you nudge him gently.

He chuckles, nodding. “You seem to be very knowledgeable for someone who doesn’t have any kids.”

“Only telling you what I personally experienced as a female teen.”

Joel smiles, his eyes turning to look at the different food booths around. “Do you want something to eat? I can’t imagine I gave you enough of a warning to have dinner.”

Your stomach screams in response, pleading for the relief of food. “Oh, it’s not your fault. I was too busy winding down from work to eat. I’d actually love to get something, I’m just so indecisive.”

“Hmm,” he stops in the middle of the wide dirt path, tapping a long, tanned finger to his blackened beard. “Would you like a turkey leg?”

You shake your head as you laugh. “That sounds—messy.”

“So, what? I’m not judging you,” he smiles warmly.

“Maybe something simpler, like a pretzel.”

He gives you a disapproving look, his hands on his hips. “A pretzel for dinner?”

You roll your eyes as you smirk, not being able to help how hot you think it is when he gazes at you in that way. It’s probably your massive-sized daddy issues that have you squirming beneath his line of sight, but you don’t care. You’ll forever find this man to be as sexy as can be.

“Fine,” you quirk up a brow. “How about I’ll have a pretzel and we can share a funnel cake. Deal?”

Joel pats his stomach. “God, with this body? I really shouldn’t.”

“I promise that there’s nothing wrong with your body.” You say it before thinking, and you instantly advert your eyes away from him, continuing over your odd compliment. “Uh—the pretzel stand is over there,” you point, gesturing to it down the path with your head.

You both walk towards the stand, the smell of fresh, soft, buttery pretzels filling your nose and making your mouth practically water. There’s also a cinnamon-sugar pretzel near the window on display that has your stomach rolling over itself in almost agony.

Joel steps up to the window, pushing a five dollar bill towards the older gentleman in the stand. “Two salted pretzels, please.” He holds up his fingers in a peace sign.

The man nods, taking his money as Joel looks down to you with a victorious smirk.

“You’re annoying,” you laugh, shoving him with your elbow. “Why won’t you let me pay for anything?”

“Because I invited you. Just let me treat you and quit complaining about it.”

God. Even his playful assertiveness is sexy. He could do anything at this point and it would leave you weak in the knees. It’s not just what he says, it’s the sultry allure of his deep voice. It’s a soothing, gentle voice, but also powerful and manly. You’ve never heard him yell, but you know that it would knock you off your feet if you did. Just that thought alone tempts you to make him angry, just to experience firm, enraged Joel for your own wicked pleasure.

He hands you your pretzel, clicking his to yours as he bows his head slightly. “Cheers.”

You laugh, biting into the soft, fluffy flesh of the browned bread. The flaky salt hits your tastebuds with a delicious sting, making you salivate as you chew.

“Mmm,” you groan, “thank you, Joel. I’m starving.”

Joel’s eyes meet yours, giving you a small smile as his jaw flexes from his chewing. “You’re welcome. Now, to that funnel cake stand.”

You nod, walking down the path a bit to be instantly drawn in by the smell of decadent, fried batter. Joel bites at his pretzel again, briefly mesmerizing you with his mouth before you look to the funnel cake menu.

“Are you a chocolate or fruit woman?” he asks, pulling his bifold out again.

“Definitely chocolate, but there’s nothing wrong with both. What about you?”

Joel looks to you with a smirk, licking his lips free of salt. “Chocolate. But I was wondering if maybe we did one with chocolate sauce and strawberries on it.”

“God, you’re amazing,” you practically groan. “Yes. That sounds perfect.”

He chuckles as he nods, both of you waiting in line as you finish your pretzels. Joel takes your paper sleeve from you, smushing it with his as he bunches them together, tossing them in the nearest trash can.

You watch as he orders the funnel cake, enjoying how he’s taken charge of the evening. The thought that he might be doing this because he thinks of you like a daughter makes you suddenly feel sick, and you’re praying that he doesn’t. The fact that he said ‘woman’ and not ‘girl’ when asking if you prefer chocolate or fruit was comforting. It made you hope that he saw you as a exactly that; a woman.

His hand slips into his bifold to pull out another five dollar bill, stopping to gaze up at the menu again.

“Sorry, could you actually add a large lemonade to that, too, please?” he hands the guy a ten. “Thanks.”

“I love lemonade,” you smile wide at him, feeling how hot your cheeks have become.

“Me, too. I just know that I need something to drink after that pretzel, and I figured you did, too.”

You both move to the side so other people can order as you wait for your funnel cake to be finished.

“Thank you. You’re so nice to me, Joel.”

He chuckles. “And you’re nice to me. And Sarah, which means more than how you act towards me. You could hate my guts, but as long as you’re nice to my girl, that’s all I care about.”

His girl. God, what you wouldn’t give to be called that by him.

Joel stretches up to grab the funnel cake and lemonade from the woman who hands it to him, and the both of you find the nearest table to sit down at. He hands you a fork once you’re settled down into an old plastic folding chair at a splinter-inducing wooden table.

His fork crunches into the plastic plate as he stabs the dessert, his mouth stretching out in an ‘oops’ expression.

You can’t help but laugh. “It’s okay, these plates are cheap. If stuff gets everywhere, it gets everywhere,” you shrug.

Joel chuckles, pushing a pierced bit of the cake into his mouth. “God,” he chews, “yes, yes, yes.”

You take your own bite, savoring the sweetness of the chocolate, the strawberries, and powdered sugar. They all combine into a beautiful explosion of delectable sugar in your mouth, making you nod in approval.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” you say, taking a bit more.

“Oh, I agree.” He gives you a half smile. “And thanks to you, I actually allowed myself to eat it. I never eat stuff like this anymore.”

You ruffle your brows. “Why?”

“Well, I’m about to be forty, and my metabolism isn’t the same as it used to be,” he chuckles. “I’ve already got the dad bod.”

“Dad bods are hot!” you blurt, watching as his eyes widen in surprise, and his eyebrows raise. “I just mean that—like—all dad bods are hot. Having a six pack isn’t the rage like it used to be. It’s dad bods.”

Joel laughs, his head turning down to the funnel cake as he continues to eat. He quickly drops his fork as he chews, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Sarah just texted me to tell me she’s going on one of the big rides. She sent me a picture, look.” Joel flips his phone around, and it’s a picture of a wide-eyed, over-exaggerated with fear, looking Sarah and a large ride behind her.

“She’s adorable,” you giggle. “I never rode those things as a kid.”

“Why not?” Joel asks, locking his phone and tucking it into his jeans again.

“I’m a pussy.”

He lets out a loud laugh, contagious enough to have you giggling along with him.

“Why don’t we go on some? We’ve got the bracelets,” he shimmies his wrist at you.

“Oh, god, Joel. I don’t know.”

“Come onnnn,” he drags out. “It’ll be fun. What’s the point of going to the fair if you aren’t gonna ride the rides?”

Rolling your eyes, you sigh, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Fine, but if I throw up, you’re not allowed to judge me.”

His eyes soften as he stands. “I already told you I’d never judge you.”

Joel gestures the rest of the funnel cake to you, but you turn it down, resulting in it being tossed into the trash. You’re both walking quicker than before, your feet carrying you to the ride where you lay against the side and it spins you in a fast circle.

“I will definitely throw up on that one!” you protest, anxiety clawing its way into your chest.

Joel hops in the very short line. “Are you really going to let my money for your bracelet go to waste?”

You glare at him as you cross your arms with a smirk on your lips. “Didn’t think you’d hold it over my head.”

“Well, now I am,” he teases.

The carney signals you guys forward, and you’re both running onto the ride, strapping yourselves against the padded wall directly beside each other. You can feel your heartbeat in your neck, and Joel looks to you as he guffaws.

“If you’re too scared, we can get off, y/n. It’s really okay.”

“No!” you say firmly, finding your courage. “This ride is my bitch.”

Joel cackles with you joining him.

Your hands are gripping the bars near your shoulders as the ride finishes being loaded up. You can hear it being geared up, the slow spin beginning. It’s nerve wracking waiting for it to get to full speed, but it only happens within a matter of seconds.

You’re spinning so quickly you feel like you’re going to fling through the open ceiling of the ride that you don’t dare to look up into. You know that if you turn your head anywhere other than up, you’ll be vomiting funnel cake and pretzel all over everybody in this ride.

The music in the ride is deafening, as are the mechanics and the wind whipping in your ears. Joel screams out beside you, and you decide to scream with him. Slowly, you turn your head, watching through your whipping strands of hair, his own hair being roughly pushed around by the wind.

The ride comes to a stop after what feels like forever, and Joel stumbles out of his space, tumbling to the ground and falling flat on his back.

“Oh, my god!” you cackle, releasing yourself from your seatbelt confines to stumble carefully over to Joel. You see about three different Joel’s from how completely dizzy you are.

“Ah, fuck. I’m too old for this, y/n,” Joel laughs hysterically, his eyes closed.

“Oh, shut up. You’re not old. Now, get up.” You hook your arm under his, slowly pulling him to his feet.

Your arms stay hooked as you both wobble out of the ride, Joel clutching the railings out of the ride for dear life.

“Give me a minute, I still feel like I’m spinning.” His laughter hasn’t stopped since you set foot on that ride.

Your equilibrium has mostly replenished, and you can’t help but laugh at Joel’s lack of steadiness.

He leans back off the railing after a few minutes, brushing his hair down with his palms. “Ah, I’m a mess.”

“You look fine, Joel,” you giggle, fixing your own hair as you wonder how fucked up it looks. “You still want to ride more rides?”

“Maybe just not as spinny,” he chuckles, finally starting to walk towards you. “Something easy.”

“What about the carousel?”

Joel nods. “Perfect. Let me catch my breath a little on those.”

You walk over to the ride filled with shiny, lavish horses all having a pole going through them. There’s only a few people ahead of you, mostly everybody waiting for the bigger, scarier rides.

Joel and you walk the steps, the ride wobbling a bit as everyone gets to their horse. You pick the one that’s your favorite color, and Joel is seated on a sparkly white one beside you.

“Beautiful,” you giggle.

Joel beams wide at you. “I happen to like my glittery horse, thank you very much.”

The funniest part about it all, is how a man so burly and masculine is giggling like a school girl on the back of a wonderfully feminine horse. You’re both laughing your heads off as the ride starts up, going in big, decently slow circles with your horses sliding up and back down easily.

There’s a bit of a jerk in yours, making you move suddenly forward towards the pole. Joel grips your pole, your head hitting the softness of his hand.

You’re amazed at his reflexes, and also his ability to detect you were going to fly forward.

“Wow, thanks, Superman,” you smile with a slight laugh.

“As soon as we started going, I could see that one was a bit wonky. Unlike my pretty glittery queen beneath me.” He uses his other hand to pat the ass of his horse.

Your horse juts forward again, making your forehead knock against Joel’s hand.

“God, I’m moving. This one is gonna kill me,” you say, quickly hopping off to go to the one on the other side of Joel.

His head turns as it follows you, his eyes examining the horse closely. “It seems good, I think.”

“Oh, yeah. This one is a lot smoother.” You quickly pull your phone out, pointing it to the mirror directly beside you. “Smile, Joel!”

Joel closes his eyes as he presents you with a big, toothy grin, and you giggle as you snap your picture in the reflection.

You examine the photo, laughing at the both of you. You turn your phone to show him and Joel belly-laughs.

“You’ve gotta send that to me,” he giggles. “It’ll embarrass the shit out of Sarah.”

Later, you’re both sitting down at the same table where you had your funnel cake, Joel having purchased another lemonade for you two to share. It brings you a slight thrill to know his lips were wrapped around the same plastic straw that you are currently sucking lemonade through.

You’ve had such a good night with him, that the inner imaginary you is actually starting to believe that you may still end up kissing on the Ferris wheel.

Joel pulls out his phone, standing up. “Okay, Sarah said one more ride and then she’s ready to leave. Let’s go win a stuffed animal.”

“Okay,” you beam, carrying the lemonade with.

He lands on a shooting game, and you have to shoot one hundred pellets into a target to break the bullseye out of the paper. If you do it, you get to pick any prize you want and take it home.

Joel holds the stationary rifle steady, leaning down a bit to keep his eye on the sights. The bullets shoot out quickly with a sharp whistling sound as they crash against the paper. Before he’s even finished with his full round of pellets, the middle of the paper falls down, Joel backing up and triumphantly holding his hands in the air.

“I’m the pellet god!” he cries, making you giggle like an idiot.

“Okay, you can pick your prize,” the younger-looking man says to him.

Joel gestures to you, looking to all the prizes.

Your eyes immediately land on the giant purple ape, pointing with a wide grin. The man climbs up and gets it down, the damn thing being as long as you. Joel takes it and hands it to you, your arms enveloping it into a huge hug.

You turn. “Thank you. I’m gonna name him Joel.”

“Oh, yeah? Do I look like an ape?”

You giggle, shaking your head. “Nope. It’s just because I like him so much.”

Joel smiles softly at you, his brown eyes gazing into yours. You feel weak in the knees by the way he’s looking at you, and you know that you’re reading too much into his gaze.

“Daddy!” you hear, the both of you turning to see Sarah. “Did you win me a stuffed animal?”

Joel looks to you, then back to Sarah. “Actually—”

“Yes, he did!” you beam, handing the gorilla to the little girl who can barely carry it. “But he said you have to name him Joel.”

Sarah hugs the stuffed animal tightly, smiling wide as she nods. “Thank you so much.” She puts the animal down briefly to give her dad a huge hug, his arms falling to wrap her up.

Your eyes are a bit bleary as you watch their moment, wishing that your dad would’ve given a damn enough about you to even take you to a fair.

Back at home, you say good night to Sarah as Joel pulls into his driveway. Sarah gives you a hug, then runs inside with her big stuffed animal clung to her side. Joel walks you to your door, peering down at you as you unlock it.

“That was sweet of you to give that to Sarah,” he says sweetly. “Thank you, y/n.”

“Oh, please. I’m sure it means more to her than to me.” Your body faces his. “Thank you for tonight. I had such a good time.”

“I did, too. I’m happy you came with.”

“Me, too.”

It’s quiet for a moment, and all you hear is the chirping of crickets and the buzzing of the cicadas.

“Anyway, good night, Joel.”

“Good night, y/n.”

You walk into your house, closing the door behind you as your back presses against it. Of course you wanted that gorilla, knowing that Joel won it for you, but you wanted Sarah to have it more.

Their relationship is so special and rare. You would kill to have your dad give you more than a passing glance in the last ten plus years. It makes you happy knowing that they will have a good relationship forever, and Joel will make sure of it because he loves her more than anything in the world.

***

[that-ari-blogger]

Medusa, A Myth Set In Stone?

CW: Mention of sexual assault.

Medusa is possibly the single most iconic monster from Ancient Greek Mythology. To the point where if you are writing a story drawing from that history, you need to namedrop her at least once. Stray Gods: The Role Playing Musical includes her as a character, although that's actually a confusing addition.

Stray Gods is about family, and trauma, and choice, and Medusa doesn't have a direct link to that. Does she? We'll get back to this.

Medusa's mythology is varied, and adaptations pick and choose elements to include. So, this post will take a look at how Stray Gods goes about adapting her to fit its themes and narrative. But I'd like to examine the musical in comparison to another take on the character that I found fascinating. One Piece, and Boa Hancock.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The first thing to point out about Medusa is that she's not a historical figure, she's a mythological one. So there is no exact character to draw on. Also, because Ancient Greece was such a diverse place, the myth has also diversified.

So, lets start with what we know. Medusa has snakes for hair. Well... no. In his Theogony, Hesiod described her and her sisters as women with snakes hanging from their belts.

She had sisters? Yes. Two of them. They were all the daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, both primordial sea deities.

I've found references to older stories in which she couldn't petrify people, only kill them. But these references are dubious and do not cite their sources. Which is frustrating.

This all leads to Ovid, who wrote Metamorphoses. And before I explain his take on this, I need to point out his biases. Ovid was a Roman poet who lived until the 1st century AD (notably seven centuries after Medusa's first reference), and he was exiled from Rome during the writing of his most famous work, according to Britanica.

As such, Metamorphoses has a tendency to either embellish or completely make up features of stories, as well as being noticeably anti-authoritarian and anti-deity. The gods in Metamorphosis are more callous than usual. For example, this is the book in which the usually level-headed Athena turns a lady into a spider, simply for addressing Zeus' infidelity.

The point is: In my opinion, Ovid seems to have gone out of his way to make the gods and goddesses of ancient Greek mythology seem as cruel and impersonal as possible.

Which finally leads us to Medusa. In Ovid's tale, Medusa is a beautiful woman who earns the attention of Poseidon who sexually assaults her in Athena's temple. Athena then decides to punish Medusa for this and transforms her into the snake haired monster that the modern world recognises.

Later interpretations have pretty much used this story, but with one majour adjustment brought on by poet Percy Shelley's On The Medusa Of Leonardo DaVinci in the Florentine Gallery. The transformation by Athena becomes a blessing, not a curse. Athena bestowed upon Medusa a way of protecting herself. As Dr Emily Zarka put it in the youtube video, Medusa, Victim Or Villain?:

"A creature that could literally turn the leering male gaze back on itself."

Boa Hancock is one of the most interesting characters in One Piece who isn't a Strawhat. There is so much going on with her character that I can't mention here because this is meant to be a post about Stray Gods. If you want a full breakdown of the character, @melonteee has a fantastic video on the subject, that I would highly recommend.

In essence, Boa is a victim. She was forced to eat the devil fruit for the entertainment of the world government, so now she has a distrust of men and an ability to turn people to stone. The medusa references in her story are not subtle, and the allegory inherent in being forced to eat the fruit is rather blatant.

The interesting thing about Boa is how she is introduced. Boa is initially shown as a terrible human being. She kicks a small animal for the fun of it, because she is evil, and because she can get away with it. People look at her and just see her beauty, and they expect things of her. They don't care to look at the story or the character or the trauma, it's just the beauty. People within One Piece do this, and an uncomfortable amount of people who read or watch it have the same view of her.

Boa is a protector, Amazon Lilly is her home, and she protects it from shame, and from trauma. She protects her people from having to bear the same scars as her, physically and psychologically.

That's why she acts the way she does and dresses the way she does, its a mask to draw attention, to scare people away. Like Medusa, she weaponises the idolisation of beauty in order to protect.

Contrast this with Stray Gods, and the Medusa portrayed by Anjali Bhimani. And we see a remarkably similar take on the character.

This is a character with a level of self-loathing that render the entirety of the rest of the cast egomaniacal, but that is almost hidden by a veneer of confidence.

Medusa slithers as she walks. She gets close to Grace and in her face, she's revelling in her power. But the second Grace pushes the right buttons, that entire demeanour changes. Those buttons being two words: Monster and Athena.

This is why Medusa is in the story. Because the relationship between her and Athena is, at least in my reading, analogous to an abusive parent and child dynamic. Athena professes to protect Medusa, but she is the reason Medusa is the way she is, she controls Medusa's every move, and Medusa fears what might happen if Athena would find out about her actions.

I said Medusa and Boa are similar, and I meant it. Both put up a facade of confidence as a means of defence. And when that facade cracks, then we see what that character truly is.

"Don't look at me"

Medusa couldn't be further from her facade. That's what this line signifies, the transition from "look into me" to "don't look at me" shows in no uncertain terms the breaking away of that mask. Although it does come back for a brief moment, in a fascinating way.

"You're lost little girl, no more Hail Mary's"

This is a repeated line in the musical, the idea of being directionless. We keep hearing it, in variations of the same tune. And now we hear Medusa say it. But there's two things going on here.

First up, this is projecting, Medusa is lost, and she is shifting the blame for that onto Grace.

Second, this is just what others have said. Medusa is simply repeating what she has heard and has no defence of her own.

"The "not unhot" girl is you, the monster is me"

Medusa is clutching onto her idea of self, she has to be the monster, because otherwise everything Athena did to her was unwarranted. She has to have deserved it, right? She's rationalising, and projecting, and avoiding.

I've seen people do this in real life.

The mirror is a fascinating little detail here. The visual focus of a large portion of this song is the flipping between who is in the mirror and who is on the outside. Because the two characters are trying to connect, and they are mirrors of each other as victims of Athena's meddling.

The wording of Grace's offer here is interesting.

"Appollo could get you free"

Not cure or fix, but free. That's what Medusa needs, freedom.

In conclusion, Medusa is a monster and Medusa is also a woman and a victim and many other things. Those who say a story must abide by the canon of mythology don't understand mythology at all. There is no canon. Sure, stick to the spirit of the myth, don't make the minotaur into a bird, but a character like Medusa can be anything, and adapting the myth isn't remotely a new thing. Ovid did it, One Piece did it, and Stray Gods has done it. All of them taking a different part of the myth and creating a story out of it for their own purposes.

I am excited to see who tries their hand at it next.

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[mamirhodessxox]

His Strange Addiction (Part 10, Final chapter.)

(Other parts can be found on my masterlist)

This might be a short chapter aswell but I also wanted to get this out of the way :) this is my first ever completed story & i feel like I’ve make a lot of progress after writing for this FF, I’m really happy some people took their time to read this even if it is a little shitty :) I’m grateful for my mooties who have read this & reblogged it, I hope you guys enjoy this Final chapter of HSA

Cody Rhodes x Fem Wrestler!OC (Melina Reyz)

Desc: It had been a few months since Milena finally gave birth to her & Cody’s first daughter Ivey Rhodes, due to Milena’s postpartum depression things were tough at first but eventually she finally spoke to someone and expressed her emotions in a more healthy manner.

Content: Mentions of smut, childbirth, an anxiety, therapy & Depression, Fluff, Angst, Girl dad Cody, Abandonment issues, happy ending :)

🏷️ list: @alyyaanna @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41 @harmshake @femdisa @kabloswrld @claymoresofinfamy23

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) likes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Cody & Milena finally had their daughter Ivey Rhodes, she was the cutest thing they have ever laid their eyes on & automatically they got used to being parents, Cody loved being a girl dad, Ivey was all he ever talked about, at work, during his promos, interviews, at home, anywhere Ivey was always brought up in a discussion. Ivey & Milena revolved around his universe, especially Milena.

Just a few months ago after giving birth she started experiencing postpartum depression which was normal for a mother just after giving birth to her child, Cody had took notice that she had been experiencing a lot of anxiety & her past emotions from before the pregnancy making a mix in her mental health which at first wasn’t good, Milena had been overthinking a lot & often freaking herself out and having random emotional outbursts most days, he also took notice that she was having problems focusing on herself sometimes instead of the baby, she needed a support system & despite Cody being one of her biggest supporters who’s always patient with her she needed a professional to speak to.

One night after certain activities Cody was in the middle of aftercare & cleaning her up & all of a sudden heard a sniffle & looked up at his wife only to see her tearing up which made him put down the cloth he had in his hand and immediately pulled her into his arms “What’s wrong sweetheart, what’s on your mind?” She frowned & stuffed her face into the crook of his neck as she began crying & didn’t breathe in a proper manner. Cody gently grabbed her face “None of that baby, you need to breathe okay?” He guided her through the breathing process and once he knew she was calm enough he got her to open up “Now what’s got you so upset hm?” Milena furrowed her eyebrows and wiped off her eyes taking a breath before she spoke, “I just— I don’t w-want you to leave me, i-i know I can be a major pain in the ass but I-please don’t leave me.” She whimpered out but he shook his head & ran his hand through her hair “Oh angel I could never, it’s never crossed my mind and it never will baby, I promise. We have a lot of good things going on right now, we just had a beautiful babygirl, we’re still freshly married, I’m never ever going to make that mistake again alright?”

She nodded & let out a short sob before he frowned and held her against his chest while sitting on the bed, Milena had been horrified of him leaving her again since the moment Cody & her got back together, after everything over Bianca Cody had became more patient & gentle with her once he took to notice she hated being alone, whenever he got out of bed before she woke up she would often panic & tear up until she saw him come back upstairs, if he was at the store for an hour longer than usual while she was at home she would begin to overthink & scare herself, she would often need reassurance from him over this issue.

The next day Milena stood in the kitchen holding Ivey in her arms, her & Cody decided it would be a good day to relax & sit back since fall had just hit & it was pretty rainy out, He was standing by the stove making lunch & would keep at eye out on his two girls. Milena stood by the door pointing out the rain and mumbling to the baby & smiling whenever Ivey would coo or giggle and flap her little hands around. Cody set the lunch on the table & went over to his wife & daughter “What’s got you all giggly huh?” He asked ivey in a stern joking way as he took her from Mils arms so she could go eat “It better not be a boy young lady, we’ll be having a lonng talk.” Ivey giggled and clung onto her daddy while he sat over at the table with Milena & held the baby at the same time.

“I think I should talk to someone.” Cody perked his head up and blinked a few times at the sudden words from his wife and then smiling once he processed what she said “If that’s what you think is best for you then go for it, I think it’s a good idea baby.” She smiled meekly & took a bite of the sandwich he made for her, for the remainder of the day they discussed her options of therapy & ultimately chose on a professional psychologist after searching resources. At first Milena was excited and eager to talk but then next week rolled by for her first session & she was scared.

Cody sat in the car with her as Ivey was in her carseat in the back. “Hey.” He called out to her softly and she looked over at him with a fearful look as if she was a dear in headlights, “Your gonna do great alright? It’ll be over before you even know it, I’ll be out here when you come back alright?” She nodded & gave him a quick kiss and waved at Ivey before leaving the car & walking into the office & signing a few papers before she waited, and waited, and waited. “Rhodes?” A soft voice called out and she immediately perked up and smiled as she was called for “Hi! I’ll be your therapist, you can call me Cassandra, how about we get you settled in my station and get you started?” Melina smiled meekly nodding her head as she was guided into her therapists office which was immediately welcoming her with open arms, tapestry’s hung on the walls, mood lights surrounding the room & the sound of water coming from those tiny water fountains that laid upon Cassandra’s desk.

Milena sat down & Cassandra sat behind her desk and smiled “So, Tell me about yourself Milena, what do you do everyday?” Milena huffed out a breath & Fidgeted with her hands nervously “I— Well I used to do women’s wrestling but I ended up resigning for now since I just had my firstborn a few months ago, I usually spend most of my days with my husband Cody, our friends & obviously our daughter.” Cassandra nodded as she listened thoroughly “Well congratulations, So, I know your probably very anxious and nervous so I usually like to get this part out of the way very quickly since I know opening up on certain things can be difficult & from what I’ve gathered this is your first time attending therapy?” Milena nodded her head with a nervous smile “Why don’t you tell me about what’s bothering you? You mentioned you just had your first child & usually after giving birth mothers experience postpartum depression, do you think you’ve been experiencing that a little bit?”

She huffed out a heavy breath and nodding “Well- I never really paid attention to postpartum because most things I should be feeling I’ve sort of been experiencing even before I became pregnant, I- me and my husband had a rocky relationship at first, we originally dated in 2013 until 2015 he broke up with me since we didn’t have much free time to see each other because of our different work schedules & then in 2023 we got back together, I started overthinking about things like the possibility of him leaving me again especially when there was another woman around who was constantly starting problems, I often experience anxiety, especially now after having our daughter I feel like he’s going to leave me at any moment, I sort of um- freak out when I don’t see him in bed with me when I wake up, I get really freaked out sometimes when he’s at the store for a long time while I’m at home. Before I was pregnant & during my pregnancy i would have random emotional outbursts.”

Cassandra hummed and set her pen down before twining her hands together & clearing her throat “Well I’m really glad you came Milena, I’m very proud of you for opening up & I’m sure your husband is very proud of you as well, it’s not easy to express your emotions and concerns and I can tell this was a very big step for you, From what I’ve gathered it seems that your guys’ past breakup & fights are the root of this issue, what your dealing with is the fear of Abandonment, You’ve grown so attached to him & gave him all of your trust to him now and that can be scary sometimes & make you worry & it is absolutely not your fault. What we’ll be doing for the next few weeks is coming up with some ways to conquer this issue, help set up boundaries & hope for the best. How’s that sound?” Milena smiled nodding her head in agreement as she clearly liked that idea.

For the next few weeks Cody had noticed her change in attitude & overall mental health, she seemed more calm & less uptight and anxious, whenever someone upset Milena she would look down and just focus on her breathing and keep herself calm and collected.

Cody & Milena were at home & he laid on the floor having tummy time with Ivey & chuckled everytime she would stretch out her tiny body “Ooohh big stretch! My goodness babygirl that was a really big stretch” he grinned and picked her up and cooed once she did the baby scrunch before he held her against his chest, Milena found it adorable that he was such a big strong man and would hold a baby the size of a small teddy bear compared to him, she was so tiny compared to him that they started calling her “bean” Cody would walk around the house as he talked with Milena about how her therapy is going & whenever Ivey would sneeze Mils would smile and press a gentle kiss into their daughters head.

Milena was glowing to him, she seemed to be in a better and healthier mindset & he could tell she was happier & less down. He loved watching her be a mother to their firstborn, The way Milena always spoke to Ivey as if she could understand the words her mama was saying, always having conversations & interacting with the baby, “Look at you in your cute little bow!” She smiled and would laugh at her daughter giving her that adorable heartwarming gummy smile.

Once it was finally time to put Ivey down for bed & the two did their night routine for the baby Cody gently held his wife’s hips in his hands and smiled before kissing her deeply as they just got to their bedroom “You look so gorgeous baby..” Milena smiled into the kiss & hummed softly while her nails ran down his arms softly as his tongue slipped past her lips and moved against hers “Let’s have another baby hmm?” He moved his lips against her neck as he ran his hands around her breasts giving them a gentle squeeze before pressing her down against their shared bed & spending most of all night making love & enjoying the presence of each other.

Milena & Cody were finally where they wanted to be as a couple, he was so proud of her for everything she’s put up with, whether it be Bianca, the pregnancy, her mental health struggles & being a mother he knew she would kick ass at it.

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