#we’re almost halfway done with the story

[mimiexe15]

chapter 5: a new generation

Mira, Magica

Mira pov:

I immediately got dressed and then started heading out of the place with Yuri and kyubey I still wondered where he was this entire time "OK I'm sorry but I just got so many questions right now but first question where were you? Kyubey

I as said those words I was I was pulling my boots on and grabbed my soul gem then Yuri help me climb out the window "well the long story really I basically got kidnapped" Kyubey got kidnapped!? I mean, I guess that explains why he didn't warn us I was still holding Yuri hand. It felt cold, but nice.

"You got kidnapped, but by who and more questions who were those witches why were they different? They had intelligence they knew how to fight actual magical girls" Yuri looked at me and then back at Kyubey

"You mean, those witch I would hardly call them witches Been dealing with them for quite a long time I think they've been around for years now I'm guessing Kyubey didn't tell you about them yet" Yuri looked at me with a cold expression. I was still confused, but I guess it made sense but hold up. 

'Kyubey knew!?"

Kyubey then looked at me once again blinking with his emotionless face "of course I knew I never wanted to share the full information until Your girls were ready." When he said that I can't help but feel a bit of anger .not ready ..but at the same time maybe he was right I could barely defend myself.

I still always wonder when I look at my friends soul gems they get tan slowly, but mine seems a bit more sped up for some reason. but felt nice holding Yuri hand  I then look back up at Yuri as we walked through the streets "why do you want to help me?"

Yuri let out a deep sigh "well I would've refused at first and I was planning on it, but the fact I couldn't help but feel pity with that begging face to say the least"she smirk when she said that did I really look that stupid when trying to ask her...but then again I was begging I mean it works, but maybe she sees me as a dumb idiot who can't do anything??

I continue thinking to myself, still questioning my life. Yuri and I stopped somewhere. It was a large alleyway no one was even there, but it was nighttime so it made sense Yuri then look back at me "before we start Kyubey would like to talk to you for a minute"

Kyubey then hopped off of Yuri shoulder and looked at me

"if I'm correct your grief seed has run out of energy you can no longer use it or else witch the inside of it will be reborn again" Kyubey said those words right in front of my face I was surprised he knew that but then again he created the magical girls. Or maybe I'm wrong. I don't know. Maybe he's just a magical companion."umm ya" I said responded to him

Kyubey Blinked at me and then seem to be what I guess was a smile. It's hard to tell "have no fear I can take care of that for you just give it to me"I looked at Kyubey who told me that I gave him the grief seed I defeated from that weird train a couple days ago and handed it to him 

he played around with it on his tail and then put it in his red spot  on his back as it immediately disappeared.I was immediately surprised when I saw that. "Wait wait wait where did it go?"

"It's been converted into energy. It won't cause harm to the world anymore. Well, unless one of it's familiar it escaped and it's been reborn again." Kyubey Said as he walked "well, I'll leave you guys to work now"

I watched him walk away with me being speechless before I turned back noticing  Yuri had her sniper pointed right towards me I immediately panicked. I thought she was going to train me not shoot me she immediately shot the bullet as I immediately frozen  but it just went right through me. Was it not even a real bullet?!

Yuri look at me calming And then spoke "can you not dodge a bullet?"... I looked around for a second. This is awkward and mostly embarrassing. "No" I said, she then slapped her face. "We're gonna have a lot of work to do and to answered the question about the bullet that was an illusion"

When I heard Yuri say that I was completely embarrassed....how does this girl know what I'm thinking? Why is she so pretty? She must think I'm an idiot. Why do it have to be a student council member? I really really just wanna pull my hair out and wanna wrap myself under the covers

Yuri looked back at me "Let's just get started"

(Insert training montage because I am not writing a scene of them training that was difficult plus I think you guys wouldn't to have fun reading that)

Narrative pov

Mira has gotten better from last time a bit she learned how to platform and Dodge bullets, sharp objects, and defending herself but still had a couple ... errors as she still fell a bunch, still had problems using the weapon correctly at least she's getting somewhere

Mira slowly sign to her self as she sat down for a moment in one of the abandoned stations near the alleyway Yuri came up and sat beside her  Yuri then put Cup of noodles down "do you want one? I have a second"Yuri said, Mira looked back at her and simply smile "sure I guess"

Mira grabbed a cup of noodles and it openedi before Yuri hand her some chopstick, Mira starting eating. Yuri then laid back as she opens her cup and feed a noodle to Kyubey

"so why are you always so negative?"Mira then looked at Yuri, who said that Mira with her mouth still full, but quickly slurped up "what do you mean?"mira said looking at Yuri

"I think it's obvious I've always seen you at school with yourself  known your nasty, anxious wreck, even though you have great friends there your not exactly confident in yourself"said Yuri trying to explain what she meant

Mira, then look down "well I think it's obvious this world can be cruel something bad about to happen no matter what even when things look joyful. maybe I have a nice dad, but I have  never really got to know my mom" she had a frown on her face  "besides, I doubt the most positive person could be positive. when They're about to die"

After hearing that Yuri had a surprise, but cold expression, she wasn't expecting to hear that "what do you mean you never got to know your mom?" Yuri said  "she just kind of disappeared one day"Mira replied.

"Well just telling you you should stop being depressed or looking down at things if you wanna keep being a magical girl" Mira was confused when Yuri said that

 "you're not going to just get through life being depressed plus your emotions are connected to your  soul gem the more you spiral into your despair easier it get corrupted" Yuri said that lookIng calm mira was surprised when hearing that, but it also explained a lot on her mind

"Thank you"Mira said smiling. She then tried to finish up her noodles despite her being cold  it seemed like she wanted to help. She was a confusing girl to say the least. Yuri got up when she finished "now, then let's get back to wo-" before Yuri could continue her sentence mira immediately hugged her she then smiled, "no seriously thank you"

Yuri was surprised, not expecting to get a hug, especially with her being perfect girl for once in her life it wasn't a thank you but for being there "you're welcome I guess" Yuri then pulled her aside  "now come on. We still have a bit of training left"

Mira got up and put on confident face Kyubey only sat and watch the girls train they're just  them he may have found the right girls after all 

mira and started to learn how to control her weapon it was connected to her brain and what she was thinking so she learned just think of a weapon and wand would materialize it. She still had a lot to learn though things for sure if she stop thinking about it stop. She still had some failures  though..

Mira pov:

Focus gun gun, then angle and shoot! I reopened my eyes at the target I actually did it. I successfully aimed it. My wand didn't transform back and I actually shot something! "Hey mira have you actually fight a witch?"looked at Yuri, who watched her Soul gem glow

"Only once I have actually defeated one, but that was a lucky shot" I looked at her embarrassed. I never actually got into a real fight with a witch other than those two though mostly ended up losing. 

"Well I hope you're up for fighting another one because when a soul gem starts glowing it indicates a witches nearby" Yuri said, looking at meI was surprised when hearing that did Kiki and Raya if they did, they would've told me

Kyubey Then looked around for a minute "and by the looks of it, it's a recent one meaning no one will be harmed ... not yet. At least you should probably get going and put those skills to work"Kyubey looked back at me. I nodded my head when he said that.Yuri then grabbed my hand as we started heading towards where the witch could be

We eventually stopped at an old abandoned diner before Yuri raised her sniper and shot. One of the walls revealing a childish looking door it had a little plushy hanging around it there was a small flower symbol under it still wonder why they have the symbols  yuri looked at me "are you actually ready to fight a witch?"

I looked back at her and raised my head, nodding this time for sure I'll do better "ready, as I'll ever be" we open the door as both of us went in and turned into our magical girl forms we both entered the labyrinth. 

I knew each witch labyrinth is different in their own way, but this looks like a giant pillow fort, made out of a bunch of fabrics. Made me a bit dizzy from looking at all the patterns ..uhg. "Keep your guard up" I looked at Yuri, who said that and nod we opened one final door in front of us, a pink chest

Is that seriously the witch were fighting? It's just a toy chest"is that the witch" I asked as Yuri looked at me "most likely. Witch coming all different sizes, but I can see why you're a bit weirded out by this one"

We both looked down at the toy chest in front of us before it opened as a giant worm like thing came out do you know what kind of look like a sock puppet it's split its face open that things scared me something so innocent turned into that..it made me froze....I'm going to die....

(This update description above me may be updated in the future since we didn't have a canon design for the thing above us and also yes it was based off Charlotte)

"Well  S- - -"

I was speechless as I heard that voice in my head again I felt frozen in place like I couldn't even say a word or or move "and it's time to get going" felt those cold hands grab me again knowing it was Yuri. She moved me out of the way...I almost died. Did I just witness death in front of my eyes??

I could feel my own body sweating note to self don't trust a cute toybox...I also might need therapy.. I watch Yuri reload her sniper before heading back in fighting. Whatever that thing is I mean I know it's a witch, but I never think somethin- never mind I just need a helper. I can't stand around and be useless.

Narrative pov:

Mira head after Yuri into battle she was trained well so she should do better than last time from fighting a witch her familiars known as goneis immediately spring into action, Yuri shooting each one that tries to get closer to her 

Mira was trying to keep up as her wand materialized into sword, she was hoping for a mallet or hammer, but this is going to have to do "hey Yuri" Yuri looked towards mira and she said that before shooting a familiar behind her "ya?" Mira looked for a minute before slashing one of the familiars

"I was just wondering, maybe we could be friends or you can possibly come to my friend group if you know you have time"Mira said before dodging the witch who just launched at her "I'll think about it"yuri replied before jumping above the witch and shooting it in the eye before it started screeching

And immediately started ramming into the wall Mira  sword, then turned into a spiky baseball bat hitting it towards Yuri who once again, reloaded her shotgun and shoot it right in the face, the witches worm collapses to the ground "huh good job with the witch"

Mira got embarrassed and started blushing panicking a bit. She wasn't expecting a compliment. "we-l -l tha- nk you b-but you did much better than!"Mira said stuttering she smiled and trying her best not to act like some awkward, anxious wreck

 Before the two girls can finish the witch burst out of the smoke just about to eat the two before a sickle with chains wraps around their body and pulls them in Mira was surprised, knowing exactly who that sickle belong to

Jiko holding the chains to the sickle was there Kiki and Raya appeared above as they stomped on the on the witch as an immediately went flying like a hot air, balloon, the labyrinth shattered into pieces after that usually indicating the witch has been defeated

 Raya then waved rapidly at Mira after defeating the witch "there you are girl we thought you were still asleep" said Raya kiki just sign at least knowing her friend was safe Jiko just try to finish eating the can of chips she had in her hand

"So I'm guessing there are your friends I saved yesterday" Yuri said looking at Mira with cold a expression  Mira  looks back at Yuri "yeah they are my friends" Mira said that with a shy smileand then looked back at her the people she cared about

Kiki then walked up to both yuri and Mira  "glad you girls are safe oh and Mira is this the girl you were talking about right" Mira then looked Embarrassed"well yeah I- " before she continued Yuri interrupted "She basically asked me to train her and I said yes your friend has a lot of potential you know that right"

Kiki only nod "hey Mira, guess what!?" Raya said shouting "I was able to befriend Jiko" Jiko looked back at raya when she said she immediately responded with a angry expression "WHAT we're not friends. We just made a deal!"

Raya turned to Jiko With a cocky expression "you still accepted it though" Jiko eyes flared up when she heard that, she just continued arguing with her as Raya  got under her skin "that's not how logic works you idiot!"

 Kiki and Mira watch the two girls fight  then Mira noticed yuri leaving "hey where are you going? I thought you were staying" Yuri then look back at her "I did my job of training you therefore means my purpose of being here is no longer needed"

Mira then grabbed Yuri's hand "wait you still have a purpose well a new one at least you're my friend now meaning you should try to get along with my other friends"Mira said, looking at Yuri with a smile. 

Kyubey Watch the five girls chat with each other. He did it. He made a new generation one that could be more powerful to defeat the council. A new and better...holy quintet.. 

However, it was shortly interrupted with a loud silent eeeep!

Something fell right in front of them. The first object was a grief seed from the witch from earlier but the second one was a small creature plushy looking thing 

it had light blue dog ears with bells on them it wearing a toy chest on its head, one of its eyes were bleeding, and it was wearing a fluffy collar with pom-poms hanging down from it. It also look like it had little sock puppets on its arms. It looked injured...

To be continued

(I am happy how this chapter turned out we're pretty much halfway through the book surprisingly If you guys are curious, how Raya befriend Jiko there will be a flashback in chapter 6 to explain it either way thank you for the support on this AU and book. See you in the next chapter.)

[munson-blurbs]

I don’t know if you do Steve or(I have mostly seen your Eddie work which I love by the way)Eddie

but I’m let you choose but ex reader and (Steve or Eddie) angst to fluffy smut at the end and maybe they saw each other at the bar or something and those feelings turn into sweet ole fluffy smut 🫡 ( PFT I don’t know if that make sense) 😭💀

Eddie exes-to-lovers? I'm in.

Warnings: smut (18+ only, minors DNI), unprotected p in v, fingering, angst, hurt/comfort, jealousy, the fluffiest smut I've ever written

WC: 3.2k

Divider credit to @saradika-graphics

You hated Eddie Munson. 

You hated the way he sloppily cut the sleeves of his Hellfire shirt in an obvious attempt to show off his tattoos. 

You hated the way he couldn’t keep a secret, always forgetting that they were supposed to be secrets in the first place. That’s how he’d spoiled your surprise birthday party. 

You hated the way he constantly sabotaged his own success. One would think he’d take you up on your offer to do homework together after his first failed senior year; instead, he’d practiced guitar riffs while you pored over your algebra textbook. Needless to say, he didn’t pass that year, either. 

You hated Eddie Munson and everything about him. 

And right now, you particularly hated the way he sat across the bar, talking to another girl and occasionally taking a sip of his drink. 

That used to be you, your fingers laced with his while he told you stories you’d heard one hundred times before. He’d bring your hand to his lips and kiss it, his lips curving into a smile before they even touched your skin. 

“I can’t believe you’re mine. Never gonna let you go, y’know that? You’re stuck with me forever.”

That ‘forever’ ended four years ago, when you went off to college and he needed to stay behind to finish high school. Cracks began showing as early as application season, the fracture complete once you decided to go to Northwestern without even considering Hawkins Community. 

“I don’t understand why you’d wanna go to that big, fancy school anyway. It’ll just be a bunch of rich preps and douchey frat guys guzzling beers through their assholes.”

You refrained from reminding him that he and Jeff had almost tried that same feat, and probably would have if you didn’t intervene. 

“Babe, it’s an amazing school. And I’ll be home on holidays and you can visit whenever you want.”

Even as you’d said it, you knew it wasn’t enough for him. It was a pulled thread in your tight-knit relationship, one that unraveled it throughout the summer. And just one week into your first semester, Eddie had uttered those dreaded words into the phone. 

“I don’t think this long-distance thing is gonna work out.”

That was that. The end of you and Eddie. 

Now, in that dimly lit bar, you tore your gaze from him and his date. Your drink shook in your trembling hand as you lifted it to your lips. 

Robin clocked your uneasiness, her eyes flicking over to where you’d been looking. “Jesus Christ,” she muttered, shaking her head. She glanced at you with nothing but sympathy. “You wanna get outta here?”

You gave your friend a grateful smile, but ultimately declined. “We just got our drinks.” You gestured to her barely-sipped rum and Coke. “We can go once we’re done.”

The two of you forged ahead with a conversation, but you couldn’t help stealing glances at Eddie and his date. Maybe it was the vodka making you more emotional, but tears pricked at your lash line when you saw him lean in and kiss her. 

“A-Actually, maybe we should leave.” You were only halfway done with your drink, but the thought of staying and continuing to watch him had you ready to hurl it all up. 

Robin nodded, grabbing her purse and closing out the tab. When she turned back to you, she froze. 

“What?”

“He’s looking at you.”

And dammit if your heart didn’t flip-flop. You did your best to ignore it, ignore the spark of hope it gave you. 

“He’s…” Your words caught in your throat. “C’mon, let’s just go.”

You couldn’t sleep that night. The image of Eddie holding someone else’s hand flashed through your mind every time you closed your eyes. And the way he’d leaned in to kiss her, like he’d done it one thousand times before—it gnawed at you from the inside out. 

Tears slid down your cheeks and seeped into your pillowcase. You would have gone to the ends of the Earth to make that relationship work, while Eddie threw in the towel after just one week. You’d called him up in the dorm’s common room, expecting to talk to him about your day. 

Instead, you’d gotten dumped via phone call. 

You gave up on falling asleep around 4:30 AM. Padding into the kitchen, you brewed yourself a cup of coffee and poured it into your favorite mug. Steam tickled your nose as you took a sip, savoring the cocoa notes and the bitterness you craved that morning. Last night’s events came rushing back as soon as the caffeine hit your bloodstream. Eddie. The girl. The way he looked at her…did he ever look at you that way? It was bizarre seeing it from a different perspective.

The morning air was already humid, summer’s heat seemingly always unrelenting. You stretched out your legs on the steps of your front stoop, letting your muscles unclench as you breathed in a new day. 

It was just you, a smattering of chirping birds, and…a car rumbling down the street?

Hawkins was not a busy enough town for people to be driving down your sleepy street at this hour, and it wasn’t garbage day.

From around the corner came a familiar van. Your heart lurched in your chest when it came to a stop in front of your house. No. There was no way. Someone else in town must have the same exact van as him…with the same exact dent in the driver’s side door from when he’d opened it into a tree…

You scrambled to your feet, coffee sloshing over the side of the mug and onto the cement below you. 

“Hey, wait!” Eddie called out from his open window. He was dressed in a flannel and jeans, no doubt borrowed from his uncle. Killing the ignition, he hustled over to you before you could get through the door. “I need to talk to you.”

“I don’t have anything to say.”

Eddie shook his head and blew out a breath. “Look, I just…I wanted to tell you this at the bar, but you ran off–”

“So you came to my house?” You rolled your eyes. “Not creepy at all.”

He ran a hand through his curls. It was then that you noticed the missing rings, the skin slightly paler where they normally wrapped around his fingers. He tracked your gaze and looked at you with a bashful smile.

“Can’t wear them at the plant. I gotta tie my hair back, too.” He slid a ponytail holder off of his wrist and pulled back his frizzy mane, scrunching up his nose. “Always gives me a headache, though.”

You felt your guard slipping with each word he spoke. “It’s probably just too tight.” Without thinking, you gently tugged the rubber band farther from his scalp. “Better?”

“Yeah.” His voice was soft. Tender. Everything you remembered it to be back when things were good. “Please…can we talk?”

Despite your lingering heartbreak–or perhaps because of it–you nodded.

Eddie’s shoulders sagged in premature relief; the difficult part still laid ahead of him. “I didn’t sleep last night. I couldn’t sleep last night. Not after seeing you.” When his hand brushed against yours, you instinctively pulled away.

“No.” You held your ground as best as you could. “No, Eddie. You don’t get to touch me anymore. Especially not when you were the one with another woman.”

“Technically, so were you.” The joke fell flat, and he cleared his throat. “All right, fine. It was a second date with someone I met last week at the Hideout. Not someone I’m committed to.”

“Right. Because if you were committed to her, you’d just break up with her on the phone.”

Eddie reeled back, your retort a sucker-punch right to his gut. He took a few seconds to collect his thoughts before speaking again. “You don’t understand how hard it was for me,” he finally said, “to know you were far away, surrounded by a bunch of smart guys, while I was in my sixth year of high school.”

“I didn’t care about that—”

“But I did!” Eddie crossed his arms over his chest. “God, I could just picture the conversations you’d have with your new friends: ‘Eddie? He doesn’t go here; he’s still in high school. No, he’s not younger than me. He’s actually a year older. He’s just an idiot.’”

A huff escaped your lips. “I’d never say that!” Did he actually think you’d even consider it?

“But you could’ve!” He scraped a tooth against his lower lip. “It would’ve been the truth!”

“Except you’re not an idiot,” you protested. “And throwing yourself a pity party isn’t going to make me feel bad for you.”

You downed what remained of your coffee, now only lukewarm. 

“No, I know. I know.” Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and shut his eyes. “This is coming out all wrong. Please, can we just go inside?”

No. The answer sat right on your tongue. And yet you found yourself opening the door and letting him in. 

Eddie sat down on the couch, making sure to leave enough space for you. He sighed when you remained standing, but began speaking again nevertheless.

“I’ve thought about you every goddamn day. And I know that’s not enough,” he rushed to add before you could say it yourself, “but I need you to know that I have. I wanted to call you a million times, but I always talked myself out of it. Figured it would just make you angrier.”

“You could’ve at least apologized.” You didn’t bother hiding the hurt in your voice; that façade had long since passed.

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” When he looked at you, his eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “I’m sorry I let my insecurities ruin everything. I’m sorry I broke your heart. I’m sorry that I never got to see your dorm room, or meet your new friends, or watch you walk that stage at graduation. I…”

Eddie was fully sobbing on your sofa, wiping his cheeks with calloused palms. “And I’m sorry that I still love you. I’m sorry that I can’t seem to let you go.”

He’d laid it all on the table for you, not hiding a single card in his hand. His gaze was raw with vulnerability; it seared into the hardened ice encasing your heart. 

“When I saw you at the bar last night…when I saw you looking at me…” Eddie let out a huff of air. “Maybe I was just getting my hopes up, but it felt like a part of you might still love me, too.”

And as that realization unraveled, as it unfurled like a flower finally blooming after winter’s frost, you found yourself nodding in agreement. 

All at once, Eddie stood in front of you. “Please say it,” he whispered, delicately cupping your face in his hands. “I need to hear you say it. Only if you mean it.”

“I still love you.” Your nose grazed his. “I don’t want to, but I do.”

“You don’t want to because I broke your heart?” When you answered in the affirmative, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. “What if I promise that I’ll never break your heart again? What if I promise that it’s always been you?”

Your voice was soft, barely audible, when you told him, “Prove it.”

Eddie’s lips found yours, a magnetic pull that hadn’t weakened in the nearly four years you’d spent apart. “Course I’ll prove it,” he mumbled against your mouth. “Spend the rest of my goddamn life proving it.”

His hands slid up underneath your shirt, a ratty old tee reserved strictly for bedtime. There was no time to worry about it being the least sexy article of clothing you had; before you knew it, Eddie tugged it over your head and tossed it aside. He whimpered as he grabbed your breast, circling the nipple with his thumb. 

You’d only gotten two of his flannel buttons undone when you stopped. “Eddie, wait—don’t you have to go to work?”

Eddie laughed, his breath tickling your neck over the spot he’d been kissing. “I’ll just have to be late. Got something…more important to attend to.”

You couldn’t help but giggle at that, the two of you peeling off each other’s clothes until they lay in a heap on the floor. And then there was just you and Eddie, touching everywhere you could. 

“Baby.” The word was slurred, given the fact that his tongue was currently occupied with your nipples, your skin shining where his saliva remained. “Baby…fuck, I missed you.”

He was painfully hard, the tip of his cock flush against his tummy and leaking pre-cum. You wrapped your hand around the shaft, pumping him in a painfully slow rhythm. 

“Oh—ah!” Eddie hissed, steadying himself at your sudden touch. “F-Fuck, I—y-you can’t…too sensitive.”

You looked at him incredulously. “Already?”

Eddie nodded sheepishly. “You know how much I thought about this? Every time I…y’know…I imagined it was you.”

Just the mental picture of Eddie laying back in his bed, tugging on his cock while moaning your name, had you dragging him to the couch. No time to go all the way to the bedroom. 

The moment Eddie climbed on top of you as you lay on the cushions, his fingers drifted down to where you needed him most. His middle finger, then his ring finger, slid inside you with practiced precision. Picking up right where you’d left off. 

You clenched around him, your body greedy for more as his fingers moved in and out, in and out. 

“Eddie…” Just that one word was an effort; every brain cell focused only on the pleasure building between your thighs. “Eddie…Eddie…please…”

He nodded, his tongue darting out and swiping over his lower lip. “I remembered how much you love my fingers.”

It was true; his fingers were nothing less than magic. He swore it was because he played guitar, and maybe that was part of it, but the real reason was because he had you memorized. Knew exactly where to curl his fingers, exactly how to stroke your sweet spot until your legs were shaking. 

“You’re…you’re drenched.” He wasn’t cocky; he was awestruck. Absolutely shocked that you were so needy for him, that you’d missed his touch as much as he’d missed yours. “Gonna take care of you, baby, okay?”

You inhaled a staggered breath and melted into the couch. Eddie held total and complete control over you, and it surprisingly didn’t scare you in the least. 

The last thread of restraint snapped, your orgasm hitting you in waves. You cried out Eddie’s name. It was him bringing you to a new level of ecstasy. It was him giving you everything you could ever want. 

His movements slowed to let you float down from the high. His fingers were slick with your arousal, and he popped them in his mouth with a content sigh. 

“Tastes so sweet.”

God, you needed him. Needed him to fill you entirely. Needed him to clear your mind of any thought besides how good he made you feel. Needed him to hold you down and take whatever he desired. 

Your gaze dropped down to his erection. Eddie followed your eyes, then looked back at you. 

“D-Do you…?” He trailed off before composing himself. “I mean, is it okay if I—”

“Yes.” There was no other possible answer. There was nothing else you could possibly want besides that connection, that intimacy, with the man you could never stop loving. “Please.”

Eddie obliged without hesitation. He angled himself with your entrance, pushing into you so slowly that it teetered on agonizing. You knew it would feel good; it always had, even that first awkward time together. But this was something else entirely.

It was as though a missing puzzle piece clicked into place, unlocking everything you had stowed away over the last four years without him. Tears lazily flowed down your cheeks, but before you had time to be embarrassed, Eddie kissed them away.

“S’okay,” he murmured, continuing to thrust into you with utmost care. “You’re okay, baby.”

You managed a smile as you navigated the influx of emotions. You were okay. You were with Eddie again, safe in his arms, his touch both electrifying and soothing.

All that was left to do was sink into it. 

You accepted his love, wrapping yourself in it and savoring every morsel. One of your hands found his cheek, your thumb grazing over the hint of stubble he missed when shaving. His kisses were oxygen itself, breathing life into every cell in your body. Everything was Eddie. Everything was okay again.

And then you started to giggle. It was discreet at first, but then it bubbled over until your smile was too wide to ignore. Eddie couldn’t even kiss you without his lips touching your teeth. 

“Babe?” He cocked his head, examining you as laughter floated out of you. 

“Sorry.” Another peal of laughter. “I’m…I’m just so happy.”

Eddie grinned, ducking to kiss your neck. “Me, too. Me fucking too, baby.”

There was the ebb and flow, the give and take, the push and pull. You and Eddie, working in tandem to bring the other to their climax. 

Your orgasm blossomed deep within you. You dug your fingernails into Eddie’s back and wrapped your legs around his to draw him closer. 

“Ed-Eddie, I’m…” Your hips raised to meet his, filling in where your words failed. 

Eddie nodded and gently kissed your lips. “I know, sweet girl. Just let go for me.”

And so you did. With a cry of his name, you came. You let yourself unravel right there on the couch, and before long, he was joining you. 

“Baby, baby, baby.” He let out a groan as he spilled into you, giving you every last drop. His chest rose and fell as he withdrew and caught his breath, though he kept his hands on you the whole time. Like you might disappear if he let go. 

You reached up to smooth back a lock of his hair. You needed to look into his eyes, no obstructions, when you asked him the question weighing heavily on your heart. 

“Where do we go from here?”

Eddie flinched, clearly not expecting such a candid remark right after sex. He shook off his shock and replaced it with a smirk. 

“I say we shower off first.” His nose brushed yours and he kissed you once again. “And then I’d like to take you to breakfast once the diner opens. I think we have a lot to catch up on.”

You gazed up at him, taking in the chest muscles that had filled out with the addition of manual labor.

 A shower and a breakfast date. It was a plan—maybe not like the ones you made, where every moment was perfectly laid out. And it was more than Eddie’s usual fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants demeanor. It was somewhere in the middle. A new equilibrium. 

“That sounds perfect.”

--

[totallyhextra]

People? In MY computer?? It's more likely than you think!

The following is a fanvertisment and is not connected to the show. ****Yet.*** *Also yes, this is the fourth time I'm posting this because TUMBLR WONT LET ME EDIT SPELLING MISTAKES!

ANYWAY,

Once upon a time, back in 1987, Dire Straits put out this music video for “Money for Nothing”, which, as you know, was a song about wanting my MTV. 

The video was made by two guys (Gavin Blair and Ian Pearson) on a very moody computer. After the video went out, these two guys went to a pub:

Ian: “Hey, we should make a whole show like this!”

Gavin: “Dude, making three minutes almost killed us.”

And so it was decided!🎉

The two guys were joined by two other guys (Phil Mitchell and John Grace) and created the Hub, which then became Mainframe Entertainment. They got even more people, and then they all holed up in this hotel.

They were mad lads with a dream: a whole cgi animated show, and they made it happen a whole year before Toy Story!

Behold! ReBoot!

(Yes that fever dream was real)

Now before I get any of this:

Let me lay this down. If you can’t with the animation of the first season because it was CUTTING EDGE IN 1994, you can close your eyes and listen to it. ReBoot wasn’t just a CGI gimmick. The characters are fully developed, the voice actors are peerless, the plot is sharp, and there’s so many easter eggs that you’ll never find them all.

Never

(And yes the episode "Bad Bob" was the actual catalyst for Fury Road. Look it up)

ReBoot is about what life is like in a computer (in the 90s, because it was the 90s) called Mainframe (because of course it is). People are sprites, the guys that look like 1s and 0s are binomes (which represent 1s and 0s). Bad guys are viruses, and the good guy is a Guardian named Bob, who is a certified cinnamon roll.

In the first season the eps are light and self-contained, mainly because there was constant friction between the Mainframe studios and the Board of Standards and Practices.

They still got away with some pretty dark stuff, like Megabyte (virus) making Enzo (the kid) watch his dog get sliced open (dog got away, obviously) , Dot (sprite) have a hallucinatory breakdown, and the fridge horror of realizing the thousands of worm things (nulls) that plunged off a bridge to their death were actually people.

And Hex's (virus

best girl) scary face single-handedly traumatized an entire generation. 🙂

But busting through a window was a no go, because WhAt If tHe cHiLdReN dID iT tOo?

Anyway, halfway through the second season, ABC cut them loose, so they were like, fuck it, we’re going to start going hard. The story shifted from episodic to arcs and things start to get serious.

Third season the show moved to YTV in Canada, which gave no fucks about shielding the innocent children.

So it got DARK

How dark?

The UK refused to show the entire season, so the audience there had to wait until pirated copies made it across the pond to see how it ended.

Also by 1997, the animation was gorgeous. (Best example of third season animation I could think of that didn't have spoilers)

The show was green-lit for a fourth season on Cartoon Network, but halfway through production Warner Bros took over and the same fucking thing happened.

Because Mainframe was halfway done, they decided not to scrap all of it, but knowing they wouldn't be able to finish it correctly, Mainframe stripped anything that would hint at Season Four's true ending, then left what remained on a cliff-hanger of angst.

FOR 22 YEARS

(It's also why the last four eps of season four seem to make no sense)

And so it was.

Other crap happened, the soul left Mainframe, and its animated corpse spat out “The Guardian Code” in 2018. 

But never say die! The year is (almost) 2024, 30 years later. ReBoot shall rise from the dead, because here come the documentary!!

Do you dare see what you’ve been missing?

What the (UK) government doesn’t want you to know?? 

Then come on down to ReBoot!

We got:

Magnificent bastards with sexy voices!

(Tony Jay at his best)

Kickass women who could probably crush your head with their thighs and you’d enjoy it!

Innuendos in a kid's show!

💗 This adorable cinnamon roll!! 💗

Insane third season glow-ups!

YOUR NEW GOD

These guys!

(Gay roller-skating binome is my boi. I named him Jerry)

Nonstop cultural refs (You'll never find them all. Never.)

(There are literally videos dedicated to trying)

So many computer puns!

Body Horror!

Existential Crisis!

HAVE I MENTIONED YOUR NEW GOD?

This is it, folks! The real thing, the gem hidden in the moose-filled forests of Canadia!🌲🌲🌲

Take a trip inside a mid-90’s computer!

See the World Wide Web! (omg):

Witness the original purple Gamecubes that randomly fall from the sky when the owner of the computer (OUR GOOD LORD THE USER) wants to play a game. If it lands on people and they lose, they dissolve into mindless energy leeches, fated to tormented by their former bretheren for all of eternity.

Just like in real life! 🙃

So watch the eps! They on YouTube!

I think they're on Pluto, Hulu, Sling, and Tubi too! Also DVDs for people who have the patience to wait for them!

WATCH! BELIEVE! SUFFER THE SOUL-CRUSHING RAGE OF THE SEASON 4 CLIFF-HANGER!* (come on, its fun!)*

HYPE THE DOC!

The more people hype, the better the chances of actually getting it finished.

NOW SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE!

And now I will leave you with this screenshot from the ep "Painted Windows", where dicks can clearly be seen drawn upon the wall behind the fleeing anthropomorphized television.

(PS: If you heard the clown pic at the top of the page in your head, you're welcome)

IMPORTANT UPDATE

This message is now approved by Gavin Blair! He's an awesome guy. Show him some love on TWITTER (fuck you musk) at @TheRealMrSweary Also, if you want to share this with non-tumblr friends, here is my attempt at a webpage version:

theseventhstarprojects.com/REBOOT.html

[zhounauts]

ROMEO & JULIET ──── pairing nrk x fmr warnings cursing wc 530 this story is so cringey to me i literally gagged at the last line

“my head hurts i can’t do this,” riki groans, sinking back into his chair.

“oh please, we’re literally only halfway through the fifth scene of the first act,” you chide, bonking his knee, “pick up your book again,”

“this is so ass,”

“what!?” you gasp, “romeo and juliet is so good,”

“of course you would think that,” he teases, turning to look at you, “miss literature nerd,”

“oh screw you mr. haven’t picked up a book since book club in fifth grade,” you snap back, “i’m sacrificing my time to tutor you, so stop complaining and read,” riki grumbles, but he relucatnatly picks up the book again, flipping through it with obvious boredom.

“okay,” you sigh, “how about this? let’s read the lines aloud and act them out, you’ll remember them better,” riki shrugs, “you’re romeo, i’m juliet. now read,”

“if i. . .profane with my. . .unworthiest hand? This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,” riki starts off awkwardly, “romeo takes juliet’s hand?”

“no dumbass, those are the stage directions,” you laugh, “like this,”. you reach over to riki, grasping his hand with one of your own, as you hold the book with your other. you nod for him to continue, not taking note of the red blooming across his cheeks.

“my uhm, lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender. . .kiss?”

“good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much. Which mannerly devotion shows in this,” you raise your interlocked hands, letting go so that you can place your palm against his. “For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmer’s kiss,”

"what the hell does that even mean? why are we talking about pilgrims? is it thanksgiving?? what are holy palmers? holy hands?” riki asks.

“they’re using religious talk to show the purity of their love,” you tell him, “read your footnotes riki, pilgrims as in worshippers. and the holy palmers are when priests put their hands together to pray. come on, keep reading,”

“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” riki furrows his brows, the words all jumbled in his head. he glances at your hand, still touching his own.

“Ay pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer,” you watch as riki grimaces, and you can practically see the gears turning in his head as he tries to make sense of the story.

“O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair,”

“Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake. Come on, we’re almost done,”

“Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take,” riki looks up at you before his eyes go wide in alarm and he flushes red.

[He kisses her]

You meet his eyes, and burst out into laughter at his face. “did you just think we were gonna kiss?” protests explode from his mouth, and he sputters.

“no i—”

“it’s okay you were just in character, romeo,” you tease, “keep this up and i might have to give you a real kiss as a reward,”

[lfzyxf]

hi, can you do tiktok trends with stiles? like y/n doing them on him or with him. (does that make sense?)

Stiles Stilinski x reader

A bit on the shorter side but I hope you like it! I went with half headcanons and half story to explain it better. Don't be afraid to request more stuff if you like this!!

Word count: 474

Masterlist

Stiles would love to do more silly trends for sure! The one with the “you’re spinning me around; my feet are off the ground” audio came straight to mind.

Or maybe the one where you play rock, paper, scissors, and the winner gets to eat while the loser runs away and back? He’d be shoving the food in his mouth before you can make it back for sure!

You could try to do the trend where you try to hip thrust, squat, deadlift… each other, but I’m not sure how far he would get. Especially in the earlier seasons, he’s not getting far.

If you really enjoy doing these videos with him, he is all for it. Just come up with an idea and he’s game. He might even get Scott to join you guys for some TikTok’s. Really, he’d do anything for you if it makes you happy.

If you’re not the biggest fan he wouldn’t push you, but he might ask if you’d like to do a trend occasionally. Just say yes, and he’ll be elated.

I don’t think he’d post them for everyone to see just for your friends.

Scott is responding to every single Tiktok you guys make. Especially ones where he’s in or if he’s the one filming.

Allison and Lydia are just your personal fangirls. Responding to TikTok’s with heart eyes emojis and little comments about how cute you guys are.

“And after that you have to pick me up.” You instruct while staring at the video playing on your phone. “What if I drop you?” Stiles asks, his eyes are narrow as he stares at the Tiktok playing. You’ve been trying to get the dance right; he barely has to do anything and yet he is the one struggling. “Just don’t?” you reply looking at him incredulously.

“I don’t know, that seems like a dangerous move.” He leans back, and one of his hands is resting on his hip. “Stop being dramatic, it’s been fifteen minutes, and we still haven’t gotten it down.” You’re getting close to giving up, you might as well ask Allison to do it with you instead. “Okay, okay, I got it. Let’s go again.” He nods while speaking, almost trying to convince himself more than you.

You simply shake your head before getting back in position. You stand next to him, one of his hands above your head as you spin in a circle a few times. Next, he moves behind you, his arms under yours as he picks you up for a few seconds, before gently putting you down again. “See, I can do it! I’ve got this.” He tells you, standing confidently next to you.

You nod at him, laughing slightly “We’re only halfway done Stiles.” He claps his hands before moving to stand next to you again. “What’s next boss?”

[ellethespaceunicorn]

The Howling of Claw Creek Forest, Chapter One

Chapter One: Hide and Seek 

Rating: Mature, 18+, Minors - DNI 

Pairing: Werewolf!Walter Marshall x Reader 

Word Count: 2.7K 

Series Summary: You live in a small town called Claw Creek, surrounded by a deep, dark forest. Since you were a kid, an urban legend of the creature in the woods has been told. If the distant howls at night and mutilated livestock are anything to go by, you fear the stories to be true. 

Chapter Summary: After a curfew is set in place, you and your best friend sneak out past the town border for a drunken game of hide and seek. What could go wrong? 

Warnings: drinking, peril, mention of blood 

A/N: A special thank you to @peyton-warren for being my lovely beta and soundboard for this.  

Dividers by me 

Support/Reblog banner by me 

Cover Art by me 

Series Masterlist 

My Masterlist 

“C’mon, girl. You need to get out of the house for more than just work and the coffee shop. Look, we’ll even stay in town. Just please don’t make me stay in and watch The Great British Bake Off again. Paul Hollywood’s eyes still haunt my dreams.” Your best friend drapes herself against the couch in a dramatic show of boredom. 

“Liv, you’re the one that agreed to wine and TV. So, what? You wanna hit the bar now?” You guess, sitting on the arm of the couch. 

“Yuck. No way. I was thinking of something much more exciting. But you gotta agree to it before we go. That’s the deal.” She props her head up on her fists, while she lays on her stomach, letting her feet swing in the air back and forth. As innocent as she looks, you knew better. 

But then again, you could always go for a little adventure.  

And that is how you ended up in a clearing in Claw Creek Forest with Olivia, a heart full of optimism, and a six-pack of Jack Daniels Watermelon Punch. By the time you are halfway done with your second bottle, the sounds of the night are almost calming. Crickets are chirping, owls are hooting, and leaves are rustling in the light wind that tickles your neck. 

You’re downing the rest of your drink and looking up into the sky when Liv suddenly stands up with a look that can only mean one thing. She’s got a terrible idea that she thinks is genius. 

You decide to stop her before she even starts, “Girl, whatever idea just popped into your head after two wine coolers is not gonna be as brilliant as you think it is. Just say it so I can turn it down.” You twist off the top of your third bottle and look up at the defeated face of your best friend. 

“Damn, way to try and spoil all the fun. I just wanted to have a chugging contest.” She sits down on the fallen log next to you and grabs the last bottle from the cardboard pack. She twists off the top and you nudge her with your elbow before winking at her. 

You smile at each other before bringing your bottles to your lips. The rush of the bubbly drinks makes you both stop every few sips to breathe and burp a little. But in the end, you finish your bottle first and shoot up off the log to slam down your empty bottle. 

The moment you are upright, the blood rushes to your head and you instantly feel ten times more drunk. A few seconds later, you feel like you even out and you can hear Liv’s laughing as she falls backward off the log and her drink goes flying. You crumple to the ground, laughing your ass off, until she pops up over the log with a small scowl on her face. 

“Oh, you think that’s funny, huh?” She stands up and brushes off her pants before picking up her now empty bottle along with yours. Her little attitude is adorable, but you don’t dare say that. As she walks past you, she doesn’t look at you. 

“Olivia, don’t be like that. Come on, girl. We’re having a good time! I don’t want it to end. Please?” You’re not too proud to beg, and she’s not the only one who can pout charmingly. 

When she turns around, the first thing she does is look at your pout and scoff, “OK, fine. But I’m only staying if we play a game of hide and seek. It’s spooky season, after all. Well, technically, in my head it’s always spooky season, but you get it.”  

“You wanna play hide and seek...in the woods...in the dead of night...drunk?” You hoped there was enough moonlight so that she could see the incredulous look on your face. 

Wiggling her eyebrows, Liv bites her bottom lip and says, “All of those things together are so perfect. We’re drunk. It’s nighttime. Spoo-ooky woods all around. Come on, babe, the kid versions of us would be so proud to say we weren’t too scared to play hide and seek as adults with barely any wits about us.” As soon as she finishes speaking, the cutest little hiccup escapes her, and you can’t help but laugh and shake your head. 

“Fine! But I’m hiding first. Count to 30 so my drunk ass can find a good spot around here. And don’t cheat, Liv!” You direct her to face a tree and cover her eyes so she cannot sneak a peek at where you are going. You also make her count loudly so that she can barely hear your footsteps crunching over the leaves. 

Even drunk, you are surprised you can think of all that. You back up slowly, turning around to run in a full sprint in the opposite direction. When the tree cover blocks out the light of the moon, you slow down and pull out your phone to use the flashlight to light up your way. 

You don’t know if you got very far in 30 seconds or if Liv just stopped counting, but you can’t hear her anymore. You turn off your flashlight so she can’t use that to find you. You tip-toe forward in case she has gotten closer to you. You find a tree with large roots above ground and decide to try and hide in the little alcove it is shaped into. 

But something catches your eye. At first, you think someone is shining a flashlight or something a bit away from you. But flashlights don’t usually blink, do they? But if you can remember correctly, you’ve seen those glowing yellow eyes before.  

And now they were slowly moving toward you. The glow of the moon illuminated dark fur covering pointed ears and a muzzle that only hid its teeth for a moment. As those fangs came into view, a billow of hot breath turned into a smoke cloud in the frigid night air. The sudden huff of the beast made you realize you weren’t moving. You were standing stock-still while an imposing wolf thought about making you into its dinner.  

Turning on a dime, you begin to run further into the forest. Not looking where you were going, you didn’t see the pile of rocks in your path. Your right foot slips, and you fall face-first onto the unyielding ground. You grunt as your head connects with a sharp stone. Your head starts to swim as you try to lift yourself to continue running, another huff directly behind you scares you enough to flip over onto your back.  

Ringing starts in your ears, and you suddenly feel light-headed. You start to hyperventilate as the wolf comes closer. As tunnel vision closes in, you think you hear it whine softly. The last thing you feel is a wet snout against your temple and then nothingness. 

What was once the sensation of cold wetness is replaced by warmth as you start to regain consciousness. You reach a hand up to your forehead and feel a wet cloth being pressed against your temple. When your hand touches what is holding it there, your eyes shoot open, and you try and scuttle away.  

A firm hand grips your shoulder, and you find it hard to move. Turning your head slowly, you first look at the hand that holds you down. Thick fingers clutch your joint tightly, and the connected veiny forearm is covered in a smattering of dark chocolate hair. Even under an old woolen sweater, you can see the outline of a sizable bicep. The broad chest breathing heavily under that sweater triggers the onset of hyperventilation until the hand that was holding your shoulder moves away. 

When a warm palm touches your jaw, your eyes threaten to close. But when a thumb brushes your cheek, you finally lock eyes with...an angel? 

You can’t tell if the dimly lit room you are in is fuzzy or if you have a concussion. But if you were a betting person, your money would be on head trauma. Because there was no way he positioned himself in front of a light to have a slight glow about him. Maybe that just works like that? 

Deep cocoa brown curls are about ear-length on his head, but a few unruly strands are hanging above his slightly raised brow. Concerned aquamarine eyes with a touch of brown in the left iris aren’t enough to hide the growing bags under them. A strong nose sits in the center of his face. And a small, yet inviting, mouth is outlined by a dark beard speckled with a few greys here and there. 

“...best you lie back down.” The stranger speaks and you only catch the last bit of it because you were looking at his pretty face. 

“I...,” You start, your hoarse voice causing you to clear your throat, “I’m sorry, what did you say?” 

“I said, it’s probably best you lie back down. You’ve got quite a lump on your head. If I hadn’t found you when I did, who knows what could have happened?” With one hand grabbing for the warm compress, his other hand guides you back down to lay your head on a soft pillow. 

“Found me? Was there a wolf near me? He was huge and he chased after me and then I slipped and hit my head. And where am I? Where are we right now? Who are you? I need to get back to my friend.” Your words exit your mouth hastily as if you are in a rush to get the hell out of...wherever this is. 

“Try and stay calm. Yes, I found you not far from the trail. I didn’t see a wolf anywhere, though,” He pauses quickly, but picks right back up where he left off, “Ehm, my name is Walter. Walter Marshall. We’re in my cabin, just outside of Claw Creek. I didn’t see your friend anywhere but, as soon as this swelling goes down a bit, I can take you into town.” Walter speaks clearly and smoothly, his voice is dark yet pacifying, but it’s obvious that he doesn’t enjoy talking.  

“I guess I should give you my name,” You rattle off your name, and Walter nods, “I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you, Walter. But considering the circumstances of our meeting, this could have gone a lot differently. Not the way I hoped to end the night.” You laugh, mostly to yourself. 

“I should hope not. When I found you, you were still bleeding a bit. I was able to stitch you up and get you cleaned up. But I’d probably go and see a doctor first thing in the morning.” Walter suggests in a strong tone. 

“Thank you, Walter. I hate to think what would’ve happened to me had you not shown up when you did.” Your bottom lip quivers as you think the worst. 

“Hey. You’re stronger than you think. And the swelling has gone down some. Why don’t we get you back to town where you can get more rest?” Walter pats your shoulder and gets up from the chair he was sitting in. 

Your eyes follow him as he moves about the cabin. You realize that you hadn’t looked around before, so focused on him previously. It’s a nice, cozy place. Full of warm, rich colors and various little knickknacks on shelves. It lacks a woman’s touch, so to speak, what with all the antlers and not enough candles to cover the smell of a man. However, it suits the man who lives here. 

Grabbing a set of keys, Walter comes back to where you lay on the couch in the center of the room. He gently and slowly helps you up and off the soft furniture and guides you to his truck parked outside. He helps you into the passenger side, shutting the door when you’re seated, and walks around the front to get in the driver’s side. Turning the key in the ignition, the truck rumbles to life and you are on your way home. 

You’re rubbing your hands together and shoving them into your coat pockets before Walter gets the hint to turn on the heat. It’s only a couple of minutes before it is warm enough to be comfortable.  

The drive down the tree-lined road is mostly silent, save for the low music playing on the radio. Walter points out where he found you and you almost can’t believe you made it that far on foot when you reach the edge of town. But you were drunkenly competitive, so you had your eyes on the prize. 

Once you make it to town, you pass a curfew checkpoint and Walter supplies the officer with a story about how you two lost track of time while out of town. You thank him for the cover and direct him to stop at Olivia’s house to make sure she got home safely. Of course, you told him it was your place, and that Liv was your roommate. 

As handsome as he was, serial killers come in all shapes and sizes and no way were you giving this man your actual address. You’d apologize to Liv later. 

Once he stopped outside of her house, you went to unbuckle yourself and thank Walter for all his help. Protocol for this type of situation eluded you, so when you went for the door handle, you weren’t expecting his voice to stop you. 

“Do me a favor and be careful from now on. No more late-night drinking in the forest. It can be a dangerous place." His calm smile brings out the most adorable dimples and you resist the urge to poke them. 

“I promise. Scout’s honor. No more drunk forest parties. Thank you again for everything.” You place your hand on his arm and squeeze before exiting the truck and waving as you walk up the pathway to Liv’s house. 

The light on the porch turns on and your best friend rushes out and hugs you tightly, bringing you in from the cold as Walter drives off into the night. Once you are in the warmth of her home, she takes your coat and prepares you a cup of tea. She asks who brought you home and you tell her about your ordeal. 

When she asked if he was cute, you shouldn’t have been surprised but you still giggled bashfully. She also playfully swats you when you mention that you didn’t get his number. But that’s fine because at least you have his name.  

Once she deems you safe enough to be on your own, she drives you the few streets over to your home and has you promise to call her in the morning. You take off your boots at the door, remove your coat, and start to sling it over the back of one of your dining room chairs. As you look closer at your coat, you make a note to take it to the cleaners tomorrow. 

You survey the coat for any damage to the fabric and thankfully it just looks a bit dirty. You begin to wipe it with your hand and notice that it’s not all dirt on the coat. You can’t be sure, but if you had to guess what was on the sleeve and collar of the coat, you would say it was dog hair. 

Coarse, short dark-colored hairs that when you hold them under a lamp look to be an inky brown. You try and stop yourself from jumping to conclusions, but it is almost impossible not to do that very thing. If these truly were what you thought they were, that means that you didn’t hallucinate that giant wolf. He was there with you, and he didn’t eat you. 

You decided to get to the bottom of this. You’d schedule a check-up with your doctor in the morning. And after that, you would go back into the woods.  

In search of the wolf? Possibly. In search of the truth? Definitely. 

There was only one place to start. At Walter Marshall’s front door. 

To be continued... 

A/N: Walter is finally in the story!! Yay. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

**Tag List** 

@deandoesthingstome @cakesandtom @brattymum96 @ambinxe @avengersfan25 @kebabgirl67 @thabiddie23 @sweetandgentlecreature @foxyjwls007 @art2emily @titty-teetee @astheskycries @enchantedbytomandhenry @rebelangel1102 @milknhonies @peyton-warren @geralts-yenn @raccoon-eyed-rebel @cardierreh15 @viking-raider @imaslutforcuddles @ilovetaquitosmmmm @warriormirkwood @shellyshellshell @calwitch @meanlilbean @samahenoyrhye 

Let me know if you wanna be added (or removed) 😁 

[geralts-yenn]

Something like that - Part 1

Syverson (Sandcastle) x female reader (second-person pov) I tried to be as inclusive as possible (there's always room for improvement, please let me know how to do better...)

summary: this is the sequel to bonfire - Sy is finally taking you on a date

warnings: mentioning of masturbation, fingering, p-i-v sex (non barrier contraception - our sweeties are exclusive and have discussed protection)

word count: 3,5k

A/N: I got asked about the first date that my bonfire Sy promised at the end. Thank you for that, nonnie!😘

And then I started off with an idea, and then there was another, and another.... And when I was at 3,5k words and felt like I was halfway through the story, I decided I had to split this into two parts. So be patient, Sy is not done yet with reader...

Inspo boards for this part can be found here!

I'd love to get some feedback. Please don't hesitate to reblog, comment, ask. Like all my fellow writers, I long for every bit of interaction with my readers. If you want to make my day, hit reblog and tell me what you think🥰

taglist: @raccoon-eyed-rebel @deandoesthingstome @mayloma @fvckinghenrycavill @ylva-syverson @ellethespaceunicorn @kebabgirl67 @dopegardensaladhuman @kingliam2019 @peyton-warren

(please let me know if you want to be added or removed)

My masterlist

You were smiling when you heard the notification on your phone. Since Sy had taken you home after the night at the bonfire, he sent you a photo of him every morning. And every day these photos were getting more suggestive.

Today was no exception, and you spat your coffee over the table in surprise as you saw the picture of him, holding his mug in position to cover his bits, because - he wasn't wearing anything. A smug smile was playing on his lips. “Tonight's the night,“ was the text he sent you with it. 

You hadn’t been able to see each other all week, but tonight Sy was finally taking you on a date. 

You weren’t exactly nervous, but you had to admit you felt giddy when you thought about seeing him again, knowing that he felt the same for you as you did for him. After this long time of longing, you could finally be together. It wouldn’t be you if you didn’t get a little anxious.

What if this isn’t going the way you had dreamed about it so often? What if Sy realizes he doesn’t like you that much? What if you said something stupid…?

But then you tried to calm yourself down. You had been talking to each other every night and it went great. You had never laughed so much with a guy and this was something that you really could get used to. 

It was exactly 6pm when you heard the loud noise of a motorcycle. You looked out to the street and in fact, Sy was parking a bike in front of your house. A minute later the bell rang, and you were answering through the intercom. “Third floor” you told him and pressed the button to open the door.

You just realized how stupid it was to say that. He must have visited Megan in this apartment before, they were friends for years. 

You opened the door to your apartment and Sy was almost there, taking two steps at once. He wasn’t even out of breath when he stood before you, smiling. 

“Hi, beautiful!” he greeted you and gave you a small peck on your cheek. 

“Is this all I get?” you pouted at him, and with his smile growing wider, he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close. The kiss he pressed onto your lips now was nothing like that first one. It was fierce and greedy and hot. You opened your mouth for him and his tongue immediately started exploring and tasting you. 

When you finally pulled back, you both gasped for air and both of you were smiling like idiots. 

“So, we’re riding your bike?” you asked him with a raised eyebrow. Sy didn’t let you know what he had planned for you, so deciding what to wear was difficult enough. But now you stood there in your sundress and knew it wasn’t the right decision after all. 

Sy nodded with a guilty look on his face. 

„Sorry, last-minute decision. My truck let me down once again. So, it’s either my bike or you driving.“ He shrugged, looking apologetic.  

„I’m fine with the bike. Just come in for a minute, so I can get changed.“ You stepped back from the door to let him in. Sy rubbed his hand over his scalp and this shy gesture melted your heart.

As he entered your apartment you took in his appearance. He was wearing a blue Henley shirt that accentuated his beautiful eyes. Tight-fitting jeans hugged his thighs exactly in the right places. And the brown leather jacket could hardly hide what a bulk of a man he was. You were a lucky girl for sure!

You gestured for him to sit down as you hurried into your bedroom. There were piles of clothes spread over your bed, and you grabbed a simple black shirt and some skinny jeans. A minute later, you were back at Sy and, considering the way his eyes traveled over your curves, you had made the right choices.

You took your leather jacket and your backpack and held out your hand for Sy. He took it with a grin and let you try to pull him up from your couch. He didn't help with his weight, so you didn't stand a chance. Instead, Sy snorted and pulled at your arm himself, and you found yourself on his lap the next second. 

"I like you on top of me!" he whispered in your ear with his voice even lower than usual. Then he started to kiss you once more.

Right when you thought your date would both start and end with the two of you making out on your couch, Sy got up with you still cradled in his arms. He carried you to your door where he let you back down to your feet slowly. "Let's get you something to eat, sugar!" he told you and pressed a kiss on your nose. 

It had been a while since you were sitting on a motorbike, but with your arms around Sy's waist, you felt like it was the best place to be in the world. 

You enjoyed the wind in your hair and the scents that filled your nose as Sy drove you along fields and meadows.

After some time, the scenery changed into mountains. The road took a lot of turns and curves that made you enjoy the ride even more, as you clung to Sy’s body every time he tilted the bike around the corners.

Another fifteen minutes later, you saw where Sy was taking you to. There was a huge ferris wheel and other rides, crowds of people making their way around food stalls and stages.

When he stopped the engine, you hopped down onto the ground, your legs still trembling from the vibrations of the bike ride. Sy immediately wrapped an arm around your waist and kissed your forehead.

"You good?" he asked and you just nodded. Another small peck on your temple and then Sy guided you through the crowds. He asked you where you wanted to go first. You didn't need time to think about it, a smile plastered over your face as you turned to the huge swing ride. 

"Oh fuck!" Sy groaned as he realized. "I've never been in one of those. I can't promise I won't get sick." You chuckled as you saw that big bear of a man nervously gulping as he watched the chairs flying around the pole. 

"Come on, Sy! You can hold my hand if it makes you feel better!" you teased him. You couldn't believe this was what made the big army captain feel anxious. And it amused you way more than it should.

When you were seated, you held out your arm, and you couldn't help but fall even more for him as you felt Sy's big warm hand wrapping around yours. 

Just another minute later, all the doubts were washed away from Sy's face and he was grinning from ear to ear as your chairs whirled over the festival grounds. He even asked you for a second round. 

But after that, you could convince him to get some food. You strolled along the stalls and decided to get some burgers.

Sy ate two of them and helped you with your fries when you couldn't fit any more into you. Smiling, you brushed some barbecue sauce from his beard and kissed him.

When you both had finished your meal, you meandered around the stands, holding hands. Sy got you some cotton candy and you headed to a calmer area at the side of the fair, where the two of you sat down on the grass. After you put the last bit of sugary fluff into your mouth, Sy licked over your lips, stealing a kiss from you.

"You're the sweetest thing, darlin" he drawled into your ear, brushing his lips once more over your neck. Goosebumps spread all over your skin.

"Good decision?" he asked you, smiling.

You mirrored the soft look on his face. "Letting you take me on a date? Definitely yes!" you nudged your elbow playfully into his ribs, but he didn’t even flinch.

Sy chuckled. "I was more thinking about if you liked the festival but good to know you don't regret that night at the bonfire yet."

You saw the mischief in his eyes, he knew exactly what he made you feel. But that didn’t stop him from teasing you further. “How about my messages? Did you like those, too?” 

Oh, yes, you did like them, a lot. You noticed heat crawling up your neck when you thought about that last picture he sent you this morning. And what you did after you saw it. His grin only got wider as he watched you, standing there with red ears, not answering.

“What?” he asked, laughing. You cleared your throat. Somehow you desperately needed a sip of water. Sy cheekily grinned at you, his eyebrows raised. 

“I liked them,” you simply said. But Sy didn’t let go of that topic. “How much did you like that last one?” Without even noticing, you bit your lip as you thought about that selfie that showed almost every benefit Sy’s body had. You couldn’t fight back a small laugh. “Too much” you murmured.

That was undoubtedly what Sy was hoping for. “Tell me what it did to you, sugar.” His voice was deep as he dragged out his words. 

Okay, he wouldn’t let go, he wanted you to tell him. So, it was time to be bold: 

“I went back into my bedroom after I cleaned up the coffee that I spat all over the kitchen.” You were pleased as you noticed that tiny bit of surprise on Sy’s face over your confession. But this was just for a second before his expression fell back to the smug smile that you knew so well by now.

You didn’t think his voice could drop any lower, but it did. “What did you do in your bedroom?” Damn, he really wanted you to say it. Cheeky bastard! Maybe it was time to make him shut up.

“I dropped my panties and got rid of my shirt, too. Then I got my favorite toy out of my night stand. I put my phone with your photo on my pillow, started to tease myself with that rabbit vibrator and pinched my nipples with my other hand. I edged myself for several minutes, but then I came hard all over my hand, thinking of you.”

Now it was on you to give him a mischievous grin. Sy’s face showed something entirely different. His eyes were wide and dark. His gaze appeared to be hungry, almost feral.

Sy’s Adam’s apple bopped as he swallowed hard. “We need to get away from here, now!” he said. “I need you somewhere where we’re alone” The way he said it made you press your thighs together in an unsuccessful attempt to keep your composure. You needed him, and he needed you.

You pulled him close and the kiss you pressed onto his lips was probably a little too much of PDA, but you just didn't care. 

And Sy didn’t care either apparently. He got to his feet, pulling you with him. And as he guided you back to his motorcycle, the whole way back to the parking lot he couldn't keep his hands to himself. You felt them on the small of your back, on your arms, on your hips… 

Without any further words, you got onto his bike. You were certain that Sy would bring you to his home, but after only a few minutes you realized he was driving in a different direction. You asked yourself where you were heading as Sy took a turn onto a narrow dirt road. The road led you through some woods and you were really glad that you trusted Sy. This wasn't a typical location choice for a first date.

But when Sy stopped his motorcycle, you were in awe. There was a cute little cabin in front of you, right by the edge of a lake. It had a wooden walkway that stretched from the house to the water. 

Sy wordlessly guided you to the pier. He couldn't have used his mouth to talk because he just didn't stop spilling kisses all over your neck and shoulders.

While maneuvering you onto the deck, he managed to take off your jacket as well as his own. He threw both of them carelessly onto the floor.

"Sy, this is beautiful!" you told him and he just hummed in approval into your ear as he started lapping on your earlobe.

A gasp escaped your mouth at the sensation. That was a weak spot of yours. And Sy immediately took note of it and used it against you. Soon he had you squirming in his arms. 

He led you to sink onto a large sun lounger and followed you, kneeling between your thighs. Sy definitely had just one goal right now and you couldn’t blame him. You had teased him just a little too much.

He worked on your jeans and after he was still struggling with the tight piece of clothes a minute later, you took pity on him and helped him to get the stubborn fabric down your thighs. Your shirt, on the other hand, was no challenge for Sy and so you were finally spread out in front of him, only in your panties and bra.

You had chosen your best set of lingerie for him, but Sy couldn’t have cared less right now. He opened your bra and tossed it to the side, sinking his face between your boobs. 

His hands roamed over your sides, his fingers brushing with surprising tenderness over the swell of your breasts, your ribs and your waist. When they found the elastics of your panties, your last piece of garment was gone, too. As he sank his head further down your stomach, you stopped him. Sy gave you a displeased grunt as you tugged on his neck and pulled him up to your face again.

“I’ll let you do whatever you have on your mind in a minute, but please let me enjoy the view, too!” you purred. You tugged on his shirt and Sy took the hint in a second and hopped out of his clothes as fast as he could. 

You couldn’t suppress a needy whimper as he towered over you, his cock standing proud between his thighs. The last time you had him naked in front of you, it was dark and you were nervous and confused. You were still a bit nervous, but this time you took your time to take in his breathtaking appearance.

“Like what you see?” he asked, his smug grin once more showing. You bit your lip and pulled him down to you.

“I like it very much. Now show me what it feels like.” You cupped his butt cheeks in a firm grip and grinded your hips up to him. You moaned as you felt his erection press against you. But Sy pulled out of your embrace as he lay down on his side next to you.

“Let me take care of you first, sugar,” he rustled in between placing soft kisses all over your throat and chest. His hand moved over your thighs and with gentle pressure on your knee, he parted them. You squirmed as his fingers made their way back up your inner thighs. Then they finally helped you ease the ache that throbbed in your core.

Sy’s fingers brushed through your slick folds and circled your clit, enticing desperate moans from you. Sy answered your sounds with a deep groan himself. His other hand joined his ministrations on your pussy, he gathered your arousal and then pushed one finger into you.

Your head fell back. As if he could sense your needs, he hit every spot just right. A second finger joined, and with every pump, you felt the tension building inside of you. A few more jolts and you snapped, your rapture washing over you.

Still trying to catch your breath, you opened your eyes to see that cheeky bastard’s face over you, his grin showing how pleased he was with what he’d done to you. He bent down for a heated kiss and moved to settle between your legs once more.

He positioned himself and then you felt how he sank into you. Taking his time, he slowly stretched your walls, inch for inch until he was finally buried in you to the hilt.

A deep growl rustled through his chest. “Taking me so well, princess!” he praised you. His strokes were slow. Too slow. You wrapped your legs around his waist and pressed your heels into his back. “Please!” you whimpered.

“So needy! What do you want, sugar? Use your words!” He stopped moving completely and gazed deeply into your eyes. He really got off by teasing you, wanted to hear you plead. 

“Damn, Sy, stop making love and start fucking me!” 

He chuckled satisfied and then he fulfilled your wish. His arms wrapped around your legs and pulled your hips up to him. He lay your calves on his shoulders and started to pound hard into you. The sounds of your bodies slamming together mixed with your pants and moans. Drops of sweat were running down Sy’s temples. 

He spread his thighs further apart and with this he slammed into you even deeper than before. You watched his abs spasm with every thrust. His movements got more erratic. His grunts were desperate and shaky now. Just seeing him like this pushed you close to your second orgasm. 

“Just like that!” you begged. “Please, I’m so close!” Sy moaned loudly at your confession. He tried to keep up his rhythm and finally, he felt your walls clench around his cock as he had brought you over the edge. 

Sy pulled back, letting your ass and legs sink back onto the mattress. You winced in protest as he slipped out of you, but Sy pressed a hard kiss onto your lips. “Shhh, darlin.” he muttered. He towered between your legs and pumped himself, watching you as you lay before him in post orgasmic bliss. He needed just a few strokes and then thick ropes of cum spurted over your stomach and tits. With his hips quivering, he pressed the last drops of his semen out of him and then he slumped down next to you. 

He pressed a kiss onto your temple and took some deep breaths. As you started to move, he stopped you by pressing a hand on your shoulder.

“Wait, darlin!” he told you. “Please, let me take a photo of you!” He sounded so casual for asking something so filthy, you just couldn’t suppress a laugh. 

“What, really?” You felt shy, but also kind of proud. The thought that he wanted to keep a memory of him marking you like that, felt strangely exciting.

You felt heat burning up your neck, but you nodded. Sy got up with a broad smile on his face and searched through his clothes that were spread all over the deck. He came back with his phone in his hand and pressed another small peck on your cheek before he leaned back and took some photos of you. You turned your head away, but Sy reassured you.

“You’re the most gorgeous thing ever, darlin! You can’t imagine what these pictures will do to me whenever I’m going to miss you.” 

That made you laugh. You turned back to Sy, as he lay down beside you again. “I’m pretty sure I know what you will do with these pictures, Sy!” you told him, grinning. Sy mirrored your expression and winked. “The same thing as you did with my picture, sugar. We’re even now.” 

You stirred on the lounger, slowly feeling more uncomfortable. You were still naked, it was getting colder and you still had Sy’s cum all over you. 

“Sy...” you asked, “do I have to worry about the owner coming around the corner with a rifle or can we actually get into that cabin?”

Sy realized your struggle, and got up with a guilty grimace showing on his face. 

“Stay, I’ll get you something to clean up.” he said. You admired his backside as he was wandering around on the pier in his birthday suit.

He grabbed his jacket and fished for some keys in its pocket. As he unlocked the door he turned to you, grinning. "My cousin owns the cabin, he knows we're here, so you should be safe."

A minute later, Sy came back with some towels in his arm and to your disappointment one wrapped around his waist. He sat down beside you and cleaned the reminiscents of his climax from your skin with a warm washcloth. Then he wrapped you up in a soft towel and kissed you softly.

Part 2

[blackberrysummerblog]

Happy Sunday, everyone! We’re almost halfway through October, can you believe it? Thank you for the tags on Wednesday and today, @monbons, @wellbelesbian & @drowninginships, and to everyone who’s been tagging me lately. I haven’t written as much as might be hoped, but I’ve become very wrapped up in learning to knit this past month & a half. I’ve been learning mostly from reading and pestering @rimeswithpurple with questions every night, & her endless patience is probably the only reason I’m now at the point where I may be able to start my first project—it’s a cowl, & I’ll only be thrilled just to try something beyond the basic stitches that it took me ridiculously long to learn, lol.

But, I have done some writing, so here’s a bit from Chapter 4 of Time Will Lie Down and Be Still. It was really fun to show a light-hearted Baz-Dev interaction, since the story’s had some tense parts up til now. Dev POV:

“Did you know he swings both ways? A mage and a slut.”

I narrow my eyes and draw in a breath, and suddenly the whispering turns to croaks—the old bullyfrog spell I used to threaten classmates with back in the day. “Baz!” I hiss, scandalised. 

“Wasn’t me,” he says flatly. 

“Well I didn’t do it!” I press the back of my fist against my mouth and when I turn to Baz, he’s doing the same. We collapse against each other in a fit of ill-concealed giggles while Tessa and Timothy Avondale croak in wide-eyed horror.

And that’s it! Thanks so much to everyone reading along. We’re in the home stretch of it, but there’s still a lot ahead. Have a great week!

No pressure tags to everyone above, as well as @palimpsessed, @thewholelemon, @hushed-chorus, @nausikaaa, @artsyunderstudy,. @larkral, @raenestee, @cutestkilla, @youarenevertooold, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @stardustasincocaine, @letraspal, @valeffelees, @aristocratic-otter, @shrekgogurt, @tender-ministrations, @mooncello, @imagineacoolusername, @c0nsumemy5oul, @iamamythologicalcreature, @j-nipper-95, @facewithoutheart, @fatalfangirl, @beastmonstertitan, @stitchy-queerista, @bookish-bogwitch, @raenestee, @ic3-que3n, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @fiend-for-culture, @supercutedinosaurs, @alexalexinii, @asocialpessimist, @forabeatofadrum, @roomwithanopenfire, @supercutedinosaurs, @orange-peony, @shutup-andletme-go @prettygoododds, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, and anybody with something to share! ❤️

[edenmemes]

last of us (show) starters

ep1- 9. 

❝ your t-shirt’s inside out. ❞ ❝ you already know i’m bad at lying. ❞ ❝ you are the person i never wanted to be in debt to. but i owe you. ❞ ❝ after all we’ve been through...everything i’ve done...it can’t be for nothing. ❞ ❝ you know what i see when i look at you? me. you remind me of me. ❞ ❝ i need you to take a breath. ❞ ❝ there’s a leader in you. one day, it could be your turn. ❞ ❝ i never liked you, but still, it’s like we’re friends. almost. ❞ ❝ we’re gonna be brave, and we’re gonna get out of this. ❞ ❝ can’t tell you how exciting it was listening to that fucking conversation. ❞ ❝ there you are. i was getting worried. ❞ ❝ a bad reputation doesn’t mean you’re bad. ❞ ❝ how about we just talk this through? ❞ ❝ this isn’t gonna end well. ❞ ❝ when we’re done, we’ll go wherever you want. ❞ ❝ you’re a dangerous person. you’ve certainly proved that. ❞ ❝ i started worrying you wouldn’t wake up. ❞ ❝ we can help each other. and get that gun out of my face. ❞ ❝ i think i’m gonna love you for a long, long time. ❞ ❝ there’s stuff up there you shouldn’t see. ❞ ❝ you ask a lot of goddamn questions. ❞ ❝ you know, i used to be scared of these people. ❞ ❝ i mean...our luck had to run out sooner or later. ❞ ❝ like to think, for once, we could finally win? ❞ ❝ i mean, it’s the long way or the ‘we’re fucking dead’ way. ❞ ❝ you mumble in your sleep. ❞ ❝ wait, who gave you the black eye? ❞ ❝ no. no questions. just do it. ❞ ❝ you can’t fight everything and everyone. you can pick and choose what’s important. ❞ ❝ nobody’s gonna be coming after you, right? ❞ ❝ you stay close and you follow my lead. ❞ ❝ there’s no halfway with this. we finish what we started. ❞ ❝ you’re a natural leader. you’re smart, loyal...violent. ❞ ❝ it’s a miracle you’re alive. ❞ ❝ okay, rocky start. could’ve been worse, though. ❞ ❝ you know what i’m in the mood for? shitty puns. ❞ ❝ it doesn’t matter. you have to trust me. ❞ ❝ you know, people like to tell stories. ❞ ❝ i’m not in the mood for this. i’m really not in the mood. ❞ ❝ you have a greater purpose than any of us could’ve ever imagined. ❞ ❝ how about we start with ‘thank you’? ❞ ❝ i’d like to go home and drink ‘til my face stops hurting. ❞ ❝ i want you to forget this ever happened. ❞ ❝ i believe everything happens for a reason. ❞ ❝ you can’t be stupid like this. ❞ ❝ you so hungry for vengeance? deliver it. ❞ ❝ i’m not going anywhere with you. ❞ ❝ if we come up against anything, you get behind me and you stay there, okay? ❞ ❝ i’m trying to keep you alive. ❞ ❝ did it make you feel better? did it make you feel safe? ❞ ❝ that’s not my fucking home. ❞ ❝ i don’t want your sorries. ❞ ❝ don’t blame me for something that isn’t my fault. ❞ ❝ oh, finally, some fucking luck. ❞ ❝ you won’t survive for long out here. i can protect you. ❞ ❝ no more questions about me. ❞ ❝ you want your jacket back? ❞ ❝ fuck you, man. i didn’t ask for this. ❞ ❝ besides, it’s the thought that counts. ❞ ❝ wasn’t my fault this time. ❞ ❝ i'm sorry, but this has gone on too long. ❞ ❝ i’ve had...more good days with you than with anyone else. ❞ ❝ i need you to take a breath. ❞ ❝ can we start a fire? i’m freezing. ❞ ❝ the darkness is falling, the sky has turned gray. ❞ ❝ matter of fact, we can just keep our histories to ourselves. ❞ ❝ you stay here. you hear anything, yell. ❞ ❝ maybe there's nothing bad out there, but so far there's always been something bad out there. ❞ ❝ so...is it everything you hoped for? ❞ ❝ what do you want me to say? ❞ ❝ you okay? you just seem extra quiet today. ❞ ❝ are you okay? you’re not hurt? nothing? ❞ ❝ there’s no way anyone knows we’re here, right? ❞ ❝ you do what i say when i say it. we clear? ❞ ❝ where would you be without me, huh? ❞ ❝ i’ve been on both sides. ❞ ❝ let’s just handle what we have to handle. ❞ ❝ is it everything you hoped for? ❞ ❝ it doesn’t matter how much you push the envelope, it will always be stationary. ❞ ❝ you hungry? you can share some of mine. ❞ ❝ have i committed a crime? ❞ ❝ it’s got its ups and downs...but you can’t deny that view. ❞ ❝ those things i did...those things that you judge me for, i did those things to keep us alive. ❞ ❝ i swear, i’ve told you everything i know. ❞ ❝ i don’t wanna talk about it. ❞ ❝ just because life stopped for you...doesn’t mean it has to stop for me. ❞ ❝ i'm alone and forsaken by fate and by man. ❞ ❝ here. this make you all nostalgic? ❞ ❝ thanks for still giving a shit about me. ❞ ❝ i am the bad guy because i did a bad guy thing. ❞ ❝ you keep your eyes on me. and don’t look anywhere else. ❞ ❝ i know this hurts. you’re gonna be okay. ❞ ❝ you think i’ve never done shit like that? ❞ ❝ maybe we just call this one a success and say our fond farewells. ❞ ❝ it isn’t fair, your age...having to deal with all of this. ❞ ❝ i was never afraid before you showed up. ❞ ❝ swear to me. swear to me that everything you said is true. ❞ ❝ do i not look scared? ❞ ❝ just a reminder that if you’re dead, i’m fucked. ❞ ❝ what else am i supposed to say? ❞ ❝ it’s not too late. even now...even after what you’ve done. ❞ ❝ i’m sorry. i have no other choice. ❞ ❝ if you just keep going...you find something new to fight for. ❞ ❝ we did what we needed to survive. ❞ ❝ is that what i am? am i one of the ‘wrong people’? ❞ ❝ i shouldn’t have said what i said. i don’t know your situation. ❞ ❝ i don’t wanna hurt you. i wanna help you. ❞ ❝ look, sometimes things don’t work out the way we hope. ❞ ❝ when do we tell the others? ❞ ❝ well, this is what happens when you fuck with fate. ❞ ❝ i saw what you did...the way you killed those men. ❞ ❝ but first, you have to do something for me. ❞ ❝ be careful who you put your faith in. the only people who can betray us...are the ones we trust.  ❞ ❝ you see my face? do i look scared? ❞ ❝ stay awake with me. ❞ ❝ it’s dangerous, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. ❞ ❝ there’s a whole lot you’re not telling me. ❞ ❝ how about you shut the fuck up? ❞ ❝ i would very much like for you to hurt them. ❞ ❝ what i’m about to tell you cannot be repeated to anyone. ❞ ❝ they’re gonna catch us if we don’t run. ❞ ❝ everybody i have cared for has either died or left me. everybody, fսcking except for you. ❞ ❝ lately, there are these moments where the fear comes up outta nowhere. ❞ ❝ i’m not looking for any trouble. ❞ ❝ i think maybe we got a little off on the wrong foot. ❞ ❝ i came here to save you. ❞ ❝ they’re not following us. i think we’re safe. ❞ ❝ i just ran away for a bit, that’s all. ❞ ❝ i thought you were dead. ❞ ❝ you think i can still handle things, but...i’m not who i was. ❞ ❝ oh, maybe i shouldn’t have said anything. ❞ ❝ i should fucking stab you. ❞ ❝ seriously, though, how the fuck do you do that? ❞ ❝ well, i...i don’t know how to swim. ❞ ❝ what the fuck is wrong with you, sneaking up on me like that? ❞ ❝ holy shit, are you dying? ❞ ❝ i was just trying to imagine you wearing that. ❞ ❝ was that the first dead body you ever saw? ❞ ❝ i wasn’t gonna say i’m sorry. i was gonna say that i’ve been thinking about what happened. ❞ ❝ how about you just take the good news? ❞ ❝ why did you bring me here? ❞ ❝ we can just be all poetic and lose our minds together. ❞ ❝ god help any motherfuckers who stand in our way. ❞ ❝ you stay down, you stay low, you stay quiet. ❞ ❝ that easy to give everything up, huh? ❞ ❝ are you gonna kill me? this seems like a perfect place to do it. ❞ ❝ you shouldn’t have had to. i’m sorry. ❞ ❝ you know, you really shouldn’t be all out here on your own. ❞ ❝ turn around and walk away. just go. ❞ ❝ i’ll follow you anywhere you go. ❞ ❝ hold me close to my heart. ❞ ❝ it’s hard to trust strangers. i know. ❞ ❝ i need to know you’re with me. ❞ ❝ the longer i was away...the harder it was to come back. ❞ ❝ did you kill innocent people? ❞ ❝ as much as i love arguing with your stubborn ass...we’re on a mission here. ❞ ❝ don't tell me that i’d be safer with somebody else because the truth is i would just be more scared. ❞ ❝ you have no idea what loss is. ❞ ❝ you’re the one thing i missed from that fucking place. ❞ ❝ when we were talking about hurting people...what did you mean it wasn’t your first time? ❞ ❝ i can’t fucking do this without you. ❞ ❝ it was a joke, okay? in my mind, you loved it. ❞ ❝ well then, give me your hand. ❞ ❝ they haven’t lost faith in you. they’re just scared. ❞ ❝ goddamn it, i wanna punch you so bad. ❞ ❝ looks different in the daylight, huh? ❞ ❝ i know you mean well. i know you wanna protect me. ❞

[lifewithdavefarts]

DaveFarts - Episode 25 “Endurance Test” [Episode List] Tim gets a bit too cocky and challenges his gassy friend by (jokingly) doubting of his farting skills. Dave, whose farts are being as powerful as usual, if not more, gladly accepts the challenge.

This story was originally requested by StraightFartGods.

POV: Tim

The weather outside, despite being warm, wasn’t the best so our plans for the night, being a group of friends who’s starting to surrender way too easily (it’s because once you’re past 25, you get instantly old), we all decided to stay home, our respective homes even, so Dave and I ended up alone. We don’t mind that much.

Dave likes going out way more than me (though it’s not like I don’t know how to have fun) but he too cherishes some good, safe alone-time to recharge social batteries: we’re much more similar than we’d like to admit, which is why we get along so well. They say we’re “the odd couple”, but I think that weirdos simply attract each other naturally, even though they can look very different at first.

“Alright.” Dave said, walking into the living room. He was dressed as if we had to leave, so a grey shirt and a pair of good old dark blue jeans, slightly loose because he untied his belt. “I’m starving.”

“Pizza?” I simply asked.

“The day I’m gonna answer ‘No’ to that is the day you’ll know a skinwalker took my place.”

The power of pizza.

Even though we didn’t actively plan for it, the night slowly morphed into a “movie night”, just the two of us on the couch eating pizza and watching a cheesy, manly, toxic action movie that we can recite by memory because of how many times we watched it: “Bullet Gore”. Now that’s a title!

“Your face is history.” the male hero said, right before turning somebody’s head to bits with his shotgun.

We cheered as and had a sip of beer as if our baseball team scored the match point and enjoyed the unnecessary but fun gore sequences of the film.

“Too bad they ruined everything with the sequel.” Dave commented.

“Aw come on. It’s worse, but not that bad.” I replied.

“Never watched and never will.” he stated, taking a good sip of beer.

By the time the movie was halfway done (it was a surprisingly long flick), I had to turn up the volume because of some noises next to me making me difficult to hear what the characters were saying.

Indeed, Dave started farting, the way he does during nights like these, with pizza and beer acting as fuel for his already incredible talent. He was resting both his legs on the small table in front of the couch, his denim ass facing the TV, so I didn’t have a proper full view of it. I could, however, hear every single blast echoing in the room, with the terrible scent immediately following each thunder.

I would love to say that he was doing this because of my kink, but this is actually what being Dave’s close friend means: you better get used to his farts, because he’s gonna just casually do it in front of you whether you like it or not. He wasn’t even acknowledging that he was ripping one every few minutes, huge ones nonetheless, though once or twice he did snap his fingers to get me to turn to him, so I could see his smirk as he ripped one. Once again, he does this with our other friends as well, but he does seem to put some extra “care” into the teasing part because he knows I actually, well, like it.

But everyone’s got limits: the farts were huge, not overly long, but incredibly stinky. Even for my standards, it was getting a bit… stuffy in there, so I actually went for it.

“I know this is weird coming from me, but… can you tone it down a bit?”

Dave slowly turned to me with a serious, surprised face, and effortlessly replied by ripping a loud, almost wet one, renewing the stench he was immune to. This time it was one of his longer ones, around 7 seconds long.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you.” he managed to say while farting. “Did you say something?”

After the fart ended and a few moments of silence (ignoring the TV), I opened my mouth to speak again, but my friend’s ass spoke first, emitting another loud, long rip.

Dave gestured to his ear and slowly shook his head, as to say the he still couldn’t hear me, as if we were in a loud nightclub, but the only music piercing through my own eardrums was my bro’s loud fart.

That ridiculous scene actually made me laugh like an idiot, while also giving me the hardest boner so far of the night.

9 seconds and the rip was over.

“So, I did it.” Dave said. “You’ve been healed. I blasted your kink out of you.” he joked.

“Please…” I played along. “Those were like… low-tier farts, for your standards.”

“True.” he playfully admitted. “So don’t tempt me.” he threatened. 

I hated that I found that… hot.

“I’m n-not… I’m just s-saying that the entire room smells like, I don’t know, rotten beer? Is t-that even possible?”

Dave laughed. “If only there was something or someone who could fix this!”

“What are you implying…?” I asked.

“Well…” Dave sat normally on the couch. “I assumed your lungs were better than this. But apparently you just can’t handle my power.” he said, with a cheesy smirk.

“Oh…” I got what he meant. “Well, maybe I’m not complaining because of you’re farting too much.” I leaned closer to him, as if we were doing some shady business. “Maybe I’m complaining because you’re not farting enough.” I dared to say.

My friend replied with a surprised laughter. “Are you seriously challenging me?” he didn’t sound offended or disgusted, just amused. But he can get cocky.

“Wanna bet?” I asked, indeed challenging him.

“Alright, get up.” 

Dave stood up and I did the same: it truly looked like we were doing a business meeting.

“Challenge accepted.” he continued, and we firmly shook hands. “If I win, beers are on you for 3 months.” 

“Deal.” I replied. “But if I win, we’re gonna watch ‘Bullet Gore 2’ later.”

While still shaking hands, Dave looked at me funny. 

“Really? That’s it?” he replied, with a smile. “All of this just to watch a shitty movie with me?”

Funny how that’s the thing he found weird instead of, you know, the boner his farts give me.

“Yeah. Pretty gay, huh?” I joked.

“Okay…” he nodded, still somewhat surprised. “It’s a deal.”

We once again had this super manly handshake going on, just as an helicopter in the movie exploded in a fiery fireball, killing a bunch of henchmen and one of the main villains, with the shirtless muscular hero saying something like “Burn in Hell, you son of a bitch!”. Probably the manliest moment I ever lived through.

“So, let’s hear those toots.” I said, bravely.”

“Toots?” my friend replied. “I’m gonna blast your face so hard you’re gonna regret having this kink…”.

Dave casually threatening me like this… got me instantly hard. I knew he was just playing along but goddammit, why am I like this? Why is he like this? Why the fuck did I even accept this bet?! As my own mind made fun of me, my bro lied on this stomach on the couch, his tall figure occupying all of it, his nice jeans-clad ass facing up, looking like a soft warm denim pillow.

I simply managed to sit between his long legs and planted my face into that ass, still stinky for all the farts he ripped until that moment. My nose wasn’t facing down however, as I didn’t want to make it weird.

“Dude.” I heard Dave say. “Honestly, your lack of commitment to your fart kink disappoints me”. he then laughed, reaching for my head. “Be a man and face my ass.” he said, pushing my head deeper between his denim asscheeks.

I tried not to laugh myself at that weird statement, so I just obeyed and turned my head, facing down, now fully at the mercy of my friend’s powerful butt. I took a good whiff, enjoying the smell of almost 1 hour of loud, post-pizza blasts. As I did that, I felt the ass’ muscles relaxing, a sign that Dave was pushing one out, and indeed it came out immediately: an ear-piercing blast and made my face shake, almost wet-sounding, felt like a slap on my face. 

My task was clear: not a single particle of gas had to reach Dave’s nose, so I inhaled it deeply and loudly as the fart kept erupting straight down my nostrils. I inhaled so hard and for so long that I actually surprisingly outlasted my friend’s 9 seconds: now the only noise we both could hear (besides someone getting shot in the movie) was me breathing his gas in… which made me realize how weird that was.

Am I making this weird? Too… “porn-y” for my straight friend? I love that he has no problems with me and my kink, but I don’t want to cross certain lines you know. He’s not saying anything… but his silence only makes it worse. I had to make sure.

“Dave.” I said, my voice being muffled by his ass, which made him laugh. “Am I making this weird?”

My friend simply turned his head, trying to look at me. I managed to get a quick look of his facial expression but the only thing on his face was a cocky smirk.

“Not weirder than usual to me.” he simply said. He then reached for my head, making it bounce a bit in his ass. “…Ready?”

Another fart erupted, which itself was Dave’s real answer to my question: “it’s fine”, he knows what this kink is by now, and he’s the one who basically challenged me to sniff it all up. Plus, if he was weirded out he knew he could just tell me and I wouldn’t be offended: we’re all adults here after all.

So there I was, my nose enduring some of the worst rips my friend ever gifted to me, the sheer power of those blasts being raunchier than his usual for some reason, maybe because of the beers being warmer or the mozzarella on the pizza being spoiled. No idea.

Or maybe it was just Dave putting extra efforts into his farts, if that was even possible. He’s the Fart King after all, so if he was somehow able to set custom pitch, loudness and power for each farts he ripped I wouldn’t have been surprised. Then again, he could even fart on command, so maybe he doesn’t need more buffs than he already has.

“Your face is history” my friend said, in a deeper voice, a clear reference to the masterpiece we were watching earlier.

And just like the henchman from the movie, my head was blown away by a sheer deadly force, this time in the form of Dave’s being unhinged, each natural blast somehow bigger and better than the previous one. I feel like that it doesn’t matter how this bet goes: I’m winning by simply having a bro like him.

I kept sniffing it all up as the blast rushed down my throat. He was good at farting, but I was also good at taking it. It’s like I said: weirdos work better together!

Yeah, I was taking it all like a champ.

“I could do this all night you know.” he boasted, during a rare moment of his ass being silent.

“What a coincidence: me too!” I bragged.

“Ohhhh… someone’s getting cocky back there.”

Dave really wanted those free beers, huh? He once again reached for my head and, with a firm grip, pushed it deeper down his warm denim ass, now almost sagging.

“Let’s see if you can keep your promise, shall we?” that was a threat.

There was like 10 seconds of silence, 10 never-ending seconds, but I just knew Dave was brewing something big, as he kept my head there (not that I was planning to move it anyway). Finally, he turned to me, with a cheesy grin, purposely trying to look like some kind of serial killer from a slasher movie before finish his victim off. 

And then he hit me with his weapon of choice: the loudest fart I heard that night. It was big, it was powerful, it was deep, long. His hand didn’t move and my whole face was shaking because of the sheer power of the blast; I had to close my eyes ‘cause the gas was making them burn. How was it possible to fart so naturally and casually like this for him will always be beyond me… but I didn’t care. I managed to breathe that monster in with my mouth open, almost choking on my friend’s deadly gas.

Dave loved the challenge, but two can play this game! I could tell he was amused, disgusted and surprised by how good I was at enduring his powerful rips.

And finally, after 16 whole seconds, that impressive display of flatulence was over, not a single particle of gas reaching my farter-friend’s nostrils, as I promised.

“I believe you’re losing your touch.” I mocked him.

“With all the farts you've been eating, of course you'd be talking shit you ungrateful bastard!”

“Ohhhh sorry, someone's a little touchy.” I kept teasing him.

“Alright, I’m done holding back.” he sounded comically annoyed by my impressive endurance.

My friend slowly turned over until he was lying on his back, making sure he didn’t accidentally kick me with his long legs. He now assumed a more familiar position, the one he usually has when blasting me. He cocked his legs up, showing off his denim ass and a tiny bit of his red boxer brief, and wrapped his legs around me, pulling me closer to his gas source. His long legs had an even stronger grip than his hand, and my whole face was now completely planted into my friend’s ass.

“I’m feeling merciful tonight, so I’m giving you the chance to surrender now.” he stated, as his legs held me still, keeping my nose right between the rough fabric of his jeans-clad buttcheeks.

“Never.” I boasted. “…unless, you know, you actually want to stop because this is getting too weir-“

“Shut up!” he cut me off. “You just had to ruin my villainous speech, didn’t you?!” he laughed.

I just didn’t know what to say.

“Again, this is your last chance bro.”

I played along, knowing he was okay with it. “Hit me with your best shot, but don’t wound what you can’t kill.”

We both laughed like immature idiots, but Dave took my words at heart, because once we were done laughing at that ridiculous moment, he felt air being sucked inside his anus.

Yes, he switched to “on-command” mode, his secret weapon, his final secret move. Despite my face being there, my bro didn’t have any trouble at sucking more and more air through his ass like a vacuum cleaner, and the sound that made wasn’t that different from an actual fart. Every time I heard that “air-being-sucked-in” noise, as silly as that sounds, I think of a drumroll, the kind of tension that raises before the beat actually drops, because that’s what Dave’s farts are: something to look forward to… if you’re into it of course.

He’s been sucking air for like 20 seconds now and I started to regret my cockiness: when even a kinky bitch like me ends up being afraid of his own best bro’s farting skills, you just know something big, maybe too big, is gonna happen.

The anticipation made me hornier than ever, and the fact that it was, well, Dave, just Dave, my friend, made it even hotter for me. So casually, undeniably hot.

Finally, he stopped sucked air in, and I could hear Dave breathing (from his mouth) heavily, a sign that he was getting tired… and even his ass was getting sweatier and warmer.

“Your face is history.” my bud said again, in a comically deep voice. 

We love that movie.

What followed, however, almost made me pass out. 

The loudness was almost unnatural, I feared it could make me deaf. Imagine the stock sound of a fart, only longer, more powerful, airy, the most impressive fart Dave ripped in months, something so powerful that he can even feel the recoil as he pushed it out… just like a shotgun.

The more he farted, the louder it got, and I swore he was gonna tear a hole through his jeans this time, there was no way his clothes were able to endure that. I kept sniffing, breathing heavily, the fart’s pace being faster than my own breathing, if that makes any sense. 10 seconds already and the blast didn’t seem to lose any power: I almost got scared.

As the fart kept getting ripped, I felt Dave stretching his long denim legs wide to ease the fart out, which in turn made it sound even louder and deadlier. I felt like living a weird fever dream, probably because of all the poisonous gas in my lungs. But I also felt the luckiest man in the world.

I dared to peek over that denim ass, only to be greeted by Dave having the most evil smirk in the world, completely unfazed by how weird I was, how all of that was… but I could also see how tired and sweaty he was from forcing all those farts out, incredibly enough.

I planted my head back where it belonged, sniffing as much as I could, as if my life depended on it, even though I was almost passing out for all that stench… and the blood rushing down to my boner didn’t help to focus at all.

And yet… I won. The fart was losing power, ending with a quick series of toots, Dave’s legs crashing down the couch, his left one on my right side, his right one on my left side, and I got up myself, my face leaving that gas trap, finally sitting down normally on the couch.

I took a good look at Dave: he was indeed tired, sweaty, sporting a silly smirk.

“Is that how you look like after sex?” I dared to joke.

My friend laughed. “Hey, I love you bro, but you gotta settle for my farts.”

I patted one of his legs in response, as a cheesy way to thank him, and hopefully he knew how thankful I was. I mean, he already knew how aroused I was anyway, so why keep the fact that I’m grateful a secret?

Dave too adjusted his position, this time kicking me on purpose while doing it, and sat back normally.

“I gotta say, I didn’t except you to win.” he admitted.

“…win?!” I replied. “Bro… I was basically done. That last one almost killed me.”

We both laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

“Let’s call it a tie then.” he proposed. “Until next time at least.” he just casually said.

I simply turned to the TV, only to find out that the movie was over.

Did Dave just face-farted me for like… 30 minutes?! Time truly flew by.

My friend then reached for his beer and the remote. We some on-demand features on our TV and, after navigating the UI for a few seconds, he started downloading “Bullet Gore 2”.

“Really?” I asked. 

“Well, if you can endure all of that gas, I can sit through a turd of a movie.” 

I think he was gonna watch this movie with me either way, regardless of any bet, just like I’m more than happy to offer him a beer whenever I could, so all of this fart-bet was for nothing.

Then again, weirdos attract each other naturally...

End of Episode 25

[rashomonss]

A HUMANS WRATH

Part XI

previous part

taglist: @miridiums-writing, @zerchila, @aeongiies, @xmoogx, @coffeeandtealol, @food-lover9000, @l0diluvs, @vichsy, @valeriele3, @entolomaeden, @acaribeau, @sillybeanzo, @jessiegerl, @capricorn-anon, @crescentworld, @g-l-1-t-c-h-3-r, @chumbinhoeba, @chaos-n-kindness, @strawberryfire17, @zenxvii, @misscaller06, @luminarysol @simpinginthecorner, @your-next-daydream, @bontensbabygirl, @crxwned-mxnarch

a/n: so this is totally unrelated to the story and obey me entirely but if any of you are bsd enjoyers did y’all read chapter 107?? y’all almost didn’t get a new chapter of this story bc of that damn chapter. it made me want to jump off the nearest 50ft building. I wanted to die after reading that fr, so bc asagri made me cry we’re getting double angst for this chapter. anyway I’m done with my rant now enjoy!

oh and p.s. I’m putting which perspective you’re reading as since some found it confusing last chapter. the original is og MC, and the wrathful human is wrath! MC just in case it’s confusing!

warnings: slightly longer chapter, lesson 16 spoilers, descriptions of dying, choking, mentions of blood, abuse of pacts (slightly)

a success for one side

The perspective of the original

“Lucifer was there really no other way we could have done that?” Levi asked, struggling to get up off the ground. His whole body ached and blood dripped from his mouth pooling onto the planetarium ground in heavy amounts.

“Levi close yer mouth, you're gonna lose more blood if ya keep it open” Mammon said, making his way over to his younger brother.

“Yeah there could have been a different way of doing this, we’re not all masochists, like you Lucifer” Satan spat. Blood then fell from his nose onto his shirt and he cursed in response.

“In my defense I never agreed to this” Asmo yelled. “My whole body is covered in bruises and blood Lucifer! I have a photoshoot on Monday!”

“Belphie’s out cold” Beel said, moving closer to his twin ignoring the blood falling from his face.

“That’s no surprise, Mc really did a number on him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was out for a few hours because of it.” Satan sighed.

“I’ll take him to your room, Beel.” Lucifer said, walking over to pick up the youngest.

“Lucifer ya look like you're gonna fall over” Mammon said watching the oldest slowly walk over to their younger brother.

“I’m fine,” He stated. “For now we should focus on cleaning ourselves up and heading after Mc”

“I doubt Mc wants to see us right now…” Levi sighed.

“Levi, close your mouth” Mammon yelled as blood began to fall on him.

“Ahh!” Levi screamed.

Mammon sighed and helped Levi and the rest of his brothers get up after Lucifer left with Belphie. If he’s being honest he doesn’t remember much of what happened due to blacking out halfway through your wrath episode. After you were done he and his brothers each woke up laying on the floor with pools of blood surrounding them.

He honestly didn’t like Lucifer’s plan of taunting you into a pact, but sacrifices had to be made if they wanted you to stay here.

You needed to stay here.

More often then he and his brothers would like to admit they really did miss their Mc. However they did love and enjoy your company just as much. Their only wish was that their Mc was just like you.

Interacting and having fun with you was always bittersweet in a sense since it reminded them of a time before the incident, a happier time before everything went downhill.

If only you could have forgiven them.

It didn’t matter how much they did miss their own Mc, because they were going to keep you here in their place. You reminded them of the personality they were used to, it was as if this other version of you currently with them had completely forgotten about the incident and moved on with their life.

Sure you had a breakdown or two about your feelings but they sincerely apologized about what happened and you forgave them, causing them to finally be able to move on as well.

They all believed everything was going great, after all you never complained or spoke about anything being wrong with them so they were blind to the truth. You went along with everything and anything they did which made them desire your attention and affection more. These demons were so touch starved for you to the point of it becoming a problem.

However they weren’t going to lie, seeing you that upset really did hurt them. Most of them disagreed with Lucifer’s first plan to make a pact with you, and the second plan made the brothers split in half. The third and last plan was the one they currently just carried out.

It was because Lucifer had the bright idea to upset you so much that you’d finally be willing to make a pact with him for your enjoyment. Belphie also making a pact with you was a bonus, after all the youngest finally got what he wanted, even if it did cost him.

As Mammon finally finished cleaning up Levi and a few more of his brothers he couldn’t help but wonder where you were heading off too. You mentioned you had something to do after you dealt with them, he just couldn’t remember what it was…

After leaving the House of Lamentation you stormed in the direction of the Demon Lord's Castle, with the intent of speaking to the prince and his butler. Nothing but pure rage filled your thoughts as you clenched your bloody fists. You were going to demand them to send you back to your timeline no matter what.

As you reached the door to the castle you prepared to knock, however before you even got the chance the door opened revealing a smiling Barbatos on the other side.

“Good evening Mc, what brings you here? If I’m not mistaken I don’t remember arranging for you to come over.”

“I need to speak with Diavolo.” You simply stated, right now you were not in the mood to make small talk with the butler.

“Ah well we should get you cleaned up first and foremost you appear to be bleeding” Barbatos said reaching for your hand.

Reluctantly you let him take it and examine the condition of your bloodied hands and arms. “Don’t worry about it, it's not my blood anyway.” You said pulling away.

Barbatos’ eyes widened just the slightest as he gave you a surprised look before trying to speak again, only to get cut off by the prince himself.

“Mc are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” Diavolo asked, slightly frantically as he made his way over to you pushing his butler aside in the process.

“Like I said previously I’m fine. I’m not the one you should be asking that question too anyway”

Diavolo looked confused then spoke. “What do you mean? Did you happen to get into a fight with some demons? Where are the brothers..?”

“At the House of Lamentation. Listen I didn’t come here to talk about them I came here to ask for help Dia”

“Of course Mc, but first I need to ask, what’s wrong? Are you in any danger of some sorts, if you are I assure you Barbatos and I can take care of it”

You sighed before speaking. How were you to go about telling the demon prince himself that you were from a different timeline? Your Barbatos told you not to mention that detail at all costs because it could somehow affect the future, however you didn’t know how much longer you could stay in a place like this. This timeline was beginning to bring out parts of yourself you tried so hard to keep hidden, who knows what else it could cause you to do if you stayed here any longer…

“I am not your Mc.” You stated.

Diavolo and Barbatos shared a confused glance at each other before you continued.

“I’m from a different timeline where different events have occurred, but somehow I got switched with your Mc from this timeline. I need your help to get back before I cause anymore damage here then I already have.”

It was silent for a few seconds, and the two who were standing in front of you stared at you with blank faces. Seconds soon turned into minutes and you began to get worried since neither of them showed any signs of responding.

Anxious now you prepared to defend your words until Diavolo smiled and walked towards you, with Barbatos soon following behind.

“Oh Mc, don’t worry I believe you, after all I could tell right away that you weren’t from here!” Diavolo laughed.

“Is that so…?” You said awkwardly.

“Of course! You’re much nicer and more understanding than our Mc. Your personality sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison. And it’s a bit suspicious when I get glares and eye rolls one day and a hug and nickname the next. No human I’ve met changes personalities that fast.”

“Ah I see…so then I take it you’ll help me get back?”

“Oh I think you misunderstand, I never said that.” Diavolo smiled.

“What?” You replied, taking a small step back.

“See, with you here the exchange program is producing wonderful results! Better than I expected actually. Well that and everyone here seems to enjoy your presence, including me. So you wouldn’t want to leave us so soon now, would you?” Diavolo said, invading your personal space. The demon prince was speaking with such a friendly tone it was as if you were having tea with him and joking around.

“I have to go home, I need to go home. Please believe me you all are wonderful but this isn’t where I belong. I feel suffocated here, and to be frank I don’t feel the same way I feel about my demons when I’m with you all.”

Diavolo frowned and sighed. “It’s okay, you’ll feel the same in due time, after all we’re all very alike right?”

Your eyebrows furrowed and you glared back at him. “No I won’t. I refuse to stay here because you don’t have a good relationship with your Mc. You need to figure out what the fuck you did wrong and fix it.”

“Don’t drag me here as a replacement to fix all your problems. Because if you do that then you are just like them. You have no concern for our feelings whatsoever.” You spat.

Barbatos then returned your glare and made his way towards you. “I understand you’re upset but I would appreciate it if you didn’t speak to the young master in such a manner. Don’t forget your place Mc.”

“That’s enough Barbatos.” Diavolo said, putting his hand up.

“If Mc won’t comply then we’ll just take them by force.”

“No you won-“

“Please don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be Mc.” Diavolo said, and that was the last thing you heard before blacking out.

_____

The perspective of a wrathful human

You were on top of Belphegor on the floor as he weakly tried to pry your hands from his throat. The demon in front of you was hanging onto what little conscience he had left as he watched your face morph into a smile.

“How does it feel to have your throat crushed by someone you so dearly placed your trust in?”

Belphegor let out a choked noise in response.

“Does it hurt? Finding it hard to breathe? I’m sure it must be very unpleasant” you said, then proceeded to lean down applying more pressure onto his throat.

Belphegor began to bleed from his mouth as you laughed. You kept spitting out nonsense about killing him as he tried to get you off, so in the process you proceeded to get his blood all over your arms.

This scene in general didn’t look too pleasant from afar, so you can believe the brothers utter shock when they busted through the planetarium doors frantic, at the sound of choking and laughing.

At first they feared the worst and thought it to be you choking and being killed again, however nothing could have prepared them upon seeing you bloodied and on top of the youngest brother.

Belphie looked utterly horrible. His complexion was paler than usual and the corners of his mouth began to turn purple and blue accompanied by red blood falling from the side.

When he heard his brothers enter the room his head instantly turned to face them and he unconsciously reached out for them.

After a second of silence due to trying to process the situation Lucifer and Beel were soon darting towards your direction faster than you had ever seen them. In seconds flat they were ripping you off of the youngest who was still out if it.

“Mc what in the Devildom is wrong with you?” Lucifer yelled, grabbing tightly onto one of your arms. He tried his best not to hurt you, but seeing his brother being strangled by you really set him off.

“Mc stop it now” Beel said, slightly raising his voice as he grabbed your other arm. He didn’t want to see you two fight, it broke his heart. The two people he cared about the most were going at it again, he couldn’t lose Belphie, but he didn’t want to let his temper get the best of him and end up hurting you too.

“Get off of me you damn demons” you screamed as they held you up.

“Mc calm down.” Lucifer said, grabbing your arm tighter than before.

“Shut up! I’m going to kill him, he deserves it”

“Mc stop!” Asmo yelled from afar.

“No, you don’t know what it's like, any of you!”

“What in the Devildom are you going on about Mc?” Lucifer said, at this point he was soon reaching a breaking point with you and this tantrum.

“You don’t know what it feels like to be killed do you?”

“To have your throat crushed. Or to feel as if your lungs are on fire from the lack of oxygen in your system. After that is the horrible headache and throbbing pain that consumes your head and your thinking. In a state of panic like that you then feel your limbs become limp as you try and free yourself. However due to the lack of strength you can’t do anything except deal with what fate has in store for you.”

“Dying is absolutely terrifying”

“However what makes everything even worse is the fact that afterwards I have to live in the same house with the same demon who put me through all of that and pretend everything is just fine. When in fact everything is just worse”

Lucifer and Beel’s grip on you had losend the slightest as they watched you squirm. Upon hearing your words they swallowed hard, trying to come up with some type of response, but before any of them could continue you began to speak again.

“If I kill him it will all be over.”

“What will killing Belphie accomplish, Mc.” Beel asked, then tightened his grip on your arm.

“Everything! All the nightmares will finally go away, all the panic attacks and breakdowns will stop. And maybe, just maybe I can have a normal conversation with other demons without my body being terrified for my life. Maybe I can be touched by a demon and not have my skin feel as if it will burn itself. Everything will be better once he’s gone” you screamed, trying your best to get free from the two brothers' hold.

The brothers stared at you in silence as they took in the severity of your words. Had you really suffered this much without them knowing? Had their Mc gone through this as well…? How long before their Mc got over it?

Did they ever get over it? How did their Mc feel about the whole situation, they never got to talk about it after all.

How many nights did they wake up in a cold sweat with tears streaming down their face, or how many nights did they stay up because they couldn’t sleep due to the nightmares?

You went through all this trauma by yourself without any of them being there to comfort you, no wonder you were upset.

However while the brothers were all thinking deeply about your words you were on an adrenaline high with no signs of coming down soon.

“Let go of me and stay out of the way. All six if you” you shouted.

The tone was that of a command, and no later than a second you were free and heading back to the youngest as fast as you could.

Lucifer cursed himself for letting his guard down, their whole purpose was to make sure you didn’t use the pacts but that plan failed.

As you jumped back onto Belphegor you punched him in the face causing blood to spill out the other side of his mouth.

“Mc stop please, don’t hurt Belphie” Beel yelled, trying his best to break free from the pact.

It was no use because his words fell on deaf ears. You were too busy beating the shit out of the demon you were on top of.

Belphie accepted what you were doing with an occasional grunt here and there as you continued to punch his face. He did feel bad, he felt horrible honestly, but if this made you feel better then he was willing to let you get all your anger out. After all he deserved it, is what he believed.

As the youngest brothers face continued to get bloodied, some of his brothers looked away while others tried their best to speak to you, Beel was the only one who was struggling to break free so that he could save Belphegor.

“Mc…” you faintly heard from the demon in front of you.

“What do you want? Don’t tell me you’re giving up already, I’m not done with you yet.”

“Please hear me out really quick, i promise it’ll be fast” he spoke dryly.

You gave him another punch before stopping for a brief moment. “Well get on with it”

Belphegor cleared his throat and tried to sit up the best he could to look you in the eyes. Sighing he then spoke.

“I understand it’s very selfish of me to tell you something like this, but I really want you to hear me out.”

You raised your eyebrows and then he continued.

“Mc I’m so sorry. Truly I really am, I was wrong about humans, I was wrong about everything. After Lilith’s death I was filled with so much anger towards humans. However I realize now that I shouldn’t have taken it out on you because you were only trying to help.”

“I never apologized to you after because I was too scared of what you would say. I was too scared you’d never forgive me so I swept it under the rug and tried to pretend it never happened. I’m just a damn coward. Only now did I realize my brothers and I didn’t ask how you felt. We just went on with life leaving you to deal with all the trauma.”

“I apologize because you should have never had to go through an event as traumatic as dying. I didn’t realize all those things you dealt with were because of me so I want you to know I’ll try my best to fix them now, if you’ll let me. If not then I accept whatever punishment you have in mind. “

“I just want you to know from the bottom of my heart I really am truly sorry. I love you so much Mc and if you forgive me then great, however I don’t expect you to. It’s selfish of me to ask you to make that decision, so I promise to deal with whatever you want to do, if it’ll make you happy”

You felt tears fall from your eyes onto the floor making it a darker color than it previously was. However you couldn’t figure out why you were crying. How long has it been since you actually cried like this?

You hit Belphie again as tears continued to fall, but this time your hits were much lighter and softer so they didn’t actually hurt the seventh born.

“Mc, I-“

“Shut up!”

You screamed. You didn’t want to hear him right now, you didn’t want to face the fact that an apology such as that one actually was sincere and filled with emotion, unlike the halfhearted apologies your demons gave you.

You now had to come to terms with the fact that you had finally gotten an apology from the heart like you had wanted. To you it didn't matter if they were your demons or not, all that matters was that Belphegor had finally apologized.

Belphie opened his arms and smiled, waiting patiently for a hug. Your eyes went wide as you stared at him for a moment, and after what felt like forever you slowly inched closer to him,

Hesitantly you leaned forward slowly into the hug, and once you hit his chest he engulfed you with his arms. You freaked out for a second but he reassured you that he was happy you chose to hug him.

“Mc thank you for trusting me like this.” Belphie said.

You held your head low and sighed before speaking.

“Just because I let you touch me doesn’t mean everything is magically better, you demons are so naive.”

Next part

a/n: so how are we finding about this chapter? there are a few things I do want to ask if you did notice, and a couple questions I have for y’all, you can think about these or just answer in the comments! i just want to understand what y’all think is all!

- first off, what do you think og MC did to the brothers to leave them that beat up?

- can you find the lesson 16 dialogue in the second part of this chapter?

- did you notice how wrath! MC was just happy with heartfelt apology? It didn’t matter if it was from their demons or the ones in the og timeline, unlike the og MC who didn’t quite feel filled with the other brothers apology.

- and lastly would you personally, forgive Belphie after an apology like that?

thanks for reading! <3

[elliewithcellie]

Long Cool Woman - Chapter 3

chapter summary: It's Day One of pageant practice, and someone has their eye on you.

wc: 4.2k

cw: awkward reader lmao, two brief implications of sex life, mention of a condom ha, i think that's it. Dean plays older brother, Jealous Sam? who knows

a/n: Find the rest of the story here

As the car rolled to a stop, you realized you had dozed off. It had been a long day. You all grabbed shopping bags and staggered through the hotel and into your room. The boys looked as exhausted as you felt, and it was only 9:30. You looked at the two beds with the desire to have one to yourself. You looked at the boys, sure they were thinking the same thing.

You sighed. You claimed a bed while the boys battled it out with rock-paper-scissors. Dean won, a smile joining his features. Sam’s eyes widened, the color draining from his face. They argued silently in front of you, their unspoken words still an enigma to you, a foreign language that held context clues at bay.

Sam’s face grew rosy as he walked toward your bed, his feet dragging in defeat. The closer he got, the more doubtful you were about the situation. Your mind told you that you were an adult and that you could handle sharing a bed with a man, but your body could not be convinced.

“You know what?” you said scrambling out of bed. “It’s ok, Sam. You can have it.”

You grabbed a pillow and pulled the comforter off the bed.

“What are you doing?” Dean asked.

“I’m gonna sleep in the bathtub. You both have a long day, so I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not intruding,” Sam said.

“It’s ok, really. I’d fit in here better than you guys would.” You forced a laugh. “Goodnight.”

You dragged the blanket into the bathroom and shut the door behind you.

“Sweet. Win-win,” you heard Dean say, his voice muffled by the door.

As far as bathtubs go, this was the nicest tub you’d seen. You laid the comforter down to form a padding, pleased with your quick thinking. But you felt stupid. The urge to fix it and act like an adult grew larger, the embarrassment rattling in your head like a pinball machine. But that ship had sailed. You had sealed your fate. You tossed and turned in the tub until your mind settled into sleep.

A muffled alarm through the bathroom door woke you from your pained slumber. As nice and spacious as the bathtub was, it was still a bathtub: cold and solid. No matter how padded, the comforter’s efforts remained in vain. You stretched your aching back, not quite finding the relief you sought.

You stepped out of the tub, careful not to slip. The mirror served as an unpleasant reminder of your lack of sleep. Dark bags hung under your eyes, and your hair shot in every direction. Your shorts had twisted halfway around your waist, and only one sock remained on your feet. You tried to groom yourself slightly before opening the door, hoping to signal an invitation to the others.

You had just finished brushing your teeth when Sam entered the bathroom. Juxtaposing his large frame, he shrank himself down, almost a mixture of shyness and guilt as he approached you.

You decided to beat him to the punch. “I’m sorry for ditching last night. We’re adults. It shouldn’t have been a big deal.”

“No, no,” Sam said, his eyes wide, frantic to reassure you. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be apologizing to you. I’m sorry we made you sleep in here.”

“You didn’t. It was my choice.”

“You wouldn’t have made the choice if we didn’t push you to. We should have gotten another room for you. We weren’t thinking,” he said, his posture straightening with his assertion.

He towered over you, closing some distance, but his demeanor remained soft and sincere. Heat radiated off of him, his warmth a welcome change from the cool porcelain of last night. Still, chills ran down your spine.

“I—I’m not here to make anyone uncomfortable. I’ve just –”

“You’re not.”

“—never done that kind of thing, but we’re all adults here. I can pull it together and act like one.”

“Done what?” Dean asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Been in bed with a guy,” you said, your quick confession taking you by surprise. You covered your eyes with your hand, a meager attempt at hiding your embarrassment.

Dean’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he squeezed between you and Sam to find his toothbrush. “Bobby didn’t let you out much, huh?”

“Dean,” Sam warned.

“Nothing in high school, though? Never ditched class for a boy?”

“What? No, not at all,” you said. “Some small little innocent crushes and school dances, but nothing serious. What are we talking about right now?”

“This is on us, ok?” Sam said, pulling your attention as he gathered your pillow and comforter from the tub. “We should have gotten you a separate room. I’ll go see if they have any others.”

“No, it’s fine. Really,” you said. “I’m fine with it if you guys are fine with it. I just can’t sleep in that bathtub again.”

“Deal,” Sam said, returning your things to the bed. “Taking the comforter, though, now that’s unforgivable.” A smirk rose on his face, watching for your reaction.

You chuckled and smiled back, and he resumed making the bed.

“Ok, out, Dean,” you shooed him. “I gotta get ready.”

“Wait, just two minutes.”

“Fine, but I really have to get going. Shoot. Is there a dress code for this? Sam, Where’s the itinerary?” You left the bathroom and rummaged through your duffle bag, the door closing swiftly behind you.

“Here,” Sam said holding the paper up. “It says, ‘Welcome to Day One. Meet the rest of the contestants for breakfast before we begin our first rehearsal. Come as you wish to present yourself (The judges do not score until Day Three).’ So, it sounds like you can wear whatever you want.”

“Thank god,” you exhaled.

Dean exited the bathroom, and you entered, closing the door behind you.

As you showered, your body teetered on the line of anxiety. You were an imposter. You knew that the other girls would practically smell it on you. Your looks and lack of experience could be enough to be caught in this lie. You wanted to back out altogether. But lives were at stake here. You had to remember that. Miss Vermont was found dead. You could not afford any more casualties. You exited the bathroom, Sam taking your place. You returned to your bag and practiced what you learned yesterday, in hopes of elevating your look just enough to blend in with the contestants.

Sam returned to the room as you finished up. “You gotta get going. Here, we’ll walk you out.”

You nodded and slipped on your shoes. The closer to the lobby the three of you got, the quicker your heart started racing.

“You’re going to be fine,” Sam said. “Just remember to keep your eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Try to get people talking and keep your phone handy just in case.”

“And use this when you have any free time,” Dean said as he handed you his EMF detector. “Any information is helpful.”

You all entered the lobby littered with beautiful women. Chatter and laughter bounced off the walls, all but singeing your skin in overwhelm.

“I’ll see you guys soon, right?” you asked.

“Like we never even left. Now, go make some friends. Ooh, especially with her,” Dean said pointing over at one of the contestants.

“Shut up,” you said. Still, you laughed.

“Hey,” Sam said, his eyes serious and concerned. “Be safe, ok?”

You nodded. “You, too.”

Without another word, the boys left the hotel and left you to truly fend for yourself.

******

Clink, clink, clink.

“Alright, ladies. Please take your seats in the chair with your state labeled accordingly.” You looked up to find an older woman on the stage, holding a glass in one hand and a fork in the other. She sounded too chipper for the time of morning, and her smile seemed sewn to her face by three cups of coffee. She struck you as presidential: matching tweed blazer and pencil skirt with a shirt the same shade and pointed shoes two sizes too small.

You found your seat and slumped down, hoping to avoid unwanted attention. Pastries lined the center of the table. You scanned the others. No one attempted to take one, so you didn’t either. You tried to focus on the speaker, but your stomach rumbled silently.

“Now that we are all settled, welcome and congratulations for making it to the Miss America pageant. I’m Nancy Roshambo, the event coordinator for the next three days. These are my fellow producers, Tod Larkins and James Mathesby.” Nancy gestured to her right revealing a frail, older man and a younger, fit, attractive man. You sucked in a breath at the sight of James. It may have been your first time meeting someone who took your breath away. Embarrassment struck you, desperate to avert your eyes from him.

Nancy continued. “While the stage crew sets up the stage for rehearsal this afternoon, we decided you all should get to know each other!” Small cheers from the crowd of women erupted in the room. They all seemed so excited as they turned to their peers and giggled. You only settled into your nerves, taking a deep breath through the commotion. The girls collected themselves as soon as Nancy resumed speaking.

“We have generated a few games for you ladies to play for the next few hours, so by the time we are ready to rehearse, you all will be each other’s best friends!”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You were sure these girls were lovely, but Nancy was coming on a little strong. Still, the overall consensus remained positive. Nancy announced the first game, and everyone shuffled around accordingly. Through the transition, you grabbed one of the frosted donuts that sat perfectly at the center of the table. The rest of the table settled in around you. As you ate, you felt their eyes searing into your skin.

“That’s impressive,” one of the girls said.

“Am I not allowed to eat right now?” you asked, putting your donut back on the table.

“No, go on ahead,” she said. “It’s just so courageous for you to eat sweets just days before that show. I’m Tanya by the way.”

You cursed to yourself. By simply eating, these girls were on to you. You introduced yourself sheepishly.

To your surprise, Tanya shrugged and grabbed a donut of her own. Another girl couldn’t remove the disdain from her expression.

“What, Kari? I’ve been inspired,” Tanya said.

“Could someone tell me what we’re supposed to be doing?” you asked.

“We are supposed to be playing Two Truths and a Lie,” Miss California said, irritation evident in her tone.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if we got to know each other by, like, asking regular questions?” you asked.

“Yeah, these games are stupid!” Tanya said. “We don’t even know each other well enough to make a guess. You guys play your game. Me and Y/N, here, are going to actually get to know each other.”

The rest of the girls at the table commenced their game as Tanya shifted her chair toward you. “Alright. Are you going to share first, or should I?”

Because of your unique situation, you let her do the talking. The conversation went smoothly for hours. It was exciting to get to know someone your age so easily. The boys, as kind and hospitable as they grew to be, were reserved. There wasn’t much information to gather unless you dug for it, a risk you weren’t quite willing to endure yet. But Tanya was an open book. She discussed the experiences she had growing up in Georgia. But it wasn’t until she mentioned she was engaged that you found yourself holding onto every word she had to offer. You longed for the experience of a partner, even though you knew you could never have one. The normalcy of her life left you evaluating your own, how strange it became, and how much you’ve missed out on. Still, a girl could dream.

“Alright. Enough about me. What about you?”

Before you could begin, Nancy tapped her glass with her fork, a hush falling on the crowd.

“Alright, ladies. We’re going to take a little break while the crew finishes their last-minute details. Feel free to use the restroom to freshen up!”

“You’re off the hook this time, but you will tell me more about you later.” Tanya winked, and in a mad dash, headed for the restroom.

This was your opportunity to investigate, you quickly realized. You pulled out the EMF detector and scanned the perimeter of the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. You rounded a corner where a window was left slightly ajar. On the windowsill sat a small pile of yellow dirt or maybe sawdust. Before you could examine it, you felt someone approach you from behind.

“What are you doing?”

You turned around and found James Mathesby towering over you, his arms folded at his chest. You scrambled for something, anything that could cover your tracks. But experiencing him up close had you short-circuiting.

“I—I, uh, it’s stuffy in here, isn’t it? Can’t hardly breathe in here.” You fanned yourself as your temperature rose. In truth, you couldn’t breathe, but it wasn’t the air causing you to swoon.

“Oh shit. I mean, shit. Let me take you outside.” His hand found residence on your lower back as he ushered you through the lobby doors. His hand left a fire in its wake as the heat traveled through you. To say you were touch-starved would be a gross understatement. You let out a deep exhale in hopes of pulling yourself together.

“Is that better?” he asked.

“Yeah, it is. Thank you,” you said, allowing the breeze to ground yourself. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

He smiled and extended his hand. “I’m James.”

You shook his hand. Even the simple exchange of hands was enough to send you over the edge. The butterflies in your stomach twisted into knots. You were careful not to shake it for too long.

“So, what is it you do, here?”

“I’m in charge of run time. We have a tight schedule, and Nancy tends to go overboard with everything, so I keep her in check. I am also in charge of the videography of the event, telling which camera to cut to and when to pan to a wide angle or a close-up shot.”

“Oh, so you’re basically the director,” you said.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” James said, a slight rouge warming his cheeks.

You didn’t want the conversation to end. His big mysterious eyes pulled you into every word he said. You found yourself staring. You didn’t mean to. It wasn’t like you hadn’t seen a built body before, but his called to you, begging you to come closer. There was something about him you couldn’t resist, and you wanted to find out more.

“Ah, shit, er, crap. Sorry, I’m trying to be better about that.” James sighed. “We’re past time already. I better go. It was a pleasure meeting you. Get some water, and hopefully, I’ll catch you later.”

James left you alone. You heard the mutterings of Nancy over the microphone, but you found yourself too flustered amongst your own thoughts to comprehend her words. His fingertips had branded your back, the memory all too much to handle. You had never felt this way before. You were sure it was chemistry. You were determined to see where this feeling would take you.

 As you entered the lobby, the other contestants shuffled through double doors into another room. You stepped in line with the others and followed them into the ballroom. The production level completed in the hours you’d been present astounded you. Within the room stood a two-level stage with a spiral staircase on either side. American flags and giant glimmering stars hung on the back of the stage and from the ceiling. A sea of folding chairs sat evenly distributed across the floor. The sudden image of possibly thousands of people sitting in those chairs made you nauseous. You pushed it to the back of your mind as Nancy explained the situation.

“Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the pageant routine!” Nancy directed the women to their various positions. It seemed easy enough. Step and pause and step and pause. Still, the walk took six attempts before no mistakes were made. As you approached your final position, you found James off-stage. You made eye contact for only a split second before returning your focus to the stage. You felt flustered, then embarrassed over the effect that he was having on you. You had to keep it together.

“Ok, ladies! Let’s move on to the next section of the show!” Nancy announced. More walking, this time from a different approach for section two of the event. Nancy continued to add to the routine, and you continued to sneak peeks at James. You couldn’t sway your delusion; almost sure he watched you more than the other women.

After six hours of standing, walking, looking at James, and listening to Nancy say “Alright, ladies” for the millionth time, you were finally off the hook for the day. As all the contestants shuffled out of the ballroom, Tanya found her way to you.

“Hey! Day One is over, and it’s only 5:30.”

“Thank god, right?” you said, relaxing your posture for the first time today.

“So, if I were you, I’d go walk on over to James and see what he’s up to tonight.”

“What? How did you—”

She laughed. “I saw you guys talking when I came back from the bathroom. I noticed how you were checking him out. And he was totally staring at you throughout the whole rehearsal.” She nudged your arm with her elbow.

“Shut up. Don’t mess with me right now.”

“I’m not!” Tanya said. “You need to go for it.”

You sighed. “Oh, I don’t know. I mean my—my family might be doing something tonight.”

“Please, you’ve worked so hard to get here! Go have some fun! When was the last time you did anything for yourself?”

She raised a good point. He was too intoxicating to pass up. And what harm could another conversation cause?

“Fine,” you said. “Next time I see him, I’ll talk to him. What are you up to tonight?”

“Oh, a couple of the girls are getting drinks, so I better get going! I’ll see you tomorrow. You have to tell me everything.” She gave you a quick hug before running off.

Your fear kept you rooted to the floor beneath you. You sighed. There was no way you were going to go through with it. The boys would freak out, and this wasn’t a vacation. You were working. You turned around to head to your room in defeat. Your spin on the hardwood floor broke your balance, and you slipped backward. Yet, you never hit the ground, two arms catching your fall.

“You know, when I said, ‘catch you later,’ this isn’t what I meant.” James chuckled as he lifted you back to your feet.

You were mortified. You so suddenly ran hot across every inch of you. His hands never left your body, keeping you close.

“This is the second time, now, that you’ve helped me. I’m so embarrassed,” you said candidly.

“Don’t be,” he said, still holding you close.

You felt your pulse rise with each of his breaths. His eyes bore into yours, and even if the moment only lasted for two whole seconds, the weight of it lasted a lifetime.

“Forgive me if this is too forward,” James continued, “but what are you doing tonight?”

You, you thought uncharacteristically. Your mind was melting before your eyes. The desperation to come up with something quick swelled beneath your skin. “Umm, not much. It should be a relaxing night.”

“What if you joined me for dinner? I’ll buy. I’d hate myself if I didn’t try to ask you out.”

You were careful not to shudder in his grasp. Nothing could have prepared you for this moment. You did everything you could to conjure a nod. “What time were you thinking?”

“Meet me in the lobby at seven?” he asked.

“I—I can do that.”

James smiled. “Then I’ll see you at seven.”

The two of you parted ways, your head dizzy with excitement. Your emotions stirred in your head as you headed to your room. Before you opened the door, you took a deep inhale. You pled that the boys were still out investigating. Writing a note would be easier than facing them, you decided. You exhaled as you unlocked the door.

To your disappointment, the boys sat on their respective beds, Sam with his laptop and Dean sharpening his knife.

“Oh hey,” Sam said smiling up at you. “How’d it go?”

A pang of guilt struck just beneath your lungs, though you didn’t know what you could feel guilty for.

“Oh, you know, it was good, a lot of standing and stepping.” You released a breath, nervous to break the news. “And I made a friend or two.”

“Oh, sweet,” Sam said. “We knew you’d have no trouble with this.”

“Yeah, it was good. How’s the research going?”

“Coming up dry,” Dean said. “Nothing’s out of the norm here. No angry dead Miss America contestants or anything like that.”

“You didn’t get any readings, did you?” Sam asked.

“No. I tested the lobby and ballroom. Nothing. So, what are we thinking, now?”

Dean stood up. “Well, I say we take a break. How about we get some food before we return to square one?”

“Mmm, about that,” you said. “You guys go without me. I sorta made plans.”

“Plans?” both boys said.

You winced at their surprise. “It’s no big deal. One of the friends I made asked me to go out, so I said yes.”

You sucked in your lip as the boys exchanged a look of disbelief. “It’s not a big deal,” you said again, not quite sure if you were reassuring them or yourself.

“So,” Dean said finally, “what are you and this ‘friend’ gonna be up to?”

“Just a dinner. It doesn’t have to be long. I meet him at 7, so—”

“Him? So, it’s a date. Sam, it’s a date.”

“I heard,” Sam said, his voice dry.

“Guys,” you said, exasperated. “Fine. Maybe it’s a date.”

“I’m not sure I like this,” Dean said. “You don’t know this guy.”

“I thought that’s what the dinner was for.”

Dean looked to Sam, who had turned away as if to hide the thoughts running through his head. Dean huffed. “Listen. I want you back by ten. No later. I want a text every time you stop at a different location.”

You nodded.

“Now, are you… prepared?”

“Well, I’d like to take a few minutes to get ready. I mean—”

“No, no.” Dean sighed again. His cheeks turned a tinge of red before rummaging through his duffle bag.

“Dean, what are you—”

He pulled out a small square wrapper from his bag.

“You can’t be serious.” Sam forced a dry laugh from his throat.

“Can’t ever be too careful,” Dean said trying to hand the condom to you.

“Woah!” You backed up completely flustered. “That’s—it’s not like that! I mean, I don’t think—”

“It’s always good to keep it in your back pocket. Sometimes the heat of the moment sneaks up on you.”

You were speechless, your jaw on the floor and your cheeks set ablaze. You dared to look at Sam in hopes that he would defend you. His eyes burned a hole in his computer, his whole face flushed, his eyebrows furrowed.

You snatched the wrapper from Dean’s hand and shoved it in your pocket. “Anything else you need from me? Need me to give you the play-by-play when I come back?”

“No!” Both boys yelled. You jumped at the urgency.

“No,” Dean said calmer. “But I do want to walk you out, so we know who to kill if he fucks up.”

“You’re joking. No. No way.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sam said, standing at full height.

Two against one. Before today, you would have folded in embarrassment, opting to stay inside for good. But the boys didn’t understand that this would be your first night of freedom in years. Your first night of freedom in your whole adult life. You weren’t going to allow this opportunity to pass you up.

“Fine,” you said finally.

You took the time to refresh yourself, the ticking clock a rude instigator of anticipation. It was finally time to go, and as you left the room, the boys followed close behind.

James had beat you down to the lobby. He stood at the sight of you, a smile wide on his face, only for it to taper as he took in the Winchesters behind you.

“Hey,” you said. “I’m ready to go if you are.” You grabbed his arm to pull him toward the exit.

“Who are they?” James asked.

You rolled your eyes. “My guard dogs apparently. Let’s get out of here.”

“After you.” He opened the lobby door for you, and the two of you headed to his car before the boys could say a word.

chapter 4

[haydenyoungappreciationweek]

(Note: Sorry for sending this so late, as I - @lizzybeth1986 - am feeling fairly unwell. To make up for it, I'll probably shift one of the other theme announcements to 30th, and try to get the other announcements out in a timely manner).

We're on Day 3 now, which means we are halfway through our week! We have two very exciting themes in store too and we can't wait to see what you've got for it!

The first theme for today is Soul. Every Hayden fan is familiar with their visit to Washington National Cathedral in PM2, and with the deep conversations they had with the MC (if you took the diamond option!) about spirituality and the presence of a soul in everyone. Here's your space to explore Hayden's relationship with these ideas in more depth!

Our second theme is Changes!! And this is particularly exciting to explore because Hayden's entire story represents change in a very special way! As an android, they are the beings considered the least capable of change. But even in this Hayden surprises everyone! Thanks to the Double Ripple effect, they aren't restricted or chained to a single set of personality traits, but develop a fluidity in their reactions over time. Their curiosity and desire to question makes them even more open to change and to carving their own identity! Which is why they are so open to adapting, even more than many humans in the series!

Any work is welcome – fics, art, edits, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons, meta, even screenshots of your favourite scenes! Our only requirements are that the works are original (nothing AI generated), and they center Hayden and present a positive depiction of them.

It is not necessary to put up your works only on the day of the theme – you can always put it up later. We will also be keeping a bonus week in case you’re not able to complete it during the week itself (till Oct 10th).

Please be sure to do the following when tagging your posts for HYAW 2023:

1. Use the tags #haydenyoungappreciationweek, and #HYAW, along with the day/theme you made the work for (#HYAW Day 1, #HYAW Day 2 etc).

2. Tag @haydenyoungappreciationweek, and hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 in your posts so we can access them easier!

FAN CONTENT BLOGS are the lifeline of our fandoms, esp for books that have long been over yet still have a strong fanbase. Many of them are hosting some incredible events that we highly encourage you to participate in if you feel so inclined!!

@choicesficwriterscreations – Accepts fic and art (no AI). Read up on their roster of events and guidelines here!

@choicesmonthlychallenge – Accepts fic and art. We’re almost at the end of September but can still give in entries for the “Royal Academy” event (run by @choicescommunityevents and @ladylamrian) currently hosted – particularly Day 29/Sept 29th! You could also participate in Picktober (hosted by CMC and @lovealexhunt) next month!

@choicesholidays – Mostly fic and art. Currently no events, but be on the lookout for announcements!

@choicesprompts – Mostly fic. There are a variety of events for the next three months! There is Smutember, Flufftober and Angstgiving. (Both Holidays and Prompts are hosted by @angelasscribbles)

@choicespride – All content welcome as long as it features LGBTQ+ pairings and themes! Currently no events, but they have some big plans for October! Take part in this poll for events you'd like them to host next month!

(Note from @lizzybeth1986: I'll be putting up the announcement for Day 5 tomorrow, and Day 4 on the 30th, to make up for not being able to get this done on time and to ensure people have time to both read the post and post their content. Sorry again for the delay!!)

Happy Hayden Young Appreciation Week, everyone!!

[sebastianstansqueen]

Lost In The Shadows Fourteen

A/N: This one is short, sorry, also have began writing my next series, my stuff about that will be up once i’m finished posting this story, hope you like it, If you want to be Tagged, either send an ask or comment on this or click on Taglist open.

Wordcount: 1,268

Warnings: Big Angst, Guns, Character Death, Drugs?, Some Domestic bliss, then obviously Brock, pregnacy, If forgot anything let me know please!

Masterlist // Series Masterlist // Taglist open// 

Tags:@cherryblossomsky- @babylooneytoonz- @wonderlandfandomkingdom - @miraclesoflove - @amelia-song-pond- @leyannrae- @avengerlex - @pineprincess - @nik2write - @dorothea-hwldr - @rosie-posie08 - @scxrletrecsmarvel - @sebsgirl71479- @missvelvetsstuff- @hadesownhell - @casa-boiardi- @winterslove1917- @hallecarey1- @ash-craze - @barnesxstan - @unaxv - @bethexo07 - @itsmytimetoodream - @sebastians-love -@stoneyggirl2 - @ordelixx - @arunabrak

Brock was pissed, it had been almost a year and there still had been no sign of Y/n nor James anywhere, and while Andy now seemingly was in control of her business, he couldn’t hold New York by the balls the way Y/n used to, so Brock turned his anger into an advantage. His substance had been selling like crazy around New York and it was only a matter of time when Y/n would find out he’d began spreading it on to her territory, and it was also only a matter of time for her to find out, he was so close to finding her and James, he just had to wait a little longer.

Meanwhile, Y/n and Bucky, had been living in Romania, Bucky’s memory had been coming back little by little. As for Y/n she was still the control freak as ever, still controlled what she could from a computer, halfway across the world, even with her patrooting stomach that made it annoyingly hard to use her computer. She rested her head against the couch cushion, with a sigh of slight irritation. Bucky came up from behind, telling from the way her face was scratched something was wrong. “What's going on?” He asked me to sit beside her. 

“First lil’ bean is driving me insane, they're moving a lot and I can barely see over my stomach, and work stuff, Brock is dealing on my streets, and he is still looking for me.” She stressed. 

“We’re fine and safe, shouldn’t that be all that matters?” He tilts his head. 

Y/n’s lips pulled up slightly. “If only it were that simple, I don’t just take care of only you I and our kids with what I do, I take care of my men’s families, I take care of all of the people in my territory, and if I let whatever shit get out, then look what happens, shure New York’s filled with druggies, and people on the stress, but when theres and out break it gets ten times worse for both populations.” She explained what other extra duties she had as a leader in the mob. “That’s why they respect me and fear me, because I could take it all away in a knight from someone, but I also made things better after Henry died, I helped a lot of people, get better, from pills and other crap.”

Bucky nodded, now understanding the importance of what she had done back home. “All I can say is don’t stress too much.” He put his hand over hers that was resting on her stomach, he smiled softly, she closed the laptop.

Bucky and Y/n both stood in the kitchen listening to music that fit both of their tastes, the made a meal fit for kings, or a mechanic and his pregnant mob boss wife. Bucky could tell the difference between now and the begging of their relationship, now she was comfortable enough to wear tank tops and really anything that showed any scar she’d gained in the past, sometimes, Bucky would ask about who she got each one, she could recite the story as if it happened yesterday, yet no emotion held in her voice, and then she’d acted as if she never said anything. He couldn’t understand how she did it.

As they both laid in bed, Bucky’s arms naturally found a way on Y/n. “If you stay relaxed, the sooner bean will be here, and the sooner bean is here, the sooner we get to make another little mean and another.” He smiled, as he held her closely to him. 

“I’ll try but no promises.” She smiled to herself, as her eyes closed, Bucky soon followed suit, shutting off the lamp that was on his night stand.

Bucky rolled around to find his wife once again in the night as he slept, but soon was awoken by the cold silky sheets. He shot up, looking around the room, finding no sign of her he got up to find her. 

Y/n paced in the office that used to be Bucky’s dads, when he was a kid. She spoke in a demanding harsh whisper, at whatever unfortunate soul. “We’ve got to figure this out, I-we can’t move places at the moment Andy.” She huffed, clearly her anxiety raised, along with anger. “Why? That’s not your business at the moment, I don’t know if he has the phone tapped. Throw him off or something. He can’t find us not right now, bye Andy.” She slumped into the chair behind the desk, sweat appearing on her forehead, her breath picked up slightly. 

Bucky came up, taking her hand in his. “It’s gonna be alright.”

“Brock knows where we are, and I don’t think that we can leave at the moment because I am nine months pregnant, and soon enough I could give birth.” Y/n explained. 

“He can’t access the island with anything other than a boat, we're fine.” Bucky reassured her. She nodded, knowing she could be overthinking this. “Let’s get back to bed.”

As a week passed, and then half of another, she started to think that she had been wrong. As they both had been getting ready for bed, the power cut out, Y/n and Bucky looked around in confusion as they stood in the bathroom, Y/n put her tooth brush back in the holder, and she moved into their room, Bucky was right with her. “Maybe a line went out.” 

“Nope, just me.” Y/n’s eyes whipped to the corner by the closet, Brock stood in the shadows, his hands in front of him with a pistol in one. Bucky tries to flick on the lights, when they turn on, they know someone else is there, all of them looking at each other, Brock’s jaw clenches visibly, when he finally takes in all of Y/n. “You could have had a good life with your husband and kid, why are you causing more trouble than it’s worth.” 

“Because you would kill more than you would ever help with whatever that shit is.” She hissed at him. 

Brock lifted his gun focusing on her chest, she had no way to defend herself, ironically the one time she didn’t carry her gun, so what else could she do but welcome death as an old friend hoping Bucky could at least leave. As the gun went off she prepared for the bullet, but it didn’t come so she opened her eyes looking around. “Get out!” She looked to where the voice came from, Bucky who was lying on the floor with a bullet in his chest and stomach. “Leave Y/n!” He said the best he could. 

Her leg’s moved before her mind, all she could see was Bucky there on the floor bleeding out, the pair of guards that stayed on the island met her down stairs. “Where’s Mr. Barnes?” One of them asked, she just shook her head. “Take her to the mainland. I’m going to go up there.”

The second guard came up to her, leading her out to the doc, she struggled to collect herself as they ran, when they got to the doc with a boat at the end, the guard helped Y/n on. “Y/n!” Brock Yelled form not too far from them. 

“Go, get to the Airport, and go home, or somewhere safe.” The guard told her, as he Started the boat before getting off quickly. The boat moved quickly on the water, Y/n waited to doc on the mainland, her face wet from tears as she docked and then got a taxi. She had no clue what was supposed to happen after this, she should have died.

When Y/n got on the first plane to New York, she immediately messaged Andy, wanting to have someone go back and get Bucky, maybe even they’d be able to save him. When she got back to New York, Andy had replied that he was right on it. As she took a private car back to her house, she felt empty like part of herself was missing. As she walked the path she had so many times, she slowly realized that this wasn’t home, at all. She walked into the house that gave her a pit in her stomach. Andy stood along with all of her men, all meant respect but she wanted to be alone, her jaw clenched, she still wore a nightgown that made her stomach stand out.  “Everyone except Andy, leave.” Her voice turned cold and stern. 

Andy stayed behind like told as all the other men filtered out. “See what you meant by you didn’t want to leave, now.” 

“Is he okay?” Her voice sounded desperate, and had a yearning interlaced. 

Andy’s shoulders tensed. “He, along with Brock and his men, weren’t there when they got to the island, Y/n, I’m sorry.”

She just nodded. “Go figure out what's next, I'm staying in New York, until this finishes up.” 

“What if-”

“I don’t care I’ll kill Brock Rumlow if that’s the last thing I do, even with my baby in my stomach, he killed my husband, I’m taking every part of his legacy possible, by the time this finishes, no one will even remember his name.” She spoke with passionate rage. “Go get me my information Andy.” She stood giving him a stern look, before he left.

[hazel-islivingtrash]

New chapter inbound! Satoru and Suguru have a little date together, which leads to them being covered in flour and [redacted]~

You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see where it takes them ;)

This chapter will be posted at my usual time of around 3pm eastern time! I meant to post this sneak peak yesterday but I was busy moving back home from college and revising the chapter :))

Also! Before we get into the sneak peek, I want to thank everyone for all their support and questions lately! We've hit 300 kudos on From the Start which is absolutely breathtaking😭😭 ❤️❤️ I've been having a lot of fun answering them and interacting with you guys <3 You're all the best! Lots of love❤️❤️

Now, sneak peek time~

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Sneak peek of chapter 15: More Than Anythin’ I Ever Felt Before (spoiler free)

“Almost done,” Suguru said, sliding over the tray filled with cupcake liners. “We’re gonna fill these around halfway then stick ‘em in the oven for around 18 minutes.”

Satoru nodded and started to help him, filling up all 12 slots, sneaking a taste of the batter when some of it dripped onto the pan.

He started trying to wipe up the mess he left on the counter as Suguru placed the cupcakes into the oven. They both cleaned up most of the mess, and as Satoru was tossing a paper towel into the trash can, a cloud of white dust curled around his head.

“What the…?” He said as he turned to Suguru, who was suspiciously hiding his hands behind his back, his eyes lit with a bright fire.

“What was that?” Satoru questioned, leaning to try to get a look at Suguru’s hands. He barely had enough time to register what was happening when one of those hands came up and splashed his face with flour. 

Suguru started laughing hysterically as Satoru stood there dumbfounded, his jaw hanging open in shock as flour dusted his face. Suguru had to brace himself on the counter, he was laughing so hard, which gave Satoru enough time to come to his senses for revenge. Two can play at that game.

He grabbed a handful of flour himself and dashed behind Suguru, bringing his hand up to the man’s chest to pull him upward. Suguru’s laughs abruptly stopped at that motion and turned into a shrill gasp when Satoru tossed flour back into his face.

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If this intrigues you, it would be amazing if you could check out my fic! Updates are posted every Saturday!

Current status of fic:

Current status of fic: 14 out of 25 chapters complete, just under 80k words ❤️❤️

**The story is rated mature and with a warning of graphic depictions of violence.

[brighttears]

Battery II Charged

Joel Miller x f!reader

Series masterlist

No physical description

Summary: On the road, your ease lasts only a couple hours before your luck runs out. An overhead confession from Joel leaves your head spinning. 

Word count: 4.9k

Warnings: mention of Joel’s pill abuse, mention of death, suicide, and grief

A/n: not super exciting tbh, good stuff’s at the end. i’m gonna be fucking with some cannon stuff just so i’m not just rewriting scenes from the show so some things are changed/missing! don’t worry Joel stops being an ass like halfway through this and then we will have soft Joel from now on (mostly, probably)

—

You’ve been up for hours before anyone else wakes, Tess being the first, wandering into the room, obviously having just opened her eyes. 

“Hey.” She says when she sees you.

“Hey.”

“Coffee?”

“You have coffee?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she chuckles, strolling into the kitchen to start a pot.

“Thanks,” you say as you get up from the couch, stretching. 

“Joel’ll be up soon. Just has to shake off those pills.”

“Does he take those a lot?”

She nods, “Can’t blame him.”

“Why not?”

She turns to you, resting her elbows on the counter behind her. “Let’s just leave it as I can’t blame him.”

You nod. Not your business. Just as long as he doesn’t take them on the road. “Are they coming with us?”

Tess shakes her head, “Nah, he’s not stupid.”

As if on cue, Joel emerges, looking lost. He glances at you, double takes, eyes still almost half shut, and then shambles over to Tess, placing his hand on the handle of the coffee pot.

“It’s not done yet. Just put it on.” Tess tells him. He grumbles incoherently and then goes to slide into a seat at the table, rubbing his hands over his face. “You gonna be good to get outta here soon?” He nods slowly, face still in his hands. 

“I can help you guys get packed up if you want,” you offer. 

“Sure, you can help me get some stuff together. It’s all under the floorboards in the bedroom.” Tess answers. 

Joel speaks up, audibly groggy, “No. She doesn't need to touch anythin’. I can handle it fine myself.”

You sigh, unable to stop yourself from rolling your eyes, and Tess chuckles. 

“Whatever you say, sir.” You salute him. Joel stares at you, then looks to the floor, shakes his head, and peels himself out of his seat to trudge into the bedroom. You ignore the scraping of furniture on the floor and choose to join Tess at the table. 

“Is he always like this?” You whisper, sipping the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had, granted you haven’t had one in at least a decade. 

She shakes her head, making a face as she sips from her own mug, “He’s better once he warms up to you. But, he’s kinda just that kind of guy, you know? He’s a good guy, and he can be sweet, but, world’s really fucked with his head, you know how it is. He was a whole different person before.”

“You knew him?”

“No, but I knew his brother. He told me what he used to be like. Huge softy, if you can believe it.”

You nod and sip, trying to picture that in Joel. “So, what’s the whole story with him and his brother?” You whisper. 

“Well,” she sighs, “they were together from day one. I met them a few years ago, we ran with a crew for a while, met some Fireflies, and Tommy wanted to split and go with them. They kind of had a falling out, Joel and I stuck together, came here. They were communicating through the radio towers but Tommy stopped responding a few weeks ago. That's when we started looking for a car, go out and find him. Just got a tip he might be somewhere in Wyoming, so that’s where we’re going.”

“You think he might be somewhere in Wyoming?” You repeat back, giving her a leery look. You’re not in love with that plan—Wyoming is very far and a big state, there might already be nothing to find there. But, on second thought, you don't really care. You’ll be in a car with two capable people, and that is more than you can ask for. You’re fine just being along for the ride. 

“You got anything better to do?”  

“Nope.” You chuckle, and she returns one, smiling into her cup. 

Yeah, you guess you are friends. The thought almost makes you choke on your coffee; a whole year with nothing like this, only passing faces, fake friends created for the sole purpose of getting something out of it, and, well, Rat King. But now, you’re exchanging an honest smile and chuckles with a woman over coffee. What a lucky break, to have met Tess.

Ruining the moment, Joel plods back into the room, filling up a mug and choosing to lean against the sink rather than take a seat at the table with you. 

“I’m not infected, you know.” You say to him. “Not contagious with anything. And if I smell, you smell worse.”

“Fuck are you talkin’ about.” He says into his mug, squinting. 

“You’re acting like if you come too close I'm gonna put a knife to your throat.” You stare at him in all his beheaded glory, marks from the sheets not yet faded from his cheek. “I don’t bite.”

Joel just stares back, then, finally and reluctantly, he takes a seat across from you at the table. 

“Ok, I’m serious,” Tess says, setting her mug down, “you two better not keep this shit up. It started off cute, but now it’s getting real fucking annoying.”

“Cute?” Joel says, screwing his face up, and you say over him, “I’m not doing anything.”

“Alright, alright,” Tess puts her hands up, “we’re gonna cut this shit out now. You two, shake hands.”

“What?” Joel screws his face up again. You sip your coffee, looking between them.

“Shake her hand.” Tess gestures, raising her eyebrows at him. Joel moues. It’s been nothing more than irritating so far, but now, it’s starting to hurt your feelings a little. You haven’t done anything wrong. For god’s sake, he should be on his knees thanking you for what you're doing for him. What is it about you that’s so wrong? 

Finally, he offers his hand, and you shake, his hold firm and warm. 

A shock suddenly runs through you as if he was a live wire, and you feel like your skin is melting in the most delightful way possible. The moment of contact is over in a second, but you feel that something inside of you has shifted. You can’t put your finger on what it is, but it feels like trouble. You set your hand on your leg, but it’s as if the warmth from his hand has been transmitted through your skin and onto your thigh. You quickly take your hand away to place on your mug, warm like it’s supposed to be. Your eyes are stuck on each others, but neither glares. Just, stuck. His are brown like dark bark in the sun, rich, deep, pretty. You look down at the table. 

“Alright, we got that taken care of?” You hear Tess.

“Yeah.” You answer, eyes still on the table. Joel clears his throat before he copies your response, his tone devastatingly unrevealing. You will your gaze back up only to be caught in his again, and you look around at the wall, down at your coffee, and back up, all in a second, only to be caught again. He holds it for a moment before looking down at the table. Whatever this feeling he’s giving you stinks to high heaven of trouble. 

“Alright, good, then let’s get the fuck outta here.” Tess concludes. 

You bring the battery back up on your back while Joel and Tess carry the rest of everything you’ll have for a while, abandoning your coffee, not even bothering to place the mugs in the sink. This place will be left exactly as it is, but neither of them seem to mind leaving all of this behind. You leave the apartment and then follow the two wordessly through a maze that eventually leads out past the gates, ending in emerging from a literal hole in the ground. Once outside, still crouching on the ground, you take a deep breath of fresh air, free from smoke and ash and stink. The dawn is breathtaking, being seen for the first time in years, half of the sky barely past midnight's shadow, pulled up like a shade by blood orange leading down to the peachy halo of the sun somewhere behind the toppled buildings, speckled and tangled with green. A flock of birds pass overhead, dancing in the smearing sky. You could laugh. 

“Focus,” Joel hisses, looking at you over his shoulder, also crouched, scowl back in play, though it’s understandable in the stress of the moment. You nod. He’s right. Plenty of time for this later. Right now, you’re still not quite in the clear. 

The three of you scamper silently through the badlands between the Boston QZ and freedom. As you venture out, though, your excitement begins to fade, realizing that you’ve been looking through rose colored glasses for a while now. The QZ is a shithole, but out here is just a much wider shithole. There's less people, no rules, but neither of those pluses are as good as they had been sounding in your head. Less people, because they’re mostly dead or infected, the rest being not much more than animals who know how to talk sweet. No rules, means, well, no rules, no morals, just the loose goal of ‘survive’, which translates to fight dirty, do anything you can, anything to survive. Live to fight another day. 

“How far’s the car?” You ask, the first to speak. 

“Not far.” Tess responds, distracted as she scans your surroundings. You're in the city now, the remains of it at least, weaving around crashed cars and large, rocky craters, twenty years of weather and neglect preceded by bombings and a storm of hysteria. You were expecting Joel to say something like ‘We’ll get there when we get there’, but he stays silent, eyes also scanning around. You seem less fazed. Are you not scared enough? Or have they just been inside longer than you have? You do feel like an animal in its natural environment, ears knowing what sound to look at, eyes knowing what movement to check, agile feet over the broken mounds of rock and glass and all of the other debris out in the open broken world. 

“The car’s supposed to be at the church on Park Street. Few minutes walk from here.” Tess finally answers you. 

“I know where that is.”

“Good for you.” Joel says. 

“Fuck off.” You reply.

“Excuse you,” Joel looks at you, screwing his face up. 

“Hey,” Tess interjects, shooting both of you a look, “Jesus, I feel like the parent of two disobedient kids. Knock it off.”

Joel huffs and looks at the ground. You smirk to yourself, seeing him again as a pouting dog being checked by his owner. 

It’s silent until you reach the church, red brick with a steeple reaching high into the sky. Parked directly in front of it, as if on display, is an old Dodge Caravan, white with fake wood siding, dusted with dirt, wheel wells caked in dried mud. 

“This thing looks like it’s from the 90s,” Tess comments. “You think it’ll run?”

“It better.” You say, shoulders aching with a vengeance from the battery still hanging from them.

“You said that right.” Joel adds gruffly. 

You stop at the front and lower yourself to the ground to unload the battery from your bag. Finally free of the thing, you stretch your shoulders back with a deep sigh. 

“Surprised your back’s not broken by now.” Joel says as he comes to squat next to you, looking over the battery.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothin’,” he glances at you, “jus’ maybe we shoulda traded bags.”

“I can handle it.” You retort, though he sounds honestly well intentioned, “I’m not weak.”

“Wasn’t callin’ you weak. What, I can't say anythin’ without it bein’ an insult?”

“That’s all it’s been so far.”

Joel just sighs, then stands to open the hood of the car. You stand to look inside with him; all looks right, though you’re not sure you know enough to make a judgment. 

“How’s it look?”

“Looks fine.” Joel says, then bends down to take his pack off and dig through it, pulling out a couple tools which he sets on the ground before hefting the battery up and into the empty space under the hood, grunting with its weight. 

“You came prepared, huh?”

“Sure did.” Joel mumbles as he picks up the tools and leans over the engine to start working on it. 

“How do you know how to do all that?”

“Used to be a mechanic.”

“I thought you were a contractor.” Tess questions, coming up beside you.

“Before that.” Joel replies, “When I was in high school.”

“I can just see you now,” Tess chuckles, “jumpsuit all covered in oil, you name embroidered on the little pocket.”

You laugh at the thought—Joel leaning over a car, jumpsuit tied around his waist as he works, dirty white t-shirt straining against his back muscles and those broad shoulders—”Fuck,” you say to yourself, startled by your own thoughts. 

“What?” Joel looks back at you, panic in his eyes. 

You dart your eyes away, shaking the thoughts of him out of your head. “Nothing, nothing, sorry.”

“You sure?” Tess asks, raising her eyebrows at you. 

“Yeah, yeah, it was nothing, really, sorry. Is the car ready?”

“Just about.” Joel replies as he leans in close to continue with a wrench. 

“You sure you remember how to do it right?” You say, recovering yourself. He pauses to glare at you but doesn’t respond. 

“Let’s hope he does.” Tess says. 

He glares at her too, then states, “I know how to do it. Just give me a damn minute. 

“Alright,” Tess chuckles, raising her hands defensively, then steps back to examine the van. She slides over the side door to step inside, “Damn, look at this thing. We could sleep in here.”

You come over to peek next to her, “How the fuck did you score this?”

“Beat it outta someone.”

“Really?”

“Yup. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Must have been a good beating.”

“It was.” Joel calls from the front, then drops the hood down and comes around to get into the driver's seat. A pair of keys fall into his lap when he drops the visor down, and he takes a deep breath before easing the keys in and turning the ignition. The van roars to life, and you all laugh with delight, Joel clapping his hands and whooping. 

“Hol–ly–shit,” You laugh, half of it being at Joel’s sudden enthusiasm, “look at that.”

“Look at that.” Joel repeats, and you watch his grin through the front mirror.

Just as he catches you, Tess says, “Alright, let me out.” You step back out and she walks around to get into the passenger seat, “Alright, grab your shit and let’s go before our luck runs out. 

You and Joel nearly bump into each other as he gets out and he mumbles a sorry before you both go to gather your things. He hands you your bag and you mumble back a thank you. The relief from having a working car must have flooded all the resenting sarcasm out of you, and you actually almost smile at each other as you both get back in. You flump onto the backseat, sighing as you rest against the cushion, rolling your aching shoulders again. 

“Thank god I don’t have to carry that thing anymore. N’ I’ve got plenty of room in my bag for all the shit we have to pick up now.”

“What’s our first stop?” Joel asks, adjusting the mirror to look at you.

“About twenty miles west.”

“What am I lookin’ for?”

“Gas station. BP. Next spot’s just the same, gas station about thirty miles west from that one.”

“Alright, perfect, we’ll see if we can find some gas.” He says as he puts the car in drive and starts out, rounding the corner, “We’ll be there in no time.”

You lean back in your seat and let yourself smile. It all worked out. With a car, dare you say, it looks like smooth sailing from here. 

“Lemme see if I can find some music,” Tess says, digging through the glove box. “Oh, shit,” she chuckles, pulling out a CD, “Don fuckin’ McLean. Were you ever into him?” She asks Joel.

“Shit, is that American Pie?” He asks hopefully, glancing at it held out in Tess’s hand, “Oh shit, put that on. I love this album.”

You chuckle from the backseat. Such a wholesome little moment, and as Tess slides the CD in and the music starts to play, an air of ease falls over the cabin. Morning sun cascades through the windows and you squint through the dirty pane, watching your surroundings start to speed up past you. On the road again, heading somewhere far, finally free again. No more curfews or guards, no more fucking ration cards or deals in basements. You look ahead to the front seat at your new companions, catching a small smile on Tess’s lips. All you can see of Joel is his shoulder and his hair, wavy and stroked with silver. In the mirror, his eyes are locked on the road, but his brow is relaxed, and there might even be a smile of his own hidden under it. Leaning back in your seat and looking back out the window, the music in your ears for the first time in many years filling you up with giddy warmth, you think you could get used to this.

—

The next couple hours are in fact smooth sailing, both stops being stress free and bountiful, two crates, found exactly where you’d left them, full of food, guns, and ammo next to you on the seat with two red jugs full of gas on the floor below them. 

The car breaks down just past the border of Massachusetts. 

“Shit.” Joel seethes, waving the gray smoke away from his face as he slams the hood shut. “T’s done.” He announces, looking at you and Tess. 

“Fuck.” She mutters, closing her eyes and dropping her head. 

You watch the fumes slinking out from the hood. It was foolish to think this thing would take you all the way across the country. Of course it would break down within two fucking hours. Why not?

“Come here and help me get this shit out before the car explodes.” You say, going back to open the side door and start packing whatever you can fit into your bag. You shove another gun into the back of your jeans and empty half a box of bullets into your jacket pocket. Joel is behind you when you back out, and you shove a crate into his hands, “I got most of it. Just take whatever else you can fit in your pack. Same with Tess. We’ll probably have to leave some behind.”

Joel does as you ask, kneeling to unload the contents of the crate and dividing it up for the two of them. Once everyone’s pack is filled to the brim, you leave only a few things behind, set in crates next to the car, and set off on foot. 

Joel traces his finger over the folded map found in the glove compartment as you walk. “We’ll just follow route 20. Maybe take a turn at, uh, Albany, ‘bout  a day's walk. That’s the next real town, pretty much just farmland for a while.”

“Great.” Tess says through tight lips. 

—

At dusk, you decide to call it a day, though you’re only a few hours away from Albany. You set up under an overpass and light a small fire before nightfall takes away the option. Everyone is all deep sighs as you sit back to rest, no one used to all that walking. Your shoulders are still throbbing, a lasting consequence of that damn battery, and you pull your shirt down to see red bruises covering both sides, flashing like a mockery in the light of the flames. 

“Damn, that battery really did a number on you.” Tess comments, leaning over to examine the bruising.

“I can’t decide if it was even fucking worth it.” You say, readjusting your shirt with a huff. 

“Well, commendable act.” Tess sighs, resting her arms over spread knees. 

“Thanks,” you mumble, not used to genuine praise. 

After a moment, Joel says, “You look tired.” You look up at him and he’s staring with puppy dog eyes, probably unintentionally, but puppy dog eyes just the god damn same. 

“I am.” You mumble, not meaning to be honest about it. 

“Well,” he grunts as he stands, pulling his gun out, double checking it’s loaded, and leaning against the concrete wall, “I’ll take first watch. Tess, I’ll wake you up in a few hours.”

“This is starting to sound like you still don’t trust me.” You say. 

“T’s not.” Joel says, “You just look the most tired.”

You sigh, torn between a longing for sleep and hesitancy to be in such a vulnerable position. 

As if reading your mind, Tess assures you, “Don’t worry, we’re not gonna kill ya or split. We’re in this together now, and we need you sharp. Get some sleep.” She nods her head to the ground. You pause, then obey, curling up on the hard ground with your hands between your knees and pack under your head. You’re out within minutes, being more exhausted than you had realized. 

—

An almost silent scuffle is enough to wake you up and tense every single muscle in your body, but the two familiar, faint voices relax them just as fast. It must just be Joel waking up Tess for her watch, chatting in between shifts. Their low tones tell you this isn’t for you to hear, but you listen anyway. 

“She’s jus’… she’s just so damn… pretty.” You hear Joel. Who is? …Who else would it be, but you? At this realization, your face lights on fire. Tess starts to chuckle, but then it turns into cackling, as quiet as she can manage. 

“Sh!”

You can hear the wild grin on her face as she whispers, “You have a crush on her!” 

You want to squirm, twist your legs up, but you stay still. You don’t understand the impulse, but you don’t like it, either. You feel like a fucking highschooler; a callback to an alien world, but you haven’t felt anything like it since. 

“No, I do not, now be quiet before you wake her up.”

“Yes, yes you do,” she continues to stifle laughter. 

“No the fuck I don’t.” A pause. Then, “Shit, maybe I do.” He groans, voice muffled, “I’m fucked, aren’t I, god, I’m so fucked.”

Oh, shit.

“Yes, yes you are.” Tess chuckles. 

The worst part is that you’re just as fucked as he is. It seems to be hitting you both at the same time. A crush, yes, that’s what the young aliens used to call it. A fucking crush. Maybe it’s due to time, being much, much, older—hundreds of years older, it seems—but this crush doesn’t feel like any one you’ve had before. Maybe because it���s Joel, like no one you’ve ever met. But, how, exactly? You’ve met damaged people, you’ve met people just as cold, just as standoffish. No man has exactly been this standoffish to you, though; most men you’ve met on the road have tried something within a couple days, even if it’s been in a group. Warm bodies. Hungry animals. Horny survivors. 

There’s no way you’re going back to sleep now. Your mind is spinning, gyrating, tying itself into knots. Joel, Joel, what is it about him? You’ve met handsome men. You’ve slept with a couple handsome men. You even held one of their hands once. But, Joel, you’ve barely even touched.

Pretty. That’s all he said. Is he just another horny survivor? None you’ve known have confided in anyone, cared to discuss it with someone. And not anyone has ever used the word crush. Come to think of it, most of them only use the word sexy to describe you, just to say, hey, you’re so sexy, let me fuck you. That’s about it. 

Joel, Joel, Joel, shit, what is it?

“Ah, Jesus,” Joel says. 

“A crush, wow. Gotta say, I was not expecting that from you. I always thought you were a pork ‘er and move on, never say a word about how you actually feel kinda guy.”

“Hey, you callin’ me a slut?” Joel says. Tess tries to muffle her laughter but it burst out of her hands. “Sh!” She sounds like she has her hands pressed firmly against her mouth, but she’s still laughing. 

“Yes, actually, I am calling you a slut.” She finally manages to say, “I mean, with us, it was never like that. I mean, did you have a crush on me? Because, I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t call it that.”

“No,” Joel whispers. “It wasn’t like that. I mean, you know I… care about you, all that. But, yeah, y’know, it was jus’…”

“Yeah, we’re on the same page, don’t worry.”

“Jesus, Tess, this is… goddammit, I don’t have time for this shit. I mean, what should I—what should I do?”

“Don’t look at me, loverboy. I’ve got nothin’. Are you gonna tell her?”

“Fuck no.”

Tess chuckles, “Why?”

“Why on earth would I? This is my problem, not hers. You think shit’s tense now, imagine how’d it be with that piece of fuckin’ information hangin’ in the air.”

“You don’t think she likes you back, do you?”

“Of course she doesn’t.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I—well, I mean,” Joel stammers, “why the fuck would she? Look at me, I’m just some fuckin’... old man, who—who—”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Joel. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a good guy. You’re handsome. You’re kind. You’re gentle. You’re a fuckin’ badass. You’re—holy shit, you’re blushing,”

“Would you keep your fuckin’ voice down?”

“Aw, you’re killing me, Joel. I’ve never seen you like this. Never. She has got a fucking hold on you, doesn’t she?”

“Tess, stop fuckin’ around, and just tell me what to do.”

“Hey, I told you, I’ve got no advice on this one. Crushes are not my strong suit. I’m sorry, but you’re on your own on this one.”

“Ah, don’t tell me that. Shit, Tess, come on,” he nearly whines, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.”

“Alright, why don’t you just sleep on it?”

There’s a pause, then Joel sighs, and you hear him shifting into place on the ground behind you.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. This is bad. But it feels good. But it feels bad. You’re almost nauseous with the number of wings fluttering in your chest, almost dizzy, and you realize you’ve been biting the inside of your cheek so much it hurts. Half of your brain is having a party while the other half is looking for a knife to stick in its chest. What does this mean? What’s going to happen? What do you want to happen?

What do you want?

Joel is the first word that comes to mind, and you want to bang it out of your head and into the ground. But there it is, sticking like a bullet under your skin. Should you talk to Tess about it? The only person you can talk to? Tell her you heard everything? Or should you tell Joel? Oh, god, you don’t even know how you’d broach the subject to him.

What, are you two gonna start holding hands now? What else do couples do—oh, god, couples, what, are you gonna start dating? You almost laugh to yourself but you catch it before either of them realize you’re not asleep like you’re supposed to be. This is all like an out of body experience. None of this exists. 

Your mind wanders to the one time you have seen something like this—Agatha and John, who you met on the road along with a few others; the lovers, everyone always used to call them. Joined at the hip, linked by their hands almost all of the time. You used to make fun of them for their googly eyes at each other, but they never minded. They were in love, and they knew it, everyone did. Marriage without the $25 piece of paper or veil and bowtie. There was always this rosy air about them, their love was enchanting, so real, so innocent, so sweet. 

And then John died. And then Agatha killed herself. 

The whole group fell apart after that. 

That’s why all of this, ever since the second you touched him, just that shaking of his hand, had given you such a bad feeling. Because you knew what it was, and even before you found the word for it, you knew it’d end bad. 

What John and Agatha had was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, even before the world ended. They found each other, and they chose it—love, despite everything, the ugliness, the loss, the loathsome world. And it was so pure, like an angelic little bubble that they floated in. The way they touched each other, the fleeting passes over waists and arms, they way they flowed like a living duet. The way they held each other, when they cried, when they laughed, just, whenever they could. You’ve never seen people sleep so peacefully. The love was tangible between them.

And then when John died, Agatha fell apart, like an angel from heaven, like a baby bird from a nest, into a pile of feathers and blood. She was a shell. For a week. And then she killed herself. She couldn’t live without him.

You envied her before. And then, immediately, you mourned her. 

These violent delights have violent ends. 

Love is dangerous. A crush is a bullet with god cocking the gun.