#you’re the bestest 💕💕
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kokinu09 · 22 days ago
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If you receive this, you make somebody happy! send this to ten of your followers who make you happy or somebody you think needs cheering up. if you get one back, even better! (⁠•⁠ө⁠•⁠)⁠♡
Vic how dare you come around here making me cry on a Monday 😭💕💕💕
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jeanmoreaux · 1 year ago
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i LOVE reading ur thg posts bestie. r u gonna do the same type of analysis on tbosas?
thank you jam 💕✨ i am planning to also make a post thread for tbosas for sure i am not done with annoying you all with my thg brainrot after mockingjay
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morning-star-joy · 1 year ago
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PANDA 😭😭😭 ILYSM
They have come so far it’s really kind of insane to look back at where they started, like wow, they’ve grown so much and now they’re just completely in love 🥺 can’t imagine their lives without each other
HEHEHE SAME THO, like say no more Joel, c’mon sir do what you said you wanna 💳💥
Quotes from the fic = the purest form of joy 🥹
I know I already told you this but I just wanted the fic to end as a love letter to Joel as a character, and letting him know he is worthy of love was something that was healing to me
IM GLAD YOU CAME ALONG FOR THE RIDE PANDA 🥹💜
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with your boots beneath my bed; forever is the sweetest con
a stranger's heart without a home chapter 20
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Pairing: friends with benefits Joel x F!Reader, Post-Outbreak
Chapter Summary: The holidays arrive in Jackson, and you cherish your time spent with your loved ones.
Chapter Warnings/Tags: Explicit Smut (18+ Only MDNI) unprotected p in v sex, creampie, praise kink. Mutual Pining (resolved), Language (fucking is an adjective).
A/N: I won't make this too long, but holy fucking shit you guys. It's here. We did it. There's still the epilogue left, and many more stories to be told from this one, but thank you guys so much for all the love you've shown to this fic that I hold so dear.
Wordcount: 13.6k
chapter 1 || chapter 19 || chapter 20 || masterlist
ao3 link
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You were, for all intents and purposes, fucked.
Fucked in quite the literal sense of the word, hardly spending a night where you weren’t in Joel’s bed, or he in yours.
Fucked in the way that you woke up each morning completely wrapped up in him, not knowing a part of yourselves that wasn’t intertwined, or an inch of your soul that wasn’t now marked by him.
Fucked in how the first thing he would do when he woke up would be to turn over, breaking your hold on him from behind to smile lazily at you, brighter than the sunlight that filtered through the windows to dance across his face.
Slowly, you came to know each line etched on his face, each wrinkle and scar as your eyes traced them every morning. Old and weathered, tired and weary, but so achingly familiar to you now that you couldn’t imagine waking up without it.
But you think your favorite thing to do, the thing that fucked you the most, was faking sleep just so you could count his breaths until he awoke. Focusing on keeping your eyes closed, your own breathing deep and even, you would pretend to be unaware of Joel’s fingers as they lightly traced your own face, memorizing you the same way you did him when he thought you weren’t aware.
It was always a gentle, featherlight touch. Hardly even there, but you felt it.
You knew. 
And it made you ache so deeply, so completely, your heart racing underneath your bare skin as he caressed your cheek before pulling his hand away from you. You would listen to the sheets shift as he turned onto his back and waited for you to open your eyes.
When you did eventually open your eyes, faking a yawn before focusing on the side of his hardened, devastatingly handsome face with a smile, and he would smile back at you with just a glint of something knowing in his eyes, you wondered if he had actually been in on this little secret of yours all along.
Yeah, completely fucked.
One morning, you really did wake up after him, stretching your limbs across the bed, legs bumping against his as you rolled over onto your other side. At your motion, you heard the mattress shift behind you before you felt Joel’s hands slide up your curves and around your waist, pulling you back into him at the same moment his face buried into your neck.
You hummed, feeling your body wake up to him before your mind did, pressing your ass back into where you could feel his hardening dick poking against your thighs.
That hum quickly turned into a light, breathless moan as Joel’s thick fingers spread across your stomach, inching lower and lower until they were gliding across your folds, taking his time caressing you gently, teasing you with each pass over your clit until you were squirming, begging him for more in a delirious half-asleep state.
Only then did his thumb find your clit, rubbing slow, steady circles across it until you were shaking from the gentle warmth of an orgasm he coaxed out of you when his fingers slipped into you. That climax was followed by another, and another, as Joel continued to simply revere in the moment, leisurely dissolving you into a mewling, moaning mess in a way that only he knew how.
You were so fucked out, mouth agape with pleasure as you panted against the pillow, that the familiar stretch of his cock sliding into you pulled a broken, strangled cry from your throat.
Joel stopped instantly, hand spreading across your stomach in a gentle manner that assured you of his warmth, his comfort, as his mouth found your ear from where he was still pressed to you from behind.
“You okay?” he whispered, and you shivered at the intimacy, biting your lip as you grabbed the pillow. “Do you—”
“Gimme—” you gasped, eyes rolling back into your head as you fell back into him, melting into his embrace as you adjusted to the feeling of him partially inside of you, giving a nod once you were ready and aching for more. “Good. I’m good.”
Joel still took another moment, his lips pressing a gentle kiss on a sensitive spot behind your ear, and you shivered as the action sent butterflies racing through your stomach. You didn’t have a moment to ponder on those feelings he always managed to stir from you, more and more lately, as he slid the rest of the way in until his cock was fully seated inside of you.
You bit your lip harder, forcing yourself to keep quiet so you could hear every catch of his breath, every quiet moan and toe-curling whimper that left his lips as he began to fuck into you. His thrusts were slow, lazy, just enjoying the feeling of being inside you first thing in the morning. 
Joel’s forehead pressed to your shoulder as he began to groan and whimper louder, unabashed, too lost in the heady atmosphere of the early morning coupled with the feeling of your cunt surrounding him, warming and fulfilling him in the best way.
When words began to pour from his lips, they finally drew sounds from you, your own whining and whimpering as you began to roll your hips back against him, ready for another orgasm. At your movement, Joel’s hand on your stomach that was holding you steady snaked back down between your thighs, playing with your clit as your head tipped back and you gasped from the build of another orgasm, having lost count of how many he had given you that morning.
“Fuck, I wish I could fill you up,” were the nearly incoherent words that came tumbling from his lips, and you moaned, loud and desperate, moving faster to meet both his thrusts from behind you and his fingers in front of you, trapped between him in the best possible way, as he quickly tugged you forward to dangle over the edge of ecstasy. “You’d look so good full of me.”
Joel continued to pant and groan, his face pressed against the side of yours, breath warming your cheek as you reached behind you to grab his hair, keeping him there as the sentiment he had never dared to speak aloud shot straight to your throbbing clit underneath his fingers. “I wanna see my cum dripping from your pussy and down your legs, wanna see you—Jesus. ”
“Please.”
The word slipped from your lips before you could even think better of it. Still lost in the state between carnal pleasure and being asleep, helpless to the peaks of ecstasy he kept delivering to you, you began to beg for the very thing you both knew you could never do. 
He whispered your name then—a plea, a warning.
“Joel, please,” you whimpered, feeling his hips stuttering, knowing what was about to happen and oh god, oh fuck, somewhere in the back of your mind you knew you shouldn’t but it would feel so good, so fucking good to have his cum filling you up and oh Jesus you were about to cum again, you were—
He stopped.
“We—” he gasped, and the feeling of him still hard inside of you with no additional warmth served as a sign that he hadn’t released yet. 
You were nearly crying now, both from the intense pleasure and from him stopping, even as you knew he had done the right thing, so you could both gather yourselves enough to slip out of the delicious sleepy haze you were in and not fuck yourselves over—quite literally. 
“We can’t,” Joel whispered, lips brushing against your cheek in what was almost a chaste kiss if it wasn’t open-mouthed, his tongue flicking out to taste the salt of sweat on your skin. He rested his lips there and murmured against your skin, sounding more like he was speaking to himself than to you, “We can’t.”
“I know,” you panted, fingers tangling in his curls, keeping his face pressed to your cheek as you repeated yourself the same way he just did. “I know.”
Joel found enough self-control then to fuck you just enough so you could cum again—more, just give me one more, mi luna—before he pulled out of you, and you listened to the sounds of his grunting from where his face was still pressed to the side of yours, his facial hair scraping pleasantly against your skin, feeling the warmth of his cum as it coated your back when he finally found release.
You didn’t acknowledge the fleeting desire for him to cum inside you—a longing you had both felt—after that other than a breathless joke from you as he finally lifted his head, “Fuck the lack of contraceptives in the apocalypse.”
The words earned a quiet, shaky laugh from Joel before he found enough strength to push himself from the bed so he could get ready for your aftercare. 
And that was that. Just another easy, warm morning that you were getting far too used to.
Somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew that now that you had found a spot in his bed, you would never leave.
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Outside of the comfort of your lazy early mornings in bed with Joel, December arrived in Jackson, bringing the deep chill of winter right to your doorstep.
Just a year ago, you had nearly despised this time of year. The holidays were a reminder of how much you had suffered, bringing to the front of your mind the indescribable grief of everything you had lost in life.
Now you could walk the streets without hating the sense of cheer you felt lingering around every corner. You would watch the children spinning and playing in the first snowfall of the season with a fond smile, cherishing the memories they brought to mind of those days when you and your sister would build small snowmen in the Seattle QZ.
Surely they were destroyed by FEDRA soldiers on patrol when the next morning rolled around. But you had been content to create something, to leave your tiny mark on the world with her. Even if its existence was only for a small moment, just one blink of finite happiness in infinite time.
It also seemed that you were content to create more small moments of happiness this winter.
Inside the warmth and safety of your best friend’s home one afternoon, you were blinking at him in surprise, no small amount of skepticism in your voice as you repeated what he had just told you.
“A Secret Santa party?”
“Yup!” Tommy grinned, giving a nod to emphasize his confirmation as he leaned back on the couch next to you.
“Jesus Christ,” you groaned, rubbing your hands down over your face, though your words were more teasing than truly exasperated as you asked, “Why are you so obsessed with these parties?”
“Besides the fact that they’re fun? Sorry if you’ve never heard of it,” he teased you right back, leaning over to gently nudge you in the shoulder with his own. “Actually, the holiday party was Maria’s idea.”
“But the Secret Santa part was yours,” you replied simply, not needing to hear it from him to know that it was the truth.
Still, you dropped your hands from your face to look at his own, satisfied by how you could see that you were right, just judging by the proud grin that brightened up his whole face as he talked of the idea.
“So why am I here, then?” you asked with a sigh, arching an inquisitive brow as your eyes narrowed at him in playful suspicion. “You are not having it at my house.”
Tommy waved off the little bit of concern that was hidden in your joke, and you relaxed only minutely before he reached over the armrest of the sofa and grabbed something off the ground before holding it out towards you.
You stared down at the hat filled with tiny scraps of paper with a gentle scoff before asking, “Damn, Tommy, how many people are you even inviting to this thing?”
“Not too many,” he answered with a shrug, holding out the hat further, trying to tempt you to take one and find out who you were getting a gift for at this party. “Patrolmen, mainly. The teens. A few other people.”
“Then why are there so many—”
“Just grab one!” he interrupted you, shaking the papers around in the hat before nearly shoving it in your face, and you gave an over-exaggerated groan before snatching one.
You fell silent then, staring down at the name written on the small scrap after you unfolded it, your heart racing just at the familiar shape of the letters before you narrowed your eyes up at your friend.
His lips were twitching, a telltale sign he was holding back a smile as his eyes glimmered with a well known mirth, and you lifted a finger to point at him accusingly.
“Do all of these fucking little papers of yours say Joel?”
“Oh, you got Joel?” Tommy brightened as that grin finally broke through onto his face, and you glared at him as you tried to grab for the hat to see if your theory was correct right as he pulled it out of your reach. “No, you don’t! You’ll ruin the holiday magic!”
“Fuck your holiday magic, asshole!” you snapped, still trying to grab the hat as he continued to hold it out of your reach, but it didn’t take long for your laughter to join his cheerful chuckling, even as you added, “You tricked me!”
But you couldn’t stop laughing now, even as you began to wonder just what you had allowed your closest friend to get you into this time.
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It was a question you continued to think about later that night, curled up under your blankets as you tried to warm yourself up from the chilly air inside your home at this time of year.
Head against the pillow, you ran through ideas of what to get Joel for a gift, all while also trying not to wonder why he had been so late coming over every night the past week. You were startled to realize that you had almost forgotten what it was like not to see his face as not only the last thing before you fell asleep, but also the first thing when you woke up.
Trying to fall asleep alone now felt like a lost cause, and you only relaxed when you heard the sound of your back door creaking open from down the hallway. Shifting slightly, you listened with growing anticipation to the footsteps echoing through your kitchen, down the hall and towards your open bedroom door.
Hiding a smile against your pillowcase, the confusing stirring of emotions in your chest began to calm when you felt the bed dip underneath his weight, listening to the sound of him pulling his boots off to fall onto the floor, followed by the rustling of his clothes before Joel slipped under the sheets beside you.
You gave it a few moments, letting him settle before you turned over, inching closer to him in a pretend haze of sleep. When you were close enough to feel his body heat radiating towards you, you couldn’t resist taking it one step further, wrapping your arm around his torso as your cheek pressed against his back.
Just because it’s cold, you continued to blatantly lie to yourself, just like you did every time you found yourself wrapping your arms around him when you were in bed like this. He’s warm, and it’s cold. That’s it.
When Joel’s hand found yours from where it had subconsciously rested against the scars on his abdomen, his fingers intertwined with yours sending your heart racing and chest aching, your entire body shivering at the quiet intimacy of the action, you knew that it had fucking nothing to do with the cold.
“Warm,” you found yourself mumbling anyway, curling yourself around him even more, legs tangling with his as you sighed softly, a sound that was followed by his own quiet hum while you continued to ramble, “You’re warm.”
“You’re fucking cold,” Joel muttered, and you laughed softly, listening with fondness as his own quiet chuckle echoed your amusement.
“And whose fault is that?”
The teasing words slipped from your lips before you could stop them, and you froze up from uncertainty at the sentiment, self-conscious that you had let him know that you had been missing him.
Because, fuck, you had been missing him.
Hardly even a few weeks since you had truly started sharing your bed with him, and just a few days without him in it left you aching to see him again. Aching for him.
Joel shifted in your arms, turning over to face you, and you kept your face stubbornly turned away from him, even as your heart skipped a beat feeling him so close to you now.
“Should I fix that?” he murmured in a low, husky tone that only meant one thing, and you shivered for an entirely different reason than the winter chill as his arms looped around you.
One of his hands slipped under your oversized shirt you wore for sleep, sliding up your back to pull your body against his. You couldn’t resist a quiet moan just from the feeling of him pressed to you, soaking in his warmth as he rolled you over onto your back.
God, the feeling of Joel’s solid weight on top of you was always fucking delicious, and you were helpless but to melt into him as he began to kiss down your neck, his lips followed by gentle nips of teeth and his tongue darting out to soothe whatever marks he was leaving on your skin.
“People will see,” you tried to protest, even though you found yourself hardly caring in that moment when he shifted his hips, pressing his hardening erection right against your clothed cunt.
“Let them,” he whispered into your ear, and you whimpered, fingers sliding up his neck to tangle in his hair, giving it a tug just to hear that grunt of desire from him that never failed to make your panties damp with your own desire.
It didn’t take long before you were both naked, limbs completely tangled, wrapped up in each other as Joel took his sweet time fucking you that night. His hands never stopped caressing you, and you didn’t stop touching him either, fingers dancing across every inch of his skin, revering in his warmth as he thrusted into you, so slowly that it was almost lazy.
“God, so fucking hot,” Joel grunted into your ear, thumbs pressing to your inner thighs as he gripped your hips, holding you steady as he continued to fuck you languidly, almost sensually. “You feel so hot around me, darlin’. So tight and wet. Never gonna get tired of being inside you. Fuck.”
“Faster,” you begged as the slow, dwindling build of pleasure became too much, desperate for a release as you rolled your hips to meet his thrusts, and Joel groaned as he assented to your request without a second thought.
Your gasps joined the sound of skin slapping against skin, filling the air that was quickly heating up around you. You grabbed Joel's back, nails digging into his skin, and he moaned, forehead falling against your pillow next to your head, his panting right next to your ear making your clit throb.
“Need your fingers, Joel, I need—”
The words tumbling from your mouth quickly turned into a cry of pleasure as Joel lifted his hips just enough to snake one hand in between you, rubbing his thumb over your clit so quickly that your thighs began to shake, back arching up into his body as it only took a few more minutes before you were moaning his name over and over through an orgasm.
It seemed he couldn’t hold on long afterwards as he was soon moaning your own name, his lips pressed to your ear when he pulled out, pumping his cock as his hot cum landed on your lower stomach and trembling thighs.
You shivered at the sound of your name leaving his lips in the heights of pleasure, fingers still tangled in his hair as he struggled to hold himself above you, both your chests heaving in pants from the exertion.
“Warm now?” Joel asked, bumping his nose against your cheek, and you laughed breathlessly, but for an entirely different reason than from the sex as the action sent butterflies you had only ever felt around him fluttering through your stomach once again.
“Mhm,” you hummed, giving a lazy nod and a quiet sigh of relief from how truly warm you felt all over, physically and emotionally, sinking back into the mattress as he finally slipped out of bed to get ready for your aftercare. 
After he was done cleaning you up, and he climbed back into bed, you found yourself in the rare circumstance where Joel was the big spoon, his arms circling around your waist as his face buried in your neck.
It was borderline affectionate, and those goddamn butterflies started up in your stomach again, eyelids growing heavy with the overwhelming comfort of Joel completely surrounding you, holding you securely in his arms before you heard him say something.
“Hm?” you hummed, blinking a few times to try and wake yourself back up.
Joel chuckled quietly, his nose pressing underneath your jaw as he repeated himself, “You never told me about your secret hobbies.”
A surprised laugh left you, eyes still shut from relaxation, but not as tired as before as you considered the words. “Where did that come from?”
“I don’t know,” he mumbled, still rubbing the slope of that strong, handsome nose along the edge of your jawline, and you sighed quietly, happily. “I just want to know you.”
Your heart skipped a beat, a breath stuttering from your lungs in the same moment your eyes snapped open, suddenly wide awake at the vulnerable sentiment because, fuck.
You had known for a while that you wanted Joel to know you, all of you, but the fact that he wanted to know you in that way too…
Swallowing thickly, you didn’t even think twice before whispering, “Photography.”
Joel paused in his gentle ministrations of nuzzling his face against your skin, stilling for a moment before replying softly, “Really?”
“Yeah,” you sighed, feeling your cheeks heat as you once again found yourself sharing a fact about yourself with Joel that nobody else knew. “Back in Seattle, I had an instant camera. God, I spent so much time just searching for film for that thing.”
“I haven’t noticed your photos,” he said quietly, the first time he had remarked on how empty your home was in terms of decorations, and you frowned.
“There wasn’t room to take much with us when we joined the Fireflies,” you whispered, and Joel’s arms tightened around your waist, holding you closer at the mention of the rebel group. “I only took a couple things with me. Things that wouldn’t take up much space.”
Joel hummed, and your eyes fluttered shut as you felt the rumble of the gentle sound from where his chest was pressed to your back. 
Sighing softly, you allowed sleep to begin to creep up on you once more, hardly hearing as Joel asked another question, “Would you ever go back?”
“To Seattle?” you mumbled, yawning before you buried your face deeper into your pillow, breaths evening out even as you managed to reply, “Don’t need to. Got everything I need here.”
If Joel said anything else after that, you were already asleep before you could hear it.
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You stood awkwardly at the edge of the room, feeling as guilty as a sinner in a house of worship.
Because, well, you currently were a sinner in a house of worship.
Most times, you tended to avoid the church in Jackson—in fact, the only time you could really remember actually spending time in the large room was for the Halloween dance.
But you weren’t standing here now, surrounded by prayers of the faithful being whispered to higher powers, for yourself.
Even though she had asked you to go with her, you didn’t want to intrude on Dina’s moment of peaceful remembrance. You didn’t know the first thing about any religion, so you found yourself hovering a distance away as she sat with her head bowed, hoping that your presence offered some kind of comfort to her, since she had wanted you to be there.
“It’s Hanukkah,” she had told you when she showed up on your doorstep, shifting awkwardly and avoiding your gaze as if she expected you to ever be able to say no to her. “My sister used to drag me out to a synagogue for it so, I don’t know…I wanted to say some prayers.”
The mention of her sister that she had lost made you soften instantly, and you took less than a minute to lace up your shoes and grab your scarf before you were out the door and following her to the church.
You knew that you weren’t a replacement for Dina’s older sister, just like she wasn’t a replacement for your younger sister. But there was still that rare feeling of peace whenever the young girl was at your side, a sense of belonging from the purpose that you could protect her from harm and make her happy in any way you could.
When Dina looked up and met your gaze now, giving you that bright smile that could light up any room she entered, you knew that although she wasn’t the sister you had lost, she was another one that you had gained.
“I said a prayer for your sister,” Dina said quietly when you exited the church, the brisk winter breeze brushing past you and making the two of you huddle closer together while you walked the streets. “I hope you don’t mind.”
You softened immediately, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to tug her into your side. Placing a quick kiss on the top of her head, you squeezed her shoulder as you whispered, “Of course I don’t mind, Dina. Thank you for doing that.”
She smiled up at you again, the living and breathing personification of the sun that eluded the world this time of year, and you smiled back down at her with a laugh as she playfully shoved you away at your rare show of affection.
“Alright, alright,” she sighed dramatically, stretching her arms over her head and punching your shoulder gently before pointing in the direction of her favorite spot for lunch, and you led the way, not even knowing that Dina would gladly follow you anywhere you went.
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Then you were standing at the edge of a room again, feeling out of place in one of your safest spaces as attendees of Maria’s holiday (and begrudgingly Tommy’s Secret Santa) party filtered through the door and down the hallways of the home.
Soft music drifted through the house from a record player you recognized as Joel’s set up in the corner of the living room, even as the man was nowhere to be seen.
You really, really tried to stop looking for him, but you just couldn’t stop your head from whipping around in the direction of the front door whenever it opened, only for your shoulders to sink, completely deflating from the anticipation of seeing him every time somebody who wasn’t him walked by.
Taking another sip from the drink you had already refilled twice in your hands, you gently tugged mindlessly at one of the earrings dangling from your ears, not used to the feeling of wearing any sort of jewelry.
But it had been a gift from Maria before the party, along with the dress you now wore as you loitered on the outskirts of the jovial gathering.
“You looked gorgeous in red,” she had said kindly when you opened up the box, staring down at the smooth velvet fabric of the simple, yet elegant burgundy dress with wide eyes. “And I wanted to dress up, so you have to do it with me.”
This dress was considerably more comfortable than the one you wore to the Halloween party, and you were much fonder of how it hugged your curves without leaving little to the imagination in length and tightness. The fabric flowed down to your mid-calf, and you enjoyed the way the soft fabric felt swishing against your legs whenever you turned towards the front door as soon as you heard it opening.
When another person who was very much not Joel walked in, you began to hate the way you deflated each time, instead moving along the outskirts of the living room towards the kitchen, but not without fondly tapping your fingers against the surface of the fireplace mantle in front of the family memorial, as if to say a quick hello to your departed loved ones as you passed.
In the kitchen, you were surprised to find Dina and Ellie huddled together with…Tommy?
“And what’s going on here?” you drawled, watching with curiosity as the three jumped, all turning towards you in the same instant with faces that screamed they had just been caught red-handed.
“Nothing!”
“Cookies!”
“Existential crisis.”
You looked from one face to the next as they all shouted out answers at the same time, Tommy to Dina to eventually Ellie. You rose a brow at the latter’s cheeky response that brought a smile to your face, amused by the mischief in the girl’s eyes, shining brightly while the other two tried to hide whatever they had been scheming.
“Uh-huh,” you said slowly, giving a nod as you moved forward to grab a cookie from a plate. Slightly burnt around the edges, no doubt a sign of one of Jesse’s masterpieces as he tried to help Dina bake once again. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
“You’re forgiven!” Dina and Ellie chirped at the same time before shuffling past you, and you didn’t miss the way Dina kept her body facing you the entire time she passed you, her hands fixed behind her back before she turned quickly and scuttled out of the room, giggling with her friend.
Turning back to Tommy, you arched an eyebrow, glancing over his grin with a quiet groan.
“The fuck are you planning?”
Tommy gave a quiet mock gasp, a sign he had probably spent too long with Dina, concocting up whatever dastardly plan you were starting to suspect they had—and if the two of them were teamed up, you were most likely the target of whatever it was they hoped to achieve.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Tommy teased as he walked past you, picking up a cookie himself to raise it towards you in some kind of salute before taking a bite out of it and heading out of the kitchen, and you groaned again, louder this time with a roll of your eyes.
Those people, your chosen family that you loved so much, would surely end up being the death of you one day.
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Snow crunched under Joel’s boots as he hurried down the street towards Tommy’s house, holding the poorly wrapped gift tightly in both his hands and cursing under his breath at how late he was.
He had wanted to put the finishing touches on it, telling Ellie that he would be right behind her when she poked her head into his workshop and told him that she was heading out to the party. She had shot him a look that he pointedly ignored as he continued to work, listening to her sigh before heading back down the stairs and out the door.
Without somebody to keep him in check, though, he had completely lost track of time, and ended up wrapping up the present pretty fucking terribly before rushing to his brother’s doorstep. His cheeks were completely flushed from the cold, the exertion from running, and perhaps a bit of apprehension for the reaction of the recipient of the gift when they opened it.
Tommy had simply patted a fond hand on Joel’s shoulder when he opened the door, giving a wide smile before ushering the older man into the house, hardly giving him a moment to take off his jacket and hang it up before he was ushered into the living room.
There were a few hellos exchanged with the patrolmen he tolerated the most before Tommy tried to tug the gift out of Joel’s hands, and he quickly pulled it back, holding it close to his chest as he murmured, “No, I got it.”
Tommy raised an eyebrow, lifting his hands in surrender as he took a step back before gesturing towards a table in the corner where the various presents had been piled for the party.
“By all means, be my guest,” Tommy said with a sly smirk that made Joel’s eye twitch.
Shaking his head to himself, Joel walked over to the table, gently pushing a few of the other gifts to the side to ensure there was not only enough room for the one he had brought, but making sure that there was no way for it to get damaged in some kind of freak accident.
When Joel stepped back towards the wall of the room, his eyes were already moving through the small gathered crowd, anxiously rubbing his thumb over the old punching scars on his knuckles as he searched for the person he both longed and dreaded to see tonight.
At a flash of that familiar hair color, Joel shifted forward, already carefully making his way through the crowd with murmured apologies to whoever he was pushing past as he was helpless to do anything but make a beeline straight towards her.
Because, Jesus Christ.
She was beautiful.
It was only the second time he had seen her wear a dress, but Joel realized somewhere in his subconscious he hoped it wasn’t the last as he glanced over her, just taking her in as she talked to Maria in the dining room.
There was one of those small, rare smiles on her face, a show of fondness for her select few people as she talked to the other woman. And then she laughed and, fuck, he could recognize that sound in his sleep by now, but he would never get tired of hearing it.
Joel was drawn to it, drawn to her, like she was a force of gravity that he was helpless to fall into, unable to resist it even if he tried.
But he didn't want to try.
He didn’t want to resist anymore.
In fact, he thinks he gave up resisting long, long ago.
Joel wanted her, all of her, and with the way she had been opening up to him lately, holding him and allowing him to hold her in ways they never had before—God, he was starting to dare to hope that it may just be possible.
Then her head turned slightly, her eyes meeting his in the middle of a laugh, and the sound faded as he got trapped in her gaze. 
Even with the absence of her laughter, there was still that hint of mirth in her eyes, an amusement that shifted in something warmer, something fonder as they looked at each other, and Joel couldn’t stop himself in his path straight towards her now.
He murmured a hello, and she said it right back, lips turned up in what was half a trademark smirk, half a smile that made his heart race as his eyes traced the curve of her mouth before looking back up at her eyes.
It was impossible to miss the faint flush to her cheeks on the way to meeting her gaze, though, and Joel fought back a smile that was twitching onto his lips, one that quickly fell when he heard a throat clearing right beside them.
“Joel,” Maria greeted, arching an eyebrow at him, and Joel immediately straightened, giving her a nod of respect.
“Maria,” he returned the simple acknowledgement, watching as his sister-in-law shot a smirk towards the woman Joel’s gaze was quickly drawn back towards before moving away to find her husband.
Joel shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he was left alone with the very woman who had consumed all his thoughts and affection, watching as her gaze darted from him towards the drink in her hands, her head bowed in a way that was almost shy and so incredibly endearing to see on such a confident woman.
And the thought that he may have been the one to elicit such a bashful reaction, just from his presence alone?
Joel rose a hand to rub nervously over the growing beard on his chin, his own eyes averting from hers as he found himself mumbling, “Uh, you look—”
“Awkward?”
He glanced over at her in surprise, brows furrowing as he saw her eyes waver even with her face turned slightly away from him, shifting almost uncomfortably in her heels, and Joel automatically moved a few steps closer to her, finding a place by her side as his hand rose to subtly, gently graze his fingertips over her back.
The velvet fabric of the dress was soft under his touch, and he hummed, giving in to temptation and pressing his palm gently against the small of her back for just the briefest of moments as he dipped his head down to murmur next to her ear, “Beautiful.”
She froze up momentarily under his touch at the simple word, and Joel immediately pulled back, uncertainty and embarrassment flooding him in equal turns as he leaned back.
“Too much?” he asked quietly, eyes searching hers almost anxiously when she lifted her head to meet his gaze at the earnest question.
But then his breath was stolen from his lungs as he saw she was looking at him with nothing but open honesty, and there was no hint of rejection hidden anywhere in it, only a half-lidded longing that made Joel’s pulse quicken to see from her.
Her lips parted, and he looked down to see that same shade of lipstick she had worn before, on her date and at the dance. A thought passed through his mind then, wondering how that lipstick would look smeared across his mouth if he kissed her, again and again, because Lord knew if she allowed him to then he would never be able to stop.
Joel wondered if she could sense the direction of his thoughts as she leaned closer to him, her head tilting back as she caught his gaze once again. That longing in her eyes only deepened as she whispered, voice thick with a heat that didn’t have anything to do with lustful desire, “Not enough.”
His own mouth fell open then, and Joel stared at her, heart nearly pounding out of his chest at the two simple words that threw his entire life out of balance.
Then it was like all of a sudden, the pieces fell right back into place, and everything made so much more sense than ever before.
Her name slipped past his lips, and he watched her eyelashes flutter, the color of those enchanting eyes darker and, God, he was just about ready to give in to overwhelming temptation and claim her mouth with his then and there if it wasn’t for his brother’s voice echoing through the house from the living room.
Joel forced himself to lean back from her, glancing back over his shoulder to listen to Tommy announcing that the gift opening would now commence.
With a sigh, Joel took a step away from her. Then another, gesturing for her to enter the living room ahead of him, even as his hand trembled slightly from the thought of her opening the gift he had spent the last few weeks painstakingly carving until it was perfect.
He only hoped that that wasn’t too much, and dared to also hope even further that tonight just may be the night when he could finally feel how soft her lips were instead of imagining it every time he fell asleep with her arms around him.
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Your hands were shaking as you reached for the gift that had your name carefully written on a tag that had been crudely tied to the very poorly wrapped present, a soft laugh leaving your lips at the sight of it.
Given Tommy’s scheming that you now began to realize had Dina and Ellie as accomplices, you had a very strong feeling who had gotten you this gift, and it was impossible to keep a smile from growing on your face as you found a chair on the edge of the room to sit and stare at the gift in your lap.
Raising your head up, you looked across the room for him, but the bulk of the crowd was now filling the living room, all excitedly chatting as they opened their gifts, and Joel was nowhere to be seen.
With a sigh, you glanced back down at the gift, wondering if you should wait for him to be present before opening it.
But an impatient voice in your mind urged you on, saying that this was a Secret Santa party. You technically weren’t supposed to know who had given it to you, so you didn’t have to wait for him, right?
Besides, Joel had been right beside you before you walked into the living room. If he had wanted to see you open it, he would have stayed with you.
Somehow, you got the feeling that he may be almost embarrassed by whatever he had gotten you, so you found yourself biting your lip in anticipation as you struggled to pull the wrapping paper off of the box.
Your heart was racing, and you shook your head, taking a deep breath to steady yourself as you repeated internally that it was just a gift, you were being silly. It didn’t have to mean anything.
But when you lifted the top of the box off, and saw what was inside, you truly lost the ability to form any coherent thoughts for a moment, unable to think anything other than a simple: oh.
Fingers trembling, you reached down into the box to pull out the smaller wooden box inside, glancing over it to try and take it all in, even as your eyes kept drifting back to the design carved on the lid.
Your fingers danced carefully along the ridges of the wood, tracing the moon and the stars in the center, and your heart squeezed in your chest as you sucked in a breath, trying to compose yourself even as you felt tears springing to your eyes.
It was beautiful. Intricately carved, with flowers engraved along the edges, but it was that celestial theme that you kept looking back to, your chest aching for him once again, stronger than ever before as you carefully lifted the lid to the box.
That ache only deepened further, a feeling you had thought impossible, as you saw words carefully carved to the inside of the lid.
You weren’t fluent in Spanish, but you had picked up some words here and there from Tommy, and you recognized estrellita along with the mi luna that Joel had taken up calling you—never too often, but every now and then it would slip past his lips, a quiet endearment when you found yourselves tangled together in bed, usually before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
In the back of your mind, you remembered that first night Joel had called you it, how you had questioned him and he had only told you what luna meant.
What you hadn’t told him was that you already knew what the other word meant—mi.
My.
My moon.
He had called you his.
And, fuck, you were.
You were all his; heart, body and soul. Every part of you was a part of Joel and Jesus Christ, why had you been so dense for so long?
Deep down, you knew why—you had never felt like this for anybody before. It was terrifying, because not only did you hate being so out of your depth, but you were scared of what it meant.
Scared of letting yourself fall into it, into him, so completely, when there could never be a guarantee that one of you wouldn't end up leaving the other someday. 
Not by choice—you knew by now you could never pull yourself away from his side—but by the cruel fucking hands of fate that clutched this sorry, ugly world in its unforgiving talons.
How could you live with yourself if you allowed this, only to lose him?
But with that small, elaborately carved box in your hand, the edges of the words underneath your fingertips—you realized you had already allowed yourself to fall into him.
It had happened so slowly that you hadn’t even known it. But now as you looked up, gaze searching through the crowd until you finally saw him, standing at the edge of the room opposite you, his familiar, comforting dark gaze already focused on you as you admired your gift…
You knew it was much too late to try and convince yourself it hadn’t already happened.
Joel immediately straightened against the other wall as your gaze met his, some look you didn’t recognize passing through his eyes before he turned, slipping away from the gathered group to head farther into the house, and you were already on your feet and moving after him before you could think twice.
Your steps slowed as you neared the kitchen, empty now except for him as you watched him place his hands on the edge of the counter, leaning over it in a way that was almost similar to how he had leaned against the streetlight a year ago, and you were walking forward instantly.
“Hey,” you said softly, and Joel jumped, glancing up from what you realized was the gift you had wrapped up for him, sitting on the counter in front of him, to you.
He stiffened, pushing himself off the counter to glance over you, brows furrowed before quickly looking away.
“Uh—” Joel cleared his throat, rubbing a thumb and forefinger across his mustache before nodding over at you. “Howdy.”
You laughed softly, moving to stand next to him as you carefully placed your box on the counter next to his wrapped gift.
“Somebody knows me well,” you said quietly, tapping a finger gently against the top of the box before smiling up at him, letting your fondness for him bleed through your expression, and you heard the audible intake of breath from Joel before he looked away again.
His mouth opened and then closed again, apparently at a loss for words as he shuffled his feet next to you, and your smile grew, overwhelmed with admiration for this man who had somehow completely captured your heart.
You gently nudged his own gift towards him with a finger, tilting your head so you could catch his gaze with another smile, and you watched Joel soften, something that made your smile only grow, butterflies surging through you at the sight of what you could do to such a hardened soul that you cherished so deeply with just one simple look.
“Go on,” you said quietly, tapping your fingers against his gift before pulling your hand back, turning to lean against the counter as you watched him. “Open it.”
Joel glanced over you for another moment before sighing, reaching out to take the box into his hand and unwrap it. It was almost as poorly wrapped as his own, and it took a bit of difficulty for him to get it off—so much so that you had to reach out your own hands to help him yourself, fingers dancing around his as you tried to peel the paper away with laughter bubbling from your throat.
Deeper laughter joined your own, and your eyes met Joel’s, the two of you sharing a smile until the box was finally freed. He looked down at it for a moment before slowly opening it, staring down at the contents for a moment before pulling out what was inside.
He gazed over the mug, falling quiet as his thumb brushed against the depiction of an owl on the side, and you watched anxiously for any expression that revealed his opinion about it, but his face was completely blank.
“Um,” you hedged, shifting awkwardly on your feet, and Joel blinked rapidly, almost as if pulling himself out of a stupor as he looked up to watch you ramble, “It’s just—you know, boring ass mugs and all that. Like, I know you’ve been getting different colored ones, but—ah, shit, I’m fucking bad at this.”
So distracted by your own spiraling, you didn’t notice Joel carefully set the mug back down on the counter, or see his hand as it began to reach for your waist.
“You have a lot of owl carvings,” you continued to stumble and stutter over your words, heart racing in your chest, fidgeting with your hands as you somehow talked a mile a minute without saying anything at all. “So I saw this one and thought, oh, hey, maybe Joel—”
The instant his name left your lips, his own were upon you, pressed gently but almost desperately to the corner of your mouth, and you gasped.
You were grabbing him before your mind could keep up, head turning to try and catch his lips by reflex, by a deep desire to finally have his mouth on yours, but he evaded your efforts. Instead Joel pressed kisses all along your cheek and up your face, rapidly kissing your forehead before moving back down the other side, reminding you of that first morning you had woken up in his bed.
“Joel,” his name slipped past your lips again in a sigh, nearly begging as he kissed the other side of your mouth. You tried to catch his lips again for a real kiss, but he was moving down, lips caressing the skin under your jaw and down your neck as he pressed you against the counter.
Your leg somehow ended up hooked around his waist as his hands slid down the back of your dress, bunching up the velvet fabric as he hummed against your skin at the soft gasps and quiet moans that left your lips that ached to be on his.
Opening your mouth to beg him to finally close that distance for good, you were quickly interrupted by a cheerful voice echoing through the kitchen, “Where did you two—oh, Jesus Christ, really?”
Joel pulled his mouth away from your neck, glancing over at Tommy standing in the archway of the room at the same moment you did.
You patted at Joel, trying to get him to let you go as your cheeks flushed in embarrassment at your best friend catching you wrapped up in his brother’s embrace, but Joel only lowered your leg, adjusting your dress so you were decent without pulling himself away from you completely.
“In my kitchen?” Tommy continued, letting out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed a hand over his eyes and down his face. “For fuck’s sake, use your own!”
Biting your lip, you couldn’t help but respond almost on instinct with a mischievous, “Oh, we have.”
“Fucking—” Tommy shook his head, turning sharply on his heel as he left the room, but not without calling back over his shoulder, “Again—horny bastards!”
You laughed, ducking your face to try and hide your blush against Joel’s neck as you listened to the footsteps of your best friend recede.
Even when the two of you were alone again, you remained there a moment, fingers gripping the back of Joel’s flannel, breathing in the comforting scent of earth that wafted from his skin before you pulled back.
“Guess we should head back, huh?” you murmured, glancing over Joel’s face, biting your lip to hold back a smile when you saw his own cheeks were tinged slightly pink in the most endearing blush you had ever seen.
Joel glanced over your own face, reaching a hand up to graze the backs of his fingers down your cheek before stepping back with a nod.
“Yeah,” he said quietly, seeming to struggle for a moment before finally tearing his gaze away from you. Picking up his mug, he held it carefully against his chest, returning your nod before mumbling, “Yeah, guess so.”
The smile finally broke free on your face, so you turned it away, trying to hide your growing giddiness, feeling fucking stupid to be so happy just from a stupid kiss that wasn’t even a real kiss. Your lips had yet to really touch Joel’s but, God, you were aching all over for it.
And tonight it seemed like you may finally get it.
Upon your return to the living room, you were stopped suddenly in the archway of the dining room, stumbling when somebody knocked into your side, sending you colliding into Joel, forcing his arm to reach out and circle around your waist to steady you.
“What the fu—”
Your affronted swearing cut off when you saw the back of Dina’s head as she ran past you, giggling as she found a spot by Ellie’s side next to the fireplace. The two girls grinned at you, a matching twinkle in their eyes as Ellie shot a finger gun to you and Joel, before slowly pointing it above you.
Joel stiffened instantly, but it took you a moment to catch up, glancing from the teens to the spot where Ellie was pointing and—
Oh.
You blinked a few times, staring at the small bunch of a green plant hanging in the archway above you, as if you were expecting it to be a hallucination that would disappear when you reopened your eyes.
But each time you blinked, it was still there, and your eyes widened before darting back down to Joel to see him looking at anything but you.
The pink on his cheeks had spread to his neck, and you immediately softened, glancing over the rare sight of thinly veiled nervousness accentuating the hard lines of that handsome face.
When he finally glanced back at you, his mouth opening to no doubt brush the circumstance aside, you were already leaning up, head tilting at the last moment to brush your lips in a gentle, featherlight kiss across the adorable blush on his face that quickly deepened in shade underneath the press of your lips there.
You lingered there, lips grazing across his cheek up to his ear to whisper, “Take me home, Joel.”
At your words, Joel’s grip on you tightened, a shaky breath leaving his lips as you pulled back. His eyes met yours, the brown of them so deep it felt never-ending, and your own breath caught in your throat as he nodded.
Somewhere, in the back of your mind, you could register the eyes of your friends on you—and not just them. There were people watching as Joel’s hand remained firmly on the small of your back, gently directing you towards the front door, where he took his worn, brown leather jacket from the coat rack to lay across your shoulders, despite your protests that you had brought your own coat.
“Let them see,” was all he murmured, a familiar smug smirk twitching onto his lips, and your heart skipped a beat, desire sparking through your veins as you realized that Joel was subtly claiming you as his in front of all these people.
And, fuck, you were more than happy to let him.
In fact, the entire walk back to Joel’s house, that was all you could think of.
Pressed gently to his side as his hand slid underneath the jacket to remain on the small of your back; his.
The snow falling gently around you, landing on the silver in his hair as you secretly admired him whenever he wasn’t trying to sneak his own glances at you; his.
When he opened the door for you, standing back to allow you to go first, giving you a small, gentle smile as he looked at you with an anticipation that went past your usual hunger, an emotion that was far deeper than pure lust; his.
Joel directed you towards the living room, his hand only falling from your back as he murmured something about making you drinks, asking you to get a fire going before leaving you standing there in a whirlwind of your anticipation and longing to have him back with you as quickly as possible.
The request to make a fire almost made you laugh, reminding you of the patrol where you had fixed his dislocated shoulder, while you set about getting the fireplace ready. You remembered his cold demeanor then, and marveled at how he had completely warmed to you since, a warmth that settled into your bones even deeper than the one from the fire that you soon had going, setting the box he had carved for you on top of the fireplace mantle for now.
Joel still wasn’t back yet, and you were bound to start pacing anxiously if you didn’t do something with yourself, so you began to collect pillows and a few blankets off the furniture in the room, setting up a cozy little spot in front of the fire to sink down onto and wait for him.
Your face turned, eyes fluttering shut as you inhaled his comforting scent from his jacket that still rested around your shoulders, a smile growing onto your face as you shifted to pull your knees up to your chest, hugging them tightly while you pressed your cheek on top of them.
Footsteps began to echo back down the hallway, and your heart raced in your chest, breathing picking up even though you hadn’t even seen him yet.
You waited for him to join you, but when the footsteps stopped at the entrance to the room, and a few beats passed, you glanced back over your shoulder to see what had made him pause.
But when you met Joel’s gaze, you saw that he had only been looking at you, that same depth to his eyes that you had seen under the mistletoe, and your stomach fluttered with those goddamn butterflies you were secretly growing more fond of as you looked at the mugs he held in his hands—a dark orange one for you, and the one with the owl that you had just gifted him.
Looking back up at him, you didn’t even realize you were grinning until your cheeks began to hurt, and you quickly turned your head away, facing back towards the fireplace as Joel finally walked forward to pass your mug to you.
You gladly took it, wrapping your hands around the cup, soaking the warmth into your cold hands as he sank down beside you onto your arranged pillows with a quiet grunt.
“Quite the little setup you got goin’ here,” he teased gently, and you rolled your eyes, glancing back to meet his playful little smirk with one of your own.
“It’s cozy,” you said quietly, nudging his shoulder with yours, but you didn’t pull away, letting your sides press together comfortably as you glanced towards the fire.
You brought the cup up to your lips for a sip, brows furrowing as the taste was much sweeter, almost richer than what you had been expecting.
Glancing down into the cup, you blinked a few times before meeting Joel’s gaze as you slowly began to ask, “Is this…?”
Joel nodded, taking a sip from his own mug, and you felt your heart ache with a foreign happiness at the sight of that owl art underneath his long, callused fingers as he replied, “Hot chocolate.”
You arched an eyebrow, glancing over him with a low whistle. “Damn, Miller. Pulling out the big guns tonight?”
Joel shrugged, lips pulling up into a half-smirk that made your stomach flip as he drawled, “I gotta try, don’t I?”
Cheeks flushing at the hardly disguised flirtation, your eyes darted back to your own mug, drinking more of the hot chocolate and humming at the taste now that you weren’t expecting it to be coffee.
Silence fell between you then as you drank your hot chocolate in content, and even when the mugs were empty and placed back on the floor, you still remained quiet, sides pressed together as you both gazed into the fire.
Or, you thought you were both watching the logs crack under the flickering flames. But when you turned your head to finally break the silence, you found Joel watching you instead, a softness to his gaze that you had never seen before.
You sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening as you looked up into that gaze, eyes so large and brown, so deep and warm, pulling you in further as your lips parted, aching for him.
Always aching for him.
Your heart skipped a beat as you saw those beautiful eyes flash down to your mouth at the movement, his hand raising to stroke the backs of his trembling fingers down your cheek before he turned it over to lay his palm there. 
Joel cupped your face, thumb finding your chin to tilt your head up towards him as his eyes lifted back up from your lips, searching your gaze intently as you were too stunned, too entranced by the intimacy of the action to tear yourself away again.
Unable to help yourself, you gave in to the temptation to feel his own face beneath your fingers, reaching up to cup his face between your hands, revering the way he shivered at your touch.
Leaning forward, you watched his eyes begin to fall shut, a trembling breath leaving him while he sank into the growing familiarity of your touch on his face. 
You hadn’t realized it when your physical intimacy only went so far as pure sex before, but now that you had slowly begun to touch each other more casually, more familiarly, you were realizing with a startled clarity that Joel was a touch starved man.
And you think you were just as starved for touch.
Starved for his touch.
“Joel, I…” your words trailed off, and you noticed somewhere in the back of your mind how breathless, how disjointed and strung-out you sounded as his eyes opened back up, half-lidded and full of a longing that made your heart race.
“I…” Joel tried to say something himself, his eyes flickering all over your face, like he was trying to take you in all at once, but it wasn’t enough.
His face leaned down just an inch, his eyes continuing to search yours, waiting to see if you would pull back.
When you didn’t, Joel leaned down further, stopping only when the strong slope of his nose bumped against yours, his hot breath mingling with your own as he whispered again, “I…”
Your lips parted, tilting your face up so they nearly brushed with his own before pulling back just enough to meet his gaze as you murmured, “Do you want to kiss me, Joel Miller?”
The world froze for a moment.
You could feel Joel’s breath catch more than you heard it, feeling the lack of warmth fanning against your lips before that breath suddenly left him in a rush as he whispered earnestly, “Yes.”
Heart pounding, your eyelashes fluttered, losing yourself in the way he looked at you, with eyes so deep and dark that you couldn’t see an end to him. 
Couldn’t see an end without him.
But he was still waiting, still wanting to make sure you were okay with this, and you sighed, pouring all your pining for him into the sound before you whispered back, “Then what are you waiting for?”
As soon as the last word left your lips, Joel’s were pressed to them, stealing all the breath out of your lungs as he kissed you for the first time.
It was a soft kiss; barely even there, his lips pressed to yours for only a few seconds before he pulled back.
Even so, you could already feel his hand shaking from where he still cupped your cheek. Your own fingers were trembling from where they left his face to wrap around his neck, not giving him a moment to second-guess or say another word before you pulled him back down.
This time when you kissed, it was full and deep—deeper, deeper as his lips moved gently, then urgently against yours.
By no means was it a smooth kiss—it had been over a year since one of you had kissed anyone, instead spending all your time falling hopelessly into each other, trying to deny it until it was as sure as the sun rising every morning and setting each night.
No, the first real kiss you shared was sloppy, desperate, teeth nearly clashing as you sought to capture his lips with yours, and he did the same, again and again. He leaned forward, both his hands cupping your face as your fingers tangled in his hair, finally feeling how soft those curls were, and you whimpered into his mouth as it opened to swallow your sound of need.
Joel’s tongue slid into your mouth then, finding yours as he kissed you in a way that felt almost anguished, despairing for all the time you had wasted by trying to stay away from one another.
He continued to lean up and over you until you were gently falling back onto the pillows you had set up around you, settling himself on top of you as your lips parted from his only long enough for you to draw in enough breath to stay alive for each other before you were kissing again, over and over, until you were dizzy with only the feeling of him.
“Joel,” you whispered breathlessly, moaning as his lips closed around your bottom lip to suck on it before his teeth grazed against it, gently biting down and making an ache throb between your legs as he panted against your mouth.
“Need you,” Joel murmured just as breathlessly, one of his large hands moving to cup the back of your head as he tried to move his lips away to kiss across your face or down your neck, but he kept moving back up to your mouth, kissing you so passionately your head was spinning as he whispered, his voice thick with longing, “I need you.”
“Yours,” you gasped, grabbing his face to keep his lips against yours, breathing the words into his open mouth as you repeated, “I’m yours, Joel. Yours.”
Joel groaned, the sound turning into a whimper that just made the throbbing of your desire more intense, your panties growing damp as you felt his weight shift so his growing erection pressed against the center of your hips.
You were both grabbing for clothes in the same instant, nearly laughing at your clumsy eagerness to be undressed, which was only making it harder to do so.
Pulling your hands back, you let Joel undress you first, pushing his jacket off your shoulders with a groan at the sight of you still wearing it before laying his hands against the velvet of your dress, sliding his palms down to grab the hem as he whispered in your ear, “I meant it. Beautiful.”
You shivered, biting your lips that were already sore and swollen from his attention as he pulled the dress up and over your head. His hands reached behind your back, unhooking your bra next, throwing it to the side to be forgotten before tugging your panties down your legs.
“So beautiful,” Joel continued to whisper, his tone so full of admiration that you were whining even before his fingers found your folds. “You’re so beautiful.”
The sounds you were already making only became louder, moans and whimpers escaping your parted lips for only him to hear. It was almost like Joel just remembered he could finally kiss you now as he heard them, his face moving back down to desperately slot his mouth over yours while he collected your wetness on his fingers before they found your clit.
“Joel,” you gasped, grabbing his shoulders, before frowning to yourself as you remembered that he was still fully dressed.
You began to tug at the buttons on his flannel while he slowly rubbed your clit, your fingers fumbling as he worked to bring you pleasure in the way only he knew how, a deep laugh rumbling from his lips to land against yours while you struggled to get him undressed.
“Bastard,” you gasped, hips jerking up as you felt that ache in your core increase, the pressure building as your hands found his chest when you finally managed to get his shirt completely unbuttoned.
“You like it,” he hummed before he kissed you again, pulling the sounds of your pleasure into his mouth as he made you cum hard, hips continuing to weakly thrust up into his fingers that continued to stroke you through your high.
“Fuck,” you whimpered, licking your lips as you tried to catch your breath before nudging his hand away from your clit so you could get his shirt off.
His pants and boxers coming off was a blur, your vision still blurry from the intensity of your first orgasm, but you recognized the familiar feeling of the ridges of his cock pressed against your folds the moment he settled himself between your legs.
“Need you,” you found yourself whispering this time, lifting your hips to try and line yourself up with him even as Joel continued to swipe himself along your folds, taking his time to collect your dripping wetness, a groan of pleasure nearly humming from the back of his throat at your desperation. “Need you, Joel, please.”
When the head of his cock finally pushed through your folds, your head tilted back with a gasp, and Joel quickly grabbed one of the pillows around you, lifting your head to tuck it underneath before grabbing another pillow to rest underneath your back.
“Yours,” he whispered right back, echoing your own simple declaration to him as he continued to sink inside of you, and your eyes flashed open, meeting his to see that they were nothing but open and warm and real, the truth of the words fulfilling that deep, soulful ache you had felt around him for months and, oh. “I’m yours.”
That sudden realization fled your mind as Joel pulled back to thrust back into you again, and you both gasped, his forehead coming down to rest against yours as he repeated the motion again.
And again, and again, his cock easily slipping almost all the way out before rolling back in, fucking you slowly, sensually, until you were both sweating and panting from trying to make this moment last for as long as you could.
“Joel—”
He began to pick up the pace just at the sound of his name leaving your lips, already knowing exactly what you wanted, what you needed, as he fucked you into the mess of blankets and pillows strewn across the floor in front of the fire that still burned brightly in his fireplace.
No, fucking was the wrong word. You weren’t fucking anymore, you were—
You gasped, back arching as his thumb found your clit again, rubbing it quickly in your favorite way so that you were digging your nails into his back, leaving your mark on him as Joel whimpered. He adjusted himself, laying his full body weight against you as he bucked into you rapidly, letting his skin stimulate your clit instead until you were coming again.
The world faded around you for a moment, and the only thing keeping you grounded to the moment were his lips pressed desperately to yours, whispering gentle words of praise right into your soul until you blinked a few times, gaining enough realization of your surroundings to look back up at him.
His brow was furrowed as sweat dripped down it, gaze clouded with the build of pleasure that was quickly nearing a climax, but even then it was so fucking honest and adoring and only for you that you found yourself whispering, “Inside.”
Joel’s eyes widened, and he shook his head slightly, even as his hips began to stutter, his thrusts growing sloppy. He whispered your name as a warning, even as the rasp of his voice sounded like he was nearly begging you to say it again, to confirm it.
“Inside, Joel,” you repeated, nodding at him to show it was okay, that you wanted it, wanted him, and his eyes squeezed shut, mouth falling open as it only took a few more thrusts until he was spilling inside of you with a loud, long moan.
You whined at the feeling of his cum filling you up, your own lips parting with a gasp at the delicious way his cock pulsed so deeply inside of you until eventually the feeling subsided.
Joel panted heavily, his forehead nearly colliding with yours, lips searching blindly for your own in the afterglow of his orgasm, and you kissed him again, both of you moaning into the contact as you wrapped your arms around his neck to keep him there.
Once he caught his breath, Joel slowly pulled out of you, glancing down with a groan, and you followed the direction of his eyes to see his cum dripping from your thoroughly fucked pussy and down your legs.
You moaned yourself at the sight, glancing from it back at him with a breathless chuckle, and he shook his head, even as his lips pressed to your temple while he murmured, “We shouldn’t have done that.”
“Probably not,” you whispered back, wincing at how dry your throat was, and Joel pulled back, rolling off of you when he noticed how hoarse your voice sounded.
“I’ll—” he cut off, falling back down against the blankets with a grunt as he tried to push himself up. “Fuck, just—can’t feel my legs. Gimme a second.”
You giggled, and Joel’s eyes lit up at the rare sound, his kiss-swollen lips turning up into a fond smile as you curled up against him.
“Old man,” you teased, pressing a kiss to his chest, and he hummed as his arm wrapped around your back, holding you against him as he kissed the top of your head.
“Yeah,” he agreed with a sigh, squeezing your side and making you squeak, an unexpected, unheard of sound from you that earned warm laughter that rumbled from his chest, and you could feel the vibrations of the sound underneath your ear as he added huskily, “But you like that too.”
You bit your lip before wincing, realizing how sore your mouth was from his kisses before you looked up at him.
“Maybe I do,” you teased quietly, and he smiled, leaning down to gently kiss your swollen lips once—then two, three times, unable to get enough of you before finally managing to extract himself out from under you and push himself up to his feet.
You adjusted on the pillows until you were comfortable enough, even though you could feel your body already beginning to ache from the intensity of your passion.
“Probably shouldn’t have done it on the floor, either,” you muttered as Joel returned with a washcloth and a glass of water, handing the latter to you so you could satisfy your parched throat while he cleaned up the mess he had left between your legs.
“Yeah,” Joel mumbled with a wince as he gently swiped the washcloth along your folds and inner thighs, glancing up at you with a small smile that was almost bashful and made your heart swell with fondness, “I may have been a little too eager, there.”
“I think we both were,” you laughed quietly, a little nervously, eyes darting back and forth between his to find he was just as uncertain about this new development in your relationship as you.
The funny thing was, it didn’t even feel like a huge step—or perhaps it wasn’t really a surprise at all. Every step you had taken forward with Joel had felt normal, right, and this just felt like another natural progression towards whatever was next for the two of you.
When he settled back onto the pillows, pulling you onto his chest as he wrapped a blanket around you—specifically you, making sure you were as covered up and warm as you could be, even as it left himself almost completely bare—you relaxed into him without a second thought.
Still, you tried to subtly adjust the blanket to share it with him, earning a frown from him that quickly shifted into a small smile as you murmured with a flush on your cheeks, “Savior complex.”
You fell quiet then, soaking in the warmth of his body underneath yours, marveling for not the first time how the man was a fucking furnace as his fingers began to lazily comb through your hair.
When his other hand found your arm that was draped across his torso, drawing circles against your skin, you sighed happily, not even realizing his name had left your lips until you heard him murmur, “I like the way you say my name.”
Your head lifted, looking up at Joel as he stared up at the ceiling, his gaze almost melancholic while you asked softly, “How do I say it?”
Joel hummed thoughtfully, looking back down at you in the same moment his hand rose from your arm, fingers stroking your cheek as he gazed into your eyes and whispered, “Like it’s something worth saying.”
A heavy breath rushed from your lips, brows furrowing as you adjusted yourself so you were propped up against his chest.
“Joel—”
“There it is again,” he said quietly, wistfully, his eyes so large and sweet that you were falling hopelessly into him yet again.
You shook your head, pulling yourself up so you were hanging over him, your fingers running through his messy curls as you whispered earnestly, “It is worth saying.”
Now Joel shook his head, just slightly, and you frowned, placing your hand on his cheek to bring his eyes back to your face as he tried to avoid your gaze as you said firmly, “Joel. It is.”
Your thumb brushed across his lips, swollen from your kisses, then down across the beard on his chin that he had grown out just for you, feeling the scratch of it under your touch before you added in an almost scolding tone, “None of that savior complex bullshit.”
He laughed then, a quiet chuckle, his brow arching as he glanced over your face. “Only if you do the same.”
Rolling your eyes with a huff, you moved the blanket so that you could swing your leg over his waist, straddling him so you could cup his face between both your hands, gently urging him to look at you, really look at you, because you wanted him to hear what you had to say.
“You’re a good man, Joel.”
He scoffed even before you had finished talking, and you frowned deeply, tilting his head back towards you as he tried to look away as you repeated, “Joel. You are a good man.”
“You know exactly what kind of man I am,” he said, finally meeting your eyes fully, his voice resolute and drawing a sigh from deep within your chest.
“Yes, I do,” you replied, giving a nod as you softened, thumb brushing along his cheek in a tender caress, a soft touch that he deserved after all his years of suffering. “You are a good man to me. A good man to Ellie. To Tommy, and Hope.”
Joel’s eyes wavered, taken aback by the conviction in your tone, but he leaned into your gentle caresses on his cheek, gaze warming as he glanced over your face while you spoke.
“I don’t fucking care what you’ve done, Joel, because I know why you did it,” you continued, keeping his gaze as you poured all your affection that had grown for him into the words. “I know why you did it all. And I would have done the exact same fucking things.”
When you finished speaking, you leaned down to press your lips to his forehead in a gentle kiss, resting your mouth there for a moment before tilting your face down to capture his own lips in a soft kiss that made an oath you finally knew how to keep.
Because it required no effort—not really. Every part of you already belonged to him, as he did to you.
All you had to do now was stay by his side, until the end.
And when Joel looked at you, gazing up at you with an admiration so sincere, like you truly were the moon in the sky that would always bring him home—home to you—you knew you would.
“Take me to bed,” you whispered then, in a way so soft, so yearning, that you knew you didn’t mean just tonight, but every night after.
And so he did.
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charmedreincarnation · 9 months ago
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hey i finally entered void after 4.5 months!! i can’t believe my life is so so fun now!!!
what i used :
• tumblr for resources; i learnt a lot from bloggers post which introduced me to void.
• subliminals on youtube: i just listened to it twice daily but i think u can skip this step
it was such a struggle at first but i let all the tension go away for me to embody it…
what i manifested✨
height and face; i was 5’11 before but i wanted to be shorter cause i didn’t like being tallest amongst all girls and even guys. i changed it to 5’3. now i think i look like cute. for face - foxy or siren eyes, positive canthral tilt, fuller lips, no eye bags, sharper nose. i think i might play around my facial features a bit more until i am satisfied with it haha.
avatar editor irl: i used to play sims 4 a lot a lot !! since 5 years i’ve been playing it. if you play it too you know there’s a CREATE A SIM page. it’s somewhat like that but for me in my phone as an app. i can choose clothes or facial features and it changes my face or clothes or accessories irl!! if ur a shifter its like a “LIFA APP” as you’ve heard.
gaming; i am a gamer and i can enter any gaming world at anytime instead of playing it on screen and let me tell u girl!! life has been so fun since!! but dw i don’t “die” in it i just respawn and also pain setting is 0 i dont feel pain when i enter games. sorry but i also play shooter games haha, dw they’re NPC AS THEYRE IN GAME THEY DONT FEEL HURT.
be a good student; i didn’t cancel school cause i just love the drama that’s going on loll, and i love outshining people. so i just manifested that i become a good student. whatever i read once i can remember without any revision required. also be more logical to solve math. cause girl i used to FLUNKKK!!
Boyfriend!!: holy i should have put it in number one!! THIS ONE OF THE BESTEST!! he’s literally in the kitchen making me dumplings cause yk- i made him a chef!! btw i made him from scratch from CREATE A SIM lol!! i revised that he has always been going to my school and one year older than me. he’s so handsome istg!! kind of a combination of jacob elordi and jungkook? i can’t explain!! u get it tho!;) and he’s also so respectful to women ! oml! almost opposite of those red pilled men (yuck!!!)
friend group: theyre so kind and diverse!! it’s vast !! (17 people incl me) and everyone is so amazing kind talented and everyone’s from a diff countries!!
language : i can speak korean now, fluently!
there is so many other minor things but these r my faveee!!! ty ty ty for reading and all the bloggers who have helped us.
and if u haven’t entered, what r u even thinking! u have and you’ll change ur life in a split second like me!! don’t worry about taking too much time luvzzz!!
seee u!!!!
So happy for you love 💕 congrats, and thank you for the tips. Also you’re real for making your bf from scratch 😭😭
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upat4amwiththemoon · 1 year ago
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I just saw a tiktok and I immediately needed to send you a request with wandanat and daughter reader 😭
(congrats for your driver license btw)
R is dating a girl but she's hiding that from her moms cause she knows they would be overprotective and make the girl run away with too many questions and all
Lets say one night she comes home after a party and her girlfriend walk her to her door, and since y/n drank a bit she forgets about the doorbell camera and wandanat see their daughter kissing the girl goodbye (make it cute please please🙏) and you can choose their reactions and all feel free to change anything if you want to write this 💕
Ring camera
Summary: Caught in the act.
Pairing: Kate Bishop x female!reader, WandaNat x daughter!reader
Warnings: being drunk
Word count: 1582
a/n: ahh I absolutely love this idea!! I made Kate the girlfriend, hope that’s okay :)
Tags: @thought-of-you-and-me @rafecameronswhore @emsmultiverse @natashamaximoff69
masterlists | guidelines
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With groans and grumbles, Kate finally manages to drag Y/N from her car to the front door of her house. “You should be glad I know you so well.” Kate mumbles, holding her arms tightly around Y/N’s waist so she wouldn’t fall.
She decided to be the designated driver, even though her girlfriend really wanted them to drink together at Gwen’s parents are gone house party, but Kate knows Y/N has a tendency to over drink and she’d be unable to walk home.
Y/N giggles, “I’m so lucky to have you.” She slings her arms up to wrap the around Kate’s neck, almost slapping her in the process due to her poor coordination. “You’re the bestest best girlfriend.” She has a dopy smile on her face.
The annoyance leaves Kate’s body quickly. She can only be happy when her girlfriend is looking at her like that, like a cute puppy who is full of love. “You’re the bestest girlfriend.” She argues back playfully, her hand rubbing Y/N’s back gently.
“Nuh uh.” She shakes her head. Her lower lip is between her teeth as she stares at the beauty in front of her. “I wish I could sleep next to you.” She whispers.
“I know.” Kate moves one of her hands up to Y/N’s head, her fingers tangling with her hair. “Me too, but we’ll hang out tomorrow.”
“Ye-“ she gets interrupted by a yawn. It makes Kate laugh.
“Will you be able to make it to your bed on your own?”
“I will, don’t you worry.”
She shakes her head at the grin on Y/N’s lips. Kate pulls her into a sweet kiss, holding her steady so she wouldn’t stumble too much during it. Y/N’s fingers play with Kate’s hair while they spend a good few minutes on the porch, kissing each other.
When they finally pull away, Y/N tightens her hold around Kate’s neck and leans her cheek to her shoulder, craving to be as close to her as possible. Even though Kate should be leaving soon so Wanda and Natasha don’t catch them out on their porch together, she tightens her hold as well, just as desperate to feel the warmth on her body.
“Your mums might wake up.” Kate’s voice is quieter due to being pressed against the top of Y/N’s head. “They aren’t supposed to see us.”
“I know.” Her voice is whiny, she really doesn’t want to leave this moment.
Chuckling, Kate pulls away slowly, giving Y/N one more kiss before opening the door with her keys. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hands the keys to Y/N, who is pouting by the door. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Y/N’s is much lower now that the door open. She knows her moms wake up to the smallest of sounds. “Sleep well.”
“Good night, babe.” Kate walks back to her car, and the door closes.
Natasha stares at her phone screen, where the Ring doorbell camera feed is still going, while Wanda is looking at her wife’s face. “She’s dating Kate.” She states.
“She’s dating Kate.”
The two stay quiet as they sit on their couch, empty breakfast plates on the small table in front of them. One full plate is waiting on the kitchen table, it’s for Y/N once she finally wakes up.
“She was out drinking.” Natasha mumbles, closing her phone and putting it away. She rubs her face with a sigh. Her daughter isn’t supposed to be out drinking with her girlfriend yet.
“She isn’t too far from being able to drink legally.” Wanda has a pointed look, letting Natasha know she heard her thoughts. “I’m not liking the drinking part, but I guess she’s old enough to date?” The sentence comes out as a question. Truth to be told, she’s thinking the exact same thing Natasha is. In her mind, Y/N is still their little girl.
Natasha turns to look at her, by the look of her face, it’s clear she doesn’t believe Wanda. “It’s one thing to be dating and another to be hiding it from us. How long have they been together anyway?”
“Long enough to say I love you.”
“That doesn’t narrow it down at all.”
Shrugging, Wanda leans her back fully to the couch. She’s biting the inside of her cheek. It’s not that she has never wondered about Y/N dating someone, but now that the scenario is actually reality, she doesn’t know how to handle it. Especially since Y/N has been clearly hiding the relationship from them.
“I mean, we need to talk to her,” she runs her hand through her hair, “and Kate too.”
“Oh yeah. I want to know what her intentions are.” Natasha huffs before turning towards the stairs, hearing a door open and close.
Slow steps start coming towards the living room. When Y/N steps into the living room, she tries to clear up her face from the fatigue and hangover she’s feeling, which obviously doesn’t go unnoticed by the two. “Morning.” She mumbles with a small smile.
“Good morning.” Wanda and Natasha’s gaze follow Y/N as she picks up her plate and goes to sit at the dining table. “Could you come eat in the living room.”
With a frown, Y/N puts the chair back in it place and plops down to a loveseat next to the couch. “What’s up?” She starts nibbling her food, her appetite not entirely there because of last night’s activities.
“We,” Natasha glances at Wanda, “saw something interesting today.” Y/N hums, not getting where she is going with this. “This something was recorded by the Ring camera, on our front door.”
It takes a while, but after a moment, Y/N’s eyes widen and her whole face turns warm. She was too drunk to remember the camera on their doorbell yesterday, but now, everything that happened on that porch is rushing back to her memories. “Right.” She sets her plate to the table, clearing her throat. Her eyes avoid the burning haze of her mothers’.
“Would you like to tell us anything?”
“Hm, I-“ she opens and closes her mouth. The right words for this kind of situation aren’t coming to her mind. “Me and Kate are dating?” Her voice is high pitched as she kets out an uncomfortable laugh at the end of her sentence.
”How long?”
“Like,” she plays with her fingers, “nine months.”
“Nine?” Natasha’s brows fly up her forehead. “You two have been dating for almost a year and you haven’t told us.”
“Why did you keep it a secret?” Wanda asks.
“We haven’t even got a chance to talk to Kate about this!”
“This is something we’re supposed to know as your parents.”
“Hiding things in th-“
“This is why I didn’t tell you!” Y/N interrupts her moms’ ramblings. “Because you’re so protective and you’d scare her away.” She slumps her body on the seat, crossing her arms over her chest as she glares at the wall near her, too nervous to look at her parents.
Wanda and Natasha turn to look at each other, as if they have no clue what their daughter is talking about. “We don’t scare people away.” Natasha scoffs.
“Yes you do! You interrogated my first crush so much she stopped talking to me completely.”
“We thought she changed schools.”
“Because you two would’ve probably killed her if you knew what actually happened.” She rolls her eyes. Her moms don’t dare to argue against that, both knowing that’s most likely true. “I just-“ she sighs, “I love, Kate. I don’t want her to leave because you two scare her away.”
Tilting her head, Wanda leans her body closer to grab Y/N’s hand. “Okay, we know we can be a bit overprotective sometimes,” Y/N gives her a look, “fine, most of the times, but you are still our little girl and we want to keep you safe.”
“Which means we need to meet Kate.”
“Fine, but you can’t interrogate her.” She stares at Natasha with a pointed look, challenging her mother, and Natasha never backs down from a challenge.
“We need to know what her intentions are.”
“If you do, you three can’t be alone, I’ll be there with you when you ask these questions.”
“Okay, we get to ask any questions we want.”
“You can ask two questions and then we’re going to my room.”
“Eight.”
Wanda rolls her eyes at the back and forth argument, but lets them settle it on their own.
“Five, and the questions go through me first.”
With a slight grin, Natasha nods, she’s oddly proud of her daughter’s ability to negotiate. “Alright, but the door needs to be open then centimeters and you can’t be here alone, one of us has to be home.”
Y/N groans at the rules, but accepts them, she knows those rules are nonnegotiable. “Fine,” she mumbles, “if she runs away after this I’ll be mad at you forever.” She says while standing up, ready to go back to her room to ask Kate over.
“If she runs away she isn’t right for you!” Wanda calls out after her.
“Blahblahblah.” She mumbles too quietly for the two women to hear before closing the door after here. There is a slight smile on her face either way, she’s kind of glad the most important people in her life can finally meet each other.
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kneelingshadowsalome · 6 months ago
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hi salome!! i’m sure your inundated with asks already, but it’s been a hot minute since you’ve posted/reblogged anything (stalker core ik) and am just a bit worried,, i hope you’re doing good physically and mentally, eating and sleeping well, and just generally having the bestest of days 🫶
Hi! 💕 Gosh I don't usually drop out like this and I'm so touched that you and others have asked if I'm ok, you guys are so so sweet. I'm alive I promise! 😭
I've just been super busy with school and friends, people crawl out of their dens here in the North when the snow melts and apparently at some point I decided to become a yes man or something because I've been going out like crazy. But truth be told a close relationship ended this spring too and even if it's for the best (like I'm talking about confusing, draining, exploitative shit here 🫠) it's brought a lot of grief with it, I suffered from severe insomnia for a few weeks etc. So it's not all fun and games here and I've really had to double down on self care.
Luckily things are looking brighter now, I'm feeling so much better and school stuff will be wrapped up this week too ^^ hopefully after that I'll be back to posting 10 x a day 💅🏻😭 I miss writing so much it's not even fun anymore!
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vampsquerade · 2 years ago
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Hi
I was wondering if I could leave a request with you.
Could I please request a platonic Simon ghost Riley x male reader where reader joins the 141 for the very first time and ghost being ghost is very skeptical and I trust worthy of him. But over time during a duo mission they become the bestest friends possible like an inseparable duo.
Please and thank you
yes of course! thank you so much for the request and sorry if it’s a bit weird, it’s been a bit since i’ve written a platonic relationship for a character with a personality like ghost’s…but i hope you like it either way c: hope you’ve been well 💕
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ghost x Male!Reader: The FNG’s Impression
Trigger Warnings: untrusting feelings, is mostly a normal fic
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Being the FNG to a new task force was typically always seen as a bad thing. The decisions made on the first mission is the one that makes that lasting impression on the entirety of the squad, so it usually makes them nervous and less rational. But not you. You have always made it out to prove your worth that you’re able to contribute and follow orders as they’re given. You proved several times that you weren’t some rookie who didn’t know jackshit with each new squad you worked with as you moved up in your ranks. So once you were assigned to Task Force 141 after Captain Price decided after the Hassan situation and betrayal of the former General, Shepherd, that it was time to beef up the squad a bit more.
Upon arrival at their current location, you made a quick effort to greet everyone before the debriefing. “Fuckin’ hell…so this is the guy I’m supposed to be on a duo mission with?” Simon mutters to Kyle as he stares at you. “Easy now, I’m sure he’ll be a good addition to the team.” Kyle says, uncrossing his arms to wave at you as you walk into the tent with Captain Price and Farah. “He doesn't seem trustworthy, something feels off about him.” Simon says, walking towards the barracks. “You’re being too judgemental mate! I know when we were working with Graves that suspicion wasn’t really there because he was Shepherd’s recommendation, but that’s all over now.” Kyle says, following behind him.
“Doesn’t matter. Someone with an extensive file like his being that chipper ain’t exactly a good thing.” Simon says. “The two of you taking the piss outta the new guy or something?” Johnny asks, sitting up once Simon flicked the lights of the barracks on. “Simon’s just being an old man and complaining about how the new guy doesn’t seem trustworthy.” Kyle says, shaking his head. “Aye, you think so? I kinda had the same feeling.” Johnny says, scratching his chin. “Really? Surprising—considering that’s how you were when you joined the team.” Kyle says, causing Johnny to scowl at him. “Away ‘n bile yer heid.” he says curtly. “What?” Kyle asks. “He said ‘Go fuck yourself,’ Kyle.” Simon says, a soft scoff escaping his lips.
Knowing full well it was a laugh, Johnny just grinned at him. “Oh shove it up yours MacTavish. You two are being a little harsh to him and all he said to you was ‘Hello, I can’t wait to work with you guys. Let’s be sure to do our best.’ Don’t you think we should, oh I don’t know, not be suspicious?” Kyle says. As he finishes saying that, they all immediately turn and look at the door as it opens and reveals you standing there. “Oh! You guys were probably talking about something private, I’ll head out and let you guys keep talking.” you say, freezing up. “No, no, it’s fine. We had just finished talking. Y/N, right? Nice to finally meet you.” Kyle says.
He walks over to you, that same friendly smile from earlier on his face as his hand extends towards you. “Nice to meet you too, Kyle. Hope to do my absolute best on this mission with Simon here.” you say, giving Simon a smile as you shake Kyle’s hand. “Call me Lieutenant. You and I aren’t on a first name basis.” Simon says coldly, his eyes narrowed as he glared daggers into you. “Alright Lieutenant. So, uh, is it okay if I can go to sleep here?” you ask. “Of course you can, you don’t have to ask us to go to sleep. What time are you two being dropped off?” Kyle asks. “We’re being dropped at 0600 sharp so I’m gonna get some rest before 0500 to be ready by then.” you say.
“You’re a meticulous one, aren’t you?” Johnny asks, causing you to look at him. “Well yeah I mean…it kinda comes with the field doesn’t it? No room for error.” you say. “And that’s what got you to provide good overwatch as a sniper?” Johnny asks again. “Oh yeah. Hopefully I’ll be able to be as good as the Lieutenant here. I really can’t wait for these next few months working with you all.” you say excitedly. “Don’t get too excited. We aren’t exactly sure what the two of us are getting into. Can you keep yourself level headed?” Simon asks. “I have a pretty good record for a reason, Lieutenant—my head’s as level as it’s gonna be.” you say. “Alright, I think I’m starting to like the new guy now. Welcome to the 141, Y/N.” Johnny says.
Soon enough after a bit more banter, all of you find yourselves getting to bed. Obviously still uneasy, Simon finds himself staying awake just a bit longer to make sure you don’t try and do anything whilst the others sleep. Once he sees you’re not thinking of trying anything, he eventually lets himself drift off to sleep until it was time to get up and head out for the mission in the morning. You’re obviously the first one to get up and ready, so when Simon feels you gently shaking him awake, it causes him to open his eyes out of a slight panic and tightly grip your wrist. “H-Hey! Easy now Lieutenant, you’re gonna break the hand I need!” you whisper yell. Simon then scowls at you through the darkness, letting go of your wrist.
You rub at it to relieve some of the remaining pain and pressure, walking out to the weapons wall to get your assigned sniper rifle and pistol, both of which are already equipped with suppressors. Simon eventually joins you, grabbing a suppressed pistol and automatic rifle. “Let’s do some good work out there, Lieutenant.” you say, giving him a friendly bump on the shoulder before you walk towards the hangar. Simon just groans and follows after you begrudgingly. He was most certainly not looking forward to these next few months with you, especially not the first day of your mission. He felt like you were an annoyance by how friendly you were making yourself out to be and he honestly just wasn’t having it.
You didn’t talk to him the entire time you waited to be dropped off by Nikolai, wanting to keep yourself calm and collected. Once you were dropped off, Nikolai bid the both of you farewell and wished you luck. “Bravo 0-7 and 3-6 this is Watcher-1. How copy?” a woman’s voice, one of which you recognized as C.I.A agent Kate Laswell, asks through the comms. “This is Bravo 0-7. We’ve landed in the DZ and are ready for infil.” Simon says, making you excited and ramped up for this first mission. “On your TacMap are all six buildings you’ll need to infiltrate to find any and all information that’ll help us get our leads on Makarov. Luckily for you, there aren’t many guards patrolling the compound—make your way in and use what little darkness you have left to ensure your safety. If you’re compromised you’ll need to make your way to the EZ where Nikolai will come and get you.” Laswell says. “Understood.” Simon acknowledges.
You make your way to your designated slope that provides overwatch for a good 85% of the area, hunkering down and hoping your ghillie suit ensures you’re well camouflaged. “Alright, C/S. I don’t reckon you’ll make a good impression on Price and Laswell if you so let me get a scratch by not doing your job. On my signal, you’ll take out any and all guards that are surrounding me, got it?” Simon says into the comms. “Yes, Lieutenant Ghost. I won’t let a single one come near you—I’ll alert you if I see any you can’t and take them out before they get to you.” you reassure. “Take out the guards in the North and South outposts. Know how many notches that’ll be?” Simon asks, questioning your ability and knowledge. “Three and a half notches for both. I’m taking the shots now.” you say. Holding your breath to keep your aim steady, you first take your shot at the guard stationed south before taking out the one up north.
Mildly impressed by this, Simon takes note of your clear ability to follow orders and prove your intelligence. “I’m moving to building Alpha. Do you see any guards I should be aware of?” he asks. “Negative, you’re clear to move in.” you say. You keep your eye on Simon, watching him scale the building through the windows. “See anything in there Lieutenant?” you ask softly. “Negative. Is there anyone coming near Alpha, Sergeant?” Simon asks. “Not a thing, you’re clear to move out now.” you reassure. This then goes on for the rest of the morning, with you both having to take extra precautions now that the sun has come up.
At this point, Simon’s become impressed by you, but now he thinks you’re being a bit of a kiss-ass. “Is this really how you act all the time?” he asks rudely as you wait at the EZ for Nikolai to arrive. “It’s how I am with people I haven’t worked or met with yet—like you guys. Once I’m closer to people is when I start to kind of act like a dick.” you say. “That right?” Simon asks, shaking his head. “What, don’t believe me?” you ask, crossing your arms as you sling your sniper on your shoulder. “Not at all. I better see that exact behavior then the further along you and I keep going on these missions.” Simon says. You grin at him, crossing your arms against your chest. “I think you’re warming up to me, Lieutenant Ghost.” you say cheekily. “And I think I should kick you in the ass so hard you feel my boot in your throat.” Simon says just as cheekily through his normally gruff voice.
After this, the months would come to pass more and more as you got closer to getting a proper lead on Makarov. The both of you were forced to go radio silent together, as there was a risk that the whole operation would be compromised. This left you less monitored during subsequent missions and you’d come to prove that you were more than capable of saving Simon’s ass because that’s all you did. Sure, he’s saved yours a couple of times, however it was mostly you making sure he didn’t so much as get a single scratch on him. You’d also, in turn, begun to treat him like you said you would; a complete dick. Simon liked that, as he figured that it suited you a lot more than trying to be some kiss-ass.
“Ghost, C/S, good to see you lads again.” Price says as the two of you finally walk onto the base of operations they were using. “Good to see you too, Captain. We got a proper lead on Makarov now,” you say as you hand over a manila folder containing all the information regarding the information you and Simon spent months getting. “So, how was he?” Price asks, looking at Simon after scanning the contents of the folder for a bit. “I’d say he’s a right good fellow. Perfect fit for the 141.” Simon says, making you content. “And how was it with Simon?” Price asks you this time. “All I can say is that the old dog’s got some soft spots in him. Couple blind spots too, think he needs to get his eyes checked.” you joke, making Simon elbow you in the ribs. “Easy now, pup, I reckon I can still kick your ass.” he says.
“Simon! Y/N! How the hell did you guys find where we were? The two of you went radio silent on us.” Kyle says, going and shaking your hand. “Ah, we just followed the North Star and managed to find you guys.” you say sarcastically. “Haha, very funny Y/N,” Kyle says, rolling his eyes as a smile crosses his face. “Has he taken a liking to you yet? It took him a bit to take a liking to Johnny and I.” he asks. “Oh yeah. Surely enough I’ll get him to be completely smitten.” you say, playfully nudging at Simon. “You’re not my type.” he says, crossing his arms. You could tell he’s smiling a little behind his balaclava, and it makes you glad to have gained his trust. “Well then, mI’ll be putting the two of you on more missions together.” Price says, nodding at you both before walking away.
Kyle follows after him, leaving you and Simon alone. “Honestly I can’t fathom the thought of you taking a liking to me. I’m pretty sure you don’t even have a heart.” you say, starting to walk away from Simon. “Oh I have a heart all right, I just keep it frozen and locked in a box.” Simon says as he follows after you. “Sounds like something out of those freak shows they show on tv.” you say, laughing a bit. “Careful, that might just be you someday.” Simon jokes. “What’s that supposed to mean, Lt.?” you ask, no longer walking. Simon simply goes quiet and keeps walking once you stop walking. “Hey! What the hell’s that supposed to mean?!” you exclaim.
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princessbrunette · 9 months ago
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i hit 6k followers!
that’s insane, thank u sm to everyone who enjoys my stuff n shows me love. you’re the bestest 🎀💕
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hugejk · 11 months ago
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So today i was at the dentist and got an idea for a story. What about reader having to go to the dentist and gavi comes along to help her feel safe because reader is scared ❤️❤️
Love uuu ❤️
i only like the dentist because of the laughing gas 😭
i luvv u too 💕🥹
||_____________________________||
you put your phone down with a sign, reading the text that just popped up on your screen. Pablo was on his phone watching whatever he was watching, hearing your loud sigh he looked over and saw you just looking up at the ceiling.
“what’s wrong?” he asked pausing his video
“i have a dentist appointment tomorrow, at 3.” you said disappointed. Because for as long as you can remember you hated the dentist. Something about the sharp tools and them being way to close to your mouth just made you upset.
“what’s wrong with that?” pablo asked genuinely confused.
“everything! i hate the tools they use, how they’re so sharp and pointy and how they just shove their hands in my mouth and poke around. I hate everything about it! Especially the smell, it always smells like disinfectant and toothpaste.” you said sitting up looking at him while you rant.
pablo just looked at you because he didn’t know what to say. after a bit of silence you laid back down and put your hands on your face, dreading tomorrow.
“i have an idea.” pablo said with a smile.
“what.” you said annoyed, not at him but just annoyed you have to prepare yourself for the day tomorrow.
“what if, let’s say hypothetically….i go in with you?….” he said looking at you, then back to his hands every second.
“why would you want to go in with me?” you said
“because you’re scared and i don’t wanna see you scared and like all that stuff you said earlier.” he said looking at you.
sitting back up, you looked at him, and agreed because maybe having the love of your life will help you feel more comfortable.
*time skip to the next day*
“hurry up i’m gonna be late pablo.” you said to him already ready.
“it’s barely 2:30 calm down” he said with a hint of sass.
“it takes 10 minutes to get there, 3 minutes to prepare, about 4 minutes to check in, then the rest of the time for them to find an open space for me pablo.” you said.
“okay okay i’m ready” he said walking past you and out the door. You didn’t know how he was so happy(?) to be going to the dentist, maybe because it’s not his appointment but still.
on your way to the office you were borderline shaking, maybe it’s because you had a small breakfast or the energy drink you drank, or maybe just the fear but you didn’t like it.
You were in your head not even noticing pablo’s singing, you stopped at a red light and finally noticed. It was good but bad at the same time somehow, so you started laughing.
“what?” he said looking at you
“your singing, it’s terrible but amazing at the same time” you said still laughing.
“okay miss, “i’m scared of the dentist’ he said while crossing his arms
You immediately stopped laughing and smacked him on his arm, as soon as you did the car behind you started honking as the light was green for a good few seconds already.
As you parked in the parking lot your leg started shaking, you put your head down on the steering wheel, still not ready for your appointment.
“amor is gonna be okay, you have the most handsome, amazing, and bestest boyfriend in the world to help you” he said rubbing your arm.
“bestest isn’t a word.” you said, head still in your arms.
checking the time, you told pablo you guys should go in now, checking in and sitting in the waiting room.
“wait, what even is this appointment for?” pablo asked looking up from the magazine he was looking through.
“it’s just a cleaning but what if they find something that’s wrong and they have to preform some sort of surgery thing, what if they floss too hard and cut my gums, what if-“ pablo cut you off with his own words.
“your gonna be fine, it’s just a cleaning all they’re gonna do is clean your teeth and count them or something.”
“you don’t think i know that?” you said annoyed, but as soon as you were gonna speak the dentist called your name.
fear ran through your veins, not even viens, all over your body. You got up and so did pablo. Walking though the doorway and down the hall, the assistant told you where to sit. Luckily it was right next to the wall so pablo could sit next to you.
Pablo scrolling on his phone found a funny photo and showed you, hopefully cheering you up somehow.
The assistant walked back in and told you that she would start working on you for now, lowering your seat down and giving you a pair of sunglasses to help with the light she turned on. She first started by brushing your teeth, even though you already did that, she then started flossing after about 3 minutes of the brushing. Once she was done flossing she raised your seat back up and asked if there was anything that raised concerns, any pains or discomfort from the last time you visited.
nothing was wrong, you kept your dental health up. So you told her no and she took back the glasses, told you that you were all done. You didn’t even realize that it went by so quickly, pablo on the other hand bored out of his mind as nothing on his phone interested him anymore. you stood up and took pablo’s hand to help him get up.
walking back to the front desk and booking your next check up in about 6 months from now, relived that it was all over. Getting back in the car and turning it on as pablo immediately connected to the bluetooth and turning up his music.
“did my presence help you at all?” he said looking up from his phone.
“eh, i guess. That photo you showed me was stupid though.” you said backing out of the spot and getting onto the main road.
pablo scoffed and said, “that image was comedy gold, maybe you just don’t have a sense of humor. But see that appointment wasn’t even that bad.”
“it was that bad, i swear that girl was the most aggressive flosser i’ve ever seen.”
||_______________________||
a/n: sorry if it’s not like exactly what you requested i tried my best 😓
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did-someone-say-aliens · 26 days ago
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SORRY IF THIS IS A WEIRD ASK THING BUT YOU HAVE THE COOLEST PRONOUNS EVER?????? SHDJHFG neopronouns are the bestest
IM GOING TO START CRYING THIS ISNT WEIRD AT ALL
Definitely preferred to the usual hate i get‼️‼️😭😭💕THANK YOU YOU’RE SO SWEET
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pseudowho · 3 months ago
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HAITCH i hope you’re having the bestest day everr ☺️
HelloooOOOOOO!
I'm sorry I'm so late answering, I'm fucking busy this summer and I hate it 💀
Well, me and @mrhaitch are rushed off our feet with kids and life and life admin, but we're seeing each other a bit more with him home for the summer, so that's a treat 😌💕
And I'm waiting for time to catch up on your thread of fate Nanami series, which I think about constantly, actually. It just deserves more justice than a quick read, while I'm hiding in the bathroom from the kids, having a wee.
I hope YOU are having a good day, sweet thing. I saw and appreciate all the cheeky little reblogs. They always make me laugh.
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Love and an actually squidgy bosom-y cwtch,
-- Haitch xxx
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pretty-little-mind33 · 2 months ago
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MY BABY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! it’s now the 3rd where I am so happy early birthday to you!! you’re the bestest best girl and I hope you have the bestest best day. sending you lots of love💓💓x however many to exceed the word limit
LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do apologise in advance, I failed at my gift. unfortunately I couldn’t actualise tangerine and send him to you :(
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WIFEYYYY OMG THIS IS THE BEST EARLY HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISH E V E R 🤧💖 it's not the 3rd here yet but it's gonna be soon and i can't believe i'm gonna be 20 😭
I LOVE YOU SM FOR REMEMBERING 💖💖💕
i forgive you for not gifting me tangerine 🤧 he's hard to catch lmao (get it, cause he's an assassin lmaooo)
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darkestcorners · 2 months ago
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You know when you’re super into a book and can’t put it down? Like your mind is just soooo locked into that world and you wish your brain could read faster because you CRAVE so much of the story? That’s how I feel about Polarity.
This is such a sweet compliment, I can’t thank you enough! I still can’t process how much you guys have expressed liking my stories and I can’t begin to explain how much it really means to me. I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 💕😭 I hope you have the bestest day babes!
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andithiel · 2 years ago
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I wrote a thing for the first prompt of @hdcandyheartsfest "Second Date"! This got away from me a little, it's 1,3k so I'm putting it under a cut. Rated T I guess for mentions of sexy stuff having happened and going to happen again. Thank you as always to the bestest of betas, my lovely @crazybutgood 💖💕
When Draco wakes up, he’s in an unfamiliar bed. Unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. The mattress is a little softer than he’d like, and the sheets are way too rumpled to be comfortable, but there’s also a pleasant ache in his muscles that’s probably the reason why he’s put up with—
He snaps his eyes open, wide awake now. Shit. Shit shit shit. It all comes back to him, how Harry kissed him when they were saying goodbye and how that kiss led Draco to forget all about grace and decorum, and how he foolishly went back to Harry’s.
This was a bad idea. He needs to find a way to get out of this.
He rolls out of bed and starts Summoning his clothes. His shirt comes flying from a chair by the door where Harry carelessly tossed it after he’d struggled with the buttons, and Draco hadn’t even objected. His trousers, pants and socks fly up in a bundled heap from closer to the bed, because Harry had stripped him off them in one motion before sitting him down on the bed and going down on him. Draco’s heart rate speeds up at the memory of Harry wrapping his lips around him while his green eyes looked up at Draco under heavy lids.
There are soft clinking noises coming from the kitchen, shaking Draco from his mental image, and he notices a delicious smell wafting through the half-ajar door. He quickly pulls his clothes on, trying his best to ignore how they’re all wrinkled beyond recognition and comfort (really, it’s not like him to get so carried away that he forgets about these things), and sneaks towards the kitchen.
Harry’s standing by the stove, scooping bacon on a platter. His hair is rumpled, his t-shirt ill-fitting after many washes, but looking so soft that Draco wants to feel it under his fingertips. The grey joggers are equally soft-looking, and the elastics have gone lax so that they’re sitting obscenely on his hips, making a gap between the shirt and the hem of the trousers where one could easily slide a hand in and—
“Aw, shit, you’re already up!” Draco snaps out of his ogling and fantasising and looks up at Harry, who’s smiling bashfully. “I was hoping to wake you up myself.”
“Oh. No worries. I, uh…” Draco starts, but doesn’t have time to say that he really must be going before Harry’s grabbed him by the hand and dragged him through the kitchen into the dining room, plate of bacon in his other hand.
“Sit down, I’ll just get the orange juice. Tea’s already here.”
Harry dashes off, and Draco blinks as he takes in the amount of food before him: the table is crammed with a lavish breakfast that looks like it could feed at least one of the house tables at Hogwarts. He doesn’t have time to digest it all before Harry has returned and plopped down beside him.
“Please, help yourself!” When Draco doesn’t move, he continues, “I didn’t know what you like so I made some of everything. I, er… I hope it’s not too much.”
He rubs at his neck, a shy smile on his face, and Draco shouldn’t find it as endearing as he does. He knew that agreeing to a date with Harry Potter would be dangerous territory, and now here he is, stupidly infatuated with the man.
Draco tentatively reaches for the kettle and pours himself a mug of steaming Darjeeling, first flush, if his nose isn’t deceiving him. But he doesn’t dare to eat anything, too afraid he won’t get anything down for fear of it rising back up.
“What’s wrong?” Harry asks, and it’s more than annoying how adorable he looks when he’s worried.
Draco clears his throat, deciding that he’ll need to just spit it out. “I’m sorry, I— I never sleep with anyone on the first date.”
Harry perks up, a pleased, almost boyish smile on his face. “Really?” 
“Yes, really,” Draco says, and before he has time to regret it he blurts, “because when I do, there have never been any more dates after that.” It’s a difficult thing to admit, and on top of that, he doesn’t want to examine how disappointed he is with himself that he couldn’t control himself enough to refrain from going home with Harry. He’d had big hopes for this date, and now, there’s not going to be any more of them.
“So, when do you usually sleep with someone?”
Draco’s not sure he heard right. He knows Harry lacks a few filters that Draco himself has had firmly installed by his parents, but even by those standards, that’s kind of an invasive question. 
“Second date? Third?” Harry continues.
“I’m… Fourth, I guess,” Draco says, giving up on decorum. Merlin knows he lost it with Harry ages ago.
“Hmmm.” Harry scratches his head, messing his hair up even more (Draco does his best to ignore how it still looks like he’s newly fucked), then fishes out his wand from his pocket. He Summons a pair of candles from the other side of the room and lights them with his wand. Then, with another swish of his wand, he dims the lights. “Okay!” he says finally, looking at Draco with glittering eyes. “We’ve got candles, we’ve got flowers,” he indicates the bouquet haphazardly thrown into a vase standing in the middle on the table, “and I cooked you a meal. The most important meal of the day, might I add. By any standards, this definitely counts as a date.”
Draco swallows while he finally dares to see all the things that Harry has done for him this morning, but he doesn’t have the courage to believe that Harry is going where Draco hopes he’s going. 
“And I was thinking of asking you to go with me to the cinema tonight, because I assume you’ve never been to a Muggle cinema before and I think you’d really like it,” Harry continues, and even leans forward, taking Draco’s hand and brushing it with his thumb.
For the first time in his life, Draco is speechless. Not out of fear or embarrassment, but because there’s a tiny bubble of hope rising in his chest, through his throat, threatening to burst out in hysterical laughter.
“I don’t sleep with anyone on the first date, either,” Harry says, and his expression is so open and earnest, more than usual. “Not unless I’m really into them.” 
Draco inhales shakily; he’d no idea he’d been holding his breath. “So, you’re into me?”
Harry lets out a soft laugh, but Draco also notices his shoulders dropping. Was he also unsure about Draco’s intention? 
“What do you think?” Harry murmurs and leans in for a kiss, lips gentle and exploring against Draco’s, even though they had plenty of practice yesterday. 
Draco’s a little light-headed when they break apart, but he manages to find his words. “I think I could be persuaded to sleep with you on the second date.”
Harry laughs again, a little louder this time, relieved. “Then we’d better get this date started, because I have some things I’d like to do that we didn’t have time for last night.”
“Oh,” Draco says, fishing out a scone from the bread basket in front of him. “Would that involve the handcuffs I saw next to the bottle of lube in your bedside drawer?”
“Nah, that’s for the ninth date, at the earliest,” Harry says, almost causing Draco to choke on his scone. 
But by now, Draco has found his footing, and he’s not willing to be outdone by Harry. “So, if we go at the same rate as planned, dating wise, I could have you tied up and have my way with you by…” he counts on his fingers, “Monday.” 
He turns to Harry, whose eyes have become darker and breathing heavier.
“I can make an exception,” he says, grabbing Draco’s hand. “I think this date is nearing the end.”
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prismaticpichu · 4 months ago
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This is for you, I didn't draw these, I just found it, so can you make like Sephiroth and Zack Fair watching the stargazing at night? I hope its okay for you,
Ayyyy! More adorable arrrrtt!!!! Tysm again for sharing!! 💖💕
Stargazing??? Sounds perfect to me!! <33 You got it!!
~
The velveteen underbelly of the sky blazed bright with stars that night, millions upon millions of luminous shapes peppering the cosmic swirls and spirals that threaded its celestial canvas, weaving into its almost ethereal tapestry. Seldom was the sky ever this pure and beautiful (even with the Mako that breathed smog into its veins), and it was for that reason alone wherein Zack decided to persuade his best buddy to join him on the rooftop of ShinRa HQ.
“And if you squint reeeaaaal hard… you can make a seahorse!” Zack’s spirited chirp lit up the night almost as much as the stars themselves, lying flat on his back against cool concrete, one gloved fingers tracing bestial figures in the dazzling ornaments above. “You see it?”
Even squinting, Sephiroth did not see it.
“…No,” he admitted with a playful scoff, emerald eyes drifting aside to gaze curiously at his companion. “Just as I didn’t see the table, sock, otter, seashell, or flamingo.”
“Well, I don’t know how you didn’t see the flamingo,” rang Zack’s equally-playful laughter. “Like… c’mon. It’s those two stars connected to those to stars—y’know, the legs—and then it’s thaaatt star that makes the neck…”
All Sephiroth could do was shake his head, starlit strands dancing in the night.
“You’re delirious.”
“Am not!”
“I don’t see anything.”
“You’re not lookin’!”
“Of course I am.”
“Look at the right stars, bud!”
"Heh. And what is that supposed to mean? I'm looking at the same exact stars as you, Zack. The same exact..."
Funny, how the man's sentence seemed to drift off on its own accord, transforming and evolving in that small swath of breath until the thought that left his lips in the end was a new thought entirely.
"...Heh," left a small, wistful sound. "I wonder."
"What is it, pal?" Zack turned his head to face him, sapphire eyes blinking inquisitively.
Sephiroth closed his eyes before responding.
"Our lenses..." he said after a few moments, the lithe black shape shifting slightly against the rooftop. "They're so incredibly different. Almost polarizing. We live on this same planet, look at the same exact objects... and yet see entirely contradictory things."
Zack cocked his head, smiling curiously. "Yeah?"
"Mmn. Yes. Take a half-filled glass, to be cliché... I will look at the vessel and see that it is empty. Perhaps that it needs to be filled, that it is lacking in its full potential." Sephiroth turned his head to face the teen. "You, on the other hand..."
"Will see it half-full!" Zack completed brightly.
"Heh…” Sephiroth’s expression softened with a faint smile, clearly not needing to explain any further. “Yes. Exactly.”
Zack mirrored his grin. “True polar opposites, huh? You and me?”
“Mmph. I suppose so.”
“And yet the bestest of best friends?”
Amused, Sephiroth’s smile curled into a smirk. “I never said that.”
“Aww, c’mon. I’m your best bud!” Zack scooted a couple inches to be closer to his friend, curling cozily against the warrior’s side. “Right…?”
Sephiroth pretended to think for a moment.
“Seppppph.”
“Yes, yes. Of course you are,” Sephiroth rested his head against the feathery black spikes, pillowing his cheek against his own soothing stretch of space, silver bangs threading through the cosmic spikes like argent moonlight. “You are my ‘best bud.’”
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